Yugen and his companion navigated through the ranks of the Overlord Army, finally making it to the innermost side after quite an effort.
From a distance, they finally caught sight of the figure surrounded by the army.
Right in the center of this remote town, a person clad in a large robe that seemed to have come from local natives. Originally white, the robe was now filthy and covered with yellow sand, its whole form showing multiple signs of damage. Yet, this person wore it without a hint of sloppiness, instead exuding the aura of a battle-worn skin, a presence that was formidable and intimidating.
The person had blond hair and a straight posture. Though the passage of time had wrought changes, Yugen could still faintly discern his identity from his demeanor and appearance.
Judai's eyes shone brightly, as he unconsciously glanced at Yugen: "Could that be..."
"Yes."
Yugen chuckled, nodding in confirmation.
"It is probably him."
"The legendary Duelist, Joey Wheeler."
No sign of the original residents could be seen in the sand-covered small town—the Overlord Army had completely taken over.
The Gambling God stood atop a dilapidated stone hut, proudly facing the overwhelming mass of the Overlord Army. Various Dark Elves and soldiers surrounded the stone hut like an iron barrel, yet none dared to approach.
Until three demons in black armor leaped onto the rooftop opposite him, staring up at him from afar. These seemed to be the three generals the skull head mentioned on their way here.
"Give up," said one of them, a goat-headed figure, "As you can see, you are now deeply surrounded by Lord Overlord's elite warriors."
The second general, a one-winged asymmetrical figure, also called out to him: "Lord Overlord recruits talent widely, and our army has always respected the strong.
You have already demonstrated your top-tier dueling skills and proven your strength. Surrender now to avoid meaningless resistance, and then prior offenses you committed can be overlooked. The Overlord Army is always generous in granting opportunities for the strong to show themselves."
"Shut up!"
Joey rudely interrupted and simultaneously waved his Duel Disc.
"Same goes for you and the others before you. If you want to fight, cut the crap! What's with all the foreplay?"
Pausing briefly, he then smirked sneeringly.
"Oh, or are you guys afraid of the cards in my hand?"
The goat-headed demon snorted heavily, glaring at him.
Afraid of your cards?
Ridiculous. If it weren't for that damn dice of yours that's as lucky as the Goddess of Fortune...
They had all heard that prior to this, even two or three highly skilled and renowned generals in their army seemed to have an advantage during duels against him, only to mysteriously be overturned and counter-attacked by his one throw of the dice.
This was the most peculiar aspect of this person.
Were he purely formidable, crushing everything with absolute dueling prowess, that would be fine. Everyone respected his dueling abilities, instinctively submissive, and reluctant to challenge without reason, which mitigated major issues.
The key issue, however, lay in the fact that he didn't exhibit such pure crushing power as the Overlord did.
On an extraordinary level, nothing suggested he possessed any extreme dark power or the tyrannical aura a high-level adept should wield. His first impression was deceptive, giving an impression that he was easily manageable.
On the dueling side, this person was accustomed to employing various dice and coin skills. Unlike certain other powerful figures, he didn't unleash Destiny Power while tossing his dice—much like how the Overlord emitted black energy before activating Super Fusion or Saio exuded the Light of Destruction when manually controlling coins, indicating genuine power.
Take Saio, for instance—when the aura of the Light of Destruction erupted, everyone knew rolling a dice for a six or tossing a coin for heads was his inherent skill, unrivaled as expected.
Joey was different. No unusual fluctuations occurred when he activated his abilities.
Moreover, it's not like his dice always rolled sixes or his coins landed heads every time; occasionally, he'd fumble fantastically, like summoning a Time Magician and then tossing tails, causing his entire field to explode—a comedic blunder.
Yet often, his coins misfired during non-essential times, while landing heads seemed reserved for the crucial moments in the duel.
This resulted in a constant illusion of "I think I can win," "with more heads on my coins, I can counterattack," thus continuously inviting challengers.
But so far, everyone had seen the results—all the dueling generals who faced him had fallen...
It was quite bizarre.
"Ha, I probably figured out your answer already."
The goat-headed demon grunted.
"The invitation was mere routine. Truth be told, I hope deep down you refuse. Among those you've defeated are my brothers. If you easily surrendered, I wouldn't have a chance for revenge..."
Then he unfolded his Duel Disc.
The two demon generals beside him exchanged glances, nodded, and stepped back a few paces. The three dispersed and stood firm.
"Are there only three of you leading this time?"
Joey, having tangled numerous times with the Overlord Army in the Otherworld, was experienced and familiar as he inquired.
"Fine. Are you going to face me one by one, or are you coming all at once like the last group?"
The trio was mildly surprised.
The sacred duel ritual defaults to one-on-one combat—a fundamental rule shared across the Twelfth Dimension. However, if permitted by the duel's criteria, two-on-one or three-on-one, even an entire army besieging a single foe theoretically isn't impossible.
But even the mightiest usually wouldn't willingly engage in unfavorable group confrontation. Especially facing over three opponents simultaneously—essentially asking to be killed.
"Ha, looks like we might not get a chance to act."
The skull head that guided Yugen and company chuckled.
"But it's not a loss to come. Having all three generals act at once is indeed rare."
Judai glanced at Yugen: "He seems to need help."
The youth's eager eyes seemed as if they were saying, 'Come on, come on, I'm craving card action.'
Yugen laughed, nodding: "Alright."
Thrilled by Yugen's consent, Judai immediately leaped forward.
This time, they explored the Elf Dimension far longer than in the original animation, and far less tense than depicted. Thus Judai had ample time to learn and understand how to wield card powers effectively in a world where cards fully materialized, now remarkably adept.
Wingman's figure briefly appeared, grasping Judai's hand to lift him airborne, then flapped his wings to fly straight to the rooftop where Joey and the demons were facing each other.
Afterward, Wingman disappeared, and Judai, as if riding a Tornado, descended next to Joey, clapping his hands to stand up, grinning as he said.
"Three against one isn't fair. Count me in."
Everyone: "?"