The night fell. Aigami stood at the top of an empty building, overlooking the increasingly technologically advanced Duel City, his expression complex.
The power of the Prana can influence the physical body through the mind. Thanks to these special abilities, the injuries Aigami sustained during the duel with The Supreme King yesterday had mostly healed.
But his state of mind had already changed.
Originally, when he stepped forward as the representative of the Prana, he was extremely inflated. He had immense confidence in his own strength, thinking that a so-called Youyu or Yugi was just a nominal title, and defeating Kaiba was just a piece of cake.
But repeated failures and constant setbacks would deal a blow to even the most arrogant of people.
This was also the issue Aigami was pondering now.
Lord Shadi said his bones were extraordinary and his talent exceptional, a card genius among millions, but perhaps it was just to comfort me?
Maybe my card skills are actually... not that great?
And what's with that little imp that explodes at the slightest disagreement? And what's with that otherworldly spirit beside him?
He was confident and full of pride before, thinking that even going up against Duel King Youyu, he should have a fair chance of winning thanks to the rules advantage of Dimension Duels and the strength of his Cubic Deck.
Who would've thought that before even reaching Youyu, he couldn't even beat such a small disciple of his!
Aigami was now fed up with losing and was about to break apart. His inflated confidence had been brutally pierced, leaving a huge gap deep in his heart.
Some things, once pierced, can never be restored to their original state.
Even if patched up, it would still be loose.
However, good thing was, although he didn't win the duel, he secretly swapped a piece of the Millennium Pendant from Kaiba's hand in the Underground Divine Hall.
Lord Shadi said that even among the total of eight pieces of the Seven Millennium Items, the Millennium Pendant holds the most supreme status, symbolizing the Pharaoh's authority and position. Only the chosen one can complete the Millennium Pendant, and even then, it takes years of time.
Aigami had seen Kaiba Seto's technology that defied even metaphysics. He had no doubt that Kaiba could use his black technology to speed up the process of completing the pendant.
But no matter how impressive Kaiba's black technology is, completing the Millennium Pendant would at least take... ten days to half a month, right?
Aigami, exhausting his mental gimmick and trying to think exaggeratingly, believed it couldn't be faster. Kaiba couldn't possibly assemble the Millennium Pendant in one day, could he?
If that happens, he might have to eat this Quantum Cube on the spot...
Since Atem left the present world, Prana had been preparing for dimensional ascension for a whole year. Now that the time was finally approaching, there was absolutely no way they would let Kaiba ruin their plan.
To be safe, Aigami didn't keep the swapped piece of the Millennium Pendant with himself but instead gave it to his sister, Sella. This way, even if he fell into Kaiba's hands, Kaiba wouldn't be able to get the last piece from him.
Steady as an old fox!
However, if Aigami knew that after he gave the piece to his sister, she turned around and handed it to Muto Yugi, he would wonder what he would think...
"Diva." A voice sounded darkly from behind Aigami, "What are you doing?"
Aigami wasn't actually his real name; his name was Diva, which easily associates one with a certain singing, game-playing, occasionally mecha-wielding, monster-fighting cute girl...
Aigami turned back and saw his best buddy behind him, Mani.
Mani was his closest friend among all the Prana comrades aside from his sister Sella, and one of the people he trusted the most.
"I'm... contemplating the next move."
"Contemplating?" Mani whispered, "We don't have much time left."
"I know. But Kaiba Seto isn't someone who gives up easily, he can't be easily persuaded..."
"Maybe you're being too indecisive, Diva," Mani interrupted him, "Maybe someone should have made up their mind long ago. You should have gone to kill Kaiba Seto already!"
This decision might be a bit radical, but perhaps it was indeed their last option. With the time remaining before the Dimension Gate opens running short, perhaps forceful measures would indeed be the best solution.
Aigami didn't exactly disagree with this decision, but the issue now was...
...damn, he couldn't beat him!
Kaiba, that guy, draws cards from the floor at the slightest disagreement! And what the hell, he even draws a Giant God Soldier card on top of that!
Who the hell can win against that? If you think you can, then go ahead!
"And also that host of the Great Evil God, the one who murdered Lord Shadi with his own hands, that Bakura Ryou." Mani said solemnly, "You haven't avenged him, have you?"
To them, the orphans, Shadi was like a foster father and mentor, whose body had died in front of all of them five years ago, and has existed ever since in the form of a soul.
And the murderer was Bakura Ryou, or more accurately, Bakura Ryou possessed by the Great Evil God Sok.
Strictly speaking, the killer was Sok, but after all, it was done through Bakura's hands. This scene left a great shadow on Aigami and the other Prana comrades when they were young, and Aigami still hasn't abandoned the thought of revenge.
But Mani never shared the same viewpoint.
Mani wasn't as impulsive as Aigami, nor was he as easily caught up in the vortex of hatred. This wasn't something he would normally say.
Something was off about him.
"Mani? What's... going on?"
Aigami then noticed something abnormal about his companion. He saw that Mani's complexion was dark, as if he was about to drip water, with nameless darkness swirling in his eyes, and looking at him felt like peering into an abyss... or being gazed back by it.
Having grown up together, Aigami had never felt Mani was as unfamiliar as he did now.
The Prana's consciousness was highly synchronized, and they could perceive each other's existence even from a distance.
But now he couldn't sense Mani's consciousness. Staring at him, listening to the heavy, murky words, all he felt was... darkness.
"Your successive failures, repeated setbacks, have made me realize something, Diva." Mani said, "That is, Prana also has its limits."
"What do you mean, Mani?"
Mani wore a ferocious grin: "I'm not doing Prana anymore, Diva!"
He suddenly raised his arm, making a grasping motion with his right hand. Countless dark particles gathered in his hand, transforming into a shimmering golden Alchemy Ring.
Millennium Ring!
Aigami's expression changed dramatically: "Impossible! This thing..."
"I found it, Diva! Right there in the Divine Hall where you dueled Kaiba!" Mani's voice was hoarse and twisted, "It showed me a new possibility, a way to transcend limits! Now I can destroy everything; no one can stop me!"
Aigami realized it; it was the deep darkness within the Millennium Ring. The evil thoughts residing in this ring had tainted Mani's consciousness, erasing everything that was originally in his mind, filling it with anger, hatred, desire, and everything else.
The one standing here now was no longer Mani.
This was a new personality split and twisted by the evil thoughts of the Great Evil God Sok.
Aigami immediately activated the Quantum Cube, trying to resist that force. But before he could release his spiritual power, he was struck by a dark vortex.
It was a powerful force he had no way to counter. It felt like his ribs were being shattered, his body being tossed like a car crash, and when he landed, his head was dizzy, with thousands of people whispering in his ear.
"Mani..."
He watched his friend's body being possessed. The demon who had killed their foster father seemed to have returned once again, now occupying a different host, baring its fangs in a snarl, as if mocking his powerlessness.
He was powerless.
He didn't have the strength to defeat this demon, nor the ability to save his dear friend from the darkness.
In a daze, Aigami felt like he had returned to many years ago, losing all extraordinary powers, turning back into that helpless child, crying beside Shadi's gradually cooling body.
"...Vanish, Diva." Mani raised the Millennium Ring towards him, sneering, "I will complete the unfinished career for you... and the things you lack the courage to do."
But almost at the very moment the words rang out, Aigami saw Mani being blown away, carrying a long shriek with him.
The Millennium Ring was knocked from Mani's hand, flying high into the air, emitting a series of metallic collision sounds...
...then it landed steadily into Youyu's hand beside him.
Youyu raised the Millennium Ring in his hand: "Look at you, even after death, you manage to make such a mess?"