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A helicopter emblazoned with the "KC" logo of Kaiba Corporation hovered steadily through the air. Inside, the legendary duelist Seto Kaiba sat with his legs crossed, casually taking the tablet handed to him by a subordinate.
"President, the emergency situation at Kaiba Land has been resolved."
The subordinate reported.
"A young duelist present at the scene successfully defeated the hijacked duel AI and lifted the venue lockdown. The staff is currently inspecting the equipment and investigating how the system was breached."
"Hmm."
Kaiba responded, unlocking the tablet as a faint frown creased his brow.
This situation again...
He remembered it well—something similar had happened years ago.
Back when the first Kaiba Land was completed, they hosted the KC Grand Prix as the opening event for its official launch. During that tournament, his former business rival Zigfried von Schroeder had hacked into the system, locking down the duel arena and holding the AI hostage. The only way to unlock it was to defeat the AI in a duel.
Fortunately, that insufferable Yugi happened to be in the venue at the time and quickly defeated the AI.
This incident now seemed like a carbon copy of that event.
But who could it be this time?
Could it still be Zigfried...? No, impossible. Eight years ago, during the KC Grand Prix, the enemy had succeeded because they were operating in the shadows while Kaiba remained unaware of their existence. After that incident, Kaiba made sure Zigfried would never have a chance to rise again.
Moreover, Kaiba Land had long since evolved from its early days. The system vulnerabilities Zigfried had exploited back then had already been patched. Kaiba was confident that even if Zigfried tried again, there was no way he could breach the system now.
So who else could it be...?
"President, we've also received the footage of the duel against the AI. Would you like to see it?"
"Send it to me." Kaiba swiped open the tablet.
Other matters could wait—there was no way he'd pass up the chance to watch a duel.
Especially since one side of this match involved the top-tier AI he personally oversaw the development of—an AI modeled after himself. It was supposed to be confidential, just like Yugi's AI.
Still, given the opportunity, he was curious to see how the random teenage duelist who happened to be in the arena managed to defeat his replica.
The footage loaded, and the duel began.
Alright, so it looked like his AI went second. A fairly standard opening: starting with "Lord of D." and "Flute of Summoning Dragon," it summoned both "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" and "Crystal Dragon" in one turn. Kaiba nodded slightly, thinking that at least the AI hadn't embarrassed him with its opening play. This field setup was passable.
Now, let's see how the opponent responds...
In the footage, You Xuan declared: "Continuous Trap Card—'Jar of Dragon Sealing.' All Dragon-Type monsters switch to defense position!"
Kaiba paused thoughtfully.
Hmm, not bad. This scene naturally reminded him of the time Pegasus' "Jar of Greed" tormented him to the point of rage during Duelist Kingdom.
Kaiba smirked.
That was the past. He had long surpassed Pegasus, and such tactics no longer worked on him.
He continued watching as You Xuan executed more moves.
"Dragon Rider, take control of 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon!' Then tribute summon 'Dragon Slayer!'"
Kaiba's smile gradually faded.
"Magic Card—'Mirror Force Flash,' negate all effects activated by LIGHT-Attribute monsters!"
Kaiba fell silent.
"Trap Card—'Hell Aggregate,' gain control of your 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!'"
As Kaiba watched the screen distort and crash under the weight of the AI being overwhelmed by its own "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's" Burst Stream of Destruction, the president quietly closed the tablet.
"The teenager who won that duel..." Kaiba raised his head and asked, "What's his name?"
The subordinate replied, "It seems to be... Fuji Yu Xuan, from a local duel dojo. He recently passed the entrance exam for Duel Academy and is expected to enroll this year..."
"Oh?" Kaiba wore an intrigued expression.
So this kid was technically one of his students.
"Fuji Yu Xuan."
Kaiba interlaced his fingers, leaned back into his seat, and chuckled softly.
He had memorized that name.
You Xuan climbed into a limousine over six meters long alongside Gozaburo Kaiba Jr., heading toward the local branch of Kaiba Corporation.
"To think you defeated my brother's AI—you're quite impressive," Gozaburo remarked casually during the ride. "That's our company's top-tier AI, capable of executing various strategies with ease."
"Luck," You Xuan chuckled inwardly, thinking about how this AI had a fatal flaw—it couldn't handle pressure and collapsed easily after a few hits.
Come to think of it, he might've just uncovered another design defect for them. Should he ask for more compensation...?
"By the way, were you guys coincidentally nearby?" You Xuan asked.
Since Kaiba Corporation's headquarters wasn't here, and Gozaburo had arrived so quickly, it was clear they must've been in the area.
"Yeah, we had some business. Both my brother and I will be around here for a while... Well, I suppose I can tell you."
Gozaburo spoke seriously.
"Recently, if you go out at night, be careful. We've heard rumors that some dangerous individuals are lurking around this area, targeting duelists—especially skilled ones. These guys are desperate criminals."
You Xuan immediately thought of the random encounter he'd had a few nights ago.
Right, thanks for the heads-up—they've already attacked me.
That guy's deck was still in his possession.
"You mean President Kaiba is also in town? To deal with these Dark Duelists?"
"Yes. We're trying to track down whoever's behind them because they have something we need... Ah, but never mind that."
Gozaburo smiled, clearly not intending to delve deeper into the topic.
"In any case, don't underestimate them. They're called 'Dark Duelists.' You might've heard rumors about them, but trust me—they're far more dangerous than anything you've heard."
"I've heard some things," You Xuan said, recalling online rumors. "There's talk that someone's pressuring Kaiba Corporation to develop equipment that weaponizes Duel Monsters, right?"
Such developments weren't surprising. After all, Kaiba Corporation had originally started as an arms manufacturer and was one of the largest weapons suppliers in the world before Seto Kaiba took over. Now, as the leading Duel Monsters entertainment company, their systems were used across half the globe.
"But don't worry, that won't happen," Gozaburo assured him with a smile. "Ever since my brother took over, Kaiba Corporation abandoned arms manufacturing—and we'll continue to do so in the future.
Dueling should bring smiles to people's faces, not become a tool for war and destruction."
Smiles, huh? You Xuan nodded in agreement.
People who watched him duel often ended up smiling too.
Though Kaiba's decision to abandon arms manufacturing was commendable, You Xuan couldn't help but think that times had changed. Printing cards was far more lucrative than building planes and cannons anyway...
"Wait, stop the car."
Gozaburo suddenly noticed something.
The driver stopped as instructed.
"What's wrong?" You Xuan asked.
Gozaburo frowned, looking at his wrist device. You Xuan realized it wasn't a watch but some kind of electronic gadget developed by Kaiba Corporation. Its screen was flickering erratically.
"What is that?"
"It's a detector that monitors duel energy," Gozaburo explained. "And based on this reaction... it might be a Dark Duel!"
With that, Gozaburo jumped out of the car.
After a moment's thought, You Xuan followed.
Following the alleyway, the dense black fog grew thicker. As they moved forward, they encountered what felt like an invisible barrier.
Looking ahead, they spotted two figures dueling.
The opponent was unfamiliar, but the one on this side seemed vaguely familiar...
Dinosaur Ryuuzaki?
What was he doing here?