Yugen thought that even joining a construction crew now required knowing how to duel. On second thought, it did make sense. These kinds of ruins often came with supernatural forces that science could not explain, and ordinary people might be in danger. In this world, as long as you could duel, the risk dropped sharply.
"By coincidence, the city's KaibaLand is holding a 'White Dragon Festival' the day after tomorrow," Hall Master Takeuchi continued. "Our Duel Dojo is planning a group outing there. My friend will also be there that day, so you can talk in person."
"Alright," Yugen replied casually, though he felt something was off.
Wait, there was actually a festival called the White Dragon Festival?
Sunlight spilled through the colorful rides of KaibaLand, scattering bright patches across the ground. The massive park was packed with people, and the air carried the easy noise of a festival in full swing.
Here, Blue-Eyes White Dragon swooped down along roller coaster rails, while others spun with chair rides shaped like flying seats. Some even lay still like guardians atop the Ferris wheel, watching over the crowds. In short, they were everywhere.
Yugen once again realized how far the influence of the legendary Seto Kaiba reached. He had not only gifted the world a monster but also created a special holiday called the White Dragon Festival. The day was even listed as a public holiday, and by custom everyone was supposed to spend it all out at KaibaLand.
The Dueling Dojo had joined the mood and organized an event for the occasion. The students traveled together to the city's KaibaLand as a group outing, and even the famed excavation team contact showed up. That man was none other than Hall Master Takeuchi's old acquaintance.
"Shadow Flow!"
"Kazuya!"
The two rushed together and shared a tight bear hug.
"I missed you to death!" the man said as he thumped the hall master's back with force.
Yugen took a closer look at the newcomer. A flashy plaid shirt, a scalp smooth as glass without a single stray hair, and a weathered face behind dark glasses stood out at once. He looked less like a card player and more like a programmer who had spent half a lifetime in front of screens.
His eyes were nearly slits, and together with that shining bald head he somehow combined two legendary traits at once. In another setting he might have looked like a final boss, but here that did not count for much. In this place, lacking a flashy hairstyle already put him at a disadvantage.
"Why haven't you come by in so long?" Hall Master Takeuchi complained. "I thought you had forgotten your old friend."
"Work, work," the man replied. "By the way, I found some amazing new resources this time. There are projection versions and VR versions, and the lead actress is not just big but also…"
"Stop, stop," the hall master cut in quickly, throwing him a look. "The students are here today."
The man finally caught on. "Oh, right. Fine, we will talk in private later."
The students fell silent. Deep down, they were far more curious about what their masters usually talked about in private.
"Let me introduce him," Hall Master Takeuchi said. "This is Kazuya Saito. He used to be a Duelist at our Duel Dojo as well, so you can count him as half a fellow disciple."
The man called Saito gave a slight nod. "Indeed. The former master once told me that my dueling talent was extraordinary, and that with a bit of effort my achievements would surely surpass Takeuchi's."
Hall Master Takeuchi glared at him. "I never heard that. If that were true, why would the master have expelled you from Duel Dojo?"
"Haha, senior brother, you do not know the full story," Saito said cheerfully. "The master liked me very much back then, but his daughter liked me even more. When he found out, he was naturally furious."
Hall Master Takeuchi was shocked. "Something like that happened? Why did you never mention it?"
"We were young and foolish," Kazuya Saito said with a wave of his hand. "Why dig up old history?"
The students stayed silent again.
"Ahem, let us talk about the ruins," Hall Master Takeuchi said quickly. He had a feeling that if this continued, the topic would drift into things unsuitable for guiding the students of Duel Dojo. That would do nothing for their healthy growth or their dueling future.
"Oh, the ruins, right," Saito replied with a smile. "This time they are quite interesting."
Before he could say more, a sharp snap echoed through the air. All the lights inside the giant dragon-shaped Duel Arena went out at once, plunging the space into darkness. Rolling shutters slammed down with a loud rumble, sealing every door and window in a single second.
The crowd inside the hall erupted into noise. Some shouted in confusion, others cursed the system, and a few demanded refunds. The darkness only made the panic worse.
Kazuya Saito looked around and muttered, "Strange. Even if there is a power outage, the Duel Arena here should have backup generators. What is going on?"
Yugen did not say a word, but the situation felt familiar to him. It reminded him of an old plot from an anime, where a system hack sealed a duel arena and forced everyone to duel an AI to get out. Back then, the mastermind had been a rival of Seto Kaiba, and that person should have been dealt with years ago.
Soon, light returned in a single focused beam. It shone on the center of the arena, revealing a figure standing proudly with arms crossed. Brown hair, blue eyes, and a white coat made the image unmistakable.
The figure threw back his head and laughed loudly.
"That is Seto Kaiba!" someone shouted at once.
"What is going on? Why is Seto Kaiba himself here?"
"Is this some kind of surprise attraction?"
Kazuya Saito quickly realized the problem. "Wait, that is not Seto Kaiba. That is the newest dueling AI in this arena."
The crowd gasped.
"Kaiba Corporation has input AI models of the most famous Duelist into its duel programs," Saito explained. "They perfectly recreate each person's tactics, thinking, and even personality. Combined with realistic virtual imaging, visitors can duel what feels like the strongest duelists in the world."
Seto Kaiba's obsession with dueling machines was no secret. After Yami Yugi went to the Underworld, the president had thrown himself into AI research with near madness. Anyone checking his files would probably find thousands of different versions of Yami Yugi recorded there.
In one famous incident, Seto Kaiba had even lost to an AI Yami Yugi, then angrily sought ways to overcome it. Later he won a rematch, only to say that beating an illusion of the past meant nothing. Those stories were well known among duelists.
"So now what?" Hall Master Takeuchi asked.
"Someone has hacked this arena and set the AI to use Seto Kaiba's image," Saito said gravely. "The system is likely fully linked to the AI now. This level of AI is usually for internal testing only, especially for legends like Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba. It should not have been open to the public at all."
As if on cue, the AI Seto Kaiba finished a three-part laugh and unfolded a Duel Disk. "If you want to leave this place, you must first defeat the Deck in my hands."
Yugen was not surprised in the least. Just as expected, it had come down to a duel.
The trapped crowd stirred again. Some cried out in disbelief, while others tried to reassure themselves that it was only an AI. Yet many pointed out that an AI Deck meant pure data, filled with the strongest cards imaginable, including legends like the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
In the eyes of the tourists, this AI had copied not only Seto Kaiba's personality and tactics but also a complete Deck. That made it almost identical to the real thing. How could ordinary people hope to win against a man standing at the peak of all Duelist?