Chapter 20

"Seto Kaiba would never make such a child play combo!" Hoshino wasn't intimidated by the powerful attack; instead, she felt a bit disdainful towards the fake Kaiba.

"My turn, draw!"

"Since my LP is now lower than yours, the reverse effect of Megamorph activates, reducing Minotaur-Centaur's attack power by half!" Despite the seemingly powerful attack, it had no follow-through. Hoshino was convinced the duelist in front of her didn't have Kaiba's skill level.

**[Minotaur-Centaur ATK→1000]**

"I summon Heroic Spirit – Cu Chulainn in attack position!" Hoshino placed the monster card on the table, and a long-lance-wielding warrior materialized on the field.

**[Heroic Spirit - Cu Chulainn★★★★ Light][Warrior/Effect]**

"Cu Chulainn, attack Minotaur-Centaur!"

"Huh? Such a small opponent? This will be easy," Cu Chulainn smirked as he thrust his spear at the now miniaturized Minotaur-Centaur.

"Hahaha, did you really think I will let you do that?" Kaiba's maniacal laughter continued, "Activate the set card, Trap Card: Magic Cylinder!"

"Tsk! It's the Magic Cylinder Trap Card!" Seeing the set card flip open, Hoshino realized she was in trouble.

**[Magic Cylinder Trap Card Effect: When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; negate the attack, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its ATK.]**

Cu Chulainn's spear, which was meant for Minotaur-Centaur, struck Hoshino instead.

**Hoshino Chiyuki LP→400**

"Sorry, Master, I didn't mean to," Cu Chulainn apologized to Hoshino.

"It's not your fault, it's my mistake for not considering the opponent's trap card," Hoshino regretted her carelessness as her LP rapidly decreased. She had underestimated this fake Kaiba.

"Hahahahaha! Our Industrial Illusions duelist are rigorously trained in tactics and psychology, far beyond ordinary duelists," Pegasus, watching with satisfaction, said, "I overestimated Hoshino-girl. She's probably just a nobody using a fake name."

"I set one card and end my turn." Hoshino took a few deep breaths to regain her composure. Although she was down to 400 LP, having Cu Chulainn on the field gave her some reassurance.

"My turn, draw!" Kaiba saw Hoshino's 400 LP as an easy target, thinking she was just a girl with rare cards but no real skill.

"I activate the Spell Card, Pot of Greed." Kaiba felt lucky, as Pot of Greed was the perfect card to replenish his hand.

**[Pot of Greed Spell Card Effect: Draw 2 cards from your Deck.]**

**Seto Kaiba's remaining hand: 3 cards**

"Good, very good!" Kaiba was pleased with his replenished hand. "Witness the power of the spirit of Seto Kaiba!"

"I activate the Spell Card, Brain Control!"

**[Brain Control Spell Card Effect: Pay 800 LP, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls that can be Normal Summoned/Set; take control of that target until the End Phase.]**

**Seto Kaiba LP→2400**

"Brain Control!" Yugi's eyes widened. "She was counting on Cu Chulainn to survive this turn. I hope her two set cards can save her."

Cu Chulainn, who was on Hoshino's field, began to walk towards Kaiba with a twisted expression.

"Oy..What's happening, Master? My body is completely out of control."

Although he joked, Cu Chulainn's expression turned fierce, "I'm in great condition. Let me stab that woman again!"

Hoshino was caught off guard by Cu Chulainn's sudden betrayal, especially after he had just attacked her due to Magic Cylinder. Now, he was ready to attack again.

But Cu Chulainn didn't get the chance to act. His body, along with Minotaur-Centaur, began to dissolve into a white light. Hoshino knew this was the effect of a high-level monster being summoned as a tribute.

"What's happening?" Cu Chulainn looked at his disappearing form in confusion, "Wait…why it's always happening to me."(Lancer's ga shinda!!)

Silently watching Cu Chulainn's sacrifice, Hoshino thought to herself, "No matter where you go, you're always dies, Lancer."

"Using these two monsters as sacrifices, I summon!" Kaiba dramatically raised his card, "The one that destroys everything, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

A massive white dragon burst into the sky, its wings blocking out the sun, its roar shaking the earth, symbolizing destruction itself.

**[Blue-Eyes White Dragon★★★★★★★★ Light][Dragon]**

**--------- Meanwhile**

Kaiba Corporation headquarters was heavily guarded by Pegasus' men. Not just the headquarters, but all branches worldwide were under tight security, preventing Seto Kaiba from approaching Kaiba Corporation.

But the saying "a cunning rabbit has three burrows" applies to Seto Kaiba. Carrying his familiar briefcase, Kaiba entered an unassuming underground garage. At the deepest part of the cold, eerie garage was an old iron door with a brand-new combination lock.(TL:That's the first time I heard that saying)

"Please enter the password." The electronic synthesized voice spoke before Kaiba even touched the lock.

"Activate iris recognition." Kaiba widened his eyes, maintaining a calm demeanor.

"Iris recognition complete. Welcome, President Kaiba." The machine seemed to recognize him, adding a touch of respect to its cold tone.

The iron door slowly opened, revealing half a meter of black alloy behind the old exterior. Such robust defenses couldn't be breached by ordinary force, making this the ultimate safe haven of Kaiba Corporation.

Inside, large precision instruments lined the vast walls. Kaiba tossed his briefcase aside and casually sat at the computer, tapping on the keyboard.

"Tell me what happened while I was away." Realizing the situation was dire, Kaiba needed the latest information.

Following Kaiba's command, the machine detailed all recent events involving Kaiba Corporation, including Pegasus' collusion with the board to acquire Kaiba Corporation, Mokuba's abduction to Duelist Kingdom, the condition of defeating Yugi Mutou to finalize the acquisition, and Yugi's participation in the Duelist Kingdom tournament.

"Supercomputer, connect to the holographic projection satellite and search for Yugi Mutou's duel on Duelist Kingdom island." Kaiba continued to issue commands. Although he was worried about Mokuba's safety, he knew Pegasus wouldn't harm him as long as he needed the key. The priority was to prevent Yugi from being defeated.

"Search failed. Duelist Yugi Mutou is an A-Class encrypted option. Only entities with ownership rights over Duelist Kingdom, such as Industrial Illusions, can access this data."

"Damn you, Pegasus. You've covered all your bases," Kaiba angrily pounded the table. "But I'm not so easily outwitted. Open all data on Duelist Kingdom's holographic monster projections."

Although Yugi's data was encrypted, as the company developing holographic monster cards, Kaiba Corporation received all data on holographic monsters sent back to their supercomputer.

"There are currently 12 ongoing duels on Duelist Kingdom island, with 28 holographic monsters in play. Generating a list for you."

Kaiba's plan was simple: locate Yugi by identifying his common monsters, like Dark Magician or Curse of Dragon.

To his surprise, the first monster that appeared on the list was a name he knew all too well: "Blue-Eyes White Dragon."