Yubel's ability activated, and the strike of over eight thousand attack power from the Evil Hero rebounded completely, like a terrifying storm sweeping over The Supreme King.
She pushed through the storm, broke through the light curtain, step by step approaching The Supreme King...
...and pulled him into her embrace.
The number representing life dropped to "0" under the reflected damage, signifying defeat and also the shattering and dissolution of the shell known as "The Supreme King".
He lost.
In the deepest depths of the shadowy darkness, Yuki Judai, imprisoned in endless darkness with vacant eyes, numbly raised his head.
His golden pupils gradually lost their color, the eternal flame slowly extinguished, and the empty gaze regained a hint of clarity.
The first moment he regained consciousness, he saw Yubel and felt her warm, reassuring embrace.
"Alright, it's enough now," Yubel said softly. "Take a good rest; your journey is over. You don't have to fight anymore..."
Weariness washed over him like a tide. Judai leaned securely against her embrace, closed his heavy, leaden eyelids, and fell into a deep slumber.
The boundless darkness dissipated.
The old school building returned to its original appearance, eerie and dilapidated, but all ominous aura had vanished.
Ed and Manjome exchanged glances. Clearly experiencing such a high-level supernatural event for the first time left the two young men somewhat at a loss, still not fully understanding the situation.
So they both turned their gaze towards Youyu.
"Is it... over?" Ed asked.
Youyu stepped forward to stand beside Yubel.
"The Supreme King?"
"He's gone," Yubel said, lifting Judai up, "at least for now."
"For now?" Youyu raised an eyebrow. "The rules of a Dark Duel should mean a win, a cost?"
"Indeed, but The Supreme King is an unprecedented great power, ruling over the Twelfth Dimension. The power he holds goes beyond your imagination; he won't be defeated so easily." Yubel shook her head.
Youyu understood.
Indeed, in the original animation, O'Brien activated his powers and went all out to perish along with The Supreme King. But in the end, his own people were gone, and The Supreme King was not truly destroyed, reverting to a dormant state within Judai.
But later, an awakened and matured Judai mastered the power of The Supreme King, integrating it into himself.
In any case, it seemed like a chapter was closed.
They took Judai back to the infirmary, where Chinai complained about how Judai ended up on the sickbed every other day recently, while also diligently conducting a full-body examination.
As per usual with a Dark Duel—regular physical exams struggle to find any problems with a Duelist's physical state, as most damage is mental.
However, as the main sponsor, Kaiba Group had established the Duel Academy, equipped with some of their black tech sponsored by the Group.
One must acknowledge that the President also devoted significant research to supernatural phenomena represented by Dark Duels, including mental level instruments and equipment.
A few days ago when Judai was admitted to the infirmary, although his Spiritual Power was somewhat depleted, there were no significant issues; rest in bed was all he needed to recover.
But this time was different.
"..."
"He can't wake up? What do you mean?" Youyu frowned.
"I don't know." Chinai looked worriedly at the unconscious Judai, "It's like... a part of his spirit has been hollowed out, leaving a huge void."
"Is there no way to treat it?"
"At least not here," Chinai shook her head. "This falls into the blind spots of modern medicine; currently, there's no effective treatment.
If we can't complete the damaged spirit, he might... never wake up."
Youyu frowned.
The damaged part of the spirit, could it be...
He turned his head to look at the translucent Yubel beside him, who also wore a serious expression.
"Indeed, I can't feel The Supreme King's presence either," Yubel frowned and said.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Youyu asked.
Yubel turned her head to look at him.
"The Supreme King is Judai, and Judai is The Supreme King," she said. "It's a part of him that can't be destroyed. If The Supreme King is gone, then Judai..."
She glanced at the unconscious Judai on the bed, feeling somewhat anxious.
"...I don't know what will happen either."
"..."
In any case, staying at the Academy certainly wasn't a viable option for treatment. Youyu immediately contacted Kaiba Company's headquarters, and soon the headquarters dispatched a private jet, preparing to take Judai to Domino City for more advanced treatment.
Mokuba also arrived on the island with the plane. Youyu boarded the plane with him, intending to visit the company headquarters along the way.
Sitting in the cabin, Mokuba handed a tablet to Youyu, "Youyu, you might want to see this."
Youyu glanced at the tablet and saw that the left side clearly showed an aerial view of the Duel Academy, while the right side displayed a multitude of complex readings.
"What is this?"
"It's real-time readings of the spatial measurements in the area where Duel Academy Island is located." Mokuba swiped a few times on the screen, "Look at this graph."
Youyu saw an extremely steep curve, like a towering mountain rising from an endless plain.
Youyu compared it to the time below.
The peak of the curve coincided with the final moments of his duel with The Supreme King.
"This is..."
"The spatial coordinates on the island underwent severe fluctuation. You know, ever since obtaining the 'Quantum Cube', Kaiba Group has been researching dimensional space.
But readings like this are rarely observed, which often suggest that..."
He paused, a flash of worry in his eyes.
"We suspect that for a brief moment, a pathway to other dimensions on Duel Academy Island might have opened. Perhaps something took advantage of that opportunity to cross over, or maybe something from our end went across."
Youyu remained silent for a moment, looking at the unconscious Judai beside him, deep in thought.
...
An unknown dimension, another world.
The man donned heavy armor, with a cloak billowing behind him. He slowly ascended the long stone stairs to the throne at the top, gradually turning around.
Overlooking, his sharp gaze seemed to sweep over the entire world beneath him, flames burning in his golden eyes.
As far as the eye could see, countless troops bowed before him. Warriors from various worlds across the Twelfth Dimension gathered here, pledging their allegiance.
His name is The Supreme King.
The most malevolent and strongest dark ruler, reigning over all dimensions.
He once swept through the Twelfth Dimension, undefeated, creating legends in countless worlds.
But that record was broken.
He just lost, in a seemingly peaceful dimension long untouched by war.
And the name of the man who took his first blood was deeply etched into the mind of this Otherworldly King.
"Duel King... Youyu."
The Supreme King narrowed his eyes, the golden flames seemingly about to spill from the corners.