Dimension travel and all that really wasn't anything new to Judai anymore. Yugen had taken him through so many dungeons that the Elf Dimension now felt like home to him, nothing scary about it.
Later, after the Overlord fell, the main Other Dimension questline was basically all cleared. Yugen also had other things to take care of, so he had less time to run dungeons with Judai. But Judai himself had already gotten hooked on this fully open-world card-battling exploration game with infinite possibilities, so afterward he'd still log on from time to time to find someone to play a couple of rounds with.
But to Yubel, this thing was still brand new. Back in the dorm, she watched Judai activate his Duel Disc and log into the Link System. Deep blue ripples like waves rapidly spread out, swallowing up all the scenery around Judai. It was as if he'd been accelerated to the far side of the Dimension, arriving at the starting point of the Link System—that virtual Duel City.
It was Yubel's first time seeing something like this, and she couldn't help being deeply shocked.
To be fair, Yubel also counted as an Elf who'd done some research into Dimension skills; in the anime she'd one-handedly transported the entire Duel Academy into the Other Dimension, which showed just how overpowered she was.
But precisely because she understood it, she was even more stunned by this. Dimensional travel was by no means some low-level trick that just anyone could master, yet the human technology of this world had actually already reached this level of capability. Its technical prowess was strong enough that even a powerful Elf like her couldn't take it lightly.
"Judai, this Duel Disc tech of yours," Yubel couldn't help asking, "why do I feel like I haven't seen it on anyone else before?"
Judai shook the Duel Disc in his hand. "This? Oh, Yugen helped me get it. It's a special Kaiba Group edition."
"Kaiba Group."
Yubel frowned.
Even though she'd now broken free of the control of evil thoughts, she still felt disgust at that name in her heart. You could say her exile back then was well deserved, but it was still Kaiba Group's tech that shot her into the Cosmos and made her suffer for ten years.
It's just that now she'd managed to return to normal and reunite with Judai; in her joy, she'd already stopped caring about everything else, so she hadn't thought about going to pick a fight with Kaiba. But hearing that name still instinctively stirred up her aversion.
"That's nothing." Judai laughed. "You've never heard of how awesome President Seto Kaiba is. It's said Kaiba Group's technology has already reached a god-touching level.
Some say that many years ago, President Kaiba used a Dimension shuttle machine he personally designed to find a path to the Netherworld, found the deceased Pharaoh from three thousand years ago, and had a Duel to the death with him in the Netherworld..."
Those words shocked Yubel even more.
"The Netherworld? A Duel with the dead!?"
Yubel was utterly stunned.
If when she saw the Link System just now she'd only thought that human tech was a bit better than she'd imagined and maybe shouldn't be underestimated too much, then this had already surpassed even her own capabilities.
Isn't this basically necromancy already? What kind of black tech is this?
Even she, Yubel, couldn't pull that off.
So if things kept developing at this rate, wouldn't that Seto Kaiba soon be able to literally resurrect the dead?
How downright against the heavens...
Yubel was still in a mental jumble. At this moment, Judai was just about to lock onto the Dimension Yubel had mentioned and project himself over to check things out. But once he logged on, he suddenly noticed that one of the people on his friends list was lit up.
"Huh?"
Judai said in surprise.
"Yugen's online right now too... Didn't he go to Egypt?"
...
...
Kaiba Group, headquarters.
"Yu↑gi↓!"
President Seto Kaiba's voice echoed through the empty arena.
"I've waited so many years, and finally this day has come! Today is the day we settle everything!"
Standing opposite him was a man who somehow made a school uniform look like a cloak. That familiar starfish hair, that multicolored hairstyle, that sculpted musculature—who else could it be but the legendary Pharaoh Atom?
"Come on, Yu↑gi↓!" Kaiba shouted. "If you can beat me, then prove it to me!"
"Then this time I'll make you give up once and for all—with the power of my strongest servant, Kaiba!"
Atom said.
"Activate Magic Card 'Fusion'! Fuse 'Black Mage' on the Field with 'Dark Knight Gaia' in my hand!
The knight who wields the Power of Black Magic, who tramples all enemies under his iron hooves——
——Super Magical Knight: Black Mage Cavalry, Fusion Summon!"
Black Mage and Gaia had both once been Yugi's iconic ace Monsters. Now this cross-era Fusion of knight and Magician, under that radiant light, summoned forth the pitch-black Cavalry—spiral lance in hand, clad in Magic Guide armor, the magic steed like an Undead, its neighing as if it held Lightning in its jaws.
[Super Magical Knight: Black Mage Cavalry, Attack Power 2800]
"So you've once again surpassed yourself and created a new power, Yu↑gi↓!" Kaiba shouted. "But it's too late! That Black Mage Cavalry of yours still isn't a match for my 'Blue-Eyes Sub-White Dragon'!"
[Blue-Eyes Sub-White Dragon, Attack Power 3000]
Atom said, "Too naive, Kaiba! Black Mage Cavalry's Attack Power increases by 100 times the total number of Magic Trap Cards on both players' Fields and in their Graveyards!
Up to this point in the Duel, there are already 22 Magic Traps total on our Fields and in our Graveyards, so Black Mage Cavalry's Attack Power rises by 2200!"
[Super Magical Knight: Black Mage Cavalry, Attack Power 2800→Attack Power 5000]
Kaiba shouted, "Attack Power five thousand!?"
Atom said, "Our destiny ends here, Kaiba! Black Mage Cavalry, attack 'Blue-Eyes Sub-White Dragon'!"
Black Mage Cavalry thrust his lance forward, iron hooves pounding with the momentum of a thousand troops, the spiral lance stabbing straight ahead as if piercing space itself.
Kaiba roared, "Then I activate my Cover Card, Continuous Trap 'Dark Curse'!
Select one Monster on your opponent's Field; that Monster loses 700 Attack Power, and it can't attack or change its battle position!
Stay obediently bound, Black Mage Cavalry!"
From the Trap shot out chains of Darkness, shooting at the Cavalry from all directions, splitting and aiming at his limbs and his steed's hooves.
"Kida!" Atom said. "Black Mage Cavalry's power long ago surpassed Traps of that level!
Super Magical Knight: Black Mage Cavalry's effect! When a Magic, Trap, or Monster Effect that targets any card on the Field is activated, I can discard one card from my hand to negate that activation and destroy it!"
Atom discarded a card from his hand.
"Black Mage Cavalry, negate the activation of 'Dark Curse' and destroy it!"
The iron steed beneath Black Mage Cavalry reared back with a shrill neigh. He swept his spiral lance in a wide arc, the force of the strike sending a clear vortex lashing out, shattering all those chains to dust.
Kaiba: "Nani? It has an ability like that too? Damn you, Yu↑gi↓..."
Outside the Field, Keihei fell speechless for a moment.
How was he even supposed to comment on this?
His brother's acting was pretty on point; he was this invested in fighting an AI. Black Mage Cavalry was clearly a card his brother had made himself, yet he still acted like he really didn't know what it did...