Sartorius slowly opened his eyes.
"Sarina," he said. "I hope it's good news this time."
He looked up and saw two round mirrors hanging in midair. Light flickered across their surfaces, and then the face of his younger sister, Sarina, appeared.
"It is," Sarina said. "But it may not be the kind you want."
She paused, then spoke before Sartorius could ask more.
"Revolver issue still isn't resolved. The Knights of Hanoi has been active lately, disrupting the Society's operations from multiple angles and causing significant impact."
Sartorius frowned, visibly irritable.
Sarina, Aster, everyone in the Society—it felt like, all of a sudden, no one around him was reliable and everything was working against him.
It made him uncomfortable. Ever since he possessed Sartorius, everything had gone his way, as if fate had always stood behind him.
But now, it was as if fate had gone elsewhere, standing with someone else, opposing him.
"So what's the good news?" Sartorius asked.
"The Prince you told me to watch," Sarina said. "My people have made contact. He's very interested in the 'Ultimate D' cards.
I told him you're someone connected to the 'Ultimate D' cards. He's agreed to meet you, and he's willing to communicate through a duel."
Sartorius's eyes lit up.
Finally, some good news.
Just like in the original anime, the ultimate satellite weapon "SORA" recently developed by the once-proud nation of Misgarth—ruled by Prince Ojin—had been targeted by Sartorius—or rather, by the Light of Destruction.
The fragment of the Light of Destruction inhabiting Sartorius's body didn't have the world-ending power of Zorc the Dark One or the Orichalcos's parasite serpent. It was merely a shard of a light that occasionally visited Earth—far from strong enough.
So the plan was to use the satellite SORA.
Relying on the Light of Destruction's mind-control property: as long as it wins a duel, the opponent's fate becomes a puppet under its control. Sartorius just had to take command of the person with launch authority for the SORA satellite, then he could use it to inflict devastating strikes on humanity, fulfilling the Light's "purify all" nature.
Yes, the Light of Destruction chose the most primitive and brutal method: physical "purification."
Obviously, the Prince Ojin was the key. Defeat him, brainwash him with the Light, seize the two keys needed to activate SORA, and the plan would succeed.
"Where is he?" Sartorius asked.
"He went to Duel Academy for the GX tournament," Sarina said. "As a national dignitary, the Prince Ojin has been given a standalone suite. Conveniently, there shouldn't be anyone to interfere—ideal for you to act.
I've already arranged things with them."
"Excellent, Sarina. You've done well."
Sartorius nodded in satisfaction and stood, predatory light flashing in his eyes.
"Then let me see with my own eyes whether this human prince truly has the strength to wield such a dangerous weapon."
…
That night, Sartorius personally arrived at Duel Academy.
Disembarking from the ship and stepping onto the pier, he raised his head toward the dark silhouette of the forested hills and the distant lights of buildings, falling silent for a moment.
At last, he had come to Duel Academy.
His divinations had shown this place as the land of destiny. His arrangements on Earth, the continuation of his fate—no matter how many readings he performed, they all pointed to this academy. Yet the outcome of the battle seemed shrouded in mist; no matter how many times he tried, he couldn't see through it.
That was normal. Divining for oneself was inevitably tinged with bias. Even he couldn't see his own future—only others'.
But it didn't matter. Even without foresight, Sartorius had absolute confidence in his own strength.
Not to mention, the deck he used possessed the absolute power to manipulate fate: "Arcana Force." Based on the tarot, each monster would randomly enter the field in "Right Side Up" or "Upside Down" position upon being summoned.
And with his absolute power over destiny, he could freely control that supposedly random outcome—Right Side Up or Upside Down—as easily as choosing heads or tails on a coin. It was proof that fate still stood with him.
Sartorius smiled dangerously.
After today, once he defeated the Prince Ojin and brought him under his control, the plan would be more than half complete.
This planet was destined to become an appendage of the Light.
Sartorius passed through the dense woods, heading for the coordinates Sarina had given him.
Though it was night, Duel Academy was unexpectedly lively. As Sartorius walked through the trees, he frequently heard booming explosions, saw bursts of fire shoot up among the trunks, and caught the sound of shouting and cursing.
It sounded like a lot of people were dueling.
"The GX tournament, huh…"
Sartorius muttered.
He had actually considered targeting this tournament as a good opportunity to infiltrate Duel Academy—sending Society members imbued with shards of the Light to proselytize through duels and gain more followers.
He shook his head.
It should have been a good idea. But now it was just a thought.
Ever since he sent in Lorenzo to infiltrate, only for some random woman off the street to stomp him so hard he couldn't function, Sartorius felt this academy ran deep.
He sensed as if the entire school were shrouded in an invisible darkness—a darkness that even his supreme cosmic Light could not penetrate. His intuition told him that sending more Society members would make no difference.
Well, none of it mattered now. As long as he obtained the keys to SORA—
With that thought, he had already arrived at the Prince's detached residence.
This matter was too important, and the person too critical, for Sartorius to trust anyone else. He had to act personally to bring the Prince Ojin to heel.
No one stood outside.
Sartorius frowned, puzzled. He had expected the prince to at least have guards at the door.
He put a hand to the door and gave a gentle push. It creaked open.
Not even locked. Even stranger.
Sartorius stepped inside.
"Your Highness?"
He called out.
"It's me, Sartorius. I have an appointment."
No reply. His voice echoed down the empty hallway.
The whole house was deathly silent, the only light coming from the living room, spilling into the corridor.
A strange premonition stirred in Sartorius's heart.
Even so, he followed the light and entered the living room.
There, in the center, sat a chair facing away from him. As if hearing his approach, the chair slowly turned.
Sartorius saw the person sitting there with legs crossed, and his pupils shrank.
Fujiki Kira?