After the duel ended, Jain admitted his defeat with grace.
Perhaps because the Light Force had left him, he seemed less agitated, becoming polite and courteous. The Lightsworn spirits also began negotiating with KaibaCorp staff.
This sort of thing wasn't Hikaru's forte. He had no knowledge of management; the Fusion Club had made it this far thanks solely to his personal charisma and way of dealing with people. Beyond that, he was completely clueless and had no advice to offer.
Jain wasn't the strongest among the spirits—he was a high-ranking one, sure, but nowhere near the level of Judgment or Punishment. Still, the Lightsworn were a righteous spirit faction, and honoring one's word was a fundamental value. Moreover, after seeing Jain lose, the other spirits realized these humans weren't defenseless sheep in need of protection, and so they weren't overly stubborn about their stance.
Destroying a dimension—even among the Lightsworn, such a resolution hadn't been firmly made. The spirit of Judgment Dragon hadn't even spoken during the duel, suggesting that their decision wasn't unanimous.
They were willing to help humans protect the Critical Nexus, first to ensure the safety of all ordinary life in this dimension.
Fighting scattered Dark World soldiers might be a bit of a time-waster, but the Lightsworn could tolerate it.
During this time, Hikaru mentioned Jaden's situation and suggested the spirits could focus their efforts there.
When he spoke with Jaden earlier, Jaden hadn't shared specifics about his circumstances, nor did he say which area was more dangerous.
Perhaps, in Jaden's eyes, he wasn't being targeted in particular—it was just that the entire dimension was this chaotic and dangerous.
That said, Hikaru couldn't afford not to be prepared.
Maybe the demons of Dark World had discovered Jaden's past life, or perhaps they were actively hunting him. It was even possible that Yubel had already resurrected. Nothing could be ruled out.
So if there was a chance, he naturally hoped the Lightsworn could consolidate their efforts.
The Lightsworn began stationing themselves in various regions. Though fewer in number than the Dark World, their fearlessness of death made them no less capable than the scattered Dark World demons.
Moreover, thanks to Amaki Hikaru, the Lightsworn were willing to engage in deeper conversations with humans.
Many Lightsworn were even open to dueling humans to choose a partner they liked.
For the students, this was absolutely fantastic news.
After all, the core purpose of the GX Tournament was Principal Sheppard's way of giving students motivation, seeing how unmotivated they'd been.
As long as they explored this dimension, there was a chance to meet a spirit they could truly connect with. That bond might make them stronger and change their academic standing.
The Lightsworn were just the kind of faction Principal Sheppard had hoped for.
First, they didn't care which dimension they were in. Even the leaders among them could leave the Realm of Justice and take up permanent residence in another dimension, because their pursuit was justice itself. No matter where it was enacted, justice remained their goal.
Second, their standards for duelists were broad. As long as someone was willing to walk the path of justice with them, even without overwhelming strength, they might be acknowledged and granted the Lightsworn's power.
Third, the Lightsworn had an intense moral purism. If one formed a partnership with such a spirit, whether as a teacher or a parent, it would be reassuring. A companion like that meant the Academy's education hadn't gone astray.
All in all, it was nothing but beneficial.
More importantly, individual Lightsworn spirits were quite powerful. A single regular warrior could take on two or three Dark World foot soldiers—they were reliable.
If it weren't for Celina's dislike of the Lightsworn archetype, Amaki Hikaru would've recommended she give it a try.
Of course, if he could encounter the Enlightenment Dragon, he'd be thrilled.
In essence, everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion. With the Lightsworn joining the effort, the situation at the Critical Nexus steadily improved. Amaki Hikaru contacted Atticus and Jaden and confirmed their areas were stable as well.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.
But Amaki Hikaru knew all too well that this might just be darkness lurking beneath the surface.
Yubel.
She was definitely there.
She had definitely begun to act.
The only uncertainty was when she would make her move, and who she would target first.
Would it be Jesse?
Or Chazz and the others?
Yubel was a spirit driven by madness and obsessive desire. Especially after being infused with the Light Force, her inner sickness had fully awakened. Where once she indiscriminately attacked anyone close to Jaden, now she might go so far as to harm everyone, just to monopolize his love.
Hikaru furrowed his brows, clearly worried, but he didn't stop what he was doing.
Because—there was another possibility. So there was no need to dwell on it.
He opened a slip of paper with several notes.
Southeast of the Forest Zone was a cave, supposedly a hiding place for duelists. It wasn't clear if anyone remained inside, so Amaki Hikaru needed to check it out.
Most solo rescue missions had been taken by Aster. Scattered tasks were left to the Sartorius siblings. Though Sartorius himself had only recently awakened and his precognitive abilities had weakened since the Light Force left him, he could still foresee the future to some extent and narrow down target areas.
Only locations like this—remote and dangerous—Amaki Hikaru couldn't overlook.
Fortunately, Jain the Twilightsworn Paladin had accepted the mission to guard KaibaCorp's base, so Amaki Hikaru didn't need to stay behind. He decided to go on this mission. Before he could leave, Celina stopped him, wanting to come along.
After some thought, he agreed. With Tierra beside him, ready to unleash partial power at any moment, it was certainly safer than relying solely on the Lightsworn and KaibaCorp.
No matter where the card came from or if the Path of Souls had been walked—as long as the card was in Amaki Hikaru's hands and Tierra was by his side, it was essentially a "card-type nuke."
With Infernoid Tierra, Hikaru rarely needed to worry about a spirit's strength.
He retrieved a vehicle from KaibaCorp, and Tierra summoned a demon. He and Celina boarded the car and flew toward the Forest Zone.
As they left, an invisible ripple shimmered across the sky above the Critical Nexus, as if light were descending.
At the same time, a strange shadow silently followed after Amaki Hikaru.
A chilling voice echoed alongside the shadow, slow and intangible.
It was a voice full of resentment and obsession, of madness and tenderness, of possessive love.
In the car, Hikaru instinctively glanced at the sky and gently furrowed his brow.