(Translator: I have exams and can't continue to upload five chapters every day, but I also don't want to leave and come after the last exam, so I decided to publish all five chapters at once since it will take me significantly less time.)
# Duel of Creation
"Duel!"
Because Noah had already drawn five cards, Hayato drew five cards in one go and then drew a sixth card, seizing the first turn.
"The first turn is mine, draw!"
Although he said it with great spirit, Hayato found himself somewhat helpless as his hand consisted entirely of Monster Cards. Rainbow Kuriboh, Treeborn Frog, Malice Doll of Demise, etc., not even a single monster with significant battle capability.
Of all times, he had a bad hand now.
Helplessly, Hayato Set Malice Doll of Demise, planning to use her effect that ends the Battle Phase when she is destroyed by battle to survive a turn: "Summon a monster in face-down Defense Position, then End my turn."
Having seized the right to go first but not even preparing a single Set card in the backrow, and facing Noah, who had a pile of his own printed fake cards, Hayato felt a slight premonition of something bad.
As Hayato's turn ended, almost simultaneously, the environment around them underwent a drastic change with a snap of Noah's fingers. Except for the patch of land beneath Hayato, Noah, and the observing Kaiba, all other ground was instantly swallowed by scorching lava.
It was as if the world had been destroyed in an instant!
"My turn, draw." The instigator of it all, Noah, calmly and slowly announced his draw. "Well then, Kobayashi Hayato, since you chose to use Seto's ace monster, I'll treat this Duel as a simulation of my Duel with Seto."
"Watch with wide eyes, Seto, and see how Kobayashi Hayato, using your Blue-Eyes, is defeated by my Duel of Creation, which symbolizes the creation of heaven and earth!"
"I Activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity! I draw three cards from my Deck, then send to the Graveyard the LIGHT Attribute Asura Priest and the DARK Attribute Great Tengu." As he spoke, Noah displayed the cards he was about to send to the Graveyard like a beginner at Duel Monsters.
At this, Kaiba scoffed with disdain: "Hmph, he even announced the cards he's sending to the Graveyard. If this is all you've got, you rat who impersonates others, you're twenty thousand years too early to defeat me."
"No, Seto, you've got one thing wrong." When Hayato heard Noah mention the monster Attributes were LIGHT and DARK, he understood exactly what Noah intended to do. "In Duel Monsters, there's a special kind of monster that requires the combination of two conflicting Attributes to Summon. You're trying to Summon that monster, aren't you, Noah!"
"Heh heh, it seems you're much more capable than Seto, Kobayashi Hayato." Noah wasn't surprised that his intention was seen through; after all, he had practically laid the puzzle bare. "One soul guides the darkness, one soul guides the LIGHT. I Banish one LIGHT Attribute and one DARK Attribute monster from my Graveyard!"
"Symbol of ultimate power, invincible emperor, descend now!" Noah tapped one of the several cards floating before him. As the card flipped, a powerful monster with a Level as high as Level 8 revealed its true form.
"Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End?" Kaiba frowned, starting to consider how he would clear the field if he were facing Noah who had Summoned Chaos Emperor Dragon on the first turn. He was very familiar with Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End's card effect. If you asked why, it's because he actually had this card too.
Not just Kaiba, even in Grandpa Solomon's Turtle Game Shop, Chaos Emperor Dragon existed and was even displayed for sale in the display window. However, although its rarity couldn't compare to the now only three remaining Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Chaos Emperor Dragon wasn't a common card either. Its price was steep, enough to make even Hayato and Tristan, who weren't exactly short on pocket money, hesitate.
From Noah's Graveyard, the souls of the two monsters sent to the Graveyard by Graceful Charity appeared. After combining in mid-air, accompanied by a majestic dragon roar, a giant dragon with a slender, pale blue body descended onto Noah's field.
Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End [Level 8/DARK]
[Dragon-Type/Special Summon/Effect]
[3000/ATK/2500/DEF]
On the surface, Chaos Emperor Dragon had the same standard male lead's ace monster stats of 3000/ATK/2500/DEF as Blue-Eyes White Dragon. But Hayato knew that Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect was even more terrifying than its ATK, and it even dominated the physical card environment alongside another Yatagarasu, earning the title of the "most terrifying monster combination."
Chaos Emperor Dragon had a field-clearing effect that paid Life Points to send all cards in both players' hand and field to the Graveyard. Then, by using Yatagarasu, which seals the opponent's drawing after inflicting damage with an attack, the opponent's hand could be kept empty. In an environment where hand traps and grave traps weren't abundant enough, this "Emperor Dragon Yatagarasu" combo was rampant for a long time until Chaos Emperor Dragon was Forbidden nearly 500 days after its debut.
Also Forbidden alongside it were Witch of the Black Forest and Sangan, which were used in this combo to Special Summon Yatagarasu from the Deck using their effects after being sent to the Graveyard. The record for the fastest Forbidden status for Chaos Emperor Dragon lasted for 5 years until it was broken by Dark Strike Fighter, which was applicable in gimmick OTK Decks.
"Looking at you, it seems you all know Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect? Even so, let me explain it again." Noah's tone was quite confident. "Although it can only be Special Summoned by its own effect, in exchange for the Summoning Conditions restriction, Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End possesses an ability extremely befitting of me, who is a god!"
"By paying 1000 of my Life Points, I send all cards in both players' hand and field to the Graveyard! Then, for each card sent to the Graveyard, you take 300 damage!"
Hayato looked at Noah's hand. Noah had five cards in his hand, plus Chaos Emperor Dragon on his field, totaling six. Then, adding the five cards in Hayato's hand and the monster in face-down Defense Position on his field, the total number is 12 cards!
"Bring the end to the sinful souls standing before me, Chaos Emperor Dragon, Chaos End!" Noah paid his Life Points without hesitation. As Noah's Life Points decreased, Chaos Emperor Dragon on his field unleashed its full power, transforming into a black hole that seemed capable of devouring everything!
[Noah: 4000 → 3000 LP]
The moment the black hole appeared on the field, all the cards on Hayato's field and in his hand, as well as Noah's hand, shattered into pieces and were sucked into the black hole. At the same time, Noah's triumphant laughter rang out: "A total of 12 cards were sent to the Graveyard. Therefore, you will take 3600 damage!"
"This is the price for opposing a god!"
After absorbing the power of 12 cards, a laser beam shot out from the center of the black hole that Chaos Emperor Dragon had become. In an instant, it pierced Hayato's abdomen. An uncontrollable sharp pain came from Hayato's pierced abdomen, causing him to involuntarily hunch over, clench his teeth, and suck in a cold breath.
"Hiss—!"
[Hayato: 4000 → 400 LP]
"He actually dealt so much damage in an instant?!" The observing Kaiba was also startled. His gaze fell upon Noah's field, but his pupils contracted, his face filled with disbelief. "How is that possible? Didn't Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect just send all the cards to the Graveyard?"
"Hey, you rat! What's with that monster on your field!"
Hearing Kaiba's voice, Noah looked at him with a contemptuous expression: "Heh heh, although sending the cards to the Graveyard greatly reduced Kobayashi Hayato's Life Points, I didn't think such a simple trick could defeat him, the King of Games. The cards sent to the Graveyard weren't just his hand, but also the cards in my hand."
"When sent to the Graveyard by Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End's effect, Sangan from my hand can use its effect to add a monster with 1500 or less ATK from my Deck to my hand. The card I added to my hand is this Yatagarasu."
"I will use my unused Normal Summon opportunity this turn to Attack Position Summon Yatagarasu, then declare a Direct Attack on Kobayashi Hayato, who has nothing on his field or in his hand!"
"If you take damage from Yatagarasu, your next Draw Phase will be skipped. That means your drawing will be sealed and cannot be released until your defeat, Kobayashi Hayato!" Noah seemed to already see himself grasping victory. "Heh heh, heh ha ha ha ha, with this, the victor has been decided!"
"The final victor is me, Noah!"
The ordinary-looking Yatagarasu attacked towards Hayato's field. Looking at the triumphant Noah, Hayato's face, however, showed a confident smile:
"Sore wa, dou kana?"
"Is that so?"
Although it once reigned supreme, the world had long since changed. The era of the "Emperor Dragon Yatagarasu" combo was over. This was no longer the environment where you were powerless to struggle after all your cards were sent to the Graveyard!
Bang!
Under Noah's confident gaze, just before Yatagarasu hit Hayato, a small monster suddenly revived from the Graveyard, blocking in front of Hayato!
"Kuri~~!"
"Nani!?"
"What?!"
Rainbow Kuriboh, revived from the Graveyard, was destroyed by Yatagarasu, whose ATK only exceeded its DEF by 100 points. Its card gradually dissipated under Hayato's gaze: "Thank you, aibo. You saved me again."
Hayato looked at Noah, his gaze firm: "When a Direct Attack is declared, I can Special Summon Rainbow Kuriboh from my Graveyard in Defense Position. When Rainbow Kuriboh Special Summoned by this effect leaves the field, it is banished."
"Tch, stubbornly persistent like a cockroach." Noah said, clearly annoyed. "My turn ends. Also, because Yatagarasu is a special Spirit Monster, it returns to my hand at the end of the turn it was Summoned."
[Noah: 3000 LP, hand 1]
Looking at Noah's empty field and his Life Points of only 3000, Kaiba, watching from the side, suddenly let out a cold laugh: "Hmph hmph, as expected, a rat is just a rat. Short-sighted, only thinking about the immediate situation, with no capacity for thinking about the future."
"What Chaos Emperor Dragon cleared wasn't just that Hayato guy's hand and field, but yours too, wasn't it? With only one unusable Monster Card in your hand, prepare to be completely devoured by the majesty of Blue-Eyes!"
Just as Kaiba said, after Noah's previous combo, which was practically a finishing blow, was blocked by Hayato with the invincible Rainbow Kuriboh—a grave trap quite rare in this era—the weakness of the "Emperor Dragon Yatagarasu" combo lacking follow-up was exposed.
By using Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect to completely clear the field, Noah himself, like Hayato, had no means of defense. The monster he just used was a Spirit Monster that returned to his hand at the end of the turn. Conveniently, the Duel Monsters rules currently in effect were still the ultimate house rules, the "Deck Master" rules.
It didn't matter what card Hayato drew. As long as he Summoned the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that had been waiting beside him for so long and blasted Noah with it, this Duel would be over.
"My turn, draw!" Hayato declared. After drawing a card from his Deck, he looked at the card he drew and said, "In my Standby Phase, a monster in my Graveyard can Activate its effect."
Following Hayato's declaration, a frog with a halo above its head and sacred wings on its back appeared on Hayato's field.
"During my Standby Phase, if there is no Treeborn Frog on the field, it can be Special Summoned from the Graveyard," Hayato said, playing the card he had just drawn. "Then I Activate the Spell Card, Pot of Greed! I draw two cards from my Deck."
While Hayato was adding the cards to his hand, Noah subtly glanced at the Graveyard Zone beside him. Although he was currently in an empty field state, Noah always liked to have a "Plan B" ready. He had already planned for the follow-up if the "Emperor Dragon Yatagarasu" combo failed to deliver the finishing blow to Hayato. That method existed in his Graveyard.
"Here I come, Noah!" After drawing two cards, Hayato suddenly raised his hand. "I can finally use this card. I Special Summon my Deck Master—Blue-Eyes White Dragon—onto the field!"
"Go, my glory, my tamashii, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"Then, Direct Attack Noah! Burst Stream of Destruction!"
The sacred white dragon descended like an angel, but only when it opened its massive maw and spewed out a gust bomb wrapped in a destructive aura did one realize this was an armed angel.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack, with its high ATK of 3000 points, struck towards Noah. But just like before when Hayato was almost Direct Attacked by Yatagarasu, Noah was completely calm. With a gentle wave of his hand, a dark shadow flashed and blocked in front of Noah, taking the full force of Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack.
## Chapter 322: Great Flood
"What?!" Unlike Hayato, who wasn't surprised because he had seen the monster's true form, Kaiba was quite annoyed that his "wife" had been blocked. "What was that thing just now?"
"Bone Porpoise is a card that can activate its effect in the Graveyard, similar to your Rainbow Kuriboh, Kobayashi Hayato. When your opponent's monster declares an attack, I can banish it from the Graveyard to negate that attack."
Noah's fingertip held the Bone Porpoise card and flicked it lightly. Just like Hayato's Rainbow Kuriboh earlier, the Bone Porpoise card, banished, turned into fragments and disappeared.
"I knew it wouldn't be that simple," Hayato sighed, setting the two cards in his hand onto his field. "Set two cards. My turn ends."
[Hayato: 400 LP, Hand 0]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon][ATK 3000]
[Set Card]X2
"Then, my turn. Draw."
Noah drew a card with a calm tone. After seeing the card he drew, the corner of his mouth curved into a smile as he said, "Heh heh, how boring. It seems this duel is about to end, Kobayashi Hayato. Regret summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the field!"
"In myths around the world, there are legends of a 'world-ending great flood'. Let me use this card to clear the field!" Saying this, Noah held up the card in his hand. "I activate the Spell Card Giant Flood! All monsters on the hand and field are sent to the Graveyard! Your Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the field, the symbol of Seto Kaiba's wicked soul, shall be destroyed!"
Watching Noah play the Giant Flood card, whose effect was even more excessive than Dark Hole, Hayato immediately activated his set card in the backrow: "Not a chance! I activate my set card—"
"Muda da! The effect of Giant Flood is to send monsters directly to the Graveyard, not destroy them! Even if you set a trap card that prevents monsters from being destroyed, it's useless!"
But facing Noah's triumphant words, Hayato smiled calmly. "You can't be so sure."
"The set card I activated is this one, Forbidden Lance! I target my Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the field, decreasing its ATK by 800 points. In exchange, Blue-Eyes White Dragon will not be affected by the effects of spell/trap cards other than this card this turn!"
A wall of floodwaters, seemingly reaching the sky, surged towards the field, overwhelming everything as if to swallow it whole. The Yata-Garasu in Noah's hand was swept away by the torrent, while Blue-Eyes White Dragon was spared, thanks to the Forbidden Lance standing between it and Hayato like a stabilizing pillar, parting the water.
Incidentally, Kaiba was also brought to the high ground where Hayato was by Blue-Eyes. Held by the dragon's claw, Kaiba's gaze looked at the vast ocean below.
His pupils contracted. "Is that?"
As the floodwaters gradually receded, the figures of the monsters that had been sent to the Graveyard earlier emerged one by one in the vortex. Treeborn Frog, Maiden of the Aqua, Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End, Yata-Garasu, and many other monsters were all carried by the water flow in one direction.
There, surprisingly, was Noah's Deck Master that he hadn't used for a long time—The Ark of the Covenant. At this moment, the giant wooden ship opened the mechanism at its bow, and one monster after another was sucked into the Ark, just like in myths where "various animals were brought onto the Ark".
"No need to be surprised, Seto. This is the 'Containment Ability' of my Deck Master, The Ark of the Covenant. From this moment on, all cards in the Graveyard will be transported into the different dimension inside the hull of the The Ark of the Covenant."
As if seeing through Kaiba's thoughts, Noah explained.
"The Ark of the Covenant is a sacred place that carries the last hope of all life in the world. No effect can interfere with the monsters protected by the Ark! Then, under my leadership, they will create a new world!"
Hayato interrupted Noah, annoyed. "Your delusion ends here. Sending cards to the different dimension? I'll send *you* to the different dimension!"
"Tch, you're getting ahead of yourself. Have you forgotten that your field is still empty?" Kaiba also snorted coldly. "Use Blue-Eyes to take down that guy next turn, Kobayashi Hayato!"
"Hey, don't order me around."
Noah glanced at Hayato contemptuously. "If you can do it, then attack me. Kobayashi Hayato. Even if my hand and field are empty, you won't be able to defeat me who possesses The Ark of the Covenant."
"My turn, end turn."
As Noah declared his turn end, Hayato and Kaiba noticed that Noah's life points were increasing wildly, as if there was a bug in the duel program.
[Noah: 3000 → 9000 LP, Hand 0]
"This is the second effect of The Ark of the Covenant, called 'Life Recovery'. As the name suggests, for every monster contained inside the The Ark of the Covenant, I recover 500 life points."
"Even [Aromage] would cry on the spot hearing this. Such a monster effect can only be described as a tragedy. Printing such a cheap monster for yourself, Noah, you fat pig!"
Despite meeting for the first time, Hayato immediately called Noah a fat pig.
"Tch, now the only way to defeat that guy is to summon all three Blue-Eyes at once," Kaiba said with a frown. "To give the monster he uses so many effects... I wouldn't be surprised if even more new effects appear later."
"That Noah guy is completely dueling around his Deck Master. His purity is too low," Hayato sighed, drawing a card. "However, the most important thing for Duel Monsters has always been victory. Purity is useless in itself."
"My turn, draw!"
The card Hayato drew was the second Blue-Eyes. Although its ATK is powerful, the Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon requires two Tributes to be summoned. In other words, Hayato had bricked again.
"Is this the punishment for not using my own deck? In that case, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, direct attack that green-haired guy! Burst Stream of Destruction cough cough cough!"
Hayato ordered, imitating Kaiba's voice, but not everyone could shout such a chuunibyou attack name with full force, and Hayato choked.
However, in Duel Monsters, there is no mandatory requirement for duelists to finish or correctly shout the attack name; as long as the attack command is given, it's fine. Therefore, Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacked Noah again.
"A weak attack is useless against me, a god!" Noah, relying on his exceptionally high life points, even looked down on Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack. "In the name of god, I command you to retreat!"
Under Kaiba's gaze of "Just as I expected," the The Ark of the Covenant floating on the vast ocean behind Noah once again opened the bow mechanism it had used to transport monsters earlier. A familiar girl blocked the attack of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and was then easily shattered.
"Was that, Maiden of the Aqua just now?"
Chapter 323: Crush! Destroy! Great Applause!
"Was that just now [Maiden of the Aqua]?"
"Why is Hayato's monster on your field!"
Noah answered Kaiba with a loud laugh: "It seems you completely fail to understand, Seto."
"Let me say it again. The [Ark of Salvation] is the wheel of salvation carrying hope, and as the god of this world, any monster that boards the [Ark of Salvation] will fall under my control!"
"Each time your Battle Phase begins, I can randomly Special Summon monsters from within the [Ark of Salvation]'s Another Dimension onto my field in Defense Position, equal to the number of monsters on your field."
"In other words, no matter how many monsters you Summon, you will never be able to break through my perfect defense circle!"
As if responding to Noah's contemptuous gaze that kept glancing towards him while he spoke, [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] let out a dissatisfied roar. However, having already attacked once, it could no longer attack again.
Even if it had the ability to attack multiple times, the [Maiden of the Aqua] that was just destroyed by battle had the ability to end the current Battle Phase when destroyed by battle. Helplessly, Hayato ended his turn.
[Hayato: 400 LP, Hand 1]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [ATK 3000]
[Set Card]
"Have you run out of options? That's to be expected. After all, you're facing me, Noah Kaiba, an existence that surpasses Seto Kaiba in every way."
Noah's tone made Kaiba quite annoyed, and repeatedly mentioning the name "Noah Kaiba" made him extremely angry.
"Enough. Even now, are you just going to keep pretending with a deceased person's name and appearance?" Kaiba said coldly. "Noah Kaiba was a deceased person more than ten years ago!"
Noah glanced at Kaiba: "It seems you've already seen the footage of my funeral, Seto? Yes, yes, that's absolutely correct. 'Noah Kaiba is a deceased person' is an undeniable fact."
"But who ever said that the deceased Noah Kaiba couldn't stand before you? Where do you think the 'Mind Digitization' technology used in the Virtual World designed by KaibaCorp came from?"
As he spoke, Noah wasn't in a hurry to draw cards. Instead, he snapped his fingers.
In the sky, covered in dark clouds due to the great flood, a giant sphere appeared like a falling sun. Countless light particles flickered on the sphere.
"What is that thing?" Hayato frowned. "Hey, you're not going to tell me that thing is your brain, are you?"
Noah recounted his story. How, as the crown prince of the powerful KaibaCorp, he grew up not meeting Gozaburo Kaiba's expectations, how he died due to an unexpected event, and how KaibaCorp's black technology transferred his mind and memory into the network world.
Kaiba's face showed understanding, even a look of having connected some dots, seemingly inspired by the technical principles Noah mentioned. Hayato, however, felt like he was listening to gibberish. Even though he could understand every word, when put together, he couldn't make sense of it at all.
"Because you're no longer human but an AI made of data, you stopped growing. Does that mean your brain was this amazing even when you were a child?" Hayato looked at Noah, who appeared to be at most ten years old, and retorted, "Could someone your age really learn something that profound? Aside from calling yourself a god like some chuunibyou, I don't feel like you're an elementary school student at all."
"Calling myself a god? No, I said it from the beginning, Kobayashi Hayato. In this Virtual World, I am the undisputed god." Noah drew a card and declared, "As my turn begins, the god will start recreating this world after sweeping away the sin."
"I activate the Spell Card Card of Demise, replenishing both players' hands to 6 cards. Then, I activate the Field Spell Card Jurassic World!"
After playing the card, Noah drew six cards in one go. Hayato, who had a brick in his hand—Blue-Eyes White Dragon—only drew five cards.
After drawing the cards, Noah lightly tapped one of them. The card he chose fell towards the ground and, like a ginseng fruit, sank into the earth upon contact.
The water level rapidly dropped, exposing the ground beneath as if it had dried up. The previous lava had already extinguished and turned into hard land. At the same time, mud and dust were carried to the ground by the flood. In the blink of an eye, the ground was covered in vegetation as if countless years had instantly passed. Looking out, the ground was covered in green, lush and vibrant, brimming with life.
At the same time, Noah summoned a monster onto the field: "After all civilization was destroyed, came the age of dinosaurs. I Attack Position Summon Giant Rex from my hand, and then equip it with the Equip Spell Card Rising Energy."
In this lush Jurassic jungle, a massive Spinosaurus poked its head out. With a swing of its powerful claws, it tore apart the obstructing thick trees. At the same time, because Noah equipped it with the Equip Spell Card Rising Energy, the muscles on the sail-like spines on its back expanded, maximizing heat dissipation.
[Giant Rex] [4☆/EARTH]
[Dinosaur-Type/Effect]
[2000/1200 → 2600/1800]
Under the boost of two Spell Cards, Giant Rex, whose ATK was already among the forefront of 4☆ monsters, soared to a full 2600 points. Although it still couldn't compare to Hayato's Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the field, most other monsters couldn't contend with it.
And Noah's operation was far from over.
"Even after being strengthened twice consecutively, Giant Rex's ATK still can't compare to the giant dragon of the mythological era, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, just like you and me, Seto." Although it was a duel against Hayato, Noah's attention was always focused on Kaiba behind Hayato. "You, who were raised to imitate me, no matter how much you grow, you can't compare to me."
"Hmph, a mere ghost wandering in the Virtual World. Do the dead think they can interfere with the world of the living? Don't dream about it." After listening to Noah's story, Kaiba's tone changed slightly. Compared to his previous disdain for someone "impersonating a deceased person," Kaiba now saw Noah more as one of the sins from Gozaburo that must be conquered.
"Compared to you, who only gained exceptional talent because of your upbringing, it's clear that Blue-Eyes White Dragon is me. Don't get it wrong, Noah!"
Noah just smiled: "If you insist on saying that, then just watch 'you' be defeated by 'me' over there. I activate the Spell Card Attack Seal, changing Blue-Eyes White Dragon's form to Defense Position."
An "X"-shaped red light burst forth from one of the cards in front of Noah. After being hit by the red light, Blue-Eyes White Dragon struggled fiercely for a moment but couldn't break free from the card's power. Helplessly, it curled up its body and changed to Defense Position.
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [ATK 3000 → DEF 2500]
Blue-Eyes White Dragon, changed to Defense Position, had exactly 100 less DEF than Giant Rex's ATK!
"Go, Giant Rex! Destroy Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Following Noah's command, Giant Rex opened its massive maw and bit towards Blue-Eyes White Dragon's exposed neck.
Hayato immediately flipped over the only set card remaining on his field: "Chaining to your attack declaration, I activate Sakuretsu Armor to destroy it!"
"Hmph, as if!" Noah snorted and played another card. "Don't think you're the only one with that card. Quick-Play Spell Card Forbidden Lance! Decrease Giant Rex's ATK by 800 points, and it will not be affected by the effects of other Spell/Trap Cards besides this one!"
Sakuretsu Armor, cursed with the inability to take effect, unsurprisingly failed to destroy Giant Rex. Before the effect could reach Giant Rex, it was blocked by a golden spear.
"As expected, it was negated. But Noah, Forbidden Lance doesn't just negate my Sakuretsu Armor. The effects of Jurassic World and Rising Energy on your field will also be negated for Giant Rex because of this, and its ATK will decrease by another 800 points!"
"Counterattack, Blue-Eyes!"
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [DEF 2500]
[Giant Rex] [ATK 2600 → 2000 → 1200]
Although it evaded the effect of Sakuretsu Armor using Forbidden Lance, because of this, the Giant Rex with decreased ATK no longer had the ability to break through Blue-Eyes White Dragon's defense. It opened its mouth and bit down on Blue-Eyes's scales, but couldn't break through its defense at all. Instead, Blue-Eyes flapped a wing, swatting Giant Rex back to Noah's field and reflecting battle damage back at him.
[Noah: 7700 → 5800 LP]
"Tch, insignificant damage." Noah pouted. The fact that he couldn't defeat Hayato this turn and allowed him to stall for another turn made him feel a bit annoyed.
He lightly tapped the last card in front of him: "I activate the Continuous Spell Card Supply Squad. Once per turn, when my monster is destroyed, I can draw one card from my deck."
"Then, I end my turn."
[Noah: 5800 LP, Hand 0]
[Giant Rex] (Rising Energy) [ATK 2600]
[Supply Squad]
Field: [Jurassic World]
Hayato: "My turn, drawing cards."
Looking at the card he drew, Hayato was also surprised, because it was the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon in his deck. And by a strange coincidence, due to Noah's Card of Demise effect earlier, he just happened to have a Polymerization in his hand.
"Hmph, you drew it..." Kaiba, who hadn't seen Hayato's hand, showed a knowing expression, the corner of his mouth slightly curving up. "So, what's your choice, Kobayashi Hayato?"
"In this situation, is there even a choice?" Hayato also smiled and activated the card from his hand. "Noah, let me show you the strongest Dragon-Type! I activate the Spell Card Polymerization, using the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on my field and the other two Blue-Eyes in my hand as fusion material!"
Just as Hayato was about to continue, Kaiba, who was nearby, already snatched back the lines: "Noah, let me show you the strongest, most ultimate dragon in history! Transcending the boundaries of time and space, descend! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
Under the power of Polymerization, the ultimate dragon with three heads appeared on Hayato's field. The three dragon heads roared towards the sky in unison!
[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] [ATK 4500]
"Enter Battle Phase!" Hayato immediately issued the attack command. Just as he was about to target the attack, Noah opposite immediately activated his Deck Master's effect. "Before Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon attacks, I activate the effect of [Ark of Salvation]!"
"Absolute Defense!"
Because there was only one monster on his field when Hayato entered the Battle Phase, only one monster flew out from within the [Ark of Salvation]. It was Hayato's Treeborn Frog.
Although having his own monster appear on the opponent's field made Hayato a bit annoyed, his gaze remained firm on the Giant Rex in Attack Position: "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Giant Rex!"
"Burst Stream of Destruction!"
"Strong! Invincible! Supreme!!"
The triple-stacked "Burst Stream of Destruction" spewed forth from the mouths of the three-headed giant dragon, landing on the Giant Rex on Noah's field. Even after undergoing double reinforcement, Giant Rex was powerless to resist Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's attack and was easily destroyed.
"Eek!"
[Noah: 7700 → 5800 LP]
Waving his hand impatiently to dispel the rushing air current towards him, Noah drew a card: "Due to the effect of Supply Squad, I draw one card from my deck."
"To be able to reduce my Life Points to this extent, I must say you truly have some skill, Kobayashi Hayato. But unfortunately, to defeat me, who is a god, you are still twenty thousand years too early."
Saying this, Noah showed a mocking expression: "Once it's my turn, the Giant Rex that was just destroyed, as well as the three Blue-Eyes in your graveyard, will all be taken into my [Ark of Salvation] and grant me LP recovery."
"Your efforts to reduce my Life Points were completely in vain!"
Hayato, however, wasn't worried at all that what Noah said would happen. If you're asking why: "No, that's not right, Noah. Haven't you realized? This duel is about to end, right in this turn of mine!"
"You, whose Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the field has already attacked, say the duel is about to end? Heh heh, are you saying you can still summon new monsters to attack during the Battle Phase?"
"Wait, could it be...!"
Under Kaiba's 'of course' gaze, Hayato revealed the card in his hand: "You've seen Kaiba duel so many times, you should know that in this guy's deck, there are a few cards that are always stuck together, right?"
"While it's not as excessive as him sticking five cards together, I can still manage to draw Polymerization and De-Fusion at the same time!"
As De-Fusion was played by Hayato, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon that was one became three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and attacked Noah, who only had a single trembling Treeborn Frog on his field!
"Crush!"
"Destroy!"
"Great Applause!"
Three beams of white light descended. Treeborn Frog went to the underworld once again, and Noah's Life Points were completely depleted by this triple attack!
[Noah: 5800 → 2800 → 0 LP]
Achievement: [Crush! Destroy! Great Applause!] Completed
Chapter 324: Can't Handle Losing?
After defeating the enemy, the three [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] let out a roar towards the sky, then nodded towards Hayato and Kaiba, their forms slowly dissipating. Kaiba, uncharacteristically, said something nice: "Hmph, well played."
That probably counts as nice, assuming Kaiba wasn't aware of something like "Hearthstone".
"You don't need to approve of that, Seto." Hayato waved his hand and directly claimed the Task Reward after completing the Achievement.
Just like with past Achievements, the reward was a guaranteed 1000 Duel Points, plus a special reward somewhat related to the Achievement: a random Dragon Structure Deck.
Hayato wasn't asking for much else; a Dragonmaid Deck would be great, and even a [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] Deck would be acceptable if it came down to it. At worst, the four Elemental Dragons would also be okay.
As the sealed Deck was opened, the Phantom Images of forty Cards appeared before Hayato's eyes, but Kaiba saw nothing.
Seeing the first two Cards in the Structure Deck, Hayato was a little excited—[Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos], and [Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders]!
Yatta! Got the Elemental Dragons!
However, Hayato had rejoiced too soon. As he continued looking, he discovered that this Deck only contained these two Elemental Dragons.
[Fusion Dragon], [Tiger Dragon], [Dragon Soldier], [Folk Art Dragon], [Hard Armored Dragon], etc. At first, Hayato thought he had gotten a four-Element Elemental Dragon Deck, but it turned out to be an EARTH Attribute specialized Dragon-Type Deck.
However, Hayato wasn't too disappointed; getting anything was good enough. Although he couldn't collect all four Elemental Dragons at once, obtaining [Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos] and [Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders] unlocked the "Elemental Dragon" prefix for him, allowing him to slowly draw them using Duel Points later. Of course, for Hayato, who found it hard to save Duel Points, this was practically hopeless.
Since he was still in the Virtual World, Hayato couldn't use these newly acquired Cards for the time being. He waved his hand to dispel the Cards' Phantom Images. He then saw that Kaiba had already leaped from the high platform, used a large tree in the center of the Field for leverage, and moved to the platform where Noah lay, still not getting up.
Although this was the Virtual World, the body template each person controlled was based on their real-life body. This guy Kaiba must have come running over from Baki next door, right?
The figure of [Gaia The Fierce Knight] appeared beside Hayato. He was just about to borrow Gaia's horse to follow Kaiba when, at that moment, Hayato and Kaiba heard someone calling their names from a distance—
"Over there! I see Hayato and Kaiba!"
With such a loud and energetic voice, you could tell it was Joey Wheeler just by hearing it.
From afar, Hayato saw Yugi Mutou's striking starfish hair, as well as Mai Valentine, Joey Wheeler, and Ishizu rushing towards them.
And following behind the four of them were four charging Duel Monsters—[Nightmare Penguin], [Sea Warrior of the Deep], [Sergeant Major], and [Jinzo - Jector]. One could tell with a guess it was The Big Five—or rather, the remaining four of The Big Five.
"You guys are way too persistent!" Joey Wheeler was riding on [Thousand Dragon], which had grown due to [Time Wizard]'s effect. Mai Valentine was riding the same Dragon. Behind them, [Nightmare Penguin] and [Sergeant Major] were in hot pursuit. Seeing this, he drew a Card from his Deck. "[Spike Seeder]!"
The Pitfall that suddenly appeared on the ground almost made [Nightmare Penguin], who was just about to catch Joey Wheeler, fall in. Although it successfully flew out of the Pitfall with the help of [Sergeant Major], the distance between the two of them and Joey Wheeler widened again.
As for Yugi Mutou and Ishizu, the Combo of [Kuriboh] and [Multiply] blocked the electrified water stream attack launched by [Jinzo - Jector] and [Sea Warrior of the Deep].
As early as when Hayato and Noah began their Duel, everyone else had already repelled their respective enemies and were wandering through the Virtual World searching for their companions. Then, the Lava World, Great Flood, and Noah's manifested brain during Noah and Hayato's Duel gave them a unified direction to head in, and they rushed towards this location.
However, halfway there, the four of them once again encountered The Big Five, who had been given a second opportunity by Noah. After learning from their previous defeat, The Big Five exchanged the information they had gathered and switched opponents for their battles.
For a time, because their opponents knew their decks and Deck Master effects inside and out, all four of them fell into trouble. Of course, after a tough fight, it still ended with The Big Five's defeat.
Unwilling to fail again, The Big Five saw that both consecutive Duels had resulted in failure. Throwing caution to the wind, they decided to carry out Noah's orders by directly using their bodies, transformed into Duel Monsters, to pursue the four. This pursuit led them all the way here.
"Absolutely, absolutely will not let you reach Kobayashi Hayato!"
"We cannot disappoint Lord Noah again!"
"This is our last opportunity!"
"Stop right there! You kids!"
Watching The Big Five chase after Yugi Mutou and the others, approaching this way, Kaiba had jumped to the edge of Noah's platform. He was thinking of grabbing the lying Noah on the ground to force him to release them from this Virtual World. Just as he took a step, he was surprised to find that his body suddenly couldn't move.
"Stand there and don't move, Seto. I'll deal with you last."
Noah's body, which had been lying on the ground, didn't use any leverage. Instead, it floated up from the ground against gravity, suspended in the air, his expression twisted with anger as he glared at Hayato: "How dare you make me, a god, lose face! Your crime is unforgivable, Kobayashi Hayato!"
"Here we go again. Do all you Game Administrators who call yourselves gods like to pull this kind of stunt?"
Looking at Noah, who was angry because he lost the Duel and even seemed like he was about to throw a childish tantrum and flip the table, Hayato, however, had a calm expression.
"Hmph, to think I would lose to you in Duel Monsters, damn it!" In his anger, Noah glanced at The Big Five not far away and immediately used them as an outlet for his anger. "This game called Duel Monsters is just boring trash!"
"You guys are trash too!"
Saying this, Noah extended his hand and clenched his fist towards The Big Five. In an instant, The Big Five, who had transformed into Duel Monsters, actually had their bodies shatter simultaneously, and after screaming, they disappeared from this world?!
Yugi Mutou and the others belatedly realized that the pursuers behind them had disappeared. Meanwhile, Hayato looked at Noah, who had turned his gaze onto him. As if he hadn't seen the killing intent in Noah's eyes, Hayato said with a smile: "Noah Little Friend, why do you seem to be in a bad mood? Do you feel like losing the Duel was embarrassing? You're really a sore loser, aren't you?"
"Kobayashi Hayato!" Noah angrily shouted Hayato's name, raised his hand and pointed at him. "Repay your offense against me with your life!"
Chapter 325: Super Polymerization?
As Noah raised his hand and pointed towards Hayato, Kaiba, who had always appeared cold and aloof, also cast a worried gaze towards Hayato.
Having just witnessed the "enthusiastic" demonstration by the Big Five, Kaiba could fully imagine what Noah was about to do to Hayato.
"Stop it, Noah! This is a grudge between you and me!"
"Who do you think you are, Seto? You're just an adopted son, I am the rightful heir to KaibaCorp, and I don't need your permission!" Noah had no intention of stopping, and he clenched his fist tightly. "Die, Kobayashi Hayato!"
A gentle breeze blew through the woods, but Hayato stood rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.
"Hmm?" Noah frowned. He had used his consciousness to modify the Virtual World and issue the "Complete Deletion" command to the data he wanted to erase countless times over the years. Why had it suddenly failed?
"Want to try again? If you count your age, you're actually older than Kaiba, aren't you? Things not working out, you know, is pretty normal for a man your age." Hayato wore a nonchalant expression and a mocking smile. "However, no matter how many times you try, the result will be the same."
"If you want to know why—"
Noah's consciousness once again entered the underlying code of the Virtual World. But as he attempted to erase Hayato again, he was surprised to find that he received a "No Access Permissions" feedback!
This had never happened in the past decade or more!
"Heh, that look on your face... surprised that you, with administrator authority in the Virtual World, can't delete the data of me, a mere visitor?" Hayato snapped his fingers. To Noah's astonished expression, the surrounding scenery, just like when Noah had arbitrarily modified it before, changed freely according to Hayato's will. In just a few breaths, it transformed from a primeval jungle to a medieval castle, and then back to the Domino City streets that everyone was quite familiar with.
"You didn't think that a Duel Ritual's unequal rules could be unilaterally decided by mere administrator authority in the network world, did you?"
"Remember the pain you felt when my attack hit you earlier? To tell you the truth, from the moment your duel with me began, I turned this duel into a Dark Game with equal stakes."
As he spoke, Hayato shook the Millennium Puzzle hanging on his chest. At the same time, Yugi and the others who had been rushing towards them also had their space coordinates modified by Hayato and were teleported to the platform where Hayato was.
Inside the Millennium Puzzle, Marik's tone was quite helpless. "You actually secretly decided the stake for your opponent was administrator authority, brother-in-law, you really are shameless."
"That's not it, Marik. I didn't strip Noah of his administrator authority. Don't forget he still successfully deleted the data of the Big Five just now—or rather, the Big Four now, right?—He successfully deleted the data of the Big Four. Administrator authority isn't something you can just take away. All I did was place my read/write permissions as a 'visitor' above Noah's as an 'administrator'."
With another snap of Hayato's fingers, Kaiba, who had been immobilized under Noah's control, was also teleported over. Noah, who had been planning to go all out and forcibly erase the personality of Kaiba, who was closest to him, and take over his body, ended up grabbing empty air.
Noah, who had fallen to the ground, had his final struggle seen through by the prepared Hayato. He angrily pounded the ground with his fists and roared, "Kobayashi Hayato! Damn you!"
The one who responded to the impotently raging Noah was not Hayato, but a male voice that abruptly sounded from behind him. "Really now, you've disappointed me quite a bit, Noah..."
Raising his head in surprise, Noah, who was extremely familiar with this voice, didn't turn around immediately. Instead, he noticed the look of astonishment and rage on Kaiba's face standing opposite him.
"Kaiba... Gozaburo!"
Noah heard Kaiba indeed speak the name of the father from his memory. With a look of joy, he scrambled up from the ground and turned around, wanting to get a good look at the face of the father he remembered, who he thought had died because of Kaiba.
"Splurch—"
The expression on Noah's face froze.
In his life, as the sole heir of KaibaCorp, Noah had only a few memories of pain caused by illness, but they were no longer clear due to the passage of time. As for the truck in the rain that led to his death, it came too fast, leaving no opportunity for rescue, let alone leaving "pain" in Noah's memory.
After being converted into an unknown data lifeform, through KaibaCorp's advanced technology, Noah's body retained touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight, but pain was extremely weak for him.
For so many years, Noah had barely felt pain, until today, when he experienced it twice in succession.
One time was because of the so-called "Dark Game" Hayato played with him, and the second time...
"Father..." Noah, with dilated pupils, lay weakly on his back on the ground. His body gradually disappeared, turning into green data. The last image left in his mind was of his cold-faced father, Gozaburo Kaiba, holding the data core extracted from his body.
Noah's "brain" suspended in the sky also had its pulsating light source dim because the data core that formed Noah's body had been removed.
Holding the data core taken from Noah, Gozaburo ignored everyone else present and turned his gaze towards Kaiba. "It's been a long time, Seto."
The reunion of father and son after a long separation should have been warm and harmonious, but Kaiba's gaze towards Gozaburo was extremely cold. "So that's it. You turned yourself into a data lifeform too, Gozaburo. Does that mean Noah Kaiba's death was also something you exploited? What a heartless and wicked man."
"Seeing your father after so long, is that all you have to say, Seto?" Gozaburo frowned, quite displeased with Kaiba's attitude towards him. Then, he gave a cold laugh. "But it doesn't matter. First, let me congratulate you, Seto. Congratulations on passing the final trial I set."
"Honestly, saying I have no feelings is truly unfair to me. When that child Noah died, I was truly terrified. I invested so much but received no return whatsoever, how regrettable." Playing with Noah's data core in his hand, Gozaburo sneered. "Therefore, this world was born."
Spreading his arms wide, Gozaburo sighed. "With this world as the stage, Noah would engage in a fierce battle with you. The one who passed the trial would become the rightful heir with the qualification to inherit KaibaCorp. That was my original plan, but Noah actually failed against someone other than you."
"Hey, old man, could you not look at me when you're talking?" Hayato spoke up.
"Kobayashi Hayato, is it? Heh heh, truly a remarkable young man. You ruined the trial I prepared for Seto. By all rights, I suppose I should hate you, but considering you gave me the strongest weapon, I still have to thank you."
Gozaburo sneered as he looked at Hayato. As he spoke, a character appeared on Noah's data core that he held in his hand. "Since Noah has already lost the qualification for the trial, then of course, I must extract as much commercial value from him as possible."
Hayato couldn't help but widen his eyes after seeing the character clearly. Because he seemed to have just seen the character "Sorrow" on Noah's data core?
Hayato couldn't help but think of a possibility.
"Ah, I actually have some regrets, Seto. I once made a big mistake." Gozaburo showed a sincere expression. "I used to think Duel Monsters was a boring game, but I truly never imagined that such immense power was hidden within Duel Monsters."
As he spoke, Gozaburo waved his hand towards his side. Four beams of light flashed, and the Big Four, whose data had been deleted by Noah in his rage, were actually revived by Gozaburo restoring their data!
"Where are we?" Shuzo Otaki touched his body, finding that his avatar as Warrior of the Deep Sea had been released, and he had returned to his appearance from before his death.
"Didn't we just die?"
"Where is Lord Noah?"
Gozaburo glanced at the Big Four, his presence commanding without anger. "Heh heh, the Big Five, your names truly sound imposing, you lot."
"G-Gozaburo-sama?!" Kogorou Oomon was startled upon seeing Gozaburo Kaiba. Remembering what they had done in life, and fearing Gozaburo's revenge, he quickly spoke, "Please listen to our explanation, Gozaburo-sama! We were actually trying to save KaibaCorp—"
"Whatever about that. I'm not interested in KaibaCorp matters right now." Gozaburo couldn't be bothered to listen to the panicked Big Four explain their actions of seizing power over KaibaCorp during their lives, and their earlier betrayal of Gozaburo alongside Seto Kaiba.
He snapped his fingers. Just like on Noah's data core in his hand, a character appeared simultaneously on the faces of the Big Four, and they were all different.
"Hatred, rage, suffering, sorrow, doubt... Hey, Gozaburo Kaiba, you're not planning to!" Hayato felt extremely nervous. He wanted to stop what Gozaburo was about to do, but he had already tried.
Just as Noah had no read/write permissions over his data, Hayato's attempt to read/write Gozaburo Kaiba's data also ended in failure.
As for what Gozaburo was about to do, Hayato remembered it the moment he saw the character "Sorrow" on Noah's data core. This was clearly how the card spirits of the Malicious Doctrine created Super Polymerization in the future GX Era!
Where did Gozaburo Kaiba learn this?
After the five characters gathered in Gozaburo Kaiba's hand, they transformed into a blank card. A sinister smile appeared on Gozaburo Kaiba's face. "With this, the framework is complete. Now, I just need to gather enough energy, and this card will be finished!"
Let's start a Duel