"Hibiki Momiji?"
Yugen was slightly surprised.
So he also came to this tournament...
This figure was quite a character in the original work. He reached the world championship with the "Elemental Hero" card deck and was recognized as the world's strongest hero user.
He appeared in the GX Manga, not only as Judai's mentor and guide in card playing but also as the idol Chazz admired since childhood.
In fact, the "Elemental Hero" deck used by Judai in the manga was actually inherited from Hibiki Momiji. In the Dark Game, after losing to the manga's final boss, Tragodia, and ultimately collapsing due to exhaustion, Hibiki Momiji handed the soul-like deck that had accompanied him to victory over the years to Judai.
Therefore, the famous Brother Sky, Absolute Zero Hero, and others, renowned as the big brother of Elemental Heroes among card players, were actually all Hibiki Momiji's cards.
However, according to the manga plot, Hibiki Momiji should have been bedridden in a coma when Judai was still young. Now that Judai has already arrived at the Duel Academy and Hibiki Momiji can even participate in the tournament, it's clear the world's timeline has diverged.
Judai, who arrived at the Academy earlier, evidently did not have those powerful heroes like Sky Hero and Absolute Zero Hero. So whether he knew Hibiki Momiji was uncertain.
After all, Yugen had noticed before that he was in a world merging parts of the manga and the anime. Many places had similarities as if by historical inertia, yet there were differences too.
Yugen thought for a moment and asked, "How long is the break?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure about that, one or two days? Or maybe a week?" Keihei replied, "At least they need to eliminate safety risks first, and there are some procedural tasks to tackle given such significant changes during the tournament..."
"Alright." Yugen asked, "Well then, perfect. During the break, I want to find out if you have a research and development team here. I'd like to know more."
"Now?" Keihei looked at him in surprise, "Sure, it's possible, but you're planning to add new cards during the tournament?"
Many duelists are reluctant to adjust their card decks before important competitions, especially when it involves adding new cards they are not familiar with.
On one hand, new cards may not fit into one's deck structure, and without practice and exploration, directly adding them to real battles might disrupt one's original strategy.
On the other hand, many believe that cards require time to master. Or, you could say, any new card takes time to form a bond with.
Holding unfamiliar cards always gives a strange feeling unless one is a gifted divine draw type of player; otherwise, even seemingly powerful cards might not perform as expected.
Even if they're as strong as Thunder Strike and Feather Duster, drawing Feather Duster when the opponent's field is full of monsters, or drawing Thunder Strike when the back field is full of set cards, it's all in vain.
"No, I'm not planning any adjustments yet, just want to understand first..." Yugen asked, "I think Kaiba Company should have a team related to the 'Three Phantom Gods,' right?"
Keihei raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"The Three Phantom Gods? Are you planning..."
He then shook his head repeatedly.
"No way, it's absolutely impossible."
"Why?"
"You don't understand, it's too dangerous. It's not a field an ordinary person can approach," Keihei said. "Even joining the research and development team for the Phantom God without using it in a duel poses risks.
Since the disappearance of the Three Phantom Gods, many have sought to replicate their power. But many who explored this forbidden field have gone mentally unstable, and some have even died mysteriously.
We generally think it's a field not currently permitted for humans, or perhaps we haven't found the correct approach. Anyway, it's perilous, so for your safety, you should give up."
"It's alright, I know my limits," Yugen wasn't surprised. "I recently might have an opportunity that might be related to the Phantom God.
And I'm just looking to understand first, not planning to directly start development."
Keihei looked at him and hesitated for a moment.
"Hmm... alright then."
Considering the various incredible achievements Yugen had accomplished so far, Keihei nodded and said,
"There is indeed research on the Phantom God, but it's a high-risk project and highly confidential. We don't have our independent research team, only a project collaborating with the International Illusion Association.
As the original Phantom God card was developed by the International Illusion Association, they indeed have more experience in this field."
Keihei sent Yugen a message. Yugen took out the student terminal from the Academy and glanced at it. It was an electronic business card.
"His name is France, and he's a key researcher on the Phantom God Card within the International Illusion Association team," Keihei said. "I'll inform them, and they'll show you the current development status.
However, don't get your hopes too high. The game... I mean, Atom has been gone for so long, and they still haven't found any means to replicate the power of the gods. The team's development reportedly faces a breakthrough bottleneck, so what they can offer you is limited."
"Understood, thank you," Yugen thanked him.
Then he looked at the business card again.
France, the photo showed a man in a lab coat with glasses.
This person...
Hiss.
Seems to be the man who stole the Cloning Card from the International Illusion Association and successfully summoned the Winged Divine Dragon in GX Season 2?
...
...
Duel City, elsewhere.
As the roar of an engine gradually approached, a motorcycle stopped outside an abandoned warehouse.
Luca killed the engine, dismounted, removed his helmet, and ducked under the half-opened shutter door.
"I'm back~" he said lazily.
Soon, a barrage of footsteps rushed out, and a man grabbed his collar aggressively.
"I said, Seto Kaiba is mine!" the man said angrily, "Which part didn't you understand?"
"Ha, calm down, Loren. He's still alive and well, isn't he?"
Though pinned against the wall by his collar, Luca remained unfazed and spoke lazily.
"You still have your chance."
The man named Loren glared at him for a moment before letting go and stepping aside.
"But it really is surprising, the 'Judge' appeared early. I didn't expect he'd come to this Duel City..."
Luca straightened his collar.
"The 'Sealing Artifact' appeared, forcing us to accelerate,"
Loren said emotionlessly.
"For the same reason, the plan needs adjustments. We need to draw in more usable forces. Since it's the break now, you need to go to Qingshui Town."
"Me?" Luca frowned, showing reluctance.
"The Judge's orders," Loren said.
"Tch, such a taskmaster... fine," Luca pouted.
"There's evidence the 'Demon of Sorrow' is there. Your task is to find him and bring him over to our side. But be careful."
Loren said.
"Though he's probably newly awakened, that thing is still no ordinary demon. Be cautious."
"Got it."
Luca waved impatiently, ducked out through the shutter door, and disappeared from the warehouse.