Of course, what Kira showed Adrian was the Spirit Twelve-Dimensions once ruled by the Supreme King.
Previously, the Supreme King had dominated this realm. Though it was survival of the fittest and the masses suffered, there was at least a unified regime.
Now the dictatorship had fallen. It seemed like good news, but in reality, no new regime had been established.
The heroes who defeated the Demon King were outsiders; they didn't have the time or ability to remain and govern.
And the Supreme King's subordinates were never good people to begin with; their apparent loyalty was just fear. Once the mountain on their heads vanished, their minds turned restless.
These days, anyone with a handful of underlings or a bit of dueling prowess thinks they're the second coming of the Supreme King.
Kira had already considered this situation.
Adrian Gecko was the ideal candidate for the throne.
In the original story, this became Adrian's new goal. In the real world, never mind lacking the soil to let him crown himself and build an equal new world—he couldn't even oust his brother to take the family reins.
If he followed his original trajectory, he would likely live in his brother's shadow forever, doing the toughest jobs as the most capable vassal. His original wish would turn into inner darkness, buried deep in his heart, growing larger over time—a shadow he might never shake.
After coming to Duel Academy and meeting Yubel, he veered from his original path. He saw a brand-new world, a place where his talents could flourish. He resolved to become king there, willing to pay any price—even sacrificing his beloved.
But Adrian's ending was one of the rare tragedies in the show. By the end of the Otherworld arc, most who perished in that story were saved and returned. But Adrian, and his lover, seemed absent.
Perhaps they died, buried with their ideal in a foreign land. Or maybe they stayed in that dimension, and the anime simply didn't cover what followed.
For the other world, this meant a capable leader could save the masses in misery. For Kira, giving Adrian this chance also made it easier to explore the Spirit Dimension afterward, keep tabs on the neighboring realm, and secure resources.
For Adrian, it was the best chance to cast off his greatest shadow and reclaim his ideal.
Win-win for everyone.
With the Supreme King handled, what most interested Kira in that neighboring realm were a few remaining things.
For example, Super Polymerization. In the original, it was crafted by the Dark World elites under the Supreme King, a card with godlike power representing Jaden's inner darkness. Now that the Supreme King's power had been absorbed by Jaden, the key to printing Super Polymerization should still center on him—but they could search the other world for clues on how it was made.
Of course, if it still required shady methods like sacrificing teammates and feeding souls, then forget that cursed card.
Another example: at the end of Yubel's battle with Jaden, she intended to activate Super Polymerization to fuse one monster each from Levels 1 through 12—thus fusing all twelve Spirit Dimensions—summoning that godlike, dimension-fused monster.
We still don't know what that card looks like—only that it's Level 12 and would be insanely powerful if summoned. Kira was intrigued by such a godlike monster's existence, though finding it would be hard. He'd poke around the other world for clues, but wouldn't get his hopes up.
Lastly, what he most wanted was the Exodia the Forbidden One from the anime.
That was Exodia with a housed spirit—a true god-tier super-spirit. That power should still slumber somewhere in the other world.
In the original, Adrian's obtaining Exodia's power had a lot to do with Yubel, so Kira was considering that after catching Yubel, he might dispatch her to the other world to work—of course, only after cleansing the Light of Destruction and restoring her sanity.
With a clear mind, Yubel would probably be utterly devoted to Jaden. Getting Yubel to pitch in wouldn't be hard.
…
When they returned from the other world, the Abandoned Dorm had already been surrounded.
Soldiers in black tactical gear and carrying guns sealed all exits. A crisp, uniformed woman led on-site, anxiously directing the search for Adrian.
Kira recognized her at a glance—Echo, the woman who loved Adrian and would do anything for him. In the original, she was the sacrifice used to unseal Exodia; by sacrificing his beloved, Adrian obtained the Exodia spirit's power.
Well, like with Super Polymerization—though Kira really wanted Exodia's spirit, if it required shady sacrificial rites, he'd pass.
To sacrifice even your beloved for your goal—perhaps admirable in a certain way, but to Kira, that wasn't a king's path, or at least not the path he wanted.
If you sacrifice all your loved ones, even if you gain unmatched power—what's the point?
"Adrian!"
Echo, frantic, rushed up when she saw Adrian.
"Y-you're okay?"
"Your signal suddenly vanished at the Abandoned Dorm, and our equipment was jammed by unknown darkness. I thought—I thought you..."
Before she finished, she suddenly froze.
Because as she looked up, she saw someone strolling out of the old dorm behind Adrian.
Looking closer, who else could it be but the rumored Demon King of this forbidden place—Fujiki Kira?
"It's you!"
Echo immediately tensed; everyone else went on high alert, turning their guns this way.
But before Kira reacted, Adrian suddenly barked, "Insolence!"
The soldiers: "?"
Echo looked at Adrian, bewildered.
Adrian stepped in front and said:
"This is Lord Kira, the king who reigns over the dueling world. Why aren't you paying your respects?"
Echo: "?"
Her mouth fell open. She was speechless.
Wait—before coming here, didn't Adrian say he might take the chance to size up the Duel King Kira?
The comms were only down for a few minutes—how did it become "lord"?