Chapter 220
First Encounter with Tomato?
Chapter 220 First Encounter with Tomato?
But at this moment, as she lay on the ground, waiting for that familiar purple light that imprisoned people into cards to descend, Serena truly understood that despair that penetrated to the bone—the fear of death, the suffocation of having her soul imprisoned.
This is the helplessness of still clinging to a lingering obsession, yet having no room to even struggle.
Regret overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.
She silently repeated to herself that if she could do it all over again, she would never listen to the professor's brainwashing.
We will never again follow the path of the merged dimensions, and we will never again easily take away the lives of others.
She even hoped that the professor, who was far away in the fused dimension, could see all of this.
Abandoning the ARCV project, which has harmed countless lives, would allow those turned into cards to regain their freedom.
She closed her eyes, prepared herself to be turned into a card, and waited for the icy purple light to envelop her entire body.
Waiting for the moment when consciousness plunges into darkness.
One second, two seconds, three seconds—the expected purple light did not arrive. There was only a faint sound of wind and the soft sound of You Ming stopping his footsteps.
Serena opened her eyes abruptly, her gaze filled with astonishment.
You Ming stood right in front of her, his Duel Disk stored away at his side, showing no intention of activating it.
He simply looked at her with a calm gaze, without the contempt of a victor or the hatred of an enemy.
"Why aren't you doing anything?"
Serena's voice was hoarse, filled with barely concealed confusion.
Ed and the others were all turned into cards. As a member of the Fusion Dimension, her hands were also stained with the "blood debt" of the Xyz Dimension duelists. Yu Ming had no reason to make an exception for her.
You Ming squatted down, his gaze sweeping over the regret and panic in her eyes, and slowly said, "You are different from Ed and the others."
His voice was calm. "Ed and his ilk actively indulged in the professor's conspiracy, taking pleasure in trampling on the lives of others."
And you are nothing more than a pawn that has been brainwashed and manipulated by the professor.
You crave recognition and achievement, yet you've never truly understood that the meaning of a duel is never about fighting to the death, much less about turning others into cards.
He paused, looked up at the hazy moonlit sky, and said with a touch of solemnity in his voice, "Serena, life is the most precious thing."
Whether it's a fusion dimension or a superdimensional dimension, every duelist and every ordinary person has the right to live.
The professor's ARCV project goes against the original intention of dueling and the essence of life.
The fact that you regret it now means that there is still a sliver of kindness left in your heart, and you are not completely evil to the core.
His words were like a clear spring, extinguishing Serena's obsession and fear.
She looked into You Ming's eyes, and there was no deception in them, only sincerity and reverence for life.
She remembered the Xyz Dimensional Duelists she had transformed into cards, and the fear in their eyes.
Remembering You Ming's words, her nose tingled, and she slowly nodded: "I—I know I was wrong."
The professor's plan was flawed from the start.
I'm willing to join you all to stop him and make up for the mistakes I made.
Seeing her genuine remorse, You Ming smiled faintly and reached out to help her up: "Get up. From today onwards, you are no longer a warrior who has merged dimensions, but simply a duelist who wants to make amends for his mistakes."
He had actually considered turning Serena into a card and playing with a Moonlight deck.
This is arguably one of the most fun OTK decks in the physical card game.
I just thought that Serena was, after all, a main character in the original work.
If we just turn her into a card, who knows what other changes might occur in the future.
I've already taken down the main character in the game. If I take down Serena too, who knows what problems might arise in the four worlds.
All of this was observed by Ruri Kurosaki, who was not far away.
She stood there, her gaze fixed on You Ming and Serena.
Watching You Ming squat down to talk to Serena, seeing the rare gentleness in his eyes, and seeing him reach out to help Serena up.
It felt like something had gently stung my heart, a sour, astringent feeling, and a hint of inexplicable irritation.
In the past, You Ming's gentleness and patience were always reserved for her.
He would practice dueling with her, help her out when she was too socially awkward to speak, and buy her sweet and sour juice when they went to the market.
He would be the first to shield her if she were in danger.
But now, he is giving that tenderness to a former enemy.
Serena's appearance acted like an invisible barrier, separating her from You Ming.
That already hazy, paper-thin ambiguity seemed to be shaken by the wind, leaving her feeling empty inside.
She knew You Ming was right, and she knew Serena had been brainwashed.
I know that giving them a break is the best option.
But despite being rational, I couldn't suppress the discomfort in my heart.
It was a kind of jealousy that she couldn't quite describe, a faint feeling that lingered in her heart, making her inexplicably irritable.
This was the first time she had felt this way about You Ming, and the first time she wanted to lose her temper with him.
Just as You Ming's hand was about to touch Serena's arm, Liuli finally couldn't help but speak up.
Her voice was a few degrees colder than usual, with a hint of barely perceptible sullenness: "You Ming, don't touch her."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached You Ming and Serena's ears clearly.
You Ming paused, turned to look at Liu Li, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He had never seen Liuli speak to him in such a tone before; it was cool and aloof, with a hint of emotion he couldn't understand.
Serena subconsciously withdrew her hand and looked up at Liuli. From Liuli's gaze, she vaguely sensed something.
Serena wisely refrained from moving and simply sat silently on the ground with her head down.
Liuli met You Ming's surprised gaze, her inner irritation intensified, but she didn't know how to explain.
She could only turn her face away, looking at the pile of rubble beside her, her voice still cold: "This is the Hyperdimension, and she is someone who has merged with the dimensional world."
Even if someone repents, you should still keep your distance. If you need help, let someone else do it.
After she finished speaking, she stopped looking at You Ming and Serena.
He just stood there, his back straight, like a wronged kitten that refused to bow its head.
Looking at Liuli's retreating figure, and then at Serena on the ground, You Ming instantly understood what was going on.
The surprise in his eyes faded, replaced by a helpless smile and a hint of barely perceptible tenderness.
He didn't force Serena to get up, but simply said to her, "Get up by yourself and come back with us. We'll take care of the rest later."
As You Ming withdrew his hand from Serena's aid and spoke softly, a blinding white light suddenly emanated from the space beside him.
The distorted dimensional fluctuations caused the rubble to float slightly.
Three figures in red and white slowly emerged from the patterns of light.
The leader was particularly eye-catching, with a red and green tomato-shaped head and a pair of circus-style goggles on his face.
His clear gaze, behind the glasses, swept over the chaotic aftermath of the duel, then landed on You Ming and Serena, who was slumped on the ground. He immediately shouted, "Yuzu!"
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