"What a weary life it has been..."
The old man closed his eyes and gave up the struggle.
In the darkness, flashes of his entire life appeared before him.
In his youth, he had encountered the power of darkness and understood the existence of an extraordinary being known as the "Dark Game."
That was long before Duel Monster Cards revived in modern times. He and Daedalus had both started studying alchemy early on and used it as a gateway to access the world of Dark Games.
Dark Games have, in fact, been passed down from ancient times in unknown corners of the world. It wasn't until Beckas unearthed the Duel Monster Stone Tablets that they weren't combined with dueling. Past Dark Games were diverse, including playing cards and chess, a variety of game types, even video games, or simply making up new games on the spot.
But after the appearance of Duel Monsters, they were mostly replaced by duels.
Kagemaru's life was almost entirely that of a Dark Game player.
Countless thoughts and countless memories flashed before his eyes. Every peril he had experienced, every enemy he had defeated, every life he had saved in his lifetime...
Have all passed.
Yes, it's all gone. The dusty memories no longer seemed to belong to him, and looking back on them was like a spectator watching a life that had nothing to do with himself.
And that's fine.
Ironically, as the Phantom Demon's attack shattered him and the Divine Flame Emperor's blaze swept over him, Kagemaru felt unexpectedly relieved, as if the long arduous journey had finally come to an end.
Finally, he could rest.
...
...
Soon, the remaining few members of the Seven-Star arrived at the top of the baby products company's building.
After disembarking from the plane, they entered unimpeded. Since Yugen's high-profile descent, the building had mainly been overwhelmed by chaos, and the upper floors were in turmoil.
And everyone here were Kagemaru's subordinates, recognizing these few Seven-Star members and knowing them as organization officials, so amidst the chaos, there was scarcely anyone to stop them.
When they reached the top floor, the matter was almost over.
The alloy door had been violently destroyed, and a burnt, charred smell mixed with black smoke slowly wafted out from that room.
They paused for a few seconds outside the door, and Yugen slowly walked out.
"It's over," he said.
The few Seven-Star members, and more organizational members gathering from the rear of the building, fell silent all at once.
Just like that, it's over?
Their mysterious BOSS, the Master of Seven-Star who had created all of this, was he really done for?
But soon, they saw the answer with their own eyes.
The toppled Life Support Pod on the side had glass on its exterior resembling it was struck by a heavy hammer, showing cracks. A stream of water was gushing out from that crack, accumulating into a puddle on the floor beside it.
An emaciated, shriveled old man was in that vessel, head tilted to one side, motionless, as if asleep.
Asleep forever.
Zarug exclaimed in astonishment, "This can't be... this is... that... that...?"
"The Master of Seven-Star, indeed," Yugen replied.
Not only Zarug, but the others also showed varying degrees of surprise.
They had imagined many things about this mysterious leader, but none had imagined he would be such a decrepit old relic.
Indeed, no wonder this person never appeared personally even before these officials, nor did he show his true face. Most of the Seven-Star members had a substantial background and standing. If they knew the leader was such a sickly old man, Kagemaru's attempts to command authority and gain their obedience would have been several times more difficult.
The life signs display outside the Life Support Pod had turned into a straight line.
Daedalus approached the pod, looking at the old man inside, exhaling deeply.
"Why did we have to end up like this?"
He seemed to be speaking to himself.
"But for you, perhaps this truly isn't bad."
"Perhaps... this was the only stroke of luck in your late years."
...
...
The Seven-Star has completely become history.
With the news of the mysterious organization's founder's downfall spreading, the entire Seven-Star Organization was expunged from the Underworld and vanished.
Of course, the disappearance of Seven-Star didn't mean the officials also disappeared without a trace.
On the contrary, the few remaining Seven-Star officials, after the organization's disappearance, added more legendary elements to their legend in the Underworld...
...as mysterious emerging talents in the Underworld, as Grand Generals under the command of "Revolver."
How the Seven-Star disbanded has always been a mystery in the arena. Just like how no one ever knew where the organization's headquarters were, or who was behind it, likewise, no one knew what exactly happened during the entire process, or who wiped out such a giant overnight.
But what was discovered by the duelists in the Underworld in the following days was that the surviving Seven-Star officials were still active, but no longer under the name of Seven-Star, instead acting as high-ranking enforcers of the new organization "Hanuo Knights."
It seems the remaining officials, leading most of their Seven-Star subordinates, have defected to the Hanuo Knights.
This also led to more rumors spreading, alleging that the Hanuo Knights made a large-scale attack, uprooting the Seven-Star overnight, taking out the Master of Seven-Star, and even swallowing the entire force.
Although it's merely speculation, with no solid evidence, it did stir up quite a storm in the Underworld for a time. Everyone had to reassess the strength of the Hanuo Knights and their leader, Revolver.
However, probably none were more baffled than the original members within the Hanuo Knights themselves.
For instance, the duelist Kurosaki who was first subdued by Leader Revolver.
Kurosaki probably will never forget for a lifetime.
At the time, their Leader Revolver just casually said he would meet that Seven-Star bunch.
And soon after Leader Revolver returned...
...Seven-Star were already one of them.
...
...
Meanwhile, Yugen was busy raiding the Seven-Star's old lair.
Somewhere, a majestic snowy mountain stood as a natural barrier between the earth and the sky. Like a gale blowing from the boundless void, carrying a sharp chill through the woods and over the mountains, dancing wildly through this snow-covered world.
A man in thick mountaineering gear was climbing laboriously up a steep and rugged mountain trail, ascending to the peak through the wind and snow. The light and dense snowflakes, like feathers fallen from the Celestial Realm, were swept by the gale, dancing elegantly around him.
Reaching the mountaintop, the man lowered his hood and removed his goggles.
It was Marufuji Ryo.
And just ahead of him, at the summit of this snowy mountain, an ancient dojo stood silently amidst the wind and snow. The roof and walls were long covered in thick, heavy snow, blending almost entirely with the surrounding scenery, indistinguishable. If not found intentionally by memory, it would be nearly impossible to find this place.
This was where he had trained in his youth, the location of the dojo known as the "Electronic Flow."
Now, revisiting the old place, he was here to retrieve what he had not taken before.
Marufuji Ryo clenched his fist.
He was here to claim the ultimate Secret Technique of the Electronic Flow.