"Sartorius' sister? Are you here to stop us?" Aster asked in a low voice upon seeing her.
"No... I want you to save my brother," Sarina said softly.
Hikaru listened silently.
In the original story, Sarina sacrificed herself to save her "good brother" by becoming a cyber-being, stopping a satellite laser blast powerful enough to destroy Earth.
That said, in this world, because things unfolded differently, she was still alive.
Hikaru had never met her before and assumed she simply worked for Sartorius.
"Save Sartorius? What do you mean?"
Sarina began to explain.
She and her brother were born with the power to foresee the future. Adults feared them, and they ended up living on the streets. To survive, they started a fortune-telling shop and gradually made a living—Until that day.
KaibaCorp announced the success of Dimensional Exploration and revealed a world of spirits.
Soon, dimensional exploration exploded globally.
"Destiny" began to change.
Sarina had been thrilled. Sartorius had always worried about the world. With such a change, surely fate would change as well.
However, it was then that Sartorius seemed to "receive a revelation."
The world was destined for destruction!
In that moment, he heard a voice from a powerful being beyond dimensions!
He also learned the "reason" why the Spirit Worlds were fracturing.
And so—he began to fear even more, for his fate and the fate of the world grew increasingly unstable.
The future would only grow more dangerous.
"A threat from another dimension?" Aster glanced to his left. "You serious?"
He seemed to be addressing someone else.
Could it be... Sartorius' good soul was talking to him now—or even inside him?
Still…
A being that fractured the Spirit Worlds?
So Sartorius knew about it too.
Hikaru frowned deeply.
Sarina continued, explaining that Sartorius had long hesitated. He never wanted to hurt anyone. The Society of Light had been founded to protect others like them—people born with supernatural powers who were feared by society.
Though one day, after returning from another dimension, Sartorius suddenly changed completely. He let himself go, and his recruitment standards dropped drastically. He even began cooperating with Leo Akaba.
"My brother wants to perform a ritual!" Sarina exclaimed.
He had learned a ritual from one of the Spirit Worlds—to sacrifice human emotions, minds, and souls in exchange for special cards!
Recently, he had used the Dark World invasion as a cover to recruit many ordinary students into the Society of Light.
Each of them, being Duelists, could serve as a vessel for soul sacrifice.
In the past few days, he summoned them with that very intent—but she had secretly sabotaged his plans, preventing those students from arriving.
So that was it.
Amaki Hikaru looked around.
No wonder there weren't any ordinary students present.
"Thank you, Sarina." Aster took a deep breath. "We'll take it from here."
He began ascending the stairs.
Hikaru, frowning in hesitation, chose to follow.
He already knew. No matter what, Aster would Duel Sartorius; No amount of reasoning or persuasion could stop it.
As Sartorius' friend and as a Duelist, Aster would never let Hikaru fight that battle for him.
The two of them climbed the spiral staircase. As they ascended, a voice called out.
"The fifth card of the Major Arcana: The Hierophant."
"Upright, it symbolizes salvation, guidance, and counseling the helpless."
They arrived at the Society's rooftop. A white dome shimmered with light. At the top, Sartorius stood atop a long corridor resembling a bridge, with the Saint watching quietly from the side.
"You've arrived, Hierophant. And you too, Sun." Sartorius turned around, smiling at Aster and Hikaru.
"Sartorius!!" At once, Aster drew a card from his pocket—a blood-hued glow emanating from it. As it appeared, a massive red aura emerged behind him. "Tell me what this is all about!"
"This card contains the Light of Destruction. My father said that the original Light had already passed on to someone else. When—"
"Hehehe. When did I get it, you ask?"
Sartorius opened his arms wide:
"From the very beginning, of course!"
"Yes, this is my destiny! Didn't Sarina already tell you everything?"
"I want to hear it from your own mouth!" Despite his wounds and fatigue, Aster shouted.
"Hehehe... It all began with the Light."
Sartorius opened his eyes. In those violet irises, the cosmos seemed to gleam.
"This world, this universe, the infinite dimensions—all began with Light. The birth of the cosmos, the existence of everything, came from Light!
The Light of Destruction is a primordial force born with the universe. Life and death, creation and destruction, all stem from this cataclysmic power born of planetary collisions. One day, that light shone upon Earth, was sealed in a card your father created—and was taken by D.D."
"After that, as I desperately tried to foresee the man who murdered your father—D.D appeared before me."
Sartorius smiled.
"He placed the card on my table and asked me to divine its power. In that moment, the Light of Destruction entered my body."
"Grr... All because of that?!" Aster ground his teeth.
Sartorius still wore a radiant smile as he explained:
"The Light chose me to correct this flawed world.
Yes—powers that defy understanding also create realities beyond comprehension.
"What the hell are you saying, Sartorius!?" Aster could barely grasp it.
Sartorius lowered his gaze, then continued:
"As children, Sarina and I experienced society's rejection—shame and humiliation—just because of what we were born with. That is the result of this world's so-called balance!
And the Spirit Worlds are no utopia either. There are beings there who seek domination and power. Humanity across dimensions has its own desires and conflicts.
So—this world should return to zero.
Born from the Light, returning to the Light!"
He raised both arms high as blinding radiance erupted from him. In this tower piercing the heavens, light surged upward without end.
"I shall guide the next world through its destruction! Let me do it alone!"
"You idiot! Aren't you even afraid!?" Aster clutched his chest.
"You were the one who helped me change my destiny! And now you're saying this?! Wasn't that why you found me in the first place?!"
On the day Aster lost his father, it had rained.
At the funeral, Aster had stood alone in the downpour. Then Sartorius appeared, holding an umbrella over him.
"The storm will pass. Until it does, I'll stand by you."
From then on, they became friends.
Sartorius had always seen himself as a devil—evil, temptation, bondage. He had hoped that Aster, born with the power of the Hierophant, would one day save him.
He was the one truly shackled by fate.
"Let's Duel. We'll decide this with a Duel!" Aster raised his left arm, activating his Duel Disk.
"Ah..."
Sartorius opened his mouth, laughing more loudly now.
A Duel with the Hierophant meant little to him.
What he truly wanted was the destructive power held by the Sun standing beside Aster.
Logically, he had no reason to accept this Duel. The Hierophant offered nothing he desired.
But…
Time had moved a day early.
Fate had changed.
"Very well, Aster. Let me destroy my best friend ahead of schedule," he laughed. "That way, you won't have to witness the destruction of countless worlds."
Aster inserted his Deck into his Duel Disk.
Just as the Duel was about to begin, Amaki Hikaru called out, "Aster!" and tossed a card toward him.
Aster caught it, looked at the name and art, and turned to Hikaru, surprised.
"Don't lose, Aster!"
Aster took a deep breath and punched the air toward Hikaru without a word.
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
They both drew their cards.
At the same time, the tower of the Society of Light—constructed within the Critical Nexus Dimension—began to crack from its peak. Light burst outward, as if illuminating every region across the dimension.
[Aster, LP: 4000]
[Sartorius, LP: 4000]