Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

There, the two games discovered that vertical pupils had also appeared in the spirit world and were devouring card spirits that could not resist their power as a supplement to their own. Guided by [Dark Magician Girl], the two games worked together to pull out a longsword stuck in the eye of a giant dragon statue and returned to the real world.

After that, the game had an extra card in its hand.

"【Eye of Timaeus】..." Yugi took out the card that had appeared out of thin air in his hand from his pocket. He had used the power of this card to summon a blue dragon that shattered the vertical pupil in the sky and dispelled the global Duel Monster materialization incident. "Could it have been done by the people of 'Doma'?"

Guiping sighed upon hearing Yugi's words: "Unfortunately, there are still no witnesses so far. Even if it was the 'Doma' organization that stole the 'Three Egyptian Gods' cards, their cleanup was so thorough that it's impossible to trace them."

"However, I found an unconfirmed rumor that the Labyrinth Brothers and Dinosaur Ryuzaki, who were found attacked this morning, were taken to the hospital by ambulance, but the person who called the ambulance was Ryuzaki himself, who was also unconscious."

"Because it's unlikely that the unconscious person would call an ambulance himself, I guess that Ryuzaki Dinosaur was probably a witness who was either lucky or unlucky. He made the call for help after witnessing the attack on the Labyrinth Brothers, but he was later silenced because he saw too much."

"Damn it, that idiot Ryuzaki!" Jonouchi said angrily after hearing Keibei's analysis of the situation. "Didn't that guy say he was going to become the top professional duelist? What was he bragging about?"

"He's been killed off like this, he's never even won a championship before, it's unforgivable!"

Although he was cursing Ryuzaki, everyone could see that Jonouchi's anger was directed at the unknown assailant. If that person dared to reveal his identity to Jonouchi now, he would definitely be beaten up by the furious Jonouchi.

After listening to Keihei's analysis for a long time, Kaiba, who had remained calm and collected, finally spoke up: "To be honest, who those third-rate duelists using fourth-rate decks are, and what they went through to fall into a coma, has nothing to do with me, and I won't care about them."

The harsh words drew an angry glare from Jonouchi, but Kaiba, being the arrogant old man he was, always saved the important part for the second half of his sentence, while the first half was usually disregarded. "However, every Duel Monster player is a valuable asset to the Kaiba Corporation. If I find out who has jeopardized the interests of the Kaiba Corporation, I will personally punish them!"

As they were talking, the limousine they were in drove drove onto the famous Golden Gate Bridge, a bridge that always seems to collapse every time it appears in movies and TV shows. Across the bay, they could see a towering building that stood out among the skyscrapers on the other side.

“That’s…” Even though Kyoko hadn’t been to America many times, she recognized the place instantly after just a glance at the eye-catching neon logo of the cartoon crocodile on the top of the building. “International Illusion Society?”

"Hmph, the Kaiba Corporation hasn't even gotten over the trouble caused by the malfunction of Duel Monsters' video feeds worldwide not long ago." Kaiba glanced at the headquarters of the International Illusion Company outside the window and said unhappily, "Without a doubt, there's nothing wrong with the data stored by the Kaiba Corporation, so the only thing that could be wrong is the International Illusion Company."

"No, so it's not some kind of image error, it's that the Duel Monster actually materialized." Honda retorted, but clearly, Kaiba's understanding was in a readable but not writable mode, stubbornly interpreting things using his own understanding of science.

“I don’t trust that unreliable fake American, Bekas, so the first thing I need to do here in America is to go to the headquarters of the International Illusion Society to check their data. By the way, the tracker that Guiping left behind also locked onto that area, so maybe we can find some clues there.”

As he spoke, Kaiba glanced at Yugi, or more precisely, at the card in Yugi's hand called "Eye of Timaeus".

On the day that Duel Monsters were materialized globally, Kaiba, whose "Obelisk the Tormentor" had been stolen, was also at the Egyptian Antiquities Exhibition Hall at Isis's invitation. Naturally, he witnessed Yugi using the power of the card "Eye of Timaeus" to shatter the vertical pupil in the sky.

—Yes, the seahorse has already acquired a certain ability to see the existence of spirits, and naturally it can also see the vertical pupils in the sky.

However, even though Kaiba frequently sees the Pokémon around Yugi, he stubbornly refuses to believe in the existence of Card Pokémon. To change his mind, he'll probably have to see his own Card Pokémon first—

Because of that scene, Kaiba was naturally very interested in the powerful "Dragon Monster" in Yugi's hand. That day, he almost completely forgot about other things like reclaiming the "God Card" and couldn't wait to use "Blue Eyes" and "Eye of Timaeus" to see who was the strongest dragon.

What Kaiba didn't expect was that the "Eye of Timaeus" card that Yugi held, no matter how you looked at it, summoned a dragon, but it wasn't a dragon-type monster, and it was even hard to call it a monster card.

The border is not the color of any magic card, trap card, or monster card, but a clear cyan-blue like jade. In the center of the card art is a dragon named "Timaeus" with one eye injured, but this name is not written anywhere on the card.

There wasn't a single word or image on the card. There were no attributes, card name, star rating, effects, or descriptions. It looked like a half-finished card with only a printed image.

Kaiba immediately recalled one of the game's identities: a major shareholder of the International Illusion Company, holding a 30% stake second only to Pegasus, and tied with Hayato. Naturally, Kaiba interpreted the Eye of Timaeus as an "official cheat" provided by Pegasus to the game.

He had another reason to cause trouble for Pegasus: how could he so casually print cards for others that had no text and could be used to make up effects? Unforgivable, Pegasus!

Although the headquarters of the International Vision Society is located in the bustling former gold rush capital of San Francisco, the streets are relatively wide, and despite the heavy traffic, the journey is not congested. Shortly after safely leaving the Golden Gate Bridge, the car carrying the group arrived at the industrial park where the International Vision Society is located, and the group got out of the car in front of the headquarters building.

Although the game is a major shareholder of International Illusion, this is the first time he has ever been to the headquarters of International Illusion.

This situation could only occur in an International Illusion Society that was originally 100% owned by Pegasus and had no board of directors.

"It's huge! It even looks taller than the Haima Group building." Looking up at the towering headquarters of the International Illusion Society, Jonouchi couldn't help but exclaim.

Although the influence of Haima Group is growing day by day, International Illusion Society is a giant that was established long ago. Its status is much higher than that of Haima Entertainment Group, which was transformed in the middle of its development. Even if President Bekas himself is lazy on a daily basis, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Haima still has a lot of room to catch up.

This can be somewhat reflected in the headquarters buildings of the two groups. The headquarters of the Hikari Group is not located in Tokyo but in the relatively remote city of Domino, while the International Illusion Company is able to set up its headquarters in almost the city center of San Francisco.

However, the headquarters buildings of the two groups are actually the same height. As for Jonouchi saying that the International Illusion Company's building is taller, is it because he has seen many Kaiba Group buildings in Domino City, or is he deliberately belittling Kaiba?

Who knows?

Kaiba ignored Jonouchi's childish words, but another person responded to Jonouchi: "It is indeed quite tall, but when you think about it, isn't the Kaiba Group building in Domino City about the same height? Don't act like a country bumpkin who has never seen the world, it's too embarrassing."

Before seeing the person, one could hear their voice; within the city, one could even smell a familiar scent, and the image of a certain person instantly appeared in the minds of those within the city.

However, he wasn't sure if it was the other person, so he excitedly turned his head to look at the direction from which the voice came. There he saw a dashingly dressed woman named Peacock Mai getting off a parked motorcycle, taking off her helmet, straightening her long, golden hair, and smiling at Jonouchi: "It's been a long time."

"Within the city"

"Mai!" Although he recognized the voice as that of Mai Kongjaku, Jonouchi was clearly quite surprised to see her here. "What are you doing here?"

"But I'm glad you're alright. After seeing the news about a large number of duelists falling into comas, I was subconsciously worried that something might have happened to you too."

"Hmph, don't underestimate me. Jonouchi, I'm going to prove to the world that female duelists are strong too, and they won't be easily defeated halfway through. Oh ho ho ho."

“Haha, that’s true.” Jonouchi chuckled, scratching the back of his head, after hearing Mai’s signature confident queenly laugh. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he added, “Oh right, I saw your duel when you won the championship not long ago. Congratulations, Mai.”

This time, it was Kong Que Wu who suddenly became a little shy, blushing as she softly hummed in agreement.

Honda, standing nearby, poked the smug-looking Keihei with his finger: "I mean, could it be...?"

"Hmm, we're saving the world, you know. I only invited the current All-American champion, Mai Peacock, to help me to add some extra power." He subconsciously touched his nose, a habitual gesture when lying. "It's not that I wanted to see what that idiot Jonouchi would do."

Honda quipped, "Compared to Kaiba, you, Keihei, are more accepting of the existence of Duel Monsters."

“However,” Honda said with a mischievous grin, looking at Mai and Jonouchi, who were looking at each other rather shyly, “I’m actually quite interested too.”

Chapter 578 The leak was discovered

However, compared to the gossipy Honda and Keihei, the game was much more serious. He looked at the entrance of the building in front of him and frowned.

As soon as the vehicle entered the industrial park of the International Illusion Society, he began to notice something: he hadn't seen many people along the way, even though it was a weekday.

It's understandable that there's no need for security guards at the entrance because of the electronic identification system. But why are there so few people coming and going at the entrance of the headquarters building, which should be bustling with activity?

"Hmph, you noticed it too, Game?" Kaiba stood next to Game with a cold face, also looking at the empty first floor of the building that looked deserted from the outside. "If there are few people coming and going, you can explain it with electronic office. But even the receptionist who should always be guarding the door is not here. Hmph, that's obviously going too far."

Game nodded: "Ah, it's almost like they're openly inviting us in, as if they're not even trying to hide the fact that 'something's not right here.'"

"It seems we've stumbled upon the main culprit. But since they're here, does that mean Pegasus is their target?"

Hearing the conversation between Yugi and Kaiba, Jonouchi turned around and belatedly realized that "Dark Yugi" had replaced "Face Yugi" at some point. He and Kaiba were looking at the empty first floor of the International Illusion Company building as if facing a formidable enemy.

Although not particularly good at thinking, Jonouchi wasn't so stupid as to not understand what Yugi and Kaiba were saying: "You mean, that 'uncensored' organization that stole the 'God Card' is in this building right now?"

Honda complained, "It's not 'uncensored,' it's Doma. And it seems like their actions are getting bolder and bolder. From Keith, whose popularity declined and no one paid attention at the beginning, to Ryuzaki and the Labyrinth Brothers, who are currently very popular, now even Pegasus, the father of Duel Monsters, has become their target."

However, even if a blind person could sense something was wrong with the building and that there were definitely traps or ambushes, Yugi and his group still had a reason to go in. And to reach the top floor to find Pegasus, the lobby on the first floor was the only way.

Leading the way was Kaiba, who wore a menacing expression like a gangster seeking revenge, striding confidently through the automatically opening sensor door. Keihei followed closely behind his brother. Behind the Kaiba brothers were Kyoko and Yugi.

Looking at a building from the outside is not the same as seeing it from the inside. Although they were not unsophisticated, Yugi and Kyoko were still subconsciously amazed by the size of the lobby on the first floor of the International Illusion Society, which they were visiting for the first time.

In contrast, the Kaiba and Keipi brothers seemed somewhat oblivious. Although they were also looking around, they were mostly searching for possible ambushes.

The entire hall was deserted, not a single person could be seen. If it weren't for the few open documents scattered on the front desk, it would have been as if no human had ever existed. The imaginative Guiping even imagined that the scene before him was exactly the same as the scene in a science fiction movie where humans disappear in an instant.

However, that kind of thing is impossible. Keihei recalled the Duel Monster materialization not long ago and added "probably" after his thoughts.

Honda, the one in charge of the team's fighting, walked at the back. He was very good at sensing the atmosphere and didn't disturb Jonouchi and Mai, who stood in a row and let them go in first.

However, just as Honda stepped through the automatic door of the International Illusion Society headquarters building and was about to pull his foot back, the electric door behind him suddenly slammed shut as if something had malfunctioned, and at the same time, a thick metal barrier gate slammed down!

"boom!"

The loud commotion startled everyone, especially Honda, who was closest to the gate and almost became Louis XVI. Still shaken, he took two steps back from the gate, fearing something else might happen.

"Whoa, what happened?!" Turning around to look at the now completely closed isolation door, Jonouchi said, "You touched some switch, Honda!"

"No, I just walked in!" Honda was unwilling to take the blame. Seeing that the isolation door had been closed for a while without any other movement, he mustered up his courage and reached out to pull on the thick iron door. However, the isolation door, which was set up for fire prevention purposes, had now become the wall of a cage, sealing the door tightly and preventing everyone from leaving.

"Damn it, I can't open it!"

“It’s the same here!” Jonouchi walked to the other side of the glass window and found that there was also an isolation door installed at the glass window. Is it necessary to install this kind of equipment everywhere?

Your efforts are in vain.

Just as Jonouchi and Honda were searching for a way to leave, a familiar-sounding voice rang out, echoing in the empty hall. Although no one could see who was speaking, everyone present said the voice was extremely familiar.

"That voice... is it Pegasus?" Having identified the other party, the game looked around but couldn't find Pegasus. He felt a little strange.

“Yes, I am, Yugi Muto~” Pegasus’s voice rang out again, trailing off with that strangely familiar tone. This time, the source of the voice was much clearer, causing everyone’s eyes to move upwards and tilt their heads slightly to look at the second floor of the hall.

There, a figure was slowly emerging from the shadows.

The seahorse frowned and said impatiently, "Playing tricks on me is utterly boring. What are you doing closing this door?"

Emerging fully from the shadows was Pegasus, still wearing that burgundy suit, his long, silver hair obscuring the left half of his face. He looked down at the game and the others standing on the first floor and said, "Seto Kaiba, Just a little—"

"Hey, don't make me repeat myself, you pretentious bastard!" Seahorse's expression remained sour, and he even rudely interrupted Pegasus, who was speaking slowly and deliberately in a noble tone.

“Although your voice, appearance, and movements look exactly like the Pegasus I remember, you’re not Pegasus, are you!” Not only Kaiba realized that the “Pegasus” in front of him was not the real Pegasus, but even Jonouchi, unusually astute, said, “This feeling, is it murderous intent? You’re the one from the Doma organization who stole the ‘God Card’!”

"Tch, you were seen through so easily?" Pegasus, standing on the second floor, frowned and glanced at Jonouchi, saying unhappily, "Although he acted like a brainless idiot, he really is one of the top duelists. Keen intuition, Jonouchi Katsuya."

"Who's the idiot!" Jonouchi retorted. "Even I know it would be strange if that fake American, Pegasus, spoke entirely in English. The flaws are too obvious!"

Ignoring Jonouchi's sarcastic remarks, Pegasus turned his gaze back to Kaiba and said coldly, "Mai, Katsuya Jonouchi, Yugi Muto, and Seto Kaiba, we didn't originally intend to deal with you right now. Instead, we planned to collect your souls little by little and then deal with you, the biggest obstacles to our plan."

"But since you've come here to die, I might as well finish you off while I'm at it!"

As he spoke, "Bekas" somehow pulled out a small remote control and pressed a yellow button on it.

In an instant, the sound of machinery operating filled the air around everyone. Mechanisms suddenly sprang up from all directions, revealing countless roadside sign-like devices facing the group standing in the center of the hall. The first thing that caught everyone's eye was the words "This side faces the enemy" printed on these metal signs!

"Claymore mine?!" The small standee was nothing new to Haima Group, which inherited the former arms manufacturing company. The humiliation of being tricked surged into his heart. "Damn it, these cowardly rats who hide their heads and tails don't even dare to duel me, but actually resort to such insidious means!"

The others also looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy. Yugi even put one hand on the Millennium Puzzle in front of his chest and took out several cards in the other hand, ready to immediately activate the power of the spirits in the cards if anything went wrong.

"Broadsword? What's that?"

The only one who didn't understand the situation was Kyoko. She didn't know much about military matters and had no interest in learning about them. The word "Claymore mine" was completely foreign to her, and she had no idea what it was.

"All you need to know is that it's a weapon with an astonishing kill rate, including friendly fire incidents, on the battlefield," Guiping explained to Kyoko, though he was so nervous he wanted to eat a chocolate to relieve the pressure.

Looking at the expressions on everyone's faces, Pegasus grinned smugly: "Oh? Are you scared, Seto Kaiba? Did you ever imagine this scene when you first touched this filthy business?"

"Look at you, Seto Kaiba, surrounded by filthy weapons, you look like a piece of trash about to be crushed by a shredder."

"As for dirty tricks? For me, as long as the goal is achieved, that's enough. The process is completely unnecessary. Although it's a little regrettable that I couldn't torture you properly before sealing your soul, getting rid of you will make me happy for at least five or six days!"

As he spoke, Pegasus raised his thumb and moved it to a red button marked with a skull next to the yellow button. "Just die like that, Kaibase—"

A golden light flashed from the Millennium Puzzle on Yugi's chest, and faint afterimages of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl began to appear behind him. Kaiba immediately drew the top card of his deck, Goddess of Reversal, and was about to throw it out, trying to hit Pegasus before he could press the button with his special card throwing technique.

Jonouchi opened his arms and hugged Mai, while Honda pushed Kyoko and Keihei into the middle of the crowd, trying his best to shield them with his body. Although he knew that flesh was no different from paper against the steel balls of the Claymore mines, the two men still tried to put up some weak resistance.

Just as Pegasus was about to press the button, a voice that no one had heard before rang out:

"Wait a minute!"