Puzzled, he turned back along the same route. When he reached the end, he found another wall under the same dim light. He had clearly turned around, yet the wall looked exactly the same, and even the surroundings felt familiar.
Could this be the legendary looping wall? Fear rose naturally, and every shadow seemed like it might hide a ghost or some twisted monster. Even so, Yugen forced himself to calm down.
In another world, this kind of thing might mean near-certain death. But this was Yu-Gi-Oh!. In this world, no matter what god or ghost wanted his life, could they really avoid playing cards to do it?
He stopped and scanned his surroundings, when a heavy roar like it came from the abyss echoed out of the darkness. A faint dark light cut through the shadows, and an invisible wave swept toward him like a blade. Startled, he raised his Duel Disk on instinct, and a flash of white light burst from it as a half-transparent magic circle formed and blocked the unseen impact.
The shockwave spread outward, carving cracks into the ground and walls. A transparent figure appeared beside him, Silent Magician in white robes like snow, her staff spinning with a cold gleam. Yugen let out a long breath.
Once again, he felt certain that having a Spirit was essential for daily life and travel. Without stuffing at least a few Spirit into his deck, he would not dare step outside. The thought made him feel oddly reassured.
"So you are a Spirit user after all?" a rough voice said from the darkness.
A black-robed figure walked out of the mist-like shadows. "And a high-level magician Spirit at that. Today really is a good haul."
Yugen narrowed his eyes, unable to see the man's face clearly, only the green glint under the hood. "A Shadow Duel user?" he asked cautiously. He was fairly sure this was not a character he had seen before, since the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! had countless Shadow Duel users beyond those shown in animation.
"Heh, you do have some sense, kid," the black-robed man sneered and unfolded his Duel Disk. It was a black model Yugen had never seen before, with five square zones spinning down one by one to form the monster area. "Since you know the rules, that makes this easy. Yes, I am a Shadow Duel user, and more than that."
He slowly lifted his hood, revealing a weathered face with dull green light flickering in his eyes. An oppressive presence spread from him as he spoke. "I am Onizuka Genichiro."
Yugen searched his memory but could not recall the name at all. "Sorry, should I know you?"
Onizuka Genichiro fell silent for a moment, and the air turned awkward. He coughed and frowned. "I made the top sixty-four in the third Duelist Kingdom City Tournament in Domino. People called me the Dinosaur Overlord. Still no memory?"
Unfortunately, the animation only showed the first tournament, and Yugen had not seen the later ones. Besides, when it came to dinosaurs, the first person he thought of was the Rex Raptor who had just been beaten flat. Onizuka Genichiro let out a cold laugh.
"When I rose, that Legendary Duelist Rex Raptor had already retired and vanished. Some ignorant fools say that if Rex Raptor were still around, I would never be his match. Ridiculous." He straightened, his eyes gleaming. "I now possess the power of darkness and will not lose to any Duelist."
"I heard that Rex Raptor intends to return, and I knew at once this was the chance I had been waiting for," he shouted. "I am the strongest dragon tamer. As a relic of the previous generation, his only fate is to be swallowed by darkness and destroyed."
Yugen had no words. If that was the case, why not go find Rex Raptor instead of blocking him here? He sighed and said, "Well, good luck to you. I have things to do, so I will be going now."
"It is useless," Onizuka Genichiro said coldly. "You cannot leave this field. Only one of us will walk out alive." He stared hard at Yugen. "I saw you defeat him on the stage, that Rex Raptor, and it was total domination. He never even touched your LP."
"That is when I changed my mind," he continued. "You are worth more than Rex Raptor to defeat, and more worthy as a sacrifice to darkness. If I can swallow you into my shadow, I will advance even further on the path of a Shadow Duel user."
Yugen stayed silent as the man finished. Onizuka Genichiro spread his Duel Disk fully. "Once a Shadow Duel begins, it does not stop easily. This will decide victory and decide life and death. Come, wager your soul as a Duelist."
Based on what he knew, Yugen understood that a Shadow Duel was not truly impossible to end. If someone with far greater dark power intervened, it could be forcibly stopped or even have its stakes altered, such as with Pharaoh Atem's Millennium Puzzle. There were also odd exceptions, but right now, this situation did not look escapable.
He took a deep breath and unfolded his Duel Disk. "Duel!" they said in unison.
"Duel!" x2
Yugen had 4000 LP, and Genichiro also had 4000 LP. The air around them felt closed off, as if the alley had sealed itself, leaving only the field between their Duel Disks.
"I'll take the first move. Card Draw."
Genichiro won the opening turn, but he did not rush. After glancing at his hand, he let out a low, crooked laugh and slowly licked his lips, his eyes fixed on Yugen as if savoring a meal.
"I'll let you enjoy this duel properly, a feast of darkness. Let me taste your pain."
"First, I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards."
"Next is the Spell Card, Fiend's Sanctuary!"
The card slid into the Duel Disk, and a magic circle spread beneath his feet. A small metal figure without any facial features rose from the field.
Metal Fiend Token, attack 0.
"Fiend's Sanctuary's effect lets me special summon a Metal Fiend Token to my field. (ANIME EFFECT)" Genichiro said. "Then I tribute this Metal Fiend Token to perform a Tribute Summon."
"Guided by dark will, let every enemy tremble beneath the shadows. Level six, Kaiser Glider, summon!"
Kaiser Glider appeared with an attack of 2400, its silhouette looming over the field. The pressure it gave off felt heavy even without it attacking.
"Then I set two cards and end my turn."
Genichiro licked his lips again and grinned. "Your turn now. Hurry up and let me taste the darkness and the pain."
The look and the gestures made Yugen think of Marik Ishtar acting wild at six years old. But this man only copied the surface, and compared to a true Yu-Gi-Oh! expression master, he was far behind.
"My turn, Card Draw."
Yugen acted without hesitation. "I set one monster in my front row, set four cards in my back row, and end my turn."
Five face-down cards went down at once, a blunt and open display. Even Genichiro froze for a moment.
"Hm?" Genichiro frowned.
After watching Yugen face Rex Raptor in the finals, he had expected a Machina opening. Seeing nothing but sets made him wonder if that deck had not even been the main one.
"Just setting cards?" Genichiro sneered. "Such slow dueling will turn you into a sacrifice for the dark very quickly."
"But at the end of your turn, I activate this set card."
One of his back row cards flipped up. "Quick-Play Spell, Flames of the End. I can special summon two Black Flame Token to my field."
Two Black Flame Token appeared in defense position, each with 0 defense. They floated silently beside the field.
"I can't summon other monsters the turn I activate this," Genichiro said. "But this is your end phase anyway, so it doesn't matter."
"Now it's my turn. Card Draw."
After drawing, he paused and glanced at the four set cards on Yugen's back row. His smile sharpened as he raised a card from his hand.