What lay before him was undoubtedly a Dark Duel, but as far as Yugen knew, Ryuzaki, despite his questionable character, was generally a serious duelist, except for being misled in the Orichalcos arc by Doma, and usually stayed away from these Life Bet Cards.
Both sides looked like they had been at it for quite some time, with both fields entirely blank. Their Life Points were running low, and both appeared disheveled, struggling to stay upright and gasping for air.
[Ryuzaki, LP 700]
[Fujimoto, LP 300]
The Dark Duelist, Fujimoto, took a moment to catch his breath and then said in a deep voice, "As expected of a legendary duelist, to have fought to this level, you've got some skills."
Then he changed the topic, declaring loudly, "But, I've sworn to use your soul to mourn my fallen brother, and I'm not going down here!"
"I keep telling you, I've never even met that ghost whatever guy you're talking about!" Ryuzaki bellowed.
To risk his life for someone he'd never heard of seemed the most absurd thing he'd ever faced.
"His name is Genichiro Onizuka, remember it well," Fujimoto shouted, "because you're going to Hell to confess to him soon!"
"I said I've never met him..." Ryuzaki muttered in frustration.
Is this guy insane? Coming out of nowhere, demanding revenge, not listening to reason at all.
If he ended up losing his life in such a ridiculous match, Ryuzaki felt he'd die with a deep grievance.
Yugen heard this and fell silent.
Genichiro Onizuka... that name sounded so familiar.
Now that he thought about it, that guy who ambushed him insisting on a duel the other night did say he initially wanted to challenge Ryuzaki, but changed his mind after seeing Ryuzaki getting beaten in a tournament...
Could it really be such a coincidence?
Just then, a roaring noise came from above, accompanied by swirling dust and a gusting storm. Yugen instinctively raised his arm to shield himself and looked up, only to see a white helicopter flying overhead, descending towards the nearest street at the alley's entrance.
The helicopter's rotors sliced through the air, creating a fierce, violent storm, as if a dragon was soaring through the sky. Mid-air, the cabin door swung open, and a figure leaped out, their coat flapping like a cape in the wind.
The newcomer landed with a flourish like a superhero, crouching briefly before standing up with arms crossed, coat billowing wildly in the rotor's tempest.
Such an exaggerated entrance even caught the attention of the two Life Bet Card dueling men, who collectively showed expressions of astonishment.
Ryuzaki: "It's you!?"
Fujimoto turned pale: "The legendary duelist... Seto Kaiba!?"
Yugen: "..."
Only in a card-playing scene could someone make an entrance like a superhero, and possess such Super Soldier-level agility to leap from that height unscathed.
Could it be that playing cards not only strengthens the body but also turns you into a superman?
"Brother!"
Keihei quickly approached from behind his brother, pointing at Fujimoto in the field.
"That person, the sensors show that the source of the Dark Duel is him!"
Fujimoto: "..."
At this point, he really wanted to say that he wasn't the one, but with no room for argument given the situation...
"This foolish duel ends here."
Kaiba stepped forward, speaking coldly.
"Bullying minnows isn't anything impressive. If you want to play, I'll gladly oblige."
Ryuzaki fumed: "Who are you calling a minnow!?"
Kaiba completely ignored him.
Fujimoto swallowed hard.
Although known as a legendary duelist, challenging Ryuzaki was one thing, but facing Seto Kaiba was another.
Everyone knew Kaiba's main card was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but his last public duel was many years ago. While no one had seen him play in a long time, everyone was also aware of his top-notch research team tirelessly developing new forms for the White Dragon. Who knows how intimidating the cards have become now...
"Heh... ha ha."
Fujimoto decided to stall.
"Alright... fine, I've been wanting to witness the power of the Blue-Eyes. But once a Dark Duel starts, it can't be stopped. Let me finish with Ryuzaki first..."
"No need."
Kaiba suddenly raised his Duel Disc.
Everyone realized that the Duel Disc he held was not a standard model but a more advanced, high-end custom product that wasn't available on the market.
The pose and the Duel Disc's design suddenly made Yugen feel a sense of déjà vu with this scene.
In the "Dark Side of the Dimensions" movie, the boss, Blue God, tried to bypass a duel and send Kaiba himself to the Other Dimension using his Divine Artifact. But Kaiba, posing exactly the same way, said he enhanced his consciousness through the Duel Disc, using science to counteract the foe's superpower...
The Duel Disc in Kaiba's hand looked somewhat similar to that and was emitting some sort of brilliant light.
Fujimoto frowned: "I don't know what you plan to do, but as I said, once a Dark Duel begins, it can't be stopped. Unless...
...Nani!?"
For a moment, the Dark Duelist's eyes seemed about to pop out.
What was he seeing?
The barrier of the Dark Duel, under that light... dissolved?
Bakana! Impossible!
Fujimoto was in chaos.
He was a man who wielded dark power!
Wasn't it supposed to be a new era where metaphysics ruled and science took a backseat?
Why was this happening?
It was Yugen's first time seeing something like this, but he remained calm.
In the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, card duels might reign supreme as the ultimate law, but that doesn't mean technology is obsolete. Like in 5D's, the final boss was from the Technology Side, proving that by using science, Duel Monsters can be materialized, achieving effects similar to a Dark Duel, even crossing time to destroy the world...
President Kaiba had suffered much from supernatural forces eight years ago and never gave up trying to use technology to decipher metaphysics in DM. It was normal for him to have made breakthroughs after eight years.
"This is the latest Duel Disc developed by Kaiba Company. It significantly amplifies a duelist's mental energy, designed especially to combat people like you."
Kaiba sneered.
"And it can do this too."
A more dazzling blue light burst from the Duel Disc, and a large amount of data spread out like a blue stream, swiftly occupying the entire field.
The ground under everyone's feet and the stone walls on both sides of the alley vanished, replaced by a duel field glowing with blue light, surrounded by nothing.
"A three-dimensional projected Death Battle Arena. Although it's a projection, the monsters and impacts summoned during our duel will have actual mass!"
This grandeur and dominating aura made Fujimoto start to feel apprehensive.
As unbelievable as it might sound, he felt like he had walked into a Scientific Dark Duel...