Buzz...
As the Duel began, flames surged across the entire Dueling field.
Shinji roared in fury, accusing Crow of betrayal, while Crow said nothing, his expression cold as he relentlessly pursued Shinji.
Behind them, the Sector Security units that had rushed back also witnessed the scene.
"That kid Crow…"
As a man destined to be overworked for life, Trudge had actually been slacking off for a short while that morning, only to suddenly receive an emergency order to pursue a kidnapper. He rushed over without hesitation.
He could tolerate many things.
But kidnapping kindergarten children was absolutely unforgivable.
Grabbing a megaphone, he shouted at Shinji,
"Shinji Weber! Whatever your demands are, we can discuss them properly! Release the children you've kidnapped! No matter what, children are innocent!"
Shinji's expression didn't change in the slightest.
At this moment, he was completely consumed by the power of the Earthbound. His destructive urges and malice were fully amplified. Already radical by nature and prone to extremism, he had now been pushed into outright madness under the influence of the Evil God.
And yet.
Despite his mania, his internal "logic" remained intact.
"Nonsense," Shinji sneered.
"You people from the Upper District always act superior, treating those of us in the Lower District like livestock to be used however you please. Our efforts, our voices, you treat them like jokes."
He laughed harshly.
"And you keep saying children are innocent… but aren't you the ones capturing children today!?"
What Shinji was referring to was the incident he and Crow had witnessed, Serena being forcibly taken away.
The speaker at the time may not have meant it that way.
But the listener remembered it clearly.
Shinji, who had finally begun resisting the Upper District only to be crushed again and again, was desperate. When he saw Crow trying to save children, an opposite idea formed in his mind.
If they couldn't defeat the Upper District through strength...
Then they would drag them down together.
They would force the Upper District to witness their wrath firsthand.
"You!" Trudge stared at him as if he were insane.
"I'm just doing exactly what you people from the Upper District do," Shinji snapped.
"So tell me, what did I do wrong!?"
Trudge clenched his teeth.
He couldn't refute it.
Because even he, a police officer, had been disgusted by the filthy deeds of the Upper District's nobles during this time.
"Crow!" Shinji shouted.
"You understand too, don't you!? I'm just using their own methods against them! Why can't you understand me!?"
"Shinji!!"
Crow gritted his teeth, riding alongside him.
"Protecting children is something everyone should do instinctively! If we harm children, then what are we, worse than beasts!?
Even if your resistance succeeds, won't you just become the next noble!?"
"How dare you compare me to them!?" Shinji roared.
"You're doing the exact same thing as them right now!"
Sizzle—sizzle—!
The two D-Wheels slammed into each other side by side.
The children screamed in terror.
Serena lunged forward, trying to grab one of them, but the D-Wheels separated instantly. Her hand closed on nothing but empty air.
At that moment, Crow instinctively shut his right eye and let out a quiet gasp.
"Ha. Crow," Shinji said, narrowing his eyes.
"Looks like your leg's injured?"
As a Riding Duelist, and one of the earliest pioneers of Riding Duels in this Dimension, Shinji paid close attention to driving posture and physical condition. He noticed Crow's instability immediately.
And almost at once, he made a decision.
Buzz...
At the very last moment of the turn, Shinji abruptly altered his speed and trajectory.
Their positions swapped.
Crow suddenly found himself taking the corner first.
His expression changed.
"What's wrong?" Shinji sneered.
"It's your turn first."
He glanced back at the pursuers behind him and snorted.
As long as he defeated Crow, he could gather as many followers as he needed afterward. These useless Sector Security units wouldn't be able to touch him.
Then;
He could threaten the families of the Upper District with these two children.
On the other side, Crow clenched his teeth.
He looked at his hand.
Then at Shinji.
After a long moment of hesitation, he leaned back slightly and whispered something to Serena.
Serena stared at him, startled and confused.
But after meeting his gaze, she nodded.
"My turn."
Crow drew a card.
He glanced at it and spoke firmly.
"Normal Summon-Blackwing: Mistral the Silver Shield!"
A black-winged bird wearing a silver shield-mask burst from the card, flying forward to protect his field.
Blackwing – Mistral the Silver Shield Level 2 | DARK | Winged Beast DEF: 1800
"I set one card and end my turn."
"Is that all?"
Shinji stared at him, his right hand trembling uncontrollably.
"Crow! Your body is already this broken, and you're still trying to stop me?
Do you really want to prove that you're right that badly?"
"I'm not trying to prove anything," Crow replied quietly."I just believe children shouldn't be dragged into this."
"Then don't blame me, Crow!!"
Shinji roared. The Dark Sign on his wrist flickered violently, and the fundamental power of the Earthbound, born from his twisted belief, surged outward. The corridor of flames darkened, thickened, as if responding to his rage.
"Normal Summon! Level 2 Tuner Monster, Battle Wasp– Sting the Poison Sting!"
A fierce gust of wind swept across the Dueling field.
A mechanical bee appeared, its metallic wings vibrating violently as venom dripped from its micro-stinger.
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned," Shinji declared, "I can add one 'Battle Wasp' monster from my Deck to my hand, except itself!
I add Battle Wasp – Twinbow the Attacker!"
"And now, during my Main Phase, I activate its effect!I Special Summon it!"
"I tune my two monsters!"
"Unleash explosive winds with membranous wings, and carve the path of truth with your chelicerae!"
"Synchro Summon! Level 5, Battle Wasp – Azusa the Ghost Bow!"
A humanoid bee wielding a bow appeared in midair, its eyes locked coldly onto Crow.
Battle Wasp – Azusa the Ghost Bow Level 5 | WIND | Insect ATK: 2200
"Battle! Azusa the Ghost Bow, attack Blackwing – Mistral the Silver Shield!"
Azusa slowly drew its string.
The arrow flew.
It pierced straight through the silver-shielded Blackwing, and didn't stop there.
The projectile slammed into Crow's D-Wheel, forcing it to decelerate violently. Its trajectory shifted slightly, aimed deliberately at Crow's injured leg.
Crow cried out in pain as control slipped from his grasp.
"That's despicable!" one of the pursuing Sector Security officers shouted instinctively.
"Targeting an injury like that!"
Although Riding Duels could involve direct attacks on the opponent's body to end the race, such tactics were shunned in the Lower District, where freedom was valued above all else. Even Sector Security rarely crossed that line.
But this...
This wasn't just Solid Vision anymore.
Shinji's monsters had gained physicality. They could truly injure.
Yet Crow wasn't surprised.
Instead, through the pain, he forced out one last burst of strength, and rammed his D-Wheel straight into Shinji's.
"You're asking to die!" Shinji snarled, his eyes wild.
BANG!
"AAAH!" Crow screamed.
Shinji intended to strike and pull away, but suddenly realized something was wrong.
Crow was clinging to him.
Desperately.
"What are you doing!?" Shinji shouted in shock.
He looked back.
And saw Serena standing on Crow's D-Wheel, recklessly moving toward him.
"Are you insane!?" Shinji yelled.
"Even if you jump over, the ropes aren't untied! If I throw you off, you're finished!"
But the moment Serena leapt, the ropes loosened.
As if by magic.
Shinji couldn't see it.
He couldn't see that earlier, when their D-Wheels first collided, Serena had thrown a small panda forward.
And that panda had been quietly working at the knots ever since.
Waiting for this exact moment.
The next second, Serena jumped again, without hesitation.
She grabbed both children.
And tore them free.
"Crow!!!"
Shinji completely lost control.
He smashed into Crow with all his strength.
At that moment, Crow felt something ease inside him.
His worries were gone.
He had already understood Shinji. He had already figured out how to save the children.
So this was the price.
As the one who initiated the Duel but no longer focused on winning, being struck down was inevitable.
His D-Wheel shattered under the impact.
Crow's body was hurled into the guardrail—
But the guardrails, already destroyed by the Fusion Army, could no longer protect anyone.
He fell.
A bird that had lost its balance.
A Crow that could no longer fly.
Like a meteor, he plunged from the sky. And finally..
THUD.
A crater cracked open in the ground below.
Crow lay at its center, staring up at the sky.
The red sky.
Slowly, the light faded from his eyes.