"EveryBody Listen (Everyone listen)!"
Under the neon blue electronic dome, one hundred thousand seats swallowed the boiling crowd, and the overwhelming wave of sound was almost enough to suffocate anyone just entering the venue.
The vibrating subwoofer, the relentless roaring of stereoscopic images of monsters, interspersed with the cheers and applause of the audience, collided in the circular arena to create a blistering vortex.
In the center of the stage, the commentator with a jet plane hairstyle, dressed in a red tuxedo, who had been enthusiastically narrating throughout the entire 5DS and even until Doomsday, was standing at the podium, holding a microphone and speaking passionately.
"The long-awaited Lucky Cup tournament is finally open now!
First, let's cheer for the arrival of the Dragon of the King!"
As if the claws of a dragon tore through the void, dark red scales exuded a heat like cooling basalt, with golden-red lava flowing through the cracks. As the long dark red tail swept through the air of the arena, the realistic 3D image effects melted crimson dents into the steel frames.
Red Lotus Demon Dragon!
"Red Lotus Demon Dragon!" the commentator shouted passionately, "And the D-wheel Hand following it, of course, is our king——
——Jack Atlas!"
The white D-Wheel raced out, its entire design resembling a giant white ring, like a rolling tire, with the driver seated inside that tire.
The one making the grand entrance is none other than our flip king... no wait, the King of New Tongshiyi, Jack Atlas!
Jack's D-wheel charged out flamboyantly, with his signature Red Lotus Demon Dragon swirling around the field. The cheers and shouts of the entire arena reached their climax at this moment.
"There's only one king!"
Jack arrogantly pointed his right hand to the sky.
"And that's me!"
The commentator explained: "So, Duelists fortunate enough to earn a dream match with the king, those who received lucky tickets! Reveal yourselves!"
The floor in the center of the arena slowly opened to the sides, and a massive elevator slowly rose from underground.
Including Yusei Fudo, the gathered Dragon Sealers, and all the contestants stood on this platform, which then ascended to the surface.
"Oh oh Red Lotus Demon Dragon! It's really Red Lotus Demon Dragon!"
Leo was the most excited.
"And the king! It's my first time seeing the king so close..."
His sister Luna said helplessly beside him, "You're too loud, Leo..."
In the original story, only Luna received the invitation to participate, but Luna was a thorough introvert who hated being in the spotlight, so in the end, her twin brother Leo disguised as her to compete in her place.
However, now with the change in world lines, Yugen also sent an extra invitation to Leo. Although Luna still didn't quite want to play cards in front of people, she couldn't resist her brother's persistent persuasion and was finally dragged here by Leo.
Akiza Izinski remained cold from start to finish, seemingly oblivious to everyone around her, even including Jack Atlas as the king.
Throughout, her gaze was fixed straight at the place behind the podium, where the organizer's seat was.
That was where Rex Godwin, the Chief of Public Security Maintenance, was located.
It was an unwavering gaze, full of determined direction, as well as one filled with hatred and resentment.
Her goal was very clear, she came here for only one reason.
She wants to win, to become stronger, stronger than the king.
And then to take revenge on that high-ranking official.
But it was Yusei Fudo's entrance that caused a stir in the arena when given a close-up.
"What's going on?"
Someone in the audience murmured.
"Is that a mark?"
"Even marked trash can compete? What's happening?"
"Did he steal someone else's invitation?"
The mark, also known as the lightning-shaped yellow scar on Yusei's face while in the detainment center. In this city, it's the mark of the lower class, someone who would be discriminated against and automatically avoided wherever they went.
Yusei Fudo remained expressionless, seemingly oblivious to these voices.
If this were in the anime, a contestant named Poma would stand up to speak for Yusei. But at this moment, there was no such occurrence.
The contestant named Poma did not appear on the field.
In the initial list of Lucky Cup invitations obtained by Yugen, Poma's name was indeed on it. But later, the personnel responsible for the contestants reported back saying that Poma's whereabouts were unknown, and they couldn't find where he went.
At that time, Yugen frowned slightly, but thought that Poma might not have such a significant impact on the plot for the time being, and since they couldn't find him, he dropped the matter, letting them replace him with another Duelist.
The Lucky Cup itself was organized to stimulate the awakening of the Dragon Sealers. Although Poma was also a very strong Duelist in the original story, it was unfortunate he faced Yusei Fudo. Poma, no matter how strong, was still far apart from Yusei and didn't manage to trigger Yusei's awakening before being eliminated by Yusei.
With the audience jeering, even the commentator seemed a bit awkward. Yugen stood up and approached the microphone on the podium.
"Silence." He said coldly.
The entire venue fell silent instantly.
"I am Rex Godwin, the administrator of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau." Yugen said, "Everyone standing here is a legitimate Duelist, invited officially to compete.
A Duelist, only this identity, regardless of wealth or poverty. True equality lies on this battlefield."
He then stepped back, signaling the host to speak.
The commentator hurriedly picked up the chief's words, "W... well, let's proceed to announce the first round's matchups!"
The matchups were said to be random, but they were actually pre-arranged. Every opponent the Dragon Sealers faced was meticulously selected by the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, aiming to stimulate their potential the most.
Moreover, during the first round of clashes, the Dragon Sealers were intentionally kept apart, avoiding internal battles among themselves. This was also a strategy of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau.
In the first two rounds, Professional Duelists with similar abilities such as hypnosis and profiling were sent to explore the inner world of the Dragon Sealers, stimulating the awakening of power. After two rounds, the Dragon Sealers are then allowed to collide with each other directly, accelerating this process through the clash of dragons.
At least so far, the direction of the Lucky Cup generally aligned with the original history, without any major deviations.
...
...
Deep within the Satellite District.
The same old, dilapidated house, faint candlelight, the gathering place of the Dark Markers.
"... Are you okay, boss?"
The blue-haired Dark Marker looked at Ludger, who had just returned, with a frown.
"Where did you go yesterday? You looked as if you weren't in the zone ever since you came back."
"I... I'm fine."
Ludger shook his head and said.
"More importantly... where's the newcomer?"
He looked around.
"Wasn't there supposed to be a newcomer? Where did they go?"
The Dark Markers looked at each other.
"Didn't see them."
Ludger suddenly stood up.
"Damn, that guy... could he have taken action prematurely without authorization?"