Chapter Thirty-Four: The Sai Q Dragon

After taking the elevator to the ground floor, Hayato jogged out of the Kaiba Corporation building with the unconscious Mr. Sugoroku on his back. No sooner had they stepped through the entrance than Anzu spotted a high-end black sedan parked directly in front of the building.

"That's the car," Hayato said, lifting one hand to wave. "Hey, come over here and give us a hand!"

As soon as Hayato called out, Anzu saw a person with a rather understated hairstyle step out from the side of the sedan and retort, "Don't you go ordering me around!"

"Shoji Manjoume?" Anzu had considered that the transportation Hayato might find would be an exorbitantly expensive taxi, his own family car, or an ambulance, but she never expected it to be Shoji Manjoume, with whom he had once had a rather unpleasant duel.

"Call me Mr. Manjoume!" Manjoume instinctively corrected him before walking over. Seeing the terrified expression on Mr. Sugoroku’s face as he was carried by Hayato, he blurted out, "Hey, hey, hey! Hayato Kobayashi, don't tell me that guy on your back is Yugi Muto!? Is Kaiba Corp researching some kind of life-draining weapon? How did Yugi Muto turn into an old man!?"

"It's not that! This is Yugi's grandfather. He fainted because the Duel Monsters projections were too intense," Anzu explained, surprised by Manjoume's wild imagination—he had actually mistaken the white-haired Sugoroku Muto for a victim of some sinister experiment.

"Don't worry about the details now. The most important thing is to get Mr. Sugoroku to the hospital. It’ll be a disaster if we’re too late!" Hayato said firmly to Manjoume. "Manjoume, I still need you to take us to the hospital."

"And why do I have to take orders from you?" Manjoume was in a foul mood due to Hayato's forceful attitude, but after glancing at the frail, unconscious Sugoroku, he pursed his lips in annoyance. "Tch, just this once. Hurry up and get the old man into the car."

Together with Hayato, he loaded Mr. Sugoroku into the back seat and secured his seatbelt to prevent further injury from sudden braking or acceleration. Anzu sat next to Mr. Sugoroku, and Manjoume took the front passenger seat. However, just as Hayato reached to get in, he awkwardly realized the car was already full.

"It's full. The space in this car is a bit tight," Manjoume said, buckling his seatbelt and looking back from the front passenger seat. "Hayato Kobayashi, how are you going to get to the hospital?"

"You guys go ahead; I’ll catch a taxi and follow—" Hayato was cut off mid-sentence by Anzu. "No, Hayato-kun, you stay here at Kaiba Corp."

"But Mr. Sugoroku needs someone to look after him."

"Manjoume and I will take good care of Grandpa Sugoroku." Ignoring Manjoume’s expression in the front seat—which clearly screamed, "When did I ever agree to that?"—Anzu stared intently into Hayato's eyes. "Kaiba said his virtual system incorporates impact simulation. I’m worried Yugi might get hurt in the duel, so someone needs to stay behind as a safeguard."

Looking at Anzu’s determined expression, Hayato knew that Yugi’s victory against Kaiba was inevitable, but he couldn't bring himself to talk her out of her concern. "I understand. I will definitely look after Yugi."

Turning to Manjoume in the front seat, Hayato said, "Then I leave Anzu and Mr. Sugoroku in your hands, Mr. Manjoume."

"Ah~" Although he had emphasized it countless times, hearing someone finally address him as "Mr." for the first time in history left Manjoume struggling to suppress a look of sheer satisfaction. "I am the great Shoji Manjoume! Leave such a small matter to me!"

Watching the black sedan carry Mr. Sugoroku away until it disappeared around the distant corner, Hayato turned back and re-entered the Kaiba Corporation building.

By the time he returned to the rooftop and stepped out of the elevator, he could hear a majestic, earth-shaking roar echoing within the enclosed structure.

"ROAR!"

"That sound—has the Blue-Eyes already appeared?" Hayato hurried into the arena to see Kaiba and Yugi standing on their respective dueling platforms, along with a white dragon that had just unleashed a torrent of swirling wind and light, destroying Yugi's monster in a single strike!

The creature before them embodied both holiness and raw power, its massive wings seemingly capable of eclipsing the sun. Bathing in the debris of the destroyed monster, the most iconic creature in the history of Duel Monsters, the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon], had arrived!

"That’s Grandpa’s card! But that shouldn't be possible!" Yugi watched his Life Points plummet from the Blue-Eyes' attack. He felt a sharp pang of pain from the impact simulation system built into Kaiba’s custom dueling platform, but his mind was clouded with confusion.

"Hmph! Yugi Muto, you aren't the only person in the world who possesses a [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]. There are only four in existence, and I have gathered three of them. If I am to ascend to the pinnacle as the strongest duelist, that fourth Blue-Eyes is the only monster that could ever threaten me."

"So, that’s why you tore up the precious card my grandfather treasured more than his own life!" Yugi’s expression turned chillingly serious. "To steal someone else’s treasure for a reason like that… you are truly despicable, Seto Kaiba! I swear on my grandfather’s name and my own dignity as a duelist—I will defeat you!"

Kaiba chuckled. "Anyone can talk big. If you think you can do it, then try your best, Yu↗gi↘ Mu↗to↘!"

Though his inner rage was almost palpable, the pressure exerted by the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] on Kaiba's field was overwhelming. Yugi could only summon a monster in face-down defense position before ending his turn.

"Go ahead and cry before the [Blue-Eyes], wail, and then die!" Kaiba commanded the Blue-Eyes to attack without hesitation. There were very few monsters in the current game capable of resisting the Blue-Eyes. His attack succeeded, and Yugi's face-down monster was obliterated by the "Burst Stream of Destruction" unleashed by the dragon.

"The Blue-Eyes is the strongest monster card in the world, and possessing three of them makes me the strongest duelist. Come, Yugi! Entertain me with your cries as you try to climb this mountain only to slip and fall into the abyss! Just like that old man." Kaiba continued to goad him. "The sound of your monster being destroyed by the Blue-Eyes is truly music to my ears. I can still hear that old man’s dying gasps just standing here!"

"Damn it... my turn!"

Drawing a card in a fit of rage, Yugi froze. He couldn't help but glance at Hayato, who was watching from the sidelines. Is this the card... the one Hayato gave me?