After learning from Kaiba what the old men needed his help with, Jaden planned to return.
As for his thoughts on the matter-
Perhaps, in the old men's view, just hearing about this alone was enough to create tremendous pressure. Even Kaiba telling him in advance might have been meant to give him time to prepare mentally before truly standing in front of that opponent.
But in reality, Jaden didn't feel that much pressure.
He wouldn't underestimate his opponent. He knew that someone regarded so highly by the old men must possess something extraordinary. But even so, he didn't believe he would lose.
The reason was simple.
If the old men were evaluating the opponent's dueling strength, they could probably confirm it after a few duels.
But fighting?
They didn't truly know how strong that opponent was in that sense.
And if he lost without understanding the opponent's strength, then under the rules of a Shadow Game, the penalty would be total loss.
Everything.
So there was only one path.
Win.
Since that was the case, why shouldn't he believe in victory?
He had to win anyway.
So instead of worrying, instead of sighing, instead of letting pressure crush him until he couldn't live normally-
Wasn't it better to relax, wait, and fight when the time came?
That was Jaden's way of thinking.
Rather than being weighed down by a problem that hadn't even arrived yet, it was better to believe from the beginning that he would win-
And then win cleanly.
Win beautifully.
It really was that simple.
The only real impact of this matter-
Was probably the conversation he'd had with Baki earlier.
Helping Baki through his confusion was fine, but now it seemed that would have to wait.
The tournament would need more preparation time.
His engagement with Erina would also have to be postponed again.
Once he returned, Jaden planned to immediately begin preparing for the old men's request. Only after this matter was completely resolved would he deal with things like competitions and engagements.
Thinking about having to tell Erina-again-that the engagement would be delayed made him feel a little helpless.
But there was no choice.
Once the old men selected the location, they would likely begin preparations to suppress the dark power in the sub-world where the Chaos Phantasm resided.
They were preparing their part.
He also needed to prepare his.
After all, this Chaos Phantasm sounded anything but ordinary.
"I thought I'd finally get some leisure time after returning from this world," Jaden muttered inwardly. "But now it looks like that business trip was only the prelude."
"To really end everything... I'll probably have to wait until the Chaos Phantasm is eliminated."
Realizing this, Jaden shook his head lightly.
Still, he understood something.
If there truly was an endpoint to all the events of the past-
Then it was probably here.
Perhaps it was destined to end the moment he found the old men.
Perhaps it was destined to end the moment the old man took those children from the orphanage and left.
Perhaps-
It was decided the moment his current self was born and fell into the Underworld.
According to the old man, his identity as the reincarnation of some Spirit Prince might itself mean that the events of his previous life were fated to conclude here.
It was hard to say.
If the great cycle involving the Great Kingdom and the King of Men was a prerequisite-
Then now that things had reached this point, it truly felt like the end was approaching.
And once this was over-
There would be nothing left that could interfere with his engagement to Erina.
Right?
Thinking that far, Jaden smiled faintly.
It felt like tidying up his past.
Like saying goodbye to an earlier version of himself.
No matter how he looked at it-
"Just one last push."
"And then I can settle down and live properly with Erina."
"In that case..."
"I have to win this battle."
"No matter what."
...
During this period, Jaden was quietly organizing his life.
To him, it felt as though an entire phase had already ended.
-
Meanwhile.
Outside the world.
In the sub-world sandwiched between Baki's world, Jaden's world, and the Underworld-
The Chaos Phantasm stood there.
A humanoid monster that looked as though it had been forcibly stitched together.
It turned its gaze toward the distant world and let out something resembling a laugh.
"It seems the Pharaoh's side has begun preparing."
"But it doesn't matter."
"As long as the Shadow Game is defined as fighting instead of dueling, they have no chance of winning."
As it spoke, the Chaos Phantasm turned its gaze toward the Underworld.
"Atem..."
"I may fear you in the Underworld."
"But here?"
"What can you do?"
Recalling the scene of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's user fleeing with all his strength, its tone turned mocking.
"Other than using methods like this to stall for time, you can do nothing."
"And even this stalling ultimately benefits me."
"The longer the delay, the weaker the influence of Duelists in the original world."
"Without Duel Spirits, the age of Duelists is destined to fade."
"Time will erase all traces of that era."
"And coincidentally..."
"Time is the one thing I lack the least."
The Chaos Phantasm had long since forgotten its original name.
It had even forgotten why it became what it was.
But that didn't matter.
Now, it was the Chaos Phantasm.
Once the age of Duelists completely passed, it would descend again.
It would declare the Shadow Game once more.
And this time-
It would define the rules as combat.
At that point, who could defeat it?
-The God of Obelisk?
"Heh."
"Leaving aside the fact that most Duel Spirits can't even participate in a Shadow Game like this..."
"Even if it did."
"Can Obelisk really defeat me now?"
The Chaos Phantasm understood Atem's intentions perfectly.
It knew Kaiba had gone to Baki's world.
But what of it?
The plans of those remaining Duelists were obvious.
Because they had no other options.
Suppress its dark power using the three God Cards.
Then find someone to fight it.
"Hmph."
"They seriously underestimate me."
"Do they really think they can find someone whose normal output can shatter the earth..."
"And whose burst state can smash a planet..."
"To fight me?"
"It's impossible."
"So even if my dark power is suppressed to the extreme..."
"Even relying on the body alone..."
"I will still win."
"Absolutely."