The instant Kisaragi and Kaiba secured victory, the bomb timer behind the Masked duo snapped straight to zero.
"BOOOOM—!"
The explosion thundered through the rooftop. The glass platforms under the Masks began to fracture and collapse. Mask of Light and Mask of Darkness scrambled desperately to get off, but the glass broke too fast—within seconds, both of them dropped.
At the last moment, the two yanked open parachutes hidden beneath their cloaks and barely managed to survive.
"Hmph. Parachutes," Kaiba clicked his tongue. "Of course they had a backup. Kisaragi, we—"
He turned—and froze.
Kisaragi was crouched on her platform, trembling, arms wrapped around her knees.
"Kisaragi!" Kaiba immediately moved onto her platform. "Are you hurt?"
The moment she saw him, the panic in her eyes eased.
"I—I'm fine," she forced out, voice shaky. "It's just… after the Duel, seeing how empty it is under the glass… my legs went soft."
She tried to stand, but her body wouldn't cooperate.
Kaiba let out a short laugh—warm, almost indulgent—and without hesitation, scooped her up in both arms and carried her off the platform.
"H-Hey, Kaiba! I can walk—put me down!" Kisaragi protested, face turning red.
"At the rate you're going, it'll be dark before you take three steps," Kaiba said, not slowing down—if anything, holding her tighter.
"Tch…" Kisaragi turned her head away so she wouldn't have to look at his face—yet she could clearly feel the steady thump of his heartbeat against her.
"You two did well," Yami Yugi said.
"It was nothing," Kaiba replied coolly. "The opponents were so weak I couldn't even be bothered to bring out a God Card."
Only then did he finally set Kisaragi down—reluctantly.
Kaiba's gaze shifted to the third cloaked figure. "Now then… are you going to jump on your own?"
A golden Eye of Horus flared across the man's forehead.
"So the two idiots lost," a voice sneered through him.
"Marik!" Yami Yugi snapped. "Where did you take my friends?!"
"Heh heh heh… I should thank you for entertaining my subordinates," Marik replied. "You bought me time—time I needed for my plan to proceed perfectly."
"I've also seen enough—through the Rare Hunters' eyes—to understand your decks and tactics. With those decks, you can't defeat me. And the Winged Dragon of Ra in my possession is far more terrifying than your Gods."
His tone sharpened, aimed like a knife.
"And you, Kisaragi Aoi—you don't even have a God. You're even less capable of defeating me."
Kisaragi didn't answer. She simply looked at him with open disdain.
"Yugi," Marik continued, voice turning low and cruel, "our war spans three thousand years. Unless you die, the tomb-keepers' revenge cannot end."
"To ensure my revenge reaches a flawless finale, I've prepared the most brutal stage for you. Your companions—the supporting cast—have been waiting for you a long time."
"All that's missing is the lead actor."
"Marik! What did you do to them?!" Yugi demanded. "Did you turn them into puppets like that Rare Hunter?!"
"Heh… you're quite smart. Yes. Your friends are now my pieces."
"Come find them," Marik laughed. "Hahahaha!"
Kaiba strode forward and seized the host's collar, lifting him off the ground with both hands.
"Where is Mokuba?" Kaiba hissed. "We won. You're going to keep your end—release him!"
"An agreement? Release him?" Marik's voice mocked. "I don't recall ever making such an agreement with you. Hahahaha!"
And then—Marik's presence vanished.
The Eye of Horus dimmed. The man's body went limp and collapsed unconscious.
"You—!" Kaiba's rage flared.
"Kaiba," Yami Yugi said quickly, "please—help us find Jounouchi and the others. Mokuba has to be with them."
"Of course I'll find Mokuba," Kaiba said, already calculating. "But before that—"
He crouched beside the unconscious man, stripped the Rare Cards and Puzzle Cards off him, and stood back up with the haul.
"Three Puzzle Cards. One each."
He tossed one toward Yugi. "You didn't Duel this time, but you were still part of the game. You get one."
Kaiba kept one, and handed one toward Kisaragi.
"Now you and I both have six," Kaiba told Yugi. His eyes flicked to Kisaragi. "Kisaragi's still short two."
"I'm fine," Kisaragi said immediately. "When we go to rescue them, we're guaranteed to run into more Rare Hunters. I'll Duel them and pick up the remaining Puzzle Cards."
"Good," Kaiba said. "If someone blocks us, you handle the Duel. Be careful."
"I know."
A heavy rotor wash rolled across the rooftop.
WHUMP—WHUMP—WHUMP—
A helicopter descended and landed hard.
"Brother!"
Mokuba leapt out and threw himself into Kaiba's arms.
"Mokuba—are you hurt?!"
"I'm okay," Mokuba said quickly. "Anzu helped me escape."
"Yugi's friend…" Kaiba's eyes narrowed.
"Yes," Mokuba said, then looked up earnestly. "So, Brother—please save the others. Consider it repaying the favor for saving me."
Kaiba was silent for a beat. Then he looked straight at Yugi.
"If Mokuba had escaped, I wouldn't have gotten involved any further," Kaiba said bluntly. "But he owes his life to your friends."
"So I'll make an exception."
He turned sharply. "Yugi. You're coming with me to rescue those idiots."
"Kaiba…" Yugi breathed.
Kisaragi let out a small laugh. "Come on, Yugi. Kaiba's just… like this. Awkward. But he's not a bad person."
"Who are you calling awkward?!" Kaiba snapped, shooting her a glare.
"Okay, okay—my mistake," Kisaragi said quickly, palms together in mock apology—then she gave him a quick wink and stuck out her tongue.
Kaiba coughed once, pointedly not looking at her. "Ahem. Get on the helicopter."
Inside, Kaiba and Kisaragi sat in the front row. Yugi and Mokuba sat behind them.
The helicopter lifted off and shot toward Domino City Harbor.
The Rare Hunters' Base
"Marik-sama," Rishid reported with a deep bow, "they're almost here."
"Is that so…" Marik's fingers tightened on his staff. "Yugi is one thing. But Kaiba—and that woman, Kisaragi Aoi—are troublesome."
"No ordinary Duelist can defeat Kisaragi Aoi," Marik mused. "So you will face her."
"I will open a Shadow Game for you. If you win, she'll be unable to move afterward—then she becomes the perfect hostage."
"With Kisaragi as leverage, Kaiba won't dare interfere with Yugi and Jounouchi's Duel."
Marik's eyes turned cold. "Do you have confidence?"
"Yes," Rishid answered without hesitation. "Marik-sama, I will defeat Kisaragi Aoi and help you complete your plan."
Rishid turned to leave—
"Rishid," Marik called suddenly, his tone softening for the first time. "Dragging you into the tomb-keepers' grudge… I'm sorry."
Rishid paused. "Marik-sama… without the tomb-keepers, I would've died long ago. I chose this willingly. I'll offer everything for the tomb-keepers—so long as you can…"
He didn't finish the sentence. He simply bowed and walked out.
Outside the base, Rishid stared into the distance.
"Marik-sama… please don't let that one appear…"
WHUMP—WHUMP—WHUMP—
The helicopter arrived at Domino City Harbor and landed on an empty stretch of concrete.
"Kisaragi. Mokuba," Kaiba said, voice hard, "stay close to me."
They both nodded.
"Yugi," Kaiba said, stepping forward. "Move."
"Right!" Yugi answered.
And together, they advanced toward the harbor—toward the trap waiting for them.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter160)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter175)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 163
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 150
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 170
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 145
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 125
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 100
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 90
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 55
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 55
Still playing traditional Honk 35
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 35
What Should I Do After Switchi 24
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 35
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 27
Transmigrated as Sukuna 27
Checking In in Demon Slayer 32
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 44
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