Yes, that's right. Just when Kaiba played his trump card, one of the Three Egyptian Gods, Obelisk the Tormentor, his Duel Disc couldn't withstand the power of the God and burned up on the spot...
Youyu: "..."
So... does this count as the president pulling out the screws?
(In the 5DS anime, the protagonist Fudo Yusei once had the D-Wheel malfunction, halting the duel just when he was about to lose. It became a meme among fans, joking that Yusei intentionally pulled out the screws when he saw the situation wasn't looking good.)
Could it be that the president realized he couldn't win and quickly summoned the Tormentor to pull out the screws...
...No, no, the president isn't that kind of person.
Anyway, it looks like this duel can't continue.
However, Youyu's objective was basically achieved, because his initial purpose for this match wasn't really to win anyway.
Kaiba glanced at his burned Duel Disc in his hand and frowned.
This sort of thing had happened before when he first got Obelisk and tested the Duel Disc. But after multiple modifications and improvements to the prototype Duel Disc, the currently issued Duel Disc should have been able to bear the power of the God, and this shouldn't have happened.
But even if the probability is low, this possibility indeed still exists. It's like forcing a computer to run a large program right at the limit of its capabilities. Theoretically, the computer might carry it, but overheating and shutdown are not surprising.
Kaiba snorted and put away the Duel Disc.
He looked up at Youyu: "What's your name?"
"Youyu."
President Kaiba seemed thoughtful, perhaps remembering the name, maybe even thinking in his heart, "Another person from the Yu family" or something.
"You previously said you have opinions on the Duel Monsters game?"
"Just some personal suggestions." Youyu also put away the Duel Disc, and said, "As you see, I'm also a dedicated fan of this game. I believe that, like the president, I want it to get better."
"Hmph."
Kaiba turned around, his coat stylishly tossed—he didn't forget to make a show before leaving.
"If you're interested, come to Kaiba Company this Saturday."
He finished speaking without waiting for a response and left without looking back.
The helicopter flew away from the scene, and the black-clothed men silently returned to the car, while the vehicles surrounding the port gradually drove away.
...Finally ended.
Tonight, although it was completely different from the initial plan, for Youyu, the results were still quite good.
Although the mission to ambush the Ghouls was completely ruined, in the process he triggered the "Duel with Kaiba Seto" faction mission.
"Represent the Nightwalker World in facing Kaiba Seto," regardless of the duel outcome, would earn a substantial reward—of course, winning would bring even greater rewards.
But this duel couldn't be completed due to an unexpected event, resulting in neither a victory nor a defeat. As for rewards, both experience points and Crystal Stones were granted generously, much richer than normal tasks.
It's just that Youyu was slightly curious about what the additional victory reward would have been if he had managed to win.
Since defeating the Pandora System granted a Dark Magician card, wouldn't winning against Kaiba mean... a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?
I guess not?
Giving Kaiba's wife as a reward would be too stimulating.
...So maybe it would be Obelisk the Tormentor?
If that's true, it would certainly be a real headache.
In the Yu-Gi-Oh setting, the Egyptian Gods all have tempers, and if someone who is not recognized by them attempts to use a Divine Card, not only won't the Gods work for them, but they might also invoke divine wrath and be punished.
The DM anime mentioned that when the Three Egyptian God cards were initially created, there were many obstacles. After the Egyptian God Tablets were discovered, the card creation work was passed on to several world-renowned card designers.
However, none of these designers succeeded in making cards from the Egyptian God Tablets, with each of them either suddenly dying at midnight or developing mental illnesses, living the rest of their lives in extreme fear.
In the end, the Father of Duel Monsters, Pegasus, with the power of the Millennium Eyes, managed to create the Three Egyptian God Cards.
In Linked World, players have no way to get the Three Egyptian God cards, as these cards aren't rewards from any task nor are they available in the System Card Pool.
Even if players manage to snatch these three cards from NPCs, the cards only serve as "mission items" for players and cannot be used in a duel.
As an NPC, Youyu shouldn't have this issue, but he doesn't currently have the confidence to wield the Gods. If he attracted divine wrath and accidentally died, it would be too embarrassing.
Apart from these personal rewards, thanks to the assist from brother Marik, Youyu's faction reputation in the Nightwalker World soared.
Without a doubt, Youyu instantly became the focus of attention within the entire organization.
A duelist on par with Kaiba Seto!
This is standing at the pinnacle of the Duel Monster realm!
Although the match ended without a clear outcome due to an unexpected situation, Youyu indeed suppressed Kaiba Seto temporarily on the field.
But that already shows enough strength!
In the world of duelists, where skill at cards is respected, and in the Dark Duelist's realm where gambling with life is required, this is even more so.
Absolute strength immediately drew the entire society's interest towards Youyu, who was newly joined. That night, President Tosawa Mukuro immediately announced Youyu's special promotion to Nightwalker World's cadre.
Having a newly joined member become a cadre in just a few days is unprecedented in the organization's history, but none of the members expressed dissatisfaction because everyone knew Youyu earned it through skill.
Furthermore, President Tosawa Mukuro personally showed significant interest in Kaiba Seto's invitation for Youyu to visit the company headquarters and had discussions with Youyu about it.
Because, as the local influential force in Duelist World of Toono City, Kaiba Company has always borne an unfavorable stance towards their organization.
First, Kaiba himself has a dislike for Dark Games. Second, Kaiba Seto only acknowledges duelists he personally recognizes.
In President Kaiba's eyes, this group of Dark Game duelists had unimpressive card skills, even considering Tosawa Mukuro merely as a minor pawn that might endure a bit longer in front of Kaiba.
The card skills of an organization's members being subpar naturally didn't draw Kaiba's attention.
However, tonight Kaiba's attitude seemed to at least acknowledge Youyu's competence. President Tosawa Mukuro emphasized this significantly, thinking it might be a starting point for establishing a friendly relationship between their organization and Kaiba Group, now resting on Youyu.
In other words, visiting Kaiba Company this weekend, Youyu not only needs to propose suggestions about duel rules standardization to President Kaiba as planned, but also shoulders diplomatic responsibilities...
Yet, despite being newly joined, Youyu felt a sense of collective honor. As he has this opportunity, he would naturally strive to secure benefits for his club.
This is all rooted in his responsibility and honor as a member of the Nightwalker World... and it's definitely not related to the extra three million bonus President Tosawa Mukuro gave him tonight!
Even if it is, it would only be by an infinitesimal amount!
Yet with that in mind, it seems Youyu's gains tonight were indeed substantial... substantial enough that he couldn't resist going back to open a few hundred packs to celebrate.
After the duel with Kaiba, Youyu now found that having three Pot of Greed and three Graceful Charity cards in his deck wasn't enough for him.
Now he plans to first open three "Extravagant Draws" and see...