"Chapter 466: Valon and Marik Have a Pleasant Play Session
Walking through the Backstage Passage, Joey Wheeler suddenly sneezed for no reason.
"Ah-choo!"
"Remember to cover your mouth when you sneeze, Joey Wheeler!"
"Sorry, sorry."
Facing Hayato's lecture, Joey Wheeler apologized with a forced smile. "I suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable just now, couldn't hold it in."
"But speaking of which, how much further until we reach our destination? I feel like we should move faster."
Hayato, leading the way, spread his hands helplessly. "I don't want to go at this speed either, but we're following the Magical Trace left by Marik, like Theseus following a thread through Minos's Labyrinth."
"However, we've almost reached the Last Fork in the Road."
Turning a corner, another Staff Passage appeared before them. Room numbers from 401 to 408 were neatly arranged on both sides, leading to various rooms.
Hayato swept his hand across his chest. Although it was a Millennium Item, its primary function was navigation. The five golden conical pendants of the Millennium Ring floated up out of nowhere, all pointing in one direction.
They all pointed to Room 402.
Hayato raised an eyebrow. "I really can't tell. It's highly possible that the person who secretly built this Basement was an anime/manga fan, or is it just a pure coincidence?"
Seeing Joey Wheeler and Yugi looking confused, Hayato didn't bother to explain, but Rayne, who was with them, offered the answer. "Ah, I know this. Rei Ayanami's room in *EVA* is Room 402."
"Well, that's indeed the idea, but explaining a reference feels strange." Hayato shrugged, walked elegantly to the door of Room 402, and kicked the door.
Due to the President's extravagant personality, all the specifications within the Kaiba Dome Venue were set very high, and the security was very robust. So, theoretically, it would be impossible for an ordinary human to break the door just by kicking it.
However, Marik and Tristan had already entered once before Hayato and the others, leaving an irreversible trace on the door lock that Joey Wheeler and the others could have found even without Hayato's Millennium Ring—another footprint kicked onto the door.
The door was kicked open with a bang, revealing a Spiral Staircase to a Lower Level before Hayato and his group of five—Hayato, Yugi, Joey Wheeler, Rayne, and Zigfried. It was unknown how much deeper it went.
As the door opened, Hayato and the others also faintly heard sounds:
"...Armor... Punch..."
"...Powerful Monster... Wheel..."
"...This is fundamentally not a Duel... Direct Attack..."
"...Boxers... Muda..."
Yugi frowned and tilted his head to listen. Whether it was because the sound was distorted due to the long transmission distance or for other reasons, Yugi couldn't tell exactly who the two voices belonged to, or if he knew them.
However, one thing was certain: the situation below was far from peaceful. Tristan and his group might have already come into conflict with a possible Gatekeeper or similar character.
Normally, a slight conflict wouldn't worry Yugi and the others, but with the anomaly not yet dispelled, Tristan and his group were very likely to encounter life-threatening danger.
There was no need to say anything more. The three of them exchanged glances, their communication complete. They all started running towards the Stairs. Seeing this, Rayne naturally hurried to catch up. The only one suffering was Zigfried, whose hands were tied. Joey Wheeler gave him a rough tug, almost making him fall, and forced him to run to keep up with Joey Wheeler and the others, lest he fall down the Stairs.
——————If there's an anomaly, find the Red and White——————
"You!", "this is fundamentally not the Duel I wanted!"
At the Bottom of the Stairs Hayato and the others had just discovered, the source of the sounds they had heard, Marik, was having a pleasant Duel with Valon.
However, from the "joyful" sounds coming from the armored figure standing before Marik, one could tell that this "pleasant" Duel was likely only "pleasant" for one side.
In a way, the Duel between the players at this moment could be considered evenly matched. Not only did both players have five cards in their Hand, but they also each had five cards on their Field, and even their Life Points were equally split at 2000 LP.
However, if Valon had a choice, he would rather have an opponent completely crush him than have this kind of "evenly matched" situation.
On Valon's Field was a row of monsters neatly arranged. And just like his Companion Alister's Meklord Deck, Valon's Armor Deck also consisted entirely of Machine-Type monsters.
[Active Guard Armor] [DEF 1500]
[Mental Helmet] [DEF 500]
[Black Hole Shield Armor] [ATK 0]
[Burst Gauntlet Armor] [ATK 0 → 1000]
[Transcend Boots Armor] [DEF 1000]
Unlike conventional Duel Monsters, the Armor Deck's duel style is extremely special. This is because Armor Monsters appear in a stance where they are equipped onto the Duelist's body. If you want to activate an attack to battle, simply declaring an attack is not enough; the Duelist themselves must wear these Armor Monsters and perform a punch attack.
It's very strange, but at the same time, this is Valon's true duel stance. Only in this way can he fully exert his full power.
In addition, Armor Monsters have a characteristic: they are treated as a whole, but can also be treated as individual parts. A Duelist can only attack with one Armor Monster per turn, but when being attacked, they can decide which Armor Monster will bear the attack.
Because this concept was too advanced, although the rarity of the Armor Deck wasn't high, no one except Valon wanted to use it. However, it's hard to say that the existence known as Meklord, which appeared decades later, didn't borrow from this interesting concept.
But, although the concept was interesting and Valon himself particularly enjoyed the process of dueling with Armor Monsters, he was not happy at all at this moment.
The Black Hole Shield Armor on his left hand, which had the ability to actively Tribute itself to protect other Armor Monsters, was tightly bound by a Fiend's Chain. The glowing pattern of Curse of Fiend was engraved on the Burst Gauntlet Armor on his left hand.
Torture Wheel hooked the Active Guard Armor, preventing it from changing its stance or attacking, and even causing 500 points of damage each turn.
And the Mental Helmet and Transcend Boots Armor were each equipped with an Axe of Dullness, which increased ATK but negated effects.
Wearing the armor, and thus forced to be controlled along with the Armor Monsters, Valon, who completely resembled Exodia the Forbidden One, looked at Marik with great annoyance. "What kind of Duel is this?!"
"Heh heh, I don't even know where the End of the Universe is, so how could I know the answer to the question?" Marik looked at his duel disk. Although his Front Row was empty, his Spell/Trap Zone was completely filled with red and green cards, and he couldn't help but reveal a smile of pleasure.
"Duel Monsters is so fun," he said, placing his hand on his duel disk. "My turn, draw!"
"Then, I will grant you this powerful monster! Go, Lava Golem!"
## Chapter 467: Next Time, Marik's Death
When Hayato and the others finally walked down the long Stairs and reached the bottom floor, they saw Valon panting, bathed in lava. The armor he wore to resist the lava was slowly turning transparent.
"Hehe, you were a good opponent. You were even close to turning the tables, but luckily, I was slightly better."
Facing the dishevelled Valon, Marik stood with his hands on his hips, grinning like a three-year-old, looking every bit the antagonist.
Wait, wasn't Marik already an antagonist?
"Marik, playing with your big toys again? How about taking a break and playing with a standard Deck?" Hayato teased, sizing up Marik, who stood proudly before Valon. He then stepped in front of Marik, turning his back to him, and looked at Valon.
"Hayato Kobayashi, I didn't expect you to be the second group to arrive here..." Valon looked at Yugi and Joey Wheeler walking down the Stairs, a frustrated expression on his face. "Honestly, if I'd known, I would have waited a bit longer. Dueling this annoying white-haired guy wasn't fun at all."
Valon didn't have many grand ambitions in life; he was quite content just living peacefully. His love for Duel Monsters was only average, not particularly fanatical. But if he was going to duel, he wouldn't easily surrender or give up. Instead, he would strive to gain enough passion and ultimately achieve victory in the duel.
For things that weren't important, like eating coarse, unappetizing food or sleeping under a bridge, Valon could completely accept them. Losing the duel against Marik, which he found unsatisfying, was also fine. However, if something truly ignited his passion, Valon might very well unleash all the enthusiasm he had accumulated over the years.
It was just that Valon had never encountered anything that could truly make him burn with passion. Even the close-quarters battle of dueling with his **Armor** Deck was only mildly interesting.
On the other hand, Kujaku Mai, whom he had only met twice, somehow made Valon feel a little concerned about her. This strange feeling was a first for Valon, who had been a bachelor for over twenty years, and it felt completely new.
"Hey, hey, you've said it several times now, who's white-haired?! My hair is clearly light gold, even if it's not very noticeable!" Marik yelled from behind Hayato, full of energy. "And I have a name! Malik Ishtar! Remember it!"
"Call yourself whatever you want, I'm too lazy to remember your name." Valon glared at Marik, annoyed. "In fact, I don't want to see you again. When it comes to disgusting tricks, you're truly rare in this world."
"Who are you calling rare?!"
Marik immediately retorted, "Let me tell you the truth, among the four people in my family, I'm the weakest. There are three others who are even more disgusting to duel against than me."
"Three?"
More than Marik's standard "I'm the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings" line, Hayato found it stranger where the other three people in his family came from. Even counting Rishid, Marik's foster brother, there were only three. Could it be his deceased father, whom Marik had dutifully sent to the grave?
"Me, Malik Ishtar;"
"My foster brother, Rishid Ishtar;"
"My sister, Ishizu Ishtar, and my Brother-in-law, Hayato Kobayashi."
Marik stood with his hands on his hips, smugly placing one hand on Hayato's shoulder. "The waters of Duel Monsters are very deep, you can't handle it. My Brother-in-law is invincible!"
Listening to Marik, who was standing behind him and wildly applying debuffs, Hayato's forehead veins bulged as if to form a "well" character. "So who's your Brother-in-law—"
"Boom!"
Just as Hayato was about to finish his sentence, a sudden loud noise came from the open door not far away, interrupting him.
Everyone's gaze turned towards that direction. Marik's expression became somewhat serious. "Tristan Taylor and Kujaku Mai went through that door just now. What happened?"
"What? Tristan and Mai are in there?!" Joey Wheeler exclaimed, immediately growing anxious. His body moved faster than his thoughts. "Hang in there, Tristan !"
Shouting, Joey Wheeler started running, charging towards the open door.
Because Joey Wheeler was so anxious, he completely forgot he was still holding the rope. Zigfried, who had just come down the long Stairs and hadn't had a chance to catch his breath, looked resistant but was forced to follow, being pulled along.
Seeing this, Yugi also wanted to follow, but he noticed that Hayato and Marik were still standing still. He turned back, looking at Hayato with confusion.
"You go ahead, Yugi." Hayato pointed to Valon, who was standing not far away and hadn't tried to stop Yugi and Joey Wheeler. "At least I need to stop this guy and prevent him from interfering with you."
Marik's hand was still on Hayato's shoulder, and he complained, "That's so mean, Brother-in-law. I already won a duel against him. You're just stealing kills."
Hayato ignored Marik's complaint and gave Yugi a reassuring look. Having great confidence in Hayato's strength, Yugi nodded without further delay. Leaving behind a "Be careful," he also followed Joey Wheeler, who wasn't far ahead.
Although Rayne knew his Brother was the mastermind, he followed out of concern.
The only ones left outside were Marik, Hayato, and Valon.
Valon looked at Marik, then at the well-conditioned Hayato, closed his fighting spirit-filled eyes, and sighed helplessly.
Logically, having a rare one-on-one opportunity with the Duel King, Valon should have felt a little happy. But having just finished a duel with an extremely poor gaming experience, he couldn't muster any interest in dueling.
And it wasn't just his emotional state. Marik had used the rules of the Dark Game in that duel. Although Valon didn't fall unconscious or have his soul sealed due to the protection of the Orichalcos Fragment on his chest, the physical fatigue and stamina loss Valon experienced were real.
"Let's make a deal, Duel King. I won't interfere with you." As Valon spoke, seemingly to prove he had no intention of dueling, he retracted the Duel Disk he had deployed earlier, pulled out his Deck, and raised both hands. "If you want to save your companions, go ahead and save them."
"After just having a duel, I really don't have the spirit to battle you right now. A duel where one side isn't in peak condition is very boring."
As he spoke, Valon started moving, walking towards the Stairs. "I'll leave here now, and as a gesture of sincerity to stop fighting, I can also give you some information about what's inside. It's not that I don't want to tell you more, but I was entrusted with this task, and I honestly don't know much more."
Looking at Valon, who didn't act like a Duelist at all, not only avoiding battle and surrendering but even voluntarily offering information, Hayato raised an eyebrow. "You're offering me information just to avoid dueling me? That's a good suggestion, but won't your companions, Alister and Rafael, have an issue with that?"
"This isn't a particularly important plan; no one really cares if it succeeds or not. Oh, wait, Alister seems pretty invested in it."
Valon shrugged indifferently. "Anyway, Doma isn't the leader of the plan, just a participant. Even Rafael himself knows that I wouldn't honestly Guard the door and stop everyone."
Valon continued walking as he spoke, and Hayato and Marik's gazes followed him.
Although the pain of the Dark Game was weakened by the pendant Valon wore, it was still enough to make someone with average willpower faint from the sheer pain. And while Valon looked very weak right after the duel ended, he walked quite normally.
Stepping onto the Stairs, Valon faced Hayato and walked up backwards. The expression on his face was very serious. "The information I got from Rafael is that throughout the Kaiba Dome Venue, there's a domain set up specifically to absorb life force. It seems to be concentrated in a Room behind this door."
"The collected life force seems to be used to boost a certain Duel Monsters card. That card seems to be the objective of the anomaly's leader. It apparently has some sort of mystical power that 'guides the world into darkness'."
"I don't know anything more specific. Anyway, good luck, Duel King. I hope we can have a proper duel next time we meet."
With that, Valon ascended the last Stair, his figure disappearing around the Corner.
After waiting several seconds and not seeing Valon reappear, Marik smugly snorted, "He lost to Marik in a duel and even lost the courage to duel you, Brother-in-law? Youngsters nowadays have such poor mental fortitude, hehehehehe."
Hayato didn't know what Marik was thinking, calling Valon a youngster when Valon was actually older than him.
"How many Soul Hall Elders do you eat for a meal?" Hayato ranted about Marik's new strange catchphrase, glancing at the weight of Marik's hand still on his shoulder. "Oh right, you can fall now."
"Oh yeah." Marik forced a smile, no longer trying to hold on. His body went limp and he fell forward, but Hayato propped him up, preventing him from collapsing completely. His face suddenly turned pale, and even his breathing became heavy and strained.
The characteristic of Valon's **Armor** Deck, besides fighting like someone from that Athena-guarding 'repeater nemesis' scene next door, was that the opponent dueling the **Armor** Deck would suffer vitality damage.
How high was the specific damage? In another timeline, the duel with Valon almost took the life of Joey Wheeler, who was more tenacious than a cockroach, which shows how significant the damage was.
Although Marik only took 2000 life points of damage in his duel with Valon, which was less than the damage taken by Joey Wheeler, that guy who only plays when he's at low HP, and Marik also had the protection of the Millennium Rod compared to Joey Wheeler, who had almost no defense and relied entirely on guts.
But don't forget, Marik's body wasn't as strong as Joey Wheeler's. Not only had his skin turned pale from constantly hiding in dark places, acting mysterious, and not getting sun, but there was also the damage left behind by Dark Marik before he disappeared.
Before getting the Millennium Rod from Hayato, Marik had also had a certain amount of life energy absorbed. After the duel with Valon ended, he was actually just forcing himself to not show any weakness.
Although Valon hadn't done anything to stop Tristan and the others before, no one could guarantee that his idea wouldn't change. If he were to fall and Valon were to chase after Tristan and the others
Chapter 468 Get Over Here!
In the underground of the Kaiba Dome Venue, after Hayato walked through the large gate and down a not-too-long Passage, a brightly lit Room appeared before him.
From a distance, he saw Joey Wheeler and Yugi blocked at the entrance.
"Damn it, what is this thing?"
Joey Wheeler punched the transparent membrane in front of him, trying to destroy the barrier blocking his entry into the Room with brute force. However, the membrane, which looked as fragile as a soap bubble, was extremely resilient. Even after Joey Wheeler punched it hard several times, he couldn't advance at all. Annoyed, Joey Wheeler could only shout loudly at the membrane, "Honda, Mai!"
Beside Joey Wheeler, Yugi also looked anxiously into the Room: "Téa, Rebecca!"
Inside the Room, separated by a layer of membrane, Yugi and Joey Wheeler saw Rebecca and Mai Valentine lying weakly on the ground. Even though Yugi and Joey Wheeler shouted loudly, they received no response, as if they had fallen unconscious.
Not far from the fallen individuals, a Duel Monsters Card floated up out of nowhere, radiating Light. It seemed like this Barrier preventing Joey Wheeler and Yugi from entering the Room was set up by that Card.
Inside the Room, Otogi, Téa, Mai Valentine, Keipei, and Rebecca had fallen unconscious. Only Tristan seemed to have heard Joey Wheeler and Yugi's calls. Lying on the ground, he struggled to raise his head and looked towards the direction of the entrance: "Yugi... Joey Wheeler..."
"Honda?!" Seeing that Tristan was still conscious, Joey Wheeler quickly shouted anxiously, "What happened, Tristan? Are you okay?"
Slightly raising his head, Tristan felt as if all the power had been drained from his body. He said with difficulty: "I... I'm not too sure what happened..."
"I only remember that I touched that Card, and then everyone fell..."
"What exactly happened, I'm not too..."
His words cut short halfway, Tristan weakly fell, seemingly having exhausted his last bit of power with those few sentences just now.
"Honda! Hey! Pull yourself together, Tristan!" Joey Wheeler angrily punched the Barrier in front of him. Witnessing his friend fall unconscious before him, Joey Wheeler desperately yearned to reach Tristan's side, but was blocked by the Barrier, unable to advance an inch. "Damn it, this thing is so annoying!"
Yugi was also quite anxious watching Tristan fall. In his mind, he called out to Dark Yugi inside the Millennium Puzzle: "The Other Me..."
However, the phantom of Dark Yugi that appeared beside Yugi only shook his head helplessly: 'Sorry, Aibo, I'm also powerless.'
'This layer of Barrier seems to be constructed by extracting their life force. If we forcibly break the Barrier, it's highly likely to cause damage to Tristan and the others. Unless the person who set up the Barrier actively dispel it, we simply have no way to enter the Room without harming Tristan and the others.'
"How could this be..." Yugi was also very disappointed hearing Dark Yugi's words. "Does that mean we can only stand here and watch Tristan and the others fall?"
"This is the expression I've always wanted to see, Mutou Yuugi." Zigfried von Schroeder leaned against the Passage, looking at the expression of annoyance and unwillingness on Yugi's face, and said with a cold smile, "Exactly this kind of powerless expression."
"Although my primary goal is Kaiba, I have never forgotten the fact that you defeated me in a Duel once. Watching your friends fall before you, yet you don't even have the ability to go to their side, doesn't that feel great, hahahaha!"
"This is the Penalty for being an enemy of me, the Noble Elite Zigfried von Schroeder!"
Overly proud, he had even forgotten the fact that he was still a prisoner. If his hands weren't tied, Joey Wheeler had no doubt that this guy would put his hands on his hips or strike other strange poses while laughing maniacally.
Being taunted like this, although Yugi wouldn't get angry and hit Zigfried, Joey Wheeler's mood was also very annoyed, and naturally, he wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to vent.
Just coincidentally, he had recently played a game called Mortal Kombat, and one character's move was perfect for this moment.
"Get Over Here!"
With a forceful tug on the rope in his hands, looking at Zigfried, who was being dragged towards him with a panicked expression, Joey Wheeler showed no mercy to this guy who was speaking mockingly. He slightly bent down and swung his fist.
"Ugh!!!"
Zigfried, who was hit hard in the abdomen, let out a Dio-like miserable scream. His two eyes widened as if they were about to pop out, his head tilted, and his eyes rolled upwards. He actually just fell unconscious like that.
"So weak, this Noble Elite."
Joey Wheeler clearly knew how to rub it in. Looking at Zigfried, who had collapsed after just one punch, he remarked.
He, who often fought, knew that a punch of this force would generally only make someone speechless from pain. Zigfried's physique, collapsing just like that, was truly too weak.
After shutting up the annoying Zigfried, Joey Wheeler turned his head to look at Yugi, just about to say something, like discussing how to bypass this Barrier and enter the Room.
But at this moment, Joey Wheeler saw someone in the Room slowly standing up. Astonished, he pointed at the person with his finger: "Yu- Yugi, that person inside isn't—"
Yugi turned his head upon hearing this, looking with astonishment at the guy who had just stood up and was dusting himself off.
"Hoh yah hoh yah, meeting under such circumstances is truly destiny, Joey Wheeler, and Yugi." Bakura Ryo used both hands to pull at his hair, rearranging two strands back into rabbit ears. "No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's luck, because this trap was clearly prepared specifically for you, or rather, for you, Yugi, from the start."
"Trap?"
Seeing that Yugi and Joey Wheeler both looked like they hadn't understood his meaning, Bakura also calmly explained: "Isn't it easy to understand? This Room is arranged with a Barrier that absorbs life force, even stronger than the one outside, specifically to trap you who have finally made it this far wanting to dispel the Barrier."
"But obviously, these guys ran ahead of you and ended up being your substitute." While speaking, Bakura even squatted down and grabbed Tristan's spiky hair, pulling him up from the ground. "Especially this bastard Tristan Taylor, he even punched me. Karma comes quickly."
"It was like this!" Yugi was shocked.
Putting himself in their shoes, after breaking through layer after layer of obstacles and arriving at the final boss's room, and even defeating the final boss, the only thing left before you become a hero whose name is remembered for generations and marry the princess kidnapped by the demon king is to unlock the lock on the princess's prison cell. Unless you're a cautious hero who even overkills a novice village slime with ten ultimate moves, who would be so careful!
Exchanging identities, Yugi felt that if he had entered the Room first instead of Tristan and the others, he would have also fallen into Bakura's trap.
"That's not right," Joey Wheeler said with some confusion, "If it's a trap, why are you inside, Bakura? And why are you still able to move normally when Tristan, Téa, and the others have fallen?"
"There's only one answer, and that is that this guy, Dark Ash, is actually the mastermind hiding behind the scenes, connecting other factions and planning this anomaly."
The voice answering Joey Wheeler didn't come from inside the Room where Bakura was, but from behind Joey Wheeler.
Hayato held the Millennium Rod he had taken from Marik in his hand. The "Eye of Wjat/Udjat" on the Millennium Ring on his chest flashed with golden light. Like an old-fashioned Noble Elite strolling through a Museum, he walked towards Joey Wheeler and the others leisurely and with composure.
"Hayato-kun."
"Mm." Nodding his head as a greeting to Yugi, Hayato didn't explain why Marik hadn't come in with him. Yugi, or rather, Dark Yugi inside the Millennium Puzzle, could probably guess the reason.
He looked at Bakura: "Yo, Rabbit-Eared Great Demon King, long time no see."
"Hayato Kobayashi, what are you doing here?" Compared to Hayato, whose expression was calm as if greeting an old friend, Bakura frowned and said with confusion, "Could it be that you're also thinking of making a move here? Don't forget the agreement between you and me before."
"Ah, of course, my memory is quite good." Hayato nodded, glanced at Yugi, who was somewhat confused, and explained,
"Under the witness of the Dark Game Rules, 'Hayato Kobayashi' cannot interfere with the actions initiated by 'Bakura Ryo' and his companions to overthrow KaibaCorp. At the same time, 'Hayato Kobayashi' cannot actively leak information to Kaiba Seto and other relevant personnel. That's roughly the agreement."
"However..."
Looking at Bakura, the corner of Hayato's mouth curved up, and he smiled wickedly: "This agreement is only limited to 'Hayato Kobayashi'. What does the agreement between you, Bakura Ryo, and 'Hayato Kobayashi' have to do with me, 'Dan Kuroto', a Player in the KC Cup?"
While speaking, Hayato raised the Millennium Rod in his hand, making a motion of raising a weapon and preparing to strike down.
"Wait, Hayato, this Barrier seems to be maintained by Tristan and the others' life force. Directly destroying the Barrier will cause damage to Tristan and the others!"
Seeing that Hayato seemed about to Attack the Barrier, Yugi quickly spoke to stop him.
Dark Yugi had already explained it very clearly to Yugi through Mind Link. Although now, due to the boost of life force gathered on the Card Spirit, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl have gained the ability to manifest without a Duel or ritual, simple dark magic doesn't have the ability to dispel this Barrier, and the same goes for other Duel Monsters.
Bakura, hearing that Yugi actually knew the truth about the Barrier, also said, annoyed: "Tsk, you're quite sharp, Yugi, or was it The Other Me who discovered it? I was originally looking forward to seeing the annoyed expression on Hayato Kobayashi's face when he discovered that his companions were harmed because of him."
"But now that you know the truth, what choice will you make, Hayato Kobayashi?"
Bakura paced proudly inside the Room, circling the Card in the center of the Room: "Will you just watch as Tristan Taylor and the others' life force is completely consumed by this Card little by little, or will you take action yourself to end their burden?"
Looking at Bakura's proud smile, Hayato didn't seem to feel any pressure at all. He returned a smile: "I am definitely going to split this Barrier, but I will also absolutely save Tristan and the others' lives. Only then can it be called sound."
At the tip of the Millennium Rod raised by Hayato, two yellow and blue phantoms appeared around the spherical "Eye of Wjat/Udjat" on the two sharp points representing "ears".
"Look familiar, Bakura? This was a gift you gave me." Hayato extended his other hand, holding two cards. They were Raviel, Lord of Phantasms and Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder. "Raviel, Hamon, lend me your power!"
"I will change Tristan Taylor and the others' destiny!"
Shouting with great Aura, Hayato forcefully swung the Millennium Rod, slashing across the Barrier in front of him.
Dark Yugi's judgment told to Yugi was actually not wrong at all. The power of ordinary Duel Monsters indeed cannot break the Barrier set up by Bakura. And while the Three Egyptian Gods have absolute power that surpasses ordinary cards, breaking the Barrier would inevitably cause damage to Tristan and the others.
However, only the Sacred Beasts cards were the exception.
The Barrier that gathered the life force of most people in the Kaiba Dome Venue used the power of Uria, Lord of Searing Flames, one of the Sacred Beasts. The life force of Tristan and the others, which formed the Barrier, was also drawn out by the power of this Barrier.
The power of Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder and Raviel, Lord of Phantasms gathered at the tip of the Millennium Rod. The Barrier that Joey Wheeler couldn't destroy no matter how hard he tried before, instantly dissolved and separated like a water curtain after the Millennium Rod slashed through it!
"He- He can actually use the power of two Sacred Beasts?!" Bakura's face was full of disbelief. "They are Sacred Beasts that only know simple destruction, why would they listen to your command so obediently?!"
Although Bakura had thought that the two cards of the same type, Sacred Beasts, in Hayato's hands had the ability to destroy his plan, which was why he specifically went to recruit Hayato, he truly didn't expect this guy Hayato Kobayashi to be so shameless, actually playing this kind of word game.
And the Sacred Beasts, he had gone through great trouble to get the Sacred Beasts cards at the time, but the three cards were all like lords, none of them listening to commands. Even for Uria, Lord of Searing Flames, the weakest among them, Bakura had paid a huge price to persuade it to help him.
Why could this guy Hayato Kobayashi command Raviel, Lord of Phantasms and Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, who are theoretically even harder to deal with, so easily?!
"Hmph, of course, it's because I converted them with love and sense of justice." Hayato said with a cold smile, glancing at the two cards in his hand. "If you don't believe me, you can ask them if they're touched?"
Surrounded by the Three Egyptian Gods and Earthbound Immortals, the two Sacred Beasts, who obediently lent their power for Hayato to use, shook their heads wildly from a perspective invisible to others.
Don't dare to move, absolutely don't dare to move.
# Chapter 469: It's Already Over
"Where am I?"
Opening his eyes, Tristan sat up from the soft bed, covering his temples, and looked around.
White walls, clean light blue curtains, the arrangement on the bedside table, and a faint smell of disinfectant alcohol lingering in the air. Tristan felt confused as to why he was in a Hospital.
"Honda, you're awake."
Joey Wheeler, who was sitting by Tristan 's bed, saw that Tristan had woken up and quickly stood up and walked towards him. "The doctor said you need to rest properly now. Lie back down obediently."
"Joey Wheeler?"
A confused Tristan was pressed back onto the bed by Joey Wheeler. "I remember before..."
"Ah, right, I remember I wanted to tell you guys to escape back then."
Recalling the situation before, Tristan urgently asked Joey Wheeler, "How are Téa and Keipei?"
"Don't worry, don't worry, everything has been resolved."
Seeing that Tristan seemed a little excited, Joey Wheeler comforted him, "The matter was perfectly resolved by yours truly, Joey Wheeler the Great, along with Yugi and Hayato. Everyone is out of danger. Otherwise, how do you think you ended up lying in a Hospital?"
"It wasn't just Téa and Keipei; many others in the Venue at the time were also saved and escaped danger. Most of them have even recovered. It's just that you were closest to the center of the anomaly at the time, so you were unconscious the longest."
Sitting next to Tristan , Joey Wheeler explained in detail everything that had happened before.
"Ya, Yarou!" Seeing that Hayato had actually used the power of the Sacred Beasts to break into the domain, Bakura was both surprised and angry. But no matter how enraged he was at Hayato, he couldn't reverse the fact that the barrier protecting the Room had been dispelled. "Hayato Kobayashi, you bastard!"
"Hoho, that expression doesn't suit a behind-the-scenes boss, Bakura." Hayato carried the *Millennium Rod* on his shoulder, grinning menacingly as he approached Bakura. As he walked, he twisted his neck, making a "crack, crack" sound.
"So, how about a thrilling and exciting Duel Monsters?"
Hayato raised the Duel Disk on his wrist. His Deck had already been inserted beforehand, and in Hayato's Deck, an unprecedentedly powerful lineup had been gathered. Both the Three Egyptian Gods and the Earthbound Immortals had been added to Hayato's Deck, all for the sake of giving Bakura a grand show.
If Bakura accepted his duel, what he would face was Hayato's full power. Although Hayato wasn't confident about defeating Bakura, or rather, defeating Dark Bakura acting under the identity of "Bakura," he felt he could at least make him behave for a while.
However, unfortunately, compared to those who lacked self-awareness, Bakura had a very clear self-understanding of his strength in Duel Monsters.
"Duel Monsters? Heh, do you take me for an idiot?"
Stepping back, Bakura remained wary of Hayato and Joey Wheeler and Yugi who had followed Hayato into the Room.
"Knowing that your strength is the world's strongest, and that even Mutou Yuugi and Kaiba Seto are not your opponent, I don't have the kind of blind confidence to think I have the strength to contend with you, let alone defeat you."
Although Bakura always liked to use outside-the-duel tactics and preferred using despicable means rather than obtaining what he wanted through Duel Monsters, do you know why that is?
It's unclear when it started, but Bakura has almost no record of defeating others in Duel Monsters. It's as if he's under the curse of Duel Monsters and can never achieve victory.
Knowing he would lose a Duel Monsters duel and still going for it? Bakura didn't like wasting his time on such meaningless things, even though his time wasn't precious.
Hayato, Joey Wheeler, and Yugi formed a triangle formation, pressing closer to Bakura step by step. Watching the three figures getting closer, Bakura gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Damn it, you guys, don't get proud too early!"
"Otherwise? Are you saying you're going to defy us?" Joey Wheeler clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking, as he approached Bakura. "Although I don't know why you did it, it's an undeniable fact that you hurt Tristan and Téa."
"I'll take good care of you, Bakura, with my fists!"
Saying this, Joey Wheeler quickened his pace and lunged towards Bakura.
Bakura turned his head and glanced behind him. The card floating in the air was only a few steps away, meaning he didn't have much room to retreat.
Since that was the case, it was time to go all out!
"Don't even think about it, **Dark Necrofear**, deal with them!"
Drawing a card from the Duel Disk on his wrist, Bakura slapped the drawn monster card directly onto the unfolded Duel Disk and called its name.
He didn't seem to prepare tributes or special summoning conditions like in a normal duel. The moment Bakura placed the card on the unfolded Duel Disk, a cold blue arm with spherical joints shot out from the shadow beneath his feet, narrowly missing Joey Wheeler's eye.
Feeling the bone-chilling killing intent brush past his nose, cold sweat broke out on Joey Wheeler's head. After running two or three steps, Joey Wheeler, as if possessed, paused halfway. It was this slight gap that saved his life, otherwise, he would have been pierced from bottom to top by this arm that looked extremely dangerous!
"That was, that was close!" Joey Wheeler was so scared he couldn't help but take half a step back. Immediately, this sudden fright combined with his previous dissatisfaction was converted into wrath. "Bakura, you bastard, you actually tried to kill me? In that case, I'm going to make my move too!"
"Come out, **Gilford the Lightning**, **Fiend Dragon - Dark Black Dragon**, and *Red-Eyes Black Sword Dragon*!"
In his haste, Joey Wheeler drew three monster cards in one go. Regardless of what he had drawn, he threw them all onto the Duel Disk. Just as Bakura's **Dark Necrofear** crawled out from the shadow, Joey Wheeler's three monsters also manifested before him.
But looking at the appearance of Joey Wheeler's three monsters, Bakura sneered, "What an idiot, Joey Wheeler."
Joey Wheeler heard Bakura's words and hadn't yet understood what he meant when his **Gilford the Lightning** and *Red-Eyes Black Sword Dragon* attacked **Dark Necrofear**.
**Dark Necrofear**, with only 2200 ATK, was naturally no match for **Gilford the Lightning** and *Red-Eyes Black Sword Dragon*, both with 2800 ATK. With just one encounter, it was defeated by the combined power of the two monsters.
However, as **Dark Necrofear** was destroyed, a strange black mist that looked incredibly eerie drifted out from the monster's wreckage, wrapping around **Gilford the Lightning** and *Red-Eyes Black Sword Dragon*. Joey Wheeler's breathing also became rapid, and his body felt so heavy he almost knelt on the ground.
"This is..."
"That's why I said you're an idiot. You didn't think that Duel Monsters materialized out of thin air had no consumption, did you? If you knew even a little about the law of conservation of energy, you wouldn't have such an idea, idiot Joey Wheeler."
Bakura said proudly. Two red lights glowed in the black mist surrounding him, and then, from the slightly receding black mist, Joey Wheeler's **Gilford the Lightning** and *Red-Eyes Black Sword Dragon* actually walked out one by one and stood on Bakura's side!?
Seeing this, Hayato wasn't surprised. Since Duel Monsters had materialized into existence in Reality, they naturally couldn't continue to follow the rules of the Duel Monsters game. **Dark Necrofear** itself had the ability to take control of the opponent's monster after being destroyed. It looked like Joey Wheeler's reckless attack had instead fallen into Bakura's trap.
"The life force extracted from those ordinary people, filling the air, is the key for Duel Monsters to manifest as physical entities. However, just for the Duel Monsters to appear has already drained the surrounding life points, and for them to move, the duelist needs to contribute their own power."
Bakura smiled very proudly. "In other words, the monsters sustained by your life force, after destroying my monster, have become tools under my control because of my monster's effect."
"Reap what you sow, Joey Wheeler!"
Waving his hand and ordered the two monsters to attack Joey Wheeler, Bakura looked at Yugi and Hayato with malice. "Go ahead and try to block me, Hayato Kobayashi, Mutou Yuugi. If you attack these two monsters, only Joey Wheeler will be injured."
Hearing this, Yugi said unwillingly, "Damn it, it's this trick again. Using this method every time is too annoying!"
Yugi's negative review instead made Bakura very happy. "No, it's not annoying at all. This is what's called 'a single trick can conquer the world'."
Just like the barrier created using Tristan and the others' life force before, this time Bakura used the same trick with a different twist: "Monsters controlled by Joey Wheeler's life force." It really failed to give anyone a sense of freshness.
But Yugi also had to admit, this move was still very annoying. If what Bakura said was indeed true, then he really couldn't attack the two monsters controlled by Bakura.
Watching as the two monsters previously controlled by Joey Wheeler were about to attack Joey Wheeler's last *Fiend Dragon - Dark Black Dragon* in a "suicidal" move, suddenly, two pink lights flew out from the side and landed on **Gilford the Lightning** and *Red-Eyes Black Sword Dragon*.
Seeing Bakura's gaze turn towards him, Hayato shook the card in his hand. "**Change of Heart**. Because this isn't a proper duel anymore, taking control of two monsters at once is nothing."
"Did you forget, Bakura? This is a card you gave me."
"That's clearly a card you bastard snatched from my hand!" How could Bakura not know **Change of Heart**? Including *Spiritual Energy Entity*, several cards Hayato had "borrowed" from Bakura during the Duelist Kingdom era were still being used in his duels to this day.
"Go, Yugi."
Joey Wheeler suffered a setback due to his momentary recklessness, and Hayato was busy controlling the two monsters he had just acquired. Now it was Yugi's turn to make a move. And conveniently, there were no monsters blocking Bakura's path now.
Yugi nodded, drew from the top of his Deck, and without even looking at the drawn card, as if he hadn't done any shuffling, he slapped it directly onto the Duel Disk and shouted their names: "Go, **Dark Magician**, **Dark Magician Girl**!"
"**Dark Burning Attack!!**"
"Onore Hayato Kobayashi!" His plan was perfect, link after link, yet this time it was Hayato Kobayashi again who ruined his plan. Watching Yugi command the **Dark Magician** and **Dark Magician Girl**'s magical attack come towards him, Bakura's face was contorted with rage.
However, the ferocity on his face suddenly turned into a cold smile. "You still missed one thing, Hayato Kobayashi. You specifically let Mutou Yuugi deliver the last blow to me!"
"If I remember correctly, Rafael already appeared before you guys and lost to Mutou Yuugi, or rather, you, Mutou Yuugi, the card **Uria, Lord of Searing Flames**!"
"Pity, pity, pity! Anticipating that card would fall into Mutou Yuugi's hands, I already tampered with that card. You're defeated, Mutou Yuugi! No, Nameless Pharaoh!"
"Once I activate the power of the *Millennium Eye* hidden within it, causing **Uria, Lord of Searing Flames**'s mystical power to riot, your *Millennium Puzzle* will be sealed because of it!"
"Now! I've endured to my limit. I'm going to press it!"
Speaking at an extremely fast pace, Bakura, like a time-stopping commentator, said a long passage before Yugi's attack hit him. Then he put his hands on his hips and looked at Yugi expectantly, wanting to see him fall in pain.
But what he didn't expect was that even after the attack from **Dark Magician** and **Dark Magician Girl** hit him, Yugi's state remained normal without any change.
It was the barely standing Joey Wheeler, under Bakura's wide-eyed glare of wrath, who pulled out a card from his chest. "That's a pity. Rafael told us about that a long time ago."
"You didn't even choose to help your collaborator. You're a bit of a failure, Bakura!"
"Buga---!!!"
Blasted away by the attack from the **Dark Magician** and **Dark Magician Girl**, even spraying a large bloodstain in mid-air, Bakura laughed loudly as he flew backward. "You fell for it, Hayato Kobayashi! This is my escape route!"
Using the momentum of being blasted away, Bakura actually managed to grab the card that was still some distance away from him, and then his entire body was wrapped in shadow. "In terms of strategy, you still can't beat me, Bakura!"
The shadow instantly swallowed Bakura and the Blank Card in his hand. In the next instant, *Gaia the Fierce Knight*'s Lance missed by a hair's breadth, landing in empty space.
And the moment Bakura and the Blank Card disappeared, the figures of the Duel Monsters manifested before Joey Wheeler, Hayato, and Yugi also rapidly faded. Joey Wheeler felt the pressure on his body lighten.
The anomaly, thus, ended.
Amidst Kaiba Seto's busy post-event handling, the first KC Cup was thus terminated. No one obtained the champion position, and no one obtained the qualification to duel the Duel King.
However, what many participants didn't know was that the person named "Dan Kuroto" who blocked their path to rising in the rankings was actually the Duel King himself, whom they wanted to challenge.
Chapter 470: Marik is Super Brave!
At the KC Cup, how did KaibaCorp, the organizer, Industrial Illusions, the co-organizer, and the Governor, who didn't want his political career to end there, manage to suppress the large-scale fainting incident involving over ten thousand people?
The answer was a gas leak.
All that talk about "Duel Monster Materialization" was just an illusion, an illusion caused by gas poisoning. The few casualties were also because they inhaled too much gas and died, which was perfectly reasonable.
And they even found someone to take the blame: Zigfried von Schroeder, the President of Schroeder Corporation, who participated in the KC Cup under a disguise.
As for his reason for doing so, "jealousy of KaibaCorp" and "profit conflict" were sufficient. Moreover, he participated in the KC Cup, which was open to everyone, while concealing his name, making his suspicion exceptionally high.
Let alone the onlookers who didn't know the truth, even Kaiba himself, who issued the public relations statement, believed it.
New York, on the streets of Times Square.
"I really didn't expect Zigfried to do something like that."
"Heh, those rich people are always like this. They don't care about other people's lives for the sake of their jealousy. He's a capitalist and a noble; that guy has stacked all the buffs."
"But KaibaCorp is really unlucky. They invested so much here and ran into something like this, and it just had to be Schroeder Corporation that did it. It was completely unavoidable."
"Fake business war: Strategizing, seizing the initiative, using economic gap to short the stock market; Real business war: The President himself directly participates in poisoning, and gets caught if the poisoning fails."
"But after this, KaibaCorp probably won't expand its business in America anymore, right?"
"You're thinking too much. How could capital give up a market no one occupies? I even think there's a high possibility KaibaCorp will use this incident to play the victim..."
Hayato, sitting at a plastic table at a roadside snack stall, watched the two passersby walk further and further away. He put the french fries he was holding in his mouth, savoring the aroma of the potato, the creamy taste of the butter, and the sweet and sourness of the ketchup intertwining in his mouth.
Unlike Hayato, who liked to savor them one by one, Marik, sitting across from him, preferred to grab a large handful and stuff them into his mouth, enjoying the crispy texture from frying more than the seasoning.
Swallowing the large mouthful he had just stuffed in, Marik turned his head and looked at the two people who had just passed by and were walking away. He sneered, "Self-righteously commenting on KaibaCorp and Schroeder Corporation's affairs, when they can't even tell if the shoes on their feet are real or fake because they're so dirty."
"They should be real, right? After all, those two seem to be going to play basketball? It's pretty malicious to say someone's shoes are fake on the court." Hayato clapped his hands indifferent, dusting off the salt stuck to his palm. He looked at Marik, "Speaking of you, you actually ran out of the Hospital."
"Hehe, I couldn't stand being stuck in bed. I ran out while my older sister wasn't paying attention," Marik said with a smug smile, grabbing another handful of french fries.
Although Marik was laughing ostentatiously, Hayato hadn't forgotten the aggrieved look on Marik's face when Ishizu lectured him after he was sent to the Hospital.
Among Marik, Rishid, and Ishizu, Rishid was the oldest.
Although there's a saying, "An older brother is like a father," Rishid's upbringing had always been one of a servant. Even though Marik had always regarded him as his own older brother, and Ishizu, as the family head of the Ishtar Family, had officially bestowed the surname "Ishtar" upon Rishid, he still saw himself as a servant.
While very grateful for Ishizu's forgiveness and thankful that Marik considered him a brother, Rishid always had a sense of inferiority. It was fine for him to obey the orders of the two siblings, but asking him to point out and scold Marik's reckless behavior and mistakes was too difficult for him.
However, just because Rishid wouldn't scold Marik didn't mean Ishizu wouldn't.
Although Ishizu's own personality was relatively gentle, gentleness didn't mean weakness. Having lost Marik once before, and even almost watching her younger brother die, Ishizu was now quite strict with the reformed Marik.
It wasn't that she would get angry; she would just point out the errors in Marik's actions again and again. Although not sharp, it was like cutting flesh with a dull knife, using Marik's own guilt to make him uncomfortable.
It could be said to be very much in the traditional underworld style of the Tomb Keepers. Not only dueling had to be shady, but even talking had to be shady; only then could it be considered healthy.
Marik's reckless act of risking his life this time, although the outcome was good – everyone was saved, there were no casualties except for a few accidental sacrifices, and Marik himself wasn't in any danger – he was still thoroughly lectured by Ishizu.
Having started his second life, Marik understood the preciousness of family affection more than his rebellious past self. Therefore, he naturally took Ishizu's lecture obediently without any resistance. However, although he could clearly feel Ishizu's concern for him in her words, it didn't prevent Marik from feeling annoyed.
"Speaking of which, it's all your fault, Brother-in-law. You told older sister and made her come to America too." Marik pulled a long face. "If you had helped me keep it a secret, this would have just been a secret between the two of us. Maybe I would have even helped you pursue older sister later, huh, I got lectured, it's all your fault."
"So how many times do I have to tell you? Who's your Brother-in-law? We haven't even gotten anywhere yet."
Hayato stopped halfway through his sentence. His mobile phone in his pocket vibrated slightly, and a dark humor smile involuntarily appeared on his face, though he forced himself to suppress it. Standing up from his seat, Hayato took the last handful of french fries and stuffed them into his mouth like Marik, eating them in a few bites. He said to Marik:
"Forget it. But since you're out, want to come somewhere with me? I'll take you to see some good stuff."
"Good stuff? Is it a new game?"
"Nah~, it's even better good stuff than a new game. You'll know once you come with me."
Hayato pulled his hand out of his pocket, flicking a paper slip held between his fingertips. The paper slip read "177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, New York."
Although the KC Cup was held in San Francisco, which was more than a little distance from New York where Hayato and Marik currently were, this had to be traced back to the incident at the KC Cup.
KaibaCorp's public relations attitude in handling this "Gas Leak" anomaly was quite sincere. Not only did they publicly announce that their Kaiba Land in America would be open to the public for free for a month, but they also stated they would be responsible for the health of all affected audience members.
KaibaCorp promised that victims who purchased Spectator Area tickets on the day of the incident could receive medical assistance provided by KaibaCorp by presenting their tickets, or directly receive compensation in the form of mental damage compensation valued less than the medical service quote.
In other words, they were using money to settle the matter. And coincidentally, KaibaCorp was not short on money.
Of course, among the simple folk of America, there were some opportunistic individuals with active minds who wanted to take advantage of this to blackmail KaibaCorp and extort a large sum of money. This was when KaibaCorp's legal team came into use.
Not only did the blackmail fail, but these people were also labeled by Kaiba's legal team as "taking advantage of the fire" and "incited by someone with malicious intent," which actually helped KaibaCorp escape the crisis faster.
Of course, such people were only a minority. Most people felt that just fainting for a short time and losing nothing, then getting a large sum of money, was incredibly satisfying. And among these, only a portion were suspicious and worried about their body, choosing to enjoy a very comprehensive medical examination.
Although some also chose this option because they felt the value of the medical service was higher than taking the money directly.
However, as is well known, although KaibaCorp was once an arms conglomerate, it had actually expanded its business into the medical field long before Kaiba took over, when the corporation was still in Gozaburo Kaiba's hands. It just wasn't openly merged into KaibaCorp but operated as a separate company, an alternate form.
Although Gozaburo Kaiba's original goal was to research the human body, specifically the connection between the brain and electronic signals, he actually didn't expect the medical industry could generate such huge profit if it was slightly unscrupulous, especially since KaibaCorp's main business was selling weapons that harmed people.
Selling weapons that harmed others with one hand, and selling medicine for people after they were harmed with the other, was like a malt candy seller also selling insulin; it was truly a huge profit.
And after Gozaburo Kaiba's death, KaibaCorp fell into Kaiba's hands, and so did that medical corporation. This is where it came into use. Although the quote for medical services was high, Kaiba actually only paid the cost price, which was even cheaper than giving money directly. Kaiba was happy that those patients provided business for his Hospital.
Another reason why the Hospital's quote was so high was that the Hospital controlled by this medical corporation was not actually in San Francisco, where prices were already high enough, but in New York, where prices were much higher than in California. Many people, including Tristan and Marik, were sent here to receive medical services.
Before Marik was sent away, Hayato had also sent a message to Ishizu, telling her what happened at the KC Cup. So, shortly after Marik was sent to the Hospital in New York, Ishizu also arrived in New York by flight.
This led to the scene at the beginning, where Marik, feeling uncomfortable due to guilt psychology, escaped from the Hospital and found Hayato eating french fries in Times Square.
Hayato wasn't just leisurely doing nothing; the paper slip in his hand was actually his purpose for today. This paper slip was given to him by Samejima, whom he had also met at the KC Cup, telling him to go to this address.
Manhattan, where Times Square is located, is not too far from Greenwich Village. Taking a streetcar, Marik and Hayato took less than an hour to reach Bleecker Street, where Hayato was headed.
Walking down the street, Marik looked at Hayato, then looked at the passersby around them who were indifferent to Hayato's appearance. He said strangely, "I remember Duel Monsters should be very popular here in America, right?"
"Yeah, look over there." Hayato pointed to a Park on the side of the street. In the Park, which should have been occupied by couples and resting passersby, there were now many Duel Monsters enthusiasts standing on the Duel Platform within the Park, dueling with their Decks.
"For victory, I will give up my old friend, **Death-defying Swordsman**, and tribute it to summon a deity! Come forth, **Mystical Elf**!"
"What, it's the invincible **Mystical Elf**! Damn it, you won again."
"Heh heh, that was an interesting duel."
Although some duelists in the Park were overly enthusiastic, their voices reaching Marik standing outside the Park from a distance, he wanted to rant about something else even more.
"If that's the case, these people should have at least watched Brother-in-law's duel replays from Battle City, right? Why didn't anyone recognize you walking down the street?!"
Hayato pushed up his glasses on his nose: "Of course, it's because of my perfect disguise."
"What kind of disguise is just a pair of glasses!?"
"You wouldn't understand this. Americans are just like that. A pair of glasses can make people unable to connect a Reporter in a suit with an alien wearing underwear outside. Similar disguises include, even though your chin looks like a pair of buttocks, as long as you cover the upper half of your face, no one will be able to tell who that hoarse-voiced bat-suited weirdo is."
Hayato was bluffing Marik, the professional rant character. The two walked side-by-side down the street, looking for the house number 177A. It didn't take long before they reached a Dojo with an eastern aesthetic renovation. A plaque with "Cyber Style" hung in front of the Dojo, although it was a strange trilingual (Chinese, Japanese, English) plaque.
"Hmm, I think this is it." Putting the paper slip back in his pocket, Hayato secretly glanced at his mobile phone, whose screen had been on, while Marik was looking at the Dojo in front of him and wasn't paying attention.
"Cyber Style?" Marik examined the Dojo in front of him. "Is it Samejima's 'Cyber Style'? Interesting."
Marik also knew Samejima. They had met in the qualifiers of the KC Cup and could be said to be confidants who met too late, regretting not meeting sooner. When the two underworld duelists faced off, it was incredibly thrilling. You grind my life points, I negate your cards, even the great dao was worn away.
"But is this place really 'Cyber Style'? I remember Samejima said 'Cyber Style' has been passed down for many generations, but this place looks quite new?" As he spoke, Marik stepped closer to the pillar in front of the door before Hayato. "Even the paint is new, it hasn't dried yet."
"It seems that recent duelists are less willing to undergo the 'Cyber Style' training that emphasizes hard work and tempering for Apprentices. That guy Samejima found inspiration from some novels and, as the current Master, divided it into Inner Gate and Outer Gate." Hayato shrugged, not mentioning that it was actually his suggestion to Samejima.
"The Inner Gate is for core disciples willing to endure hardship, while the Outer Gate just collects some tuition fee and casually teaches non-core content. After all, the Apprentices' tuition fee is a major part of the Dojo's income."
"Making money, it's not shameful."
Marik pouted, "It is shameful, very f*cking shameful. This Samejima is too pathetic."
Marik, who had personally disbanded his own organization, looked disdainful.
Just then, a gentle palm rested on Marik's shoulder, and a female voice entered his ear: "So, you're very brave?"
"Just kidding, I'm super brave," Marik replied subconsciously, then realized something was wrong.
This voice didn't sound like Hayato's flamboyant voice; it sounded like a woman's.
Turning his head, Marik was almost scared out of his wits: "Sis... sister?! Why are you here!?"
Watching Marik being held by the shoulder by Ishizu with a kind face, Hayato stood aside and casually turned off the location sync on his mobile phone. He whistled as if it had nothing to do with him, ignoring Marik's pleading gaze, and walked into the "Cyber Style" Dojo.
Just as Marik had seen before, Hayato turned his back to Marik and waved his hand.