Chapter 576: A Man's Combat! (End)
Although Big Bang Knuckle Armor is a Level 3 monster with only 0 ATK, it possesses an extremely vicious ability. When it is destroyed by battle, it can drag all monsters on the Field with it to be destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, then inflict damage to both players equal to the total ATK of all those monsters.
Combined with the ability of Active Guard Armor, Valon could execute a combo where the stronger the Opponent's monsters were, the faster he could finish off the Opponent, while he himself wouldn't suffer any damage. Just now, Rex was hit by this combo, losing a full 3000 Life Points and almost being one-turn killed.
And now, Valon had once again completed this combo on his Field, intending to use the same trick to directly clear Rex's remaining 1000 Life Points!
Watching Valon, who seemed to be from a different art style, declare an attack, Rex immediately said to his **Dinowrestler Pankratops** on his Field: "**Dinowrestler Pankratops**, you don't want your long-awaited first battle to end in defeat like this, do you?"
"Let's counterattack! Let's take care of that guy who looks down on us!" As he spoke, Rex's finger rested on the **Dinowrestler Pankratops** card in his Duel Disk. "I activate the effect of **Dinowrestler Pankratops**!"
"Full Power Peerless Fierce Fist!"
"Nani!?"
Under Valon's surprised gaze, **Dinowrestler Pankratops**, having received Rex's instructions, roared towards the sky. It actually broke free from the **Supergravity Net** that was suppressing it with sheer power and began to move! The entire monster, the entire dragon, swiftly charged towards Valon!
"Interesting, you're not escaping but approaching me?"
Valon grinned sinisterly.
"Then get even closer!"
As he spoke, the punching Valon collided head-on with **Dinowrestler Pankratops**. The **Big Bang Knuckle Armor**, containing powerful explosive power, was about to be unleashed by Valon. Once it hit anything, that power would be instantly released, sweeping across the entire Field.
Valon didn't care what the effect of **Dinowrestler Pankratops** was. Looking at the monster's appearance, it was probably just something like increase ATK. Could a mere Dinosaur-Type monster, even with a title like "Wrestler", possibly use some advanced technique like a human?
Close combat is advantageous for me!
Valon, full of confidence, threw a punch, only to find that **Dinowrestler Pankratops** actually went along with his attack, actively extended a claw and grabbed his right arm!?
A terrifying grip, capable of squeezing carbon into diamonds, came through. Valon had no time to react to **Dinowrestler Pankratops's** action. Suddenly, he felt a heavy blow to his abdomen, and his entire body instantly lost balance, his vision spinning.
By the time he recovered his senses, Valon had been thrown back to his original position by **Dinowrestler Pankratops** with a throw. The entire armor on his right arm had vanished!
What was with that agile movement just now? How could this big guy's reaction be so swift?
"The effect of **Dinowrestler Pankratops** is: By Tributing one Dinowrestler monster on my Field, I can target one card on the Opponent's Field and destroy that card. This effect can be activated even during the opponent's Turn."
Rex watched the **Dinowrestler Pankratops** on his Field perform its specialty, using brute force to tear the **Big Bang Knuckle Armor** directly off Valon's body. It then hugged the armor and self-destructed with a boom, absorbing the impact force with its own power. Rex let out a sigh of relief.
He had actually been somewhat prepared for Valon to Summon **Big Bang Knuckle Armor** again, which was why he used the effect of **Baby Pteranodon** to Special Summon the **Dinowrestler Pankratops**, which could Tribute itself, instead of other High-Level Dinosaurs.
However, speaking of which, although the Dinowrestler part of **Dinowrestler Pankratops** is clearly an archetype in a series, unfortunately, Rex only has two copies of the **Dinowrestler Pankratops** monster and one accompanying Spell Card. He only pulled them last month after losing to Kujaku Mai. He doesn't know when he'll be able to assemble the full series.
But judging from the strength it has shown so far, this series fits perfectly with his Dinosaur beatdown Deck system.
Valon looked at his exposed right arm after losing the **Big Bang Knuckle Armor** and said with some helplessness: "And here I was guarding against your Set Card possibly being a Trap that could negate attacks. Turns out the key was the monster itself?"
"Honestly, you managed to survive another Turn." Valon stood up from the ground, the armor on his body gradually dispersing. His Armor monsters were different from other Duel Monsters that were just projections; they had a physical existence. Therefore, no ground dust stuck to him. "My Turn ends here."
[Valon: 2000LP, Hand 0]
[Jurra Egg Token] [DEF 0]
[Set Card] [**Supergravity Net**]
It was Rex's Turn. After he drew a card, he hesitated slightly, because he drew a card that came with both opportunity and risk - **Dimension Fusion**. By paying 2000 Life Points, both players could Special Summon as many of their banished monsters as possible.
However, Rex couldn't currently pay the required 2000 Life Points.
He currently had no monsters on his Field. In his Spell/Trap Zone, he had the **Miracle Dig** he Set last Turn as a disguise, and a Trap Card with "meaning unknown". If he didn't use this card in his Hand, it would simply be...
Ah, it's not like he can't fight.
Rex decisively flipped open his Set Card in the Spell/Trap Zone. "My Main Phase, I activate the Set Card in my Spell/Trap Zone! Here, I will interpret the surging power of the planet's ruler that transcends the physical body!"
"Trap Card, **Survival Instinct**!"
Rex said, and under Valon's surprised gaze, he suddenly grabbed the cards in his Graveyard and drew them out. "Banish any number of Dinosaur-Type monsters from my Graveyard, and I recover my Life Points by that number X 400 points!"
"Three **Souleating Oviraptors**, three **Babycerasaurus**, two **Baby Pteranodon**, two **Super Conductor Tyranno**, **Ultimate Conductor Tyranno**, **Dinowrestler Pankratops**, two **Giga Gagagigo**, and **Giant King Spinosaurus**, a total of 15 Dinosaur-Type monsters!"
"I'm dumping all the cards in my Graveyard!"
Of course, Rex was just saying that. While he did indeed banish all the Dinosaur-Type monsters in his Graveyard, he wasn't crazy enough to just throw cards away without hesitation. Although the action of dumping the cards looked cool, he didn't want to embarrassingly pick up the cards afterward.
However, this didn't stop Valon from staring wide-eyed as Rex's Life Points soared.
15 Dinosaur-Type monsters being banished meant that Rex would recover 15X400, which is a full 6000 Life Points. After this sudden recovery, Rex's Life Points directly shot up to 7000 points!
[Rex: 1000→7000LP]
What the heck? Aren't you a Dinosaur-Type Deck? How are you doing beatdown, card destruction, damage reduction, and even self-healing?
Valon really wanted to rant: Is the Dinosaur-Type Deck really that strong?
No, it must be an exception. It's not the Dinosaur-Type that's strong, but Rex who is using them. If it were someone else, they might not be able to unleash such power. Looking at the monster that appeared on Rex's Field, Valon thought this.
The Spinosaurus that appeared at the very beginning of the Duel reappeared on Rex's Field. Although it was banished, it was revived again. The aura emanating from **Giant King Spinosaurus** was terrifyingly intimidating.
"When **Giant King Spinosaurus** is banished, it can be Special Summoned to my Field, and its ATK is increased by the number of Dinosaur-Type monsters I banished X 200 points," Rex said in a deep voice, looking at the giant beast on the Field.
[**Giant King Spinosaurus**] [ATK 2000→3800]
"3800 ATK, it even surpasses the previous **Ultimate Conductor Tyranno**," Valon exclaimed. "And, you didn't use the effect of **Lost World** to Special Summon a Jurra Egg Token to my Field. Are you planning to clear my Field this Turn and direct attack me?"
Rex shook his head.
"Although I'd like to, I actually don't have any other Dinosaur-Type monsters in my Hand that I can Summon. And **Giant King Spinosaurus** actually has a self-imposed restriction that it cannot direct attack."
Although it's stuck at the minimum Level 4 restriction of **Supergravity Net**, **Giant King Spinosaurus**, with an ATK 800 points higher than **Blue-Eyes White Dragon**, can attack without restriction. However, with only the Jurra Egg Token in Defense Position on Valon's Field, he couldn't utilize **Giant King Spinosaurus's** high ATK advantage at all.
If the card in his Hand right now were **Monster Reborn**, which can Special Summon cards from the Graveyard, he could recycle the banished **Giga Gagagigo** using **Miracle Dig** and Special Summon it. After **Giant King Spinosaurus** destroyed the Token, **Giga Gagagigo** could attack directly. That would be a finishing blow, but unfortunately, he couldn't swap the cards.
Rex Summoned **Giant King Spinosaurus** just as a side note. His main goal was to activate the **Dimension Fusion** in his Hand. However, just as he was about to play the card in his Hand with full confidence, Valon on the opposite side suddenly said: "That gaze, it's a gaze full of confidence, Rex."
"When I was a kid, I often got into fights. I got beaten up more than once, but later I learned something: that is: don't look at the opponent's body, because feints can deceive you. You have to judge their thoughts through their gaze. This is my experience from countless victorious fights, and it can also apply in a Duel."
"The joy in your eyes after successfully activating **Survival Instinct** and recovering a large amount of Life Points in one go, and then Summoning the powerful **Giant King Spinosaurus**, couldn't be hidden anymore. But that wasn't confidence stemming from the power of the monster on your Field, but rather from the feeling that the card in your Hand could bring you victory. Am I wrong?"
Valon's finger pressed the Activate Set Card button on his Duel Disk before Rex could activate the card in his Hand. "Although Dueling you has somewhat piqued my interest, and it's no wonder some people call you 'Hard-boiled' Rex, for me, a Duel that isn't fist-to-fist combat is still lacking."
"As a penalty for opposing me, I will cut off your hope! Activate Trap Card, **Disruption Tactics**!"
"Nani!?"
As Valon's Set Card in the Spell/Trap Zone flipped open, Rex found that he couldn't activate **Dimension Fusion**, which was just a hair's breadth away from being placed in the Duel Disk.
He was just about to pay Life Points and then Special Summon the large number of banished Dinosaurs onto the Field in one go to end this Duel with a total attack. But it was like downloading a movie that got stuck at 99% for hours without moving; he just couldn't arrive at the truth of "Activate Card"!
This was the effect of Valon's card!
"The effect of **Disruption Tactics** is that the opponent returns their entire Hand to the Deck and shuffles it, then draws the same quantity of cards."
Valon promptly provided the answer to Rex's confusion. As he spoke, Valon was also able to see the card in Rex's Hand as **Dimension Fusion** thanks to his excellent sight. "Heh heh, **Dimension Fusion**, so that's it. A Dinosaur-Type Deck actually has this kind of combo. Most monsters have no capital to be recycled if they are banished, but Dinosaur-Types can cooperate with **Dimension Fusion** using **Survival Instinct**. That's amazing."
"But now, that **Dimension Fusion** has no chance to be activated!"
Rex couldn't refute Valon's words. At this moment, he only had the **Miracle Dig**, which was used for bluffing, in his Spell/Trap Zone. He couldn't make an effective counter to **Disruption Tactics**. With helplessness, he returned the **Dimension Fusion** that he couldn't activate to his Deck, where the Duel Disk automatically shuffled it.
Although Hayato Kobayashi, Mutou Yuugi, and other Duelists often say "a True Duelist can draw whatever they want", but if you return a card and shuffle, and then draw the same card, it just means the shuffle device is broken. As expected, Rex couldn't perform the metaphysics of card printing. He drew a rather awkward card, **Mystik Wok**.
"Enter Battle Phase. I use **Giant King Spinosaurus** to attack the Jurra Egg Token."
Neither **Miracle Dig** nor **Mystik Wok**, while not completely useless cards, could change the current situation or help Rex achieve victory. Unable to complete his combo, Rex declared the attack with helplessness.
And Valon, who only had an open **Supergravity Net** in his Spell/Trap Zone, had no intention or ability to stop Rex's attack. He let **Giant King Spinosaurus** fiercely stomp on the Jurra Egg Token, finally completely clearing his Front Row. Anyway, this kind of attack wouldn't inflict any damage to him.
The Battle Phase ended. Rex thought for a moment and still activated the **Mystik Wok** in his Hand. "Tribute **Giant King Spinosaurus** on my Field, and I recover Life Points equal to its ATK."
Instead of leaving **Giant King Spinosaurus**, which had high ATK but couldn't effectively inflict damage, on the Field, only for Valon to possibly use his one-trick **Big Bang Knuckle Armor** combo to chip away at his Life Points next Turn, Rex felt it was better to actively "fry it up and eat it" himself, recovering more Life Points.
As for having an empty Field, he wasn't afraid at all.
[Rex: 7000→10800LP]
What does 10800 Life Points mean? He wouldn't be afraid of taking a direct attack from three **Blue-Eyes White Dragon**s head-on. What could a direct attack of this magnitude do? Could the opponent one-turn kill him?
"My Turn ends."
Rex, who declared the end of his Turn, tried to imitate what Valon had just said about "looking at the gaze". He stared intently at Valon, who had just interrupted his Field setup as if he had x-ray vision.
"My Turn, draw."
However, from Valon's gaze, Rex could only see a feeling of "it's finally over". There was no excitement or joy, nor disappointment or dejection, only calmness.
Valon, who drew a card, didn't launch a fierce offensive like in the previous few Turns. He merely Set the card he drew and said to Rex: "'Dinosaur' Rex, this Duel is already over."
"As a Duelist, I must say you gave me a pretty good experience. But it's a pity, you will still be defeated by me here. However, I won't seal your soul, because I believe your current Life Points are enough to burn out your soul."
"I don't pursue victory, so I won't feel ashamed using this means. This is my final bomb, 'Dinosaur' Rex."
"Set one card, My Turn ends. Then, at the start of your Turn, I will activate this Set Card!"
"When the opponent's Life Points are 7000 points or more higher than mine, **Self-Destruct Button** activates, and both players' Life Points become 0!"
"I will lose the 2000 Life Points I can still withstand in one go, but your Life Points will lose 10800 points in one go. This impact is enough to turn an ordinary human into a vegetable who won't wake up!"
"Sink into the darkness with Doma's secret!"
Rex, who had just drawn a card, completely unexpected that Valon's final means would be this kind of mutual destruction card, saw Valon give him a thumbs-up, then flick his finger down!
A blinding light instantly radiated, stripping Rex of everything in his sight and his consciousness.
His ears vaguely heard the sound of an ambulance, and the sound of an eggshell cracking.
Chapter 577: If You Don't Know the Reason, Just Blame Pegasus For Now
"Morning News: At 3 AM today, the famous professional duelists the Paradox Brothers and Rex Raptor were discovered unconscious in front of the newly completed Kaiba Stadium due to unknown reasons. This marks the forty-ninth duelist coma incident in the past week."
"After receiving emergency calls, the three individuals mentioned above were sent to Washington University Medical Center to receive treatment along with other victims. However, the reason for the collective coma is still unknown, and the Professional Duelist League has expressed its protest regarding the situation. The Washington Police have intervened in the investigation, and we will continue to report on related news."
Watching the news broadcast by the host on the screen inside the car, everyone's faces weren't looking good, especially Joey Wheeler and Yugi.
"The Paradox Brothers were defeated?" "Rex too..."
During Duelist Kingdom, the Paradox Brothers were duelists hired by Pegasus, assigned as guardians for the trials given to Yugi and the others. They had a tag duel with Yugi and Joey Wheeler, and later dueled Hayato as the keepers of the Duelist Kingdom Castle Dungeon.
As for Rex, he could be said to be Joey Wheeler's most important opponent during Duelist Kingdom. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon that has accompanied him to this day was won by Joey Wheeler from Rex. However, after their duel in the KC Cup, both of them had long since moved past that matter.
But now, in the news, skilled duelists like the Paradox Brothers and Rex had also become victims.
"The earliest case was the former All-American Champion, 'The Bandit' Keith Howard, who was found unconscious in an Alley." Keipei pulled up a file and projected it onto the screen, replacing the news that had started reporting on the President's latest appearance. "Initially, this was just thought to be a coma caused by alcohol poisoning from poor quality liquor due to Keith Howard's own heavy drinking."
"But after that, victims began appearing one after another."
On the screen, Keipei listed the portraits of the victims, densely packed in several rows. Among them, Yugi and Joey Wheeler also saw many people they knew, having dueled against them a few times.
But now, all these people had fallen into a coma.
What was the reason for the continuous coma incidents among duelists in America? Or rather, who was causing them to fall into a coma?
Yugi lowered his head in thought. The continuous comas of unknown cause, from their external appearance, seemed as if the duelists' souls had been stripped away, which was why they couldn't awaken despite their bodies being alive. The first thing that could achieve this was the Dark Game.
Was there a killer who had mastered the power of the Dark Game conducting a hunting game in America? No, more than that, Yugi was reminded of Grimo, whom he had faced in a duel not long ago. He claimed to be from the "Doma" organization, and in order to awaken their god, they needed the Three Egyptian Gods as tribute.
Not long after the God Cards were all taken, extremely strange Duel Monster image materialization incidents occurred throughout Domino City and even the entire World, causing global panic.
Furthermore, some duelists who possessed the ability to see Card Spirits discovered a giant Vertical Eye suspended in the darkened sky, as if a giant snake was wrapped around the Earth, looking down at the panicked human beings on the surface.
At the Egyptian Artifact Traveling Exhibition Hall in Domino City at the time, Yugi and Dark Yugi within the Millennium Puzzle, after witnessing the appearance of the Vertical Eye, were summoned by a cry for help and traveled to the Spirit World in spirit form for a short period.
There, the two Yugis discovered that the Vertical Eye also appeared in the Spirit World and was greatly devouring Card Spirits who couldn't resist its power to replenish itself. Under the guidance of Dark Magician Girl, the two Yugis worked together to pull out a long sword stuck in the eye of a Dragon Statue and returned to the Real World.
After that, an extra card appeared in Yugi's hand.
"Eye of Timaeus..." Yugi took out the card that had appeared in his hand out of nowhere at that time. He had used the power of this card to call forth an Azure Blue Giant Dragon to defeat the Vertical Eye in the sky, resolving the global Duel Monster materialization incident. "Could it be Doma?"
Keipei sighed when he heard Yugi's words. "Unfortunately, as of now, there are still no witnesses. Even if it was done by the 'Doma' organization that stole the Three Egyptian Gods, they covered their tracks too well to be traced."
"However, I did find an unconfirmed rumor. It says that the Paradox Brothers and Rex Raptor, who were found attacked this morning, were sent to the Hospital by ambulance, but the person who called the ambulance was Rex himself, who was also unconscious."
"Since it's impossible for an unconscious person to call an ambulance themselves, I speculate that Rex Raptor was likely a witness, whether fortunate or unfortunate. After witnessing the Paradox Brothers being attacked, he made the emergency call, but afterwards, he himself was silenced because he saw too much."
"Damn it, that idiot Rex!" Joey Wheeler said angrily upon hearing Keipei's analysis of the situation at the time. "Didn't that guy say he was going to become the top professional duelist?! Why was he trying to be a hero?"
"He hadn't even won a single championship yet and was killed off like this, it's unforgivable!"
Although he was cursing Rex, everyone could see that Joey Wheeler's anger was directed at the unknown assailant. If that person dared to reveal their identity in front of Joey Wheeler now, they would definitely be beaten up by the enraged Joey Wheeler.
Kaiba, who had been sitting calmly listening to Keipei's analysis for a long time, also spoke up. "To be honest, who those third-rate duelists using fourth-rate decks are, and what they experienced to fall into a coma, has nothing to do with me. I won't concern myself with them."
His ruthless words drew a glare from Joey Wheeler, but Kaiba's habit as an arrogant old man was to put the important words in the latter half of his sentence, while the first half could usually be ignored. "However, every Duel Monsters player is a valuable asset of KaibaCorp. If I find out who is acting against KaibaCorp's interests, I will personally bring down judgment upon them!"
While they were talking, the limousine they were riding in drove onto the Golden Gate Bridge, a famous bridge that collapses every time it appears in various movies and TV shows. Across the Bay, they could see a building that stood out among the high-rise buildings on the opposite shore.
"That is..." Even Téa, who hadn't been to America many times, instantly recognized where it was just by glancing at the extremely eye-catching Toon Alligator Neon Logo on top of the building from afar. "Industrial Illusions?"
"Hmph, KaibaCorp hasn't fully gotten rid of the trouble from the global Duel Monster visual glitch incident not long ago." Kaiba glanced at the Industrial Illusions Headquarters Building outside the window and said, annoyed, "Undoubtedly, the data stored by KaibaCorp has no problems, so the problem can only be with Industrial Illusions."
"No, I told you it wasn't a visual glitch, the Duel Monsters really materialized!" Tristan retorted, but clearly, Kaiba's understanding was in read-only mode, and he still stubbornly interpreted it using his own scientific knowledge.
"I don't trust that unreliable fake American, Pegasus, so the first thing I need to do here in America is to inspect their data at the Industrial Illusions Headquarters. Incidentally, the last location locked by the tracker Keipei left behind earlier is also near there. Maybe we can find some clues."
As he spoke, Kaiba also glanced at Yugi, or more precisely, at the Eye of Timaeus Card in Yugi's hand.
On the day of the global Duel Monster materialization, Kaiba, whose Obelisk the Tormentor had been taken, was also at the Egyptian Artifact Traveling Exhibition Hall at Ishizu's invitation. Naturally, he witnessed Yugi use the power of the Eye of Timaeus Card to defeat the Vertical Eye in the sky.
—Yes, Kaiba had already acquired a certain ability to see Spirits, and naturally, he could also see the Vertical Eye in the sky.
However, even though Kaiba often saw the Spirits around Yugi, he stubbornly refused to believe in the existence of Card Spirits. To change this, he would probably have to see his own Card Spirit—
Because of that scene, Kaiba was naturally very interested in the powerful Dragon-Type Monster Card in Yugi's hand. That day, he almost threw aside other matters like getting back the God Card and couldn't wait to duel with Blue-Eyes and Eye of Timaeus to see who was the Strongest Dragon.
What Kaiba didn't expect at the time was that the Eye of Timaeus Yugi held, despite summoning a Giant Dragon no matter how you looked at it, was somehow not a Dragon Type Monster. It was even hard to say it was a Monster Card.
Its border was not the color of any Spell Card, Trap Card, or Monster Card, but an azure blue as transparent as jade. In the center of the card art was a giant dragon named Timaeus with one injured eye, but this name was not recorded anywhere on the card.
There wasn't even a single piece of text or pattern on the entire card. There was no attribute, card name, star level, effect, or description whatsoever. It looked exactly like a semi-finished card with only the card art printed on it.
Kaiba immediately recalled one of Yugi's identities: he was a major shareholder of Industrial Illusions, holding a shareholding of up to 30%, second only to Pegasus and ranked alongside Hayato. Naturally, Kaiba interpreted the Eye of Timaeus as an "official engine" given to Yugi by Pegasus.
He had one more reason to find trouble with Pegasus! How dare he casually print cards like this with no text, allowing people to Rule Bend the effects however they want? Unforgivable, Pegasus!
Although the Industrial Illusions Headquarters Building was located in the Prosperous Former Gold Rush Capital, San Francisco, because the streets were quite wide, even though the traffic flow was heavy, the drive didn't feel congested. Shortly after safely leaving the Golden Gate Bridge, the car the group was in arrived at the Industrial Park where Industrial Illusions was located, and they got out of the car in front of the Headquarters Building.
Even though Yugi was a major shareholder of Industrial Illusions, this was the first time he had ever been to the Industrial Illusions Headquarters.
This situation could only occur at Industrial Illusions, which was originally 100% under Pegasus's absolute control with no Board of Directors.
"It's so big, it even looks a bit taller than the KaibaCorp Building," Joey Wheeler exclaimed as he looked up at the Industrial Illusions Headquarters Building soaring into the clouds.
Although KaibaCorp's influence was increasing daily, Industrial Illusions was a giant that had been established long ago. Its status was much higher than Kaiba Entertainment Group, which had only transformed midway. Even though President Pegasus himself was slacking off daily, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse, and Kaiba still had a lot of space to catch up.
This was slightly reflected in the headquarters buildings of the two groups. KaibaCorp's headquarters was not built in Tokyo but in the relatively remote Domino City, while Industrial Illusions could set up its headquarters almost in the City Center of San Francisco.
However, the headquarters buildings of the two groups were actually the same height. As for Joey Wheeler saying Industrial Illusions' was taller, was it because he had seen the KaibaCorp Building in Domino City too much, or was he intentionally trying to belittle Kaiba?
Who knows.
Kaiba ignored Joey Wheeler's childish words, but another person responded to Joey Wheeler: "It is quite tall, but the KaibaCorp Building in Domino City is about the same, isn't it? Don't act like a country bumpkin who's never seen the world, it's too embarrassing."
Before seeing the person, their voice was heard. Joey Wheeler even smelled a familiar scent, and a figure instantly appeared in Joey Wheeler's mind.
But he wasn't certain it was them. Excitedly, he turned his head towards the source of the voice. Only to see Kujaku Mai, dressed stylishly, getting off a stopped motorcycle. She took off her helmet, straightened her pinned-up golden long hair, and smiled at Joey Wheeler: "Long time no see."
"Jo~nou~chi~"
"Mai!" Although he recognized Kujaku Mai's voice when he heard it, Joey Wheeler was clearly quite surprised to see her here. "Why are you here?"
"But, I'm glad you're okay. After I saw the news about a large number of duelists falling into a coma, I subconsciously worried if something had happened to you too."
"Heh heh, don't underestimate me, Joey Wheeler. I'm going to prove to the world that female duelists are very strong too! I won't be casually defeated halfway through. Oh ho ho ho."
"Haha, yeah, I guess." Joey Wheeler rubbed the back of his head with a silly grin as he heard Kujaku Mai confidently let out her signature queen's laugh. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he said, "Oh right, I saw the duel where you won the championship not long ago. Congratulations, Mai."
This time, it was Kujaku Mai who suddenly became a bit shy, blushing slightly as she softly said, "Mm."
Beside them, Tristan poked the proud Keipei with his finger: "I say, could it be..."
"Mm-hmm, we're Saving the World, you know. I only invited the current All-American Champion Kujaku Mai to help just to increase our strength." He subconsciously rubbed his nose, a habitual action he did when lying. "It's not because I wanted to see what kind of idiot Joey Wheeler would be."
Honda retorted, "Compared to Kaiba, Keipei, you're much more accepting of the existence of Duel Monsters."
"But then again," Tristan grinned mischievously as he watched Kujaku Mai and Joey Wheeler looking at each other quite shyly, "I'm actually quite interested too."
Chapter 578: A Flaw Discovered
However, compared to the gossiping Tristan and Keipei, Yugi was much more serious. He looked at the entrance of the building before him, frowning.
Ever since the vehicle entered the Industrial Illusions Industrial Park, he had been bothered by something: he hadn't seen many people along the way, even though today was a workday.
It was somewhat understandable that the entrance used an electronic identification system, so no security guard was needed, but why were there so few people coming and going even at the entrance of the Headquarters Building, which should have been busy?
"Hmph, you noticed it too, Yugi?" Kaiba, with a cold expression, stood beside Yugi, also looking at the empty First Floor Lobby of the building, which seemed deserted from the outside. "If the lack of people coming and going could be explained by digitized work, but even the receptionist who should always be at the entrance isn't there, hmph, it's clearly too much."
Yugi nodded. "Ah, it's almost as if they're not even trying to hide that 'something is wrong here.' They're practically openly inviting us in."
"It seems we've carelessly stumbled upon the main culprits. But since they've appeared here, does that mean Pegasus is their goal?"
Hearing the conversation between Yugi and Kaiba, Joey Wheeler also turned his head, belatedly realizing that at some point, Dark Yugi had replaced Yugi Mutou, and was looking at the empty First Floor Lobby of the Industrial Illusions building with Kaiba, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Although not good at thinking, Joey Wheeler wasn't so stupid as to not understand what Yugi and Kaiba were saying. "Are you saying that Doma organization, or whatever it's called, that stole the God Card is in this building right now?"
Honda retorted, "It's not 'Uncensored,' it's Doma! And it looks like their actions are getting bolder and bolder. From Keith, whose fame declined and was ignored at first, to Rex Raptor and the Paradox Brothers, who have been extremely popular recently, now even Pegasus, the Father of Duel Monsters, has become their goal."
However, even though the building before them was so obviously wrong that even a blind person could sense it, and there were inevitably traps and sets, Yugi and his group still had a reason to go in. And to go to the Top Floor of the Building to find Pegasus, the First Floor Lobby was a necessary path.
Leading the way was Kaiba, with a terrifying expression like a gangster seeking revenge and coming to cut someone down. He walked in first through the automatically opening sensor door, head held high and chest puffed out. Keipei followed closely beside his brother. Behind the Kaiba Brothers were Téa and Yugi.
Seeing it from outside the building was different from seeing it from inside. Although they weren't inexperienced, Yugi and Téa still subconsciously marveled at the size of the Industrial Illusions First Floor Lobby during their first visit.
In comparison, Kaiba and Keipei, the two Brothers, seemed somewhat unfazed. Although they were also looking around, they were more focused on searching for potential sets.
The entire Hall was empty, not a single figure could be found. If not for a few scattered open documents on the receptionist's counter, it would have seemed as if no human existence had ever been there. The imaginative Keipei even thought the scene before them was exactly like the image from a sci-fi movie after humanity collectively disappeared in an instant.
But that kind of thing was impossible. Keipei remembered the Duel Monster Materialization from not long ago, adding a "probably" after his idea.
Honda, the muscle of the group, walked at the back. He was very good at reading the atmosphere and didn't disturb Joey Wheeler and Kujaku Mai, who were standing side-by-side, letting them enter first.
However, just as Honda stepped through the automatic door of the Industrial Illusions Headquarters Building with his front foot and was about to pull back his rear foot, the electric door behind him suddenly slammed shut as if it had a malfunction, and at the same time, a thick metal isolation gate crashed down!
"Bang!"
The huge noise startled everyone, especially Honda, who was closest and almost became Louis XVI. Still shaken, he took two steps back away from the gate, afraid that something else might happen.
"Whoa, what happened!?" Looking back at the completely lowered isolation gate, Joey Wheeler said, "You must have hit a switch, Honda!"
"No way, I just stepped in!" Honda wasn't willing to take the blame. Seeing that the isolation gate had fallen and there was no other movement for a while, he bravely walked forward and reached out to pull the thick iron door. But the isolation gate, set up for fire prevention, had now become the wall of a cage, sealing the gate tightly and preventing everyone from leaving.
"Damn it, I can't open it!"
"It's the same here!" Joey Wheeler walked to the glass window on the other side and found that isolation gates were also installed at the windows. Was it really necessary to install this kind of device everywhere?
"Your efforts are in vain~"
Just as Joey Wheeler and Honda were searching for a way to leave, a familiar-sounding voice rang out, echoing in the empty Hall. Although they couldn't see who was speaking, everyone present said the voice was extremely familiar.
"That voice is... Pegasus?" Yugi, who had identified the opponent's identity, looked around but couldn't find Pegasus's figure. He felt a slightly strange feeling he couldn't quite place.
"Yes, I am, Yugi Muto~" Dragging that strange, familiar trailing sound, Pegasus's voice rang out again. This time the source of the voice was much clearer, causing everyone's gaze to shift upwards in unison, tilting their heads slightly to look towards the Second Floor of the Hall.
There, a figure was clearly walking slowly out of the shadow.
Kaiba frowned, saying impatiently, "Playing these ghostly tricks in front of me is utterly boring. What are you doing closing the gate here!"
Completely manifest from the shadow was Pegasus, still wearing that wine-red suit, his shoulder-length silver hair covering the left side of his face. He looked down at Yugi and the others standing on the first floor and said, "Seto Kaiba, Just a little---"
"Hey, don't make me repeat myself! You ghostly trickster!" Kaiba's expression was still foul, and he even rudely interrupted Pegasus, who was speaking slowly in a noble tone.
"Although your voice, appearance, and movements look exactly like the Pegasus in my impression, you're not the real Pegasus!" It wasn't just Kaiba who saw through the "Pegasus" before them; even Joey Wheeler, uncharacteristically smart, said, "This feeling... is it killing intent? You're one of the Organization Doma people who stole the God Card!"
"Tsk, you saw through me so easily?" The "Pegasus" standing on the Second Floor frowned and glanced at Joey Wheeler, saying annoyed, "Although you act like a brainless idiot, you truly are one of the top duelists, aren't you? Sharp intuition, Joey Wheeler."
"Who's an idiot!" Joey Wheeler retorted, "Even I know that it would be strange if Pegasus, that fake American, spoke entirely in English! The flaw is too big!"
The "Pegasus" ignored Joey Wheeler's retort, his gaze shifting back to Kaiba, and said in a cold tone, "Kujaku Mai, Joey Wheeler, Yugi Muto, and Seto Kaiba. Originally, we had no plan to deal with you right now. Instead, we intended to collect souls little by little and finally handle you, the biggest obstruction to implementing our plan."
"But since you've come knocking on our door to die, we might as well take care of you!"
As he spoke, the "Pegasus" somehow produced a small remote control in his hand and pressed a yellow button on it.
In an instant, the sound of machinery operating rang out around everyone. Mechanisms suddenly sprang up from all directions, revealing countless standee-like devices pointed at the group standing in the center of the Hall. The first thing that caught everyone's eye was the wording "This Side Towards Enemy" printed on these metal standees!
"Claymore Mines?!" The small standees were not unfamiliar to Kaiba, who had inherited the former KaibaCorp, a military-industrial enterprise. A sense of humiliation at being tricked surged into his heart. "Damn it, these cowardly rats who hide their faces don't even dare to duel me, and instead use such insidious means!"
The others also had expressions as if facing a formidable enemy. Yugi even placed one hand on the Millennium Puzzle on his chest, while taking out several cards with his other hand, ready to immediately unleash the power of the spirits within the cards if anything went wrong.
"Claymore? What is that?"
The sole person who hadn't figured out the situation was Téa. Having little knowledge of military matters and no interest in learning about them, the word "Claymore Mine" wasn't even in her brain, and she had no idea what it was.
"You just need to know that it's a weapon that once had an astonishing kill rate on the battlefield, even after calculating the rate of accidental friendly fire." Although Keipei was so nervous he wanted to eat a chocolate to relieve the pressure, he still explained to Téa.
Looking at the group below, the "Pegasus" revealed a proud smile. "Oh? Are you afraid, Seto Kaiba? Did you ever imagine this scene today when you touched this dirty family business?"
"Look, Seto Kaiba, surrounded by dirty weapons now, you're just like trash about to be crushed by a shredder."
"As for dirty means? For me, achieving the goal is enough; the process is completely unnecessary. Although it's a pity I couldn't properly torture you before sealing your soul, just getting rid of you will make my mood happy for at least five or six days!"
As he spoke, the "Pegasus"'s thumb lifted, moving towards a red button marked with a skeleton next to the yellow button. "Die like this, Seto Kai---"
A golden light flashed from the Millennium Puzzle on Yugi's chest. Faint phantoms of **Dark Magician** and **Dark Magician Girl** had already begun to manifest behind him. And in Kaiba's hand, he immediately drew a **Goddess of Reversal** from the top of his deck, about to throw it, attempting to hit the "Pegasus" with his flying card skill before he could press the button.
Joey Wheeler spread his arms and hugged Kujaku Mai, while Tristan pushed Téa and Keipei into the middle of the group, trying his best to shield them with his body. Although he knew that flesh and blood made little difference against the steel pellets of a Claymore Mine, the two men still wanted to make some small resistance.
Just as the "Pegasus" was about to press that button, a voice they had never heard before rang out:
"Wait a minute!"
Before the voice could even be fully heard, the wrist of the hand holding the remote control was suddenly gripped tightly. Wincing in pain, his joint subconsciously relaxed and let go of the remote control, which was caught by another hand reaching out from the side.
Valon, who had rushed over to the "Pegasus"'s side, immediately used his finger to snap off the transmitter on top of the remote control the moment he caught it. Then, clenching his fist, he instantly crushed and destroyed the remote control. Seeing the Claymore Mines surrounding the group in the First Floor Lobby retract, he finally let out a breath of relief.
"You'd better give me an explanation, Valon!"
Having his revenge, which was about to be completed, destroyed by a suddenly interfering teammate, the "Pegasus" completely lost the mood to maintain his disguise. Angrily reaching up, he tore off his face and hair, revealing the furious Alister. "Explain what you're doing suddenly coming here!"
He could have instantly killed the detestable Seto Kaiba just by pressing the button, and even gotten rid of a few duelists who would be obstructions later. But Valon, that idiot, suddenly ran out and destroyed his remote control!
He had painstakingly arranged the Claymore Mine devices below for a long time! Valon, that idiot, hadn't put in any work himself, so he truly didn't feel any pity destroying them!
"Uh, uh, well..."
How was Valon supposed to explain? Was he supposed to tell the angry Alister that although he had initially supported his trap plan and even actively suggested adding more bombs and other mechanisms, that was based on the assumption that Kujaku Mai wouldn't be among the arrivals, and he changed his mind when he realized Kujaku Mai was about to be accidentally injured by Alister?
Unable to think of a good reason, Valon simply decided to transfer the angry Alister's attention. "Instead, Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba are coming up the escalator!"
"Whose question do you think this is!" Alister naturally also noticed Kaiba and Yugi walking quickly up the escalator. Pushing Valon's shoulder angrily, he said, "Rafael and that bastard went to seal Pegasus's soul. The finishing work was our responsibility, but now things have become much more troublesome because of you."
"Seto Kaiba is still my responsibility to handle, and you take care of the others!"
As he spoke, Alister ran towards the stairs, taunting Kaiba, "If you're not afraid of falling into my trap again, then follow me, Seto Kaiba!"
"You bastard, stop right there!" Kaiba naturally recognized Alister the moment he dropped his disguise. He hadn't settled the revenge for losing **Obelisk the Tormentor** due to the Mutual Destruction caused by a **Ring of Destruction** last time. Not worried that Alister had truly set any traps, he followed directly, and Keipei also followed behind Kaiba.
Valon didn't try to obstruct Kaiba, but after Kaiba left with Alister, he directly materialized an arm armor and heavily punched the doorway that Keipei and Kaiba had just passed through.
"Boom!"
The concrete was directly shattered and fell by Valon's punch, completely blocking the stairs and making them impassable. Standing before the pile of rubble, looking at the group with imposing aura, he said with a smile, "My apologies, this is a one-way street."
"And it's nice to see you again, Mai-chan~!"
Kujaku Mai immediately trembled, glanced at Joey Wheeler, and quickly said to Valon, "You! I'm not your acquaintance, don't call me so affectionately on your own!"
Chapter 579: She Was the Woman Who Could Have Become My Mother
Kujaku Mai and Valon had met more than once; it would be inaccurate to say they didn't know each other. After all, she held grudges quite well and hadn't forgotten that Valon was the one who defeated her in the KC Cup.
Although Kujaku Mai's initial interest in Joey Wheeler was also due to being defeated by him once, her attitude towards Valon was somewhat different. He was merely "the guy who beat me once."
Valon, on the other hand, despite having defeated countless women up to this point – like how no one remembers how many slices of bread they've eaten in their life – paid special attention and care to Kujaku Mai.
On one hand, Kujaku Mai was indeed a beauty, and not the kind of weak woman Valon disliked, but rather quite independent and strong. On the other hand, perhaps because too much time had passed causing his memories to be blurry, or perhaps an unconscious association with Kujaku Mai due to his affection for her, Valon always saw the figure of a Sister he knew in his childhood in Kujaku Mai.
As a child, Valon was an orphan boarding at a Church. Because he had no parents and didn't have a good temper, young Valon often got into fights. Every time Valon got injured after a fight, it was the Sister who lived with him at the Church who would gently apply medicine and comfort him in a soft voice.
To Valon, that Sister was the woman who could have become his mother.
But the Sister died, killed in a great fire of mysterious origin, swallowed by the flames along with the Church. Valon, who was out at the time, narrowly escaped, but could only watch helplessly as the wreckage of the Church collapsed in the flames.
The Church where Valon lived was facing demolition at the time. The construction team, unwilling to pay the high demolition fee, hired a group of local thugs who frequently came to cause trouble. Valon often fought with these people to protect the Church. At the scene of the fire, Valon surprisingly saw these people appear again.
While other onlookers were surprised and sad at the sight of the Church in the firelight and the people who died inside, this group of thugs was happy because they had completed the construction team's commission and would get paid.
"It's just an old church, but it burned quite fiercely."
"Haha, this saves us the trouble of tearing it down."
"Doesn't that mean we did them a big favor? Heh heh."
Valon had no evidence to prove that the thugs, who had repeatedly caused trouble to drive away the Sister, were the arsonists. But it didn't matter. From the moment he witnessed the person he cared about die in the sea of fire, and the Church holding countless memories turn into ruins, Valon no longer had anything to care about.
That was the last time Valon fought for someone he cared about. When he came to his senses, he was the only one standing in the Alley, and the steel pipe in his hand was covered in the thugs' blood.
After that, Valon was imprisoned for murder. After being released from Prison by Dartz, Valon completely became someone who lived for himself.
It wasn't until Kujaku Mai appeared that Valon felt he had found a reason to fight to protect someone. That's why, upon seeing Kujaku Mai among Yugi's group and Alister about to activate a trap, he acted like a typical "useless teammate."
And now, even though he had actively stood in front of Yugi and the others and materialized his Armor, taking a battle stance, Valon genuinely didn't want to lay a hand on Kujaku Mai, even if Kujaku Mai always kept him at a distance with a reserved attitude.
"Valon, are you also part of that 'uncensored' organization?" Kujaku Mai sharply questioned, looking at Valon who had put on his helmet, hiding the helpless expression on his face.
"So you really know this guy, Mai?" Joey Wheeler asked Kujaku Mai. "I feel like I've seen him somewhere too."
Compared to Joey Wheeler, Yugi's memory was clearly much better. "It was during the KC Cup. I remember he was one of the players who made it to the main tournament using a Deck of Gemini Monsters, and he was the one who defeated Kujaku Mai back then."
Being reminded of her previous defeat, the strong-willed Kujaku Mai was clearly still a bit annoyed, but she continued Yugi's words. "That was indeed the situation back then, but I've improved a lot now. However, after Valon defeated me back then, he invited me to join his organization after the tournament, saying he could make me stronger."
"Only now do I know that your organization's name is 'uncensored', Valon."
Honda corrected, "It's 'Doma', not 'uncensored'. How come even Mai has the same habit as Joey Wheeler?"
"Whatever it is, 'uncensored' or 'less censored', in short, that guy named Valon, get out of the way and stop being a nuisance!"
Joey Wheeler impatiently said to Valon, who was blocking the way. "Although you just now saved us from that guy disguised as Pegasus, if you block us, don't blame us for not being polite!"
As he spoke, Joey Wheeler pretended to crack his knuckles, making a clicking sound.
However, don't think Valon is good-tempered just because he actively intervened to destroy Alister's plan for Kujaku Mai and can greet Kujaku Mai's unpleasant attitude with a gentle smile. Seeing Joey Wheeler threaten him with force, Valon immediately put on a fierce expression. "I said it, didn't I? One way traffic here."
Valon had seen all the continuous interactions between Joey Wheeler and Kujaku Mai since they entered. That ambiguous form made Valon's eyes bloodshot, and his annoyance towards Joey Wheeler had been building up for more than just a little time. "Don't think I'm on your side just because I saved you just now. As long as I'm standing, you won't get through here."
As he spoke, Valon said proudly, "Counting the time, even if Industrial Illusions' people are resisting, so much time has passed. Rafael and the others should be close to completing the seal on Pegasus's soul, right?"
"What!?" Hearing Valon's words, Yugi's expression froze. "Your goal really is Pegasus!"
"Heh heh, after all, he's the Father of Duel Monsters. It would be very troublesome if he managed to create some cheating cards to interfere with our plan. In his words, 'When facing a situation, first tribute the despicable card printer'."
Yugi frowned, feeling a sense of urgency.
They didn't just come to visit Industrial Illusions this time. Kaiba needed to get the Solid Vision data from Pegasus, and Yugi also really wanted to ask Pegasus, who might know something, about the Eye of Timaeus card he currently held.
And even if they didn't need anything from Pegasus, Yugi cannot accept another soul being sealed by the Doma people.
But to go to the higher floors, this guy named Valon in front of them was an enemy they had to defeat. Which meant, inevitably, they could only...
"Tsk, in that case, duel me, Valon. It's a good chance for me to avenge my previous crushing defeat."
Kujaku Mai took a step to the side, raised the Duel Disk on her wrist, and said to Valon. Valon immediately replied, "Alright."
Saying this, Valon actually followed Kujaku Mai to a slightly more open spot, deactivated the materialization of his arm Armor, and activated his Duel Disk.
"?"
Yugi, who had become somewhat serious, almost had materialized question marks popping out of his head.
Who was it that just now said, "As long as I'm standing, you won't get through here"?
How come Kujaku Mai just shouted "Duel me," and you happily ran off, not even bothering with the rest of them?
End of Chapter
Chapter 580: You're Next, Nameless Pharaoh
Thinking rationally, Yugi was confused. Joey Wheeler, on the other hand, seeing Valon step aside, quickly pushed Yugi's back and said to him, "Good chance, Yugi! Hurry up and go find Pegasus while this guy's moved out of the way."
However, Joey Wheeler only told Yugi to hurry up and go. He himself had no intention of leaving at all. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on Valon and Kujaku Mai, who had found their positions and were about to start their Duel.
"What about you, Joey Wheeler?"
Hearing Yugi's question, Joey Wheeler tilted his head and gestured towards Kujaku Mai: "That Valon is from Organization Doma, right? Maybe that Valon was involved in sealing Rex's soul."
"I can't trust that guy named Valon. What if he does something to Mai..." Joey Wheeler thought about the possible situation and clenched his fists. "I won't let him get away with it!"
"Even if it means losing my Duelist's dignity, I'll intervene in the Duel before that guy lays a hand on Mai!"
Along with Joey Wheeler's resolve, a faint dragon roar echoed in his ears, and Yugi also caught a glimpse of a fleeting Black Dragon Phantom behind Joey Wheeler.
Yugi understood the situation before him. It seemed like this was a sign of Joey Wheeler's Card Spirit about to awaken. It was truly unexpected that Joey Wheeler, who knew nothing about Duel Monsters back then, had now reached the point of being close to awakening his Card Spirit.
However, although Joey Wheeler had the idea of staying, Tristan patted his shoulder and said, "If it's something like that, leave it to me."
"Honda?"
"That Valon said 'they' were the ones who sealed Pegasus's soul on the Top Floor of the Building, right? That's at least two people. It would be too dangerous if only you went up, Yugi. So, Téa and I will stay here." Tristan pointed to himself with his thumb. "My athletic ability is super strong. I can definitely interrupt the Duel before that Valon activates that strange Spell Card. At least getting Mai out is absolutely no problem."
During Yugi's Duel with Grimo last time, Tristan had noted the time it took for the Domain to expand after the Seal of Orichalcos Card was activated. First, a green light shot up from the card, then a magic circle was drawn in the air, and then the magic circle descended, enclosing both players. Aside from the descent phase where obstruction might make rescue impossible, there were at least ten seconds at other times.
A certain dolphin enthusiast whose hair was connected to his hat could beat a centenarian to death in less than a second. Nine seconds was enough for someone extremely hyped to sing a song. And ten seconds, even if Tristan was just a normal person who could punch and kick the Great Evil God, was enough for him to intervene in the Duel and take Kujaku Mai away by force before the Domain fully expanded.
Of course, only Joey Wheeler and Tristan would be so wary of Valon activating the Seal of Orichalcos. After all, although they could see that Valon treated Kujaku Mai somewhat differently, they didn't know exactly what position she held in his heart.
"Honda..."
Seeing Joey Wheeler looking at him seriously, Tristan patted his chest: "Heh heh, don't worry, Joey Wheeler. Don't forget, you've never won a fight against me so far."
"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about? Every time I was about to win, you'd suddenly surrender and lose half, okay? And the times you won were just me letting you win."
The atmosphere relaxed slightly. Joey Wheeler smiled and entrusted Tristan, "Then, Mai is in your hands, Tristan."
"Oh, don't worry."
To Joey Wheeler, Tristan made his manly promise.
Joey Wheeler, Yugi, and the others' loud scheming was heard clearly by Valon and Kujaku Mai. However, what Kujaku Mai found strange was that Valon merely looked down at the faintly glowing emerald ring on his hand and made no move to stop Yugi and the others. He just watched as Yugi and Joey Wheeler climbed over the fallen rocks on the ground and entered the Stairs.
Kujaku Mai was actually aware of Valon's feelings for her. After all, having worked as a card dealer on a Cruise Ship, she had seen plenty. If she were a naive young girl who was slow to understand emotions, she would have been taken advantage of long ago.
But she wasn't the type to string people along; Kujaku Mai hated people like that the most. Regarding Valon, she had always been very clear: 'We're not close, don't come near me, I have someone I like.' However, Valon had always been "loyal".
But to say that Valon was the type of person who would easily abandon his responsibility for a woman, Kujaku Mai didn't think so.
She believed she was good at reading people. She could tell that Valon might appear to be without desire or competitiveness in everyday life, but that was purely because he was actually an arrogant person. He was arrogant enough to believe he could achieve anything he wanted, so there was no need to strive for it. He was quite self-centered, even someone who lived only for himself.
Someone like Valon would change and disrupt other people's plans based on his own ideas, but letting Yugi and Joey Wheeler leave like this and letting his quests fail was very strange no matter how she thought about it.
Valon seemed like saw Kujaku Mai's confused expression. He glanced at Tristan and Téa, who were not even Duelists, remaining on the first floor, and shifted his gaze back to Kujaku Mai with disinterest: "Are you confused about why I didn't stop Mutou Yuugi and Katsuya Jounouchi, Mai-chan~"
"Alright, alright, Mai, Kujaku Mai, is that better?" Seeing Kujaku Mai show an angry expression because Valon had used that intimate way of calling her without permission, Valon quickly corrected himself, which slightly eased Kujaku Mai's expression. "Within Organization Doma, I actually belong to a small team called the 'Doma Three Swordsmen'. My status in the entire organization can be said to be second only to one person and above everyone else."
"Although that's the case, I've been assigned to work quite a bit. Ultimately, I'm just working for someone else."
"But, recently, although we have the quests of collecting Duelists' souls, it's been the most leisurely time for us 'Three Swordsmen', because a newcomer who quickly climbed to a very high position recently joined 'Doma'."
"This time, sealing Pegasus's soul should also be done by him. And I think even the Father of Duel Monsters won't last too long against him, after all, he's an opponent he's already defeated once."
As Valon spoke, he showed the ring on his finger, which was embedded with an Orichalcos Fragment. "When this Fragment glows, it means someone within sensing range has activated the Seal of Orichalcos, which cannot be terminated once used. I think if Alister's opponent is Kaiba Seto, his movements shouldn't be that fast, so Pegasus has most likely already been caught in a Duel."
"Even if Mutou Yuugi and the others rush to the top floor now, it's actually too late. And I'm suddenly looking forward to seeing what kind of expression they'll have when they see that guy, ha ha ha~"
Yugi and Joey Wheeler, who were walking up the Stairs, naturally couldn't hear what Valon was saying. Although they didn't know Pegasus's current situation, they were still heading to the upper floors as quickly as possible.
Although the Elevator might have been the most suitable way, the ceiling that Valon had punched through earlier happened to block the Elevator entrance on the first floor, making it impossible for Yugi and the others to enter. They could only go to a higher floor and then take the Elevator to the top floor.
But, the designer of the Industrial Illusions Headquarters Building was likely drunk when drawing the blueprints to find inspiration. If you wanted to take the Elevator, there was an entrance on the first floor, but the Elevator didn't stop on the second floor, third floor, or fourth floor at all. You had to go all the way up to the fifth floor to find the second floor with an Elevator.
This meant that Joey Wheeler and Yugi had to climb four flights of Stairs in one go!
Especially since the floor height of the Industrial Illusions Headquarters Building was also higher than that of ordinary buildings, this resulted in Yugi being out of breath after reaching the fifth floor with his initial burst of momentum.
This made Yugi suddenly feel that his identity as a major Shareholder of Industrial Illusions might come in handy. Although it wasn't directly interfering with Industrial Illusions' operations, getting a designer fired for stepping in with their left foot first was something he could do.
Looking at the navigation map he got from the front desk, Joey Wheeler pointed in a direction: "The Elevator is that way."
Compared to Yugi, Joey Wheeler was in much better condition. After all, putting aside the gap in physical fitness, Joey Wheeler's height also gave him an advantage over Yugi. However, Yugi also seemed like finally entered his late growth spurt recently, and his height had increased.
Looking in the direction Joey Wheeler pointed, Yugi did see the Elevator entrance. They were only separated from it by a Hall. As long as they crossed here, they could reach the Elevator and then go to the top floor. However, compared to the Elevator, something else attracted Yugi's attention even more: Kaiba and Alister standing on opposite sides in the center of the empty Hall.
The two of them seemed like had been dueling for some time now. It was currently Alister's Turn, but before Alister started his Draw, he noticed Yugi and Joey Wheeler who had just come out of the Stairs.
"Nameless Pharaoh, you actually came up so quickly?" Alister frowned, thinking Yugi and the others' movements were too fast. But upon realizing that only Yugi and Joey Wheeler had come up, and Tristan, Téa, and Kujaku Mai hadn't, he understood something. "Tsk, that Valon guy, he's really unreliable."
Needless to say, Valon was probably being held back by that woman named Kujaku Mai, which was why the Nameless Pharaoh and the others could come up so quickly.
As for the possibility that Valon had been defeated?
Alister had also watched the replay of the Finals of the All-American Duel Monsters Tournament a while ago. Because Valon had looked particularly excited, he thought a super powerful Duelist would appear, but it turned out to be a duel between Kujaku Mai and that Rex. That's how Alister knew Kujaku Mai's strength.
Although she was first-rate for ordinary Duelists, in his opinion, she was just a third-rate Duelist using a fourth-rate Deck.
"Hmph! You're dueling me, and you still have the nerve to look around, you rat!" Kaiba's cold snort made Alister refocus his attention back on the duel. "I've already summoned the invincible **Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon**, and you still dare to space out? You're courting death!"
On Kaiba's Field, the **Blue-Eyes** Deck's strongest resistance monster, **Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon**, looked down at Alister.
Although in the original timeline, **Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon** burned itself out in the battle against Anubis, because of Hayato's intervention back then, Kaiba had kept this card. And in the first turn, as if he hadn't done any shuffling, he summoned her at the stakes of five cards from his Hand.
[Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon] [ATK3000 → 4200]
"Tsk, don't be so proud, Kaiba Seto. This time, I'll defeat you with my full power and make you die in torment and pain!"
Hearing Alister's words, Kaiba merely crossed his arms over his chest and gave a disdainful cold snort. Keipei, who was standing Off-field with a chocolate-flavored lollipop in his mouth, said confidently, "Heh heh, stop talking big. Brother's **Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon** is invincible, and it's not just for show!"
"You're not trying to escape from dueling Brother, so you're using stopping Yugi and Joey Wheeler as an excuse to run away, right?"
Keipei's provocation was extremely effective on Alister: "I'm scared of Kaiba Seto? Hmph, you ignorant kid, let me show you how amazing I am. Just a mere **Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon**, watch how I defeat it in one go!"
"Besides, I never had any plan to stop them from going up." Alister said, glancing at Yugi and Joey Wheeler, who had run into the Elevator while Alister was dueling Kaiba, and reached for a necklace around his neck.
The necklace had an emerald pendant. The irregularly shaped gem was currently emitting an ominous green light that attracted attention. Alister had no interest in explaining to the Kaiba Brothers, he just said proudly, "Seemed like the Nameless Pharaoh is already too late. Pegasus's soul will probably be sealed soon."
"But what kind of expression will they have when they reach the top floor and see someone unexpected appear?"
Taking the Box Elevator and pressing the button for the top floor, the 100th floor, Yugi felt the pressure exerted on his body by the accelerating Elevator. However, a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart. It was as if something peculiar was about to happen next.
Turning to look at Joey Wheeler beside him, Yugi found that Joey Wheeler was also looking at him with a strange gaze.
What is this feeling, exactly—
"Ding~"
The Elevator doors opened after arriving at the 100th floor. Yugi and Joey Wheeler both looked out the door, only to see Pegasus's Life Points being cleared by a mechanical demon whose entire body was burning with flames.
[Infernoid Belphegor] [ATK2400]
[Pegasus: 300LP → 0]
Without even being able to say his last words, the green Ring Domain that surrounded him and the other person began to shrink. His soul was instantly stripped away. As the person with their back to Yugi and the others took the card from their Duel Disk, the soul was sealed into the card.
Then, the person who had just now defeated Pegasus, as if unaware that the Elevator doors behind them had opened and Yugi and Joey Wheeler had arrived at the top floor, didn't even think about looking back. They casually tossed the card in their Hand to Rafael, who was standing nearby.
"With this, the soul of the Father of Duel Monsters, Pegasus J. Crawford, is sealed." Catching the tossed card, Rafael looked at Yugi and Joey Wheeler who had walked out of the Elevator. "You're next, Nameless Pharaoh."