[Congratulations to the Host. You have obtained one booster pack from this Duel. After specifying a keyword, it will be delivered to your bedroom desk.]
"The victor is—Yuto Tenshou!"
With the butler's steady, resounding declaration echoing across the empty arena, the curtains of the Duelist Kingdom tournament finally fell.
"Yuto, you're truly strong."
Standing opposite, Yugi wore a sincere smile, calmly accepting defeat in this peak duel.
"You too, Yugi. I only won by luck this time."
Yuto said, his eyes shining with respect for his formidable opponent.
After resting in the lounge for a brief ten minutes, catching his breath and drinking some water, Yuto once more stepped onto the familiar platform that still seemed to carry the lingering heat of their fierce battle.
This time, he faced the creator of Duel Monsters—Maximillion Pegasus.
"Go get him, Yuto!"
"You have to win! Bring back the Kaiba brothers!"
The voices of his friends rang out from the stands, filled with encouragement and expectation.
Yuto drew in a deep breath, turned toward them, raised his thumb high, and showed a confident smile.
"Leave it to me!"
At that moment, Pegasus slowly approached from the other end. He was still dressed in his iconic suit, yet his steps lacked their usual grace and ease. Compared to the commanding elegance he displayed when dueling Kaiba, Pegasus now looked pale, his brow faintly furrowed, and even that ever-present mysterious smile at his lips seemed forced. His aura had shrunk considerably.
Seeing Pegasus like this, Yuto nearly burst into laughter.
It seemed that the Millennium Eye's failure to read his mind had placed far greater pressure on Industrial Illusions' president than anyone could have imagined.
"Yuto-boy."
Pegasus stopped at the far side of the platform, doing his best to steady his tone.
"You are truly a strong Duelist. To rise above all others in Duelist Kingdom and claim the championship, I'm very happy for you…"
"Pegasus."
Yuto interrupted him directly.
"If I win, you must release the souls of Seto and Mokuba Kaiba! Of course, if I lose, then my soul belongs to you!"
"Yes, very fair~"
Pegasus gave a slight nod, motioning for his butler to proceed with the formalities.
The butler stepped forward, his booming voice ringing out.
"Now begins the final confirmation for this special Duel. Challenger: Duelist Kingdom Champion, Mr. Yuto Tenshou. This Duel is a single-match decider! Should Mr. Yuto Tenshou emerge victorious, he will officially earn the title of 'Duel King,' along with 60% of Industrial Illusions' international shares!"
"Oh?"
Yuto raised his brows, feigning surprise as he looked at Pegasus.
"So generous? Sixty percent of your shares? Looks like President Pegasus values my 'soul' very highly indeed."
He deliberately emphasized the word soul.
Pegasus's expression visibly darkened further, the Millennium Eye flickering uneasily. Yuto could feel the nauseating, icy gaze attempting once more to pry into his heart.
"Heh. Not being able to read my mind… it's weighing heavily on you, isn't it? Making you this nervous."
Yuto pointed it out mercilessly.
"What are you talking about, Yuto-boy? I don't unde~"
Pegasus tried to mask it with his usual affectation, yet the stiffness gave him away.
"Don't lose too quickly, Yuto-boy." Pegasus tried to reclaim control, his tone now laced with threat. "Otherwise, that [Left Hand of the King's Glory] will become a splendid cage to imprison your soul~"
"Enough nonsense!"
Yuto's eyes sharpened, his fighting spirit igniting.
"Begin! I can't wait to take those 60% shares!"
Pegasus nodded slightly. The butler pressed a button on the console.
Clack! Clack!
The arena floor split open at its center, and a lift platform carrying two black-clad attendants rose steadily. Expressionless, they each approached Yuto and Pegasus, extending their hands respectfully.
"Please exchange and shuffle each other's Decks first."
Yuto handed over his Deck, then accepted Pegasus's in turn. To Yuto, Pegasus without his mind-reading was nothing more than a toothless tiger. He gave the Deck a token shuffle and cut before returning it.
Pegasus, in contrast, took far longer shuffling Yuto's Deck, his motions slow and meticulous, as though trying to glean some hidden information from the texture of the cards. Nearly a full minute passed before he returned it.
"Duuuuel—Begin!"
The butler's booming declaration cracked like a starter pistol!
"My turn! Draw!"
With practiced motion, Yuto swiftly drew his opening hand of five cards, plus a sixth for his starting turn. As his eyes scanned the hand, an uncontrollable surge of exhilaration rushed through him.
[Operation British], [Negate Attack], [ACE – Johnny Ridden the Crimson Lightning], [Radar Lock], [Stop Defense], [Heavy Storm]!
A god hand! Practically a dream start! This Duel could be over in a flash!
"Heh… hahaha…"
Yuto couldn't help but chuckle lowly, then forcibly suppressed it.
"No, nothing."
He raised his eyes to Pegasus, who was staring back with suspicion and curiosity.
Yuto no longer hesitated. He slammed a Spell Card onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Spell Card [Operation British]! Its effect—Special Summon three [H.L.V.] from my Deck in Defense Position!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three massive shadows fell with deafening roars from above! Three giant landing pods, rough in design and emblazoned with Zeon insignia, crashed heavily onto the field before Yuto, raising clouds of virtual dust. Like fortresses of steel, their thick hatches sealed tight, they exuded the cold aura of war machines.
"Next, I Set one card!"
Yuto slid his Trap into the back row.
"Turn end!"
"My turn Draw"
Pegasus drew with his usual flourish. A glance at his hand seemed to restore some of his calm.
"I Set one card." He placed a card face-down with composure.
"Then, I Summon in Attack Position—[Parrot Dragon]!"
A brilliantly colored winged dragon with a massive beak appeared on Pegasus's field, screeching sharply.
"Attack! [Parrot Dragon]!"
Pegasus pointed toward Yuto.
"Just what I was waiting for!"
Yuto's eyes flashed, his hand cutting through the air.
"At this moment, I activate my Set Trap—[Negate Attack]! Your [Parrot Dragon]'s attack is negated, and your Battle Phase is forcibly ended!"
An invisible barrier instantly spread before Yuto. The fire breath from [Parrot Dragon] struck it, vanishing without a sound.
"…Then, turn end~" Pegasus's voice sank low, tinged with frustration.
"My turn! Draw!"
Yuto didn't even glance at the card he drew. He went straight into the Standby Phase, his burning gaze fixed on the three massive [H.L.V.] on his field.
"I activate the effects of my three [H.L.V.]! During my Standby Phase, I send them to the Graveyard! Then, from my Deck, each one Special Summons a [MS-06 Zaku II]! Descend, warriors of Zeon!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The massive hatches of the three [H.L.V.] burst open! Three [MS-06 Zaku II] strode forth with heavy steps, emerging steadily from the pods to stand firm on Yuto's field! Their mono-eyes glowed fiercely under the arena lights.
"The prelude to battle has only just begun!"
Yuto slammed another Spell Card onto the Duel Disk.
"I activate the Spell Card [Heavy Storm]! Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field!"
Whoooosh—!
A raging gale instantly tore across the arena! Pegasus's face-down card, just Set, was shredded like fragile paper and vanished into the wind. Yuto's own back row was empty and remained untouched!
"It's not over yet!"
Yuto's voice carried crushing pressure as he raised the card that symbolized his ace.
"I activate the effect of [ACE – Johnny Ridden the Crimson Lightning]! I tribute my three [MS] monsters—the three [Zaku II]—to Special Summon it!"
Three beams of light shot skyward, merging into the Graveyard. Then, a flash of crimson brilliance, even faster and more dazzling, tore through space!
A Zaku painted in vivid red, wielding a massive beam bazooka, descended onto the battlefield! It landed on one knee, cushioning its fall, then rose with a surge, its mono-eye locking onto Pegasus's field with a killing aura that sent shivers through the air.
"According to its effect!" Yuto pointed toward the Graveyard. "When this card is Special Summoned, its Attack and Defense increase by 1000 for each [MS] tributed for its effect! I tributed three Zaku—so it gains 3000 Attack and Defense!"
"3000 Attack…!" Pegasus cried out in shock, abandoning all pretenses of elegance, his face written with disbelief. This sudden overwhelming force was beyond anything he had anticipated.
"Pegasus! This battle is over! Behold—the ultimate strike of the Crimson Lightning!"
Yuto's voice was a declaration of judgment. Without hesitation, he activated his final Spell Card.
"I activate the Spell Card [Radar Lock]! I target your [Parrot Dragon]! Now, when my Machine-Type monsters battle that target, their Attack is doubled!"
Vrrrmmm—!
The red Zaku's mono-eye blazed, its massive beam bazooka charging with a chilling hum, gathering energy strong enough to obliterate everything!
"Attack [Parrot Dragon]!"
BOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!
A colossal stream of yellow particles, wide enough to pierce the heavens, roared from the cannon! [Parrot Dragon] didn't even have time to cry before it was vaporized in the destructive beam! The blast did not stop, slamming directly into Pegasus!
Pegasus's Life Points plummeted amid shrieking alarms!
[Pegasus, LP: 2000 → 0]
The Duel was over!
The arena fell into absolute silence. Pegasus, the butler, the staff… even Yugi and the others in the stands—all stared, mouths agape, at the spectacle that had just unfolded. From the descent of the three transport pods, to the arrival of three Zaku, to the one-hit kill of the Crimson Lightning… in just two turns, the creator of Duel Monsters, bearer of the Millennium Eye, Maximillion Pegasus, had been utterly crushed!
Only the cold electronic voice in Yuto's mind resounded with its usual precision:
[Congratulations to the Host. You have obtained one booster pack from this Duel. After specifying a keyword, it will be delivered to your bedroom desk.]
"Did… did he win?"
Joey's voice trembled in disbelief, breaking the deathly stillness that had gripped the hall. That lightning-fast, overwhelming duel had left everyone momentarily stunned.
"I think… it's real…"
Téa covered her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers.
"Yuto won! Yuto won!!"
Tristan was the first to explode with excitement, leaping up with a shout!
"Amazing! Yuto! You're incredible!!"
Joey erupted in thunderous cheers, pumping his fist as if he himself had won!
Yugi stood quietly at the side, his face glowing with a genuine smile as he clapped softly.
"As expected of Yuto…"
Pegasus, too, came back to himself as if waking from a dream.
"I lost? That quickly…"
"Pegasus, the Duel is decided! As promised—release the souls of Seto and Mokuba Kaiba at once!"
"I… lost? Even with the Millennium Eye, I lost at my own game…"
"Pegasus!" Yuto's shout snapped him back.
"Fine… fine, no problem. I will keep my promise… I thought I'd never use that contract…"
The butler presented a document, its core terms clear: Maximillion Pegasus voluntarily transferring 60% of Industrial Illusions' shares to the first bearer of the 'Duel King' title—Yuto Tenshou.
"As for the Kaiba brothers…" Pegasus drew a deep breath, regaining a trace of his presidential composure. "Their bodies, and the vessels carrying their souls—I'll release them immediately. Please… wait a moment."
He looked at no one else, merely gestured to the butler, then turned away, dragging heavy, lonely steps as he left the stage.
Moments later, a chest filled with gold and jewels was delivered, along with the bodies of the Kaiba brothers, though their souls had yet to return.
"Where did Pegasus go?" Yuto stopped one of the attendants.
"Sorry, I don't know."
...
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