Chapter 1101 - 1074: Arcadia
"Ahhhhh——"
The black-haired boy was bound hand and foot to a metal bed, his whole body connected with cables. Dazzling electric snakes coiled around him, and a strong current continually electrocuted his frail body through the cables. On the side, the instruments displayed the boy’s rapidly declining vital signs.
But the red-haired man behind the console remained unmoved, coldly continuing to order, "Increase the voltage."
The two control personnel beside the console hesitated, unable to resist asking, "But... Lord Diwein, if we continue increasing the voltage to this extent, the test subject may die..."
"It doesn’t matter."
The man called Diwein sneered.
"Stimulation to this degree still only shows such insignificant potential, meaning this test subject is only capable of this much in the end.
Our Arcadia doesn’t need warriors useless to this extent. Dead is dead."
The two operators exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and turned to continue turning up the voltage on the console.
Soon, the screams stopped. The boy ceased struggling, his vital signs completely dropped to zero.
"Tch, unlucky, another waste."
Diwein waved his hand.
"Deal with him, like before, don’t leave any traces."
The subordinates on both sides immediately said, "Yes."
Then someone approached and whispered in his ear, "Diwein, Akiza wants to see you."
Diwein nodded, turned, and left.
This was a building at the center of the New Tongshiyi City district, a place where all duelists born with telekinesis like Akiza Izinski gathered.
Diwein was the initiator of this movement. He took in these duelists who were shunned and loathed because of their abilities, ostensibly gathering all these outcasts with similar pasts to give them a home, but in reality, it was to build an army.
Telekinesis Duelists can manifest the power of any card, born as extraordinary warriors. Gathering such a group of people, he could use them to turn into his invincible army.
To achieve his goals, the number of people he had killed was innumerable, and he didn’t mind using any despicable means. In fact, the tragic pasts of many telekinesis duelists he took in were inextricably linked to Diwein.
He secretly fanned the flames, causing these people to have loathed, marginalized lives, then appeared at the most opportune time in the guise of a protector, accepting them into his "family." Therefore, everyone in Arcadia was loyal to him as if he were the family head of the organization, and no one ever doubted that the tragedies in their lives had been orchestrated by him from the start.
In terms of methods, he resembled Dazi back in the day somewhat, but in terms of strength, insight, and ambition, he and Dazi were not on the same level.
The antagonists in "Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s" mostly stood against the protagonist for their own reasons and beliefs, so viewers often commented that Diwein, a minor early-stage boss with not much screen time, was, in contrast, the only true villain throughout the series, a pure evildoer.
Diwein walked through the corridor, nearing the elevator area, and coincidentally bumped into Akiza Izinski, who had just returned from outside.
"Qiu."
Diwein smiled and approached her.
"How was it going out this time?"
Upon seeing Diwein, Akiza’s always tense face finally relaxed a bit. Since running away from home, she had been extremely disappointed in her parents who feared her, and Dewein, who appeared at just the right time, to some extent replaced the parental figure in her heart, being a reliable elder who truly protected her from the storm.
"The same as always." Akiza said somewhat irritably, pressing the mark on her arm.
Subsequently, a scene from when she appeared in the Fallen Area under the overpass played back in her mind. She suddenly frowned, wanting to speak but hesitated.
"What’s wrong?" Diwein asked.
"Nothing, just... maybe it’s my imagination," Akiza said. "But today, there was a moment where I felt like something was watching me... a gaze that felt very dangerous.
I have never had such a sense of crisis before..."
Diwein frowned.
The intuition of Telekinesis Duelists surpasses that of ordinary people, something he knew because he specialized in studying them. Often, what seemed like an unfounded sixth sense was actually a genuine warning of danger.
And Akiza, being the strongest Telekinesis Duelist he had seen since establishing the Arcadia Movement, couldn’t ignore the danger she sensed.
Had some dangerous individual set their sights on his Arcadia Movement?
"Did you see anyone?" Diwein asked.
Akiza shook her head. "No, that’s why I said it may be an illusion... but it doesn’t matter."
She said, revealing a smile.
"As long as everyone in Arcadia is here, there is nothing to fear."
Diwein laughed heartily, "Well said, Akiza. We are family; there is nothing we cannot face together."
Akiza said, "By the way, what happened to the child who joined us two days ago?"
"Oh, him." Diwein shrugged, "Unfortunately, he didn’t agree with us and didn’t want to join us, so I let him go."
In fact, the boy was already gone. But he would never say such things in front of Akiza.
"I see."
Akiza showed a look of regret.
"That’s a shame. He seemed like a nice child."
Diwein patted her shoulder, "Don’t overexert yourself, Akiza. Go back to your room and rest well; there will be a lot to do in the future."
Akiza nodded in agreement, turning to leave.
Watching her silhouette vanish, the smile on Diwein’s face gradually disappeared. He turned to the subordinate beside him and said, "Where’s the next test subject?"
The person immediately bowed and said, "Ready and waiting for you to start the experiment anytime."
"Let’s go then."
Diwein walked ahead, his expression solemn.
The situation was changing, he could feel it. A few days ago, there had been an appearance of the image of the Red Dragon in the city center, along with a powerful physical impact. As far as the information he had gathered, that force was not weaker than top-level Telekinesis Duelists, yet it was not caused by a Telekinesis Duelist.
This likely signaled the arrival of a new extraordinary era, where Telekinesis Duelists would no longer be the only special ones. This made him restless and more determined to accelerate the militarization of the Telekinesis Duelists.
Just as he thought about this, a sudden click was heard, echoing through the closed hallway.
What followed was darkness, complete and boundless darkness, engulfing the entire corridor.
Diwein paused, "What’s happening?"
He instinctively turned to his subordinate in the darkness, but when he turned back, he realized something chilling.
The subordinate who had been beside him all along, in just the brief moment the lights disappeared,
Had vanished into thin air.