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# Chapter 407: Alright, This Time Our Opponent is Playing Electronic Flow
The first day of the KC Cup passed just like that. According to Mokuba, Kaiba made the television broadcast of the KC Cup free on the first day; any television station, media outlet, or video platform could broadcast it if they wished.
However, starting from the second day, Kaiba would begin charging, and it was a rather unreasonable price gouge, with the broadcast fee determined by the previous day's viewership ratings.
The result was a huge sum of money sold to the boss, but Hayato estimated that the television stations that paid wouldn't lose money. After all, these capitalists were very shrewd, and the money lost would quickly be earned back through the broadcast.
Mokuba, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. After all, as a participant in the KC Cup himself this time, he had dumped everything onto Kaiba, even though he had already been eliminated. He thought that he should let Kaiba know just how many things needed to be handled when organizing an event.
It was unclear if it was because there were too many things to handle or for some other reason, but when Hayato saw Kaiba early in the morning, his face didn't look very good. It was the same even after receiving the broadcast fees, making one wonder if he was experiencing early menopause.
Standing on the stage and looking around, Kaiba, who also had a duel today and needed to protect his voice, uncharacteristically chose not to show off in a helicopter but instead stood "down-to-earth" on the duel platform in the center of the Kaiba Dome.
Noticing the subtle gaze cast from Hayato's direction, Kaiba snorted coldly and announced, "Today is the second day of the KC Cup official match. In yesterday's sixteen matches, thirty-two duelists have completed their debut on this stage."
"Then today, the remaining thirty-two duelists will continue to complete their respective duels, including myself, Seto Kaiba, and the renowned duelist Yugi Mutou, as well as," Kaiba glared at Hayato, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "certain duelists who are 'not well-known' but possess considerable strength."
"So, let them now offer a spectacular Duel Monsters performance. Today's victors will join yesterday's Top 32 to engage in an ultimate battle royal tomorrow."
"Look forward to it!"
After saying this, Kaiba's gaze remained fixed on Hayato, giving Hayato a sudden bad feeling.
However, Hayato didn't pay too much attention.
Although Kaiba also had a duel today, he wasn't in the same group as Hayato. Even if he wanted to pull something, he would have to wait until the Top 4 semifinals, not now.
But Hayato clearly underestimated Kaiba's vengeful mindset and the annoyance in Kaiba's heart.
Yesterday, Kaiba sent Iso to apprehend the hacker who had audaciously invaded KaibaCorp. As a result, an accident occurred halfway, and Iso and the security personnel in the same vehicle were sent directly to the hospital as a group. Although they had recovered, Kaiba sternly demanded that they continue recuperating in the hospital, "to avoid damaging KaibaCorp's reputation by dragging their bodies around."
It was also because of this that Kaiba took over the task that originally belonged to Iso, becoming the host for the opening. Of course, there were still referees during the duel process, so Kaiba didn't need to be responsible for that.
What truly made Kaiba annoyed was the person he encountered after arriving at the scene of Iso's accident yesterday. Suspecting that the man held the truth behind Iso's accident, Kaiba engaged in an intense duel with the man who called himself "Rafael".
He had thought it would be easy to deal with such a rat hiding his identity with an obvious pseudonym, but Kaiba discovered during the duel that the man named Rafael possessed extremely strong dueling strength. Not only could he block Kaiba's surging offensive, but he could also repeatedly make brilliant and powerful counterattacks.
On the surface, such an opponent should satisfy Kaiba's dueling addiction?
Not at all. Because Kaiba discovered that the man named Rafael repeatedly held back during the duel. He could have turned the duel situation around and achieved victory, but time and again, he chose not to attack because he wanted to keep his monsters on the field from being destroyed.
How could someone give up an easily obtainable victory just because they didn't want their monsters to be sent to the Graveyard? Having dueled with Hayato many times, Kaiba's mindset had accepted that "sacrificing old friends for victory" was a perfectly normal thing, so he was exceptionally annoyed by Rafael's actions, believing that he was looking down on him.
Annoyed as he was, what made Kaiba annoyed was that even while repeatedly holding back, the man named Rafael could still block the **Blue-Eyes White Dragon**'s offensive time and again and even achieve a turnaround victory, even when Kaiba successively brought out **Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon**, **Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon**, and that hidden card in their duel.
In the end, it seemed Rafael had achieved his goal of stalling for time and testing his abilities, directly choosing to stop the duel and leave. He even left behind a "magic circle" that trapped Kaiba, who was extremely annoyed by such superstitious things compared to his belief in science. It only dissipated after a long time, with the arrival of the ambulance.
After returning to KaibaCorp, Kaiba launched an investigation into the man who called himself "Rafael". Using the data comparison and analysis collected within Kaiba's specially made Duel Disk, Kaiba discovered that the man named "Rafael" was very likely a legendary figure known as "the Guardians" within the American Duel Monsters professional duelist circle.
The reason he was called a legend was that "the Guardians" never showed up in public occasions and didn't participate in any matches. However, many people in the American duelist circle had dueled him and suffered defeat, and no one had ever defeated him, earning "the Guardians" the title of "Uncrowned King".
To gain recognition from American duelists, even becoming the US Champion like the former "Thief" Keith or the current Rebecca was useless. Only by defeating "the Guardians" could one truly be considered the strongest in America.
When KaibaCorp was hosting the KC Cup, considering the rumors of "the Guardians", they naturally extended an invitation to him. However, it was like a mud ox entering the sea, with no reply whatsoever. Kaiba never expected to meet this "Guardian" under such circumstances, and furthermore, he had entered the KC Cup using the name "Rafael".
Despite being invited before and not coming, he participated while concealing his name. Kaiba determined that there must be some secret hidden behind him, so he conveniently found the participant list from when Rafael registered.
With a look and a check, Kaiba was amused.
A single registration form could register six duelists. On the registration form where Rafael was listed, the names of five people could not be found in the data reports obtained from KaibaCorp. These were "Rafael", "Valon", "Amelda", "Zigfried von Schroeder", and the pseudonym "Dan Kuroto" used by Hayato.
Except for the name "Samejima Iemitsu", who had a confirmed entry record and whom Kaiba had heard of, the other five people were most likely using pseudonyms. Kaiba was truly amused.
Alright, besides "Dan Kuroto", all the other four people would be placed under key surveillance.
After issuing such a command to the security department, who were furious about the boss being attacked, Kaiba also "conveniently" made "casual" adjustments to the duel schedule for the second day of the KC Cup.
The duels of "Rafael", "Valon", and "Amelda" had already taken place yesterday. It was impossible for Kaiba to arrange an extra match for them today. However, "Zigfried von Schroeder"'s duel had not yet occurred, and he just so happened to be in the same group as Yugi Mutou. So, Kaiba planned to have Yugi Mutou probe that guy for him.
This way, only "Samejima Iemitsu" and "Dan Kuroto" were left on the list. And look how coincidental, the two of them were also in the same group. And so—
"Yesterday's opening duel was Joey Wheeler, and today it's me? I don't believe Kaiba didn't pull some strings," Hayato muttered to himself as he walked out of the player preparation room and ascended the duel platform.
Although Yugi and the others knew his identity, Hayato was actually still using the ability of the **Millennium Rod**. This meant that only Mokuba, Joey Wheeler, and others who were whitelisted by Hayato could recognize him. Other audience members, no matter how they looked, would not associate "Dan Kuroto" with Hayato.
Therefore, Hayato naturally chose to continue embodying his "Game Administrator" persona.
Samejima's movements were a bit slower. He only walked up the steps from the opposite side after Hayato had ascended the stage, holding the deck that the referee had finished shuffling. His expression was slightly hesitant as he looked at Hayato.
"My name is Dan Kuroto. Unfortunately, your KC Cup journey will end at my hands." Hayato placed his deck into the slot of his Duel Disk. As the Duel Disk began to transform and deploy with a 'clack-clack' sound, a healthy smile appeared on Hayato's face. "So, enjoy this game I'm providing."
Hearing "Dan Kuroto"'s words, Samejima merely smiled. "I'm sorry, but although the philosophy of 'Electronic Flow' is to respect your opponent, I don't want to leave the KC Cup just yet."
He activated his Duel Disk by placing his deck into it. "My name is Samejima Iemitsu, Electronic Flow Menkyo Kaiden, and the current master."
"I heard before that you also use an Electronic Flow Deck. Although I don't know the origin of your **Cyber Dragon**, I believe that a Duel of Hearts will provide the answer. Therefore, I will use my full power in this duel."
"Please indulge me!"
The smile on Hayato's face became even brighter. "Electronic Flow versus Electronic Flow, huh? Then, as you wish. The theme of this game will be decided as Ultimate Electronic Flow."
"Then..."
"Duel!" x2
[Dan Kuroto: 4000LP]
[Samejima: 4000LP]
"I'll take the first turn, drawing cards!" Samejima seized the first turn and drew a card from his deck.
After looking at his hand, Samejima declared, "I activate Spell Card, **Time Capsule**! I banish one card from my deck, and add it to my hand during my second Standby Phase after activation."
"Then, I activate Spell Card **Graceful Charity**! I draw three cards from my deck, then select two cards from my hand to discard."
After playing two cards from his hand in succession, Samejima didn't disappoint Hayato and performed the operation he expected: "I summon one monster in Set Defense Position! I set all four cards in my hand! End Turn."
The esteemed Electronic Flow seizing the first turn for a T-Set (strategy), that's just like you, Samejima!
*Author's Note: I still can't believe the Infinite Pool ended. I only farmed fifty pools this year before it was gone.*
(End of this chapter)
# Chapter 407: Alright, This Time Our Opponent is Playing Electronic Flow
The first day of the KC Cup passed just like that. According to Mokuba, Kaiba made the television broadcast of the KC Cup free on the first day; any television station, media outlet, or video platform could broadcast it if they wished.
However, starting from the second day, Kaiba would begin charging, and it was a rather unreasonable price gouge, with the broadcast fee determined by the previous day's viewership ratings.
The result was a huge sum of money sold to the boss, but Hayato estimated that the television stations that paid wouldn't lose money. After all, these capitalists were very shrewd, and the money lost would quickly be earned back through the broadcast.
Mokuba, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. After all, as a participant in the KC Cup himself this time, he had dumped everything onto Kaiba, even though he had already been eliminated. He thought that he should let Kaiba know just how many things needed to be handled when organizing an event.
It was unclear if it was because there were too many things to handle or for some other reason, but when Hayato saw Kaiba early in the morning, his face didn't look very good. It was the same even after receiving the broadcast fees, making one wonder if he was experiencing early menopause.
Standing on the stage and looking around, Kaiba, who also had a duel today and needed to protect his voice, uncharacteristically chose not to show off in a helicopter but instead stood "down-to-earth" on the duel platform in the center of the Kaiba Dome.
Noticing the subtle gaze cast from Hayato's direction, Kaiba snorted coldly and announced, "Today is the second day of the KC Cup official match. In yesterday's sixteen matches, thirty-two duelists have completed their debut on this stage."
"Then today, the remaining thirty-two duelists will continue to complete their respective duels, including myself, Seto Kaiba, and the renowned duelist Yugi Mutou, as well as," Kaiba glared at Hayato, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "certain duelists who are 'not well-known' but possess considerable strength."
"So, let them now offer a spectacular Duel Monsters performance. Today's victors will join yesterday's Top 32 to engage in an ultimate battle royal tomorrow."
"Look forward to it!"
After saying this, Kaiba's gaze remained fixed on Hayato, giving Hayato a sudden bad feeling.
However, Hayato didn't pay too much attention.
Although Kaiba also had a duel today, he wasn't in the same group as Hayato. Even if he wanted to pull something, he would have to wait until the Top 4 semifinals, not now.
But Hayato clearly underestimated Kaiba's vengeful mindset and the annoyance in Kaiba's heart.
Yesterday, Kaiba sent Iso to apprehend the hacker who had audaciously invaded KaibaCorp. As a result, an accident occurred halfway, and Iso and the security personnel in the same vehicle were sent directly to the hospital as a group. Although they had recovered, Kaiba sternly demanded that they continue recuperating in the hospital, "to avoid damaging KaibaCorp's reputation by dragging their bodies around."
It was also because of this that Kaiba took over the task that originally belonged to Iso, becoming the host for the opening. Of course, there were still referees during the duel process, so Kaiba didn't need to be responsible for that.
What truly made Kaiba annoyed was the person he encountered after arriving at the scene of Iso's accident yesterday. Suspecting that the man held the truth behind Iso's accident, Kaiba engaged in an intense duel with the man who called himself "Rafael".
He had thought it would be easy to deal with such a rat hiding his identity with an obvious pseudonym, but Kaiba discovered during the duel that the man named Rafael possessed extremely strong dueling strength. Not only could he block Kaiba's surging offensive, but he could also repeatedly make brilliant and powerful counterattacks.
On the surface, such an opponent should satisfy Kaiba's dueling addiction?
Not at all. Because Kaiba discovered that the man named Rafael repeatedly held back during the duel. He could have turned the duel situation around and achieved victory, but time and again, he chose not to attack because he wanted to keep his monsters on the field from being destroyed.
How could someone give up an easily obtainable victory just because they didn't want their monsters to be sent to the Graveyard? Having dueled with Hayato many times, Kaiba's mindset had accepted that "sacrificing old friends for victory" was a perfectly normal thing, so he was exceptionally annoyed by Rafael's actions, believing that he was looking down on him.
Annoyed as he was, what made Kaiba annoyed was that even while repeatedly holding back, the man named Rafael could still block the **Blue-Eyes White Dragon**'s offensive time and again and even achieve a turnaround victory, even when Kaiba successively brought out **Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon**, **Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon**, and that hidden card in their duel.
In the end, it seemed Rafael had achieved his goal of stalling for time and testing his abilities, directly choosing to stop the duel and leave. He even left behind a "magic circle" that trapped Kaiba, who was extremely annoyed by such superstitious things compared to his belief in science. It only dissipated after a long time, with the arrival of the ambulance.
After returning to KaibaCorp, Kaiba launched an investigation into the man who called himself "Rafael". Using the data comparison and analysis collected within Kaiba's specially made Duel Disk, Kaiba discovered that the man named "Rafael" was very likely a legendary figure known as "the Guardians" within the American Duel Monsters professional duelist circle.
The reason he was called a legend was that "the Guardians" never showed up in public occasions and didn't participate in any matches. However, many people in the American duelist circle had dueled him and suffered defeat, and no one had ever defeated him, earning "the Guardians" the title of "Uncrowned King".
To gain recognition from American duelists, even becoming the US Champion like the former "Thief" Keith or the current Rebecca was useless. Only by defeating "the Guardians" could one truly be considered the strongest in America.
When KaibaCorp was hosting the KC Cup, considering the rumors of "the Guardians", they naturally extended an invitation to him. However, it was like a mud ox entering the sea, with no reply whatsoever. Kaiba never expected to meet this "Guardian" under such circumstances, and furthermore, he had entered the KC Cup using the name "Rafael".
Despite being invited before and not coming, he participated while concealing his name. Kaiba determined that there must be some secret hidden behind him, so he conveniently found the participant list from when Rafael registered.
With a look and a check, Kaiba was amused.
A single registration form could register six duelists. On the registration form where Rafael was listed, the names of five people could not be found in the data reports obtained from KaibaCorp. These were "Rafael", "Valon", "Amelda", "Zigfried von Schroeder", and the pseudonym "Dan Kuroto" used by Hayato.
Except for the name "Samejima Iemitsu", who had a confirmed entry record and whom Kaiba had heard of, the other five people were most likely using pseudonyms. Kaiba was truly amused.
Alright, besides "Dan Kuroto", all the other four people would be placed under key surveillance.
After issuing such a command to the security department, who were furious about the boss being attacked, Kaiba also "conveniently" made "casual" adjustments to the duel schedule for the second day of the KC Cup.
The duels of "Rafael", "Valon", and "Amelda" had already taken place yesterday. It was impossible for Kaiba to arrange an extra match for them today. However, "Zigfried von Schroeder"'s duel had not yet occurred, and he just so happened to be in the same group as Yugi Mutou. So, Kaiba planned to have Yugi Mutou probe that guy for him.
This way, only "Samejima Iemitsu" and "Dan Kuroto" were left on the list. And look how coincidental, the two of them were also in the same group. And so—
"Yesterday's opening duel was Joey Wheeler, and today it's me? I don't believe Kaiba didn't pull some strings," Hayato muttered to himself as he walked out of the player preparation room and ascended the duel platform.
Although Yugi and the others knew his identity, Hayato was actually still using the ability of the **Millennium Rod**. This meant that only Mokuba, Joey Wheeler, and others who were whitelisted by Hayato could recognize him. Other audience members, no matter how they looked, would not associate "Dan Kuroto" with Hayato.
Therefore, Hayato naturally chose to continue embodying his "Game Administrator" persona.
Samejima's movements were a bit slower. He only walked up the steps from the opposite side after Hayato had ascended the stage, holding the deck that the referee had finished shuffling. His expression was slightly hesitant as he looked at Hayato.
"My name is Dan Kuroto. Unfortunately, your KC Cup journey will end at my hands." Hayato placed his deck into the slot of his Duel Disk. As the Duel Disk began to transform and deploy with a 'clack-clack' sound, a healthy smile appeared on Hayato's face. "So, enjoy this game I'm providing."
Hearing "Dan Kuroto"'s words, Samejima merely smiled. "I'm sorry, but although the philosophy of 'Electronic Flow' is to respect your opponent, I don't want to leave the KC Cup just yet."
He activated his Duel Disk by placing his deck into it. "My name is Samejima Iemitsu, Electronic Flow Menkyo Kaiden, and the current master."
"I heard before that you also use an Electronic Flow Deck. Although I don't know the origin of your **Cyber Dragon**, I believe that a Duel of Hearts will provide the answer. Therefore, I will use my full power in this duel."
"Please indulge me!"
The smile on Hayato's face became even brighter. "Electronic Flow versus Electronic Flow, huh? Then, as you wish. The theme of this game will be decided as Ultimate Electronic Flow."
"Then..."
"Duel!" x2
[Dan Kuroto: 4000LP]
[Samejima: 4000LP]
"I'll take the first turn, drawing cards!" Samejima seized the first turn and drew a card from his deck.
After looking at his hand, Samejima declared, "I activate Spell Card, **Time Capsule**! I banish one card from my deck, and add it to my hand during my second Standby Phase after activation."
"Then, I activate Spell Card **Graceful Charity**! I draw three cards from my deck, then select two cards from my hand to discard."
After playing two cards from his hand in succession, Samejima didn't disappoint Hayato and performed the operation he expected: "I summon one monster in Set Defense Position! I set all four cards in my hand! End Turn."
The esteemed Electronic Flow seizing the first turn for a T-Set (strategy), that's just like you, Samejima!
*Author's Note: I still can't believe the Infinite Pool ended. I only farmed fifty pools this year before it was gone.*
(End of this chapter)
The first day of the KC Cup passed just like that. According to Mokuba, Kaiba made the television broadcast of the KC Cup free on the first day; any television station, media outlet, or video platform could broadcast it if they wished.
However, starting from the second day, Kaiba would begin charging, and it was a rather unreasonable price gouge, with the broadcast fee determined by the previous day's viewership ratings.
The result was a huge sum of money sold to the boss, but Hayato estimated that the television stations that paid wouldn't lose money. After all, these capitalists were very shrewd, and the money lost would quickly be earned back through the broadcast.
Mokuba, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. After all, as a participant in the KC Cup himself this time, he had dumped everything onto Kaiba, even though he had already been eliminated. He thought that he should let Kaiba know just how many things needed to be handled when organizing an event.
It was unclear if it was because there were too many things to handle or for some other reason, but when Hayato saw Kaiba early in the morning, his face didn't look very good. It was the same even after receiving the broadcast fees, making one wonder if he was experiencing early menopause.
Standing on the stage and looking around, Kaiba, who also had a duel today and needed to protect his voice, uncharacteristically chose not to show off in a helicopter but instead stood "down-to-earth" on the duel platform in the center of the Kaiba Dome.
Noticing the subtle gaze cast from Hayato's direction, Kaiba snorted coldly and announced, "Today is the second day of the KC Cup official match. In yesterday's sixteen matches, thirty-two duelists have completed their debut on this stage."
"Then today, the remaining thirty-two duelists will continue to complete their respective duels, including myself, Seto Kaiba, and the renowned duelist Yugi Mutou, as well as," Kaiba glared at Hayato, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "certain duelists who are 'not well-known' but possess considerable strength."
"So, let them now offer a spectacular Duel Monsters performance. Today's victors will join yesterday's Top 32 to engage in an ultimate battle royal tomorrow."
"Look forward to it!"
After saying this, Kaiba's gaze remained fixed on Hayato, giving Hayato a sudden bad feeling.
However, Hayato didn't pay too much attention.
Although Kaiba also had a duel today, he wasn't in the same group as Hayato. Even if he wanted to pull something, he would have to wait until the Top 4 semifinals, not now.
But Hayato clearly underestimated Kaiba's vengeful mindset and the annoyance in Kaiba's heart.
Yesterday, Kaiba sent Iso to apprehend the hacker who had audaciously invaded KaibaCorp. As a result, an accident occurred halfway, and Iso and the security personnel in the same vehicle were sent directly to the hospital as a group. Although they had recovered, Kaiba sternly demanded that they continue recuperating in the hospital, "to avoid damaging KaibaCorp's reputation by dragging their bodies around."
It was also because of this that Kaiba took over the task that originally belonged to Iso, becoming the host for the opening. Of course, there were still referees during the duel process, so Kaiba didn't need to be responsible for that.
What truly made Kaiba annoyed was the person he encountered after arriving at the scene of Iso's accident yesterday. Suspecting that the man held the truth behind Iso's accident, Kaiba engaged in an intense duel with the man who called himself "Rafael".
He had thought it would be easy to deal with such a rat hiding his identity with an obvious pseudonym, but Kaiba discovered during the duel that the man named Rafael possessed extremely strong dueling strength. Not only could he block Kaiba's surging offensive, but he could also repeatedly make brilliant and powerful counterattacks.
On the surface, such an opponent should satisfy Kaiba's dueling addiction?
Not at all. Because Kaiba discovered that the man named Rafael repeatedly held back during the duel. He could have turned the duel situation around and achieved victory, but time and again, he chose not to attack because he wanted to keep his monsters on the field from being destroyed.
How could someone give up an easily obtainable victory just because they didn't want their monsters to be sent to the Graveyard? Having dueled with Hayato many times, Kaiba's mindset had accepted that "sacrificing old friends for victory" was a perfectly normal thing, so he was exceptionally annoyed by Rafael's actions, believing that he was looking down on him.
Annoyed as he was, what made Kaiba annoyed was that even while repeatedly holding back, the man named Rafael could still block the **Blue-Eyes White Dragon**'s offensive time and again and even achieve a turnaround victory, even when Kaiba successively brought out **Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon**, **Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon**, and that hidden card in their duel.
In the end, it seemed Rafael had achieved his goal of stalling for time and testing his abilities, directly choosing to stop the duel and leave. He even left behind a "magic circle" that trapped Kaiba, who was extremely annoyed by such superstitious things compared to his belief in science. It only dissipated after a long time, with the arrival of the ambulance.
After returning to KaibaCorp, Kaiba launched an investigation into the man who called himself "Rafael". Using the data comparison and analysis collected within Kaiba's specially made Duel Disk, Kaiba discovered that the man named "Rafael" was very likely a legendary figure known as "the Guardians" within the American Duel Monsters professional duelist circle.
The reason he was called a legend was that "the Guardians" never showed up in public occasions and didn't participate in any matches. However, many people in the American duelist circle had dueled him and suffered defeat, and no one had ever defeated him, earning "the Guardians" the title of "Uncrowned King".
To gain recognition from American duelists, even becoming the US Champion like the former "Thief" Keith or the current Rebecca was useless. Only by defeating "the Guardians" could one truly be considered the strongest in America.
When KaibaCorp was hosting the KC Cup, considering the rumors of "the Guardians", they naturally extended an invitation to him. However, it was like a mud ox entering the sea, with no reply whatsoever. Kaiba never expected to meet this "Guardian" under such circumstances, and furthermore, he had entered the KC Cup using the name "Rafael".
Despite being invited before and not coming, he participated while concealing his name. Kaiba determined that there must be some secret hidden behind him, so he conveniently found the participant list from when Rafael registered.
With a look and a check, Kaiba was amused.
A single registration form could register six duelists. On the registration form where Rafael was listed, the names of five people could not be found in the data reports obtained from KaibaCorp. These were "Rafael", "Valon", "Amelda", "Zigfried von Schroeder", and the pseudonym "Dan Kuroto" used by Hayato.
Except for the name "Samejima Iemitsu", who had a confirmed entry record and whom Kaiba had heard of, the other five people were most likely using pseudonyms. Kaiba was truly amused.
Alright, besides "Dan Kuroto", all the other four people would be placed under key surveillance.
After issuing such a command to the security department, who were furious about the boss being attacked, Kaiba also "conveniently" made "casual" adjustments to the duel schedule for the second day of the KC Cup.
The duels of "Rafael", "Valon", and "Amelda" had already taken place yesterday. It was impossible for Kaiba to arrange an extra match for them today. However, "Zigfried von Schroeder"'s duel had not yet occurred, and he just so happened to be in the same group as Yugi Mutou. So, Kaiba planned to have Yugi Mutou probe that guy for him.
This way, only "Samejima Iemitsu" and "Dan Kuroto" were left on the list. And look how coincidental, the two of them were also in the same group. And so—
"Yesterday's opening duel was Joey Wheeler, and today it's me? I don't believe Kaiba didn't pull some strings," Hayato muttered to himself as he walked out of the player preparation room and ascended the duel platform.
Although Yugi and the others knew his identity, Hayato was actually still using the ability of the **Millennium Rod**. This meant that only Mokuba, Joey Wheeler, and others who were whitelisted by Hayato could recognize him. Other audience members, no matter how they looked, would not associate "Dan Kuroto" with Hayato.
Therefore, Hayato naturally chose to continue embodying his "Game Administrator" persona.
Samejima's movements were a bit slower. He only walked up the steps from the opposite side after Hayato had ascended the stage, holding the deck that the referee had finished shuffling. His expression was slightly hesitant as he looked at Hayato.
"My name is Dan Kuroto. Unfortunately, your KC Cup journey will end at my hands." Hayato placed his deck into the slot of his Duel Disk. As the Duel Disk began to transform and deploy with a 'clack-clack' sound, a healthy smile appeared on Hayato's face. "So, enjoy this game I'm providing."
Hearing "Dan Kuroto"'s words, Samejima merely smiled. "I'm sorry, but although the philosophy of 'Electronic Flow' is to respect your opponent, I don't want to leave the KC Cup just yet."
He activated his Duel Disk by placing his deck into it. "My name is Samejima Iemitsu, Electronic Flow Menkyo Kaiden, and the current master."
"I heard before that you also use an Electronic Flow Deck. Although I don't know the origin of your **Cyber Dragon**, I believe that a Duel of Hearts will provide the answer. Therefore, I will use my full power in this duel."
"Please indulge me!"
The smile on Hayato's face became even brighter. "Electronic Flow versus Electronic Flow, huh? Then, as you wish. The theme of this game will be decided as Ultimate Electronic Flow."
"Then..."
"Duel!" x2
[Dan Kuroto: 4000LP]
[Samejima: 4000LP]
"I'll take the first turn, drawing cards!" Samejima seized the first turn and drew a card from his deck.
After looking at his hand, Samejima declared, "I activate Spell Card, **Time Capsule**! I banish one card from my deck, and add it to my hand during my second Standby Phase after activation."
"Then, I activate Spell Card **Graceful Charity**! I draw three cards from my deck, then select two cards from my hand to discard."
After playing two cards from his hand in succession, Samejima didn't disappoint Hayato and performed the operation he expected: "I summon one monster in Set Defense Position! I set all four cards in my hand! End Turn."
The esteemed Electronic Flow seizing the first turn for a T-Set (strategy), that's just like you, Samejima!
*Author's Note: I still can't believe the Infinite Pool ended. I only farmed fifty pools this year before it was gone.*
(End of this chapter)
# Chapter 407: Alright, This Time Our Opponent is Playing Electronic Flow
The first day of the KC Cup passed just like that. According to Mokuba, Kaiba made the television broadcast of the KC Cup free on the first day; any television station, media outlet, or video platform could broadcast it if they wished.
However, starting from the second day, Kaiba would begin charging, and it was a rather unreasonable price gouge, with the broadcast fee determined by the previous day's viewership ratings.
The result was a huge sum of money sold to the boss, but Hayato estimated that the television stations that paid wouldn't lose money. After all, these capitalists were very shrewd, and the money lost would quickly be earned back through the broadcast.
Mokuba, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. After all, as a participant in the KC Cup himself this time, he had dumped everything onto Kaiba, even though he had already been eliminated. He thought that he should let Kaiba know just how many things needed to be handled when organizing an event.
It was unclear if it was because there were too many things to handle or for some other reason, but when Hayato saw Kaiba early in the morning, his face didn't look very good. It was the same even after receiving the broadcast fees, making one wonder if he was experiencing early menopause.
Standing on the stage and looking around, Kaiba, who also had a duel today and needed to protect his voice, uncharacteristically chose not to show off in a helicopter but instead stood "down-to-earth" on the duel platform in the center of the Kaiba Dome.
Noticing the subtle gaze cast from Hayato's direction, Kaiba snorted coldly and announced, "Today is the second day of the KC Cup official match. In yesterday's sixteen matches, thirty-two duelists have completed their debut on this stage."
"Then today, the remaining thirty-two duelists will continue to complete their respective duels, including myself, Seto Kaiba, and the renowned duelist Yugi Mutou, as well as," Kaiba glared at Hayato, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "certain duelists who are 'not well-known' but possess considerable strength."
"So, let them now offer a spectacular Duel Monsters performance. Today's victors will join yesterday's Top 32 to engage in an ultimate battle royal tomorrow."
"Look forward to it!"
After saying this, Kaiba's gaze remained fixed on Hayato, giving Hayato a sudden bad feeling.
However, Hayato didn't pay too much attention.
Although Kaiba also had a duel today, he wasn't in the same group as Hayato. Even if he wanted to pull something, he would have to wait until the Top 4 semifinals, not now.
But Hayato clearly underestimated Kaiba's vengeful mindset and the annoyance in Kaiba's heart.
Yesterday, Kaiba sent Iso to apprehend the hacker who had audaciously invaded KaibaCorp. As a result, an accident occurred halfway, and Iso and the security personnel in the same vehicle were sent directly to the hospital as a group. Although they had recovered, Kaiba sternly demanded that they continue recuperating in the hospital, "to avoid damaging KaibaCorp's reputation by dragging their bodies around."
It was also because of this that Kaiba took over the task that originally belonged to Iso, becoming the host for the opening. Of course, there were still referees during the duel process, so Kaiba didn't need to be responsible for that.
What truly made Kaiba annoyed was the person he encountered after arriving at the scene of Iso's accident yesterday. Suspecting that the man held the truth behind Iso's accident, Kaiba engaged in an intense duel with the man who called himself "Rafael".
He had thought it would be easy to deal with such a rat hiding his identity with an obvious pseudonym, but Kaiba discovered during the duel that the man named Rafael possessed extremely strong dueling strength. Not only could he block Kaiba's surging offensive, but he could also repeatedly make brilliant and powerful counterattacks.
On the surface, such an opponent should satisfy Kaiba's dueling addiction?
Not at all. Because Kaiba discovered that the man named Rafael repeatedly held back during the duel. He could have turned the duel situation around and achieved victory, but time and again, he chose not to attack because he wanted to keep his monsters on the field from being destroyed.
How could someone give up an easily obtainable victory just because they didn't want their monsters to be sent to the Graveyard? Having dueled with Hayato many times, Kaiba's mindset had accepted that "sacrificing old friends for victory" was a perfectly normal thing, so he was exceptionally annoyed by Rafael's actions, believing that he was looking down on him.
Annoyed as he was, what made Kaiba annoyed was that even while repeatedly holding back, the man named Rafael could still block the **Blue-Eyes White Dragon**'s offensive time and again and even achieve a turnaround victory, even when Kaiba successively brought out **Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon**, **Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon**, and that hidden card in their duel.
In the end, it seemed Rafael had achieved his goal of stalling for time and testing his abilities, directly choosing to stop the duel and leave. He even left behind a "magic circle" that trapped Kaiba, who was extremely annoyed by such superstitious things compared to his belief in science. It only dissipated after a long time, with the arrival of the ambulance.
After returning to KaibaCorp, Kaiba launched an investigation into the man who called himself "Rafael". Using the data comparison and analysis collected within Kaiba's specially made Duel Disk, Kaiba discovered that the man named "Rafael" was very likely a legendary figure known as "the Guardians" within the American Duel Monsters professional duelist circle.
The reason he was called a legend was that "the Guardians" never showed up in public occasions and didn't participate in any matches. However, many people in the American duelist circle had dueled him and suffered defeat, and no one had ever defeated him, earning "the Guardians" the title of "Uncrowned King".
To gain recognition from American duelists, even becoming the US Champion like the former "Thief" Keith or the current Rebecca was useless. Only by defeating "the Guardians" could one truly be considered the strongest in America.
When KaibaCorp was hosting the KC Cup, considering the rumors of "the Guardians", they naturally extended an invitation to him. However, it was like a mud ox entering the sea, with no reply whatsoever. Kaiba never expected to meet this "Guardian" under such circumstances, and furthermore, he had entered the KC Cup using the name "Rafael".
Despite being invited before and not coming, he participated while concealing his name. Kaiba determined that there must be some secret hidden behind him, so he conveniently found the participant list from when Rafael registered.
With a look and a check, Kaiba was amused.
A single registration form could register six duelists. On the registration form where Rafael was listed, the names of five people could not be found in the data reports obtained from KaibaCorp. These were "Rafael", "Valon", "Amelda", "Zigfried von Schroeder", and the pseudonym "Dan Kuroto" used by Hayato.
Except for the name "Samejima Iemitsu", who had a confirmed entry record and whom Kaiba had heard of, the other five people were most likely using pseudonyms. Kaiba was truly amused.
Alright, besides "Dan Kuroto", all the other four people would be placed under key surveillance.
After issuing such a command to the security department, who were furious about the boss being attacked, Kaiba also "conveniently" made "casual" adjustments to the duel schedule for the second day of the KC Cup.
The duels of "Rafael", "Valon", and "Amelda" had already taken place yesterday. It was impossible for Kaiba to arrange an extra match for them today. However, "Zigfried von Schroeder"'s duel had not yet occurred, and he just so happened to be in the same group as Yugi Mutou. So, Kaiba planned to have Yugi Mutou probe that guy for him.
This way, only "Samejima Iemitsu" and "Dan Kuroto" were left on the list. And look how coincidental, the two of them were also in the same group. And so—
"Yesterday's opening duel was Joey Wheeler, and today it's me? I don't believe Kaiba didn't pull some strings," Hayato muttered to himself as he walked out of the player preparation room and ascended the duel platform.
Although Yugi and the others knew his identity, Hayato was actually still using the ability of the **Millennium Rod**. This meant that only Mokuba, Joey Wheeler, and others who were whitelisted by Hayato could recognize him. Other audience members, no matter how they looked, would not associate "Dan Kuroto" with Hayato.
Therefore, Hayato naturally chose to continue embodying his "Game Administrator" persona.
Samejima's movements were a bit slower. He only walked up the steps from the opposite side after Hayato had ascended the stage, holding the deck that the referee had finished shuffling. His expression was slightly hesitant as he looked at Hayato.
"My name is Dan Kuroto. Unfortunately, your KC Cup journey will end at my hands." Hayato placed his deck into the slot of his Duel Disk. As the Duel Disk began to transform and deploy with a 'clack-clack' sound, a healthy smile appeared on Hayato's face. "So, enjoy this game I'm providing."
Hearing "Dan Kuroto"'s words, Samejima merely smiled. "I'm sorry, but although the philosophy of 'Electronic Flow' is to respect your opponent, I don't want to leave the KC Cup just yet."
He activated his Duel Disk by placing his deck into it. "My name is Samejima Iemitsu, Electronic Flow Menkyo Kaiden, and the current master."
"I heard before that you also use an Electronic Flow Deck. Although I don't know the origin of your **Cyber Dragon**, I believe that a Duel of Hearts will provide the answer. Therefore, I will use my full power in this duel."
"Please indulge me!"
The smile on Hayato's face became even brighter. "Electronic Flow versus Electronic Flow, huh? Then, as you wish. The theme of this game will be decided as Ultimate Electronic Flow."
"Then..."
"Duel!" x2
[Dan Kuroto: 4000LP]
[Samejima: 4000LP]
"I'll take the first turn, drawing cards!" Samejima seized the first turn and drew a card from his deck.
After looking at his hand, Samejima declared, "I activate Spell Card, **Time Capsule**! I banish one card from my deck, and add it to my hand during my second Standby Phase after activation."
"Then, I activate Spell Card **Graceful Charity**! I draw three cards from my deck, then select two cards from my hand to discard."
After playing two cards from his hand in succession, Samejima didn't disappoint Hayato and performed the operation he expected: "I summon one monster in Set Defense Position! I set all four cards in my hand! End Turn."
The esteemed Electronic Flow seizing the first turn for a T-Set (strategy), that's just like you, Samejima!
*Author's Note: I still can't believe the Infinite Pool ended. I only farmed fifty pools this year before it was gone.*
(End of this chapter)
