YUGIOH: It's Time to Duel!-Chapter 119: You’re Only Useless If You Give Up

[3rd POV]

"Duel!" The three duellists shouted, their expressions tensed while watching Diva's every move.

At the corner of their vision, they watched KaibaCorps employees hurriedly evacuating to safety, "Mokuba! Get everyone away from here!" Seto shouted at his brother, leading the evacuation

Snarling, Diva observed the people running away, and the hatred in his heart grew. The Millennium Cube and Ring purged away any humanity left. Now, he's merely a beast drowned in rage.

"Annoying...." Diva muttered, and the cubes protruding from his body shimmered in unison. With a roar, he unleashed a massive shockwave in all directions. People who were struck by the wave of shadows dissolved into nothingness, and the surroundings were filled with the terrified screams of the victims.

"No!" Yuna immediately summoned Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand, and the dragon lunged at Diva, trying to stop him.

Despite being three times smaller than the dragon, Diva easily deflected Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand's claws with his arms.

"Sister, brother!" Struck by the attack, Mokuba yelled in pain as his body began to fade. Under their shocked gazes, Mokuba vanished, and not even an inkling of his presence remained.

"Mokuba!" Yuna cried, and in a fit of rage, she called upon all of the spirits she could muster. Ignoring the massive strain being put on her body, Yuna ordered the dragons to attack Diva in unison.

Explosions and various coloured breath erupted at the opposite side of the field as the dragons laid waste to where Diva stood. However, despite the massive firepower, all the attacks were effortlessly dodged.

*BOOOOM*

Nurse Dragonmaid was the first to fall as she transformed back into her humanoid form before vanishing in pain. Slowly, each of the Dragonmaids was defeated as Diva slipped through between the gaps where the other maids had left.

Groaning, Yuna fell to the ground as the familiar but unwelcome feeling overwhelmed her, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood as all of the spirits returned to her soul.

"Yuna!" Seto uttered frantically and grasped her wrist as she stared at him with unfocused eyes.

"Let me go! He needs to pay!" Yuna struggled desperately but couldn't escape from Seto's hold.

Seto couldn't bear to watch anymore and snapped, "Stop! You need to calm down!""

Instantly, Yuna flinched, and her knees buckled. "Why..." She mumbled weakly, tears streaming down her face.

Listening to her sobs, Seto felt his heart twisting painfully. Gently releasing his grip, Yuna cried in despair as Seto held her with a grimace, "I'm sorry... It's all my fault..."

"I'm the one that caused this mess, and I will fix it..." He continued and reached into his coat pocket before taking out the Millennium Rod. Gritting his teeth, Seto generated a large bream that struck a barrier, leaving a large hole.

"Seto... What are you doing?" Yuna asked hesitantly.

"Making things right." Staring at Yuna's body, Seto muttered, "Come out."

Feeling a portion of her Ba suddenly leaving her body, Yuna was stunned as Blue-Eyes White Dragon summoned itself. "Get her away from here..." Seto ordered as the dragon growled in affirmation.

"Wait, h... hold on!" Yuna protested, but she was too exhausted to resist. Blue-Eyes White Dragon grabbed her before unveiling her wings. "No! Let go! Seto!!"

Ignoring her command, Blue-Eyes White Dragon took flight, and she cried angrily. Watching her dragon flying further and further away, he muttered one quiet apology and turned to Yugi.

"You may leave also if you wish since it's not your fight... But this is the only time you will hear these words from me. I need your help..." Seto muttered solemnly, and Yugi's eyes widened at his alien behaviour.

Eventually, Yugi laughed and smiled wryly, "You must really love Sano-san."

"Hmph... You have no idea..." Seto smirked, and the two men glared at Diva with renewed confidence...

Meanwhile...

[Yuna's POV]

"Stop, you have to go back!" I shouted angrily as Blue-Eyes White Dragon carried me further away from the duel, "Please!"

Hearing Blue-Eyes White Dragon's mournful roar, I was eventually let down on top of a rooftop. I stumbled weakly and fell to the ground. Exhausted, I propped myself up as Blue-Eyes White Dragon rubbed its head against me.

"Seto..." I mumbled softly, trying to hold back the tears that continuously flowed down my face.

My heart was filled with a whirlwind of emotions. From the betrayal from Seto and Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the grief of being unable to save Mokuba and the disappointment of my current uselessness...

Sensing my distress, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon growled softly and rested its head on my lap. "No matter what I say, you're not going to take me back there, are you?" I questioned, and the dragon averted my gaze.

Sighing, I tightly hugged Blue-Eyes White Dragon and buried my face into its neck. There must be something I can do, I thought desperately. Since Blue-Eyes White Dragon refused to bring me back to battle, I doubt my other dragons would, as well...

Trying to figure out what to do, I suddenly remembered an item I received about a year ago, and I activated the system that I hadn't interacted with in so long.

In my hand was a soft slip of thin white paper. Although there's nothing written on it, I can sense the strange and mysterious energy within this slip of paper.

"Here goes nothing..." I muttered to steel myself and tore the piece of paper in half.

Instantly, my head was assaulted with a wave of dizziness, and my vision darkened. Relenting to the dizziness, and before long, I lost consciousness...

By the time I woke up, I was no longer on the rooftop of a random building but instead in a dark, black space. All the exhaustion and pain I was feeling vanished, and I patiently waited in this familiar environment.

Before long, a light appeared in this dark space as a large figure materialised from the light. Bracing myself, I calmly faced the Goddess as she stared at me.

"Dear child... Why have you summoned me?"

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"Holactie-sama..." My voice faltered slightly under her presence, "Please save Seto and Yugi..."

"I see..." Holactie's eyes softened briefly before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Yuna. I'm unable to grant your request."

"W.. Why!" I shouted instinctively before quickly bowing with shame, "Please forgive me... I spoke without thinking..."

Clenching my fists to control my emotions, I heard Holactie chuckle wryly as she began to shrink down to my height. Standing beside me, I flinched as she placed her hand on my shoulder, and a gentle warmth spread through my body.

"Yuna... How much do you trust Seto Kaiba?" Holactie asked, and I slowly raised my head.

"I... I trust him with my life." I answered resolutely, and the Goddess chuckled.

"Then why don't you trust that he will succeed?" She retorted with a smile, and I averted my gaze.

"I'm not... It's just I'm really worried..." I eventually let out a quiet whimper, and the anxiety in my heart grew. "Even if I knew that if I didn't do anything, it might play out just like the originals. But I couldn't help but be afraid..."

"I understand. Your affection for him is deep," Holactie smiled wryly.

As she waved her hand, a whitish projection appeared, and images began to play from within the screen. Recognising the KaibaCorps building, I quietly gasped and focused on the duel that was currently happening.

Just like how it was in the story, Seto and Yugi were struggling as Diva continued to pressure them with his effect of Crimson Nova Trinity, the Dark Cubic Lord, forcing them to lose life points by half every time Diva declared an attack. As their life points continued to etch towards zero, I bit my lips and resisted the urge to jump up and down.

"Holactie-sama, why can't you help them..." I found myself asking the Goddess with an incredulous expression.

"It's not because I don't want to, but because I can't," Holactie explained, leaving me even more confused.

With a small sigh, she explained: "Dear child, do you recall my explanation of how your partner came to summon me?"

Seeing me nod, Holactie continued with a more resigned tone, "Other than ensuring him that both of you will cross paths after three thousand years, Seto has also promised me the destruction of the Millennium Cube, the source of his power.

"But why didn't he?" I asked, "Seto said that it was buried with him instead."

"That's because he failed. So, he begged for more time, and I agreed, but when he recovers his memories, Seto must find the Millennium Cube and destroy it once and for all."

"H... How come I never knew about this..." I muttered in shock and felt hurt at how much I was being kept in the dark. "But that still doesn't explain why Holactie-sama is not able to help..."

"That's because the contract we established is more complicated than you imagine. To be exact, it is a shadow game..." Holactie explained with a helpless smile.

"Your partner is a very meticulous man, and he wants to ensure that I won't break my promise. If I repair your soul, he will destroy the Millennium Cube himself to prove his. The Shadow Game also has two ways. If Seto fails, he will pay with his soul..."

"Can't Holactie-sama end the game?!" I pleaded desperately, but my hope was dashed as the Goddess shook her head.

"A Shadow Game with a god can't be broken. This is Seto's sin, which he was willing to bear, and I can't interfere. I'm sorry, Yuna, for this disappointing answer..."

Nodding meekly, I could only stare as Seto and Yugi continued being pushed to the brink. Fidgeting in frustration, I noticed the Millennium Puzzle dangling on Yugi's neck, still unresponsive.

It was strange. It was never specified why Atem finally showed up and what caused his descent from the afterlife. People say that it is because of Yugi's desperation and praying for help from Atem.

But...

Looking at Seto grunting in pain as he suffered from the shadow game, I could no longer sit here and do nothing, "Holactie-sama, please grant me a request!"

"Speak, as long as it's something I can do."

"Please, take me to the afterlife!" I spoke resolutely, "Not as in killing me, though..."

Holactie laughed, "Yes, I understand. Once you complete your goal, you will wake up again in your body. Good luck, Yuna Sano; I hope you achieve your mission..."

With another wave of her hand, my vision gradually turned white as I was pulled into the afterlife...

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When the light faded, I found myself lying on top of a soft bed. As I found myself staring at the familiar ceiling, I eventually sat up and couldn't help but gawk in disbelief. This was my room back when I was living in Kisara...

Still sitting on the bed in a daze, I heard footsteps in the distance, and the door to my room suddenly slammed open.

"Who goes there? How dare someone enter this place?!" A man shouted angrily, and I involuntarily let out a quiet gasp.

"Shada..." I mumbled instinctively, and Shada froze, dropping the sword in his hand.

"K... Kisara?" He mumbled, and before I could react, he pulled me into his embrace, "Why and how are you here?!" Shada spoke while holding my shoulders, "No, don't tell me... did you..."

"That b*stard!" Shada cursed loudly, "How could you arrive here first before him!? I pray that Ammit would devour his wretched heart..."

"I'm not dead!" I yelled in exasperation, "Holactie sent me here! Also, don't joke about something like that!"

"I'm not joking, though..." Shada muttered but quickly shut up under my firm glare, "But if that's the case, does that really mean you're not dead?"

"Yes, I intend to live until one hundred if you have to really know!" I said and frustratingly pushed Shada away. However, both of us quickly broke into smiles at this nostalgic feeling.

Chuckling softly, Shada flicked my forehead while holding back his tears, "You really are an idiot..."

"Yeah, but I'm an idiot who saved the world," I grumbled quietly, which only resulted in another smack on my head.

"So, you said you can't stay here for long, right?" Shada sighed and changed the conversation, "Come on, let's not waste any more time."

Following him, I left the room and wandered in the hallway that I would always walk in and the scenery I would always look at during my life at the palace.

"Nothing has changed..." I mumbled, noticing the people dressed in Egyptian outfits walking past us.

"The afterlife isn't as special as you think. It was a place similar to Memphis back in the day. However, people don't have to work as a living anymore, and it's like an eternal paradise..."

Stopping by a window, Yuna watched people enjoying themselves in the bustling streets. Beyond the gate, she saw wave after wave of golden reeds spanning into the distance like a massive field that was as big as the world.

As she continued to observe, Yuna spotted a bluish light all the way at the end of the gate, where numerous people gathered.

"That's the reincarnation portal." Shada explained, "Some people will still want to feel the sensation of living again, so they go through there, back to the mortal world at the cost of their memories..."

"How about you? Have you thought about living a new life?" I asked, and Shada shrugged.

"I never thought about it... We all plan to serve the pharaoh until he's ready to move on as well... Or until I meet you again..."

"What was life after I died?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Life remained peaceful... Thanks to you, we were able to survive the hardship, and I maintained my position as a Sacred Guardian until my body forced me to retire."

"But how come you still looked so young? It looked like you hadn't aged a bit since the last time I saw you."

"Living in the afterlife, there are perks such as becoming any age you want. But almost everyone prefers to be the age during our Pharoah's rule." Shada answered until we finally stopped just outside of the throne room, "We're here..."

"I wish that master was also able to see you. But he had already gone through the reincarnation portal." He muttered wistfully, and I recalled there was a certain kind of grandfather working in a card shop.

"How about you, Shada..." I placed my hand on his shoulder, "Maybe it's time..."

"I still need to think about it. However, I'm glad to have met you once more, Kisara. I won't hold you here any longer; you came here with a purpose, so go fulfil it."

Giving Shada one last hug, I turned to the large doors leading to the throne room. Pushing with all my strength, the door opened, revealing the grand room inside.

Staring at the throne planted at the centre, I watched as the familiar figure slowly stood up on his seat. With a smirk, he stared at me, "Welcome... Yuna." Atem greeted me, and I calmly faced the pharaoh in the afterlife.

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I hope you enjoy it. Again, I want to apologise for the delay.