Chapter 47: Invitation
Chapter 47: Invitation
The remaining three also fell, and the entire bar was thoroughly ravaged by Kaiba. Standing at the entrance, Fujiki trembled at the gruesome scene before him, grateful that he had defected quickly enough to stand on this side.
Facing three of the four Blood Moon Kings simultaneously and emerging victorious in a single duel—such a crushing display surpassed their previous imagination of the "peak of the dueling world."
It had been many years since Kaiba publicly dueled, and rumors about his strength were varied. Some even speculated that he had neglected his dueling skills in favor of his business ventures, and his abilities might not be as impressive in the current environment.
But now, Fujiki truly understood how laughable those rumors were.
The evolution of the dueling environment over the years did not mean that the gap between the top and the rest had narrowed. On the contrary, the disparity was even more exaggerated than before.
This man was playing an entirely different game from the rest of them.
You Xuan remained calm and collected.
Fortunately, the White Dragon variants Kaiba had used so far were still recognizable to him. At least, Kaiba hadn't pulled out a variant that he hadn't even seen in his past life. Their strength would undoubtedly crush most contemporary duelists, but they hadn't reached the peak of the White Dragon yet.
After witnessing these two duels, You Xuan became increasingly aware that in this world, the strong could indeed do as they pleased under the suppression of Destiny Power. Secondly, he realized that having money, a team, and the ability to research and print variants gave one even more freedom to do as they wished.
It seemed that in addition to seeking ways to enhance his Destiny Power, he would also have to focus on learning and conducting research and development.
After Kaiba finished dueling, his subordinates from Kaiba Corporation came in to clear the battlefield.
Kaiba walked up to the trio who had been defeated last.
"You won," Ryosuke, one of the Four Kings, said weakly, "We admit defeat, Kaiba. We of the Blood Moon are at your disposal."
Although Kaiba had adjusted the output power of the Duel Disk's image quality and hadn't taken their lives, the intense onslaught they had just experienced still left them badly injured.
"I have no interest in a trifling organization like yours," Kaiba said coldly. "From the beginning, the only thing that interested me was the 'Judge.'"
Upon hearing this moniker, the crowd of defeated Dark Duelists in the room trembled as if they had heard a whisper from the devil himself.
Kneeling on the ground, Aikawa stammered, "How... How do you know that name?!?"
"Of course, I know," Kaiba replied coldly. "I also know that your so-called organization is nothing but a bunch of worthless cannon fodder."
The faces of the Dark Duelists turned ugly.
"Our knowledge of that person is also limited to that name. Usually, we don't dare to mention it casually," the female bartender explained, having caught her breath.
"Besides," she continued, "if you've truly heard of that person's fearsome reputation, you should understand that even if we knew something, we wouldn't be able to tell you."
"That's not necessarily true," Kaiba said icily. "I certainly have ways to make you talk."
He turned away, leaving the rest to his subordinates, who began clearing the area and escorting the arrested Dark Duelists out one by one. It seemed they would be taken away for questioning later.
After everything was settled, Kaiba turned and began walking towards the entrance.
Fujiki, who had already defected to the other side, hurried forward with a smile, trying to greet him. "Incredible, boss! I never expected you to take down three with one duel! You're too strong!"
However, before he could get close, he heard a click, and his smile froze. Looking down, he saw that a soldier in a Kaiba Corporation uniform had mercilessly snapped a pair of cold, silver handcuffs onto his wrist.
"Huh?"
Fujiki stiffened and looked up.
"Guys, you've got the wrong guy! I'm on your side!"
No one paid attention to his protests, and two soldiers escorted him out.
Ignoring the commotion, Kaiba approached You Xuan.
"You Xuan, is it?" Kaiba asked.
"Yes, boss," You Xuan replied, shaking his hand.
"I've heard about what happened, and I'd like to express my gratitude on behalf of the Kaiba Corporation," Kaiba said, nodding. "Kuyper informed me of his plan, and I have no objections to his arrangement. He will still receive the bonus and cards as a reward."
He paused, narrowing his eyes. "However, I have one additional condition."
With that, he held a piece of paper between two fingers and, with a slight flick of his wrist, sent it floating towards You Xuan.
You Xuan had to admit he was impressed by the boss's card-throwing skills. In the anime, Kaiba would flick his finger and send cards flying like darts, and they seemed to pack quite a punch. It was hard not to wonder if he had mastered some kind of finger-flicking martial arts technique.
You Xuan took the paper and saw that it was a card, but not a Duel Monster card. Instead, it had a strange five-pointed star printed on it.
"What is this?" You Xuan inquired.
"An invitation card," Kaiba said, with a slight curve of his lips, as he crossed his arms. "In half a year, the Kaiba Corporation will be hosting 'Duel City GX' in Domino City. I hope you will participate."
You Xuan seemed to understand. "You want me to take part in the tournament?"
The Duel City tournament had been held multiple times, with the first one being the most famous due to Kaiba's personal involvement. While subsequent tournaments had been organized in the following years, they hadn't garnered the same level of attention, partly because Kaiba himself hadn't participated again, and the caliber of participants had also declined.
As if reading his thoughts, Kaiba added, "This time will be different. I will be participating, and I plan to invite the very best duelists to compete."
You Xuan was surprised. So, the boss was coming out of retirement?
Rumors had been circulating that after Yugi's retirement, Kaiba had lost his passion for dueling and hadn't been seen at any tournaments, regardless of scale or type. It was speculated that without that one rival he needed to defeat, even beating every other duelist in the world wouldn't prove anything to him.
But now, it seemed like Kaiba was showing signs of making a comeback.
Of course, it was also possible that he simply couldn't resist the call of the game any longer.
To be fair, the Duel Academy had been founded with the stated purpose of nurturing the next generation of Duel Kings. When You Xuan first heard this, he imagined Kaiba, frustrated by his inability to defeat Yugi, investing heavily in a top-notch school to find the most talented duelists and cultivate them, hoping to find someone who could finally give him the challenge he craved and satisfy his insatiable dueling itch.
"Alright," You Xuan agreed, nodding as he accepted the invitation card.
If the boss himself was going to participate, the tournament was sure to have an attractive prize pool, to say the least.
He recalled the Duel Kingdom tournament hosted by Pegasus, where the winner was offered a generous sixty percent stake in his company. That single victory was enough to set someone up for life.
Kaiba had already exited and was now climbing a rope ladder that hung from a helicopter hovering above.
As he ascended, he held onto the ladder with one hand, his windbreaker fluttering dramatically in the wind from the helicopter's propellers. Looking down, he let out a mocking laugh.
"If you are a true duelist, then overcome all obstacles and make your way through the cutthroat Duel City to face me! I hope you won't disappoint me like that ordinary mortal did!"
You Xuan: "..."
Why does the boss always have to take it out on Cheng Dao like that?
(End of Chapter)
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