‘No way.’ Yusuke had literally just wished for another generous soul to show up and donate a Deck to him, and now someone had actually appeared?
Was his luck really that ridiculous?
The man had stepped out of the darkness in the middle of the night and deliberately blocked Yusuke’s path.
He wore the same sort of hooded robes as the cultists from earlier, had a Duel Disk strapped to his arm, and radiated such an obvious sense of menace that Yusuke needed only one look to know he hadn’t come here to chat.
Yusuke stopped and studied the man from head to toe.
The hooded man was doing the same to him.
“Are you the entity that appeared at the ritual site of the Netherworld Order?” the man asked.
“May I ask where you came from?
Why have you taken possession of this young man’s body, and why did you attack our Order’s ritual?” “Oh?” Yusuke gave the man, who stood nearly a full head taller than him, a more serious look.
So the cult called itself the Netherworld Order.
Not only had they somehow traced the disturbance at the ritual site back to him, they had apparently realized that he wasn’t the real Fujishiro Yusuke at all, but an outside consciousness occupying the boy’s body.
As for the man’s question about where he had come from…
Yusuke would very much like to know that himself.
He had absolutely no idea who or what his real body inside that golden temple was supposed to be, where the temple was located, or how he was meant to escape from it.
Since he couldn’t answer, Yusuke simply asked a question of his own.
“You’re part of this Netherworld Order too, then?
Mind telling me what exactly you worship and what your organization is trying to accomplish?” “Of course.
I serve as one of the Order’s Dark Ritual Priests, and our teachings have never been a secret,” the man replied calmly.
“If anything, we seek to spread them as widely as possible and reveal to the world the forbidden truth that the corrupt Sector Security has worked so hard to conceal.” “And what truth would that be?” “The truth behind Zero Reverse, the disaster fifteen years ago that split Domino City into the city proper and Satellite and claimed countless lives.” Yusuke’s attention sharpened.
Zero Reverse really was one of Sector Security’s greatest secrets.
Unfortunately for the cultist, Yusuke had watched the anime, so he already knew most of it.
Put simply, the prototype of humanity’s first Ener-D reactor had gone out of control and reversed its rotation, unleashing enough energy to tear the city apart.
Seawater permanently divided the two halves, with one becoming modern New Domino City and the other degenerating into the ruins now known as Satellite.
The official story was that Zero Reverse had simply been a catastrophic accident that killed thousands.
According to the events of Yu-Gi-Oh!
5D’s, however, it hadn’t been an accident at all.
Someone had deliberately caused the original Ener-D reactor to run out of control, and the conspiracy surrounding that event eventually became one of the central threads running through the entire story.
Yusuke already knew that much.
But the Dark Ritual Priest had just given him another important piece of information.
Fifteen years ago.
Zero Reverse.
If Yusuke remembered correctly, Yusei Fudo had been only a year old when Zero Reverse occurred, and he was eighteen when the main story of 5D’s began.
Which meant…
‘I’m about two years before the start of the anime?’ That was useful information.
Yusuke continued probing.
“So your Order wants to reveal the truth and seek justice for all the people who died in Zero Reverse?” “Justice?” The Dark Ritual Priest shook his head.
“You misunderstand us.
To our Order, Zero Reverse was a blessing bestowed upon humanity by the heavens.” Yusuke raised an eyebrow.
“The prototype Ener-D reactor released enough power during the disaster to open a gateway to the Netherworld.
The gate remained open only briefly, but it was enough for our lord to become aware of this sinful world.” Yusuke’s expression shifted slightly.
“You’re saying Zero Reverse opened a gateway to the Netherworld?” That sounded familiar.
During the first major arc of 5D’s, the villains known as the Dark Signers served an entity described as the ruler of the Netherworld, and that being had indeed demonstrated terrifying powers over life and death.
During the final battle of the Dark Signer arc, a gateway to the Netherworld was opened, and its ruler used the old Ener-D reactor’s power to partially manifest in the living world.
The thing had looked less like a god and more like a hundred-meter-tall mass of rotting sludge.
Still, whenever anyone in Yu-Gi-Oh!
started talking about the Netherworld, Yusuke couldn’t help thinking of a certain starfish-haired Pharaoh who had supposedly returned there after completing his journey.
“Precisely,” the Dark Ritual Priest said.
“Humanity created the forbidden machine known as Ener-D with its own hands, and when Zero Reverse occurred, the runaway energy tore open a path to the Netherworld.
Our lord intended to grant humanity the blessing of eternal life, but the gate remained open for too short a time, and external interference prevented the plan from succeeding.” A hint of regret entered his voice.
Then his tone grew fervent.
“But next time will be different!
When our lord descends upon this world again, he will overturn the laws separating life and death and bring the laws of the Netherworld into the human realm.” His eyes burned beneath the hood.
“Every human being will become immortal.
No one will ever die again.
There will be no city, no Satellite, no distinction between classes.
Humanity will finally achieve true equality!” It sounded tempting when he put it that way.
Unfortunately, it also reminded Yusuke very strongly of the Dark Signers.
The Dark Signers had all originally been dead duelists who were resurrected by the ruler of the Netherworld and transformed into undying servants.
Technically, yes, they had come back to life.
They had also become puppets.
They couldn’t disobey their master’s commands, and when necessary, the ruler of the Netherworld could even suppress their personalities entirely and turn them into obedient vessels.
Having just remembered that particular detail, Yusuke casually replied, “So everyone becomes equally immortal slaves?” The Dark Ritual Priest shook his head.
“Look at the world humanity has created for itself.
It is filled with injustice, greed, and suffering.
Our lord offers immortality and equality.
To humanity, it is no different from a second parent granting us new life.” His voice remained utterly sincere.
“If such a being permits us the honor of serving as its slaves, we should consider that an immeasurable blessing.” He paused, then looked directly at Yusuke.
“But judging from your response, it seems you and our Order were never going to stand on the same side.” There was no anger in his voice.
Only resignation.
“A pity, though not unexpected.” With a mechanical snap, the Duel Disk on his arm unfolded.
“Besides, I came here to demand an answer for the failed ritual and the deaths of our brethren,” the Dark Ritual Priest continued calmly.
“I do not know what manner of existence you are, but our Order will tolerate no one who stands in the way of our sacred rites.” So after all that…
They were still going to settle this with cards.
Of course they were.
In the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, dueling was the most direct means of wielding supernatural authority.
Yusuke activated his own Duel Disk without hesitation.
“Fine by me.
Let’s see how much better you are than that Ritual Arbiter from earlier.” “DUEL!” they declared together.
[Yusuke — LP: 4000] [Dark Ritual Priest — LP: 4000] Once again, the Duel Disks randomly determined who would choose the turn order.
This time, the right went to the Dark Ritual Priest.
“I’ll take the first turn.
Draw.” For a man dressed so dramatically, his opening play was surprisingly effortless.
He didn’t even summon a monster.
Instead, he simply placed one card into his back row.
“I Set one card.” Then, without another move: “I end my turn.”