BOOM—
A searing bolt of lightning cracked down from the sky. A dragon was obliterated in midair, reduced to shards.
"Red-Eyes Black Dragon!? No way—"
"Atticus!!"
"Looks like I lost… Zane, be careful, his cards—"
Before he could finish his warning, Atticus Rhodes lost consciousness. His body was engulfed in a radiant light, and with a surge of overwhelming power, he was launched into space—drawn into a burning star.
Zane Truesdale watched the scene unfold, fists clenched, jaw tight, stepping forward with thunder in his eyes. His Duel Disk lit up, primed and ready.
"Heheheh…"
A short time later—
Zane, too, was consumed into a distant star.
A few days later.
"Dr. Banner's missing!?" Hikaru Tenjoin asked, stunned.
"Yeah," Jaden Yuki muttered, furrowing his brow. "At first I thought he was just busy with something, but it's been over a week now. I haven't seen him since.
And with him gone, nobody's been handing out natto in the kitchen…"
Jaden sighed in frustration. "Now that I think about it, Professor Crowler's been MIA too. What's going on? Some kind of secret teacher conference?"
"Hikaru, you're close with Crowler. Any idea what's going on?"
Hikaru shook his head.
Sure, he was friendly with the professor—but he didn't report in every day. Crowler was a nice guy underneath it all, but still just a middle-aged salaryman at the end of the day.
But if Banner's gone too...
He had a sinking feeling.
If it's Banner... then he's probably getting serious.
The Shadow Riders...
"Jaden, this might be hard to hear," Hikaru said, steeling his tone, "but you need to know. There's still one Shadow Rider who hasn't appeared."
"You're saying Banner and the others were taken by them!?" Jaden's eyes sharpened. "Damn it..."
"No," Hikaru said flatly. "I'm saying Dr. Banner might be one of the Shadow Riders."
"That's impossible! No way!" Hayato Maeda interjected, shaking his head wildly. "Dr. Banner? He's terrified of everything! When the vampires attacked the academy, he locked himself in his room and prayed to Buddha for hours!"
"I'm just telling you so you can be prepared, Jaden."
Hikaru hesitated, then nodded firmly.
He ruffled his hair, took a deep breath.
Today was supposed to be the day he looked for an old friend—no time to sulk.
He saw Jaden call out to Chazz, and the two began preparing for a teleportation jump. The Fusion dorm grew unusually quiet. Hikaru's thoughts churned.
If Banner's gone, it probably means he's shedding the mask. Time to fulfill the deal he made with Chancellor Sheppard. As a Shadow Rider... he's coming for real now.
In the original timeline, Banner was the leader of the Shadow Riders—the strongest among them. He soloed every remaining Key Holder except Jaden. And even then, he revealed his true identity just to witness Jaden's growth firsthand.
The Banner of this world... maybe even stronger than the original.
But so is this Jaden. He's got the Golden Captain and Avian backing him. Spirit partners that didn't exist in the anime. Jaden here? An absolute powerhouse.
Even if Banner's deck is stronger... Jaden should be able to win.
Everyone's gotten stronger. Which means... no one really has.
The balance of power shouldn't shift.
Today, Hikaru was heading for the Magician's Village. Maybe he'd run into a wild Dark Magician.
Dark Magician Girl was insanely rare in this world. But the Dark Magician? There were a few around. If luck held out, he might actually spot one.
"Yo, Hikaru, you're early?"
"It's Daichi…" Bastion Misawa sighed, correcting him as always. He squared his shoulders and said sternly, "Last semester I was distracted. That's the only reason you and Chazz outperformed me. Don't get complacent."
"Hah! Confidence that borders on delusion is just arrogance in disguise," Hikaru smirked.
The two bantered as they approached the dimensional gate. Hikaru slid a coordinate card labeled "Dark Magician Girl" into the console. He turned to Bastion and asked, "Looking for any specific Spirit?"
"If I could… I'd love to find the Mathematician Spirit."
He rifled through his deck and showed Hikaru the card—a wizened old man with a long beard.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
Ah, Mathematician… dumping Dandylion into FTK range with one card, huh?
Good thing Link Monsters don't exist here—otherwise Bastion would be a walking nuke.
Joking around, the two stepped up to the platform as the teacher prepared to activate the gate—when suddenly, Tyrra leapt out of nowhere, pointing at the console.
"Hey! Human. Someone's tampered with this machine."
"Wait! Hold on—don't activate it!" Hikaru called out urgently.
The teacher froze, finger hovering over the button.
Hikaru inspected the device closely—and sure enough, a strange green symbol was glowing on the console.
He recognized it instantly.
An alchemy symbol.
"It's fine now. Please begin the transport."
Once confirmed, Hikaru's tension faded.
What he feared most was some random force interfering.
As that thought passed, the portal's emerald light engulfed them both. When they opened their eyes—they stood in a massive workshop.
Above them hung dozens of planets, orbiting slowly. Around them, strange machines and arcane devices hummed with energy.
"Where… are we? This doesn't look like any Spellcaster zone…" Bastion murmured.
His voice trailed off.
Because what they saw made their blood run cold.
Directly ahead—Dr. Banner stood, cloaked and wrapped in bandages, pointing down at a defeated Jaden Yuki, who knelt on the ground.
"It's over, Jaden. Direct attack!"
"Well done, Jaden-kun. Forcing me to reveal my true form… You've grown."
"Agh—!"
"JADEN!?" Hikaru and Bastion both shouted.
Hikaru's heart dropped.
No fucking way.
The protagonist lost!?
To the mid-boss of the original!?
"JADEN!!"
He wasn't the only one screaming. From the translucent orbs drifting through the air—he could see students and teachers inside, pounding at the glass-like surface, trying to break out.
Professor Crowler. Alexis Rhodes. Atticus Rhodes. Chazz Princeton. Zane Truesdale.
Even Syrus and Hayato were trapped inside glowing spheres, screaming Jaden's name.
Jaden's body was enveloped in light, then drawn into a blazing sun—his consciousness fading as he passed out.
"This…" Bastion stumbled back, visibly shaken. But he gritted his teeth and reached for his deck. "H-Hikaru, I… I'll do it…"
Seeing how rattled his friend was, Hikaru stepped forward, hand outstretched.
"Daichi. Stand down. I got this."
"Oh? Heheheh… Watching a strong Duelist fall, and you don't run—you step up?" Banner's voice purred like a blade sliding from its sheath. His eyes narrowed. "Then I assume you understand now.
I… am the final Shadow Rider!
The Head of the Seven Stars—Armnile!"
Hikaru drew a deep breath, and nodded solemnly.
"No more words needed. Let's see if I fall here… or keep moving forward."
"DUEL!!" ×2
Banner LP: 4000
Hikaru LP: 4000