Void.
It could not be called darkness, because in a world where everything had returned to nothingness, the concept of color did not exist.
Within such a space, Kazumo suddenly opened his eyes.
“This place is…
Strange, wasn’t I dueling Roman Goodwin?”
Though it was self-talk, no sound emerged.
There was only the movement of thought.
Kazumo lowered his head to look at himself.
His translucent body floated within this unknown void, while the entire left half of his body had disappeared, leaving only a single left hand and part of the forearm connected to it.
What was strange was that he could still sense and control his left hand, as though the vanished portion still existed, merely beyond perception.
“Right…
I was directly attacked by Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon.
Looks like…
I’m dead…”
Faced with the situation before him, this hopeless conclusion was the only one Kazumo could reach.
Unwillingness.
He had transmigrated, yet after only a week, he got speedrun by the Boss camping his doorstep.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Anger.
Roman Goodwin, that thing without a Duelist’s soul!
He actually used something outside the game itself like a Shadow Duel!
Fear.
Was the world after death truly this eternal land of emptiness?
Was he going to end up like that “Ultimate Lifeform”?
No way, anything but that!
Countless thoughts, memories, and emotions churned violently within Kazumo’s mind.
Suddenly, a strange ripple came from afar.
The originally empty space began to twist and change, until it finally transformed into a scene Kazumo knew all too well:
LJ’s Card Shop.
The LJ’s Card Shop was where Kazumo went every weekend to play cards and relax with his friends.
In his memories, the winner of every casual tournament would treat everyone to a meal.
Regrettably, although he had won the championship this time, he never got the chance to take everyone out to eat.
Kazumo looked at the neatly arranged rows of tables and chairs inside the empty card shop, along with the familiar posters hanging on the walls.
Subconsciously, Kazumo walked forward, trying to pull out a chair and sit down.
He had not expected much, but to his surprise, a genuine sense of touch came from his hand.
After pulling out the chair, Kazumo sat before a table.
Spread across the tabletop was his “Argostars” playmat.
He stroked the playmat that once belonged to him.
After a long while, only a sigh remained.
“What?
Giving up already?”
A voice suddenly rang out.
Kazumo abruptly raised his head, only to see a man identical to himself pulling out a chair and sitting across from him.
Not only his appearance, but even his voice was exactly the same!
“Oh, I get it.
An Earthbound Immortal, right?
So this is how your contracts work.”
Under the current circumstances, the only being that could come looking for him had to be the Earthbound Immortal that chose him.
The man bearing Kazumo’s appearance smiled upon hearing this.
“Unfortunately, wrong answer.”
Without pause, the correct answer followed from his mouth.
“I am Kazumo Fujiki.
The ‘you’ of this world.”
Hearing such an answer, Kazumo froze for a moment before understanding.
“I see.
So this is the depths of my consciousness.
In that case, I’m not dead yet.”
“Yes, exactly as you said.” Kazumo Fujiki nodded before changing the subject.
“But you’re about to die.”
After confirming the current situation, Kazumo instead calmed down.
He was far too familiar with this sort of setup, so he jokingly asked the Kazumo Fujiki before him,
“Then according to the usual trope, are you planning to take your body back now?
Or are you going out there to play on my behalf?”
Kazumo Fujiki shook his head.
“No.
I can’t take the body back, and my dueling skills are nowhere near yours.”
“Oh?
And how do you know I’m better at cards than you?”
That answer genuinely surprised Kazumo.
The spirit haunting the body actually being worse at cards than the original owner?
That really turned common sense upside down.
Kazumo Fujiki did not answer directly.
He raised a finger and tapped his own head.
Kazumo understood.
He had directly read through the memories.
“So, why did you come to see me now?”
“To pass on my final wish, and also to help ‘myself.'”
“Wha-”
Before Kazumo could finish speaking, Kazumo Fujiki suddenly leaned forward and tightly grasped Kazumo’s right hand with his own.
The next moment, Kazumo saw all of Kazumo Fujiki’s memories.
The fragmented pieces he had seen during transmigration were now completely filled in down to the finest detail.
Kazumo Fujiki’s origins were unknown.
Ever since he could remember, he had lived in an orphanage within Satellite.
Fortunately, the director of the orphanage he lived in was named Martha.
Among the childhood companions who grew up alongside him was Crow, the future member of the protagonist group who used the Blackwing Deck.
His childhood could be considered happy and joyful.
As a result, Kazumo lived an ordinary life, without any grand or stirring past.
The peaceful daily scenes flashed by continuously, until the journey through memory arrived at its focus, and also its end.
It was a cult that worshiped the seven Earthbound Immortals.
In order to revive the Earthbound Immortals, they constantly abducted people within Satellite to use as sacrifices.
Unfortunately, Choyun stumbled upon the scene of their crimes.
Looking at the terrified and familiar face of the bound child, Kazumo chose to initiate a duel, hoping to stall for time until help arrived.
But the cultist beneath the black robe turned out to be a Spirit Duelist capable of materializing Duel Monsters.
The opponent did not duel Kazumo properly at all–he directly attacked using materialized monsters and killed Kazumo Fujiki in a single blow.
The plan to stall for time failed, and the child could not be saved either.
Intense unwillingness and rage filled his dying body.
Ironically, the god they worshiped responded to the very person they had killed.
Purple flames erupted, burning the astonished Spirit Duelist into ashes in a blink.
The child was saved, but was frightened by the horrifying scene and fled in panic, leaving behind only Kazumo Fujiki, burning upon the ground.
After that, Kazumo arrived through transmigration and took over this body.
At this point, the two souls completely merged into one.
The originally empty left half of Kazumo’s body suddenly reappeared, and the remaining left hand reconnected with the newly regenerated arm.
“Roar!
My otherworldly self!
I have felt your longing!
I understand your wish!”
…
Meanwhile, Roman Goodwin looked at the broken yet still standing body before him.
Within those hollow skeletal eyes, traces of emotion seemed to flicker.
“It seems this is the extent of your ability as a Duelist after all.”
Although the duel had not yet ended, Roman had already stepped forward, preparing to remove Kazumo’s Duel Disk and completely bring this unquestionable duel to an end.
Suddenly, a tremendous aura erupted from the ruined body.
Kazumo’s presence surged, exploded, and climbed ever higher.
The shockwaves generated were so powerful that Roman could not maintain his footing and staggered backward several steps.
“The duel isn’t over yet!”
A furious roar burst forth from Kazumo’s fully restored chest.
“I will defeat you!
Using the power that came from ‘me’!”
A slight frown formed on Roman’s face as he looked at the crazed Kazumo before him.
Before he could act, the Duel Disk automatically announced the judgment.
His turn had ended, and Kazumo immediately entered the Main Phase.
The duel field expanded once more.
Under the restraints of the duel’s power, Roman could only retreat unwillingly back to his own side of the field.
The black mist that had originally covered the entire field was also forced back to Roman’s side under Kazumo’s outburst.
Kazumo did not draw a card.
Instead, the card that should have been drawn during the End Phase appeared in his right hand, radiating golden light.
The card flipped over, and beneath the light were three words…
Harmonic Synchro Fusion!