At the last moment, Dark Atticus finally realized who he was facing.
Only now did he understand the overwhelming sense of helplessness he'd felt throughout the duel. Every summon was bounced, every effect locked down. Every move he made, he found his path blocked, every play countered, as if his opponent had woven a net and was smiling as he struggled.
He remembered now. He'd just seen this style recently—at the world-famous tournament, in the hands of the new superstar everyone was talking about.
The Duel King, Fujiki Kira.
The new apex of the dueling world, hailed by experts as "the harbinger of a new era."
Such praise wasn't just for his unfathomable strength, but also because his approach and style were so different from the mainstream. In a dueling world led by Seto Kaiba, obsessed with absolute power, this king preferred to win by denying his opponents the chance to act at all. By the time his opponents realized what was happening, they'd find themselves trapped, unable to move.
Naturally, this style reminded people of the first Duel King, Yugi Muto. While the two kings had their own personal differences, their overall strategic approach was remarkably similar—a fact sure to cause a stir in today's dueling world.
Dark Atticus—or rather, the Nightshroud-possessed consciousness—was cursing up a storm inside.
Damn it.
What kind of dogshit luck is it to randomly pick a city, a random opponent, and end up facing the new Duel King?
Dark duelists like him were confident, and even knowing their opponent was the Duel King, they might still fight. But challenging him is one thing—getting beaten to a pulp and only then realizing you were up against the final boss is something else.
You're already the king, the BOSS of all bosses—why are you running around in disguise, ambushing people in the shadows? Can't you act your natural habitat?
Of course, it was too late now. Throughout the duel, he'd felt a constant frustration, but never really considered the possibility—until the final strike from Buster Blader, when he suddenly realized he'd been outplayed.
"You @#%&!"
His final outburst was almost affectionate. Dark Atticus spread his arms, screamed in pain, and the black dragon mask fell from his face with a clatter.
He collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Kira stepped forward and checked on him.
The mask had fallen aside, and Atticus seemed to have returned to normal. Kira knew that Atticus's darkness was tied to the mask; in the anime, every time he wore it, he was controlled by Nightshroud, and every time someone defeated his dark side in a shadow duel, the mask would fall off and his true self would regain control.
But Kira found it odd. He'd intentionally held back in the duel, hoping to keep Atticus alive and use him to infiltrate the Shadow Riders and get directly to Chairman Kagemaru.
But even though he'd held back, the dark persona seemed to have self-destructed anyway.
Kira examined the mask and realized what had happened.
It had self-destructed.
This mask, connected to the GX final boss, housed a fragment of Nightshroud's evil consciousness. Upon defeat, that persona chose to destroy itself rather than be captured.
But this was probably only temporary. Kira could sense the mask was still a dangerous dark artifact. When he probed it, he even heard faint, tempting whispers in the darkness, urging him to put it on.
For ordinary people, resisting this power would be tough. Atticus had been consumed by the mask's darkness and became its slave until someone broke the dark persona through a shadow duel.
If Kira had gotten this mask six months ago, it might have been dangerous for him too.
But now, its remaining power posed no threat.
He decided to keep the artifact. He knew it was still connected to Nightshroud's world. In the third year—during the anime's final season, when Nightshroud revived—the mask would be a key clue and plot device.
Unfortunately, his plan to infiltrate the Shadow Riders had failed.
The one who joined the Shadow Riders was the dark persona; now that it was gone, only Atticus Rhodes remained. Ever since he was consumed by the mask's power, Atticus had been lost in a daze for two years. Even if he woke up now, he probably couldn't help.
And though Nightshroud was now expelled, Atticus's body had been controlled for two years, and recovery would take time. In the anime, he spent most of a semester in a coma, only awakening thanks to his sister's call.
Kira waved his hand. The duel barrier around them faded away, the darkness dissipating. Those outside could finally see what had happened.
"Boss!"
"Leader!"
His followers rushed forward.
Inside the barrier, only one was down and one still standing. The outcome was obvious. Seeing their leader defeat a Shadow Riders agent so easily, their respect only deepened.
Kira just waved them off.
"All right, clean this up for me."
His followers responded immediately. Some stepped up to help Atticus up.
Then Kurozaki leaned in and whispered, "Boss, should we dump the body in the sea, or cement it up? Your call!"
"Hah?"
Kira gave him a disgusted look.
"He's an honored guest. Get a car and take him to the hospital."
Kurozaki choked.
An honored guest?
If that's how you treat honored guests, what do you do to your enemies—wipe out their entire clan?
He felt like he understood their leader less and less.
But he only thought this; he didn't dare say it aloud. Kurozaki quickly nodded.
"Yes, yes, I'll get the guys on it right away…"