[bonus]
Kira couldn't help but size up the person in front of him.
Now that he thought about it, though the other party was wrapped up tightly and even had his face covered, there was something a bit robotic about his appearance.
Kaiba's AI?
He quickly recalled the AI at Kaiba Land that had been beaten until its system crashed.
The other party seemed to guess what he was thinking and snorted arrogantly. "Don't compare me to those inferior computers from KaibaCorp.
At best, those are just dueling programs, crude imitations of duelists' tactics. They don't have anything you could call a heart!
But we are different. We're not clones; we were designed with Seto Kaiba as the prototype, analyzing his personality, tactics, and experience, but on that basis, we evolved and developed our self-awareness.
With each endless cycle of evolution and updates, we grow stronger and more exceptional every time!"
He paused here, his mind flashing to a certain teammate who seemed to have only learned how to be arrogant but had a negative IQ.
So his tone weakened a bit: "Well, overall, we do get better, I guess."
Kira: "So where's your Blue-Eyes?"
Alpha froze.
Then he said gloomily, "I told you, I'm not Seto Kaiba. I was only designed with him as a template. I have my tactics."
Kira: "So, your Blue-Eyes?"
"I said, I'm not Kaiba! Are you deaf? Why do you keep asking about Blue-Eyes, goddamn it!" Alpha snapped.
"No need to be embarrassed if you don't have one." Kira shrugged.
Alpha: "!!!"
Still, the fact that this was an AI based on Kaiba was a bit surprising to Kira. And from the way he talked, it sounded like there were more than one of them.
He recalled that Maximillion Pegasus had also said he suspected the ones hacking KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions were some unknown AIs.
It seemed likely that these were the AIs he was talking about.
In that case, the Father this guy mentioned was probably their creator—and maybe the mastermind behind the scenes.
But if they were AIs, how come they didn't use data cards like the AI at Kaiba Land?
Thinking back to theories he'd heard when talking with Yako and Gekko, Kira guessed that maybe data cards would limit the destiny power.
With self-aware AI, perhaps they could also gain the destiny power of real duelists. But Duel Monster cards were inherently extraordinary; if you only simulate data and don't use real cards, it might have an effect.
"…My turn. Draw."
You couldn't just hang around thinking in a duel, so Kira focused back on the game.
"Standby Phase, 'Nightmare Mirage' effect," Alpha said. "I draw cards until I have four in hand."
He refilled his hand to four.
"Activate set card." Kira triggered his back row. "Continuous Trap 'Powerful Rebirth.'
Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from the graveyard, raise its level by 1, and increase its ATK by 100."
He pulled a card from the graveyard slot on his duel disk.
"I revive this card from my graveyard—
—Mythical Beast Cerberus!"
[Mythical Beast Cerberus, ATK 1400 → 1500]
"Since it was Special Summoned from the graveyard, it won't be negated by 'Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords.'"
As Kira spoke, he played another Spell.
"Spell Card 'Reinforcement of the Army.' Add a Level 4 or lower Warrior from deck to hand. I add Level 4 'Gearfried the Iron Knight' to my hand."
Kira drew the monster from his deck.
"Then I activate 'Card of Burial Magic.' Banish three Spell cards—'Reinforcement of the Army,' 'Card Destruction,' and the Spell 'Hidden Armory' I discarded by hand—to draw two cards." (original card effect)
Kira drew two cards.
"Then I Normal Summon 'Gearfried the Iron Knight!'"
[Gearfried the Iron Knight, ATK 1800]
Alpha said in a low voice, "No matter how many weak monsters you summon—"
But Kira cut him off before he could finish: "You claim you're an AI modeled after Kaiba, but your sense for how a duel will go seems to be less than a fraction of his."
"What did you say?" Alpha snapped.
"Ah, sorry, just talking to myself. You can ignore me."
Kira smiled and played the card he searched last turn.
"I activate the Equip Spell 'Butterfly Dagger – Elma' and equip it to 'Gearfried the Iron Knight' for 300 extra ATK," Kira said. "But Gearfried's effect: Any Equip Card attached to him is destroyed instantly, so 'Butterfly Dagger – Elma' is destroyed."
"But at that moment, 'Mythical Beast Cerberus' effect: Each time a Spell Card is activated, it gains a Spell Counter, and its ATK increases by 500 times the number of counters."
[Mythical Beast Cerberus, ATK 1500 → 2000]
"Then, 'Butterfly Dagger – Elma' returns to my hand when destroyed by its effect.
So, I equip 'Butterfly Dagger – Elma' again to Gearfried."
Now Alpha finally reacted, taking two steps back in shock.
"This is…an infinite LOOP!?"
"That's right. As long as I keep activating Butterfly Dagger, I can keep looping infinitely, and Cerberus gains 500 ATK each time. After infinite loops, its ATK becomes…"
[Mythical Beast Cerberus, ATK 2000 → ∞]
"Infinite ATK!?" Alpha was horrified.
Yes, if an infinite loop is recognized, you can fast forward to infinite immediately. Last time, against Watanabe-senpai, Kira didn't do this, since he was just joining the club and had no grudge against him—no need to leave him with infinite psychological scars.
After all, Kira was always friendly to people.
But to enemies—there was no need for mercy.
"Battle," Kira said. "'Mythical Beast Cerberus,' attack 'Arkbrave Dragon'!"
With infinite ATK, Cerberus looked like a mythic beast blotting out the sky. Anyone with a weak will would be drained of all courage just facing it.
Alpha had no doubt: if that claw hit, he'd be turned into a mosaic on the spot.
But—
"Activate set card! Trap Card 'Draining Shield'!" Alpha shouted. "Negate your monster's attack and gain LP equal to its ATK!"
He then threw his head back and let out a laugh worthy of a Kaiba-cosplayer.
"Ha ha ha! Didn't expect that, did you? I'm one step ahead! Now, after absorbing Cerberus's ATK, my LP will also become infinite!"
A shimmering barrier appeared before him as Cerberus's claw was about to strike.
"Then from my hand, I activate Quick-Play Spell 'Quick Summon.' I can Normal Summon a monster from my hand." (Anime card)
He revealed a monster card.
"I Tribute 'Mythical Beast Cerberus' to Tribute Summon! I call upon the puppeteer who manipulates dolls—
—Level 5, Magical Marionette, Summon!"
Cerberus's massive image dissolved into light, replaced by a sinister spellcaster, fingers dancing with marionette strings attached to a dual-bladed puppet.
[Magical Marionette, ATK 2000]
"Tch, so you dodged Draining Shield by tributing."
Alpha frowned.
'So he anticipated there might be a trap in my back row, and kept a tributable monster on the field as a countermeasure?'
Alpha: "But your remaining two monsters' ATK can't beat my 'Arkbrave Dragon.' You can't break through my defenses!"
"True."
Kira didn't mind.
"My battle phase is over. Then from hand, I activate Equip Spell 'Butterfly Dagger – Elma' and equip it to 'Gearfried the Iron Knight.'
Then, due to Gearfried's effect, Butterfly Dagger is destroyed."
"Again?" Alpha exclaimed. "But Cerberus is gone, so what's the point of looping now—"
Kira smiled and pointed at the Magical Marionette just summoned.
"'Magical Marionette's effect: Each time either player activates a Spell, it gains a Spell Counter, and its ATK increases by 200."
Alpha: "!"
It's the same type of effect as Cerberus?
"So, after the same infinite LOOP, Magical Marionette's ATK becomes…"
[Magical Marionette, ATK 2000 → ∞]
"Infinite ATK again…!" Alpha gritted his teeth.
Is this guy just a Duel Academy student?
What's with this broken, cheat-level ATK out of nowhere?
But he forced himself to stay calm: "Even so, your battle phase is over. You can't attack again with your infinite ATK this turn—"
"'Magical Marionette has another effect," Kira said. "By removing two Spell Counters, it can destroy a monster on the field.
So I remove two counters to destroy 'Arkbrave Dragon.'"
The Magical Marionette's fingers flicked, and the twin blades shot out and pierced the shining dragon, shattering its body.
Alpha raised his arm to shield himself, speaking in a low voice: "Then I activate the set card! Trap Card 'Puzzle Reborn'! When a monster you control is destroyed by an effect, revive it!
Come back, Arkbrave Dragon!"
A storm of light erupted as the dragon returned to the field!
"And when Arkbrave Dragon is revived from the graveyard, your continuous trap 'Powerful Rebirth' is banished, and it gains 200 ATK!"
[Arkbrave Dragon, ATK 2400 → 2600]
"Too bad," Alpha said. "Your strategy still didn't work—"
"Then I remove two more Spell Counters." Kira snapped his fingers. "'Arkbrave Dragon' is destroyed."
"What!?"
Alpha was shocked.
This effect isn't once per turn!?
Wait…
He immediately realized how serious this was.
The Magical Marionette now had infinite Spell Counters and infinite ATK.
It could destroy any monster on the field, any number of times per turn.
Alpha: "…"
Isn't that…invincible!?