Somewhere, in an unknown realm beyond reality.
"...I didn't expect there to be a spirit getting in the way." A voice emerged from the boundless silence of the darkness, and a mass of black mist rose, forming into the figure of Mr. T, clad in black and wearing sunglasses.
"A Duelist named Youyu, and that spirit, they might be a huge obstacle to our expanding power." As the words were spoken, another mass of black mist condensed into human form, also taking on the appearance of Mr. T.
At this moment, a third Mr. T stepped out from the darkness, identical in face and voice to the previous two: "No, upon observation, the human world now doesn't seem as simple as we imagined. Besides the spirits, there are other entities with extraordinary powers in this era."
"Indeed." A fourth Mr. T spoke, "Before we formally launch the plan, we still need to observe and contact those extraordinary humans to assess threats."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
As the voices sounded, the Mr. T figures in the space merged into the one in the center, being absorbed as if being drawn in, eventually all merging into a single body. Only the last Mr. T remained in the space.
As previously mentioned, Mr. T is not a physical entity. He is similar to Agent Smith in The Matrix, a virus used by Darkness to invade the real world.
He pushed up the frame of his sunglasses, revealing a peculiar and self-assured smile.
...
"...Is it done yet?"
At this moment, Youyu was feeling a bit exasperated, looking at the golden-haired girl floating beside him, panting and drenched in sweat, feeling exhausted...
The incident was triggered by the sudden appearance of the Dark Magician Girl while he was passing a certain section of the road. She anxiously mentioned sensing the aura of Darkness nearby, so he had been following this spirit's guidance to where they were now...
...However, it seemed like they had just been circling around the same area all along.
"I'm sorry, because the opponent's aura keeps shifting positions..." The Dark Magician Girl said apologetically, "And their movement speed is really quick... Are you okay, Master?"
"It's alright, no problem." Youyu waved his hand, "Keep leading the way. Where's that bastard now?"
Although Youyu, having been running non-stop for quite a while, was actually feeling quite exhausted at this point... But no matter the circumstances, a man can never admit he's not up to the task in front of a lady.
It's a matter of principle.
However, at the same time, Youyu couldn't help but feel suspicious—could Mr. T be doing this on purpose?
Because he knew Youyu was looking for him, so he was deliberately leading him around in circles like walking a dog?
If that's the case, then this dark villain is really quite... something, isn't he?
It makes one feel so LOW all of a sudden.
But Youyu soon discovered that it didn't seem to be the case.
"Master, there it is!" The Dark Magician Girl suddenly exclaimed while he was running past a highway overpass, "He stopped, he's right below!"
Youyu halted his steps, peering over the edge of the overpass railing.
Sure enough, that familiar feeling returned. Cold darkness crept in, and an oppressive atmosphere enveloped the surroundings. The temperature in the space seemingly dropped a few degrees, as darkness silently coalesced in a certain area beneath the bridge.
Mr. T, in black, emerged from the darkness with a composed stride.
However, this time, his target didn't seem to be Youyu.
Youyu quickly noticed that Mr. T's target... was a short high school student with a blue student uniform, carrying a backpack, with a harmless look and a hairstyle like a multi-colored starfish.
Yes, that's right, it's the true protagonist of Linked World 1.0, Muto Yugi...
Youyu: "..."
How should I put it?
This Mr. T... was clearly just cannon fodder, so why is he so brave?
Facing off immediately against the world's most fearsome hidden boss, whether it's ignorance or bravery, it's unclear...
And Mr. T still wore a self-confident expression, as if everything was under his control, clearly unaware of the severity of the situation he was facing.
"Duel King, Muto Yugi, huh? So you're said to be the strongest Duelist among humans? Interesting."
Mr. T smiled slightly, raising his arm as a Duel Disc materialized from the dark aura on it.
"So Duel King, do you dare accept my challenge?"
Yugi blinked his harmless-looking large eyes: "You are...?"
"I have no name, but you may regard me as the True Man, the one who speaks truth. If you need a name, just call me Mr. T," he said with a smile.
Yugi gently closed his eyes.
"...Interesting," he said.
Mr. T frowned beneath his sunglasses.
He suspected it might be his own illusion, but he felt that the voice of the Duel King opposite him had seemed to change slightly.
The next moment, he saw the golden pendant around Muto Yugi's neck release an unbelievably bright light.
Accompanying it was a powerful darkness that even Mr. T, calling himself a servant of the darkness, couldn't help but feel afraid.
Mr. T couldn't describe what he felt, but upon facing this young man, he suddenly had the illusion of being locked in place.
He vaguely saw a boundless enormous darkness unfurling from behind the boy, its aura rising like an ever-climbing peak, standing imposingly before him, exerting an absolute royal pressure that momentarily locked his limbs in place, unable to move.
For a moment, he even had a ludicrous thought—the little bit of darkness he possessed was like a tiny glow of fluorescence before an unending sea of flames, not even comparable.
Retract!
That was Mr. T's first thought.
He instinctively felt he couldn't duel here with this boy... it was truly dangerous!
Without a second thought, Mr. T immediately prepared to disintegrate his body back into mist and flee.
However, he quickly found himself alarmed... he couldn't!
The surrounding darkness was now more intense than before, but it was no longer the darkness invoked by his power—a much greater force had summoned an even deeper darkness, overwriting the darkness belonging to Darkness.
Now, this domain was no longer under his control.
Mr. T turned back towards the boy before him, astonished.
The Duel King... who exactly is he?
Surely this is not a power a human could possess?
Yugi reopened his eyes. At this point, his gaze had completely changed, the look in his eyes as powerful as a steel blade slicing towards one.
Mr. T's heart was in turmoil, but from above, watching the scene, Youyu felt it was entirely expected.
Now Mr. T was facing the other soul residing in Yugi's body, the Nameless Pharaoh from three thousand years ago, the truly unbeaten War God in this worldview.
Youyu looked at Mr. T below, feeling somewhat of a sense of schadenfreude.
"For a mass-produced cannon fodder, what were you doing provoking such a calamity?"
"Didn't you just say you wanted to duel?" Dark Yugi now activated his Duel Disc, "I accept that challenge!"