Chapter 771: I'm Going to Be the World's Number One Duelist, Women and Such Are Troublesome
Marik Ishtar brought the Spellcasters of the Tomb Keepers, along with Hayato and Kaiba who were restrained within a spell barrier, to the area behind the Temple in Necrovalley, which is the Entrance to the successive generations of Pharaoh's Tombs.
As soon as they arrived, what entered Hayato's sight was an open, empty stone coffin placed on the Open Space. Hayato remembered that it was the stone coffin carried away by the Soldiers under Karim and Isis when they left the Royal City.
---Although carrying a stone coffin and walking such a long distance looked quite foolish, after all, the journey wasn't short. They couldn't possibly let the Pharaoh's mummy be exposed to the sun the whole way, right?
But now the stone coffin was already open, and King Aknamkanon's mummy was not inside. In addition, Karim and Isis were also nowhere to be seen. Hayato guessed that they might have taken the mummy to bury it.
Malik just glanced at the empty stone coffin and snorted in annoyance. "Just casually leaving trash here and discarding it, are you treating my Tomb Keepers as some kind of trash heap? Hey, you guys, go and move that pile of trash away for me!"
While ordering people to move away the empty stone coffin, Malik struck his scepter heavily on the ground. He looked at Hayato and Kaiba and said, "Speaking of which, I haven't asked for your two names yet."
The Gravekeeper's Spellcasters retreated after bringing the two there. Although the Tomb Keepers have been stationed in Necrovalley for many years, even they must obey the rules and precepts. One step further would be considered stepping into the Pharaoh's resting place, which is forbidden ground they cannot tread upon.
Only Malik remained in front of Hayato and Kaiba. As the Gravekeeper's Family Leader and High Priest, although he had no Subordinates to command, he was confident that relying on his own power and the terrain advantage of Necrovalley, he fundamentally didn't need to worry about Hayato and Kaiba counterattacking.
As soon as Hayato heard Malik's words, he immediately became interested and blurted out a fake name. "My name is Tadokoro Koji, I'm 24 years old this year, I'm a student, I've been training recently, and I live in Shimokitazawa---"
No one can say for sure if Malik might have some means to cast a spell or curse using names, right? However, Kaiba, who was never superstitious, didn't care about this at all.
"You guy, what nonsense are you spouting now? This guy is called Hayato Kobayashi, and my name is Kaiba Seto."
Rolling his eyes at the nonsensical Hayato, Kaiba interrupted him and stated his and Hayato's names. Even though he was trapped by the barrier, Kaiba still maintained a calm expression, and his posture was even somewhat arrogant as he looked at Malik, as if Malik were the one inside the barrier. "Specially asking for our names, are you asking for mercy, Gravekeeper's Family Leader?"
"Asking for mercy? No, I just want to make it a little easier to distinguish between you two when writing my diary, Hayato Kobayashi, and Kaiba Seto, right?"
Looking at Kaiba with his arms crossed over his chest, Malik frowned. "What strange names. This makes me even more certain that you two are indeed not likely to be people from the Royal City. Especially you guy, if I remember correctly, there's also a Priest of the Pharaoh called Seto, right? Although I haven't seen the opponent, no matter how I think about it, it couldn't possibly be you, this guy in strange clothes."
Because, like Yugi and the others, they were not participants in the Dark Game, Kaiba was naturally wearing his iconic white windbreaker from the Real World. In addition, Kaiba's trench coat also had strange strap decorations; if someone else wore it, it would fundamentally look like an SM enthusiast.
Hayato heard Malik's words and said nonchalantly, "Then I'll change my name on the spot, okay? From now on, my name will be Meriamun. This name fits the naming customs here and is much more normal, right?"
Hayato thought, anyway, Meriamun is also a person from the future. Since I have already taken over his body now, using his name as well is no problem. As for the heinous bad things done by Hayato Kobayashi, what relationship is there with me, the pure and innocent youth Meriamun, who is only eight years old?
Kaiba heard Hayato say the name "Meriamun" and raised an eyebrow, feeling as if he had heard this name somewhere before. Kaiba, who has always only been interested in "ahead," the Future, and such, naturally wouldn't go out of his way to understand "old things that should be swept into a corner" like Ancient Egypt history, Pharaoh's names, and so on. Names that even he had some impression of could only be those particularly famous existences.
"From the moment I inherited the position of Gravekeeper's Family Leader, I knew about 'its' existence, but there has never been any opportunity to use it." Without paying attention to Hayato, who was spouting nonsense, Marik Ishtar said this while walking two steps towards the direction Inside the Valley, stopping only when he reached an extremely conspicuous dividing line.
"Speaking of which, it makes me a bit angry. Although the Clan Head position has always been passed down to males, not females, and was originally mine, the existence of that woman Isis always gives me the feeling that this position was given to me out of pity because she could become a Priest of the Pharaoh, as if it were charity."
"Hmph, I'll let you two witness it. The third barrier that blocks intruders from entering Necrovalley and disturbing the Pharaoh's resting place! In the name of the Gravekeeper's Family Leader, I hereby order it to dispel its hiding and manifest before my eyes!"
Malik's scepter struck heavily on the ground again, and he shouted the title, "Hieracosphinx!"
The next instant, above the Valley, a giant shadow suddenly fell from the location where the sunshine fell, landing in front of the three people. A giant sphinx descended following Malik's shout.
The first layer of barrier guarding the Pharaoh's resting place is the Tomb Keepers of Necrovalley; the second layer of barrier is the numerous spells and mechanisms setup surrounding the periphery of the Necrovalley Temple; and the third barrier is precisely this sphinx before their eyes, which should only exist in mythology!
However, although it was called a sphinx, there were some slight differences. The sphinx appearing before Hayato and Kaiba didn't have a human face like the giant Statue in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Instead, like its lion-like body, both were replaced by Starry Sky-like blue. And besides the pair of golden eagle wings on its back, the head of the "Hieracosphinx" was even wearing a headdress that only a Pharaoh had the qualification to wear.
Because of the matter of the Pyramid of Light at that time, Hayato had always had a considerable sense of rejection regarding the sphinx. But towards the "Hieracosphinx" before his eyes, he didn't have any particular disgust; instead, he had a kind of unknown sense of familiarity.
"Anyone who enters the Pharaoh's resting place must pass the test of the 'Hieracosphinx' guarding this place before they can enter. This is a rule established since the existence of Necrovalley and the beginning of our existence as Tomb Keepers," Malik said proudly, looking at the majestic and mighty Hieracosphinx. "Anyone who cannot pass the test will be bitten to death alive by the terrifying 'Hieracosphinx' in the name of the Pharaoh."
"Their souls will also be torn to shreds by its claws and fangs, eternally suffering torment in its Space-like stomach, unable to find liberation!"
Just like a terrifying ghost story used to scare a child, saying if you don't sleep early, Brother Chicken will come knocking, Malik tried his best to express the terror and strength of the "Hieracosphinx." It was also the first time Malik used it for punishment on others, and he was very much looking forward to seeing what kind of fearful expressions would appear on Hayato and Kaiba's faces.
But Hayato was alright; giving face to the future Malik, he had an expression of "So strong, too strong" and quite cooperatively showed an expression of being scared, although it was clearly fake at a glance. But Kaiba fundamentally didn't care about Malik's words. "Hmph, who understands what you're saying?"
"Although I really didn't expect that Ancient Egypt three thousand years ago actually had beasts that underwent genetic mutation into this appearance, but after all, it is just a beast, that's all."
Able to understand the energy barrier that trapped himself in a quantum entanglement state as an electromagnetic phenomenon caused by the geographical environment, and the giant mythological monster "Hieracosphinx" as a beast that underwent genetic mutation, Kaiba's scientific brain will never disappoint.
However, not being able to see the expected fearful expressions made Malik, who greatly enjoyed the fun of torment, very disappointed. Looking at Hayato, who was tired of pretending, and Kaiba, who fundamentally didn't put the "Hieracosphinx" in his eyes, he curled his lip and said coldly, "Heh heh, then I'd like to see how much longer you can keep pretending with this appearance of yours."
"Begin, 'Hieracosphinx'!"
Waving his scepter, Malik retreated some distance, leaving only Hayato and Kaiba, who were trapped within the energy barrier and unable to move, in front of the "Hieracosphinx."
And overlooking the two people, the tall Hieracosphinx's Starry Sky-like face seems like the location of its mouth opened a gap, and it spoke human words: "When your mother and wife simultaneously fall into a rapid river, and there is only enough time to save one person, will you save your mother or wife?"
Hayato was originally already prepared to answer "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening is a human." Hearing the Hieracosphinx's words, he was also stunned and immediately ranted, "Holy crap, what century problem!? Is this something that could be proposed by Ancient Egypt three thousand years ago?"
This was completely different from what Hayato expected. Even Kaiba, who was standing beside him with a straight face, couldn't help but crack a little and looked strangely towards Malik.
"Hmph hmph hmph hmph, I, Malik, am quite proficient in human nature. This is a super problem that I thought of after considering for a long time." With a proud expression, Malik put his hands on his hips and said proudly, "If you answer save your mother, then the Hieracosphinx will take action using the reason 'scum who abandons his wife when encountering danger and plays with women's feelings'."
"And if you answer save your wife, the Hieracosphinx will again take action using the reason 'an unfilial son who watches his mother drown'. In other words, this is an unsolvable problem without an answer!"
"I already said I will kill you, how could I possibly leave you with any possibility of survival, right? Hmph hmph ha ha ha ha!"
Seems like he looked down on Hayato and Kaiba, believing they couldn't give a correct answer to the Hieracosphinx's question. Malik was extremely arrogant, even beginning to explain the thought process for solving the problem to the two. However, the so-called "thought process for solving the problem" was fundamentally unsolvable.
"The Hieracosphinx's question is, in essence, just a form, that's all. No matter how you answer, it's a dead end. The real method to break through the test lies in the identity of the one being questioned, that's all. The answer is fundamentally not important," Malik continued saying. "Only those who are given a mission by the Pharaoh have the ability to pass the test, or it is the Pharaoh himself. Besides this, even a Priest holding Millennium Items also cannot pass the test and will die in the Hieracosphinx's hand!"
"How about it? Heard such a message of despair, how do you feel now, how do you feel?"
Before, simply describing the terror of the Hieracosphinx didn't manage to scare Hayato and Kaiba. At this moment, Malik changed his approach, letting the two clearly see the desperate situation before their eyes, wanting to use this to appreciate their fear.
It's just that he was disappointed again. This time, Hayato was also too lazy to cooperate with him and said with a helpless expression, "Regarding this problem of yours, I think it's still very easy to solve. As long as I am Oedipus, won't that be enough?"
In the Greek mythology legend of the sphinx, although it is true that Oedipus answered the sphinx's question, Hayato mentioning Oedipus here is for another reason---Oedipus killed his own Father and married his own mother. As long as one's mother is one's wife, this century problem directly collapses without being attacked.
Although, it was slightly a hell joke.
And Kaiba rolled his eyes at Hayato, who was still making tasteless jokes at this time. He looked up at the giant monster beast before his eyes, waiting for him to give an answer and then preparing to take action, and said calmly with a composed expression, "I, Kaiba Seto, from birth until the present, there has never been a single instant that I lived for anyone other than myself."
"My path of glory, extending to my Future. If anyone wants to defile this path, no matter who the opponent is, I will use these hands to crush them. Even if a divine-beast stands in front of me, I will also defeat the divine-beast and continue moving forward!"
"In the Future, I am going to become the world's number one Duelist, women and such are troublesome!" Kaiba said assertively, because he was an orphan with no mother and at the same time considered himself not interested in women and wouldn't have a wife.
That's just Kaiba. Even Hayato, who knew clearly that his record against Kaiba was all losses, almost thought this guy would really become the world's number one Duelist when he heard Kaiba's confident tone.
After Hayato and Kaiba successively gave two not very serious answers, although Malik was still a bit disappointed that they didn't despair and collapse, he still smiled with reluctant satisfaction. "Good, then since you have already given your answers, deliver the judgment, Hieracosphinx!"
Malik was looking forward to the Hieracosphinx taking action and killing Hayato and Kaiba. After all, no matter how you looked at it, the two of them were both facing a dead end, without any possibility of passing the test.
Then, looking at Hayato and Kaiba, the Hieracosphinx said, "Answer correct." Then, it flapped its wings, and before Malik could even react, it just flew away again on its own.
Hmm!?
Malik couldn't understand. How could this be correct? How could these two people's answers possibly pass the test? There's absolutely no reason!
"You two, what exactly is going on?"
Looking at Hayato and Kaiba, Malik said angrily. While Hayato easily shrugged his shoulders, "Just kidding, these days, who isn't a Pharaoh?"
## Chapter 772: You're Really Something, Malik
The fact that Hayato and Kaiba were able to successfully pass the Sphinx Teleia's trial completely exceeded Malik's expectations. Looking at the two of them, Malik frowned, finding their situation somewhat puzzling.
Although, as he had just said, there were only two ways to pass the Sphinx Teleia's trial: either successfully solve the problem, or possess the authority granted by the Pharaoh. And after Malik specifically designed an unsolvable problem, there was only one way left to pass the trial, which was to absolutely obtain the Pharaoh's authorization.
Even though Hayato was holding the Millennium Ring, even the Millennium Items were useless.
Could it be that those two absurd answers just now were really the solution to the problem he had worked so hard to come up with?
Malik thought with a bit of a headache.
As for Hayato's nonsense about them both being Pharaohs? Malik considered himself a smart man; anyone who believed that kind of nonsense was an idiot, and he wasn't some three-year-old.
At least six years old.
"Seto—!"
Just then, the three of them heard a voice shouting from a distance. From the direction within Necrovalley, a person was walking towards them while shouting from far away, "Why are you here, Seto!"
Looking over at the sound, the few people saw a muscular middle-aged man, holding the Millennium Scale in his hand. It was none other than Priest Karim, who had come here under Dark Yugi's order to bury the mummy of the Previous Pharaoh, King Aknamkanon, and let him rest in peace.
However, Dark Yugi's other intention was to prevent Karim from arguing with Seto, who remained in the City, and escalating the conflict into infighting. But looking at Karim's posture upon seeing Kaiba now, he probably hadn't been able to maintain his composure much these past few days, and perhaps his disgust towards Seto had intensified due to being far from the Royal City.
In fact, it was exactly as Hayato had guessed. Although he was ordered by the Pharaoh to bury the mummy of King Aknamkanon, this duty was a glory, and it was also proof of the Pharaoh's full trust in Karim. For a while after leaving the City, Karim was quite satisfied.
After Mahad's death, Karim, who had developed a certain ambition for a higher position, felt that the Pharaoh granting him such a mission, and also temporarily not touching the mountainous area where Priest Mahad had made his sacrifice, as he had suggested, clearly meant he had more hope of advancing further than Priest Seto.
Moreover, his companion on this journey was not the more senior Priest Aknadin, but Priest Isis, who was of a lower generation than himself. This mission was clearly centered around him, and the merit would naturally be largely his.
But after leaving the City for a day, Karim's idea completely changed.
He had only thought about the benefits of this errand, but had forgotten that because Necrovalley was located in a remote area, there were no oasis or towns to rest along the way, and when a sandstorm came, there was nowhere to hide. Furthermore, because they were carrying the mummy of King Aknamkanon, they couldn't even rest and had to arrive at Necrovalley as quickly as possible. The experience along the way was absolutely terrible.
Among the many Priests, besides Priest Seto, who was from a commoner background, Shada Sin and Isis Ishtar were from the Tomb Keepers. Although Priest Aknadin's past was unclear, his usual demeanor showed that he came from an extraordinary background and was well-educated. Priest Mahad, who was the Current Pharaoh's childhood friend, goes without saying, and Karim was also from a noble background.
Although he had undergone arduous training to become a Priest, Karim, who was still relatively pampered in his daily life, could not stand the torment of the journey. This dissatisfaction naturally would not be blamed on the Pharaoh who gave him the order, but was attributed to Seto.
"All the suffering I've endured is because of that Seto guy. Don't let me see him again, or I'll tear his wig off!" Having complained like this, when Karim saw that "Seto" had actually appeared in Necrovalley, he didn't even think about how Seto could be here. He immediately wanted to settle the score for his accumulated frustration during this time.
"Priest Seto?" There was another person beside Karim. Priest Isis, wearing the Millennium Necklace, was also stunned for a moment when she saw Hayato and Kaiba, but quickly reacted and quickly said to Karim beside her, "No, please wait, Priest Karim."
"Although their appearance seems to be exactly the same, if you look closely, you can see that this person who appeared with Hayato Kobayashi is absolutely not the same person as Priest Seto."
Any normal person would calm down a bit after hearing Isis's words, but what kind of person was Karim? He snorted and tucked the Millennium Scale into his waist, pressing his joint and making a "crackling" sound: "Not Seto? Now that you mention it, I can see it. Indeed, that Seto guy feels even more annoying than this person."
"But what does it matter if he's not Seto? Rather, that's even better. I can just vent the anger I've accumulated during this time on him!"
While speaking, Karim ordered Malik: "Hey, you! Open this barrier for me, I'm going to beat him up!"
When Malik heard Karim actually order him, he immediately glared back: "Don't order me! I only tolerated you before because you had the Pharaoh's order. This is the Tomb Keepers' territory, and I am the Gravekeeper's Family Leader!"
He was already very annoyed by Malik's actions before, and then Karim inexplicably jumped out. He clearly didn't know him, yet he was shouting his name, "Seto". Standing inside the barrier, Kaiba shouted at the two guys who were already about to start fighting: "What the hell! What's with you guys?!"
Separated by the barrier, the three men gathered together, as if they were about to start fighting at any moment.
But Hayato, who was also standing inside the barrier, stood aside watching the drama and said to Priest Isis, who had come to the edge of the barrier: "Hey, speaking of which, don't they look like dogs arguing through glass?"
"Hmm? Glass?" Isis tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand Hayato's meaning. Bending down, she fiddled with the spell formula left on the ground a few times, saying, "Hayato Kobayashi, why are you and this person who looks exactly like Priest Seto here?"
"That's a long story. After you and that very arrogant Priest Karim left the Royal City, a lot of things happened." Hayato temporarily brushed off Isis's question. He felt that it was better to keep the message of the Pharaoh being attacked as hidden as possible, so as not to influence the morale of others.
"A lot of things?" Isis looked at the Millennium Ring hanging on Hayato's chest, thought for a moment, and sighed, "Did Bakura come again?"
"Because, you see, the Millennium Ring was buried with Priest Mahad in the Underground Magician Training Ground, right? Since the Pharaoh said before we left that he wouldn't excavate there for the time being, the Pharaoh's glory means he wouldn't go back on his word. That means Mahad didn't achieve mutual destruction with that Thief Bakura, and the other party took the Millennium Ring and went to the Royal Palace again, right?"
Although she had been away from the Royal City for two days, just by seeing Hayato wearing the Millennium Ring, Isis was able to clearly analyze a lot of information, and her accuracy was extremely high.
Unlike the Ishizu of the future, Priest Isis Three Thousand Years Ago had not developed her Millennium Necklace enough. She could only use her future-seeing ability with great difficulty, unlike Ishizu, who could not only see the future but also replay the past. It was precisely because of this that Isis specifically trained her deduction ability to improve the accuracy of the future moments she glimpsed.
"Alright, it's unlocked." Pressing the last node, Isis removed the barrier, restoring freedom to Hayato and Kaiba. The instant the barrier was removed, Kaiba, Karim, and Malik, who had just looked like they were about to fight, stopped in unison, just as Hayato had joked. They didn't seem as arrogant as they had just spoken.
"Tsk, what are you doing, Isis Ishtar? Who told you to release these two criminals!" Not continuing to confront the other two, Malik chose to pick on Isis. "Do you think that just because you became the Pharaoh's Priest, you can lord over me, the Gravekeeper's Family Leader?"
"No, I didn't mean that, Malik."
Looking at her younger brother Malik, who had loved competing with her since childhood, Isis felt very helpless. She thought to herself that she had spoiled him too much since childhood. If she had another opportunity, she would absolutely not yield to him again and would definitely suppress and educate him properly. However, the emotion in her heart did not show on her face. Isis said calmly, "I saw it just now. They both successfully passed the Sphinx Teleia's trial, right?"
"Hayato Kobayashi is the Pharaoh's friend, and this person who looks exactly like Priest Seto, since he can be Hayato Kobayashi's companion, he should also have received the Pharaoh's permission to come here. In short, they were not criminals from the beginning, and you have no reason to detain and judge them."
"Tsk, sharp-tongued." Malik heard Isis's words and grumbled a complaint, but he couldn't refute Isis's words. At this moment, only Isis's words could answer why Hayato and Kaiba were able to pass the Sphinx Teleia's trial before.
"Hmph, Hayato Kobayashi, you actually came here." Karim glanced at Hayato and snorted, "Although I don't know what reason you used to convince the Pharaoh, I still don't trust you, especially that guy next to you who looks like Seto."
"What exactly is your intention in coming here?"
Karim, who was as dismissive of him as ever, was not taken seriously by Hayato. He casually said, "My answer is, to protect the Millennium Items in your hands."
"Heh, what a joke." As Hayato expected, upon hearing Hayato's words, Karim didn't believe him at all. "Are you saying that besides wanting to harm the Pharaoh, that Thief Bakura has a new goal and has targeted the Millennium Items held by us priests? How ridiculous."
"Millennium Items cannot be used by just anyone. Only by undergoing the necessary training and being acknowledged by the Millennium Item is there a slight possibility of wearing the Millennium Item. But even so, using a Millennium Item still requires arduous training and practice."
"I, who am from a noble background, am known as 'Meddling Karim'. Since the time of the Previous Pharaoh, King Aknamkanon, I have undergone arduous training as a pre-selected user of the Millennium Scale among the Millennium Items. It wasn't until a few years ago that I completed my training and was able to inherit the position of Priest and the Millennium Scale."
Karim spoke with a face full of pride, and then he saw Hayato lift the Millennium Ring on his chest: "Is that so? But I wore the Millennium Ring without training for even a single day."
"You!"
Karim was speechless for a moment, pointing at Hayato and unable to curse, he could only "Hmph" and snort: "Hmph, in short, I don't believe that anyone would come to forcibly take the Millennium Items. If they have the ability, let them come out now—"
"Boom!"
Before Karim could finish speaking, a loud sound suddenly came from above the valley. Only to see the Sphinx Teleia that had appeared before Hayato and Kaiba was suddenly struck down from the sky and smashed heavily onto the ground. At the same time, an arrogant voice sounded: "Necrovalley, hehe hahahaha, your master Bakura is here to visit again!"
From the top of the valley, Diabound ,whose lower body was a white snake and upper body was a fiend, spread its wings and glided down from the sky. The loud voice standing on the snake head was none other than Bakura, who had been scared away by Hayato before.
Hayato really didn't guess wrong before. After utilizing the Millennium Ring to know the whereabouts of Karim and Isis, he had indeed targeted these two Millennium Items that were out independently!
"Sphinx Teleia!" The instant the Sphinx Teleia fell to the ground, Malik rushed over with a face full of heartache and lay beside it, checking its wounds. Its body, which was originally as brilliant as the starry sky, was scratched with wounds from the attack. A tongue extended from its hollow face and hung by its mouth. The Sphinx Teleia looked like it was in a state of life and death.
"No, don't die, Sphinx Teleia!" Malik stroked the Sphinx Teleia's body, but the words he spoke were not the expected tenderness. "You were raised here, eating so much meat every day, making us Tomb Keepers have to eat what you saved from your teeth when we wanted to eat meat. If you die after eating so much meat, wasn't all that meat eaten for nothing?"
"Don't die, Sphinx Teleia!"
"Alright, alright, that guy is fine. He just fainted from being thrown on the ground." Hayato glanced at the Sphinx Teleia and saw that although the wounds were intimidating, they were not deep at all and were just external injuries. Diabound's attack did not kill the Sphinx Teleia, so he interrupted Malik's calling of its soul. "What we need to do now is deal with that guy."
Hearing Hayato's words, Malik also looked up at Diabound and Bakura on it, who were heading inside the valley, and said through gritted teeth, "To trespass into Necrovalley, he clearly doesn't put me, the Gravekeeper's Family Leader, in his eyes."
"Watch my Finishing Move!"
Hearing Malik's words, Isis, who was standing beside him, looked at him with curiosity: "Finishing Move? I've never heard of it?"
"Heh, Idiot, what kind of Finishing Move is widely known?" Malik said, pointing at Diabound in the sky, "See that monster beast? The lower body of that monster beast is a giant serpent and doesn't have legs, so we must fully utilize our strength of having legs."
"Facing such a huge enemy, my Finishing Move is—"
Just as Isis thought Malik was about to do something, he suddenly threw the scepter in his hand and turned around: "Let's Run Away!~"
"Idiot, that kind of enemy isn't even an opponent for the Sphinx Teleia, how could we possibly win? I'm not being the Gravekeeper's Family Leader anymore!"
"Marik Ishtar!" Watching Malik flee, Karim cursed, "Do you have any of the Tomb Keepers' glory left in you? Deserting like that is truly shameful!"
Bakura had only just appeared, not even having landed from the air yet, and one person on their side had already fled. This infuriated Karim.
But he didn't have time to bother with the fleeing Malik, because Bakura had now arrived before them, riding on Diabound the Serpent God.
Standing on its snake head and looking down at everyone, Bakura said arrogantly, "Heh heh, it seems the message I heard was indeed true. The Millennium Scale and the Millennium Necklace, these two Millennium Items, are here waiting for me to come and take them."
"Bakura Ryo?" Kaiba frowned, looking at the person who had appeared before him. Speaking of which, unlike the others who already knew of Bakura's existence, this was actually the first time Kaiba had met Bakura, who was always keen on causing trouble. "I remember you being a classmate, weren't you? You're not attending class, but appearing here instead?"
"Huh? Do you, a guy who dropped out after only one day of class, have the qualification to say that?" Although he was an ancient Egyptian from three thousand years ago, Bakura, who was essentially a game piece controlled by Bakura Ryo, could see Kaiba's existence even after Kaiba left the previous barrier. "But I'm not the Bakura Ryo you know."
"My name is Bakura, the Avenger corresponding to Yugi, the Pharaoh. Thief King Bakura!"
"Also, isn't that Hayato? I set off as soon as I got the information, I didn't expect your movements to be even faster than mine in arriving here." Looking at Hayato, Bakura's gaze focused on the Millennium Ring, and he said coldly, "However, the same move won't work on me. This time, don't even think about using that invisible monster to approach me again, and I won't fall for your trick again."
"Since you personally brought the Millennium Ring to my doorstep as well, then the Millennium Scale, the Millennium Necklace, and the Millennium Ring, I'll gladly accept all three of these Millennium Items!"
"Go, Diabound the Serpent God!"
After finishing his arrogant threats, Bakura completely disregarded any sense of fair play, not waiting for Hayato and the others to respond with their own threats, and commanded Diabound the Serpent God to attack.
A spiral blast of air struck towards everyone, but just as it was about to arrive before them, it was torn apart and shredded by a claw from the summoned The Winged Dragon of Ra.
"That won't do, Bakura. I'm the only one who takes things from others; don't even think about taking the Millennium Ring from me." Hayato stepped forward, looking at Bakura and saying, "I came here specifically to stop you. Go, The Winged Dragon of Ra."
With the support of the Duel Arena and the Millennium Ring, Hayato's burden when using The Winged Dragon of Ra was much smaller. Compared to before, he could unleash more of The Winged Dragon of Ra's power. The Sun God Bird opened its mouth, and as a return for Diabound the Serpent God's attack just now, a Breath of Flames was sent back by The Winged Dragon of Ra.
Bakura wasn't flustered at all, saying confidently, "Are you out of your mind, Hayato? I just now said that the same move doesn't work against me. You should have been clear about that before."
"Then, to deal with you, it's better to use the same move."
Bakura raised his hand with a cold smile, and Diabound the Serpent God also raised its arm following his movement. The forearm area lit up with the same golden mechanical patterns as on The Winged Dragon of Ra's body. A nearly identical column of fire flew out from Diabound the Serpent God's hand and collided with The Winged Dragon of Ra's attack.
"God Blaze Cannon!" X2
Compared to the previous battle, this time Hayato had the added boost from the Millennium Ring and the Duel Arena, allowing him to unleash 1000% of his original power. Yet, even so, in the beam struggle against Diabound the Serpent God, which had previously stolen The Winged Dragon of Ra's power, they merely fought to a draw.
And that was with Diabound the Serpent God only using one hand to attack.
"Weak, Weak, Weak! Diabound the Serpent God is the incarnation of resentment. After obtaining the power of all Three Egyptian Gods, it is the strongest monster in the world! Even without using immortality, the combat power it can unleash is above your The Winged Dragon of Ra!"
Hearing Bakura's words, Hayato said calmly, "It seems to be a Spirit of the same type as my The Winged Dragon of Ra. Although it doesn't excel in speed, it possesses extremely immense power."
"However, we're not the only ones fighting here!"
Behind Hayato, Karim and Isis had not fled. Instead, they had used the time Hayato bought to summon their Stone Tablet Monsters. Three identical monsters appeared before Karim. Bright yellow lightning coiled around their spread wings, their emerald green bodies were slender and long, and their dragon heads were filled with dignity and nobility.
The Stone Tablet Monster Karim used was none other than Thunder Dragon, one of the rare monsters with Hand effects from the early days of Duel Monsters!
And the three monsters that appeared on Isis's side were even more invincible: Mudora the Priestess of the Underworld, Keldo the Possessed Statue, and Agido the Ancient Sentinel. If the Duel Arena Isis was wearing didn't only have three slots, Hayato wouldn't have doubted that she might pull out a Kelbek as well, forming the EARTH Angel Ji Tou Si Combination that struck terror into countless Duelists.
However, compared to the EARTH Angels who colluded with Mermaids to dominate the meta, the appearance of the Stone Tablet Monsters Isis summoned were merely in their state before taking on their alternate forms. Perhaps they would need to grow and accumulate power over a thousand years before they would become the EARTH Angels that would later appear in Ishizu's hand.
And now was not the time to recall how powerful and terrifying Exchange of the Spirit Tearlaments were. Before them, there was still Bakura and his Diabound the Serpent God waiting to be defeated.
"Hoho, were you just stalling for time for these monsters to appear, Hayato? Muda Muda!" Bakura said arrogantly, "No matter how many ants gather, they can't kill a giant dragon. To take down these weak monsters, I don't even need a second!"
"After The Winged Dragon of Ra, I will use this power of destruction, the power of Obelisk the Tormentor!"
Diabound the Serpent God raised its arms after receiving Bakura's instruction. It seemed to be serious and going all out. Patterns identical to the "True Ancestor Type" Obelisk the Tormentor from the Memory World appeared on its body. Energy gathered in its tightly clenched fists, forming two spheres!
"Is that... Divine Fist Smash Attack?!"
How could Kaiba, who had once used the power of Obelisk the Tormentor, not recognize the source of the move Diabound the Serpent God was using before him?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 774: Setting Flags
"You won't unleash that!" Obelisk the Tormentor possesses unparalleled destructive power. If Bakura were allowed to release this attack, Hayato, protected by The Winged Dragon of Ra, would be fine, but Isis's and Karim's monsters would likely be instantly destroyed, and they themselves would suffer heavy damage.
Taking advantage of [Diabound] still charging, Hayato immediately commanded The Winged Dragon of Ra to attack.
Watching The Winged Dragon of Ra approach, Bakura sneered coldly, "Heh, don't think you can get in my way, Hayato!"
Of [Diabound]'s two fists that were simultaneously charging, one hand loosened and stopped charging. Under Bakura's control, [Diabound] split its focus, and with one hand, it once again released "God Blaze Cannon", blocking the attack of The Winged Dragon of Ra that was attempting to interrupt it.
Seeing this, Bakura was about to laugh and mock Hayato, but just then, Karim's voice came through: "Don't ignore my existence, Bakura!"
Three beams of lightning struck from different angles, bypassing [Diabound], which was grappling with The Winged Dragon of Ra, and aimed directly at Bakura. After Karim summoned his Thunder Dragons, he controlled them to fly to different positions, seeking an opportunity to strike.
Although the attack of the Thunder Dragons wasn't among the strongest of the Stone Tablet Monsters, their strength was enough to kill a mere mortal like Bakura. In Karim's prediction, Bakura would have to make [Diabound] stop charging and defend against this attack.
Facing the attack, Bakura originally intended to use [Diabound]'s wings to protect himself. After all, when fighting on the ground, the wings had no other use, just like how feet are merely decoration when flying in the sky.
But just as [Diabound]'s wings were about to move, the monsters Isis had summoned earlier had already completed their work. The moment a large magic circle was completed, Bakura felt his body sink and become somewhat strained. [Diabound]'s action also became sluggish, making it difficult to use its wings in time to protect itself.
"You bunch of bastards, ganging up on me!"
"Cut the nonsense! Why would we talk about the code of honor with a Heretic like you?" Karim said righteously, "I, Karim, once traveled far from my homeland to other countries, but with all my vast experience, I have never encountered a vile wretch like you, Bakura, who is filthier than frog's urine and reeks of a disgusting stench!"
"There's only one person on the other side, everyone attack together!"
Upon hearing Karim's words, Hayato felt a great sense of unease, sensing that something bad was about to happen. Can you, a minor character, set this flag? You don't have the ability, you know.
Indeed, hearing Karim's words, which were full of condescension and contempt due to his noble background, and watching the attacks from the Thunder Dragons getting closer and closer, Bakura became angry and laughed instead, "Heh heh, a strategy of overwhelming numbers, huh? Then I'll use this power to strike back!"
Under the suppression of the magic domain, [Diabound]'s action became exceptionally slow. But don't forget, Bakura himself was standing on the snake head position of [Diabound]'s lower body, and simply opening its mouth didn't require much effort.
Similarly, lightning wrapped around [Diabound]'s snake head, but this lightning had an aura different from the lightning used by the Thunder Dragons. The power originating from Osiris the Sky Dragon caused the snake head's mouth to split into two, upper and lower. The upper mouth opened and rapidly spat out several "Thunder Force" shots that could be used without charging!
The attacks that were already close were swallowed by the "Thunder Force", and even returned in the direction they came from. At the same time, Bakura didn't even forget to destroy Isis's monsters that formed the domain, and even spat out a few "Thunder Force" shots, taking the opportunity to try and take down Kaiba!
"Boom!"
Dozens of "Thunder Force" shots, like raindrops, instantly caused huge trouble. The moment they contacted their respective targets, explosions occurred. After the loud noises subsided, Isis opened her eyes. The style of Stone Tablet Monsters she used were all similar to support types, lacking powerful strength, and were fundamentally unable to resist the "Thunder Force" originating from the power of an Egyptian God. They were all destroyed in that instant.
However, what surprised her was that she hadn't suffered damage from the subsequent "Thunder Force" shots.
As the dust dispersed slightly, Isis noticed some starlight drifting down before her eyes. Looking up, she saw a giant Machine Dragon folding its wings and blocking her front. The pattern on its wings bore some resemblance to the markings on [Diabound]'s wings.
Similarly, in front of Kaiba, who had no ability to summon Stone Tablet Monsters or call his spirit, there was also a different Giant Machine Dragon with a similar appearance and style protecting him.
"Drytron Meteonis Draconids, Drytron Meteonis Dracodes, beautifully done."
The Drytrons protecting the two were naturally summoned by Hayato. Unlike Karim, who was full of confidence in his attack on the few of them, Hayato didn't think Bakura would be so easily defeated by a scheme. From the beginning, he had prepared a backup plan in case the first one failed. At this moment, on his fully set up Duel Arena, the positions in the back two slots also lit up with the symbol of the Drytrons.
Being able to summon two monsters besides The Winged Dragon of Ra was the limit of the Duel Arena. Even with more slots, the Duel Arena, which wasn't a high-level product of alchemy like the [Millennium Items], couldn't bear the burden of more monsters. This meant Hayato couldn't spare any thought for Karim's side.
However, Karim, as a priest, and possessing the confidence to contend with Seto, naturally had his own reliance.
"Before, due to insufficient conditions, I didn't reveal this power to the pharaoh. I can't believe I'm only using it now." From Karim's direction came his forced calm voice, "My [Millennium Scale] possesses the ability to harmonize monsters and fuse them into a new existence to release even greater power!"
"I fuse my Thunder Dragons———"
Following Karim's voice, under Hayato's expectant gaze, a giant monster leaped out from the smoke.
"———Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"
Hayato's body swayed, almost falling over. Looking at Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon in front of Karim, which looked like a genetically mutated alligator, he was very disappointed. Hearing you being so arrogant, I thought you could summon Thunder Dragon Colossus or Thunder Dragon Titan. Why is it this eyesore that lowers the average appearance of the Thunder Dragon series?
If you had just played [Twin-Mouthed Dark Ruler] directly, it wouldn't have raised people's expectations so much.
However, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon's theoretical ATK is 2800 points, which is higher than the "Thunder Force"'s instant kill threshold of 2000 points. So, he escaped this predicament this way. Although he's a bit annoying, as a priest, he still knows a thing or two. There really was no need for me to help.
Hayato thought this, completely forgetting that Isis was also a priest.
End of Chapter
Chapter 775: It's Come to This, Self-Destruct!
Kaiba was somewhat distracted.
Just before Hayato used Drytron Meteonis Draconids to block in front of him, for a fleeting instant, he seemed to see a phantom about to appear before him, but it quickly disappeared again.
Perhaps it was just an illusion?
"Did the Fusion Monster increase its power and survive the destruction of 'Thunder Force'?" Bakura noticed that Karim had only one Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon in front of him. This monster could be Fusion Summoned with just two Thunder Dragons, meaning the other Thunder Dragon had already been destroyed. This could also be seen from Karim's slightly pale expression. "But what does that matter!"
Exerting fierce strength, Bakura controlled Diabound, pushing the stalemated The Winged Dragon of Ra back a certain distance before raising its fist. At the position of its right hand, the destructive power originating from Obelisk the Tormentor was already charged and ready to be unleashed.
Divine Fist Smash Attack was about to come!
"Don't blink, this is the last image you'll ever see! I'll use this power to finish you all off, hehe hahahahaha!" Bakura said arrogantly, "I am the approaching storm!"
The instant Diabound threw its fist, Hayato reacted. He held the cards of two monsters from beyond the Starry Sky in his hand: Drytron Meteonis Draconids and Drytron Meteonis Dracodes. With his other hand, he grabbed the Millennium Ring on his chest: "Lend me your power, DRA-san, QUA-san!"
"It's come to this, self-destruct!"
Passing the cards through the ring of the Millennium Ring, the cards housing the two monsters in Hayato's hand immediately dispersed, and the Drytron symbol on the two occupied zones on the Duel Arena also disappeared.
However, this did not mean the power of Drytron had faded. On the contrary, because of Hayato's actions, the aura around the two Drytron that had been weakened by defending against the "Thunder Force" released by Diabound became stronger and stronger.
Then, the two monsters were engulfed by The Winged Dragon of Ra's flames, and the voice left by the Drytron as they disappeared echoed in Hayato's ears:
"Overload 1000%, power exhausted, here, contract complete..."
"In the name of starlight, I wish you always move forward, fellow with a brilliant soul..."
Although Drytron were the so-called "secret card" that Hayato obtained through the test of the Cyber Style in the Real World, it was regrettable that the Card Spirits of the Drytron that Hayato knew had not awakened in this Memory World. The Drytron that appeared in his hand from beginning to end were actually just the power he borrowed from the Starry Sky beyond in this Memory World.
On the night Bakura attacked the Royal Palace, Hayato had good luck. Under a faint call in his inner thoughts, he successfully established a link with the Cyber Dragon Constellation in the Starry Sky, causing the Light of the Cyber Dragon Constellation from Three Thousand Years Ago to descend in the stance familiar to Hayato as Drytron. However, this power was power lent to Hayato by the Drytron out of friendliness, and it had finally reached its limit. Now was the time to return it to the sky.
Of course, the naturally frugal Hayato naturally did not waste this last radiance. When the power of the Drytron bloomed to its maximum, he utilized The Winged Dragon of Ra to fully accept it, increasing its power as much as possible.
After accepting the Light of the Cyber Dragon Constellation, which was also power from a star, The Winged Dragon of Ra, which was originally a transformation of sun power, immediately converted into its Phoenix Form to adapt to the expanding power, meeting the punching Diabound.
"Boom!"
Even though Bakura had previously calculated and obtained Diabound's adaptability to the power of the Three Egyptian Gods, and even though the power of Obelisk the Tormentor used this time had been charged for a long time to fully exert itself, in front of The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix, which gathered Hayato's full power, Diabound was almost blasted away, only barely managing to hold on by using both hands in time.
But even so, the Immortal Phoenix, completely packaged in sun's fire, still pushed Diabound back rapidly without stopping!
"Persist, Diabound, show some backbone!" As a Pokémon Trainer... I mean, a Duel Spirit User, Bakura, standing on Diabound's body, shouted desperately. Seeing that Diabound couldn't even hold on using both fists and was retreating quickly, he quickly said, "The same move shouldn't have any use!"
"Are you still using your skill level from a few days ago as the standard for measurement, idiot?" Answering Bakura was Hayato, who extended his finger towards the sky, his fingertips precisely pointing at the sun visible above the Valley. "My evolution is faster than the speed of light; no one in the entire Space can match the speed of my evolution."
Watching Diabound about to collapse, Bakura bit his teeth in anger: "Stop joking!"
"If the power of Obelisk the Tormentor isn't enough, then use the power of The Winged Dragon of Ra as well! Use your 'sun' power to deal with the sun!"
"If that's still not enough, the power of Slifer the Sky Dragon too! Use it all, let me see the strength of your resentment, Diabound!"
Receiving Bakura's order, Diabound immediately drove the other two streams of power stolen from the Three Egyptian Gods within its body. Besides the headdress appearance identical to its True Ancestor, Obelisk the Tormentor, Diabound's wings behind it changed into Flame Wings similar to The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix, and its lower snake head also became a Thunder Ruler with two mouths.
In addition to the shockwave from its fists, its wings fanned up a flame storm, and its mouths spat out lightning, all joining the energy mass confronting The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix, forming an extremely luxurious version of "Spiral Wave".
"Interfering again and again, this time things absolutely won't go your way, Hayato Kobayashi!" Looking at Hayato, Bakura roared, "My obsession with the Pharaoh, the surging resentment in my heart needs to be vented! For this, I absolutely must kill you here, assemble the Millennium Items, and bring about world destruction!"
Hearing Bakura's words, Hayato also realized that the one speaking to him at this instant seemed not to be Bakura Ryo, the participant of the Dark Game, but Thief Bakura, who existed Three Thousand Years Ago.
Hayato, who had seen the other party's experience within the Millennium Ring, knew the source of his resentment. And as Bakura's emotion soared, Diabound's stance underwent a new change in addition to using the power of the Three Egyptian Gods; Markings like burns spread across Diabound's entire body.
Even after using the full power of the Three Egyptian Gods, Diabound still couldn't withstand The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix and was still retreating. After receiving Bakura's power support, it finally successfully gained the power to stalemate with The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix, stopping its retreat just a few meters from the Cliff at the edge of the Valley, and even starting to push back towards Hayato!?
"Can emotion and malice bring growth to a spirit?" Hayato looked at Diabound, his furrowed brow relaxing. "It seems the outcome is decided. However, the one who wins will only be me!"
"There is only one reason for your failure, Bakura, a very simple reason—"
(End of Chapter)