Hello again, its me, Mash!
You may be wondering how i got myself in this situation:
Lovely Labrynth swung her axe, Its trajectory to Chazz's neck.
Mash's hand shoted out.
"STOOOOP!!!"
Well... its complicated. How about i just show to you what happened after that.
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"STOOOOOOOP!!!"
I screamed at the top of my lungs, but Lovely Labrynth's axe showed no signs of slowing down not even for a fraction of a second.
Alexis covered her eyes with both hands. "KYAAAH! I CAN'T LOOK!"
Jaden shouted in a panic. "MASH! PULL THE CARD FROM THE DUEL DISK!"
I grabbed at the card, yanking with all my strength. "I CAN'T! IT'S STUCK LIKE SOME KIND OF SUPER GLUE—"
And then, finally...
SLASH!
Thud.
{Chazz LP: 1000 → 0}
Lovely Labrynth's axe swung across Chazz's neck, and the moment it finished its arc, she let go of him. He collapsed onto the arena floor with a heavy thud. His body was obscured by Lovely Labrynth's wide dress, but from where we stood, it was clear. Chazz had just been decapitated.
My breath hitched. My stomach plummeted. Every nerve in my body flared like a raging fire. My legs gave out, and I collapsed to my knees, my hands pressing into the cold floor.
[Fuck. We're too late.]
Jaden hesitated before calling out. "Mash..."
[If only I hadn't let my anger get the best of me. If only I had just laughed it off when he talked crap about her. If only. IF ONLY!]
Jaden suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders. "MASH! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF AND LOOK! CHAZZ IS FINE!"
I snapped my head up. On the other side of the arena, Chazz was sitting up, coughing violently, his head still attached to his body.
"CHAZZZZ!!!" Taiyou wailed. "WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!!!!!"
Raizou let out a breath of relief. "THANK GOD THE AXE JUST... SWUNG PAST HIM FOR SOME REASON!!"
Chazz clutched his neck, coughing. "Cough... cough... shut the hell up... you two..."
[What!? Chazz is still okay!? But, but—I saw it… That axe...]
I turned toward Lovely Labrynth, who stood beside Chazz, her lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"Ho Ho Ho~ Darling, I really liked that reaction of yours~"
I glared at her. [LOVELY!! THIS TIME YOUR JOKES HAVE GONE TOO FAR!!]
Syrus clutched his chest. "Thank god, Chazz is still okay!"
Alexis hesitantly lowered her hands from her face. "Huh? Chazz is alright? Whew… thank goodness. I thought that axe was about to—"
But I ignored them. I sprinted toward Chazz. "Chazz! Are you alright!?"
I skidded to a stop in front of him. He wasn't looking at me. His gaze was locked on the ground, his expression unreadable.
[Oh, shit… He must be traumatized! How could he not be!? He literally almost died! He's probably gonna be terrified of me and avoid me for the rest of the year! Shit, I just broke one of the main characters! he's gonna have PTSD now! Damn you, my love!!!]
Before I could spiral any further, Chazz stood up. His face was still angled downward, hiding his expression.
Without thinking, I immediately bowed at a full 90 degrees. "I AM VERY SORRY FOR WHAT MY MONSTER DID TO YOU!"
Lovely Labrynth tilted her head. "Darling~! What are you doing—"
I spun toward her. "YOU…! YOU LITTLE SHIT! BOW DOWN!" And then, i grabbed her left horns. With a startled "Kyah!", she stumbled forward as I forced her to bow alongside me.
"MY MONSTER JOKED A LITTLE TOO MUCH! PLEASE FORGIVE HER!"
Chazz let out a breath and before he opened his mouth. "I..."
[Oh god, here it comes! He's never gonna forgive us. He's gonna make me work as a slave for the Princeton family, isn't he!?]
Chazz crossed his arms, looking away with an annoyed grimace. "I didn't die, alright? So just… whatever."
[What?]
He clicked his tongue again, refusing to meet my eyes. "Look, maybe I went a little overboard trash-talking your freaky waifu card... I'm sorry."
[WHAT!?]
Then, as if it hurt to say, he added, "And someone like you shouldn't be stuck in Slifer trash. I'll… mention it to the Chancellor or whatever. Don't get used to it."
[WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT!!!!!!!?????????]
Chazz turned his back towards me. "You may have won... but next time, I'm not holding back. Next time, I'm gonna crush both you and that silver psycho of yours, Mash." Chazz then glance toward both his lackeys. "Let's go. I need some damn sleep."
I stood there, watching in utter disbelief as he left the arena, my jaw practically unhinged.
[DID I JUST BREAK HIS CHARACTER!!????? AIN'T NO WAY THE LITERAL CHAZZ PRINCETON JUST APOLOGIZED TO ME AND EVEN ACKNOWLEDGED ME!!!??]
Before I could process any further, an arm suddenly wrapped around my shoulders. I turned to see Jaden grinning at me.
"That was a great duel, Mash! You really did beat Chazz in just three turns! Even when I dueled him, it took longer than that!"
[Jaden. You just watched a guy nearly get decapitated. Why aren't you traumatized? Why are you so goddamn happy!?]
Alexis walked over, clapping. "Mash, that was a really spectacular duel. Honestly, I'd even say your dueling skills are on par with Zane Truesdale! If you ever want to duel him, just let me know, and I'll arrange it."
I forced out a chuckle. "Ha ha… thanks, I'll keep that in mind!"
[Alexis, why do you also look so desensitized!?]
Syrus, still looking pale, shouted. "HOW ARE YOU GUYS SO RELAXED!? CHAZZ WAS LITERALLY ABOUT TO GET DECAPITATED!!!"
[FINALLY! A NORMAL REACTION! THAT'S MY GOAT SYRUS-BOY!]
Lovely Labrynth leaned down, smirking as her face reached Syrus's height. "So what, scaredy-boy~?"
"Hiii!" Syrus immediately hid behind Jaden.
Lovely pouted, crossing her arms. "Ho Ho Ho~ You've all been praising my darling so much, but shouldn't you also praise the real MVP—" She struck a smug anime pose. "Lovely Labrynth~?"
Jaden gave her a thumbs up, then turned back to me, completely ignoring her.
The others did the same.
Lovely huffed. "HMPH! How cruel! I guess I'll just go back to my card, then!"
I shouted at her before she disappear "Wait, Lovely! Shouldn't you explain how you literally grabbed Chazz by the neck!?"
She smirked devilishly. "Well~ I'll tell you once we get back to the dorm. It's getting late, you know~"
Syrus quickly pulled out his PDA. "She's right! It's already 00:28 AM! We should get back!"
I sighed, pulling Lovely Labrynth's card from the Duel Disk. She disappeared in a flash.
[What a troublesome lover...]
Then, a firm smack hit my back, its Jaden, of course.
"Mash! Let's go, man. I would really go for those Z's!"
I exhaled, then smiled. [This protagonist…]
I nodded and followed him. As I watched Jaden, Syrus, and Alexis walk ahead, a thought crept into my mind.
[Doesn't Jaden and his friends go through tons of life-threatening situations in future episodes… and yet act fine like nothing happened the very next episode?]
I chuckled, shaking my head as I left the arena.
[Whatever. It's YU-GI-OH—where every problem, from small inconveniences to world-ending disasters, can be solved with a children's card game. Seeing a guy about to get decapitated? Childs play.]
----
Back at the Slifer Red Dorms
Jaden and Syrus stood in front of their dorm room doors while I stood in front of mine. Both of them waved at me with bright smiles.
Jaden: "Good night, Mash! You don't wanna be late for our first class tomorrow!"
Syrus: "Yeah! Sleep well, Mash!"
I flashed them a toothy grin, giving a V-sign before stepping into my lone dorm. As soon as I shut the door, I collapsed onto my bed, my entire body screaming for rest after the insane duel.
But even with my exhaustion, I still had one thing to do.
Lying on my back, I let out a sigh. "Lovely, I know you're there. Just come out already."
As if on cue, Lovely Labrynth materialized and lying down on the bed beside me. I Flinched a little due to her sudden appearances. What I wasn't expecting, though, was her outfit.
She wasn't wearing her usual elegant regal silver dress. Instead, she had on a... sweater?
Lovely Labrynth smiled seductively, resting a hand on her hip. "Ara~ Ara~ I can't believe my darling summoned me into a room where we're all alone. How romantic~ Does darling want something from me~? like... my body~?"
I squinted at her, unfazed by her seduction. "Why are you wearing a sweater?"
She pouted, crossing her arms, dissapointed that her seduction failed. "Hmph! I'm a spirit, darling~ I can change my appearance however I want. That dress is way too cumbersome for casual wear. This is much more comfortable."
I narrowed my eyes further. "...Why does that sweater have a brand logo on it?"
Lovely sighed dramatically. "Darling~"
"Ah, yes. We'll come back to that." I then sat up, looking at her seriously. "For now, explain what the hell happened back there. How did you just grab Chazz bt the throat and lift him up, and why did your axe phase through him like a hologram is actually supposed to!?"
She smirked smugly. "Fufu~ It's one of my special abilities~"
I raised a brow. "Special abilities…? Like that one where you can set real traps?"
She nodded. "Exactly~! That was one of my abilities! And the other one is…"
With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a silver ball in her palm. It gleamed under the dim light as she handed it to me with a smug expression. I could actually touch it.
I examined it closely. "This is…!"
Lovely Labrynth flipped her hair dramatically. "Ho Ho Ho~ Behold, darling! My second ability! Silver Manipulation and Creation! But be warned, it only lasts for a day before it crumbles away. So don't try to sell it or something~"
I frowned. "...Okay, cool, but that still doesn't explain how you physically grabbed Chazz."
She waved a finger at me playfully. "Tsk tsk~ So impatient. I simply put the silver inside my hologram body. That way, I can physically interact with the real world without anyone noticing the silver~"
I blinked. "...Oh. That actually makes a lot of sense."
Then my brain caught up to what she said.
"WAIT, HOLD ON! I thought Duel Spirits could only communicate and sometimes possess people! Since when did spirits have unique abilities!?"
Lovely giggled, wagging her finger again. "Ho Ho Ho~ Nope! Let me explain, darling~ All of my abilities come from the Power of Love-"
"Stop." I cut her off immediately, my face twisting in disgust. "I don't even need you to finish that sentence. I already get how you got your abilities."
She pouted. "But darling, it's a very romantic and simple way to put it—"
"Nope, cringe as hell. how about trying to explain it to me simply, you explain it to me fully."
Lovely huffed before rolling her eyes. "Fine. Open your system window, go to your deck, and check my card info."
I did as she instructed, navigating to her card's details. "Alright, I'm there. Now what?"
"Scroll down. You'll see something interesting~"
I scrolled further down—and froze.
There was a new section labeled [Bond], with ten red hearts lined up inside a box.
My eye twitched. [What the hell is this!? I never saw this before!! Did GOD add this in or something!?]
Lovely Labrynth pointed at it proudly. "This is the Bond System! As you spend time with a card, treat it well, and battle alongside it, you gain Bond Points. Filling up each heart unlocks new abilities!"
She tapped her cheek playfully. "For example, at 3 hearts, we unlocked our ability to communicate outside duels. At 6 hearts, I gained the power to set real traps in the real world~ And at 9 hearts, I unlocked my ability to create and control silver!"
I stared at her, stunned. "Wait… so you're telling me that as i increase the Bond of several of my cards, I am able to communicate to them like a duel spirit?"
She grinned. "Yup~! And actually, you can use the abilities too, darling~"
My hands trembled with excitement. "Holy shit… IT'S LIKE A STAND ABILITY! I gotta try this!"
I sat up straight, cupped my hands, and closed my eyes in deep concentration. I focused all my willpower, channeling my energy into my palms.
Then, with absolute determination, I shouted:
"SILVER CREATE!!"
…
Nothing happened.
A beat of silence passed before Lovely burst out laughing.
"HOHOHOHOHO~!! OH, DARLING, YOU'RE HILARIOUS!! HOHOHOHOHO!!"
My face burned with embarrassment. "Lovely! How do i do the thing!"
She wiped a tear from her eye, still chuckling. "Oh, darling~ There's a learning curve to it~ And while I'd love to teach you now…" She smirked and gestured toward my slumped posture. "You look dead tired."
My body immediately agreed, as exhaustion hit me like a truck. I let out a long yawn. "Yeah, yeah… you're right…" My head hit the pillow again. "But you better teach me how to be a Silverbender tomorrow…"
Lovely chuckled softly and lay down beside me, a warm smile on her face. "Of course, darling~ Sweet dreams."
Within seconds, I was out like a light.
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Author here! Im sorry that this is a pretty short of a chapter because its mainly just here for exposition and explaining. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter because i also enjoy writing this one. Chiao
march 25, 2025 edit: sorry guys, i got a little sick. so i think it will delay the new chapter release... but not so much! it will probably be delayed for 2 days or so. So i am kindly requesting for your patience! Chiao
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