The preliminaries ended, and the WRGP entered a short two-day break.
Of course, although it was called a break, most of the participating duelists didn't actually relax.
Team 5D's was especially busy during these two days.
Antinomy, whom Z-ONE had planted among them, had successfully gotten close to Yusei and the others. To increase credibility and foster bonds, Z-ONE had even erased Antinomy's memories and given him a new name: "Bruno."
Team 5D's quickly accepted this new companion named Bruno. Although Bruno didn't remember his true identity or origins, he naturally felt goodwill toward Yusei. When Yusei faced danger, he would recall his mission to "protect Yusei."
He first appeared before Yusei as the mysterious Antinomy, proactively issuing a duel challenge. During the duel, he demonstrated the possibility of "Accel Synchro."
Yusei was naturally shocked by the concept of "dueling so hard during a duel that you lose consciousness," as well as the worldview-shattering idea of "wait, why can you Synchro Summon on the opponent's turn?" From then on, Crabhead learned about the concept of Accel Synchro and began unraveling its mystery.
At the same time, Antinomy switched to his Bruno persona and successfully got close to Yusei, using Bruno's extensive black-tech knowledge of Duel Runners to inspire Yusei and upgrade his Duel Runner.
In the original story, it was never stated that Duel Runner modifications helped with Accel Synchro. From the duels, the biggest advantage of Duel Runner speed seemed to be helping the rider seize the first turn. However, Kira felt that Duel Runner performance might influence Accel Synchro, since Duel Runners were driven by perpetual motion engines, and Synchro Summoning itself was closely tied to perpetual motion.
While Yusei sought new possibilities, Jack, guided by Kira's hint, had truly set off for Greiger's hometown. The strongest sealed Earthbound Immortal, Red Nova, seemed to have awakened from its ten-thousand-year slumber and was also drooling over Jack's body.
Whether Jack would control the Red Nova or become the demon's puppet was something outsiders couldn't help with—it depended on his own fortune.
…
Taking advantage of these two free days, Kira returned to his own dimension once. First, to check on the situation and confirm that nothing had gone wrong in the GX dimension while he was away. Second, to see if there were any new decks he could use.
And finally, there was one more thing: someone he had forgotten about while busy—the future man Paradox, who had been the first to visit Kira's dimension and deliver him a Duel Runner and deck, now stared at Kira with wide eyes.
"It was all a misunderstanding."
Kira smiled.
"Turns out we're all on the same side."
Paradox: "..."
Paradox didn't want to speak. He simply looked at Kira with a face full of resentment.
I was locked in that damn cage by you for two whole months, and now you tell me it was a misunderstanding?
Soon, however, Paradox realized this wasn't even the most ridiculous part.
The most ridiculous part was that after being locked up for two months, he came out to find that the robber who had caged him, stolen his deck, and taken his Duel Runner was now "on the same side"?
No, it wasn't just "on the same side"…
The guy had become an Emperor?
Paradox, who had finally returned to his own dimension and organization after two months, was a bit dazed.
He couldn't understand what had happened in those two months. He even began to suspect whether the world had already been destroyed without his knowledge, and what he was seeing now was some kind of distorted new world.
It sounded far-fetched, but he felt this was the most reasonable explanation for the absurd reality before him.
…
Outside the WRGP venue, atop a certain tall building.
"The energy gathered by this WRGP match is getting stronger and stronger."
One person paced back and forth irritably on the top floor.
"If I remember correctly, the reason this tournament is being held is to collect the duelists' energy to summon 'that' thing, right?"
The other person standing at the edge of the building nodded lightly. "Correct."
"Then isn't this really bad!?"
The irritable one grew even more anxious.
"And this guy named Fujiki Kira—he shouldn't even be here, right?"
The person at the edge nodded again. "Yeah. In the original history, there was no such person. He's a variable."
"This variable is way too bad. The guy is freakishly strong," the irritable one said. "He already fought Team Ragnarok like that during the preliminaries… With this guy around, won't the 'circuit' be completed much earlier? Maybe we won't even need to wait until the WRGP finals…"
"Yeah," the person at the edge nodded again.
"So shouldn't we do something about it!?"
The man grew increasingly restless as he spoke.
"Damn it, that Jack guy said he was going to meet them, but he left and never came back. No news at all until now.
That bastard always likes to act alone and arbitrarily ruins the plan…"
At this moment, the person standing at the edge of the building lowered his eyes slightly, looking down at the bustling traffic of New Domino City below. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Jack has already been dealt with."
The irritable person was stunned for a moment, then walked forward two steps in disbelief. "What do you mean by 'dealt with'…?"
"Just what it sounds like."
The person at the edge said indifferently.
"The signal was jammed that day, so I didn't receive exact duel records. It seems someone deliberately blocked the signal to prevent us from observing the entire duel.
But I think Jack probably ran into 'that guy' after he left."
The other person said blankly, "That guy is…"
"Fujiki Kira," the person at the edge said. "I didn't think so at the time, but after watching that match against Team Ragnarok, even Jack probably wasn't his match.
It's normal for him to have been taken out."
"So why can you say something like that so calmly!?" The other person rushed in front of him. "That was Jack! He was our companion, and he was just eliminated like that, you—"
"Mm, I know. But we must stay calm.
Besides, I didn't do nothing."
The person at the edge looked downward, a trace of sorrow in his eyes.
"You're right. Whether it's Fujiki Kira or this WRGP, we can't let it continue like this. Once the 'Ark Cradle' descends, we probably won't have any chance of winning on our own."
The other person's eyes flickered. "So you want to…"
"It's time for the decisive battle," the person at the edge said calmly. "Notify all our companions. From now on… this will be our do-or-die fight."
…