Yugioh [588-593] (Patreon)

Chapter 588: Zigfried

Deep in the mountains.

It was like a patch of the world that had been forgotten, unreachable by civilization. Moonlight barely pierced the dense clouds, draping the forest in a silver veil. Strange sounds echoed from deep in the mountains—sometimes like the growls of wild beasts, sometimes like the sighs of ghosts.

Kira and Mokuba walked shoulder-to-shoulder through the woods.

“This Zigfried guy lives in a place like this?”

 Kira scanned the deep forest around them.

“Yeah. That’s what Kaiba Corporation’s intel says,” Mokuba replied. “Back at the first KC Grand Championship, he plotted to disrupt the event and paralyze the Kaiba Corp duel system.

With help from Yugi, his plan was foiled. His malicious attack on Kaiba Corp’s system caused us massive losses; the entire world’s duel systems were affected.

Zigfried was arrested on the spot, and not long after, his own company went bankrupt.”

Zigfried von Schroeder was his real name. In the anime, he competed in the KC Grand Championship under the name Zigfried Lloyd.

Come to think of it, this guy was a perpetual loser—maybe just destined to clash with Seto Kaiba.

His family business was also an arms company, but it could never compete with Kaiba Corp. Of course, that’s inevitable; during the DM era, we learned Kaiba Corp was generations ahead of the world—creating AI, entire virtual worlds for AI beings, and according to simulations, Kaiba Corp’s production lines under AI command could easily defeat the world’s military forces.

It’s no shame to lose against that kind of cheat-level competition.

So after his father died, Zigfried took over and decided to avoid a head-on fight with Kaiba Corp. He chose instead to lead his company into a new field—one he thought had unlimited prospects: Duel Monsters card games.

But what a coincidence—at that same time, Kaiba Corp also underwent a leadership change. Seto Kaiba, newly in charge, decisively abandoned the arms business and shifted fully into card games.

Everyone knows what happened then. Zigfried got trashed by Kaiba in the card game field, even worse than his father had in arms dealing.

In arms, at least they could scrape by on Kaiba’s leftovers. But after the shift, Kaiba Corp quickly monopolized the industry with an international partnership. Zigfried’s investments went down the drain, leaving him deep in debt.

That’s why, near the end of the DM anime, he risked everything—trying to sabotage the KC Grand Championship’s opening day, crash Kaiba Land’s systems, and paralyze Kaiba’s global duel system, hoping to seize the moment.

Of course, he lost again—worse than ever.

“So shouldn’t this guy be in prison?” Kira wondered.

“Seems he was released on bail or something. I’m not sure about the details,” Mokuba said, scratching his head. “My brother said he’s just a clown—let him go, he’s no threat. So we stopped paying attention.”

Kira nodded.

That did sound like something the president would say.

Though Zigfried Lloyd had history with Kaiba, the president likely never saw him as a real rival.

In Kaiba’s eyes, there was only one person in the world worthy of being his opponent—and that person is gone.

In fact, just recently, when it seemed Zigfried was up to something again, Kaiba told Mokuba not to act yet and to wait until he returned to handle it personally. Right now, Kaiba was still at a meeting on the other side of the world.

But Mokuba thought Kira was capable enough to handle things, so his brother could focus elsewhere, and would be notified if anything changed.

Kaiba, considering it, realized he didn’t trust many people, but he did trust Kira’s abilities. So he agreed, telling them to keep him updated.

So, the two arrived at Zigfried Lloyd’s retirement hideaway.

They passed through dense woods to an old mansion, standing quietly like a lonely noble from the dust of ages.

The architecture was grand, but the outer walls were weathered and mottled. Thick curtains tightly covered the windows, leaving no light. The air felt frozen, even the wind seemed cautious.

They reached the door. Kira gently pushed on the old door—it wasn’t locked, and it creaked open.

Dim light spilled into the hall, and dust motes danced in the air.

The lights were off, but a fireplace glowed in the corner, illuminating a figure sitting before it.

Zigfried Lloyd sat in the chair, back to the door.

“I was wondering how long it’d take you to find me here.”

He didn’t turn, just spoke from the chair, swirling a glass of red wine.

They approached.

“Zigfried, were you behind the incident at Prison No. 7?”

 Mokuba asked bluntly.

“Why? I thought you’d retired from the world?”

Zigfried gave a dry laugh.

“Retired, yeah. As if I had a choice.”

He turned his head.

The man had long pink hair, rather handsome features, but a touch of femininity. Compared to his KC Grand Championship days, he looked older.

“Seto Kaiba isn’t here,” Zigfried said calmly.

“Of course. Even at my peak, he never took me seriously. Now I’ve lost everything, while Seto is more powerful and famous than ever.

Why would he even look at me now?”

“You brought this on yourself, Zigfried,” Mokuba said. “You used to be somebody. My brother even admired your talent and skill.”

“Really? So that’s why, as soon as I decided to stake everything on Duel Monsters, he immediately led Kaiba Corp into it too? To crush me, to make sure I’d never rise again? Or just to prove he was better?”

“That’s not it, Zigfried. We chose Duel Monsters because we saw its potential and, more importantly, because my brother and I love dueling.”

Mokuba shook his head.

“It was just a coincidence.”

“Hahaha, coincidence? Sure.”

Zigfried laughed.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t have believed that back then. But now I do. Because, in Seto Kaiba’s eyes, I was never even worthy of being called a rival. He never even noticed me—why would he change his business just to target me?”

Mokuba: “…”

“But don’t worry, that won’t last long.”

Zigfried narrowed his eyes.

“After today, very soon—

Seto Kaiba will have no choice but to acknowledge me.”

Chapter 589: Human or Ghost?

“What?”

Mokuba was taken aback, not sure what he meant.

But Zigfried didn’t explain further, just let out two unsettling, low laughs.

The next moment, the fire went out.

Darkness surged in like a tide, swallowing the furniture that had been outlined by the firelight. Even the faint moonlight from outside quickly faded, unable to penetrate the thick darkness.

“Zigfried?”

 Mokuba stepped forward and turned the chair.

But it was empty.

Mokuba froze.

An indescribable cold wind seemed to creep through the villa’s corners, gathering in the living room. The wind carried a bone-chilling cold, silently weaving between the furniture, lifting a corner of the curtain. Every object seemed to come alive, making low, eerie noises.

It was irrational, but Mokuba felt as if there were people laughing in the wind—sharp and sinister—or maybe crying.

He shuddered, stepping back. Glancing at Kira behind him, he felt a little more secure.

“What’s going on?” Mokuba said. “Where is he?”

Kira didn’t answer. He walked to a table and gently pinched the surface, leaving a mark in the thick layer of dust.

“Dust,” Kira said.

“So he’s just not a tidy person?” Mokuba said.

But he realized that couldn’t be right. Zigfried Lloyd was a traditional noble, meticulous about elegance and cleanliness, always carrying a flower—he should be very particular about hygiene.

“No, only a long-uninhabited place would have this much dust,” Kira shook his head.

“Huh? But we just saw—”

Mokuba trailed off.

He remembered the fire suddenly going out, Zigfried vanishing from the chair, the signs of long neglect, and the chilling wind that sounded like wailing.

The more he thought, the more creeped out he felt. He moved closer to Kira and whispered, “So… what did we see? A person, or a ghost?”

Kira gave him a sideways glance. “President Kaiba firmly believes in science. Don’t you?”

“I do. But science isn’t about dogma.”

Mokuba replied.

“After all, the existence of the afterlife and spirits has been proven, right? Like how Yugi had another Yugi in his body—a three-thousand-year-old ghost. We even spent so much time with him.”

“True,” Kira nodded.

Indeed, the whole Yu-Gi-Oh! story began with the tale of a three-thousand-year-old soul. Ghosts aren’t that unusual in this world.

“But don’t worry, ghosts aren’t scary,” Kira said.

Not every ghost had the Pharaoh’s combat power.

By now, the clear night sky had grown overcast. The last sliver of moonlight was hidden behind clouds.

A bolt of blue lightning split the sky beyond the forest, illuminating half the night. For a flash, a woman stood in the corner of the hall, her face ghostly pale in the lightning.

Mokuba cried out, but after the thunder rolled and he looked again, the corner was empty.

“This house is seriously haunted!”

He shrank behind Kira.

Suddenly, Zigfried’s voice echoed through the empty mansion.

“Seto Kaiba can’t even be bothered to come himself. Fine, I understand.

He thinks his brother and a hired hand are enough to deal with me? The man who should have been his greatest rival?”

Another flash of lightning.

When the thunder sounded, a woman suddenly appeared behind them, sword raised, the blade gleaming coldly.

Clang!

Metal rang.

Kira didn’t even turn around. The phantom of Black Luster Soldier flashed behind him—so fast it was impossible to see clearly. The legendary sword struck in an instant.

The woman’s blade snapped; she was flung backward, crashing into the corner, her body shattering like glass.

A Duel Monster spirit.

“A duelist who commands spirits? No wonder Seto Kaiba trusted you…”

Zigfried Lloyd slowly emerged from the darkness.

He wore a red suit, his pink hair just like when he challenged Kaiba at the KC Grand Championship.

He already had a duel disk on his arm.

“Very good. Kaiba crushed me and took everything. So it’s fitting that we settle things through a duel.

First you, Kaiba’s lapdog, then his brother. That way, he’ll realize that underestimating me is the last mistake he’ll ever make.”

As the duel began, Mokuba finally let out a sigh of relief.

Good, good. As long as it’s a card battle, things are manageable.

He stepped back, giving them room.

“Duel!” x2

[Kira, LP 4000]

[Zigfried, LP 4000]

“I’ll go first. Draw.”

Kira checked his hand and drew a card.

“Spell card ‘Graceful Charity’. Draw three cards and discard two.”

He drew three, quickly chose one to discard along with another from his hand.

“I summon a monster face-down in defense position.

Finally, I set a card face-down and end my turn.”

“My turn. Draw.”

Zigfried drew, lifting his head with a sinister air.

“I don’t know who you are, but if Seto Kaiba sent you, you must be one of his trusted aides.

Good. I hope you’re worthy for my Valkyries to draw their swords.

First, spell card ‘Pot of Greed’—draw two cards.”

Zigfried drew two.

“Then I summon ‘Valkyrie Vierte’!”

A green-haired young woman in a cropped armored outfit, riding a white horse, landed on the field, sword spinning skillfully.

[Valkyrie Vierte, ATK 1400]

This was Zigfried’s deck—Valkyries, based on Norse mythology.

“Oh, right,” Mokuba realized, “That woman just now was a Valkyrie too…”

The woman who tried to ambush them, only to be cut down by Black Luster Soldier.

“Yes, after ten years, my Valkyries are stronger than ever! And I, too, have gained power beyond what I once had!”

As he spoke, a surge of dark energy erupted from within him.

Some kind of boiling darkness.

“Now, even against Seto Kaiba, I won’t lose again!”

Chapter 590: Valkyrie

Kira looked at Zigfried, squinting slightly.

Dark power.

The Zigfried Lloyd before him now was undoubtedly a dark duelist. This was strange, since Kira was sure he hadn’t been one before.

The Zigfried Lloyd of the past was just an ordinary man—talented at dueling, quite strong. He even beat gambler Joey at the first KC Grand Championship.

Many beat Joey in the anime, but in terms of significance, this guy was the biggest.

Joey is known as a growth character. Unlike Yugi, who was maxed out from the start, Joey had the classic shonen underdog vibe.

At first, he barely knew the rules; the whole Duelist Kingdom arc he was a beginner. But he grew stronger through tough battles.

By the time Zigfried showed up in the KC Grand Championship, it was near the end of DM, right before Egypt. Joey had already faced the Winged Dragon of Ra, wielded the Legendary Dragons, and defeated the three swordsmen of Doma—he was at his peak.

For Zigfried to beat that Joey, and even hold back in that duel, shows his skill as a duelist.

But even so, he should still be just a regular human.

“Even you’ve become a dark duelist…” Mokuba couldn’t help saying.

“You left me no choice,”

Zigfried Lloyd said coldly, waving his hand.

“Battle. Valkyrie Vierte, attack the face-down monster!”

The Valkyrie drew her sword; the white horse charged. Her blade flashed, slicing the card in two.

[Mother Grizzly, DEF 1000]

Though the monster left the field, its ghostly image lingered, roaring.

“You destroyed ‘Mother Grizzly’,” Kira explained. “When she’s destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, I can special summon a Water monster with 1500 or less ATK from my deck in attack position.”

“Water monsters with less than 1500 ATK?” Zigfried snorted.

Understandably so—Water monsters were pretty weak in this era.

His snort clearly meant “all weaklings.”

Kira drew a card from his deck and smiled.

“I special summon the 1000-ATK Water monster, ‘Catapult Turtle’.”

The old green turtle landed on the field, heavy railgun on its back crackling with energy.

[Catapult Turtle, ATK 1000]

Zigfried didn’t think much of it, but Mokuba, seeing the turtle, winced.

That thing again.

“I set a card face-down and end my turn,” Zigfried said.

“My turn. Draw,” Kira declared. “Now, I summon—

‘Magical Scientist,’ in defense position!”

[Magical Scientist, DEF 300]

Here it comes!

 Mokuba recognized the combo, knowing how deadly it was; he almost felt sorry for Zigfried.

Zigfried frowned in thought.

“Magical Scientist? I remember it can pay life points to special summon Fusion monsters, right?”

His eyes widened, realizing.

Magical Scientist could summon a Fusion monster, and Catapult Turtle could tribute monsters to deal half their ATK as damage—

That was basically an OTK without even needing to battle!

Realizing this, Zigfried gasped inwardly.

What a sinister combo!

“I activate my set card—trap card ‘Hallowed Life Barrier’!” Zigfried said. “By discarding one card, this turn my monsters can’t be destroyed by battle, and all battle and effect damage I’d take becomes 0!”

He discarded a card, a transparent shield appearing to protect him.

Almost the strongest shield in the game—once activated, nothing could break through it.

“Oh? Careful, aren’t you?” Kira smiled. “Fine. So it’s pointless to attack this turn.

I switch Catapult Turtle to defense position.”

The old turtle hunkered down, shell withdrawn.

[Catapult Turtle, ATK 1000 → DEF 2000]

“I set another card and end my turn.”

Zigfried took a deep breath.

Close one. If he remembered right, there was a Fusion monster called ‘Ryu Senshi’ that could negate traps by paying LP.

If he hadn’t thought ahead, and Kira used Magical Scientist to summon Ryu Senshi, then tried to use Hallowed Life Barrier, it would’ve been negated.

One misstep and he’d be dead.

Kira frowned slightly. He’d noticed Zigfried was more alert than most duelists. He’d clearly never seen this combo before, but immediately understood the tactic and responded decisively.

“So it’s like that—he’s not to be underestimated. Good.”

“My turn. Draw!”

Zigfried immediately played his card.

“Spell card ‘Spell Books from the Pot’—both players draw three cards.”

Speeding up the draw, his pale face twisted in a strange smile.

“Hahaha! Victory smiles upon me—thanks to this card!

Spell card ‘Ride of the Valkyries’!”

He held the card high; its magic seemed to dispel the darkness, summoning a white cloud. Sacred warhorses rode the clouds, carrying valiant Valkyries like gods descending.

“‘Ride of the Valkyries’ lets me special summon any number of ‘Valkyrie’ cards from my hand!”

This card had now been printed, and was even stronger than the anime version—including immunity to battle damage if three or more Valkyries are summoned, and letting you banish it from the graveyard to search for ‘Mischief of the Time Goddess.’

“Appear! Valkyrie Erste! Valkyrie Zweite!”

Two Valkyries landed, one on either side of Vier.

[Valkyrie Erste, ATK 1600]

[Valkyrie Zweite, ATK 1600]

“Zweite’s effect—when summoned, destroy a monster on your opponent’s field!”

Zigfried pointed at Kira’s turtle.

“Catapult Turtle, begone!”

Chapter 591: Why Always the Turtle?

“Valkyrie Zweite, destroy the ‘Catapult Turtle’!”

The Zweite’s blade slashed out, and with a flash of sword light, the sturdy shell of the Catapult Turtle cracked, shattering with a bang.

“It’s not over yet,” Zigfried shouted. “Next is the effect of ‘Valkyrie Erste’: once per turn, banish a monster from your opponent’s graveyard!”

Actually, the real-life card has the same effect, but with the added restriction that you must have another Valkyrie other than Erste on the field to activate it. On the plus side, the real card also strengthens the effect by making it “Quick-Play”—meaning you can use it in your opponent’s turn as well. So, despite the new activation condition, it’s a significant buff for Valkyrie decks.

But the version Zigfried is using doesn’t get that upgrade.

“Banish the ‘Catapult Turtle’ that was just destroyed from the graveyard!”

The Zweite’s sword slashed out. The Catapult Turtle, which had just entered Kira’s graveyard, shot out in card form, was sliced in two by sword energy, and vanished into a swirling dimensional vortex.

“You really hate my Catapult Turtle that much?” Kira said helplessly. “Even digging up its grave?”

Zigfried replied coldly, “But after using its effect, the Erste’s attack must become equal to the banished monster’s attack.”

[Valkyrie Erste, ATK 1600 → ATK 1000]

“But it makes no difference, that’s more than enough. Battle! Valkyrie Erste, attack ‘Magical Scientist’!”

The Valkyrie’s horse charged forward as her sword came down.

Though Magical Scientist is a banned card, he’s still just a scientist, lacking their power. He got a life sentence in the banned prison thanks to his game-breaking research, but his combat ability is trash—he was easily cut down and sent off the field by the Erste.

“That means you have no monsters for defense,” Zigfried said. “Next is ‘Valkyrie Zweite’ direct attack!”

The second Valkyrie also leaped forward, her pegasus opening its snowy white wings as holy light rained down from the clouds. White feathers floated everywhere, and the scene should have felt sacred.

But the darkness radiating from Zigfried now shrouded his monsters as well. The Valkyrie’s eyes surged with black energy, and it was as if half the feathers had turned black—a fallen Valkyrie vibe.

“As expected of a legendary duelist. I guess I can’t just settle things with a single Magical Cannon,” Kira shrugged.

If he were using a traditional deck focused solely on Magical Cannon, then with his formation broken, this would be as good as game over—some people are alive, but already dead.

But he’s improved fast, and even in this animated world, he’s a top-tier duelist now. Of course, he’s not going to rely on a one-trick deck.

Kira snapped his fingers.

“I flip my set card: Trap Card ‘Drowning Mirror Force!’

When your opponent declares a direct attack, return all Attack Position monsters on their field to the deck!”

Zigfried: “!”

Nani? Return to the deck!?

A surge of water gushed from the card, forming a blue shield in front of Kira. When the Valkyrie’s sword struck, it caused a tidal wave to rebound!

The trap card became a vortex, shining with a dazzling blue light. The tsunami swept back toward Zigfried’s field. His Valkyries struggled desperately, their horses flapping wings, but it was useless. No matter how they struggled, they couldn’t escape the vortex’s pull, and in the end, they were all swept up and shot back into the owner’s deck.

In a flash, Zigfried’s field was as clean as his face.

“What a pity—if the attack had gone through, I could’ve dealt massive damage all at once,” Kira smiled.

“Hmph.”

Zigfried snorted and swung his hand.

“I set two cards and end my turn.”

With no monsters left, those two set cards were clearly his only line of defense.

But it didn’t matter.

Zigfried glanced at one of the set cards.

Trap Card – Wotan's Judgment. (Anime card)

 Zigfried’s signature trap in the anime. When an opponent attacks, you can swap a spell in your hand with the top card of your deck, shuffle, negate the attack, and forcefully end the battle phase.

A lifesaver that can forcibly stop the battle phase. When Zigfried dueled Joey, he’d coolly set this right away.

So he wasn’t worried at all.

“My turn, draw,” Kira said. “I activate the Spell Card ‘Akashic Record.’ Draw two cards. If either card has already been used in this duel, it must be banished.” (Anime card)

Kira drew two cards.

“Next, I activate the Spell Card ‘Cost Down.’ Discard one card; all monsters in my hand have their Level reduced by 2 this turn.”

He selected a card and sent it to the graveyard.

“I’m discarding the Spell Card ‘Card of Compensation.’ When this card is sent to the graveyard, draw two cards from the deck.”

Kira drew two cards and continued.

“Thanks to ‘Cost Down,’ my Level 5 monsters are now Level 3, so I can summon them normally without tribute.

I summon—‘Catapult Turtle’!”

[Catapult Turtle, ATK 1000]

Zigfried’s expression twitched as he stared at the old turtle on his opponent’s field.

Why is it always you!?

“Tch,” Zigfried clicked his tongue.

Catapult Turtle can deal damage by tributing monsters, without declaring an attack. That means his supposedly unbeatable defense, ‘Wotan's Judgment,’ can’t stop it.

But still, to defeat him with Catapult Turtle would require at least 8000 damage in total.

Gathering 8000 ATK in one turn is almost impossible.

What, are you going to whip out a second Magical Scientist to OTK me?

“I activate the Spell Card ‘Ice Mirror,’” Kira said.

A huge mirror of ice appeared on the field, reflecting an image of Catapult Turtle.

Then, the reflection materialized into a second Catapult Turtle!

[Catapult Turtle, ATK 1000]

“Two Catapult Turtles!?” Zigfried’s face changed.

“Ice Mirror lets me choose a Level 3 or lower WATER monster I control, and Special Summon a monster with the same name from my deck.”

Kira paused to add:

“As a cost, as long as the monster Special Summoned by this effect is on the field, I can’t Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck.”

“Also, ‘Cost Down’ made Catapult Turtle Level 3, so it meets Ice Mirror’s condition.”

Zigfried quickly understood.

So there’s a combo like this.

But Ice Mirror’s self-restriction also means the Magical Cannon combo is no longer possible. Even if Kira pulls out another Magical Scientist, he can’t use its effect now.

With that, Zigfried felt a bit more at ease.

But then the opponent smiled and said, “Is that really the case?”

Zigfried: “???”

Wait, I haven’t even said anything yet?

Chapter 592: Catapult Turtle, Simple and Honest

Zigfried didn’t know what Kira was planning, but he instinctively held his breath.

He’s been seen through.

That thought suddenly popped up in his mind.

Kira’s gaze gave him that sense—as if through those eyes, all his strategies, next moves, every thought were laid bare, with no secrets.

But he quickly told himself that was nonsense.

This is just a lackey of Kaiba. No—even Kaiba Seto himself doesn’t have that kind of ability.

Besides, he himself is not the same as before. Now he’s gained power, a power he never had before—transcendent power.

His intellect, unique talent, and this new power—he knew that even facing Kaiba Seto, or even Yugi Muto from the KC Grand Championship, he wouldn’t lose now.

How could he lose to Kaiba’s lackey?

“I activate the Spell Card ‘Shield & Sword.’ Until the end of this turn, swap the original ATK and DEF of all monsters on the field.”

Zigfried: “!”

Swap ATK/DEF!

Right—Catapult Turtle’s ATK is only 1000, but its DEF...

[Catapult Turtle, ATK 1000 → ATK 2000] x2

“Nice!” Mokuba praised. “The total ATK of both Catapult Turtles equals to 4000—a direct attack would mean Kira wins!”

“Tch.”

Zigfried clicked his tongue.

What a joke—getting beaten to death by Catapult Turtle? Is there a more humiliating way to lose?

“Time to battle,” Kira raised his hand. “Catapult Turtle, direct attack!”

Now there were two Catapult Turtles, both in attack mode. Their eyes flashed dangerously, and the electromagnetic cannons on their backs locked onto Zigfried, as if to avenge their fallen comrade from last turn.

“I activate my set card, Trap Card ‘Wotan's Judgment!’” Zigfried shouted.

A robed mage stepped from the trap, staff held horizontally. An invisible force pushed both Catapult Turtles back.

“Wotan's Judgment activates when your opponent attacks.”

He drew a card from his deck, then placed a spell card from his hand on top of his deck.

“Swap a spell from your hand with the top card of your deck, then shuffle. Negate the opponent’s attack and forcefully end the battle phase!”

The mage chanted. Invisible ripples burst out, forcing both Catapult Turtles to lower their launchers.

“You used the Drowning Mirror Force for a field wipe and tried to push for a win, nicely played,” Zigfried said. “But I’m not someone who can be defeated that easily.”

“Seems so,” Kira smiled. “But my Catapult Turtle isn’t one to give up that easily either.

Catapult Turtle’s effect: tribute a monster to deal half its ATK as damage to the opponent.”

Zigfried was startled: “But you only have Catapult Turtles... are you going to launch Catapult Turtle itself?”

Zigfried frowned.

He didn’t comment, but felt odd. Even if both Catapult Turtles self-launch, with the swapped ATK/DEF, that’s only 2000 damage.

It’s decent, but as a cost, Kira would lose both monsters and be open next turn.

Is it really worth it?

“I activate my set card—Continuous Trap ‘DNA Surgery.’ Change the Type of all monsters on the field to the declared Type.”

Kira continued:

“I declare the Type: Machine.”

Zigfried frowned. “They’ve become Machine-Type...”

Right—if they’re Machines, they have explosive potential...

“Quick-Play Spell ‘Limiter Removal’! All Machine-Type monsters’ ATK doubles until end of turn!”

Zigfried: “!!!”

Damn, it really was that card.

Maybe for the first time in his life, he hated being right.

“Both Catapult Turtles became Machine-Type,” Kira smiled. “So their ATK, after swapping, is doubled again.”

[Catapult Turtle, ATK 2000 → ATK 4000] x2

Zigfried’s face twitched, looking uglier than ever.

Seriously?

How obsessed are you with this stupid turtle!?

Just this one turtle, and you can pull all these crazy tricks to torture me?

The total ATK is 8000—can you believe it!?

This is the turtle’s peak in life.

“Catapult Turtle No.1’s effect: tribute Catapult Turtle No.2, deal half its 4000 ATK—so 2000 damage to the opponent.”

Kira waved his hand.

“Load, fire!”

One turtle loaded onto the other’s launcher, cloaked in electromagnetic currents, and shot at Zigfried!

Boom!

The massive turtle shell blasted out, exploding in Zigfried’s face and sending him flying, leaving a crater.

“Uagh!”

[Zigfried, LP 4000 → LP 2000]

He was sent flying, unable to get up for a while, his expression twisted.

What a joke.

He’d accepted the power of darkness, the baptism of evil, crawled out of hell—not to be humiliated by two lousy turtles.

At this rate, he might as well have stayed a loser forever. At least back then, he was once a worthy opponent in Kaiba’s history.

But now, after all this, if he loses, he’s just a clown.

That’s absolutely unacceptable!

“Catapult Turtle’s remaining effect,” Kira announced. “Catapult Turtle tributes itself, loading and firing.

Again, half of its 4000 ATK—2000 damage.”

He snapped his fingers.

“Fire!”

Catapult Turtle sacrificed itself, burning all its strength to become a shot from the electromagnetic cannon!

Boom!

A second shot landed. Flames shot skyward, the Catapult Turtle vanished in the explosion, leaving a pillar of smoke.

“Nice!” Mokuba cheered. “Kira wins!”

Yep, Catapult Turtle is once again the MVP.

Just another straightforward day for Kira.

But Kira shook his head. “No.”

“Eh?”

Mokuba blinked and looked at the opponent again.

Zigfried was disheveled, covered in dust, kneeling and gasping, all elegance gone.

Yes, he was still breathing.

[Zigfried, LP 1000]

“Huh?” Mokuba blinked.

“When the first Catapult Turtle hit, I activated the trap ‘Numinous Healer.’ When I take damage, I recover 1000 LP.”

Zigfried wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up, growling:

“I’m not going down that easily.”

Chapter 593: The Valkyrie’s Fake Card

“It’s not over!”

“I’m not going down that easily!”

Zigfried roared.

“I won’t fall until I see Kaiba Seto—until he pays for everything he did to me!”

Mokuba looked on, his expression complicated. He seemed to want to say something several times, but always stopped.

“You hate Kaiba that much?” Kira asked offhandedly.

But that was nothing new. Kaiba’s path was always destined to be like this. From nothing to king, he’d have to step on many, and hurt many more.

That’s why every couple of days, someone pops up who hates him to the core, sees him as a lifelong nemesis. Kaiba’s probably so used to it by now he doesn’t even care.

But hearing Kira’s question, Zigfried instead smiled.

“Hate? Yeah.”

He stood up, straightened his clothes, even fixed the flower in his breast pocket.

“I’ve known Kaiba Seto since I was a child,” Zigfried said calmly. “But it took me a long time to realize he was my lifelong rival.”

“We met at a banquet. Back then, Kaiba Corp and my family’s business were still partners—or so it seemed. But I didn’t know at the time, Kaiba Corp had nearly pushed us out of the market, we had almost no room left to survive.”

“Business competition, survival of the fittest, nothing wrong with that,” Kira said.

“Yeah. I admitted defeat, didn’t want to fight Kaiba anymore. I was never that interested in the arms business anyway, so I bowed out.” He spoke calmly. “But Kaiba kept coming after me.

It’s like destiny, our fates tied together in endless struggle.”

“I told you, it was just a coincidence,” Mokuba couldn’t help saying. “My brother never meant to target—”

“And that’s exactly the problem! Can’t you see!?”

Suddenly, Zigfried erupted.

“He never even saw me!”

“Yeah, it was all just coincidence. Same timing, same choices, from one market to another. It’s like we were destined to fight.”

“But he never acknowledged it!”

Zigfried screamed, out of control.

“He always acted so aloof. He beat me, took everything from me, ruined me, but none of it seemed to matter to him at all.”

“So no, I don’t hate what he did. Fate forced us to fight, and in any competition, there can only be one winner. He won, and I lost. It’s that simple, nothing personal. So I stopped hating him long ago.”

“But what I can’t stand is, he never once looked at his opponent directly!”

Mokuba stood, stunned.

So that’s what it was all about?

“So I won’t lose, no matter what,” Zigfried shouted. “I’ll keep winning, I’ll keep going until Kaiba Seto stands before me again!”

“So that’s your obsession.”

Kira nodded slightly.

“Alright. But my turn isn’t over yet.”

He casually played another card.

“First, I set a card in my back row.

Then, I activate the Spell Card ‘Goddess Erda's Guidance.’” (Anime card)

Zigfried frowned. “The same spell as mine?”

This was a card Zigfried Lloyd used in the original story.

“It’s not your exclusive,” Kira laughed. “Send a spell from hand to grave, then set a trap from grave to field.”

Kira sent a card from hand to grave. In exchange, a golden light burst from the graveyard slot, and a card was ejected.

Zigfried’s pupils contracted.

From the graveyard, setting a trap—could it be...?

Kira smiled and displayed the ejected card before setting it facedown.

“From the graveyard, I set the trap card ‘Drowning Mirror Force.’”

The trap card appeared, set in Kira’s back row.

Zigfried’s mouth twitched.

Of course, it’s that thing again.

He’d already decided—he had to win, no matter what. If he couldn’t overcome this, how could he ever face Kaiba again?

But the cruel reality was, there was a thick, sad barrier between him and Kaiba. That barrier had a name: Drowning Mirror Force.

No, he wouldn’t give up for something like this. He’d come back from hell, and his resolve was far stronger than that.

“My turn, draw!”

Zigfried drew forcefully, stirring up a whirlwind.

Kira could tell right away—that’s the signal for a big play. In the anime, the character’s theme song would be playing by now.

Sure enough, he made his move.

“I activate the Spell Card ‘Graceful Charity.’ Draw three cards, then discard two.”

Zigfried discarded two cards, then immediately revealed another Spell Card.

“I activate ‘The Shallow Grave.’ Each player selects a monster in their graveyard and Special Summons it in Defense Position!” (Anime Effect)

“How generous.”

Kira casually selected a card from his graveyard.

“Of course, I choose—Catapult Turtle.”

A vortex opened in the ground, and the green-shelled old turtle returned, its railgun aimed at the enemy.

[Catapult Turtle, DEF 2000]

Even if it’s not the MVP, Catapult Turtle’s certainly the hardest worker.

“And I choose the ‘Valkyrie Dritte’ I just discarded.”

Another young warrior girl appeared, riding a white horse, sword and yellow shield in hand, red-haired, her face youthful but also resolute.

[Valkyrie Dritte, DEF 1600]

Then Zigfried brought out possibly the most broken and unprintable card in his Valkyrie series.

“I activate the Spell Card ‘Nibelung's Treasure’!”

A lavish chest appeared, filled with gold and jewels, glittering brightly.

“‘Nibelung's Treasure’ equips ‘Nibelungen’s Ring’ from your deck or hand to a monster on your opponent’s field.”

Zigfried searched his deck and took out a card.

“I equip the Equip Spell ‘Nibelungen’s Ring’ to your Catapult Turtle!”

A giant ring appeared, settling on the old turtle’s head. Catapult Turtle gave a disgruntled grunt.

“And after that, I can draw—”

Zigfried dramatically drew a handful of cards.

“—five cards from my deck!”