"Welcome to the Link System."
"Countdown: 5, 4, 3..."
Jaden closed his eyes, instinctively shielding his face with his hand.
It was a feeling of unreality, as if breaking free from the shackles of the real world, his body pulled forward by invisible forces. Reality and illusion seemed to blur; he felt as if he were floating, becoming part of the endless stream of data.
The data flowed like a galaxy, interweaving at unimaginable speed. After traveling along those complex, dazzling channels for who knew how long, he finally felt himself land hard on solid ground.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
Jaden clutched his backside, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Forcing himself up, he glanced at Kira standing beside him—who had landed gracefully in a half-crouch and was already standing calmly.
"How'd you land so stably?"
Kira grinned and offered him a hand. "There's a trick to it. You get used to it after a few times."
Jaden laughed, taking Kira's hand and standing up. The two of them looked around.
They found themselves on a vast, boundless plain. Although it stretched endlessly, it also felt desolate and lonely, as if time itself had stopped here.
Silent Magician floated wordlessly into view, pointing in a certain direction with her staff.
"That way? Thanks."
Kira nodded, then moved in that direction.
Jaden quickly followed. "So this is the Spirit World?"
After all, he'd already traveled here once with Kira, so the existence of this alternate world was no longer unfamiliar to him.
"Yeah."
"Oh! The world where Duel Monsters live!" Jaden exclaimed excitedly.
"I've been wanting to come back ever since last time! You can just come here whenever you want? So jealous!"
"But this place is a bit different from before..."
Kira smiled, but didn't elaborate.
He had explored the Spirit World several times and mapped everywhere he'd been. Once he pieced the maps together, he finally found this particular dimension.
This wasn't just any random spirit dimension.
This was one of the Twelve Dimensions from the late GX story arc, the domain ruled by the legendary "Supreme King," where Jaden and his friends came to rescue Jesse.
This was part of why Kira brought Jaden here.
In his battle with the Arbiter, the Arbiter had hinted at this. The Supreme King may not have always been dormant inside Jaden; they were simply connected in some way.
The real Supreme King might have always existed in this spirit world, the true ruler of the Twelve Dimensions.
But even so, the link to the Supreme King remained a ticking time bomb inside Jaden. And Kira sensed that something inside Jaden had been triggered after that duel with the Arbiter.
It seemed the Arbiter, though not taking his soul, had somehow flipped a switch deep within Jaden's heart. The Supreme King's seal had loosened a bit—no obvious changes yet, but another emotional shock could set it off.
Especially with the upcoming battle against the Seven Stars. Even though Kira planned to be proactive, Jaden might still face several dark duels. The life-and-death pressure of a dark duel could shake his mental defenses, allowing the Supreme King to take over early.
But Kira already had a plan.
By using the Link System, projecting their consciousness into the Spirit World (just like how Duel Monster spirits appear in the real world), even if they were defeated, they'd simply return to reality. In other words, they were protected here.
So, why not use the Link System to address the bomb before it went off?
Kira's plan was to find the Supreme King.
Defeating the Supreme King might eliminate the threat, and could even help Jaden absorb its power early and accelerate his growth.
And, by taking the initiative, they could prepare thoroughly—far better odds than getting ambushed by the Supreme King someday.
"By the way, Kira, you said there was something important—what is it?" Jaden asked as they walked.
"It's more of a trial you must face," Kira replied. "If things go smoothly, you may overcome it ahead of time."
"My trial?" Jaden looked around curiously. "In this world?"
"All great duelists eventually have to confront the darkness in their hearts," Kira explained. "If you can't overcome your own darkness, you'll never reach your peak."
"There's no darkness in my heart," Jaden said with a laugh.
"Is that really true?"
Kira smiled mysteriously, giving him a meaningful look.
Jaden felt a little awkward under his gaze. "W-What?"
"Nothing."
Kira turned away, still smiling.
Jaden thought for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "You're already a top duelist, Kira. But what's the darkness in your own heart?"
Kira didn't answer.
They continued through the barren wasteland, seeing no signs of life. After a while, the outline of a town finally appeared ahead.
But as they drew near, the town was dilapidated and deserted. The architecture looked ancient, like something from a thousand years ago—crude stone buildings, desolate streets swept by cold winds, with not a soul in sight.
"This is a spirit town?" Jaden peered inside, curious. "But there's no one here. Is it abandoned?"
"Kuri, kuri!" Winged Kuriboh suddenly floated out, flapping its wings and pointing with its tiny paw. Following the hint, Jaden spotted a small figure peeking at them from behind a stone house. Noticing Jaden's gaze, the figure shivered and quickly ran off.
"Hey, wait!"
Jaden hurried after the shadow, weaving through several alleys. Suddenly, a scream rang out from around the corner.
Jaden rushed over and found a little girl on the ground—blonde, in a dirty patched dress, terrified and helpless.
In front of her was a hulking monster, scorpion-like, clinging to the wall and slowly descending, eyes full of malice and hunger.
"Well, what have we here? Such a tender little girl. Looks like I'm in luck today."
The scorpion monster leapt down, smacking its lips.
The girl shrank backward in terror, trying to get up, but her legs were paralyzed with fear.
Jaden didn't hesitate. Seeing the scene, he immediately leapt forward.
"Hey, stop!"
He spread his arms, protecting the girl.
"Hm?"
The giant scorpion was momentarily startled, then quickly noticed the duel disk on Jaden's arm.
Its eyes glinted with battle lust.
"A duelist? Here?"
PS: Bonus chapters at 2000 PS