Qiu's intuition was correct.
The final battle of the Lucky Cup, the King's Challenge. The duel between Yusei and Jack was indeed the main event of the Lucky Cup, as well as the ultimate battle to awaken all the Dragon Sealers.
In this duel, both sides gave it their all. Yusei summoned the "Stardust Dragon," while Jack summoned the "Red Lotus Demon Dragon." At the moment of collision between these two ace monsters, all of the Dragon Sealers' seals began to glow with a frenzied red light, and all the holographic damage was converted into real damage.
And this was just the appetizer. The battle between the two strongest Dragon Sealers quickly spiraled towards chaos.
The Red Dragon appeared.
At the peak of the battle between Stardust and the Red Lotus Demon Dragon, the legendary Red Dragon appeared in the arena, bursting through the stadium's dome and spreading its enormous wings towards the endless sky.
The entire audience was stunned.
What's going on? When was this monster summoned?
And shouldn't this Hurricane be a holographic projection? Why does it feel chilly and suffocating?
As the duel heated up, the audience couldn't see anything at all.
The D-Wheels of Yusei and Jack shattered the void, leaving the arena and entering an endless void.
The surrounding scenery resembled an endless starry sky, with stars twinkling under the dark firmament. In the cosmos-like darkness, there was only a long white track.
And it wasn't just them; the other two Dragon Sealers, Luna and Qiu, who were supposed to be watching from outside the arena, were also transported into this void.
But not physically; rather, in a form akin to consciousness projection. The power of the Dragon Seal allowed the two to float in the void, automatically following Yusei and Jack's racing D-Wheels, as if they were experiencing this Riding Duel together.
Yusei and Jack's D-Wheels sped along this track one after the other, with various images flashing occasionally in the surrounding darkness.
For instance, an ancient tribe known as the "Star People," conducting a solemn ritual around an altar, worshipping the legendary Red Dragon.
Then there appeared their shared hometown, the Satellite District.
Gigantic Nazca Lines appeared on the land of the Satellite District, the lines seemingly burning with purple flames. Ultimately, the earth shattered, everything perished. A part of the Satellite District turned into ruins, becoming a desolate wasteland with no survivors.
"Satellite District!"
Yusei was shocked.
What is this? The past of the Satellite District? Or the future?
Would his birthplace, and the companions he grew up with there, all be destroyed along with the Satellite District?
And these Nazca Lines...
At this point in the original work, neither Yusei, Jack, nor the others recognized the significance of the Nazca Patterns. But the night before, Poma, who had become a Dark Marker earlier than in the original story, had come to seek revenge against "Officer Godwin," and both Yusei and Jack had witnessed it.
During that duel, these things, resembling Nazca Lines, appeared. What was summoned thereafter was the terrifying monster known as the "Earth-Bound God."
Yusei was perplexed. What did this vision from the Red Dragon signify?
Is this a warning that the Satellite District will be destroyed by the Earth-Bound God?
If it were that Earth-Bound God from that time, it might truly have that power. He already knew that the Earth-Bound God had destroyed the homeland of that Dark Marker called Poma, using the souls of countless people as nourishment to resurrect itself.
Might this also be the impending fate of the Satellite District?
He also immediately recalled the "Evil God: Root of Fear" that Officer Godwin had summoned in that battle.
That existence was even more sinister and powerful than the Earth-Bound God, a shocking presence.
So, who exactly is Officer Godwin? What role does he play in this convoluted battle destiny?
Precisely, only four Dragon Sealers are present here. But, according to legend, there should be five.
Could the mysterious fifth person be...
Godwin!?
The thought flashed through Yusei's mind, and suddenly everything seemed connected.
Why did Godwin, as the Chief of Public Security Maintenance, go to such lengths to organize this Lucky Cup, gather these Dragon Sealers, and arrange trials to help them awaken?
Also, although the goal was clearly to gather all the Dragon Sealers, only four have appeared by now. Without all five, it would be meaningless, wouldn't it?
Unless the most likely explanation is that the fifth Dragon Sealer is Rex Godwin himself!
Moreover, while at the facility, the old man who traveled the world had told them all about the Red Dragon's legend in detail. The old man had drawn every Dragon Seal and told them what part of the Red Dragon's totem each one corresponded to.
Now, four Dragon Sealers have already appeared. Akiza Izinski holds the "Dragon Footprint," Luna holds the "Dragon Claw Seal," Jack holds the "Dragon Wing Seal," and Yusei currently holds the "Dragon Tail Seal."
The last missing one among the known five Dragon Seals is the "Dragon Head Seal." The Dragon Head Seal's significance also symbolizes leadership, serving as the core to gather the Dragon Sealers.
And Godwin's performance so far aligns with this exactly.
In the battle with Poma and the Earth-Bound God, "Godwin" demonstrated astonishing strength, making Yusei feel that this person's strength might not be below his own. If this person is the holder of the Dragon Head Seal, the strongest Dragon Sealer, he is willing to believe it.
And Godwin was the one who organized the competition to gather the remaining four of them, aligning strongly with the aspect of being the "core that unites the team."
In fact, it was not just Yusei; at this moment, Akiza Izinski, who was floating in the air, also harbored mixed feelings.
Rex Godwin, the last Dragon Sealer, could he really be...?
If so, then many things align, though Qiu still feels there are doubts.
If Godwin is a Dragon Sealer, why didn't her Dragon Seal resonate when she fought him? When she and Yusei, also a Dragon Sealer, faced off, their Dragon Seals could resonate, allowing them to sense each other's emotional fluctuations and some thoughts to an extent.
Moreover, all four Dragon Sealers have been sucked into this void, and Godwin is not here.
Could it be that the leader's Dragon Head Seal is different from the other four?
"..."
Boom!
The duel concluded.
Of course, much like in the original story, it followed a similar process and resulted in the same outcome. With the end of the duel, the void disappeared, and the four of them returned to reality.
Yusei won, while Jack suffered another defeat. Furthermore, the crashed D-Wheel of Jack was flung out from beyond the void, and Jack himself was thrown far away from the D-Wheel, his head bleeding profusely.
This was probably the origin of Jack's fate as the crashing king in 5DS.
Yugen stood in the commander's watchtower, hands behind his back, gazing down at the scene below with a slight smile.
"Well, a new chapter is about to begin."