Yu-Gi-Oh!: This is the real duel!

pride……

With the soul...

A hint of determination flashed in Seto Kaiba's eyes as he recalled Yuzuru's words and walked away with the others step by step.

A lone plume of smoke rises from the vast desert, the setting sun casts its golden rays upon the yellow sand.

His solitary figure stretched long and thin, and behind him stood a crowd gazing at the empty earth, standing there blankly, not knowing why or what they were hoping for...

Space, KC Space Station.

Seto Kaiba strode out of the space elevator and arrived at a room that resembled a prison.

In that room, a boy with a full head of blue hair was imprisoned with a special device, and not far from him, a mysterious blue Rubik's Cube was floating and spinning.

A researcher in a white lab coat cautiously said, "President Kaiba, we've made initial progress in deciphering and analyzing this mysterious item!"

"Perhaps we can use its power to create a channel connecting to other dimensions!"

"only……"

"Speak!" Seto Kaiba shouted sternly.

“However… these passages might be a bit unstable…” the man replied cautiously.

Seto Kaiba said coldly, "Then we must find a way to stabilize it! No matter what, we must make this technology work!!"

"Yes!!" the man immediately replied.

Looking out at the boundless universe, Seto Kaiba squinted his eyes.

Playing...

I want to see the world you described.

Since there was no Duel Disk, I created the Duel Disk there!

Duels aren't the mainstream, so I'll make them the mainstream!

I want to see just how powerful that place that could forge someone like you really is!

No matter how much ahead I am in that duel, I, Seto Kaiba, will not be afraid!!!

Passing through the dazzling vortex, Youche opened his eyes again and found himself in a completely unfamiliar hall. It was as magnificent and grand as a church, but unlike a church, there were stone slabs displayed here, each engraved with the soul of a dark mage.

"The messenger of Gudong...you have arrived..."

In the center of the hall, an old man sat cross-legged, a wide black robe draped over his body. He lowered his head, his expression unreadable, only his pale beard and black hood were visible.

You Che looked around at the rows of stone slabs and said, "I came here for an elf, a dark mage named Hermoti."

“His soul flame is almost gone…” the old man said. “Perhaps it will be a hundred years, perhaps a thousand years before he awakens again. Are you going to wait?”

You Che sat down cross-legged like the old man, nodding firmly: "I will wait."

"Hemoti has already sacrificed so much for me."

"No matter how long it takes, I will wait."

"So, your brother over there doesn't care either?" the old man coughed softly.

You Che was startled: "You...you knew?"

The old man said slowly, "The Elf Realm is connected to all other worlds. From the moment you gained Gudu's approval, we have known all about your past."

"How...how is he now?" You Che couldn't help but ask.

The old man simply shook his head.

"Then... do I still have a chance to go back?" You Che asked again.

The old man said, "If you go back, you will never be able to come back to this world again. If that's the case, would you still be willing to go back?"

You Che sighed, then said:

"If it doesn't carry emotions, it's not a card, it's just ordinary paper."

"Similarly, this world does not belong to me. Although many wonderful memories have indeed occurred here, to me, it is just a brand new card, not the most precious one..."

"Whether it's the King of Duels or the messenger of Gudu..."

"No matter how many titles are bestowed upon me, I will only feel lonely."

"And now..."

"I miss my brother so much..."

The old man nodded and said, "Then... I'll grant your wish."

"Wh-what?"

You Che was stunned for a moment. The next second, the old man's black robe was lifted, and he was in front of him in the blink of an eye. Then, with a graceful palm strike, he pushed You Che away. You Che felt his body become light, as if he were falling into an abyss, plummeting towards the passage that had appeared out of thin air...

"and many more!!"

"I told you, I'd wait for Hermoti here first!!"

"Wait a moment!!!"

You Che cried out in alarm, struggling to get back, but the passage beneath him seemed to have a powerful pull, dragging him into boundless darkness. Everything went black, and he knew nothing more…

After an unknown amount of time, the glaring sunlight shone in, and You Che groggily opened his eyes. He found himself lying in the passenger seat of a car, a scene that felt strangely familiar.

"Awake?" A gentle voice came from the side. It was a brown-haired boy who was smiling at You Che. "You must have gone to so much trouble to get up so early to see me off."

"Brother... Brother?!" You Che trembled, his nose immediately twitched, and tears streamed down his face. He asked in disbelief, "Where is this? What day is it?"

My cousin smiled gently as usual, "Of course it was the airport parking lot. Today's the day I'm leaving the country. What's wrong? Had a nightmare? You really didn't sleep well!"

At this moment, the guilt and sadness that had been building up in his heart for so long finally found an outlet. You Che hugged his cousin tightly, tears streaming down his face as he smiled foolishly, "This is great...this is great! It's the right time..."

Suhai City, Airport.

You Che and his cousin laid their suitcases across the ground and sat down to play cards.

As the games went by, the two laughed and chatted, just like when they were children.

Finally, my cousin glanced at the time and smiled, "This is the last round. How about we bet something?"

You Che smiled and nodded.

“Alright.” My cousin adjusted his glasses and said seriously, “If I win, I’ll take your red Aleister card; if I lose, I’ll give you a very valuable card.”

As he spoke, he took a new card case out of his bag.

"Is it a teardrop?" You Che asked with a smile.

My cousin was taken aback, but stubbornly insisted, "How could that be?! Do you think I'm the kind of person who would play with teardrops?"

"It's okay, you can't beat me even if you play with Teardrops~" Youche shuffled his deck. "Come on! Let's settle this once and for all!!"

Soon, another duel began.

"Aren't those just tears?!"

"I didn't say it wasn't a teardrop; I was just asking if I looked like someone who plays with teardrops!"

"6..."

"Alright! It's too late to regret it! Offering the Siren Mermaid as a sacrifice, Superior Summoning—Homunculus Psycho-Shocker!!"

"..."

Undoubtedly, the final result was that the cousin was defeated. When he put away the Lava Demon that he had mistakenly taken and handed over the Armed Dragon Lv3 again, Youche suddenly felt as if he had been in another world.

But after accepting the card, Youche still gave the Summoner Aleister card to his cousin.

"Oh, you're really willing to spend that much?" My cousin was pleasantly surprised.

"Hmm!" You Che nodded and smiled, "Next time, I hope you can beat me with this card!"

My cousin sighed, "Okay! I'll try my best! But who knows when we'll see each other again..."

“But there will always be a chance to meet.” You Che said with a smile.

My cousin immediately smiled and said, "That's true. Alright, it's about time. I have to go. See you next time!"

"See you next time!!" You Che waved.

At the security checkpoint, the tall, brown-haired boy waved, smiled gently, and then dragged his suitcase into the crowd…

After seeing his cousin off, You Che felt a feeling he had never experienced before. He didn't know whether he should be sad about parting or happy about the reunion. He looked at the Armed Dragon Lv3 in his hand and tried to call it twice, but the elf never responded again.

Suddenly, Youche felt that those things were really just a dream.

Armed Dragon, Disruption, Hemothy...

Yugi, Yugi, Kaiba, Jonouchi...

They are all just fantasies in a dream...

Somewhat disappointed, You Che put away the Armored Dragon and walked towards the stairwell with a sigh. He deliberately avoided a certain elevator and walked step by step toward the airport parking lot, feeling an indescribable sense of loss.

Was it a dream?

Was it really a dream?

Although You Che was glad to have returned to this world, he did not want it to be just a dream.

He struggled for a long time before finally deciding to force himself to accept the fact that even if it was a dream, it was a dream worth remembering and never forgetting!

However, just as he was beginning to convince himself of this idea, an incredibly familiar figure appeared not far ahead. He had cool white hair and naturally dark skin. He was dressed in modern clothes and stylishly pinned his long hair back with a headband.

Upon seeing You Che approach, the man who had been leaning against the wall straightened up and smiled, saying, "Lord You Che."

"You, you are... Hemoti?!" You Che was greatly shocked, but even more so, he was overjoyed. "You, you are... how did you..."

Despite his completely modern, cool-guy appearance, Hemoti still maintained his former respect: "Lord Youche, the Disruptors and the Doctor have learned of your trip to the Elf Realm, and they have used their power to ignite my Soul Fire ahead of schedule."

"Having been baptized by the King's Memory, although I am not as good as Mahad, I am still a very strong dark mage."

"We can go back to that world anytime we want."

"Really?!" You Che was so excited he felt dizzy. For him, this was the perfect ending!

My cousin wasn't too affected by his accident. In fact, thanks to Hermoti's appearance, he can now freely travel between the two worlds, something he never imagined!

"Should we... try it first?" Youche asked cautiously. "Also, Armored Dragon... was it left behind in that world?"