7. Yu-Gi-Oh ARC-V A New Story of Pendulum (Standard Arc)

Chapter 34 The Destiny that starts moving

Yuya rushed over and knelt beside his sister. "Yuni, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Brother." Yuni smiled faintly, brushing the dust off her skirt. "And I guess this is your first time meeting him in person."

Yuya turned toward the young man standing firm across from them, his sharp gaze unflinching. "You must be Yuto, right? I heard about you from Katrina and Yuni. You said Sora would be the first step in destroying the Fusion Dimension... But with him disappearing like that, aren't you relieved somewhere deep down?"

Yuni glanced between the two, her voice calm yet cutting. "Even back in your duel with Sora, you could have ended it if you'd used your two Overlay Units. And it's not just you—Rumi would've used her Dragon's effect to destroy his monster as well. But neither of you chose to finish him off. That means you don't really want to fight them, do you?"

Yuto's eyes narrowed, but instead of arguing, he shut them for a moment. His words came measured, heavy with conviction. "The people at Academia are invaders. They attacked the Xyz Dimension and turned my comrades into nothing but cards. My best friend's sisters... I heard you saved them." He lowered his head slightly, the edge of hostility softening. "For that, you have my gratitude."

"No problem," Yuni replied with an ease that contrasted with Yuto's intensity.

"But gratitude doesn't erase the scars." Yuto's voice sharpened again. "Our homeland was reduced to rubble. Every street became a battlefield..."

Shun's voice cut through from the control room speakers, low and grim. "And we've been fighting in it ever since."

Yuya took a step closer, determination burning in his expression. "We've already heard everything—from Ron, Jean, Katrina, Ruri, even Rumi. And I know you've heard of us. Vice Presidents of LDS... the same LDS you've been targeting."

Yuto's jaw tensed at the name.

"You attacked us because you thought we were tied to the mastermind—Akaba Leo." Yuni's tone was steady, her words direct. "Yes, it's true. He formed LDS. But that was before... before he became the Professor of Academia and started this whole nightmare."

Yuya clenched his fist, his gaze never leaving Yuto's. "You want to know why the Fusion Dimension attacked your home, why they targeted Ruri, and why they turned people into cards? The truth is—we have all the answers you've been searching for."

Yuto's eyes widened. For the first time, his composure cracked, surprise flashing across his face.

Without hesitation, Yuya and Yuni began recounting the same story they had told Ron and Jean just moments earlier—the truth behind Academia, behind Leo, and behind the dimensions themselves. The weight of their words hung in the air like a storm cloud, threatening to change everything Yuto thought he knew.

"So you mean I was once a part of the Demon Duelist, Zarc?" Yuto's eyes narrowed, his tone laced with suspicion and unease.

Yuya shook his head firmly. "No. Zarc is inside me. If anyone should bear the name of the Demon, it's me—not you." His fists clenched at his sides, the weight of that truth pressing down on him. "Like what you saw with Ruri and Rumi... I have the ability to absorb you. To take you inside me." He paused, his gaze steady on Yuto's. "But I won't do that. Not to you. You're not my enemy."

In LDS's control room, Shun staggered back a step, his voice trembling. "What...? Ruri and Rumi... they're actually part of two girls named Ray and Zarine?" His throat tightened as disbelief warred with dread. "That's impossible... That means... everything I've believed in until now..." His words faltered, breaking apart into silence.