"Crow!!!"
Yusei, rushing at full speed, saw a dark figure plummet from the sky and crash down with a deafening impact. When he looked again, all he could see was Crow's body lying motionless on the ground.
"Crow!?" Hikaru shouted as well.
He reacted a fraction of a second faster than Yusei, immediately calling out to Tierra and asking her to intervene if anything went wrong.
Tierra had no interest in the fate of ordinary humans, but since Hikaru had asked, she had no reason to refuse.
And yet.
She failed.
No matter what, Tierra was already in a semi-resurrected state. Even a normal Earthbound Immortal should not have been able to obstruct her.
"I clearly reached out to grab him just now…" Tierra stared at her hand in disbelief.
"Something stopped me!"
She hadn't caught him.
Even now, she couldn't understand it.
Her power should have surpassed that of any Earthbound Immortal present, so why had she been blocked?
"Crow…" Shinji looked down at the scene below, teeth clenched so hard they nearly cracked.
But he said nothing.
Things had gone too far.
There was no turning back now.
On the other side, Trudge and the surrounding police officers stood frozen.
Especially those officers who had once believed the Lower District was nothing but thieves, trash, and criminals. Watching Crow sacrifice himself to save two children from the Upper District shattered something inside them.
Some slapped their own faces instinctively, muttering that they were not even human.
Serena leapt from the D-Wheel.
She shielded the two children with her body, relying on her extraordinary physical strength, far beyond that of any normal human, and the force-dissipation techniques ingrained through countless experiments.
She emerged unscathed.
The children, however, were not so fortunate.
The violent impact had rendered them unconscious, though thankfully their breathing remained steady.
Serena steadied herself and rushed forward, about to check on Crow.
Only to see police vehicles already stopped, officers standing in silence and grief, gazing downward.
How could this happen?
Though she had known him only briefly, Crow was her master's friend, and the man who had saved her and the two children.
In her heart, he had already become someone she could call good.
How could it end like this?
Trudge was the first to snap back to reality.
He slapped his own face hard, then turned to Serena.
"Little girl," he said hoarsely, "put the two children in my passenger seat first."
He pointed to the front of a large police vehicle, and Serena quickly complied.
Even knowing that Serena was technically a criminal the higher-ups wanted apprehended, Trudge did not care anymore.
He did not even bother pretending.
What he had just witnessed was burned into his heart.
Recently, his world had begun to feel unfamiliar, as though he were wandering a barren wilderness with nowhere left to stand.
The nobles of the Upper District were arrogant parasites, trampling others without restraint for their own gain.
The Lower District had people like Crow, but those who resisted only vented their anger, never truly striving to build something better.
He could no longer trust either side.
Perhaps he could only trust himself.
And then, a detached figure, someone not bound to this world at all, flashed through his mind.
Hikaru.
Trudge shook his head.
The police cameras from the chase should have captured everything.
Soon, the footage would spread throughout the entire world.
At the very least, for Crow, that would be some comfort.
But just as that thought crossed his mind, a massive shadow suddenly descended over them.
A pitch-black silhouette swallowed the road.
Trudge blinked and looked up.
And froze.
On the road connecting the Upper District and the Lower District of City, a colossal pattern had appeared out of nowhere.
A Geoglyph.
"What… is that…?"
At the Security Administration Bureau headquarters, the under-house-arrest Godwin stood calmly with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing out the window.
In the distance, a massive Geoglyph had emerged, seemingly dividing the Upper District and the Lower District apart.
If anyone compared them closely at this moment, they would discover something chilling.
That enormous Geoglyph was identical to the pattern embroidered on Godwin's clothing.
"Have you chosen? So it really is him…" he murmured softly.
The next moment.
Crow, who had lost his life, consciousness, and all brilliance, suddenly opened his eyes.
A wisp of black Whirlwind slowly rose around him as its center. To everyone's shock, the Whirlwind began to spin violently, expanding without restraint, until it became a towering pillar, a hurricane connecting heaven and earth.
"What's happening?" Trudge shielded his face, barely keeping his footing against the raging wind.
"An Earthbound Immortal!?"
Seeing the scene and recalling information from his memories, Yusei made an immediate judgment.
"Huh?" Hikaru was momentarily confused, then finally understood why Tierra had failed to save anyone just now.
Shinji stared at the massive storm rising from the ground, as if isolating the entire world. He clenched his teeth and started running.
He knew something terrifying was about to happen.
The next second, before he could even react, a voice spoke right beside him.
"What's wrong? What are you staring at?"
Shinji jolted and turned his head.
Standing next to him was Crow.
At this moment, Crow wore a uniform similar to Kiryū's, though in a different color. Aside from that difference, it was almost identical.
More importantly, his eyes had changed.
No, not changed to be like Shinji's.
Shinji used power derived from an Earthbound Immortal.
Crow was wielding the power of an Earthbound Immortal itself.
Shinji's gaze shifted to Crow's back.
There, an insignia was blazing.
A Dark Sign.
Unlike others, it did not appear on an arm, but directly on his back.
It was simply too large to be placed anywhere else.
"Crow… you were chosen as a Dark Signer!" Shinji shouted in shock.
Crow had intended to speak calmly, but hearing Shinji's words, his expression became cold and distant.
"Yes," he said flatly. "I have returned from hell."
"If you have this power, why not use it against the Upper District? We should be on the same side!"
"Why are you still saying this?" Crow replied, his voice icy.
"And you? You took those two children and deliberately abandoned the Duel, using any means necessary. Can you still call yourself a Duelist?"
"Yes," Shinji said hoarsely.
"I used any means necessary for my choice. And because of that… I died."
He raised his head, eyes burning.
"And now, I will settle this Duel with you completely. For all the children who might be harmed again because of you in the future."
Crow closed his eyes. Shadows flashed through his mind.
At the moment of death, he remembered seeing a colossal divine bird looking down at him, asking why he would do such a thing.
Why sacrifice his own life to save people, to save children who were supposed to be his enemies?
He did not know. He only knew that he had done what he believed was right.
And now.
He possessed power. He could finally do what he had always wanted to do.
He would never allow anyone to sacrifice themselves again.
Or perhaps, he wanted everyone to live in a safe world.
A world without conflict, a world where people could grow beneath his protective wings.
This was his choice as a Dark Signer.
His resolve to compete for the only god.
"Tch… then I'll eliminate you, this obstacle, for the liberation of the Lower District!" Shinji snarled.
The two rode side by side, both going all out, no schemes, no restraint, no mercy.
Screech, screech, screech.
The D-Wheel tires screamed as metal ground against metal. After a sharp turn, this time, the one who truly seized the lead was…
Shinji.
"Duel!"
Both shouted at the same time.
[Shinji, LP: 4000]
[Crow, LP: 4000]
...
Do check out: Naruto: Rebuilding the Hidden Sand