Chapter 722: Inner Demon

Complete darkness, no tangible objects could be seen anywhere, and even the direction could not be distinguished. Jaden Yuki walked in this darkness, looking around.

"Fujiki You Xuan?"

"CEO Kaiba?"

"Is anyone there?"

There was not a single echo.

Jaden continued to move forward, and began to mutter in his heart.

Finding the way and direction was never his strong suit. He thought of what he had heard before: if you can't find landmarks to distinguish direction in the desert for a long time, and keep walking in the direction you think is forward, in reality, you are likely walking in circles.

How many travelers in the desert got lost and died just by walking in circles like this.

"This is troublesome." Jaden scratched his head.

But after walking a few more steps, he caught a glimpse of a human-like outline in the darkness ahead. He didn't care whether it was an enemy or a friend, Jaden hurried forward, chased behind that person, and found that it was actually a teammate.

"Fujiki You Xuan?"

Jaden felt settled in his heart. With Fujiki You Xuan there, there was nothing to fear. According to past experience, the biggest problem to worry about when teaming up with Fujiki You Xuan was nothing more than not being able to steal the kill...

But he greeted him, only to see Fujiki You Xuan turn his head and glance at him expressionlessly.

Jaden was stunned: "Fujiki You Xuan?"

He began to feel that the Fujiki You Xuan in front of him seemed a bit wrong.

But Fujiki You Xuan didn't answer, only slowly turned his head back, and said to himself.

"You are always like this, Jaden. Whenever you encounter anything, you always only think of me."

"I've tried, I've really tried hard. I know you have extraordinary talent, I know you have potential. I want you to grow up as soon as possible and be able to stand on your own, but you just keep disappointing me."

Fujiki You Xuan shook his head, looking away and not looking at him directly.

"Of course, I didn't expect you to surpass me, I know that's impossible. It's just... forget it."

He waved his hand, looking as if he was a bit tired and powerless to say anything more.

"Maybe I really expected too much of you."

After speaking, before Jaden could react, he had already turned and walked forward.

Jaden hurriedly tried to catch up: "Wait, I didn't..."

But he caught up two steps and reached out to grab, but only grabbed empty air. The figure actually seemed to melt into the surrounding darkness and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

Jaden was shocked and took two steps back. But with this retreat, he suddenly felt like he had bumped into someone behind him.

He turned his head abruptly and found that it was Chazz behind him.

"Chazz?"

Jaden was surprised. But he immediately found that it wasn't just Chazz, but also Syrus, Alexis, and others next to him.

"This can't be true."

Jaden immediately reacted.

His classmates had no reason to appear here.

"Is that so?"

Chazz said sinisterly.

"Or maybe we were finally killed by one of your irresponsible impulses."

Jaden frowned: "I didn't..."

Syrus said: "Big brother is always like this. How many times have we been forced by you into danger?"

Alexis also said: "Jaden is such a person, only caring about himself. Just as your dueling is only for your own happiness, you never care about making the people around you take risks for your happiness."

Jaden said: "I didn't. I never wanted to put anyone in danger..."

But no one listened to his explanation at all. Or rather, before he could explain, all the figures had turned into nothingness and dissipated.

"No, these are not true."

Jaden gritted his teeth and ran quickly in the darkness, as if trying to get rid of these images and the negative emotions that followed him.

These are not the friends he knows, not their real selves, and not a single word is their original intention.

It's just that the enemy is trying to disturb his brain. Sure enough, a gloomy voice seemed to ring in his mind, with a bit of playfulness.

"Interesting. I didn't notice it during the last fight, you kid, a human, but you hide such huge darkness in your heart... Hehe, since you have arrived on my territory, if I don't treat you well, it would seem that I am not a good host."

Jaden soon realized that it was the Wicked God he had encountered not long ago.

Wicked God - Eraser.

But the enemy did not appear. Following that, Aster Phoenix appeared in front of him.

"When I first met you, I thought I met a piece of unpolished jade."

Aster Phoenix adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. His eyes were hidden behind the reflection of the lenses, making his expression look even more solemn and cold.

"But it seems I was wrong."

Jaden: "Mr. Phoenix..."

Aster Phoenix said indifferently: "All along, you have only been disappointing me, disappointing everyone."

"The so-called hero should be someone who saves others and brings hope. And you?"

!

"All you do is bring harm. Hurting those around you, hurting those who trust you, making those who love you suffer, and putting people in danger."

"You are my shame, Jaden. I regret that I misjudged you at the beginning, you will never be a decent duelist."

Jaden covered his ears and shook his head to shake off these voices: "Mr. Phoenix would never say that. You are just pretending to be a ghost."

The Wicked God's voice rang again, laughing loudly: "Pretending to be a ghost?

No, I don't know these people, and I didn't make them say that. This is the voice in your own heart, your own thoughts."

The Wicked God paused and grinned.

"The reason you think so is because you know what kind of person you are."

Jaden: "..."

"But it's not over yet. You kid is really a surprise, you have even bigger, deeper hidden darkness in your heart." The Wicked God laughed, "Let me take a good look..."

The darkness around turned into a vortex again, and Aster Phoenix's figure disappeared into it. Jaden gritted his teeth and stood up.

What now?

But when the darkness condensed again and turned into a solid body in front of him, Jaden was stunned.

He saw... those golden eyes.

Thick black armor, cold face, tall posture, cloak flying behind him.

"Stand up."

The Supreme King said coldly, his voice like an order.

Jaden was stunned: "Supreme King? I thought you... I even thought..."

But he immediately realized.

This is not the real Supreme King. Like those phantoms just now, this is a fantasy in his own heart.

Thinking of this, Jaden sighed helplessly and shrugged: "Okay. Let me guess, you want to say that you are also ashamed of me, want to say that you shouldn't have died for me, right?

Guess what? I think you're right."

Jaden looked down at his hands and said softly.

"Maybe I really think so in my heart, maybe what they said just now is the truth. I used to duel only for my own happiness, I... rarely intentionally thought about what I would bring to others, and what my actions would mean to others."

"Maybe I really am a failure. You are the reincarnation of the Supreme King, I am just an ordinary person. Maybe... if I disappeared as the price of Super Polymerization, and you stayed, maybe it would really be better."

It was quiet in the darkness for a while.

To his surprise, the Supreme King suddenly asked: "So, are you going to give up?"

Jaden was stunned. He hesitated for two seconds and shook his head: "Of course not. No matter what, I will continue to move forward, even if it is to not let you down."

"That's enough."

Very strangely, a smile appeared on the Supreme King's iceberg-like face.

Jaden was very sure that when the other party was alive, he had never seen even a trace of a smile on this face that was so similar to his own.

"Reincarnation or not, it doesn't matter. You are Jaden Yuki, and you are just Jaden Yuki, that's enough."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 723 =====