"Aoi," Mokuba asked carefully, "is Noah going to stay with KaibaCorp after this?"
Aoi looked at him—then at Mokuba's eyes, as if searching for the faintest trace of someone else.
From Mokuba's mouth, Noah's voice answered calmly.
"Yes. I won't cling to Father's expectations anymore. I want to live for myself."
"Good." Aoi turned to Seto. "Seto, what do you think?"
Seto's gaze remained sharp, wary—even now.
"Honestly, I still can't fully trust you." His voice was cold, but controlled. "But if Mokuba and Aoi accept you, I won't object. You'll stay in Mokuba's body for now. After Duel City ends, you'll come to KaibaCorp. I'll assign researchers to build you a body. Then you won't need to occupy Mokuba anymore."
"I understand," Noah said. "Until Duel City is over, I'll enter dormancy."
His voice vanished.
Mokuba blinked—like waking from a dream. He had heard everything.
"Thank you, brother!"
Seto didn't answer. Instead, Aoi crouched and gently ruffled Mokuba's hair.
"Now you don't have to worry."
After the Noah incident, the duel ship descended safely and settled onto the Artificial Island.
Everyone disembarked together.
The first thing they saw was a tower—a gigantic structure rising from the ruins like a monument driven into a grave.
"That has to be the final battlefield," Yugi said, looking up. "Up close… it feels even bigger."
Seto folded his arms, voice full of certainty.
"That is the place where the world's greatest Duelist will be decided—Duel Tower. And the one who reaches the summit will be me."
Jounouchi immediately flared.
"Oi! Don't forget me, Kaiba. If you ignore me, it'll be a problem. This time I'm beating you—so you can learn you're just a king crowning yourself in a pile of rubble!"
Seto's lip curled.
"A third-rate Duelist made of scrap metal… I'll bury you right in that rubble."
"What'd you say?!" Jounouchi lunged forward—only for Honda to clamp him back.
"Jounouchi, calm down! Kaiba's always like that."
Jounouchi shook with frustration. "I made it to the semifinals, okay?!"
Mai stepped in with a fist to his head—clean, practiced, and devastating.
"Then prove it with Duel Monsters."
"Ow!" Jounouchi yelped, instantly "calmed."
Aoi stepped out from behind Seto, smiling politely—though her eyes were flat, almost icy.
"And don't forget me. Ever since Duelist Kingdom, we haven't dueled again. When the time comes… please take care of me."
Jounouchi felt a chill run down his spine for reasons he couldn't explain.
Seto didn't bother with more banter.
"Enough talking. Follow me."
He led them toward the tower.
Behind them, Marik glanced sideways at Ishizu.
"Who do you think wins?"
"I don't know," Ishizu answered quietly. "Everyone here has the ability to take it. But if I had to name the most exceptional… it may be Aoi Kisaragi."
Marik nodded slowly.
"I agree. It's like her understanding of Duel Monsters is… ahead of the era."
The interior was all metal—cold, industrial, and sealed tight.
Four doors stood evenly spaced along the walls.
Isono was already waiting.
"Welcome to Duel Tower. We now begin the Duel City semifinals."
Jounouchi frowned. "How are we supposed to duel here? There's not even space!"
Isono lifted a hand, unfazed.
"The four semifinalists will each choose one of the four doors and proceed upward. Choose freely. Your selection will not affect advantage or disadvantage."
All four doors opened at once.
Inside each was an elevator—each equipped with a duel system.
Jounouchi turned to Yugi, about to ask—
But Yugi was already walking into one of the doors without hesitation.
"Oi—Yugi?!"
Jounouchi's indecision kicked in instantly. He looked left and right like he was picking a trap.
Then Seto walked past him, already having chosen his door.
"Third-rate duelists who can't decide should take what's left."
"Wha—!"
Before Jounouchi could protest, Aoi stepped calmly into the door Jounouchi had finally pointed at.
"That's the one I picked!"
Aoi didn't even turn her head. The doors began to close.
Jounouchi's face contorted.
"Dammit—so I'm the one stuck with the leftovers again!"
Mokuba waved everyone toward the spectator route.
"Come on—we're heading to the viewing platform."
Honda clapped Jounouchi on the shoulder with a grin.
"They say leftover picks are good luck. Try not to die immediately."
"Shut up!"
The four elevators rose.
They stopped at a level marked 4000.
A wide arena platform extended—just enough space for a four-way duel system.
The others arrived at the viewing area almost simultaneously.
Jounouchi slammed a hand against the console.
"Explain already, Kaiba!"
Seto didn't look at him.
"Quiet. I'll let Isono explain it in words even a third-rate can understand."
"What'd you say?!"
Isono stepped forward, voice ceremonial.
"To determine the proper matchups for a duel worthy of the Duel King, the opponents will be decided… by dueling."
"By dueling?" Anzu echoed.
"The rules are simple: the four duelists will duel here simultaneously. The first two to reach the top of the tower and the last two to reach the top will be paired into the two semifinal matches."
Jounouchi blinked. "So… a four-way brawl?"
"Correct," Isono said. "LP is 4000. And here is the key: the more your Life Points are reduced, the closer you are carried toward the tower's summit. In other words—the loser advances upward sooner."
The viewing area stirred. Confused murmurs turned into uneasy understanding.
"So losing here isn't elimination," Anzu said with relief. "That sounds easy."
"No," Otogi said sharply. "That's wrong. This duel is extremely dangerous—psychologically."
Honda looked at him. "How?"
Otogi pointed at the four duelists.
"In a battle royale, you can choose who to hit. If Jounouchi wants to duel Yugi in the semifinal, he has to protect Yugi and knock the other two down first. But the opposite can happen—he can get targeted by everyone at once."
A beat of silence.
Then every spectator's eyes slid… to Jounouchi.
"Hey—why are you all staring at me?!" Jounouchi snapped.
Honda grinned. "Nothing. Just don't get deleted instantly."
"SHUT UP!"
Up on the platform, each of them was thinking the same thing:
This "preliminary" was actually a matchmaking knife fight.
Yugi's eyes narrowed.
To reclaim my memories… I need the right path. I can't let this become random.
Seto's gaze cut toward Yugi for a fraction of a second.
Aoi holds Ra. She may not use it—but she can. If I want a final worthy of me, I need an opponent with equal weight. That means… Yugi, with Slifer.
Aoi's expression didn't change—calm, almost amused.
Anyone here is a valid opponent. But if I'm honest… I still want a rematch with Seto. We promised.
Jounouchi looked at Yugi—hard, earnest, almost stubborn.
"Yugi. My goal is to duel you in Duel City. So… I want you as my semifinal opponent."
The air tightened.
The four-way duel hadn't even started yet—
And already, the battle lines were forming.
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 155)
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 (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
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 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
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 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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