Deep in the mountains.
It was like a patch of the world that had been forgotten, unreachable by civilization. Moonlight barely pierced the dense clouds, draping the forest in a silver veil. Strange sounds echoed from deep in the mountains—sometimes like the growls of wild beasts, sometimes like the sighs of ghosts.
Kira and Mokuba walked shoulder-to-shoulder through the woods.
"This Zigfried guy lives in a place like this?"
Kira scanned the deep forest around them.
"Yeah. That's what Kaiba Corporation's intel says," Mokuba replied. "Back at the first KC Grand Championship, he plotted to disrupt the event and paralyze the Kaiba Corp duel system.
With help from Yugi, his plan was foiled. His malicious attack on Kaiba Corp's system caused us massive losses; the entire world's duel systems were affected.
Zigfried was arrested on the spot, and not long after, his own company went bankrupt."
Zigfried von Schroeder was his real name. In the anime, he competed in the KC Grand Championship under the name Zigfried Lloyd.
Come to think of it, this guy was a perpetual loser—maybe just destined to clash with Seto Kaiba.
His family business was also an arms company, but it could never compete with Kaiba Corp. Of course, that's inevitable; during the DM era, we learned Kaiba Corp was generations ahead of the world—creating AI, entire virtual worlds for AI beings, and according to simulations, Kaiba Corp's production lines under AI command could easily defeat the world's military forces.
It's no shame to lose against that kind of cheat-level competition.
So after his father died, Zigfried took over and decided to avoid a head-on fight with Kaiba Corp. He chose instead to lead his company into a new field—one he thought had unlimited prospects: Duel Monsters card games.
But what a coincidence—at that same time, Kaiba Corp also underwent a leadership change. Seto Kaiba, newly in charge, decisively abandoned the arms business and shifted fully into card games.
Everyone knows what happened then. Zigfried got trashed by Kaiba in the card game field, even worse than his father had in arms dealing.
In arms, at least they could scrape by on Kaiba's leftovers. But after the shift, Kaiba Corp quickly monopolized the industry with an international partnership. Zigfried's investments went down the drain, leaving him deep in debt.
That's why, near the end of the DM anime, he risked everything—trying to sabotage the KC Grand Championship's opening day, crash Kaiba Land's systems, and paralyze Kaiba's global duel system, hoping to seize the moment.
Of course, he lost again—worse than ever.
"So shouldn't this guy be in prison?" Kira wondered.
"Seems he was released on bail or something. I'm not sure about the details," Mokuba said, scratching his head. "My brother said he's just a clown—let him go, he's no threat. So we stopped paying attention."
Kira nodded.
That did sound like something the president would say.
Though Zigfried Lloyd had history with Kaiba, the president likely never saw him as a real rival.
In Kaiba's eyes, there was only one person in the world worthy of being his opponent—and that person is gone.
In fact, just recently, when it seemed Zigfried was up to something again, Kaiba told Mokuba not to act yet and to wait until he returned to handle it personally. Right now, Kaiba was still at a meeting on the other side of the world.
But Mokuba thought Kira was capable enough to handle things, so his brother could focus elsewhere, and would be notified if anything changed.
Kaiba, considering it, realized he didn't trust many people, but he did trust Kira's abilities. So he agreed, telling them to keep him updated.
So, the two arrived at Zigfried Lloyd's retirement hideaway.
They passed through dense woods to an old mansion, standing quietly like a lonely noble from the dust of ages.
The architecture was grand, but the outer walls were weathered and mottled. Thick curtains tightly covered the windows, leaving no light. The air felt frozen, even the wind seemed cautious.
They reached the door. Kira gently pushed on the old door—it wasn't locked, and it creaked open.
Dim light spilled into the hall, and dust motes danced in the air.
The lights were off, but a fireplace glowed in the corner, illuminating a figure sitting before it.
Zigfried Lloyd sat in the chair, back to the door.
"I was wondering how long it'd take you to find me here."
He didn't turn, just spoke from the chair, swirling a glass of red wine.
They approached.
"Zigfried, were you behind the incident at Prison No. 7?"
Mokuba asked bluntly.
"Why? I thought you'd retired from the world?"
Zigfried gave a dry laugh.
"Retired, yeah. As if I had a choice."
He turned his head.
The man had long pink hair, rather handsome features, but a touch of femininity. Compared to his KC Grand Championship days, he looked older.
"Seto Kaiba isn't here," Zigfried said calmly.
"Of course. Even at my peak, he never took me seriously. Now I've lost everything, while Seto is more powerful and famous than ever.
Why would he even look at me now?"
"You brought this on yourself, Zigfried," Mokuba said. "You used to be somebody. My brother even admired your talent and skill."
"Really? So that's why, as soon as I decided to stake everything on Duel Monsters, he immediately led Kaiba Corp into it too? To crush me, to make sure I'd never rise again? Or just to prove he was better?"
"That's not it, Zigfried. We chose Duel Monsters because we saw its potential and, more importantly, because my brother and I love dueling."
Mokuba shook his head.
"It was just a coincidence."
"Hahaha, coincidence? Sure."
Zigfried laughed.
"Yeah, I wouldn't have believed that back then. But now I do. Because, in Seto Kaiba's eyes, I was never even worthy of being called a rival. He never even noticed me—why would he change his business just to target me?"
Mokuba: "…"
"But don't worry, that won't last long."
Zigfried narrowed his eyes.
"After today, very soon—
Seto Kaiba will have no choice but to acknowledge me."