Judai took a deep breath and rose to his feet.
All the phantoms vanished, and the entire field returned to its original state. Pitch-black, silent, empty, with no way to tell direction.
Judai looked up to see Yubel floating beside him, her expression rather complicated.
"Judai."
She hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes and spoke softly.
"It seemed you had gone through more over these years than I had imagined."
"Experiences are what make us stronger."
Judai stood up and gently ran his hand over the Deck on his Duel Disk. It was as though he could still sense, through the lingering power in those cards, the will left behind for him by those who had passed on.
Judai raised his head and said firmly, "Even for the sake of those irreplaceable companions who are no longer here, I have to keep moving forward."
Yubel smiled approvingly. "With that kind of resolve, you are already an outstanding duelist, Judai."
At that moment, ripples suddenly began to appear in the darkness that had returned to silence around them. The darkness gathered together, forming an incomparably massive shadow in midair. Within its blurred outline, sharp claws, a long tail, and a pair of eyes glowing with evil red light could vaguely be seen.
"Evil God."
Judai looked up at the giant shadow.
"Quit the whole mysterious act already. I'm not afraid of you, and I won't be shaken just because of a few words you planted in my head.
"I came here for only one purpose. We both know how this should end."
Judai shook the Duel Disk in his hand.
"The duelist's way."
The giant shadow let out a string of indistinct sounds, like a furious exhalation of heavy, foul air.
Then darkness gathered beneath that giant shadow and