Primo: "..."
At this moment, the proud Pure Noble had nothing to say. He was on the verge of snapping.
Of course, it's not like he'd been physically harmed in the duel. He hadn't even been the one to step into the arena, sending in the automaton called Ghost instead.
This kind of stand-in dueling diminishes one's fate power, making it impossible to unleash full strength. Normally, no matter how the duplicate is battered, it doesn't affect the real body.
So really, he wasn't hurt at all—he was just infuriated.
Hinotama, Hinotama, Hinotama—all over, non-stop…
Especially just now, he'd boasted so loudly: how could the great Iliaster Pure Noble possibly lose to Hinotama? And not even a turn had passed before he got burned to death.
His bold words came right back to slap him in the face.
No, this wasn't just a defeat. This was humiliation.
In truth, Primo hadn't been completely committed to winning in the first place. Much like in the original anime, when Primo first encountered Yusei, he sent a Ghost automaton to test the waters. This time, it was the same—send the robot to probe.
They simply had too little information on the person who replaced Goodwin. If the opponent was mediocre, it'd be an easy win—why bother investigating further? But if he was tough and they lost, at least they'd gain information.
But after this disgrace—after being defeated by infinite Hinotamas—this rivalry was now personal.
And that legendary Black Luster Soldier—was that really its true power?
Primo began to doubt himself.
Black Luster had been gone from this dimension—a mere legendary relic. Iliaster had the ability to traverse time, but they rarely went further back or met users of Black Luster.
Could it really be that—this infinite burn loop was the correct way to use it?
After the barrage of Hinotama burns, the Ghost automaton looked pitiful. Its black cloak was charred, one arm was blown clean off, sparks popping from the stump, its dead eyes empty—the thing was scrap.
Even its Duel Runner behind it, the moment it was defeated, exploded with a bang. The perpetual engine auto-destructed, spraying arcs and flames before quickly reducing to a pile of junk.
Kira stepped forward and checked the duel disk—sure enough, the deck inside was already burning up.
"A copy deck," Kira murmured.
It seemed designed to self-destruct the moment the Meklord Emperor was about to fall into enemy hands.
Using Ghost as a remote proxy already reduced fate power. Using non-original copy cards crippled performance even more. At most, this Primo could only deploy 50-60% of his true strength—and while infuriated by defeat, he surely wouldn't accept it.
But that was fine. Kira was ready to welcome him again—any time.
"So it really was Iliaster after all…"
Kira gazed at the flaming Duel Runner wreckage on the highway, stroking his chin in thought.
This was a surprise.
Was the force causing trouble from the shadows really Iliaster—was it the 5D's final boss, Z-one himself?
But why? If different dimensions were colliding, it didn't fit their goals. Iliaster's supposed objective was to stop humanity's destruction, to create a bright future for the world.
A light tug on his sleeve—the Silent Magician had appeared by his side.
"Hm?"
Kira turned, meeting her eyes.
"I see," he nodded, understanding. "You mean, Iliaster might not necessarily be the enemy."
Silent Magician nodded gently.
"True," Kira mused. _"From their point of view, someone who appeared out of nowhere to replace Goodwin would indeed be a historic anomaly—a disruptor.
That alone might make me their enemy."
He sighed, rubbing his temples.
_"But if that's the case, it means someone else put future Goodwin here, trying to erase the Signers and disrupt history.
So now, on the surface, it's Signers and Dark Signers in open conflict. But in the shadows: my side, unknown behind-the-scenes manipulators, and Z-one with his Iliaster."
Dark currents flowed beneath the surface—things felt more complicated than ever.
Earlier, when Yusei was thrown into the detention center, the future Goodwin had given direct orders to eliminate him. And that was hardly aligned with Iliaster's ideals.
In the anime, Z-one seemed a villain but secretly hoped for Yusei's potential. He watched from the shadows, guiding Yusei's evolution, and even, in the end, stepped forward himself—still hoping Yusei would create a miracle.
Deep down, Z-one believed Yusei might change history and create a better future. There was no way he would arrange for someone to just assassinate Yusei while he was still weak.
But then, Iliaster was an organization for correcting history. Even if they weren't the enemy, perhaps they knew more.
With few leads, seeking them out seemed like the next logical step.
Kira pondered. The Sector Security was Iliaster's hidden hand in the city—maybe their classified files held clues. He'd make an opportunity to investigate.
Last time Kira encountered the Skeleton Knight, he felt a strange duality—almost as if two Rudgers from different dimensions were fighting for one body. Two souls, at war inside one host. Much like Goodwin before—and perhaps related to whoever Kira needed to track down.
Now as war erupted, the Dark Signers would start appearing. Catching up with Rudger would be a promising lead.
Just then, Kira sensed something.
Standing at the roadside, he looked far off into the distance. In the skies above the Satellite area, burning purple-black flames traced out a colossal Nazca Line atop the clouds—violet fire blazing furiously.
"Oh? The battle's already started. Things are underway, huh."
Kira murmured.
"Is that Yusei…?"
…