Jack Atlas pushed his D-wheel to the starting point, looking at his opponent, the mysterious member of the "New World Team."
Paradox.
This guy had dazzling blonde hair and wore a mask, but unlike the casual mask Tenjo Hikari had, this mask seemed extremely exquisite, with golden light emanating from the eye positions beneath the darkness, and the left eye resembled a mark similar to the "crime mark" on Yusei's face, yet it appeared more like "tears" than a mark.
Like him, Paradox's D-wheel was also a large silver-white D-wheel, but compared to his "Wheel of Fortune," Paradox's D-wheel seemed more impactful, almost like a charge spike.
Evidently, this is also a self-made D-wheel!
Although Jack didn't create D-wheels himself, as one of the world's finest Racing Duelists, he could naturally see that this D-wheel was absolutely excellent, possibly even surpassing the Wheel of Fortune, crafted by the City's cutting-edge technology core!
A formidable contender!
"Jack Atlas, huh..." Paradox saw it was Jack entering, with neither regret nor disappointment, instead showing a slight emotional uplift. He took off his mask and greeted Jack.
This puzzled Jack.
Beneath Paradox's mask wasn't some strange individual, nor was he a secret Duelist from some country; he seemed merely a very handsome peer.
"Just like that, the mask comes off?"
Paradox casually put on the mask and spoke, "I wear the mask not to conceal my identity, but merely to avoid impacting history too much."
?
Before Jack could inquire further, the traffic lights for the WRGP Tournament began to flash.
Ding—
Ding—
Meanwhile, the duel's footage officially began to broadcast to the audience.
In the City's upper and lower levels, nearly all spectators eagerly waiting for the 5DS Team's match began anticipating this competition, not to mention Jack Atlas's fervent female fans.
Be it onsite cheerleaders or in police stations everywhere, there were fans of Jack Atlas, for one reason—his handsomeness.
He is indeed incredibly handsome.
In the hospital, Carly Nagisa leaned against the backrest, watching the TV screen, looking at Jack's heroic posture with a slight smile.
Previously, she was possessed by an Earthbound God in her quest for stronger cards, and Jack was the one who exhausted his efforts to awaken her.
"Go, Jack..."
Jack's fans naturally weren't limited to females; in truth, among the contestants of this duel, there were quite a few fans of his, such as Yugo and Rin. Seeing the 5DS Team ready to compete with Jack entering, the two little ones quickly sat in front of the screen, eagerly awaiting the duel.
"Go, Jack!"
Ding—
Green light!
Boom!!
Two silver-white D-wheels almost simultaneously raced off the track, followed by these two massive D-wheels hitting the course at unimaginable speeds—something previous Duelists had never achieved!
At the highest speed, they entered the track, vying for first strike!
The two D-wheels ran abreast, simultaneously entering the track, Jack's lips curling in confidence.
He occupied the inner lane, and no matter how equivalent the opponent's skill was to his own, nor how exceptional their D-wheel was, it couldn't stop him!
The first strike was his for the taking—
However, in that split second, his eyes widened in shock...
The opponent had overtaken him!
How could this be?
Clearly, he had just been ahead!
Even if it was the outer ring, it shouldn't be at this speed!
The first strike already determined, both their D-wheel speeds began to decrease. Jack stared in shock at the Paradox beside him, as if looking at a monster.
That earlier acceleration felt like something no human could possibly achieve, leaving him almost suspicious of "time acceleration!"
"The first strike is mine!"
Paradox laughed heartily.
"Hmph..."
Jack silently acknowledged.
Paradox, LP: 4000.
Jack Atlas, LP: 4000.
"My turn."
Paradox casually entered his turn.
"To be honest, Jack Atlas, I've always admired you."
"Oh? Another fan of mine?" Jack heard the comment without any particular expression; dueling against fans was already routine for him. "But, don't think I'll go easy on you because you're my fan. A King's duel is inevitably serious!"
The Nordic Trio was watching the duel too. Hearing Jack's words, one of them snorted coldly, clearly disagreeing.
"Ha ha ha... A King's duel must be serious, right?" Paradox laughed and then casually held up a card.
"Indeed, having some meaning, but frankly, Jack Atlas, upon seeing you for the first time, I was actually quite disappointed. Your performance was nothing like the image I had of you."
"Another one who idolizes the imagined me? Hmph, think as you please, there's only one King, and that's me, Jack Atlas. I need no one's recognition nor doubt—I AM THE KING!"
Oh oh!!
Yugo and Rin inexplicably felt fired up.
They had heard some stories about Jack from Yusei before, knowing he had taken "Stardust Dragon" to ascend to the City's peak, but after various events and duels, Jack Atlas was forgiven by Yusei, so naturally, they wouldn't dwell on that matter.