Yugioh [746-750] (Patreon)

Chapter 746: The Strongest Evil HERO

"Send Mirage of Nightmare to the Graveyard, and recover 1000 Life Points!"

[Supreme King, LP 2200 → LP 3200]

"As expected, the same old trick," Kira smiled.

The Breaker the Magical Warrior's sword once again cut through empty air. It seemed fruitless, but Kira was already satisfied. The Breaker the Magical Warrior's effect was meant to remove that face-down backrow threat. Even though it whiffed, it confirmed the set card was indeed reactive. With the backrow threat identified, his mission was essentially accomplished.

"Ritual Spell: 'Super Soldier Ritual'!"

Kira raised the Spell in his hand.

"Tribute monsters from my hand and field whose total Levels equal eight to Ritual Summon the 'Black Luster Soldier' Ritual Monster from my hand!"

He revealed a monster from his hand.

"By banishing 'Breaker the Magical Warrior' from the field and 'Beginning Knight' from my hand, I conduct a Ritual Summon!
One soul guides Light, one soul guides Darkness—now the Gate of Chaos opens. The legendary warrior—

—Black Luster Soldier, appear!"

Souls of Light and Darkness dissipated within a chaotic tempest. A pillar of chaotic radiance, as if from beyond the heavens, descended; in that vortex landed the mightiest warrior!

[Black Luster Soldier, ATK 3000]

The Supreme King's golden eyes flickered. "This spirit…"

He seemed to sense something extraordinary from Black Luster Soldier—something ordinary Duel Spirits lacked.

"Even so, its ATK still can't defeat my current Malicious Edge," the Supreme King said.

"When Beginning Knight is used as Ritual material, Black Luster Soldier gains an additional effect," Kira said. "Once per turn, banish 1 monster your opponent controls. Banish Malicious Edge directly!
Dimensional Slash—Open the Rift!"

The chaotic blade cleaved, a swordstroke that warped space itself. Even the repeatedly empowered Malicious Edge was helpless before the fissure in dimensions, letting out a scream as it was sucked away.

Also, the banish effect conferred by Beginning Knight does not impose the attack restriction. He can still attack this turn.

"With that, Vicious Claw can't protect your Malicious Edge. Destroy both 'Power Frame' and 'Vicious Claw' equipped to it."

Kira swept his hand.

"Black Luster Soldier, direct attack on the Supreme King."

The dimensional slash cleared the field. The Soldier's blade hewed straight toward the Supreme King. With nothing left to bar the way, that domineering aura seemed poised to cleave heaven and earth, surging over the otherworldly monarch like a flood.

[Supreme King, LP 3200 → LP 200]

Brought to a flickering candle by a single stroke, the Supreme King merely lowered his head, his face shrouded in shadow, unreadable.

Kira: "Set two cards. Turn end."

Several seconds of silence. The Supreme King kept his head down, unresponsive for a moment.

After a few seconds, he slowly raised his hand.

"…Draw."

He looked up; the golden eyes seemed even more terrifying than before, as if golden flames burned within them.

"I underestimated you, warrior from another world," he said coolly. "From now on, I'll show my true power."

"Oh?" Kira said. "Meaning the Supreme King hasn't even been serious up to now?"

The Supreme King didn't answer. He responded silently with the cards in his hand.

"The effect of 'Evil HERO Adusted Gold' in my hand. I discard this card to add 1 card that lists 'Dark Fusion' in its text from my Deck to my hand."

It was clearly a darkened variant of Elemental HERO Captain Gold."

The Supreme King revealed the card he searched.

"I add the Spell 'Dark Calling' to my hand," he said, raising his voice.

"I activate the Spell 'Dark Calling.'
Banish Fusion Materials from my hand and Graveyard to perform a Dark Fusion of a Fiend-Type Fusion Monster."

He pulled two cards from his Graveyard.

"From my Graveyard, I banish 'Evil HERO Adusted Gold' and 'Evil HERO Wild Cyclone'!
The Fusion requirement is 'Evil HERO' + any Level 5 or higher monster. Descend, my strongest Evil HERO, the embodiment of the Dark HERO, whose power shall flatten all dimensions—

—Evil HERO Malicious Bane, appear!"

A fearsome power—like the Supreme King's vast darkness made manifest—took the form of the mightiest Dark HERO and descended!

[Evil HERO Malicious Bane, ATK 3000]

"Malicious Bane cannot be destroyed by any form of destruction!" the Supreme King barked. "And Malicious Bane's effect: once per turn, destroy all monsters your opponent controls with ATK less than or equal to this card's ATK!"

The Supreme King gave a harsh command.

"Ultimate Annihilation!"

Malicious Bane roared. Boundless darkness surged like a tsunami. Even Black Luster Soldier could not withstand it, crushed under that terrifying flood.

"And Malicious Bane gains ATK equal to 200 times the number of destroyed monsters!"

[Evil HERO Malicious Bane, ATK 3000 → 3200]

"So you even brought out Malicious Bane," Kira narrowed his eyes. "As expected of the Supreme King."

"Then I activate a set card, the Trap 'Puzzle Reborn,'" Kira said. "When exactly 1 of your monsters is destroyed by a card effect, Special Summon that monster back in Defense Position.
Revive Black Luster Soldier in Defense!"

[Black Luster Soldier, DEF 2500]

"You think that's enough to defend? Far from it. This turn I'll show you true darkness," the Supreme King snapped.

"Next I activate the Spell 'Dark Fusion'! I fuse 'Valkyrion the Magna Warrior' in my hand with another 'Evil HERO Malicious Edge'!
Fusion requirement: Fiend-Type + Rock-Type. Dark Fusion Summon—

—Evil HERO Dark Gaia!!!"

[Evil HERO Dark Gaia, ATK ?]

"Dark Gaia's ATK equals the combined original ATK of the Fusion Materials!" the Supreme King stated.

[Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, ATK 3500]
[Evil HERO Malicious Edge, ATK 2600]

"Therefore, Dark Gaia's ATK is…"

[Evil HERO Dark Gaia, ATK 6100]

"Six thousand one hundred ATK," Kira nodded gravely. "Terrifying."

But the Supreme King continued: "I activate 'Dark Calling' once more!
From my Graveyard, I banish 'Evil HERO Malicious Edge' and 'Evil HERO Lightning Golem'!
Fusion requirement: 'Evil HERO Malicious Edge' + a Level 6 or higher Fiend. Dark Fusion—

—Evil HERO Malicious Fiend, appear!!!"

[Evil HERO Malicious Fiend, ATK 3500]

Chapter 747: Showing the Supreme King the Power of the Gods

The Supreme King's strongest Evil HEROs gathered at once within a single turn, each emanating a suffocating darkness. These dark Duel Spirits possessed terrifying might. "Against the power of Evil HEROs, defending is meaningless," the Supreme King said coolly. "Evil HERO Dark Gaia, attack 'Black Luster Soldier'!
When Dark Gaia declares an attack, all Defense Position monsters your opponent controls are changed to Attack Position!"

[Black Luster Soldier, DEF 2500 → ATK 3000]

"Die," the Supreme King said icily.

"Then I discard 'Kuriboh' from my hand to activate its effect," Kira said. "When an opponent's monster declares an attack, change that monster to Defense Position."

[Evil HERO Dark Gaia, ATK 6100 → DEF 0]

"Petty tricks," the Supreme King said. "Then Evil HERO Malicious Fiend will attack."

Black Luster Soldier raised his shield, but the foe was too powerful—even he struggled to withstand it.

Yet just as the blow landed, a fuzzy little orb appeared on the Soldier's shield. With tiny arms outstretched, it projected a transparent force field, shielding the Soldier from the strike.

"Kuri-kuri!"

[Kira, LP 3000 → LP 2500]

Though he took damage, Black Luster Soldier remained, not destroyed.

The Supreme King frowned. "That weakling again?"

"Calling it a weakling is rude," Kira chuckled. "It's the 'Relinkuriboh' sent to the Graveyard last turn. While this card is in the Graveyard, if your monster would be destroyed by battle, you can banish it to prevent that destruction."

"But I still have Malicious Bane's attack," the Supreme King said. "Evil HERO Malicious Bane, attack 'Black Luster Soldier' again!"

Malicious Bane hammered a fist down, a tsunami of darkness riding that blow. The Soldier raised his battered shield once more, but this time it shattered, and Black Luster Soldier was engulfed.

[Kira, LP 2500 → LP 2300]

"Your warrior is strong, but before the strongest darkness, resistance is futile," the Supreme King intoned—emotionless yet imperious.

"Indeed. Three monsters of such power, one with ATK up to 6100, a trump card that can wipe the field each turn and is immune to destruction, and another that forcibly changes my battle positions, leaving no way even to turtle…"

Kira sighed softly.

"So this is the Supreme King who rules twelve dimensions? I can feel it—your kingly aura. Truly overwhelming."

He shook his head, sighing.

"Such strength is beyond me. I can't hope to match it. The Supreme King of another world deserves his title—I am convinced."

The Supreme King's face stayed impassive, but a glint of pride flickered in his eyes. Through this duel he had already acknowledged Kira's strength; the recognition of a worthy foe always stirs a duelist's pride.

"However, perhaps you're new to this dimension and don't know our little specialty."

Under the moonless, windy night, half Kira's face was shrouded by the shadows outside the Red Dorm, his expression a half-smile.

"I wonder if the great Supreme King has heard of the supreme legend of the dueling world, passed down in our dimension…"

He slowly raised his head, amusement flashing in his eyes.

For some reason, the monarch from another world felt danger in that smile.

A threat perhaps he had never felt as a ruler—like he had already fallen into the other's grasp.

"God," Kira uttered softly.

"God?" The Supreme King frowned. "Ridiculous. In Duel Monsters, so-called gods are merely powerful monsters; none are invincible."

"Perhaps. But victory isn't only about 'defeating' the opponent. Allow me to show you the supreme power representing the apex of our dimension—the legend of the Gods.

My turn—draw!"

Kira drew, then immediately produced a card from his hand.

"This will be the first time this card is used outside of lab testing since its creation… Well, I suppose the Supreme King is worthy of being its opponent."

As he lifted the card, dark clouds gathered in the sky, veiling the bright moon.

A silent whirlwind arose. The Supreme King could feel an otherworldly presence approaching, and he was secretly shocked.

Could this world truly possess a power surpassing anything in the twelve dimensions?
What kind of card was this, to emanate such awe?

At the same time, the miniature Millennium Puzzle hanging from Kira's chest glowed faintly. In resonance with that golden light, the card's power seemed to reach a crest.

The Supreme King released a powerful aura to contend with the card's pressure, his golden eyes burning as he stared at the card in Kira's hand.

It's coming.

He could feel a mighty existence about to descend. As the Supreme King, he felt no fear—only anticipation.

It was the instinct of the strong: to clash with a powerful being and prove oneself.

Come!

No matter how strong the monster, he had no fear!
Then Kira spoke.

"I tribute your 'Evil HERO Malicious Bane,' 'Evil HERO Dark Gaia,' and 'Evil HERO Malicious Fiend' to Tribute Summon, on your field, the legendary Supreme God—

—The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode, descend!!!"

Supreme King: "?????"

The sovereign of twelve dimensions was momentarily dumbfounded.

For an instant, he wondered if Kira misspoke—or he himself misheard.

You tribute what?

To summon what?
But his golden eyes then saw it clearly: his greatest trumps—his Evil HERO end board with combined threat over ten thousand—were indeed swallowed by holy light, one by one, becoming motes of light.

Those motes gathered above, forming a golden blaze in midair. The flames burned like a radiant sun, looming high over Duel Academy Island, shining so bright the true form within was obscured, turning the night sky bright as day.

Truly godlike majesty—at the moment of summoning, it seemed to dominate all creation. The stars and moon were driven back as if making way for this sacred presence.

Such power and sanctity the Supreme King had never seen—even across the twelve dimensions.

Only… for a godly, numinous monster like this—
What kind of deranged summoning method is that!?

He stared, golden-eyed, at the glowing, round "god" perched on his field, then at Kira across from him, speechless.

"The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode can be Normal Summoned by tributing three monsters, either to your own field or to your opponent's field," Kira solemnly explained the effect of their dimension's supreme God, his face seeming faintly holy in the divine glow.

Supreme King: "…"

His face remained cold, expressionless. Even Kira had to admire it—truly the composure of a king. To stay so calm even now.

But he was quite sure the look in those cold golden eyes had changed.

How to put it…
Previously, they held indifference, disdain, and the dignity and confidence of a king.

Now, what shot from them was pure killing intent.

As if to say: Very well, boy.

This is personal now.

"However, Sphere Mode's ATK is 0. It can't declare an attack, nor can it be targeted by your attacks or effects."

Supreme King: "…"

He glared at Kira, then looked up at the glowing "egg" in the sky.

Somehow, Kira felt he could read the monarch's thought—

—This is your dimension's supreme God?

So your supreme God's ability is…
To plop a divine turd onto my field?
Granted, the presence was overwhelming. Egg-shaped or not, it was still a Supreme God. Its mere existence made ordinary people tremble.

So yes, a god-tier turd.

"At the end of the next turn, Sphere Mode returns to its original owner's field, but until then it can't be attacked or targeted. Let's speed that up."

Kira revealed a card.

"Spell Card 'Owner's Seal'—all monsters on the field return to their original owners. Come back, Winged Dragon."

Having eaten the Supreme King's unbeatable Evil HERO end board, the golden egg soared up and swapped sides, landing on Kira's field.

The Supreme King still said nothing.

But if eyes could kill, Kira was sure he'd have been sliced into ribbons.

He cleared his throat.

"Don't think the Supreme God only helps renovate the opponent's board. Now it will show its true power!
By tributing Sphere Mode, it can transform into the true form of the God!
The ever-changing fire of heaven and earth becomes eternal light upon the land!

Supreme God—liberate your ultimate form!"

At that moment, Sphere Mode seemed to shine with unprecedented brilliance!

The sun-like orb blazed, its light piercing the night sky into space. Even the Supreme King's pupils tightened—a sense that something yet more terrifying was brewing within the sphere…
Ten seconds passed.

Nothing happened.

The orb just… flashed. Otherwise, nothing changed.

With wary puzzlement, the Supreme King looked from the egg to Kira.

Then—

"Hahaha!"

Kira laughed.

"Just kidding. Ra does have a true form, but it's not something you can pop out casually… Outside of exceptional circumstances you even have to chant the priestly incantation, and, well, I don't know it."

The Supreme King was silent for a few seconds more.

At last, the cold monarch couldn't hold back a line.

"You damned clown…"

"Don't be mad. Even if I can't show you our supreme Winged Dragon, I brought something almost as good."

Kira snapped his fingers.

"I activate my set Continuous Trap 'Limit Reverse.' Special Summon from the Graveyard in Attack Position a monster with 1000 or less ATK. Appear—

—Kuri-God Dragon!"

A tiny golden orb popped onto his field—indeed, it did look a bit like the egg, just very, very mini.

Yup—last turn's Kuriboh.

[Kuriboh, ATK 300]

[Supreme King, LP 200]

"You—you intend to…"

The Supreme King's perpetually calm expression twitched.

"Go, Kuri-God Dragon!" Kira waved. "Direct attack."

Supreme King: "…"

"Kuri-kuri!"

Kuriboh charged ferociously.

Maximum disrespect, and lethal damage.

[Supreme King, LP 200 → LP 0]

…

Chapter 748: Had Quite a Bit of Fun

Kira once again regretted that he couldn't read minds.

Because if he could...

...he could see right through Supreme King's murderous eyes and uncover his inner thoughts.

Although he had no evidence, Kira was sure that whatever was going on inside must be spectacular—so much so that he almost wanted to interview him on the spot.

"Hello, Supreme King. After your field was eaten clean by Bird Egg and then finished off by Kuriboh, you've now been nominated for the 'Most Frustrating Boss Death in Yu-Gi-Oh! History' Golden Award. May I ask—how do you feel about this honor?"

For some reason, Kira just felt that the Supreme King's answer would definitely be interesting.

The mighty Supreme King, ruler of the twelve dimensions, undefeated since his debut... Actually, to be precise, in those twelve dimensions he probably never even faced a truly challenging battle, which is why he's so arrogantly domineering.

For someone like him, to suffer such a setback right after arriving in a new world—his resentment was easy to imagine.

Are all people from this other world this good at dueling?

The more Supreme King thought about it, the more he felt this might be true. Not only because even someone as strong as himself had capsized in such murky waters, but also because even the so-called Supreme God, the pinnacle of this other world, turned out to be such a ridiculous Bird Egg...

The strongest in any field is usually representative. If even the gods' tricks in this world are all about pulling stunts on the opponent's field, you can imagine just how dark this place is.

Yes, that's right. Even though Supreme King is the king of darkness himself, and he just boasted about showing his opponent the true meaning of darkness, after this duel he couldn't help but think: "Isn't your dimension's dueling just a bit too dark...?"

"This isn't over yet."

Supreme King raised his head, his golden eyes staring straight at Kira. Although his look was as icy as before, now there seemed to be a flicker of fire within that coldness.

At this point, Kira was quite certain—there was definitely a personal grudge now.

"I know." Kira nodded calmly. "Your real body isn't here. With your level of power, even if I won the duel, I couldn't kill you."

In fact, Supreme King's current state was similar to when they'd gone to the Supreme King's dimension—both were like consciousness projections. The difference was that Kira and his group had used Kaiba Corp's high-tech link system, while Supreme King came through his connection to Jaden, taking advantage of Jaden falling asleep to control his body.

In this state, just like when Kira's team was in another dimension, dueling could injure their spirit but couldn't truly defeat them. To really beat Supreme King, they'd have to find his real body.

But there's give and take. Though the projection state comes with an "immortal buff," the strength it can exert is also limited by the projection.

That was one reason Supreme King was clearly dissatisfied.

He was fighting on foreign turf, using a body he couldn't fully control. His power here was very limited—hence, he was outwitted by this damned guy.

A humiliating defeat—utterly disgraceful.

He, the Supreme King, undefeated all his life, was swatted to death by a Kuriboh—a total joke of an opponent. This wasn't even a duel; it was pure insult.

Unadulterated humiliation.

How could he possibly tolerate this and still call himself the Supreme King?

"I'll be back," Supreme King growled.

Kira smiled, crouched down, and patted him on the shoulder.

"No, we'll come find you."

Supreme King's expression was still dark. He stared at Kira for two seconds.

Then those golden eyes finally dimmed.

The golden glow vanished, his gaze went hollow, and then his eyes closed. He collapsed limply to the ground and lay there.

Then came a thunderous sound.

"Snore—snore—"

It was Jaden's snores.

Kira suddenly felt a deep respect for Jaden.

He'd heard from Syrus that Jaden possessed the ability to "sleep soundly even if Mount Everest collapsed in front of him," and he knew Jaden had once fallen asleep in the student line during the principal's entrance speech.

But after all the chaos here—supernatural spirits flying everywhere, even gods making cameos—Jaden slept through it all, completely unaware. That was impressive...

Maybe that's part of why Supreme King could seize his body while he was asleep.

"Hey, Jaden."

Kira patted Jaden's face. When he didn't respond, Kira pinched him a couple more times.

"Wake up, don't sleep yet."

"Mm... Ah?"

Jaden opened his blurry eyes, rubbed them, and sat up, staring at Kira for a while as if trying hard to focus.

Then he reached out and touched the dirt, looked down, looked up at the starry sky, and stared blankly for a while, blinking as if he couldn't comprehend what was happening.

"Am I dreaming?" he asked dully, looking at Kira.

So Kira gave his face a pinch.

"Ow, ow, ow..."

Jaden quickly pulled away, suddenly much more awake.

"What are you doing!?"

"You asked if you were dreaming," said Kira innocently. "So I helped you check."

"Then why don't you pinch yourself?"

Kira replied seriously: "If I pinch myself, you wouldn't feel it, so how would you know if you're dreaming?"

Jaden thought it over. "That... does make sense... Wait, no, that's not the point. Where are we? How did I..."

"Just outside the Red Dorm, in the woods," Kira said. "Long story short, you got possessed—by the Supreme King from another dimension."

"Haha, very funny."

Jaden still seemed to think it was a prank, giving a dry laugh.

But Kira didn't laugh, just stared at him expressionlessly for several seconds.

Jaden's smile faded. "Wait, you're serious?"

"I'm not sure how it happened either," Kira said. "I think it might be because we've been getting closer to Supreme King Castle lately. Maybe the proximity let Supreme King sense you, strengthening your connection. Anyway, the result was, he used your body to come to our world."

This time, Jaden was genuinely a little frightened.

"You mean... as long as I fall asleep, I'll become... that evil demon king from another world?"

"I've already driven him back. It might not happen again, but I can't rule it out," said Kira.

Jaden looked miserable.

So that means... he can't sleep anymore?

Wait a minute...

"You drove him back... you two just had a duel?"

Jaden looked around. Only then did he notice that the woods around him were full of craters, several trees were snapped in half, and the whole area around him looked like a battlefield.

He immediately realized this was no ordinary duel.

"Yeah," Kira nodded. "We had a little exchange through a duel."

"Had quite a bit of fun."

Chapter 749: On the Eve of War

"Did you have fun?"

Jaden was speechless. Truth is, Jaden is a "duel for fun" type; he usually enjoys his duels. But he also knew that the "fun" Kira spoke of often wasn't the same as his.

When Jaden's having fun, the opponent might also enjoy themselves if luck's on their side.

When Kira is having fun, the opponent usually suffers.

So that otherworld Supreme King—hopefully the guy's okay…
Oddly, they'd roamed that otherworld instance so long, across dimension after dimension, where everyone feared the Supreme King as a god with none daring to defy him—the strongest existence, by all accounts.

Yet even after hearing so much, when Jaden learned Kira faced the Supreme King, his instinct was: that Supreme King's going to have a bad time.

He'd never actually met the Supreme King himself—only legends—but even so, he felt that no matter how strong that guy was, when he met Kira he'd end up flat on his face…

"So, did you already take him out?"

Jaden suddenly felt a bit deflated.

Finally, a big-shot opponent—and the headhunter Kira nabbed the kill again…

"Not this time," Kira shook his head. "That wasn't his true body. His real self remains in the Supreme King's dimensional citadel; he came here by using you as a medium.

I can drive him back for now, but I can't annihilate him."

"You're making me afraid to sleep," Jaden grumbled.

He was now wide awake. Even a big-hearted guy like Jaden couldn't stay calm at the thought of a demon lord intruding when he slept.

"Exactly. So I think we should ask for leave tomorrow, head to the Supreme King's citadel, and end this in one go."

Kira paused, studying Jaden for a moment.

"What?" Jaden asked.

"No, nothing," Kira hesitated. "But this time… it may have to be you."

"Me?" Jaden blinked.

"Yes," Kira said. "Like I've said, the Supreme King is essentially the darkness in your own heart. Even if I defeat his true body at the citadel, as long as you live, the Supreme King can awaken again."

He thought of the original story.

In GX, candidate MVP teammate Axel once risked his life to go down with the Supreme King, claiming the Supreme King was gone and only Jaden's personality remained. But later, the Supreme King wasn't truly gone—just suppressed deep within.

The Supreme King is Jaden's inner darkness, and inner darkness can never be truly erased. Given the right conditions, it can always reawaken.

Yet throughout GX, Jaden never confronted the Supreme King himself.

That's what Kira was weighing now. In every Yu-Gi-Oh series, the strongest duelists must face their inner darkness. Running away, or outsourcing the job, is no real solution. Only by facing your greatest darkness, overcoming it—or even turning it into your own strength—can you truly break through.

Kira hesitated, wondering if Jaden was ready.

It's like a tribulation—a chance for Jaden to break his limit and evolve, but with great risk.

If Jaden failed, his personality might be devoured by his inner darkness. The Supreme King would return in full.

Even then, it wouldn't be hopeless. The original series proved you could still beat the Supreme King in a duel. But it would be messy, uncertain, and hardly guaranteed.

Still, Jaden had already faced the Arbiter, met Koyo, and gained Gentle Darkness's power. Kira judged that his growth was about there. He had to face the Supreme King himself.

"So, now?" Jaden asked.

"Let's head back and rest a bit, then depart later," Kira said. "It's time to end this…"

He stopped and glanced toward the woods. "Someone's coming."

A moment later, the brush parted and a blond head poked out.

"Huh? You guys?"

Joey froze.

He looked around at the pitted ground and general wreckage, then peered suspiciously at the two.

"The Supreme King was just here. Long story," Kira said. "In short, we're moving the plan up. Get ready—we're heading to the Supreme King's citadel soon."

"So sudden?"

Joey hesitated, then asked anyway.

"Also… did a God just appear here?"

Kira was a bit surprised.

His duel with the Supreme King took place in a barrier-like realm—the Supreme King's darkness shrouded the area. Outsiders shouldn't have sensed much.

Ra's divine might is great, but this was only the egg—not the true form. From afar, maybe you'd notice a flicker of golden light in the sky, but that's about it—unlikely to be seen clearly.

"You saw something?" Kira asked.

"No, just a strange… sensation," Joey scratched his head. "How do I put it… a sense of déjà vu."

Kira fell silent.

He remembered—Joey did have a fateful brush with Ra. Back in the day, Marik pulled a dirty trick, used 0 ATK Ra to attack Joey directly, and knocked him out via spiritual damage.

Having eaten that hit, Joey would be deeply familiar with Ra's divine power.

"Yes and no," Kira coughed. "You could say it was Ra… It's a long story. I'll explain when there's time."

Joey didn't press, but he couldn't help giving Kira another look.

He'd never imagined that, years after Battle City, someone could still wield Ra.

Thinking back on those glorious days, with old foes and friends now gone their separate ways, he even felt a bit nostalgic for their old enemy, Marik.

Where was Marik now? What was he doing…
Kira had obtained this "egg" some time ago; tonight was just its field debut. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to use it earlier—it was still in testing, in a lab he ran with experts from Industrial Illusions.

After all, this was handling a God card. Even if it was a derivative card and not the God itself—a gray area, really—it was God-adjacent. So extensive testing was required before live use.

Tonight's results showed the development had gone smoothly.

The Supreme King had the honor of being the first duelist in history to get "egged" by Ra.

Auspicious indeed.

Chapter 750: The Power of the King

"God?" Mello paused in trimming his plants and slowly turned.

"Are you certain?"

"No, in truth, we cannot be certain…"

The subordinate in a white uniform bowed respectfully.

"But those present on Duel Academy Island did feel it—the terrifying surge that resembled the presence felt when a God appeared before."

"So no one actually saw a God?" Mello asked.

"That's right—only the aura."

"Then did you ascertain what happened? Who summoned it? Who were the duelists?"

"Our people tried to inquire afterward, but…"

The white-clad member hesitated, then spoke uncertainly.

"It's odd. According to gathered leads, the clash occurred near the Slifer Red dorm. The duelists were the Duel King, Fujiki Kira, and Slifer Red's Jaden Yuki."

"A friendly match?" Mello said. "Summoning a God in a spar is strange, but if it was a field test, it's not impossible."

"No. Our people said the duel's power level was off even before that supposed God appeared," the member said. "The duel was enshrouded in a powerful darkness.

It was definitely no ordinary match—likely a high-level Shadow Duel."

"A Shadow Duel?"

Mello frowned slightly.

That did sound strange.

If it was just friendly testing of a God card, why risk life and limb?

"Now this is getting interesting," Mello smiled.

Seeing the subordinate linger, Mello glanced sideways.

"Is there more?"

"No, only…"

He hesitated, then spoke.

"My lord, it seems the Duel King may have even mastered the power of the Gods. And thus far, our Society of Light's operations at the Academy… have not yielded the expected results."

That was an understatement; "disastrous" was more accurate.

They'd infiltrated Duel Academy expecting lambs ignorant of the world. Instead, they found demons sealed on that island.

The students were so strong they made pros look like jokes, and their playstyle was cut from the same cloth as their Duel King—utterly inhumane.

They marched in with high hopes, only to begin a long GX torture arc. Their win rate was abysmal, and there were now multiple cases of steadfast members of the Society of Light losing their faith and defecting.

Terrifying—beaten by card games into embracing darkness? Seriously?
When this reached headquarters, even they were stunned.

They now suspected that Duel Academy harbored a powerful dark faction led by the Duel King—much like their own—capable of infecting and assimilating duelists.

At this point the Academy seemed like a bottomless pit of darkness. Any agent sent would be swallowed and converted. At this rate, the only outcome was total collapse and universal defection.

"It's fine. Good, even."

Mello turned back to his pruning.

The member blinked. "But, the agents we sent…"

"Their mission is already complete," Mello said evenly.

"I thought their mission was to spread the Light's doctrine at Duel Academy…"

"Yes. If they managed that, great. If not, they had another purpose."

Mello turned, speaking calmly.

"I noticed long ago. Fujiki Kira—the Duel King—has an inexplicable power. Not only he himself; people around him, connected to him, are easily influenced without noticing, infected by that power.

Perhaps even he hasn't realized it, but within lies the secret of his strength."

He took over Sartorius's Society of Light simply to avoid wasting resources. In his eyes, the society had little value—mere pawns to be discarded.

"Put the Academy aside. What about Industrial Illusions?" Mello asked.

The member lowered his head. "They're pursuing us at full tilt; Maximillion Pegasus himself has stepped in. But everything proceeds as planned; they're being led along our false trail."

"Excellent."

Mello sat, smiling coldly.

"Sartorius actually planned to steal some sky-born organism to sweep the earth—naïve. Military weapons have never been the answer."

"The machinery behind this world runs on cards. Those who grasp the core are not nations or armies, but KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions."

"Control them, and you hold this world's lifeline."