Chapter 129

This is a story about a "hero."

Many years ago, Aster Phoenix was still a child, innocent and naive. Like other children, he looked up to heroes and fantasized about becoming an excellent duelist.

For a time, he even fantasized about following his father's path—not becoming a duelist, but becoming a card designer for Industrial Illusions.

However, everything changed on that day.

That night, when Aster returned home, he didn't see the father who welcomed him, but a father lying on the ground, having lost his breath.

Beside his father were cards scattered on the floor; the house's windows were broken, and the cold wind pierced his body and mind like bone-chilling ice blades.

The only thing left to him was the "HERO D-Series" his father had designed last.

On a hazy, sorrowful rainy day, at his father's funeral, he met his peer Sartorius and met D.D, stepping into a brand-new life that felt like it was spinning in place.

His life stopped at that moment. The clock seemed to have been pierced by a dagger, making it impossible for time to move forward.

His physical strength, dueling technique, and intellect were still growing, but his heart remained in that night.

He had thought about relying on the police, but after endless waiting, he gave up on believing in them.

Since the police couldn't find the killer, he would do it himself!

Using the Destiny HEROes his father left behind.

He disguised himself as a hero all over the world, punishing those who robbed and stole cards, searching for his father's killer.

He utilized the cards, grew ever stronger, and even received praise from Pegasus.

But—

This was not at all what he wanted.

Aster Phoenix no longer wanted to think about those things.

He left the Kaiba Corporation station and found D.D. When he found D.D, the local spirit village was already filled with smoke and death.

Stealing the "Seal" wasn't enough; D.D used the power of the cards to wipe out the entire village, killing everyone who followed him—television reporters and fellow professional duelists alike.

Because of the Dark World invasion, D.D had the opportunity to release the destructive desires hidden in his heart to his heart's content.

When Aster arrived at the scene, what he saw was D.D laughing crazily.

There was no need to think anymore—

Even if he didn't want to believe it.

When those cries and corpses appeared before Aster, he didn't need to think anymore.

D.D was never a kind and gentle person; his heart was filled with madness and destruction!

However, he still instinctively shouted at his adoptive father with all his might: "D.D!! What is the truth!"

What he got in return was D.D's crazy laughter and the truth of that day.

That's right—

On that day, "D.D," as his father's "good friend," felt the call of the cards and heard that powerful strength. The greed hidden in his heart finally erupted; his jealousy of his father and his craving for power finally made him strike the fatal blow.

Friendship? Just hypocritical socializing.

Adopted son? Watching Aster run around in circles every day, he almost laughed out loud!

"As for why? Hahaha... isn't pursuing powerful cards the instinct of every duelist? Just like you, aren't you also using Destiny HEROes that others can't use at all??"

"D.D!! Just for a reason like that!!?" Aster roared.

He spread his Duel Disk and began to duel D.D.

At this very moment!!

He suddenly discovered that the scene before him changed. Everything around him seemed to disappear—the fire, the wailing, D.D's crazy laughter, everything disappeared. All that remained was a giant, pure white space.

He was stunned for a moment.

"Aster."

Aster Phoenix turned his head abruptly.

There, he saw his best friend, saw an incomparably weary figure.

"Sartorius!?" he said in surprise. "Where is this? What did you do?"

Sartorius ignored Aster's surprise and forcibly interrupted Aster's train of thought, saying to him: "Aster—listen to me."

"Speak!" Out of trust for the last person he was close to, Aster almost immediately suppressed all the questions in his heart and nodded gently.

"Aster... listen to me. The person in front of you, holding in his hand, is the card of the Light of Destruction that first descended upon this world years ago."

As Sartorius spoke, his figure also became somewhat illusory: "The Light of Destruction is far more powerful than we imagined, and it evolves faster than we imagined!"

Aster, who had just accepted the fact that his "adoptive father killed his biological father," hadn't even recovered when he heard his best friend say that the Light of Destruction on him was more powerful than imagined, giving Aster, who was already confused, an even worse headache.

Subsequently, he tried hard to calm down and listen to Sartorius's explanation.

According to Sartorius, the Light of Destruction is the root of the "desire for destruction" in the hearts of all things in the world; it is the source of all madness and war. Originally, it only existed in their world, but with the emergence of dimensional exploration, the power of the Light of Destruction also became stronger with the addition of countless dimensions, gradually tending to spread to all dimensions.

It is precisely because of this that the influence of the Light of Destruction on humans has become increasingly terrifying.

What is on "Ultimate D" is the power of the Light of Destruction when it first came to the human world; it is the most basic and pure source of power. If these powers are nourished by Aster's Destiny and then returned to the current host of the Light of Destruction, at that time, with the amplification of the current power, it might give birth to an even more terrifying card.

"Aster, don't let your head be clouded—don't... *static*... don't be swallowed by pain..." Before Sartorius finished speaking, his body was already somewhat distorted and illusory.

"Sartorius!?" Aster tried hard to call out to Sartorius.

"No matter what you see, no matter what you do, don't be controlled by him!" Sartorius's body became increasingly ethereal, gradually becoming just a voice. Aster reached out to grab Sartorius, but in the next instant, the scene around him returned to reality.

At this time, D.D had already summoned three low-level monsters and was standing there sneering.

Aster took a deep breath.

No matter what you see, don't let your head be clouded...

He was a relatively calm duelist, and he had experienced life and death; generally speaking, there was nothing that could make him so angry or even pained that he couldn't control himself.

"Tributing the three monsters on the field, Special Summon! Hahahahahaha—Aster, this is the Ultimate D you've been dreaming of!!"

"Special Summon, Destiny HERO - Plasma!"

A large number of wounds erupted on the three monsters. Immediately following, the three low-level monsters split open from within their bodies, and amidst painful screams, their blood was extracted from their bodies and surged toward the sky.

Countless spirits' blood and human blood gathered from all directions. These bloods condensed into a giant blood sphere, and then the sphere exploded violently, raining down a terrifying blood rain in this spirit village!

A warrior with blood-bat wings, like a demon, slowly rose from the blood sphere. Blood surged in the village, causing the sky to change color and making the spirits who wanted to come and loot recoil.

That terrifying warrior slowly spread its wings and waved its right hand, descending like the most terrifying demon in the world!

Plasma!

Aster gritted his teeth.

This was the most important card his father made before he died.

But since it had been stolen, he was prepared to face Plasma head-on.

This level—

"Aster..."

Suddenly, Aster's eyes widened.

Within the wings of Plasma, in that endless blood, he heard a familiar voice, a voice that haunted his dreams.

"Aster!!" A figure emerged from the body of Plasma.

"Dad, Father!?" Aster was shocked and stunned in place.

"Hahahaha, what a beautiful reunion." D.D laughed loudly. "You didn't know, did you? Your father's soul has been suffering in the body of Plasma all this time, haha... but it doesn't matter anymore; I will send you father and son to be reunited!"

"...D.D!!!" A strange black-purple light flashed in Aster's eyes. Countless black, strange smoke rose from his body. The light shone on him, making him look extremely dark despite wearing a silver-white suit.

He could tell—

His father wanted to say something to him, but was controlled by that evil power, able only to struggle crazily, wailing in pain, unable to convey his heart.

"D.D!! I won't let you get away with this!"

After saying this, Aster completely threw the matter of his best friend to the back of his mind. Anger and pain completely snapped the last string maintaining his sanity.

He couldn't care about that much anymore!

In a trance, 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 before his eyes.

The shackles of fate bound this tragic hero tighter and tighter.

Thirty minutes later.

Aster stood before the village that had completely turned into a sea of fire, holding a card in his hand.

D.D was indeed the world's strongest professional duelist.

But...

That was already a thing of the past.

In the wind, one could still seem to hear D.D's crazy laughter.

Aster looked down at the "Plasma" in his hand. The card in his hand seemed to be sneering, mocking him, despising him.

Inside the card, it seemed as if "blood" was flowing into his body, invading the power of the heroes in his body that were originally able to contend with the darkness, completely taking the upper hand.

In the air, there still seemed to be a voice guiding him.

Sartorius's faint voice seemed to still be reminding him.

He still had a chance, still had a chance to break through the shackles of fate... that voice repeated incessantly.

It's just that...

At this very moment, he could no longer distinguish that the voice was no longer the gentle voice of his familiar best friend, but a voice of coaxing, deceptive glee.

"Sun..."