Chapter 266: The Supreme King and Amano Rei - A Hero's Farewell
Amano looked at the card Amon had left behind as he disappeared: Guardian God - Exodia.
Kit: "Yes! The hero squad's firepower just went up!"
Kit, he was not sure that thing counted as firepower.
Amano knew the story well enough to know that Amon's five Exodia pieces had been obtained by sacrificing his fiancee. The spirit of the woman he loved was residing in those cards. That Amon had not given them to Amano made complete sense.
What was less clear was why Amon had handed over this particular card instead. Whether it would even count as a useful tool was generous. Calling it a clever little gadget would also be pushing it.
But Amano did not think too hard about it. He had once received a card during a Duel Chronicle before, the Trap Card he had drawn in the toy shop of Mutou Sugoroku. In practice, Chronicle cards could only be used as temporary cards within the Chronicle itself, not brought back to Eden. The Eva system set the Chronicle rewards in advance.
So Chronicle-acquired cards could only serve as temporary equipment for now.
"Are you leaving, Finesse-nee-sama?"
"Don't worry, Koga." Finesse crouched down and ruffled the small girl's fuzzy hair. "We're going straight to the Supreme King's Castle. No Supreme King's army unit will slip past us on the way. So your village and everyone in it won't be in danger anymore."
The small girl looked up at Amano. "Will you win, boyfriend-kun?"
"Yes." Amano nodded.
"Then this is a gift for you!"
Koga reached into the breast pocket of her top and pulled out a card.
"This is?"
"It's a present! I hope boyfriend-kun can win the fight! And take good care of Finesse-nee-sama from now on!"
[Smile World]
[Smile World]
[Spell Card]
[Effect: All face-up monsters currently on the field gain 100 ATK for each monster currently on the field, until the end of this turn.]
Kit: "Another piece of gear for the hero squad!"
Amid the children's reluctant goodbyes, Amano and Finesse finally managed to extricate themselves from the village entrance and set off officially.
Amano mused aloud: "You really do get along with children no matter where you go, heiress."
Finesse smiled. "It's not me that they get along with. Children have the purest hearts. If you're genuine with them, they can feel it."
Amano had the sudden intuition that Finesse might get along very well with Kaiba Seto. One of Kaiba Seto's stated dreams, after all, was to build a Kaibaland amusement park in every country where children could play and be happy.
There being only one not-a-Chocobo meant Finesse could not be placed in card form inside the deck, so the two of them had to ride double. Finesse had no objection and was, if anything, noticeably enthusiastic about the arrangement.
The space on the not-a-Chocobo's back was somewhat narrower than even a D-Wheel. Seated behind Amano, Finesse wrapped her arms around him and leaned in close.
Finesse: "Heh heh."
What Amano's back could definitely not feel, it could definitely not feel. Some things were simply not available by force.
Well. People were not perfect. This was one of the regrettably few flaws of a companion who was, in most other respects, both beautiful and kind.
The pace of travel moved considerably faster than Amano had estimated. The most important reason: they did not encounter a single Supreme King's army unit blocking the road the entire way, saving enormous amounts of time that would otherwise have gone to duels.
Albaz: "This is strange. Wasn't the entire Fusion world supposed to be under the Supreme King's occupation?"
Amano had the same thought. The closer they got to the Supreme King's Castle, the more frequently random encounters should logically have appeared. Instead, the complete absence of patrols had the feel of a deliberate arrangement: a clear road had been left open, a path through without any obstacles, specifically for them.
With Finesse's weight added, the not-a-Chocobo somehow ran more energetically than before. The journey that had been projected to take two days had not yet reached a full day when the shape of the castle became clearly visible ahead: a structure with a warped black silhouette.
Kit: "The Supreme King's Castle. We're really here."
Albaz: "The Supreme King's Castle. I'm back."
Ecclesia: "So when is the food being served?"
The foodie was absolutely ruining the dramatic atmosphere.
Ecclesia: "You said there would be food and that's the only reason I came."
The Chronicle world built from a virtual network login point meant that, even after a full day of travel, Amano felt neither tired nor hungry.
No Kikawayu on the road, though. Despite Finesse crossing their path mid-journey, Amano had not run into his good friend at any point. He should have entered the Chronicle via the same virtual network login point.
And since the system had not pushed out an elimination announcement like the one it had for Chiaki, Kikawayu was still somewhere inside the Fusion world.
Whatever. He would figure that out later. Reaching the clear condition for the Chronicle would pull everyone out automatically.
Amano pulled the not-a-Chocobo to a stop and looked toward the dark castle.
The creature expressed extreme reluctance to continue any further forward. The last stretch would have to be walked.
That felt appropriate, in its way. Something like a ritual before a boss fight.
The Supreme King's Castle was encircled by a sea of fire on all sides. A single bridge connected the castle gate to the outside world.
But as Amano was about to step onto the bridge, he ran into someone who had also appeared in the original storyline at this exact location.
A small cloaked figure: Sho Marufuji.
Amano remembered now: among Jaden's close friends, Sho had been the one to escape from the Sacred Beast Disciples' control.
When Sho noticed Amano, his face transformed. The fear visible in his expression was replaced by shock.
"You, you're, Amano? You're alive?!"
Amano had no interest in dealing with Sho at this particular moment. He kept walking, directly toward the bridge to the Supreme King's Castle.
"Wait, Amano, at least hear me out!"
Sho spread his arms and physically blocked Amano's path.
"Jaden has lost it completely. Jim and Austin were trying to save him, but they both died after losing their duels! You barely made it back and you can't just go throw your life away. Come on."
"Oh?" That was actually surprising to hear.
Austin O'Brien had failed?
In the original storyline, it was O'Brien who had sacrificed himself in a mutual defeat with the Supreme King, and that sacrifice had been the catalyst that broke through and began to bring Jaden back from the dark.
But O'Brien had failed in this timeline. Which meant the level of darkness Jaden had fallen into here was deeper than what the anime had depicted.
Sho was still holding his ground: "So forget about Jaden, let's just run!"
Was that why you were rushing out of there just now?
Forget about "Jaden"? No even "big bro" anymore.
Amano had never warmed to this person, and it turned out no amount of time was going to change that.
"Jaden saved you more than once, if I remember correctly, Sho."
"B... but..."
"If you want to run, run by yourself."
"A... An..."
"Move."
Amano swept Sho aside with one arm. The force was enough to put Sho flat on the ground.
Finesse flinched: even she looked startled. A red flush had reached her face.
This was probably the first time Finesse had ever seen Amano lose his temper with someone on his own side. She had assumed his general personality made anger at a friend essentially impossible.
Was this what it meant to know a different side of someone?
Finesse found herself experiencing a newly awakened response to the outburst that she immediately recognized was not entirely appropriate given the circumstances. She also briefly, in the same instant, envied the position Sho found himself in on the ground.
She pushed the thought away. This was not the moment for that.
Past the sea of fire and across the bridge, at the top of the castle, a figure in black armor was standing. The commanding gold eyes beneath the dark helm were watching Amano's side of the bridge.
Was that the Supreme King?
Finesse said nothing, because she understood: this was not only the clear condition for the Chronicle, it was Amano's duel specifically.
Amano crossed the bridge alone and stood in the center, looking up at the figure on the castle parapet.
"What's happening?" Finesse could not help tilting her head.
The two figures above and below had been making sustained, unbroken eye contact for what felt like an unreasonably long time. Surely a duel started the moment Duelists looked at each other?
Albaz, from inside the deck: "Can even the Supreme King look like that?"
The peculiar silence held for roughly five minutes. Then the figure on top of the Supreme King's Castle slowly spoke.
"It really is you, Rei... Amano Rei."
"Yes. I came to bring you home, Jaden. Supreme King Jaden."
"It is too late for that."
The Supreme King dropped from the castle parapet. He landed on the near side of the bridge.
At this point in a duel chronicling someone else's legend, Amano saw no reason to comment on the physical feat. The Supreme King Jaden was not simply a human at this juncture: his existence was something else.
"What I pursue now is supreme, absolute power. The weakness of the past is something that must be cut away!"
The Supreme King's armored Duel Disk extended from his arm in a spiral of blade-edged segments.
"I will bury you with my own hands, Amano Rei!"
"What you call supreme, absolute power is not what you think it is. I'm going to keep fighting until you understand that, Supreme King Jaden!"
Amano extended his Duel Disk in answer.
"Duel!"
Both at once.
The two Duelists stood on the bridge suspended above the sea of flames that surrounded the Supreme King's Castle, the bridge connecting the castle to the outside world as their field, and opened the duel that had been waiting for an eternity between best friends.
"My turn. Draw!"
Amano moved first, taking first turn, and drew his opening card.
After looking over his hand, Amano placed a card sideways into the Monster Zone.
"I Normal Summon Elemental HERO Avian in Defense Position!"
[Elemental HERO Avian] [Level 3 / WIND]
[Warrior / Normal]
[ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000]
The Avian materialized from Amano's Duel Disk and caught Amano's eye for a moment before taking a low, defensive stance.
Finesse caught her breath: "A HERO!"
Summoning in Defense Position normally meant placing the monster face-down, but Amano had chosen face-up Defense instead. The reason was simple and direct: he wanted the Supreme King Jaden to see that the first monster he had called was a HERO card.
"I set two cards face-down. Your move, Supreme King Jaden."
Looking at Amano's opening summon, and then looking down at his own deck, something nearly imperceptible happened to the Supreme King's expression: the faintest upward shift at the corner of his mouth. The army commanders standing guard inside the castle walls noticed their leader seemed somehow different than usual, though none could have articulated what exactly had changed.
"My turn. Draw!"
The same voice as Jaden. The same words a Duelist uses to start their turn. But the Supreme King's tone carried nothing: no warmth, no feeling, pure cold.
"I Normal Summon Elemental HERO Avian in Attack Position!"
[Elemental HERO Avian] [Level 3 / WIND]
[Warrior / Normal]
[ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000]
The same card materialized, this time in Attack Position, landing on the Supreme King's field.
Finesse's voice was soft: "The same HERO as Amano!"
She had not known much about Jaden Yuki until this moment. The realization was hitting her now: this person, who appeared so thoroughly threatening and dangerous, was a HERO deck user.
This was a duel between HEROs.
Ecclesia: "The same HERO, same ATK, same DEF at 1000."
Albaz: "What kind of duel is this?"
Kit: "You two are being disgustingly sentimental, fight already!"
Perhaps calling the same card simultaneously was a form of shared understanding. Or perhaps a kind of farewell.
"From here, things change."
The Supreme King dropped a card into the Graveyard zone of his dark armored Duel Disk.
"I activate the hand effect of Evil HERO Adusted Gold."
[When you discard this card from your hand: Add 1 "Dark Fusion" or 1 card that mentions it from your Deck to your hand, except "Evil HERO Adusted Gold."]
"I discard Evil HERO Adusted Gold and add the Spell Card Dark Contact to my hand. And I activate it immediately!"
[Dark Contact]
[Spell Card: Activate 1 of these effects.
- Shuffle Fusion Materials for a Fusion Monster that can only be Special Summoned with "Dark Fusion" from your field, GY, and/or banishment into the Deck; Fusion Summon that monster. This is treated as a Fusion Summon via "Dark Fusion."
- Add 1 "Supreme King's Castle" or "Dark Fusion" from your Deck to your hand.]
The Supreme King swept forward, making his choice of effect: "I shuffle Elemental HERO Avian on my field and Evil HERO Adusted Gold in my Graveyard back into the Deck as Fusion Materials!"
Darkness seethed through the hero's body on the Supreme King's field, the corrupted power surging through Avian until the HERO let out a dark war cry.
"The wreckage of justice falls into the deep abyss of hellfire!"
"Dark Fusion Summon: stain the wings of destruction with heroic blood!"
"Appear! Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire!"
[Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire] [Level 6 / DARK]
[Fiend / Fusion / Effect]
[ATK: 2100 / DEF: 1200]
["Elemental HERO Avian" or "Elemental HERO Burstinatrix" + 1 "HERO" monster]
[Must be Special Summoned with "Dark Fusion."]
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