Flashback - The End of That Moment
The aftershocks from the destruction of the Illusion Tower had not yet subsided. War and blood had turned Higashigumo Academy into a wasteland under a dying sunset.
Saya Huangtang collapsed in front of Yoru Mikage.
That arrow - it came from the Saint育 Consortium's Purification Forces, their ultimate weapon: "The Thunder God's Arrow".
She had chosen to take the blow meant for his heart.
"Her Last Smile
Saya's robes were soaked in blood, her right hand still clutching the broken shaft of her bow.
Slowly, she reached out and touched Yoru's face, her voice barely a whisper:
"...I could not...fight by your side...to the end."
"But you're...not alone anymore."
Her voice cracked, blood trickling from her lips.
Yoru gripped her hand tightly, his voice shaking:
"Why... why would you..."
Saya smiled softly, her eyes filled with unwavering tenderness.
"You are not... a king... nor a joker."
"You are... the only 'Yoru Mikage'... in my heart."
Her fingers slipped away.
And at that moment, Yoru's world - collapsed.
"Night Joker Awakens
A flood of boundless grief and rage consumed him.
The card system descended into chaos. The personas of Queen and Jack merged and rebelled, but Yoru did not resist.
He surrendered to the ruins of his emotions and memories.
"She died for me."
"Then I... will destroy everything for her."
From the center of his heart, a charred, blackened playing card slowly emerged - the grinning face of a masked figure on it.
Night Joker - Death Form
Ability 01 - Absurd Logic: Overrides both illusionary and physical laws, freely reshaping the battlefield.
Ability 02 - False Fate: Converts an enemy's next move into a portion of your own abilities and reflects it back at them.
Ability 03 - Wailing Compensation: Substitutes for any target, absorbing or redirecting all damage.
-At the cost of Yoru's own gradual mental collapse.
Illusion Reversal - Joker's Judgement
Yoru lifted his head, his eyes now swirling with the symbols of a rose and a roulette wheel.
He no longer looked human, but a god of illusion.
Stepping on blood, he spun a card between his fingers.
The commander of the Purification Forces staggered back in horror:
"He's no longer human!"
Yoru smiled coldly, "You wanted me to become king or die."
"But I chose... to end it as a Joker."
He threw the card - and the battlefield reversed.
Enemy attacks turned inward. Soldiers collapsed in chaos and self-destruction. Reality itself was being torn apart and rebuilt.
"This is not an illusion.
"This is the reason... she gave me with her dying breath - to shatter the rules."
Alone, Yoru judged an entire army.
Kyōichi Tendō - Awakening
At the Higashigumo Hospital.
Wounded and broken, Kyōichi Tendō finally opened his eyes and stared at the sky split by thunderous lightning.
He murmured to himself:
"He has awakened... but the price was her life..."
Painfully, he rose and grabbed the long-abandoned wooden sword beside him.
"If you go this way, Yoru Mikage... then I will be the last sword standing in your way."
"Return of the Lost King
Meanwhile, deep within the Saint育 Consortium's headquarters, a swirling shadow stirred.
From the rift between worlds, a man with crimson eyes emerged, dragging a rusty black blade behind him.
His tattered cloak fluttered like fragments of the night.
"Higashigumo... it is time once again for destruction and rebirth."
He looked in Yoru's direction.
"I wonder... how long a 'Joker' can truly defy fate."
He was none other than the former captain of the Swordsmanship Club - the Lost King: Tōsai Kamiyo.
"Final Scene - The Return of the Banished King
In the underground council chamber of the Saint育 Consortium - A blood-red seal slowly shattered.
Space itself groaned and ripped open, spewing out waves of alien corruption and killing intent.
A hulking figure emerged from the black void, bare-chested, draped...
A massive figure emerged from the black void, bare-chested and draped in a tattered crimson cloak.
Chains of black iron wrapped around his arms, and burning curse marks scorched his back.
His molten eyes blazed with fury.
"Higashigumo Academy... it's time to settle old debts."
He snapped his neck, the chains rattling like the roar of an awakening beast.
One of the officers staggered back, whispering:
"Is that... the exiled 'Breaker'?"
The vice-principal's face darkened:
"First generation captain of the Battle Club. Code name: Ogre Fang. Real name..."
"--Gōga Kuen."
"Seven years ago, he destroyed the entire arena during the Great Duel... and was banished forever."
Gōga looked down at his hand, a twisted, quiet smile on his lips.
"I heard... Yoru Mikage awakened the 'Joker.'"
"Good."
"I'm back - let's see if this so-called 'King' can withstand true anger."
With a single step, he shattered the floor beneath him, and the entire chamber trembled with fear.
-The old kings return, bringing judgment in blood and fury.