## Chapter 331: The Irreversible Ultimate Power
In the Virtual World, Hayato found what he was looking for, while Yugi and the others were still in their Duels.
Meanwhile, back to the other scene.
In the Real World, Marik swung the **Millennium Rod** in his hand, smashing the eye of a Robot he had underfoot.
"Tch, so annoying. How many more are there?"
Marik looked back impatiently at the sealed Door behind him.
Rewinding time to before the "St. Ann" was hijacked by Noah, specifically to the end of the fourth Duel in the Top 8 to Top 4 stage—the one between Yugi and Marik.
At that time, because he had lost the Duel and the last of his Three Egyptian God Cards, **Slifer the Sky Dragon**, Marik was extremely annoyed. He felt that since he couldn't defeat Yugi and the others in a Duel, he had to resort to some underhanded tactics.
However, to be safe, he wanted to find an ally to act with. After all, among the three people currently holding the Three Egyptian God Cards, Yugi was protected by the **Millennium Puzzle**, Kobayashi Hayato also had the **Millennium Ring**, and Seto Kaiba, the only one without a **Millennium Item** for protection, was someone Marik's **Millennium Rod** was ineffective against and would even occasionally side with him.
If he was going to find an ally, Marik immediately thought of Bakura Ryo, with whom he had previously had a "pleasant cooperation".
This was why Bakura and Marik had "disappeared" together from the Infirmary when the Airship landed inside this Steel Fortress.
According to Bakura, he had tampered with the **Millennium Puzzle** before and could remotely sense its location. Avoiding everyone, the two white-haired individuals twisted and turned through the maze-like Fortress. Under Bakura's guidance, Marik actually found Hayato and his group, who were somehow unconscious.
Following the Robots that took Hayato and the others away, Bakura and Marik arrived at a place called the Transfer Room. The Door here was tightly shut, and because it used an Electronic Lock instead of a Mechanical Lock, Marik's attempt to bypass it with Magic Power also ended in failure.
Just when Marik thought he had no way to retrieve the Three Egyptian God Cards from Hayato and the others locked inside, Bakura, who was with him, told Marik that he had a way to unlock the password, but it would trigger an Alarm and attract those troublesome Robots.
So, Marik was arranged by Bakura to stand guard and block the Robots.
After some time, Marik, who was standing by the Door and constantly vigilant of his surroundings, heard the sound of the Door opening from behind him. He turned back in surprise, only to find that Bakura, having the advantage of proximity, had already entered the Transfer Room ahead of him.
Although he was puzzled as to why the Alarm Bakura mentioned hadn't triggered at all, Marik also walked towards the Transfer Room. But just then, looking at Marik walking towards him, Bakura's face revealed a sinister smile. Under Marik's astonished gaze, he punched and shattered the glass cover over a button next to his hand!
As the Alarm sounded, the opened Transfer Room Door closed. Marik, who wanted to squeeze in, hadn't even run two steps before a wave of Dark Energy struck him.
Although he blocked Bakura's Attack with the **Millennium Rod**, Marik was unable to catch up and was shut out by the heavy iron Door. At the same time, the entrance was surrounded by the Robot Force that had rushed over because the Alarm had sounded.
In the instant before the Door closed, Marik heard Bakura's "message" to him—
"Cooperate with me? Do you, this idiot, even have the qualification? Hayato was right about you, just a mere six-year-old."
Under Marik's furious gaze, Bakura's face disappeared from his sight. "Consider this the subsequent reward for our last transaction, idiot Marik!"
Clearly, Bakura had been holding a grudge about the last time Marik commissioned him to take down Rishid, only for Marik to break the agreement halfway through. He had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time to get his revenge.
The enraged Marik swung the pure gold **Millennium Rod** at the Door, leaving an insignificant small dent on the steel Door. Powerlessly raging, Marik, who had no way against the Door or the Electronic Lock, could only deal with the endless stream of Robot Force.
Time flowed again, returning to the present.
While the six-year-old Marik, who didn't understand advanced things like Electronic Locks and couldn't open the Door by force, was rampaging through a pile of Robots, in the Virtual World, Yugi used **Absorption Shield** to block the Attack of **Guardian Angel Joan** on "Téa"'s Field. He couldn't help but frown.
Because just now, for some unknown reason, the ground beneath them trembled slightly. Although the tremor was minor and didn't have much influence, in that instant, Yugi saw "Téa"'s appearance flicker like a television screen with a bad signal.
"What was that just now?" Original Yugi was a little doubtful, wondering if he had just imagined it.
"No, Aibo, I saw it too," Pharaoh in the **Millennium Puzzle** said. "And I think I saw that beneath 'Téa''s appearance, there seemed to be a Robot?"
The ground trembled again. This time, not only Yugi, but the others also noticed something strange about their opponents.
Especially Joey Wheeler, who pointed at "Serenity Wheeler" standing opposite him with a look of horror: "What's going on?! Serenity, why have you become like this?!"
The previously expressionless "Serenity Wheeler" in front of him, due to the recent ground tremor, had glitchy code-like patterns appear on half of her face, revealing a glowing red electronic eye within?!
Kaiba keenly noticed something and questioned Gozaburo Kaiba, who had just woken up due to the ground trembling, not far away: "Gozaburo, you said you controlled their bodies, but you were lying, weren't you!"
"Heh, too slow to react, Seto. Or is it because Mokuba is involved that you can't think of anything else?" Gozaburo got up from the ground dejectedly, looked at the shattered floor-to-ceiling window and the Door kicked open by Hayato not far away, walked to the desk in the Office, pulled out the boss's chair, and sat down.
"That's right, I deceived you. The ones appearing here are not your companions at all, and even your current bodies are not your real bodies."
Saying that, Gozaburo clapped his hands, intending to release the disguise he had placed on "Téa", "Mokuba", and the others. But looking at "Téa" and the others whose appearances hadn't changed at all, Gozaburo's face showed a tragic smile: "As expected, they've completely gone berserk."
"Heh, heh hahahaha, it ends here, Seto. The destruction of this World is completely fated. Come to hell with me!"
But Yugi and Kaiba didn't pay attention to Gozaburo, who had suddenly started laughing like a madman.
After learning that the opponents in front of them were not their companions, they, who had been suppressing themselves for a long time, unleashed their true power.
"How dare you impersonate Mokuba's face, **Blue-Eyes White Dragon**!"
"Go, **Celestial Knight**!"
"**Red-Eyes Black Dragon**, take down that imposter!"
"**Amazoness Queen**, let's go too!"
"**Blast Held by a Tribute**!"
Amidst the roars of the four monsters and the wails of "Duke Devlin"'s Dice Dungeon, the "imposter"s standing in front of everyone completely shattered their disguise because their Life Points were depleted. Five Robots fell to the ground.
And along with the high will of the few people, the ground tremors intensified, and even cracks began to spread rapidly on the surrounding walls.
The building where this Office was located was about to collapse!
Not only that, looking out from the shattered floor-to-ceiling window, Yugi also found that cracks were starting to spread on the "Earth" outside. Even the starry sky beyond the Earth was shattering. After the illusory scene shattered, the falling fragments collapsed towards the endless deep space hidden behind the scene.
"Hey, Gozaburo, what did you do!" After the Duel ended, Kaiba, who was closest, immediately ran to Gozaburo Kaiba sitting behind the desk and angrily grabbed his collar. "Let us out!"
"Heh, it's truly a nostalgic feeling, sitting in this chair and watching the kid opposite me rage impotently. The only regret is probably that in my life, I was the one raging." Gozaburo's face showed a cold smile, and he didn't struggle free from Kaiba's hand. "It's too late, Seto, that card is already complete."
"The **Super Polymerization** card possesses the power to fuse everything. That's what the guy named Bakura Ryo told me. My original idea was to use it as the strongest weapon."
He paused, then Gozaburo turned his head to look at his wrist. The Deck Zone on his Duel Disk was empty: "That guy named Kobayashi Hayato took **Super Polymerization** from me. He probably thought of getting away from here to slow down how quickly **Super Polymerization** absorbs your dueling will as much as possible."
"But he was still a step too slow. Thanks to your decisive final attack just now, **Super Polymerization** is already complete, and due to the joy of its new birth, **Super Polymerization** has automatically activated and taken this World as its fusion material."
Gozaburo snapped his fingers, but besides the increasingly intense tremors around them, nothing happened.
"As you can see, this World has completely lost control due to the power of **Super Polymerization**. Even I cannot open the path to the Real World anymore."
Saying that, Gozaburo pried open Kaiba's fingers, straightened his collar, and sat back down in his boss's chair, watching the world gradually shatter outside.
Meanwhile, on Hayato's side.
Looking at the **Super Polymerization** in his hand, which had already activated on its own and could not be stopped or reversed, Hayato ignored Marik's self-deprecating grumbling from within the **Millennium Ring** and resolutely slapped it onto a crack in front of him: "If I can't stop **Super Polymerization**, then I'll actively guide it!"
"Our destiny will be changed by me! Watch me one-life clear!"
It's already November, and I'm really not interested in Double Eleven. There are so many tricks every year, I'm too lazy to bother.
Still, the Animal Crossing update on 11.5 is worth looking forward to.
However, this update is the last free major update, and the DLC is also the last paid major update. It seems there will only be minor updates like bug fixes in the future, sigh.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 332: Noah Arc, End
Between sleep and wakefulness, Yugi heard a soft "beep" sound by his ear.
Opening his eyes, he saw the door of the hibernation pod slowly opening.
His head still a bit groggy, he sat up from inside the pod and looked around. There were more than ten other hibernation pods beside him, identical to the one he was lying in. Joey, Kaiba, and the others were also just waking up, looking similarly groggy.
"Are we... back in the Real World?"
Mai asked somewhat doubtfully. Beside her, Joey pinched his arm hard, looking unsure. Tears almost welled up from the pain, and only then did he say with certainty, "Yeah, this is definitely the Real World. It hurts."
"Idiot, it would hurt just the same even in the Virtual World," Mai retorted, looking around at the unfamiliar environment. "Where exactly is this? Also, how did we suddenly get out of that world?"
Yugi recalled.
After defeating the Duel Robots Gozaburo had summoned, which were disguised as their companions, they pressed Gozaburo for answers but got nothing. Seeing the rifts spreading everywhere they looked, the world shattered with a roar and was sucked into a vortex. A white light swallowed Yugi and the others.
And now, here they were, waking up from the Virtual World.
Hayato was the last of them to wake up. Ishizu, whose hibernation pod was closest to his, found him immediately after waking up. Seeing Hayato sit up from the hibernation pod, Ishizu asked with concern, "Are you alright, Hayato?"
"See? I told you my sister had a good impression of you, brother-in-law!" Hayato hadn't even said anything yet, but Marik, inside the Millennium Ring on his chest, spoke with great excitement, looking like he was "shipping" them.
Ignoring the three-year-old's comment, Hayato moved his shoulders and neck, which were a bit stiff from not moving for a long time, and replied with a smile, "Yeah, completely fine. This kind of simple game can be cleared with a one-life clear."
Though he said it was simple, Hayato felt quite pained about his DP points that had been spent like flowing water again.
From the moment he entered the Virtual World, based on the unusual reactions of Rainbow Kuriboh and Ojama Yellow, Hayato began to suspect that the Virtual World might be related to the world of Card Spirits. After all, Hayato had even obtained Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca, which had a spirit residing within it, in the DM Online Game world, which was extremely similar to this one.
Thanks to the Millennium Ring's Direction Guidance function, after defeating Gozaburo and snatching the unfinished Super Polymerization card from him, Hayato managed to find the evidence of the Virtual World connecting to other worlds, and also the entrance for traveling between worlds—that is, the rift Hayato found at the very last moment.
Speaking of coincidences, Hayato only discovered after finding it that the rift was actually just as Bakura had said before, caused by the three of them: Yugi, Kaiba, and himself—that rift was actually the residual effect of the attack collision between Dragon Master Knight and Five-Headed Dragon back then!
In other words, the DM Online Game and Noah's Virtual World were not just similar; they were directly connected!
Gozaburo's purpose in completing Super Polymerization was to use it as the strongest weapon to rule the world. The method he used was actually very simple: using Super Polymerization to fuse the Real World with the Virtual World, which was completely under his control, to create a brand new world.
Once the Super Polymerization card was completed, its activation could not be stopped. However, Hayato actually had no intention of stopping it. All he did was exchange the target of Super Polymerization.
Although it is a consensus among most people that "reality is a terrible game," Hayato was not so extreme as to destroy the Real World because of it. Therefore, by utilizing the existence of that rift, Hayato excluded the Real World from the fusion target and instead chose to fuse the Virtual World with the other world that the rift led to.
Of course, this action was not free. Guiding the fusion target to the world of Card Spirits, which he had no idea how to reach, was not an easy task. Hayato's long-saved DP points were completely spent, used to purchase a card to serve as the coordinates for the fusion.
And that card, which Hayato had redeemed and hadn't even held for long, disappeared under the power of Super Polymerization. However, now that Super Polymerization had ended, Hayato had also gained an unexpected surprise.
Raising his wrist, he drew the deck from his Duel Disk. As soon as he fanned out the deck, Hayato saw two cards appearing at the very top of the deck. One of them was precisely the Super Polymerization that was completed in the Virtual World.
And the other card was the surprise Hayato mentioned.
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!
Looking at this extremely versatile Fusion Monster in his hand, which resulted from the loose material selection, Hayato couldn't help but mutter. The card he redeemed earlier was chosen by the system for Hayato. It disappeared within seconds of him getting it due to Super Polymerization, so Hayato didn't see what was being fused at all.
Now that such a monster had appeared in his hand, it made Hayato wonder—could he have fused those three 'Dragons of the Ice Barrier' from across multiple worlds?
With doubt, Hayato crawled out of the hibernation pod. Seeing Kaiba still researching the electronic lock, which was completely locked because the emergency alarm button beside it was also destroyed, he wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he went to the back of the hibernation pod, fiddled with it a bit, and pulled out something similar to a storage device.
Under the influence of Super Polymerization's power, the two worlds selected as the fusion target shattered together. Yugi and the others were sent out of the Virtual World by Hayato at the last moment of the fusion, along with Gozaburo.
As the last two people holding administrator authority, Gozaburo's thought when he regained control authority for just a moment was not to intercept Yugi, Kaiba, and the others, but to take advantage of the world's shattering and try to burrow into Hayato's body to seize his body.
And then there was no "then." The Millennium Ring is not just for show. Gozaburo's "body snatching" attempt met its biggest nemesis.
It wasn't just a failure; he couldn't even reside within the Millennium Ring. Marik said, "It's full in here," and kicked him out, just happening to be carried out along with the data stream.
Now, Gozaburo was locked inside the storage device in Hayato's hand.
"My great undertaking was so easily destroyed by you bunch of kids! Damn it, damn it! I could have become the god of the new world!"
Inside the storage device, which Hayato had named "USB Drive," Gozaburo raged powerlessly, but only Hayato and Marik could hear his roar.
Marik, who was idle in the Millennium Ring, glanced at Gozaburo and retorted, "What a weak god. You couldn't even rule ants, could you?"
Meanwhile, Marik...
"Tch, finally found this place." Waving the Millennium Rod, he smashed the last mechanical soldier's monitor beside him. Taking advantage of the time before the next batch of robot troops arrived, Marik ran into a Control Room.
Looking at the large area of red and green buttons and keys in front of him, the six-year-old Marik, who had never seen such high-technology equipment, felt a headache.
"What is this? Don't these people know to label what each button is for?" Gritting his teeth, Marik turned his gaze to the largest red button on the operation console, covered by a glass dome.
Among all the buttons, this one was the most eye-catching. According to Marik's guess, this was definitely the self-destruct device button for this fortress.
Touching the Millennium Rod in his hand with a slight pang of regret, Marik smashed it down hard, breaking the glass dome with one blow, and then pressed the button!
Then, the sinister smile on Marik's face became stiff, because he found that the display screen in front of the operation console had actually opened a famous game, 'Galaxian/Galaga.' Pixelated spaceships were constantly shooting in space to defend against invading attackers.
"Which idiot designed this?!"
Marik was about to explode with rage. Needless to say, this was definitely installed by some slacker playing games during work hours. To avoid being discovered, they even made it look like a self-destruct device button!
Furious, Marik angrily smashed and pounded the control console randomly, destroying most of the buttons and displays. He didn't know what he had pressed, but before the projection screen was destroyed, it actually displayed "30:00:00" and started a countdown.
At the same time, a broadcast sounded inside the fortress: "Self-Destruct Device Activated. Countdown starting now. Time remaining until self-destruction: 30 minutes."
Seeing that his random smashing had actually achieved results, Marik snorted proudly and turned to walk out of the Control Room.
As the dark personality, Dark Marik did not have Regular Marik's obsession with becoming Pharaoh. For him, destruction was the greatest pleasure. Although the 'Three Egyptian God Cards' possessed great power, they were not indispensable. Since Bakura had tricked him, the childish Marik decided to go all out and make everyone die here!
What he didn't know was that Hayato and the others had already woken up from the Virtual World just as Marik walked into the Control Room. And because of Marik's previous messing around, the door of the Transfer Room, which was completely locked and even Kaiba couldn't do anything about temporarily, had also opened.
As soon as they walked out of the Transfer Room, everyone heard the broadcast from above. Hearing that this place was about to self-destruct, Kaiba quickly pressed a microphone on his collar: "Calling S.S. Anne! Is the airship still usable?"
When the airship landed, Noah not only hijacked the airship but also used several mechanical arms to completely fix and lock the airship inside the fortress, so that even if Mokuba and the others on the airship accidentally bypassed Noah's control, they couldn't escape.
As Noah died in the Virtual World because Gozaburo was going to create 'Super Polymerization,' the airship's control system was indeed freed from Noah's hijacking. However, due to the presence of the mechanical arms, the people on the airship had no way to leave even if they wanted to, let alone the fact that Kaiba and the others hadn't returned to the ship yet.
In Kaiba's miniature pager, Mokuba's excited voice rang out: "Brother, Brother, are you alright?"
"The mechanical arms controlling the airship have just been released, and the airship's control system has also been restored. We're just waiting for you to board!"
Because of the presence of the self-destruct device, everyone had no intention of staying here any longer. Under the Guidance of Hayato's Millennium Ring, although they weren't sure how they got here, everyone quickly returned to the heliport where the airship was located.
Running all the way, everyone found that from the moment they left the Transfer Room they had been lying in, there had been remnants of mechanical soldiers along both sides of the road. Many of these mechanical soldiers were still sparking with electricity. Judging by the dust on them, they had clearly been destroyed not long ago.
However, everyone didn't have enough curiosity to stop and study these robots. These mechanical soldiers were undoubtedly the "guards" of this steel fortress. Under normal circumstances, after Hayato and the others came out of the Transfer Room, they would have inevitably had to face them.
Although they didn't know who did it, since they destroyed so many mechanical soldiers, clearing the obstacles for them, they might as well consider them allies for now.
Meanwhile, the "ally" Marik was once again entangled in a fight with mechanical soldiers.
Led by Hayato, as soon as they returned to the airship, Iso and the others who were waiting at the boarding hatch were overjoyed to see Kaiba return and said excitedly, "President Kaiba!"
"There's no time for talk. Hurry and take off from here!" Kaiba said calmly. "This is a war fortress. Who knows how far the blast will reach when it self-destructs."
The airship, cursed with the name "S.S. Anne," was already prepared because Kaiba had given notice earlier and quickly left the heliport and ascended. As the hatch at the entrance opened, it escaped the sea fortress and saw the outside real sky again.
And not long after the airship flew away, from a long distance, the people on the airship heard a loud "boom" from behind.
The sea fortress, symbolizing Gozaburo, sank forever into the underwater world. And the S.S. Anne was finally able to fly towards its final destination for this voyage—Devil's Island.
There was still some distance to Devil's Island. Everyone who had experienced the Virtual World journey returned to their respective rooms to rest for a while. Hayato also took this opportunity to check his gains from this time—he hadn't checked the reward for defeating Gozaburo Kaiba without taking damage using 'Library Exodia' yet.
As the 'Machine Type Structure Deck' was opened, Hayato's eyes widened, because the deck he had just prayed in his heart to open was actually opened!
Regretting that he should have wished for 'Drytron' just now, Hayato also thought of something—if Samejima saw this deck of mine, would he come over to collect copyright fee?
Thanks to the "Farmer's Hand" for the 100 Qidian Coins, thank you.
Today is just this one chapter, there will be more Duel content starting tomorrow. I plan to post more, so the reading experience will be more continuous.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 333: The Grouping Match Restarts
Alcatraz, also known as Devil's Island, the destination of the S.S. Anne's voyage, was once the core of KaibaCorp's military industry. It was the remnant of Gozaburo Kaiba's ambition to conquer the world, a forbidden legacy. Before KaibaCorp's transformation, many high-lethality military weapons were produced and sold worldwide here.
Of course, that was a thing of the past. After Kaiba successfully took control, he ordered the destruction of all production lines on Devil's Island, not even considering selling them to other military companies.
Therefore, for Kaiba, Devil's Island held a special significance. In his eyes, there was only the future; the past merely represented former ruins, while the future held infinite possibilities.
To claim the title of King of Games here and bid farewell to everything of the past—that was what a true ruler focused on the future should do.
As the airship approached, the people who had escaped from the Sea Fortress noticed that from Devil's Island, they could see a silver-white tower at least a hundred meters high from a distance.
At the same time, the ruins spread across the entire island of Devil's Island also entered their sight.
Building such a brand-new tower full of technological flair within the dilapidated, dark ruins created a visual impact that couldn't simply be described as "intense." The stark contrast was unforgettable at first glance.
After a brief flight, the S.S. Anne finally arrived above Devil's Island without incident, slowly descending before the silver-white tower and landing safely.
"Is this Devil's Island?"
Stepping down from the airship, Joey Wheeler looked around at the surroundings with expectation for the final battleground.
But as for scenery, besides the most eye-catching tower, there was no scenery on Devil's Island, only ruins everywhere.
"Although I felt this way when I saw it from afar, it's even more like it up close. This really is..."
"Like a garbage dump, right?" Hayato finished the word Joey Wheeler was struggling to find, earning a glare from Kaiba nearby.
Ignoring the surrounding ruins, Kaiba looked up at the silver-white Duel Tower piercing the clouds and muttered to himself, "Gozaburo Kaiba, watch me from Hell. Watch me conquer this Duel Tower built upon your remains. As the one called King of Games, I will completely shatter your soul!"
"This place is the final battleground where the world's number one Duelist—the King of Games—belongs!"
"Enter this Duel Tower, Duelists!" After delivering his speech, Kaiba didn't wait for the others to react and walked towards the silver-white tower—the "Duel Tower"—on his own. "I, Seto Kaiba, specifically permit you to step into this area I am proud of!"
Outside the Duel Tower were ruins resembling a garbage dump, but the scenery inside the Duel Tower was completely different from the outside. Looking around, the silver-white base color was dotted with various highly technological mechanical devices.
Of course, Kaiba's favorite Blue-Eyes White Dragon decorations were also present.
"Amazing! To build such an incredible tower in a place like this, KaibaCorp must be really rich," Joey Wheeler exclaimed, looking at the scenery inside the tower with great curiosity, like someone from the countryside visiting a grand estate for the first time.
The silver-white tower in the midst of the ruins was practically Kaiba flaunting himself on Gozaburo Kaiba's corpse.
Mokuba said proudly, "Hehe, the most amazing thing about this tower isn't just the equipment inside. The materials used for the construction are the most crucial. We recycled discarded materials that are usually unusable and then used KaibaCorp's invincible technology to build this tower!"
"That's amazing!" Joey Wheeler said excitedly. "So, we're going to decide the King of Games in this tower? Just thinking that even I have a chance to compete for the world's number one makes me incredibly excited."
"Hmph, haven't you slept enough last night? Are you already dreaming?" Kaiba glared at Joey Wheeler and sneered, "Recognize the reality that you only got into the Top 4 by sheer luck, Commoner."
"No matter who you face next, your progress will stop at the Top 4. Because without a God Card, you cannot defeat either Hayato or Yugi Mutou. And if I were to face you, I wouldn't even need to use Obelisk the Tormentor."
"You bastard, Kaiba!" Being looked down upon by Kaiba like this, Joey Wheeler was furious. If Tristan and Otogi hadn't held him back, a physical fight between a participant and the organizer might have broken out before the match even started.
However, Tristan's face was quite calm, even somewhat accustomed to it.
For some reason, Joey Wheeler and Kaiba could never get along. They couldn't stand each other. Even if they didn't immediately start arguing, Kaiba could provoke Joey Wheeler in less than three sentences, as if it were a daily task.
After it happened so many times, Tristan's technique for holding back Joey Wheeler had become skilled. In fact, if Joey Wheeler and Kaiba were to get along peacefully one day, he might even feel unaccustomed.
The Duel Tower was largely hollow inside. Four elevators were set up around the tower. Hayato, Joey Wheeler, and Yugi Mutou, who had already experienced them on the S.S. Anne, recognized the function of these four devices at a glance. Without needing Kaiba's introduction, the few of them exchanged glances and each walked towards an elevator, in the same order as on the airship.
Kaiba also stepped onto his elevator and looked at the accompanying professional Referee, Iso.
"Although it was explained before, the Grouping Match was interrupted by an unexpected event and is restarting. I still need to announce the duel rules before the duel begins."
Confirming that the Spectator Area was filled with audience members and that the four players had prepared their Decks and Duel Disks, Iso on the Judge's Stand spoke into the broadcast, "The Life Points of the four participants will be linked to their distance from the top of the tower. The two players who reach the top of the tower first will be assigned to one group for the Semifinals Duel."
"Without further ado, starting with Yugi Mutou, each player will take their turn in clockwise order."
"I announce, the Duel City Top 4 Grouping Match, now begins!"
"Duel!" X4
[Yugi: 4000 LP]
[Kaiba: 4000 LP]
[Joey Wheeler: 4000 LP]
[Hayato: 4000 LP]
"My Turn, Draw!" Switching to the Pharaoh for the duel, Yugi Mutou looked at the card he drew and smiled. "It's been a long time since the last time, and we've been through a lot."
"Even the cards I've drawn are different from last time," Yugi Mutou said, immediately activating the card in his hand. "Spell Card, Fusion! I use the Three Knights in my hand as Fusion Material!"
"Come forth, Arcana Knight Joker!"
As the Fusion Vortex appeared, an elegant and noble knight appeared on Yugi Mutou's field. Summoned using Queen's Knight, Jack's Knight, and King's Knight as material, it was Arcana Knight Joker, the monster with the highest ATK in Yugi Mutou's entire deck!
[Arcana Knight Joker] [9☆/LIGHT Attribute]
[Warrior-Type/Fusion/Effect]
[3800/2500]
As a powerful monster summoned by consuming four cards from Yugi Mutou's hand, Arcana Knight Joker's greatest strength wasn't just its ATK. Once per turn, it could negate a Spell/Trap Card or Monster Effect that targeted it by discarding a corresponding card from hand. It was an extremely rare omni-negate in Duel Monsters.
Logically, to maximize Arcana Knight Joker's effect, it would be best to keep as many of the three types of cards as possible in hand. However, Yugi Mutou only thought for a moment before decisively setting the remaining two cards in his hand, leaving no cards in his hand.
"Set two cards, I end turn." Inserting the two cards in his hand into the Spell & Trap Zone, Yugi Mutou showed a confident smile and looked at Kaiba, who was up next. "It's your turn, Kaiba."
[Yugi: 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[Arcana Knight Joker] [ATK 3800]
[Set Card] X2
"Hmph, my Turn, Draw!"
Kaiba's face was stern and unsmiling, but upon seeing the card he drew, he was slightly startled, then laughed. "Hmph hmph, hehe, hm hahahaha!"
"Although it's just a Grouping Match, I didn't expect my cards to want to win even more than I do. It's decided! This turn, I'll show you the power of Obelisk!"
"Activate Spell Card, Fusion!"
Following the exact same procedure as Yugi Mutou, Kaiba activated a Fusion Spell Card immediately after drawing cards. Just as the others suspected, he sent three cards to the Graveyard. The monster that appeared could only be—
"Lay the foundation for me to ascend the throne of King of Games, my strongest monster, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" With a loud shout from Kaiba, the virtual projection device inside the Duel Tower displayed a soaring three-headed giant dragon before him. However, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, having just appeared, looked at Kaiba strangely after seeing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon decorations everywhere inside the Duel Tower.
[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] [12☆/LIGHT Attribute]
[Dragon-Type/Fusion]
[4500/3800]
Kaiba didn't notice that even his Blue-Eyes didn't approve of his aesthetic. He activated the second card from his hand. "Next, Quick-Play Spell Card, De-Fusion! I release the fusion state of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on my field! Return to my field, three Blue-Eyes!"
"Finally, I tribute the three revived Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"
As Kaiba spoke, he raised the last card in his hand high. An ancient aura swept across the entire field like a storm.
As the three Blue-Eyes that had just appeared on the field dissipated into particles, a powerfully built, tall monster stood tall before Kaiba like an obelisk in the desert.
"When it descends, a scorching gale sweeps the land, and all living things become corpses!"
"Here it comes! Obelisk the Tormentor!"
The blue giant god that crushed Bakura in the Quarterfinals appeared once again!
[Obelisk the Tormentor] [10☆/Divine-Beast Type]
[Divine-Beast Type/Effect]
[4000/4000]
After summoning Obelisk the Tormentor, Kaiba was quite pleased, listening for the sounds of astonishment he expected from the others, such as "What an amazing monster," or "He summoned a God Card on the first turn."
But what he heard was a remark from Hayato: "You drew three Blue-Eyes, Fusion, and De-Fusion in your opening hand? Kaiba, you definitely glued your cards together, didn't you?"
"Besides, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's ATK was higher anyway, it doesn't make sense." Joey Wheeler, who had only seen Obelisk the Tormentor attack through Bakura's traps, didn't know the full power of the God Card and joined Hayato in complaining.
This made Kaiba, who didn't hear the expected praise, quite annoyed. "Hmph, although Obelisk the Tormentor's ATK is lower than Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's, do you think you can defeat Obelisk the Tormentor? Commoner?"
"My Turn Ends!"
[Kaiba: 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[Obelisk the Tormentor] [ATK 4000]
"Don't look down on me, Kaiba! I'll show you just how amazing I am!" Joey Wheeler's tone was full of resentment. "My Turn, Draw!"
After looking at the card he drew, Joey Wheeler was delighted but also looked at the other three on the field with a slightly strange expression. He first glanced past Arcana Knight Joker on Yugi Mutou's field and Obelisk the Tormentor on Kaiba's field, which was exchanged for Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, then looked at Hayato and asked:
"Uh, Hayato, let me just confirm, you don't happen to have Fusion in your hand, do you?"
Hayato lowered his head and looked at his hand. He didn't have a Fusion card. "No, why?"
"Nothing, I just feel like this is too much of a coincidence." Joey Wheeler sighed and resolutely activated the card in his hand. "I use Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull from my hand as Fusion Material! Activate the Fusion Spell Card!"
Hayato had just finished saying that Kaiba hadn't shuffled, and in his own turn, Joey Wheeler used the exact same combo he used in the previous Grouping Match.
Within the Fusion Vortex, the demonic dragon appeared, breathing scorching flames. Even facing Arcana Knight Joker and Obelisk the Tormentor, whose ATK were both higher than its own, it didn't back down and provoked them with its gaze.
[Archfiend Black Skull Dragon] [9☆/DARK Attribute]
[Dragon-Type/Fusion/Effect]
[3200/2500]
"Next is Equip Spell Card, Dark Dragon Type Claw! This card can only equip a DARK Attribute Dragon-Type monster, increasing the equipped monster's ATK by 600 points." Joey Wheeler showed a card and placed it in the Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Disk. "I equip it to Archfiend Black Skull Dragon. Then, I set a card, and end turn."
[Joey Wheeler: 4000 LP, Hand 1]
[Archfiend Black Skull Dragon] (Dark Dragon Type Claw) [ATK 3200 → 3800]
[Set Card]
Now, it was Hayato's turn.
(End of Chapter)
# Chapter 334: Grouping Match Completed
Logically speaking, after experiencing the Virtual World journey, the normal arrangement should have been to let everyone rest for a while before holding the Grouping Match later. After all, everyone's physical and mental health had suffered some damage from the Duels in the Virtual World.
However, this is the world of Duellists, and common sense is completely useless for Duelists!
Especially since the Organizer—Mr. Seto Kaiba—was clearly the one with the most Dueling Addiction, yet when everyone else was Dueling intensely in the Virtual World, he only Dueled once with the Duel Robot disguised as his brother.
The previous Grouping Match was interrupted, and he didn't get to Duel to his heart's content in the Virtual World. Make him wait a few more hours? How could that be possible!
And the facts also proved that even after just experiencing the tense and exciting adventure in the Virtual World, it had no impact on the Duelists.
The plays of Yugi Mutou, Kaiba, and Joey Wheeler all looked like they hadn't done any shuffling, starting with Fusion Summons to bring out big monsters on the field. Furthermore, everyone except Kaiba had two backrow cards Set, which put quite a bit of pressure on Hayato for a moment.
As if.
"My Turn, Draw!"
If he hadn't seen the other three actually shuffling their cards before the Duel started, Hayato would have honestly thought they hadn't shuffled at all at first.
However, after glancing at his hand, Hayato confirmed one thing—for a true Duelist, everything is inevitable, and brick hands absolutely do not exist.
As for Hayato's own brick hand when Dueling Noah in the Virtual World?
That was definitely because the data cards had no bond with him!
"Activate the Spell Card, **Cyber Emergency**! I add to my hand one **Cyber Dragon** or one LIGHT Attribute Machine-Type Monster that cannot be Normal Summoned from my Deck."
After Hayato activated a card, before he could even draw the card that automatically popped out of his Duel Disk, he heard Joey Wheeler's exclamation: "Huh?! **Cyber Dragon**!"
"Isn't that an Electronic Flow card? Hayato has it too?" Yugi Mutou also looked surprised. "I thought you were going to use the **Exchange of Spirit** strategy again, just like last time."
"For the **Exchange of Spirit** strategy to be most effective, you have to go first and make your play when the opponent hasn't set up any interference. Last time, I only used the **Exchange of Spirit** strategy because none of you had set up defenses, and who knew that Noah guy would still interrupt it."
Hayato sighed. "It's obvious when you think about it. After seeing my **Exchange of Spirit** strategy last time, you guys must have prepared corresponding strategies. If I'm not mistaken, Yugi, you probably have cards like **Imperial Order** Set in your backrow."
Yugi Mutou just smiled and didn't answer Hayato. Joey Wheeler, however, turned his head away slightly awkwardly. He would never tell Hayato that the card he had Set on the field was still that **Graceful Dice**.
"I add **Cyber Dragon** to my hand." Using the Effect of **Cyber Emergency**, Hayato drew the card that automatically popped out of his Duel Disk and added it to his hand, feeling a sense of regret at the same time.
Sigh, just a little bit off. Why was I thinking of Cyber Dragon back then instead of **Drytron**? See, this **Drytron**-specific search card (serious face) **Cyber Emergency** was drawn too, wasn't it?
Thoughts were thoughts, but looking at the cards in his hand, Hayato revealed a satisfied smile. "Everyone, please watch closely! This is the struggle I'm making for victory!"
"Activate the Spell Card **Power Bond**! This card allows me to Send to the Graveyard the Fusion Material Monsters determined by a Machine-Type Fusion Monster from my hand and field, and Fusion Summon that Machine-Type Fusion Monster!"
As he spoke, Hayato revealed the three **Cyber Dragon** cards in his hand and winked at Joey Wheeler. "Although I don't have the **Polymerization** Spell Card in my hand, is Fusion really such an inconvenient thing?"
"Don't blink! This is the last monster you'll see! Using three **Cyber Dragon** as Fusion Material, come forth, **Cyber End Dragon**!"
This was the fourth turn of this free-for-all, and Hayato performed his fourth Fusion Summon. However, the might brought forth by this Fusion was the most powerful yet, even surpassing the **Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon** Kaiba had Summoned earlier!
With massive wings, a slender serpentine body, and three heads, the mechanical giant dragon that appeared on the field for Hayato was merely a metal creation without its own thoughts. But precisely because of this, just being stared at by it made the other three feel a cold killing intent, as if they were about to be annihilated in the next second!
And even more terrifying were the frightening stats of **Cyber End Dragon**!
[Cyber End Dragon] [10 Star/LIGHT Attribute]
[Machine Type/Fusion/Effect]
[4000/2800]
"That's **Cyber End Dragon**?! Its ATK is actually as high as 8000 points!" Joey Wheeler exclaimed, his gaze involuntarily falling upon his Set card in the backrow.
Even with **Archfiend Dragon - Black Skull Dragon** on the field equipped with **Dark Dragon Claw**, its ATK was only 3800 points. Although in a regular Duel, 3800 ATK is a terrifying ATK that ordinary Duelists can hardly reach, and it's even enough to pressure the **Obelisk the Tormentor** on the field for Kaiba.
But somehow, Hayato's **Cyber End Dragon** actually boosted its ATK all the way to a staggering 8000 points?
Hayato could already enter the Battle Phase this turn. If Hayato chose him as the attack target, unless that **Graceful Dice** in his backrow could roll a three or better, he would barely have a chance to survive Hayato's attack.
He really didn't want to leave the field without even getting in a single attack, especially when Yugi Mutou and Kaiba next to him still had full LP. That would be way too embarrassing.
"Cyber End Dragon's base ATK was originally only 4000 points. The reason its ATK doubled to 8000 points is because **Power Bond** was used for its Fusion Summon," Hayato said, showing the **Cyber End Dragon** and **Power Bond** cards in his hand.
"A monster Fusion Summoned by the Effect of **Power Bond** has its ATK increased by its original ATK value."
"However, powerful cards often come with risks. During the End Phase of the turn after **Power Bond** is activated, I will take damage equal to the ATK increase of **Cyber End Dragon**, which is 4000 points."
Yugi Mutou nodded in understanding. "I see. A card that maximizes ATK in one turn to decide the victory in a single blow? High risk and high reward coexist. If you can't defeat the opponent in one turn, it's your own defeat."
"Since it's a Grouping Match, Hayato, you just need to randomly pick one person to attack and you can easily eliminate them. Then, you just have to wait until you end your turn, and you'll eliminate yourself as well. This way, it's like you can freely choose the opponent you want to Duel against, right?"
Hayato nodded, glancing around the field, his gaze sweeping over the three monsters: [Celestial Knight], **Obelisk the Tormentor**, and **Archfiend Dragon - Black Skull Dragon**.
Strangely enough, in this Duel, whether it was Hayato, Yugi Mutou, or Kaiba, their goals were quite consistent: their opponent should preferably be one of the other two, so they could collect the Three Egyptian God Cards through the two Matches in the Semifinals and Finals.
To put it more bluntly—as long as it wasn't Joey Wheeler, any opponent would be fine.
And for Hayato, Kaiba, who focused on Dragon-Type Monsters, was much easier to deal with than Yugi Mutou, whose Deck composition was complex. Thinking along these lines, Hayato naturally chose—
"**Cyber End Dragon**, prove here that your limits can surpass even a God! Attack **Obelisk the Tormentor** on the field for Kaiba!"
"Eternal Evolution Burst!"
Watching the white energy waves spewing from **Cyber End Dragon**'s three heads, Kaiba knew that if Hayato's attack went through, his opponent in the Semifinals would most likely be Hayato.
Although this was quite in line with Kaiba's wishes, in the eyes of the proud President Kaiba, the way to determine the order of victory and defeat should absolutely not be like this. He should be the one using powerful monsters to defeat others one by one and send them to the Tower Top, not be the first one sent out of the field by Hayato!
"I really don't like being passive, Kobayashi Hayato!"
Knowing that struggle was meaningless, Kaiba still resolutely ordered: "Withstand the attack, **Obelisk the Tormentor**!"
You could say he was burning bridges quite a bit. When he needed it, he'd call it **Obelisk**, "God," or whatever, but now that it wasn't useful, he called it **Obelisk the Tormentor**.
Watching the three energy waves merge into one and about to hit **Obelisk the Tormentor**, which had its arms crossed in front of its chest in a defensive posture, Kaiba was also ready to receive the impact. But to his surprised gaze, Yugi Mutou actually flipped his Set card in the backrow?!
"What?! Yugi Mutou!"
"Don't thank me too much, Kaiba. I could see the unwillingness in your eyes. In that case, let me receive **Cyber End Dragon**'s attack." Yugi Mutou smiled and flipped his Set card in the backrow. "Activate the Spell Card **Change of Heart**!"
"Although it's a Normal Spell Card, **Change of Heart** can be used as a Trap Card." Yugi Mutou watched as "Eternal Evolution Burst," which was about to hit **Obelisk the Tormentor**, made a sharp turn in mid-air and came towards him, a smile appearing on his face. "The opponent can only attack the monster with the highest ATK on the field for me!"
Joey Wheeler only reacted at this point. "You mean?"
"That means **Cyber End Dragon**'s attack target has shifted from **Obelisk the Tormentor** to [Celestial Knight], and the person about to be eliminated has changed from Kaiba to Yugi Mutou!"
Hayato spread his hands helplessly and glanced at the cards in his hand.
Although he put on a facade of "succeed or die trying," Hayato was still holding a **Mystical Refpanel** in his hand, planning to cook and eat **Cyber End Dragon** directly at the End Phase to withstand the attack.
And the other card in his hand was the invincible **Kiteroid**, which has the Effect of negating damage from Direct Attacks twice. Combined with the LP recovered by **Mystical Refpanel**, it was enough for Hayato to survive two attacks after repelling Kaiba.
But now, Yugi Mutou had actually actively drawn the attack towards himself.
Although Hayato could have Chained to Yugi Mutou's **Change of Heart** and Tributed **Cyber End Dragon** directly to prevent Yugi Mutou from being eliminated, while he could do it, there was absolutely no need for Hayato to do so.
As mentioned before, whether it was Hayato, Yugi Mutou, or Kaiba, as long as the opponent was one of the other two, it was fine. The reason Hayato chose Kaiba earlier was simply because he felt he was relatively easier to deal with, but it didn't matter that the opponent was switched to Yugi Mutou.
Because Duelists are drawn to each other. Since he would have to face Yugi Mutou sooner or later, then—
"Boom!"
[Yugi Mutou: 4000 LP → 0]
**Cyber End Dragon**'s attack easily crushed [Celestial Knight]. Even the most top-tier knight found it difficult to protect its master against the overloaded mechanical giant dragon. The elevator beneath Yugi Mutou's feet began to rise all the way to the top floor as Yugi Mutou's Life Points dropped to 0.
Only having time to wave at Téa and the others in the audience seats who hadn't reacted yet, Yugi Mutou had to grip the handrails on the sides with both hands simultaneously to maintain balance, disappearing from everyone's sight.
"Yugi, he... actually left the field first?" Téa blinked, asking Tristan beside her somewhat uncertainly, "What exactly happened just now?"
"Yeah, what exactly happened just now?" Tristan, in turn, turned his head and repeated Téa's question to Otogi.
Otogi turned his head and found Serenity Wheeler next to him, wide-eyed and sparkling, and Mokuba, who was equally bewildered. There was simply no one for him to repeat the question to.
Turning back helplessly, Otogi replied perfunctorily to Tristan, "I don't even know where the end of the universe is, how would I know what just happened?"
Meanwhile, on the field, after eliminating Yugi Mutou, Hayato looked at the annoyed Kaiba and spread his hands helplessly. "I couldn't help it, Seto. You saw it just now. I originally wanted you as my opponent, but Yugi Mutou just interfered like that. There was nothing I could do."
As he spoke, Hayato declared: "Then, I end my turn." As he said this, Hayato snapped his fingers.
Sparks immediately erupted from **Cyber End Dragon**, which had exerted overloaded power in the previous turn. It shattered with a boom, and the wind stirred up by its self-destruction blew Hayato's hanging hair, also allowing Kaiba to see a corner of the **Mystical Refpanel** in Hayato's hand that he hadn't held tightly enough and was lifted by the wind.
[Hayato: 4000 LP → 0]
"That is!" After seeing the large pot revealed on the card, Kaiba instantly thought of **Mystical Refpanel**, one of Hayato's most frequently used Spell Cards. "Hey, Kobayashi Hayato! That card in your hand is—"
"Ah, you found out. Anyway, I'll go up and wait for you guys. Arrivederci~"
Just like Yugi Mutou, the elevator beneath Hayato's feet also began to rise rapidly, quickly reaching the Tower Top after only a short while.
Seeing Hayato's appearance, Yugi Mutou, who had arrived there earlier, smiled. "Looks like we successfully got grouped together, Hayato."
"Yeah, it's been a while since I've Dueled you, Yugi Mutou."
# Chapter 335: Pre-Match Preparations
Because of Hayato's move that resulted in a draw, Yugi and he, who had been eliminated one after another, were grouped together.
Thus, the Semifinals pairings became Hayato versus Yugi, and Kaiba versus Joey.
Both Yugi and Hayato were quite satisfied with these pairings. Joey was also in a good mood because he could finally give Kaiba a good beating. The only one who felt annoyed was Kaiba.
This was especially true after he discovered that Hayato actually had a way to continue Dueling but still chose to force a draw, preventing others from having satisfying Duels.
Because of this, with his Dueling Addiction unsatisfied multiple times, Kaiba, who arrived at the Tower Top with everyone else, saw Hayato and Yugi, who had arrived early and were eager for battle. With a sour face, he said, "The Semifinals start in three hours."
With that, without any intention of listening to others' opinions, he walked towards the Lounge inside the Duel Tower to close his eyes and rest. Knowing he couldn't Duel immediately, Kaiba felt a bit of fatigue without the suppression of his Dueling Addiction.
One could only say that Kaiba, who abused his power for personal revenge, was scum.
Internally complaining that Kaiba should only ever be an AI Player, Hayato and Yugi exchanged helpless glances. In the end, they could only obediently comply with the arrangements of Kaiba, the power-tripping authority, and hold the Semifinals Match after three hours.
Although Kaiba seemed to be taking public revenge for private grievances, in reality, waiting three hours before holding the Semifinals was quite necessary and not without reason.
On one hand, Yugi and Hayato needed to make adjustments to their Decks.
After seeing Hayato's "Present Underworld" and "Cyber Dragon OTK" two powerful combos, Yugi needed time to think of countermeasures. He also had to take into consideration various Monsters Hayato had used before, such as Armed Dragon, Ojama, Gaia, Performapal, and Xyz Monsters.
At the same time, Yugi also had to remove some Cards from his current Deck that were prepared for the Grouping Match, including Cards like Gift Card, which were used to recover the opponent's Life Points and were useless in normal Duels.
It was the same for Hayato. If the opponent was Yugi, no amount of thinking about strategy was too much.
On the other hand, because the S.S. Anne was hijacked earlier, the originally scheduled "Live Broadcast" was not aired. Furthermore, since neither Kaiba nor Mokuba could contact the outside world due to communication interruption, it caused an uproar on the Network.
This was especially true after KaibaCorp heavily promoted the Grouping Matches after the Elimination Round for the Top 8 ended.
With Duel Monsters gaining global popularity, as long as they weren't laggards whose villages lacked internet access, any Duelist, or even just a fan of Duel Monsters, was camped in front of their television or computer, waiting to watch the world's top Duel Monsters Tournament.
Then it was like you, eagerly anticipating payday, finally saving enough money to get a new mobile phone, only to find that even after waiting until the next morning, your salary wasn't paid, and your boss was acting dead, not replying to your messages at all.
After transforming from an Arms Conglomerate into an Entertainment Company, KaibaCorp's business was on the rise. Their current biggest source of income came from the licensing of the Virtual Projection System developed by Kaiba, and the basis for these earnings came from the vast number of Duel Monsters fans.
In other words, if the unfavorable trend against KaibaCorp that was beginning to take shape on the Network wasn't handled well, KaibaCorp, which hadn't fully established itself in the Duel Monsters domain, could very likely sheepishly withdraw from this industry under the unified boycott of bystanders who were guided by schemers to become dissatisfied with KaibaCorp.
It sounds like the situation is somewhat grim? However, just seeing the expressions on the Kaiba brothers' faces, no matter how worried one was about KaibaCorp's future, they would feel relieved.
Perhaps there simply aren't any difficult problems in the world that could stump the Kaiba brothers? Except for Duel Monsters.
In Yugi's Lounge.
Spreading his Deck out in a line on the table, Yugi rested his chin in his hands and said somewhat hesitantly to the mirror in front of him, "The Other Me, do you think this is okay?"
In the eyes of others, Yugi was just talking to himself in the mirror. But if it were a Duelist with the ability to see Spirits or a holder of a Millennium Item, they would be able to see that the Yugi in the mirror looked significantly more mature than the Yugi in front of the mirror.
"Aibo, are you planning to use this card?" Pharaoh glanced at a Fusion Monster Card in the spread-out Deck. "Didn't you say before that you planned to save this card for dealing with Kaiba?"
"Buster Blader? Indeed, using him against Kaiba, whose Deck's Monsters are mainly Dragon-Type, would allow him to display his greatest effect."
Yugi nodded. After a pause, he continued, "However, Five-Headed Dragon also exists in Hayato-kun's Deck. Without Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Black Luster Soldier working together, our Deck simply doesn't have a monster comparable to Dragon Master Knight that can defeat Five-Headed Dragon."
"I see, you even considered Five-Headed Dragon?" Pharaoh nodded, suddenly enlightened, and said with a smile, "It's really thanks to you for covering the blind spots, Aibo."
"Hehe, since you've made up your mind to find your lost memories, then let me be your support, The Other Me." Yugi returned a shy smile. "The teamed-up 'Yugi Mutou' is invincible, I firmly believe this."
"Aibo..."
While Yugi and Pharaoh were sharing a deep bond of friendship, a few rooms away, Hayato was also organizing his Deck in his Lounge.
"First of all, Yugi's Deck definitely has many Trap Cards. Even if not at the start, if Original Yugi participated in modifying the Deck, there will definitely be many. Anyway, I'll include Red Reboot and Bribe of the Magic Palace, these Counters."
"Dark Magician won't be absent either. I'll include Super Polymerization too."
"Yugi will definitely use Traitor Dragon too, so I'll bring one more of this."
Card after card was stuffed into Hayato's Deck. After all, the opponent was Yugi; he couldn't be too careful. And speaking of which, Hayato hasn't defeated either Original Yugi or Dark Yugi so far. This time, Hayato was preparing with a winning mindset.
However, in the middle of handling the cards, looking at The Winged Dragon of Ra card, Hayato felt a bit troubled. If he were aiming for entertainment, Hayato would definitely put Ra into the Deck, after all, it's a God Card.
But what his current Deck needed was strength. Was there really still a need to include a God Card?
Especially since he got his hands on Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, if three monsters were gathered on the field, wasn't direct fusion better than Tribute Summoning a God?
As if hearing Hayato's inner voice, suddenly, the The Winged Dragon of Ra card in Hayato's hand began to emit golden light.