"Huff... Huff..."
Ammon fell to his knees, panting heavily. His clothes were drenched in sweat, making it seem like he'd just been pulled out of water.
It wasn't physical torment, but purely mental. He could barely stand steady, feeling like he'd never been this exhausted in his life.
"Is this... the Dark Duel?" Ammon murmured.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
No, the duel itself wasn't a Dark Duel. The virtual image shocks were normal and didn't place any extra burden on his body.
As Yugen just said, it was just a "dark mini-game" inserted in the middle of the duel.
Yugen used dark power with Ammon's card deck as a reflection of his life, then forced him through an infinite reshuffling loop to confront his life and true self, rekindling his initially suppressed ideals and wishes.
"It seems you've remembered, Ammon Galem."
Yugen stepped forward and extended a hand to Ammon, who was still crouched on the ground.
Ammon hesitated, looking at the outstretched hand with some doubt.
He didn't reach out to take it, hesitating for a moment before he couldn't help but ask, "You're... not planning to kill me?"
Yugen raised an eyebrow, "Why would I kill you?"
"Uh... or maybe throw me into the abyss of eternal darkness?" Ammon asked.
Yugen's expression grew even more peculiar, "What good would that do me?"
The eyes floating nearby squinted into crescents with laughter, "Looks like someone has a pretty poor reputation outside, doesn't he~"
Ammon frowned, "Then you're not going to take my card deck either?"
"Your Cloud Monsters aren't some ultra-rare cards, why would I... wait a second, why are you talking as if I'd take anyone's card deck I come across?"
Yugen frowned.
"I only take the decks of those who are nefariously evil; it's called confiscating the tools of crime, okay?"
Ammon: "..."
Wearing an expression of disbelief.
Yugen sighed, "There's no Duelist more righteous than me, why do I sound like a villain when you say it?"
Ammon wanted to say something but stopped.
No, you looked pretty villainous just now when you were dueling...
He thought to himself that someone seemed to severely lack self-awareness, but considering his own position, he stayed silent.
Now he understood that the duel just now wasn't really a fair contest.
Ammon used to think he had the potential of a king, be it in leadership or dueling; he was one in a million. He considered his skills unmatched but didn't like to chase after fame, rarely competing in world championships for mere reputation.
When it came to strength, he considered himself already in the top tier globally.
But now, he's realized he was wrong. He was just a frog at the bottom of a well.
The person before him hadn't even given his all during the duel, or more accurately, hadn't exerted himself to win from the start. The other never even considered the possibility of losing.
From the start, he hadn't arranged or planned for the goal of victory.
But he still had unanswered questions.
Ammon looked up at Yugen in confusion.
"Why?"
Yugen tilted his head, "What?"
"Why do all these things?" Ammon asked, "You forced me to re-examine my life, to remember the parts I had forgotten.
You made me face the darkest parts of my heart... for what?"
He couldn't understand.
He was just an intruder, trying to trespass on the other's territory. Why do this for him?
And even if he helped him see these things, what was the point? Did he want to encourage him to take his brother's position and thus control the whole Galem Financial Group?
Thinking of this, Ammon felt it was indeed possible. He raised his head, frowning at Yugen.
"You... is your target the Galem Financial Group?"
Yugen laughed at this.
"Perhaps you think of yourselves as a top global conglomerate," Yugen shrugged, "but both the Kaiba Group and the International Fantasy Association owe me quite a few favors, and I can basically mobilize most of their resources at will.
So frankly, the giant conglomerate you see is dispensable to me."
Ammon frowned slightly. Although he felt slight displeasure at the other's contempt for his family, he said nothing.
"Then why..."
Yugen didn't answer his question but interrupted, "In this world, your path as a king is a dead end.
Even if you have the aptitude, the necessary resources, and potential, you can't overcome the hurdle inside your heart."
Yugen explained.
"You can't bring yourself to harm your brother and take what's his. Besides..."
He paused and smiled.
"Even if you did, the achievements possible in this world are ultimately limited. After all, this world doesn't need a king."
Ammon frowned, "What do you mean?"
"I'm giving you an opportunity."
Yugen stepped back, revealing what was behind him.
It was a circular void.
It seemed as if a piece of the space had torn open, forming a huge vortex. Lightning tossed within it, like a pathway to a profound abyss.
Ammon's pupils slightly contracted.
"This is..."
"Another world," Yugen said, "a world that needs a king and where one can truly become a king. Care to take a look?"
Ammon remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he finally took Yugen's hand, stood up, and walked with him toward the vortex.
An instant feeling of weightlessness came over him, as everything before his eyes suddenly vanished. It felt like free-falling, as if his organs might be torn out of his body.
Coming to his senses, he found himself standing atop a massive rock.
It seemed like a small mountaintop. Looking around, the sky was a dim gray, and the land was barren. Smoke seemed to connect to the horizon, and dark clouds loomed over everything.
Ammon: "This place is..."
"A dimension filled with power and miracles," Yugen said softly, hands tucked in his coat pockets. "There was once a supreme king here.
The king ruled this world with absolute violence and tyranny; the strong ran rampant and the weak were oppressed—a normal rule for this world."
"But now, the king has been overthrown. Yet the fall of tyranny doesn't mean dawn for the people; rather, it leads to greater chaos."
"Everyone left with any power now thinks they could be the next overlord. They fight over territories and resources, making the chaos worse than during the Overlord's reign."
"Overthrowing a despot is just the first step, not the solution to the problem. To truly solve the issue here, what's needed is..."
Before Yugen could finish, Ammon interjected, "a true king, one who can create an equitable, ideal new world—a benevolent ruler."
As he spoke, a passionate light had already ignited in his eyes.