"Alright. I've won," Aoi said flatly. "Now we'll see whether your soul gets sealed."
As soon as she spoke, the Seal of Orichalcos began to contract—slowly, inexorably—closing in around Gurimo like a noose.
"R-Rafael-sama…!" Gurimo gasped, forcing his arm to move one last time. "Please—take the God Card!"
With his final strength, he hurled Obelisk the Tormentor out of the shrinking green boundary.
Rafael caught it cleanly.
"Don't worry, Gurimo," Rafael said, voice steady. "Dartz-sama's wish will be fulfilled."
Gurimo struggled twice more inside the circle—then his body went limp and collapsed.
Baron clicked his tongue, eyeing the scene with a frown. "So this is the Duel King's level… Gurimo's one of the stronger men in our ranks, and she dismantled him like it was nothing."
"It can't be helped," Rafael replied. "She beat the Nameless Pharaoh—twice. We're leaving."
"Hold it." Aoi's tone sharpened. "I won the duel. By our agreement, you return what you stole."
Rafael didn't even look back.
"You'll get it after you beat the three of us. Sooner or later, we'll take your soul."
A low voice—quiet, but filled with murderous intent—cut through the air.
"…You said you'd take whose soul?"
Seto Kaiba.
He had been boiling ever since they sabotaged his company, stole the God Cards right under his nose, and now dared to declare they'd claim Aoi's soul as a prize.
Before anyone could answer, the entire construction site flared with floodlights. Police vehicles had ringed the perimeter; spotlights stabbed the darkness from every angle.
"Damn," Amelda muttered under his breath. "Kaiba's playing for real."
Rafael exhaled once, then reached for the green gemstone pendant at his neck.
A violent emerald radiance erupted.
Everyone—Aoi and Kaiba included—instinctively shielded their eyes.
When the light vanished, the Doma Three Musketeers were gone.
Kaiba spat out a curse. "Always with the occult theatrics…"
Aoi's gaze stayed level. "Seto. Let's go home. They'll show themselves again."
Kaiba gave a tight nod, and without another word they returned to the villa.
Inside the living room, a parcel sat on the coffee table as if it had been placed there on purpose.
Aoi stared at it. "This feels… familiar."
Kaiba's expression darkened, instantly recalling the old incident—his brother's soul stolen, his helpless rage, that humiliating loss.
Aoi read his hesitation and spoke first. "Open it. I'm the largest shareholder of Industrial Illusions. Pegasus doesn't have a reason to move against us—and he wouldn't be stupid enough to try."
Kaiba's jaw tightened. "Fine."
He tore the wrapping. Inside was a VHS tape, and a card printed with a key symbol.
Kaiba slid the tape into the player.
Static hissed—snow and distortion—then the screen stabilized.
Maximillion Pegasus appeared, smiling like he always did, too bright for the mood.
"Long time no see, Miss Aoi… Kaiba-boy."
"Pegasus," Kaiba said, voice sharp.
"I'll skip the pleasantries," Pegasus continued. "You've heard about the global abnormalities, yes? Duel Monsters are my creation… but monsters materializing in real cities and causing panic—this isn't my system."
"I've investigated," Pegasus said, his smile thinning. "And I've learned… a certain truth."
"A truth about what's happening?" Kaiba demanded.
"I need to speak with you both in person," Pegasus said. "But I can't leave. Someone is watching me. Even getting this tape to you was a gamble."
He leaned closer to the camera, suddenly serious.
"If it reached you safely… take the card included in the package and come to America."
The screen cut to black.
Kaiba stood still for a long beat.
Aoi looked at him. "Seto. What do you think?"
"We go," Kaiba said at once. "Pegasus knows something. I'll settle things at KaibaCorp tomorrow and leave immediately."
Somewhere else in Domino City, the same tape had already appeared—at Yugi's home. They, too, were preparing to fly to America.
A sudden flash lit up the distant city center—an unnatural beam spearing into the sky.
A massive green dragon rose, spiraling upward in a pillar of light.
Kaiba and Aoi rushed outside in time to see it.
"That's—" Kaiba began.
Aoi's eyes narrowed. The Legendary Dragon… Timaeus.
So Yugi has already been acknowledged.
She glanced at Kaiba.
Then Seto will soon be chosen by another dragon as well.
Kaiba noticed her stare. "What?"
"Nothing." Aoi's tone turned quiet, certain. "I have a feeling you're about to gain new power—power that'll end this."
Kaiba snorted. "You and your riddles. As long as I have Blue-Eyes, I don't need anything else."
Far away, in a shadowed temple, a green-haired man stood before a carved stone wall.
Rafael and the others knelt and presented the stolen God Card(s) to him.
He lifted them reverently, eyes half-lidded as if listening to a voice no one else could hear.
"I can feel it," he whispered. "The power sleeping within these cards…"
"This strength was never meant to restore the Nameless Pharaoh's memories," he said. "It is the key to the forbidden gate."
He approached three serpent statues, each with a stone maw.
One by one, he placed the God Cards into their mouths.
Then he spread his arms wide and proclaimed:
"My exalted god—accept the power of the three gods offered here! With your greatness, open the gate that connects this world and the other side!"
The statues glowed.
A column of light ripped upward, piercing the clouds—
—and the sky bloomed with a vast aurora, shimmering like the world itself was being rewritten.
"It's open!" the man laughed, shaking with exultation. "The forbidden gate is open!"
Then his voice cooled.
"But our god is still weak. We need sacrifices—many sacrifices."
"And besides the Nameless Pharaoh and Seto Kaiba… there is another variable. That woman, Kisaragi Aoi."
His eyes sharpened.
"We cannot allow them to interfere. Rafael."
Rafael stepped forward and kneeled. "Understood, Dartz-sama. Next time, I will offer the souls of the Nameless Pharaoh… and Kisaragi Aoi… to our god."
"That won't be enough," Dartz said. "To revive our god, we need more powerful duelists' souls."
Amelda's eyes gleamed. "Leave Kaiba's soul to me."
Baron cracked his knuckles. "Then I'll crush Jounouchi Katsuya and take his."
Amelda scoffed. "That's about the woman. Ever since you saw Mai Valentine, you've been distracted."
Baron snarled back. "And your obsession with Kaiba is any better?"
"Enough," Rafael snapped, cutting between them. "Not in front of Dartz-sama."
Dartz's smile returned—thin, predatory.
"They're heading toward Pegasus J. Crawford," he said. "I've already prepared a welcome there."
"Go."
"Yes, sir."
Industrial Illusions, Pegasus's office.
Pegasus pressed a hand to his forehead, breathing shallowly.
"Miss Aoi… Yugi-boy… please hurry," he whispered. "Something terrible is about to happen…"
A presence moved behind him.
Pegasus turned—and froze.
"Who… are you?"
The figure didn't answer.
They simply opened a Duel Disk and slid a card into place.
The screen of the disk flashed.
The Seal of Orichalcos.
Pegasus's face contorted in instant horror.
"No—!"
His scream echoed through the entire building.
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 165)
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 (Chapter220)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter125)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter250)
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 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
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 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 75
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 100
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 60
The Uma Musume Who Became 60
I'm Definitely Not the King of 80
After Maxing Out Every Class 80
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 57
I, the Elden Sword Saint 50
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 43
No One Knows Pokémon Better 50
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 45
From Trilobites to Titans 45
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 55
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 60
An Anime Heroine Darkened 55
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