Yugioh [851-854] (Patreon)

Chapter 851: Adrian’s Dream

Infinite loop!

And not just any loop.

An infinite loop is usually either to farm a ton of resources, or to inflict damage repeatedly and beat the opponent.

But this damned loop is neither. Its whole purpose is to force me to shuffle endlessly!
Adrian no longer knew what to say.

What kind of psychological distortion does it take to concoct a pointless loop that isn’t meant to win, but purely to torment the opponent’s mind and patience, along with the technical finesse to pull it off?
And he’d only casually thought of it a moment ago—who knew there really was someone this bored in the world?

Such a convoluted loop, just to make me keep shuffling?

“Come on, what are you spacing out for?” Kira smiled. “Shuffle.”

Adrian gritted his teeth, helplessly drew out his deck, and shuffled.

Sure enough, that feeling came again.

As if his consciousness were being sucked into the deck. Endless memories, endless pain. Every difficult choice he’d made, all the memories he’d tried to avoid all these years—
“Graaah!”

One shuffle left him drenched in sweat again; he dropped to his knees, his whole body trembling.

It wasn’t that his body had endured some huge injury or burden. It was all in his mind.

He wasn’t sure how many more shuffles he could withstand.

But he knew this was far from over—this was only the beginning of a never-ending nightmare.

Kira’s voice continued.

“Revival Jam, attack ‘Cloudian - Nimbusman.’”

“Revival Jam revives; Black Garden Special Summons a new ‘Rose Token’ to your field.”

“Eye of the Typhoon, attack the Rose Token.”

“Change the battle position of ‘Tainted Wisdom’ by effect.”

“...”

Another string of repeated cycles, then Kira made a “please” gesture.

“Tainted Wisdom’s effect—come on, keep shuffling.”

Adrian ground his teeth, his gaze on Kira almost spitting fire.

Shuffle your damned—!
“If you don’t want to shuffle, it’s simple.” Kira chuckled. “Just surrender.”

“Give up what you’ve been clinging to. Give up the creed your family instilled in you. Do what you want, choose your own path freely.”

Kira coaxed him patiently.

“You don’t have to keep winning. There are always new roads, new choices.”

“Why must you advance under your family’s expectations, bearing their future?”

Adrian panted heavily and looked at the deck in his hand.

Yeah—if he just surrendered...
Surrendering didn’t only mean giving up this duel’s victory. It felt more like giving up his family’s expectations and the heavy burden on his shoulders.

He could stop thinking so much. Stop bearing so much. He didn’t have to keep winning—he could choose his path as he pleased.

Like...
Yes, like the easygoing, free clouds in the sky.

But—
Adrian clenched his jaw, veins bulging on his forearm, trembling as he drew out the deck again.

“I—I accept ‘Tainted Wisdom’s’ effect and shuffle.”

“You really are a man of firm will.”

Kira propped his chin and murmured.

But after Adrian shuffled, the corners of his mouth lifted.

“Well, how many more times can you keep it up?”

“...”

“Revival Jam attacks.”

“Revival Jam regenerates, Special Summon a ‘Rose Token’ to your field.”

“Eye of the Typhoon attacks the ‘Rose Token.’”

“Eye of the Typhoon’s effect: force ‘Tainted Wisdom’ to change its battle position.”

“...”

“Aaaah—”

After who knew how many forced shuffles, Adrian was on all fours, sweat pouring like rain.

No, not again.

All the memories, all the pain, all the parts of his life he didn’t want to face—
“You know you’ve already lost, right?” Kira’s voice came again. “I’ve drawn through over half my deck; my resource count is at least ten times yours.

Even without this little game, I’ve got about ten different win routes.”

Adrian: “...”

“Why resist the inevitable?” Kira said coolly. “You’re not fighting for yourself. You refuse to face yourself, and you know it.

What you’re doing now, everything you’re struggling for—that’s not your true will. What the Gecko conglomerate wants is not what you want, Adrian Gecko.

Your reason to walk the path of a king isn’t for yourself. After reexamining your life this many times, have you still not remembered?”

Like lightning splitting the night, Adrian froze.

My ideal, my reason to strive...
The ideal he had gradually chosen to forget because it was too distant—the one he sacrificed and buried for his family and his younger brother—
Forced to face his life through these countless shuffles, he finally remembered.

“Yes. I have a dream.”

He clenched his fist; the haze in his eyes became firm again.

It was a dream he had long, long ago.

When he was starving, weakly collapsed on the ground, looking up at the idle clouds in the sky, that thought surfaced in his mind.

An ideal new world.

No more children like him. No more broken families, no hunger, no pain. Regardless of poverty or wealth, status or rank, everyone could live with equal dignity.

“I will... establish a new order.”

He panted, forcing the words out.

“I will create a new world.”

“A world where everyone is equal, where everyone is granted the right to live!”

Yes—now he remembered. That was the lifelong ideal of Adrian Gecko.

He had once given it up, willingly becoming his younger brother’s stepping stone. He could become whatever the family needed him to be, and for that he forgot his own dream.

In the anime, he only resolved to reclaim this ideal after returning to another world the second time. Yubel had planned to draw out the deepest darkness in Adrian’s heart through a duel, but unexpectedly discovered his true ideal instead.

It was something Adrian could never have achieved in reality. He couldn’t bring himself to harm his brother, to take his brother’s place. But Yubel’s appearance gave him a new opportunity—

The Spirit Dimension.

There, Adrian obtained the power of the Exodia; he thought that in that dimension, he could rightfully establish a new world.

In fact, if not for Yubel, the Adrian in the anime might really have succeeded. In that original Spirit Dimension, there might truly have been no one who could oppose Adrian who had obtained Exodia.

And now, Adrian had remembered.

Yes—this isn’t his fight. What he’s doing right now is only being a stepping stone for his family.

He was already exhausted; he had already tried his best, but this wasn’t what he wanted.

Adrian sank to his knees and gently closed his eyes.

At his ear, Kira’s calm voice sounded.

“Eye of the Typhoon attacks; Tainted Wisdom switches from Attack to Defense again,” Kira said. “Tainted Wisdom’s effect: its controller must shuffle.”

Adrian: “...”

Adrian kept his head down, motionless for a long moment.

Then he slowly raised his arm.

But this time, he didn’t draw out the deck to shuffle.

He simply placed his hand lightly above the deck.

“I surrender.”

Chapter 852: A World That Needs a King

“Huff... huff...”

Adrian knelt on the ground, panting heavily. His clothes were soaked through with sweat, as if he’d just been dragged out of the water.

But it wasn’t physical torment—it was entirely mental. He could barely stand; he felt he had never been so exhausted in his life.

“Was that... a Shadow Game?” Adrian muttered.

But he quickly rejected that thought.

No, the duel itself wasn’t a Shadow Game. The damage from the holograms was normal; his body hadn’t taken any extra burden.

As Kira had said, he’d merely inserted a dark mini-game into the duel.

Kira had used dark power to make Adrian’s deck reflect his life, then used an infinite shuffle loop to force him to confront his life and true heart, reawakening the ideals and wishes he’d suppressed and making him remember his first dream.

“Looks like you remembered, Adrian Gecko.”

Kira walked up and offered a hand to Adrian, who was still crouched on the floor.

Adrian started, hesitating as he looked at the offered hand.

He didn’t take it; instead, after a moment, he couldn’t help asking, “You’re not going to kill me?”

Kira raised an eyebrow. “Why would I kill you?”

“Uh... then are you going to cast me into the eternal abyss of darkness?” Adrian asked.

Kira’s expression grew even stranger. “And what would I gain from that?”

The floating Eye beside him squinted into a crescent moon with a grin. “Looks like someone has a pretty bad reputation in the outside world~”

Adrian frowned. “And you’re not going to confiscate my deck?”

“Your Cloudians aren’t some ultra-rare print. Why would I—wait, why are you talking like I grab any random person’s deck and yank the cards out?”

Kira frowned.

“I only pull the decks of truly heinous villains. That’s called confiscating criminal tools, okay?”

Adrian: “...”

He looked unconvinced.

Kira sighed. “There’s no duelist more righteous than me. How come it sounds like I’m the villain when you say it?”

Adrian was at a loss for words.

No, you looked pretty evil while you were dueling just now...
He thought this guy had a severe lack of self-awareness, but considering his own position, he kept his mouth shut.

Now he understood the duel hadn’t really been an even match.

Adrian used to think he had a king’s qualities—leadership and dueling alike, he was one in a million. He believed he could match anyone in strength; he just didn’t like chasing fame in global tournaments.

If it came down to strength, he thought he was already in the world’s top echelon.

But now, he realized he’d been a frog at the bottom of a well.

This opponent hadn’t even gone all-out in the duel—or rather, he hadn’t exerted himself to win. From the start, the other party never considered the possibility of losing.

He never set up or planned for victory at all.

But there was still something Adrian didn’t understand.

He looked up at Kira, puzzled.

“Why?”

Kira tilted his head. “Why what?”

“Why do all this?” Adrian asked. “You forced me to reexamine my life, to remember the parts I’d forgotten.

You made me face the darkest parts of my heart... for what?”

He couldn’t figure it out.

He was just an intruder, attempting to trespass into the other’s territory. Why do this for him?

And even if he helped him see these things, what would it mean? Did he want to incite him to take his brother’s position and thereby control the entire Gecko Conglomerate?

Thinking of this, Adrian felt it might be possible. He raised his head, frowning at Kira.

“Don’t tell me your target is the Gecko Conglomerate?”

Kira laughed.

“Maybe you guys think you’re a world-class conglomerate,” Kira shrugged. “But KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions both owe me big favors. I can mobilize most of their resources at will.

So honestly, the behemoth you see—your family’s conglomerate—is dispensable to me.”

Adrian frowned. He didn’t like the contempt shown for his family, but he said nothing.

“Then why...”

But Kira didn’t answer directly. He cut in: “In this world, your path to kingship won’t work.

Even if you have the aptitude, the resources, the potential, you can’t cross the hurdle in your heart.”

Kira said.

“You can’t bring yourself to strike at your brother, to take what’s his. Besides...”

He paused, smiling.

“Even if you did, what you could achieve in this world is ultimately limited. At the end of the day, this world doesn’t need a king.”

Adrian frowned. “What are you getting at?”

“Giving you an opportunity.”

Kira stepped back, revealing what was behind him.

It was a circular void.

As if space had torn open, forming a massive vortex. Lightning churned within, like an abyss.

Adrian’s pupils contracted slightly.

“This is...”

“Another world,” Kira said. “A world that needs a king—and where you can truly become one. Want to see it?”

Adrian was silent for a few seconds.

Then he finally took Kira’s hand, stood up, and walked toward the vortex with him.

A sudden sense of weightlessness struck; everything vanished. It felt like free-fall, falling for who knows how long, as if his organs were being pulled out of him.

When he came to, he was standing on a giant rock.

Beneath his feet seemed to be a small hill. Looking out, the sky was ashen, the land barren. Smoke linked earth to sky; dark clouds shrouded everything.

Adrian: “This is...”

“A dimension filled with power and miracles,” Kira said softly, hands in his coat pockets, aura farming. “Once, there was a supreme king here.

The king ruled this world through absolute violence and tyranny. The strong ran rampant; the weak were oppressed. That was the normal order of this world.”

“But now, the king has been overthrown. Yet the fall of a dictatorship doesn’t mean dawn for the people—it means greater chaos.”

“Everyone with even a little power now thinks they can be the next tyrant. They’re fighting everywhere, grabbing territory and resources. The chaos is worse than under the Supreme King’s rule.”

“Toppling the dictator is only the first step—it doesn’t solve the problem. To truly fix things here, you need...”

Before Kira finished, Adrian continued, “You need a true king. One who can build an equal, ideal new world—a benevolent king.”

As he spoke, a blazing light had already ignited in his eyes.

Chapter 853: The Demon King Becomes An Adult

Of course, what Kira showed Adrian was the Spirit Twelve-Dimensions once ruled by the Supreme King.

Previously, the Supreme King had dominated this realm. Though it was survival of the fittest and the masses suffered, there was at least a unified regime.

Now the dictatorship had fallen. It seemed like good news, but in reality, no new regime had been established.

The heroes who defeated the Demon King were outsiders; they didn’t have the time or ability to remain and govern.

And the Supreme King’s subordinates were never good people to begin with; their apparent loyalty was just fear. Once the mountain on their heads vanished, their minds turned restless.

These days, anyone with a handful of underlings or a bit of dueling prowess thinks they’re the second coming of the Supreme King.

Kira had already considered this situation.

Adrian Gecko was the ideal candidate for the throne.

In the original story, this became Adrian’s new goal. In the real world, never mind lacking the soil to let him crown himself and build an equal new world—he couldn’t even oust his brother to take the family reins.

If he followed his original trajectory, he would likely live in his brother’s shadow forever, doing the toughest jobs as the most capable vassal. His original wish would turn into inner darkness, buried deep in his heart, growing larger over time—a shadow he might never shake.

After coming to Duel Academy and meeting Yubel, he veered from his original path. He saw a brand-new world, a place where his talents could flourish. He resolved to become king there, willing to pay any price—even sacrificing his beloved.

But Adrian’s ending was one of the rare tragedies in the show. By the end of the Otherworld arc, most who perished in that story were saved and returned. But Adrian, and his lover, seemed absent.

Perhaps they died, buried with their ideal in a foreign land. Or maybe they stayed in that dimension, and the anime simply didn’t cover what followed.

For the other world, this meant a capable leader could save the masses in misery. For Kira, giving Adrian this chance also made it easier to explore the Spirit Dimension afterward, keep tabs on the neighboring realm, and secure resources.

For Adrian, it was the best chance to cast off his greatest shadow and reclaim his ideal.

Win-win for everyone.

With the Supreme King handled, what most interested Kira in that neighboring realm were a few remaining things.

For example, Super Polymerization. In the original, it was crafted by the Dark World elites under the Supreme King, a card with godlike power representing Jaden’s inner darkness. Now that the Supreme King’s power had been absorbed by Jaden, the key to printing Super Polymerization should still center on him—but they could search the other world for clues on how it was made.

Of course, if it still required shady methods like sacrificing teammates and feeding souls, then forget that cursed card.

Another example: at the end of Yubel’s battle with Jaden, she intended to activate Super Polymerization to fuse one monster each from Levels 1 through 12—thus fusing all twelve Spirit Dimensions—summoning that godlike, dimension-fused monster.

We still don’t know what that card looks like—only that it’s Level 12 and would be insanely powerful if summoned. Kira was intrigued by such a godlike monster’s existence, though finding it would be hard. He’d poke around the other world for clues, but wouldn’t get his hopes up.

Lastly, what he most wanted was the Exodia the Forbidden One from the anime.

That was Exodia with a housed spirit—a true god-tier super-spirit. That power should still slumber somewhere in the other world.

In the original, Adrian’s obtaining Exodia’s power had a lot to do with Yubel, so Kira was considering that after catching Yubel, he might dispatch her to the other world to work—of course, only after cleansing the Light of Destruction and restoring her sanity.

With a clear mind, Yubel would probably be utterly devoted to Jaden. Getting Yubel to pitch in wouldn’t be hard.

…

When they returned from the other world, the Abandoned Dorm had already been surrounded.

Soldiers in black tactical gear and carrying guns sealed all exits. A crisp, uniformed woman led on-site, anxiously directing the search for Adrian.

Kira recognized her at a glance—Echo, the woman who loved Adrian and would do anything for him. In the original, she was the sacrifice used to unseal Exodia; by sacrificing his beloved, Adrian obtained the Exodia spirit’s power.

Well, like with Super Polymerization—though Kira really wanted Exodia’s spirit, if it required shady sacrificial rites, he’d pass.

To sacrifice even your beloved for your goal—perhaps admirable in a certain way, but to Kira, that wasn’t a king’s path, or at least not the path he wanted.

If you sacrifice all your loved ones, even if you gain unmatched power—what’s the point?
“Adrian!”

Echo, frantic, rushed up when she saw Adrian.

“Y-you’re okay?”

“Your signal suddenly vanished at the Abandoned Dorm, and our equipment was jammed by unknown darkness. I thought—I thought you...”

Before she finished, she suddenly froze.

Because as she looked up, she saw someone strolling out of the old dorm behind Adrian.

Looking closer, who else could it be but the rumored Demon King of this forbidden place—Fujiki Kira?
“It’s you!”

Echo immediately tensed; everyone else went on high alert, turning their guns this way.

But before Kira reacted, Adrian suddenly barked, “Insolence!”

The soldiers: “?”

Echo looked at Adrian, bewildered.

Adrian stepped in front and said:

“This is Lord Kira, the king who reigns over the dueling world. Why aren’t you paying your respects?”

Echo: “?”

Her mouth fell open. She was speechless.

Wait—before coming here, didn’t Adrian say he might take the chance to size up the Duel King Kira?

The comms were only down for a few minutes—how did it become “lord”?

Chapter 854: A New Term

Even after leaving the Abandoned Dorm, Echo was still dazed.

She couldn’t understand how things had developed like this.

Weren’t they here to spy on the Duel King’s secrets?
The rumored secret facility the Duel King kept on the island, forbidden dark research, and the fact that Professor Viper seemed up to something dangerous this time at Duel Academy.

Those two were their top priorities to investigate. Professor Viper and Fujiki Kira were supposed to be enemies.

And now?
Young Master Adrian left the dorm alongside Kira, looking quite chummy—no, more than chummy. She could even see that Adrian showed this person considerable respect.

Echo had grown up with Adrian and probably knew him better than anyone. Which is why this was so unbelievable—she couldn’t recall Adrian ever treating anyone like this.

“...The visiting group at Duel Academy isn’t just us student reps.”

Adrian spoke to Kira as they walked.

“Our team lead is a professor from Duel Academy’s Western Branch, name’s Viper. He used to serve in the military and later transferred to teach at the Western Branch.

He’s extremely capable, and rumor has it he has access to some very dangerous power.”

Adrian paused, then lowered his voice.

“Some unverified intel suggests it may be a spirit—a very powerful dark spirit.”

Kira raised an eyebrow.

The Gecko Conglomerate’s intel network was solid—they’d even sniffed out Yubel’s existence.

“Got it,” Kira nodded.

This surprised Adrian. He looked at Kira twice.

“You already knew?”

He smiled slightly. “Makes sense. This island is the King’s domain. Nothing that happens here could escape the King’s sight. I was being nosy...”

Echo: “...”

Was this still the Adrian she knew?

She even briefly wondered if, in those brief minutes when communications were cut, Adrian had been brainwashed by some unspeakable evil power.
Leaving the grove, Kira parted ways and headed back to his dorm.

Watching him go, Echo finally couldn’t hold it in and asked Adrian, “What happened in there?”

Adrian glanced at her, then smiled and adjusted his glasses.

“Nothing happened between us.”

“Impossible,” Echo said firmly. “I know you, Adrian. You’re not like this. Why would you cooperate with someone like him?”

Adrian halted and looked at Echo solemnly.

“Because he helped me remember who I am and what I must do. And he’s the only one in this world who can help me make it real.”

Echo froze.

What Adrian must do?

Adrian smiled mysteriously, said no more, and walked on.

…

The next day, the academy auditorium.

“Welcome, new students,” Chancellor Sheppard said from the stage. “You are the cream of the new generation...”

The usual boilerplate, not much different from the last two years.

Then the chancellor said, “Next, the most outstanding new student representative will speak.”

A pretty girl took the stage and the mic.

On the stands, Jaden raised an eyebrow. “Ah, it’s her!”

Beside him, Tyranno tilted his head. “Bro, you know her?”

“Yeah, back in my first year...” Jaden scratched his head. “Her name’s Blair Flannigan. She was a huge fan of Zane and snuck into Duel Academy underage to meet her idol.

We duelled and then she went back to her own school...”

Jaden blinked. “Wait, she should still be in middle school, right? How’d she get into Duel Academy?”

“You don’t know, Bro?” Syrus chimed in. “She’s so outstanding she applied to skip grades and got early admission.”

“Eh?”

Perpetual borderline-passing Jaden looked impressed.

“That amazing?”

“And she was the runner-up in the GX Tournament,” Syrus added.

Behind them, Chazz snorted. “The champion was yours truly.”

Syrus curled his lip. “If Kira and big bro had actually entered, you’d never have touched the trophy.”

Chazz’s face darkened. He snorted heavily, but didn’t argue.

So infuriating—being looked down on like this.

Worse, it was... kind of true.
On stage, Blair Flannigan was reciting with her little hand raised.

“Professors, we freshmen will respect Duel Academy’s rules. We’ll always uphold a duelist’s pride, respect our opponents, strive daily, and face every duel with a positive heart...”

The freshman pledge was fixed, but this year many people wore odd expressions as they listened.

The rest was fine, but this respect your opponents line felt like it could be removed from the pledge in today’s Duel Academy.

Why?

Of course because of the bad influence brought over the past two years by a certain unnameable Yellow-robed lord...
“There’s one more announcement.”

After the new student representative stepped down, Chancellor Sheppard continued.

“From top academies devoted to trained the world’s best duelists, I asked each branch chancellor to send last year’s champion student for an exchange at the main campus...”

The hall buzzed at once.

“Ohhh, champions from each branch!” Jaden was already excited. “We’re getting some serious hotshots!”

“Now then, representing Duel Academy East: Adrian Gecko!”

Adrian, in glasses, walked up slowly amid applause and waved to the crowd.

He also cast a subtle glance toward Kira and smiled faintly.

“Representing Duel Academy West: Axel Brodie!”

The dark-skinned, big-nosed mercenary strode onto the stage, face impassive, eyes like a hawk’s.

“Representing Duel Academy South: Jim Crocodile Cook!”

Dressed like a Western cowboy, Jim lifted a crocodile and gave a “Yeah!” as he came up.

Another stir, of course.

“Nani—is that a real crocodile?”

“It’s alive! I saw it—it’s actually alive!”

Chancellor Sheppard: “And next, representing Duel Academy North: Jesse Anderson!”

The crowd burst into applause again.

But no one came on stage.

Chancellor Sheppard froze mid-smile, face stiff.

Where was he?