Chapitre 23: A Duelist's Determination To Win

Before we start, to clear up any confusion, I will use Yami Yugi instead of regular Yugi when dueling but will return to Yugi when it's back to normal or other characters are talking/ thinking about him.

Disclaimer: This chapter contains a lot of Bullsh*t but the power of the Pharoah is too strong. You've been warned

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[3rd POV, A Few Minutes Earlier]

"There's no chance your pathetic Dark Magician and defeat me, Yugi!" Seto laughed at the boy across from him, "Now Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack!"

The dragon howled and caught the purple mage with its claws. As the monster struggled, Blue Eyes White Dragon slain it with ease.

[Yugi Mutou: 1500 LP -> 1000 LP]

Seto smirked and felt that his win had become nothing but a certain fact. However, his anger immediately rose when he remembered who awaited him after...

With Pegasus's threat, he was forced to duel with unworthy duelists to earn enough Star Chips. Seto defeated his enemies smoothly using his recently invented duel disk, allowing him to progress quickly.

However, with the day ending and the preliminary reaching its conclusion, Seto became more desperate. He waited at the top of the castle, hoping for an unsuspecting duelist to pass by. With his luck, one came.

Yugi Mutou...

He's a quiet boy with no outstanding characteristics, someone similar to any random person he can find on the streets. In the end, Yugi was just another insignificant insect in his way!

Seto drew his card, and his smile widened: "I will activate Polymerization and combine three Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand and field!"

"Three Blue Eyes White Dragon?!" Yami Yugi exclaimed.

Seto chuckled: "Now, I can summon my strongest card by fusing all my dragons! Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

Two of the Blue Eyes White Dragon cards in the duel disk transformed into a stream of light and were absorbed into the Blue Eyes on the field. The dragon's size increased, and two separate heads grew from the base of its neck.

[Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon: Attack: 4500, Defense: 3800]

Just as his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was summoned, he noticed two figures sprinting toward the battle from afar. Seto frowned and glanced at the girl beside his brother. Spotting the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Yuna's eyes widened ever so slightly before returning her usual blank expression.

Seto's eyebrows furrowed, and he felt dissatisfied with the lack of reaction: 'Aren't you impressed, Yuna Sano?!' He thought with a feral grin, 'You must feel hopeless under my dragon's power!'

He proudly stared at his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon: "Your move Yugi!"

Yugi has only four hundred life points remaining, while Seto has nine hundred life points. Everything was going in his favor, and he shouldn't lose unless Yugi could pull a miracle.

"I will summon Kuribouh in defense position!!" Yami Yugi shouted, and a small fluffy creature appeared.

[Kuriboh: Attack: 300, Defense: 200]

"Then I will use Multiply (Anime Effect) on my Kuriboh, allowing me to clone the monster and create a wall of Kuriboh!" Yami Yugi declared as the Kuriboh emerged out of thin air, forming a large wall, protecting the duelist, "With this many monsters, it's impossible for your dragon to break through!"

"This won't work!" Seto shouted: "Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, destroy them!"

The three heads unleashed a fiery white beam and exploded against the group of Kuribohs. However, despite the severe attack, the wall of monsters didn't seem to diminish as more Kuriboh surrounded the destroyed area.

"Tsk..." Seto clicked his teeth: "I will end my turn..."

He glared at Yugi, and the young duelist smiled proactively: "I draw!" He shouted and stared at the new card in his hand: "I will activate my spell card Living Arrow (Anime Card)! It allows me to use my spell on my opponent's monster, and the spell I will combine Living Arrow with is Polymerization!"

Yami Yugi: "In doing so, I can fuse the Mammoth Graveyard in my hand to your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (Anime)!"

"What!?" Seto exclaimed.

A golden arrow impaled Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon in the chest, and the monster screeched in pain. To Seto's shock, a skull resembling an elephant emerged from the dragon's chest. Almost immediately, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon's scales rotted off its body, and its flesh melted onto the floor.

[Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon: Attack: 4500 -> 3300, Defense: 3800]

"How is this happening..." Seto muttered: "Why is my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon getting weaker!?"

"It's simple, really," Yami Yugi explained: "Your Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon is a living light monster, while my Mammoth Graveyard is and dark undead monster. By fusing the two, your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will start to decompose (Anime)!"

"D... decompose, my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon?! Impossible!" Seto yelled.

"Oh, but it is very possible, Kaiba," Yami Yugi said: "Since Mammoth Graveyard has an attack of one thousand two hundred, your dragon will lose that amount of attack every turn as a penalty!"

"No!!!" Seto clutched his head in disbelief: "I won't yield, continue to attack! Ultimate Burst!"

Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon endured the pain and opened its jaws. It once again unleashed a beam of destruction but to no avail, as more Kuriboh replenished what was destroyed.

[Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon: Attack: 3300 -> 2100, Defense: 3800]

"I will summon Celtic Guardian!" Yugi shouted, and a large elf warrior wielding a great sword arrived: "Then I will end my turn, and your monster will rot even further.

[Celtic Guardian: Attack: 1400, Defense: 1200]

[Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon: Attack: 2100 -> 900 Defense: 3800]

Seto gritted his teeth when he watched a chunk of flesh detach from Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's body, revealing its bone: "I... I will skip my turn..."

"Since your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is lower than the penalty, it would naturally stop. However, it's enough! Celtic Guardian, attack!" Yugi ordered. The elf warrior charged and cleanly decapitated one of the dragon's heads.

"Your Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon was a fusion of three dragons, meaning I must destroy all three heads." He muttered when Celtic Guardian retreated.

[Seto Kaiba: 900 LP -> 400 LP]

Seto couldn't believe it. He can't lose; no, he couldn't afford to lose. The preliminary round will end soon, and Seto won't have time to search for more Star Chips. For the first time, he felt an emotion that he never imagined he would ever feel: Fear...

Seto glanced at Mokuba, and a horrible feeling washed over him. He failed; he couldn't protect his brother; after this match, Pegasus took Mokuba from him; can Yuna even defends his brother against an entire organization? Will she do it in the first place?

Suddenly, time seemed frozen in place as Seto's eyes widened in shock. He began walking aimlessly and staring at his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with a complicated emotion.

Seto stopped when he arrived in front of Mokuba. He anxiously reached out his hand, and Mokuba's figure warped when Seto's finger grazed his brother's face. Seto watched with disbelief as Mokuba's body became slimmer and his hair turned brown, transforming into a younger version of Seto...

"You failed." Young Seto said condescendingly.

"No... no I." Seto stammered

Young Seto: "You promised... You promised that you would always protect our little brother...."

"You promised..." Young Seto muttered and grabbed his wrist.

Seto wrestled against his younger self as Young Seto was absorbed into his body. He stared at the area where Young Seto touched him. Like the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, his skin melted, and he yelled in pain.

'Weak...' Young Seto's voice resonated in his mind: 'How could you say that you're trying your best if you're not even putting your life on the line?'

Darkness consumed Seto, and he gasped as he was brought back to reality. Seto found himself at his original position and collapsed on one knee: 'W... What was that? Was it all an illusion?'

Young Seto's words replayed in his head: 'My life on the line...'

He gazed at Mokuba, and a sense of calmness overwhelmed his inner turmoil. His younger self was right; he should put his life on the line to protect his brother! Seto's eyes were full of resolve, and under Yugi's cautious gaze, he walked towards the castle's edge, where behind him was a cliff so steep that it would surely kill him.

"Yugi... I will skip my move... In your next turn, if you attacked me with your Celtic Guardian, the shockwave would knock me off the cliff, killing me." Seto explained with a composed expression.

"What are you talking about, Kaiba!?" Yami Yugi shouted angrily: "Are you going this far for a mere duel!?"

"YES!!" Kaiba roared: "You have no idea! I will do anything to win! COME ON, YUGI! ATTACK ME AND KILL ME RIGHT HERE!"

Seto inched closer to the edge as the heels of his shoe knocked a few pebbles off the edge.

"BIG BROTHER!" Mokuba screamed.

Before he could sprint to his brother's side, Yuna grasped Mokuba's wrist, restraining him: "Let me go!" He cried, but she shook her head.

Seto's eyes met with Yuna, and she stared at him with a disturbed expression. He found it bizarre that despite her troubled appearance, why didn't Yuna seemed surprised. It was like she had anticipated his move from the beginning.

He chuckled to himself; Seto felt he was going paranoid. Maybe it was the mindset of moments away from his death. The young president gazed at his opponent: "What was your choice Yugi? I will push myself over the edge without a moment of hesitation. That's how much this duel is important to me!"

Yami Yugi glared at Seto: "I will... I will..." His pupils flickered anxiously. Silence dominates the field as everyone holds their breath. Seconds felt like hours until Yami Yugi's expression became fierce.

"Looks like you have made up your mind..." Seto said tranquilly.

Immediately, Yami Yugi flicked his arm: "Here I go, Kaiba! Celtic Guardian Attack!"

Everyone's eyes widened in shock when the elf warrior charged. Seto nodded and spread his arms, embracing his fate.

"YUGI, DON'T!" Tea shrieked from the side: "THAT'S NOT YOU!"

Hearing Tea's scream, Yami Yugi grasped his head in agony and fell to the ground. His atmosphere changed completely, and he gasped in fear. The Celtic Guardian stopped, and the attack was canceled.

Yugi trembled in disbelief: "W... What have I done...." Sweat drizzled down his face. Was he really going to allow Kaiba to die for a mere game?

Seto quietly lowered his arms: "Seems like I have won..." He drew his card and activated monster reborn, and the decapitated head regrew back onto Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon's head.

[Blue Eyes White Dragon (Head one): Attack: 3000, Defense: 2500]

"Now destroy Celtic Guardian!" Seto shouted as the restored dragon head destroyed the elf with its sharp teeth.

[Yugi Mutou: 1000 LP -> 0 LP]

Yugi couldn't even register his loss and sobbed despairingly. His thoughts were chaotic, and horrible guilt sprouted from within him: "I... I really was going to kill him...."

Since he unlocked that puzzle, Yugi felt another presence taking control whenever he duels. Now that same presence has almost murdered someone just because of a game. In horror, Yugi stared at the cards in his hand and threw them away. His tears stained the stone pavement, and his friend worriedly approached him.

Meanwhile, Seto packed up the duel disks and took the Star Chips they had placed earlier to the side as bets. He calmly placed the chips into his gauntlet. Seto glared at the castle, and without a word, he entered.

Yuna and Mokuba were too stunned to speak, and the two quietly followed behind Seto. Yuna went past the group and stopped. She glanced at Yugi with concern and pity.

Tea knelt beside Yugi and gently wiped his tears. She raised her head and looked at Yuna from the corner of her eyes: "G.. go first, Sano-san... We.... we will meet you inside."

Yuna nodded and chased after Seto, leaving the startling scene behind...

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I hope you enjoy!