When Yugen raced to the Satellite District on his D-Wheel and saw the colossal altar in the center of the abandoned factory, the flames still burned vigorously in the brazier, yet the altar was surrounded by emptiness.
Yes, Yugen had outfitted himself with a D-Wheel. After all, without a formidable ride in this world, every Duelist is at a disadvantage. Although, of course, this was a new vehicle obtained through Godwin's authority, as he traveled through time using the hidden Paradox's D-Wheel.
"Altar?"
Yugen gazed at the massive altar ablaze with flames, and couldn't help but frown slightly.
Was there such a thing in the original work?
As he approached, the flames atop the altar grew increasingly prominent. At the altar's summit, a figure appeared—riding a horse, clad in armor, cape fluttering behind him. He donned a mask resembling a skull, and the horse beneath him was wrapped entirely like a mummy, with its exposed mane showing only bones—a horrifying sight.
Yugen's gaze shifted slightly.
This guy is... Skeleton Knight?
Skeleton Knight, a villain from the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's manga, is a mysterious Duelist, existing in the Satellite District like a legendary tale, suddenly appearing in the manga to challenge Yusei Fudo to a soul-betting Turbo Duel.
Yugen's impression of the 5D's manga plot wasn't deep but he remembered Skeleton Knight's true identity as Ludger Godwin from a parallel world in the manga, the head of the Dark Markers in the animated series.
Though the manga and the animated series are completely unrelated parallel worlds, the Godwin brothers still assume the roles of a boss duo in the neighboring manga universe.
Unlike the animated series, in the manga, the Godwin brothers were immortal beings cursed to live for five thousand years.
Skeleton Knight stood atop the altar, gazing down and locking eyes with Yugen. Suddenly, he pulled the reins harshly, and the zombie horse leaped, ascending as if taking flight, landing not far ahead of Yugen.
Skeleton Knight gazed directly at Yugen and said, "The Otherworld Warrior has finally appeared." With a deep and somewhat obscure tone.
Yugen knew that "Warrior" was the ancient term for Duelists. Yet, he still furrowed his brow slightly.
Otherworld, what does that mean?
Does it imply that he recognized Yugen came from another world, or does it mean this Skeleton Knight is from another world?
Yugen said, "Let me guess, you're Ludger Godwin?"
According to the manga, this should be the true identity of Skeleton Knight. However, upon hearing Yugen's identification, Skeleton Knight neither acknowledged nor showed any surprise, just chuckled sinisterly.
"What if I am? What if I'm not? You have arrived in the sacred altar's track, everyone who enters this forbidden place awaits only one thing..."
Saying this, he leaped into the natural track surrounding the altar.
"Race around this altar, engaging in a battle sprint wagering your soul!"
A battle sprint... probably means a Turbo Duel.
"Defeat means your soul will be devoured. Without dueling, your soul will dissipate at this altar—this is the Knight's fate!" Skeleton Knight declared loudly.
Though the expression was different, Yugen knew he had been dragged into the realm of a Dark Duel. He had undergone many such events, was quite experienced, the biggest difference this time being it involved riding Life Bet Cards.
Oh, a correction: it's him riding a D-Wheel, while the opponent rides a horse.
Yes, Skeleton Knight insisted on a horseback Turbo Duel, as five thousand years ago, D-Wheels probably didn't exist.
Moreover, the "High-speed World" type of field magic exclusive to Turbo Duels didn't exist five thousand years ago.
The 5D's anime required Turbo Duels to happen in the specialized field of "High-speed World," where regular magic like normal, continuous, and speed attack magic cards couldn't be used—all permitted were the anime-original high-speed spells exclusive to Turbo Duels.
But the 5D's manga had no such setting. High-speed World and high-speed spells didn't exist, and Turbo Duels had rules similar to normal duels.
In the manga's Turbo Duels, the biggest advantage of the D-Wheel was converting the 3D image impact into the corresponding intensity of physical impact based on speed. If you couldn't withstand the opponent's maximum speed impact during the chase, you might crash prematurely. Crashing meant a defeat even if Life Points remained.
Whether riding or standing, a Dark Duel gambled on life—within the field, one must duel.
Yugen also launched the D-Wheel, approaching the Skeleton Knight's horse.
Perfect, since he's here, he might as well experience a Turbo Duel... although it seems to follow the manga's rules.
"Duel!" x2
[Yugen, LP4000]
[Skeleton Knight, LP4000]
The D-Wheel launched like an arrow from the string. Skeleton Knight urged his steed—his zombie horse's burst seemed not to be inferior to a modern D-Wheel.
Well, supernatural horse, not surprising.
Yugen maxed out the throttle, running alongside Skeleton Knight's steed for seconds, and then suddenly executed a drift around the corner, barely faster than the horse's head, breaking out of the curve first.
"Turbo Duel rules: whoever gets to the first curve obtains the first attack."
Yugen laughed, glanced back at the knight behind him, and said, "I won't be polite."
Skeleton Knight grunted sombrely, saying nothing.
"It's my turn, draw."
Yugen said.
"First, it's this card...
Magic Card 'Take Over 5'!
Send the top five cards from the Deck to the Graveyard!"
Yugen drew five cards at once, sending them to the Graveyard.
"Then, in defense position, summon 'Card Drawing Frog.'" Yugen said.
An unremarkable little frog was summoned to Yugen's field, appearing blue all over—a depiction of defense monsters in the 5DS's 3D projection system.
[Card Drawing Frog, Defense Power 100]
"Lastly, set one card face-down, ending the turn."
Skeleton Knight said, "My turn, draw!"
He drew the card, and a shapeless black tornado seemed to stir around his steed. The invisible war spirit condensed as a giant black skeleton, pressing towards Yugen like an invisible mountain.
He deliberately unleashed dark pressure, and weaker Duelists might tremble in fear under the pressure of a strong opponent.
In regular standing duels, it could affect momentum, hindering normal performance. In Turbo Duels, it could be fatal, as trembling could cause crashing, making continuation impossible.
However, as soon as he aggressively oppressed Yugen, his release of pressure seemed to instantly shatter. An equally overwhelming force countered back, nearly making Skeleton Knight's heart race helplessly.
Skeleton Knight's figure trembled, stunned, he looked towards Yugen.
This guy... is not normal.