The city's highest concentration of security had become the safest place to disappear. Thousands of eyes watched the Maiami Championship unfold, yet none of them noticed the three fugitives walking shoulder-to-shoulder through the heart of the crowd.
The afternoon crowd flowed through the broad concourse surrounding the stadium like a restless river. Duelists hurried between arenas with Duel Disks resting against their arms, while spectators drifted from food stalls to merchandise booths, their conversations blending into a constant hum beneath the towering holographic displays overhead.
Among them, Vance kept an even pace. His eyes moved far more than his head ever did, cataloging every reflection in a storefront window, every security camera mounted beneath the overhangs, and every uniformed LDS guard stationed at an entrance before leaving them behind.
Razz walked beside him with his hands tucked into his pockets, effortlessly mimicking the relaxed posture of another competitor enjoying the festival atmosphere.
The mysterious boy stayed close behind, his white hood pulled low over his face. He still couldn't entirely grasp the logic. After barely escaping their motel room, they had walked straight into the enemy's front yard.
Unable to hold the question any longer, he leaned forward and spoke quietly. "...Why are we here?"
Vance didn't answer immediately. He waited until they dissolved into the stream of duelists entering one of the secondary stadium complexes before replying.
"Because this is the last place Reiji Akaba expects us to hide. Every guard he deploys across the city is one less watching the tournament. He'll assume we're running."
Razz smiled faintly. "And he won't think to search beneath his own nose."
The boy looked around. Children laughed as they compared cards, professional duelists discussed strategies, and officials hurried past carrying tablets filled with tournament brackets. Everything felt normal. Almost peaceful. No one spared the three of them a second glance. For the first time since waking up, the boy felt invisible.
...
After several minutes, they reached a quieter maintenance corridor connecting several practice arenas. Only then did Vance allow the slightest relaxation in his posture.
Without breaking stride, he spoke, his voice entirely devoid of casual curiosity. "Your match today... how was it?" He asked Razz.
Razz let out a dry, quiet laugh that carried no joy. "...He never showed."
Vance slowed his scan of the surrounding corridors, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"They declared me the winner," Razz said, looking down at his hands before shoving them deeper into his pockets. "Didn't feel like I won. I wanted to beat him."
The boy looked toward him, sensing the genuine frustration behind the silence. Before anyone could speak further, a booming announcement echoed through the corridor.
"Attention spectators! The next Youth Division duel will begin shortly in Stadium one. Please proceed to your designated seating areas!"
Razz's eyes lit up, the heavy mood breaking instantly. "Oh! It's senior's match!"
The three of them turned toward a nearby diagnostic screen displaying the broadcast. The feed shifted, focusing on the main Duel Field where Yu Sakuragi and his opponent stood on opposite sides.
"Now! This is gonna be an amazing duel, I guarantee! Because this is last year's Junior Youth Champion! The Xyz prodigy! Yu Sakuragi!" Nico Smiley announced with an energetic voice.
"Man," Razz groaned, his expression twisting into a familiar disappointment. "Why can't they hire a beautiful female announcer or commentator? Every time Nico's creepy smily face shows up, I lose my appetite."
"Then," Vance said, without turning his head. "How do you survive looking in a mirror every morning?"
Razz opened his mouth in outraged protest, but the roar of the surrounding stadium crowd swallowed every word
# LDS Headquarters
The atmosphere inside the LDS Main Monitoring Room was as calm as ever. Rows of operators sat before towering walls of holographic displays, each screen streaming a different corner of the Maiami Championship. Duel arenas, public corridors, transportation hubs, and security checkpoints unfolded simultaneously across the room.
No voices were raised. No one rushed. Every movement carried quiet precision.
The heavy automated doors slid open, and Ryo stepped inside. Several officers acknowledged him with respectful nods before returning to their stations. At the center of the room, Reiji Akaba stood before the main tactical display, his hands clasped firmly behind his back.
Without turning, he spoke. "You're here."
Ryo stopped beside him, his expression neutral. "You wanted to see me."
"I did." Reiji raised a hand.
A nearby operator immediately enlarged a surveillance recording onto the central display.
"Approximately thirty-nine minutes ago," Reiji said evenly, "our sensors detected an abnormally high Fusion Energy signature beneath the Stadium District."
Nakajima stepped forward, his grip tight on his data tablet. "The energy spike exceeded normal tournament parameters. It lasted only a few seconds before disappearing entirely."
"The source?" Ryo asked.
"Unknown," Reiji replied. "Watch."
The recording began, displaying an underground service terminal where workers and duelists crossed through the corridor without concern.
Then—two lone figures stepped into view, thick gray cloaks concealing their bodies. The figures stopped directly in front of Hokuto Shijima. The camera angle prevented a clear view of the forced confrontation. One figure challenged Hokuto, and the recording logged a sudden, violent flare of brilliant violet Fusion Energy illuminating the dark corridor as Hokuto was defeated. The image distorted, heavy static consuming the recording beneath the overwhelming energy output.
When the interference finally faded... Hokuto had vanished.
Though the camera angle obscured the duel itself, the result was unmistakable.
The figure who had challenged and defeated Hokuto stepped forward, picked up a single card from the ground where Hokuto had just been standing, and both figures retreated back into the shadows.
Nakajima froze the recording on the empty frame. "No duel registration. No witnesses. No recorded duel declaration."
The footage resumed briefly. As the primary cloaked figure turned the corner to vanish into the deeper sub-levels, the hood shifted just for an instant, revealing indigo hair and emerald-green eyes.
Then... gone.
The room fell silent. Ryo blinked once, the air suddenly turning heavy in his lungs.
"So. Academia has arrived. Not months from now. Not weeks from now. Today."
His thoughts shifted with rapid, precise calculation. "Vance. That boy. Yuto. Three priorities that cannot be allowed to fall."
Before the silence could linger any longer, Reiji spoke. "You recognize her."
It wasn't a question.
Ryo answered without looking away from the screen. "...Yes."
Reiji nodded once, the blue light of the monitors reflecting sharply across the lenses of his glasses. "As expected."
The recording disappeared, replaced instantly by a live tournament feed. Yu Sakuragi stood in Stadium one, shaking hands with his defeated opponent while the crowd applauded. A profile window appeared beside the image:
Yu Sakuragi
Last Year's Junior Youth Champion.
Current Youth Division Competitor.
Xyz Specialist.
At the bottom of the screen, a second camera feed displayed the same underground terminal. After tracking the intruders' movements across the sub-level grid following the initial attack, the sensors had picked them up again. Far beyond the unaware spectators, the cloaked girl leaned casually against the concrete wall. She hadn't moved once. Twelve minutes. Arms folded. Her eyes were fixed entirely on the corridor leading toward the competitors' exit turminal.
Nakajima frowned. "Her line of sight overlaps only one destination. Yu Sakuragi's exit route."
Ryo understood immediately. She wasn't hunting randomly; she had chosen her next prey. He turned toward the elevator. "I'll go."
"One more thing." Reiji said, his hand hovering over the interface. He adjusted his glasses, his posture perfectly rigid. "Ensure Shun Kurosaki remains unaware of her presence. If Shun learns that one of Academia's soldiers is here... he'll abandon reason."
A brief pause hung in the air.
"Your objective is reconnaissance," Reiji added coldly. "Information takes priority over victory."
Ryo gave a small nod. "Understood."
Without another word, he entered the elevator. The heavy doors slid shut. As the elevator descended toward the underground terminal, Reiji quietly watched the floor indicator count downward. Neither of them spoke another word. They both knew the next move had already begun.
# The Underground Terminal
The quiet of the sub-level corridors was a stark contrast to the roaring stadium above. Yu Sakuragi walked briskly down the concrete hallway, his Duel Disk powered down and resting against his wrist. He exhaled a long breath as he rolled his shoulders, eager to reach the locker rooms and rest after a hard-fought match.
Yu rounded the corner near the secondary transit junction—and stopped cold. Two cloaked figures blocked the corridor ahead, standing motionless beneath the dim lights. Their gray cloaks hung loosely, but their stances were predatory.
Yu was confused. "Hey. This area is restricted to tournament competitors—"
The figures didn't speak. One figure simply raised her left arm, and from beneath the heavy fabric of the cloak, a sleek, red Duel Disk snapped into place. The deck slot hummed as it drew power, a cold blue light bleeding from the margins of the device.
Yu instinctively reached for his own Duel Disk, his fingers tightening on the frame as he braced himself. "Who are you?"
"Step back, Sakuragi."
A calm, authoritative voice echoed from the junction behind them. Yu snapped his head around as Ryo stepped out of the shadows of the maintenance alcove, his hands lightly tucked into his pockets, his gaze locked entirely on the cloaked figures.
"Ryo-san?" Yu blinked, visibly relieved but entirely confused. "What's going on here?"
Ryo didn't break eye contact with the intruder. "You had a good match today, Yu Sakuragi. Go through the service exit. Don't stop for anyone."
"But—"
"Now," Ryo commanded, his voice carrying a weight that brooked no argument.
Yu swallowed hard, looked between Ryo's rigid posture and the silent, menacing figures in the cloaked garb, and made his choice. He backed away slowly before turning and sprinting down the eastern corridor, his footsteps fading into the distance.
The cloaked girl didn't chase him. She merely let out a sharp, irritated sigh, her shoulders dropping slightly as she raised her head. The light of the corridor caught her sharp emerald-green eyes.
"LDS interference," Celina muttered, her tone dripping with disdain. "You're wasting my time. He is an Xyz remnant."
"He's a citizen of this city," Ryo replied smoothly, taking a slow step forward to position himself directly between her and Yu's escape route. "And you are trespassing."
Before Celina could step forward, a heavy, measured footstep echoed from the darkness behind her. A tall, imposing man stepped into the light, his massive build marking him clearly. His face was weathered, his expression completely unreadable.
"Stand down, Celina-sama." Barret said, his deep voice vibrating against the concrete walls.
Celina glanced back, her brow furrowed. "Barret? He's blocking the target."
"The target has escaped," Barret stated calmly, his eyes never leaving Ryo. "This one knows exactly who we are."
Barret took three steps forward, passing Celina and forcing her to step aside. He stopped five paces from Ryo, his massive frame dominating the narrow corridor.
"I will handle this one," Barret said. "Please fall back."
Celina clicked her tongue in annoyance, but she didn't argue. She turned on her heel, her gray cloak snapping behind her.
Ryo didn't try to stop her. His focus was entirely locked on the veteran soldier standing in front of him.
Far above, in the LDS monitoring room, the central screen flickered, bypassing the hard-loop to reveal a stable, live visual feed of the sub-level terminal. Reiji and Nakajima watched the display in absolute, breathless silence.
Barret raised his left arm. With a sharp, mechanical hiss, a heavy, orange Duel Blade snapped open, its solid-light surface glowing with ominous intensity.
Ryo stood perfectly still for a beat. Then, with slow, deliberate precision, he reached into his pocket. He removed his own Duel Disk, sliding it onto his left forearm. He unclipped his Deck, inserting it into the card slot.
The device hummed to life. The automated internal system whirred, shuffling the cards with a rhythmic, metallic click.
Barret met his gaze, his eyes narrowing as he read the absolute lack of fear in the young man's eyes. The soldier raised his Duel Blade.
"Duel!"
Ryo raised his arm, his expression remaining entirely unchanged, as cold and steady as stone.
"Duel."