On the other D-Wheel, Antinomy accelerated, his voice trailing behind in the wind.
"Let the Northern Satellite Sector rise again!"
ZONE's voice was calm but heavy with implication.
---
[The Duel King Gold List Update is Now Beginning. The Top Five Duelists Will Be Announced!]
[Duel King Gold List – Ranked 5th: The Screw Ruler]
[Reward: All Attributes +1 | Card Bond +10 | Rare Synchro Card ×8]
[Duel King Gold List – Ranked 4th: The King Transcending Time and Sin]
[Reward: All Attributes +1 | Card Bond +10 | Rare 'Sin' Cards ×10]
[Duel King Gold List – Ranked 3rd: The Temporal Messenger]
[Reward: All Attributes +1 | Card Bond +15 | Time God Card ×10]
[Duel King Gold List – Ranked 2nd: The World Creator]
[Reward: All Attributes +1 | Card Bond +20 | Check Card Pack ×10]
[Duel King Gold List – Ranked 1st: Pharaoh]
[Reward: All Attributes +2 | Card Bond +25 | Phantom God Exclusive Set ×2]
---
As the top five names were revealed, a wave of shock rippled across every Duel Zone.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"How could the rankings shift this drastically?"
"The Pharaoh still holds number one… as expected of the original Duel King."
"But look at Screw Ruler! Dropped from second to fifth place?"
"Even crazier—the World Creator climbed from fifth all the way to second!"
"And who in the world are these two…? 'Transcending Time and Sin'? 'Temporal Messenger'? Are they even from this timeline?"
Confusion and murmurs exploded through the community of duelists.
---
Duel Academy – Headmaster's Office
"Mamma mia! What is this madness?!"
Chronos de Medici grabbed his head. "Such a drastic shake-up of the top five!? It's inconceivable, Nonne!"
"I had assumed those with full attribute buffs would remain stable near the top," Principal Sheppard muttered, deeply troubled. "Now even that seems uncertain."
"And these mysterious duelists—if they're really from beyond time and space…" He trailed off, visibly disturbed.
---
Outside the Academy
"What?! Screw Ruler dropped to fifth, and that so-called Creator jumped to second?" Sho Marufuji's eyes widened in disbelief.
"It's too weird," Asuka Tenjoin murmured. "Something about this whole ranking feels... off."
Judai Yuki frowned. "Changes like this don't happen without cause. I get the feeling something is disrupting the balance of this world."
---
Northern Satellite Sector – Public Security Bureau
"…Most of the top five changed," Rex Godwin noted coldly, staring at the data streaming across the monitors.
"Could it really be that duelists from the future—or perhaps another dimension—are joining this timeline?"
Jack Atlas clenched his fist. "Just how many powerful duelists have been hiding in the shadows of this world?"
"Heh! This is getting good," Kalin Kessler (Yego) grinned darkly.
"Yuusei!"
"Yuusei?!"
Crow Hogan called out again, watching as Yusei Fudo stood still, lost in thought.
"...Sorry. Just… trying to process what this all means."
"These rankings—especially those two duelists—they're too anomalous."
"You're not suggesting they really are from beyond space and time, are you?" Crow asked cautiously.
"That, and… the Creator rising so fast—it doesn't add up."
Yusei narrowed his eyes.
---
Only You Feng understood the real reason for his sudden leap in the rankings.
His attributes had been increased by +5 across the board thanks to a sign-in reward—amounting to a +30 overall.
That alone was enough to launch him into second place.
Still… he hadn't surpassed the Pharaoh.
How immeasurably powerful is Atem?
Then again, Atem is the ancient Duel King—the legendary Pharaoh. The origin of all Duel Monsters. He'd held the attribute lead for days, slowly accumulating bonuses.
Without consistent buffs, You Feng suspected he could overtake him.
---
"This is insane! The Duel King Gold List has gone completely off the rails!"
"But even with all this chaos, no one can shake Pharaoh's position! He's untouchable!" Katsuya Jonouchi exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Yeah! And look at the Creator—he wasn't pushed out. He climbed!" Yugi Muto added.
"Hmph! That so-called Creator must be using some shady tricks," Jonouchi growled. "If he's a Dark Duelist, he'd better not show his face around me!"
Yugi chuckled awkwardly. "Heh…"
You Feng gave a dry cough, trying to act casual.
(Well… I am the Creator…)
---
As the gold list began to fade from the sky, the world seemed to fall back into silence.
But minds were still trapped in the echoes of that announcement.
The energy hadn't dissipated—it had only begun to simmer.
---
You Feng turned his attention back to the newly obtained card pack.
On the front was the unmistakable face of Pot of Greed—it was the Check Card Pack ×10.
"…Please don't let there be duplicates," he muttered. "Duplicates would be a massive loss."
He tapped the pack.
[DING! Congratulations: Goblin Upstart ×3]
[DING! Congratulations: Reload ×3]
[DING! Congratulations: Endymion, the Magical Citadel ×3]
[DING! Congratulations: Treasure Hammer ×1]
No duplicates. His eyes lit up.
"Perfect. These are exactly what I needed."
With this, his deck was nearly complete.
---
Meanwhile, at the Domino City Hospital…
Ryo Marufuji appeared suddenly at the entrance.
"Brother?! What are you doing here?" Sho asked, surprised.
"Come outside," Ryo said flatly, already turning around.
Sho blinked, then hurried after him.
"…What's going on?"
"I need to borrow a card."
Sho blinked. "Huh? You want to borrow my card?"
"But what do I have that my big brother could possibly use…?"
---
To be continued…