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

Chapter 32 The Dark Mist Rises

The Different Dimension Airship soared across the scattered clouds, its metal hull gleaming faintly under the fading sunlight. Inside, the group—Yuya, Yuni, Vivian, Katrina, Victoria, Rio, and Shark—were gathered near the observation window as their next destination slowly came into view.

Shark crossed his arms, his sharp gaze fixed on the distant island. "So our next destination is some ancient ruins on a deserted island?"

Rio frowned, resting her chin on her hand. "And what kind of traps are waiting for us this time?"

"Probably some nasty ones," Victoria said with a sigh, glancing at the flickering radar screen.

"By the way," Katrina asked curiously, "you're also from the Original World, right, Victoria?"

Victoria nodded. "I am. Back then, Zarc and Zarnie were my best friends at school." Her expression softened with nostalgia. "So, yes... I know what all of this really means."

As the airship descended, the group gathered at the deck railing, gazing down at the desolate island below. The ruins looked ancient and fractured—half-buried by sand, with what remained of a massive stone castle jutting out like the ribs of some fallen giant.

Rio shivered slightly. "So this Number... it's connected to Vector, isn't it? The one who tried to kill Merag?"

"That's right," Yuni confirmed, her tone darkening. "But the truth about Vector isn't as simple as it looks. He wasn't always that way. Vector used to be someone who hated war. He wanted peace for his people."

Shark raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like the Vector we saw in Nash's ruins."

Yuya nodded solemnly. "That's because everything changed. When Vector's father became gravely ill, he begged the military to stop fighting. But his father—furious at what he called weakness—saw it as betrayal."

The group stepped off the ship, their boots pressing into the cracked stones leading up to the ruined castle gates.

Yuya continued as they entered the castle's shadowed halls. "In his rage, Vector's father tried to kill him. But his mother threw herself between them and took the strike instead. She died in Vector's arms."

Everyone fell silent, the echoes of their footsteps the only sound through the dim, decaying corridor.

"After that," Yuni said quietly, "Don Thousand appeared before Vector. He twisted Vector's mind—made him believe that he was the one who killed his parents. And from that guilt and hatred... Vector became exactly like his father."

Rio's voice trembled slightly. "So that's why he turned into what he did..."

They moved deeper into the ruins, torches flickering along the walls. The stench of old dust and metal filled the air.

"After his defeat by Nash and Merag," Victoria explained, her tone heavy, "Vector returned to these very ruins. Here, he began to doubt everything—friends, family, even himself. He started judging all who came near him... believing none deserved to live."

Vivian gasped softly. "You mean... he killed everyone?"

Victoria nodded. "Until only he remained."

"That's... so cruel," Vivian whispered.

"It is cruel," Yuni said, her voice echoing faintly in the empty hall. "That's what despair does—it turns guilt into hatred."

Suddenly, a metallic click echoed beneath them.