Let's play cards! In a fantasy world of swords and magic

"Mr. You Ling, are you planning to..."

Aisha's brows furrowed slightly. She understood better than anyone what this action meant.

"This is the only way to save Ilin now. Hurry, Aisha!"

"Okay, I understand."

Nodding heavily, Aisha didn't allow herself even a moment of hesitation, despite the complex emotions swirling inside her.

The most important and urgent task right now was to rescue Ilin from the dangers of the Shadow Game.

All the complicated issues could be dealt with after saving Ilin.

With her resolve firm, Aisha removed the Millennium Puzzle hanging around her snow-white neck and gripped it tightly. She aimed it at Ilin through the barrier of the Shadow Game.

"Please, you must save Lin-chan, Mr. You Ling. She's my best friend."

First, she whispered a quiet prayer, then raised her voice.

"Lin-chan! Catch Mr. You Ling!"

"What? Catch You Ling?"

Ilin, whose consciousness had been fading, was slightly roused by Aisha's strange request.

What did she mean by "catch You Ling"?

How could someone even "catch" You Ling?

Struggling to lift her head, Ilin suddenly noticed the Millennium Puzzle, which had pierced through the Shadow Game's barrier, tracing an elegant arc through the air.

Acting on reflex, Ilin mustered the last of her strength and caught the Millennium Puzzle at the end of its trajectory, clutching it to her chest.

In that moment, it felt as though two different souls had merged.

Ilin's fragile mental state didn't require the deliberate mental clearing that Aisha had needed when establishing a soul connection with You Ling.

Her mind was completely open.

At the same time, Aisha felt her connection with You Ling sever.

Though she had mentally prepared herself, the moment it actually happened still left her feeling a deep sense of loss.

But there was no other choice.

"Good luck, Mr. You Ling. Go and become Lin-chan's hero."

When You Ling opened his eyes again, he found himself in a new body.

Similar to the first time he had swapped souls, You Ling instinctively clenched his hand.

The slender, pale fingers were similar to Aisha's, but he could feel a distinct difference.

From the corner of his vision, he could catch glimpses of Ilin's red hair, and his chest felt slightly heavier.

Of course, the most immediate sensation was the pain from the Shadow Game.

After being ravaged by the black hole, his body felt like it was falling apart. Ilin had been enduring this pain all along.

"What… what is this?!"

Ilin's reaction was almost identical to Aisha's when they had first swapped bodies.

After all, most people's first reaction to such a situation would be confusion and disbelief.

"This was the only way, Lin. With your soul and mental state as they were, you couldn't continue the Shadow Game. So, I'll take over from here."

"You're going to duel in my place… like you did with Aisha?"

If Aisha had accepted You Ling's existence quickly due to her kind and trusting nature, Ilin, being highly intelligent, had to accept You Ling's presence after weighing the crisis and the stakes of the current situation.

"But can you really take over a duel like this, You Ling?"

However, since this was a mid-duel takeover, the situation You Ling inherited was far from ideal.

Ilin's field had been completely wiped out by [Black Hole], and the opponent had fused a 3000 ATK [Demon's Manifestation]. By all accounts, it seemed like a hopeless situation.

But You Ling didn't see it that way.

After scanning Ilin's remaining hand, You Ling concluded that this duel was still winnable.

Most duelists in this world had very simple deck structures and low hand efficiency, often ending up with a lot of cards in hand even after several turns.

But this wasn't entirely a bad thing. The cards Ilin had left in her hand allowed You Ling to envision a classic heroic comeback.

"Leave it to me, Lin!"

"!!!"

("Leave it to me, Lin!")

The same words, the same tone, the same sense of security.

In that moment, Ilin's perception of You Ling overlapped with that of her brother, Ed, who had sacrificed his Spirit Eye to protect her in a Shadow Game years ago.

Even in her soul state, Ilin could feel her heart racing.

"You Ling, you won't lose, right?"

"Of course not."

No matter the situation, You Ling maintained an unparalleled confidence—it was his attitude and pride as a duelist.

"You won't lose to the Shadow Game again?"

"Again? Heh, don't worry. I'll crush the darkness!"

"Then I'm counting on you, You Ling. Please, win against the darkness for me."

This was Ilin's most sincere wish and plea, resonating from the depths of her soul.

Meanwhile, Meigen, the barrier master standing across from Ilin, also noticed the recovery in Ilin's mental state. Of course, she didn't miss the Millennium Puzzle that Aisha had thrown over.

"That's… a Millennium Item? To think an ordinary academy girl would possess a Millennium Item. No wonder Decule lost."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Meigen decided to end the duel quickly, not wanting to drag it out any longer.

After all, she was only one attack away from victory.

"It's too late to recover your mental state now, little darling. With 3000 ATK, take the direct attack from [Demon's Manifestation]!—Heavenly Demon's Thunder Descent!"

"But to win this duel, we'll have to survive this attack first. Activate the set card!"

Facing the thunder descending from the sky, You Ling flipped over the card Ilin had set the previous turn.

"—Trap Card [Dice of Darkness], activate!"

[Dice of Darkness Trap Card Effect: Roll a die. All monsters your opponent controls lose ATK and DEF equal to the result × 100 until the end of the turn.]

The dark counterpart to the Quick-Play Spell Card [Dice of Light], this card reduced the opponent's monsters' ATK and DEF based on the die roll.

Ilin's current life points were 2600, and [Demon's Manifestation] had 3000 ATK.

To survive, the die had to roll a 4 or higher, giving them a 1/3 chance. It didn't seem high.

"It's high enough!" You Ling declared.

Just think about the situation they were in.

You Ling, blessed with "Heavenly Luck," and Ilin, with her "Strong Luck," were fighting side by side.

A mere die? It was guaranteed to land on the best possible number.

The opponent should be thankful this wasn't a 36-sided die.

A demonic figure, fitting the dark theme of the Shadow Game, appeared above and tossed a crimson die into the air.

Roll result: 5

"Wait, it's not a 6?" Ilin exclaimed in shock.

"Because 5 is the best number," You Ling replied with a mysterious smile.

[Demon's Manifestation ATK: 3000 → 2500]

In the next moment, the weakened thunderbolt grazed their body.

Whether it was because Ilin's physical endurance was higher than Aisha's or because You Ling was getting used to being electrocuted after three rounds tonight, the pain this time was far more bearable.

The only thing that took a hit was the life points, which plummeted dramatically.

Ilin LP: 2600 → 100

"As for why 5 is the best number… well, I'll just say I'm locking it in!"

To be continued...