Reaching the dorm entrance, Ryo Nakamuta and his two companions exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion.
Standing at their dorm door was none other than their homeroom teacher, Asuka!
"You're back? We've already heard about what happened."
"Don't blame yourselves too much. You didn't have the power to stop the dark duel back then."
"Let's hope Ryuten-kun really went to the Spirit World after his defeat."
Asuka let out a heavy sigh, her expression tinged with regret and helplessness. It was clear they hadn't learned of Ryuten's situation immediately.
Otherwise, they might have had a chance to save him.
"So, sensei, you coming to our dorm…"
"Isn't just about Ryuten-senpai and the others, is it?"
Ryo Nakamuta narrowed his eyes at Asuka, catching from her micro-expressions that beyond regret, there were other emotions at play—complex ones, perhaps?
"As expected from someone who defeated a dark duelist!"
"Come with me. Principal Samejima has invited you to dinner."
"He has something to discuss with you."
Asuka turned to leave after speaking. Ryo exchanged a look with his roommates, and all three had a hunch.
If they were right, Principal Samejima had likely reviewed the surveillance footage and knew the details of the dark duel.
This conversation was probably centered on that.
"You two rest up."
"I'll be back later."
Ryo Nakamuta followed Asuka's lead. Surprisingly, she didn't ask a single question or say another word during the walk.
Asuka led the way, Ryo trailed behind, and the two maintained silence until they reached the principal's office.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Come in."
With Principal Samejima's response from inside, Ryo Nakamuta opened the door and stepped in.
The room's layout was simple. The first thing that caught his eye was a bald, bearded man—Principal Samejima—standing before a portrait of a Cyber Dragon. Along the walls were a series of neatly arranged Cyber Dragon-related card portraits.
On the tea table sat a deck with an intriguing card sleeve—not Cyber Dragon, but a fusion of the three Sacred Beasts. Scattered around were various teaching materials.
"Sit, Nakamuta-kun."
"I have some questions for you."
Principal Samejima stood and gestured for Ryo to take a seat.
"Sure, okay."
"Ask away, Principal Samejima. I'll answer everything I know."
Ryo Nakamuta sat with a smile, though he couldn't help but wonder inwardly.
The office's decor screamed Samejima's love for Cyber Dragon. Was this meeting about the dark duel… or his Cyber Dragon deck too?
"Good, I'll get straight to the point."
"What exactly happened after you won the dark duel?"
"Many duelists have lost dark duels, but plenty have defeated dark duelists as well."
"Yet, those who defeat dark duelists and return unscathed are extremely rare."
"So, after your victory, what…"
Samejima dropped his professional smile, his sudden seriousness prompting Ryo Nakamuta to calm down and carefully recall the duel's aftermath.
He then recounted everything in detail to the principal, including the sudden black fog, the eerie skeletal hands, and the strange Millennium Puzzle.
Samejima listened thoughtfully, sighing only after Ryo finished.
"Ha, as I suspected."
"To be honest, others who, like you, resisted the dark duel's temptation and walked away have said similar things."
"The difference is, the Millennium Item they saw varied."
"Some saw the Millennium Eye, others the Millennium Ring, some claimed to see Sacred Beast cards, and others said they saw Egyptian God cards."
"In short, the object in the skeletal hands seems to take any form."
Samejima's words left Ryo Nakamuta momentarily stunned.
The object in the skeletal hands could be anything?
Tied to desire?
Thinking back, as a kid watching the DM anime, the Millennium Puzzle was indeed what he'd wanted most.
Who didn't dream of being Muto Yugi, wielding the Millennium Puzzle to transform into a stronger self?
If it was linked to desire, the ability to take any form made sense.
It also explained why his was the Millennium Puzzle.
"So, the dark duelist I defeated…"
"Like Ryuten-senpai, they went to the so-called Spirit World, right?"
Samejima nodded, then shook his head, followed by another sigh.
"Ha, we're not sure."
"There are only rumors of someone returning from the Spirit Duel World, claiming that dark duel losers end up there."
"We don't know the specifics."
"But don't worry. While dark duelists have their Dark Alliance, we have our Duel Alliance."
"I'll invite them to teach at our academy soon."
"After you graduate, you could consider joining the Duel Alliance."
"In short, this world, born from the fusion of the six dimension dueling worlds, isn't as simple as you might think."
Indeed.
Samejima was right.
Since arriving in this world and gathering information, Ryo Nakamuta had known this fused six-dimensional world was complex.
One portion of darkness might be weak, but six combined?
Hard to say. Really hard to say.
"By the way, you probably don't know much about the Dark Alliance yet, do you?"
"Asuka will cover it in class tomorrow, but I'll give you a brief rundown now."
"The Dark Alliance, simply put, is…"
For the rest of the time, Principal Samejima patiently explained the Dark Alliance to Ryo Nakamuta.
Only then did Ryo understand who these people were—a bunch of imitators!
For example, the black-robed duelist he defeated was just a small fry mimicking Kaiba Seto. Other imitators copied Muto Yugi, Kaiser Ryo, Yuma Tsukumo, and other famous duelists.
Their ability to conduct dark duels stemmed from the shattered Great Evil God Tablet, which revived Zorc's soul, granting them power.
The purpose of dark duels was souls.
Victorious dark duelists offered the loser's soul to Lord Zorc, receiving soul compensation in return—essentially, deck enhancements and support.
"I see. Principal Samejima, rest assured, I'll do my best to deal with the Dark Alliance."
"Dealing with them is tough, but I have one more question. Your Cyber Dragon deck…"
Seeing the Dark Alliance topic wrapped up, Samejima shifted gears, turning the conversation to Cyber Dragon. His sudden grin made Ryo Nakamuta's heart skip a beat.
Oh no, he'd walked into a trap!