After the duel ended, Yusaku didn't leave right away. Instead, he sat down in a corner of the stands, eyes on the Duel Platform, watching the next match with clear interest.
The two duelists on stage were a well-known heir from the Hope Family, and the steady, ID-masked "Kouki."
They'd already dueled once.
In the previous match, the Hope heir had gone first—but the moment he started, Kouki dropped Droll & Lock Bird.
Against most decks, getting hit by Droll is painful but still playable. But the Hope deck is infamous for being a search engine on legs. Once Droll locks it down, it's basically a death sentence.
In the end, even after fighting for every inch, the heir managed to make only Number C39: Utopia Ray V, and Kouki dismantled it with ease to close out the game.
This was their second bout, and once again, the Hope heir had the first turn.
Probably traumatized by Droll from last game, he didn't hesitate this time. The moment the duel began, he activated Prohibition, declared Maxx "C", and only then did he finally feel safe enough to start his combo.
On the field—
The Hope heir raised a hand and revealed a card in his Graveyard, his gaze sharp as it swept across Kouki.
"Next, I activate the effect of Dodododwarf Gogogoglove in my Graveyard! While this card is in the Graveyard, if I have a 'Gogogo' or 'Dododo' monster in my field besides this card, I can activate this effect to Special Summon it!"
"I currently have Dododo Warrior on my field, so the condition is met! Come forth—Dodododwarf Gogogoglove!"
As the last word fell, a dazzling golden beam shot up from the Graveyard. The summon light burst open overhead.
A Rock-type monster descended with a heavy impact—wearing a savage horned helmet, both hands locked into massive iron gauntlets. It slammed down onto the Duel Platform hard enough to kick up a pressure wave.
Dodododwarf Gogogoglove
Level 4 / Rock / Effect
ATK 0
"That was your fifth Summon."
The instant the monster hit the field, Kouki's voice rang out across the arena.
The spectators froze for a beat—then one after another, they broke into knowing, wicked grins, letting out chorus-like "keh keh keh" laughter.
Yusaku's lips curled too, amused.
Of course.
Any duelist who played Hope, sooner or later, was destined to run into that monster.
On the platform, the Hope heir frowned, confused.
"What do you mean by that?"
Kouki didn't answer. He simply lifted a card and slid it into his Duel Disk.
The next second—
BOOM!
The dark virtual sky split open as a massive black vortex tore into existence.
Deep within it, a meteor the size of a mountain emerged—burning with chaotic flames. It descended from beyond the heavens with the pressure of something that could crush stars. Space itself twisted and buckled along its path, and the surrounding data-particles couldn't even hold their shape, collapsing into nothing.
There was no dramatic explosion.
Just silent annihilation under absolute force.
WHOOOOM—!!!
The meteor's oppressive presence swept the entire field.
Five Hope monsters stood on the heir's side—yet before that overwhelming power, they were like snow under a blazing sun. They couldn't resist at all.
They were erased in an instant.
No screams. No remnants.
They were simply vaporized by the moment of descent, wiped so cleanly that not even a trace was left behind.
When the dust finally settled, only a single massive Token remained—an unnatural amalgam formed from the residual energy of everything that had been tributed. It stood there in eerie stillness, radiating an ominous aura.
Seeing how completely the momentum had flipped, Yusaku's mouth curved slightly.
At this point, the Hope heir clearly didn't have the extra resources needed to rebuild a board. The outcome was decided.
With no suspense left, Yusaku rose and headed toward the players' lounge.
The Top 16 wouldn't finish anytime soon. After several high-intensity duels in a row today, he wanted to get back to his room, rest properly, and also take a closer look at the new task the system had just issued.
Back in his private lounge room, Yusaku lifted a hand and opened the task panel in his mind.
The main quest was still there. But beneath the sub-task related to the Tearlaments, a conspicuous countdown had appeared.
The numbers kept ticking.
Less than an hour remained.
And the instant he opened the panel, a brand-new prompt box suddenly popped into view.
[Enter the Tearlaments Ruins now?]
[Yes / No]
Yusaku stared at the prompt, then flicked his eyes to the rapidly draining timer. His fingers drifted to his chin as he thought at high speed.
Based on what the system had explained earlier, this quest had triggered because the seal on the ruins had loosened for some unknown reason—creating a temporary passage that could be entered.
If he missed this window, then the next time he wanted to obtain the Tearlaments deck…
he'd only be able to gamble on it through the double-ruins gacha.
As if reading the hesitation in his mind, the system's cold mechanical voice spoke at exactly the right moment.
[Note: If the host acquires Tearlaments-related cards through Ruins Fragments, the full set of fragments must be collected before usage permission is unlocked. Additionally, fragment redemption does not grant physical cards, but instead grants entry authorization for the ruins.]
Yusaku raised an eyebrow.
So either way, sooner or later, he was going to have to step into these ruins and face the Tearlaments challenge head-on?
The system said nothing further, as if it had already accepted his decision by default.
Yusaku chuckled softly.
"Then what am I hesitating for? If I can get the Tearlaments deck directly without burning fragments, that's a steal. I'd be stupid not to take it."
With the thought, he decisively selected Yes.
The instant he confirmed it, a huge vortex glowing with幽-blue light formed out of thin air inside the previously empty room. A powerful suction erupted from within and swallowed Yusaku before he could even brace himself.
The world flipped.
The dizziness hit like he'd been thrown into a high-speed industrial washing machine—his body tumbling uncontrollably through spinning space.
He didn't know how long it lasted.
But when he opened his eyes again, what greeted him wasn't a gloomy ruin at all—
It was a field of lingering white steam…
and hot spring pools of different shapes and sizes scattered throughout the mist.
Inside the hot springs, several graceful girls were playing and splashing.
Mero happily kicked through the water with her fish tail, sending arcs of droplets into the air.
The little mermaid sat obediently on a smooth jade step at the edge of a pool, eating plump grapes from a fruit plate one bite at a time.
The siren mermaid sat calmly nearby, gently combing through the water nymph's silver hair, which flowed like a waterfall down her back.
Yusaku's sudden appearance shattered the peaceful scene.
The little mermaid noticed first. When she saw an unfamiliar boy standing by the hot spring, her entire body froze. The grape slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground, and she didn't even realize it.
The siren mermaid and the water nymph stopped at the same time, staring blankly at Yusaku as if their minds had lagged out.
Only Mero—still in the middle of having fun—tilted her head and kept smiling sweetly.
Seeing her sisters all go silent, Mero finally sensed something was off. She turned, following their gaze.
And when she saw Yusaku clearly, her mouth fell open too, her face filled with surprise.
"Ah!!!"
After a heartbeat of stunned silence, the girls all screamed at once, instinctively raising their hands to cover themselves, cheeks burning red.
Yusaku awkwardly rubbed the side of his nose.
"Um… did I just walk into somewhere I'm definitely not supposed to be?"
Hearing his familiar voice, the girls all blinked.
A moment ago, the fog had been too thick—they hadn't recognized who it was.
But now that they'd heard him, their stiff bodies finally relaxed. They nearly swam toward him on instinct—
Then remembered their situation, and hurriedly lifted their hands.
A soft blue glow flashed.
In an instant, elegant dresses and skirts materialized over their skin, covering their figures completely.
The water nymph was the first to step forward, her bare feet tapping against warm jade stone as she walked up to Yusaku, who still looked frozen in place. She lifted a slender finger and lightly pinched his cheek, pouting as she scolded him.
"You idiot. Why do you always show up in the most terrifying way possible? And why is it always at the worst timing—right when we're bathing?"
"Uh…" Yusaku scratched his head, helpless. "This one really isn't on me. I can't control it…"
The truth was, Yusaku had known these girls for a long time.
Back during the first two closed betas, he'd accidentally stumbled into this never-before-discovered spirit ruin.
At the time, he'd been exploring when a vortex—just like the one now—opened under his feet and sucked him in, leading to this very place and this very meeting.
As an uninvited intruder, Yusaku had been "invited" to duel three times.
If he won, he'd get generous rewards.
If he lost… he'd be punished in the most terrifying way possible: staying behind as the girls' personal attendant—massaging shoulders and legs every day, and at night, obediently warming their bed.
As a player, there was no way Yusaku would submit. So he dueled—
And lost.
After all, he'd barely entered the game. How could he possibly have a strong deck?
Still, that life didn't last long.
Yusaku used every chance he had to duel other little spirits in the ruin, grinding resources bit by bit—until he forced a full Floowandereeze deck into existence through sheer effort, even managing to collect three copies of the crucial Dimension Shifter.
With the "big universe" strategy perfectly matched to Floowandereeze, on his 34th challenge against the water nymph, he finally got his revenge—won the duel, flipped the power dynamic, and "became the master."
The girls even formally granted him the position of Chief Advisor, and he basically moved into their quarters.
"Master, are you here to take us outside this time?" Mero swished her still-damp tail as she hurried up to Yusaku, looking up at him with bright, hopeful eyes.
After being cut off from the world for so long, the girls had been aching to see what lay beyond these ruins.
So every time Yusaku appeared, Mero always asked this first.
Yusaku smiled and gently ruffled her hair.
"That's right. I'm here to take you out."
"Really?!" Hearing his answer, the siren, the little mermaid, and Mero all lit up at once, blurting it out together, their voices full of disbelieving joy.
Even the usually composed water nymph blinked—just once—yet in her eyes, a faint, unmistakable anticipation flickered.
"Of course it's true." Yusaku smiled. "When have I ever lied to you?"
"Hmph. I remember plenty," the siren said, turning her face away with a proud little pout. "Last time you left, you said you'd come back soon. And look how long it's been."
"Cough…" Yusaku cleared his throat, a hint of embarrassment crossing his face.
He had promised that, because he clearly remembered where the entrance was.
But the entrance stayed sealed after that. And this time, he wasn't even entering as a player—Version 3.9 had thrown him straight into the game world's Satellite District, and everything that followed had kept piling up until he simply couldn't make it back.
"Alright, alright," the little mermaid said quickly, stepping in to smooth things over. She smiled sweetly at Yusaku. "Master took this long to come because you must've been busy with important things."
Yusaku felt genuinely moved. He was just about to think, See? She gets me—
When the little mermaid's smile turned playful, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"But! To punish Master for being gone so long, let Big Sis 'teach you a lesson' properly!"
Then she looked back at Yusaku, her grin full of teasing.
"If you lose, Master… you remember what the punishment is, right?"
Yusaku's expression changed instantly. He reflexively covered his waist, as if he could already feel that familiar soreness, and memories of being pinned down and "punished" flashed through his mind.
The water nymph's lips curled into a confident smile. With a flick of her hand, a Duel Disk glowing with watery blue light materialized out of thin air and snapped onto her wrist.
Then, just as smoothly, she conjured a Deck and slotted it into place.
"Then come on, Master. It's been so long—let me see whether your dueling has gotten rusty!"
Yusaku put away the joking mood and unfolded his own Duel Disk. He was still deciding which deck to respond with—
When the system's icy voice cut in again, inside his head.
[Detected: Host has entered the Tearlaments Ruins. Limited-time exclusive Deck has been delivered to inventory. Please confirm receipt.]
(End of Chapter)
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