Chapter 864: The Cruel Truth
Chapter 864: The Cruel Truth
"So, we've known for a while that this guy Cobra isn't a good person?"
Yuan widened his eyes, puzzled by the revelation.
"Yes, we knew," Xuan replied, nodding as he walked.
"He's planning a school-wide Duel Tournament, involving all students, to steal their life energy through duels. His goal is to revive an evil spirit that returned from space."
"Oh, and he's set his sights on Judai Yuki because of the spirit's connection to him. But I think, aside from Judai, he wouldn't mind sacrificing anyone else to achieve his objective."
Yuan blinked several times, trying to process this information.
"What? This sounds pretty serious!"
"It's no big deal, don't overreact," Qian Jin said nonchalantly. "If you knew what the Master has been through, you'd realize how insignificant this is."
Yuan's eyes widened in disbelief. "I feel like I'm being looked down upon."
"Haha, Qian Jin's right. It's not as big of a deal compared to the past. But we still can't let our guard down."
"After all, we've weathered many storms. It would be laughable if we were to be ambushed and capsized by an opponent of this caliber."
About three to five hundred meters from the Huang Dormitory, Xuan suddenly stopped walking and turned to look behind him.
"Isn't that right, Teacher Sato?"
A moment later, a figure wearing a blue uniform appeared behind him. The man's face was pale, and he looked sickly and weak.
"Your intuition is as sharp as the rumors suggest, Xuan." The man coughed twice, his pale face forcing a strained smile.
"But the legendary King is indeed a hard person to find." He coughed again, catching his breath, and smiled at Xuan. "For a small-time teacher like me to meet the King, shouldn't I feel honored?"
Xuan recognized him; or rather, he had been paying attention to this man since the first year of school, shortly after enrollment. This was Teacher Sato, a faculty member of Duel Academy.
While there were many teachers at the Academy, most were background characters in the anime, serving as mere set pieces. However, Teacher Sato had left a deep impression on Xuan, who had watched the show as a viewer.
It wasn't that this teacher was a hidden powerhouse like Daigakuji, with incredible strength. Instead, the entire story arc of GX seemed to take a dark turn from the moment Teacher Sato appeared, shifting from a light-hearted school life genre to a dark path, leading directly to the grand finale.
"Haha, Teacher, you've truly honored me," Xuan said. "I'm just a student of Duel Academy."
"Yes, but you are a student with the name of King."
Teacher Sato spoke calmly.
"Your radiance is so blinding that it naturally attracts everyone like moths to a flame."
"Or perhaps, it's your darkness that is so profound, pulling everyone into its hellish depths with the force of a black hole?"
Xuan: "..."
After a moment's pause, Xuan said, "Teacher, you're making me sound like a villain."
Teacher Sato ignored him and continued, "If you were merely exceptional, it would be one thing. But as the King, everyone will unconsciously gravitate towards you, unconsciously emulate you.
They want to follow your path, to learn from you and become radiant themselves. But all they will find is endless darkness."
Xuan was speechless for a moment. "So, Teacher, you think I'm leading the students astray?"
He suddenly realized that he had inadvertently taken over Judai's role again. Teacher Sato was a pivotal figure in Judai's transformation during the latter part of the series.
He accused Jida, the big brother of the academy and the hero who defeated the Three Phantom Gods and saved the world, of constantly skipping classes, not paying attention, and sleeping through lectures.
As a result, all the students began to emulate him, leading to a deteriorating atmosphere and students straying further from the right path.
However, all his grievances were directed at Jida because he was the big brother of the academy and the role model admired by the entire school.
Now that Jida's position as the big brother had been replaced, all his pent-up frustrations seemed to naturally shift to the one who took his place.
"But I have nearly perfect scores in all my subjects," You Xuan said helplessly, "and I've never skipped a class. The school allows me..."
"Allows you to only choose the courses you deem useful, right?"
Teacher Sato sighed softly.
"That's precisely the problem. You are exceptional, a genius in dueling. I'd be understating it to say you're a monster in the dueling world.
But when you choose which courses are 'useful' and which are 'useless' to you, you also set an example for everyone else.
Do you know the consequences of that?"
He took a deep breath and sighed.
"I used to be a professional duelist, a very talented one. I carried the weight of countless expectations, expectations as heavy as shackles.
But my body... it couldn't handle such intense battles anymore, and I couldn't continue in the professional circuit. So, I had to give it up.
Yet, I believed that my battle-hardened experience could make a significant impact in the teaching world. I could mentor young duelists, nurture their talents, pass on my lifetime of knowledge, and still make a difference."
He narrowed his eyes, and a hint of sinister gleamed through the reflection on his glasses.
"But do you know what's happening now?"
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"No one comes to my class anymore."
His tone grew heavy, almost sounding like an interrogation.
"All those students, they don't value these precious experiences, the essence I've distilled from a lifetime of dueling. They don't want to know, they don't want to listen, and they have no interest in absorbing and learning from it.
And it's all because of one person, all because of you, Torikage You Xuan."
"Because you are the noble 'King,' you unilaterally decided that this class has no value, so everyone else believes it has none."
"You rejected me, so everyone else will reject me without hesitation or a moment's thought of their own."
"All because of the supreme 'King'!"
His emotions ran high as he spoke, and he even began to breathe heavily.
You Xuan listened quietly.
After a while, he finally spoke.
"I understand now. The reason you're so angry is because you feel I rejected you, sealing away your chance to prove your worth in the latter half of your life."
"You feel that everything you've fought for is now worthless."
He sighed, his expression filled with regret.
"What?" asked Teacher Sato.
"No, it's nothing. It's just... a bit cruel."
Teacher Sato hummed in response, adjusting his glasses and speaking coldly.
"For what has already happened, what good will regret and guilt do? I won't accept it."
"No, teacher, you misunderstand. I'm not talking about my previous choices or the adverse effects on you. I'm not feeling cruel about that."
You Xuan corrected himself.
"I'm talking about the fact I have to tell you."
Teacher Sato was taken aback, a little confused.
You Xuan lifted his head, his face brightening.
"What I want to tell you is that your class... it's truly garbage."
(End of Chapter)
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