The crowd held its breath.
Lucky Luke stood relaxed, arms crossed, while Yami's grip on his black scythe tightened.
The merchant had already shown two absurd abilities—perfect dodging and insane speed.
If Yami wanted to win, he had to break through those advantages.
Lucky chuckled. "Oh-ho! You're thinking hard, aren't you? But guess what?"
He snapped his fingers.
Ding!
[Possession Activated!]
[God of Endurance (Lv. 30) – Takes 90% less damage from all attacks.]
Lucky pounded his own chest. "Now, even if you hit me, it won't matter!"
The crowd erupted.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"HE'S A DAMN CHEAT!"
"I THOUGHT HE WAS A MERCHANT?!"
Rei and Lina watched in disbelief.
Lina's hands trembled. "This isn't just broken… This is impossible."
Rei gulped. "How the hell do you beat a guy like that?"
Kira clenched her fists, watching Yami carefully.
He hadn't moved.
Hadn't even reacted.
Then… he smirked.
"…So you think you can't die?"
Lucky grinned. "Oh-ho! That's exactly what I'm saying!"
Yami lifted his scythe.
His aura surged.
DARKNESS began leaking from his body, swallowing the area around him.
Lucky's grin wavered.
Yami's eyes glowed.
"Let's see if that's really true."
Death's Authority – The Power of a God
Yami vanished.
The entire arena shook.
Lucky barely had time to react—
SWOOSH!
A scythe carved through space itself.
Lucky instinctively dodged—
But something felt different.
He wasn't just dodging an attack.
He was dodging death itself.
Yami's voice was cold.
"Your endurance doesn't mean anything… when your soul is what I'm cutting."
Lucky froze.
Yami swung again.
SWISH!
For the first time, Lucky felt fear.
Ding!
[Warning! Your soul has been damaged!]
[A god's protection is struggling to resist…]
Lucky's eyes widened.
(This is bad.)
(This is really, really bad.)
He was fighting someone who could ignore the rules.
Yami grinned.
"What's wrong, merchant?"
He raised his scythe again.
"I thought you were invincible?"
Lucky's face twisted—
Then, suddenly…
He laughed.
"Oh-ho-ho! I love this!"
Yami blinked.
Lucky wiped a tear from his eye, grinning like a madman.
"Oh man, Yami! You're insane! You actually made me break a sweat!"
He snapped his fingers again.
Ding!
[Possession Activated!]
[God of Trickery (Lv. 40) – The opponent's next attack will hit something else instead.]
Lucky spread his arms.
"Alright! Come at me!"
Yami's eyes narrowed.
He vanished.
SLASH!
But—
CRACK!
His scythe hit the air.
No—
It had hit his own shadow.
"…What?"
Lucky winked. "Oh-ho! I got an ability for that!"
Ding!
[Effect Activated! The attack was redirected!]
Yami gritted his teeth.
(Lucky's stacking abilities. This isn't just power—he's got strategy, too.)
Lucky stretched. "Welp! That was fun. But I think we should wrap this up."
He snapped his fingers.
Ding!
[Possession Activated!]
[God of Sealing (Lv. 50) – The opponent's next skill is disabled.]
Lucky grinned.
"Yami… your next attack won't work."
The crowd fell silent.
Rei's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
Lina looked horrified. "He can just… shut down skills?!"
Kira gasped. "Yami…!"
Yami, however, just smirked.
"Not bad."
Lucky tilted his head. "Hm?"
Yami lifted his scythe.
"…Then I'll just hit you the old-fashioned way."
He vanished.
BOOM!
Lucky's eyes widened.
Yami was already in front of him.
No skills. No tricks.
Just pure speed.
Lucky barely had time to react before—
BAM!
Yami's fist slammed into his face.
The entire guild exploded.
"WHAT?!"
Lucky stumbled back.
CRACK!
The ground shattered beneath him.
Rei, Lina, and Kira stared in shock.
"D-Did Yami just punch him?!"
Lucky rubbed his jaw.
Then…
He started laughing.
"Oh-ho-ho! That actually hurt!"
He grinned.
"…Alright. I give up."
Yami blinked. "What?"
Lucky raised his hands.
"You win, Yami! I surrender!"
Silence.
The guild members looked stunned.
Rei's jaw dropped. "Wait, he's serious? He's actually giving up?"
Lina frowned. "Something's off."
Yami lowered his scythe. "…Why?"
Lucky smiled.
"Because you're way too fun."
Yami narrowed his eyes. "That's it?"
Lucky chuckled. "Well… that, and I think you'd be a much better friend than a bodyguard."
He extended a hand.
"So, what do you say, Yami? Wanna team up?"
The crowd froze.
Yami stared at him for a long moment.
Then, slowly…
He smirked.
"…Fine."
They shook hands.
Ding!
[Lucky Luke has joined the party!]
The guild exploded in cheers.
Rei sighed. "Well… I guess we have a merchant now."
Lina adjusted her glasses. "This is going to be chaos."
Kira smiled. "I think it'll be fun."
Lucky grinned.
"Oh-ho! This is going to be amazing!"
And just like that…
The strongest merchant in the world became Yami's ally.
But what kind of trouble would that bring?
Only time would tell