# Chapter 17: Orphion
The Great Sin Spider swooped down on a thread of silk toward the opponent's monster, its sharp fangs gleaming with a cold light.
"At this moment, I activate the Trap Card, Infestation's Corrosive Collapse!"
"I banish one face-up 'Evilswarm' monster I control to return two of your cards to your hand."
The black, wicked dragon on Sugihara Yo's field transformed into a black mist. Countless tentacles emerged from the mist, wrapping around Yūga Hōzumi's two monsters.
In an instant, Yūga Hōzumi's two monsters vanished from the field, and two cards were ejected from his Duel Disk.
Yūga Hōzumi reached out and caught the two ejected cards, placing them back into his Extra Deck. "You knew I lacked the ability to deal with your backrow, so you chose to activate this trap during the Battle Phase?"
Both sides of the field were now empty, so Yūga Hōzumi had no choice but to end the Battle Phase.
"I set one card and end my turn." Yūga Hōzumi set the "Attack Invincibility" he had drawn with Dododo Draw, then ended his turn.
"My turn! I draw!" Seeing the card he drew, Sugihara Yo grinned, but the smile appeared somewhat sinister, accentuated by the scar on his left cheek.
"It seems you can't stop me, Yūga Hōzumi." Sugihara Yo revealed the card he had just drawn. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Mystical Space Typhoon! I destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field."
A gust of wind blew past, shattering Yūga Hōzumi's only set card.
"A trap card that reduces battle damage taken this turn to zero?" Sugihara Yo said. "But unfortunately, it can only be used during the Battle Phase."
"Yūga Hōzumi, just surrender. My monsters' attacks will devour your soul. As your former friend, I don't want to hurt you," Sugihara Yo said after clearing Yūga Hōzumi's backrow.
"I think I can still try," Yūga Hōzumi said with a carefree smile. "How can a duelist give up before the very last moment?"
"Besides, if the power you gained in this war is the fire of revenge, then the power I've gained is the light of hope. If I can't even let that light warm a single person like you, how can I bring hope to the entire dimension?" Yūga Hōzumi said, looking at Sugihara Yo's rune-engulfed left eye.
"My hope died long ago on that day," Sugihara Yo said, revealing a monster.
"I summon, in attack position, Evilswarm Dual Snake Staff Master!"
"I activate Evilswarm Dual Snake Staff Master's effect!"
"Once per turn, I can banish one 'Evilswarm' monster from my graveyard to target another 'Evilswarm' monster in my graveyard and add it to my hand."
"I banish 'Evilswarm Demon Bloodstone' from my graveyard and add the other 'Evilswarm Demon Bloodstone' to my hand."
"Evilswarm Dual Snake Staff Master's other effect! During the same turn its first effect was used, I can summon one 'Evilswarm' monster from my hand!"
"I summon, in attack position, Evilswarm Demon Pollux."
"Evilswarm Demon Pollux's effect! The turn this card is summoned, I can Normal Summon one 'Evilswarm' monster in addition to my normal summon."
"I summon, in attack position, Evilswarm Demon Bloodstone!"
"I overlay my three Level 4 monsters!" In Sugihara Yo's left eye, crimson runes glowed once more. Wisps of an evil aura flowed out, forming a swirling, malevolent vortex in the air.
"O serpent of the endless cycle of destruction and rebirth, Ouroboros, descend now! Bring an end to this despairing world!"
"Xyz Summon! Rank 4, Evilswarm Ouroboros!"
Accompanied by a series of hisses, a three-headed giant serpent slithered out from the evil vortex in the air, arching its body and flicking its forked tongue. Its crimson eyes stared at Yūga Hōzumi as if he were prey.
Evilswarm Ouroboros ATK: 2750
"The 'hope' you spoke of... it must be that last card in your hand. A hand trap that can block my attack, right?" Sugihara Yo said.
"I activate the effect of Evilswarm Ouroboros!"
"Once per turn, I can detach one overlay material to randomly send one card from my opponent's hand to the graveyard."
As Sugihara Yo finished speaking, the middle head of the three-headed black serpent opened its mouth, swallowed a black orb circling nearby, then spat out a stream of venom that struck the last card in Yūga Hōzumi's hand with perfect accuracy.
"So, will you surrender now?" Sugihara Yo asked coldly, the runes in his left eye flashing rapidly, his right hand trembling slightly.
Yūga Hōzumi remained silent for a long time before looking at Sugihara Yo again and speaking slowly, "Come back with me. Getting revenge on those Fusion Dogs isn't something you have to do alone."
"Do you really have to stand in my way?!" Sugihara Yo roared as a foul aura erupted uncontrollably from his body. "Don't you know that if this attack goes through, you'll die?!"
"Then give it a try. I told you, as long as hope remains, I won't fall," Yūga Hōzumi said calmly, noticing that Sugihara Yo's slightly trembling body seemed to be desperately trying to suppress something.
...
After a long while, Sugihara Yo's right hand tremblingly reached for his Duel Disk, and he said through gritted teeth, "You're ruthless. You win."
With that, Sugihara Yo was about to press the surrender button to end the duel.
But at that moment, something strange happened. The runes in Sugihara Yo's left eye burst forth with a crimson radiance, and a large amount of a vile aura surged from it, enveloping him completely.
"Human! Why do you hesitate?" A voice that was not his own emerged from Sugihara Yo's mouth. "Now, devour his soul!"
"No... I can't... He's not an enemy!" Sugihara Yo's voice struggled to escape his lips.
"This... Big Brother, what's wrong with him?" the Second Boss asked anxiously from the side.
"Your big brother has something quite extraordinary inside him," Yūga Hōzumi said.
"Yūga Hōzumi, Garros!... Run!" After shouting this with all his might, Sugihara Yo's body was completely enveloped by the black mist, his eyes a solid crimson.
"Do you think they can escape?" "Sugihara Yo" slowly spoke.
"Since you've gone to such great lengths to emerge, won't you introduce yourself?" Yūga Hōzumi's expression hardened as he spoke coldly to the entity possessing Sugihara Yo's body.
"Human, my name is Orphion, the World Ender," "Sugihara Yo" replied.
"Kneel, and offer your soul! I shall permit you to become my servant." Orphion's voice seemed to carry a mesmerizing power.
"You're too ugly. Becoming your servant would be embarrassing," Yūga Hōzumi chuckled casually. "Besides, I'm a warrior of hope. How could I ever stoop to your level?"
"You're courting death!" Orphion, controlling Sugihara Yo's body, was incandescent with rage. "Fine! Then take your hope with you to Hell and repent!"
"Battle! Evilswarm Ouroboros, direct attack!"
The three-headed giant serpent charged straight toward Yūga Hōzumi, its massive, bloodthirsty maw wide open.
...
(end of chapter)