The night was thick with fog as a black, unmarked van pulled up along the marble driveway of Pegasus's private estate. The moon overhead cast a cold, silvery light over the oceanfront manor, whose wide windows flickered faintly with candlelight. Perched like a gothic cathedral over the cliffside, Industrial Illusions' crown jewel loomed in the mist.
Jason Whitesmith stepped out first, his white lab coat flaring with the wind off the water. His eyes, gleaming with cruel intelligence behind rectangular glasses, scanned the estate through the dense mist. He adjusted his duel disk on his left arm and motioned for the squad to disembark.
Four C.I.A operatives followed, each clad in tactical black gear, sleek duel disks glowing with standby lights. They formed a tight diamond formation around Jason, their expressions cold, unreadable, and professionally lethal.
Jason pulled a small communicator from his pocket and tapped into a private feed.
"Operation Mosaic begins. Target: Maximillion Pegasus," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Authorization confirmed by executive order."
A voice crackled through the earpiece. "Proceed."
Jason lowered the communicator and exhaled slowly, savoring the moment. A sinister smile played across his lips.
"Pegasus," he muttered to himself. "You've run out of time."
The main doors opened before they could knock. Pegasus stood in the entryway with a glass of red wine in hand. His silver hair fell like a waterfall over one shoulder, and his red velvet suit, tailored to perfection, shimmered faintly in the warm interior light.
His one visible eye—still full of that mischievous gleam—narrowed as he regarded Jason and his entourage. The Millennium Eye socket on his face held only a glittering imitation, a hollow golden shell.
"My, my... Jason Whitesmith," Pegasus said with a theatrical wave. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a midnight visit with armed companions? How very... clandestine."
Jason stepped forward, unfazed. His voice was cold steel. "You've lost your usefulness, Pegasus. Selling Industrial Illusions to Kaiba was your first mistake. Losing the Millennium Eye was your last."
Pegasus chuckled, swirling the wine in his glass. "Ah, so it's about the Eye. I should have guessed. Tsk, tsk. You know, Jason, not everything in this world revolves around ancient magic and market shares."
"Spare me the theater," Jason snapped, brushing past the guards as he approached Pegasus face to face. "I know you lost the real Eye to a thief. You've been hiding behind that counterfeit like a child with a toy."
Pegasus's smile faded ever so slightly. A flicker of discomfort crossed his features, but he quickly masked it with a haughty grin.
"Even if that were true," Pegasus said coolly, "what business of it is yours?"
Jason raised his duel disk, activating it with a loud snap. Its violet LED lights hummed ominously.
"Because now I need your deck."
Pegasus blinked. "Pardon?"
"This is a Shadow Game, Pegasus. A sanctioned one," Jason said. "You lose, and your deck becomes my ante prize. I want every card you've ever crafted and hoarded. Your Toons, your Thousand-Eyes, your entire twisted gallery."
Behind Jason, one of the agents stepped forward, tapping a panel on their gauntlet. A holographic seal appeared in the air briefly—the arcane script of a sanctioned Shadow Duel etched in violet flame.
Pegasus's expression finally dropped into something colder. His usual flamboyant charm gave way to a calculating glare.
"So that's what this is really about," Pegasus said. "Not the company. Not the Millennium Item. You want my legacy."
Jason smirked. "Not want. Deserve."
Pegasus exhaled and finished his wine in a single sip. His fingers gripped the rim of the glass tightly before setting it down on a side table with an audible click.
"You always were a little too clever for your own good," he said.
Jason tilted his head slightly. "I try."
Pegasus sighed and reached into his coat, retrieving his own duel disk. The device was older, ornate, stylized in red and gold. He placed it on his arm and activated it. His smile returned, but this one was thin, bitter.
"Very well," he said. "If you want my deck so badly, come take it. But don't expect me to make it easy."
Jason's expression was stone. "Wouldn't dream of it."
As both duel disks powered up, the room darkened unnaturally. Shadows twisted on the walls, and a subtle wind blew through the entry hall despite the windows being closed. The agents stepped back, forming a wide circle. None interfered.
Jason adjusted his glasses. "Let's begin."
[Jason LP: 4000] [Pegasus LP: 4000]
The echo of their duel disks powering up filled the marble-tiled duel chamber beneath Industrial Illusions' San Francisco vault. Low lights flickered to life across the sleek walls, casting eerie shadows over the two men as the duel began.
Pegasus stood with one leg cocked slightly and his hand resting on his hip, a playfully condescending smile on his face. His single visible eye glittered beneath his silver hair as he swept a dramatic bow.
"I'll let you go first, dear boy," he offered with a wink, his voice syrupy and theatrical.
Jason, by contrast, was all angles and control. He drew with cold precision, his expression unreadable save for the faint tension around his jawline. "I set one monster face-down and one card in my back row. Your move."
The click of his card placements echoed like the cocking of a gun.
Pegasus drew with a flourish, snapping the card into his fingers. His smile deepened. "Such restraint. A pity it won't save you."
He plucked a card from his hand and held it up with dramatic flair. "I activate the Spell card—Toon World!"
A vibrant shockwave of cartoonish energy erupted behind him as the iconic pop-up book materialized in a flash of green lightning and sparkle trails. The air shimmered as pages rustled with arcane energy.
"I pay 1000 Life Points to activate it."
[Pegasus LP: 4000 → 3000]
"Then, I summon Toon Gemini Elf in Attack Mode!"
The twins skipped out of the book like mischievous sprites, spinning and giggling. The air around them filled with floating hearts and glitter.
[Toon Gemini Elf – ATK 1900]
Pegasus gave a theatrical sigh and pouted. "Sadly, they cannot attack the turn they are summoned. How cruel! So I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn with a twinkle and a sigh."
Jason drew, and for a split second, a flicker of anticipation gleamed in his eye. "I tribute my face-down monster to summon Jinzo."
Electric arcs erupted from his field as Jinzo emerged—mechanical, cold, merciless. Its single red optic glared ahead like a targeting laser.
[Jinzo – ATK 2400]
"All trap cards are now negated," Jason announced, voice clipped.
Pegasus clutched his chest in mock horror. "Oh dear, my precious surprises! You wound me, Jason boy."
"Jinzo, attack Toon Gemini Elf."
A storm of plasma blasts ripped across the field, striking the cartoon twins. They shrieked in exaggerated pain as they exploded in a puff of confetti and smoke.
[Pegasus LP: 3000 → 2500]
Jason didn't flinch. "I end my turn."
Pegasus drew with a twirl of his wrist, that damnable grin never fading. "I activate Toon Table of Contents. I search for another... and another... and finally, my precious Toon Mermaid!"
The cards shuffled with magical energy as he summoned the bubbly, wide-eyed mermaid, who flipped onto the field with a wave of her wand.
[Toon Mermaid – ATK 1400]
"She cannot attack yet, but this card—Comic Hand—will bring life to the party!"
A giant cartoonish glove reached across the field, plucking Jinzo from Jason's side like a toy and yanking him to Pegasus's.
Jason's brow furrowed as Jinzo's systems glitched under the magical distortion, transforming into a freakish, googly-eyed toon version of itself.
"And now, Jinzo... attack Jason directly!"
The machine unleashed a warped barrage of energy blasts.
[Jason LP: 4000 → 1600]
Pegasus blew a kiss. "I end my turn."
Jason drew, the tension in his shoulders visibly increasing. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior."
Breaker burst forth, his staff alight with crimson energy. A magical crest spun in front of him.
[Breaker – ATK 1600 → 1900]
"I remove the counter to destroy Comic Hand."
The spell fizzled and cracked, the toonified Jinzo jerking violently as he was yanked back into Jason's control with a pulse of digital light.
"Now, Jinzo, attack Toon Mermaid."
The mermaid screamed and vanished into sparkles.
[Pegasus LP: 2500 → 1500]
"Breaker attacks directly."
Breaker raised his staff—then suddenly Pegasus's grin widened.
"Not so fast," Pegasus interrupted cheerfully. "I activate my face-down—Forbidden Lance!"
Jason blinked as a glowing green light encased Breaker mid-strike.
"Your Breaker loses 800 ATK, but he is unaffected by other spells and traps this turn!"
[Breaker – ATK 1900 → 1100]
The strike landed, but it wasn't enough to finish the duel.
[Pegasus LP: 1500 → 400]
Jason exhaled, lips thinning in irritation. "I end my turn."
Pegasus giggled, now clearly enjoying himself. He plucked his next card and his eye lit up like a spotlight.
"Oh-ho-ho! Now for a dramatic entrance—Toon Cyber Dragon!"
The silvery cartoon serpent zipped onto the field with rocket-like thrust.
[Toon Cyber Dragon – ATK 2100]
"You control monsters and I do not? Perfect conditions for a special summon! And unlike my other darlings, this one can attack right away."
Jason's eyes widened. "Damn—!"
"Now, Toon Cyber Dragon, attack Jason directly and end this little charade!"
The beam lanced through Jason's side of the field, engulfing him in a surge of magical force.
[Jason LP: 1600 → 0]
Jason staggered back, blinking in disbelief as his duel disk deactivated with a final mechanical whine. His fingers curled into a trembling fist. His white lab coat flapped behind him as he stood there, trying to make sense of his loss.
Across from him, Pegasus twirled in place and brushed his shoulders with a smug chuckle. "Well then, dear boy. That was... exhilarating."
The chamber fell into a cold silence.
Then, a metallic clack echoed from the far side of the room.
Jason turned, his face darkening.
From the shadows emerged a tall man with a familiar silhouette. The Duelist Exterminator stepped forward, trench coat sweeping behind him like the cloak of Death itself.
His eyes—piercing, empty—locked on Pegasus without emotion. His duel disk was already primed, glowing red.
"You failed," the Exterminator said simply, glancing at Jason.
Pegasus turned, blinking. "Another guest?"
Jason straightened, licking the blood from a cut on his lip. "I always bring a backup plan, Pegasus."
Pegasus's grin faltered for just a second before returning with an edge. "Oh, how charming. A rematch by proxy?"
The Duelist Exterminator said nothing. He simply stepped into the opposite dueling position, posture straight, eyes still like ice.
Jason backed toward the wall, rubbing his bruised shoulder.
Pegasus tilted his head and chuckled. "You may have called in the boogeyman, Jason, but I've survived darker things than ghost stories."
Pegasus narrowed his eye as the Duelist Exterminator stepped into position. But what caught his attention wasn't the man's cold demeanor or lifeless eyes—it was the movement of his gloved hand slipping beneath the folds of his long, worn trench coat.
With chilling precision, the Duelist Exterminator pulled out a long, rectangular case—military-grade matte black, reinforced with steel corners and worn leather straps. The metallic click of its clasps echoed in the chamber as he unlatched it.
Inside were decks. Dozens of them. Each one neatly sleeved, banded, and labeled in crisp, handwritten script.
Yugi Muto. Joey Wheeler. Seto Kaiba.Rex Raptor .Mai Valentine .
Pegasus's smile faltered as he noticed one deck tucked in the far right corner—its label in stark, blood-red ink:Pegasus.
"Such... meticulous preparation," Pegasus muttered, his voice tight with unease.
The Exterminator scanned the rows without a word, then selected the Pegasus deck and slid it into his duel disk. The disk hummed to life with a menacing glow.
Pegasus felt a cold bead of sweat trail down his temple.
Jason, still recovering behind them, allowed himself the faintest, wounded smirk.
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