Chapter 774: New World

"Fujiki You Xuan, you're alright?"

Gui Ping watched Fujiki You Xuan leap into Paradox's massive D-Wheel, and despite himself, he still felt some concern.

"I'm fine." Fujiki You Xuan smiled, waving his hand. "Maybe I'll be back soon."

Although it was impossible to understand the working principles of the perpetual motion machine and these future technologies so quickly, the Sea Horse Group's think tank had at least figured out how to operate these machines over the past two days. Even if they couldn't develop them, simply using them was no problem.

Fujiki You Xuan quickly obtained an instruction manual and roughly understood how the device worked.

Gui Ping nodded. "Alright. But once you go, we won't have any means to contact you or offer any help."

You'll have to be careful on your own over there."

"Got it."

This was his plan to begin with.

The D-Wheel activated; he heard the engine roar violently. The world twisted in an instant—figures and buildings around him vanished as if dissolved into flowing auroras. Green, purple, and blue bands of light intertwined like a radiant river.

The scene before his eyes began shifting rapidly, countless images flashing past like slides.

The silhouette of the Phantom God flew over the pyramid's peak; a black-robed, stern magician stood firm upon the earth; Bai Long radiated brilliant white light; a cosmic hero from beyond the heavens became a fireball hurtling toward Earth.

A silvery dragon streaked across the sky, leaving behind a path woven from starlight. A golden-armored warrior slashed through the void with a single blade; electric sparks danced within the rift of dimensions. A dragon with mismatched eyes roared under the starry sky, and another storm of data coalesced into a dragon overlord.

Each image represented a different timeline, a mark of an era.

The dizzying auroras and images were all cast aside; a blinding white light flashed, and the stream of spacetime seemed entirely shed. A brand-new world opened its arms to him, revealing its true face.

When he came to his senses, Fujiki You Xuan was floating high above.

Looking down from above, he saw a modern metropolis, its skyscrapers towering like trees. Glass facades reflected sunlight like countless mirrors. Vehicles flowed endlessly along the streets; pedestrians appeared as tiny ants. Uniquely shaped skyscrapers pierced the clouds, their lightning rods glinting silver in the sun.

Further out, a great river cut through the city like a sharp blade, splitting it cleanly in two.

On this side of the river, skyscrapers shimmered in the sunlight; luxury cars glided smoothly along the roads; well-dressed people enjoyed afternoon tea at open-air cafés. On the opposite bank lay dense, crumbling low-rise buildings, their roofs covered in rusted iron sheets. The streets were narrow and packed, resembling a disaster zone left unreconstructed.

And right there, on the ruined opposite bank, an unfinished bridge sharply caught the eye. It stubbornly stretched from the wasteland toward the other side, like a hand reaching out in longing. The bridge extended over the river's surface—then abruptly ended. Exposed rebar jutted from the fracture, jagged as broken bones.

That was the "Daedalus Bridge."

Fujiki You Xuan recognized it at a glance.

This city was once Tōmogawa City, the Dueling Capital, the hometown of Motoyuki Yugi—and the central stage of the old Yu-Gi-Oh! story. Then a disaster swept through, splitting the once-great dueling capital into two halves.

One side became the elite district, where the wealthy gathered; the other, the abandoned satellite district, home to the destitute. The unfinished Daedalus Bridge symbolized the satellite district's people's will to resist oppression and seek freedom.

This was the 5D's era.

Fujiki You Xuan had programmed the device to track anomalies in this dimension's history. Since he had arrived here, it meant the historical anomaly likely occurred around this time.

But the exact nature of the anomaly still needed investigation. For now, he'd first learn about this world.

And see if any noteworthy cards existed in this otherworldly future era.

Fujiki You Xuan landed discreetly and blended into the new Tōmogawa City.

Whether because this was a future timeline or because it was a different dimension from his own, the new Tōmogawa City was utterly unlike the version he remembered.

Many streets and landmarks he knew had vanished entirely—even the faintest traces of their former selves were gone. Even the Sea Horse Group headquarters, the city's iconic landmark, was nowhere to be found. When he realized this, Fujiki You Xuan was stunned—he had assumed Sea Horse Group would endure until the end of human civilization.

But after asking around, he learned: no, Sea Horse Group hadn't gone bankrupt—it had simply moved. In this dimension, Sea Horse Group had made massive advances in aerospace technology after developing the perpetual motion machine, and relocated its entire headquarters to a space station.

That was fine.

But he hadn't heard any news about the CEO. Chairman Sea Horse had vanished without a trace, no one knew from when.

Approximately eighteen years ago, Tōmogawa suffered the world-shaking disaster known as "Zero Point Reversal." The world's first perpetual motion machine, the Moment, went out of control in Tōmogawa, splitting the city into its current two halves.

After the disaster, the city was rebuilt and renamed "New Tōmogawa." It was around then that no one had heard from Seto Kaiba again.

Fujiki You Xuan casually visited a small card shop on the street. Sure enough, though it was just a roadside stall, it was a different dimension—and a future timeline. Just glancing around, he spotted many items he could never have bought in his own world.

But when Fujiki You Xuan idly picked up a card pack to buy, he suddenly realized he had no money.

Right—currency in this dimension was different from his own. In his original world, he had been wealthy beyond measure; here, he was penniless again.

There were, of course, hard currencies that could be exchanged across worlds: Yu-Gi-Oh! cards were the most valuable, worth anywhere across the multiverse.

But he hadn't anticipated this problem—he carried only cards he used himself, and had no intention of trading them casually.

!

But it wasn't a problem.

Fujiki You Xuan's gaze quickly fixed on a nearby dueling arena.

In this era, the city had many dueling arenas, convenient for citizens to duel and train. Some even had betting rules for cards.

Even if this was another dimension, it was still a world of card duels. In a realm where dueling reigned supreme, how hard could it be to make money?

So ten minutes later, Fujiki You Xuan stood on the dueling arena.

His first opponent was dressed in uniform—a police officer, wearing a law enforcement helmet with a badge on his head.

Fujiki You Xuan raised an eyebrow.

Police Enforcement Unit?

He remembered: in this era, the Police Enforcement Unit maintained a special dueling pursuit squad.

"Hah. You still dare to challenge me, knowing I'm from the Police Enforcement Unit?"

The officer smirked arrogantly.

"Looks like you've got some confidence."

Fujiki You Xuan feigned humility.

"I merely wish to duel a strong opponent and learn from the experience. Please go easy on me, sir."

The officer, flattered by the praise, laughed heartily and his mood improved. "No problem. I'll satisfy you. Come on! Let you see how our professional pursuit squad duels!"

"No problem. I'll make sure to satisfy you—come on! Let you see how our professional pursuit team fights!"

(End of Chapter)