"They are the strongest duelists we have carefully selected from all over the world!"
"First, the miracle genius boy who appeared like a comet and has remained undefeated in every tournament he has entered—Leon Wilson!"
Leon stepped forward and waved to the crowd.
"I didn't know that kid was such a famous duelist," Joey said.
"I could tell from the beginning that boy wasn't ordinary," Kisaragi said.
"Really?" Joey asked.
Kisaragi nodded without saying anything.
…
As for the supporting duelists in the middle, I won't list them one by one, lest anyone accuse me of padding the word count.
"The gorgeous flower of Asia—Vivian Wong!"
The woman in the yellow qipao performed a few kung fu moves.
"The youngest American champion in history—Rebecca Hopkins!"
Rebecca stepped out with a smile, casting Vivian a rather unfriendly glance.
"A semifinalist of Battle City, the fiery duelist, as mediocre as ever—Joey Wheeler!"
Joey had just struck a pose when the word "mediocre" instantly ruined it.
"Who are you calling mediocre?!" Joey roared.
"His record and true face are both mysteries—the legendary duelist, Masked Rock!"
"Could that person be…" Yugi said from below the stage.
"Europe's undefeated nobleman, the Emperor—Zigfried Lloyd!"
Zigfried tossed the white rose in his hand toward the audience, drawing shrieks from the ladies below.
"And next is the champion of Battle City, Aoi Kisaragi!"
Kisaragi slowly walked to the front of the gathered duelists, looking confidently out at the audience below.
"She will appear as the Duel King and duel the winner of this tournament, with the true title of Duel King on the line!"
"So if we want to duel Kisaragi, we have to win the tournament first!" Joey said.
"That really won't be easy," Leon said.
"The match pairings will be randomly selected by computer before each duel!"
"So we won't know who we're dueling until the match starts. Perfect. No matter who it is, I'm not losing!" Joey said.
The eve festival ended, and the official tournament began the next day. Before the opening ceremony had even started, the Blue-Eyes Dome was already packed with spectators.
"The atmosphere is really lively," Yugi said.
"It really is!"
"Look. Joey's been fired up since the very beginning!" Duke said, pointing toward the contestants in the center.
Joey was making exaggerated faces at the other competitors, trying to intimidate them, but none of the other duelists paid him any attention.
"Honestly, he looks like an idiot," Téa said.
The moment she finished speaking, Tristan posed with a peace sign at a nearby camera.
Téa silenced him with one punch.
"Please, that's embarrassing!"
Suddenly, a small podium rose in front of the contestants, with Mokuba standing on it.
"Now, the KC Grand Prix, hosted by KaibaCorp—the tournament to determine the strongest duelist—is about to begin!" Mokuba shouted.
Cheers erupted from the crowd around them.
"The rules of this tournament are very simple. Duelists selected from countries all over the world will be divided into Groups A and B for an elimination tournament. The final victor will become the glorious champion of the KC Grand Prix!"
"And the champion of the KC Grand Prix will earn the right to duel Aoi Kisaragi, champion of Battle City and holder of the title Duel King!"
As Mokuba finished speaking, the camera turned toward Kisaragi. She politely waved at the camera and smiled.
The duelists onstage all looked at Kisaragi with burning gazes, and Kisaragi answered them with a smile.
"Everyone, please look at the screen. We will now announce the contestants for the first match of the elimination round!"
"First, Group A. The first match of Round 1 will be Joey Wheeler versus Masked Rock!"
"Awesome! I'm the first one up!" Joey said.
At that moment, Masked Rock laughed, smiling as he looked at Joey.
"You! Once I win, you'd better take off that mask and show me your real face!"
"What real face? Isn't it already pretty obvious?" Tristan said.
"The first match of Group B will be Leon Wilson versus Richard Goat!"
"The remaining match pairings will be announced after the first round. Big Sis Kisaragi, please come greet everyone!" Mokuba said, smiling at Kisaragi.
Kisaragi nodded, then walked onto Mokuba's podium and accepted the microphone from him.
"Hello, everyone. Welcome to the KC Grand Prix. I'm very happy to be participating in this tournament as the Duel King. I hope that everyone, whether you are a contestant or a spectator, will fully enjoy this event!"
After Kisaragi finished speaking, the audience erupted into cheers once again.
At that moment, a Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet flew across the sky. Kaiba, wearing a rocket pack, leapt from it and landed perfectly between Kisaragi and Mokuba.
Kaiba reached a hand back, and Kisaragi immediately understood, handing him the microphone.
"Everyone, I have only one thing to say. This tournament is neither a festival nor a show. It is a survival competition where duelists wager their dignity. What you are about to witness is the desperate struggle of duelists and the roar of the one and only victor. Chosen duelists, from this moment onward, my Kaiba Land becomes a coliseum. Glory or defeat—if you want to survive, then win. Show me how you struggle to live!"
Kaiba's words drove the atmosphere to its peak. Many people in the crowd began shouting Kaiba's name.
"That guy only knows how to steal the spotlight!" Joey said.
"Where are you hiding, rats? I won't let you do whatever you want in this tournament," Kaiba thought.
"The first round of the elimination tournament will now begin. All elimination matches will take place at Kaiba Land facilities outside this venue. Only the champions of Groups A and B will return to this arena for the final duel on the central Duel Stage!" Isono announced.
Kisaragi already knew the entire tournament schedule, so she had no interest in watching every match one by one. After telling Kaiba, she went off alone to enjoy Kaiba Land's attractions.
Kisaragi walked through Kaiba Land by herself. To avoid drawing too much attention from passersby, she had disguised herself a little.
"Playing alone really isn't much fun," Kisaragi muttered to herself.
"Then how about the three of us keep you company?"
Kisaragi turned around and saw the former Three Swordsmen of Doma.
At that moment, a large group of bodyguards appeared around Kisaragi, shielding her behind them.
"Miss Kisaragi, President Kaiba instructed us to protect your safety. Please leave this place at once," one of the bodyguards said.
"It's fine. Stand down. I know these three," Kisaragi said.
"But—"
"It's all right. Or you can follow us secretly from behind. If the three of them try anything against me, you can come out then," Kisaragi said.
"Yes, ma'am!"
The lead bodyguard answered, then ordered the others to withdraw.
"Kaiba is still as over-the-top as ever," Alister said.
"Yeah. Ever since the Dartz incident, every time I move around by myself, a bunch of people somehow end up following behind me. Speaking of which, why did the three of you come here after your souls returned?" Kisaragi asked.
"We know that you and Kaiba defeated Dartz. So in a way, the three of us owe KaibaCorp a favor. When we heard Kaiba Land was opening here, we figured you and Kaiba would definitely be around," Raphael said.
"Not me. I was completely dragged here by these two," Valon said, turning his head away.
join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 210)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" (This matter is completely finished.)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 280
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 240
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (This matter is completely finished.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume5/8
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 135
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 160
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 125
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 180
My Harem Is Indescribable 110
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 115
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 120
Still playing traditional Honk 105
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 120
What Should I Do After Switchi 70
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 140
Checking In in Demon Slayer 100
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 115
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 90
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (This matter is completely finished.)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 95
MYGO Beauties 80
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 100
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 135
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 150
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 70
The Uma Musume Who Became 75
I'm Definitely Not the King of 130
After Maxing Out Every Class 135
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 120
I, the Elden Sword Saint 70
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 65
No One Knows Pokémon Better 65
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 65
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 105
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 120
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 80
Honkai: The Fire Devil 115
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/70
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 85
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 80
At age 8, she co-starred with 80
Honkai: Schicksal Media 81
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 70
Chainsaw Man, but I'm Aatrox 60
Honkai Apocrypha: Are the Valk 60
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 45
Morgan Shirou's Journey in Dan 43
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