Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!-Chapter 54: The Spirit World’s Request

[Grand Tiki Elder, LP 0]

When the Life Points hit zero and the magical storm faded, Kira never saw the spirit of that Grand Tiki Elder again.

It looked like the Silent Magician's final blow had obliterated him outright—there wasn't even dust left.

Dusting off his hands, Kira turned calmly to the remaining Goblin grunts. The Silent Magician didn't vanish with the duel's end; she stood guard at his side, staff in hand, her cold gaze sweeping over the circle of Goblins.

The Goblins who had been watching nearby were now frozen like statues.

The final moment of the duel was still vivid in their minds: an attack with over five thousand points of power, that terrifying momentum, and the boss's desperate scream as he was pulverized to nothing. It was a trauma that would not soon fade.

This duelist is terrifying!

The Goblin squad stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move as Kira put away his duel disk and walked toward them. It felt as if death itself was approaching with every step.

Finally, one Goblin in the back gritted his teeth:

"I just remembered my wife's about to give birth—I'll go ahead and leave first, brothers!"

He turned and bolted.

With someone taking the lead, the whole squad scattered. Another Goblin slapped his forehead:

"Oh right, my wife's about to give birth too. I'll go first!"

"Me too! My wife as well!"

"Ah, I just remembered my dad died last year and still hasn't been buried, I need to hurry—"

Boom!

A blast of magical energy exploded in front of the fastest-running Goblins, gouging a huge crater in the ground and sending the little monsters flying. The one in front couldn't stop in time and crashed headlong into the magical blast—pulverized on the spot, no need to even clean up the corpse.

The remaining Goblins were petrified with fear, frozen in place, not daring to move.

"Relax, I'm not some kind of demon," Kira said with a smile as he walked to where the Grand Tiki Elder had been reduced to ashes.

He stooped to pick up the dueling deck that had fallen among what was possibly the spirit's ashes, pocketing it with practiced ease.

The Goblins kept their heads down, not daring to meet his eyes. In their hearts, they thought: You're being modest—if you're not a demon, then a demon should have your face tattooed on it!

"I didn't come here on purpose, and I don't intend to meddle in your battles. I'm just passing through. If you just tell me how to leave this place—"

Before he could finish, he felt a tug at the back of his shirt.

Turning around, he saw the Silent Magician motioning to the street behind them.

He realized that figures were beginning to appear on the otherwise empty town streets.

Or to be precise: spirits.

Some small spirits peeked timidly from the shadows of buildings and through door and window cracks, drawn by the commotion of the duel.

A blonde, blue-skinned female spirit bravely stepped out and approached.

While most of these spirits were unfamiliar to him, this one he recognized: "Mystical Elf"—Level 4, 800 ATK, 2000 DEF. It had appeared as a Normal Monster Yugi once summoned in the anime, so he remembered.

"Great Hero, you've finally arrived," she said.

Kira: "?"

Hero?

That sounds straight out of a typical isekai story—the hero defeating the demon lord to save the princess...

"Since the disaster began, a legend has circulated here: One day, a hero from another world would come, defeat the Evil God, and bring hope."

Wow, there's even an Evil God? Sounds harder than a Demon Lord.

More spirits emerged, most of them appearing to be Level 1 or 2 Normal Monsters.

"Come with me," said the Mystical Elf. "I'll tell you how to leave here."

The spirits quickly tied up the remaining Goblins, who now kept their heads down under his intimidating gaze, not daring to make a sound.

"Some time ago, our world was invaded. The Evil God's minions rampage from town to town, capturing spirits, sealing them into stone slabs, draining their life and power to feed the Evil God's resurrection."

"Does this Evil God have a name?" Kira guessed it might be a card he knew from his previous life.

The Mystical Elf shook her head: "No one's ever seen it. We are a peaceful race, powerless before its minions. We've been in hiding for years.

But lately, they no longer seem satisfied with capturing spirits gradually. Suddenly, they decided to take everyone at once."

She led him to the outskirts of town, raising her slender blue arm toward the sky.

Kira followed her gaze and saw the sky torn open—a gaping, terrifying rift. A swirling black vortex, like a greedy, blood-red maw.

"That's...?"

"That leads to the Evil God's lair," the Mystical Elf said gravely. "Each day, the rift widens, devouring more of our world.

If it opens wide enough, our world may cease to exist."

"I'm sorry for your plight," Kira said, "but I don't think I can help."

The Mystical Elf smiled gently.

"All these years, we've been hiding from the Evil God's minions and waiting for the prophesied hero. Spirit magicians foresaw that a hero would arrive from another world, use the power of cards to shatter the Evil God's minions, and awaken the sleeping warrior."

"Sleeping warrior?"

"Yes—a legendary warrior with unparalleled power, who once stood against the Evil God. He was strong enough to repel the evil forces.

But the Evil God struck back with overwhelming power, defeating the world's only protector in a single blow. The warrior's power was sealed, and legend says only the hero's 'strength' can awaken him and create a miracle."

In Yu-Gi-Oh!, spirits and duelists are symbiotic. Powerful spirits grant duelists strong destinies, and spirits only reach their full potential with powerful duelists.

Even the Egyptian God Cards are only at their strongest with the undefeated Pharaoh.

"And the warrior is right here."

The Mystical Elf led Kira to a massive boulder.

Carved into the side was the image of a warrior, like those on ancient Egyptian stone tablets: armored, kneeling with a sword, eyes full of defiance.

As expected, it was the Black Luster Soldier.

So that's why these ruins connect to this spirit realm.

"If you want to leave and return home, this is the only way. The legendary warrior possesses the power to open space—it called you here, and only that power can send you back," the Mystical Elf explained softly.

"But you want me to help defeat the Evil God? What if I just leave?"

"The Evil God's true form isn't here. These are only its minions—no matter how many you defeat, there will be more. It's pointless."

She shook her head.

"The Evil God's true body is in the hero's world. On one hand, it attacks the Spirit World, enslaving spirits to use as weapons; on the other, it schemes against your world. Both worlds are threatened."

Kira frowned.

In my world? Could the Evil God be a duelist with dark powers?

He didn't know who this 'Evil God' was, but suspected causing trouble in his world wouldn't be so easy.

After all, there were plenty of heavyweights at the top.

He exchanged a glance with the Silent Magician, who nodded.

Perhaps because of the bond between duelists and spirits, sometimes he could understand her without words. She was telling him that the seal here had similar magic to the stone tablet in the ruins, and he could use it to return.

As he stepped forward to touch the stone, a sudden dull boom erupted at his side.

It sounded like artillery firing. Before he could react, the Silent Magician leaped forward and swept her staff, blasting a cannonball aside. It exploded elsewhere, leaving a smoking crater on the plain.

Looking up, Kira saw a man standing on the hillside.

Hands in pockets, blond hair, sunglasses, and an American flag bandana.

"Sorry," the man said with a roguish smile, "but I'm afraid I can't let you leave so easily."