Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Because they were so engrossed in their conversation that they completely forgot to look behind them, A and B froze instantly upon recognizing the voice. A chill ran down their spines. Turning around belatedly, the two, caught slacking off, saw Kaiba appear in the data center and stammered, "President Kaiba!"

What should I do if I get caught slacking off at work by the boss? Need help urgently!

It's important to understand that job hunting in Japan is quite different from other countries. Once you join a company or conglomerate here, your employment is generally for life; you're essentially tied to that company for the rest of your life. Even if you leave to pursue other careers, other companies may not offer you favorable treatment because of your previous employment history.

Conversely, minor mistakes within the same company won't necessarily lead to your dismissal, but they will inevitably affect your future promotions. Both programmers also aspire to advance their careers, so they were understandably extremely nervous in front of Haima.

Fortunately, the seahorse didn't care that he caught the two of them chatting while they were slacking off.

After receiving the two cards from Pegasus, Kaiba took his beloved Blue Eyes jet back to the Kaiba Corporation headquarters in Domino City overnight, and went straight to the data center upon his return.

"You two, each of you, input the data for one card," Kaiba commanded the two. As he spoke, he walked to an unused computer in the data center, took out the cards he had previously obtained from Pegasus, and inserted them into a device resembling a card reader.

The card data was transmitted by Kaiba to the computers of the two programmers via the card reader, awaiting manual processing. Kaiba then said, "Also, retrieve the data from the previous simulations of my battles against Hayato Kobayashi and Yugi Muto."

"Yes!"

Hearing that the president had only ordered them to work and had not reprimanded them, the two programmers, who were filled with fear, naturally did not think too much as to bring up the previous incident. They quickly started operating the system and controlled the two previously archived data files to be projected onto the large screen in the data center.

The first image that appeared in Kaiba's field of vision simulated his battle with the game. After a long struggle, it changed to a scene where he, as the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with invincible resistance, was battling the Super Magister - Dark Magister Apprentice on the field.

The all-resistance granted by the True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon allowed it to ignore the game's activated Divine Shield - Mirror Power - and destroy the attack of the Archmage - Dark Archmage Apprentice, thus reducing the game's base score to only 200 points.

Although the destroyed [Super Magister - Dark Magister Apprentice] Special Summoned [Dark Magister] and [Dark Magister Girl] from the game's graveyard, Kaiba also had the invincible [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] on the field, and his Life Points were 2000, which is ten times that of the game.

However, in this situation, the game actually summoned the Catapult Turtle by sacrificing the Dark Magician Girl, and used the Dark Magician Combo to make the Dark Magician's attack power soar to 4500 points. By releasing the Dark Magician, it ricocheted itself to death!

The familiar method of defeat made Kaiba's face extremely ugly. After all, he had experienced the same defeat countless times with Hayato. This displeased aura was as if it were a tangible force, pressing down on the two programmers who were working with their heads down, pretending to be invisible.

The next segment featured the duel with Hayato.

Although Kaiba was able to read data on some of Hayato's new cards, such as [Dragon Light Takumi] and [Dragon Maid], through the chip installed in Hayato's Duel Disk, Kaiba believed that Hayato's strongest cards were not these, but rather his most trusted [Gaia] deck.

Because he wanted to defeat his opponent at their strongest, Kaiba used the Gaia deck, which included the "Three Egyptian God Cards," in setting up Hayato's duel data. Although it also included other cards that Hayato often had, such as Rainbow Kuriboh, he specifically removed the Disruption card, which Kaiba disliked the most.

In the simulated duel, Kaiba gained the upper hand with the power of Blue-Eyes, but Hayato countered with Gaia's special summoning ability and Hyper Fusion, and after a few rounds, he even summoned Obelisk the Tormentor that he had won from Kaiba.

After Hayato took Obelisk the Tormentor from him in the Duel City finals, Kaiba, while accepting the winner-takes-all mentality, was still very angry. He was not only annoyed that Hayato had once again taken the victory by taking advantage of his superior position, but also angry that he had suffered another humiliating defeat.

More importantly, Kaiba really likes the God card "Obelisk the Tormentor". Although Isis, Malik, and Hayato, who all know a lot about the "Angel Gods", have said that "Ra the Winged Dragon of Ra" is the strongest card among the "Angel Gods", if Kaiba had to choose, he would probably prefer to get "Obelisk".

It had nothing to do with any "sentiment" about it being the first God Card he had ever obtained. It was purely because Kaiba had a certain natural familiarity with [Obelisk]. Although it wasn't as good as [Blue-Eyes], he was quite adept at using [Obelisk], so he was very upset about losing it.

On the other hand, the difference in power between Hayato and Kaiba, who gained an extra God Card while losing one, was one of the reasons for Kaiba's dissatisfaction.

However, after the Duel City arc, Kaiba also had several private duels with Hayato. Although Hayato teased him for being like a shy girl, Kaiba believed that no one else was qualified to watch their duels until he was certain he could defeat Hayato.

During these duels, Hayato asked Kaiba a question: "What is Seto Kaiba's strongest trump card?"

At the time, Kaiba was still preoccupied with Hayato winning the Obelisk, so he answered yes without thinking. Hayato judged this as a wrong answer and didn't ask Kaiba again.

Looking at the Obelisk standing tall on the earth in the picture, Kaiba, although he did not answer Hayato again, already had the answer in his heart.

Watching Obelisk, having used two monsters as a sacrifice and activated its special effect, shatter Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with its fists, Kaiba silently watched as his own Life Points on the screen dropped to 0.

Meanwhile, the two programmers also completed the manual entry of card data. After Haima performed a simple operation to edit his deck data and input the data of the two cards, he started the simulation again.

In the scene, Hayato and Kaiba's duel resumes.

'Although the power of Obelisk is considerable, that power ultimately belongs to the past and is not suitable for me, who needs to move towards the future.'

'What is Seto Kaiba's trump card? Now I have an undisputed answer: it's Blue-Eyes. My trump card, my glory, my soul, is Blue-Eyes White Dragon.'

'However, this doesn't mean I've given up on Obelisk. Wait for me to reclaim it from you with my newfound Blue-Eyes!'

Seeing that he had used the card he got from Pegasus to banish Obelisk the Tormentor and then used another Blue-Eyes to take away Hayato's last remaining Life Points, which were like a candle flickering in the wind, even Kaiba, who always had a cold face, couldn't help but reveal a satisfied smile.

"Hmph, hehe, hahahahaha!"

"This power has indeed not disappointed me. It seems that the time has finally come to end this endless entanglement of fate!"

Haima pulled out the two cards from the card reader, glanced at the two cautious programmers beside him, and, in a good mood, didn't pursue their thoughts. He simply walked smugly out of the data center: "It's all right now, you can continue working."

As he walked, Haima retrieved the equity transfer agreement he had used before through his personal terminal and re-edited it, though he modified some of the details.

'I'll use this. Let Yugi and Hayato duel me.' Kaiba stepped into the elevator leading to the top floor, looking through the glass at a large industrial park in the distance. The Kaiba Group had leased an entire area there, and at the very end of the cliff, a building remarkably similar to the Kaiba Dome from the KC Cup had already been completed. 'I'll become the strongest duelist right there!'

Among the cards in his arms, one glowed with an ominous red light, but the other card seemed to be protecting the seahorse, trying its best to suppress the red light so as not to affect the seahorse.

Chapter 523 Seahorse VS Game

When Yugi left the museum alone, although Jonouchi and Kyoko tried to persuade him to stay, Yugi's actions were so fast that they didn't have time to say anything before he left.

When the group left the exhibition hall with the game, they found a black luxury car leaving the hall as if it had completed its mission to assassinate the leader, and the game was nowhere to be seen.

Before the black luxury sedan drove away, the sharp-eyed Jonouchi noticed a three-dimensional "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" logo on the front of the car, with the letters "KC" on the base: "That car, is it a Haima Group car?"

"Could it be that he got into that car? I don't see him around." Honda looked around. There was a main road in front of the exhibition hall, and there weren't many cars parked around, so there was nowhere to block his view.

Xingzi was puzzled: "But why would Yuqi have Haima Group's car? And judging from how hurried he was just now, it's such a coincidence that Haima Group's car appeared here. It's as if it had been following us and waiting at the door for Yuqi to get in the car."

Kyoko's suspicions were not without merit. After all, it was common knowledge that President Kaiba was a fickle person who could burn everything left over from the Gosaburo era just because of his own preferences, even if many of them contained his childhood memories. He had no interest in antiques or cultural relics whatsoever.

On the top floor of the Haima Group headquarters building, there are none of the decorations commonly found in the offices of other group presidents, such as classical oil paintings, armor, and swords. Instead, there are many high-tech gadgets that Haima personally favors, as well as merchandise related to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Of course, Kaiba's explanation for displaying Blue-Eyes White Dragon merchandise is that it's to cultivate his aura as a duelist and to spend time with his dueling monsters, but the credibility of this claim is open to debate.

Although the Egyptian Antiquities Authority, where Isis worked, had the participation of Kaiba Entertainment Group in the "Egyptian Antiquities Traveling Exhibition" in Domino City, and the construction of the Egyptian Antiquities Traveling Exhibition Hall was also completed by Kaiba Group, it was only because it was commercially profitable and because Isis gave Kaiba a "Obelisk the Colossus".

With the end of Duel City and Malik's capture fulfilling Isis's goal, the cooperation between Kaiba and Isis came to an end. Although the "Egyptian Antiquities Touring Exhibition" continued, Kaiba and the Egyptian Antiquities Authority had no further dealings, and Kaiba Group vehicles would no longer pass by the vicinity, since the location of the Egyptian Antiquities Exhibition Hall was considered "remote" in Domino City.

Not only Kyoko, but also Malik, Honda, and Jonouchi have all developed some doubts about Haima Group.

“Miss Isis, I remember the Millennium Jewelry seems to be…” Jonouchi suddenly remembered that the game had mentioned the magical power of the Millennium Items, among which the Millennium Jewelry could foresee the future, which made his gaze involuntarily turn to Isis.

However, Isis shook her head and glanced helplessly at Hayato beside her: "I'm sorry, although the Millennium Jewelry does have the power to foresee the future, I haven't used this ability for a long time. Moreover, because of the Millennium Wisdom Ring's interference with other Millennium Items, I cannot accurately predict Mr. Yugi Muto's situation."

"I think it would be more convenient for us to go directly to the Haima Group than to speculate and reason randomly here," Hayato, who acted like a human-shaped self-propelled signal jammer, smiled apologetically at Isis and made the suggestion.

Upon hearing this, Malik proudly pulled out the key clipped to his waist and waved it, saying, "I have a motorcycle." As he spoke, he pressed a button on it, and the headlights of a red and yellow motorcycle not far away lit up. The dazzling lights on the motorcycle created an effect like flowing lava, making it extremely conspicuous even in daylight.

Looking at Malik's motorcycle, Honda said with interest, "Isn't this a Honda Gold Wing? And it even has electronic and lighting modifications. It looks pretty good, but... why does it look a little strange?"

Unlike Honda, who focused on the car itself, Jonouchi immediately recognized what the modified lights on Malik's motorcycle were.

"Isn't that the image of the [Lava Demon]? Why would they print such an ugly monster on a car?" Although it was slightly different from the classic card art of the International Illusion Society, Jonouchi had a deep impression of the image of the [Lava Demon] because Hayato had "gifted" him big treasures more than once, and he couldn't forget it at all.

"That kind of thing isn't important, okay? Finding the game is the most important thing right now." Kyoko was speechless at the two guys whose attention had completely wandered. "However, a motorcycle can only carry two people at most, and we have so many people here."

“I have the key to the exhibition hall’s truck. That truck can carry a lot of people, but its speed is limited because it’s used to transport important items.” Isis also produced a key and held it in her hand, suggesting, “Why don’t two of us go ahead first, and the rest of us ride in the truck?”

Upon hearing Isis's suggestion, the group discussed it and decided that Hayato and Jonouchi would set off first on motorcycles, while Kyoko, Malik, Isis, and the four "old, weak, sick, and disabled" men, along with Honda and the other five, would ride in the exhibition hall's truck.

"First the mummy came back to life, and then the game suddenly started. I have a bad feeling about this..." Old Man Sugoroku said with a hint of worry as he watched Jonouchi and Hayato get on the motorcycle and Jonouchi hurriedly put on his helmet.

"Don't worry, Sugoroku-sensei. Although we don't know what happened, we'll definitely protect Yugi from Kaiba's harm." Jonouchi said, giving a thumbs up. "Jonouchi, Yugi, and Hayato, the three of us are invincible!"

"Removing you wouldn't make much difference, would it?" Honda, Jonouchi's close friend, immediately exposed their misunderstanding. Kyoko actually felt the same way as Sugoroku, looking at Hayato and Jonouchi with pleading eyes: "Please, Hayato, Jonouchi, you have to bring the game back safely."

"Okay, don't worry." Hayato nodded and put on his helmet.

"It's clearly my motorcycle, brother-in-law, be careful not to scratch my paint." Malik reluctantly handed the keys to Hayato. "But brother-in-law, I've never heard you mention learning to ride a motorcycle before?"

"Hmph, would I tell you that I once studied at the Hawaii Special Agent Training Center?" Hayato confidently took the keys and started the motorcycle. "My riding skills are A+, you know."

Ten minutes later.

"Ooh~"

Jonouchi, who had just gotten off his motorcycle, squatted down by the green belt beside the road in the Kaiba Industrial Park, his face pale and looking terrible: "What on earth just happened?!"

“I already told you, I studied at the Hawaii Special Agent Training Center.” Hayato was much more composed than Jonouchi. He parked his motorcycle in front of a huge building and casually took off the [Dark Knight - Gaia] card that he had stuck on his motorcycle before leaving the exhibition hall.

This is also a new use for the Card Spirits that Hayato discovered. By having the Card Spirits possess other items, various powerful functions can be achieved. For example, [Gaia] can help Hayato easily drive most "riding gear," appliances equipped with [Dragon Artifact - Heavenly Dragon Meteor = DRA] will become networked smart furniture, and [Little Blue] can even boost the washing machine's power to the maximum and burn out the motor...

The last one can be ignored.

Let alone riding a mere motorcycle, Hayato could even beat a racing motorcycle with the help of Gaia using an old man's bicycle used for grocery shopping. His "riding skill is A+" is no exaggeration.

However, it is clear that Jonouchi cannot adapt to this kind of high-speed driving that exceeds the limits of the human body. Although he did not experience motion sickness, the aftereffects of the adrenaline surge have left him feeling somewhat nauseous.

However, Jonouchi's physique was ultimately different from ordinary people, or perhaps his concern for his friend made him overcome his physical discomfort. Hayato and Jonouchi entered their destination—the newly completed building in the Kaiba Industrial Park, located on the outskirts of Domino City at the end of the coast—another "Kaiba Dome".

"That Kaiba guy actually built a Kaiba Dome here too. Is he planning to hold the next KC Cup here?" Jonouchi looked around the spacious hall of the Kaiba Dome. "And, is the game really here? Although I did see the car that I saw at the exhibition hall before."

No sooner had Jonouchi finished speaking than he and Hayato heard Kaiba's voice amplified by the loudspeaker:

"Full projection system activated, projecting images!"

Accompanied by the sound of a seahorse, a huge screen in the main hall of the Seahorse Dome lit up, revealing a dark area without any lights on.

Immediately afterwards, the dome above the field, divided into countless square areas resembling a chessboard, lit up one after another with white light, illuminating the field and revealing the figure of a seahorse standing in front of an entrance.

"That's... Kaiba? He actually showed up here." Jonouchi frowned. "In that case, maybe the game will..."

The white light that lit up the dome began to distort and change, gradually simulating a complete sky. Whether it was the floating white clouds that were deformed by the air currents, or the one or two birds that occasionally flew across the sky, everything was so real. If they hadn't just seen the dome that wasn't activated, Hayato and Jonouchi might have really believed that the sky in front of them was real.

On the ground, as Kaiba strode towards the dueling arena, phantom images of Duel Monsters appeared around him without any virtual projection devices, only to disappear behind him as he moved forward.

[Cyclops], [Dark Path Master - Zaki], [Bloody Beastman], [Giant Virus], [Dragon Ruler]...

And, [Blue-Eyes White Dragon].

It's not entirely accurate to say there's no virtual projection device, because all indications suggest that the entire dome of the Seahorse Egg is being used as a virtual projection device!

When Kaiba reached one end of the flat dueling arena, only Blue-Eyes White Dragon remained behind him. Kaiba's gaze was fixed on an entrance opposite him, a smirk playing on his lips.

Under the watchful eyes of Hayato and Jonouchi on the screen, and Kaiba in the arena, the imposing Yami Yugi, wearing his unopened Duel Disk, stepped out.

"You've arrived, Yugi," Kaiba said with a sneer as he watched Yugi calmly walk to the opposite side of the field. "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since our last duel. I haven't had a chance to prove I'm stronger than you."

"The memory of being defeated by your [Exodia] is still fresh in my mind. Today, I will repay that humiliation." Kaiba raised his Duel Disk. "Consider this a warm-up before defeating Kobayashi Hayato and winning the title of Duel King. I will unleash the whip of utter defeat upon you, Yuu!"

"A game where you have to duel Kaiba?!" Jonouchi, watching from the screen, was quite surprised. "What's going on?"

The one who answered him was not Hayato, but Keihei, who had also appeared in the Kaiba Dome Hall at some point: "My brother got two cards from Pegasus yesterday that are so powerful that they seem to be able to suppress even gods."

"Kuihei?"

Nodding to Hayato, Keihei's expression was heavy: "After getting those two cards, my brother acted very strangely, as if he was being manipulated. He couldn't wait to find Hayato and Yugi to duel. I couldn't stop him, and coincidentally, Yugi also took the initiative to find my brother."

Inside the Kaiba Dome, facing the spirited Kaiba, Yami Yugi did not immediately activate his Duel Disk to engage in battle.

"Kaiba, this duel isn't pure; some kind of evil force has been mixed in." Yami Yugi, having learned the contents of the illusion through Onigiri's retelling, asked, "Even so, will you continue the duel?"

In the illusion, his duel with Kaiba would cause the resurrection of a being called "Destroyer King." Although Yami Yugi didn't think he would lose, he felt he should at least avoid fighting. However, although his initial intention was to check on Kaiba, who also appeared in the illusion, to see if anything had happened to him, who could have imagined that Kaiba had become a red-named monster, wanting to play cards on everyone he saw?