Watching Pharaoh stroll into his room and rub against his legs, Jaden Yuki knew the fellow had to be hungry.
"Lately, it seems Professor Banner hasn't been feeding him much. He keeps running over here to beg for food."
Jaden took some cat food out of the cabinet, found a small bowl, and poured a serving for Pharaoh. Watching the cat eat like a bulldozer devouring its meal, Jaden's brow furrowed.
For someone like Professor Banner, who loved cats so dearly, to not feed Pharaoh on time...
It seemed the Shadow Riders incident was already at his doorstep.
Late at night.
Deep within a dark cavern, seven dark figures had gathered.
They were of varying shapes and sizes, but all were shrouded in a thick, intense darkness. Eyes shimmering with a red light watched the person standing in the shadows of the cave's center.
"The time has come..." an aged voice echoed from the gloom. "The power you possess now, and the contract you once signed with me... it is time to fulfill it and awaken the cards of the Three Sacred Beasts."
The seven remained silent, but the darkness surrounding them grew even denser.
"However, there is one major obstacle to obtaining the Three Sacred Beasts right now."
"Jaden Yuki."
Upon hearing that name, each of the seven figures in the shadows reacted in their own way.
"Jaden Yuki..."
"That genius duelist who has been active in the Duel League for so long?"
"The user of the Strongest HERO... I'd certainly like to see him for myself."
The Shadow Riders were eager, showing intense interest in the name Jaden Yuki.
"It would be best if everyone did not underestimate the enemy."
Suddenly, a different voice rang out among the seven. A man stepped forward slowly; under his hood, only a hard gray mask was visible. "Jaden Yuki's strength is no longer on the same level as ours."
"Hehe, are you really that afraid of a little boy?" a female voice mocked from the side.
In the darkness, the woman's eyes glinted with a bloodthirsty light, and her voice carried a sharp edge.
"Camula, this operation concerns the Three Sacred Beasts. Overconfidence is never a good thing," the man replied calmly, not taking offense at her biting remark. "Especially when it involves an enemy that should never have been overlooked in the first place."
"Hmph. In that case, I'd like to see exactly why this Jaden Yuki has you so frightened."
The woman laughed coldly, her gaze still filled with resentment. "We who possess the power of darkness are existences humans cannot hope to compare to. A mere human"
"He is no human," the man interrupted. "The darkness within his body is thousands no, tens of thousands of times more powerful than all of us here combined."
"What?" His words sent a shock through the group, and they all turned to look at him.
"Are you joking? That Jaden Yuki is just a sixteen-year-old boy, isn't he?"
"Exactly! A sixteen-year-old kid has power tens of thousands of times greater than ours? You're kidding, right? Do you think he's a god?"
The others were skeptical. Only the tall man standing in the corner remained silent. The elder in the shadows noticed him and spoke slowly.
"Titan, three years ago, you dueled Jaden Yuki. You should know his strength well, shouldn't you?"
"..." The man remained silent, seemingly unwilling to revisit those memories.
"Hmph, a piece of trash who got beaten into amnesia and sentenced to years in prison because of that duel," the woman mocked, crossing her arms. "To think such a person is fit for this operation. You really don't have anyone useful left under your command, do you?"
Titan's fists clenched tight, but he didn't respond. In his mind, he recalled that night three years ago—the duel with Jaden Yuki.
No. That hadn't been a duel at all.
It was a one-sided slaughter. He had been utterly crushed by Jaden Yuki without mercy!
If the elder before him hadn't bailed him out of prison and helped him master the power of darkness, Titan feared he would have spent his entire life unable to escape that shadow.
"Without a doubt, Jaden Yuki's strength far exceeds everyone present," the elder said slowly, seeing Titan's silence. "However, awakening the Three Sacred Beasts is your mission and your contract with me. I have prepared cards to help you deal with Jaden, but whether they work will depend on your own performance."
With that, the elder opened a briefcase beside him. Inside, various cards were neatly arranged. There were rare cards and powerful cards alike, including staples like Dark Hole, Lightning Storm, and Raigeki.
"So, who will be the first to go?" the elder asked coldly, scanning the seven before him.
The previously rowdy group suddenly went silent. Everyone knew that the first to go out would likely be cannon fodder used to test the opponent's strength. No one wanted to be the first.
"I'll go."
At that moment, a dark figure stepped out from the shadows. A youthful voice reached everyone's ears. A black mask covered the boy's face, and a long black trench coat swayed slightly with the dark energy radiating from him.
"Darkness... Nightshroud," the elder murmured the boy's name. "Fine. Choose any of the rare and powerful cards in here."
"No. I only trust my own cards."
Nightshroud didn't even glance at the case. He equipped his Duel Disk, his eyes flashing crimson behind the mask.
"Jaden Yuki..."
"Can you withstand the Inferno Fire Blast of the Black Dragon's wrath?"
Rumble.
Lightning flashed outside the cave, illuminating the entire cavern. The storm was coming.
At the Duel Academy pier lighthouse.
Zane Truesdale stood with his arms crossed, staring out at the tranquil sea in the dead of night. He glanced at Alexis Rhodes nearby and said, "I feel like you've changed quite a bit recently."
"Eh? Really?" Alexis started, as if snapping back to reality.
"Yes. You seem much more lively than when you first arrived, but you also seem to space out more easily." Zane smiled faintly.
Alexis Rhodes was the younger sister of Atticus Rhodes, and Atticus was Zane's best friend. To Zane, Alexis was like a sister of his own, and he had looked after her since Atticus went missing.
Though Zane had a younger brother of his own, that disappointing brother made him unsure of how to interact with him.
"Speaking of which, Zane, your brother is that Syrus Truesdale from Slifer Red, right?" Alexis asked.
"Yes..." Zane's expression grew calm as he looked into the distance.
"With his grades, if he doesn't work harder, I'm afraid he might be expelled. I heard the other students in his dorm are all improving even that repeater, Chumley Huffington, has made obvious progress. Only him..." Alexis trailed off, looking slightly regretful.
"If he can't become a duelist, it might be for the best," Zane said slowly. "A cowardly duelist can never grow."
"I suppose you're right." Alexis smiled and dropped the subject.
Rain began to drizzle from the sky. Seeing the weather change, the two bid each other farewell and prepared to head back to their respective dorms.
But then, they felt something.
Alexis and Zane looked up toward the distant night sky. A dark figure was flying through the air on a hang glider.
A bolt of lightning turned the sky white for a brief second. They could just barely make out the person's jet-black coat and the mask on his face.
"That's..."
As she watched the figure disappear from view, an ominous premonition began to rise in Alexis's heart.
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