At the very moment the final attacks were launched, the screen went dark. The broadcast cut out in a flash, triggering an immediate uproar. Even within the KaibaCorp base, duelists began cursing in frustration.
At this moment, no one cared who was behind the abrupt signal cut. They cared about one thing and one thing only—who won the duel!?
From what was shown, with Seto Kaiba's three Blue-Eyes White Dragons poised to attack, even if Jack Atlas had lowered one of their ATK with his card effects, his Life Points were too low to survive. But since the final moment was never broadcast, heated debates erupted.
"Jack... lost!?"
"No way! He hasn't lost yet! There's no way our KING would lose!"
"But there were no monsters left on Jack's field to defend..."
"He still had cards in his hand! Maybe he had a trap—some kind of Red Dragon defense! He had to!"
Whether or not Jack had a miracle in his hand didn't matter to Hikaru Amagi. The moment the screen glitched, he knew: Jack lost.
Crash and burn—he'd seen it before.
And sure enough, Jack had panicked under the triple assault of the Blue-Eyes, lost control of his Duel Runner, and wiped out. Luckily, as a veteran Turbo Duelist, he came away with only minor injuries and was back on his Duel Runner in no time, riding back toward the KaibaCorp base behind Seto.
Just then, as Seto handed off his cards to his assistant, and Chazz Princeton moved in to congratulate him, the monitors around the base finally returned after a flurry of static. A composed, scholarly-looking man appeared onscreen, apologizing to all viewers for the sudden interruption at the climax of the exhibition match.
He explained the cause: a sudden internal uprising within City itself. As head of Sector Security, he had been forced to intervene personally, leading to the unexpected lapse in broadcast.
However, he reassured everyone that the camera crew and MC following the Turbo Duel had recorded the entire match. The footage would be released after the next Fortune Cup, once the new King was crowned—maybe even on DVD.
"Always protecting the KING's image," someone muttered bitterly.
Obviously, this was a PR move to preserve Jack's dignity. If a new champion rose in the next tournament, they could show the loss. If not, they'd bury the footage.
"But to force Seto-sensei to summon Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and even banish his entire hand and field... that Jack Atlas really is something," Chazz murmured, remembering Jack's cards.
Red Dragon Archfiend, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, Stardust Dragon, Sirius the Blue Wolf King... each one powerful.
Honestly, if Chazz had faced that same situation, he knew he would've been under heavy pressure. That KING title wasn't just for show.
Hikaru Amagi said nothing.
Was Jack strong?
Undeniably. In the original story, he had an undefeated standing duel record. Every time he stood, he never lost—a clear symbol of his ability.
But…
Hikaru hadn't forgotten the cards Kaiba used with "Dice Machine Go! Go!"—Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon and Abyss Dragon. He hadn't played them, but the implication was clear: Kaiba's deck was packed with next-gen Blue-Eyes support.
That whole "Seto Kaiba's too busy exploring alternate dimensions to update his deck" rumor? Total lie.
Not updated? Please.
He'd clearly been scouting every dimension for Blue-Eyes-related cards.
After all, Jaden Yuki had done the same thing for his Elemental HERO obsession.
"Hmph. Looks like he's been real busy in his world," Gloria Tyler muttered under her breath, arms crossed as she listened to Goodwin's announcement, clearly displeased.
It was obvious: a political purge.
In fact, after the discovery of the Synchro Dimension, the Fusion Army had started laying groundwork to infiltrate. Dimensional Gate technology aside, the easiest way to invade was to turn locals into collaborators.
The Synchro Dimension had a massive energy supply, but limited applications for it. Curious about Dimensional Gates, their leaders had attracted attention from elders within the City—some wise and uninterested, others power-hungry or desperate to extend their lives.
Those elders made excellent pawns for the Fusion Army.
Unfortunately for them…
Even without official reports, Gloria could guess what had happened: Goodwin had taken advantage of the distraction to wipe out his enemies.
Dimensional exchange drew far too much attention. The timing was perfect for a purge.
And she had to admit, his bold, ruthless actions were what made him suited for "big things"—just like the leader of the Fusion Army, Professor Leo Akaba.
That man also wanted to expand the reach of Fusion across dimensions. But with someone like Seto Kaiba present, he had to keep a low profile and bide his time.
If this opportunity had come to their world? She was certain the Professor wouldn't have missed it.
But even Gloria didn't realize—Goodwin wasn't targeting specific enemies.
He eliminated everyone.
Friend or foe, it didn't matter.
What came next was the usual cross-dimensional exchange. Card trading. Duel culture sharing.
Politics bored Hikaru.
But card trades? Now that caught his interest.
Because—he could finally buy cards here!
Time to go all-out and buy everything this dimension had to offer!
KaibaCorp had already explained: the Friendship Cup was their official first contact with the Synchro Dimension. Over the past fifteen days, Kaiba's students had been engaging in diplomatic duels with Sector Security.
And one of the biggest benefits for the students?
They could now trade cards or buy packs from Sector Security's inventory.
Money wasn't a problem—KaibaCorp covered all costs. Based on duel performance during the past two weeks, each student was awarded points. These points could be exchanged for booster packs and cards as prizes and compensation.
They even got a "lost summer vacation" stipend. Kaiba spared no expense. No student would leave empty-handed.
And what did Sector Security offer?
The most popular and cutting-edge card sets from their world—including, potentially, rare Synchro Monsters!
For students, this was massively tempting.
As the first to duel and win, Hikaru Amagi had already left a strong impression. His performance was outstanding, and he'd revealed a "world-symbolizing" monster card. His evaluation was sky-high. Combined with personal praise from Yugi Mutou himself, Hikaru had earned the highest score of any student, granting him access to the largest pool of card packs.
So, on this final day, Hikaru and a few friends headed straight for the small Sector Security pop-up shop, eager to pull some cards.
Sure, Synchro Monsters ruled this world.
But Fusion cards existed here too. Even the Skull Knight he'd dueled earlier had used Underworld Dragon Dragonecro—pure Fusion.
And that's when Hikaru saw someone unexpected.
No… not unexpected.
In the corner of the shop, a group of students was whispering and sneaking glances at a well-built man flipping through booster packs, inspecting artwork and packaging with a curious smile.
Yugi Mutou.
Of course he was here.
His goal in coming to this world? To explore the card game culture. To study this dimension's strategies, monsters, and dueling traditions.
When Hikaru, Jaden Yuki, and the others burst into the shop excitedly, Yugi looked up and smiled.
"You're just in time. I found some interesting cards," he said, raising a pack slightly and motioning them over.
"Come have a look."