"Killing intent..."
Jack and Clero both froze.
Killing intent is something very abstract, you can't see it or touch it, you can only rely entirely on feeling. If anyone can sense it, it would only be the Duelist standing in the ring.
The two of them were indeed part of the duel, but up until just now they had thrown themselves completely into the Duel and hadn't thought too much about anything extra. Now, prompted by Yusei and thinking back, they suddenly realized that right up to this moment Godwin really hadn't shown any particularly strong killing intent in this Duel.
That absolutely wasn't the feeling you'd get from someone who was ready to stake his life on a Dark Duel.
Of course, this was just intuition, not solid evidence. It's hard to make any definitive judgment based only on that kind of feeling. What Yusei was raising were suspicions, and any further judgment had to be built on his own trust in this "Godwin".
Outside the field, Leo and Luna were still young and wouldn't think that far. But Akiza Izinski, hearing Yusei's words, felt her heart jolt as well.
In fact, when "Godwin" suddenly turned on them, talking about opening the Gate of the Netherworld and saying he'd only been using them Dragon Sealers and so on, Akiza had always harbored doubts deep down. So when Yusei pointed it out like this she wasn't overly surprised; instead she felt, sure enough, Yusei was thinking the same thing.
What shocked her was that Yusei actually said this person wasn't Godwin.
Why? Then who could he be?
"Godwin... no, I should say, you've been contacting us under Godwin's identity, haven't you? It's been that way from the very beginning, right?"
Yusei said.
Yugen chuckled. "Oh? And your basis for that?"
"I don't have any hard evidence." Yusei shook his head. "But there are a lot of mysteries surrounding you, and we don't know much about many things involving you. So I asked some friends who have channels to dig into you... or to be more precise, into 'Godwin'."
Yusei took a deep breath and said.
"That arm with the Dragon Head Seal you just brought out is actually the arm of that Dark Marker Ludger we defeated, isn't it? He was the original Dragon Sealer. Later, he entrusted his younger brother—who is the Godwin whose identity you're impersonating—to gather the Dragon Sealers, to have us Dragon Sealers and the Dark Markers battle, and oppose the opening of the Gate of the Netherworld."
Yugen: "Hoh? You managed to dig up that much? And what does that have to do with me?"
"Because of the Duel you had with Ludger before." Yusei said. "Back then, I still didn't know about the relationship between Rex Godwin and the Dark Markers' leader Ludger, didn't know they were actually real brothers, and didn't know that Ludger had once asked his younger brother to gather the Dragon Sealers to fight.
But now that I know these inside details and think back on that Duel, things start to feel a little strange.
A Duel is a process of opening one's heart to one another. No matter what kind of people they are, through a Duel they'll show at least some of their feelings. Yet in that Duel, all the way to the end, I never saw Ludger show any feeling at all toward you as his younger brother, toward you, the one on whom he'd placed such a heavy responsibility.
It felt more like he was treating a stranger... or even an enemy."
Yugen: "..."
"Not only that. I didn't know the real Godwin before, but later I asked my friends in the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, and Jack as well. After thinking back, they all said that coincidentally, roughly around the time I met you, 'Officer Godwin's' style of behavior and some of his minor habits changed.
It's just that 'Officer Godwin' had always been a mysterious person, so no one really thought much of it. But if you combine that with all these other suspicious points... you really aren't Godwin, are you?"
Everyone: "!!!"
Everyone looked in shock at the "Godwin" on the altar, their eyes filled with disbelief and uncertainty.
"But no matter who you are, I still choose to believe that you're our comrade!"
Yusei clenched his fist and thumped it against his chest, his voice ringing out.
"From the moment we met, you've been guiding all of us, drawing us together, sweeping away our confusion and pointing out the path ahead.
Even in this Duel, up to now, it's still been like that.
You told us everything was just a scheme you designed to use us, that you were going to open the Gate of the Netherworld and call down the Evil God... but I don't believe it!
Because right up to just now, you've been constantly guiding us to grow stronger, constantly giving us chances to surpass ourselves—isn't that right?"
Yugen: "......"
The arena fell silent. All eyes were focused in unison on "Officer Godwin", and no one spoke.
Akiza held her breath, eyes wide as she stared straight at "Godwin".
Going by Yusei's words, from the day she met him, from the moment she first got to know this person... he actually hadn't been "Officer Godwin" at all?
Then who on earth was he...
Yugen slowly looked up at the sky.
Sorry, ZONE, it's really not that I don't want to help you keep acting.
It's just that my character persona... has collapsed.
They don't believe me. What am I supposed to do?
Yugen gently closed his eyes and smiled softly.
"Yusei Fudo, they say you're the most meticulous thinker among all the Duel Kings through the ages. Looks like that reputation is well-deserved... fine, if you've seen through it, then so be it. Yes, I'm not Rex Godwin."
With his persona broken, Yugen didn't care anymore. He straightforwardly tore off the "Godwin" mask and revealed his true face.
This was also the first time he appeared before the full 5D's cast in his real form.
"Eh, eh, eh, eh!?" Leo was stunned, his young heart taking a heavy blow. "This guy can change faces!"
Clero frowned. "He looks about the same age as us..."
Because the Godwin that Yugen was impersonating was already considered an older adult compared to them, none of them had ever imagined that "Officer Godwin" would actually look like someone their own age.
And he was kind of handsome...
He looked so sunny and bright that at a glance he couldn't possibly be a bad guy.
"My name is Fujiki Yugen." Yugen introduced himself openly. "I come from another Dimension, and I'm the Duel King of another world."
At the word "King", Jack's eyelid twitched instantly, as if some key term had been triggered.
"The King of... another world?"
"That's right." Yugen said calmly. "I have my own reasons for coming here, but as Yusei said, I really don't have any evil intent toward you."
He paused, then smiled.
"Well then, now that you've seen through that the world-destruction crisis is a lie and this Duel isn't a fight to the death, does that mean you no longer have the resolve to fight with your back to the wall?"
Yusei smiled as well and said, "No. We've come this far—if we can't go all out and pour in everything we have, how could we face a Duel King senior who went to so much trouble for us?"
"Being called 'Duel King senior' sounds kind of weird, and I'm not anyone's senior." Yugen burst out laughing. "Just call me Yugen.
All right then, Yusei Fudo—show me more of your possibilities!"