"What kind of logic is this? How could they build such a strange door in such a short amount of time?"
Stepping forward to inspect it, Mokuba noticed that even though the door, with the characters for "Maze" written on it, clashed with the surrounding high-tech style, the craftsmanship was so perfect that it fit seamlessly into Kaiba Corporation's building.
Creak—!
Like the sound of an old door opening, Mokuba easily pulled the door open after inserting the key with the bronze ring.
"I'm so glad we don't have to solve any riddles this time," Hoshino muttered softly in relief.
"Riddles? Akasha loves riddles!" But no matter how quietly she spoke, it couldn't escape Akasha's rabbit-like sharp ears.
"Then guess what color Hoshino's panties are?" Mokuba asked casually.
"White. I saw them when she was walking up the stairs just now!" Akasha proudly answered.
Thud! Thud!
Both of the little brats received a solid flick on the head. Blushing slightly, Hoshino took a few steps back, making sure Akasha wouldn't walk behind her anymore.
"We're here, Hoshino," Mokuba said, his tone suddenly turning serious. It was only one floor up, so it hadn't taken long.
Unlike the previously out-of-place Chinese-style door, the one leading to Kaiba Corporation's control room was full of futuristic flair.
"This door is on par with the one at Chaldea's cafeteria!" Hoshino marveled, stroking her chin.
"Hoshino, this is Kaiba Corporation's main control room! How could you compare it to a cafeteria?" Mokuba replied, confident in his family's cutting-edge technology, even though he had no idea what "Chaldea" was.
Proudly, Mokuba placed his hand on what seemed like a glass touch screen.
[Verifying identity...]
"The control room door can only be opened by my brother's and my fingerprints. This is Kaiba Corporation's highest level of security."
[Verification failed. Access Denied.]
The cold, mechanical voice struck Mokuba's face like a brutal punch.
"I could've told you that would happen. You said only you and Kaiba can enter the control room, but it's already been hacked by Tenma Yako, right?" Hoshino laughed, patting Mokuba on the shoulder, her voice full of schadenfreude.
"Hoshino, don't laugh! If Yako's altered the door data, we won't be able to get in at all. This whole trip will have been for nothing!" Mokuba replied, a hint of frustration and urgency in his tone.
"Don't worry, leave it to me!"
Gone was the playful tone; Hoshino's eyes turned serious as the Duel Disk on her arm activated.
"I was thinking about using this move earlier, if you hadn't found the key on those bald brothers..."
She pulled out a card and placed it onto her Duel Disk, a faint smile forming at the corner of her lips. "If you're going to attack, you've got to show some spirit! Summon, [Heroic Spirit - Martha]!"
As the light from the Duel Disk materialized, Martha appeared before them, donning iron gauntlets.
"Master, have you been relying a bit too much on our powers lately?" Martha asked, sounding more like she was scolding Hoshino than anything else.
"Huh? Really?" Feeling a bit guilty after being scolded, Hoshino scratched her face and looked away.
"Of course! Why do you think Da Vinci turned our powers into cards in the first place?" Martha pressed, bringing her refined face closer to Hoshino.
"Wh-why?" Hoshino asked, avoiding Martha's stern gaze by looking up.
"Because forcibly using powers not native to this world would have terrifying consequences!"
"H-how terrifying?"
"Let's just say..." Martha slid two fingers out from her gauntlet and made a slicing motion across her throat with a menacing glare in her eyes. "Very terrifying!"
"!!!" Terrified by Martha's menacing aura, both Akasha and Mokuba instinctively bit their lips and stepped back.
"Boss, you're scaring the kids!"
"I told you not to call me Boss!"
"Please, just help me this one last time! We're only one door away from the final boss. I'm begging you, O Saint Martha, help us open this door!"
Hands clasped together in prayer, Hoshino closed her eyes and earnestly pleaded, "If the Lord were here, He would certainly lend a hand to helpless children like us!"
"Ah! Fine. Since you asked like that, Master, I have no choice but to oblige," Martha sighed softly, though a hint of fondness crept into her eyes.
"Alright, everyone, step back a bit. Don't get caught in the crossfire!" Martha said, turning her attention back to the door, cracking her knuckles in anticipation.
"Hoshino, how's Martha going to open the door?" Mokuba asked, confused, as he glanced at Martha's delicate arms. "It's no use trying brute force. This is the highest grade of bulletproof door. Not even a fist could break it!"
"Just watch and have faith," Hoshino said, completely confident in Martha.
"I don't really get what you mean by the highest grade of bulletproof, Mokuba, but at most, it's probably resistant to missiles, right? Maybe even artillery shells," Hoshino said casually.
"M-missiles?" Mokuba stammered. The door definitely couldn't withstand missiles, but from Hoshino's tone, it was as if even that wasn't a big deal.
"Watch carefully! Behold, the pinnacle of Martha-style martial arts, a divine miracle from the Bible! It could even part the Red Sea, so what's a mere iron door to—"
"ORA!!"
Before Hoshino could finish speaking, Martha let out a loud yell, driving her iron fist into the wall beside the door, then slamming it into the door itself.
"Iron Fist!"
The door flew off its hinges, smashing heavily into the corner of the wall. To avoid injuring anyone inside, Martha had chosen a side angle for her punch, calculating the trajectory to perfection.
"A mere iron door... is no match at all," Hoshino finally finished her sentence, swallowing hard as she stared at the thick, heavy door lying in the corner. Even though she had been prepared, seeing the door fly off like that still made her gulp in awe.
"Wow! Big Sis! Big Sis! Martha is amazing! (✧◡✧)!" Akasha shouted excitedly, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Akasha, if you keep talking like that, you'll end up like the door...
(***)
"Tenma Yako, after doing all this, do you think you're worthy of Pegasus' Industrial Illusions?"
"Heh, you really don't understand anything, Kaiba."
Turning his head and glancing disdainfully at Kaiba, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Yako's eyes were filled with unprecedented determination.
"The Industrial Illusions without Lord Pegasus is meaningless. It's not a company that just makes Duel Monsters cards; it exists to serve Lord Pegasus."
"Hmph, how boring." Kaiba snorted coldly, utterly unable to agree with such a twisted corporate philosophy.
"Once I defeat Chiyuki Hoshino, I will undoubtedly be able to summon Lord Pegasus' soul back."
"There's no value in such illogical methods."
"This isn't some illogical method, Kaiba. This is the power of science that you so revere!"
Yako spread his arms, admiring the high-tech equipment that filled the control room.
"As expected of a world-class technology giant. Using such advanced data processing equipment merely to materialize Duel Monsters is a huge waste. This system is capable of measuring and processing human souls!"
Boom—!
Just as Yako was engrossed in admiring the control room, a sudden loud bang echoed through the room.
The thick, heavily fortified door, which was embedded deeply into the wall, flew off as if hit by a cannonball.
"!!!" Kaiba, who had remained calm until now, widened his eyes in shock. He was well aware of how sturdy the door to the control room was. For it to be blown off without warning was something only possible if a tank had been driven through it.
"Big Brother, we're here to rescue you!"
With the door no longer obstructing their view, Mokuba immediately spotted Kaiba standing against the wall and shouted in excitement.
"Mokuba?! How did you..."
"Tenma Yako, did you really think that hiding in the control room would stop me? You've underestimated me way too much!"
Pointing forcefully at the white-haired man in front of her, Hoshino recognized Yako instantly. Apart from the lack of a polite demeanor, Yako's appearance was identical to Gekko's, making it easy for her to identify him.
"The Hero of justice, Akasha, is here to punish you!" Akasha struck a mysterious pose. When did she become a Hero of justice?
"Hahaha, I never expected you to break in like this. Chiyuki Hoshino, you're truly a person full of surprises!" Yako laughed heartily, having snapped back to his senses.
"How did you guys manage to blow off the door...?"
"Big Brother, it's because the defense systems' data were altered by the Industrial Illusions!" Mokuba replied honestly, with a hint of frustration toward Yako.
"No, what I mean is..." Kaiba started, but was interrupted again.
"Don't worry, Kaiba. I know you're shocked, but this is all thanks to the prowess of yours truly, Hoshino Chiyuki!" Hoshino waved dismissively, her expression radiating confidence, as if this was all just routine for her.
"No, what I'm trying to say—" Kaiba gritted his teeth, his eyebrows furrowing in exasperation as he continuously got interrupted.
"—Don't you people understand the most basic thing, like knocking on the door?!"
"..." The three outside were stunned into silence.
"If you knew there were people in the room, shouldn't a normal person's first reaction be to knock and ask? Why would you choose to blow off the door instead? It's completely illogical!" Kaiba's voice was full of disbelief.
"Oh no, we're doomed. What if he asks for compensation..." Hoshino, who also realized Kaiba's point made perfect sense, grew nervous, quietly calculating in her mind. "If Kaiba seriously holds me accountable, that door looks so high-end... Even selling myself wouldn't cover the cost."
"Well, the way you entered was a bit special, but it's not a big deal."
Surprisingly, the one who stepped in to smooth things over was none other than the final boss, Tenma Yako.
"After all, after today, Kaiba Corporation won't have any value left."
Okay, maybe he wasn't exactly smoothing things over—more like pouring fuel on the fire.
"Tenma Yako!" Afraid that the conversation would circle back to compensation, Hoshino swiftly changed the topic.
"I, the honorable Duel King Hoshino Chiyuki, will never allow your malicious actions to go unchallenged! For the sake of 'Kaiba Corporation,' I will defeat you right here, right now!"
Yes, for the sake of Kaiba Corporation. Hoshino made sure to emphasize that phrase, hoping Kaiba wouldn't miss it. Since she had come for the safety of Kaiba Corporation, even if she had destroyed a very expensive-looking door, surely Kaiba wouldn't be petty enough to hold her responsible.
"Hahaha, to defeat me? You really dare to say that. Do you think just because you've tamed an Evil God card, you have the power to defeat me?" Yako's laugh grew more unrestrained.
"I know you once defeated an Egyptian God and even beat the Evil Gods..."
"It was a draw!" Kaiba interrupted, not forgetting to correct the record.
"But I hope you understand, the gods you've faced before aren't in the same league as the ones I'm talking about!"
"Oh? Is that so..." Catching a key piece of information, Hoshino shot a meaningful look at Kaiba.
"It seems that our invincible Kaiba Corp president was too careless and suffered a loss, huh~"
Kaiba, remaining silent, more or less confirmed Hoshino's assumption.
"Even Big Brother lost?" Though Mokuba had mentally prepared himself for this, it still felt unsettling when the truth was revealed.
So that duel on the rooftop between Obelisk the Tormentor and Black Obelisk must have ended with Black Obelisk's victory.
"He might be hiding some truly terrifying power." Hoshino turned her gaze back to Yako, whose appearance was identical to Gekko's, yet gave off a completely different vibe.
"Now that all the players are here, shall we begin~?" Turning his back to them, Yako waved his hand at the group. "Come up to the rooftop. This cramped control room isn't exactly the best place for a duel, is it?"
"Hoshino-nee, should we follow him? That white-haired mister, even though he looks just like the one we met before, feels much scarier."
"We've come this far; there's no reason to back down now." Hoshino was now certain that the person who had manipulated the dark duel behind Duke Devlin was indeed Tenma Yako.
"Even without a Millennium Item, he can still initiate a Shadow Duel... Is he even human?"
(*****)
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