At that moment, the White Dragon Arena hovered in the air, reawakening the instant the first ray of sunlight touched it.
As the spaceship roared, the birdlike spirits perched along its hull fluttered in surprise. After a moment's confusion, they regained their composure, returning to the ship and casting expectant glances toward the cabin.
Amagi stretched with deep satisfaction.
After fine-tuning his Deck the night before, he had gone straight to sleep, making sure he was brimming with energy and vitality for today.
Across from him, Chazz's eyes burned with fighting spirit as he fixed his gaze firmly on Hikaru.
Gradually, spectators and staff began to arrive. They checked the equipment, ensured safety procedures were in place, and activated the systems, linking the arena to viewing devices across the entire world.
Then, just as preparations were nearly complete, a deep hum resonated from the center of the spaceship.
In the middle of the ship, a circular platform began to rise. From it, a figure ascended. As he rose, strange phenomena spread outward, blue energy patterns illuminated the sky, replacing it entirely, as though the spaceship itself had descended into Domino City.
"President!?"
"Master!"
"Wow, it's Mr. Kaiba!"
Hikaru watched as Seto Kaiba emerged from the cabin. He leapt down onto the Duel Field, his sharp eyes sweeping across the crowd.
Countless cameras swung toward him, capturing every movement.
"All Duelists of the world!!"
Kaiba's voice thundered across the arena as he declared,
"I ask you, for what do you Duel!?"
He raised his left hand. A brand-new Duel Disk gleamed upon his arm, circular in shape, sleek, and pulsing with a faint blue light, its design far beyond the technology currently used by the Students.
Every gaze fixed upon him.
He was one of the strongest Duelists alive. The president of the largest corporation in the world. The most brilliant scientist. The pioneer of Dimensional exploration. Countless titles surrounded him, yet none were sufficient to define him.
Because to him, only one title mattered, Seto Kaiba.
"From the moment a person is born into this world, the soul is bound within the vessel of the body," Kaiba proclaimed. "In other words, the body is the prison of the soul, a prison from which one cannot escape until death!"
He clasped his hands before him, his face broadcast to every screen in existence.
"Is your enemy your kin? Another person? Someone from another Dimension!? We fight for those we protect. We fight against those whose ideals clash with our own. And through endless conflict, the history of war repeats itself in foolish cycles!"
Watching the live broadcast, Declan Akaba gripped the armrest of his chair so tightly that it cracked beneath his fingers.
Kaiba's eyes narrowed, his tone turning colder.
"Ironically, even the victors cannot escape their prison! But gentlemen, through Dimensional exploration, through Duel, it is our souls that have been liberated!"
"We have left the prison of the flesh, abandoned the world of our birth, and stepped into infinite possibilities! Borders, sovereignty, language, thought, all transcended as we advance toward a new future!"
"This is the promise of Dimensional travel!"
The Duel Disk on his arm flared brighter as he lifted it high.
"Now, entrust your battling soul to the Duel Disk! Wield your cards as weapons! And clash your souls with spirits and Duelists across every Dimension!"
His words shook the air like thunder. Slowly, Kaiba lowered his arm, his sharp gaze cutting toward the two Duelists awaiting him.
"Now," he declared, "I announce the final Duel of the GX Tournament, begin! Dance, fight, Duel!!"
"Oh, noble and infinite souls of the Duelists! Reveal yourselves for all to see!"
As Seto Kaiba spoke, he swept his hand outward. Two hatches opened on either side of the spaceship, and with a sharp whoosh, a pair of prototype machines shot forth. Hikaru Amagi and Chazz Princeton caught them mid-flight, both letting out surprised exclamations.
"These are the latest special Duel Disks developed by KaibaCorp," Kaiba explained. "They are designed to maximize a Duelist's power across Dimensions and worlds. They can withstand the forces of Synchro and Xyz Summoning, and their projections achieve near perfect 1:1 realism.
Though still prototypes, I now entrust them to you."
He stepped aside from the center of the field, moving into the audience section to watch with calm authority.
Chazz eagerly swapped out his old Duel Disk, slipping the outdated model into his backpack. Hikaru barely had time to react before Tierra took his old Duel Disk and replaced it with the new one.
Indeed, its futuristic, streamlined design was exactly to Tierra's taste.
Once the Duel Disks were secured, they activated automatically: shuffling the Decks, rotating into place, and illuminating with brilliant blue light that coursed through their frames.
"This feels amazing," Hikaru said with delight.
In truth, Seto Kaiba had always loved tinkering with technology, whether it was the Duel Disks of Duelist Kingdom, the Duel Tower, or the cinematic Duel Disk models introduced in later events. He had a history of unveiling new innovations at pivotal tournaments, so Hikaru wasn't surprised at all.
As the two Duelists raised their arms, glowing blue grids expanded outward from each of them, marking the battlefield.
"Duel!!"
Both shouted at once, voices echoing in perfect unison.
Chazz Princeton — LP: 4000
Hikaru Amagi — LP: 4000
"I won rock-paper-scissors yesterday, so I'll take the first turn, Hikaru." Chazz chuckled.
Hikaru nodded. "Mm." There was no need to argue over it now.
"Thinking back…" Chazz began, studying his opening hand, "when I first returned to Duel Academy, it was the end of the term, and my first opponent was you. At the time, I was arrogant, desperate to prove myself.
Because of that pride, I was utterly crushed by you in that Duel. For a long time afterward, I replayed that battle in my mind, searching for different outcomes. Until recently, when I finally realized, It doesn't matter."
His eyes hardened with resolve, flashing as though lightning coursed within them.
"A true Duelist only pursues the path ahead. My soul faces forward. There's no need for regrets. I am myself, and I don't need to prove anything to anyone! All I must do is prove to myself that my path is the right one!"
Hikaru raised his fist slightly, meeting his rival's gaze.
Chazz grinned. "Then, without distractions, without hesitation, let's give it everything, Hikaru!"
"Come on," Hikaru replied, bracing himself.
"My turn!" Chazz declared. "I activate the Spell Card Pot of Avarice! I shuffle 5 monsters from my Graveyard into my Deck, then draw 2 cards!"
He selected three cards from his hand and inserted them into the Duel Disk, shuffling them back into his Deck before drawing fresh cards. When he pulled two Ojama monsters, he smirked. Without pause, he slapped down another card.
"Once more! I activate Pot of Avarice again!"
Hikaru watched carefully as Chazz repeated the process, returning cards to the Deck and drawing once more.
"Good. This time, I've drawn what I needed, Ojama Magic and Graceful Charity!"
He held up the second Spell. "I activate Graceful Charity! Draw three cards, then discard two!"
Multiple reshuffles in a row, the opening momentum was staggering!
After drawing three cards, he discarded two at once. "The effect of the discarded Ojama Magic activates! I can add Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black from my Deck to my hand!"
His hand size expanded rapidly.
"Then,I activate the Spell Card Ojama Ride! I send Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black from my hand to the Graveyard; then I Special Summon up to three Level 4 or lower Machine Union monsters from my Deck!"
"What a convenient way to Special Summon!"
"Is he aiming for an Xyz Summon right away?" Misawa observed, instantly recognizing the strategy.