"If I claimed I chose the Para Door, you would immediately declare that the Dox Door was correct, tricking me into stepping into the wrong one.
Conversely, if I claimed I chose the Dox Door, you would instantly change your tune, insisting the Para Door was the true way out!
No matter which door I said, you would always point to the opposite as the so‑called 'correct' choice.
Your goal was to use this rule of 'always lying' to ensure we'd pick wrong no matter what!"
He paused, gazing at the two identical "Dox" coins in his hand, and a victorious smile spread across his face.
"But with these two coins, I exposed your lies. When you thought I held a 'Para' coin in my right hand, and couldn't resist blurting out that the Dox Door was correct… you had already confessed the truth yourselves! Now, the answer is clear."
Yugi pocketed the coins, his eyes fixed on the stone door carved with the word "Dox."
"I've chosen correctly."
The deception laid bare, their carefully crafted trap dissolved into nothingness.
The Paradox Brothers' faces turned ashen, their former arrogance gone without a trace.
Reluctantly, they shuffled to the Dox Door and activated the mechanism.
The massive stone gate rumbled open.
At last, Yuto and the others succeeded in escaping the treacherous Labyrinth.
Once outside, they found themselves facing what seemed like endless climbing once again.
Cold stone steps stretched upward, draining their stamina with each level.
When Yuto finally saw the long‑awaited sunlight pouring down from above, an indescribable sting rose to his nose, and he nearly burst into tears on the spot.
"Th… Thank goodness! Finally! We're finally out!"
Joey was the first to rush out of the exit, bounding like a wild horse freed from its pen, breathing in the air of freedom with unrestrained joy.
Yuto charged onto the open ground, raising his hands high.
"Praise the sun!"
Tristan, comparatively calm, immediately scanned their surroundings with vigilance, trying to orient himself in the unfamiliar setting.
Bakura patted Tristan's shoulder and pointed behind him.
There loomed Pegasus's castle—that said, reaching it would mean ascending yet another countless flight of steps.
"Y‑You've gotta be kidding me…"
Yuto felt as though his legs no longer belonged to him.
"More… steps…?"
Dragging their nearly numb legs, the group finally reached the castle gate, where an unexpected figure had long been waiting.
That iconic long coat, that stern profile, that aura of icy arrogance that kept everyone at a distance—it was Seto Kaiba.
His gaze, sharp as an ice pick, cut across the staircase and locked squarely onto Yuto.
Here it comes! The legendary scene!
So Yuto thought—for it was here that Seto Kaiba would earn the name "Seto Cheat‑ba."
"If you want to pass through this door… you must first cross my domain! Duel me!"
"Boring…"
Yuto almost blurted it out; right now, all he wanted was a place to rest, not another card battle.
But in Yugi's eyes, a fierce flame of fighting spirit ignited.
He stepped forward, standing in front of Yuto.
"I'll be your opponent, Kaiba!"
Kaiba's indifferent gaze swept over Yugi.
"Yugi, your strength is indeed worthy of acknowledgment. Though today…"
His eyes locked firmly onto Yuto once more, his target crystal clear.
"The only one I'll duel is Yuto Tenshou!"
"Kaiba! You bastard—!"
Joey clenched his fists, ready to leap into Attack Position himself.
Abruptly, then, Yuto, quick‑eyed and faster, caught hold of the hot‑headed Joey before he could move.
With a heavy sigh, Yuto lifted his head, resignation etched on his face as he looked up at the figure atop the stairs.
"Alright, alright… I'll duel you."
Rubbing at his throbbing temples, Yuto forced himself to focus.
"Listen well, Kaiba! I'm not the same as before. I now carry… something I must protect. I'm not who I was before—not anymore!"
Yuto and Kaiba ascended the broad stone steps, one ahead of the other, Kaiba's long coat whipping in the wind.
The guards at the gate stood like cold statues, ignoring their passage—it was clear they had already received Pegasus's orders.
What exactly was Pegasus plotting?
That, Yuto still did not understand—in his past life or in this one.
At last, the two reached the wide platform at the top of the tower. Below stretched the forest, above arched the boundless sky, and the wind howled around them.
Kaiba turned, his piercing eyes fixed on Yuto.
"Yuto! In this Duel, we each wager five Star Chips!"
He held out his hand, fingers spread to reveal five gleaming tokens.
"Only the final victor will have the right to climb to the highest floor—to challenge Pegasus!"
"Five Star Chips on the line… I accept." Yuto's voice was quiet, yet firm.
"However, Kaiba…"
He paused, a faint curve tugging at his lips.
"That last line of yours—'only the winner can challenge Pegasus'—isn't entirely right."
Instead of taking Star Chips from his Duel Glove, Yuto drew out the ten chips he had won from the Paradox Brothers.
They gleamed with metallic luster in the sunlight.
Calmly, he counted five of them into his palm.
"Yuto, you—"
Kaiba's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
Albeit, soon that shock twisted into a near‑fanatical sense of inevitability.
His chin tilted upward slightly, and his eyes once again burned with blazing battle spirit.
"Hmph↘! For an opponent capable of defeating me, Seto Kaiba, to have gathered only a meager ten Star Chips in two days of battle—that would have been unthinkable."
He didn't finish the sentence; however, the recognition in his tone—that Yuto was naturally meant to be this strong—and the even fiercer will to conquer, were undeniable.
"Duel start!"
With a sweep of his arm, Kaiba hurled a Duel Disk straight at Yuto.
Yuto caught it steadily, locking it onto his left arm with a sharp "click," then unhesitatingly slid his Deck into the slot.
The Duel Disk lit up with a blue glow, declaring the Duel had begun!
"My turn, draw!"
Kaiba's voice carried its usual cold arrogance, his arm carving a sharp arc through the air.
"I Summon—Battle Ox in Attack Position!"
Light flared, and a monstrous beast appeared on Kaiba's field, its entire body clad in rough, dark‑red stone skin radiating an ominous aura.
[Battle Ox] ATK 1700 / DEF 1000
"Then I Set one card. Turn end."
Kaiba's moves were crisp and precise. A single, shadowy card lay face‑down on his back row.
Yuto's sharp eyes scanned the Set card, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips.
"Oh? Learning your lessons, Kaiba? Good! My turn, draw!"
He held his breath, fingers sliding across the top of his Deck as he drew a new card.
Now he had six in hand:
Graceful Charity, Monster Reborn, Gemini Elf, MS-05 Zaku I, ACE!, Bombardment Marker.
In an instant, a daring yet crystal‑clear strategy formed in Yuto's mind.
...
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