[Goodwin LP: 0]
"How… can it be…"
The last of Goodwin's lifepoints was burned away by Black Pendant. He felt as if he was falling endlessly, down into a bottomless abyss.
He still found it hard to believe, staring at his duel disk displaying a zero LP.
No, this couldn't—shouldn't—happen. He had obtained the power of the ultimate Earthbound Immortal—become the strongest god. He had thrown away everything human, even his own life—he had died once by choice, just to become a Dark Signer and gain that power.
He sacrificed everything, reached the end of despair and solitude, believing that only with ultimate power could he break fate.
The Crimson Dragon chooses five Signers to fight the King of the Underworld's five Dark Signers. Legend says this is humanity's forever-repeating fate; with each cycle, innocents are sacrificed.
Goodwin and his brother were among them.
So he wanted both the Crimson Dragon's and the King of the Underworld's power—believing he could remake the world and break fate with it.
But even now—after all that—he'd lost. And cruelly enough, it was his Earthbound Immortal's best effect that enabled it.
Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca's greatest ability was to set the opponent to 1 LP.
Reversal Quiz.
Who—even plays such a card!?
Goodwin felt chilled to the bone, recalling the moment life left him as a Dark Signer. As someone who'd died once, he was more sensitive than anyone to the feeling of life draining away.
He looked at the calmly smiling boy collecting his duel disk—the same slightly scary smile, as if the victory meant nothing.
The nearly building-sized Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca loomed outside, having just sucked in hundreds of souls. Most people would be terrified—unable to move.
But this youth never changed expression, as if he had everything planned. And looking back, he truly did.
That's right—this youth must have known about Rasca's effect from the start. The entire Reversal Quiz tactic was aimed at it.
He was waiting for Goodwin to summon Rasca, to set his LP to 1. The moment he did—he lost.
With Goodwin's defeat, the Earthbound Immortal faded, and all the souls taken in the duel were returned instantly. It was deep night, and most people were asleep and never even knew what happened—only to wake up feeling they'd had a strange nightmare.
Goodwin collapsed to his knees, exhausted, looking up at Kira and couldn't help but ask, "Are you truly a will of this world, sent to thwart me?"
Once again, he felt the insignificance and powerlessness of a mortal in the face of destiny. Even with the power of a god, nothing could be changed.
"The will of the world? Who can say—maybe I am." Kira shrugged. "But I wasn't lying. I'm from another dimension, just passing through.
And I do have some questions for you."
"You want to know where I'm really from?" Goodwin sighed. "Yes—this timeline's Rex Goodwin is already dead.
You're sharp—though I don't know how you realized.
I'm from a slightly further future—a time where I should have already ended, where all my plans were completely obliterated."
Kira asked, "By Yusei Fudo?"
Goodwin nodded.
"For thousands, even tens of thousands of years, the Crimson Dragon and King of the Underworld fought, again and again. I wanted to bring it all to an end. My plan succeeded—I acquired the power of both.
All the Signer and Dark Signers were gathered in me.
But then Yusei Fudo and his companions arrived—we had our final Turbo Duel."
"And then you lost," Kira said.
Everything so far matched the 5DS anime. Yusei finally used the Crimson Dragon to summon Majestic Star Dragon right on site—and dealt with both Goodwin and Rasca in one stroke.
Thus, the first phase of 5DS ended. Looks like Kira's earlier theory was right: this Goodwin was from a future that should have been ended by Yusei and co, but he survived.
"But after I was defeated, 'he' appeared." Goodwin said solemnly.
"Who?" Kira asked.
Goodwin only shook his head.
"I don't know. I never saw his face," said Goodwin. "After my defeat, it was like I was lost in darkness, my consciousness dissolving.
That's when the voice came. It told me: this wasn't over.
If I wanted, I could have a second chance. I could start over. This time, everything would be different."
Kira said, "So you returned to now?"
"No—to about a week ago," Goodwin corrected. "I killed this timeline's me, and took his place.
That voice told me my method was wrong. To overturn the world, to reshape everything, I was too soft—too cautious. I should just erase all Signers and Dark Signers right away—he'd make sure this world was reshaped my way, with no more Signers ever appearing."
Kira murmured, "So you were manipulated by that voice..."
Goodwin had no clue whose force it was, but Kira had a guess.
He'd sensed a familiar aura from Goodwin when he arrived—probably the same being that brought Goodwin through time. The Wicked Gods said it was similar to the one who tried to break their seal—so perhaps it was the same, or at least related.
Looks like that guy's busy, messing around in more than one world.
As they spoke, footsteps and a shrill voice echoed from outside the door:
"Head! What just happened in here!?"