Chapter 1189: The Underworld King Without Prestige
Chapter 1189: The Underworld King Without Prestige
Steam began to gush from Trihawn's head, and the speed of the D-Wheel slowed down. The track in the void started to disappear beneath the two duelists, until the space around them returned to the pure white emptiness, leaving nothing behind.
Youxuan's D-Wheel gradually came to a stop beside Trihawn.
The two returned to the original white void. Antinomy dismounted first, removed his helmet, and nodded respectfully to Youxuan.
Antinomy took several deep breaths and said slowly, "Thank you, Mr. Youxuan, for your guidance."
"You're welcome", Youxuan replied with a smile as he got off his D-Wheel. "I just happened to have a slight edge. There's nothing much to it. We should exchange and practice more in the future."
Antinomy smiled but didn't respond.
The duel had indeed been beneficial. He had witnessed the legendary Illusionary Demons and experienced the overwhelming aura of a king who was clearly above him. However, even if he had gained a lot, he wasn't sure he would want to go through it again anytime soon.
This king gave a peculiar impression. It felt like dueling with him would be incredibly enlightening, but it was also the kind of opponent you wouldn't seek out just to relieve your card addiction.
How to put it? There was always a sense of unease after finishing a duel with him.
Full Pit Construction, combined with the Mythical Flame Emperor Uria, a specialized Crimson Pit card. Anyone who could say something like "Dueling brings smiles to people" in such a match was definitely not sitting across from this guy.
At that moment, Zone's silhouette reappeared and said calmly, "Digest this experience well, Antinomy. You have the potential to advance further."
Pausing for a moment, Zone added, somewhat tiredly, "This way, you might be able to more effectively facilitate Yusei Fudo's transformation in the future."
Antinomy nodded. "Yes."
Youxuan glanced at Antinomy. "Your mission is to help Yusei Fudo evolve, right?"
In the original story, the Future Four had their own missions in this timeline. Zone, the mastermind, had been orchestrating Yusei's life from birth, arranging the awakening of the Dark Signers, the battles of the Signers, and even giving Yusei the "Stardust Dragon" card many years earlier than it would have appeared in the original history.
The Three Emperors, Zone's top lieutenants, aimed to challenge the 5D's team as overt opponents.
Antinomy, on the other hand, infiltrated the main characters' group as a companion, teaching Yusei and guiding him on the right path to evolution, serving both as a teammate and a mentor.
From behind the scenes to being a teammate and an opponent, Zone had meticulously planned every aspect of Yusei's journey, almost like a nanny. Deep down, Zone truly hoped Yusei would exceed his expectations and rewrite the future.
"People only know that Duel Monsters have different star ratings, but they don't realize that Duelists also have levels", Zone said calmly.
"Duelists start at one star and reach legendary status at eight stars. Those who achieve legendary status are renowned in any era, setting benchmarks for their times."
The star rating system for Duelists, Youxuan recalled, was also used in his Multiverse Kaiba Corporation. However, it was based on actual duel records and had a subjective Kaiba Corporation bias, rarely mentioned among top-tier duelists.
Zone's star ratings, however, seemed different. This was more like his own evaluation system.
The term "legendary" initially made Youxuan think of the self-proclaimed "Legendary Duelists" who boasted about dueling the first Duel King, which seemed to dilute the term's value.
But Zone's "legendary" likely referred to the top geniuses of each era.
For example, in the current era, Yusei Fudo, who was nearly a Duel King, and his companions Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan, whom Youxuan guessed were around eight stars, were already historical figures in the Dueling world, worthy of the title "legendary."
"What about a king?" Youxuan asked.
This time, Antinomy answered, "In the history of Duel Monsters, the three Celestial Beings, the three Phantom Beasts, and the three Godlike Deities are the benchmarks, representing higher-dimensional beings that surpass ordinary monsters.
Illusionary Demons, Godlike Deities, and Yeshen are all ten-star, surpassing the usual higher ranks.
Duelists are compared to Duel Monsters, with the transition from nine to ten stars marking a qualitative leap. Ten-star Duelists are vastly different from those below them.
We also refer to the history of the first 'Duel King.' Yugi Muto defeated Seto Kaiba and Malik Ishtar, becoming the master of the three Celestial Beings and earning the title of the first Duel King in history.
The Godlike Deities, all ten-star, have long been symbols of the first king. Thus, we define ten stars as the king."
The Future Four traveled through various timelines and eras, dealing with countless Duelists. Having a quantifiable standard to measure Duelist strength was crucial, which is why they established this system.
"Yusei Fudo is currently at nine stars, which is far from enough to save this timeline", Zone said calmly.
"That's why we need to intervene", Antinomy added.
"So, it's my turn—or rather, Godwin's turn, right? I understand."
Youxuan nodded. "So, let's talk about the plan. What do we need to do?"
A holographic screen appeared in front of Zone's device, displaying a massive altar. The altar featured a Nasca line drawing that resembled a famous ground painting of a condor.
"In the original history, Rex Goodwin attempted to open the gate to the Underworld and summon the Underworld King."
"He hid an altar in the New Domino City area, which corresponded to the old perpetual motion machine in Satellite. This altar was used to initiate the ritual to summon the Underworld King."
Youxuan remembered this plot. "The ritual for the Signer Duel, right?"
"Exactly", Zone said. "You just need to recreate that ritual as Rex Goodwin."
Youxuan raised an eyebrow. "You're not actually going to open the gate and summon the Underworld King, are you?"
"No need, the old perpetual motion machine is under our control", Zone said calmly.
"Regardless of the duel's outcome, the gate's opening and closing are in our hands. The Underworld King might be able to project itself into the world for intimidation and to create a sense of urgency among the Signers, promoting further evolution.
But no matter what, the Underworld King will not truly arrive."
Youxuan raised an eyebrow.
So, we're going to parade the Underworld King around like a dog, let it show off a bit to scare people, and then put it back in the gate when we're done?
Is the Underworld King really so lacking in prestige?
(End of Chapter)
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