Infinite loop!
And not just any loop.
An infinite loop is usually either to farm a ton of resources, or to inflict damage repeatedly and beat the opponent.
But this damned loop is neither. Its whole purpose is to force me to shuffle endlessly!
Adrian no longer knew what to say.
What kind of psychological distortion does it take to concoct a pointless loop that isn't meant to win, but purely to torment the opponent's mind and patience, along with the technical finesse to pull it off?
And he'd only casually thought of it a moment ago—who knew there really was someone this bored in the world?
Such a convoluted loop, just to make me keep shuffling?
"Come on, what are you spacing out for?" Kira smiled. "Shuffle."
Adrian gritted his teeth, helplessly drew out his deck, and shuffled.
Sure enough, that feeling came again.
As if his consciousness were being sucked into the deck. Endless memories, endless pain. Every difficult choice he'd made, all the memories he'd tried to avoid all these years—
"Graaah!"
One shuffle left him drenched in sweat again; he dropped to his knees, his whole body trembling.
It wasn't that his body had endured some huge injury or burden. It was all in his mind.
He wasn't sure how many more shuffles he could withstand.
But he knew this was far from over—this was only the beginning of a never-ending nightmare.
Kira's voice continued.
"Revival Jam, attack 'Cloudian - Nimbusman.'"
"Revival Jam revives; Black Garden Special Summons a new 'Rose Token' to your field."
"Eye of the Typhoon, attack the Rose Token."
"Change the battle position of 'Tainted Wisdom' by effect."
"..."
Another string of repeated cycles, then Kira made a "please" gesture.
"Tainted Wisdom's effect—come on, keep shuffling."
Adrian ground his teeth, his gaze on Kira almost spitting fire.
Shuffle your damned—!
"If you don't want to shuffle, it's simple." Kira chuckled. "Just surrender."
"Give up what you've been clinging to. Give up the creed your family instilled in you. Do what you want, choose your own path freely."
Kira coaxed him patiently.
"You don't have to keep winning. There are always new roads, new choices."
"Why must you advance under your family's expectations, bearing their future?"
Adrian panted heavily and looked at the deck in his hand.
Yeah—if he just surrendered...
Surrendering didn't only mean giving up this duel's victory. It felt more like giving up his family's expectations and the heavy burden on his shoulders.
He could stop thinking so much. Stop bearing so much. He didn't have to keep winning—he could choose his path as he pleased.
Like...
Yes, like the easygoing, free clouds in the sky.
But—
Adrian clenched his jaw, veins bulging on his forearm, trembling as he drew out the deck again.
"I—I accept 'Tainted Wisdom's' effect and shuffle."
"You really are a man of firm will."
Kira propped his chin and murmured.
But after Adrian shuffled, the corners of his mouth lifted.
"Well, how many more times can you keep it up?"
"..."
"Revival Jam attacks."
"Revival Jam regenerates, Special Summon a 'Rose Token' to your field."
"Eye of the Typhoon attacks the 'Rose Token.'"
"Eye of the Typhoon's effect: force 'Tainted Wisdom' to change its battle position."
"..."
"Aaaah—"
After who knew how many forced shuffles, Adrian was on all fours, sweat pouring like rain.
No, not again.
All the memories, all the pain, all the parts of his life he didn't want to face—
"You know you've already lost, right?" Kira's voice came again. "I've drawn through over half my deck; my resource count is at least ten times yours.
Even without this little game, I've got about ten different win routes."
Adrian: "..."
"Why resist the inevitable?" Kira said coolly. "You're not fighting for yourself. You refuse to face yourself, and you know it.
What you're doing now, everything you're struggling for—that's not your true will. What the Gecko conglomerate wants is not what you want, Adrian Gecko.
Your reason to walk the path of a king isn't for yourself. After reexamining your life this many times, have you still not remembered?"
Like lightning splitting the night, Adrian froze.
My ideal, my reason to strive...
The ideal he had gradually chosen to forget because it was too distant—the one he sacrificed and buried for his family and his younger brother—
Forced to face his life through these countless shuffles, he finally remembered.
"Yes. I have a dream."
He clenched his fist; the haze in his eyes became firm again.
It was a dream he had long, long ago.
When he was starving, weakly collapsed on the ground, looking up at the idle clouds in the sky, that thought surfaced in his mind.
An ideal new world.
No more children like him. No more broken families, no hunger, no pain. Regardless of poverty or wealth, status or rank, everyone could live with equal dignity.
"I will... establish a new order."
He panted, forcing the words out.
"I will create a new world."
"A world where everyone is equal, where everyone is granted the right to live!"
Yes—now he remembered. That was the lifelong ideal of Adrian Gecko.
He had once given it up, willingly becoming his younger brother's stepping stone. He could become whatever the family needed him to be, and for that he forgot his own dream.
In the anime, he only resolved to reclaim this ideal after returning to another world the second time. Yubel had planned to draw out the deepest darkness in Adrian's heart through a duel, but unexpectedly discovered his true ideal instead.
It was something Adrian could never have achieved in reality. He couldn't bring himself to harm his brother, to take his brother's place. But Yubel's appearance gave him a new opportunity—
The Spirit Dimension.
There, Adrian obtained the power of the Exodia; he thought that in that dimension, he could rightfully establish a new world.
In fact, if not for Yubel, the Adrian in the anime might really have succeeded. In that original Spirit Dimension, there might truly have been no one who could oppose Adrian who had obtained Exodia.
And now, Adrian had remembered.
Yes—this isn't his fight. What he's doing right now is only being a stepping stone for his family.
He was already exhausted; he had already tried his best, but this wasn't what he wanted.
Adrian sank to his knees and gently closed his eyes.
At his ear, Kira's calm voice sounded.
"Eye of the Typhoon attacks; Tainted Wisdom switches from Attack to Defense again," Kira said. "Tainted Wisdom's effect: its controller must shuffle."
Adrian: "..."
Adrian kept his head down, motionless for a long moment.
Then he slowly raised his arm.
But this time, he didn't draw out the deck to shuffle.
He simply placed his hand lightly above the deck.
"I surrender."