After parting with Yugi, Kisaragi wandered the streets alone with her Duel Disk, strolling as leisurely as if she were out shopping. Wherever she went, other duelists took one look at her and immediately backed away like she was some kind of monster.
"These duelists have zero backbone," she sighed. "They see me and scatter. How boring."
But then her lips curved.
"If nobody wants to challenge me, I'll just challenge someone else. This city has the perfect ready-made target, doesn't it?"
With that thought, she headed straight toward the person most likely to show up—based on what she remembered from the anime.
Before long, she arrived at a park. A massive circus tent had been set up over the open field, the kind that screamed touring performance.
"Then you'll be my first victim," Kisaragi murmured, stepping toward it. "Pandora."
The moment she entered the tent—
"That person… is that Kisaragi?" Téa gasped.
"Yes," Grandpa Mutou said, frowning. "Let's follow her. A girl being alone out there—if something happens—"
"Right." Téa and Grandpa hurried after her.
Inside the tent, a clown appeared. He froze for half a second when he saw her… then grinned, pointed her toward a direction, and vanished.
Kisaragi's eyes landed on the centerpiece of the circus stage: a huge prop coffin-like box labeled Death Magic Box.
The doors of the Death Magic Box creaked open.
The same clown stepped out from within, gestured for Kisaragi to enter, then slipped back into the darkness inside the box and disappeared again.
Kisaragi didn't hesitate. Expression blank, she walked into the Death Magic Box.
The doors shut behind her.
"Kisaragi!" Téa and Grandpa arrived just in time to see the doors close.
But then smoke burst out.
The box collapsed apart like a trick apparatus… and inside was nothing—no one.
"Kisaragi! Kisaragi, where are you?!" Téa shouted, panic rising as she spun around.
"It has to be some kind of mechanism," Grandpa Mutou said quickly. "Let's search around the tent and nearby shops."
…
On the street outside, Mokuba received a call—and his face instantly drained of color.
"Brother—bad news! Kisaragi's ID signal just disappeared from the monitoring center!"
"What?!" Kaiba's expression hardened. His jaw clenched. "Tch. Ghouls—those rats. She just crushed one of their people. Of course they'd retaliate."
He snapped, "Call Isono. Have him locate the tracker inside Kisaragi's Duel Disk—fast. I want her exact position immediately!"
"Got it, brother!" Mokuba whipped out his phone and called at once.
Five minutes later, Isono sent the coordinates directly to Kaiba's phone.
Kaiba stared at the location, eyes turning ice-cold.
"So that's where you are… You filthy little vermin. If anything happens to her, I'll burn Ghouls to the ground."
He took off at a run toward the location. Mokuba, clutching Kaiba's briefcase, sprinted after him.
…
In the basement of a rundown, abandoned shop—smoke suddenly swirled in midair.
A Death Magic Box appeared where there had been nothing.
Its doors opened.
Kisaragi stepped out slowly.
"This place is…?" She scanned the dim basement.
A computer monitor flickered to life, displaying her duelist profile and data.
Then—on the screen—a red-robed projection of Dark Magician rose like a ghostly hologram.
"Heh heh heh… I've been waiting a long time, Kisaragi Aoi. Now you will duel my master—Pandora!"
Kisaragi's eyes narrowed.
"So it really is Pandora," she thought.
The red-robed Dark Magician lifted his staff and pointed at her dramatically.
"He is the only duelist in the world who can wield the highest-tier magician! The great Pandora!"
Kisaragi snorted.
"Quit playing with cheap holograms. Come out yourself, Pandora!"
A laugh echoed through the basement.
"Heh heh heh… Welcome."
A man stepped forward—his movements theatrical, his voice dripping with staged grandeur.
"I am the second rare card hunter: Pandora—the illusionist who uses Dark Magician. What an adorable opponent you are."
(Yes, go ahead and imagine Dio's voice.)
Pandora strolled up to Kisaragi.
"By Lord Marik's orders, I will present you with Ghouls' first 'gift.'"
"Hmph. Then let's start." Kisaragi's gaze sharpened. "But you're not planning to duel me in this basement, are you?"
"Of course not." Pandora spread his hands. "You are a guest of Ghouls. Lord Marik specifically told me to treat you well."
He smiled wider.
"And you are the sole audience to my greatest escape performance of the century. Naturally, I've prepared a special stage."
Pandora turned and walked toward a door. Kisaragi followed without hesitation.
"After you," Pandora said.
The door opened.
Lights snapped on.
Inside was a circular duel arena—an enclosed, private ring. In the center stood a table.
"This is our Ghouls-exclusive solid-vision system," Pandora explained. "We have no intention of letting KaibaCorp's surveillance observe us."
"I see." Kisaragi stepped inside. "Fine—let's begin."
Pandora and Kisaragi entered the arena and stood at the table, shuffling their decks.
As Kisaragi watched Pandora's shuffling technique, she smiled faintly.
"What are you smiling at?" Pandora asked sharply.
"Nothing." Kisaragi's eyes didn't leave his hands. "Please, continue."
Inside, she thought: So this is Pandora's little trick… the 'marked sleeves' technique.
"Tch. Strange woman," Pandora muttered.
When both finished shuffling—
"Heh heh. You're not going to cut the deck?" Pandora asked.
"No need." Kisaragi's tone was flat. "Cutting won't change anything. You'll open with Dark Magician no matter what, so stop pretending."
Pandora's expression twisted—like his pride as a "magician" had just been stomped into the floor.
"Tch…!"
Then suddenly—
A conveyor mechanism activated beneath their feet.
As it slid into place, shackles snapped upward—clearly designed to clamp onto Kisaragi's ankles.
But Kisaragi moved at the perfect moment, springing up. The shackle snapped shut on empty air.
Pandora stared.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"What am I doing?" Kisaragi's eyes turned cold. "Don't act like I can't see through you. This arena is the kind that brings out rotating saws, isn't it?"
She tilted her head.
"The lower your Life Points, the closer the saws get."
Pandora clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Sharp woman. But if you won't wear the restraints, then this isn't a fair duel."
"Idiot." Kisaragi pointed at his sleeve. "If I get cuffed and you don't, that's unfair."
Her voice lowered.
"Don't think I didn't notice you've got the key hidden in your cuff."
She stepped closer, eyes like knives.
"Go on. Unlock yourself too. Then we'll call it fair."
With obvious annoyance, Pandora produced a key and unlocked the shackles on his own ankles.
"…Fine. You've ruined the value of all my 'props.'" He raised his Duel Disk. "Then the props are meaningless. Let's duel!"
…
Outside the circus tent, Téa and Grandpa Mutou were still searching, going from shop to shop.
"What do we do…? We can't find Kisaragi anywhere," Téa said, voice shaking.
"Let's keep looking," Grandpa Mutou replied. "And if we still can't find her, we should contact Seto Kaiba. He's close to her—and KaibaCorp can search far more effectively than the two of us running around blindly."
"How did I forget that?!" Téa blurted. "If Kisaragi's missing, Kaiba will move heaven and earth to find her."
She pulled out her phone, ready to call KaibaCorp—
A voice called from behind.
"Téa!"
Téa spun around.
"Mokuba… and Kaiba?!"
"What are you two doing here?" Mokuba asked.
"Kisaragi disappeared. Grandpa and I were about to contact you," Téa said quickly.
Kaiba's eyes were sharp as ice.
"I already know her location. Mokuba and I are going there right now."
"Then we're coming too," Téa said instantly. "We won't be able to relax otherwise. She vanished right in front of us."
"Do whatever you want," Kaiba snapped.
He turned and strode off with Mokuba, heading toward Kisaragi's location. Téa and Grandpa Mutou hurried after them.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 132)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter140)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter95)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter165)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 145
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 135
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 95
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 155
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 125
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 105
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 62
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 80
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 80
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 62
Uma Musume: I Want All 65
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
Summoning an Evil God, but the 41
Supernatural Multiverse 45
My Harem Is Indescribable 35
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 46
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