Chapter 19

"Who exactly is this girl?" Sitting in front of the screen, Pegasus held a glass of red wine and asked the butler behind him. The screen displayed the scene of Hoshino dueling Seto Kaiba's spirit in place of Yugi.

Seto Kaiba's spirit, sent by Pegasus' company, Industrial Illusions, as the first duelist, was meant to defeat Yugi Mutou. As soon as he defeated Yugi, Industrial Illusions could take over all of Kaiba Corporation's shares in one go.

Being interrupted by an unknown girl annoyed Pegasus, even though defeating Yugi was only a matter of time. The sooner he took over Kaiba Corporation, the sooner he could profit from it. For an international company like Kaiba Corporation, the profit generated every minute after a takeover was unimaginable.

"She appears to be just an ordinary high school girl," the butler bowed deeply. "I had someone investigate when she defeated Ryota Kajiki, but we couldn't find any information on Hoshino Chiyuki."

"We don't know why she was invited to the Kingdom or why she is close to Yugi. It's all a unknown." The butler's face showed regret. With Industrial Illusions' extensive information network, they could usually find detailed information on anyone, including their birthplace, residence, and even relationships with relatives and friends.

"Oh? No information at all?" Pegasus played with his wine glass with interest. "But seeing her helping Yugi-boy, she's definitely not on our side."

"Then crush her without hesitation. Ordinary duelists are no match for our trained duelist from Industrial Illusions." Taking a sip of wine, a sharp glint flashed in Pegasus' eyes. "If she does win, find a way to bring her to me. I'm very interested."

"If she can win... hahaha." Even Pegasus found this notion amusing.

"I'm already dead." The fake Kaiba's deep voice echoed in the open space. "I can't forgive. I'm wandering in hell, and I'll drag you and Yugi down with me."

"Shut up, you fake! You think I'll be shaken by ghost stories?" While most girls might fear ghosts and spirits, Hoshino wasn't one of them. With her knowledge of the anime world, she had long turned such specters into cute characters in her mind.

"We'll see if you can say that after you beat my deck." The fake Kaiba lowered his head again, obscuring his expression.

"Even if you can mimic my brother's face, you can't mimic his deck," Mokuba, from the audience, still refused to believe his brother was dead.

"Duel start! Seto Kaiba vs. Hoshino Chiyuki!"

"My turn, draw!" The fake Kaiba's gloomy voice sent chills down the audience's spine.

"I summon Cyclops in attack position. Then I set one card and end my turn."

[Cyclops★★★★ Earth][Beast-Warrior]

A green Cyclops roared onto the field.

"Cyclops..." Yugi and Mokuba's expressions tensed up.

"If I remember correctly, Kaiba's deck does have this card," Yugi said to Mokuba.

"Even so, it doesn't mean it's my brother," Mokuba argued, noting Cyclops wasn't a rare card.

"My turn, draw." Hoshino wasn't disturbed by a mere Cyclops.

"I summon Spartacus in attack position!"

[Heroic Spirit - Spartacus★★★ Earth][Warrior/Effect]

"Destroy the oppressor with my love!"

"Great, it's Hoshino's signature monster," Jounouchi clenched his fists in excitement.

"That's not true! Spartacus isn't my signature monster!" Hoshino blushed and shouted in denial at Jounouchi's comment.

"I'm a beautiful girl; how could Spartacus be my signature monster?" Although she thought this, she couldn't deny that Spartacus was indeed very useful.

"Spartacus, attack Cyclops."

The two massive muscles clashed, producing a philosophical spark. Ultimately, Spartacus, with its 300 attack point advantage, crushed Cyclops.

**Seto Kaiba LP→3700**

"I set one card and end my turn."

"Heh, you're quite brave to cut down a life point," the fake Kaiba seemed more pleased despite losing Cyclops. "My turn, draw!"

"I activate the Spell Card, Polymerization! I fuse Minotaur and Centaur in my hand to special summon from the Extra Deck!" Kaiba sent three cards to the graveyard, causing the once-calm field to stir.

**[Polymerization Spell Card Effect: Send Fusion Material Monsters listed on a Fusion Monster Card from your hand or field to the Graveyard, and Special Summon that Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck.]**

"Come forth, one of my strongest beasts, Minotaur-Centaur!" With Kaiba's gloomy voice, a bizarre creature with a bull's head and a horse's body appeared.

**[Minotaur-Centaur★★★★★★ Earth][Beast-Warrior]**

"What's a Fusion card, Yugi?" Jounouchi asked as the high-star monster appeared.

"It's a useful Spell Card that allows summoning high-star monsters without tributes," Yugi explained patiently. "Depending on the Fusion Monster, it can bring effects that can turn the tide."

"That's a powerful card," Jounouchi understood. "Hoshino, don't lose!"

"Now I activate the Equip Spell Card, Megamorph!" Kaiba continued his offensive.

**[Megamorph Equip Spell Card Effect: If your LP are lower than your opponent's, the equipped monster's ATK becomes double its original ATK. If your LP are higher, the equipped monster's ATK becomes half its original ATK.]**

"Since my LP is 300 lower than yours, Minotaur-Centaur's attack doubles," Kaiba laughed. "You thought you were cutting down my life points, but it was intentional! Minotaur-Centaur, attack Spartacus."

**Minotaur-Centaur ATK→4000**

The enlarged Minotaur-Centaur's axe seemed capable of splitting the heavens. Even the massive Spartacus looked small in comparison.

**Spartacus was destroyed. Hoshino Chiyuki LP→1500**

"I activate Spartacus' effect!" **[When Spartacus is destroyed by battle, restore 500 LP and deal 500 damage to your opponent.]**

**Hoshino Chiyuki LP→2000 Seto Kaiba LP→3200**

"Turn end." Kaiba looked smug after gaining a significant lead.

Seeing this, Mokuba was stunned. "This person's deck is exactly like my brother's." Mokuba, who knew his brother's deck inside out, was shocked.

"So what!" Hoshino shouted from the platform. "If you don't believe your brother is alive, who else will?"

"Seto Kaiba would never play such a child play combo!"