"Meow?"
"Meow meow meow?"
"Hello? Is the phone connected, meow?"
A string of feline greetings came from the other end of the call. Yugen, working at his personal lab, casually responded.
"I'm here, I'm here. Is there something you need, teacher?"
"You know it's the teacher, yet you still arrange so much work for me." Da Desi sighed repeatedly, indicating the struggles of a cat's life.
"If the teacher is calling just to ask for less work..."
"That's not quite it."
Da Desi said casually.
"The insect boy we caught last time has provided us with a clue. Their sect, called Descent Sect, has the ultimate goal of an Evil God's descent..."
"Evil God? Did they mention which Evil God?" Yugen asked.
"No, they just call it the Evil God."
Yugen wondered, "Even their own sect members call their deity the Evil God?"
That's quite rare. Strange sects are not uncommon, but usually, the gods of various sects are only labeled as Evil Gods by outsiders. Internally, members generally believe their god is the True God, guiding them towards the path of light and righteousness.
If a god's own title is Evil God, that's quite refreshing.
"Alright, we don't know which god it is. Since you've called, should we know something?" Yugen asked.
"Of course. Insect boy knows more than the dinosaur boy from last time; the insect boy was responsible for mission handovers. We found out about a gathering place for their followers.
Our scouts have already conducted investigations in advance and confirmed that there are still suspicious personnel gathering at that location.
Considering the identity of the personnel is unknown and their strength is unclear, we think it's best to have a duelist with adequate skills take care of it to be safe..."
Yugen thought for a moment, speaking to himself.
"If it were before, I might have gone myself. But now I have a lot going on, so if it's not necessary, it's better to pick a reliable person to handle it."
Clearly, someone has gotten lazier. Da Desi grumbled inwardly. Leaving all the dirty work to a cat, doesn't your conscience hurt?
"Teacher, you're not thinking I'm lazy, right?" Yugen suddenly said.
"Meow!?!"
Da Desi was startled into cat chatters.
"When did you learn to read minds... no, wait, I mean, it's absolutely not the case, meow!"
Reading minds over the phone, such a level of ability would be too exaggerated.
"But before we go further, teacher, I've been busy lately, already considering applying for vacation. Plus, that gathering place is quite far; I don't want to travel a long distance just as a cat."
The teacher didn't wait for Yugen to speak before vehemently declining.
"You better find someone else."
"No problem, then take a break, teacher." Yugen smiled, "You don't have to worry about Descent Sect for now. It happens that I have a reliable acquaintance competing nearby; once his matches are over, he can check it out."
"Meow?"
Da Desi tilted his head.
Competing... sounds like a professional duelist?
...
...
Descent Sect gathering place.
The massive church, with air as quietly heavy as the silence. Under the soaring dome, the light seemed engulfed by the thick stone walls and stained glass, barely allowing the daylight to penetrate, interweaving with the deep tones inside to create a sense of oppressive beauty.
Black-robed followers gathered quietly in the dim space, their shadows elongated by the sparse candlelight. Each wore matching long black robes, hoods pulled up, shadows exposing half of their pale faces.
"Today's agenda, you all probably know already. We'll get straight to the point, no need for small talk."
A black robe spoke.
"The elf is missing."
"I told you earlier those two boys were unreliable." Someone snorted heavily, "Their capabilities are far inferior to their hyped reputation."
"Perhaps we should join forces to capture it together." Another black robe suggested, "All other activities can be postponed.
It holds the key to entering the 'Lost Lands.' It concerns the revival of the Lord Evil God, which should be the church's ultimate goal."
"No one is saying we shouldn't prioritize this, but things aren't so simple."
The black robe resembling a leader spoke in a deep voice.
"The elf is lost in the Hanuo Knight's territory. We don't know exactly who took it, but to assume the worst, it might already be in Hanuo Knight's hands."
Another person snorted: "So what? Descent Sect should be the vanguard of the Lord Evil God, coming to dominate this world. If we shrink back at a local gang, what's the point of our existence?"
"He makes a valid point, I also think..."
As the talking black robe spoke, the crowd suddenly felt a gust of eerie wind sweep through the church. Following this, all the candles suddenly extinguished, infinite darkness overtook the entire space.
And as the speaker voiced the word, his speech abruptly cut off, replaced by a long string of bizarre "ah ah ah" screams. But soon, the screams seemed devoured by the darkness, vanishing completely.
Everyone was shocked.
"William? What happened, are you still there?"
No response.
Everyone stood up.
"Don't panic."
Someone lit a lighter. Church rules stated no electronic devices are allowed within; this was the only lighting tool at hand.
But even with the lighter's faint glow, in the flickering flame, everyone saw it.
Saw a demon, draped in a wide cloak, behind the lighter-holding follower, reaching out a pair of claws towards him.
Everyone saw it, except for the follower with the lighter in his hand.
"Watch out!"
"Behind you!"
Someone shouted, someone tried to move to obstruct, but it was already too late.
The bewildered follower froze by his companions' shouts, failing to react before those claws abruptly pulled him into the darkness. The newly ignited flame extinguished at once, the darkness reclaimed everything.
"We've been attacked!"
"What is that?"
"Defense, defense formation!"
Only the black robe leader stayed calm, having already deployed his Duel Disc and slapped a Monster Card onto it.
There was a flash as if a burst of light exploded, a knight clad in sacred white armor appeared above the darkness.
Holy Guide Knight - Ishuzak!
A Light Attribute Holy Knight, who radiates dazzling white light upon summoning, illuminating the entire church, dispelling the darkness, revealing the intruder's appearance before them.
"Up there!"
With one's shout, all the followers lifted their heads simultaneously.
Seen on the church's second-floor corridor, a silver-haired boy in a white suit sat cross-legged on the railing, smiling down at them all.
The demon who just launched the attack—Destiny Hero: Demon Lad, was floating beside him, arms crossed, as his cloak lightly fluttered.
"Alright, you caught me." Ed Phoenix smiled, "So, who's up first?"