Radiance dispelled the darkness; the angel defeated the demon.
You Ling , having won the first Shadow Game, also successfully achieved a milestone tactical breakthrough for Aisha's trash monster deck in actual combat.
The OTK tactic of the double triangle combo of the weak.
The duel officially concluded; the dark game mist surrounding Aisha gradually dissipated, and the surrounding scenery returned to the peaceful mountain behind the academy.
Then, perhaps due to the brilliance finally released by Yoyo, under the warm light's illumination, Aisha's hair and school uniform, soaked by the Magic Mist Rain, also returned to their original dry state.
Thud!
The black-robed man, defeated in the Shadow Game, after a mournful, miserable cry, fell flat like a puppet with cut strings, colliding with the ground with a resounding thud.
It felt very painful.
Aisha: "That's great, Mr. You Ling, we won. We won the Shadow Game!"
"We had no choice but to win; if we lost, the consequences would have been even worse than Shuiyue Wu's."
You Ling estimated that with Aisha's naive personality, she probably still hadn't realized how terrible the consequences of losing this Shadow Game would be.
At that time, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing a rare card or going mentally deranged.
Especially since the opponent, during the duel, seemed to have noticed the Millennium Puzzle on Aisha's chest.
Being targeted by the Millennium Ring, suspected to be a major villain, was undoubtedly very dangerous.
"Anyway, although the process was very dangerous, the reward is quite generous."
Tradable cards, the biggest reward of a Shadow Game, this was much more convenient than simply being rewarded with Spell Points.
After all, tradable cards allow one to take the opponent's monster cards, something Spell Points, which can only craft Magic & Trap cards, cannot achieve.
Just like the bold statement You Ling made before the finishing blow, that one-tribute king, the 6-star [Summoned Skull] with attack power surpassing [Red-Eyes Black Dragon], could at least change the 100% trash monster concentration in Aisha's deck.
As long as one trash monster is preserved, a monster with 2500 attack points can be Tribute Summoned next turn. Even as an addition to the gradually forming weakling system, it's incredibly good.
"Just need to take the card out of the deck, right?"
Taking out the deck from the fainted black-robed man's Elven Eye and spreading it out, after a simple scan, You Ling confirmed that the most valuable card for Aisha was [Summoned Skull].
Or perhaps the other one, the B-rank Spell Card [Monster Reborn], wasn't bad either.
[Monster Reborn] wasn't the black-robed man's card, but a rare card from Shuiyue Wu's deck, who was still lying on the ground.
Thinking carefully, this Shuiyue Wu was really unlucky.
He didn't do anything wrong, just attracted by the rumor of the Three Egyptian Gods, just out of enthusiasm for dueling cards, he was innocently drawn into a Shadow Game and even lost his rarest card.
It's unknown if he would end up like Ron, defeated in a Shadow Game and mentally deranged.
"Wait, this [Monster Reborn], since it's already a tradable card... does that mean we can get an extra one for free?"
While struggling to choose between [Summoned Skull] and [Monster Reborn], You Ling suddenly discovered a blind spot.
This [Monster Reborn], due to experiencing a Shadow Game, had already changed from a bound card to a 「tradable card」.
So, could he first take [Summoned Skull], and then take the already tradable [Monster Reborn]?
Aisha: "Regarding this point, it seems impossible, Mr. You Ling."
"Why?"
"Even if it's a tradable card, if it's not with the holder's subjective consent, it cannot be taken. This is the card rule of the Elf Continent."
"Tsk, what stingy rules."
The plan to pick up scraps failed; You Ling, using Aisha's small mouth, clicked his tongue unhappily.
Having finally won a Shadow Game, logically speaking, not taking the opponent's entire deck was already considered polite, yet it still had to be limited to taking only one card.
The circulation of cards is so inconvenient; no wonder even after several hundred years, the level of most Duelists is still not high.
"Also, um, can I ask you a favor, Mr. You Ling?"
This time, Aisha's voice sounded somewhat guilty, an attitude of being embarrassed to speak.
"Between the two of us, why even mention favors? Go ahead."
"Although it might be very willful, I'll say it then... I was wondering, if we could help Shuiyue Wu get back this [Monster Reborn]."
"Get it back?" The girl's brow furrowed slightly, "Why?"
"Losing a card in a Shadow Game is equivalent to losing a part of one's soul. The Duelist will suffer a backlash from the Elven Eye, possibly becoming mentally deranged like Ron, or like Yilin's brother, never being able to use the Elven Eye again. In the worst case, they might die..."
"So that's what you meant." You Ling shook his head helplessly, revealing a complex and helpless smile.
His young girl host, Aisha Yuna Carlos, was a good-natured person like an idiot; You Ling had known this for a long time.
But he didn't expect her to be foolish to this extent.
That was a priceless tradable card; even converted to Spell Points, it was equivalent to directly obtaining 100 points.
Not to mention, if a tradable card was exchanged directly for money, its value would be even greater. Enough to solve part of the Carlos family's dilapidated predicament.
However, encountering such a good thing, his foolish host Aisha Carlos first considered the safety of others. To put it bluntly, what did a stranger's life or death have to do with oneself? Was it as important as a rare card?
Seeing You Ling continuously shaking his head, Aisha's flustered voice hurriedly came out.
"Mmm, I'm sorry, Mr. You Ling, this request of mine is too much. Thinking carefully, this is a card Mr. You Ling obtained through a desperate duel, I indeed have no right to say such things, sorry... Just pretend I didn't say anything."
"No, in this duel, it wasn't just me who gambled my life. Aisha, you also have this right. As for what to do exactly, I'll leave it for you to decide."
Soul exchange, You Ling returned control of Aisha's girlish body.
Returning to her body somewhat dazed, Aisha stared blankly at the [Monster Reborn] card in her hand.
A month ago, she probably wouldn't even dare to dream that she would obtain a rare card of this level. As a result, now, You Ling suddenly let her decide. Decide the fate of this card.
Keeping this card would definitely be a huge help for future duels. Even if this card originally belonged to someone else, even if this card came from darkness, as long as it was a tradable card, she and You Ling could use this card very legitimately, use the power from darkness.
「If abandoning your initial kindness will make you stronger, are you willing?」
Yes or No?
Not only did You Ling let her choose, Aisha felt as if she was being questioned directly from the deepest part of the Millennium Puzzle, a question to her soul.
"Sorry, Mr. You Ling, I was willful this time." Fair fingertips loosened; the precious rare card, slipping from her grasp, floated to the ground. And the moment she put down the card, the man hiding in the shadows watching all this, who also possessed a Millennium Puzzle, showed a gratified smile.
Aisha, having made her own decision, asked不安ly, "Choosing to give up obtaining a rare card, giving up the chance to become stronger, as a Duelist, did I disappoint you, Mr. You Ling?"
"No, you made me look at you with new eyes."
"(・◇・)? Huh?" Aisha almost thought she misheard.
This was You Ling's honest truth.
"If what was laid before you just now was a fork in the road between darkness and light. Then undoubtedly, you chose to incline towards the light. This is neither shameful nor laughable."
This kindness, hidden deep within the girl's heart, this light that wouldn't be swallowed by the desires of a Shadow Game, was the most precious.
Mm, more precious than any rare card.
Perhaps, it was also because he saw the purest kindness in Aisha Carlos's heart that Irena chose to help out at that critical moment back then.
"This duel, you won, Aisha."
If You Ling defeated the darkness in the duel.
Then what Aisha defeated was the darkness within the human heart.
This was a darkness that even You Ling couldn't discard.
"Rare cards, well, as long as you're willing to work hard, you'll get them again sooner or later."
Compared to the temporary improvement after winning a Shadow Game and obtaining cards, this ray of light that can illuminate darkness will make you stronger.
At this moment, the 「Millennium Scale」 located at Synchro Academy tilted a few degrees to the right. The legendary Millennium Item used to measure the good and evil of a soul, taking this as an opportunity, informed the soul of the Nameless Pharaoh.