Kaiba stared down at Rishid's unconscious body with icy contempt.
"Hmph. Marik brought this on himself."
"He's not Marik," Kisaragi said evenly. "He's just Marik's Shadow Dancer."
"What?!" Kaiba's eyes narrowed.
"The real Marik will show up in the finals. Let's get to Yugi first."
Kaiba snorted. "Fine. One day I'll make Marik regret breathing."
Elsewhere — Marik's Awakening
Far away, Marik's face twisted violently.
"AAAH!"
He clutched his head, convulsing—then, after a moment, his expression changed. The pain drained away, replaced by a predatory calm.
"So this is the outside… heh, heh, heh. Thanks to that white-haired woman dealing with Rishid, I can finally move."
A darker consciousness surfaced, sifting through memories like flipping through files.
"I see… the Pharaoh is currently dueling his friend. The white-haired woman is Kisaragi Aoi—she just defeated Rishid… and her relationship with Seto Kaiba, the organizer of Battle City, is… unusual."
His smile widened.
"Interesting. Very interesting."
"Then I'll enjoy watching the Pharaoh's 'friendly' duel with his friend."
Back at Yugi vs. Jounouchi
Kisaragi and Kaiba arrived at the duel site. Mokuba rushed up immediately.
"Kisaragi—are you okay?! My brother ran toward you like he'd lost his mind. I thought something happened."
"I'm fine," Kisaragi replied, steadying her breathing. "What's the situation here?"
Mokuba spoke quickly.
"Jounouchi's… like he's regained a little of himself, but not completely. Anzu is tied up nearby. Someone's hanging a heavy weight above her head—if we make one wrong move, they'll drop it and crush her."
Kisaragi's gaze sharpened.
"Kaiba. I have a plan. You'll need to cooperate."
Kaiba didn't argue. "Say it."
"I'll use the Blue-Eyes spirit to restore Jounouchi's mind. You use that moment to rescue Anzu. If Jounouchi comes back fully, this duel can be stopped."
Kaiba frowned, unusually serious.
"Using the spirit like that strains you. You just finished a Shadow Game. Are you sure?"
"I can still do it," Kisaragi said. "I'll rest afterward."
Kaiba's jaw tightened—then he nodded. "Understood."
He turned to Mokuba.
"Stay with her. Don't let her collapse."
Mokuba snapped a salute. "Leave it to me!"
Kisaragi exhaled.
"Then I'm starting."
White light burst behind her—and in the same instant, Jounouchi was engulfed by the same radiance.
"Ah—!"
Yami Yugi's eyes widened. "What's happening?!"
A cold, hostile force surged in response.
"Damn it… that woman has this kind of power?"
From the shadows, the Millennium Rod's influence flared.
Inside Jounouchi, two forces collided—Marik's corrupted control and Kisaragi's cleansing light—grinding against each other like blades.
A voice, cruel and amused, echoed through the darkness.
"You're fascinating… but you're leaving the stage now."
Kisaragi's eyes narrowed.
"You're Marik's dark personality, aren't you? But who leaves isn't up to you."
Behind her, the spirit of Blue-Eyes White Dragon manifested. Its jaws filled with blinding white energy.
"Blue-Eyes—purge the evil consciousness."
"Burst Stream of Destruction!"
A pillar of white annihilation slammed through the darkness inside Jounouchi.
"No—! That power—AAAH!"
The dark presence shattered.
Kisaragi's awareness snapped back to her own body—and she dropped to one knee, hand braced against the ground.
Mokuba caught her immediately.
"Kisaragi! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine," she said, forcing the words out. "Just… drained. Give me a minute."
Jounouchi's eyes cleared. The dead haze faded. His breathing steadied.
At that moment—
Shizuka, Honda, Otogi, and Mai rushed in.
"Big brother!"
"Jounouchi!"
"Shizuka… Mai… everyone…?" Jounouchi's voice trembled, then brightened with real emotion. "You're here!"
The duel had already collapsed into chaos. The Rare Hunter holding Anzu hostage panicked and reached for the trigger to drop the weight.
"Don't you dare!" Kaiba barked.
He flicked a card like a thrown blade—clean and precise. It struck the man's hand.
"Ah!"
The remote clattered to the ground. Kaiba closed the distance instantly, subdued him, and knocked him out cold—then cut Anzu free.
"Thank you," Anzu whispered, shaken.
Kaiba didn't even look proud.
"If you want to thank someone, thank Kisaragi."
The Chains Come Off
Kaiba's pre-arranged security team arrived and unlocked the chains binding Yami Yugi and Jounouchi.
Yugi and Jounouchi approached Kisaragi.
"Kisaragi… thank you," Yugi said. "You drove Marik's will out of Jounouchi."
"It's nothing," she replied softly. "We're friends."
Jounouchi bowed his head hard.
"I owe you again. And on top of Shizuka's surgery money… I'll never repay you in my lifetime."
Kaiba cut in, voice sharp.
"If you can't repay it, then spend your whole life as her servant."
"Kaiba, what are you saying?!" Kisaragi snapped, cheeks warming.
Jounouchi scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"I'm serious though… I did this willingly. So don't feel burdened."
Meeting Shizuka
Shizuka stepped forward, nervous but resolute. Jounouchi guided her toward Kisaragi.
"This is my little sister—Shizuka."
"And Shizuka… this is our benefactor. Kisaragi Aoi."
Shizuka bowed deeply.
"Miss Kisaragi… thank you. You gave my brother the prize money, and I got my sight back. And today you saved him again. My brother's right—you're our benefactor."
Kisaragi's expression softened.
"No need for honorifics. Just call me by name."
Shizuka nodded earnestly.
"…Okay. Kisaragi-oneechan."
A Certain Someone Gets Too Brave
Off to the side, Otogi whispered to Honda, eyes glued to Kisaragi.
"So that's Kisaragi Aoi… she's gorgeous. Shizuka's cute-type, but Kisaragi is totally the cool, mature type."
Honda smirked.
"Don't even think about it. She's basically Kaiba's girlfriend—unofficially, but everyone can tell."
Otogi clicked his tongue.
"Kaiba's got ridiculous luck…"
Kisaragi turned her head, feigning innocence.
"And you are…?"
Otogi straightened like he was on stage. He stepped forward and performed a flawless gentleman's bow.
"Otogi Ryuji. It's a pleasure."
He extended his hand.
Kisaragi was about to accept—
Kaiba cut in like a guillotine.
"You're exhausted," he said flatly, stepping between them. "I'm taking you to rest."
He grabbed Kisaragi by the arm and pulled her away—then, without hiding it, shot Otogi a murderous look over his shoulder.
Otogi froze, a chill running down his spine.
Honda burst out laughing and slapped Otogi's back.
"Serves you right. Kaiba saw you."
Shizuka blinked, watching them leave.
"Wow… is that Kisaragi-oneechan's boyfriend?"
Mai immediately dragged Shizuka aside, whispering with a grin.
"Pretty much. And here's a fun fact—your brother used to try and chase her. And then… hah!"
Shizuka's face twisted into disbelief.
"My brother really had no idea what he was doing."
Mai laughed louder.
"You hear that, Jounouchi?! Even your sister thinks so!"
Jounouchi sputtered.
"I-I don't anymore! I only—"
He glanced at Mai.
Mai's cheeks pinked.
"Enough," she said quickly, turning her head away. "We're moving. Finals location—now."
And with that, everyone regrouped and headed out together.
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 139)
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 (Chapter171)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter100)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter184)
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 168
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 156
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 105
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 185
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 160
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 150
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 76
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 97
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 116
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 75
Uma Musume: I Want All 93
I Can Copy Unique Skills 79
Summoning an Evil God, but the 55
Supernatural Multiverse 75
My Harem Is Indescribable 68
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 70
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 69
Still playing traditional Honk 49
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 53
What Should I Do After Switchi 42
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 50
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 38
Transmigrated as Sukuna 35
Checking In in Demon Slayer 40
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 55
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