Chapter 1206: Persona Shattered

"Killing intent."

Jack and Crow were both stunned.

Killing intent was an abstract thing—unseen, untouchable, sensed only by intuition. Only duelists in the midst of a battle might notice it.

Though they were both involved, up until a moment ago they'd been utterly absorbed in the duel, not sparing much thought for anything else. But now, with Yusei's reminder, they looked back—and realized: up until this moment, Goodwin had shown little, if any, killing intent during this duel.

That was nothing like the sense you'd get from someone fighting a shadow duel to the death.

Of course, it was just a gut feeling, not solid evidence. It was hard to draw any firm conclusions from just intuition alone. Yusei had only raised a red flag—the rest would still depend on his own trust in "Goodwin" as a person.

Outside the arena, Leo and Luna were too young to think much of it. But after hearing Yusei's words, Akiza was startled.

She'd always suspected "Goodwin" all of a sudden turning hostile, talking about opening the Door to the Netherworld, and claiming he was just using them—the Signers—for his own ends. So when Yusei pointed this out, she wasn't surprised. Instead, she felt: so Yusei thought the same.

But what did shock her was Yusei bluntly saying, that person isn't Goodwin.

Why? Then who could he possibly be?

"Goodwin—no, to be precise, you approached us using Goodwin's identity, right? You've been doing that all along, haven't you?"

Yusei said.

Kira smiled faintly, "Oh? And your evidence?"

"No solid evidence," Yusei shook his head. "But you've always been surrounded by mysteries, and we've never really understood much about you. So I asked some well-connected friends to look into you—or more precisely, into 'Goodwin'."

Yusei took a deep breath.

"That arm you showed off with the Dragon's Head Mark—that's actually the hand from Rudger, the Dark Signer we defeated, right? He was the original Signer, and later entrusted his brother—that is, you, the person impersonating Goodwin—with gathering the Signers. So us Signers and the Dark Signers battled, fighting against the opening of the Door to the Netherworld."

Kira: "Oh? You managed to dig up that much? And what does that have to do with me?"

"Because of your duel with Rudger," Yusei said. "Back then, I didn't know Rex Goodwin and Rudger, the Dark Signer leader, were brothers. I didn't know he'd asked his little brother to gather the Signers and fight.

"But now, knowing all this, I recall that duel—and something feels off.

"Duels are a meeting of hearts. No matter who, facing off in a duel will always reveal their true intentions, at least a little. But in that duel, right up to the end, I never once saw Rudger show any true feeling for his brother—or for you, whom he'd entrusted with such a burden.

"In fact, if anything, it was more like he was facing a stranger—or even an enemy."

Kira: "..."

"That's not all. I never met the real Goodwin before, but I asked some friends at Sector Security and Jack about it. They all said, looking back, it's right around the time I met you that 'Director Goodwin's' style and habits changed noticeably.

"But people always thought Goodwin was mysterious, so nobody questioned it. Add that to all the other doubts, and… you're not Goodwin, are you?"

Everyone: "!!!"

Instantly, all eyes turned to "Goodwin" atop the altar, suspicion and shock written on every face.

"But whoever you are, I still choose to believe—you are our companion!"

Yusei clenched his fist and thumped his chest, his words ringing out.

"From the moment we met, you guided us, helped bring us together, cleared our confusion, showed us the way.

"Even now, during this duel, it's the same.

"You say this was all your plot to use us and open the Door to the Netherworld… but I don't believe it!

"Because even now, up until this moment, you've kept guiding us, challenging us to surpass our limits. Isn't that so?"

Kira: "..."

The whole place was silent; all gazes landed squarely on "Director Goodwin," waiting for a response.

Akiza held her breath, her eyes glued to "Goodwin."

If Yusei was right—then ever since the very first day they'd met, from the moment she'd gotten to know this man… he'd never been "Director Goodwin" at all?

So who was he, really…?

Kira cast an upward glance.

Sorry, Z-ONE—I really can't keep up the act for you.

It's just… my persona—it's fallen apart!

They don't believe me. What can I do?

Kira closed his eyes, smiling faintly.

"Fudo Yusei, they say you're the sharpest Duel King in history. Guess the rumors are true. Well, so be it. You saw through me—I'm not Rex Goodwin."

If the mask is off, so be it. Kira no longer cared and plainly threw off his "Goodwin" identity, showing his true face for the first time to all of 5D's cast.

"Eh? EH?! He can change his face?!" Leo shouted, shaken to his core.

Crow frowned. "Wait… he looks about our age."

Compared to the Goodwin he'd been imitating—a much older man—no one expected the "Director Goodwin" they'd been interacting with was their peer in age.

…And actually kinda handsome, too.

A bright, sunny face—how could someone like that be a villain?

"My name is Fujiki Kira." Kira admitted boldly. "I'm from another dimension—a Duel King of another world."

At the mention of "King," Jack's eyes twitched; the word clearly held weight for him.

"King from another world?"

"That's right," Kira replied calmly. "I have my reasons for being here, but as Yusei said, I don't bear you any ill will."

He paused, then smiled.

"So? Now you know the world's not really ending, and this duel isn't actually a death match. Now that you've realized the truth, have you lost your will to give it your all?"

Yusei grinned back. "No. We've come this far. If we can't give everything we have after all the effort you, a Senpai Duel King, have put in for us, we'd be ashamed of ourselves!"

"'Senpai Duel King' sounds kinda weird… I'm not your senpai or anything." Kira laughed. "Just call me Kira.

"Now, come on, Fudo Yusei—show me what you can do!"

…