The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　By combining the ritual, he seemed to be able to add a small underworld to the framework of the dueling rules.

　Moreover, in this way, the small underworld is entirely a product of the duel rules and has no relation to the original underworld, so it will not be disturbed by the gods of the underworld.

　"It seems we can do it..."

　Dark, seeing the change in Hermes' expression, breathed a slight sigh of relief. This was a method he had considered from the beginning for improving the rules of dueling.

　If Hermes can't do it, then there's only G.

　The inspiration for this method comes from the "graveyard" in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!.

　That's right, he wants to open a graveyard in the dueling arena of this world! However, what was originally just a concept to increase the depth of duels has now become a way to solve the core problem.

　After patiently waiting for a while, seeing that Hermes seemed to have figured it out, he continued, "Within the magical system, there are quite a few methods to resurrect magical spirits, as well as deathrattle traps that can only be triggered after a magical spirit dies. These existing elements, if combined with a miniature underworld, can lead to the development of more profound rules. Therefore, adding the underworld system to the dueling system will not only solve the problem of magic orbs but also improve the dueling rules. Since you are creating a completely new divine path, shouldn't you use a completely new set of dueling rules?"

　Hermes pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "You're right!" Dark couldn't help but smile.

　At this point, Principal Arte asked, "Will it work?" Hermes, this time very confidently, replied, "It will work." Dark said, "Then, to distinguish it from the true underworld, how about naming it 'The Graveyard'?"

　Hermes asked in bewilderment, "The graveyard?"

　Dark explained, "The magical spirits that die in the dueling arena don't immediately dissipate into magical energy; instead, they are first absorbed by the 'Graveyard.' This is how the cycle of life and death unfolds within the dueling arena."

　Hermes' mouth opened slightly.

　Upon hearing the term "cycle of life and death" from Dark's mouth, he suddenly felt something he had never experienced before: this risky venture to create a magical path might actually succeed.

　In fact, the reason he always had a stern face was because deep down he didn't think he would succeed.

　Perhaps it was his divine intuition, but he sensed from the beginning that his idea was flawed. However, precisely because he couldn't pinpoint the flaw, he proceeded with it despite the difficulties.

　But now, after deciding to add the "graveyard" rule to the dueling system, he suddenly found that everything went smoothly!

　And all of this was brought about by the human boy in front of us.

　Hermes, his face stern, said, "A graveyard it is. In short, it's about setting up a graveyard within the dueling arena, integrating it into the overall dueling rules. Once the dueling arena is set up, duelists are implicitly bound to the graveyard. Upon death, their souls will enter the graveyard, but will be resurrected after thirty seconds, their injuries healed, and all abnormal statuses removed. That should be the rule, right?"

　Dark said, "That's right."

　Hermes said, “That’s fine. But I need a little time to adjust the ritual and prepare for creating the burial site. Can you buy me a little more time using the method you used before?”

　Dark said, "Okay."

　Time is tight.

　Everyone present was a decisive person.

　While Hermes was preparing to create the "cemetery," Principal Arte and others were examining the contract provided by Hermes, clause by clause.

　Professor Lily reluctantly released the statue of Hermes and then placed it back in its original position.

　Although the statue was severely damaged, its energy core was fortunately intact. Hermes casually covered it with a new outer shell and then infused it with a bit of divine power.

　Meanwhile, Dark brought "Shemi" to the lower level to clean up the pollutants that had already overflowed.

　"Natural Reply" + "Seed Flash".

　This time, "Shemi" spent a considerable amount of time absorbing and purifying the excessive amount of pollutants before spraying "Seed Flash" towards the wall.

　The terrifying explosion nearly woke up all the creatures in the "Heavenly Court," and the resulting aurora even pierced through the black mist, illuminating most of the "Tower of Endymion" brightly.

　Standing inside the Tower of Endymion and looking out, it's like seeing a giant firework display that lasts for an extremely long time, as if celebrating the arrival of a new era.

　From that day on, magical duels became more than just magical duels. And duelists were no longer simply ordinary professions that required flashy skills.

　It will become a genuine combat profession, just like mages, warriors, archers, swordsmen, wizards, and so on!

　Before today, although every duelist was a mage, not all mages were duelists.

　But from today onwards, mages and duelists will likely be completely equated!

　For the Twin Paladins and others who happened to be there, being able to witness the moment of change was extremely fortunate.

　Professor Cazell and his group, who were still trapped in the flesh tunnel and considering whether to return, were filled with regret.

　But that's fate.

　Everyone's destiny unfolds differently; it's impossible to see all the fireworks.

　Hermes truly deserves to be the last surviving god among the twelve Olympians. His control over authority surpasses that of most gods, and even among the native gods of the underworld, only a very few can compare with his authority over the "underworld."

　He finally completed all the ritual adjustments before the pollutants re-emerged on the top floor of the "Tower of Endymion".

　The entire ceremony is finally about to begin its final part.

　Hermes said calmly, "I expended a great deal of energy to add the graveyard to the dueling rules. Therefore, after completing this ritual, I will temporarily fall into slumber. However, this will not affect the actual ritual. I have already granted Arte the necessary permissions through the contract. If the plan proceeds smoothly, I should wake up sooner. I hope our futures will follow the same path."

　Principal Art blinked slightly, feeling extremely surprised.

　She and Hermes had been together in this "heavenly court" for so long, and she had never seen him speak so softly.

　In her opinion, this old god, who had lived for who knows how many years, had a somewhat twisted personality.

　But now he's able to say such things... there must be sincerity in them.

　Unlike others.

　Principal Arte had a clearer understanding of Hermes' contributions to the project.

　Creating a new Shinto path sounds incredibly inspiring. It's as if one is willing to give everything to achieve it.

　But that's not actually the case at all.

　For a god who had survived for thousands of years in this desolate place in the form of a consciousness to avoid Ragnarok, it was simply unimaginable.

　Hermes ultimately embarked on this path purely out of necessity. For him, the essence of this ritual plan was, like feeding birds with his own flesh and blood, primarily one of "sacrifice."

　After the ritual begins, the consciousness of the twelve gods of Poropus will transform into the soil that paves the way for the divine, creating a path for the mages that allows them to at least tread through the mud.

　Without their sacrifice, if a mage wanted to break through the bottleneck and ascend to godhood, they would have to find another way, rather than truly becoming a god through magic.

　The pioneering of a road always requires someone to lay the foundation.

　If no one wants to become soil, then everyone has to stand still.

　Therefore, Principal Arte said "goodbye" to him in a gentle tone at the end.

　After that, the others also raised their hands to say goodbye to him.

　—Although, because of Hermes, two people are still lying there, not yet awake.

　Dark held Shaymin in his arms, with Impmon perched on his shoulder and Tailmon, who had already returned, standing at his feet. Behind him stood Magimon: God of Destruction and Magimon: Goddess of the Mind's Eye, all gazing at Hermes.

　As for "Demon King Aldridge," he had already retrieved his magic cards. During his time in this "Heavenly Court," "Demon King Aldridge" provided him with tremendous assistance.

　But a demon king is a demon king; he won't actually treat him like a kitten just because the demon king has turned into a kitten.

　Now that "Demon King Aldridge" is useless, the ruthless Dark Demon has taken it back into his magic card.

　"Um"

　As Darke was slightly distracted, he suddenly noticed that Hermes was still standing still.

　He suddenly realized that the final step of this preparatory ceremony, which was used to trigger a world-class ritual, needed to be completed by him!

　After masking his embarrassment with a smile, Dark took out twelve gold medals and then... personally placed each of the twelve gold medals he had collected along the way in front of the statues of the twelve gods.

　During this process, Hermes' consciousness disappeared silently; he, like the other gods, must have entered his own idol.

　A moment later, Dark finished arranging all the gold medals and returned. But to be honest, he didn't feel like he had done anything remarkable.

　He received absolutely no feedback from the ceremony.

　But shortly after he stepped back, different colored lights shone on the twelve statues.

　Above the Tower of Endymion, the enormous halo formed by the convergence of twelve beams of light began to slowly rotate.

　An extremely vast divine power suddenly erupted from the Tower of Endymion, starting from this point!

　"Boom!"

　A tremendous roar suddenly erupted from inside the Tower of Endymion. The entire tower began to shake.

　But just when Dark and the others thought something had gone wrong, they saw the twelve statues rise from their original positions and fly straight up into the sky.

　The top of the tower above disappeared completely under the radiant light.

　Twelve beams of light shot up from where the statue had originally stood into the sky, connecting with the enormous halo in the heavens.

　The statue ascended upwards along the pillar of light.

　Dark and the others exchanged glances and immediately headed outside. Professor Sylph waved her hand, and wind elements swirled up, making everyone walk in the air as if on flat ground.

　"Fantasy Beast: Little Rabbit" followed behind in the "Lunar Chariot." The two, still unconscious, lay inside the "Lunar Chariot." They left the top floor of the "Tower of Endymion" and stood high in the sky, looking up at the huge halo in the night sky.

　Beneath their feet, all sorts of creatures roared incessantly, some even faintly punctuated by terrifying dragon roars.

　The creatures living in the black mist surrounding the Tower of Endymion were the first to be disturbed.

　But the divine power emanating from the sky was so terrifying that no creature dared to fly upwards.

　The Tower of Endymion then began to shake violently.

　The entire tower emitted a terrifying sound, as if it might collapse at any moment.

　But it did not fall.

　Not a single pollutant from within the tower overflowed. The pollutants that were about to reach the top floor even showed signs of receding. No, they were indeed receding!

　If your vision could penetrate the walls of the Tower of Endymion, you could see the pollutants inside rapidly receding downwards, like the tide going out.

　The pollutants clinging to the walls of the "Tower of Endymion" were also repelled through the windows of various special floors.

　Even the black mist floating in the air was affected, and was completely sucked into the Tower of Endymion.

　Dark couldn't help but look down and suddenly noticed the creatures below that had lost the black mist.

　The creatures scattered in all directions, as if suddenly stripped naked.

　From the progress of the black fog and the pollutants on the walls, one can vaguely discern the progress of the pollutants' retreat within the "Tower of Endymion".

　That was incredibly fast.

　It is precisely because the "Tower of Endymion" is so tall that it takes some time to build.

　Looking up again, the statues of the twelve gods had already ascended to the enormous halo.

　They stood atop the halo, radiating a powerful aura of divine power.

　From the depths of the darkness, a murmured voice could be heard.

　Listening closely, it sounded like someone chanting a spell, or perhaps singing. A strange emotion simultaneously surfaced within Dark and the others, who were suspended in the air.

　Suddenly.

　Among the twelve cities from which beams of light emanated, something shattered with a deafening roar.

　An unprecedentedly enormous phantom of an angel rose from the twelve cities. Each of these angelic phantoms had ten wings on its back, clearly belonging to the "Ten-Winged Angels," second only to the twelve gods.

　But these "ten-winged angels" are clearly not real. They are even different from the "six-winged angels" that Dark and his companions encountered.

　They do not possess any great power; they are merely symbols, representing the elements that constitute the entire ritual.

　When he was on the top floor of the Tower of Endymion, Dark thought the preparatory ceremony was not a big deal.

　But now I suddenly realize that the arrangement on the top floor is just the tip of the iceberg of the entire ceremony.

　That's just the core, not the whole story.

　The true ceremony enveloped the entire city within the "Heavenly Court." This occurred when all the contaminants in the "Tower of Endymion" receded into the ground.

　The ritual array located underground was finally triggered. The ground throughout the central city shook violently. City roads suddenly cracked open.

　Creatures lurking within the city fled in panic. The oppressive power of the gods pressed down upon them.

　Suddenly, twelve colors of light shot out from the ground, forming twelve avenues of light leading to the twelve surrounding cities.

　An unprecedentedly massive ritual array finally began to take shape. The enormous halo in the sky suddenly stopped rotating.

　The murmurs that filled my ears vanished the moment it stopped spinning.

　Immediately afterwards, all twelve statues standing on the halo turned toward the center of the halo.

　The statue gradually melted away in the radiance, revealing the divine consciousness within it.

　That is a more real form, different from the idol.

　Dark looked up and saw the true appearance of all twelve gods, which were then etched into his memory.