Chapter 1109: The Lucky Cup
Chapter 1109: The Lucky Cup
"Everybody, listen up!"
Under the neon-blue electronic dome, the stadium's one hundred thousand seats were filled with a roaring crowd, the overwhelming sound nearly suffocating anyone who just entered.
The deep bass from the subwoofers, the roaring of three-dimensional monster projections, and the cheers and applause of the audience collided in the circular arena, creating a scorching vortex.
At the center of the stage stood the commentator with a spiky hairstyle, dressed in a red tuxedo. He had been the dedicated announcer throughout the entire 5D's series, even up to the end of the world. Holding the microphone, he spoke with great enthusiasm.
"The highly anticipated Lucky Cup tournament is now officially opening!
First, let's give a warm welcome to the arrival of the Dragon King!"
As if a dragon's claws had torn through the void, dark red scales glowed like cooling basalt, with cracks oozing molten gold and red lava. The dark red tail of the dragon swept through the air, and the realistic holographic effects actually melted a red indentation into the steel supports.
The Crimson Lotus Dragon!
"The Crimson Lotus Dragon!" the spiky-haired commentator shouted with passion. "And the one who rides it, none other than our king—
—Jack Atlas!"
A white D-Wheel sped out, its design resembling a massive white ring, like a giant rolling tire, with the driver seated inside.
None other than the king of New Domino City, Jack Atlas, made his grand entrance!
Jack's D-Wheel charged out dramatically, and his signature Crimson Lotus Dragon circled the arena. The entire stadium erupted in cheers and shouts, reaching a fever pitch.
"There can only be one king!"
Jack pointed triumphantly to the sky.
"And that's me!"
The commentator continued, "Now, the Duelists fortunate enough to receive a ticket to challenge the king, step forward!"
The floor at the center of the stadium slowly split open, and a massive elevator rose from the ground.
Including Yusei Fudo, all the Signers and participants stood on the platform, ascending to the ground level.
"Oh, the Crimson Lotus Dragon! It's really the Crimson Lotus Dragon!"
Ryuga was the most excited.
"And the king! I've never been this close to the king before!"
His sister Ruka, standing beside him, said helplessly, "You're being too loud, Ryuga."
In the original story, only Ruka received an invitation, but she was a complete homebody who hated being in the spotlight. So, her twin brother Ryuga had impersonated her to participate.
However, with the timeline changes, Youxuan had given Ryuga an additional invitation. Although Ruka still didn't like being in public, she couldn't resist her brother's persistent pleading and was finally dragged along by Ryuga.
Akiza Izayoi's face remained cold and stern throughout, seemingly ignoring everyone around her, including the king, Jack Atlas.
Her gaze was fixed on the back of the stage, where the organizers' seats were located.
That was where Rex Goodwin, the head of the Public Safety Commission, sat.
Her eyes were unwavering, filled with determination, and also with hatred and resentment.
Her goal was clear, and there was only one reason she was here.
She wanted to win, to become stronger, stronger than the king.
And then to take revenge on that high-and-mighty official.
Meanwhile, when Yusei Fudo made his entrance, the crowd erupted into a commotion.
"What's going on?"
Murmurs rippled through the audience.
"Is that a Signer Mark?"
"Can someone with a Mark even participate? What’s going on?"
"He must have stolen someone else’s invitation."
The Mark, a lightning-shaped yellow imprint on Yusei’s face from his time in the orphanage, was a symbol of subjugation in this city. Those marked were discriminated against and shunned wherever they went.
Yusei remained expressionless, seemingly oblivious to the murmurs.
If this were an anime, a contestant named Boyma would have stepped forward to speak up for Yusei. But not this time.
Boyma, the contestant, was nowhere to be found on the field.
Initially, Boyma’s name was on the list of invitees for the Fortune Cup that Youxuan had received. However, the person in charge of the contestants later reported that Boyma had vanished, and no one knew where he had gone.
Youxuan frowned at the time but reasoned that Boyma’s absence wouldn’t significantly impact the storyline. With no other choice, he had another Duelist take Boyma’s place.
The Fortune Cup was organized to stimulate the awakening of the Signers. While Boyma was a strong Duelist in the original story, he was no match for Yusei. Despite his strength, Boyma was eliminated by Yusei, failing to trigger Yusei’s awakening.
As the audience’s jeers grew louder, even the spiky-haired announcer looked uncomfortable. Youxuan stood up and approached the microphone on the podium.
"Silence", he said coldly.
The entire venue fell silent instantly.
"I am Rex Goodwin, the administrator of the Public Safety Commission", Youxuan announced. "Every person standing here has been invited to participate in this tournament as a legitimate Duelist.
Duelist—this identity is the only one that truly matters, regardless of wealth or status. True equality exists only on this battlefield."
He stepped back, gesturing for the announcer to speak.
The spiky-haired announcer quickly picked up where his superior left off. "So, let’s announce the first round matchups!"
While the matchups were ostensibly random, they were actually predetermined. Each opponent for the Signers was carefully selected by the Public Safety Commission to be the one most likely to stimulate their potential.
Moreover, in the first round, the Signers were deliberately kept from facing each other to avoid internal conflicts. This was also part of the Commission’s strategy.
In the first two rounds, professional Duelists with abilities like hypnosis and profiling were used to delve into the Signers’ minds, stimulating their powers to awaken. Only after these rounds would the Signers face each other, accelerating the process through direct dragon battles.
So far, the Fortune Cup seemed to be unfolding largely as it had in the original history, with no major deviations.
In the depths of the Satellite.
The same dilapidated old house, dim candlelight, and the gathering place of the Dark Signers.
"Are you okay, boss?"
The blue-haired Dark Signer looked at Rudger, who had just returned, and frowned.
"Where were you yesterday? You’ve been off since you got back."
"I’m fine", Rudger shook his head.
"More importantly, what about the new member?"
He looked around the room.
"Didn’t we have a new member? Where are they?"
The Dark Signers exchanged glances.
"We haven’t seen them."
Rudger stood up abruptly.
"Damn it, that guy... Could he have acted on his own?"
(End of Chapter)
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