Chapter 776 Next time, Bakura's... oh, he's already dead
"There's only one reason you failed, Bakura, a very simple reason—"
Hayato said firmly, "Because you actually used the power of [Osiris]! Don't you know his nickname is 'Traitor Dragon'!"
Even though [Diabound] was gradually regaining the advantage, Hayato was still not being serious, which made Karim say anxiously, "Hey, Hayato Kobayashi, what are you doing? Can't you see that guy is pushing back again!"
"If this continues, we'll lose our lives! Quickly use your invincible [The Winged Dragon of Ra] and think of a way!"
As if responding to Karim, Bakura also shouted, "It's just a Divine-Beast, [Diabound] isn't just for show, watch me push it back!"
The beam struggle between [Diabound] and [The Winged Dragon of Ra] didn't just influence their aura; before, when [Diabound] was pushed close to the cliff, because Bakura was on [Diabound]'s body, [Diabound] having no retreat route also meant [The Winged Dragon of Ra] was getting closer to killing Bakura.
Now that the situation had reversed, Hayato and his group were the ones facing this crisis.
However, it was only Karim who was panicking; actually, besides him, neither Kaiba nor Isis showed any sign of panic. Isis deduced from Hayato's performance that he absolutely had some method hidden away that he hadn't revealed yet, which is why she wasn't panicking, while Kaiba simply had confidence in Hayato.
Hearing Karim's words, Hayato revealed a smile that said, "I was waiting for you to say that." Having unconsciously walked behind Karim, he raised his hand and placed it on Karim's shoulder: "Since you said that, well, it might tickle a little."
As he spoke, the [Millennium Ring] extended, touching the symbol of [Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon] on Karim's Duel Arena. Karim immediately felt a stinging pain, and his whole body trembled.
And the [Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon] in front of him directly turned into firelight and rushed into the interior of [The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix] as fuel. The flames on [The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix], which had received power replenishment, suddenly surged fiercely.
With great difficulty, [Diabound] had just barely gained a slight advantage, but the moment [The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix] absorbed the power of [Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon], that advantage instantly vanished again. The Immortal Phoenix charged forward fiercely, and under Bakura's despairing gaze, it instantly broke through [Diabound]'s power and drilled a large hole in [Diabound]'s chest!
Bakura, standing on the body, was also sent flying and fell to the ground, unable to get up.
"We... we won!" Karim felt pain from the death of [Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon] while also being overjoyed by the arrival of victory, making the expression on his face quite strange, with one eyebrow furrowed and the other relaxed. However, he didn't forget something because of the victory. "Hey, Hayato Kobayashi, you actually Tributed my [Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon]? That hurt a lot!"
"Hmph, truly the same style as always." Kaiba was somewhat used to Hayato's style of Tributing monsters on a whim, saying "Sacrifice yourself for the greater good." "No, this time he actually Tributed someone else's monster? You've really outdone yourself, Hayato."
"Well, the pain only lasts for an instant." Hayato shrugged and smiled indifferently, directing [The Winged Dragon of Ra] to finish off the defeated [Diabound]. As a monster with approaching immortality and powerful life force, [Diabound] also had the extra adaptability to the power of other monsters. If it isn't destroyed now, the next time [The Winged Dragon of Ra] might truly be completely ineffective against it.
Watching his painstakingly nurtured [Diabound] gradually being burned to ashes in [The Winged Dragon of Ra]'s flames, Bakura was now extremely panicked. However, although he felt heartbroken that [Diabound] had just died like that, as long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of lacking firewood; as long as [Diabound]'s tablet wasn't destroyed, the tower could still regenerate.
Although [Diabound] regenerated in that state would return to its initial state, it was better than nothing. More importantly, he had to quickly escape!
Thinking of this, Bakura raised his Duel Arena and, without hesitation, randomly summoned two Stone Tablet monsters in front of himself to cover his retreat, while he suddenly turned and ran without looking back.
"Remember today, Hayato Kobayashi, because today, you almost caught me, Thief King Bakura!" Looking at the Necrovalley Temple in front of him, Bakura only started speaking harshly after running a certain distance and confirmed that Hayato and the others hadn't caught up yet. "As long as I get there, as long as I get there!"
Before, Bakura, who had attacked from above the valley, had specifically noted the terrain within the valley. Even before the battle, he had actually considered the possibility of defeat. He clearly remembered that as long as he passed through that temple, which was the long entrance to Necrovalley, he could escape into the Desert by going through there.
Hayato Kobayashi and the others were all behind him, they needed to completely destroy [Diabound], and with those few monsters stalling for time, they absolutely wouldn't be able to catch up to him!
No one can stop me anymore!
"Hehehehahaga—!" Bakura, who was laughing wildly, had just started laughing when his laughter abruptly stopped. He suddenly crashed into a transparent barrier that appeared inexplicably, his face pressed tightly against the barrier.
In front of Bakura, Malik, whom he had thought had run away in fear earlier, actually walked out of the temple with an arrogant expression: "Sorry, this place is taken."
Behind Malik, a large group of Tomb Keeper soldiers and spellcasters appeared together, following their Clan Head closely, ready for battle.
"You, you guy!" Bakura never expected that his perfect escape route would actually be interrupted by this guy Malik. "Didn't you just run away!"
"Huh? What are you saying, I don't understand." Although he had indeed run away just now, actually Malik had been hiding in the temple, observing from the sidelines. When he saw that Bakura was about to be defeated, he quickly called his people to steal the kill. However, he certainly wouldn't tell the truth verbally. "How could I, Malik, as the Gravekeeper's Family Leader, escape? This is all my strategy to make you lower your guard."
"You can't escape, Bakura!"
Following Malik's command, the Tomb Keeper Spellcasters collectively chanted the exorcism spell. Blocked with no escape route, Bakura stood rooted to the spot and began to wail, his entire body emitting a large amount of ominous black smoke.
"No, impossible, I, Bakura, how could I, Bakura, die here!"
"I, Bakura—"
"Boom!"
The two Stone Tablet monsters that Bakura had left behind to stall for time were destroyed, and [Diabound] was also completely destroyed in the flames. This damage was the final blow for Bakura. The black smoke on his body suddenly dispersed, and he fell to the ground, his life and death unknown.
Bakura, unable to rise again!
Recently, there are so many Scarlet and Violet videos on the website, I'm so anxious, I'm super anxious, extremely anxious, Elekid anxious.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 777: Bakura - Shadows Die Twice
"This truly exceeds my expectations, Marik Ishtar. I thought you were really running away just now."
Watching Bakura being struck down by the people Malik brought, Priest Karim, who had recovered from the effects of being Tributed by Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, looked at Malik with disdain and said.
Malik had now recovered his confident stance from before he ran away. He leaned his Scepter on the Ground, slightly raised his Head, and said somewhat arrogantly, "Heh, that only shows how foolish you are, Priest Karim. You completely cannot tell that I was actually using a Strategy just now."
As for Malik's words, Karim naturally wouldn't believe a single word. From his action of running away without hesitation at the very beginning, Karim clearly saw that if they had been defeated in the battle against Bakura, let alone bringing people out to steal kills, even if the Tomb Keepers who stayed behind were annihilated and Necrovalley was destroyed, Malik would probably have run away without looking back.
This was a judgment Karim made based on his experience, believing himself to be knowledgeable and skilled at judging people. Malik's personality was no better than Bakura's, who had just been defeated.
However, thinking of how hard-won this victory was, Karim turned to look at Hayato and said seriously, "This time, Bakura could be defeated thanks to your appearance, Hayato Kobayashi."
Compared to the wicked attitude and inherent arrogance he showed when they first met, Karim's attitude now greatly surprised Kaiba. In his understanding, as a Noble, Karim should not have acknowledged Hayato's kindness if he looked down on him.
Perhaps noticing Kaiba's strange gaze towards him, Karim said, "Indeed, as a Priest, I did look down on Hayato Kobayashi before, but it is also a fact that his arrival saved my life. The Noble education I have received all along has taught me to firmly remember the principle of 'repaying kindness'."
"Moreover, even though I was not friendly to Mr. Hayato before, he still came here from a long distance to offer us assistance. It is only now that I realized that Mr. Hayato possesses a golden spirit that I have always admired."
"Yes, exactly right. I am indeed a gentleman with a golden spirit." Hearing Karim's words, Hayato was quite shameless, directly acknowledging it, which earned him a helpless smile from Isis beside him.
Malik also pursed his lips upon hearing Karim's words. He understood somewhat. Being saved by a Commoner while being a Priest probably made Karim very uncomfortable. Therefore, he changed his thinking—as long as he praised Hayato as highly as possible, wouldn't it seem less difficult to accept being saved by him?
It was like losing to a master as a mid-laner is not something to lose face over; being able to have a back-and-forth fight is considered a success, and scoring a solo victory is something to praise to the heavens.
Kaiba watched as everyone relaxed after Bakura was struck down. He snorted indifferently, turned around, and came to the fallen Bakura's side, confirming that he was indeed killed. Not only had his body temperature disappeared, but his breathing had also stopped.
"However, it's truly a great merit that Bakura, an enemy of the entire Kingdom, was defeated by us." Looking at Kaiba who walked to Bakura's side, the very shameless Malik also claimed some of the merit, saying, "Ending this conflict and restoring the Pharaoh's reputation and dignity, it can be expected that we will definitely benefit greatly."
However, hearing Malik's words, Hayato shook his head, "It's over just like that? What are you thinking? This has just begun. We haven't killed anything at all."
Hayato's words were not understood by Malik, nor by Karim and Isis. Kaiba even grabbed Bakura by the collar and slapped him twice, "What are you saying, Hayato? This guy is undoubtedly dead. Look, he doesn't even react when I slap him like this."
Hayato glanced at the fallen Bakura and said casually, "Bakura isn't important at all."
"Bakura is important!" Malik and Karim said in unison. Bakura was important political capital for them, how could he not be important? The two corrected Hayato together.
"No, Bakura isn't important." Hayato ignored their words and repeated, looking at the few people, not knowing where to start. "It's difficult to explain specifically. You just need to know that Bakura has actually just been an insignificant 'puppet' or 'puppet' from beginning to end. There is someone else who truly wants to harm the Pharaoh and overthrow the Dynasty."
The others didn't understand, but Kaiba remembered. Bakura was indeed just Bakura, and the other enemy Hayato mentioned was: "Is it Bakura? The mastermind you said dragged you and Yugi into this World formed by the Dark Game?"
Hayato nodded, but looked strangely at Kaiba, who had uttered the supernatural term "Dark Game". "Well, that's right, but I still want to rant about why you, whose head is full of science, are only willing to believe in idealism when it comes to the domain related to dueling?"
"Hmph, isn't that obvious? Because the domain of Duel Monsters is a domain that even I have not yet fully mastered. It's only normal that situations that my knowledge cannot interpret appear within it," Kaiba said as if it were a matter of course. "However, this is not something like magic. At most, it's just science that hasn't been understood yet. One day, I will use the power of science to completely control this power as well."
If anyone else said the same thing, it would at most give people the idea that "this guy really talks big." But Kaiba's appearance when he spoke was too confident, making people involuntarily believe that he could do what he said.
However, the others didn't hear who the "Bakura" that Hayato and Kaiba mentioned was. The pronunciation of "Bakura" and "Bakura" was exactly the same. Karim, who couldn't understand the meaning of Hayato and Kaiba's words, said strangely, "Even if that guy Bakura is really not important, just a game piece, and there is someone else behind the scenes planning to continue using other game pieces as a threat to the Kingdom."
"However, power is necessary. That monster Diabound has great power comparable to a Divine-Beast, and its life force and growth potential are also genuinely curse-level. It's already abnormal for such a spirit to exist in the World. How could there be a possibility of a second existence of comparable strength appearing?"
Isis also nodded and affirmed, "Just as Priest Karim said, Hayato. You have already used the power of The Winged Dragon of Ra to completely disperse Diabound, and along with Diabound's extinction, the Millennium Necklace, whose vision had been obscured by darkness all along, has also recovered its foresight."
"Although my training in using this Millennium Item is still not quite enough, after I used the Millennium Necklace to look at 114514 possible futures, no spirit with evil power exceeding or even approaching Diabound appeared."
Seeing that Isis and Karim didn't quite believe what he said, and Isis even brought out the Millennium Necklace, which could foresee the future, as evidence, Hayato spread his hands helplessly, "I didn't say that a spirit with power approaching Diabound would reappear."
"When did you get the illusion that Diabound was killed?"
"Huh?" Hearing this, Karim and Isis were also startled. They were all witnesses to Diabound dying in the struggle with The Winged Dragon of Ra. One person might have a vision and see wrong, but how could so many people see wrong? How is that possible?
"When a person is killed, they die. That is a matter of course." Uttering a certain Archer's famous quote, Hayato explained, "This is the same even for Stone Tablet Monsters. If they suffer severe injuries, even the tablet they reside in will crush. However, the constitution of Stone Tablet Monsters cannot be generalized."
"Different from other Stone Tablet Monsters, which are created by sealing spirits into tablets acquired later, Diabound, although also a Stone Tablet Monster, was not created by humans. It is a self-generated existence."
Karim felt his understanding all along was being challenged: "No way, how can there be a Stone Tablet Monster not created by humans?"
"If you want to say, actually Diabound can also be considered a Stone Tablet Monster created by humans, but the human here does not refer to the creator being human, but rather that the material used to create it was human."
Recalling Diabound's birth, which Hayato already knew and relived in the Millennium Ring, that massacre, Hayato also became somewhat serious. "It's probably quite difficult for you to understand just by explaining, so why don't you come with me to a place?"
"The 'Village of Thieves' Kul Elna, which has already been destroyed, that should be the correct name. In short, I'll call it 'Thief Village'. I need to find two things within the ruins of that destroyed village. That is my next goal. I must destroy that thing before the person behind the scenes deploys the second game piece."
Saying this, Hayato extended an invitation to the few people: "Now that Bakura has been killed, and the mastermind's second game piece has not yet obtained the things within the Thief Village, Karim, Isis, you should all still be safe. Even if the mastermind uses the second game piece, they will choose to go to the Thief Village first. So, do you want to come with me? The choice is yours."
Hearing Hayato's words, Isis only thought for a moment before saying without hesitation, "Following you, Hayato, gives me more sense of security, so I will go to the 'Thief Village' with you. Moreover, I am still very curious about what that thing you mentioned is."
Isis's words were very direct and seemed full of purposefulness, but the few people present could all hear Isis's subtext. She believed in Hayato and was willing to lend him a hand.
And Karim also said decisively, "I just said I would remember your kindness. Wouldn't breaking my word so quickly bring shame upon my honor? Let me lend you a hand, Mr. Hayato."
Since there is someone else behind the scenes, wouldn't following Hayato also allow him to catch a bigger fish? The ambitious Karim would definitely not miss the opportunity to go further.
As for Kaiba, Hayato hadn't asked for his opinion from the very beginning. After all, this tsundere guy, although he always acted as if he was deliberately targeting Hayato, the understanding between the two had reached a point where they could Overlay if they just had Fusion Earrings. Naturally, he would also go to the Thief Village with Hayato.
The two who were asked for their opinion both expressed that they were willing to go to the Thief Village together, but there was one guy whose opinion Hayato didn't ask who expressed a different opinion.
"Thief Village? What's so good about going to that dilapidated ruin? No interest." Malik said with dead fish eyes. "If you want to go, you guys go ahead. I'll just stay here in Necrovalley. I have a good life to enjoy, only a ghost would go suffer in the Desert—"
"Hmm, Karim, what do you think about me going back and telling the Pharaoh about the Tomb Keepers' 'brave performance' against Bakura? Also, I think Isis would make a good Gravekeeper's Family Leader." Hayato said casually to Karim as if unintentionally.
Hearing this, Malik suddenly changed his tune and said seriously, "I suddenly feel that as the Gravekeeper's Family Leader, it is still necessary for me to go to the Thief Village with you. It's not that I'm afraid of being accused, it's mainly because I am concerned about the Pharaoh and wholeheartedly for the country, and I cannot stand to see someone wanting to harm the Pharaoh."
"Heh, go ahead and say it, I'll just listen as a joke." Karim mocked Malik.
Just like this, Malik "enthusiastically" accompanied Hayato's party and set off for the Thief Village. Because the journey was quite far and required crossing the Desert, the few people all switched to energetic camels to travel. As for the destruction caused by Bakura within Necrovalley, naturally, the Tomb Keepers would handle the aftermath.
Naturally, there were also people responsible for body retrieval and handling the dead Bakura.
A Guard was arranged to handle Bakura, but even though he only needed to do the simplest task of dragging the body, it still exhausted this frail Guard. This was because Bakura, in order to keep up appearances and not seem too shabby compared to Dark Yugi, who was the Pharaoh, wore a lot of gold ornaments from before. The guards also didn't dare to remove these accessories for fear of being blamed by the returning Priests and Clan Head later.
After stopping for a bit to rest, the Guard was about to continue dragging Bakura, but before he could turn around, his back of the head suffered a heavy blow, and he immediately fell to the ground.
Holding a brick in his hand, Bakura stood up pale, a cold laugh appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Heh, hahahaha, I won't die this easily. I actually escaped disaster again and saved my life. I, Bakura, am truly lucky!"
"Fortunately, after I obtained the Millennium Ring, I went back to Kul Elna. This body, after being enhanced by the Underworld aura, really allowed me to survive the previous attack and deceive Hayato Kobayashi, hahahaha!"
Bakura laughed in a low voice, but didn't notice that the shadow behind him was silently stepped on by a lion's paw.
"Without delay, I must hurry back to Kul Elna now and revive Diabound. I cannot let Hayato Kobayashi and the others get ahead." Bakura thought this, casually threw down the brick, and was just about to step when a great force suddenly came from behind, pushing him down and pressing firmly on his back, making him unable to get up!
"I, I can't breathe!" With his neck pressed, Bakura turned his head with difficulty, only to see that the one who had sneak-attacked him from behind was actually the Sandstone Sphinx. "I-It's actually you, you beast!?"
Before, the Sandstone Sphinx was defeated by Diabound's sneak attack, fortunately only suffering a minor injury. By the time Hayato and the others' battle ended, it had actually already woken up. Now, with the change in position between the attacker and the attacked, Bakura's life was placed under the Sandstone Sphinx's claws.
"Tsk, if it's just you, there's nothing to fear anymore. As long as I summon any Stone Tablet Monster—" Bakura's words, while being pressed down, came to an abrupt halt. Only then did he realize one thing—his wrist felt empty, and he didn't feel like he was wearing a Duel Arena!?
Where's my Duel Arena?!
Immediately, Bakura suspected one person: "Ha-ya-to Ko-ba-ya-shi! Onore!!"
That guy Hayato is a habitual offender, always figuring out how to steal things, how to steal more things, how to steal things from more people. He definitely took his Duel Arena!
On the camel, Hayato suddenly sneezed. Subconsciously, he glanced at Kaiba beside him, who was wearing the Duel Arena he had picked up from Bakura. For some reason, he suddenly had the illusion that he was being made a scapegoat for Kaiba.
However, no matter how Bakura cursed Hayato, it was useless. The Sandstone Sphinx brought its head approaching Bakura's head, opening its mouth. Bakura also remembered what he had overheard Malik had said before: "People killed by the Sandstone Sphinx, their souls will also be torn apart by its claws and fangs, and they will be tormented forever in its stomach like the Space, unable to escape."
Bakura suddenly felt that if he had really just died like that before, it might have turned into a good thing instead?
Seeing that the sharp teeth were about to tear apart his body, Bakura began to wail: "Don't come near me!!!"
However, the Sandstone Sphinx's movements did not hesitate in the slightest. And before Bakura lost consciousness, he inexplicably had that idea in his heart: 'If there is a next life, I never want to be involved with Millennium Items again...'
His consciousness completely dispersed.
Chapter 778: Please Lend Me Your Strength!
Necrovalley was where the Pharaohs before King Aknamkanon were buried. When King Aknamkanon ascended the throne, he implemented religious reform, moving the Royal City and building a new tomb elsewhere.
However, the tombs of successive Pharaohs actually began construction even before their ascension, when they were still princes. For example, Dark Yugi's tomb was already completed even though he had only been Pharaoh for less than a week. The person in charge was Priest Shimon, the former holder of the Millennium Key.
King Aknamkanon did indeed build a new tomb for himself, but the original tomb prepared for him in Necrovalley still exists. This is also why Dark Yugi had Karim and the others bring the Pharaoh's mummy here. After all, it shouldn't go to waste.
"So, Yugi... the Pharaoh's tomb isn't in Necrovalley," listening to the explanation from Malik, who was accompanying them, Hayato said understandingly, his tone full of regret.
He remembered that in the original plot, Dark Yugi's grave was the only place where the deliberately erased true name of the Nameless Pharaoh was still recorded. This was also why Hayato wanted to come to Necrovalley before coming to rescue Isis and the others.
However, he only learned from Malik that Dark Yugi's grave wasn't in Necrovalley at all. Instead, it was closer to the location of the new tomb King Aknamkanon built. Hayato's attempt to find the Nameless Pharaoh's true name in Necrovalley was completely a misunderstanding.
Hayato conjectured that the prototype of the Nameless Pharaoh was the historical Pharaoh Tutankhamun. His father also had a history of implementing religious reform. It's just that in the history Hayato knew, this religious reform failed, whereas in the Duelist World, the Nameless Pharaoh corresponds to Pharaoh Tutankhamun in a timeline where the religious reform succeeded.
If it were real history, Hayato might still be able to find Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb here in Necrovalley. But now, if he wants to find the Nameless Pharaoh's true name, Hayato will still have to go back later.
After leaving Necrovalley, the party was currently heading towards the ruins of Thief Village Creielna. Creielna, when it was an Artisan Village and not yet a Thief Village, was essentially a village of artisans who gathered there for the convenience of building tombs within Necrovalley.
Although because of the need to ensure Necrovalley remained secluded, it was impossible for the artisans to live very close to Necrovalley, it wasn't too far either.
According to Isis, around the time she was four or five years old, which was nearly fifteen years ago, the Thief Village was almost annihilated overnight. Because it was originally an Artisan Village, it 'specialized' in grave robbers who were intimately familiar with the structure of the Royal Family's tombs. They were seen as a thorn in the Kingdom's side, and the Kingdom always wanted to exterminate them, but because of war with other countries, the Kingdom couldn't spare the manpower to deal with them. At that time, Isis also went there with her father.
After all, even if it was a notorious Thief Village, the villagers were still considered subjects of the Kingdom. The sudden destruction of a village had to be taken seriously no matter what. And before, whether it was the Thief Village or the Artisan Village, the ones who interacted with them the most were the Ishtar Tomb Keepers. Naturally, the investigation was handled by the then Gravekeeper's Family Leader, who was also Isis and Malik's father.
In Isis's memories, at that time, because the Kingdom took this massacre very seriously, and the war hadn't ceased and the disappearance of Kul Elna needed to be dealt with quickly, her father took people and rushed there. Even so, it still took about half a day to arrive.
And judging by their current speed, half a day might not be enough. They would likely arrive at Kul Elna late at night or even early in the morning. Fortunately, Ancient Egyptians' sleep schedule was similar to night owls, sleeping quite late. Otherwise, they might have to rest halfway and continue the journey the next day.
Although Hayato was somewhat eager to reach the Thief Village earlier, he was only thinking of cutting off the support Bakura could receive before he died and Bakura replaced him with a new game piece. He wasn't in a rush. As long as they didn't arrive at the Thief Village too late, it was acceptable.
One of the reasons why Artisan Village Kul Elna became a Thief Village was that after the Royal City moved, the artisans in the village found it difficult to get enough work to support themselves. The fundamental reason was that compared to the distance between the village and Necrovalley, the distance between the Royal City and Kul Elna was simply too far.
Isis estimated the gap was at least double. Meaning if Hayato and the others arrived there in the early morning, if someone set off from the Royal City at the same time, the fastest they could arrive would be the afternoon of the next day. This was also why Hayato felt confident that he wouldn't arrive there too late.
Besides Bakura, the second game piece Bakura could use was Aknadin, who was far away in the Royal City. And although Hayato had told Yugi and Joey Wheeler that he was going to Necrovalley, he hadn't told Aknadin. Even if Aknadin had the Millennium Eye, assuming he could also read minds like Pegasus, Hayato also had the protection of the Millennium Ring.
Unless Aknadin, after 'visiting' the unconscious Dark Yugi, already planned to go to the Thief Village, otherwise, the time he received the news of Bakura's death and set off for the Thief Village would definitely be after Hayato and the others. It would be completely impossible for him to catch up.
I, Hayato Kobayashi, am a professional commentator. There's no way I can be wrong, okay? If Aknadin can arrive at the Thief Village earlier than me even like this, I'll make Malik swallow sand and kill himself on the spot.
Time passed, the sun set in the west, and as dusk approached, while Hayato and his party were still on the road, the ruins of Kul Elna welcomed a group of people.
Among the group, a Scout came to the side of the leader's vehicle and said respectfully, "Lord Priest, ahead is the former Thief Village Kul Elna."
"We have already confirmed the situation. There are no signs of anyone living in the village."
Pausing, the Scout continued, "Also, Lord Priest, is it true that Thief Bakura who attempted to assassinate the Pharaoh is hiding here? According to the information we have gathered, since more than ten years ago, after the incident where all the villagers of the Thief Village here died collectively, the area around here has been as if under a curse. No life dares to approach or survive here."
"Even the former Gravekeeper's Family Leader who was in charge of investigating this place more than ten years ago, Lord Gobu Ishtar, as well as the members of the Tomb Keepers who accompanied him, also suffered from the curse while investigating here and passed away early. Only the young Priest Isis at that time survived because she later obtained the protection of the Millennium Necklace."
The Scout's implication was clearly doubting where the news the Priest had, who led them away from the Royal City and rushed here, came from. In his understanding, it was fundamentally unreliable, pure fake news.
Hearing this, the Priest on horseback simply said calmly, "Just do as I say. I know what you are thinking. This is confirmed information I obtained from an important Sinner using my Millennium Item."
As he spoke, the Priest lifted his hood, revealing the Millennium Eye on his left eye.
Unexpectedly, it was Priest Aknadin, whom Hayato had confidently stated would absolutely not arrive at the Thief Village earlier than himself!
"Thief Bakura first committed the sin of greed, stealing from the tomb of our great Previous Pharaoh, King Aknamkanon, who ended the war and brought peace to the Royal Palace. Then he committed the sin of arrogance, destroyed the Royal City and attempted to assassinate the Pharaoh. Finally, he committed an unforgivable crime. After escaping, he wasn't grateful for the Pharaoh's leniency, and even ambushed and sneak attacked the Pharaoh, causing him to fall unconscious!"
Aknadin had an expression of righteous indignation that the Pharaoh had actually been harmed by such a Thief. Anyone who saw this would probably admire his heart of loyalty to the king and love for the country. "Although I am just a civil official and don't have the Power of other Priests, to protect the stability of the Kingdom and for the Pharaoh's glory, even sacrificing this aging body of mine is my bounden duty!"
"What's more, the sacrifice made by the Pharaoh and Priest Shada before was not wasted. Priest Seto successfully repelled Bakura with their effort, and it is up to me to track down the injured Bakura who has escaped here." Looking at the soldiers he had drawn from the Royal City, Aknadin said sincerely,
"Everyone, for the Pharaoh we serve, for the Kingdom we swear to defend with our lives, and for your own glory, there is one last step."
"Please lend me your Power!"
"This way, when I enter the Underworld after death, I can face the Previous Pharaoh." Speaking of this, tears flickered in Aknadin's eyes, as if deeply moved.
Hearing Aknadin's passionate speech, the soldiers who were originally puzzled by Aknadin leading them all the way from the Royal City to the Thief Village Ruins, immediately felt the sacred mission they were shouldering.
If Aknadin hadn't said anything, they really wouldn't have known such explosive news. Priest Seto actually repelled Thief Bakura, whom even the Pharaoh and Priest Shada were helpless against, and they were actually here now for the pursuit of Thief Bakura. So as long as they were lucky enough to grab Bakura, in a sense, doesn't that basically make me equal to the Pharaoh?
Lord Aknadin is actually so good to us. He really is... I'm so touched I could cry.
"Lord Aknadin!" "We swear to defend the Kingdom until death!" "For the Pharaoh!"
Aknadin barely needed to say anything more. The soldiers had already spontaneously begun searching the ruins of Thief Village Creielna. The previous rumors of 'curse' and 'ominous place' didn't scare them at all now, and each and every one of them was full of motivation.
The pitch-black alleyway indeed made those afraid of darkness extremely fearful, but if you also watched someone throw a gold brick into it, that fear would probably be relieved in an instant.
Before long, under the effort of the soldiers who were wholeheartedly for the country, they really did find something—they found a Basement. Although they couldn't find the whereabouts of Bakura, whom they wanted to find the most, they did find a tablet that looked very unusual, with the appearance of a monster engraved on it.
And Aknadin was also the one among the Priests who had the deepest understanding of stone tablet monsters, and was also the Priest specifically in charge of handling and preserving tablets. The soldiers, who didn't act rashly, reported this to Aknadin immediately and brought him before this tablet.
Not too many people came down into the empty Room. Only the Soldier who first discovered the Basement and the tablet, the Soldier leading the way, and Aknadin, a total of three people. And after Aknadin saw this tablet, he immediately said with certainty, "Yes, there's no mistake."
"This tablet is the tablet of Diabound that Thief Bakura used."
"As Lord Aknadin said, Thief Bakura is indeed hiding here," the Soldier said excitedly.
And Aknadin nodded. After looking at the tablet of Diabound before him a few more times, he continued, "What Bakura relies on to do as he pleases is nothing more than this Diabound. Although I cannot destroy this tablet, because that would release the evil monster sealed within it, however, I will stay here and seal this tablet, so that Bakura can no longer summon Diabound."
"Tell the others, your movements must be faster. Before Bakura reacts and escapes, grab him while he can no longer summon Diabound."
Patting the Soldier's shoulder, Aknadin said with a benevolent expression, "The destiny of the World rests on your shoulders."
"Yes, Lord Aknadin!" Entrusted with such an important task by Aknadin, the Soldier was naturally extremely excited and didn't worry that Aknadin, who had the best reputation among the Priests, would embezzle the merit of their discovery of the tablet. He immediately turned and left the Basement with the Diabound tablet, lest he, who didn't understand stone tablet monsters, disturb the Priest's work on the tablet.
And watching the two leave, the smile on Aknadin's face disappeared, replaced by a cunning cold laugh.
"Heh heh, idiot. There's no Bakura here at all."
Aknadin's original goal for coming to the Thief Village was indeed to find Bakura. The goal was to seek cooperation to harm Dark Yugi. If Dark Yugi died, the Pharaoh's position would be vacant, and Seto could become Pharaoh because of this. Aknadin wouldn't even need to dirty his hand. It was the best of both worlds.
However, that was the idea. But halfway there, under the control of Bakura outside the Chessboard, Aknadin perceived the news of Bakura's death, who had obtained the same dark Power as himself. But the disappearance of his cooperation partner made Aknadin unusually excited. It didn't matter at all that Bakura died. Instead, he could take the opportunity to obtain the Power he left behind.
And that Power existed within the Thief Village, his original destination. One of which was this tablet of Diabound before him.
If the tablet is destroyed, the monster will be released. That was just Aknadin lying to the soldiers who didn't understand stone tablet monsters at all. And deliberately sending the soldiers away, looking at the tablet of Diabound, Aknadin completely unleashed the Power of the Millennium Eye and directly contacted the grudge spirit and malice entwined on the tablet.
Malice, terror, wrath, hatred, despair, strife, killing intent, ruin, annihilation, extinction.
Negative emotions that could almost engulf all thought of a normal person engulfed Aknadin's heart. On the tablet of Diabound, formed by the entanglement of the evil thoughts of the villagers who were massacred and died in the former Thief Village, evil spirits wrapped themselves around the Culprit who killed them—the Aknadin before them!
The evil spirits rushed into Aknadin's body from his grinning mouth. But in this situation, Aknadin laughed even more evilly. The Millennium Eye shone with great radiance, and his voice, filled with madness, rang out: "Everyone who obstructs Seto from becoming Pharaoh, I, Aknadin, will purge you!"
"God, kneel before me!"
"I am the Great Dark Priest!"
Chapter 779: The Street is Really Quiet, Huh?
After traveling for a full afternoon, until the sun had completely sunk below the horizon and disappeared, and the sky was filled with brilliant starlight, Hayato's party finally reached the vicinity of Thief Village Creielna.
On a small hill, Isis said to Hayato beside her, "Hayato, ahead is the ruins of Kul Elna."
From afar, Hayato on the hill could see a scorched ground. Although in Hayato's memory, Kul Elna did indeed disappear in a sea of fire, that was already fifteen years ago. For Kul Elna, located in the desert, to still not have had the traces of that time erased by the sandstorm after fifteen years was truly somewhat strange.
Behind Hayato, Malik, who had had enough of the rapid journey, got off his camel and rubbed his butt without caring about his image at all. Even though the camel's back had a layer of fat for cushioning, sitting on a camel for nearly ten hours was truly unbearable for Malik, and he complained, "I say, since we're already so close, it wouldn't be a bother to rest for a night before going, right?"
"This Malik is really lame, huh?"
Looking at Kaiba, who had ridden cars and dragons but never a camel, with a calm expression that was quite adapted to riding, and then looking at Malik, who was from the desert but performing so poorly, Hayato expressed his contempt and said, "Although we are indeed very close, it looks like we'll arrive in about ten minutes. The request to rest for a night doesn't seem excessive."
"However, I refuse. Because what I, Hayato Kobayashi, like to do most is say 'no' to people who think they know it all."
"Since we've come this close, then Malik, just bear with it a little longer. It'll be easy once we reach Kul Elna."
Hayato's words, a twist on the classic parent line about university being easy, successfully appeased Malik and stopped him from complaining further. Muttering something like, "You meet ghosts easily when traveling at night," the party crossed the hill and continued towards Kul Elna.
But as they walked, Karim, who was at the front of the group, noticed something slightly off. Being good at observation, he inadvertently glanced at the ground and noticed that there were many footprints left on the sandy ground ahead of them.
In the desert, footprints are buried by the wind and destroyed by quicksand; they certainly don't last long. The large area of clear footprints before them could not possibly have been left long ago. This meant that someone had already been to Kul Elna not long before they arrived, and judging by the quantity of footprints, there were quite a few people!
"Mr. Hayato..."
"Yes, I noticed too." Hayato nodded, his brow furrowed. "So many footprints, I have a bad feeling. Everyone, stay vigilant as we move forward."
Continuing into the village, the scorched ground was covered with scattered footprints. It seemed that the people who had arrived before had conducted a large-scale search, looking for something. But despite so many footprints, the village was eerily silent at this moment, as if these many footprints were just a phantom, and actually no one had ever been to this village.
The wind passed through the gaps in the wreckage, making sharp "whooshing" sounds. The camels' breathing, the people's breathing, and the sound of the camels' hooves stepping on the sandy ground were all that the group could hear in this silent place.
However, after walking into the village for a while, suddenly, a "crack" sound came from somewhere, as if someone had stepped on something and broken it.
"The street is really quiet, huh? We didn't see the people who came here before us either. Maybe they left after finding nothing?" Malik said nonchalantly, speaking lightly. But Hayato suddenly reached out and grabbed the collar of his clothes, pulling him back from continuing forward. "Careful!"
As the camel Malik was riding stepped on a slightly sunken stone brick, the decayed stone brick suddenly crushed, and the camel also suddenly fell down because it had no support point. And at the same instant, several human skeleton arms suddenly protruded from the ground buried by sand. Although there was no muscle tissue to exert power, the bone hands easily pierced the body of the fallen camel, killing it in an instant!
Malik had a look of lingering fear. If Hayato hadn't pulled him back in time just now, he would probably have been sneak attacked and killed like his ride, the camel, losing his life!
"Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!"
The death of Malik's camel at the front was not an isolated incident. Almost at the same time, the ground around the other people also cracked open, and one terrifying skeleton after another crawled out, brandishing sharp bone claws and attacking the group.
However, Hayato wasn't the only one who reacted. Besides Malik, Karim, Isis, and Kaiba all raised their Duel Arenas and called their respective monsters.
"Thunder Dragon!"
"Agido!"
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Amidst Karim and Isis's honest summoning and Kaiba's passionate calling, only two monsters appeared before the three people who raised their Duel Arenas to summon.
Isis and Karim looked at Kaiba strangely, thinking, why are you shouting so loudly, you didn't summon anything. And Kaiba also put down his Duel Arena, annoyed: "Tsk, even using this Duel Arena doesn't work? Is it that the bond between me and you is still not enough for you to respond to me, Blue-Eyes?"
Although the spirited Kaiba didn't summon anything in the end and made a fool of himself, the two monsters summoned by Karim and Isis were more than enough to deal with the skeleton monsters in front of them.
Although seeing a bare skeleton suddenly was a bit scary, if you put a piece of cloth on these skeletons, aren't they the famous "Small Fry Monster" [White Bone]?
As priests, Karim and Isis's performance was much better than the embarrassing Malik. They showed no mercy to the [White Bones] that had just now launched an attack intending to kill them. The two commanded their respective monsters to easily destroy the batch of [White Bones] closest to them.
"Heh heh, even Priest Isis is working hard, huh? Then I, Karim, must also put in some effort. After all, I can't let all these years of effort go to waste." Glancing at Isis next to him, Karim said with great motivation, "Then come out, the rest of the Thunder Dragons!"
Not saving the zones on the Duel Arena at all, Karim summoned all three Thunder Dragons in one go and sent them all out to kill.
Isis was not as competitive as Karim. Instead, she used the power of the Millennium Necklace to the best of her ability to begin future sight. The Millennium Necklace's ability to future sight has two modes: one is actively glimpsing fragments of the future, and the other is a passive mode where the Millennium Necklace automatically warns of the appearance of a crisis.
Compared to the latter, using the former puts a considerable burden on Isis, and Isis cannot be in a state of actively predicting the future at all times. Therefore, most of the time, Isis uses the latter mode, and only uses the former in a few necessary situations. The passively used mode is also sufficient to warn of most crises.
After Bakura's death, Isis had actively used the Millennium Necklace once. At that time, she clearly saw that the future had recovered its light and could be clearly predicted by her. And on the way to the Thief Village, she had also confirmed it once in advance; the Millennium Necklace could still be used normally.
However, just now when the group of [White Bones] emerged from the underground and attacked everyone, the Millennium Necklace did not give any warning. This was very strange. After all, the decaying bad smell unique to undead on the group of [White Bones] that emerged from the ground could not be hidden at all. The Millennium Necklace, which is very sensitive to dark power, should have issued a warning in advance.
But when she used the power of the Millennium Necklace for the first time after entering the Thief Village, Isis was stunned, because she found that the phenomenon of the future being obscured by darkness that had occurred since Bakura's appearance had actually reappeared, and this dark power was even greater than the darkness brought by Bakura.
Using the power of the Millennium Necklace with all her might, Isis only barely managed to intercept a single image of the future: the image of their camels being killed by the [White Bones].
Isis suddenly remembered that although it was normal for the [White Bones] to be defeated by her and Priest Karim's Stone Tablet Monsters, the resistance they offered was too weak, and these monsters should be classified as undead-type monsters. How could they be crushed so easily?
An idea suddenly popped into Isis's mind. She quickly reminded Karim, whose Thunder Dragons had gone too far out: "No, Priest Karim, it's a trap! Quickly call your Stone Tablet Monsters back!"
Isis's reminder was as timely as possible, but it was still a step late. Almost as if taking Isis's words as a starting order, the wreckage of the [White Bones] on the ground that had been easily crushed by the Thunder Dragons' attacks actually reassembled themselves and, while the Thunder Dragons couldn't return in time to defend, charged towards Karim!
Immediately, Isis summoned two more Stone Tablet Monsters—Keldo and Kelbek—to protect everyone. However, the expected attack targeting the people on the camels did not come at all. The party left the camels completely unharmed, but all the camels they had ridden were killed without exception.
Even the most slow-witted person felt something was wrong. Even Malik said somewhat strangely, "Feeling like the goal of these monsters isn't us, but our camels? Were they kicked to death by the camels? Do they have such great hatred towards camels?"
"No, I'm afraid the controller behind these [White Bones] intended to kill our rides first so that we couldn't leave this ruins," Karim stated his conjecture, controlling the Thunder Dragons to kill their way back and protect him.
And this time, since they had already been exposed, they didn't pretend anymore. The [White Bones] actually displayed a combat power completely different from just now. It was nothing like the beginning where any attack, regardless of strength, could easily kill them. Even Karim's Thunder Dragons were slightly injured in the process of killing their way back.
And after the Thunder Dragons returned to Karim's side, the [White Bones] that had fallen due to the Thunder Dragons' attacks showed a powerful revive ability. In just an instant, the disassembled skeletons were automatically pieced back together, and even broken bones quickly healed themselves.
"What is their goal in keeping us here?" Kaiba frowned, looking at the group of [White Bones] surrounding them. After fighting for a long time, the quantity of [White Bones] had not decreased at all. Instead, as time passed, more and more [White Bones] gathered from all parts of the village. "This is endless. If only my Blue-Eyes were here..."
"Stop thinking about your Blue-Eyes all the time. We must find the source of these [White Bones]," Hayato said, his Millennium Ring on his chest glowing slightly. The golden cones on the disk all pointed in one direction. "The Millennium Ring can lead the way. The work of clearing the path is up to you, Karim!"
"Don't worry, Mr. Hayato!" Karim knew that Hayato wanted to save his power for the last to deal with the source of the [White Bones]. The Winged Dragon of Ra had proven its strength many times, and Karim was very convinced by it. He had no complaints about being responsible for clearing the path. "Then, I'll begin. The power of the Millennium Scale is manifested here!"
"Come forth, my strongest Stone Tablet Monster, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon! And then, the widest range diffusion thunder attack!"
Although its appearance was underwhelming, its power was real. Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon manifested before the party. Towards the direction pointed by Hayato's Millennium Ring, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon suddenly spat out a light beam of lightning, clearing away all the [White Bones] blocking the path.
However, even Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon's attack still couldn't completely destroy the [White Bones]. The [White Bones] that were defeated quickly recovered as soon as they fell to the ground and regrouped.
But Karim had Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon spread its attack range as much as possible not intending to kill them; being able to clear a path forward was enough.
Malik, who was terrible at battle but number one at escape, ran at the very front, leading the way. Then came Hayato and Isis, while Kaiba and Karim followed at the rear. The party of five rushed forward with their heads down. After Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon cleared the path twice more, the Millennium Ring led the group to a well-preserved house in the Thief Village, which was full of ruins and very rare.
Malik, who was skilled at kicking down doors, kicked open the locked door with practiced ease and rushed in. The other people also rushed in one after another. After Karim, who was at the back of the group, also entered the door, Malik didn't hesitate to slam the door shut, even clipping off a [White Bone]'s arm that was about to grab Karim, causing it to writhe on the ground.
Although the house was not a sturdy barrier, the [White Bones] were, after all, just Small Fry with no great power other than being troublesome and numerous. The people who entered the house were temporarily safe. At this point, they also noticed that in this room, a wall had been smashed open, revealing a set of stairs leading to the underground.
Chapter 780: Impossible, Absolutely Impossible
No matter how you looked at it, these stairs leading underground didn't seem like a cellar built by an ordinary household. After all, the broken wall at the entrance was obvious to anyone. And just standing before the stairs, Hayato's party could feel the dark aura continuously emerging from the Underground.
Coupled with the guidance of the Millennium Ring, there was no doubt that these stairs likely led to the source of power for the large groups of bones in the Thief Village.
Hayato and Kaiba exchanged glances. The two of them walked side-by-side at the front, descending the stairs, with Karim and Isis following closely behind. Malik initially wanted to back out and didn't want to go down. But Hayato and the others didn't even need to urge him; just the sound of the bones outside the door scraping against the wall was enough to scare Malik into quickly following them.
The stairs weren't very long. After descending them, Hayato and the others arrived in a spacious Underground Space. What met their eyes was pitch-black darkness, only vaguely able to see a figure sitting on a raised area not far from the stairs. That spot was also where the dark aura was most concentrated.
There was no need to guess; the attack by the bones before must have been orchestrated by that person. The impatient Karim walked ahead, approaching the direction where the figure was, and questioned, "Hey, you sneaky rat hiding over there! Were you the one manipulating those monsters on the Ground to plot against us?!"
In response to Karim's question, as his voice fell, firelight suddenly ignited all around the Underground Space, illuminating the darkness. The sudden flames made Karim's nerves instinctively tense up, but after realizing there were no other special circumstances, he regained his composure and looked towards the figure still in the unlit darkness.
"Who exactly are you?!"
Karim questioned again, and this time, the fellow finally reacted, raising his head to look at Karim. For an instant, Karim felt as if he had suddenly been plunged into ice water, a feeling of being seen through completely, from the inside out.
Looking at Karim, the person said, "I am a priest."
"Unlike you priests who serve the Pharaoh, light, and the gods, I am a priest who serves the Underworld and the Abyss, a priest who serves darkness." Standing up, the figure in the darkness looked down upon everyone. "I am the Great Dark Priest."
"Heh, what nonsense is this, Great Dark Priest?" Karim said scornfully. But as the opponent stood up and the flickering firelight illuminated the figure, Karim's brows furrowed tightly. "Th-That's!"
A mess of waist-length red hair looked as if it had been dyed with blood. He wore purple armor emanating evil energy. A cloak concealed most of his body, revealing only dark palms with sharp fingernails. Even his face was largely covered by a mask, exposing only the left eye.
But it was this exposed left eye that greatly shocked Karim, because the left eye of the person before him was clearly the Millennium Eye! Wasn't that Priest Aknadin's Millennium Item?!
Not only that, looking down along the opponent's body, he was standing on a human-shaped tablet. It had many blanks on it, the shapes of which corresponded perfectly to all seven Millennium Items that Karim knew of. And at this moment, two of the blanks on the tablet were filled with gold. Those were—
"The Millennium Key, and the Millennium Rod!?" Isis stepped forward in shock, barely able to believe what her eyes saw. Not only Priest Aknadin's Millennium Eye, but even the Pharaoh's Millennium Rod and Priest Shada's Millennium Key had appeared here! Who exactly was this opponent?!
"Great Dark Priest..." Kaiba watched the Great Dark Priest, his eyes slightly narrowed. Somehow, Kaiba had the illusion that he had seen this opponent somewhere before. And as Kaiba was watching the Great Dark Priest, the Great Dark Priest actually looked towards Kaiba as well, seeing his existence.
Kaiba's appearance and unique aura made the Great Dark Priest's gaze linger for a moment longer, but he still withdrew his gaze and looked at the sole person in the party who still maintained composure. He opened his mouth and said, "Hayato Kobayashi, you've finally arrived here. You even brought me three more Millennium Items."
The Millennium Rod and Millennium Key were embedded in the tablet, the Great Dark Priest wore the Millennium Eye on his eye, while Karim and Isis respectively possessed the Millennium Scale and Millennium Necklace. The Millennium Ring was on Hayato. This meant that at this moment, besides the Millennium Rod with Seto, a total of six Millennium Items were gathered here!
"Great Dark Priest? Heh, a boring title. But I can play along with you a little." Hayato knew that the Great Dark Priest was Priest Aknadin, but he wasn't in a hurry to reveal this fact. Instead, he looked at the opponent and said, "The Millennium Rod and Millennium Key, you didn't happen to steal them while the Pharaoh and Priest Shada were unconscious, did you?"
The Great Dark Priest nodded, not avoiding the question and directly admitted, "That's right. Although the methods might seem despicable to you, as long as I can achieve my goal, everything is worth it."
"Stole them? How did this suspicious-looking guy manage to sneak into the Royal Palace?" Hearing the Great Dark Priest's words, Karim was also stunned and subconsciously put the blame on Seto. "I get it now! It must be that idiot Seto! I knew that guy couldn't do the task the Pharaoh assigned him properly."
Hearing Karim's words, although he knew the opponent was talking about the guy who somehow looked exactly like him, because his own name had the same pronunciation as the opponent's name, Karim's words felt like they were directed at himself. Kaiba snorted in annoyance, showing his displeasure.
Isis, unlike Karim, didn't have an issue with Seto. She had a different guess: "Even if Priest Seto was negligent in arranging the security within the Royal Palace, the Pharaoh and Priest Shada were injured and temporarily unconscious before, as Hayato said, right? It's impossible that there weren't guards assigned to protect them."
"To be able to drive away the guards protecting the Pharaoh and the priests, Great Dark Priest, is it possible that you are someone we know from the Royal Palace?"
Karim said without hesitation, "Impossible, Absolutely Impossible!"
"I, Karim, have judged countless criminals in my lifetime, so I can tell good from bad by their scent." Pointing a finger at the Great Dark Priest, Karim said firmly, "This guy stinks terribly, giving off a scent even worse than vomit! I've never seen anyone more evil than him!"
"Are you trying to tell me that this guy could be someone I know, someone great like Priest Aknadin?"
Karim said again without hesitation, "Impossible, Absolutely Impossible!"
End of Chapter