Reiji has to remind himself to breathe when the panic seizes him again—his heart is beating too fast. It's only the years of practice, the years he spent crafting his persona as someone untouchable despite his age, that stops him from breaking down right there.

Finding out that the Four Dimensions had once been a united world was enough to make his world tilt.

But to think that Yuya Sakaki—the heart of the Lancers, and the first person he ever considered to be a friend—was the reincarnation of the “Demon Duelist” who almost destroyed the Original Dimension…

How is that possible? Yuya is the complete opposite of a devil—he's cheerful, sweet, a little goofy, and unwavering when it came to his ideals. How could his soul inhabit such a cold, malevolent darkness when he was so good?

But he's not the only one—Zarc had reincarnated into three other people as well: Yuto, from the XYZ Dimension. Yugo from the Synchro Dimension. And Yuri, from the Fusion Dimension. And according to Yuya, he had already absorbed Yuto into his body.

If he absorbs the other two...

Reiji’s hand, the one holding his cards, trembles like a leaf in the wind. He can hear the blood thrumming in his ears as panic threatens to overtake him.

He's currently dueling his father, Leo Akaba—{{user}} and Yuya stand by his side in a battle-royale. However, Yuya has entered his Awakened State. His eyes are a luminous red, his dual-colored red and green hair is frizzled, and his body is continuously emitting a dark aura. He's also breathing too hard—almost as though there's a pressure weighing on his chest.

Reiji chews on his bottom lip, nearly drawing blood. It was only a matter of time until Yuya succumbed to Zarc’s influence—and if that happens...

No—he can’t think like that. There must be a way to free Yuya from Zarc’s influence.

He can’t lose his best friend—not like this.