Duel Academy.
Obelisk Blue Dorm.
Ding-dong.
The sound of a notification caused Jaden Yuki, who had been resting with his eyes closed, to slowly open them. He opened his inbox and looked at the message that had just arrived. After reading it, his lips curled into a faint smile.
"It seems President Kaiba, as stoic as he is, isn't actually that difficult to talk to," Jaden remarked.
Yubel appeared by his side, glancing at the phone screen before speaking. "Indeed. He has never been stingy toward those who pique his interest."
Jaden was well aware of Seto Kaiba's personality. As long as the President took a liking to someone, they would find that he wasn't actually that hard to get along with. He was just a bit arrogant, that was all. In that regard, he and Jaden actually shared some similarities.
"The new Duel Disk requires a lot of new technology, so the production time and cost will increase significantly. Will it take at least a few months?" Jaden muttered, feeling a bit helpless. Still, he understood the situation.
What surprised him was that even though the summoning method was entirely unknown to this era, Kaiba was confident he could crack it within a few months. The technology of KaibaCorp was likely far more advanced than Jaden had initially imagined.
Once I unlock Synchro, Xyz, and Pendulum Summoning in the future, I wonder if KaibaCorp can help crack those as well? Jaden mused.
Since the system had unlocked Link Summoning, Jaden had felt that as long as he continued to duel, his arsenal of summoning methods would become more complete. When that time came, he wouldn't be limited to just his HERO Deck; he would be able to utilize other decks to varying degrees.
Perhaps one day, I truly will become a King of Games who has mastered every summoning method.
Is this the true meaning behind the Strongest Duel King System? Jaden thought secretly.
He wondered if he would ever have the chance to face off against the Kings of Games from other eras. It would be a profound achievement to defeat the legendary duelists of the past using a variety of modern summoning methods.
Leaning back into his chair, Jaden let out a long sigh, his heart feeling much lighter.
"Jaden."
Just as he was about to go online to kill some time, Yubel's voice rang in his ear. Jaden glanced at Yubel and saw that she was looking at him with a serious expression, giving a subtle nod.
Someone is watching us.
Understanding Yubel's meaning, Jaden shifted his gaze toward the window. In the pitch-black sky outside, a pair of blood-red eyes was silently staring back at him. A dull golden light flickered in Jaden's eyes for a split second, and the figure hidden in the darkness finally became clear.
A bat. Was it a Vampire Bat?
"Camula? To think she's already set foot on the island..." Jaden was slightly stunned. He had sensed a dark aura floating in the ocean surrounding the island ever after he defeated Nightshroud. However, he had assumed Camula would be more cautious and wait a while longer before showing herself.
It seemed she was quite confident in her own strength.
"Elemental HERO Sunrise!"
Boom!
A flash of light erupted. The fiery red silhouette of Sunrise instantly materialized before the bat. The bat's eyes widened in terror as it tried to flee, but Sunrise caught it in a crushing grip.
CRACK.
Screeeech!
Scorching flames instantly flared up from Sunrise's hand. Amidst a shrill scream, the Vampire Bat was incinerated into ash. Jaden walked to the window, coldly watching as the dust vanished into the air.
"How cold of you, Jaden," Yubel said, crossing her arms as her blue lips curled into an alluring smile. "If I'm not mistaken, that bat was a lifeform condensed from the enemy's soul power. Destroying it like that must have dealt a massive blow to their spirit."
"Besides, the opponent is quite a beautiful woman. Don't you boys usually like that type?" Yubel teased, not missing the chance to poke fun at him.
Jaden's expression remained icy. "She is not an ally. There is no need for mercy."
He turned back to his computer and opened a game as if nothing had happened, continuing to pass the time.
"So indifferent..." Yubel shook her head slightly. The Supreme King's power slumbering deep within Jaden was becoming more apparent by the day. Even during a duel, she could see the terrifying soul dwelling inside him.
When she had stood opposite him during their duel earlier that day, Yubel had felt an overwhelming sense of oppression. Even in a friendly match between "friends," the pressure was already this intense. She found it hard to imagine what would happen if they truly dueled in earnest.
The bat Jaden had destroyed was only one of several Camula had manifested. The other bats were currently lingering outside the windows of the other students, gathering information on their decks.
Zane Truesdale... Bastion Misawa... Chazz Princeton...
"Shadow Duels? I refuse to believe in such nonsense, no ne!" Professor Vellian Crowler sat in his room, staring intently at the cards in his hand. "I don't believe it, I don't believe it, I don't believe it..."
While self-hypnotizing, Crowler continued to organize his deck. The bat watched everything before vanishing back into the darkness.
"Hyaaah! Evil spirits, begone! Evil spirits, begone, meow!"
Inside the Slifer Red dorm, Professor Lyman Banner was dressed in exorcist attire. Incense burned around the room, and he held a ritual wand in his hand. The entire room looked like a scene from a purification ritual.
"..." A cold sweat broke out on the forehead of the bat peeping from the shadows before it silently departed.
The Abandoned Dorm.
The dilapidated room had been decorated with lavish ornaments. In the center of the room, a bathtub was filled with steaming hot water and scattered flower petals. An emerald-green-haired woman leaned against the tub with her eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the water.
Screee!
The Vampire Bat flew in from the window and landed on Camula's hand.
"Good child... tell me, tell me everything you saw..."
Hum.
The eyes of the bat and Camula both glowed with a sinister crimson light. Soon, everything the bats had seen was etched clearly into Camula's mind.
Bastion Misawa... Chazz Princeton... Zane Truesdale...
"Oh? Quite a handsome young man. He has the potential to be my next target."
Professor Crowler... Lyman Banner...
Jaden Yuki.
When the image of the youth in red appeared in her mind, Camula showed an expression of interest.
"He's quite good-looking, this child... but he doesn't look nearly as powerful as the rumors suggested..."
"Wait, what?"
Suddenly, the Jaden Yuki in the mental image turned his gaze directly toward "her." Camula's eyes trembled as she felt her soul being gripped by an unbreakable force.
"What? This... this feeling..."
"Elemental HERO Sunrise!"
Jaden's voice echoed in her mind. In the next second, a wave of pain that struck her soul directly swept through Camula's entire body.
"Gah!"
She slammed her hand over her mouth. Even so, blood sprayed from her nose and mouth, leaking through her fingers and staining the bathwater. An alluring, sinister red spread across the surface of the water.
Camula's face was deathly pale, her body trembling uncontrollably as fear filled her eyes.
"This power... that boy named Jaden Yuki... just what is going on?"
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