"The result is in!"
A grand arena, stands packed with crowds, a sea of people roaring like the ocean. The judge, holding a microphone, announced with dramatic enthusiasm:
"The winner of the finals, the new Duel King, is—Fujiki Kira!"
Applause and cheers erupted as if the entire arena had caught fire. Even before the judge's words faded, the place was already boiling over, thunderous applause drowning out all else. Spectators leaped to their feet, waving flags bearing the victor's name.
Kira stood at the center of the arena, suddenly finding the lights glaringly bright. All around, the cheers and shouts, the sudden arrival of the highest glory at the summit of this world—his first feeling wasn't excitement, but confusion.
Wait, how did I get here?
Why does it feel like I just skipped a whole season's worth of progress?
Kira frowned.
He vaguely remembered infiltrating that company called ABIAK with the President and Alister. They'd entered through the sewers, hacked the express elevator with Mokuba's remote help, and reached the server room...
And then, suddenly, he was here?
Just like that, he'd become the Duel King.
And that wasn't all. He quickly realized his bank account was now overflowing with a dizzying sum, he owned a garage full of luxury cars, and mansions—so many he'd lost count.
The nearest, for instance, was a manor just outside Domino City.
Strolling through the vast estate, magnificent buildings, manicured gardens, exquisite sculptures and artwork—he suddenly felt like a spectator in first-person, as if witnessing some alternate timeline's version of himself—a self who'd won everything through dueling, who stood atop the world.
"Kira-sama, your bath is ready."
Turning around, he found an actual maid in the manor. Her dress floated lightly, white stockings hugging her shapely legs, collarbone and mysterious curves exposed, as soft as clouds.
"Would you like your bath now, Master?"
The maid smiled sweetly, starting to undo her belt as she spoke.
"Wait a minute." Kira raised his eyebrow, stopping her with a gesture. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
The maid blinked innocently. "Serve you, Master."
Kira: "..."
Sensing things were about to spiral out of control, Kira coughed.
"Silence."
At his word, the scene froze.
The vast mansion, the dreamy little maid—everything twisted and warped before his eyes. Colors blurred and smeared, clear outlines dissolving.
Then, as if the world were a shattered mirror, everything broke into countless fragments. All those vivid details vanished in an instant, replaced by chaos and darkness—a void stretching to infinity.
Only a long corridor appeared before him, its end unknown.
The figure of Silent Magician materialized at his side.
"That was...an illusion?" Kira frowned. "Some kind of enemy hallucination?"
Silent Magician shook her head.
Kira glanced at his right hand, feeling something off, but soon understood.
"So that's it..." he muttered. "This sensation, this state is..."
A virtual body.
He wasn't in reality but in a digital state, like when connected to a Link System. He'd somehow been accelerated into a virtual world created by some high-tech process—KaibaCorp-level tech. Everything he'd just seen was a data projection.
Now, with the spirit's help, he'd pierced the opponent's illusion, but he was still inside this virtual world—just viewing its deeper layer.
He looked down the corridor stretching out before him.
"So, this is their invitation." He chuckled, glancing at Silent Magician. "What do you think—should we accept their challenge?"
Silent Magician nodded, raising her staff to her chest in agreement.
So Kira strode forward into the darkness.
Soon, he noticed the corridor walls resembled mirrors, and as he walked, distorted images began to appear.
He recognized everyone in the reflections.
Rex Raptor, for example.
Rex's face was twisted in hatred and resentment as he glared at Kira: "My comeback match, my chance... You took everything from me!"
"Oh."
Kiran replied casually, not even slowing down as he passed Rex by.
Rex: "You @#%&!"
Next was Shell from Neo Doma, also full of hatred: "You stole my best deck—my very life! How does it feel to become a victor by stepping on so many corpses?"
"Not bad." Kira shrugged. "Your cards were pretty useful."
Shell: "You son of—"
But he didn't finish. Kira didn't pause, leaving him behind as well.
Kira quickly realized: in these mirrors, he was seeing all his defeated opponents.
Some accused him of taking everything, some said his joy was built on their pain, others claimed he'd stop at nothing for victory.
But Kira just smiled and kept walking.
At some point, he stopped, speaking calmly into the darkness: "You can stop this pointless exhibition now.
You do realize these are all people I've already beaten, right? Don't tell me you thought parading a bunch of losers would scare me?"
A brief silence.
Then, a faint blue light appeared in the darkness. Data streams converged, forming a human silhouette—dressed in a black coat, walking out slowly.
Just from his features, he looked a little like Kaiba himself.
"I've reviewed your file, Fujiki Kira," the man said coolly. "At least from the records, you've never lost a duel. The dossiers already rate you highly, but I'd say you're still underestimated.
But on your path to victory, you've never truly respected your opponents as fellow duelists."
Kira understood. This was much like Zane's early philosophy in the anime—always respecting his opponents as duelists, valuing that even above victory itself. Of course, after being battered in the pro leagues, even Zane gave up that naive ideal.
Kira smiled lightly.
"Dueling is, from its very birth, a ceremony designed for there to be only one winner," he said calmly. "Call it cruel, or unscrupulous if you want.
But in the end, only the victor gets to stand here."
He paused, voice steady.
"Of course, bearing the resentment of the defeated is also the victor's responsibility. That's a resolve every duelist must have when stepping onto the battlefield."
A trace of sarcasm curled his lips.
"I don't know who you are, but if you think a bunch of losers can shake me, isn't that kind of funny?"
The man narrowed his eyes, silent for two seconds.
"I see." He nodded. "Looks like I underestimated you. Fujiki Kira—with both your skill and unwavering resolve, duelists like you are rare indeed. Seems Seto Kaiba values more than just your talent."
He raised his arm. Streams of data formed a Duel Disk on his hand.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Delta. My father ordered me to defeat you here. Since you're not falling for tricks, let's settle this the duelist's way—by dueling."
PS: 2 Bonus Chapters at 1000 PS.