Tenjo Hikari supported Ed, whose eyes seemed empty and lifeless, already on the brink of death. Yet, he still raised his hand, struggling to take his deck from the duel disk, mouth trembling as he tried to speak, but ultimately lost consciousness completely.
In the final moment of his life, he regretted not being able to save his friend, so all he could do was hope to entrust everything to Tenjo Hikari, who understood and trusted him.
After he collapsed, Tenjo Hikari noticed a serene-faced Saiou appearing beside Ed, gently holding him, and as he fell, took hold of Ed's hand and steadied the deck, eventually handing it to Tenjo Hikari.
Tenjo Hikari silently accepted the deck.
Then, in Tenjo Hikari's vision, that person completely vanished into the light.
Tenjo Hikari gently clenched his fist.
"Ed!?" cried Saiou Mizuchi from the bottom of the tower, who had led Serena to the top floor. Upon arriving and seeing Ed no longer breathing, she covered her mouth, her eyes red with tears.
"Master!!" Serena, though still full of energy, was deeply shocked upon seeing this scene.
How could it be that Ed, with whom she had just connected, was now—
"Brother, what are you doing! Why Ed!?" Saiou Mizuchi completely broke down, unable to believe her eyes.
One of the most important people to Saiou, and he dared to abandon them; what was Saiou truly incapable of?
"No—" Tenjo Hikari gently leaned Ed's body against the wall and opened Ed's deck. As he looked through it, he told Saiou Mizuchi, "That's not your brother."
"Wha...?"
Tenjo Hikari squinted and, with a slightly trembling voice, said to the two of them, "Your brother, Saiou Takuma, and Ed both vanished into the light...
vanished inside that [card]."
Saiou Mizuchi stood dumbfounded.
Tenjo Hikari adjusted the deck, integrating some cards into his own, further expanding the already large deck.
He stood in front of "Saiou."
There was one thing he always got wrong.
Or perhaps it was habitual thinking.
He had the impression that Saiou Takuma had split into two personalities, one good and the other evil.
But during the recent duel, he finally figured it out.
Wrong.
That wasn't the case.
Saiou didn't [split]; the truth was that Saiou's heart simultaneously harbored both good and evil, so the one helping Ed was his soul, and the one fighting Ed was the same soul.
Due to the existence of the Other Dimension, Saiou, a natural precognitive individual, could travel dimensions, using his extraordinary talent to evolve, so he did not quickly split but had the tendency to.
He hadn't completely transformed into two different personalities.
This allowed Ed to, in the duel, through combat, through card synergies, through names and transformations of cards, make Saiou understand him and thereby make choices.
He chose to endure this attack, feeling the "failure," wanting to re-experience the potential of the future—this was because Ed awakened the previously defeated Plasma, breaking the brainwashing, thus giving him hope.
However…
Light of Destruction forcibly erased his hope, taking control of him!
"Light of Destruction, why are you doing this!"
Tenjo Hikari was not simply curious, he wanted to question.
Or rather, it was because the other party engaged in such "behavior" that Tenjo Hikari had to ask!
The original Light of Destruction was powerful but merely a kind of cosmic instinct.
But the Light of Destruction in this world is not like that!
The Light of Destruction in this world seems to have acquired a "personal identity" for some reason.
No wonder this world has so many Spirits and people infected by the Wave of Light.
In the original, the Wave of Light was relatively "focused" indeed.
"Why do this?" Saiou, at this moment, completely transformed into a bull-headed Archfiend, opened his mouth, mixing in other voices; it was this mouth opening that made Saiou Mizuchi understand completely that her brother hadn't lost his sanity but was taken over.
"Saiou Takuma, this man, possesses the talent to see through destiny. There's no way he couldn't see; this turn, he had a chance to turn defeat into victory, but he voluntarily abandoned that chance," Light of Destruction said, "What I require is a duelist with absolute talent."
"He's already chosen to give up; it's you who are forcing him to start over!" Tenjo Hikari swung his right hand, "Besides, the real key point isn't this, you should be aware of it too!"
The real reasons Saiou decided to give up were twofold.
First, he almost had no solution to turn the tables with the remaining cards, not even a last resort.
Second, at this [time], Saiou couldn't use his talent to create that [Chaos Ruler] card!
[Time] was insufficient!
He couldn't do it!
That's the crux of the matter.
Unable to deal with the "Fool" on his field, even if he endured another turn, he would still lose!
"Moreover, it's not an issue for a duelist to use extraordinary power—but, you rewind time, allowing only yourself to know what happens next!
If Ed also knew time was rewound, he could have changed his monsters' attack and defense modes before the attack; he could still win!"
Ed hadn't transformed them all into attack position because he was uncertain about Saiou's set card.
But if time were rewound and he knew the set card was merely Beckoning Light, he wouldn't lose!
"That's so despicable, Light of Destruction!"
Listening to Tenjo Hikari, Light of Destruction remained unreactive.
Tenjo Hikari stepped forward, his steps heavy, holding the deck mixed with Ed's cards in front of him, moving closer to Light of Destruction.
"Do you know what I am, and yet you stand before me?"
"If I don't, how can I defeat you!?"
"Hah… as expected, the one chosen by humans to destroy all dimensions," Light of Destruction looked at Tierra, "I see, a being of the same type as me."
Tierra furrowed her brow.
Indeed.
If before, Tierra could only roughly estimate, now with Light of Destruction's consciousness before her, she could feel it.
The Light of Destruction in front of her should be a being of the same type.
God or Archfiend, regardless, they are beings born from ecology, life, and world.
However, Light of Destruction is a god from the cosmos.
And she is a god from a planet.
But…
No reason to say "Light of Destruction is a cosmic god, a planetary god cannot possibly win" that kind of thing!
She placed her hand on Tenjo Hikari's shoulder, nodding to him.
At the same time, many Spirits' phantoms appeared around him.
There were Crystal, Flame Sword Black Flame, those Spirits influenced by Light of Destruction, and Ed's heroes.
At this moment, they imparted their strength to Tenjo Hikari, ensuring Tenjo Hikari had as much power as possible to fight Light of Destruction!
"Come on, Light of Destruction, this time, you won't get another chance! For myself, for Saiou and Ed, for all the lives in the world you've oppressed—"
"Let's settle this!"
"You've always wanted my power!"
"Then bring it on!"
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