The head of the Triangle Eagle began to spew out a large amount of steam, and its speed also started to slow. The track in the void started to disappear beneath the cars until the space around them reverted back to a pure white void, leaving nothing behind.
Yugen's D-Wheel slowly stopped beside the Triangle Eagle.
The two returned to the original white void space. Antinomy was the first to get off the vehicle, removing his helmet, and nodded gently to Yugen with a respectful demeanor.
Antinomy took several deep breaths before slowly saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Yugen."
"Not at all."
Yugen also dismounted and said with a smile.
"I was just lucky to win by a small margin, nothing worth mentioning. Let's have more exchanges and practice when there's time in the future."
Antinomy smiled but did not reply.
The duel this time was indeed fruitful; he witnessed the legendary Phantom Demon and personally experienced the overwhelming aura of a king above him. However, even if he gained much, he still didn't feel the urge to try again.
This king gave off a peculiar feeling. Clearly, you feel that sparring with him could be very beneficial, but it doesn't seem like someone you'd casually seek out to satisfy your dueling cravings.
How should I put it… there's always this feeling in your chest, like a stubborn lump, after finishing the duel.
With a deck full of traps and a Divine Flame Emperor Uriah specifically tailored for such decks, if anyone could claim that "duels bring smiles" in such a match, it only shows you're definitely not facing this guy.
At this moment, ZONE's phantom reappeared, saying indifferently, "Digest this experience well, Antinomy; you'll have another opportunity to advance further."
After a pause, ZONE said, somewhat wearily, "This way, you'll likely be able to promote Yusei Fudo's metamorphosis more effectively..."
Antinomy nodded, "Yes."
Yugen glanced at Antinomy, "Is your mission to help Yusei Fudo attain evolution?"
In the original series, each member of the future quartet in this timeline had their own tasks. ZONE was the strategist orchestrating everything behind the scenes, planning Yusei's life trajectory from his birth, arranging for the awakening of the Dark Markers and the battles of the Dragon Sealers to hone Yusei's progress, even handing Yusei the 'Meteor Dragon' tablet, which in the original history, Yusei would have only received many years later.
Then there were ZONE's commanders, the Three Emperors, known as Apollia's three avatars, whose purpose was to challenge the 5DS team openly.
Antinomy, meanwhile, played the role of a comrade who infiltrated the protagonist's circle, imparting knowledge to Yusei, guiding him toward the correct path of evolution while serving as both a companion and mentor.
Looking at the entire 5DS development, from behind the scenes to allies to opponents, ZONE meticulously arranged every aspect of Yusei's development, almost like a babysitter. Deep down, ZONE also wished for Yusei to exceed his expectations and rewrite the future.
"People only know that Duel Monsters have different star levels, but few realize that duelists also have hierarchical divisions."
ZONE said with a calm tone.
"A duelist starts as One-Star and becomes legendary at Eight-Star. A legendary duelist, regardless of the era, is a hero that has become a model for their time."
Yugen recalled that in his own Dimensional Sea Horse Group, there was also such a hierarchical designation. But there, the star level was defined based on the duelists' actual battle results and was subjectively influenced by the Kaiba Group, rarely mentioned among the elite circles.
Yet the star ranking mentioned by ZONE seemed different, resembling his own evaluation system.
This "legendary" initially sounds like "legendary duelists," a name reminding Yugen of some impostor fools in the legendary ranks boasting about having dueled with the First Generation Duel King, somewhat diluting its prestige.
However, ZONE's definition of legend doesn't necessarily include what the world considers legendary; it should refer to the top talents of each era.
For example, in the current era, not to mention Yusei Fudo, who is close to becoming the Duel King, but people around him, like Jack Atlas and Kro Hogan, whose level Yugen presumed to be around Eight-Star, would make their name in dueling history, referred to as legendary.
"And what about kings?" Yugen asked.
This time, Antinomy spoke in reply, "Throughout the history of Duel Monsters, the Three Phantom Gods, the Three Phantom Demons, and the Three Evil Gods serve as historical benchmarks, representing entities beyond ordinary monsters.
Phantom Demons, Phantom Gods, and Evil Gods are all Ten-Star, surpassing normal superior ranks.
Duelists mirror the duel monsters—crossing from Nine-Star to Ten-Star marks a transformational threshold, where Ten-Star duelists differ entirely from those below.
We also referenced the origins of the 'Duel King' title: Muto Yuugi defeated Seto Kaiba and Malik Ishudal, became the master commanding the Three Phantom Gods, earning the first Duel King title in history.
The Phantom Gods are all Ten-Star, continually seen as symbols of the initial rulers. Hence, we also define Ten-Star as the king."
The future quartet under ZONE roamed different eras and countless timelines, interacting with numerous duelists from various times. Having a quantifiable standard to measure a duelist's power was crucial, hence such a system was established.
"Yusei Fudo is currently at Nine-Star—a level insufficient for saving this timeline."
ZONE remarked calmly.
"That's why our intervention is necessary."
"So next, it's my turn... or rather, Godwin's appearance, right? Understood."
Yugen nodded and said.
"Then, let's discuss the plans and how to proceed."
A projection screen appeared before ZONE's hovering device, showing a gigantic altar, where Nazca lines formed an image resembling the renowned ground drawing of a bald eagle, towering between heaven and earth.
"In the original history, Rex Godwin attempted to open the gate of the Netherworld, summoning the descent of the Lord of the Underworld.
In New Tongshiyi City, he hid an altar that resonated with the old perpetual motion machine in the Satellite District, initiating the ritual to summon the Lord of the Netherworld."
Yugen remembered this storyline, "The duel with the Dragon Sealers, right?"
"Correct." ZONE replied, "Then you simply need to act as Rex Godwin, and recreate this ritual."
Yugen said, "We're not actually opening the door of the Netherworld, calling forth that 'Netherworld King', are we?"
"No need, the old perpetual motion machine is under our control."
ZONE said calmly.
"Regardless of the duel's outcome, the gate's switch remains under our control. The Netherworld King might be able to project its descent into our world for intimidation, which could facilitate more profound threats and urgency onto the Dragon Sealers, promoting further evolution.
But regardless, the Netherworld King cannot fully descend."
Yugen raised an eyebrow.
So, what you're saying is... we're going to parade the Lord of the Underworld like a dog, let it exert some pressure to scare a few people, and once it's served its purpose, we put it back through the door?
Does the Lord of the Netherworld really have such little presence?