Chapter 741: This is a Stand Attack!
At night, in a Stone Tablet Temple near the Royal Palace, Seto encountered Aknadin.
"Seto, what brings you here?" Standing on the Altar in the center of the Temple, Aknadin turned his head, wanting to see who had intruded into the Temple where he had specifically Ordered Soldiers to prevent anyone from entering. But upon realizing the footsteps were Seto's, he felt a sense of relief and asked Seto kindly.
"I couldn't find you in your Bedroom. I thought I might find you here at the Stone Tablet Temple. When I saw the Soldiers guarding the Temple entrance, I knew you must be here, Lord Aknadin."
Seto walked to the Altar, looked up at Aknadin, and said seriously, "You remember that today the Pharaoh Ordered Shada and me to be responsible for the Royal City's security work, right?"
Aknadin put down the work he was doing and turned to face Seto. "Of course, I remember. Seto, the Pharaoh's handling of this matter was not wrong. He had his own considerations. You mustn't harbor resentment towards the Pharaoh because of this."
Aknadin was very familiar with Seto's temper. Fearing he might be angry at the Pharaoh because the Pharaoh didn't support his idea today, he specifically advised him.
Hearing this, Seto nodded calmly. "Please rest assured, Lord Aknadin. I know what the Pharaoh meant; it was merely to ease the conflict between me and that fellow Karim. I stopped caring about that guy a long time ago. What I want to talk about is something else entirely."
Looking at Aknadin, Seto took a deep breath and repeated the words he had spoken to Shada earlier that day.
Upon hearing Seto say that using the power of the Millennium Key, one could excavate the hidden Spirit Power from the inner thoughts of the People and utilize it, Aknadin's face suddenly changed color. Looking at the calm Seto, he asked urgently, "Seto, you didn't actually utilize your position today to conduct Spirit Hunting on the People, did you!?"
"That kind of thing is undoubtedly wrong!"
Believing that Seto had gone ahead with the Spirit Hunting without consulting him, after forming such an idea and having the convenience of his position to put the idea into reality, Aknadin appeared very anxious.
"It's not too late to stop now. If you've captured anyone, release them quickly. The power of the Millennium Items is a power of justice meant to protect the People; it must never be used to damage Innocent People!" Aknadin advised him earnestly, "Actions that cause you guilt will leave a flaw in your inner thoughts. The fear that arises from it will one day tempt a person to fall into infinite Hell and darkness..."
As he spoke, Aknadin continuously clutched his chest.
Seeing Aknadin's actions, Seto only thought that his existing injuries hadn't fully healed. Hearing that even Aknadin didn't agree with his previous idea, he let out a breath and then said to Aknadin, "No, you're overthinking it, Lord Aknadin. I haven't put this immature idea into action. Actually—"
Turning to Aknadin, Seto began recounting what had happened earlier that day:
"From your perspective, did I just zone out for about five or six seconds?"
He clearly had the certain victory and was about to defeat the guy who wore his face and called himself "Pharaoh". He knew the opponent's identity, but because Seto shook him awake, the duel was suddenly interrupted, making Hayato very annoyed.
He had experienced this mood twice before: once during the Battle City Top 4 free-for-all when he was close to using Present-Underworld OTK on everyone but Noah Kaiba stopped the duel, and even earlier during the Duelist Kingdom when his first duel with Kaiba was interrupted by Keipei's cry for help after being kidnapped.
Thinking about it, Kaiba's presence in all three instances made him even more annoyed. Looking at Seto before him, Hayato thought angrily.
Seto didn't know what Hayato had been thinking just then; he just wanted to know what was going on with Hayato. It wasn't the first time he had seen Shada use the Millennium Key, nor was it the first time he had encountered Sinners with particularly powerful inner Spirits, but Hayato's situation was something he had never seen before.
The inner Spirit that should have been revealed with the unsealing of the Lock of the Heart didn't appear. Yet, at the same time, Hayato fell into a dazed, distracted state.
If it weren't for the fact that the power of the Millennium Key had indeed activated right beside him just then, even triggering the power of his own Millennium Rod, Seto would have started to suspect that Shada had absolutely no self-control, not only losing all his hair but also rendering the Millennium Key useless.
"That's pretty much it. Also, the Millennium Key unusually didn't reflect the appearance of the Spirit in your inner thoughts." Shada, unaware that his close friend Seto beside him was grumbling internally about his physical condition, looked at the Millennium Key in his hand and said, "And it wasn't like the situation with Thief Bakura before."
"If Thief Bakura's inner thoughts were complete darkness, unable to be illuminated by any radiance, then in contrast, the depths of your heart, Hayato Kobayashi, possess a radiance as dazzling as the sun. Even the light of the Millennium Key couldn't make it brighter, which is why the result was an inability to awaken the Spirit."
Pausing, Shada seemed amused by his own words. "But thinking about it, that's impossible. How could a mortal body contain a dazzling sun? You must know that even the Pharaoh, who far surpasses us mortals, can only become an existence on par with gods in the Afterlife."
Hearing Shada's conclusion, Seto completely ignored the parts he didn't care about and only focused on the fact that their attempt had yielded no result. "Hmph, so ultimately it was still a failure. Even you, Hayato Kobayashi, who commands Spirits with power close to that of gods, couldn't achieve the awakening of a Spirit with the power we need..."
Although Seto was somewhat stubborn and difficult to advise, he had been somewhat persuaded before because Hayato had already analyzed the feasibility and benefit efficiency of the plan. However, to make him give up the plan of using the Millennium Key on the People, one more thing was needed.
That was for Hayato, the one who proposed the different opinion, to actually achieve the awakening of a Spirit as he himself claimed. And the Spirit Power didn't need to be too strong, but at least strong enough to catch Seto's eye.
According to the knowledge that Seto, Shada, and the other Priests had received over the years, the inner Spirits of a person were born from the convergence of malice such as resentment and despair. The more evil the inner thoughts, the more powerful the inner Spirit that could be born. By this reasoning, the more powerful the inner Spirit in one's inner thoughts, the more evil their inner thoughts were, and the more likely they were to commit crimes and do evil compared to ordinary people.
Based on this theory, although the inner Spirits that ordinary people might have wouldn't be very strong, by concentrating the power of these inner Spirits from a large quantity of people and boosting the evil in their hosts' inner thoughts, the power of these inner Spirits would naturally grow stronger. Like the Gu method, this cruelty could ultimately yield inner Spirits with power so strong they could almost surpass gods.
However, Hayato, who came from the modern era, had a different understanding of this. The core of his theory was completely different from the knowledge of Seto and the others.
The essence of what they called "inner Spirits" was what would later be known as "Spirits". Hayato acknowledged that malice could catalyze the birth of Spirits. Although he himself couldn't do it, before, during the Doma arc, both Rafael and Alister had created cards representing their inner darkness under the use of the power of the Seal of Orichalcos, which could excavate the darkness in the human heart.
However, Spirits weren't only born through malice. Hayato, as a Duelist, had witnessed the best proof of this more than once: the God Draw/Print Card of Duelists who placed their trust in their Cards and poured all their passion into them.
Hayato himself had even done card printing more than once. For example, the successive alternate forms born from Gaia. This was one of the few Decks Hayato didn't exchange from the System; instead, it was awakened (printed) little by little through the bond between him and Gaia.
Not to mention Red Dad, born from the combination of Yugi and Joey Wheeler 's bond when Hayato dueled them during his time siding with Doma. A Spirit born from malice? Malice couldn't give birth to a Spirit with Red Dad's strength. In fact, in front of Red Dad, malice could even be negated and blown away.
It was also because of this that Hayato so strongly disagreed with Seto's method of seeking Spirit Power from Innocent People, gathering it, and cultivating powerful inner Spirits. The main reason wasn't actually that he found it inhumane or anything, but rather that he thought it was too low in efficiency, and if the resulting inner Spirit was too strong to control, it would be wasted time and not worth the effort.
As long as Hayato could provide proof that he could achieve the awakening of even one Spirit without malice as a catalyst, Seto could be persuaded and change his mind.
Looking at his empty palm, Hayato's heart stirred as if sensing something, and his expression became slightly strange.
"Um, Seto, Shada?" Wiggling his fingers, Hayato called out to the somewhat disappointed duo, and after getting their attention, he continued, "Although it seems I really didn't excavate a Spirit under the power of the Millennium Key, I think I accidentally developed something incredible."
Seto and Shada followed Hayato's movements with their eyes. They saw that Hayato's fingers were indeed moving freely according to his will. However, as those five fingers, along with his palm, moved, they could also see a phantom arm overlapping with the position of Hayato's arm, continuously repeating the action of overlapping and separating as Hayato moved.
No, it wasn't just the arm!
Seeing the phantom human figure that remained in place after Hayato took a step back, Seto and Shada were both dumbfounded, unsure what they were seeing. "Is that... your Soul? Hayato Kobayashi, did you separate your soul from your body?!"
"If my soul has already left my body, then who is the 'me' still in my body?" Hayato ranted internally. His heart stirred slightly, and a Card was taken out from the System Warehouse and landed in his hand.
The Card depicted a soul floating away from a body. Speaking of this Card, it was one of the powerful Cards Hayato had "borrowed" from Bakura during the Duelist Kingdom arc, and it had helped Hayato several times since then. Okay, maybe a dozen times, or at most a few dozen times.
The Card's name was Psychic Ectoplasm.
Although it was just a subconscious feeling in his heart, Hayato's intuition told him that the Card whose Spirit had awakened after the Lock of the Heart was opened by the power of the Millennium Key seemed to be this very Psychic Ectoplasm in his hand!?!
This was too strange! Although there was indeed a saying that "no matter how strong or weak, all Cards have a heart within them, and all have Spirits residing in them," every Duelist Hayato knew who had awakened Card Spirits had, without exception, awakened the Spirit of a Monster Card!
Even Rex's Dinosaur Egg, if there were no accidents, should have been a Monster Card. So why, when it came to him, was it a Spell Card like Psychic Ectoplasm with a "sunny" effect that awakened a Spirit!?
Subconsciously, Hayato completely forgot something—
Although in the eyes of most who knew, the earliest Card Spirits to appear beside Hayato were Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black, the Ojama Three Brothers, Yugi, Joey Wheeler , and a few others who knew more remembered very clearly that Hayato's first Card to house a Spirit should actually have been the Trap Card Ojama Trio.
"It's not a Soul?"
Examining the phantom that remained in place, looking very similar to Hayato's appearance, Seto reached out and found he couldn't touch the opponent at all. Conversely, under Hayato's deliberate control, the phantom existence could touch him when it raised its hand. This one-sided invincible ability made Seto quite excited.
"What kind of power is this?"
Hayato retrieved the Psychic Ectoplasm Card, put on a serious expression, and said solemnly, "It seems under the stimulation of the power of the Outside World, my Stand has finally awakened. That's right, this is my Stand da!"
Completely ignoring Hayato's nonsense, Shada nodded understandingly. "I see, so there's actually this kind of Spirit? A Spirit that can't be touched even when attacked... it's almost like the host is adhering to a double standard, allowing themselves to murder and burn but not allowing others to defy them."
Hearing this, Hayato glared at Shada, but the latter didn't notice at all and continued speaking to himself. "But regardless, a Spirit like this is strong, much stronger than the inner Spirits found in most ordinary people!"
"Hayato Kobayashi's theory is correct. In that case, even without using the power of the Millennium Key on the People, we can still obtain great power to protect the Pharaoh and guard the Country!"
People who haven't undergone sufficient training cannot even see the appearance of Spirits. This was one of the important reasons why the Previous Pharaoh and his Priests could command Spirits to protect the Country. Therefore, although Hayato, Shada, and Seto were all astonished by Hayato's Stand—I mean, Psychic Ectoplasm—actually, in the eyes of the Soldiers and pedestrians, the Important Figures above were just raving at the air.
However, in the Marketplace, a Traveler seemed to accidentally see the Psychic Ectoplasm that others couldn't see, and revealed an interested smile.
Chapter 742: I, Bakura, Am Invincible Under Heaven!
"Ding-a-ling..."
A crisp metallic sound rang out outside the City Gate, attracting the attention of a Soldier standing at the Entrance of the City-State. It made him unable to resist leaning over the City Wall to peer outside to see what sound was happening below the City Wall.
However, he saw nothing.
"Maybe you're just overly nervous. Hearing Lord Seto say he won't be easy on us if something like what happened a few days ago makes him, the one responsible for the City's security, lose face again, so you're scared?"
His Companion, who was working the night shift with him as a Guard, teased him with a laugh. The Guard, already suspecting he had imagined the sound, also laughed and cursed at his Companion, thinking perhaps he really was overly nervous and had misheard. He didn't pay attention to the sound he had just heard.
From beside the two Guards, Bakura, whose body was in a completely invisible state, climbed up along the gaps between the bricks forming the City Wall. He glanced at the two Guards beside him but did not kill them. Instead, he bypassed them and walked towards the City by himself.
However, his stance while walking was limping somewhat.
"That bastard Mahad, to think he erupted with such great power at the end. He really left me with a lot of trouble." Although he had changed into a new robe, Bakura's half-exposed body beneath the robe showed unhealed burns. "It's completely different from the experience from three thousand years ago. Is it because this is the World of the Pharaoh's Memory, so that guy also became stronger because of the Pharaoh's understanding?"
"However, it's also thanks to Mahad becoming stronger. Although he caused me more trouble, it also made the reward after defeating him even richer and more appealing."
Stroking the Millennium Ring on his chest, which emitted a faint golden light, Bakura pulled at the corner of his mouth, revealing a fierce smile. The metallic sound the Soldier had just noticed came from his Millennium Ring.
The Ultimate Dark Game is, at its core, still a Dark Game, requiring adherence to the most basic principle of "fairness." This doesn't mean it will forcibly weaken the strong player or anything like that; rather, it means it will give each side a considerable advantage.
Dark Yugi's advantage was starting with the identity of his three-thousand-year-old self, the "Nameless Pharaoh," thus gaining the support of an entire country. As one of the 'participants' in this Ultimate Dark Game, Bakura—or rather, Bakura, who was controlling the game piece named "Thief Bakura" and had once again infiltrated the Royal City—gained the advantage of detailed memories from three thousand years ago.
It's probably comparable to a reborn person starting from scratch with memories versus a rich second generation starting at the peak of someone else's life?
But actually, the 'advantages' of both had their own flaws. While Dark Yugi's Pharaoh identity brought him convenience, the Priests under him each had their own ideas and were not game pieces he could completely control. Furthermore, the memories Bakura obtained had deviations different from three thousand years ago.
At least in the true history three thousand years ago, Bakura was not tricked by Mahad to the point of suffering severe injury.
It was also because of this memory deviation that Bakura controlled Bakura to return to the Royal City. Continuing to act alone was too dangerous, without any guarantee or backup plan. He needed to increase the number of game pieces he could control, so that even if he lost Bakura, he wouldn't lose this Dark Game.
Walking through the silent, deserted streets at night in a completely transparent state, completely ignoring the Guards patrolling the roadside, Bakura wore a proud expression.
"Thanks to Mahad's Shadow Ghoul, my Diabound gained the power of transparency. Is Seto the one responsible for the City's defense after Mahad's death? What a pity about his setup. No matter how strict the defense, it's useless against me."
"Although this state is dispelled if I attack, making me vulnerable to attack, this flaw is quite annoying. But my goal isn't to kill anyway."
"If I'm not mistaken, it's this direction?"
Following the guidance of the Millennium Ring, Bakura's direction was not the Royal Palace, but a Stone Tablet Temple outside the Royal Palace.
"The prophet's memories, which aren't absolute but can still be used as reference; the most powerful Millennium Item among the Millennium Items, the Millennium Ring; and the spirit beast Diabound that evolves infinitely! I, Bakura, am invincible!"
"So that's it, Hayato Kobayashi awakened such a powerful spirit..."
Inside the Temple, hearing Seto's description, Aknadin couldn't help but nod. Monsters that could turn their body into an untouchable state weren't unheard of before Hayato's [Psychic Ectoplasm] appeared. The deceased Mahad had a monster named Shadow Ghoul, which could not only turn its body transparent and invisible but also had wall-passing ability or bypass powerful monsters to directly attack the enemy.
But that monster's flaw was also very obvious. Although its transparency ability was almost invincible, it would be forcibly dispelled when it needed to initiate an attack. A quick-reacting enemy could even seize that instant as an opportunity to counter, like putting a dumpling on its head. Also, the transparent state could only be maintained for a maximum of five minutes, after which it had to be dispelled to catch its breath...
What, "Kamui"? Never heard of such a thing. And it's definitely not similar, not similar at all. Hmm.
But even so, the power of Shadow Ghoul was still quite powerful. Even relatively weaker Priests like Shada, Karim, and Isis couldn't even force out Mahad's [Illusion Magician]; just Shadow Ghoul alone was an existence they couldn't handle.
Although in terms of raw strength, it was indeed inferior to Hayato's [Drytron Meteonis Draconids], which could almost have a beam struggle with a Divine-Beast, the functionality of Shadow Ghoul was something even a Divine-Beast couldn't replace. Even Seto, who pursued power, was willing to accept this kind of monster with special abilities.
And Hayato's [Psychic Ectoplasm] was even more unfair. Although it lacked the power of invisibility compared to Shadow Ghoul, it had the ability to attack without dispelling its untouchable state. Although he didn't quite understand what Hayato meant by 'only a substitute/decoy can defeat a substitute/decoy,' that wasn't important. Knowing that Hayato's plan could indeed create powerful monsters was enough for Seto.
And Aknadin, after learning that Seto's plan, which sounded quite inhumane just by hearing it, was stopped by Hayato before it could be implemented, also breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he really didn't want to see Seto step into the Abyss, especially since he himself had already stepped into the Abyss.
Aknadin's thoughts couldn't help but drift back to the past fifteen years ago.
At that time, the Kingdom was in the midst of war. As the court alchemist, after painstaking research, he finally unearthed a way to obtain great power from an ancient book. But the notification also revealed how heavy the stakes were to obtain that power.
But the young Aknadin at that time had ideas very similar to Seto's.
What was truly the crisis for the Kingdom and its People?
The most terrifying thing, of course, was the crisis of the collapse of the Royal Authority. The overthrow of the dynasty was more terrifying than war, famine, and everything else. And if no sacrifice was made, the war would continue, and it would continue to take the lives of innocent people.
And rather than letting the lives of these innocent people be sacrificed in vain in war, it would be better to utilize them in a more valuable place to obtain the power to protect the Kingdom and prevent war from coming again.
Harboring such self-righteous ideas, Aknadin hid it from everyone, taking the great cause as his stance, and ultimately did something irreversible. Although he did achieve his initial goal, allowing the Kingdom to obtain the power to end the war, protecting the Kingdom and its People from the troubles of war, and continuing the dynasty.
However, the guilt and sin of doing something unforgivable still lingered in his heart to this day, unable to be removed. Knowing the end of that stubbornness and self-righteousness, Aknadin thus didn't want to see Seto walk down his old path.
'It's truly good that Seto didn't do something so irreversible. Thanks to Hayato Kobayashi, fortunately he was there to stop Seto.' Aknadin sincerely thanked him in his inner thoughts. 'Hayato Kobayashi, you are so gentle, practically the gentlest person on the Surface World.'
Meanwhile, Seto below the Altar didn't know what Aknadin was thinking in his heart. He continued speaking to him, "Hayato Kobayashi's success proves that, as he said, it's not just the monsters born from the evil within the heart of Sinners; perhaps we Priests who have undergone training can also develop spirits with unique abilities."
"However, Priest Shada suggested to me that we could first conduct an experiment on him to avoid Hayato Kobayashi's situation being a unique case, which would increase the persuasiveness."
Pausing for a moment, Seto looked at Aknadin and said, "It's just, Lord Aknadin, as you know, although Priest Shada has been diligently training in the use of the Millennium Key, using it on others and using it on oneself are two different things."
"Also, the Millennium Item that can see through the monster in another's heart is not just the Millennium Key."
"So, you're thinking of asking for my help to use the power of the Millennium Eye on Shada to unlock the lock of the heart and awaken a spirit?" Aknadin also understood. Why Seto had come to him was because he wanted his help.
Logically speaking, the status of the Priests among themselves was generally equal; no one could order anyone else unless there was special permission from the Pharaoh. Otherwise, Aknadin had no need to help Seto. However, just as Shada was willing to help Seto use the power of the Millennium Key out of friendship, Aknadin was also willing to extend a helping hand and help Seto's request, and he did so willingly.
"Yes, I will help, Seto."
Aknadin nodded to Seto. "Although the physician said that I need to avoid excitement during this period and cannot use the power of the Millennium Eye on monsters of a certain strength as I used to, simply helping Priest Shada open the lock of the heart and awaken a spirit is not a problem."
"That's wonderful, thank you very much for your help, Lord Aknadin," Seto said somewhat happily. "I plan to report this matter to the Pharaoh tomorrow morning. At that time, I will awaken Shada's spirit in the Royal Palace in front of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh witnessing it in person will be more convincing than any evidence."
Hearing that Seto told him before telling the Pharaoh, Aknadin was also a little happy in his heart, but also a little curious: "By the way, Seto, speaking of which, can't you also awaken the spirit in your heart? Why didn't you ask Priest Shada to help you use the power of the Millennium Key on you today after witnessing Hayato Kobayashi's success?"
Hearing Aknadin ask about this, the smile on Seto's face couldn't help but freeze. He hesitated, unsure whether he should tell Aknadin, who treated him like his own child and whom he had always regarded as a respected mentor, about what happened later that day.
After much hesitation, Seto ultimately did not speak of the matter. He apologized to Aknadin on the Altar, "Sorry, Lord Aknadin, there's a reason for this matter that's difficult to explain; it's not something you can understand just by being told."
Aknadin looked at the hesitation on Seto's face. Seto, who was usually firm and could even be called stubborn, actually showed such a rare expression? Although he was very curious in his heart, Aknadin also waved his hand: "No, it's nothing. I was just a little curious. Older people naturally get a little gossip. It's fine if you don't want to say anything."
Bowing to Aknadin, Seto finished the main business and no longer bothered Aknadin. He left the Stone Tablet Temple and walked slowly towards his Residence near the Royal Palace, his thoughts drifting far away. However, no matter how slowly he walked, because the distance to his destination was too close, Seto didn't take long to return to his Residence.
As a Priest under the Pharaoh, Seto's treatment was naturally commensurate with his status. Although the building he lived in was not as good as the mansions the Royal Family could live in, it wasn't far off, and the number of Attendants was also considerable.
However, for some reason, Seto had specifically dismissed the maidservants/attendants who were supposed to serve him in his Residence today, leaving the large house pitch-black without lighting. It wasn't until Seto returned to his Residence and lit the oil lamp on the wall that there was some light.
And as Seto lit the oil lamp in the Bedroom, the light illuminated the bed in a corner of the Room. A woman was actually lying peacefully asleep on the bed?!
Seto was not surprised that this woman would appear in his Room, because he himself had brought this woman home.
Walking to the bed and looking at the woman's beautiful white hair, Seto's heart was inexplicably restless. He subconsciously reached out his hand and stroked the sleeping woman's cheek with his fingertips.
"Just looking at you, why is my heart so disordered?" Feeling the soft and tender touch of the other person's skin transmitted from his fingertips, Seto muttered to himself.
End of Chapter
## Chapter 743: Visitor from Beyond the Sky
After watching Seto leave his Stone Tablet Temple, Aknadin withdrew his attention and turned back to continue handling the stone tablets in his temple.
Having served as a Priest since the time of the Previous Pharaoh, King Aknamkanon, it was natural that Aknadin's Stone Tablet Monster Collection was quite extensive.
Furthermore, the Millennium Item he personally held was the Millennium Eye, which, besides having the effect of opening the lock of the heart like the Millennium Key, also possessed the ability to reveal the true nature of spirits' power. Thus, Aknadin's Stone Tablet Monsters not only met the strength requirements but also possessed various Effects.
After all, having experienced many things, he knew that sometimes the power of Stone Tablet Monsters wasn't simply 'the stronger, the better'. No one knew when the special ability possessed by some seemingly weak Stone Tablet Monsters might come into use at a critical moment.
If Aknadin were not an Ancient Egyptian from three thousand years ago but a Duelist living in the modern era, then his Duel Monster Deck corresponding to his Stone Tablet Temple would surely be filled with all sorts of weird cards.
Just like now, the reason Aknadin, whose body was injured by Bakura's counter-damage earlier, didn't rest at his Residence today but came to the Stone Tablet Temple to stay up late wasn't because he was particularly diligent. It was because Aknadin remembered that he had once collected Stone Tablet Monsters with the ability to absorb and transfer damage.
Although Aknadin had fortunately woken up from the dark slumber during the collective sense among all the Priests when Mahad turned into a Spirit, Aknadin knew that the Dark Power still entwined around himself, continuously tormenting him.
This power didn't just come from the injuries caused by Bakura; actually, it was mostly caused by the Millennium Eye itself, which had gone on a rampage.
When Aknadin was young, he had made an irreparable mistake. Just as Aknadin himself had warned Seto, because of the feeling of guilt, an opening had already appeared in his heart, and it was permeated by the power of the evil Millennium Item, the Millennium Eye. Only through Aknadin's personal training had he barely suppressed it from acting up all these years.
However, because Bakura reflected Aknadin's Attack, causing the power of the Millennium Eye to go on a rampage, the opening in his heart was instantly expanded. The Dark Magic Power seeped into Aknadin's body through this place, and the non-stop whispering in his ear continuously tormented his nerves.
It was because of this that he came to his Temple to seek liberation by borrowing the power of the Stone Tablet Spirit.
A meatball-like Stone Tablet Monster was summoned by Aknadin. After reconfirming that no one was around, Aknadin used the power of the Millennium Eye to control the mystical power on his body and transfer it into the monster's body. Just like a blood transfusion, the Dark Power entwined around him also seemed to transfer to the meatball-like monster as Aknadin's mystical power disappeared.
Under Aknadin's watchful gaze, an eye gradually appeared on the meatball's body. Looking closely, this green meatball already had dozens of eyeballs growing on it, which looked quite creepy.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead slightly, losing a large amount of mystical power in one go was also a considerable heavy burden for Aknadin, but this was a necessary procedure for healing his injuries. During the period of losing mystical power, Aknadin himself could be said to be in a completely powerless state, only barely maintaining a certain vitality by being in this Stone Tablet Temple. This was also why Aknadin ordered the Soldiers to guard the Temple's Entrance and prevent others from breaking in.
On the other hand, the changes happening to the meatball-like Stone Tablet Monster before his eyes, if seen by someone uninformed, would likely think he was conducting some terrifying evil modification experiment.
The meatball-like Stone Tablet Monster touched the eyeballs appearing on its body, not minding that Aknadin was injecting evil magic into its body, and even happily nudged Aknadin's body.
"It's because of this that the Stone Tablet Monster that can absorb mystical power can be of use at a time like this. The habit of liking to collect stone tablets back then really helped a lot." Touching the meatball-like Stone Tablet Monster, Aknadin comforted it, "Don't worry, I need a little time to recover mystical power. Let me catch my breath again, Relinquished."
From this name, one could tell that the Stone Tablet Spirit summoned by Aknadin was none other than Relinquished, the Ace Card in Pegasus's Deck, who also obtained the Millennium Eye three thousand years later. However, compared to Pegasus's Relinquished with its twisted appearance, Aknadin's Stone Tablet Spirit named "Relinquished" was closer to the eyeless Thousand-Eyes Idol.
Leaning against the wall to rest, Aknadin recovered his mystical power while thinking about things. Seto said he would report today's events to the Pharaoh tomorrow morning, and that Aknadin would assist Shada in replicating Hayato Kobayashi's case to awaken the spirit within his heart.
Because it was Seto's need, even if he had to stay up a little later, Aknadin wanted to resolve his own problem as quickly as possible, get in good condition, and then do his best tomorrow so as not to disappoint Seto. However, although he thought this way, Aknadin was after all human, not a machine. The healing of his own injuries still depended on the mystical power's recovery speed, and it couldn't be rushed at all.
Speaking of awakening spirits, Aknadin felt that his habit of collecting stone tablets seemed to be acting up again. Just hearing Seto's description wasn't enough to understand the entirety of the spirit Hayato Kobayashi had awakened. He really wanted to see for himself what it looked like.
Thinking of this, even though Aknadin was already old, he couldn't help but blush a little. It's because of this habit that he had been specifically responsible for managing and storing stone tablets since the time of the Previous Pharaoh. For over ten years, he had actually often used his position to look at stone tablets he liked in other Priests' Temples.
If he wasn't in this Country, but in some remote small Village, he might possibly have become a collector.
Shaking his head to let the thoughts in his head disperse, Aknadin felt his mystical power recovered again, so he stood up and once again injected his mystical power into the Relinquished before him.
He was indeed getting old. He unaccountably started thinking about such impossible things. Sigh, time spares no one.
Although he couldn't see Hayato Kobayashi's spirit, being able to see Shada's spirit on the spot tomorrow could be considered a comfort.
Speaking of which, the Pharaoh and Seto seemed to be around the same age. The Pharaoh had already ascended and could almost start marrying a Royal Consort. Should he also start working on Seto to get him to marry and have children sooner?
Closing his eyes, Aknadin continued transferring mystical power into Relinquished's body, and the whispering in his ear became quieter and quieter.
However, he forgot one thing.
Although he had specifically confirmed that there were no other people in the Temple the first time, during the time he was resting and recovering mystical power, someone had actually secretly snuck in, and while he was injecting mystical power into Relinquished, quietly approached Aknadin from behind!
By means of the Transparency Power shared by the Millennium Ring, Bakura maintained an invisible state and entered Aknadin's Stone Tablet Temple, which he had already chosen as his destination. At a glance, he saw Aknadin standing on the Altar, fully focused on injecting mystical power into his Stone Tablet Monster.
"Heh, found you, Priest Aknadin." With a sinister smile on his face, Bakura maintained the transparency state and, without Aknadin noticing at all, ascended the Altar and approached Aknadin, who had his back turned, little by little. "Originally, I thought you wouldn't wake up after receiving such heavy injuries earlier, but the result was beyond my expectation. I really have to admire your will."
As the distance closed, Bakura naturally also noticed what Aknadin was doing to Relinquished, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "However, even you must rely on the power of spirits to transfer the dark power on yourself? Heh heh, relying on external force is not a good habit. But since you like it so much, I'll help you too."
While saying words no one but himself could hear, Bakura, standing behind Aknadin, raised the Millennium Ring on his chest, holding the sharp golden cone hanging from it, and suddenly stabbed it into Aknadin's back!
"Ugh!" Aknadin, suddenly attacked, cried out in pain, but what was difficult to understand was that he was as if he had fallen asleep and didn't realize at all that he had just made a sound, continuing to inject his mystical power into the Relinquished before him.
Accompanied by the golden cone piercing Aknadin's body, Bakura took the opportunity to inject more malice and dark power into Aknadin's body. The mystical power that could originally dilute it was all injected into Relinquished's body, so Aknadin's body was completely defenseless at this moment, fully exposed to the extremely high concentration of dark magic power, causing him to suddenly open his closed eyes in the next instant!
"Ugh ah wooo—!!!" Because his mouth was covered by Bakura, Aknadin, who raised his head, couldn't make any sound, and the Millennium Eye in the position of his left eye shone with a great golden light, resonating with the power of the Millennium Ring!
"Just like this, absorb more, Millennium Eye! Absorb the malice inside the Millennium Ring, and then pollute your Host!" Bakura laughed proudly. "Let me see what kind of villain the true nature of the highly prestigious Lord Priest is under the disguise of all this time. Fall into darkness and then join me!"
"Although saying this at this point in time seems a bit awkward, but, just like three thousand years ago!"
The power within the Millennium Ring was injected into Aknadin's body by Bakura almost without reservation. At his opened right eye, the white of the eye was gradually stained a deep pitch-black, unable to see even a trace of light. This spreading malice was even injected into Relinquished, which was maintaining contact with him.
The Stone Tablet Monster, which fed on mystical power and could even devour dark power, absorbed all the mystical power coming from Aknadin's body without restraint, but didn't notice that along with the injection of malice, the eyeballs on its body also suddenly increased dramatically, and its originally round body became rapidly shriveled and emaciated, its appearance becoming increasingly closer to the Relinquished three thousand years later!
"Lord Aknadin?"
The sound coming from his ear made the somewhat dazed Aknadin come back to his senses. He turned his head and glanced at Priest Shada, who was watching him.
"Are you alright, Lord Aknadin?"
Hearing Shada's words, Aknadin nodded, showing a kind smile: "It's nothing, Shada, I just spaced out for a moment."
"Although it's a bit presumptuous, I still want to say something about you. You actually stayed up all night in the Temple without sleeping or resting. Your previous injuries haven't fully healed yet, and what you need most is rest." Looking at Aknadin, Shada sighed and said, "This morning I went to your Residence to find you, found you weren't there, and only found you by going to the Stone Tablet Temple, where you were sleeping on the Altar."
"It's also fortunate that torches were lit in the Temple, otherwise you might have caught a cold and gotten sick."
"Heh heh, thank you for your concern, Shada." Aknadin smiled and said, looking around.
Because Isis and Karim, the two Priests, received the Pharaoh's Order and went to Necrovalley to bury the mummy of the Previous Pharaoh, as well as Mahad's sacrifice, today, only Shada, Seto, Aknadin, and Priest Shimon, the Pharaoh's attendant Priest, remained to discuss the Kingdom's affairs with the Pharaoh.
Inside the Great Hall at this moment, because it wasn't time yet, the Pharaoh and Priest Shimon hadn't arrived yet, only Shada and himself remained.
When did he come to the Royal Palace? Aknadin felt his head was a bit fuzzy. He guessed it was probably because he stayed up too late yesterday and as a result, he fell asleep directly. Woke up in the morning also somewhat disoriented due to lack of sleep, just like a seventy-something-year-old who could fall three times in a row while holding the handrail to climb the Stairs, forget words halfway through talking to someone, could accidentally lose control while sitting and chatting, and couldn't even stand steady while riding a bicycle.
However, the effect gained from staying up late was also quite good. Aknadin felt that kind of discomfort of being entangled by dark magic power that he had had for the past few days had completely disappeared, and the whispering in his ear had also completely disappeared. If he went back and caught up on sleep today, maybe he would be completely fine tomorrow.
But what made Aknadin more concerned was, at this point in time, Seto should also have come to the Great Hall to wait for the Pharaoh, right? He was always a very punctual person. Why was he going to be late today? He couldn't possibly make the Pharaoh wait for him.
Just as he thought of this, Aknadin saw from the Passage leading from the Royal Palace to the Great Hall, the Pharaoh and Priest Shimon walked out one after the other.
Dark Yugi walked all the way to the Throne and sat down. After Priest Shimon also stood firm beside him, ready to heed the Pharaoh's instructions at any time, he faced Shada and Aknadin, who were already kneeling respectfully at the bottom of the Stairs. Just as he was about to say something, suddenly his heart trembled, seeming like he sensed something.
Standing up from the Throne he hadn't even warmed yet, Dark Yugi suddenly ran towards the window sill outside the Great Hall, ignoring the need to explain to Shimon and the others, looking straight at the sky outside.
To others, the sky was clear and cloudless, but in Dark Yugi's eyes, who could see a section of the Millennium Puzzle hanging from the sky, on that half section of the Millennium Puzzle, at this moment, it seemed like something had dropped down and was falling towards the Earth!?
# Chapter 744: Killing the Chicken... Just Because to Warn the Monkey
"What is that?" Dark Yugi's eyesight was quite good because during Duel Monsters, he often watched what cards others used from a distance, but it was still too difficult to clearly see what was falling from such a high altitude so far away.
But even so, even relying solely on intuition, Dark Yugi could confirm that it was absolutely a very important existence he could not ignore.
Originally, for today's morning meeting, Dark Yugi had planned to communicate with the Priests about any questions regarding the city defense affairs Priest Seto and Priest Shada were responsible for yesterday. After all, he was very worried about Priest Seto's personality, which was extremely similar to Kaiba's, and whether he would act roughly towards the people for things like efficiency.
But now he changed his mind. If he thought about it carefully, it seemed like it was still more important to first confirm what the thing falling from the Millennium Puzzle in the sky was.
It was also precisely at this time that Priest Seto, who was a step late, happened to pass by beneath the window sill. Dark Yugi lowered his head and called out to him: "Priest Seto!"
"Pharaoh?" Raising his head to look at Dark Yugi, Priest Seto quickly wanted to apologize, "Due to personal reasons, this subordinate is late. I am truly sorry for making you wait so long."
In ancient Egypt three thousand years ago, Priest Seto's action this morning as a subject of the Pharaoh could be said to be disrespect towards the Pharaoh. If he had encountered a Pharaoh like a capricious tyrant, who used this as an excuse to kill Priest Seto, no matter who the others were, they could at most say a couple of words about the Pharaoh's bad temper, and could not criticize the Pharaoh's methods.
Especially in the past few days, on the day of the Pharaoh's ascension, thieves broke into the Royal Palace, as well as the loss of Mahad, one of the Priests, earlier. This series of events could be said to have caused this new Pharaoh to completely lose face. The method of penalizing a Priest who made a mistake could in a certain aspect recover some authority/dignity, and at least recover some people's reverence for the Pharaoh.
In that case, Priest Seto was simply that "just because" specifically for the Pharaoh to kill "just because" as a warning to the monkey.
This is ancient Egypt three thousand years ago, a Feudal Kingdom where the Divine Right of Kings and the Pharaoh's authority/dignity were even greater than the lives of most humans. It was precisely because he knew this, that Priest Aknadin was so worried about the late Priest Seto before.
However, although he himself lived in ancient Egypt three thousand years ago, but because most of his memories were left from his life in modern times, Dark Yugi fundamentally didn't care much about things like rulers and subjects, or the Pharaoh's authority/dignity. He was just slightly surprised that Priest Seto, who looked like he was serious, would actually be late, and fundamentally had no idea of punishing Priest Seto in his inner thoughts.
"It's alright, Priest Seto, get up. I have something I want to send you to do." Letting Priest Seto not kneel anymore and allowing him to stand up, Dark Yugi reached out his finger to point in the direction where the objects separated from the giant Millennium Puzzle he saw had fallen, and said to Priest Seto, "It's probably in that direction. I want you to take people to see if any special items have appeared."
Priest Seto, who had raised his head, heard Dark Yugi's words, and frowned.
"What is the specific size of the item, Pharaoh? If you cannot provide a specific description, even if I take more soldiers to search, I probably won't find anything."
Under the premise of having made a mistake before, although theoretically Priest Seto should have a better attitude towards the Pharaoh lest the Pharaoh change his mind and again decide to inflict punishment upon him, but he really didn't have such high emotional intelligence. He, who always kept public and private matters separate and wouldn't let emotion influence his work efficiency, asked Dark Yugi.
"As for the specific size, even if you ask me to describe it, I can't really put it into words." Dark Yugi also didn't care about Priest Seto's attitude. In fact, Priest Seto's attitude was 1000% stronger than that trench coat enthusiast who wouldn't speak properly even after being saved. "But if you want me to talk about the feeling, it's probably the size of a human."
And at this time, Priest Shimon, Priest Shada, and Priest Aknadin from inside the Great Hall also chased out, seeing the Pharaoh looking down at the late Priest Seto and instructing him about something. Seeing that the Pharaoh seemed like he wasn't pursuing Priest Seto's lateness, but instead had something he wanted him to do, Priest Aknadin also couldn't help but sigh in relief, feeling fortunate that the Pharaoh's temper seemed like it was still good.
But at the same time, in Priest Aknadin's inner thoughts, as if a voice was speaking: "If he is always controlled by others, Priest Seto's safety fundamentally cannot be guaranteed. What should be done if one day the Pharaoh, whom Priest Seto angered, is to be subjected to torture? You can't always hope that the Pharaoh's temper will be as good as it is at the present, people always change."
"Rather than that, it's better to find an opportunity to make the Pharaoh..."
The terrible idea just abruptly surfaced from Priest Aknadin's heart, and was immediately stopped by himself. Priest Aknadin also didn't know what was going on, why would such a dangerous idea suddenly appear in his heart?
Recalling the things that had just fallen from the edge of the sky, Dark Yugi, who found it truly difficult to describe them, thought for a moment, and simply knocked his fist against his spread-open palm, and said: "No, I thought about it, I'll go myself. That seems like something only I can find by seeing it with my own eyes. This is my intuition."
"Are you leaving the Royal Palace again, Pharaoh?" Hearing that Dark Yugi changed his mind, and planned to leave the Royal Palace to search himself, Priest Seto glanced at the direction Yugi had just pointed his finger towards. That seemed like a place not too far Outside the City. Dispatching a portion of the Troops to follow the Pharaoh out of the City would probably not be a problem, but if they went back and forth, it seemed like there wouldn't be much time today.
"Before you leave the Royal Palace, I would like to ask you to look at something."
Regarding Priest Aknadin falling asleep in his Stone Tablet Temple last night, it seemed like he stayed up very late until he could no longer persist before falling asleep. Priest Seto also knew this point, and could also feel that the reason Priest Aknadin worked so hard seemed like it was for his own request, and wanted to adjust his state today.
Therefore, Priest Seto did not want to let Priest Aknadin's effort be in vain. Regarding the awakening of the spirit within the heart, it should not be dragged until this time tomorrow. While the Pharaoh hasn't departed yet, finish the matter earlier, so that Priest Aknadin can go back to rest and catch up on sleep.
Dark Yugi thought for a moment, and also did not reject Priest Seto. After nodding, he turned around and returned to the Great Hall, waiting for Priest Seto to arrive in the Great Hall.
Although he could feel that something falling from the giant Millennium Puzzle seemed like it was very important to him, but calculating the time, that thing should be about to land. Departing a little earlier or a little later wouldn't make any difference, it would be better to first resolve the state affairs that he, as the Pharaoh, must handle before departing.
Moreover, the position where that thing fell seemed like it was in the Desert Outside the City. If he searched alone, only the sky knew when he would find it. Bringing the Troops could also increase the efficiency of the search, and the time spent handling state affairs could just be used to first order the Troops to leave the City.
Following Dark Yugi, the Priests returned inside the Great Hall, and not long after, Priest Seto also entered the Great Hall through the Passage.
First, he bowed to Dark Yugi, who was sitting back on the Throne. After getting up, Priest Seto's gaze immediately looked towards Priest Aknadin and Priest Shada on the side. After seeing the two nod their heads to indicate that their state was okay, Priest Seto spoke to Dark Yugi about the matters from yesterday.
Of course, even if he persisted that his idea before was correct, and if it weren't for Hayato, he would indeed have put it into action, Priest Seto also didn't speak his plan of "indiscriminately using the power of the Millennium Key on innocent people".
Although his emotional intelligence was low, it wasn't completely absent. He knew that saying such a thing would only make the Pharaoh angry.
And upon hearing Priest Seto say that Hayato, with the help of the Millennium Key's power, had actually awakened a card spirit named Psychic Ectoplasm from within his inner thoughts, Dark Yugi's mouth twitched slightly, and he truly exclaimed: "It really isn't surprising at all. If it's Hayato, the awakened spirit indeed has to be Psychic Ectoplasm. I don't even want to complain that it's a spell card."
"Spell Card?" Priest Shimon, who was closest to Dark Yugi beside the Throne, naturally also heard his muttering. He felt confused because he hadn't heard this new term before.
"No, it's nothing." Because he couldn't tell Priest Shimon that it was actually a term from Duel Monsters, which evolved from Stone Tablet Monsters three thousand years ago, Dark Yugi casually brushed Priest Shimon off, and then looked at Priest Seto and said, "So that means, Priest Seto, you want to promote this experiment, right? To let our people also awaken spirits and increase their combat power like Hayato."
"The power of spirits, is an existence different from Stone Tablet Monsters. In the experiment yesterday with Hayato Kobayashi cooperating, we discovered that the appearance of spirits can be achieved even without cooperating with a Duel Arena. Therefore, it's not just us Priests, if the condition permits, even the Court Magician Group and the Troops can attempt to undergo the awakening of spirits."
Priest Seto nodded, and spoke his vision, "In that way, even if the soldiers encounter Bakura's mystical power-boosted Subordinate again, there won't be a one-sided battle situation like before. And after we Priests awaken spirits, we can also again possess the qualification to contend with that Bakura, and you, Pharaoh, won't have to put yourself in danger anymore."
"To prove the feasibility, I would like to ask you to witness our second experiment here."
Cooperating with Priest Seto's words, Priest Shada and Priest Aknadin also stepped forward, standing on Priest Seto's both sides.
Dark Yugi nodded, with an expression of great interest, and said: "Alright, I permit it, you may begin."
"Yes, Pharaoh."
Hearing Dark Yugi's words, Priest Seto glanced at the two beside him, and stepped back a certain distance to leave space for the two. And Priest Shada also turned around, facing Priest Aknadin, who was also looking towards his side.
Reaching out his hand to take off the hood on his head, Priest Aknadin subconsciously stroked the Millennium Eye, whose state was exceptionally good today. Controlling its power to activate, he reached out his finger and pointed at Priest Shada, saying: "Bear with it, Priest Shada, I'm coming in!"
"Mind Unlock!"
End of Chapter
# Chapter 745: Everyone a Dragon
As Priest Aknadin activated the power of the Millennium Eye, Shada, who stood opposite him, trembled violently. The Millennium Key in his hand radiated light.
As the owner of the Millennium Key, Shada couldn't use its power on himself. However, under the resonance of the Millennium Eye, the power of the Millennium Key was also guided out and released towards Shada.
The "Eye of Wjat/Udjat," which appears when the power of the Millennium Items is used to a certain extent, surfaced on Shada's forehead. Along with a "crack" sound, as if a lock had been opened, a cluster of light emerged from Shada's chest.
Seeing this, although Seto remained expressionless, he inwardly cheered, happy for the experiment's success.
After all, although Hayato had succeeded once before, there was still the possibility that it was just an isolated case. If only Hayato could succeed in awakening a Spirit while others couldn't, Seto's efforts would have been in vain.
However, seeing Shada's obvious success now proved that Hayato Kobayashi's plan had the potential for popularization. It wouldn't confine the power of Spirits solely to the Priests. Perhaps there would be a day in the Future when all the people could also possess powerful Spirits, making Everyone a Dragon.
After this, he just needed to confirm the minimum standard for awakening a Spirit. After obtaining the Pharaoh's permission, he could begin promoting the power of Spirits.
"Among all the Priests, although it might sound a bit hurtful to say this, Priest Shada's strength is probably the weakest. Not only in his use of the Millennium Items, but also his Stone Tablet Monsters; their quality isn't very high," Priest Simon said eloquently, standing beside Dark Yugi.
"But looking at the power of the Spirit that Priest Aknadin helped Shada awaken now, although I don't have the Millennium Eye to see the details of the opponent's ability, I can tell just by feeling that this Spirit is probably more powerful than all of Priest Shada's previous Stone Tablet Monsters combined."
Hearing Priest Simon's words, Dark Yugi couldn't help but say with some curiosity, "Simon, I feel like you understand Priest Shada particularly well."
"Heh heh, after all, Shada can be considered my successor, Pharaoh," Simon rubbed his nose and said with a smile. "As a Priest who served beside the Previous Pharaoh, the Millennium Item I held at that time was also the Millennium Key. Shada only succeeded in inheriting the Millennium Key after passing my test."
"In order to quell the wars that plagued the Kingdom back then, the Previous Pharaoh and we Priests, using the Millennium Items that were obtained in haste and were fundamentally unfamiliar to us, suffered severely damaged bodies. This was true for me, Aknadin, and the Previous Pharaoh, King Aknamkanon."
Looking at the unknown Spirit hovering not far in front of Shada, gradually converging its radiance and about to reveal its true appearance, Simon said with some emotion, "After we completed the responsibilities we needed to bear, it was naturally time to pass on the mission we carried."
"Just as I chose Shada and Aknadin favored Priest Seto, the Previous Pharaoh also entrusted his mission to his beloved son, which is you, Pharaoh."
The radiance completely receded. Shada's Millennium Key and Aknadin's Millennium Eye simultaneously stopped glowing, and both sat down on the ground as if drained of strength, looking at the orb of light before them.
The orb of light, slightly larger than a normal person's head, gradually extended short, claw-like limbs. A pair of bird-like wings extended from its sides, but they didn't grow very long and remained quite short. The Spirit that appeared before everyone after the light dispersed was clearly a purple spherical monster.
"Is this... Kuriboh?"
Due to the extremely similar appearance, Dark Yugi initially mistook the Spirit Shada awakened, but then he reacted. This Spirit, which had no fur all over and a golden tattoo on its head, was clearly not the Kuriboh that had helped him more than once.
"Kuriboh? Is that the name you've given my Spirit, Pharaoh?" Looking at the Spirit with a pair of pure, large eyes that came close to him and affectionately rubbed against his palm, Shada felt a sense of closeness from his inner thoughts. "However, this subordinate feels that calling him Ankh Kuriboh might be more suitable."
"Oh, it actually has the 'Ankh' symbol on its body. What a coincidence, Shada," Simon examined the Spirit that was clinging to Shada and called Ankh Kuriboh. "The shape of the Millennium Key is based on the 'Ankh' symbol, which represents 'life'. This little guy actually has the 'Ankh' symbol on its body too. It looks very suitable for you."
"Kuri~" Hearing Priest Simon's words, Ankh Kuriboh showed an expression that seemed to say, "You understand well," nodded at Simon, and then continued to stay close to Shada.
As Shada got up from the ground while holding Ankh Kuriboh, he felt the wonderful experience of being connected to the other's body and heart.
When he had experimented with Hayato before, he had only attempted a part of it. Now that he had awakened Ankh Kuriboh himself, Shada further confirmed that Spirits awakened from a person's inner thoughts, rather than being sealed in tablets, were indeed a power that could be called forth without the need for the crystal of alchemy—the Duel Arena.
Moreover, unlike Stone Tablet Monsters that were born from malice, desire, and other evil thoughts, which primarily asserted great strength and only occasionally possessed special effects, the power of Heart Spirits was not strong, even arguably extremely weak. But at the same time, their special abilities were fully unleashed.
Just as the "Ankh" rune represents "life," Ankh Kuriboh, which has the "Ankh" symbol drawn on its body and was directly given the name "Ankh" by Shada, has the ability to grant others ultimate life force. Even in a near death state, it can heal them in one go, as if reversing time, and can even replenish the "Soul" which is equivalent to "Life Points" in later generations!
So cool! How could there be such a cool Spirit in the world? Its entire body practically radiates a kind of beauty called "strength"!
Shada cast aside and forgot the idea that arose when he first saw Ankh Kuriboh: "It seems a bit ugly." How strange, how could I have such a tasteless idea?
Seeing Shada so affectionate with his Spirit, Dark Yugi also said happily to Seto before the Throne, "Very well, it seems your plan is correct, Priest Seto. Then go ahead and do it. I hereby permit you to awaken Spirits for the other Priests."
Pausing, Dark Yugi added, "However, I remember that a certain amount of training is required to see the existence of Spirits. So, the first candidates for awakening Spirits should be those who already possess the ability to see Spirits. The popularization among ordinary people and the Troops will be postponed for now."
"Yes, Pharaoh." Seto had no objections to Dark Yugi's order. His idea was actually not much different from Dark Yugi's. Although the ultimate goal was to allow everyone to possess Spirits and make Everyone a Dragon, one must eat bite by bite and walk step by step. Even without the Pharaoh's order, Seto was thinking of first helping the Kingdom's top-tier battle power, the Priests, awaken their Spirits.
It was like, letting a portion of the people get "rich" first.
When I was reading novels on a certain website, I often saw those research-type novels, the kind where the protagonist gets a system that can research future or fictional technology and then works for the country. Because I was in a book slump recently, I casually clicked on a highly-rated one to read a bit.
Then there was a plot point that I really wanted to rant about—
The protagonist was hired by the Army because he developed powerful equip, and then because the equip was too advanced, it was listed as an SSS-level confidential file. This isn't what I want to rant about.
The protagonist's equip wasn't used in a fight. After one side's commander lost, he wanted to check where the equip came from and who made it. He used his authority to check, but had no authority. Then the commander found the regimental commander, the regimental commander found the general, the general found the old leader, and they went all the way up to some Founding Elder with SSS-level authority. Finally, someone had the qualification to access the protagonist's data.
Then, the old leader who found the protagonist's data casually told the data to the Subordinates who came looking for him???
Isn't that an SSS-level confidential file? Can you just casually reveal it to others after finding it? I suspect Coca-Cola's formula has a higher level of confidentiality than this file.
End of Chapter
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