"Zzzz... Zzzzz..."
The Executioner stood shakily, the red glow in his eyes flickering on and off.
At this moment, half of his outer shell had been blown away, revealing scorched circuits and damaged components.
"So it's a robot, after all," Yugen remarked calmly.
However, this came as no surprise. The Three Emperors at the peak of the Taiyi Organization were all robots, so having the organization's high-level Executioner as one wasn't strange either.
Yet this robot seemed to have an extraordinary resilience. Even though its body was half destroyed and perhaps crucial circuits inside had been wrecked, it stood stubbornly, refusing to fall.
He staggered forward with difficulty.
"It shouldn't... be like this..."
The Executioner emitted a painful sound.
"I am Taiyi's Executioner, fighting for the will of the gods. I won't... I can't... the future of humanity..."
He looked up, howling defiantly.
"Hope... Aaahhh!!!"
After speaking, he finally collapsed to the ground, the light in his eyes extinguished completely.
He died.
Or rather, maybe the concept of "death" isn't quite accurate for a robot. More accurately, its functions had ceased.
At that moment, Clark, who had been twitching on the ground, regained some strength, stood up, and looked at Yugen again with a hint of fear.
This time he regarded Yugen... Oh no, "Officer Godwin," without an ounce of contempt.
He had taken down Taiyi's Executioner!
Though Clark was merely a low-ranking goon in the organization, he knew the Executioner specialized in eliminating rebels and obstructions, akin to the organization's guardians. It was evidently a combat-type officer, undoubtedly powerful.
Clark had never witnessed it personally before but had heard of the Executioner eradicating many powerful individuals across different times.
Yet such a powerful figure was defeated so easily. Moreover, he had a front-row seat to the duel and even felt a bit sorry for the Executioner.
A series of junk traps coupled with the Royal Divine Hall's support left him unable to attack or explode, and monster summoning was eventually restricted.
At the peak of this frustration came the climax—one bicycle shot that instantly elevated the emotion to a higher level. Clark almost suspected the Executioner's body explosion wasn't due to any real duel damage but that he was "literally blown away" with rage...
At that moment, the terrifying white-haired Demon who had just dealt with the Executioner arrived in front of him.
Yugen, expressionless, said, "Lead the way."
Clark hesitated for only two seconds.
"Alright."
He agreed promptly.
He realized there was no room for maneuver anymore. Not to mention being defeated with a Dark Game, even without constraints, he had no choice.
Even if the organization's Executioner was downed so casually, he had no doubt resisting would lead to the same fate.
Though betraying the organization warrants execution...
Whatever, he couldn't think about that now. If he didn't betray, he'd be executed anyway.
Besides, Taiyi had eyes and ears everywhere. Since the Executioner had appeared, the organization likely knew he leaked secrets. So now, he had no choice but to gamble, keeping his life temporarily and figure things out later.
A mere minute later, Yugen followed Clark into the Perpetual Motion Express's heart.
Before their eyes was the awe-inspiring dream machine.
It resembled a Perpetual Motion Machine yet differed significantly. Numerous delicate prisms were arranged tightly, each one crystal clear, refracting a brilliant rainbow-like spectrum under faint light.
On this dazzling base, a circle of radiant halos surrounded them, like galaxies in the cosmos emitting gentle light, slowly orbiting this machine.
This was the Time Machine, a facility for time travel and historical alteration.
"Here is the entry to rewrite history," Clark said as he activated the console.
"I've entered the password and unlocked the console for you. This main computer stores all the Taiyi secrets within the Perpetual Motion Express. If it's not here, I can't help you."
Yugen approached and unlocked the computer, browsing simply.
Clark continued, "You were right; we can receive orders directly from the Three Emperors here, but they usually issue commands proactively, rarely being initiated from our side."
"I tried communicating the line just now, but there was no response, no one answered..."
Clark cautiously observed Yugen's face.
He knew "Godwin" was here to contact the Three Emperors, but he was just a minor pawn, and there was nothing he could do if ignored by the Emperors.
He feared the white-haired Demon might send him to follow in the Executioner's footsteps in frustration.
Fortunately, Yugen didn't push him, simply uttering a single word: "Okay."
Yugen browsed the main computer and quickly found an interesting entry.
A record, a record about the timeline. The timeline was marked "recent access."
Yugen was intrigued.
Recent access? Is it a record of a timeline recently visited through the Time Machine?
He opened the file for a peek.
Yugen had to admit, despite being familiar with the animation storyline and having witnessed much, he was a bit shocked.
Upon opening, the screen displayed a startling annotation.
[Observation subject: Yusei Fudo.
Status: Deceased.]
Yusei is gone?
What is this? Is it a different possibility from another timeline?
Yugen continued scrolling down.
The record was brief, not detailing specifics, only summarized the general events of this timeline.
Just like the original history, the battles between the Red Dragon and Netherworld King broke out, and the Dark Markers awakened, challenging the Dragon Sealers.
Yusei Fudo led the Dragon Sealers against the Dark Markers. But at a crucial moment, the Dark Markers seemed to gain an unknown power from beyond this dimension, greatly enhancing their strength.
Though the Dragon Sealers fought desperately, they were ultimately defeated.
That day, the Netherworld gates opened, darkness descended upon the mortal realm. The laws of the Yellow Springs overturned the existing world, the dead dominated the living, the Red Dragon fell, and everything came to an end.
Yugen frowned at this, turning to Clark behind him, "What is this?"
Clark dared not even glance at the screen before him and shook his head repeatedly, "I don't know, I know nothing."
Though he held the key to access here, he was merely a gatekeeper, powerless to investigate the stored contents. He was aware that the more one knows, the greater the trouble, so he refrained from looking whenever possible.
Seeing Clark's reaction, Yugen dropped the inquiry and focused on the screen.
But before he could proceed, the screen flickered rapidly, becoming a static-filled display as if losing signal.
In the next moment, the entire building beneath their feet began to tremble.