"Master, look—we're here!"
Stepping into a broad, open plaza, Mona lifted her arm and pointed excitedly into the distance, practically bouncing on her toes.
Following where she indicated, Yusaku saw a building at the far end of the square shaped like a blazing torch. Beneath it, staff members were calmly checking information and recording names one by one.
Yusaku's gaze sharpened. After the Duel ended, he'd finally collected the last piece of the puzzle, then followed the guidance all the way here.
By now, plenty of people had already gathered in the plaza—Duelists who had fought their way through and secured spots in the Top 32.
In the crowd, Yusaku immediately spotted a few familiar faces: the Genius Academy elites, Gurus leftovers… the usual trash.
They noticed his eyes on them and returned the look with open scrutiny and hostility.
Besides those old enemies, there were also unfamiliar faces mixed in.
Most of them were blond and blue-eyed, with a faint but oppressive aura hanging around them. Judging by their clothing style, they weren't local Duelists—more like they'd come in from the Nordic region.
While Yusaku was sizing them up, a boy in a blue combat outfit stepped forward.
He had dazzling blond hair tied back, a headband with a Union Jack pattern across his forehead, and he let out a loud whistle.
"So you're the Yusaku who's been making waves lately, huh? I heard you've got the Egyptian God Cards. Too bad we didn't run into each other in prelims. I'd love to Duel you and see whether our Nordic Gods are superior… or if your Egyptian Gods really are unstoppable!"
"Nordic Gods, huh?" Yusaku raised an eyebrow. "You'll get your chance."
Yusaku kept it polite, but the players who'd followed him here as a cheer squad were a lot less courteous. They curled their lips and muttered among themselves.
"Nordic Gods trying to compare themselves to the Egyptian God Cards? If they actually meet, they probably won't even get an effect off."
"Nordic Gods are whatever. Only the Earthbound Immortals can even barely brush up against the Egyptian Gods—and I mean barely. And it'd take multiple Earthbound Immortals. Beating the Egyptian Gods? No chance."
"…"
As Yusaku's group arrived, the number on the qualified list updated to eighteen. Two more Duelists had gotten lucky and completed their puzzles as well. Counting them, that left only twelve vacant spots in the Top 32.
Every Duelist who arrived had to register with the staff. After Yusaku finished signing in, he chatted casually with the players and his Spirit partners while they waited for the final group.
Time slipped by. When the sunset stained the horizon red, the last Duelist—ranked twenty-second—finally entered the plaza.
The moment he appeared, the staff immediately announced it at full volume. A helicopter circling overhead switched on its loudspeakers, broadcasting the message across all of Domino City.
"Duel City Top 32 assembly is now CLOSED! Congratulations to Kobayashi Hideyori, Mishima Ichiki, Saito, Yusaku… and the rest—on successfully advancing!"
As the announcement ended, the Duelists still fighting desperately for their last puzzle piece all showed the same defeated, frustrated expressions.
Meanwhile, those roaming around looking for opponents lowered their Duel Disks and rushed toward the torch building. Even if they hadn't qualified, the organizers still allowed them to enter and watch.
In the plaza, as soon as the full list was confirmed, the ground-floor doors of the torch-shaped building slowly opened. A masked staff member in a long white coat walked out at an unhurried pace.
"Congratulations to everyone who advanced," he said, voice steady and authoritative. "Being here is proof of your strength. The Top 32 elimination round will begin shortly. Before that, please enjoy the banquet prepared by the organizers."
Before he even finished speaking, more staff filed out, guiding the qualified Duelists inside.
As for the players and Duelists who came to cheer, the organizers thoughtfully provided a banquet for them as well—just in a separate venue from the competitors.
The competitors' banquet hall was on the top floor.
A long table stretching dozens of meters sat in the center of the room. A white linen tablecloth covered it end to end, silver cutlery and crystal glasses gleaming under the lights. Dishes of every kind filled the table, rich aromas rising in waves. Soft classical music flowed through the air, giving the hall an elegant, refined atmosphere.
Because Saya and the others were Yusaku's Spirit partners, the organizers made an exception and allowed them in. And at this banquet, Spirits weren't rare—at a quick glance, Yusaku counted at least five Duelists who had brought Spirits with them.
Most of those Spirits weren't humanoid, though. Like the cool-looking boy at the next table with spiky golden hair—perched on his shoulder was a small, deep-blue creature.
Yusaku remembered its name was something like Winged Kuriboh.
"Ugh… this tastes awful. I seriously don't get why people like it," Mona complained, holding a glass of champagne with a face scrunched into pure misery.
"That's because you don't know how to drink it," Labyrinth said, gently swirling her own glass before taking a small sip, smiling faintly.
Watching them bicker, Yusaku couldn't help smiling too. Then he turned, wanting to see what Saya was doing.
The girl had already moved silently to his side. She rose onto her toes and gestured for him to lean down.
Yusaku crouched slightly and leaned in to listen. A moment later, his brow slowly tightened.
"You're saying the Underworld Goddesses sent you a message? You couldn't hear it clearly, but the gist was… they sensed the ruins where they once slept—and even ruins that humans have controlled and developed for years—were being invaded by some mysterious force?"
"And those people are looting resources from the ruins in bulk… and you even sensed Genius Academy among them?"
Saya nodded gravely. "Yeah. That's why the sisters couldn't come meet up with you. They had to turn back and support the ruins first."
Yusaku rubbed his chin, falling into thought.
"So that's why. No wonder you sensed their presence that day, and then it suddenly cut off. They must've already turned back toward the ruins at that point."
He lifted his eyes toward the Genius Academy group not far away. They were sitting together, clinking glasses and laughing like everything was perfectly fine.
During the time he'd spent in the upper city, Yusaku had already gotten a clear picture of how things worked: almost all core resources there were firmly in Genius Academy's grasp, and countless ruins were under their control as well.
With that many resources, they could harvest steadily, craft cards with the materials, and expand step by step. There was no need to strip-mine everything like this.
It was shortsighted—like cutting off your own future.
So what were they planning?
Just then, the staff member who looked eerily similar to Seto Kaiba stepped into the center of the hall and lightly clapped his hands.
"I trust everyone has enjoyed themselves. Next, please return to your rooms and rest. The Top 16 elimination round will officially begin in two hours."
Hearing that, Yusaku shot one more glance at the Genius Academy group, then turned and headed toward his room.
Competitor rooms were assigned by the order of qualification. He'd arrived eighteenth—so his room number was 18.
Once inside, Yusaku didn't waste any motion. He took out his Deck, carefully adjusted the card order, then closed his eyes to rest.
After several high-intensity Duels in a row, his mind and body were both heavily drained. He genuinely needed recovery time.
Elsewhere, once Labyrinth and the others learned what had happened to the Underworld Goddesses, they immediately decided to go provide support.
Yusaku wanted to go with them, but the girls gently refused.
"This tournament isn't simple," they said, tone serious. "We can sense something: for some Duelists who have no Spirit protection, after their Duels end, the Duel energy in their bodies drifts upward into the sky—as if something is siphoning it away."
"And what's even stranger is that Genius Academy's people clearly don't have Spirit protection, yet their Duel energy isn't being drained at all. There's definitely something hidden here."
So they insisted Yusaku stay and watch what Genius Academy was really trying to do.
Saya couldn't relax and wanted to remain with him, but Yusaku persuaded her to go.
He had the protection of a Millennium Scion on him. Even without Spirit protection, his energy would never be siphoned during a Duel.
Night fell quietly. The skyline was washed in a faint violet haze, mysterious and still.
Time flew. Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
All thirty-two qualified Duelists gathered on the top floor of the torch building right on time.
The top floor of the flame-shaped structure was, astonishingly, a massive Duel stadium.
At the center was a Duel platform made entirely of alloy, surrounded by a winding, D-Wheel-only track.
Above it, tiered spectator stands rose layer by layer. The seats were already packed, glow sticks waving everywhere. Cheers and shouts crashed together in a rolling roar as fans screamed support for their favorites.
At the very center of the platform, a circular transparent dome of layered glass was already in place.
Its exterior was shaped like a chibi Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. The middle head tilted up with its mouth open, fitted with a spherical glass capsule. The two side heads drooped downward—making it look exactly like that classic Spell Card: Bingo Machine, Go!!!
"Good evening, Duelists…"
A man in a black suit and sunglasses walked up onto the platform, his expression stern and rigid.
"I am this Duel City tournament's head referee, Isono. Next, we'll use this lottery machine to randomly draw your Top 16 matchups. Please remain calm."
As Isono spoke, the giant dome began to rotate.
Golden balls marked with competitor numbers tumbled and collided inside the glass capsule, producing crisp, chiming sounds.
The stadium went silent in an instant. Everyone held their breath, eyes locked on the machine.
"Who's up first? Who's fighting who?" Kazetaro clenched his fist in the stands, buzzing with excitement.
Beside him, a bespectacled player pushed up his frames and analyzed in a low voice.
"In the Top 16, the later you appear, the higher your odds. Everyone here had to win eight straight Duels to qualify. Their stamina's shot. Two hours of rest isn't nearly enough to fully recover."
He paused, then spoke with confidence.
"I've got a feeling Yusaku's going to be first. No idea why, but it's like his luck is… cursed. Trouble always finds him. Though it could also be Kouki—I remember he qualified too."
"So… is it possible the first match is Yusaku vs. Kouki?"
Another player was rubbing his chin when the surrounding crowd immediately cut him off.
"Shut your crow mouth!"
At that moment, Referee Isono's voice rang out from the platform.
Two golden balls rolled out of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's side mouths in sequence, landing neatly in his palms. Isono glanced down, then raised them high.
"First match—Number 18, Yusaku!"
The stadium held its breath for one beat—then exploded into shocked cries.
Isono didn't stop. His eyes swept the crowd as he read the second ball's number.
"His opponent is Number 9, from Genius Academy—Mikawa Shota!"
As Isono announced it, two blazing spotlights dropped from the ceiling like spears, punching through the darkness and locking precisely onto the exits of both competitor tunnels.
Dust danced in the beams. Amid a sudden eruption of cheers, two figures emerged from the tunnels and walked forward at an even pace.
There was no Riding Duel requirement this time, so both headed straight for the central Duel platform.
Shota stepped onto the platform first. Arms crossed, he wore a cocky grin, his eyes sharp as blades as they fixed on Yusaku approaching from the opposite side.
"Those Gurus losers really are useless. Even with our support, they still let you make it this far."
He paused briefly, looking Yusaku up and down, mockery and contempt written all over his face.
"After that many grueling Duels in a row, your stamina and focus have to be at the limit, yeah? Want me to be merciful and give you ten minutes to rest? Wouldn't want you losing and then making excuses about being in bad shape."
Yusaku didn't slow until he reached the far side of the platform. Only then did he lift his eyes and glance at Shota.
"I've noticed something interesting."
Shota raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh? And what's that?"
"It's that you Genius Academy types aren't very strong," Yusaku said calmly. His voice wasn't loud, but the platform's sound system carried it clearly throughout the stadium, "yet every single one of you has a fast mouth."
"If your Duels were even half as impressive as your trash talk, I might not have made it here. But unfortunately… it's the exact opposite."
"You—"
Shota started to speak, but Yusaku cut him off.
"Enough. Start already."
Shota snorted and stopped wasting words. He raised his arm and unfolded his Duel Disk.
Yusaku did the same, inserting a Deck that gleamed with a faint red glow.
"Duel!" "Duel!"
Two forceful shouts rang out together. The Duel Disks chimed in sync, and the starting Life Points displayed clearly.
Yusaku: LP 8000
Shota: LP 8000
(End of Chapter)
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