The vacation flew by quickly, and Duel Academy once again welcomed a new school year.
However, what Duel Academy welcomed this new school year was not just adorable underclassmen.
The sky was a pure, washed blue, sunlight piercing the azure vault and spilling mottled beams, as if the world had been plated with a layer of warm, gentle golden glow. The rippling sea surface looked as though it were inlaid with countless tiny sapphires, swaying under the caress of the breeze.
A white luxury liner slowly sailed through the majestic scenery where sea and sky met, cutting through the waves toward Duel Academy.
"October 11th."
The red‑haired man wearing glasses stood at the bow, speaking to the recorder in his hand as though talking to himself.
"The voyage to Duel Academy seems to finally be coming to an end.
The Kaiba Group specially prepared this luxury liner for our journey. It's said they spent quite a lot of money on it as well, but for a ship like this, there are only a mere five passengers."
The red‑haired man—Ammon Galem, young master of the world‑renowned Galem Financial Group—looked around, then slowly pushed up the bridge of his glasses.
Ammon Galem looked like a refined, gentle man, and the glasses on the bridge of his nose contributed greatly to that image. However, anyone who has seen the story of GX would know that this appearance is, to some extent, deliberately misleading.
If anyone treats him as a pampered weakling and underestimates him because of that, they will definitely pay for it. Beneath that civilized exterior is in fact a body tempered a thousand times over; he has a physique no worse than a mercenary's, not only possessing tremendous strength but also mastering top‑tier close‑combat techniques. Even when it comes to sheer combat ability, he is confident he's not inferior to anyone.
"At present, I've already gathered information on all the passengers. The first, naturally, is myself—Ammon Galem.
The second is Jim Crocodile Cook..."
As he spoke, he lifted his gaze toward the poolside not far away on the ship.
The man in a wide‑brimmed hat, dressed somewhat like a cowboy, was lying comfortably under the sun. But if one looked closely, they would find that what his head was resting on was not a pillow, but a fearsome‑looking big green crocodile.
"Jim is the easiest member to find, because that deck is his favorite place. He's always there."
As Ammon spoke, Jim lazily yawned under the sun. The crocodile under his head seemed to roll its eyes upward slightly.
"The third and fourth are Professor Kobra and Ossin O'Brien," Ammon said, glancing back. "But those two hardly ever leave their rooms..."
"..."
The dark‑skinned mercenary O'Brien was currently in his room, deftly drawing out the gun‑shaped object at his waist. But when he strapped the gun onto his arm and unfolded it, it turned out to be a Duel Disc.
He was a mercenary; this was a specially made Duel Disc. When needed it could be used as a gun, and during a Duel it could transform into a Duel Disc.
There was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
O'Brien rose to open the door.
The burly figure of Professor Kobra appeared at the doorway. He lowered his head to look at O'Brien and said calmly, "Other than me, would anyone else come looking for you?"
Hearing that, O'Brien handed a file on the table to the professor.
"This man is asking around about me," O'Brien said.
The professor took it, glanced over the file, and frowned.
"Ammon... Ammon Galem... that Galem Consortium one, huh."
Kobra set the document down and let out a low snort.
"I see. Looks like he's come with some agenda as well. Might turn out to be a troublesome fellow... well, we can ignore him for now. He can't cause us trouble yet."
O'Brien nodded. "Yes, Professor."
"Don't forget your mission," Professor Kobra said solemnly. "I've also sent other people to Duel Academy to gather intel before, but things did not go very well."
O'Brien's expression was grave. "Because it's... the King's Domain?"
"Exactly."
Professor Kobra clasped his hands behind his back and nodded.
"Rumor has it that this generation's King is naturally crafty and extremely suspicious. To operate within his territory in the first place means taking on considerable risk."
O'Brien opened his mouth, but after hesitating for a moment, still kept silent.
"What is it?" Professor Kobra said. "If you have any questions, speak freely."
O'Brien thought for a bit, then said, "Then why does it have to be at Duel Academy?"
"I mean, since acting there carries such risks..."
"It's necessary."
Before he could finish, Kobra cut him off.
"I'm your commander. All you need to do is follow orders. All you need to know is that this mission has a purpose that must be carried out at Duel Academy. Understood?"
O'Brien lowered his head. "Yes, sir."
"Good." Professor Kobra turned around. "I've heard you're the best. I hope you're at least better than the last guy I hired. Don't let me down."
O'Brien: "I won't, sir."
"..."
On deck, Ammon paused for a moment before continuing his recording.
"As for the fifth person... up to now he's still a ghost."
"His name is clearly listed on the roster, yet up to this moment he still hasn't shown up. I'm starting to suspect that he might not even be on this ship."
"But it doesn't matter."
Ammon chuckled softly as he said this.
"Once we reach Duel Academy, he'll have to show up no matter what. By then, his true identity will naturally come to light."
"More than that, what worries me more about this journey is something else..."
Ammon Galem set down the recorder, his smile fading, and looked somewhat gravely in the direction of Duel Academy.
From here, the silhouette of Duel Academy Island had already begun to faintly emerge on the boundless sea. Yet even under this cloudless blue sky, the island still looked somewhat hazy, as if shrouded in an invisible mist.
It was like some sort of barrier—an ominous barrier—enveloping the entire island, issuing a warning to anyone approaching with ill intent.
"The King's Domain," Ammon murmured. "Rumors in the Underworld say that the King is a devious and ruthless being.
In this world, only the King's Domain is a truly forbidden land. The moment you set foot on the island with even the slightest ulterior motive, you will be detected. In the end, you either get expelled, or you wander forever in the abyss of nightmares.
Legend has it that even the most dazzling organization of 'Light', whose faith lay in the Cosmic Light, had its light eternally extinguished on this island, and countless believers of light fell into Darkness forever..."
Pausing as he spoke, Ammon suddenly laughed and picked up the recorder in his hand again.
"Well, legends always have a certain degree of exaggeration."
"I, for one, am looking forward to seeing whether the King's Domain... is truly as forbidden as they say."