"Signer…"
Yusei showed little surprise at Kira's words.
"So the Sectory Security knows about that legend, huh?"
Yusei hadn't known much about Crimson Dragon's legend until, during his time at the detention center, an old man imprisoned with him had mentioned it. That was how he learned the story of the Crimson Dragon searching for agents on Earth, granting the dragon mark and the power to fight the darkness.
"Why's the Sectory Security interested in legends?" Yusei asked.
"Because this 'legend' is already disrupting public order," Kira sighed.
Yusei nodded in acknowledgement. It was true—they'd been secretly dueling deep at night, and the arena should have been empty. No one was supposed to notice. But halfway into the duel their dragon marks reacted, and Crimson Dragon appeared, unleashing terrifying power—nearly blowing up the whole venue. That such force could erupt in the city and not harm anyone was pure luck.
"But I heard your dragon mark has disappeared now," Kira said.
Yusei looked at his formerly marked arm, pulling up his sleeve—sure enough, nothing was there.
But Kira, who remembered the original plot, wasn't surprised. Yusei's dragon mark didn't exist from birth—it awakened gradually in the heat of his battles.
At first, Yusei bore the "Dragon's Tail"—the tail of the Crimson Dragon's totem. But later, after his emotional duel with Dark Signer Goodwin, Crimson Dragon reallocated the marks, and Yusei's evolved into the "Head Mark," symbolizing the leader of the Signers.
"I don't know either," Yusei said, shaking his head. "I never had the mark before. It only appeared during my duel with Jack."
"That makes sense," Kira replied. "Sometimes the power of the Signer is latent, only awakening during battle. The time it takes can vary—it might appear instantly, or take a long time. But…there are ways to speed up the process."
As he spoke, Kira snapped his fingers. A thin envelope flew across the desk, landing in front of Yusei.
Yusei opened it and glanced inside.
"What's this?"
"The 'Fortune Cup', hosted by the Sectory Security—inviting strong duelists from all over. Other duelists with marks like yours will also be there."
Kira smiled, continuing, "And that includes your old friend, the current King of New Domino, Jack Atlas."
At the mention of Jack's name, Yusei's gaze flickered.
That, after all, was why he had come to New Domino.
Back in the day, Jack had been Yusei's friend in Satellite Zone. But one day, Jack accepted Goodwin's invitation, came to New Domino as King, and took Yusei's ace card, Stardust Dragon, with him.
Yusei deliberately chased Jack down to the city, determined to duel him and settle things, to win back his Stardust Dragon.
Yusei looked up at Kira, "The Fortune Cup—Is this tournament being held to gather the Signers? Are you hoping it will awaken their marks?"
"That's the most effective way found thus far. Your mark appeared when you fought Jack, a fellow Signer, didn't it?"
"But why does the Sectory Security care about awakening the Signers' power? You want us to work for you?"
"No. You simply need to be yourselves."
"What do you mean?"
"The existence of Signers isn't meaningless. The Crimson Dragon gave you power because this world needs it—to fight evil. And that evil may appear very soon…or perhaps it already has. Without someone to stand up, the whole world could be at risk. Helping the Signers awaken is the best way to resist this threat. Evil that is beyond human understanding can only be faced down by Signers' power."
"To maintain order and protect lives—that's the Sector Security's duty. That's why."
Kira looked Yusei in the eye, saying solemnly:
"Because the world needs you."
Yusei fell silent, looking down at the envelope in his hand.
Kira, unlike the original Goodwin, never threatened Yusei using the safety of his friends. Yusei didn't answer right away, either.
But Kira knew Yusei would say "yes" in the end. Fudo Yusei had a strong sense of justice and responsibility. It was certain he'd check the facts later, but he'd find Kira was telling the truth.
Kira wasn't lying—everything he'd said was true. The Dark Signers would soon awaken, and only the Signers' power could stand against them. If they failed, disaster would follow.
Of course, in the anime, Goodwin had his own agenda for gathering the Signers and Dark Signers—to absorb their powers. But Kira had no such ambition. He just had his own mission—to correct the world's derailed history, stop this world from colliding with his own, and lure out the mastermind.
Whatever the motive, at least the original history was being set back on track. Yusei hadn't died in detention; he'd accepted "Goodwin's" invitation to the Fortune Cup.
With his goal accomplished, Kira left the facility.
"One down," he murmured.
Convincing Yusei meant he now had to invite the remaining three Signers himself—jobs Goodwin handled in the original story. But with Goodwin gone, it was up to Kira to keep events from going off course.
Run the Fortune Cup. Gather the Signers. Push them to fight each other and awaken the Crimson Dragon's potential...
Kira massaged his temples.
Why did he feel like he'd become the shadowy villain orchestrating everything from behind the scenes?
But so what. Villain or not—as long as he got the job done, he didn't care.
Besides, being the villain had its perks. He now held great power and resources; his card collection was growing rapidly. Without this officer role, how could he have advanced so quickly in the new dimension?
Now, he sat in the Security's official car, riding the city expressway.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion sounded from beneath the highway outside.
Kira frowned. "Pull over," he ordered the driver.
…
…
PS: Please support me and read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode