"Looks like I won, Pharaoh."
Kira put away his Duel Disk.
Pharaoh: "."
Kira took two steps forward. But as soon as he moved, soldiers leapt up from below the stage, leveling long spears to surround him in a tight ring.
"Stop!"
"Don't take another step."
"You vile cur! How dare you be so disrespectful to the Pharaoh!"
The more the soldiers spoke, the more agitated they became. Some looked ready to thrust their spears straight through him at any moment to avenge the Pharaoh for the humiliation he'd just suffered in the duel.
But Kira seemed oblivious to the ring of spearheads around him. He looked calmly at Abidos the Third.
"Well then, Pharaoh?"
Abidos the Third was breathing heavily. Only now did his breath gradually steady. Using his knee for support, he pushed himself to his feet.
"St-stand down."
All the soldiers turned to the Pharaoh.
"But, Pharaoh…"
"I said stand down." The Pharaoh stood, flicked his cape, and spoke with an unquestionable majesty. "I am a duelist. To lose so miserably is shame enough—do you intend to humiliate me further?"
The soldiers looked at one another, but in the end obeyed, retracting their spears and withdrawing.
The Pharaoh looked at Kira again and exhaled a long, turbid breath.
"You did not take my life," he said coolly. "But I should have already passed on long ago. I only returned to the world of the living to seek a true opponent and a most exhilarating duel."
He stopped there, shook his head, and didn't continue.
A true opponent he had indeed found—yet there had been nothing exhilarating about the duel.
What had just taken place was less a duel and more like him being subjected to a punishment. The Pharaoh was already reflecting—had he done something wrong during his reign? Perhaps committed some unforgivable error without even realizing it? Why else would fate send such a person to judge him?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt his earlier self truly had it coming—that he had nothing better to do than show up three thousand years later looking for a real duelist…
Still, to be fair, this duel had indeed solved his problem.
In the original anime, Abidos the Third faced Jaden. Although he lost then as well, it was a glorious, exhilarating defeat, and the bout was tremendously satisfying.
He even extended a warm invitation to Jaden afterward—suggesting Jaden accompany him to the underworld. The duel hadn't dampened his passion at all; it only whetted his appetite. If they went to the afterlife, they could duel every day—what joy would that be?
But after today's match, His Majesty the Pharaoh had absolutely no desire to duel anyone ever again. He suddenly felt that beating up on his own subordinates every day sounded quite entertaining; he no longer wished to seek out any so-called strong opponents.
As for inviting Kira to the underworld to duel with him?
He'd probably be so infuriated he'd come back to life within a few days, even if he were dead.
"I will return to where I belong," the Pharaoh said.
"Rest assured, I won't come back. I won't trouble the world of the living again."
"There's no rush," Kira said with a smile. "I still need a small favor from you, remember, Pharaoh?"
The Pharaoh blinked, then nodded. "Of course. I am a duelist; my word is my bond. Speak. So long as it's within my power…"
"In fact, it's nothing much," Kira said, turning to look toward the doorway. "I'll need your help with this as well."
Tania's expression was still complicated—she was in a daze.
Even the god of dueling had been punished like she was…
No—worse than she was, perhaps.
Though she hadn't witnessed Abidos the Third's coffin strategy before, she could more or less tell that His Majesty the Pharaoh had never even gotten to run the tactic he wanted from start to finish. He'd been completely suppressed, almost unable to move.
This guy called "Revolver" was truly terrifying.
She had only come to watch the show, but when Kira suddenly called her by name, Tania was slightly surprised. "Me?"
"Yes."
Kira glanced at the Pharaoh.
"I'm guessing Pharaoh doesn't know where the master of the Shadow Riders is, am I right?"
"I do not," Abidos the Third said, shaking his head.
"I only know he is the man who awakened me. I don't care who he is; he promised there would be powerful duelists—worthy, true opponents.
Until then, I was simply to wait here."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and looked at his hand, clenching it as if testing the flow of life-force within.
"The power he granted me sustains this body in this era, but it will not last long. So I usually sleep to reduce consumption, and only stir when I must duel—or when something important must be said."
Kira nodded. That lined up with what Tania had told him.
"Good. Then I'd like you all to keep a low profile and remain in the Shadow Riders for now—do nothing."
The two Shadow Riders officers exchanged looks, as if finding this hard to believe.
Such a thing existed?
They were dark duelists. To lose a duel meant paying the price—surrendering one's soul or even one's life was commonplace. Yet this man wanted them to remain as they were and do nothing—what sort of sweet deal was this?
"Haha, of course it won't be like that forever. I have a small plan," Kira said with a smile. "Each of you will have a task when the time comes.
When it's time to act, I'll notify you."
The Pharaoh and Tania looked at each other again.
"I understand," the Pharaoh said with a nod, agreeing.
As the defeated, they were in no position to bargain.
Linking this to Kira's earlier questions, Tania ventured a guess. "You want us to be moles within the Shadow Riders, don't you?"
Kira smiled without answering.
"I see… That master of the Shadow Riders—he and you have some sort of history?" Tania asked.
Kira shook his head. "No, we're complete strangers."
"Then why are you so fixated on him?"
"Let's put it this way: our positions are at risk of becoming hostile," Kira said. "And what he intends to do is extremely dangerous. If left unchecked, it could threaten me and many people I know."
Tania pondered for a moment.
"So you've decided to strike first, before any of that happens?"
"Exactly. I'm not fond of uncertainty. If I can resolve things while they're still within my control, all the better."
"…"
There was something she didn't dare say aloud.
The world is full of dark and dangerous beings—do you plan to drag them all out one by one and eliminate them?
And if this man truly could do that—wiping out everything he deemed a threat—
then wouldn't he become the greatest and most uncontrollable threat in the world?