Duel Academy Island.
Gamma moved through the dense forest, occasionally stopping, craning his neck to look around as if trying to find a reference point.
Because he was lost.
Even though it seemed a bit unprofessional for an invader, he had to face the cruel fact that he was indeed lost.
But he felt it wasn't his fault, blaming it on the damn Duel Academy for being built on such a primitive island, and such a vast one at that.
Getting lost in the deep forest felt like being in a complex painting. The texture of trees stretched out, with lush branches and leaves weaving an endless canopy that blocked the moonlight, leaving what little light there was as if lost.
"Sealing Array, Sealing Array..."
Gamma muttered to himself as he moved forward, emerging from the thick woods. The ground was soft and damp beneath his feet, each step accompanied by the rustling of fallen leaves.
Everything around looked so similar. Be it the straight tree trunks or the dense canopy, it all seemed like a copy-paste job, indistinguishable from the areas he had just passed.
"Proceed six hundred meters in the four o'clock direction, then pass through the bushes..."
Gamma recited the mission instructions in his mind, emerging from a clump of bushes to find an open clearing in front of him.
A vast expanse of emptiness.
"Damn it, where is the Phantom Demon Sealing Array hidden?"
Frustrated, Gamma began to reflect on where exactly he had gone wrong.
Then suddenly, a female voice came from behind him, "Who are you?"
It was Asuka, who happened to be returning to the Blue Dormitory via this path.
"A student from the Duel Academy?"
Gamma glanced at her, pondered for a moment, and then huffed.
"Perfect timing. I was just worried about not finding my way. Since you're here, how about showing me the way?"
Asuka took two cautious steps back, "You're the... invader?"
Without a word, Gamma raised his arm. Mechanical components assembled into the form of a Duel Disc, and a pale blue wave erupted from the disc, rapidly spreading outward as if forming a barrier enclosing the two of them.
"The Duel Domain is now set up, and you have nowhere to run," Gamma declared, clenching his fist, "Let us duel in your academy's style! If I win, you must take me to the specified location!"
Though she didn't know how they had skipped to this stage, the mention of a card duel made Asuka wide awake. She cautiously took two steps back and deployed her Duel Disc.
"If it's a duel, I'll face you anytime."
"Duel!" x2
...
...
Once the alarm went off, Yugen and the other two immediately set out to return to the dormitory. Asuka, being from the Blue Dormitory, naturally parted ways with them.
Nearing the Yellow Dormitory, Yugen suddenly stopped.
"Mitsuzawa, why don't you go ahead?" he said.
Mitsuzawa turned back in surprise, "They say someone has infiltrated. The whole school is on lockdown, where else do you plan to go?"
Then he thought of something, "Don't tell me you're thinking of looking for those...?"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Yugen waved his hand, "See you tomorrow."
Mitsuzawa thought to himself, of course he won't have a problem. But others might have issues...
"Alright, but you be careful too."
After parting ways with Mitsuzawa, Yugen didn't head towards the Yellow Dormitory, instead turning and heading back into the forest.
"Have you found the target? Are you sure they're invaders?" Yugen asked.
The Silent Magician and Artificial Human Soga, in spirit form, floated out and nodded in confirmation.
"Following me?"
The Silent Magician nodded again.
"Strange," Yugen muttered as he walked, "Where did this group of new fans with their eyes on me come from..."
...
...
Alpha stood in the shadows, squinting as he observed Yugen.
"Fujiki Yugen, a first-year student in the Winged Dragon of Ra dormitory, yet boasts an incredible track record," Alpha murmured to himself, "What exactly makes you extraordinary?"
After Yugen and Mitsuzawa parted ways, he unexpectedly turned and entered a forested area on the island. Alpha silently followed.
Isn't this guy planning to go back to his dormitory? Alpha wondered inwardly.
Suppressing his doubts, he followed into the forest, the two of them weaving through the woods one after the other. Although Alpha didn't know where his target was headed, this direction seemed to stray away from the student faculty area and head deeper into the forest.
Alpha considered this a good sign. His mission was to take this student named Yugen away. The quieter the disturbance, the better. The more secluded the place, the better it is to make a move.
The night was closing in, the moonlight covered by a thick blanket of clouds, casting a faint eerie glow making the forest even more sinister. The outlines of trees were faint in the darkness, leaves gently swaying in the wind like whispering hidden creatures in the forest.
Alpha gradually began to sense an unsettling atmosphere.
After one turn, he looked closely but was suddenly astonished to find that the figure ahead had vanished.
Where did he go?
Alpha looked around in confusion.
Looking again at the dense forest around him, it now felt like being in the center of a giant maze. The points of moonlight were fragmented into mottled and distorted shadows by the towering trees' branches, and a mist wafted mysteriously through the air.
A voice sounded lightly behind him, "Did you see it?"
Alpha spun around in shock, leaping back, only to find Yugen standing behind him with hands clasped. Under the moonlit, misty haze, he seemed somewhat eerie.
The sight startled Alpha.
No, wasn't I the infiltrator and follower? Why did the situation suddenly flip, making it feel like the other person was the villain and me, the expendable character in a horror movie?
But he quickly regained his composure and distanced himself.
"I see, so you indeed possess some unusual power," Alpha said darkly, "I knew it, my father wouldn't designate a student without reason..."
"Father," Yugen repeated, "So you're a family syndicate?"
Alpha didn't respond to the question, only saying, "I came for you, Fujiki Yugen. Father believes your abilities are of value to us. Join us, and you'll receive unimaginable resources and the opportunity to reach the pinnacle of the world."
"Hmm, before that, I ought to know who you are, right?"
"You will only be qualified to know that after you join us," Alpha replied, "But I can tell you this: our aim is to overthrow this world, to seize supreme power... to take it from that tyrant Seto Kaiba."
Yugen raised an eyebrow.
With just that goal alone, it was already clear that they weren't on the same path.
Firstly, he hadn't yet reaped enough benefits from Kaiba, and their relationship was decent. Moreover, as long as Yugi isn't around, the CEO is practically the protagonist of the world. With his card prowess, resources, and authority, trying to go against him...
...Yugen could only think, if you're looking for trouble, don't drag me into it.
"Are you rejecting? Well, that was expected. But unfortunately, since I've come, no option for refusal remains for you."
Mechanical components on Alpha's arm morphed into a Duel Disc.
"Then through a duel, I'll use force to take you back."