The young man slowly emerged from the ethereal mist, revealing his appearance and stance.
He wasn't tall, his frame was small, sporting a jellyfish-like hairstyle and dressed in casual children's wear, with an "E" emblem likely representing the Elemental Hero on the left side of his chest.
But none of that mattered.
Because in front of those golden eyes, which induced inner fear and instinctively made one avert their gaze, all those details became irrelevant.
"Judai?"
Yubel was unsure whether to feel joy or worry.
The Supreme King's power was sealed within Judai, a force from his past life, possibly among the strongest in all dimensions. Yubel knew this, so she wasn't surprised.
However, for Judai now, this power was a bit premature.
Power isn't free; it comes with a price. And Judai in this life was just a child, requiring growth and more time.
This is precisely Yubel's raison d'être. She's the protective knight of Judai, the attendant to the King. She will defeat anyone coveting this power, carefully safeguarding Judai's growth until he can stand alone.
But what's happening now is a mistake; he shouldn't have awoken so early.
Yubel's gaze settled on the floating cube in Aigami's hands.
Was it the influence of that object that led to the Supreme King's awakening?
Of course, Aigami's reaction was even more astonished.
He had recognized the jellyfish-headed brat who had been pestering him nonstop... or at least someone who looked exactly the same.
The reason for saying so was the stark contrast in demeanor compared to before. Aigami felt as if a distinctly different soul had been inserted into that child's body within minutes—it was like bowing before a supreme King.
"Is the power of the 'Quantum Cube' ineffective on him?" Aigami murmured.
This was not without precedent.
The "Quantum Cube" could eject most people from a dimension, but it wasn't absolute; it was ineffective on some.
For instance, Kaiba Seto, whose unwavering belief in science and move "Light of Materialism" instantly dispelled Aigami's domain.
And also, the God of Dice, Jonouchi, blessed by the Goddess of Fortune...(misleading)
In the anime, Aigami also tried to forcibly log off Jonouchi, but failed ultimately. The anime explained that Jonouchi's bonds with his companions transcended dimensions.
We generally have a common term for such people—hackers.
Aigami looked at the golden-eyed youth before him, engaged in brief contemplation.
Could it be that his self-awareness was stronger than ours in Prana, rendering the Quantum Cube ineffective on him?
At this moment, Judai's consciousness was offline, the Supreme King from the Otherworld had taken over his body. The King unconscious for countless years, possibly disoriented from sleep, the first thing he did upon waking was to conjure a strangely styled, mystic black Duel Disc on his arm without saying a word.
The Supreme King wanted a duel.
And, by sheer misfortune, Aigami, who happened to be in sight of the just-awakened Supreme King, clearly played the role of "cilantro served right upon waking," becoming the fortunate first duel opponent selected by the Supreme King.
"Do you mean to duel me?" Aigami sneered, "Foolish."
Although Aigami was an orphan raised by Shadi without many opportunities to battle real strong ones, he had this mysterious confidence, feeling he could punch Yugi and kick Youyu, his card skills unrivaled globally.
But speaking of which, his card game against President Haima last night had ended in a loss. If not for his quick Flash Fusion escape, he might have already been doomed...
...but it doesn't matter!
Aigami's confidence remained inflated.
I couldn't tackle Kaiba's imprudent card bottoming without card ethics, but is it possible I can't handle this kid who popped out of some obscure corner?
Today, I refuse to believe it!
"Then come on!" Aigami shouted, "I'll show you the difference in strength between us and your foolishness!"
Yubel crossed her arms, standing aside, adopting the stance of a typical bystander, remaining silent.
Indeed, she felt a bit uneasy about the Supreme King's power unexpectedly awakening in Judai, but she temporarily set aside this doubt, quietly chuckling, ready to watch the spectacle.
To her, Aigami was already just a petty clown, completely unaware of his own limitations, oblivious to what he truly faced.
[Supreme King, LP 4000]
[Aigami, LP 4000]
Both Duel Discs activated, the dimension space transformed again. Prana's shadows emerged one after another, and the sky opened into a dark red vortex, with blood-colored particles seemingly drifting around.
"This duel will proceed using the methods of our Prana." Aigami smirked, "Our 'Dimension Duel'!"
Supreme King's face turned iron-grey, his expression rigid like a terminator. Silently, he drew five cards from his Card Deck, and his eyes as cold as knives seemed to say—
——Regardless of dimensions, you're doomed today.
"I go first, draw!"
Having secured first move, Aigami didn't rush to attack but tried to glean some useful information from his opponent's gaze and expression.
Analyzing body language and understanding expressions is a major aspect of dueling, with psychological warfare often playing a crucial role. Many duelists allow joy or despair over the situation or their cards to unconsciously manifest in their expressions, making them easy to predict.
On this front, Aigami was quite confident. Just as he felt his innate card skills were exceptional, he also believed he was a master of psychological warfare.
However, after only seconds of attempting, he gave up this idea.
Because compared to the Supreme King, it might be slightly easier to extract useful information from a corpse's face.
Aigami drew a card.
"I summon 'Cubic Seed Vijam' in attack position!"
The dimension shook, golden waves emerged, and a singular eye in crimson sky opened its eyelid. The gigantic Cubic Monster was pieced together with countless surging golden particles, with scythe-like arms on either side, a deformed neck, and no head, only a large eye.
[Cubic Seed Vijam, Attack 0]
"Set a card facedown, turn ends."
Finishing his simple setup, Aigami curved his lips into a provocative smile.
"Come on, brat," he said, "Soon, I'll show you the terror of Dimension Duel... and the Cubic Monster!"
But the Supreme King didn't even glance at him.
"Draw."
He pulled a card, his voice as cold as a machine.