In Alchemy, an individual human is considered to be composed of body, soul, and mind.
For powerful and deranged Alchemists, very few things in this world are truly impossible. They can turn stone into Gold, forge Divine Artifacts capable of calling forth a World-Ending Demon God or Summoning the Light of Creation—enough to show just how high the ceiling of this ancient craft really is.
So over the thousands of years Alchemy has developed, it was only natural that someone would propose the idea of "Human Alchemy."
For Youyu, his first contact with this concept actually wasn't in Yu-Gi-Oh—after all, it's ultimately a card-battle anime, and Alchemy is only brushed over. Most people, he believed, know this term from a famous anime that focuses specifically on stories about Alchemy.
In that setting, some Alchemists believe that as long as one controls the raw materials in the correct proportions, it is possible to create a human being without relying on a mother's womb. But such an act clearly violates the laws of nature and social ethics, and is itself extremely dangerous, so it is regarded as an evil Forbidden Technique.
In the world of Yu-Gi-Oh, although the details differ, similar techniques do exist. Teacher Daitokuji is the best example: by means of his exquisite Alchemy, he created a new body that could function perfectly, in accordance with ideal proportions, then transferred his soul from his old, pain-wracked body into it, successfully extending his own life.
But it only lasted for a while.
This new span of life cost him dearly and was hardly a pleasant experience. While he did escape his illness, the new body brought him even more suffering.
Daitokuji soon realized that, even as a top-tier Alchemist, he had still underestimated the complex relationship between the human body and soul. Before long, his soul began to reject this body; even though he poured an enormous price into its upkeep, he ultimately still couldn't prevent the flesh from collapsing.
So he deemed this project a failure.
He concluded that such painful, drawn-out survival was not worth the immense cost and price paid; it was also a form of torment for the soul of the one being "saved."
So he shut the project down. He never again tried to Forge a new body for himself, and instead entrusted everything to the successor he had chosen—namely Yuki Judai—and then peacefully awaited the death that should have long since come for him.
But perhaps the boss who invested in him didn't see it that way.
At 1:30 a.m., Youyu boarded the private jet sent by the Kaiba Group and flew away from Duel Academy's island.
The one who came to pick him up was, once again, Uncle Izono, who seemed to never sleep and was like an emotionless bodyguard machine. When Youyu boarded, he greeted him amicably and asked, "Sir, where would you like to go at this hour?"
"To an island owned by the Heaven and Earth Imaging Society. There's an advanced convalescent facility on that island," Youyu said. "The exact coordinates have already been uploaded into your navigation system."
"Understood, sir."
The steel bird bearing the "KC" emblem soared into the sky, its searchlights stabbing into the boundless darkness like a golden blade.
Youyu fastened his seatbelt, leaned back in one of the rear seats of the cabin, and closed his eyes to rest, as the events of the past few days and all the information he had gathered flashed rapidly through his mind.
He felt as if he were standing in the midst of a vast web, countless threads crossing and interweaving, gradually weaving out the shape of the truth.
A great detective once said that sometimes, while working on a case, you may experience a peculiar sensation. This sudden rush of inspiration will fit all the broken clues together, and the answers you seek will surface one by one.
It's not the discovery of something new, but that you already knew the whole truth, and it simply appears before you, like "memories re-emerging."
Youyu felt that he was going through something similar now. He had gathered all the fragments, as if the truth had always been in his hand, just waiting for the right moment to piece them together correctly.
This inspiration led him to revisit an old place, returning once more to this island—to the isolated island where he discovered President Kagemaru's convalescent facility, where that decrepit old man clung to life in his final moments.
Youyu had the helicopter hover in the air above the building, then slid the cabin door open and leapt out.
A few months ago, he had fought a Duel with Kagemaru here—or, more accurately, with Kagemaru under the control of the crayfish. But after the Duel he quickly realized that it was just a corpse, a body that had died two months prior and been turned into a puppet.
After he left, specialists from the Kaiba Group also landed on the island and conducted a thorough inspection of the entire facility. But they found no clues whatsoever, and after stationing there for several days, they withdrew.
Since then, this place had once again fallen into abandonment, left to grow wild, standing alone on this isolated island cut off from the world.
If you happened to own such a facility, and you just so happened to want to pull a disappearing act, then this would undoubtedly be the perfect choice.
Almost the instant he reached the entrance, Youyu knew he'd come to the right place. He could feel that the whole facility was shrouded in an ominous aura; some vast and imposing force field enveloped the building, an invisible presence coalescing above the roof into an unseen demon, baring its teeth in mockery at every passerby stepping onto the road to Hell.
Boom!
With a single kick, Masked Hero Divine Wind blasted the heavy steel gate off its hinges, and Youyu strode into the hall with Shooting Star-like strides. The crystal chandelier reflected off the marble floor until it seemed to glow, and a chill wind from who-knows-where lifted the hem of Youyu's coat.
He could feel the source of that aura, and the other side clearly had no intention of hiding. He passed through corridor after complicated corridor and arrived at a steel wall at the end of the passage.
As that wall sensed his approach, it automatically slid open to both sides, revealing a hidden door. Youyu stepped through without the slightest hesitation.
This was a room he had never visited during his last trip, a secret chamber buried deep within the facility.
Dim, bluish light filled the entire chamber, electronic screens glowing all around. Streams of light like the ocean rippled over the metal floor, and various complex technological devices stood on all sides—so many that he couldn't even name them—but their steel lines looked jagged and menacing in the dim glow.
The master of this facility—President Kagemaru of the Heaven and Earth Imaging Society—stood there in a flawless suit, hands clasped behind his back, calmly watching Youyu walk through the door.
There was no doubt this was indeed President Kagemaru of the Heaven and Earth Imaging Society, the genuine article—but he was no longer a withered old man at death's door. Instead, he looked like a robust man in his prime, around his early thirties.
The automatic door closed behind Youyu, cutting off the light from the corridor.
"Kagemaru," Youyu said.
"Welcome to my palace, Duel King Youyu." A confident smile hung at the corner of Kagemaru's mouth. "Since you've found this place, I believe you already know the truth.
It's just a pity you're too late, Mr. Youyu. In this world… I'm afraid there is no one left who can stop me."