"Welcome, Amagi-boy!"
Inside Industrial Illusions, Hikaru followed Anselm through the holographic corridor. Not far ahead, a man walked toward them.
The man had long silver-white hair and wore a formal red gentleman's coat. His hair draped over his left eye, concealing it.
He clapped as he approached, greeting Hikaru with a warm smile.
His accent was peculiar. You couldn't call it broken English; he was, after all, a born-and-bred American whose father owned a massive casino in Las Vegas. He was the son of a mega-billionaire.
But to call his speech normal wouldn't be right either.
Because his words seemed to flow like a song, rising and falling in strange cadences, as if he were performing in an opera.
"Mr. Pegasus, it's a pleasure to meet you." Hikaru returned the greeting.
Then he glanced at his surroundings.
This place...
Hikaru had a faint sense of familiarity.
"Ho ho ho, that's right, Amagi-boy! The place you're standing in right now is the very spot where Kaiba-boy and I once dueled."
Just as he thought.
When Hikaru first arrived, he'd felt a vague recognition. The surroundings seemed faintly familiar, even though he had never been to Industrial Illusions before. Now, seeing the equipment and virtual imaging machines laid out everywhere, along with the massive duel platform large enough for several people to stand on, the feeling of familiarity only grew stronger.
Still, he hadn't expected to be brought to a place like this right away.
He felt a quiet thrill of excitement.
But after that excitement faded, he suddenly looked back at Pegasus, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Pegasus maintained his smile.
Hikaru hesitated for a moment, then placed his hand on the Emerald Tablet and asked, with slight hesitation, "I've heard that Mr. Pegasus possesses the ability to read people's thoughts..."
Hikaru knew this wasn't the most appropriate question to ask at a time like this, but having his innermost thoughts detected in an instant had triggered his instincts. He chose to address it directly.
"Hmm, of course that's true!"
Pegasus said it openly, without a hint of shame.
"President!?" "So it really is true..." Chumley and Anselm couldn't help but exclaim.
The two of them had always been curious about the rumors of Pegasus's "mind reading." At first glance, both seemed successful and cheerful, but Chumley had spent years as a recluse in the Duel Academy dormitory, and Anselm, despite his entertaining persona, was actually a pessimist at heart. Neither was the type to ask Pegasus directly.
But they were both genuinely curious, so when Hikaru asked, they watched Pegasus with eager interest.
The others, like the Paradox Brothers and Pegasus's bodyguards, didn't react as strongly.
They were longtime employees, after all. They knew a thing or two about Pegasus's secrets.
But Hikaru was confused.
Shouldn't Pegasus have lost this mind-reading ability by now?
Hikaru frowned.
In the original series, Pegasus had originally made his name as a painter. But when his lover died young, he abandoned his dream of becoming an artist. Searching for a way to bring her back, he traveled to Egypt and obtained the Millennium Eye, which granted him the power to read minds.
But at this point in the timeline, his Millennium Eye should have been gone for a long time. How could he still do this?
Mind reading wasn't an innate ability like Sartorius's. Could it really be retained?
"Sorry about that, Amagi-boy." Pegasus gently rubbed his forehead. "I didn't mean to read your thoughts just now."
What was going on?
Hikaru was puzzled.
Pegasus shook his head lightly, turned around, and gestured for everyone to follow.
They passed through some of the memorial structures at the front of Industrial Illusions, gradually entering the more cutting-edge and streamlined design floor of the company.
As they walked, a curly-haired designer stepped out of a studio. Upon seeing Pegasus, he hastily bowed, then fell into step behind them.
"Good work, Mr. Franz."
"No, no, not at all, Mr. Pegasus." The gray-haired, curly-topped man waved it off, while shooting Chumley a smug, eyebrow-waggling look.
Franz...
Now there was a genius designer.
Hikaru remembered this man.
In the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, card design wasn't a simple matter. Many cards came into existence only after the "spirit" already existed.
For example, the three Egyptian God cards that Pegasus created were based on ancient stone tablets that already existed. Pegasus had used his personal abilities to design the God cards, and then the Gods' "souls" transferred into those cards.
Likewise, after the God cards departed this world alongside the nameless Pharaoh's soul, it was Pegasus who used his personal abilities to produce a replica of The Winged Dragon of Ra for research purposes.
Another example was Aster's father, the infamous "doomsday card creator," Mr. Phoenix.
Whether in the anime or the manga, the bodiless or disembodied bosses all relied on his extraordinary design talent to create vessel cards or cards that could break their seals.
The Planetary series, Destiny HERO - Bloo-D, all of it depended on him.
But Mr. Phoenix wasn't the only designer in all of GX, and not every catastrophe could be blamed on him.
For instance, Chumley had later become a card designer himself, creating new environments and cards for Jaden.
In the original series, this world also had other outstanding designers, including the man standing before them now: Franz.
Unlike Chumley, who prioritized artistry and "design sensibility," Franz's philosophy was simple. Duelists pursued ever-stronger cards, so the cards he designed were powerful above all else.
It was precisely because of this mindset that, in the original series, Pegasus awarded the annual best-designer prize to Chumley instead, causing Franz, who had always craved Pegasus's recognition, to resent Chumley. To some degree, he had developed jealousy toward him.
Under those circumstances, Franz had stolen the replica of The Winged Dragon of Ra that Pegasus had made for research and entered the GX tournament with it.
A normal person couldn't use a God card.
Touching a God meant receiving divine punishment.
But Franz was a "genius."
The card he designed, Mound of the Bound Creator, could even restrain the will of Ra itself, allowing him to wield The Winged Dragon of Ra in a duel against Jaden!
That feat alone put every other designer of his generation so far behind him they couldn't even see his back.
It was precisely because Franz had this kind of talent that Pegasus had always valued him and wanted to nurture his growth.
Unfortunately, Franz didn't understand Pegasus's design philosophy: power was one aspect, but what mattered more was "design sensibility."
From the looks of it, in this world, Franz hadn't stolen The Winged Dragon of Ra, but he was still constantly butting heads with Chumley.
"Actually, I discovered this quite some time ago."
Pegasus walked alongside his two most valued designers and Anselm, the "Duel Academy representative" selected by Industrial Illusions, explaining things to Hikaru as they went.
"That's right, just as you all suspect, I do possess the ability to read minds... But that was a very, very long time ago."
Pegasus spoke as he walked at a steady pace. "Over a decade ago, I wanted to resurrect my lover. I gave in to dark impulses and forced quite a few people to duel me.
Back then, I obtained one of the legendary Millennium Items that are spoken of to this day...
Yes, those stories aren't exaggerations. Yugi-boy truly did experience all of that."
Pegasus clasped his hands behind his back, not touching the socket of his left eye.
"The Millennium Item I possessed, the Millennium Eye, could read people's hearts, letting me see what others were thinking. That's why I was unstoppable."
But later...
He continued.
After losing to Yugi, he gave up on his previous ambitions and prepared to settle down as a wealthy executive. But then he was ambushed and the Eye was taken from him.
After that, he was just an ordinary middle-aged man. At most, a talented one who could create Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, whose artistic accomplishments were unrivaled in the world.
The Paradox Brothers listened to Pegasus's self-introduction, the corners of their mouths twitching.
In any case, after that, Pegasus hadn't been particularly fixated on anything. He simply ran Industrial Illusions, pushed forward the development of Duel Monsters, and, following his own tastes, created all manner of "Toon" monsters for his personal collection.
He had basically stopped involving himself in other matters.
Even in the original GX series, aside from the incident with his own designer, the only reason he got involved was because he discovered the Light of Destruction and discussed it with his acquaintance, Chancellor Sheppard.
After all, the Light of Destruction was a cosmic-level "disaster" that genuinely threatened the entire planet.
"But..."
Pegasus stopped in front of a massive laboratory, turned around, clasped his hands behind his back, and spoke to the group with a gentle smile.
"About two years ago, I suddenly realized that I could hear someone's inner thoughts again."
"What!?" "Whoa..."
Two years ago?
Hikaru listened to the story with fascination.
Pegasus nodded and continued.
At first, he thought he was hearing things, that he was still imagining himself as the man who once wielded a Millennium Item. But as the voices he heard grew more precise, he gradually realized that he truly could hear people's thoughts again.
Initially, he was quite nervous.
Because he was aware of Sartorius's situation. He was one of the few people in this world who had detected the Light of Destruction early and begun preparing countermeasures. So he knew the Light of Destruction could amplify such abilities, making those infected by its power more prone to destruction and ruin.
But over time, he realized his situation was different from Sartorius's.
Though he could indeed hear people's thoughts again, he couldn't actively probe someone's mind.
It was more like a returning gift, a residual bonus.
Then he began considering another possibility.
"Spirit Adaptability."
Originally, he hadn't possessed any spiritual power. He couldn't see spirits at all. Without the Millennium Item, he was virtually incapable of any of that.
But with the emergence of dimensional exploration and the development of the concept of "Spirit Adaptability," Pegasus, as the world's premier designer and president of Industrial Illusions, naturally made an effort to train this ability.
Setting everything else aside, being able to see spirits was tremendously appealing to Pegasus.
At the very least, if he could see his Toon monsters, he would be overjoyed.
So, alongside his work, Pegasus had been studying methods to improve Spirit Adaptability. Over the past few years, he had gradually raised it to an impressively high level, reaching roughly nine-star caliber, far surpassing Hikaru, who had only been studying for about two years.
"In fact, it was pretty much in line with my hypothesis."
Pegasus said with a smile.
Though the Millennium Item was gone, as his Spirit Adaptability increased, he had regained the ability to hear others' inner thoughts. And it seemed that the higher his Spirit Adaptability climbed, the clearer the voices became.
It was for this reason that, earlier this year, he heard Franz's inner confusion and lack of understanding toward his decisions. After watching Hikaru's duels and experiencing a burst of inspiration, Pegasus created Keeper of Dragon Magic, a card specifically designed to support Fusion, and used it to convey his philosophy to all his designers.
Power was always secondary. The designers at Industrial Illusions should always aim for a balance of design, spirit, strength, and artistry. Purely chasing power was not the mindset a designer should have.
Using this reborn mind-reading ability, he resolved the small conflict within the company, guided Franz's thinking, and prevented Franz from wasting his time on resentment. As for the rivalry between Franz and Chumley, Pegasus wasn't too concerned about that.
People needed competition to grow faster. Besides, without someone chasing him, Chumley had the temperament of a sloth.
In short.
This mind-reading ability left Pegasus very satisfied. It felt as though he had returned to the old days.
"As expected of Mr. Pegasus! That's incredible!" Franz, Pegasus's number-one fanboy, immediately shouted with excitement, not minding in the slightest that his own thoughts had been read.
"But..." Pegasus closed his eyes.
The second "but."
The smile on his face gradually faded.
It was true that mind reading was an extraordinarily powerful ability. Countless gamblers dreamed of obtaining it, of being able to effortlessly read a dealer's movements and know exactly which choice would "hit the jackpot."
However...
Having grown up seeing through the foolishness of gamblers, and having once become a "gambler" himself in pursuit of reviving his lover, Pegasus understood all too well that nothing in this world came for free. Just as the Millennium Eye had been "gifted" to him all those years ago, it had never truly been "luck."
So for the past year, he had been researching and exploring why he had regained this mind-reading ability.
And then...
He finally found the answer!
"Now then, everyone, brace yourselves."
Pegasus turned back around and signaled his two bodyguards to open the door. The bodyguards exchanged a glance, nodded, approached the massive door, and began entering the passcode to disengage the mechanical lock.
It was precisely because he had this kind of talent that Pegasus had always valued him and wanted to nurture his growth.
Unfortunately, Franz didn't understand Pegasus's design philosophy: power was one aspect, but what mattered more was "design sensibility."
From the looks of it, in this world, Franz hadn't stolen The Winged Dragon of Ra, but he was still constantly butting heads with Chumley.
"Actually, I discovered this quite some time ago."
Pegasus walked alongside his two most valued designers and Anselm, the "Duel Academy representative" selected by Industrial Illusions, explaining things to Hikaru as they went.
"That's right, just as you all suspect, I do possess the ability to read minds... But that was a very, very long time ago."
Pegasus spoke as he walked at a steady pace. "Over a decade ago, I wanted to resurrect my lover. I gave in to dark impulses and forced quite a few people to duel me.
Back then, I obtained one of the legendary Millennium Items that are spoken of to this day...
Yes, those stories aren't exaggerations. Yugi-boy truly did experience all of that."
Pegasus clasped his hands behind his back, not touching the socket of his left eye.
"The Millennium Item I possessed, the Millennium Eye, could read people's hearts, letting me see what others were thinking. That's why I was unstoppable."
But later...
He continued.
After losing to Yugi, he gave up on his previous ambitions and prepared to settle down as a wealthy executive. But then he was ambushed and the Eye was taken from him.
After that, he was just an ordinary middle-aged man. At most, a talented one who could create Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, whose artistic accomplishments were unrivaled in the world.
The Paradox Brothers listened to Pegasus's self-introduction, the corners of their mouths twitching.
In any case, after that, Pegasus hadn't been particularly fixated on anything. He simply ran Industrial Illusions, pushed forward the development of Duel Monsters, and, following his own tastes, created all manner of Toon monsters for his personal collection.
He had basically stopped involving himself in other matters.
Even in the original GX series, aside from the incident with his own designer, the only reason he got involved was because he discovered the Light of Destruction and discussed it with his acquaintance, Chancellor Sheppard.
After all, the Light of Destruction was a cosmic-level "disaster" that genuinely threatened the entire planet.
"But..."
Pegasus stopped in front of a massive laboratory, turned around, clasped his hands behind his back, and spoke to the group with a gentle smile.
"About two years ago, I suddenly realized that I could hear someone's inner thoughts again."
"What!?"
"Whoa..."
Two years ago?
Hikaru listened to the story with fascination.
Pegasus nodded and continued.
At first, he thought he was hearing things, that he was still imagining himself as the man who once wielded a Millennium Item. But as the voices he heard grew more precise, he gradually realized that he truly could hear people's thoughts again.
Initially, he was quite nervous.
Because he was aware of Sartorius's situation. He was one of the few people in this world who had detected the Light of Destruction early and begun preparing countermeasures. So he knew the Light of Destruction could amplify such abilities, making those infected by its power more prone to destruction and ruin.
But over time, he realized his situation was different from Sartorius's.
Though he could indeed hear people's thoughts again, he couldn't actively probe someone's mind.
It was more like a returning gift, a residual bonus.
Then he began considering another possibility.
"Spirit Adaptability."
Originally, he hadn't possessed any spiritual power. He couldn't see spirits at all. Without the Millennium Item, he was virtually incapable of any of that.
But with the emergence of dimensional exploration and the development of the concept of "Spirit Adaptability," Pegasus, as the world's premier designer and president of Industrial Illusions, naturally made an effort to train this ability.
Setting everything else aside, being able to see spirits was tremendously appealing to Pegasus.
At the very least, if he could see his Toon monsters, he would be overjoyed.
So, alongside his work, Pegasus had been studying methods to improve Spirit Adaptability. Over the past few years, he had gradually raised it to an impressively high level, reaching roughly nine-star caliber, far surpassing Hikaru, who had only been studying for about two years.
"In fact, it was pretty much in line with my hypothesis."
Pegasus said with a smile.
Though the Millennium Item was gone, as his Spirit Adaptability increased, he had regained the ability to hear others' inner thoughts. And it seemed that the higher his Spirit Adaptability climbed, the clearer the voices became.
It was for this reason that, earlier this year, he heard Franz's inner confusion and lack of understanding toward his decisions. After watching Hikaru's duels and experiencing a burst of inspiration, Pegasus created Keeper of Dragon Magic, a card specifically designed to support Fusion, and used it to convey his philosophy to all his designers.
Power was always secondary. The designers at Industrial Illusions should always aim for a balance of design, spirit, strength, and artistry. Purely chasing power was not the mindset a designer should have.
Using this reborn mind-reading ability, he resolved the small conflict within the company, guided Franz's thinking, and prevented Franz from wasting his time on resentment. As for the rivalry between Franz and Chumley, Pegasus wasn't too concerned about that.
People needed competition to grow faster. Besides, without someone chasing him, Chumley had the temperament of a sloth.
In short.
This mind-reading ability left Pegasus very satisfied. It felt as though he had returned to the old days.
"As expected of Mr. Pegasus! That's incredible!" Franz, Pegasus's number-one fanboy, immediately shouted with excitement, not minding in the slightest that his own thoughts had been read.
"But..." Pegasus closed his eyes.
The second "but."
The smile on his face gradually faded.
It was true that mind reading was an extraordinarily powerful ability. Countless gamblers dreamed of obtaining it, of being able to effortlessly read a dealer's movements and know exactly which choice would "hit the jackpot."
However...
Having grown up seeing through the foolishness of gamblers, and having once become a "gambler" himself in pursuit of reviving his lover, Pegasus understood all too well that nothing in this world came for free. Just as the Millennium Eye had been "gifted" to him all those years ago, it had never truly been "luck."
So for the past year, he had been researching and exploring why he had regained this mind-reading ability.
And then...
He finally found the answer!
"Now then, everyone, brace yourselves."
Pegasus turned back around and signaled his two bodyguards to open the door. The bodyguards exchanged a glance, nodded, approached the massive door, and began entering the passcode to disengage the mechanical lock.
Then, after the electronic lock disengaged and the first layer of the door opened, what appeared before them was yet another door, sealed with a metal spiral lock.
The two bodyguards strained to turn the mechanism.
Several people couldn't help but swallow hard.
Pegasus's grave warning to be careful, combined with the multiple layers of sealed doors, filled them with mounting pressure and tension.
The second metal security door slowly unlocked. Then the door gradually swung open.
What greeted them was an empty, pitch-black room.
But then, a golden flash lit up.
The air froze in an instant.
Beads of cold sweat formed on Chumley's forehead. The easy smile vanished from Franz's face.
The Paradox Brothers drew a sharp breath. The two bodyguards scrambled out of the way.
Just being grazed by the light, the entire group felt as though their bodies had been pierced through, filled with a bone-chilling sensation.
And the next second...
In the darkness, an Eye slowly opened. It swept its gaze across everyone, and nearly all of them felt as if invisible hands were clamped around their throats, suffocating them.
Chumley was so frightened he dove behind Franz, who was himself trembling and drenched in sweat.
W-What was happening?
It felt as though they had been seen through in an instant.
Hikaru blinked. Beside him, Tierra had already floated out on her own, murmuring a quiet "Whoa..." as she studied the Eye in the darkness.
"...Mr. Pegasus, th-this couldn't possibly be the legendary..." someone asked, shivering.
"Hmm, that's right! HAHAHA! This is indeed the one from the legends of the King of Duelists... the Millennium Eye!" Pegasus said with a playful laugh.
"The Millennium Eye? Mr. Pegasus, does that mean you found it again..."
"No... it wasn't found." Pegasus shook his head.
"That is not a true Millennium Eye... No, that is not a physical Millennium Eye."
Pegasus tapped his forehead lightly, then continued his explanation. "How should I put this? It should be the Millennium Eye's... spirit?"
"Millennium Items have spirits too!?" Franz exclaimed.
How could a Millennium Item possibly have a spirit?
Hikaru frowned as he stared at the Millennium Eye in the darkness, hesitating, thinking.
Not the Millennium Eye itself, but the Millennium Eye's "spirit"?
Could it be...
The Illusion Type!
In Hikaru's recollection, Illusion was a brand-new monster Type that had been introduced not long ago. The defining feature of this Type was that every single monster bore the unmistakable mark of an Eye somewhere on its body!
"After over a year of research, I gradually discovered that I hadn't regained the talent of mind reading. Rather, I had attracted the power of a lingering specter from the past. This power restored my ability to read minds, but it also left me tormented day after day by mind reading that never stopped."
Before, he had been selective about when he read minds, so he only needed to gather critical information at key moments.
But now, with automatic, round-the-clock mind reading, it was genuinely exhausting for a man of his age who didn't exercise enough.
"So, I call it the Curse of Thousand-Eyes."
A curse?
Several Industrial Illusions employees immediately panicked, asking Pegasus how to deal with this.
Pegasus shook his head gently. "It's all right."
Who was Pegasus? A battle-hardened veteran who had seen it all.
The God cards, the Wicked God cards, the Pyramid of Light, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon... which of those hadn't been brought into this world by his hand?
The Curse of Thousand-Eyes did indeed reside within him. But this curse was also an "opportunity."
Because he had discovered that beyond the layers of mist and darkness lay entirely new "possibilities"!
If he could deal with the lingering specter that circled this place, never dissipating, and overcome the Curse of the Eye, then he might be able to explore and create entirely new monsters!
"E-Entirely new monsters?" "A Type that doesn't exist yet?" "Is Mr. Pegasus about to create another design legend!?"
Chumley and Franz, the two designers, exclaimed one after another in amazement.
Beyond just creating cards, Pegasus truly was the Father of Duel Monsters. He was already thinking about "designing" an entirely new Type!
"The only problem is, I no longer have that kind of potential within me." Pegasus said quietly, shaking his head, tapping his forehead, then looking at Hikaru. "Amagi-boy, by now, you should understand why I asked you to come, right?"
He had actually tried to duel the Eye himself, but unfortunately, having not dueled in years, he had been defeated almost instantly. On top of that, his physical condition without the Millennium Eye was notoriously poor. After his loss, he nearly spent a month bedridden. Knowing he couldn't accomplish this himself, he began searching for someone who could do it in his place.
And during his duel against the Eye, though he hadn't won, he had learned what "type" of possibilities those "entirely new monsters" represented. So he knew he needed someone exceptional, someone who possessed the potential of Fusion.
And who else could that be?
Hikaru gave a tentative nod.
Pegasus then spoke. "I'm very sorry. I didn't tell you beforehand what you'd be coming here to do. I only asked the Paradox Brothers to invite you here for a duel with me.
After all, I hadn't told them about what's in here, either."
"I watched your duels in the GX tournament. I asked Anselm-boy to observe you up close, and I gave you the Keeper of Dragon Magic card. On top of that, I asked Mr. Solomon Muto to use the World of the Forgotten to test your resilience.
The results were nothing short of perfect.
You are exactly the duelist I need!"
Only now did Hikaru realize there had been so many layers to all of this.
The Paradox Brothers exchanged looks. The older brother shrugged, and the younger one spread his hands indifferently.
They had genuinely thought Pegasus invited Hikaru because he wanted to duel a promising young talent. They had been looking forward to watching Pegasus embarrass himself.
Though Pegasus had created many new cards over the years, he truly hadn't dueled seriously in over a decade. He could barely hold a Duel Disk properly. They had really wanted to see Pegasus go up against Hikaru, a powerful, outstanding duelist of the new generation.
Too bad that wasn't happening.
After laying everything out, Pegasus solemnly bowed and apologized to Hikaru. Amid the surprise of those around him and Hikaru's support as he helped Pegasus back up, Pegasus began to share his thoughts.
As the Father of Duel Monsters, it was hard for him to accept that an "entirely new Type" existed right before his eyes and he could only watch, unable to touch it.
So he desperately wanted to get past the Eye.
"Mr. Pegasus, in that case, let me handle it!" Franz shouted, already reaching into his pocket for his Deck.
For Pegasus's sake, he was ready to pull out the Mound of the Bound Creator, a card he had always been too afraid to show Pegasus.
But Pegasus shook his head. "Mr. Franz, you are a genius designer. But you are only a genius designer. If it were simply a matter of defeating the Eye, there are people in this world who could do it.
But what I need is someone who can defeat the Eye while simultaneously preserving the new possibilities."
That kind of task required a specialist.
Other than Hikaru, he hadn't found a second candidate. Even Aster and Jesse, the two duelists he admired most, didn't have the right aptitude for this.
Is that so...
Hikaru knew that at this point in the timeline, Pegasus probably hadn't seen Jaden's duels yet. Otherwise, there should have been another option.
But honestly, Hikaru didn't mind.
He had already heard from Chumley in private that the current Pegasus was frighteningly weak when it came to dueling. An evenly matched duel with him would have been difficult.
That being the case, there was no issue.
"Mr. Pegasus, you could have told me about all this beforehand so I could have prepared. But since you trust me this much, I won't let you down." Hikaru activated his Duel Disk, which lit up with a faint purple glow. "Leave it to me!"
"Oh! As expected of Amagi-boy!" Pegasus couldn't help but applaud.
"Well then..." Pegasus reached into his suit jacket, pulled out a card, and handed it to Hikaru with a smile. "This card is yours now. Whether or not you defeat him, I believe the person best suited for this card is you."
Fusion Birth!
Hikaru's eyes lit up.
Incredible.
Hikaru cheered inwardly.
This might have been the first time Hikaru received a "prize" before the duel even started.
Fusion Birth was a Normal Spell that could be searched directly by Keeper of Dragon Magic. Whether or not a Fusion was possible, sending five cards from the top of his Deck to the Graveyard was pure profit for his Deck!
Afterward, Pegasus told Hikaru that if he defeated the Eye, then in the future, Pegasus would give Hikaru early access to the cards of the entirely new Type.
Even better.
Who said artists were crazy? This was wonderful!
Hikaru stepped into the room. The massive door slowly closed behind him on its own. In the darkness, Hikaru locked eyes with the Eye.
Then the room suddenly blazed with light!
Countless lights illuminated the floor, and Hikaru finally saw the full layout of the room.
It was a large-scale dueling arena. The Eye, which had been hovering and circling in the air for some time, flew to the far side of the arena. Then it flashed with golden light once more. After shining for a moment, it gradually formed a phantom silhouette.
A silhouette of...
A man in a red gentleman's coat, with long silver-white hair, looking refined and cultured.
Pegasus!
Outside the door, the designers and employees watching the scene inside gasped in unison.
No wonder.
No wonder Mr. Pegasus couldn't handle this alone.
The opponent was himself!
They all exchanged stunned looks.
The current Pegasus could never beat another version of himself.
From outside the massive laboratory, Pegasus picked up the microphone and spoke to Hikaru inside. "Amagi-boy, be careful. That Eye possesses the ultimate mind-reading ability. Even if you have some magic trick to evade mind reading, it won't work!"
Hikaru frowned.
So that was it. That would indeed be tough to deal with.
Hikaru flicked his left wrist, and his Duel Disk snapped open automatically, glowing with a faint purple light. Across from him, the phantom figure wore a smile, lightly raising its left hand as a translucent Duel Disk materialized, bearing the distinctive mark of an Eye.
"Duel!"
Hikaru, LP: 4000.
Shadow of the Millennium Eye, LP: 4000.