Yugen remained calm. Being locked in for a short time was not a big issue for visitors, and Kaiba Corporation would surely fix the problem soon. Even forcing the doors open was an option, and at worst they might get compensation afterward.
For Kaiba Corporation, however, this was a serious incident. Rivals would seize the chance to make a spectacle of it, and that was something Seto Kaiba would have to deal with himself.
Hall Master Takeuchi leaned over and whispered, "This is a chance to duel the legendary Seto Kaiba's Deck. Do you want to try?"
Yugen shrugged, not feeling anything special. An AI could copy data and patterns, but it could not copy miraculous draws. Still, when Kazuya Saito quietly added that beating the AI early might earn money or many Rare Card, his interest was sealed.
"You do not need to say more," Yugen said, waving a hand as he stepped toward the arena. He left the others with a confident view of his back.
Money and cards were secondary. As a Duelist, he could not miss a chance to challenge a legend.
"Come on," Yugen said as he stopped before the projected AI Seto Kaiba. "I will be your opponent."
Seeing someone step up to challenge, the AI Seto Kaiba immediately waved a hand and burst into another three-part laugh. He then clenched his fist hard. "As long as we duel, the wind of battle will roar without end. Come on."
"Wait."
Yugen showed no courtesy at all and raised a hand in a stop gesture. "I want to adjust my Deck a bit. You do not mind, right?"
AI Seto Kaiba fell silent for a moment. Naturally, the AI had no objection, and Yugen took out his Deck and began to adjust it.
Going out with a main Deck and a SIDE Deck was basic discipline for any card player in his previous life. Back then, official rules limited the SIDE to fifteen cards, adjusted according to the opponent's Deck strategy. In this world, there was no such limit, so Yugen did not hold back and carried at least seventy or eighty SIDE cards to handle all kinds of situations.
Since this was an AI modeled after Seto Kaiba, its core was without question Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Even with mixed engines, most of the deck still leaned toward Dragon-type or Light-attribute monsters. In the movie, Seto Kaiba was called the King of Light by the resurrected ancient Egyptian Anubis, while Atem (Yami Yugi) was known as the King of Darkness, and their Deck were clearly designed to oppose each other in light and darkness.
Although Seto Kaiba used low-level monsters of many attributes, his common end boards like the Blue-Eyes White Dragon system or the VWXYZ line with Fivefold Fusion and Machina were all Light-attribute. If one also considered The Dark Side of Dimensions, the real Seto Kaiba should already have Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, and the true Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon revealed, though it was unclear how far this AI had been updated. With that in mind, the proportion of the White Dragon system in this Deck should be even higher than in the DM era.
After completing the swaps based on this information, Yugen slid the Deck into his Duel Disk and walked up to the AI. "All set now. Let us begin."
Yugen, LP 4000 AI Seto Kaiba, LP 4000
AI Seto Kaiba gathered his emotions again. "As long as we duel, the wind of battle will—"
"My turn, Card Draw."
Yugen did not give the AI any chance to finish, cutting off the unfinished lines without mercy. AI Seto Kaiba fell silent once more.
"I set one monster in the front." Yugen drew two cards from his hand. "Then I set two cards in the back row. Turn ends."
"Then it is my turn!"
AI Seto Kaiba drew with great force, his white coat flaring behind him. The exaggeration was over the top, but his personality mimicry really did capture the original well, complete with the same voice lines and dramatic poses.
"Full speed ahead!" AI Seto Kaiba shouted. "I summon Lord of D., 'Lord of D.'!"
Lord of D., ATK 1200
"Next, I activate the Spell Card 'The Flute of Summoning Dragon' from my hand!" AI Seto Kaiba continued. "This card can only be activated while 'Lord of D.' is on the field, and it lets me Special Summon up to two Dragon-type monsters from my hand."
A dragon-shaped bone flute appeared in Lord of D.'s hands, and he played a summoning melody. "First, I summon this card. Level six, Krystal Dragon, appear!"
A mysterious dragon like pure crystal descended, its body transparent and shining with soft blue light. It looked as if countless stars had fallen into the mortal world, carrying an overwhelming dragon presence.
Krystal Dragon, ATK 2500
"And then this one!" AI Seto Kaiba raised the second card with an even more dramatic pose. "If that is endless darkness, then submit to the dragon of light and be stained away. Descend, my soul. Level eight, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
A violent gale swept the field, mixed with thunder and flashing light. A noble and imposing figure emerged from pure white radiance, wings spreading as a deafening roar shook the arena.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon is summoned. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, ATK 3000
The visitors in the arena were instantly stunned. Gasps and excited voices rippled through the crowd as they recognized the legendary monster, even knowing it was virtual data.
Hall Master Takeuchi could not help commenting, "As expected of a top dueling AI developed by Kaiba Corporation. It perfectly recreates Seto Kaiba's tactics, summoning so many powerful dragons on the first turn."
"Indeed," Saito nodded. "At this moment, it really feels like Seto Kaiba himself is dueling."
Even the students of Duel Dojo, who already admired Yugen, showed clear worry. This was the legendary Seto Kaiba, and victory seemed impossible.
"Hmph, a third-rate Duelist with a fourth-rate Deck. Now I will show you the gap between you and absolute power!" AI Seto Kaiba shouted, raising his arm.
"Battle phase! Krystal Dragon, attack the face-down monster!"
"Do not rush." Yugen waved his hand. "At the moment the battle phase begins, I activate a face-down card. Continuous Trap, Dragon Capture Jar."
A stone jar shaped like a dragon's head appeared on Yugen's field, releasing an invisible force from its mouth. Magic spread across the field, binding even Krystal Dragon and Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Krystal Dragon, ATK 2500 to DEF 1000 Blue-Eyes White Dragon, ATK 3000 to DEF 2500
"As long as Dragon Capture Jar remains on the field, all Dragon-type monsters are switched to Defense Position and cannot change to attack."
The crowd reacted in shock. This was a brutal anti-Dragon counter, clearly designed to target the opponent. With a single card, all Dragon-type attacks were permanently sealed.
Of course, this was not Yugen's original idea. Dragon Capture Jar was one of the earliest Dragon hate cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! history, used by Maximillion Pegasus against Seto Kaiba back in the era of the Duel King. Back then, it had infuriated Seto Kaiba beyond measure.
Yugen remained calm. An Enemy Controller alone did not feel overwhelming to him. If he had the option, he would rather use the Buster Blader line, the true Dragon killer of this era, but such cards were extremely rare in this world.
That was fine. Even without the strongest option, there were plenty of usable counters, and Dragon Capture Jar was simply what he had drawn first. The AI Seto Kaiba seemed to mutter a curse under its breath and continued.
"Then I use 'Lord of D.' to attack your face-down monster!"
With the two Dragons forced to sit idle, Lord of D. had no choice but to charge in himself. Yugen flipped another back-row card.
"Trap Card, Dimensional Prison. When an opponent's monster declares an attack, banish that monster."