Chapter 259: A Winner's Resolve
Chapter 259: A Winner's Resolve
"The winner is decided!"
In the grand arena, the spectators filled the stands, resembling a surging ocean. The referee, holding a microphone, proudly and passionately made the announcement.
"The winner of the final and the new King of Duels is... You Xuan!"
Applause and cheers filled the air, as if the entire space had been set ablaze. Even before the referee finished speaking, the arena erupted into a frenzy. Thunderous applause drowned out all other sounds, and the audience rose to their feet, waving flags bearing the name of the victor.
You Xuan stood in the center of the arena, suddenly feeling the glare of the lights. All the cheers and shouts surrounding him, and the sudden arrival of the supreme honor of reaching the pinnacle of this world, brought not excitement but a sense of bewilderment.
Hold on, how did I get here?
Why do I suddenly feel like I've skipped an entire season and am experiencing deja vu?
You Xuan frowned.
He recalled that he had apparently infiltrated a company called Abiake with the President and Ameruda. They had successfully entered through the sewer system and, with Gui Ping's remote assistance, hacked the elevator to reach the server room...
And then, it seemed, he had become the King of Duels.
But that wasn't all. He soon realized that the balance in his bank account had a staggering number of digits, he owned a garage full of luxury cars, and he had more mansions than he could count.
One of these mansions was located in the outskirts of Duels City, Tong Shiye.
As he walked through the vast estate and magnificent buildings, admiring the exquisite gardens, sculptures, and artworks, he suddenly felt like an observer in the first person. It was as if he were witnessing a different version of himself on another timeline, one who had won everything and reached the pinnacle through duels.
"The bath is ready, Master You Xuan."
Turning around, he noticed a petite maid in the mansion. Her skirt was light and airy, and her white silk stockings hugged her long, slender legs. Her delicate collarbones and mysterious, voluptuous figure were on full display, resembling soft clouds.
"Would Master like to bathe now?"
The little maid smiled sweetly and began to undo her belt.
"Wait," You Xuan raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to stop. "What are you doing?"
The maid blinked innocently and replied, "I'm preparing seafood for Master to enjoy."
You Xuan: ". . ."
Seeing that the situation might spiral out of control, You Xuan cleared his throat.
"Silence."
As his words landed, the scene froze.
The grand mansion, the dreamlike maid—everything before his eyes twisted and distorted. Colors blurred and clashed, and the once-sharp contours became fuzzy and indistinct.
Then, as if everything had been shattered like a mirror, it tore into countless fragments. All the vivid details vanished in an instant, replaced by chaos and darkness, as if he were plunged into an endless void.
Only a long corridor lay before him, leading to an unknown destination.
The figure of the Silent Magician appeared by his side.
"Was that an illusion just now?" You Xuan furrowed his brows. "Some sort of enemy ability similar to a genjutsu?"
Silent shook his head.
You Xuan looked down at his right hand and felt a sense of dissonance at first, but soon he seemed to understand something.
"I see," You Xuan murmured, "This feeling, this state..."
A virtual body.
He wasn't in the physical world but in a digital state, similar to when he was connected to a system. This was akin to the cutting-edge technology of the Kaiba Corporation. Somehow, his thoughts had been amplified and accelerated, transporting him to an artificially created virtual world, and everything he had seen was a projection of data.
Now, with the power of the sprite, he had broken through the false images presented to him, but he was still in this virtual space, merely witnessing a deeper layer of the illusion.
You Xuan looked down at the long road stretching out from his feet.
"I see," he chuckled, "So this is their invitation. What do you say, Silence? Should we accept this challenge?"
Soon, he noticed that the sides of the path seemed to have a mirror-like structure, and as he walked, distorted images began to appear.
You Xuan recognized the people in the mirrors.
There was Dinosaur Ryuzaki, his face contorted with hatred and resentment as he glared at You Xuan. "You took everything from me! My comeback, my chance...!"
"Oh." You Xuan replied casually, not bothering to turn his head as he walked past Ryuzaki nonchalantly, leaving him behind.
Ryuzaki: "You basad!"
Next was Shier of Doma, his face also filled with hatred. "You took away my most important deck, even my life! How does it feel to stand on the bodies of countless victims and call yourself a winner?"
"Not bad." You Xuan shrugged. "Your cards are pretty useful."
Shier: "You..."
But before he could finish, You Xuan had already continued on his way, leaving Shier behind as well.
It soon became clear to You Xuan that the people appearing in these mirrors were all his former opponents whom he had defeated.
Some accused him of taking everything from them, others claimed that his duels built happiness on their suffering, and some even said that he would stop at nothing to win. Yet, You Xuan merely smiled and continued on his way.
As he reached a certain point, he paused and spoke into the darkness: "You can stop this meaningless exhibition.
You should realize that these are all my defeated opponents, right? Do you really expect me to be afraid of a bunch of people I've already beaten?"
A brief silence followed.
Then, a faint blue light emerged from the darkness. Data streams converged and formed a humanoid figure, cloaked in a black trench coat, who stepped forward.
The figure's appearance bore a slight resemblance to Kaiba.
"I've read your file and I'm familiar with your situation, Fujiki You Xuan," the man said calmly. "At least, from the recorded duels, it seems you've never lost. Although the intelligence file already speaks highly of you, I'd say you're still an underestimated duelist."
He paused, narrowing his eyes. "But on your path to victory, you've never truly faced your opponents and accorded them the respect they deserve as duelists."
You Xuan understood. This person's views were similar to those of Kaiba early on in the anime. Kaiba's duels always placed respect for one's opponents as the top priority; he saw it as the spirit of a duelist and valued it more than victory itself, at least until he met Ed.
Even Kaiba, after experiencing the harsh realities of the professional league, had given up on such naive ideals.
You Xuan let out a soft laugh.
"Duels, from their very inception, were designed as a ritual where only one winner could stand," You Xuan said indifferently. "You may call it cruel or unscrupulous.
But in the end, only the winner can stand here."
He paused, his expression calm.
"Of course, bearing the resentment of the losers is also the responsibility of the winner. Any duelist who steps onto the battlefield should have this awareness."
A mocking smile played on his lips.
"I don't know who you are, but if you think bringing out a bunch of defeated opponents will make me waver, isn't that a bit laughable?"
The man narrowed his eyes, silent for two seconds.
"I see," he nodded. "Then I've underestimated you. Fujiki You Xuan, it's rare to find a duelist with your level of skill and talent, coupled with such firmness and lack of hesitation. It seems that Kaiba may have seen more in you than just your dueling talent."
As he spoke, he raised his arm, and the data streams conjured a duel disk in his hand.
"Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is 'Delta', and I've been tasked by my father to take you down here." He said, "Since you're unmoved by gentler methods, let's do this the duelist's way. Let's duel!"
(End of Chapter)
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