"Do you really know my father?"
Yusei was surprised.
Yugen placed his hands behind his back and gazed into the distance, a look of reminiscence on his face: "Yes. It's already been seventeen years..."
These words were not entirely a random fabrication; given his current persona, it wasn't exactly a lie.
After all, he is currently Rex Godwin. Seventeen years ago, before the tragedy of the Zero Reverse, Ludger and his brother were both members of the Perpetual Motion Research Institute, indeed collaborators with Dr. Fudo in completing the Dream Initial Machine.
Of course, Rex Godwin was quite young then, far less calculating than he is now.
Later, in the Satellite District, the legendary D-wheel Hand—attempting to build the Daedalus Bridge to the city, later hunted by the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, and finally driven to leap from the Daedalus Bridge on his D-wheel—was Rex Godwin in his youth, symbolizing freedom.
"Yusei Fudo, I have always believed you possess infinite possibilities because you inherited Dr. Fudo's will, leading not just the Satellite District and New Tongshiyi, but all of humanity towards a bright future.
No matter what happens, never forget this, Yusei Fudo."
Yusei's face was solemn, as if he too felt the weight of what he carried.
"Alright, the battle of the Dark Markers ends here, everyone should go back and rest."
Yugen said.
"On behalf of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, and the entire New Tongshiyi, I thank you all for fighting for this city. And I assure you, the city will know who stood up for them in the most critical moment."
At this point, the Dragon Sealers indeed felt extremely exhausted. The battles with the Dark Markers were fought with life at stake, and after going through life-and-death struggles, they were all utterly drained and wanted to rest.
So, everyone went back home, each to their own.
Except for Qiu.
"Aren't you going back?"
Yugen, still imitating Godwin with his hands behind his back, slowly walked towards the helicopter designated for the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, while glancing at Akiza Izinski who was following him not too closely.
Qiu looked at the ground, lost: "I already... have nowhere else to return to."
Yugen glanced sideways at the dejected girl for a moment, then calmly said: "You should almost certainly go home and take a look."
Qiu just shook her head: "Home? I don't have such a place. Parents who look at me with such frightened eyes...such a home...I'd rather not go back..."
"Fear of great power, fear of the unknown is human instinct. Maybe they are wrong, but you shouldn't be too harsh on them. After all, despite the fear, they never said they would abandon you, did they?" Yugen said.
Qiu: "..."
Yugen merely made a suggestion; he didn't have time to care about how Qiu would handle her relations with her family afterward.
The night passed without words.
However, within this day, rumors had already started spreading across New Tongshiyi and the Satellite District.
This was expected. Despite any attempts at controlling information, the duel between the Dragon Sealers and Dark Markers was indeed a significant disturbance.
Especially with the appearance of the Earth-Bound Gods, each towering over the land, their summons and every attack causing earth-shaking disturbances.
If it were just this, it would be forgivable, but the Earth-Bound Gods also had the setup of consuming a pile of souls every time they appeared. Such commotion inevitably drew attention.
In just one day, unrest had spread through the city, and even doomsayers took the opportunity to preach that the apocalypse had arrived, claiming that yesterday's phenomenon was God descending to deliver divine punishment for this unjust world.
Of course, the people saying this apparently didn't know that the God they spoke of had already been defeated and scurried back to the Netherworld.
Panic spread in the city, but it was not a big issue as it was part of the plan.
The next day, Officer Godwin of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau personally held a press conference to explain all the anomalies of the previous day to the citizens.
Contrary to usual, this time the Public Security Maintenance Bureau did not resort to the flimsy excuse of "testing the latest imaging system," but directly acknowledged the existence of the Evil God.
The Earth-Bound Gods awakened from the Nazca ground symbols, and the Duelists who returned from the Yellow Springs to ride the Earth-Bound Gods; the city and this world nearly faced total annihilation...
The Public Security Maintenance Bureau admitted everything to the public.
Naturally, this immediately caused a widespread sensation.
Previously, the Red Dragon had appeared in the city, and Earth-Bound Gods had been summoned in the city; the Public Security Maintenance Bureau then explained it away as a test of an imaging system, but even then, some civilians did not buy it, suspecting it to be a fabricated lie to pacify the citizens. Yet, despite this, there was no solid evidence at the time.
But now there was. The Public Security Maintenance Bureau stepped forward themselves to tell everyone that the Extraordinary indeed exists, that gods and demons are indeed real, and they had narrowly escaped death at the hands of the Evil God last night.
"But citizens, you needn't worry. The Public Security Maintenance Bureau will do everything to ensure your safety. The Evil God has been successfully repelled and will no longer pose a threat,"
Officer Godwin said to the cameras at the press conference.
"And all of this is thanks to the Warriors chosen by the Red Dragon, the 'Dragon Sealers' who stood up bravely. They risked their lives and fought valiantly, defeating the messengers of the Yellow Springs. They are heroes guarding the front lines of our city."
So, along with this sensational news, the Dragon Sealers became famous.
Former Duel King Jack Atlas, of course, had long been worshipped like a star in New Tongshiyi. And Yusei Fudo, who defeated Jack, recently gained reputation as well; he's now seen by the populace as rising from a "Satellite District trash" to a "New King."
Akiza Izinski, previously known as the Witch met with resistance, but after today she began to become more controversial. Certainly, some still called her the Witch, finding it hard to forget the destruction she caused in the past, but those viewing her as a hero also started to emerge.
The Public Security Maintenance Bureau controls most of the city's resources, and as long as they are wholeheartedly committed to promoting something, it wouldn't take long to drown out the negative voices.
Just as Officer Godwin promised, Qiu indeed started transforming from a witch hunted by everyone to one of the heroes representing hope for the city.
The Dragon Sealers returned home, and the battle against the Dark Markers seemed to have reached its end.
However, Yugen was not as certain as he appeared in his television speech.
He was pondering.
Has the battle against the Dark Markers...really ended?