"Future Sight, you say? Then, Ishizu, could you help me see if there's any vision of me regaining my memory in the future?"
Ishizu shook her head, declining Yugi. "I'm sorry, Mr. Muto, although the Millennium Puzzle can see future events, it's limited to the near future. A future too distant exceeds my ability."
Perhaps because she had disappointed the hopeful Yugi, a slight blush appeared on Ishizu's face.
"Is that so? Still, even if it can only see recent events, the Millennium Puzzle would be incredibly powerful if used in a Duel." Yami Yugi was indeed a little disappointed; after all, his greatest obsession was his lost memory.
"Hmph, for the sake of this card, I'll tolerate your nonsense for now." Even after accepting Ishizu's favor, Kaiba's words were still sharp, though his attitude was slightly better than before.
"Regarding those 'Rare Hunters,' I'll help you retrieve the cards they took. However, I won't be returning any cards that fall into my hands."
"Actually, my family and I have no need for the God Cards themselves. My greatest desire is to see them returned to those truly worthy of holding them."
As he spoke, Hayato saw Ishizu glance meaningfully at Yugi. After a brief pause, she suddenly turned her head towards the direction of the door they had entered from, saying with an urgent tone, "The Egyptian God Cards are the key to unlocking the sealed Pharaoh's memory. That is the last piece of information I know."
"Kaiba, Mr. Muto, Kobayashi, we must leave here at once." Ishizu's expression was grave, as if she had seen an extremely dangerous scene within the empty exhibition hall. The Eye of Udjat at the center of the Millennium Puzzle flashed with a golden light.
"Did you see something, Miss Ishizu?" Hayato felt a bit strange. In his memory, although Ishizu had brought Yugi and Kaiba to this exhibition hall on two separate occasions to show them things, no accidents had occurred either time.
Now, Ishizu combining the two invitations into one was strange enough on its own. From her reaction, it seemed like some trouble was brewing.
"Yes, my Millennium Puzzle saw it. In just ten minutes, the Rare Hunters will attack this place, and we need to leave immediate—" Before she could finish, Ishizu froze. "The future has changed!?"
"Bang!"
With a crisp sound of shattering glass, it wasn't the opening theme of Ryuki that appeared, but several figures in black robes descending from the skylight above Hayato's head that led to the second floor. As soon as they appeared, two of them lunged towards Kaiba's position!
"Who are you?!" Seeing the figures attack him, Kaiba agilely leaped back, dodging the sharp knives wielded by the black-robed figures, and smoothly opened the briefcase he had carried with him since getting out of the car.
Inside his seemingly small briefcase, there were actually four rather large arm-blade-like devices. He took out one and wielded it on his arm as a weapon. Despite just being a high school student, he fought the two seemingly professional black-robed assassins to a standstill.
"Wow, as expected of Seto, easily accomplishing what we couldn't! I truly admire you!" Hayato chimed in from the side. But his words immediately attracted the attention of the other two black-robed figures, who attacked Hayato with short knives.
"Watch out, Kobayashi!" Ishizu seemed to have foreseen with her Millennium Puzzle that the other two black-robed figures would attack Hayato. She pushed over a lamp used to illuminate artifacts beside her, knocking down one of the black-robed figures.
The four suddenly appearing black-robed figures separated Yugi, Kaiba, Hayato, and Ishizu. While Yugi wasn't skilled in fighting, Yami Yugi certainly was, and working with Kaiba, they managed to suppress the two black-robed figures opposite them.
On Hayato and Ishizu's side, however, even though Ishizu accurately knocked down a lamp onto one of the black-robed figures, the fellow seemed to feel no pain, pushing aside the fallen lamp and climbing back up like a zombie.
Seeing the two black-robed figures in front of him about to attack with their knives, Hayato glanced at the system panel, which showed exactly 10,000 DP balance. He helplessly raised his hand and shouted, "How dare you! Before me, put away your weapons!"
Then, he activated the Shadow Game function, using the Millennium Ring as the output point. A surge of immense darkness power erupted from Hayato, perfectly enveloping everyone present and initiating a forced Shadow Game. However, Hayato couldn't precisely control the Duel's target yet, so Ishizu, who stood beside him, along with the separated Yugi and Kaiba, were also drawn in.
Under the rule of the Shadow Game, the four black-robed figures instantly froze. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't break free from their restraints. Hayato seized the opportunity to call out to Kaiba in the distance, "Seto, throw two of those things over!"
"Hmph, you actually figured out what these things are for, huh?" Kaiba frowned, took two "arm blades" from his briefcase, and tossed them towards Hayato, who caught them. The remaining one he threw to Yugi.
"This, could it be...?" Yugi took the "arm blade" Kaiba tossed him with some doubt. Then, imitating Kaiba, he put it on his left wrist. Looking at the grids on both sides of the "arm blade," Yugi felt a strange sense of familiarity. "Could this be a Duel Stage?"
"As everyone knows, anything can be solved with a Duel." Hayato handed an "arm blade," or rather, a Duel Disk, to Ishizu. After putting it on, he inserted his Deck into the card slot. The Duel Disk's mechanism automatically activated, and the two blade-like duel zones connected.
Ishizu likewise put on her Duel Disk and inserted her Deck. Four small projection devices shot out from their Duel Disks, landing all around them, and the projection system was thus activated.
"Hmph, while Duel Stages are useful, they're undoubtedly too clunky. I'm not some mediocre duelist who stops after a small achievement; I've miniaturized the Duel Stage and turned it into these portable Duel Disks," Kaiba said proudly, inserting his own Deck as well.
Hayato, meanwhile, looked at the black-robed figures, who could no longer attack, and replied to Kaiba, "I say, Seto, it looks like KaibaCorp's security isn't very good, is it?"
Kaiba found himself unable to refute Hayato's words, because he also saw that several black-robed figures had extended their hands from within their robes, and each of them wore a Duel Disk, though their designs differed slightly from Kaiba's own units.
(end of chapter)