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Yu Xuan silently observed the duel, chin resting on his hand as he contemplated.
This was Seto Kaiba's dueling eight years after DM, and it could essentially represent the pinnacle of known duelists in the current card game world. In GX, the president never directly dueled himself—except for that one instance when Jaden faced the "Hero Partner Kaiba." But even then, it seemed more like a card spirit modeled after Kaiba, and given Jaden lost, it was hard to gauge how serious Kaiba had been in creating that proxy.
Using this duel as a reference, it was no wonder everyone in the dueling world considered Kaiba the number one duelist today. Even without his signature "floor draw" technique, the sheer strength of his Blue-Eyes deck was leagues ahead of others—it felt like he was playing a completely different game from everyone else.
By comparison, the main cast of GX was still struggling to evolve past their beginner-level strategies. At this stage, they were just starting to grasp summoning monsters with 2000 attack points on the first turn. Many of Jaden's early duels involved nothing more than normal summons and setting cards. And yet, Duel Academy students were already considered top-tier duelers in the broader meta.
In contrast, Kaiba's dominance felt like a dimensional strike.
Indeed, having both wealth and cutting-edge technology made all the difference. He conducted his own research and printed his own cards, ensuring his deck stayed at the forefront of innovation. Or perhaps it should be said—if someone with nearly limitless resources like Kaiba remained on par with the rest of the meta after all these years, that would have been far less believable.
"He won... As expected of Brother," Mokuba chuckled, wiping his nose as he approached Kaiba.
Having satisfied his thirst for dueling, Kaiba turned to Yu Xuan.
"Fujiko Yu Xuan... right?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I have something to say, but first, let me deal with the rat problem."
Yu Xuan raised an eyebrow.
Something to say to me?
Hmm~ Could it be a challenge?
Considering it was Kaiba, it wasn't out of the question. Perhaps he'd seen Yu Xuan thrashing his AI in KaibaLand and wanted revenge—or maybe he simply craved another duel.
Yu Xuan thought about it. If Kaiba really did want to duel, why not? Even if he lost, there wouldn't be much harm done. He could even consider charging a fee—say, one rare card per match—and if he somehow managed to win, he might achieve rare card freedom...
At this point, the personnel accompanying Kaiba on the helicopter disembarked. Someone dragged Fujimoto, who had been knocked unconscious by the Ultimate Blue-Eyes Dragon's blast, to his feet.
Fujimoto struggled to open his eyes, squinting against the bright sunlight before blinking groggily.
"Huh? I'm still alive...?"
"Your worthless life isn't what I'm after," Kaiba said coldly, arms crossed. "You possess something I need."
Clearly, his new duel disk not only gave holographic monsters tangible mass but also allowed him to adjust energy output levels. He had deliberately limited its power to non-lethal levels, sparing Fujimoto's life.
"I know you have a hideout. Tell me its location," Kaiba demanded icily.
Fujimoto, now regaining some composure, gritted his teeth and muttered defiantly, "Hmph, so that's your goal. You expect me to betray my organization? Never!
The members of my group are my brothers, my family—we stand shoulder to shoulder..."
But then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Kaiba's eerie smirk.
For a fleeting moment, Fujimoto imagined a phantom figure looming behind Kaiba—a majestic white dragon taking shape, exuding an oppressive aura that left him gasping for breath.
His mind flashed back to the duel's climax, where he had been obliterated by a staggering 13,500 damage. His body still throbbed with pain...
Fujimoto shrank back, unable to meet Kaiba's gaze. "...Actually, we weren't that close."
Upon reflection, he realized his closest "brother" in the organization was probably Onizuka—and he was already dead. His ties to the remaining members were tenuous at best.
With this realization, Fujimoto felt somewhat justified in his betrayal.
"They wouldn't blame me for selling them out," he thought. "After all, Seto Kaiba is practically cheating reality—he leaves me no choice. My comrades will understand."
"I can give you the address," Fujimoto said.
"No need," Kaiba waved dismissively. "Lead the way."
Fujimoto: "!"
So he was expected to personally guide them to the hideout?
Fujimoto broke into a cold sweat. Leaking information was one thing—but leading them straight to the door was another matter entirely.
"What?" Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "Any objections?"
"N-No..."
Fujimoto stood up with difficulty.
At this moment, he noticed his battle-hardened legs trembling uncontrollably.
"I'm coming too!"
Mokuba followed his brother, pausing briefly to glance at Yu Xuan.
"Sorry, it seems we'll have to delay taking you to the company a bit longer. Would you prefer to wait here, or shall I arrange for a driver to take you to a branch office...?"
"No rush, I'm fine," Yu Xuan replied with a wave of his hand.
He wouldn't miss this rare opportunity to spectate from the front row. Especially since he'd just realized that Fujimoto's target seemed to be Lenz due to some misunderstanding—their actual aim might've been him...
Speaking of which, Lenz sure knew how to run. In the blink of an eye during Kaiba's duel, he'd vanished without a trace.
Though the organization didn't seem aware of whose hands their fallen comrades had truly met, they were still a potential threat. Now that Kaiba intended to raid their hideout, eliminating them would undoubtedly remove a hidden danger for Yu Xuan.
Thus, Yu Xuan continued chatting cheerfully with Mokuba as they trailed behind Kaiba toward the organization's base—to "check the water meter."
Fifteen minutes later.
The same secluded alleyway, the same mysterious bar.
Fujimoto sat at the counter, pale-faced and expressionless, resembling a walking corpse.
His buddy with the middle-parted hair took a seat beside him, scrutinizing his complexion. "What's wrong? You look like someone died in your family."
Fujimoto turned his blank stare toward his so-called brother-in-arms.
"Not yet, but soon."
Middle-parted friend: "?"
"You went to get revenge on Lenz, right? How'd it go?"
Fujimoto shook his head dully.
"I ran into Seto Kaiba."
The surrounding friends were shocked, quickly gathering around him.
"Whoa, seriously? Did you duel?"
"Is he really as strong as they say?"
Fujimoto shook his head again.
"You'll find out soon enough."
He spoke tonelessly.
"He's waiting outside for you."
Everyone: "?"
The next moment, a loud bang echoed as the door was violently kicked open.
Kaiba strode into the bar under the astonished gazes of the patrons, his duel disk unfolding with a metallic clink.
"Come on, rats. Let's duel!"