Still, he had faith in Asuka Tenjoin. Her luck was nowhere near the level of Judai Yuki, who could seem to draw whatever he needed at the perfect moment, but compared to ordinary people, she was already exceptional. With the right hints and a clear direction, who knew what she might create?
When the world eventually saw a version of Cyber Angel so different from before, it would surely bring them some surprise.
Night fell over Duel Academy.
In an unknown room, perhaps a forgotten corner of Duel Academy, a faint candle flame flickered in the darkness. The light swayed as if guided by an unseen hand.
Three figures in white robes sat around an old wooden table. Their hoods cast deep shadows over their faces, and their movements were slow and deliberate, as though performing an ancient ritual.
On the table before them lay what looked like a spirit board.
It resembled the Yu-Gi-Oh! Card known as Spirit Message, the card Bakura had used against Yugi Muto in Battle City. When the letters spelling DEATH were assembled on the field, it granted an automatic victory. But what lay here was not a hologram. It was a physical object made in imitation of that card's image.
This was a summoning ritual.
"O great artificial being, if you hear our sincere call, descend upon us."
A cold wind slipped through the cracks in the window. The candle flame flickered violently before going out, plunging the room into darkness.
Within the shadows, a pair of dark red eyes opened.
They were filled with greed and hunger.
Late at night.
Yugen sat in his lab chair, stifling a yawn as he stretched his arms. The large laboratory was empty, and his was the only room in the entire corridor still lit. Moonlight spilled across the quiet teaching building, and the fluorescent lights flickered faintly in the silence.
Normally he would have returned to the dorm by now, but tonight his ideas had been flowing and he worked later than usual. His long discussion with Asuka Tenjoin had gone well, and he had carefully hinted at the future development path for Cyber Angel. Once the build was complete, he planned to assemble a copy for himself.
The strengthened Cyber Angel would have excellent engine performance, even if it lacked a dominant finisher in the current anime environment. That did not matter, as it was always wise to prepare strong options in advance. Its true power did not lie in staying within its native system, but in being attached to certain highly compatible Deck, where it could operate at full capacity.
Once that external setup evolved into its complete form, its strength would jump ahead by several generations. On Daichi Misawa's side, development of the Zombie-Type line was progressing steadily. After evolving into their physical card versions, Gozuki and Mezuki had each secured a copy for Yugen, and both were powerful staples for Zombie-Type strategies in the current environment.
He did not play a pure undead themed Deck at the moment, but if he acquired one with sufficient strength in the future, he would definitely invest in it. Leaning back, he rolled his neck, then suddenly noticed a small hand holding out a mug beside him. Steam rose from a fresh cup of coffee.
Yugen accepted it by reflex and looked up in surprise. The one who handed it to him was Silent Magician. The silver haired magician girl placed the cup in his hand, then quickly used Release to return to spirit form, glancing away shyly.
He blinked in surprise. His Spirit had learned to make coffee on her own.
Smiling, he took a sip and lifted the mug slightly toward her. "Thank you."
Silence gave a small smile and a polite bow, then retreated back into the Deck within the Duel Disk. After finishing the coffee, Yugen checked the time and saw it was close to midnight.
"That is enough for today."
He stood, shut off the lights and power, and left the lab. The path to the dorm wound through dense woods, with dry leaves crunching under each step. Branches swayed in the wind, making soft rustling sounds like whispers in the dark.
He did not consider himself afraid of the dark, yet tonight the atmosphere felt slightly off. Every breeze through the trees seemed to carry faint murmurs. Silent Magician, who had already returned to the Deck, floated back out and raised her staff cautiously.
"Spirit fluctuations?" Yugen frowned.
Recently he had begun to notice something strange about Spirit. Much like how Yugi Muto's family could understand Kuriboh, he found that after spending enough time together, he could gradually understand what Silence meant without words. Perhaps it was a sign that their bond had deepened.
Silence nodded seriously.
Yugen considered the possibility. Could it be another Rift leading to the Spirit World, like the one near Abandoned Dorm before?
At that moment, a sound came from the forest.
It started faint but quickly grew louder, as if something was rushing through the trees toward them. Silence stepped protectively in front of Yugen, staff raised as leaves and branches shook violently.
A dark figure burst out of the bushes.
"Whoa, it is me. Do not fire. I mean, do not shoot magic."
It was Judai Yuki.
Judai Yuki had nearly run straight into the glowing tip of Silence's staff. He skidded to a stop with his hands raised in surrender. She lifted an eyebrow, then lowered her weapon and floated back.
"Judai Yuki?" Yugen asked. "What are you doing out here so late?"
"It is a long story," Judai Yuki scratched his head. "A student from Obelisk Blue ran into our dorm yelling for help."
Behind him, Sho Marufuji, Hayato Maeda, and Daidouji-sensei arrived, panting heavily.
"Bro, you ran too fast," one of them gasped.
"Yugen?" Daidouji-sensei looked surprised. "Why are you here?"
"I stayed late in the lab."
Judai Yuki suddenly remembered. "This is not the time. We need to save someone. We will explain while running."
Even without the explanation, Yugen had already guessed. This was one of the early GX plot points, when Judai Yuki first encountered a villainous Duel Monsters Spirit.
As they ran, Judai Yuki quickly explained. A club at the academy specialized in researching Duel Monsters Spirit. Three reckless members had tried a spirit summoning game using a special board. Instead of choosing something friendly like Dark Magician Girl or mild like Kuriboh, they somehow selected Jinzo.
The summoning partially succeeded. The Summon brought forth a half formed Jinzo that required three souls to become complete. Jinzo had politely asked if they could provide three sacrifices, and the students assumed he meant cards, not themselves.
Two days later, two of them had disappeared. The third realized too late what sacrifice truly meant and ran for help, crashing into Slifer Red Dorm and meeting Judai Yuki and the others. As soon as he finished explaining, the power at Slifer Red had been cut.
When the lights returned, Jinzo's Spirit had appeared and carried the unconscious student into the forest. They had chased it here.
They burst out of the woods to see a massive power station surrounded by fences. It supplied electricity to all of Duel Academy.
Lightning flashed overhead, and a bolt struck the ground, revealing a translucent figure. It was the famous Rare Card monster Jinzo.
"Ah," Daidouji screamed. "A Spirit. It really is a Spirit."
Yugen narrowed his eyes at him. The acting was as good as ever.
"Do not you always tell us Duel Spirit are real?" someone asked.
"Well, knowing is one thing," Daidouji adjusted his glasses. "Seeing one is another."