<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

And so came the time of claiming for the throne. Yugi would take the lead, approaching the throne with the fallen Blood-Red Commander atop it. Ruler's Hand lifted the knight from his place of death, shifting his corpse to the floor nearby. "You watching, Brainface?" he asked to the open air. All of his clothes were banished in the moment, and then... he took a seat, beckoning Miko toward himself. "This is how a king sits!" the lad announced. "Queen!"

The call with Makima had ended. The Players had 50 minutes by the time they settled. Debauchery would ensue as they committed to properly 'claiming' the throne, nearly an hour to work with in doing so. However they got up to that, it would be at the 49 minute mark that Yugi's eyes shifted toward the survival countdown again. One minute would have the job-change quest ending completely. As always, it was to be expected that they make a bigger deal of the situation. "One minute left~" Yugi panted, apparently having worked himself up to a relatively high fatigue level in 49 minutes. "We skipped a whole year without celebrating the new year. How about we use this countdown for it? Biggest one yet, right at the end!"

[Apollymi]

And so the Players began the process of claiming. They took a route full of pomp and circumstance. Yugi's approach was first, with him, moving Blood-Red Commander Igris from the place of his falling to take a seat in the way of the king. Miko watched as clothing was banished from his form and he took his seat. She looked at his muscular form and his dick up in the air and grinned as if it was the best view in the house... and it would be until she started up. "Chii♪!~" A happy little vocalization left the girl as she snapped her fingers, beginning to dance as she banished items of clothing. Turning dancing shaking hips and moving forward. Each movement would make something disappear from her form until it was just her, naked her rear within reach, the only item left on her person, that little collar around her neck with the bell attached. Her fingers shifted his cock so she could line it up and slide into place all the way inside her as she firmly backed a bouncing rear into his lap to take her seat as well. "Wheew♪ Best seat in the place♪~" she offered smiling as she settled in.

And by the time most of the hour had passed, Miko had gone from facing away and bouncing in his lap, to facing towards him, arms wrapped around his neck as her hips moved against his and her soft bosom pressed against his muscles. They had both lost quite a bit of energy and fatigue by the time they'd gotten to this point and in the last minute she was moving her hips around and slamming the lad into her depths in a constant rhythm while she enjoyed him. "I know... this has been great♪~ I love dancing on my dick♪!~" Miko chirped out as she swung her hips with every movement up and slammed down with enough force to lodge him against the absolute depths of her womb. As for his plan to use this countdown for their new year celebration. "BEST IDEA EVER♪!~ I'll KEEP THE PACE JUST BE READY TO FILL ME AT THE END♪!~" Miko said. She kept up her pace, adding just a bit of vigor for herself and him over the space of time. She'd use her tongue against his collarbones periodically her hands wound up in his hair as she used legs and hips to force them towards that ultimate finish. "GO... SHI...SAN...NII.... ICHI♪!~" Miko sang as the countdown finished up and she slammed him home for the final time, her core tightening around him as she aimed to slash his lap at the same time he filled her womb and the countdown ended.

[Bloodedge]

The Players began facing the same direction, as per Miko's personal choice. Yugi had no problem with that. In fact, he had so few issues that approval was visibly obvious in the burning hue of Miko's ass by the time she faced him for a different sort of ride. That would be how they encroached upon the final moments, all the way into that last minute of countdown time. Yugi's suggestion for a much bigger celebration when the countdown ended was taken with joy. Miko would keep the pace, apparently. Well... Yugi would mostly do the same as his hips grinded and bucked beneath her, one hand cupping her ass and the other tugging her hair by the roots, right at the bottom of her scalp. "Hell yeah boi! Got something else for you too~" he teased.

Miko proceeded to count down from five, keeping consistent with the clock itself. Yugi's final plan took effect in the final second. As Miko slammed herself down to gush and be filled, Yugi utilized Abyssal Frame once more ─ just its arm. The hand took hold of her torso, lifting her and slamming her once more with greater force than her own descent managed. That massive bone from its smallest finger also forced itself right into her ass at the end. "FUCK! YES!" Yugi chanted as he exploded not once, but twice with both of those final slams. He managed such quantity and velocity, it costed an obvious loss of mana and surged to overflow immediately. Just then, the clock struck zero... and the System showed them something massive via multiple small notifications back-to-back.

〔SYSTEM NOTICE — JOB-CHANGE QUEST COMPLETE〕

Path of the Shadow – Final Phase
Shadow Throne Claimed!

You are qualified for a high-rank Class due to the number of promotion points you have acquired.

The appropriate job will be assigned based on an analysis of the Players' records.

Wherever the Players go, Death follows.

The smell of blood fills the air, and the Players leave a trail of corpses in their wake.

The Players also yearn for great power, and do not rely solely on the help of others.
The Players make their own way in this world.

Your desire to become powerful is strong enough to call forth the wandering spirits within the Valley of Death.
An army of the dead will follow your every order, single-handedly clearing the path upon which you will walk.

You have been assigned to the "Necromancer" Class.

Accept this job assignment?

[ACCEPT] / [DECLINE]

[Apollymi]

Miko felt comfortable presenting her bottom to Yugi. As the first person to notice her as she was and show an interest in her, irrespective of how she felt about herself... she could only find confidence from interacting with him. And with that confidence came both freedom and trust, there wasn't anything at all Miko worried about truly while they were together. So she rode him into their final moments together, her hair being pulled her body being held, her core quivering around his cock with every movement she took. Right up until the end when she slammed herself home, an orgasm ensued but between them things could never be so simple.

The lad immediately gushed into her core once, and then in the final second that giant hand lifted her up and slammed her down on his cock again with way more force than even her own abusive self could manage. "HYYYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKK♫!~" was the only sound to escape the girl especially as one of those bone fingers slipped into her rear as well. The extra orgasm she experienced had her whole body shaking in Yugi's lap as the spillage followed back between their laps, "JUST WHEN I THOUGHT IT COULDN'T GET ANY BETTER I'M GETTING WRECKED AND PRACTICALLY FUCKED IN BOTH HOLES♪!~ I'VE NEVER CUM SO HARD IN MY FUCKING LIFE♪~ DADDY'S THE BEST TO HIS FAVORITE LITTLE SLUT TOY♪~" Miko cheered through her own orgasm and found herself relaxing. Just to hear once again the voice of the System telling her about their completed job change quest. "Eeeh♪!~" Miko questioned hearing a recount of their combined works which made it sound like they'd been waging war since their return. Upon giving it a moment of thought they'd done a lot of killing in a very short amount of time, and they could become Necromancers which would only make the killing thing work in their favor. "Bingo♪!~ Army of the Dead was on my list♪~" Miko proclaimed looking a bit smug. Of course, she also leaned up to place her lips against Yugi's enjoying the fruits of their labors.

[Bloodedge]

That final dual orgasm became yet another. In the spirit of celebration, it was only right that they go the extra mile when possible, Yugi thought. In making that happened, he earned yet another series of choice words from Miko ─ which had become something of a personal achievement notification for the lad. "Slut toy?" he repeated with an upward inflection, grinning as if amused. His lap was now drenched in a combination of their fluids ─ so much that he felt it cascading down his legs onto the floor. Miko did say she'd never orgasmed with such intensity. She didn't lie. Even as the System notified them of the completed quest, he was still oozing into her womb. Rest came as their lips met. That skeletal finger pumped itself within Miko's rear gently a few more times in an effort to remove itself, dissipating only afterwards. Yugi took that time to view the latest notification.

Of course, Yugi never discredited the potential for necromancy. What he believed was simple: there was no way a rational administrator would give them something so ridiculously, unquestionably overpowered... and yet, there it was: their only option for Class upgrades. Yugi's eyes were wide as he pulled away from Miko's mouth, briefly dragging her tongue back with his lips. "No way. There is no. Fucking. Way. His brain is made of cottage cheese. Why the absolute fuck would you give away a win condition like that?! I fucking ACCEPT!" he said with confidence. If Miko also accepted, both Players would rather quickly be consumed by a deep, swirling darkness thicker than any substance that could be held in the open world. It would be enough to wipe minds, clear and restructure souls, and generally rewrite the Players' entire existences.

[YOUR JOB HAS BEEN DECIDED.]

Ah, but even that wasn't all. There were many other notifications to come...

[YOU HAVE EXCEEDED THE ESTIMATED PLAYTIME.]

[YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED ADDITIONAL POINTS.]

[THE INSTANT TELEPORTATION STONE WAS NOT USED.]

[YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED ADDITIONAL POINTS.]

[BOTH PLAYERS' REMAINING HEALTH IS ABOVE 50%.]

[YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED ADDITIONAL POINTS.]

[YOU HAVE DEFEATED ALL ENEMIES.]

[YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED ADDITIONAL POINTS.]

[TOTAL CONCUBINE SUMMON TIME DOES NOT EXCEED 75%.]

[YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED ADDITIONAL POINTS.]

[BOTH PLAYERS HAVE GROWN EXCEPTIONALLY THROUGH CHOICES DURING THE JOB-CHANGE QUEST.]

[YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED ADDITIONAL POINTS.]

[YOUR TOTAL NUMBER OF PROMOTION POINTS HAS EXCEEDED THE LIMIT.]

So many notifications were appearing as the darkness continued swirling around, into and through the Players. Even the last one... would not be the last. . .

[Apollymi]

Miko was over the course of her sexual endeavors, becoming known for saying some fairly outrageous things. Still, no one heard more of these sentences than Yugi himself, who encouraged and rated them regularly. She experieced that post-coital closeness. There was the sensation of that skeletal finger pumping gently in her rear before it dissipated making her loins throb with his cock still spewing inside of her. She moaned her content as they kissed her tongue dragged from her mouth as Yugi accepted their coming job change. Miko would also speaking around that pilfered tongue of hers. "ACCEPT♪!~" she vocalized using mostly her throat. Ah, but that would be all she had.

The deep darkness swept up around them, even as their bodily fluids cascaded down their throne. Even as they were wrapped up in each other like nothing else in the world mattered. That darkness moved and visual messages as well as the sound cues Miko had signed herself up for went off repeatedly. She could feel those words and phrases echoing through her body, vibrating the foundations of her person, doing everything but leaving her the same. It was a rush, it was so consuming sound couldn't even escape her for a few moments yet. And even when it felt like it'd been going on forever, it hadn't stopped yet. All she could do, was anchor herself to the lad who made her feel safe, the one she'd rode into this chaos and the one she'd ride out of it.

[Bloodedge]

Neither Player had much choice other than to hang on to the other for stability as the System altered them in unimaginable ways. Even amid the many notifications they were receiving, there were still more to come. [LEVEL UP!], [LEVEL UP!], [LEVEL UP!] appeared thrice more in sequence as the System factored-in their excessive Promotion Points. By the time things finally became stable enough for either Player to ground themselves fully... there was more still.

[YOU HAVE BEEN PROMOTED FROM "NECROMANCER" TO "THE MONARCH OF SHADOWS".]

'The Monarch... of Shadows, huh?' Yugi thought. Beyond that, apparently three additional levels wasn't enough.

[YOU HAVE LEARNED NEW JOB-SPECIFIC SKILLS.]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED BONUS STATS.]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED THE TITLE, "ONE WHO OVERCAME ADVERSITY."]

Finally, that spiraling darkness dispersed... and all was normal. Well, all would have been normal, if not for sounds that shouldn't have been present. It didn't take ears like Miko's to hear something similar to a warzone of fallen soldiers. Yugi, whose eyes were still glowing with a blue sheen from the transition, pulled back completely. "It sounds like... screaming? Like someone's in a lot of pain," he commented, looking over her shoulder at the army of corpses. Something that wasn't the case an hour before ─ wisps of shadows were stemming from every individual corpse. Over each, there was a visible notice.

[SHADOW EXTRACTION MAY BE USED ON THIS TARGET.]

"Huh, new update," Yugi said about the System interface, which suddenly looked a fair amount cleaner. "And Shadow Extraction... sounds way more OP than basic bitch Necromancy..." he added. There was a new set of Skills. The one he chose to view was the one in question: Shadow Extraction.

[Skill: Shadow Extraction LV.1]
Job-Specific Skill.
No Mana Required.

Mana can be extracted from a lifeless corpse to create a Shadow Soldier. The possibility of a failed extraction increases in proportion to the target's stats and how long it has been since their death. The strength and abilities of the shadow soldier are based on the original enemy's power and type.

Effect:

• Can only be used on enemies that have been fully defeated
• The extracted shadow retains a portion of its original strength and skills
• Shadow Soldiers are loyal only to the Shadow Monarch and can be stored in the shadow realm when not in use
• Number of extractable Shadows: 0/90

System Remark:
The dead do not rest.
They serve.

"... We should definitely get up now..."

[Apollymi]

There was nothing to be done initially except for them to ride the wave of darkness. The swirling dark was deep and thick and both of the Players would be finding themselves wrapped up in each other just to have something solid to hold on to while their bodies and souls were reconstructed in the darkness. Still, Miko heard everything the calculations that gave them three more levels and all. Then their new shared title, The Monarch of Shadows, 'Sugei, that kind of title implies we're still living out best shared life. Not even any difference between the King and Queen all power no bias!♪~' Miko thought. Something about that resonated with her deeply she'd get around to saying something about it eventually when the world stopped being dark and the swirling stopped.

When it stopped something new and odd took its place. Miko felt different in a way she couldn't actually describe. And they now had new skills to go along with their changed job. As for the screaming that Yugi was soon speaking of Miko could hear it as well. Her ears were strong but that sound didn't require her brand of special hearing, no... it felt even more present than the sounds she was used to. "Iia... it's definitely screaming. Just shy of being a nice sound... only just," the girl said. Her voice just a bit serious and less feeling than the norm. Those eyes of hers also shown with a mirrored finish, the blue of the System's manipulation as she peeked over her own shoulder to see that dotting of windows across the room that they'd spent hours battling in. The skills that were soon being read into Miko's mind sounded a bit different. Less annoying more detached. "Oh? That tone's a little different now isn't it, Brainface... might have stepped away from the keys♪~" she mused as she rocked her hips once, twice, thrice as she pulled away. They needed to get up... well there was a certain feeling she liked. "I can see that, for the record I'd rather stay this way though♪~" she offered before properly sliding off his cock and backwards onto her own two feet. Doing so she was able to turn and see the fuller view of the carnage below them.

[Bloodedge]

The Shadow Extraction Skill alone was ridiculous. Yugi noted the existence of another Skill, though: Shadow Preservation. While Miko was sliding herself out of his lap, effectively milking more of his spunk into herself in doing so, Yugi looked over that one as well.

[Skill: Shadow Preservation LV.1]
Job-Specific Skill.
No Mana Required.

Store Shadow Soldiers inside the caster's shadow. Selected Soldiers can be summoned or reabsorbed whenever the caster chooses.
Saved Shadow Soldiers: 0/36

"... Sou ka," Yugi muttered as he slowly rose from the throne, leaving himself in the same state of erect and undressed he would have been in, had they kept going. That sound, Miko heard as well. Yugi came to realize it wasn't normal at all. "I don't think it's in my ears. Is it? You would know," he said, not fully able to realize or understand that it was actually being heard within the soul. Whatever the case, he was soon stepping down, keeping beside Miko while looking over the field of potential servants. Miko made an observation about the new System update that he had to agree with. She did so with an unusual, more aloof demeanor... but she wasn't the only one in that state of mind presently. Something about that job change altered more than just the Players' powers. "Agreed. There's less personality, more... objectivity. Better interface, I'd say," Yugi commented. Before anything else, he looked to the corpses and thought of using Shadow Exchange. Alas, both Players had a notification to see first...

[PLEASE SPECIFY A DESIGNATED COMMAND FOR THE SHADOW EXTRACTION SKILL.]

Yugi paused then. There was a slot to be typed in, but no keyboard. It seemed the command they chose would be one kept forever, but... what to choose? For some reason, that glow returned to Yugi's eyes, along with a strange understanding. He hesitated, shifted his gaze to Miko, and then...

"... Arise."

[Apollymi]

The skills they were getting were job specific and Miko was at least taking note of all she was hearing, even while knowing she'd rather keep Yugi buried balls deep inside of her body. Instead of doing what she wanted she allowed the last little bit of spunk to be milked from that cock and stood on her own two feet. All the while, Yugi was questioning that sound. It seemed he was cognizant of the fact that it wasn't exactly just a sound but he had no base for true understanding. Miko could help but not in a way that would make sense to everyone. "Iia, it's not in the ears. But a lot of sounds are things you feel... like ASMR. The high note that makes you shiver, the bass you can feel vibrating inside your chest and the whispered words that make your dick twitch, right Daddy♪~" she chirped the last word with the kind of inflection she most often used, that's what the screams on the battlefield sounded like... if sounds were feelings and their body was a receptor for it, not just their ears. There was an odd quality to those words a lack of emotional response aside from the little tease, it was like the playful cute girl had been swallowed up in the darkness.

Speaking of things being swallowed up by the darkness, the change in their System readout and apparently in its voice was appeciated by both the Players. "Way better interface, my computer doesn't need personality it needs to function as intended," Miko confirmed her own feelings. But before anything else they were being prompted. A command term was needed and they had to come up with one, for both of them to use. That feeling the dark within them which reflected in those eyes seemed to seep into their brains. She looked to Yugi at the same time he looked to her, their eyes showing to each other and their mouths opening at once.

"...Arise."

The word slipped from both so easily, it was as if they were sharing a brain for a moment. And when they said it, the entirety of the room seemed to shift, the screams they'd both been hearing and feeling became silence. Shadows condensed and reformed. Magicians, archers, knights and high knights soon all stood around the room. Their bodies composed of the deepest black energy and their segements separated by energy flames. It would be among these many soliders now standing before their Monarchs that a different kind of being seemed capable of slipping through. All that energy was ripped forward from a place unknown to the Players, but the ruler of that place... was now walking calmly between risen shadows. Hair a pale pink color, eyes with diamond like pupils encased in purple irises. She wore thigh high fabric boots and was dressed in an all white decorated wedding dress completely with a long train and and a veil which didn't cover her face. Her crown a pair of white energy lined horns and her face quizzical as her steps echoed. "Oh? What an interesting place... and what advanced magic. I didn't think this existed here..." she seemed truly curious as she studied the beings close up while making her way towards the throne with no real rush present in her soul.

[Bloodedge]

"ASMR, huh... Sure. That tracks," Yugi said simply, even in response to that ending flirty tone that did leave his erection twitching. He seemed far more absent than normal, as though his mind were elsewhere. That wasn't an oddity exclusive to Yugi however, as Miko was also somewhat strange in the moment. No matter. Whether good or bad, traumatic moments had certain effects on mentality. They'd just been rewritten on a spiritual level; both could surely feel it, and both would surely be affected for the moment. On the other hand, one thing couldn't be changed...

The System was right. Both Players sought power, sought greatness by their own merit. Perhaps that likeness was the reason they could resonate so well when determining a command phrase? No, maybe it was something else... but it didn't matter. The term Arise was spoken in unison and accepted by the System. The single use of that command filled their available extraction list with 90 Shadow Soldiers ─ a mix of knights, mages and assassins. Notably, what had once been Hollow Knights were now Shadow Infantry, Normal Grade, and Level 1. Yugi was looking over them while something odd was happening in the background. "Shadows have levels too. Well, we don't need this many foot soldiers. Release," he said to banish a small number of Infantry soldiers, looking over the remaining Hollow Magicians and Assassins. "Arise," he said to bring their numbers in order.

At the same time, something familiar was encroaching upon them. The very same woman Yugi saw during that near-death experience several hours ago was sauntering through the Players' new army. She was more clearly visible now, even her clothing being discernable to Yugi. Well, he also wasn't walking around in limbo this time. Perhaps that had something to do with it? No matter. Before she reached the throne, Yugi was watching that pink trail of hair flow gracefully through the Shadows, ready to comment. "I am so far from dead this time. Is this the other reward for exceeding the cap? Army of the dead, lady of death, one big package?"

[Apollymi]

The thought of that sensory overload being like ASMR seemed to be a comparison Yugi could go with and as such Miko felt good about her comparison. She realized that both of them were less... their chipper young selves, but they'd also been having quite the day. She wouldn't be the one to force nor point out how any one else dealt with their trauma. She could also have faith that they'd get through it like everything else, considering at the very least his dick still responded to her voice.

Moving on from that point, their minds were enough in the same place for them to come up with the same general method of calling upon their army. "We definitely don't need that many foot soldiers we have to leave room for specialists..." Miko said her eyes gently drifting towards where the Blood-Red Commander Igris had fallen. Her brain already leaning in the direction of raising him the absolute unit that he was. "Hm, if they have levels its just an excuse for them to be less powerful than they were when they were kicking us around," Miko uttered seemingly unamused by that possibility but there were more pressing things happening as the numbers were whittled down to something more reasonable. A pink haired woman in a wedding dress was moving around with the shadows.

Yugi noted her and had something to say and now Miko was looking at her too... "Oh? Is that her, the Death Lady? You weren't kidding, definitely hot... I think everyone's been worshiping the wrong gods. Not me, cause I only worship Abe no Seimei, but everyone else," Miko said with no extra energy but an interesting understanding. "Reward for what? Yeah, you're not dying this time but... There was a hole in Limbo... I walked through. I didn't know other entities could be so close to death. Truly it's praise worthy how you raised this group," the pink haired woman said. "Oh and you're a pair, that's so sweet!~" she claimed. "That voice is sweet," Miko stated earnestly. If this was on Yugi's list, she'd support him fully.

[Bloodedge]

After gaining the ability to summon Shadow Soldiers, Yugi very quickly reached a decision to balance their forces. There was no point in having so many soldiers, so he ensured every one of the mages, archers and assassins were added to the collection. The Shadows having levels was initially an annoyance, as Miko's words were seemingly true. However, Yugi had cause for hope in this case. "It's always like that... except that one time I remember in a stupid fighting game. These Normal Grade Shadows feel like C-ranks at best, but I'm guessing they can eventually be made even stronger than we are now. Probably," he chattered. Yugi also had a glance in the Blood-Red Commander's direction. Igris had the same aura of darkness around his corpse that the others had. He, too, could be risen... but Yugi's priorities were shifted by a surprise guest.

As Miko observed, the pink-haired woman was the very same death goddess Yugi met previously. Her assertion about people worshiping the wrong gods was one he'd agree with, but there was one added note he had to question. "Not us. I only worship Ashikaga Himeko. And I'm not sure you can say you only worship Abe no Seimei. I could write half of your kink list from experience by now. Maybe a quarter," he babbled. Moving on, Death herself was upon them and questioning the reward Yugi spoke of. There was a gap between limbo and the surface world, according to her. One didn't have to wonder why in this case. "That gap is probably from us ripping ninety souls right out of their corpses at once. Anyway... reward for clearing this damn quest, and apparently becoming the Monarchs of Shadows. Since we're now able to overwrite death, I figured it would be reasonable if I could also fuck death." As he spoke those final words, Yugi was ever so casually walking his nude form in the goddess's direction. He was looking her up and down as if she were a thing to study ─ a thing to be entranced by. In truth, she was precisely that. "Speaking of a pair... I couldn't see the good stuff before."

[Apollymi]

Miko would be finding out from Yugi that the power and level of the Shadows was apparently normal. Aside from a singular case which sounded like it had some attached trauma, the growth standard was established. "Sou ka, so they are C-ranks who will be able to push forward, and you played a game where the standard nerf didn't exist," Miko summarized. If they could get stronger though she could easily see the goodness of keeping a few of the lower level ones to grow into something.

Beyond that point there was the worship issue. Here in the moment, Yugi claimed that he only worshiped Ashikaga Himeko and that Miko's worship of Abe no Seimei could be counted not an only given her sexual activities of the last two days or so. "That is different, Seimei-sama isn't the kind of person I've been allowed to meet in this life. An unknown unknown. Wholly different... but Ashikaga Himeko is a great choice. Definitely makes my top five," Miko said with a curt nod. Ah but they weren't alone, there was now a very hot death goddess walking around with them. "You pulled 90 souls out of Limbo whole... that's actually impressive, especially with them keeping their shape in the overworld," the pink haired woman pointed out. "This sort of thing took me ages to figure out, and I had to just build a world where they could coalesce and it took about 1000 years. By my approximation were human teenagers. This is really impressive, I have to remember to tell Mom," the woman said. Such a thing was ridiculous. Ah but so were the words coming out of the lad's mouth as he approached directly. "Oh? That's a dangerous sentence, you'll die attempting something like that..." the woman said. "How dead though, because if I'm being honest it's worth the risk," Miko asserted always in her place as a proper wingman.

[Bloodedge]

"Seems so, and... yeah. I'll just say there's a reason the boss you unlock isn't normally the same as the boss you had to fight. Balance is a bitch," he complained. Upon moving on to the matter of Abe no Seimei and Miko's 'worship' habits, she completely disregarded Yugi's claim. That was a different matter entirely, or so she said. "Worship is worship, and a tree that falls in the forest doesn't make a sound if no one is around to hear it," was his only reply with no further details given.

Apparently, it was a big deal to the death goddess that they were able to raise 90 souls and have their forms retained... in the overworld, specifically. The goddess herself had taken about a millennium to manage something similar, even constructing the underworld to make it work. Alas, Yugi couldn't let her go on giving them credit for too long. "I'm all for the metaphorical jerk-off and all, but we didn't exactly figure out how to do this. It's part of being the Monarch of Shadows. We got the identity, we got the power," he explained briefly during an approach the goddess tried to dissuade him from. He'd die from approaching her, or perhaps from seeing what lay beneath that wedding dress? No, he didn't think so. Even if that were the case, Miko was right. "Absolutely worth the risk. Besides, I don't think that will happen. The way this power works, and the way you're drawing comparisons... I'd say Monarch of Shadows makes me more like the King of Souls. That should have a special interaction with a concept of death, in theory. Besides... you're already a goddess; is it even acceptable for you to be even more the odd person out? Everyone else is naked, and you're in a wedding dress."