"God?" Mello paused in trimming his plants and slowly turned.
"Are you certain?"
"No, in truth, we cannot be certain…"
The subordinate in a white uniform bowed respectfully.
"But those present on Duel Academy Island did feel it—the terrifying surge that resembled the presence felt when a God appeared before."
"So no one actually saw a God?" Mello asked.
"That's right—only the aura."
"Then did you ascertain what happened? Who summoned it? Who were the duelists?"
"Our people tried to inquire afterward, but…"
The white-clad member hesitated, then spoke uncertainly.
"It's odd. According to gathered leads, the clash occurred near the Slifer Red dorm. The duelists were the Duel King, Fujiki Kira, and Slifer Red's Jaden Yuki."
"A friendly match?" Mello said. "Summoning a God in a spar is strange, but if it was a field test, it's not impossible."
"No. Our people said the duel's power level was off even before that supposed God appeared," the member said. "The duel was enshrouded in a powerful darkness.
It was definitely no ordinary match—likely a high-level Shadow Duel."
"A Shadow Duel?"
Mello frowned slightly.
That did sound strange.
If it was just friendly testing of a God card, why risk life and limb?
"Now this is getting interesting," Mello smiled.
Seeing the subordinate linger, Mello glanced sideways.
"Is there more?"
"No, only…"
He hesitated, then spoke.
"My lord, it seems the Duel King may have even mastered the power of the Gods. And thus far, our Society of Light's operations at the Academy… have not yielded the expected results."
That was an understatement; "disastrous" was more accurate.
They'd infiltrated Duel Academy expecting lambs ignorant of the world. Instead, they found demons sealed on that island.
The students were so strong they made pros look like jokes, and their playstyle was cut from the same cloth as their Duel King—utterly inhumane.
They marched in with high hopes, only to begin a long GX torture arc. Their win rate was abysmal, and there were now multiple cases of steadfast members of the Society of Light losing their faith and defecting.
Terrifying—beaten by card games into embracing darkness? Seriously?
When this reached headquarters, even they were stunned.
They now suspected that Duel Academy harbored a powerful dark faction led by the Duel King—much like their own—capable of infecting and assimilating duelists.
At this point the Academy seemed like a bottomless pit of darkness. Any agent sent would be swallowed and converted. At this rate, the only outcome was total collapse and universal defection.
"It's fine. Good, even."
Mello turned back to his pruning.
The member blinked. "But, the agents we sent…"
"Their mission is already complete," Mello said evenly.
"I thought their mission was to spread the Light's doctrine at Duel Academy…"
"Yes. If they managed that, great. If not, they had another purpose."
Mello turned, speaking calmly.
"I noticed long ago. Fujiki Kira—the Duel King—has an inexplicable power. Not only he himself; people around him, connected to him, are easily influenced without noticing, infected by that power.
Perhaps even he hasn't realized it, but within lies the secret of his strength."
He took over Sartorius's Society of Light simply to avoid wasting resources. In his eyes, the society had little value—mere pawns to be discarded.
"Put the Academy aside. What about Industrial Illusions?" Mello asked.
The member lowered his head. "They're pursuing us at full tilt; Maximillion Pegasus himself has stepped in. But everything proceeds as planned; they're being led along our false trail."
"Excellent."
Mello sat, smiling coldly.
"Sartorius actually planned to steal some sky-born organism to sweep the earth—naïve. Military weapons have never been the answer."
"The machinery behind this world runs on cards. Those who grasp the core are not nations or armies, but KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions."
"Control them, and you hold this world's lifeline."