Deep in the mountains.
Like a forgotten land beyond the reach of the mundane world, moonlight barely penetrates the dense clouds, draping the forest in a silver veil. Strange sounds echo from the mountains, like beasts growling, or ghosts sighing.
Yugen and Keihei walk shoulder to shoulder through the forest.
"Does that Kiku actually live here?"
Yugen looks around the deep forest.
"Yes, the Kaiba Group's intel indicates so," says Keihei. "Years ago, he planned to disrupt the first KC Cup and paralyze the Kaiba Group's dueling system.
Later, with the help of the game, his plan was thwarted. He maliciously attacked Kaiba Group's system, causing us tremendous losses, affecting the global dueling systems.
Kiku was captured on the spot and soon afterward, his company went bankrupt."
His real name is Kigfried von Schreder; at the KC Cup, he competed under the name Kiku Lloyd.
Speaking of which, this man has always been unlucky, maybe he was just born incompatible with President Kaiba.
Kiku's family business was originally an arms company, but it never competed with Kaiba Company. This was inevitable, as during DM, we learned that Kaiba Company was ahead of the world by many generations, creating AI and a virtual world entirely inhabited by AI, and simulation showed that Kaiba Group's production line and AI commands alone could easily crush Earth's military forces.
Competing with such an entity isn't shameful.
So, after his father's death, Kiku, taking over the company, decided to avoid conflict, not to confront the Kaiba Group head-on but instead lead the company into a new field.
That was when he foresaw the enormous potential in the Duel Monster Card game field.
As fate would have it, Kaiba Company also underwent a power shift. The newly appointed Seto Kaiba decided to abandon arms and focus on card games.
Everyone knows what happened next; in the card game field, Kiku was utterly crushed by Kaiba... even more miserably than when selling arms.
In the arms business, they couldn't beat Kaiba, but at least they could have some soup when Kaiba had meat, barely surviving.
But since restructuring, Kaiba Group quickly monopolized the card game world by signing a contract with the Illusion Association. Kiku's investments went down the drain, leaving him deep in debt.
So late in the DM animation, he took a risk, attempting to sabotage the KC Cup by malicious attacks on the opening day of Kaiba Park to cripple Kaiba's global dueling system, hoping for a chance to rise.
Of course, he lost again, even worse this time.
"So isn't he supposed to be in prison?" Yugen wondered.
"He seems to have been bailed out... I'm not sure about the details," Keihei scratched his head. "My brother once said he's nothing more than a clown, let him be, he won't pose a threat, so we stopped paying attention."
Yugen nodded.
That indeed sounded like something President Kaiba would say.
Although Kiku Lloyd had a significant connection with President Kaiba, the president likely never regarded him as a true opponent.
In the president's eyes, only one person in the world qualified as his rival, and that person was no longer around.
In fact, recently, learning of possible trouble caused by Kiku, the president told Keihei to hold off on any action until he could personally deal with it upon his return from a meeting on the other side of the Earth.
However, Keihei suggested that with Yugen present, there should be no problem, and his brother could handle matters over there first. If anything changed, they'd notify him.
The president thought for a moment; he trusted Yugen's abilities, so he agreed to leave it for now, only asking to be updated on developments.
And so, the two arrived at Kiku Lloyd's retirement hideaway.
Through the dense forest, an old villa stands quietly, like a noble emerging from the dust of time, occupying the land in solitude.
The architecture is grand, but the exterior walls show signs of being weathered by time. Heavy curtains are tightly drawn at the windows, allowing no light to pass through. The surrounding air feels solidified, even the wind seems cautious here.
They arrived at the door. Yugen gently pushed the archaic door; it wasn't locked and creaked open.
Dim light filtered through the open door, dust particles dancing inside.
The hall was unlit except for a fireplace in the corner. The flickering fire illuminated the figure before it.
Kiku Lloyd sat in the chair, his back to the door.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to find me here."
He spoke without turning around, then swirled his wine glass.
The two approached.
"Kiku, was the Prison No. 7 affair your doing?"
Keihei straightforwardly asked.
"Why? Haven't you already retired from worldly matters?"
Kiku chuckled dryly.
"Retired, yes. Like I had a choice."
He turned his head.
This man had long pink hair and a fairly handsome face, yet exuding a faintly feminine aura. Compared to the KC Cup days, he seemed noticeably older.
"Seto Kaiba didn't come."
Kiku said lightly.
"Of course. In my prime, he never regarded me. Now I've fallen and lost everything. Seto Kaiba is at the peak, his wealth and fame have multiplied many times over.
What reason does he have to look at me now?"
"It was your own doing, Kiku." Keihei said, "You were once a figure to be reckoned with. Your talent, your ability, even my brother admired them."
"Really?" Kiku said, "Is that why immediately after I decided to gamble everything and transition into the Duel Monster field, he promptly led Kaiba Group to follow?
Was it to completely crush me, to ensure I could never rise again? Or was it just to prove he was better than me?"
"Nothing like that, Kiku. Choosing Duel Monsters was simply because we also saw its potential, and both my brother and I love dueling."
Keihei shook his head.
"The similar choice was purely coincidental."
"Hahaha, coincidental, is it...?"
Kiku laughed.
"Yes, back then, I would never believe such a coincidence. But now I do. Because in Seto Kaiba's eyes, I never existed as an opponent. He never saw me, so how could he purposely transition to target me?"
Keihei: "..."
"But don't worry, that won't last long."
Kiku squinted his eyes.
"After today, soon..."
"...Seto Kaiba will have no choice but to recognize me."