Quarterfinalists of the City Tournament

Nightfall.

Tongshino Arena—this is the venue that only those who have collected six puzzle chip cards through the preliminary rounds of the Urban Tournament could locate.

This arena had been chosen by Kaiba as the gathering place for the eight finalists. As for the actual dueling location, that would be revealed later.

“Jino, turn on the arena’s lights.”

“Yes, sir!”

Upon hearing Kaiba’s command, the bodyguard Jino relayed the instruction via his walkie-talkie to the staff stationed around the arena. The lights flickered to life, instantly dispelling the darkness that shrouded the space.

Kaiba didn’t have to wait long; barely a minute after the lights came on, Yugi and his companions entered through the arena’s main gate.

“Yu↑gi↓! …Hmm? Jounouchi, that commoner, managed to qualify for the top eight?”

Kaiba’s eyes were fixed only on Yugi. Yet, when he saw Jounouchi walking in beside him, chatting and laughing, especially noticing the stack of puzzle cards in his hand, he was taken aback for a moment.

He hadn’t expected that this commoner would manage to gather six distinct puzzle cards before nightfall and earn a spot in the quarterfinals.

Hmph—he’s made some progress since Duelist Kingdom, it seems. Jino!

Once the group approached and it was confirmed that Yugi, Jounouchi, and Mai Kujaku each possessed six puzzle chip cards, another bodyguard beside Jino retrieved a set of cards resembling credit cards from the inner pocket of his jacket, handing three of them to Yugi and his companions.

“These are ID cards. They serve as keys to your resting rooms and also as identification for the eight finalists. Please keep them safe.”

After explaining the function of the ID cards, the bodyguard pocketed the remaining four and returned to stand beside his superior, Jino.

“Hey, where are the other competitors?” Jounouchi asked, glancing around curiously as he accepted the ID card signifying his entry into the quarterfinals.

“So far, only Mr. Seto and you three have arrived at the arena. Of course, Mr. Yugi, the new president of Phantom Corporation and Kaiba’s business partner, is certain to be one of the finalists as well—though his whereabouts are currently unknown.”

After that “Divine War” by the riverside, Yugi, Kaiba, and Yugi’s counterpart all knew each had one puzzle piece remaining. Now that Yugi and Kaiba had completed their collections, it was certain that Yugi’s counterpart had as well; he simply had not yet arrived.

As everyone waited, a figure blurred by the direct light appeared at the arena entrance.

“A new finalist?”

His hair was a pale wheat color, his skin bronze, wearing a thin sleeveless hooded shirt, and golden dart-shaped earrings hung from his earlobes.

“Hello, my name is ‘Nam’. Pleased to meet you all!”

Far from being shy or intimidated by the attention, the young man introduced himself with a cheerful smile.

“Oh, hello.”

The group responded to his introduction, though inwardly their thoughts diverged—

“This guy… Is he Malik Ishtar, the mastermind behind the Gurus Group and the third holder of a God Card, as Yugi described?”

Indeed, before this gathering, Yugi had informed everyone of Malik’s appearance.

And now, Malik, virtually unmasked and without disguise, entered the arena openly, so after their initial surprise, everyone quickly confirmed that this bronze-skinned youth was the “Malik” Yugi had mentioned.

Thanks to Yugi’s advance warning, the group maintained neutral expressions, betraying no emotion. Malik, under the alias “Nam,” began conversing with Jounouchi and the others, discussing the duelists he had encountered during the tournament.

Of course, all the puzzle pieces Malik possessed were collected by his subordinates, so his tales of duels were actually recounting their battles.

Soon, the sixth finalist arrived.

Upon seeing the white-haired youth, Yugi and his friends were visibly shocked.

Their classmate, the frail boy who, when dressed as a girl, was cuter than some actual girls—Bakura—had appeared here!

This arena was the gathering place for the top eight. Bakura’s presence meant not only had he received a duel disk to participate, but he had also successfully collected the puzzle pieces in the preliminaries.

While astonished, Yugi’s classmates eagerly surrounded Bakura, asking how he had managed to acquire the six puzzle chip cards needed for the finals. At that moment, the seventh duelist entered.

A mature woman, her graceful figure accentuated by a white, form-fitting robe, her skin the same bronze tone as Malik’s.

“Sister!”

Upon seeing her, Malik—still going by “Nam”—was startled, his eyes wide. He hadn’t expected his own elder sister to participate in the Urban Tournament and to have acquired six puzzle pieces.

“Yugi! That’s the woman who led us to the museum last time.”

“Yes!”

Anzu and Yugi whispered to each other; it was this woman who had taught them about ancient Egypt three millennia ago, about the other soul within Yugi, and how to recover lost memories.

Unbothered by the stares, Isis, duel disk strapped to her arm and puzzle chip in her hand, approached Jino for verification and received the penultimate ID card.

Seeing Isis silently standing aside with her eyes closed, no one dared disturb her.

Kaiba glanced at the last ID card held by his subordinate, then at the quiet arena entrance, his brow furrowing.

“Yugi…”

Yugi’s counterpart was both a tournament host and a friend to most present. Though the wait was lengthy, no one complained.

Tap, tap, tap—

Footsteps echoed, drawing everyone’s attention to the entrance. With growing confusion, Yugi and his companions watched a tall man, shrouded in a hooded robe of deep purple and black, enter the arena.

“Why isn’t it Yugi’s counterpart?”

“Rishid! You finally arrived!”

“How is it Rishid?”

“???”

The group suddenly split into four factions, each with their own thoughts.

“Ah, it seems my luck isn’t so good—someone arrived before me.”

Just then, a familiar voice sounded. The Yugi they had awaited finally entered from the darkened doorway, just as Rishid had crossed halfway into the arena.

“Though I am one of the hosts, rules are rules! Since the two of us arrived nearly simultaneously, why don’t we settle the ownership of the last finalist’s slot with a duel?”

Before anyone could respond, Yugi’s counterpart proposed this to the tall man impersonating “Malik,” actually Rishid.

“…”

Rishid paused, communicating inwardly with Malik, who was secretly wielding the power of the Millennium Rod. Receiving Malik’s approval, Rishid nodded to accept the proposal from Yugi’s counterpart.

Just then, Yugi’s counterpart’s lips curled into what he considered a friendly smile, though to Rishid and Malik it seemed more like a devil’s grin, as he said:

“Rishid, Rishid Ishtar, both Malik’s brother and his servant—will you accept my duel proposal?”

Rishid & Malik: !!!