In fact, it wasn't just this dimension. Judging by what the original story showed, the twelve dimensions under the Supreme King's rule were all desolate, most looking as if they had just been ravaged by war, the populace in misery.
"The Supreme King's Castle probably isn't in this dimension," Kira said.
Both the anime and the Field Spell "Supreme King's Castle," which recreates the show, made it clear the castle wasn't in a desert like this, but in a darker dimension.
Kira tried asking their humanoid GPS, the Vampire Fraulein.
She popped her head out at the summons, but as soon as she did, her face went pale and she quickly shrank back into the Deck.
"What is it?" Kira blinked.
"...The heat," came her voice from the Deck.
Kira paused, then glanced up at the blazing sun overhead and understood.
Right—Duel Spirit or not, she was still a vampire.
Under such a scorching sun in the desert, this dimension must be a living hell for her kind.
"This isn't a dimension I'm familiar with anymore, I'm sorry, Master," she said softly. "I can't help much from here on."
Kira nodded to show he understood.
Jaden asked, "So what now?"
"Back to the old method," Kira said.
The old method being, of course, grabbing a lucky passerby to ask directions.
Hearing that, Jaden's eyes lit up. "Great, great—then this time let's agree in advance: I get first dibs on the duel!"
After their experience in the previous dimension, Jaden had fully adapted to how the Spirit World worked. Before you could ask for directions, you naturally had to duel.
But he'd also noticed that every time they got to that point, he somehow got edged out of the opening. Kira would chat with the other side and, before Jaden realized it, the duel would be underway. By the time he remembered to call dibs, the cards were already on the table.
So Jaden had learned his lesson: they had to agree beforehand; otherwise, with Kira around, he might never get a duel in this lifetime.
Kira laughed. "Sure, you go first."
In the Spirit World, there were few opponents Jaden couldn't beat. Letting him handle a few roadside grunts was no problem.
Just then, they heard the rapid drumming of hooves not far away. Following the sound, they saw a line of sand like a golden ribbon surging toward them. As it drew near, it turned out to be a squad of spirit cavalry riding chocobos, all armored and bearing the unmistakable look of the Supreme King's troops.
Jaden's eyes lit up. "Here we go!"
They had just said "let's duel," and challengers arrived—like a pillow delivered to a dozing man. Jaden was delighted, raising his Duel Disk to start, but Kira lifted a hand to stop him.
"Not yet," Kira said. "Let's hear what they say."
The squad quickly closed in and pulled their chocobos to a halt. The leader was a skull-headed figure in armor and a cloak. He eyed the two of them curiously.
"Soldiers of our army? Just the two of you?" the skull asked. "What are you doing out here… Lost from the main force? Which unit are you with? Who's your commanding officer?"
Jaden froze, not knowing how to answer. But Kira smoothly replied, "We serve under the Dark World Knight, Zure. We were ordered to attack the Vampire Citadel, but we were ambushed and got separated from the main army."
"Zure's men, eh?" The skull nodded in understanding. "Zure and I have always gotten along—we're of the same kindred. Come along with my unit for now. Once we finish up here, I'll take you back to the stronghold."
"Many thanks, sir," Kira said, tugging Jaden along.
"Oh, uh, thanks," Jaden echoed, grinning sheepishly.
And so the two slipped into the formation without a hitch.
As they moved out again, the skull asked, "If you came from that direction, did you see an outsider on the way?"
Kira and Jaden exchanged a glance.
An outsider? That's us.
"Who? What do they look like?" Kira asked. "Maybe we saw him and didn't realize."
"A human warrior like you, blond," said the skull. "If you saw him duel, you would remember. He's hard to miss."
The skull continued, "They say his duels are always full of gambling. If you see coins flipping and dice rolling nonstop, it's probably him."
Jaden's heart lurched. He quickly shot Kira a look.
He knew that Joey was likely in the Spirit World, and that he had been clashing with the Supreme King's garrisons all over the place before the two of them arrived. The Supreme King's forces had begun to issue a wanted order for the Dice Duelist, sending detachments specifically to capture him.
It seemed they had run into one such unit.
"The gambler who's been harassing our army repeatedly?" Kira said. "We've heard of him, but haven't seen him. You have intel he's here?"
"That's right."
The skull sounded rather pleased, and snorted. "He's got some skill, I'll grant him that—he's slain several of our generals and sabotaged multiple camps. Heh, but that ends today."
"You've caught him?" Kira asked.
"Not yet, but his location is exposed," another lieutenant-like demon behind the skull replied. "He's bold, I'll give him that—thinks that a bit of luck with dice lets him do whatever he wants.
Word is he planned to assault an Supreme King garrison here by himself—ridiculous arrogance. But his movements were discovered early. The nearby garrisons are converging to encircle him.
They say the three local army commanders of this dimension have personally come as well. By now, he's probably already been taken."
Hearing how formidable the opposition sounded, Jaden grew anxious and kept shooting looks at Kira.
Kira knew he was worried about Joey, silently asking if they shouldn't hurry to help. But Kira only smiled and gestured for him to relax.
Come on—who is Joey?
With a single die, that ordinary man crashed the god-tier Battle City and forced his way into the Top Four. If Marik hadn't resorted to dirty tricks—using the Immortal Phoenix to mentally attack and forcibly disconnect the opponent—Joey should've beaten Marik, completing the myth of a mortal slaying a god.
He didn't know exactly who the three commanders here were, but based on the Supreme King's generals from the show, he doubted Joey would lose to this lot.
…
After another twenty-odd minutes of marching, a town emerged amid the dunes.
As the skull had said, even from afar they could see a massive army surrounding the town, black banners snapping in the sand-laden wind.
"There it is," the skull laughed.
"This time, that dice-flinging bastard won't escape even with wings."