Chapter 441: Young Chazz Princeton's Troubles
Although under the rules of the Shadow Game, the tragic sight of (Vampire Lady) being crushed was quite gruesome, in reality, very few people witnessed this scene.
It's not that the many spectators in the Kaiba Dome Venue were blind; rather, it's because most people don't actually possess the ability to see Duel Monster Spirits, and even powerful Duelists of Joey's and Mai Valentine's caliber were no exception.
In the perception of most spectators, the female Duelist named Tilla Mook was just a bit peculiar in her tastes regarding Duel Monsters, liking to call her Monsters 'Master'; at most, she was a bit wild after Summoning her Ace Monster, but everything else was normal.
As for Dan Kuroto, who, in the qualifiers, was second only to the Legendary Duelist Seto Kaiba, he once again achieved victory in the Duel. Although the decisive Strategy he used at the end was somewhat disgusting, it was almost as if he had 'foul play' written on the Card itself.
Nevertheless, victory is justice, and they still offered applause and cheers for Dan Kuroto's advancement.
As for (Vampire Lady), in their eyes, she was just an ordinary Duel Monster and had already vanished when the Duel ended.
However, it wasn't that no one saw (Vampire Lady) begging Hayato for mercy; besides Alister and Yugi, Jaden Yuki, sitting in his own seat, also witnessed that scene.
"So he decisively rejected evil's temptation? As expected, this is what a true (Elemental HERO) is like! So cool!"
Although it was strange that, besides Hayato and himself, others also possessed the Elemental HERO Deck that Hayato said wouldn't be released until next month, perhaps because of the mutual appreciation among fellow (Elemental HERO) users, Jaden had a high initial favorable impression of Hayato's disguised identity, 'Dan Kuroto'.
Coupled with Dan Kuroto's extraordinary synergy with his (Elemental HERO) monsters and his resolute resistance to evil temptations, something only seen in the Anime, Jaden thought Dan Kuroto was incredibly cool.
However, while Jaden approved of Dan Kuroto, Chazz Princeton, who happened to be sitting right next to Jaden, was unimpressed by the showboating Dan Kuroto: "What kind of cheap tactic is that foul play Strategy? If it were me Dueling, he absolutely wouldn't have stood a chance."
Although it had been repeatedly confirmed that the seating in the Kaiba Dome Venue was completely randomized, Chazz Princeton's heart simply couldn't accept the fact that Jaden was always seated next to him for three consecutive days. He felt that this definitely had something to do with Jaden's parents, who worked in Industrial Illusions' Card design department; it had to be a rigged Game.
Even if Jaden told him that even if his parents had enough influence, they couldn't interfere with KaibaCorp from Industrial Illusions, and that if there were any rigging, it was more likely done by KaibaCorp's President Seto Kaiba himself, Chazz Princeton still scoffed.
Are you kidding? Seto Kaiba is a Legendary Duelist who has Dueled the Duel King Hayato in Battle City! How could he possibly rig something?
Is it possible that the great Seto Kaiba would deliberately interfere with the Duel order to guide specific individuals to face each other? Impossible, alright? Nobody understands Seto Kaiba better than me.
Glancing at Jaden Yuki, who was recalling Dan Kuroto's recent Strategy and trying to learn something from it, Chazz Princeton stood up, hands on his hips, and said proudly, "Hmph, an Eliminated Duelist like you only has such limited insight. After all, you're just that kind of guy."
"Unlike me, I'm going to charge forward, becoming the most dazzling new star of this KC Cup, and then claim the Champion title!"
Just by looking at Chazz Princeton's arrogant demeanor, it was as if he had already defeated powerhouses like Yugi, Seto Kaiba, and Joey Wheeler, and, under the spotlight, had become the KC Cup Champion, ready to Duel Hayato.
"My, aren't you confident, Lightning-chan~" Although Chazz Princeton looked down on Jaden, Jaden just chuckled happily, not taking Chazz Princeton's words to heart. "You just gotta keep that Aura up! Go Duel, even if you've never beaten me."
"It's Mr. Chazz Princeton! And don't get so cocky! I'm different from you; you've already been eliminated, but I haven't lost yet!"
"But you really haven't beaten me, have you?"
"I'm the esteemed young master of the Princeton Group, an elite!"
"But you haven't won against me."
Chazz Princeton was getting frantic: "You! Don't bring that up again!"
"And also, I'm the runner-up of the Domino City Elementary and Middle School Duel Monster Tournament, which gathered countless powerhouses!"
"Ah, I remember that too, but I was the Champion, right?"
"Yakamashi!"
Just as Jaden and Chazz Princeton were teasing and fuming, respectively, a cloaked figure walked down the aisle beside them.
Looking at the two playful teenagers, or perhaps, more accurately, simply staring at the carefree, chuckling Jaden Yuki, the white-haired, rabbit-eared man, whose face was obscured by the shadow of his hood, revealed an eerie smile and seemed to unintentionally move his body slightly closer to theirs.
Sensing a Dark Power that was sealed by the Power of the Millennium Ring, which he was quite familiar with, the man's Hand emerged from his sleeve, and he subtly hid a Card in his palm, swinging it seemingly unintentionally with his steps as he walked, as if by accident, bumping into the Duel Disk worn by the standing Chazz Princeton.
"Ah, my apologies, I bumped into you by accident."
His Duel Disk was lightly bumped, and Chazz Princeton turned his head to see the cloaked stranger, who had accidentally touched his Duel Disk, apologizing.
The face revealed beneath the hood was quite handsome, and the white-haired man, who seemed to be around Hayato's age, had an apologetic expression: "I'm truly sorry, I was distracted just now and didn't notice you. Is everything alright?"
Although he always put on an arrogant front in front of familiar people, Chazz Princeton was actually quite polite to strangers. The other party had politely apologized directly, his attitude was sincere, and he looked quite handsome, so Chazz Princeton replied, "Ah, it's nothing. I was standing too far out anyway."
He looked down at his Duel Disk. Since the impact was quite light, Chazz Princeton's reliable Duel Disk showed no damage, not even a scratch of paint. So Chazz Princeton didn't think much of it.
However, he failed to notice that, in the Deck he had placed directly on his Duel Disk to save trouble, an extra Card seemed to have appeared by accident.
Please, give me recommendation tickets!
(end of chapter)
Chapter 442: Tragoedia
Chumley, who had left the Duel Field, was unaware of what was happening with Jaden and Chazz Princeton. At this moment, he stared gravely at the card in his hand.
Due to the KC Cup format, Chumley hadn't experienced the thrill of seizing an opponent's entire deck after a duel victory in a long time. Today, taking advantage of Tilla Mook's unconsciousness after losing a Shadow Game, he seized the opportunity to take her deck.
Tilla Mook, who should have lost her life to her Card Spirit "`Vampire Sucker`", was now merely unconscious due to excessive mental damage. Chumley, having saved her life, also successfully made off with her deck. This was what you might call a "win-win situation."
However, upon acquiring Tilla Mook's deck, Chumley discovered something quite strange: a faint, eerie aura was attached to every card in Tilla Mook's deck. To Chumley, it felt exactly like the already vanished "`Vampire Sucker`".
At first, Chumley had guessed that this aura might have been left behind by "`Vampire Sucker`" upon its demise. But when he found that even using the power of the Millennium Ring to purify this power felt somewhat ineffective, Chumley became certain that the source of this power was absolutely not simple, and at the very least, it wasn't a monster of "`Vampire Sucker`"'s caliber.
This conjecture was strongly substantiated when Chumley found the card in Tilla Mook's deck with the most concentrated mysterious power.
Looking at the "`The Great Saturn`" in his hand, seeing Gekko's "`Splendid Venus`" for the first time might have been a coincidence, but this was already the second card. Chumley's previous suspicions seemed to be gradually becoming reality.
Whether it was Tilla Mook's "`The Great Saturn`" which she hadn't used in her duel, or the "`Splendid Venus`" that Chumley had defeated before, even though their attributes, types, card names, or effects had no apparent relation to each other, they all belonged to the Planet archetype, named after celestial bodies in the solar system, including the Sun and Pluto.
Individually, each monster in the Planet archetype wasn't particularly important. What mattered was that, when combined, they sealed an evil monster — "`Tragoedia`" — that was born in Ancient Egypt.
Legend had it that this monster possessed the ability to manipulate hearts. Even after being sealed for thousands of years, it hadn't faded, but instead had patiently waited for an opportunity to escape throughout the long ages. Leaving everything else aside, this sheer perseverance alone was stronger than Kars, who casually gave up thinking.
"Wait, manipulating hearts?"
Chumley's fingers, which were clutching "`The Great Saturn`", stopped moving, and he began to recall all the information he had gathered during this period.
The statements from Yako, Pegasus and Gekko, the photos Kaiba had collected, and now the Planet archetype that seals "`Tragoedia`"—then there could only be one answer.
Although he didn't know how it was done, Chumley had ample reason to suspect that "`Tragoedia`", after altering the memory of most people related to Yako, had also largely deleted Yako's information from the internet.
Chumley now even suspected that "`Tragoedia`" was currently possessing Yako. While he didn't have absolute certainty, the probability was quite high.
"No, let me think about this calmly. If "`Tragoedia`" had already escaped its seal, things would have escalated long ago. How could it be as simple as Yako's existence disappearing from countless people's memory?"
"But, precisely, the Planet archetype, which serves as the key to the seal, also shows no trend of being collected by anyone. This looks less like it's preparing to break the seal and more like it has already broken the seal, thus losing the need for the Planet archetype."
"Why is that?"
Just as Chumley was deep in thought, "`Rainbow Kuriboh`" popped out of his card box and perched on Chumley's shoulder.
"Kuriboh~"
"Hmm?" Turning his head, Chumley's eyes met "`Rainbow Kuriboh`"'s. He noticed "`Rainbow Kuriboh`" looking at him eagerly, pointing a paw at Tilla Mook's deck which Chumley was holding in his other hand.
"Are you, perhaps, interested in this, Aibo?"
As he spoke, Chumley raised his hand. But to his surprise, "`Rainbow Kuriboh`", which had initially been full of interest in Tilla Mook's deck, seemed to confirm something after getting closer. Like a creature that had smelled durian that had been left in the sun for three days and then repeatedly run over by cars, it fled back as fast as it could.
"Kuriboh! Kuririri!"
Chumley, possessing the basic skill of a card player—the Kuriboh Language—easily understood what "`Rainbow Kuriboh`" meant.
"You're saying this thing can accelerate the awakening of Card Spirits?"
"Kuriboh!" "`Rainbow Kuriboh`" first nodded affirmatively, then violently shook its head. "Kurikuri, Kuriboh!"
After a thorough explanation, Chumley learned with considerable surprise from "`Rainbow Kuriboh`" that the mysterious power in Tilla Mook's deck could not only accelerate the birth of Card Spirits, but also enable already awakened Card Spirits to grow, and fully awakened Card Spirits to gain even greater power.
However, powerful cards often came with risks, and miracles and spells were not free. According to "`Rainbow Kuriboh`", while this power accelerated growth, it would also subtly infiltrate the Card Spirits' bodies, gradually distorting their minds.
It was just like the growth hormones used to prematurely harvest pork; while it could speed up the process, it would degrade the quality of the harvested "pork"—the Card Spirits.
Thinking this way, it was highly possible that "`Vampire Sucker`" had also received this power. It might even have been a semi-awakened Card Spirit that, after being stimulated by these "hormones," successfully awakened but also had its mind distorted by this power, leading to the desire to control Tilla Mook.
Without this power, although "`Vampire Sucker`"'s awakening might have been delayed indefinitely, it certainly wouldn't have become as it was before.
With "`Rainbow Kuriboh`"'s explanation, Chumley finally unraveled his confusion. The scattered Planet archetype and the power that accelerated spirits' birth weren't due to a lack of desire to break the seal at all. Rather, this was one of the necessary conditions to break the seal, for example, "the Planet archetype serving as keys must awaken Card Spirits."
This couldn't help but remind Chumley of a joke he had once heard: selling pet pigs online with the promise that they would absolutely not grow larger than their childhood size, and if they did, a 100% refund at the original price would be offered.
That wasn't selling pigs; it was clearly getting others to raise pigs for free, with the only cost throughout being shipping, and even the pig farm itself was prepared by others.
Chumley looked at the footage from inside the Kaiba Dome venue being broadcast.
Even with the stimulation of 'hormones,' the birth of Card Spirits was inseparable from the fierce clashes between duelists' souls. And battles intense enough to give birth to Card Spirits were certainly not lacking in the Kaiba Dome, where the KC Cup was currently being held.
— The Professional Freeloader Kaiba —
"Hm? This feeling is..."
Frowning slightly, Pegasus felt a sense of oppression in the air and released his tight grip on the joystick.
Turning around, he found that at some point, a man with a white turban wrapped around his head and dressed in a pure white ceremonial robe had appeared in the game room, which should have been empty save for himself. One of the man's hands was slowly pulling something from his robe.
"You are, Shadi?!"
Pegasus, of course, recognized the man before him. Wasn't this Shadi, who had forcibly given him the Millennium Eye during his travels in Egypt all those years ago? Although many years had passed, those lifeless eyes of his remained etched deep in Pegasus's memory.
However, he had already lost his Millennium Eye. What did this guy want with him now?
The silent Shadi said nothing, merely taking out a golden scale from his robe—the Millennium Scale, one of the Millennium Items—and placing it on the nearest table. One end of the scale's two empty pans pointed towards Pegasus.
After a few wobbles, the scale gradually returned to a balanced state. As if confirming something with it, Shadi finally spoke: "Pegasus, you should have already died."
"Heh heh, indeed. I practically walked a lap around the gates of hell." One hand stroked the left side of his face. Through his drooping silver hair, Pegasus didn't push his hair aside to reveal the empty eye socket underneath; instead, he savored the pain of losing his Millennium Eye. "It was with me for so long. Suddenly losing the Millennium Eye, even now, I'm still not quite used to it."
Facing Shadi, whom he still couldn't quite fathom, Pegasus stopped using his usual eccentric manner of speech and spoke in earnest Japanese. However, it was strange to think that Shadi, an Egyptian, and Pegasus, an American, were communicating in Japanese.
Shadi, hearing this, shook his head. "No, I don't mean you almost died, but rather that you 'were supposed to die.'"
"Your destiny, 'possessing the Millennium Eye's power,' should have ended after the soul duel with the Nameless Pharaoh. But the existence of a certain will extended and rewrote your destiny out of thin air. Consequently, the originally ordered threads of destiny were completely disrupted, even unearthing other buried darkness."
"The ripples disturbing the peace have already spread. Now, even to recover the residual Millennium Eye power within you would be futile." Shadi paused. At some point, he had gripped a golden Ankh symbol in his other hand, one end of which was shaped like a key.
Pegasus couldn't help but feel a surge of nervousness. Even a faint golden pattern lit up on his forehead, revealing the symbol of the Eye of Udjat.
It wasn't that he was being overly suspicious; it was mainly because the man before him was far too mysterious. And no matter how many times they met, he always acted like a riddle-speaker, never speaking plainly. And most crucially—
Last time in Egypt, he had inadvertently stumbled upon Shadi's true identity. While listening to the guy's cryptic remarks, his attention had been diverted, and he was subsequently controlled by Shadi's subordinates and forcibly made to wear the Millennium Eye. It had hurt terribly!
Shadi, however, seemed to pay no mind to Pegasus's wariness, or perhaps he simply didn't regard Pegasus, who could only use the residual Millennium Eye power, as a threat. He aimed the Ankh symbol in his hand—the Millennium Key—at his own heart, forcefully plunging it in as if self-harming, then twisting it as if unlocking something.
As if a switch had been flipped, a light glowed from Shadi's chest. His other hand reached inside, grabbed something, and threw it out. A ball of light was tossed towards Pegasus.
Under Pegasus's gaze, the light emanating from the slowly floating orb in mid-air gradually dimmed, revealing the orb's true form—a blank Duel Monster card.
The card stopped before Pegasus. Watching Pegasus, who dared not touch the card, Shadi put away the Millennium Key and the Millennium Scale. With a voice that could barely conceal its weakness, he explained: "This power is a necessity to pull chaotic destinies back to their original order."
"To use this power, one must possess the 'Prana' that has broken free from dimensional restraints and transcended destiny, as well as the Pharaoh's power that has been acknowledged by destiny." Under Pegasus's gaze, Shadi's figure flickered, as if a projector's battery was losing connection, and even visibly dimmed. "You can find someone who can use it, Pegasus."
Although Shadi looked as if he was on the verge of death, delivering his last words, Pegasus still didn't relax. He said cautiously: "Then why don't you personally hand it over to the one capable of using it?"
"And what exactly are Pharaoh and 'Prana'?"
Pegasus considered himself quite up-to-date, despite his preference for children's comics and cartoons, yet he simply couldn't comprehend the terms Shadi was using.
Could they be some kind of code from a niche community, or meaningless acronyms? Like AAAAA, which stands for "Association Against Absurd Acronyms."
"The power I possess, derived from the Pharaoh, is merely an external object relying on a Millennium Item. The power of 'Prana' is also incomplete. Holding this power until now has reached my limit, and from this point, I can no longer focus my gaze on the Nameless Pharaoh."
Shadi murmured to himself, his figure already so dim that Pegasus could see the clock on the wall behind him through his body.
"The key to this power is to fuse and then transcend the limit, integrating everything. Only then can it exert the power to correct destiny."
Having completed his final cryptic remarks, Shadi seemed to have said something, yet also nothing at all, before disappearing from before Pegasus.
"Did he answer my questions?" Pegasus frowned, recalling, and confirmed that Shadi had indeed said nothing. "This feeling... it's exactly what Chumley boy calls a 'riddle-speaker,' isn't it? It's really tiring talking to people like that."
Although he still suspected Shadi might be up to something, after several moments of hesitation, Pegasus finally grasped the Duel Monster card floating before him. From Pegasus's perspective, there was nothing on the card; at most, he could only tell from the card's base color that it was a Fusion Monster card.
"Fuse, then transcend the limit?" Pegasus recalled Shadi's words, then suddenly remembered something. "That sounds interesting! I think I've got an idea!"
"When it comes to the limit of Fusion Monsters, it must be that monster!"
Pegasus's gaze fell upon the clock on the wall. It was one of the few decorations within this American-limited edition Kaiba Land that still retained "`Blue-Eyes White Dragon`" elements.
(Author's note: It's been a bit much these past two days, all transitional, but things are finally starting to unfold.)
(Author's note: My throat has also been a bit inflamed these past two days, which is why I haven't even been able to grind games much, feeling a bit sluggish every day.)
(Author's note: ...)
(Author's note: ...)
(end of chapter)
Chapter 443: God?
"Schroeder, and the unheard-of Doma."
"Hmph, let them come. If they want to crush KaibaCorp, they'll have to go through me first."
Recalling the information Chumley had "eavesdropped," Kaiba leaned back in his chair, gazing at the computer screen, and picked up his Deck.
Due to the agreement between Bakura and Chumley, Chumley couldn't share the information he collected with Kaiba. However, Kaiba himself possessed powerful information-gathering abilities, and he alone successfully compiled a significant amount of data displayed on his computer screen.
Schroeder Group's New President
Paradox Company Board Reshuffle
Kaiba and Schroeder? The Future of Solid Vision
...
On the other side of these reports, Kaiba had recovered a backend program from the Duel robots at Kaiba Land. He had largely completed reverse-engineering it and successfully pinpointed the vulnerability through which the Duel robots were initially infiltrated and controlled.
As Kaiba rose from his seat and left the office, his computer screen went dark.
Although Kaiba still didn't know when or how the Schroeder Group planned to act against KaibaCorp, and whether the Paradox Group was connected to Doma was merely Kaiba's suspicion, Kaiba's consistent philosophy was "respond to all changes with no change."
No matter what schemes or tricks you plan to use, I will openly and honorably crush you. This was Kaiba's arrogance.
It was already the fourth day of the KC Cup, and the tournament had progressed to the third round. Sixteen Duelists remained, and by the end of today's Duels, the final Top 8 Duelists would be determined. Tomorrow would be the day to decide the strongest from the group stage.
After that, the Top 4 showdowns would commence.
According to the original arrangement, Kaiba intended for Pegasus, who freeloaded at Kaiba Land all day, to serve as a Judge for the KC Cup Finals. However, after the KC Cup ended yesterday, Pegasus hastily sought out Kaiba, requested the card data for (Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon), and then left, claiming he had an idea for a new card.
Kaiba was initially reluctant, as (Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon) was his Ace Monster. But Pegasus had a "I'll give you a surprise in three days" look, and Kaiba didn't ask him to elaborate on what kind of surprise it would be, simply duplicating the data for him.
He hadn't taken the actual card anyway, so giving the data was fine. However, Kaiba didn't believe Pegasus could come up with anything new. If he were to research, (Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon) would be a more suitable subject.
Following his usual custom, Kaiba once again scheduled Joey, that Mediocre Duelist, to go first today, intending for him to be the first Duelist up every day until he was eliminated. Although he constantly looked down on Joey, Kaiba believed that Joey could definitely make it to the Top 4.
For today's Duel, Kaiba had arranged Joey's opponent to be "Rex," who had registered with "Raphael." The final result was indeed Joey's victory. Although his Life Points dropped to 50 LP, a number almost equivalent to 0, his usual style of "not serious until low on Life Points" shone through, ending with (Time Wizard) flipping Heads and (Graceful Dice) rolling a six.
What annoyed Kaiba even more was that the other two Duelists in Joey's group used (Ring of Destruction) to achieve Mutual Destruction during their Duel, meaning Joey was the only one left in his group and would automatically advance to the Top 4 without having to do anything else.
There was nothing more "lucky" than this.
Except for Yugi's Duel.
Yugi's opponent today was that guy named "Raphael." Kaiba wanted to see how Yugi would deal with "Raphael," whom he couldn't defeat himself.
Everything started normally, but halfway through the Duel, after Yugi used a (Mirror Force) to counter-destroy "Raphael's" Monsters, the guy actually surrendered, giving Yugi a "quick victory."
Kaiba watched as the two Duelists' battle nearly reached its climax, even feeling a surge of excitement himself, only for Raphael to surrender just like that?
Kaiba was in an extremely bad mood now, even furious.
And with his Duel Addiction provoked, the best way for him to vent was to immediately step onto the Field and play a game.
However, even if Kaiba wanted to tamper with the Duel groupings, he needed to prepare a day in advance. Kaiba had scheduled himself to go last. The Duel about to begin was for Chumley, whose opponent was a kid named "Leon Wilson."
At this moment, the most Kaiba could do was go to the venue and watch what new tricks Chumley would pull, so he could at least guard against them in the future.
————Meanwhile, in the Duelist Prep Room————
"Professor Banner, Amnael."
Chumley looked at the man standing before him, his body covered by a cloak, coughing intermittently, and thought to himself, Is everyone wearing cloaks these days? He then introduced himself, "My name is Dan Kuroto, 33 years old, living in the villa district of Domino City, Japan. Unmarried. Ah, I seem to have mixed up my lines."
"But this is the Duelist Prep Room, isn't it? How did you get in?"
"As the winner of the previous Duel, plus a little trickery, that's all." The cloaked man, whose face was obscured, extended a slightly withered finger from beneath it, covering his mouth and nose as he coughed. "Also, I am Amnael."
"Alright, Professor Banner."
Although the other party looked like he was on the verge of death, as if he might cough up blood any second, Chumley, already aware of his identity, completely ignored the True Name the man offered, instead casually referring to him by the nickname he was more familiar with.
"My name is, cough, cough, cough. Never mind, just call me Professor Banner, that name sounds pretty good." Although he didn't know why Chumley used that name for him, Professor Banner was easygoing and readily accepted the address. "Mr. Dan Kuroto, I'd like to confirm, you should also be an Alchemist, shouldn't you?"
"Alchemy? No, I'm not an Alchemist." Under Professor Banner's expectant gaze, Chumley shook his head, shrugging to indicate he knew nothing about Alchemy.
However, Chumley did remember that he possessed something that Alchemists considered the ultimate pursuit. He reached into the card box at his waist and pulled out that card.
Looking at the perfect sphere on the card in Chumley's hand, Professor Banner became visibly excited: "Indeed, it is possible! Alchemy is not without a future!"
"This is wonderful, to see its existence, I blech—!"
"Hey, don't just suddenly spit blood!"
————Three minutes later————
Leon Wilson, who had been waiting for a long time on the Duel Stage, finally saw Dan Kuroto appear before him.
Because he had arrived at the Duel Field early, he naturally noticed that a large group of medical personnel on standby had just entered the opponent's Duelist Prep Room, proving they had a purpose on the field as well.
When the commotion occurred, Leon was somewhat worried that something might have happened to his opponent for this Match, but seeing Dan Kuroto walk up with a swagger, like a fool, he relaxed.
While his Duel Addiction wasn't as severe as Kaiba's, Leon would still be very disappointed if a Duel he had prepared for so long ended abruptly.
"Leon Wilson, right?" Raising his Duel Disk and inserting his Deck, Chumley put Professor Banner's last words before being carried away into his mind for the time being, flashing a healthy smile at Leon across the field. "Thanks for waiting, kid!"
"Ah, it's actually fine, I didn't wait too long."
The timid Leon Wilson also raised his Duel Disk. "Yes, I am Leon Wilson."
As he spoke, Leon, who was using a pseudonym, sounded a little less confident. Although it wasn't his first time competing under a false name, using a pseudonym was one thing; calling himself by that false name was another.
Chumley didn't pay attention to Leon's expression, instead glancing meaningfully at his Deck.
The Judge confirmed that both Duelists were ready and announced the start of the Match.
"Duel!"
"Duel."
[Leon: 4000 LP]
[Dan Kuroto: 4000 LP]
Compared to Chumley, Leon's voice was a bit softer, but his Draw motion was not slow at all: "I'll take the first turn, Draw!"
"I Summon (Iron Knight) in Attack Position to my field, then Set three cards to my Back Row. I End Turn."
After Summoning a Monster in Attack Position to the field, Leon ended his Turn.
Although also named (Iron Knight), the Monster that appeared on Leon's field was not Joey's (Gearfried the Iron Knight), but another Monster: a powerful, impressive knight riding a tall steed, holding a long spear.
(Iron Knight) [Level 4 / Earth Attribute]
[Warrior-Type / Effect]
[1700 / 700]
Seeing Chumley staring intently at the (Iron Knight) on his field, Leon couldn't help but say somewhat proudly, "My (Iron Knight) is modeled after the Prince from the fairy tale Iron Hans. Among Level 4 Monsters, it boasts some of the best Attack Power, and has helped me defeat many enemies."
"Is that so? 1700 Attack Points are indeed quite good, but to say 'some of the best' is far from the truth. At least I have many ways to easily deal with him." Chumley indifferently drew a card from his hand. "But before that, My Turn, Draw!"
"I activate the Spell Card (Change of Heart)! Until the End Phase, I gain control of your (Iron Knight)! Then, I activate the Spell Card (Level Burst)! By paying 500 Life Points, I can decrease the Level of one card in my hand by one. I will now pay 2000 Life Points to reduce the Level of (Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca) in my hand by 4!"
Chumley's Life Points were instantly halved, and four stars appeared above his field. The (Iron Knight) that had stood on Leon Wilson's field was also struck by the power of the Spell Card (Change of Heart), moving to Chumley's side of the field.
Seeing this, Leon couldn't help but feel troubled.
His (Iron Knight)'s Attack Power wasn't very high, but the important thing was that if (Iron Knight) was destroyed by battle or sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, he could directly Add a (Iron Hans) from his Deck to his hand. Its primary purpose was resource cycling, not direct battle.
However, to mislead Dan Kuroto, Leon deliberately acted as if he was very reliant on (Iron Knight), secretly Setting (Divine Wrath), (Sakuretsu Armor), and (Dimensional Prison) in his Back Row. Among these three cards, (Divine Wrath) had the ability to negate a Monster's effect and destroy it when activated, while (Sakuretsu Armor) and (Dimensional Prison) were Trap Cards used during the Attack Declaration.
But against a card like (Change of Heart), he truly had no way to counter it.
However, even if it was controlled, it didn't matter. At worst, the opponent would just Attack with (Iron Knight), or use (Iron Knight) to Summon a Monster whose Level had been reduced by (Level Burst)?
In that case, his (Sakuretsu Armor) and (Dimensional Prison) would come in handy.
Thinking this, Leon suddenly felt a wave of fatigue, as if something had abruptly pressed down on him.
Chumley drew a card from his hand and Activated it: "I activate the Spell Card (Terraforming)! I Add the Field Spell Card (Shrine of Mind's Eye) to my hand! Then I activate the Field Spell Card (Shrine of Mind's Eye)!"
With the activation of the Field Spell Card, a temple slowly rose from beneath the Duel Field. Standing in the center of the temple, Chumley's expression was quite serious: "Perhaps I'm overreacting, but this is just a precaution."
"I Tribute the (Iron Knight) on my field! The stage for its descent is set! Come forth, (Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca)!"
As (Iron Knight) vanished from Chumley's field and returned to Leon Wilson's Graveyard, a massive shadow appeared on Chumley's field.
A gigantic purple stone heart suddenly appeared at the top of the temple, beating ceaselessly. After absorbing the (Iron Knight) that left the field, the heart split open, and a colossal raptor manifested on the field!
(Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca) [Level 10 / DARK Attribute → Level 6 / DARK Attribute]
[Winged Beast Type / Effect]
[1 / 1]
Although its Attack Power was only 1, the mere appearance of (Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca) made Leon feel breathless, his eyes wide as he stared at the giant eagle that almost pierced the dome of the Kaiba Dome.
"An Earthbound Immortal?"
The stammering Leon had never seen a Monster with such an overwhelming presence, not even the Egyptian God Cards he'd seen on television. It wasn't a difference in power, but the sense of menace.
Even with "God" in its name, the Earthbound Immortal only filled Leon with pure dread, as if it were devouring his soul!
(end of chapter)
Chapter 444: Sudden Change
"[Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca]?" Yugi, sitting in the Audience Seating, frowned, looking at the raptor that appeared on the Duel Field. "Hayato actually Summoned this Monster?"
"Such a familiar Monster, I feel like I've seen it somewhere?" Joey couldn't remember where he had seen [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] for a moment, but Tristan had a good memory.
"Idiot, it was during Battle City! Weren't we stopped by the Rare Hunters before Serenity Wheeler's surgery?" Because that day was Serenity Wheeler's surgery and also the day Joey received his Duel Disk from Chazz Princeton, Tristan had a deep impression of the [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] Hayato Summoned that day.
It wasn't just because the event deepened the memory; it was also because, after Tristan first encountered Duel Monsters, and even to this day, it was the most "terrifying" Monster he had ever seen.
The [Relinquished] used by Pegasus at most made onlookers feel disgusted. The first impression of the Egyptian God Cards on bystanders was merely awe-inspiring; only Duelists facing them directly could fully experience the fear they brought.
But the Earthbound Immortals were different. They projected a "sense of threat" that even onlookers could clearly feel, as if the Duel Monster had broken free from the Card's restrictions and could at any moment defy the Duel's Rules to inflict physical Damage.
To describe it more concretely, it was probably the feeling of a rabbit being targeted by an eagle—a fear stemming from its very bloodline.
"That Monster, it feels so terrifying." Rebecca nervously swallowed, looking at Leon Wilson, who was directly facing the Earthbound Immortal, and frowned. "It's just a Fodder Monster with only 1 Attack Point and Defense Points, so why does it give off this feeling?"
Even Marik put down his fries, his fingers trembling slightly as he looked at the Earthbound Immortal that had appeared on the Duel Field.
He was also one of the Duelists who had directly faced an Earthbound Immortal. In fact, he might be the only Duelist who had ever faced [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] directly. This was because Hayato had only used this Card against the Rare Hunters during Battle City.
And precisely then, almost all the Rare Hunters members, except Odion, had parts of their minds remotely controlled by Marik. This allowed Marik to remotely perceive their thoughts and knowledge, but also caused him to endure many instances of the pressure of the Earthbound Immortal.
Another instance was the night before Battle City officially began. Marik, who had just arrived in Domino City, specifically sought out Hayato for a Duel. The result was a spectacular defeat. Although the final blow was dealt by [The Winged Dragon of Ra], what left the deepest impression on Marik was, indeed—
"When a Field Spell Card is present, [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] can Activate its Effect."
Hayato pointed his finger at Leon Wilson: "Once per Turn, I skip my Battle Phase to unleash [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca]'s most powerful ability."
"Reduce the Opponent Duelist's Life Points directly to 1!"
"Polar Star Obedience!"
The giant vulture, out for a breath of fresh air after a long time, opened its mouth. Having not tasted delicious Souls for so long, it noticed the aura emanating from the countless spectators and almost wanted to feast wantonly. However, remembering the person who had released it from its Seal standing behind it, [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] could only obediently release its power, suppressed to the absolute minimum.
Hayato had instructed it beforehand, before adding it to his Deck. Although it would appear in the upcoming Duel, it had to behave itself and absolutely not devour the opponent's Soul directly, unlike how it dealt with the Rare Hunters in the past. It had to "run over an ant without harming it."
In other words, it had to knock Leon Wilson unconscious.
In the Duelist Prep Room, Professor Banner told Hayato that he had noticed certain things being set up inside the Kaiba Dome during this period. Although Professor Banner specialized in Alchemy, by extension, he also had some knowledge of Magic Circles. He learned that the items within the Venue could be used to activate a Magic Circle with a specific function.
Moreover, unlike conventional Magic Circles, this Ritual was controlled by some kind of computer program. This was also why Professor Banner couldn't figure out what the Magic Circle was for, but he was sure it wasn't for anything good.
However, Professor Banner had managed to extract some of the setup items for research without those setting it up noticing. Hayato recognized the true form of the green stone Professor Banner was holding—wasn't it just a fragment of Orichalcos, the same ones carried by the Doma's Three Swordsmen?
Combining this with what Bakura had said earlier, Hayato had strong reasons to suspect that the people who set up that Magic Circle were from Doma. And since they were collaborating with the Schroeder Corp, the precondition for activating the Magic Circle was likely the truly [Broken Card] held by [Zigfried von Schroeder]'s younger brother, Leon Wilson—[Golden Castle of Stromberg].
After all, in the original story, [Zigfried von Schroeder] used that Card to activate a Trojan program placed within KaibaCorp, almost succeeding in destroying all of KaibaCorp's internal data.
Hayato had no concrete evidence or absolute certainty whether [Golden Castle of Stromberg] was the key to activating the Magic Circle. Professor Banner also said that while he could find the placed Magic Circle, extracting some of the setup items was already his limit; dismantling the array was beyond his limit.
In that case, although it wasn't entirely fair to Leon Wilson, Hayato had only one choice: to defeat Leon Wilson in a single turn to prevent him from using that [Golden Castle of Stromberg].
As an eagle's cry reached his ears, Leon Wilson felt a buzzing in his head, as if something was resonating with his constantly trembling Soul.
Leon, enduring it, extended a finger and pressed the Activate Set Card button on his Duel Disk: "Be-before that, because of a Monster Effect activation, I activate my Set Card!"
"[Solemn Judgment]! By discarding one Card from my Hand, I negate the activation of the effect of [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] and destroy it!"
[Solemn Judgment] successfully activated. As Leon Wilson sent a Card to the Graveyard, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, and a thick bolt of lightning crashed down, directly hitting the huge body of the Earthbound Immortal!
However, before Leon could show a relieved expression, he found that the Earthbound Immortal hit by the lightning was completely unaffected, as if the lightning bolt earlier was merely an illusion.
"Ho-how is this possible?!" Leon looked at his successfully activated [Solemn Judgment] on his Field, which wasn't destroyed, and Hayato's Backrow, which had no other Cards. The opponent clearly didn't activate any counter-measures, so why did his activated Card fail? "Your Monster should have been destroyed by [Solemn Judgment]!"
"Idiot, this isn't just a Monster, it's a God!"
"When a Field Spell Card is present, [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] cannot be affected by the opponent's Spell or Trap Card Effects!"
"Bow down to this Divine talent!"
The stripes on the giant vulture glowed with Hayato's voice. After a brief dizziness, Leon Wilson's Life Points plummeted!
[Leon: 4000 → 1LP]
A change of 3999 Life Points, even in a normal Duel, would be a considerable burden on a person's body. Moreover, Leon was currently enduring the strongest ability of an Earthbound Immortal, which was like an Evil God. The sensation of his Soul almost being ripped from his body made Leon nearly faint.
"Hmm?" Hayato frowned, watching Leon Wilson, who stood hunched on the Field, swaying precariously. Although visibly struggling, he hadn't collapsed.
Although Hayato had used the Earthbound Immortal, which he had intended to keep sealed and only use against Shadow Duelists, he had no intention of harming anyone. He had specifically instructed [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] to hold back, preferring to reduce its power too much and not achieve the expected Effect rather than cause any actual physical harm.
After all, it was already shameful enough for him to go all out against a child to thwart a conspiracy targeting KaibaCorp.
And now, it seemed his intended purpose hadn't been achieved.
"Ha, ha, ha," Leon gasped, his short pink-purple hair drenched with sweat and falling over his forehead, covering half his face.
The fear, which had only existed for an instant but felt as if it had been etched into his Memory and was constantly present, coiled around Leon's heart. He looked up from under the shadow of the Earthbound Immortal in the sky, and though his voice trembled, Leon Wilson firmly declared, "I, I won't lose like this!"
Hayato looked at Leon, glancing at his Hand: "You didn't faint then? Remarkable willpower. But it would have been better if you had fainted just now."
Although [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] only had 1 Attack Point, Leon Wilson now also only had 1 Life Point. However, as a Cost for activating the Earthbound Immortal's effect, Hayato couldn't attack Leon Wilson this Turn.
However, emptying the opponent's Life Points to achieve victory wasn't only possible through Battle.
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card [Soul Absorption]." After activating the Card in his Hand, Hayato set his last Hand Card and declared, "I set my last Hand Card, then I end my Turn."
"However, at the End Phase of my Turn, I can use the effect of [Soul Absorption] on my field."
[Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca], enjoying its long-awaited outing, couldn't harm anyone's Soul due to Hayato's instructions, but even just smelling them was quite satisfying. Like an old chain-smoker, [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] was greedily inhaling the aromatic souls emanating from countless people in the Kaiba Dome when it was somewhat surprised to find its body beginning to dissipate.
"Once per Turn, during each Duelists' End Phase, Tribute one face-up Monster on your field, and inflict damage to the opponent equal to half the Tributed Monster's ATK."
Hayato said, pointing to Leon's mere 1 Life Point: "In Duel Monsters, half of 1 ATK also causes 1 damage. It would be good for everyone if your KC Cup ends here."
"Sacrifice for the Greater Good!"
[Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] was like trash casually discarded after its value had been squeezed dry. Despite its resistance to being affected by the opponent's Spell/Trap Card effects, it was outsmarted by its own side's Spell Card. With an unwilling expression, it was sent to the Graveyard.
And on Hayato's Field, a transparent giant eagle, materialized by [Soul Absorption], which had extracted the last bit of utility from [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca], swooped towards Leon Wilson.
If this Attack connected, his Life Points would be completely cleared.
Facing the swooping giant eagle, at this moment, Leon Wilson's mind recalled his goal since he started Dueling.
Unlike his brother, [Zigfried von Schroeder], who only aimed to defeat Seto Kaiba, expand the Schroeder Corp, and viewed Duel Monsters as useful tools, Leon Wilson had always seen Duel Monsters as his partners. He loved Duel Monsters and firmly believed that, perhaps in some World, real Duel Monsters truly existed.
His passion was rewarded by Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters, who designed a special "Fairy Tale" archetype Deck just for Leon Wilson because of his devotion. From that moment on, an "ambition" blossomed in the heart of Leon Wilson, who admired Duel Monsters—he wanted to take his partners to meet more Duel Monsters and see the highest peaks.
Leon had also watched the Battle City recordings and, from the moment he witnessed Hayato become the Duel King, he confirmed how to reach the top—he didn't need to defeat Hayato, just one Duel against him, and he would definitely gain something.
To achieve this goal, he had to become the KC Cup Champion to qualify for a Duel against Hayato. This also aligned with his brother's wish, and Leon Wilson felt he had to do it.
With only 1 Life Point left, if this Effect Damage was subtracted, it would completely reduce him to 0. To such a possibility, Leon Wilson's answer was a firm refusal!
"Boom!"
The phantom vulture crashed into Leon Wilson. The impact, which should have been full of destructive power, seemed to be blocked by something just before reaching Leon.
Before Leon Wilson, a cartoon-style tomato wearing a football helmet had appeared at some point. It faced the phantom of [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] with a resolute expression, completely taking on the damage meant for Leon Wilson.
As the power carried by the phantom of [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] completely disappeared, the cartoon tomato's armor shattered and turned into ash, dissipating from Leon Wilson's Field.
"You saved my life, partner." Catching a Card that popped out of the Graveyard, Leon Wilson showed a gentle smile on his face. After putting the Card in his pocket, he regained his resolute expression, seemingly re-energized by the encouragement of that Monster.
"During the opponent's Turn, the effect of [Obstinate Soul Tomato] can be activated."
"By banishing this Card from my Graveyard, all effect damage I take this turn becomes 0."
Just moments ago, he was trembling uncontrollably under the oppressive power of [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca], but in this desperate situation, Leon Wilson had instead unleashed his potential, looking firmly at Hayato.
"Although I'm not someone with a tough personality, I will absolutely not easily give up on my understanding of Duel Monsters."
"Even if my Life Points are down to the very last 1, I will battle to the end! Do you hear me, Dan Kuroto!"
[Dan Kuroto: 2000LP, Hand 0]
[Set Card][Soul Absorption]
Field: [Shrine of the Mind's Eye]
Listening to Leon Wilson's words, Hayato's expression was somewhat peculiar.
I know the Monster I just Summoned fits the standard antagonist boss template, and its aura definitely doesn't make it seem like a good guy, but I should be a protagonist, right?
Why does it sound like this guy thinks I've become an antagonist standing against the protagonist? And the kind of fodder antagonist in a hot-blooded anime who beats the protagonist to near death, giving them a chance to power up, and then gets one-shotted by the protagonist's outburst?
Hayato's internal monologue didn't escape his lips, and with his Turn already over, there was nothing more he could do, as it was now Leon Wilson's Turn.
The two Set Cards on the Field were [Dimensional Prison] and [Sakuretsu Armor] for defense. If he just summoned a monster and engaged in battle, it would be considered double insurance. However, his Life Points were down to a mere 1, like fragile porcelain that would shatter at a touch; he couldn't withstand even 1 damage.
The [Soul Absorption] on the opponent's Field meant that on the opponent's next Turn, as long as they could summon any monster with 0 or more Attack Points, his Life Points would be cleared. In that case, he had to defeat the opponent this Turn.
Leon Wilson's thoughts were incredibly clear at this moment. He looked at the Spell Card [Water of Life] in his Hand. This Card had the effect to Special Summon one monster from the Graveyard in Attack Position when there are no monsters on his field. It could be used to revive the [Iron Knight] he had summoned last Turn, to attack the opponent.
However, due to the effect of the [Shrine of the Mind's Eye], no matter how powerful a monster he summoned, the battle damage it could inflict would only be 1000. This meant that even with the [Iron Knight] on the field, he would need another monster to assist the attack to achieve the goal of ending the duel this Turn.
As for the [Soul Absorption] that both players could use its effect? That Card was never in Leon Wilson's consideration from the start. Make him release his own monster to win? No way.
Leon took a deep breath, held his breath, and tried to calm his rapid heartbeat slightly, doing his utmost to concentrate his mind.
Whether he could win this Duel depended on his draw this Turn. As long as he could draw a Card capable of changing the tide of battle, he could advance to the next round of the duel, and then step by step, reach the Duel King.
"It is said that Duel Monsters have a Heart (of the Cards), and I firmly believe this."
"And Cards with a Heart (of the Cards) can respond to a Duelist's call to create the future."
"Although to this day I still haven't heard the voice of the Cards, nor can I feel the Heart (of the Cards) within them."
"But please, respond to me, my Deck!"
"My turn, draw!"
His two fingers across the Deck slid horizontally, drawing the top card. At the same time, Leon Wilson also heard a peculiar voice: "Oh, these fools, idiots, and dolts, clinging to such a dangerous place like moths."
"Unlucky, truly unlucky, the smell here is unbearable. And that fool Leon can't even hear me speak."
"Hey wait, what's that fool Leon looking at?"
To Leon's astonished gaze, on the card he had just drawn, a monstrous bird with beautiful reddish-brown feathers was sitting on the card like a human, looking disdainfully at the surroundings of the Kaiba Dome, while constantly complaining about something.
However, upon noticing Leon's gaze directed at him, the monstrous bird Gryphon, known as the "Omniscient" in [Mythical Beast Gryphon], looked at Leon in surprise: "Thanks to that damn bastard God, fool Leon, you can see me?"
"A card, speaking?" Leon Wilson stared blankly at the phantom-like [Mythical Beast Gryphon] on the Card.
"Hey, fool Leon, be glad you're not an annoying Christian, then just surrender and run for your life," the card [Mythical Beast Gryphon] in Leon's Hand chattered on, "This is Lord Gryphon's advice to you!"
Listening to the seemingly illusory voice from the Card, Leon was silent for a moment.
Was what he saw real?
Or was it just a hallucination caused by the recent intense stimulation?
Although he had fantasized countless times about seeing the Heart (of the Cards) residing within Duel Monster Cards, he never expected to actually see [Mythical Beast Gryphon]. It felt just like a dream.
However—
"But, I refuse!"
Looking up at Dan Kuroto opposite him, Leon Wilson completely ignored [Mythical Beast Gryphon]'s words and directly revealed the card: "To ask me to surrender is something I cannot do, even if you kill me!"
"I will definitely win, with my cards!"
[Mythical Beast Gryphon] stared blankly at Leon, who, despite having heard him speak, self-importantly sent his card to the Graveyard: "You, you idiot, you're not actually thinking of—!!"
"I activate the Effect of [Mythical Beast Gryphon] from my Hand, discarding it to add [Golden Castle of Stromberg] from my Deck to my Hand."
"Then I activate the Field Spell Card, [Golden Castle of Stromberg]!"
Leon Wilson's plan was quite thorough—as long as he activated the effect of [Mythical Beast Gryphon] to search and activate [Golden Castle of Stromberg] from his Deck, the Field Spell Card would become beneficial to him and would no longer have his monsters' damage affected by the [Shrine of the Mind's Eye].
Moreover, [Golden Castle of Stromberg] also had the ability to Special Summon one monster directly in Attack Position from the Deck onto the field once per Turn during the Main Phase. As long as he used the effect of [Water of Life] to revive [Iron Knight] and then used [Golden Castle of Stromberg] to summon any other monster, his field would have the monster combination needed to defeat his opponent!
The plan was so perfect, but at the exact moment Leon Wilson placed the [Golden Castle of Stromberg] he had searched from his Deck into the Field Spell Zone on his Duel Disk.
Inside the Kaiba Dome, the power suddenly went out.
(end of chapter)
Chapter 445: Operation Konoha Collapse... KaibaCorp Collapse
Logically speaking, it would seem quite strange for Zigfried von Schroeder, who harbors a considerable dislike for KaibaCorp and Seto Kaiba himself, to buy an expensive ticket inside Kaiba Dome, essentially giving Kaiba money.
However, today, Zigfried von Schroeder sat in the Kaiba Dome venue, a stark contrast to his usual behavior. After the Kaiba Dome suddenly lost power and plunged into darkness, a triumphant, cunning smile spread across his face.
The darkness only lasted a few seconds. The audience didn't even have time to panic before the Kaiba Dome's numerous devices, powered by a backup generator, restored electricity. The lights flickered on, as if the power outage had been nothing but an illusion.
However, on the multi-directional large screen above the central Duel Field in Kaiba Dome, the data for Chumley and Leon, who were in the middle of a Duel, no longer displayed. Instead, a strange clock appeared, its second hand not rotating clockwise, but rather ticking backward counter-clockwise like a countdown.
In the backstage monitoring room, Gekko, who had arranged for staff to urgently activate the pre-prepared generator to restore power, frowned when he saw the clock on the screen. The time currently displayed on the clock was 1:00, but the second hand was moving backward at a rate of two ticks per second, expected to revert to 12:00 in half an hour.
Gekko remembered that the original program should not have such a strange function.
"Check the central control program. What's that anomaly?" he ordered, and the standby programmers immediately began checking the program, lines of code appearing on their computer screens.
But the check results showed everything was normal.
Just then, Gekko received a call from Kaiba.
"Hello, Gekko, what is that clock?!" Kaiba's mood clearly wasn't good. "I didn't authorize any 'unexpected surprises' like this! Get rid of that thing immediately!"
Although Gekko was not a KaibaCorp employee, KaibaCorp, as the host of the KC Cup, had the absolute right to question Gekko, who was dispatched to oversee backstage operations.
Gekko's hands were not idle. After ordering his subordinates to check the program status without success, he personally started typing on the keyboard, cradling the phone between his ear and shoulder. He calmly said, "I'm checking it with others, Kaiba."
"However, the problem now isn't 'we can't remove that clock,' but 'we can't even see that clock'!"
"Can't see the clock?" On the other end of the line, Kaiba frowned. "At least ten thousand people saw that clock."
"No, not the clock visible to the naked eye. I mean the clock written in the Kaiba Dome's backstage main control program. There's no 'clock' object here at all!"
Gekko paused, as if he suddenly remembered something, then quickly added, "Besides my location, are there any other places that can control the venue's situation, Kaiba!"
Hearing Gekko's words, Kaiba's expression froze.
Although Kaiba had handed over the backstage of the Kaiba Dome venue to Gekko, who was dispatched by Industrial Illusions, according to his agreement with Pegasus, Kaiba, due to his personal aversion to Pegasus, had secretly made some adjustments.
The backstage monitoring room could indeed serve as a dispatch center to manage the lighting, power supply, sound system, and even the data transmission of the Duel System within the Kaiba Dome venue. However, in addition to that, the Kaiba Land building next door also had control rights, with even higher authority than the Kaiba Dome's backstage.
Prompted by Gekko, Kaiba not only remembered that Kaiba Land had control authority but also recalled the recent incident where Kaiba Land's Duel robots were hacked.
The answer was almost obvious.
Even if it was hacked, the monitoring room shouldn't be unable to find the "clock" even after digging through the bottom-level code. After all, even a Trojan (virus) needs space to store its "Trojan horse." Since there were no problems in Kaiba Dome, the issue must have originated from Kaiba Land.
After a perfunctory remark telling Gekko to continue trying to find the problem, Kaiba hastily hung up the phone and was about to turn and rush towards the passage connecting Kaiba Dome to Kaiba Land. He suddenly noticed a pink-haired man not far from him stand up from his seat, a smug look on his face, walking towards the emergency exit.
Zigfried von Schroeder?
No, it should be Siegfried.
After completely exposing his (Valkyrie) Deck during his Duel with Yugi, Kaiba followed the clues and found information related to (Valkyrie) online. He discovered that a long time ago, after the new President of Schroeder Corp, Siegfried, took office, he transformed the group from a military arms company into an entertainment group and simultaneously announced the acquisition of the (Valkyrie) Deck.
It was almost identical to Kaiba's strategy back then: acquiring powerful Duel Monsters Cards—_Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ and (Valkyrie)—while simultaneously announcing the company's transformation. This was done to assure shareholders that the transformation was not a whim but a grand scheme, using double the publicity to stabilize stock prices.
Just as Seto Kaiba used _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_, only Siegfried could use the rare (Valkyrie) Deck. This is how Kaiba confirmed the opponent's identity.
However, since then, Kaiba had also grown suspicious.
Ever since Siegfried took office, the conflict between KaibaCorp and Schroeder Corp, which had existed since the military arms group era, had intensified, even after both had transformed into entertainment groups. Although Kaiba himself didn't pay much attention to the opponent, Siegfried had always regarded Kaiba as a thorn in his side.
So why would a person who was at odds with him participate in the KC Cup? Even though the opponent had been defeated and eliminated by Yugi, Kaiba was still very concerned about Siegfried's presence, especially since he had never bought a ticket or had the habit of watching KC Cup Matches before, but had surprisingly bought a ticket this time.
And now, although his current rationality told Kaiba that he needed to quickly go to the Kaiba Land building not too far away to deactivate the countdown clock currently displayed in Kaiba Dome, his personal intuition told Kaiba that he needed to quickly intercept Siegfried, who had stood up and was preparing to leave the venue.
That guy definitely knows something!
———A cough came from somewhere unknown———
"Cough cough—"
Sitting beside Yugi, Téa, who was drinking water, was startled by the sudden darkness and coughed involuntarily, choking a little.
"Are you okay, Téa?" Yugi offered a concerned greeting to Téa, who was covering her mouth and coughing, and reached out to pat her back to help her catch her breath. This drew an envious glare from Rebecca, who was sitting on the other side.
"Cough, cough!" Rebecca coughed twice very stiffly, then reached out and tugged on one of Yugi's arms. "Darling~ I think I choked, it's so uncomfortable."
Such terrible acting, let alone Yugi, even Joey and Tristan sitting behind them could tell Rebecca was faking it.
However, Tristan was tactful enough to say nothing, but the outspoken Joey immediately pointed it out: "No way! You're totally fine! How can someone who choked have such a strong voice?"
"Shut up, idiot!"
Rebecca, exposed on the spot, flushed with anger and turned to roar at Joey, only to be met with Joey's cheeky grin.
Tristan was also chuckling, but just then, he noticed that Mokuba's face next to him was extremely solemn.
"What's that clock about?" Although young, Mokuba, whose personality was already quite mature, looked seriously at the countdown clock displayed on the central screen. "Even though I didn't help my brother arrange the various tasks for the KC Cup this time, I still checked for minor issues to some extent."
"But that clock never appeared in any of the arrangements, and I even checked the code for the venue's backstage main control program. What exactly is that thing?"
"And the power outage just now, what was that?"
Tristan was startled listening to Mokuba's mumbling: "Was that just now Kaiba's special performance?"
"Who would arrange something that could accidentally cause panic as a special performance!" Mokuba retorted, standing up. "No, I have to go backstage immediately. The backstage program is very likely to have problems, and it might even have been hacked through the firewall, just like a few days ago!"
But as soon as he stood up, Mokuba was stopped by Marik, who was sitting by the aisle.
"Wait a minute, kid." Marik's face, usually so flippant, was now serious, as if he had reverted to his former self as the leader of the Rare Hunters. He pointed gravely at their surroundings. "Before you act, you'd better pay attention to the situation around you."
"The situation around us?"
Reminded by Marik, the people present looked around and were quite surprised to find that Téa's cough seemed to be contagious. Someone else was also coughing. Although it was inside Kaiba's venue for the KC Cup, it looked like a centralized treatment center for some infectious disease.
Téa lowered the hand that was covering her mouth. Although her coughing had somewhat subsided, she suddenly felt weak, as if she had a severe cold, feeling listless. Her breathing was heavy, and her eyelids drooped slightly: "Yu... Yugi!"
"Téa!" Seeing his friend in such a bad state, Yugi nervously grabbed Téa, who almost fell out of her seat, while Tristan and Joey were also very anxious. Joey, concerned for his companion, directly shouted at Marik, "Do you know what happened, Marik!"
"Idiot, I don't even know where the end of the universe is, how could I know that answer?" Marik plopped down onto his chair, tilting his head back, which made Joey notice his face also looked quite bad. Leaning against the chair back, Marik calmly said, "I'm not entirely sure, but try to pay attention to the characteristics of those weak people, Joe-juice-y."
"It's not Joe-juice-y, it's Joey!" Joey grumbled, then he and Tristan immediately followed Marik's instructions and observed the visibly weak spectators around them. However, the demographics of those in poor condition were too varied; there were elderly people, children, as well as strong men and young adults, both male and female.
"Old people, teenagers, and young adults are all affected, so it doesn't seem to be related to age?"
"And the ratio of men to women is also about the same."
"Is this some randomly appearing illness?"
Tristan and Joey didn't notice anything unusual, but Mai Valentine keenly observed one point: "No, this isn't random? Don't look at the weak ones, pay attention to those who haven't shown any problems!"
"They're all Duelists!"
Prompted by Mai Valentine, Joey realized it was true. The characteristics of those who had collapsed varied, but those who were still perfectly normal were, without exception, Duelists. Although not all of them wore their Duel Disks on their wrists, at least they could be seen wearing a shining metal box around their waists as a card case for their Deck!
Yugi also looked up at the surrounding audience. As he looked up, he noticed a blonde man in the far distance looking directly at him, showing no signs of abnormality.
Yugi recognized the man; wasn't that Raphael, who had faced him in the previous round but then forfeited halfway through?
'Aibo, that guy—'
Yami Yugi's voice came from within the (Millennium Puzzle), and Yugi nodded: "Yes, that's him, he suddenly forfeited the Duel yesterday."
'His performance during that Duel proved that he should be a True Duelist capable of resonating with the Heart (of the Cards). Logically, he wouldn't just give up the Duel for no reason.'
"But he still gave up the Duel just like that, without any reason." Yugi watched Raphael stop observing them and turn to walk somewhere. Lowering his head to look at Téa, Yugi said firmly, "My duelist's intuition tells me that Raphael should—no, he definitely knows something!"
Looking at Rebecca, who seemed fine, Yugi solemnly said to her: "Rebecca, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Darling?" Rebecca looked at Yugi's resolute face, temporarily forgetting her confusion, and smiled. "Do you want me to help take care of Téa? Of course, Darling, go do what you need to do without worry."
"Thank you, Rebecca." Yugi nodded, then looked back at everyone. "Sorry, everyone, I need to go find that person. Regarding what happened to Téa and the others, I think he definitely knows something."
With that, Yugi grabbed his Duel Disk, which he had previously taken off and put into his backpack, along with the card case holding his Spare Deck, and ran in the direction Raphael had disappeared, putting on his Duel Disk as he ran.
He had barely run two steps when Yugi heard Joey's voice from behind: "Wait up, Yugi!"
Turning his head, Yugi saw Joey clumsily pulling his Duel Disk from his backpack, accidentally snagging and ripping a strap of his bag. He was trying to violently tear the strap to get out his Duel Disk, grumbling: "Why did that bastard Kaiba make the Duel Disk so sharp? Couldn't he have made it a bit rounder, you jerk!"
After finally getting his Duel Disk out, Joey nodded at Mai Valentine and jogged to Yugi's side: "Don't think about being a Hero by yourself, Yugi, I want a piece of that glory too. I'm coming with you."
With that, Joey clapped Yugi on the shoulder with an undeniable tone: "Alright! Domino City Legendary Duelist squad, move out! Hero Joey and Hero Yugi are invincible, full throttle, unstoppable!"
"Joey!" Yugi looked at Joey, smiling and nodding. "Alright, let's go quickly then!"
"Alright! Let's go!" Joey said, then turned around with a grin. "Tristan, you stay here with Téa and wait for Sir Joey and Yugi! Mai, I'm leaving them to you!"
"Who are you looking down on, Joey!" Tristan scoffed. "Don't come back with missing arms and legs, you amateur!"
As for Mai Valentine, she merely raised her head proudly, crossing her arms over her chest, as if not wanting Joey to see her slightly flushed cheeks.
Watching Joey and Yugi leave, Tristan, in hindsight, seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to Marik, who was sitting in his chair: "Wait, I remember, Marik, weren't you originally a very strong duelist?"
"Very strong? Who are you underestimating?" Marik, though somewhat weak, still managed to strike a cool pose in his seat when he heard Tristan's words. "Just so you know, I am super~ strong."
As the supreme leader of the Ghouls, who ruled with absolute power and fear, controlling two of the Egyptian God Cards, Marik at that time possessed a strength that was among the top in all Duelists of Battle City. It was no exaggeration to call him "super strong."
"If that's the case, then why have you, a duelist, become like this?" Tristan said with some doubt.
As time passed, more and more spectators in Kaiba Dome began to feel worse, each sitting slumped in their seats, fatigued as if they hadn't slept for three days and nights to reach the highest rank in a game. However, there were still some who could remain standing and move around the venue, and these people were almost all Duelists.
Although there were 64 official participants in the KC Cup, the number of Duelists among the spectators in the venue was more than 64. However, compared to the large number of spectators who had fallen into weakness, the number of movable Duelists was a drop in the bucket. Even if they wanted to care for the troubled spectators, they couldn't possibly care for them all.
As for calling medical staff? Someone had already called immediately when problems arose with someone nearby, but unfortunately, even the medical teams were paralyzed because most of their members had "fallen ill."
Hearing Tristan's words, Marik could only respond with an eye-roll.
He was indeed incredibly powerful back then, but that was back then. Although Chumley had "cured" his Split Personality, his body had been "broken" by his other "Dark Personality," which had completely vanished. Since then, even normal Duels had to be held back, unable to play too much, let alone Shadow Games.
To describe it another way, although he could still fight as a duelist, he was essentially a glass cannon: good at attacking, but shattered by a single hit.
And in the current situation, although he didn't know what was happening, it was clearly another supernatural event, so it was perfectly normal for him to be out of commission.
But this guy...
Looking at Tristan, who seemed completely normal, Marik frowned, his fingers trembling as he put a french fry into his mouth: "What's wrong with you, then?"
Asked by Marik, Tristan forgot to retort that Marik, despite his condition, still remembered to get some french fries. He looked himself up and down with some confusion, scratched the back of his head oddly, and said unsurely: "Perhaps... I was born with Divine Power?"
Marik and Tristan's humorous exchange somewhat eased the tense atmosphere. Mokuba, sitting in his seat, also gradually began to feel a bit weak. Because of Téa's example, Mokuba, though not yet completely weakened, knew what his condition would soon be. He had no choice but to pull out his phone and dial Kaiba's number.
However, whether due to a signal issue or some other reason, the call failed.
'What exactly is happening?' Mokuba thought to himself. 'Please, nothing bad happen, big brother.'
————————
"Raphael!!"
Hearing the voice from behind, the blonde man—Raphael—who had been observing Yugi and his friends from a distance, adjusted his trench coat and turned to look at Yugi and Joey, who were running quickly towards him: "Nameless Pharaoh."
"Do you know something, Raphael!" At some point, Yami Yugi, who had already switched personalities, said urgently, his Duel Disk and Deck already in place on his wrist.
Compared to Yugi Muto, who was relatively more law-abiding, Yami Yugi's style of action was more direct. If it were Yugi Muto, he might try to gently persuade the opponent, but Yami Yugi would choose to use force directly to get answers.
It wasn't that the two had different levels of concern for their partner, but rather that Yami Yugi disregarded rules more than Yugi Muto, and had more courage to judge what could be forfeited.
Looking at Yugi's eager face and Joey's "if you don't speak, I'll take action" expression, Raphael's expression was quite calm: "Yes, Nameless Pharaoh, I know where the change in Kaiba Dome originated."
"And it is in my hand."
As he spoke, Raphael took out a card from his person that was not kept with his Deck.
Seeing that card, Joey's expression was still normal, but Yugi's pupils constricted.
Because that card was clearly the first enemy Yugi had encountered during Battle City—
Uria, Lord of Searing Flames.
(end of chapter)