The burning village, a scene like purgatory. The flames, like frenzied demons, greedily devour every inch of land, setting ablaze the once lush fields and rustic houses. The air is filled with the scent of wood, cloth, and anything else that can catch fire, struggling against the fierce flames.
Like walking corpses, people wander through this earthly purgatory, their bodies twisted and deformed, their skin ulcerated. Some have even been burned to charcoal, yet those black human shapes continue to mechanically move forward.
A young boy sits on the ground, his vision blurred by tears. He gazes ahead in fear, wanting to speak but unable to make a sound.
A man lies painfully on the ground, exposing his charred skin, yet struggles to crawl slowly in his direction. The man opens his mouth, and his eyes reflect a hunger like a ravenous beast...
"..."
The dream ended.
The last member of the Doma Three Musketeers, Loren, sat up from bed, tears unknowingly sliding from the corners of his eyes.
"That dream again?"
A voice spoke from beside him.
Loren rose, bowing respectfully to the person behind him.
"Judge."
The Judge, a man with a delicate appearance, stood quietly by, watching him.
"Yes, it's the nightmare again."
Loren sat up, rubbing his temples.
"It's okay; it's all about to end. All I need to do is defeat that guy..."
He glanced at the Duel Disc and the Card Deck beside him.
Yes, as long as I defeat that guy...
... or perhaps, if I'm defeated myself.
That wouldn't be bad either. Regardless of the result, at least he could finally be free of this nightmare.
"Get ready; the time has come," said the Judge. "The wheels of destiny have begun to turn, a new era is about to begin, and no one can stop it."
"Alright."
Loren nodded, standing up.
...
...
Marufuji Ryo was the sixth to arrive at the registration desk.
Although the defeat at the hands of Yugen seemed to have some impact, Caesar quickly regained his rhythm. After the match schedule resumed, he quickly won the final Puzzle Card, securing the sixth spot in the top eight.
"Oh, oh, Caesar is here too!"
Seeing a familiar face, Judai immediately went over to greet him warmly.
"We might meet on the battlefield later; this time, I won't lose," Judai said with a cheerful laugh.
Seeing him, Marufuji Ryo also felt the spirit of competition, crossed his arms, and smiled. "Alright, but I don't intend to hand over the victory that easily, either."
"Hehe, then let's give it our all when the time comes and have a duel with no regrets."
"Okay!" Marufuji Ryo replied with determination, accepting the challenge.
Then Yugen appeared: "Marufuji made it through too, huh? Congratulations, congratulations. So are you looking forward to meeting again in the knockout rounds?"
"Huh?"
As Marufuji Ryo saw him, the flames of determination seemed to dim somewhat.
"Um... oh, alright."
Though he said alright, his face showed no such expectation. Rather, it seemed to say that any opponent would be fine as long as it wasn't him...
Yugen didn't mind and just smiled.
Oh well, I don't have the same charisma as Judai that endears me to everyone. But never mind; as long as I win the duel, that's enough.
Yugen looked around.
As expected, most of the top eight were familiar faces. As for those last two spots...
After a moment of waiting, those two finally appeared unhurriedly before everyone.
The two from Doma, including the leader, the Judge, and the last swordsman, Loren.
Seto, who had been waiting coldly on the side without making a move, finally cast his gaze over, followed by a meaningful smirk.
"Finally arrived?" Kaiba said indifferently. "You're lucky; only the last two spots were left. I thought you were planning to run away at the last minute."
The Judge calmly replied, "Destiny has long been decided, but you have yet to see it clearly, Seto Kaiba. The last two spots belong to us, just as the outcome of the tournament has already been set."
Kaiba snorted with disdain.
"Haha, I've heard enough of this kind of nonsense. Destiny is just an excuse for the weak; the strong carve out their own fate.
All this talk merely proves that you're shallow."
The Judge smiled but said nothing in reply.
Kaiba then noticed the person next to him, who seemed to be staring directly at him the whole time, his eyes fixed solely on him.
"I've finally awaited this moment, Seto Kaiba," he coldly declared.
"And who are you?"
"My name is Loren, the last of the Doma Three Musketeers, a revenger from hell." Loren glared coldly at him, "You took everything from me, and I am your avenging angel."
Perhaps he thought these words might garner some reaction, but unfortunately, they did not. Kaiba merely chuckled, ignoring him.
"Then you'd better take a number; there's no shortage of avengers aiming for me."
He didn't even bother to ask why he sought revenge.
"You!"
Loren's attitude only made him angrier, and he stepped forward as if to attack.
But of course, against President Kaiba, who possessed Superman-level physical capabilities, not many would benefit by confronting him with fists.
"Oh, are you going to attack right here?" Kaiba narrowed his eyes.
"It's fine by me."
The Judge squinted his eyes.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but as he spoke, clouds seemed to gather above everyone, and the sunlight dimmed unnoticed. Heavy gray clouds converged, thunder rumbled like thousands of drums, as if an ancient beast roared from within the dark clouds.
Even one as slow as Judai noticed that something was off about this person.
"Why did it suddenly get dark?" Judai exclaimed, looking at the man in surprise.
Could it be that this person...?
But could there really be someone who can change the weather with just a look?
Could someone with such powers actually exist in this world?
"...Although we could resolve this here, given the previous agreement, I suggest we resolve this through a duel. What do you say, Seto Kaiba?"
"I'll give the same answer," Kaiba replied, arms crossed. "As long as it's a duel, I'll accept any opponent."
The Judge smiled slightly and said no more. But the dark clouds brewing in the sky suddenly dispersed, and the sky seemed to instantly clear up.
Resolving it through a duel was the agreed consensus.
Kaiba's consideration was that directly summoning elves to clash would make the damage range difficult to control. And if their opponent was that Snake God who clashed with the Three Phantom Gods, he had more confidence in his dueling ability than in an elf clash.
As for the Judge...
He made his way, maintaining a composed appearance as if everything was under control. However, as he passed by, he couldn't help but sneak a glance in Yugen's direction.
He didn't see Loren's White Dragon or Seto's White Dragon as much of a threat, but among everyone present, the only one who concerned him was this boy in yellow...
...or more accurately, the thing that he had unleashed from its seal.
Once bitten, twice shy, and the Cheating Snake knew this all too well. Having been ganged up on by those three before, he still seemed to feel the pain. If given a choice, he wasn't eager to engage in another Pokémon battle.
Staking a claim and building a world through card games felt more reliable.