After squeezing their way through the Supreme King's ranks, Kira and Jaden finally reached the innermost circle.
From afar, they could at last make out the figure encircled at the army's center.
In the middle of the town stood a man in a loose, robe-like garment that must have been scavenged from local natives. It had probably been white once but was now grimy and sand-stained, the fabric torn in many places. Yet on him it didn't look shabby at all—more like "battle-damaged limited skin"—and he exuded an intimidating presence.
He had blond hair and a straight, upright posture. Time had left its marks, so he didn't match Kira's memory exactly, but the temperament and features were enough to recognize him.
Jaden's eyes lit up. He couldn't help glancing at Kira. "Could that be—"
"Yeah," Kira said with a confirming smile. "That's him."
"The legendary duelist, Joey Wheeler."
No townsfolk remained in sight amid the sandy streets. The Supreme King's army had completely taken over the place.
The God of Gambling now stood atop a crumbling stone house in the center of the town, proudly facing the sea of Supreme King troops around him. A mass of dark spirits and soldiers had encircled the building like an iron barrel, yet no one dared to advance.
Only when three demons in black armor vaulted onto the roof opposite Joey and stared him down from a distance did anyone step forward. Judging by the look of them, they were the three commanders the skull-faced officer had mentioned earlier.
"Give it up," said one of them, a ram-headed demon. "As you can see, you are surrounded by the Supreme King's elite."
The second, a lopsided creature with only one bone wing, called out as well. "The Supreme King welcomes talent. Our army reveres strength.
You've shown first-rate dueling skills and proven your power. Surrender now, avoid pointless resistance, and your previous offenses can be overlooked. The Supreme King's army never stints on opportunities for the strong."
"Shut up!"
Joey cut him off rudely and swung his Duel Disk.
"The last ones said the same. If you want to fight, fight—enough foreplay!"
He paused, then flashed a sly grin.
"Oh? Or are you scared of the cards in my hand?"
The ram-headed demon snorted and glared.
Afraid of your cards?
What a joke. If not for your cozy relationship with Lady Luck and those damned dice…
They'd all heard the stories: two or three highly regarded, powerful generals had seemed to gain the upper hand against this man, only to be inexplicably wiped out by a single, game-swinging die roll.
That was what made him so eerie.
If the opponent simply possessed overwhelming power—crushing everything with sheer dueling might—that would be one thing. People would be cowed, concede his strength, and avoid challenging him lightly. No big problem.
The problem was, he didn't radiate a crushing presence like the Supreme King.
On the transcendent side: this guy didn't have any strong dark aura, nor the domineering aura top experts usually had. He gave a deceptive first impression—like someone you could casually handle.
In terms of dueling: he loved dice and coin tricks. And unlike certain powerhouses, there was no "explosion of destiny energy" when he rolled—nothing like the Supreme King's black aura when activating Super Polymerization, or Sartorius's Light of Destruction when he forced coin flips. That's the kind of pressure true monsters emanated.
But Joey was different. When he activated his effects, there was no special ripple at all.
And he didn't always roll 6s or flip heads. Sometimes he whiffed—like summoning Time Wizard and flipping tails to nuke his own field. Real clowning.
Yet almost always, his bad flips happened when it didn't matter, while the heads and 6s came at the most critical, match-defining moments.
Which lured you into thinking, "I can win this," or "One more heads and I've got him," and so challengers kept pouring in.
And now look—every commander who'd faced him so far had ended up in the dirt.
Weird as hell.
"Heh, I figured that'd be your answer," the ram-headed demon growled.
"We invited you as a formality. Honestly, I hoped you'd refuse. Among those you defeated was my brother. If you surrendered so easily, I'd have no chance for revenge…"
He raised his Duel Disk.
The two other commanders met his gaze, nodded, and stepped apart. The three took positions, spreading out.
"So it's just you three leading this force?" Joey asked. He'd fought the Supreme King's army enough in this otherworld to be used to it.
"All right. Are you coming one by one, or all at once like the last group?"
The three were taken aback.
The sacred ritual of dueling defaults to one-on-one—this is common law across the Twelve Dimensions. But if the opponent consents, two-on-one, three-on-one, even a whole army dogpile isn't impossible.
Still, even the strongest seldom ask for such a handicap. Facing three or more at once is usually suicide.
"Ha, looks like we won't get our turn," chuckled the skull who'd brought Kira and Jaden here. "But it's not a loss—seeing the three commanders act together is rare."
Jaden glanced at Kira. "He looks like he needs help."
His eager eyes might as well have said, Let me at 'em—I'm starving for a duel.
Kira smiled and nodded. "Go."
With permission granted, Jaden lit up and leapt forward.
They'd been exploring the Spirit Dimensions far longer than in the original anime and under far less pressure. Jaden had had ample time to learn how to wield the fully-embodied power of cards in this world, and he was now quite proficient.
Avian's silhouette flashed briefly, grabbed Jaden by the hand, and hoisted him into the air. With a beat of its wings, it carried him over the formation and onto the rooftop facing the demons.
Avian vanished. Jaden landed in a gust beside Joey, dusted his hands, and grinned.
"Three on one? That's not fair. Count me in."
Everyone: "?"