"Victory! That was a joyful duel!"
Jaden was thoroughly satisfied.
"But I guess it's about time we head back." He reluctantly packed up his Duel Disk. "It'll be dawn soon. If we're found in the abandoned dorm's forbidden area, we'll be in trouble."
It was the first time he'd had so much fun dueling with spirits, and he didn't want it to end.
"That might not matter anymore," Kira reminded him. "When we were teleported to the Spirit World, only the two of us came. What do you think the others would do?"
Jaden was stunned, then realized.
Right, Syrus and Chumley would ask the school for help. So, it's likely they were found out not long after being teleported.
Uh-oh.
Jaden thought for a moment. Trespassing in forbidden zones could get you expelled. That was serious. But even if he wanted to fix things now, it was probably too late.
So, he just shrugged and opened his Duel Disk again.
"Whatever, let's just duel some more before we go."
Yeah, at this point, let's just enjoy the game.
The battered spirits: "..."
More dueling?
Is this hero made of cards? Why doesn't he ever get tired?
"Ahem, let's save the dueling for next time. We have one more place to visit before we go back." Kira interrupted.
Jaden: "Eh?"
Of course, Kira wanted to visit the Phoenix God ruins.
He still didn't know why they'd been brought into this dimension from the abandoned dorm, or if they'd ever get another chance to return after leaving. Since he was here, he couldn't miss such a big site—at least he had to take a look.
The spirit tribe sat lifelessly among the dense woods.
Kira and Jaden walked through the thick forest, approaching the village. Broken walls and overgrown courtyards gave a sense of desolation, sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting long shadows on the ruined buildings.
"This looks amazing…"
Jaden stared in awe at the huge, ancient Phoenix God statue at the village center.
After countless years of wind and rain, the statue was dull, surrounded by weeds and wildflowers swaying in the breeze.
"It feels like it's trying to say something…"
Jaden slowly stepped forward, reaching toward the statue.
Kira simply watched in silence.
He didn't sense or hear anything special. To him, it was just an abandoned village and a decaying statue.
Bringing Jaden along seemed like a good idea. Jaden's spirit affinity was off the charts—if even a trace of spirit consciousness lingered, he'd probably sense it.
Kira didn't interrupt, just silently cheered him on in his heart.
Come on, use your overwhelming Supreme King power—maybe print out a "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys"!
And if you could snag a whole deck and a Phoenix God spirit, even better.
Boom!
Just as Jaden approached the statue, the stairs in front exploded. Blinding light and a storm sent Jaden flying backward in surprise.
"Kuri!"
Winged Kuriboh called out in concern.
"I'm fine, partner… What happened?"
Jaden stood up, dazed.
Suddenly, a man in black descended from the sky like a superhero, landing atop the statue's altar.
He drew a card from his cloak.
Silent Magician and Black Luster Soldier appeared instantly at Kira's side to protect him. The man in black raised the card high—Kira couldn't see what it was from here, but the image was familiar. Based on his memory, he guessed what it was.
It was the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!
"Stop him!" Kira ordered.
Both spirits rushed forward.
But a pillar of green light shot into the sky, forcing the spirits back with its overwhelming energy. It was as if the sky had split, and a hexagram appeared beneath the man's feet, power pouring toward the card in his hand.
It was the power of Orichalcos.
Then, the ancient Phoenix God statue glowed gold, as if coated in golden armor. Burning gold light poured out, sucked irresistibly into the card in the man's hand like a black hole.
In an instant, the golden light was gone, absorbed into the card. The statue looked even duller.
The green light faded. The man in black lowered his arm, looking at the card and frowning slightly.
"Just a trace of lingering power?" he muttered.
"You!" Jaden jumped up. "What did you do?"
The man glanced over at their red and yellow uniforms.
"So, the rumored duelists from the real world are Duel Academy students," he said. "I didn't do much, just searched for the spirit of Nephthys.
Unfortunately, it seems it's not here. Even this tribe only holds a faint afterglow of the Phoenix God's power."
Kira guessed the truth. The man held a "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys" card from the outside world, but it didn't have a spirit inside. He was looking for the Phoenix God's spirit, hoping to use the card as a vessel and with Orichalcos' power, capture and seal the Phoenix.
And even without activating "The Seal of Orichalcos" in a duel, the energy just now was stronger than anything Bandit Keith had managed.
A tough opponent.
"Duel Monsters are the companions of duelists!" Jaden protested. "Duelists and cards should trust and support each other, not enslave with power!"
"Oh?"
The man sized him up.
"So naive. There are many kids like you."
Jaden frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Duelists may trust their monsters, but that trust isn't always returned. In the end, all that matters is victory.
A commander only needs absolute authority—there's no need to treat your servants as equals."
"I could never agree with you," Jaden said. "If that's how you feel, then let's settle it with a duel!"
"Fine, that was my intention anyway."
The man had already drawn his Duel Disk.
"Since you've intruded on a god's domain, I can't let you leave. Let me, Shell of the New Doma Three Swordsmen, send you off."
The unique Doma Duel Disk snapped open, lights flashing.
"Both of you, come at once!"