Chapter 217: Graveyard Control Police Dispatched on the Spot
"Those are, experimental models!?" Kaiba's face was grim as he barked, "Hey, you cowardly rats who dare not show your true faces, where did you steal those decommissioned experimental Duel Disks from?!"
"Heh heh, Seto Kaiba, is it?" One of the silent black-robed figures finally spoke. "Instead of questioning whether we stole them, why don't you question why the people at KaibaCorp never destroyed these experimental machines themselves?"
"I only told them to bring these useless things along, but it seems they've actually come in handy. Don't you agree, Ishizu?" The black-robed figure, who had been struck by the lamppost, spoke as he pulled down his hood, revealing a face completely unfamiliar to Ishizu but well-known to the other three.
"Bandit Keith?! How is it you, of all people?" Hayato was very confused. "Weren't you kicked out of Duelist Kingdom by Pegasus?"
"Hehehe, Hayato, isn't it all thanks to you that this man met such an end?" Bandit Keith spoke, but his eyes were hollow, and he seemed not to be Bandit Keith at all. As he lifted his head, a golden "Eye of Udjat" on his forehead was revealed.
Ishizu finally recognized who she was speaking to and quickly warned Hayato: "Mr. Kobayashi, please be careful. The person before you is not the true owner of this body; the one controlling him from behind is Marik Ishtar, the leader of the Rare Hunters organization and the Owner of the Millennium Rod!"
"Marik Ishtar? Then, Ishizu, you…?" Yugi asked.
Ishizu nodded: "Yes, he is indeed my younger brother, and also a member of the Tomb Keepers."
"Heh heh, so I'm a member of the Tomb Keepers again at a time like this, my dear sister?" Bandit Keith said expressionlessly. A grizzled man in his thirties calling such a young and beautiful girl Ishizu "sister" looked strange no matter how you saw it.
"Then, I wonder if I have the right to safeguard the Obelisk the Tormentor for Kaiba over there? Isn't this precisely our Tomb Keepers' mission for a thousand years?"
"Tomb Keepers?"
Yugi was about to ask Ishizu something but was interrupted by Kaiba at his side. He coldly said to "Bandit Keith": "I see, so you went insane after losing to Pegasus, 'Bandit' Keith? But daring to covet my Obelisk the Tormentor, you've picked the wrong target."
"Prepare to face the wrath of Blue-Eyes!"
Who knows how he misunderstood "mind control" as "insanity."
Kaiba also activated his Duel Disk, which, along with Yugi's Duel Disk, formed a Field. He drew cards before the others. Bound by the rules of the Shadow Game, the two black-robed figures confronting Kaiba and Yugi also had no choice but to raise their Duel Disks and begin to Duel.
"Bandit Keith" likewise raised his Duel Disk, his gaze shifting from Ishizu to Hayato: "So you are Hayato, heh heh, Duel King, are you also going to be an enemy of us Rare Hunters?"
"Enough with the nonsense. I've already started a Shadow Game, do you seriously think you can still convince me to join your team?" Hayato drew five cards into his Hand from his Deck, looking at Ishizu. "Ishizu, because it's a Shadow Game, I'm afraid I can't go easy on your brother."
"This isn't Marik himself; even if he loses the Duel, he likely won't suffer much Damage." Ishizu also drew five cards like Hayato. "So, Mr. Kobayashi, it's fine if you play a little rough."
"How heartless, sister." Bandit Keith's face was as stiff as a Zombie's. If he couldn't speak, Hayato would have suspected that Marik was controlling a corpse. "In that case, I won't show any mercy either~"
"Duel!"
[Hayato: 4000 LP, Hand 5]
[Ishizu: 4000 LP, Hand 5]
[Bandit Keith: 4000 LP, Hand 5]
[Grunt: 4000 LP, Hand 5]
"Against you, sister, I absolutely cannot give up the First Turn." Although his face appeared stiff, it was still Bandit Keith's body, a man known as the "Bandit," so his Draw was quick, securing the First Turn.
"I Summon (Machina Soldier) in Defense Position, then Activate its Effect. When there are no other Monsters on my Field, I can Special Summon one (Machina) Monster from my Hand."
"I Special Summon (Machina Sniper)."
Two Machina Soldiers appeared uniformly on Bandit Keith's Field, then simultaneously entered Defense Position.
"As long as (Machina Sniper) is on the Field, you cannot Attack other Monsters with 'Machina' in their name. I Set two cards. My Turn ends." Bandit Keith, after Setting two cards in his Back Row, looked at Ishizu expressionlessly. "It's your Turn, my dear sister."
[Bandit Keith: 4000 LP, Hand 2]
[(Machina Soldier)][DEF 1500]
[(Machina Sniper)][DEF 800]
[Set Card] X2
"Marik," Ishizu looked at Bandit Keith, calling her brother's name, "Why are you here today?"
"Isn't the answer to that simple?" Bandit Keith glanced back. Kaiba's Dragon-Type Deck was once again being targeted by a (Dragon Sealing Jar), while another black-robed figure had activated (Witch's Strike) to deal with Yugi's (Dark Magician).
"That last Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor, and the revenge I've long yearned for—these two things rarely come together, so of course, I couldn't miss such a good opportunity."
Ishizu's face showed hesitation: "Marik, the Pharaoh he—"
"Enough, Ishizu, start your Turn already!" Bandit Keith impatiently cut off Ishizu. "Everything that stands in the way of my revenge will be crushed, even you, my own sister!"
"Ishizu, based on my many years of experience dealing with bratty kids, these three-year-olds need a good thrashing." Hayato looked at Bandit Keith with disdain, glancing at his Perfect Hand. He thought to himself, I'll slam this card down later and give this three-year-old Marik a good time.
"My Turn, Draw." Ishizu nodded, drawing a card from her Deck. Dueling with a veil was uncomfortable, so she simply took it off, revealing her full face. "I Activate (Cost Down) from my Hand. I Discard one card from my Hand to reduce the Level of a Monster in my Hand by 2 Levels."
"Then I use the Effect of (Dark Ruler Ha Des), which was sent to the Graveyard this Turn. I can Activate one Trap Card from my Hand."
"I won't let you activate that card!" Bandit Keith seemed agitated, directly activating his Set Card. " (Dark Mirror of Absorption)! As long as this Card exists on the Field, the Effects of DARK Attribute Monsters on the Field and in the Graveyard are Negated!"
Hayato wasn't surprised by Bandit Keith, or rather Marik controlling him, being so wary of the Trap Card Ishizu almost activated. After all, that card was the most famous Shadow Realm card, even casting a shadow over an entire era.
Even though it wasn't successfully activated, Hayato could guess that Ishizu's card was undoubtedly the legendary Graveyard Control Strategy.
(end of chapter)