Hearing Gozaburo's words, Kaiba was stunned for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.
"What kind of lame joke is this, Gozaburo?"
Gozaburo wasn't angry. "Of course, I expected you to respond like this, Seto. But that's only because you're still trapped by your flesh, unable to see things from a higher perspective.
But don't worry, I'll help you understand."
He stretched out his hand, a stream of data forming into a Duel Disk.
"Well, this is interesting." Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "Challenging me to a duel?"
"When you were a child, you beat me at chess—the field I prided myself on most—and won your way into the Kaiba family," Gozaburo said.
"Now, I challenge you in your own specialty. What do you say, Seto? Do you accept?"
"Heh, funny. That other 'you' said something similar before dying."
Kaiba chuckled.
"I told you, I'm not like those old, defective models," Gozaburo said calmly. "Our intelligence, dueling, and calculation abilities are beyond your imagination now."
He paused, then smiled.
"Fujiki Kira, I noticed you're very interested in that young man. You see great potential in him, don't you?"
"So that's why you targeted him?" Kaiba asked. "Just because I was interested?"
"That's part of it," Gozaburo said. "And right now, he's in our domain. The best AI I've created should have found him by now.
Let me show you—the evolved power of our new-generation intelligence."
Gozaburo waved, and scenes appeared in the air.
It was Kira and Delta's duel, like a live broadcast.
Kira: "'Raiza the Storm Monarch', bounce 'Darkstorm Dragon' to the top of your opponent's deck!"
"..."
Kira: "Trap Card 'Spiritual Wind Art—Miyabi', send 'Darkstorm Dragon' to the bottom of your opponent's deck!"
"..."
Kira: "Trap Card 'Phoenix Wing Wind Blast', bounce 'Darkstorm Dragon' to the top of the deck again!"
"..."
Kira: "Trap Card 'Dark Advance', summon 'Raiza the Storm Monarch' again and bounce 'Five-Headed Dragon' to the Extra Deck!"
Delta: "Urghhh!!!"
The AI was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
But the torment wasn't over.
"Conscription," Kira said, "Special Summon your 'Darkstorm Dragon' from the top of your deck to my field."
Delta had lost all hope.
Gozaburo silently cut the broadcast.
Hmm. Maybe I open the wrong channel.
Kaiba, on the other hand, was quite satisfied with Kira's performance. He couldn't help but smirk. Even though the broadcast ended, the duel's outcome was obvious. Turning to Gozaburo, he sneered as if to say:
Is that it? This is your so-called best new-gen AI?
"Hmph, what a devious brat," Gozaburo muttered.
"As you can see, Gozaburo, you know nothing about real duelists. But since you're so eager to lose again, I'll be happy to oblige."
Kaiba unfolded his Duel Disk as well.
"No matter when or who—if it's a duel challenge, I'll always accept. Bring it on!"
"Very well. The wager for this duel is you, Seto. If I lose, the program holding my soul will be erased.
But if you lose, your consciousness will be digitized, and you'll remain as my right hand forever."
Kaiba smiled confidently. "Hmph, if you can win, do whatever you want."
"Duel!" x2
[Seto Kaiba, LP 4000]
[Gozaburo Kaiba, LP 4000]
Gozaburo: "I'll go first. Draw."
Kaiba calmly watched his opponent.
What will he do this time?
Last time, in the virtual world, Gozaburo used the Exodia the Forbidden One. After all, that was the most crushing defeat Seto had ever suffered—his first loss in a duel was to Yugi's Exodia.
What now?
"I Normal Summon 'Skilled White Magician'," Gozaburo announced.
[Skilled White Magician, ATK 1700]
"As long as Skilled White Magician is face-up, it gains a Spell Counter whenever a Spell Card is activated."
Gozaburo played another card.
"First, I activate the Spell Card 'Graceful Charity': Draw three cards, then discard two from my hand.
At this moment, Skilled White Magician gains a Spell Counter."
A light lit up on the white-robed mage.
"Next, I activate 'Spell Power Grasp'—it adds a Spell Counter to a card on my field that can have them.
Since I activated a Spell Card, Skilled White Magician gets another counter. Then, due to 'Spell Power Grasp', it gets one more.
So, Skilled White Magician now has three Spell Counters."
Three lights lit up on the mage.
"Now, I can add another 'Spell Power Grasp' from my deck to my hand."
Gozaburo drew a new Spell Card from his deck.
"Then, I tribute Skilled White Magician with three counters!
When tributed with three counters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand, deck, or graveyard—"
Gozaburo raised his hand high and shouted:
"The legendary dragon-slaying swordsman—
—Buster Blader, Summon!"
[Buster Blader, ATK 2600]
"Buster Blader, huh." Kaiba scoffed.
He was no stranger to it.
After all, it was Yugi's ace, the one that defeated his Blue-Eyes in the legendary duel.
"That's right, Seto. The most suitable opponent for you right now," Gozaburo said.
Kaiba sneered: "Is that so? If it were his Buster Blader, maybe I'd be wary. But can a third-rate duelist like you handle it?"
Gozaburo ignored him, "I set three cards and end my turn."
"My turn—draw!"
Kaiba drew his card.
"First, I activate 'The Melody of Awakening Dragon'! Discard a card to add up to two monsters with 3000 or more ATK and 2500 or less DEF from my deck to my hand!"
He discarded a card, and then added two cards from his deck.
"Then, I reveal 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' in my hand to Special Summon 'Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon'!"
[Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon, ATK 3000]
"Buster Blader's effect: its ATK increases by 500 for each Dragon-Type monster on your opponent's field and in their graveyard," Gozaburo said. "You summoned a Dragon, so its ATK increases by 500."
[Buster Blader, ATK 2600 → 3100]
"No matter." Kaiba sneered. "Alternative White Dragon's effect: once per turn, I can destroy an opponent's monster at the cost of giving up my attack.
Even a dragon-slaying sword is useless in a third-rate swordsman's hand."
Kaiba swept his hand.
"Buster Blader, get off the field!"
"Then I activate my set card, Trap Card 'Skill Prisoner'," Gozaburo said. "Select a monster on your field—this turn, its effects are negated.
I use 'Skill Prisoner' to protect Buster Blader. So, your Alternative White Dragon's effect is negated."
An invisible shield formed around Buster Blader. The Alternative's blast crashed into the barrier and fizzled out.
"Looks like it won't be so easy, Seto," Gozaburo said.
"Your attack's blocked, and Buster Blader's ATK is now higher than Blue-Eyes. Summoning more dragons will just make it stronger. So what will you do now?"
PS: Bonus chapter at 300 PS.