This is a story about a "Hero."
Many years ago, Ed Phoenix was a naive and innocent child, dreaming of becoming an excellent duelist like other children who idolized heroes.
For a time, he even imagined learning from his father, not becoming a duelist, but becoming a card designer for Industrial Illusions Company.
However, everything changed that day.
That night, when Ed came home, he did not see his father welcoming him, but instead, his father lying on the ground, not breathing.
Beside his father were cards scattered on the ground, the window of the house shattered, letting in cold wind that pierced his body and soul like icy blades.
The only thing left to him was his father's final design, the "Hero D Series."
On a gloomy rainy day, at his father's funeral, he met his peer Saiou, met D.D, and stepped into a new yet seemingly stagnant life.
His life, at that moment, stopped. The clock seemed to have been pierced by a dagger, freezing time in place.
His physical strength, dueling skills, and mind continued to grow, yet his heart remained stuck in that night.
He had thought of relying on the police, but after endless waiting, he gave up trusting them.
If the police could not find the murderer, then he would do it himself!
With the Destiny Hero left by his father.
Disguised as a hero across the world, he punished those who robbed and stole cards, searching for the murderer who killed his father.
He used the cards to grow stronger, even receiving praise from Pegasus.
But——
This was not what he wanted at all.
Ed Phoenix no longer wanted to think about those matters.
He left Kaiba Company's station, found D.D, and when he did, the Spirit Village was already filled with smoke and death.
Taking the "Seal" was not enough; D.D used the power of the cards to annihilate the whole village, including the TV station reporters and professional duelists who followed him, killing them all.
Because of the Dark World's invasion, D.D had the chance to freely unleash the destructive desires within him.
When Ed arrived at the scene, what he saw was D.D laughing maniacally.
There was no need to consider anymore——
No matter how much disbelief there was.
When those cries and corpses appeared before Ed, he no longer needed to think.
D.D was never a kind or gentle person; his heart was filled with madness and destruction!
Yet, instinctively, he screamed hoarsely at his adoptive father: "D.D!! What is the truth!"
What he got was D.D's maniacal laughter and the truth of that day.
Indeed——
On that day, as his father's "friend," D.D felt the cards' call, heard that immense power, and the greed hidden in his heart finally burst forth. Jealous of his father, craving power, he finally struck a fatal blow.
Friendship? Just insincere socializing.
Adoptive son? Watching Ed wander aimlessly each day almost made him laugh out loud!
"As for why? Hahaha… Isn't it every duelist's instinct to pursue powerful cards? Just like you, using those Destiny Heroes that others can't?"
"D.D!! Just for such a reason!!?" Ed roared.
He opened his Duel Disk and began a duel with D.D.
At this moment!!
He suddenly found the scene before him changing; everything around seemed to disappear—firelight, wailing, D.D's crazy laughter, everything vanished, leaving only a vast white space.
He was momentarily stunned.
"Ed."
Ed Phoenix whirled around.
There, he saw his dear friend, a figure utterly exhausted.
"Saiou!?" he exclaimed in surprise, "Where is this place, what did you do?"
Saiou ignored Ed's surprise, forcibly interrupting Ed's thoughts, he said, "Ed—listen to me."
"Speak!" Trusting the last close person to him, Ed almost immediately suppressed all doubts in his heart, nodding slightly.
"Ed… listen to me, the person before you holds a card that first descended upon this world years ago, the Light of Destruction card."
As Saiou spoke, his figure also became somewhat illusory: "The Light of Destruction is far more powerful than we imagined, its evolution faster than we thought!"
Having just accepted that his adoptive father killed his own father, Ed had yet to come to terms with it, and now hearing his close friend say the Light of Destruction on him was even more formidable than imagined made Ed already troubled more pained.
Then, he tried to calm down, listening to Saiou's explanation.
According to Saiou, the Light of Destruction is the root of "destructive desire" within all things, the source of all madness and war. Originally, it was merely an existence in their world, but with the advent of dimensional exploration, the power of the Light of Destruction grew stronger with enhancements from countless dimensions, gradually showing a tendency to spread to all dimensions.
This is precisely why the power of the Light of Destruction becomes increasingly terrifying to humans.
"Ultimate D" carries the initial power of the Light of Destruction when it first came to the Human World, as the most basic and pure source of power. If these powers are nourished by Ed's Destiny and then returned to the current host body of the Light of Destruction, the amplification of its current power could possibly birth an even more terrifying card.
"Ed, don't let yourself be overwhelmed—don't… Sizzle—don't be consumed by pain…" Saiou's words were cut short as his body began to distort and become illusory.
"Saiou!?" Ed called out to Saiou desperately.
"No matter what you see, no matter what you do, don't let him control you!" Saiou's body grew increasingly ethereal, gradually becoming just a voice. Ed reached out to grab Saiou, but in the next instant, his surroundings returned to reality.
At this moment, D.D had already summoned three Low-Level Monsters, standing there with a cold laugh.
Ed took a deep breath.
No matter what he sees, he can't let himself be overwhelmed...
He is a fairly calm Duelist who has experienced life and death, generally speaking, nothing can make him angry or in such pain that he can't control himself.
"Sacrifice the three Monsters on the field for a Special Summon, hahaha—Ed, this is what you've been dreaming of, the Ultimate D!!"
"Special Summon, Destiny Hero - Plasma!"
The three Monsters burst out with countless wounds, followed by the cracking of their bodies. In their anguished screams, blood drained from their bodies and surged toward the sky.
Countless Spirit blood and human blood gathered from all directions, forming a massive blood sphere. The sphere suddenly exploded, triggering a terrifying blood rain over this Spirit Village!
A Warrior with blood bat wings, like an Archfiend, slowly rose from the blood sphere. The blood surged within the village, changing the color of the sky, causing Spirits who wished to come and cause trouble to recoil at the sight.
The terrifying Warrior slowly unfurled its wings, swung its right hand, descending with the terror of the world's most horrifying Archfiend!
Plasma!
Ed gritted his teeth.
This is the most important Card his father created before dying.
But since it was stolen, he's ready for a head-on Duel with Plasma.
This level—
"Ed..."
Suddenly, Ed's eyes widened.
In Plasma's wings, amidst the endless blood, he heard a familiar voice, a soul-stirring voice.
"Ed!!" A figure emerged from Plasma's body.
"Dad, Dad!?" Ed was stunned on the spot.
"Hahaha, such a beautiful reunion." D.D laughed heartily, "You didn't know, did you? Your father's soul has been tormented inside Plasma's body all along, hahaha... But it's okay, I will reunite you two!"
"...D.D!!!" An eerie black-purple light flickered in Ed's eyes, mysterious black smoke rose from his body. Though dressed in a silver-white suit, he appeared very dark.
He could see it—
His father wanted to say something to him, but controlled by the Evil power, he could only struggle madly, wailing in pain, unable to convey his intentions.
"D.D!! I won't let you go!"
Having said that, Ed completely put matters of friendship aside; anger and pain completely broke the last string holding his rationality.
He couldn't care less anymore!
In a daze, he seemed to hear a sigh.
He felt as if he were still a child, still trapped in that night, the night his father died in front of him.
The shackles of Destiny tightened ever more around this tragic Hero.
Thirty minutes later.
Ed stood before the village turned to a sea of flames, holding a Card.
D.D was indeed the world's strongest Professional Duelist.
But...
That is in the past.
In the wind, D.D's maniacal laughter seemed to still echo.
Ed lowered his head, looking at the "Plasma" in his hand, the Card seemingly sneered, mocking and despising him.
Seemingly blood from the Card trickled into his body, overwhelming the Hero power within him that could resist the Darkness, completely taking over.
In the air, a voice seemed to continue guiding him.
Saiou's faint voice seemed still to remind him.
He still has a chance, a chance to break through Destiny's shackles... The voice kept repeating.
Yet...
At this moment, he could no longer discern that voice, no longer his familiar friend's gentle voice, but a seductive, deceitful voice of stolen joy.
"The sun..."