Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh! novel Chapter 1188

Chapter 1188: Chapter 1188: The Underwhelming King of the Netherworld

Steam gushed from the head of the Delta Eagle, its speed rapidly dropping. The runway suspended in the void beneath their wheels began to crumble away, until the space the two occupied returned to its original pure white emptiness—nothing left at all.

Kira’s Duel Runner came to a slow halt next to the Delta Eagle.

The two returned to that pristine, blank dimension. Antinomy was the first to step off his ride, removing his helmet and bowing respectfully to Kira.

Antinomy took a deep, steadying breath before saying quietly, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Kira."

Kira smiled as he dismounted as well. "No need. It was just a fluke that I won by a move or so—nothing worth mentioning. If you have time in the future, let’s duel and chat again."

Antinomy smiled back but said nothing more.

It was true that this duel had rewarded him handsomely. He’d witnessed the legendary Sacred Beasts, and personally felt the overwhelming aura of a king above himself. Still, despite the valuable experience, Antinomy currently felt no urge to go another round.

This "king" gave off a very odd vibe. Sparring with him did seem beneficial, but he felt like Kira was not the kind of person you’d casually look for to satisfy a craving to duel—more like someone who left you a bit breathless, your chest tight, after the match.

How should he put it? It was like even after the duel was over, he couldn’t fully catch his breath.

A deck built entirely out of traps and tuned specifically against red trap cards—if you can still say, "Duels are meant to bring smiles," in a match like that, it means you’re definitely not the one sitting across from him.

At that moment, Z-ONE’s hologram appeared once more and said mildly, "Digest this experience well, Antinomy. You still have a chance to go further."

After a pause, Z-ONE sounded a bit weary. "In this way, you’ll probably be able to even more effectively propel Fudo Yusei’s evolution."

Antinomy nodded. "Yes."

Kira glanced at Antinomy. "So, your mission is to help Fudo Yusei evolve, isn’t it?"

In the original story, each of the four from the future had their own mission on this timeline. Z-ONE was the mastermind, manipulating everything from behind the scenes. Since Yusei was born, Z-ONE had planned every detail of his life: orchestrating the awakening of the Dark Signers, the battles among Signer Dragons, and forging Yusei’s progress through continuous fights. He’d even given Yusei the "Shooting Star Dragon" stone—something Yusei wasn’t originally supposed to get for many more years.

Then there were the "Three Pure Nobles of Iliaster"—three alter egos of Aporia, Z-ONE’s top officer. Their task was to challenge Team 5D’s openly, as adversaries.

Antinomy’s role, meanwhile, was to infiltrate the protagonists’ ranks as a companion, impart knowledge to Yusei, guide him toward the path of evolution, and play both comrade and mentor.

From background manipulator to teammate to opponent—the entirety of 5Ds’ progression for Yusei was meticulously arranged by Z-ONE, almost like a nanny tending to every need. Deep down, Z-ONE truly hoped Yusei would surpass his expectations and rewrite the future.

"Everyone knows Duel Monsters have star levels, but few realize Duelists themselves are also ranked," Z-ONE said in a calm tone.

"A Duelist starts as one-star, and legends are at eight stars. A so-called legendary duelist is a renowned powerhouse, a model for their era."

Kira recalled that in his own world, the Kaiba Corporation graded duelists with stars based on their match record, though the rankings were subjectively influenced by the corporation. Among experts, these were rarely mentioned.

But Z-ONE’s "stars" felt a bit different—more like his own evaluation system.

The title "legendary" immediately called to mind those who boasted of fighting the first Duel King, though their true worth may not match the title.

But Z-ONE’s "legendary" category did not necessarily include everyone commonly called "legend." It meant the true forefront geniuses of every era.

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