She shook her head. "No one has ever seen it. We are a peaceful race of Spirit, and we have been hiding for years because we cannot resist its minions. Recently, they suddenly decided they wanted all of us at once."
Mystical Elf led him to the outskirts of the city and raised her slender blue arm toward the sky. Yugen followed her finger and saw the sky split open, torn into a shockingRift gap, forming a black vortex like a gaping mouth.
"That is…?" he asked.
"A path to the evil god," she said with worry. "The rift grows larger each day, swallowing more of our world. When it opens wide enough, our world may cease to exist."
"I sympathize with what you are facing," Yugen said. "But I do not think I can help."
She smiled gently. "We have waited for the legendary hero while hiding from the minions. A prophecy says the hero will descend from another world, use the power of cards to break the minions, and awaken the sleeping warrior."
"A sleeping warrior?" Yugen asked.
"Yes, a legendary warrior with unmatched strength," Mystical Elf replied. "He once drove back evil, but the evil god struck him down in a single blow and sealed his power. Only when the hero arrives and uses his power can the warrior awaken again and create a miracle."
In the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Spirit and Duelist depended on each other. Powerful Spirit enhanced a Duelist's fate, while only strong Duelist could draw out their full potential, just as the Egyptian God Cards were strongest only in the hands of the undefeated Pharaoh Atem.
"And the warrior is here," Mystical Elf said.
As she spoke, she led Yugen to a massive rock formation. Carved into the side of the mountain was the image of a warrior, like an ancient Egyptian tablet, armored and kneeling with his sword planted in the ground, his eyes full of defiance.
Just as he expected, the carving depicted the Black Luster Soldier. That was why the ruins were connected to this part of the Spirit World.
"If you wish to leave and return to where you came from, this is the only way," she said softly. "The legendary warrior has the power to open space. It called you here, and only it can send you back."
"But you want me to help you defeat the evil god," Yugen said. "What if I just go back?"
"The evil god itself is not here," she replied, shaking her head. "These are only its minions. No matter how many you defeat, more will come, and it means nothing."
"The true body of the evil god is in the world you came from," she continued. "It invades the Spirit World to enslave Spirit and turn their power into weapons, while also plotting against your world. Both worlds are under its threat."
Yugen frowned slightly. Could it be a dark Duelist from his own world?
Even so, causing trouble over there would not be easy. There were far too many powerful figures above.
He exchanged a glance with Silent Magician, and she nodded lightly. Through the bond between Duelist and Spirit, words were not always needed, and she was telling him that the seal here carried power similar to the stone slab they entered through, enough to send him back.
Just as he stepped forward and reached out to touch the tablet, a dull explosion suddenly rang out beside him. The sound was like a shell being fired, and before he could react, Silent Magician rushed ahead and swept her staff.
The incoming projectile was blown aside by her surging magic, redirected to explode elsewhere, leaving a smoking crater on the plain. Yugen turned his head and saw a man standing on the hillside.
His hands were in his pockets, blond hair visible beneath a headscarf patterned like the Stars and Stripes, and dark sunglasses covered his eyes. He wore a casual, mocking smile.
"Sorry," the man said. "But I am afraid I cannot let you leave so easily."
Yugen narrowed his eyes and studied the newcomer. He tilted his head slightly, measuring the man's posture and the faint pressure rolling off him. A familiar outline surfaced in his memory, though he was not fully certain yet.
"Bandit Keith?" he asked, his tone unsure.
"Oh? Someone still recognizes me these days?" The man removed his sunglasses and stretched his mouth into an unsettling grin.
It really was him. Bandit Keith, a minor boss from the early days of Yu-Gi-Oh!DM during the Duelist Kingdom Arc. He had once been a Bounty Hunter in the United States known for Card Mastery, at his peak undefeated across the United States and hailed as the American Champion, a Duel star with both power and promise.
That all ended the day he challenged Maximillion Pegasus. Maximillion Pegasus did not even take the field himself, instead letting a child Duel in his place while he chatted and laughed in the audience with Seto Kaiba. No one expected that child to defeat Keith using nothing but strategies written on a small note, crushing his pride and sending him down a path of bitterness and decay.
That was ancient history from the early DM era, and by all rights this man should have vanished long ago. Though his clothes were similar, his face had changed enough over the years that Yugen only confirmed his identity after hearing it from his own mouth. Even so, it did not explain why Bandit Keith had appeared in the Spirit World.
"I can feel the power on you, an evil, devouring force," Mystical Elf said, watching Keith with open caution. "You are an agent of the Dark God."
"Tch. Power is just power. What does evil have to do with it?" Bandit Keith replied.
He put a cigarette to his lips, flicked open a lighter, and sparked it with a sharp click. After blowing out a ring of smoke, he spoke lazily toward Yugen.
"Thanks to Yugi Muto and Katsuya Jonouchi, I once sank into pure despair. But with the power of a god, I was reborn through fire. Bandit Keith is already dead. All that remains now is the God-Chosen Swordsman."
He paused, took another drag, and pointed behind Yugen toward the engraved image. "That is why I am here. Legendary Warrior. We are taking that Spirit's power, no matter what. So sorry, kid, I cannot let you walk out of here alive, though you will not die right away."
Smoke curled from the corner of his grin as he studied Yugen. "Anyone who reaches this place has something special. Your soul should make fine nourishment."
Bandit Keith dropped the cigarette, crushed it under his boot, and snapped open his Duel Disk. "Come on. No matter what, only one of us leaves this place today."
"Thanks for the invitation, but I will pass," Yugen said.
He stepped back two paces, stopped firmly, and unfolded his own Duel Disk. "You can keep the honor of becoming monster feed for yourself."
"Duel!" x2
Yugen, LP 4000. Bandit Keith, LP 4000.
"I will take the first turn. Card Draw," Bandit Keith said. "First, I activate 'Pot of Greed' from my hand and draw two cards from my Deck. I then set one monster in face-down defense and set one card. My turn ends."
"My Turn!, Card Draw," Yugen replied.
On the first turn, Keith only set a monster and a card, revealing nothing about his plan. Back in the Duelist Kingdom Arc, the game had been simple, a time when even Blue-Eyes White Dragon could sweep the field. Nearly ten years had passed since then, and those old matches were no longer reliable references.
More importantly, Keith clearly served a different power now, and there was no telling what kind of Deck he was using. For now, focusing on his own Duel mattered more.
"I summon Summoner Monk in defense position."