Aoi stopped struggling.
She didn't push Kaiba away—only murmured, softly, as if talking to herself:
"I hope… we can duel again someday."
Kaiba's lips curved.
"When that day comes—if I win—then you'll…" he leaned close, voice low enough that only she could hear.
Aoi's ears burned. Her face turned red so fast it felt unfair.
"Ka—!" Mokuba's voice appeared at the worst possible timing.
He froze the instant he saw Kaiba holding Aoi.
"…Ah."
He immediately clamped his mouth shut and retreated behind a corner, peeking like a guilty kitten.
A moment later, Isono walked up with documents in hand—clearly on his way to brief Kaiba.
Mokuba grabbed his sleeve.
"Shh. Whatever it is, report tomorrow."
Isono followed Mokuba's gaze, understood instantly, and—without a word—turned around and left like a professional.
Back in her room, Aoi couldn't settle.
She paced to the window, staring out into the black ocean, mind looping on one question.
"Was Kaiba… serious?"
Her fingers clenched at her chest. Her heartbeat was loud enough to be annoying.
Deep inside the Millennium Puzzle's labyrinth, a shadow peeled itself off the darkness.
Yami Bakura stepped out, eyes gleaming with irritation.
"Marik failed. Even with a God Card, he still lost. Useless."
He looked around the enormous maze of the Puzzle's inner world—corridors folding into corridors, secrets buried under secrets.
"Collecting the Millennium Items directly is impossible now. That woman—Kisaragi Aoi—will interfere every time."
A slow, cruel smile spread.
"Then I'll use them. Let them gather the Items for me."
He remembered it clearly: Duelist Kingdom, the chaos, the stolen memories… and later, when the Thief King's puppet came for them. The Millennium Puzzle shattered into fragments.
And in that instant—one tiny opening—Bakura had embedded a portion of his soul into a shard.
"A seed," he whispered. "For later."
He turned, vanishing back into the maze.
"For now, I'll stop chasing the Items. I'll find the real hidden room in here instead."
Marik's room.
Marik lay unconscious on the bed, breathing evenly at last. Ishizu sat beside him, keeping watch.
"Marik," she murmured, brushing his forehead with a sister's tenderness, "when you wake… we must fulfill the true duty of the Tomb Keepers."
Her eyes lowered, heavy with the weight of history.
"Father's death wasn't the Pharaoh's fault. It was a trial our clan was destined to endure."
She breathed out slowly.
"In this era, the Pharaoh has awakened… and the souls of the priests have returned."
"When you return the Pharaoh's memories to him… the Tomb Keepers will finally be free."
Near dawn—when the sky was still black but the horizon had begun to pale—
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
A violent tremor ran through the Duel Boat.
Aoi jolted awake and rushed into the corridor.
Kaiba was already out of his room.
"What's happening?" Aoi demanded.
"I don't know." Kaiba grabbed her hand without thinking. "We're going to the control room."
Inside the control room, alarms screamed, displays flickered, and crew members shouted over each other.
Mokuba was at the front, glaring at the pilot.
"What are you doing?! Stabilize the ship!"
Kaiba and Aoi burst in.
"Mokuba," Kaiba snapped, "report!"
"The Duel Boat's route is off!" Mokuba said, voice tight. "It's drifting away from the intended approach!"
Kaiba's expression hardened into something dangerous.
"Then correct it."
The pilot shook, sweat running down his temple.
"President—our autopilot system altered the course by itself!"
"Then switch to manual!"
Kaiba's voice cracked like a whip.
The pilot swallowed.
"We can't. Manual control is locked out. The system refuses input—Artificial Island's network is rejecting access, and the tower's guidance signal isn't transmitting!"
Kaiba's jaw clenched.
"That's impossible."
Footsteps thundered in—Yugi and the others arrived in a rush.
"Kaiba!" Yugi called. "What's going on?!"
Honda, half-awake, blurted out, "I just had a dream about Shizuka—"
Jounouchi immediately grabbed his collar and yanked him back.
"You idiot! Don't you dare say my sister's name like that!"
Another violent bank.
The floor tilted. Everyone grabbed consoles, rails, whatever they could.
"Aoi—!"
Her footing slipped for a heartbeat.
Kaiba's arm locked around her waist and pulled her in hard.
"You okay?" he asked, voice low, protective.
"I'm fine," she answered, breath uneven, refusing to show fear.
Kaiba turned, fury detonating.
"What. Are. You. Doing?!"
The pilot almost whimpered.
"I'm sorry! We can't regain control. The vessel is completely overridden!"
The forward display showed a grim silhouette ahead—broken structures, twisted metal, a dead coastline.
Honda stared.
"W-What island is that?"
Kaiba's voice dropped into steel.
"That is our destination—Artificial Island."
Yugi blinked. "That… ruins?"
Mokuba clenched his fists.
"That's the symbol of our adoptive father's legacy—Kaiba Gozaburo's military empire."
Aoi glanced at Kaiba, expression sharpening with understanding.
"You built the Duel Tower in the middle of that wreckage… and you intend to win there," she said, "to defeat his lingering shadow. Isn't that right?"
Kaiba's eyes widened—genuinely startled.
Those words hit something he had never said aloud.
Not to Mokuba.
Not to anyone.
He exhaled, a thin smile appearing.
"Hm. Besides Mokuba… you really are the only one who understands me, Aoi."
The pilot spoke again, voice shaking.
"We found the cause. Someone illegally breached the system—he's inside the Duel Boat's control network. He's guiding the ship."
"Then remove him," Mokuba snapped. "Restore the original descent to Artificial Island!"
The ship suddenly plunged—fast.
The ocean rushed up. The horizon spun. For a second it looked like they would smash into the sea.
Then—at the last moment—the Duel Boat surged upward again, skimming along the surface like a blade.
Jounouchi's face went pale as he grabbed Mai to steady her.
"What is this?! Is he trying to kill us?!"
Mokuba's voice sharpened.
"There's no way to take it back?"
The pilot's answer was immediate.
"No. We've completely lost control."
Kaiba's mind flashed to one impossible thought.
Gozaburo's ghost…?
The forward camera feed on the main display suddenly warped—static, distortion—then cut to black.
A new image snapped into place.
A boy with short green hair looked down at them through the screen as if they were insects under glass.
Kaiba stepped forward, eyes burning.
"You. Did you do this, brat?"
The boy smiled—calm, smug, and far too confident.
"I've been waiting for you, Seto. And all of you duelists… welcome."
The room fell into a tense silence.
Yugi's eyes narrowed. He knows Kaiba.
Kaiba's voice turned cold.
"Name."
The boy's smile widened.
"My name is Noah."
He tilted his head slightly, like a king addressing subjects.
"Or if you prefer… I am an existence that surpasses you."
Kaiba's anger spiked.
"You little—"
Noah didn't care.
"Come. I'll 'welcome' you properly."
The screen cut out.
Only the alarms remained.
Aoi stared at the dark monitor, a chill creeping up her spine.
"Kaiba," she said quietly, "who… is Noah?"
Kaiba didn't answer at first.
His gaze stayed fixed on the dead screen.
"Noah…" he repeated under his breath.
And for the first time in a long time, even Kaiba Seto couldn't immediately calculate the next move.
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 150)
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 (Chapter190)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter225)
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 195
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 225
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 210
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 115
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 130
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 85
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 90
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 100
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 75
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 71
Checking In in Demon Slayer 75
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 80
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 66
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 58
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 65
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 63
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 59
Why did they assign me to Uma 55
MYGO Beauties 56
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 45
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 49
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 36
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 35
The Uma Musume Who Became 30
I'm Definitely Not the King of 35
After Maxing Out Every Class 35
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