While waiting for his subordinates to gather, the second-in-command told Yuji about their boss.
(T/N : lets call the second-in-command Renjiro kurobane)
Their boss wasn't a local native, but someone Renjiro had found after the war started three years ago, when the Sanjuku District was steadily retreating under the Obelisk troops' relentless assault.
One day, however, Renjiro discovered that the Obelisk troops, who had been attacking persistently every day, suddenly ceased their assault, and their camp had fallen eerily silent.
When the Renjiro's gang sent people to investigate, they witnessed a scene they would never forget.
A deathly silence pervaded the once-bustling camp. An injured boy lay collapsed on the ground, and it was impossible to tell if he was alive or dead. Countless cards that had once been Fusion Dimension warriors were scattered all around him.
The rebels from Sanjuku District brought the boy back, but after examining his injuries, the rebel army's military doctor concluded that he couldn't save him.
After that day, the Obelisk Legion's offensive temporarily halted, and the rebels in the Sanjuku area finally got a rare chance to breathe.
Not long after, the boy miraculously recovered, though a terrible scar remained on the left side of his face. In Sanjuku District, where strength commanded respect, everyone unanimously elected the boy as their leader.
But the young man remained silent every day, and simply wore a mask to cover the scar on his face.
Shortly after the boy recovered, the Obelisk Legion returned with renewed force, but before the rebels could organize their troops, they discovered that their new leader had vanished.
However, early the next morning, the rebels found the dying boy in Obelisk's elite camp, and the entire 200-strong enemy army had been wiped out overnight.
The rebels brought the boy back and carefully nursed him, while struggling to resist the enraged reinforcements from the Fusion Dimension.
After the young man awoke, he left again. This time, Renjiro was more cautious and led troops to follow him.
This time, the rebels in Sanjuku District witnessed with their own eyes how the young man massacred everyone in Obelisk's camp.
None of the Obelisk elites, who usually proved difficult for everyone to handle, lasted even a few rounds against the young man.
Dueling, switching cards, moving to the next opponent—the boy repeated this mechanical process like an emotionless machine.
With the rebels' assistance this time, the boy avoided serious injury.
After this experience, the people of Sanjuku District regarded the young man as a god. Although he never issued a single order, every rebel there would respectfully call him "Boss" whenever they saw him.
The Obelisk Legion, having suffered repeated defeats, finally abandoned their assault on the stubborn Sanjuku District for the time being.
But before the rebels could celebrate, they discovered that their leader had vanished again.
The rebels frantically searched everywhere, and eventually found the dying boy in an Obelisk camp 30 kilometers from the Sanjuku area, and this camp, like the others before it, had no soldiers left alive.
The young man had suffered exceptionally severe injuries this time, and even with what the doctor called inhuman physical resilience, he required three months of recuperation before fully recovering.
Just when the rebels breathed a sigh of relief, the boy disappeared yet again...
This pattern continued—the young man would leave alone time after time, and the rebels would carry him back wounded each time.
After three years, no one knew how many Obelisk legions the boy had turned into cards, until the most recent incident half a year ago, when he ran alone to attack the Fusion Dimension's headquarters in Heartland.
If the rebels in Sanjuku District hadn't desperately broken through a small gap in the enemy's defense line, the boy would have died half a year ago.
But this time, after half a year of recuperation, he had set off again last night.
"No wonder the Obelisk troops besieging us suddenly retreated half a year ago." After listening to Renjiro's narration, fragments of his previous life's memories surfaced in Yuji's mind, but then Yuji suddenly realized something.
Why was there no mention of such a formidable person in the original story? Could it be that he dies this time?
Thinking of this, Yuji hurriedly grabbed Renjiro and said urgently: "Hurry and take me there, my car is parked at the boundary marker, there's still time to catch up!"
"You have a car? That's great!" the Renjiro said happily. After arranging for Reynold to gather troops and follow them, he took Yuji and ran toward the boundary monument.
Soon, Yuji and Renjiro reached the boundary marker. Yuji, who wasn't very proficient at driving, tossed the keys to Renjiro. The second-in-command didn't waste words. After starting the car, he sped toward the Fusion Dimension headquarters to the north.
"By the way, if your boss is so strong, why does he always act alone? Wouldn't it be smoother with your assistance?" During the journey, the bored Yuji couldn't help asking.
"How would I know what big brother is thinking, but I suspect he's seeking death." Renjiro kept his eyes on the road as he spoke.
"Courting death?" Yuji asked in confusion.
(T/N: As a mtl novel, courting death is a common thing. Happens all the time)
"I think so, because I can't see any spark of life in the eye that shows outside his mask, and how do I describe it? It's as if he died long ago, like he's just a corpse wandering the world." The second-in-command explained.
Four hours later, less than a kilometer from the Fusion Dimension headquarters, a figure appeared in the sight of Renjiro and Yuji. Renjiro was overjoyed and stepped on the accelerator to catch up.
The vehicle's movement made the man turn his head sharply, and he activated his duel disk defensively.
"Boss!" Renjiro rushed up and grabbed the masked young man. "Listen to me, our troops are on the way, wait for them to arrive, let's go together, don't take this risk alone."
At that moment, Yuji finally saw half of the boss's face exposed beneath the mask. The memories of this body's original owner made Yuji blurt out: "Yasuo? You're still alive? Why didn't you come find us?"
The young man before him was none other than Sugihara Yasuo, the former head of the Diamond Academy branch who had led alongside Yuji, Kaito, and Yuto.
"Why would I come find you?" The young man spoke slowly, his hoarse voice like a devil's whisper.
"You two know each other?" Renjiro looked at Yuji in puzzlement.
"Of course, your boss is the former chief of Diamond Academy." Yuji said solemnly.
"What?" Renjiro was stunned by these words. He truly hadn't expected that the boy they'd rescued back then had such a background.
"Chief?" Yasuo laughed bitterly at those words. "The Diamond Academy branch is gone, so what chief could there be?"
"Yasuo, listen to me, I'm sorry about the Diamond Academy branch. At that time, the three of us were all tied up and couldn't arrive in time to help, but now, we've assembled the remaining forces from our three academies. Come back with me, we'll plan carefully together, let us all help you avenge Diamond Academy." Yuji urged.
"Revenge? With just you? Back then, the four academies at full strength couldn't do it, so what can you accomplish now with a group of remnant soldiers?" Yasuo looked coldly at Yuji standing before him. "Get out of the way. I just want to kill a few more fusion dogs before I go to meet Ryo."
"As a friend, I can't just watch you go to your death. Either come back with me willingly, or I'll beat you down and drag you back." Yuji activated his duel disk and declared word by word.
"It seems that this war has changed everyone. You, who used to be taciturn, can now say such things in front of me. Then, let me see what gives you the confidence to help me get revenge." Yasuo said as he activated his duel disk.
"Duel!"
(End of this chapter)