"Big brother!"
Seto Kaiba walked out of the building and saw Mokuba hurrying up to him.
"Is it over? Did everything go smoothly?" Mokuba asked anxiously.
"Hmph..." Kaiba raised his head and crossed his arms. "Naturally."
"That's great."
Mokuba let out a long sigh of relief.
"So at last, our grudge with that guy is finally settled, huh?"
"Yeah." Kaiba nodded.
As he spoke, he turned and took one last look at the company building behind him, with the huge sign "ABIAK" hanging overhead—a perfect mirror image of "KAIBA" spelled backward, a shadowy reflection attacking from his past.
But nothing could stop him. Not the future, and certainly not the past.
Now, it was all over.
"See? I told you Kira would be a big help." Mokuba grinned.
"Hmph, I suppose he was of some use." Kaiba snorted.
"But before we go back, I'd like to stay here for a couple more days," Mokuba said. "It's not every day we come here, so we should at least bring back some local specialties or something."
Kaiba smiled. "Whatever you want."
"..."
With things resolved, within a month, the company called ABIAK was erased from the world by the power of KaibaCorp, along with every trace of its mastermind.
All the clandestinely created AIs were destroyed as well, without exception. Seto Kaiba personally ensured even the last traces of their existence were wiped out, leaving nothing behind.
A month later, the New Doma Organization was destroyed. Kaiba led a team to overrun Doma's headquarters, sealing away the Orichalcos' evil serpent once more.
He did what he'd failed to do in the past—what Atem had accomplished.
The Duelist Kingdom tournament was held successfully. Seto Kaiba, who had not competed publicly in years, finally returned to the scene and blazed his way through the new tournament, winning the title of Duel King that had been vacant for years, becoming the new generation's King of Games.
The following year, KaibaCorp's research made huge breakthroughs. The development of cutting-edge technology proved that the future of aerospace also lay in the power of Duel Monsters cards.
With the power of the cards, KaibaCorp led the world into the age of the stars. Space stations, new spacecraft, and even a new Duel City were built on Mars...
And Seto Kaiba, who accomplished all this, was naturally hailed as the greatest person in human history. His achievements even surpassed all previous greats—he was a living legend, recognized by the entire world.
KaibaCorp's influence kept growing. At this point, no country, group, or even all humanity could function without Kaiba technology. As they ushered in a new era, the company became like water and electricity to the world—no, more than that, it became the very air everyone breathed.
Without KaibaCorp, any organization would instantly collapse. Seto Kaiba stood at the very pinnacle of the world.
Yet, after achieving all this, Kaiba found himself sitting alone in an empty space station, looking out the window at everything he had accomplished.
This isn't right.
He stood up from his seat and walked toward the endless stars.
Everything here—everything he possessed, the heights he'd reached—none of it was real.
"I don't know what kind of stupid trick this is, but it ends here!"
Kaiba shouted coldly.
In that instant, it was as if white light exploded from him, scattering the darkness of space. The space station, the interstellar city of the Kaiba Empire—an entire world shattered like an illusion.
After the world spun and turned, Seto Kaiba found himself, like Kira, in a long, dark corridor—lost in chaos, headed for the unknown.
Kaiba frowned but stepped forward.
On both sides, twisted images appeared in the mirror-like darkness.
There he was as a child, small at a big desk, facing mountains of books and homework. His adoptive father, Gozaburo Kaiba, stood beside him, arms crossed.
"Remember this, Seto—your future isn't given by others. You have to carve it out with your own hands," Gozaburo said sternly. "You won this chance with your own hands, but whether you reach the end is up to you."
Kaiba looked straight ahead, walking coldly past the flickering scene.
Soon, new images appeared.
"Starting today, you'll be learning KaibaCorp's business affairs," Gozaburo said, reclining in his chair, back to the blazing sun. He squinted at the now-teenage Seto Kaiba before him.
"Prove you're a Kaiba. Don't disappoint me."
"Yes, Father." Young Seto replied solemnly. "I'll never let you down."
"..."
Kaiba kept walking past, never glancing at the scenes. The images twisted and sped past, soon vanishing.
As expected, many more fragments appeared—Seto Kaiba at various ages and times, always with Gozaburo.
But he never looked at them.
Finally, the last scene appeared: the last time the two met as father and son.
Young Seto Kaiba showed his fangs for the first time, a victor's cold smile. The entire board of directors stood behind the boy, and before he knew it, Gozaburo was left alone at the other end of the table.
He had grossly underestimated the boy.
He'd thought he was using Seto as a pawn, never realizing he was facing a fellow dangerous player.
He never imagined that a sixteen-year-old could win over the entire board right under his nose, strip him of his power, and take the company from him.
After that, Gozaburo died soon after.
Without a doubt, Gozaburo died filled with hatred for his former son, and with bitter regret for not seeing any of it coming.
To the end, he believed Seto Kaiba had driven him to death—Seto was, in effect, his killer.
Only at this last scene did Kaiba pause, cross his arms, and sneer.
Just like the young Seto in the image—a victor's scorn for the defeated.
"So, showing me all this, you want my thoughts?" Kaiba said coldly. "Fine, I'll be honest. All I see is a stray dog, howling helplessly after losing everything."
He turned away, shouting:
"Enough of these stupid tricks! Come out and face me, Gozaburo!"