Chapter 796: Not Kaiba, but Kaiba-Man!
"Kaiba——— Kick!"
Accompanied by the familiar voices of Hayato and Dark Yugi, a white figure kicked the mouth of the monster that was about to bite them, causing the monster's upward momentum to halt.
Even though Mana's continuous magic attacks before hadn't been able to affect it, after taking the flying kick this time, the monster from the Millennium Stone Tablet was kicked downwards for a distance and clung to the Stone Pillar, preventing it from falling completely.
Dark Magician immediately ascended with Hayato and Dark Yugi to the Ground, where they were caught by Mana and Dark Magician Girl. The white figure who had kicked the monster from the Millennium Stone Tablet also performed a backflip due to the reciprocal force, landing gracefully beside Hayato and the others.
That black inner layer, which looked more like a straitjacket than a bodysuit, covered by an extra-long white windbreaker that reached his ankles, combined with the familiar voice that called out the name just now...
"Nice work, Kaiba! Thanks for that just now," Dark Yugi said, looking at the man in the windbreaker wearing a helmet on his head that resembled a miniature Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
However, upon hearing Dark Yugi's words, "Kaiba," whose helmet covered the upper half of his face, only revealing the part below his nose, let out a cold snort and denied it, saying, "I am the Ally of Justice, Kaiba-Man! I don't know anyone named Kaiba Seto."
"No, you exposed yourself from the start, didn't you? Yugi didn't even mention your name, Seto," Hayato ranted, glancing at the helmet on "Kaiba's" head. "You're not Superman, you know. You can't just put on a helmet and expect us not to recognize you?"
"Not Kaiba, but Kaiba-Man!" However, "Kaiba" emphasized his identity once more.
"I told you, you can't just add 'Man' after your name just because you don't have parents."
Just as Hayato was about to rant further about Kaiba, who was clearly Kaiba but insisted on calling himself "Kaibaman," a roar came from beneath their feet. Looking down into the collapsed Ground, the monster from the Millennium Stone Tablet, which had been kicked by "Kaibaman," seemed to have no idea of giving up. It roared and began climbing back towards the Ground.
"Is that guy someone we know? Whoever it is, now's not the time to chat. Master, you help too! Let's use a magic attack on that guy together!" Unlike the others, Mana's eyesight seemed somewhat bad. She seemed to genuinely not recognize "Kaibaman's" identity because of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon-shaped helmet. Standing at the edge of the hole, she unleashed another magic attack towards the monster.
However, just like before, the monster completely negated Mana's attack. Magic bullets and magic cannons were released one after another, but they couldn't even cause a ripple on its body.
"Master, why are you just watching?!"
After watching for a moment, Dark Magician seemed to understand something. Hearing Mana's words, he shook his head. "No, our attacks are useless against it, Mana. That monster seems to possess the power to absorb the magic power we possess."
"Using DARK Attribute magic power against a dark monster is fundamentally futile. I'm going in! The Light Aura I possess!" Looking at the monster climbing up from Underground, Kaibaman walked in front of Mana and raised his hands.
"These hands of mine are blazing like a blazing fire! They loudly tell me to grip victory! This is the power that contains love, hope, and sadness!"
Despite saying extremely shameful lines, Kaibaman's tone was extremely passionate, as if he was incredibly excited and exhilarated.
Facing the monster below, he fiercely pushed his raised hands forward and shouted, "Explosive Kill! Burst Stream of Destruction Palm!"
"The name is too messy!"
Amidst Hayato's complaining voice, a white light sphere suddenly gathered in Kaibaman's hands, like a Kamehameha from the Dragon Ball set next door. As he pushed his hands forward, it transformed into a light beam and blasted out, hitting the monster and fiercely pushing it back Underground.
The dazzling form of attack of the light beam, compared to the "Burst Stream of Destruction" attack of Blue-Eyes White Dragon that Hayato and Dark Yugi remembered, couldn't be said to be very similar; it could only be said to be exactly the same.
The light beam illuminated the darkness Underground slightly, allowing the few people to see that although the monster from the Millennium Stone Tablet was under suppression by Kaibaman's attack and unable to get up, it showed no signs of injury whatsoever. Even such a powerful attack couldn't kill it.
However, even this was enough.
Dark Magician grabbed this opportunity. He waved the emerald staff in his hand in the air, drawing complex patterns. A magic circle quickly took shape at the edge of the hole and plummeted downwards, bringing the surrounding yellow sand and rock with it.
The gathered sand and rock quickly formed a pyramid shape around the Underground Space. As the black-purple magic power on the surface flashed brightly, a temporary seal was completed.
After catching the staff that flew back, Dark Magician couldn't help but fall from the air and step onto the Ground, his figure slightly faint. Since appearing to save Dark Yugi, Dark Magician had always used his own magic power so as not to cause a burden to Dark Yugi. After releasing such a magic sealing barrier, the magic power he had accumulated over such a long time was almost completely squandered.
"Are you okay, Mahad?"
Facing Dark Yugi's concern, Dark Magician shook his head. "Please rest assured, Pharaoh. As a Millennium Stone Spirit now, I'm just experiencing some reactions from excessive consumption because I used too much magic power. I am not injured."
Hearing Dark Magician's words, Dark Yugi felt somewhat relieved. He was afraid that Mahad, who had finally returned with great difficulty, would leave again.
After a pause, Dark Magician glanced at the pyramid seal Underground and said again, "Although the effect of the magic was discounted when dealing with that kind of monster, by combining it with substance, it can still seal the opponent for a period of time. However, before that seal is broken, we must figure out a means to defeat the opponent."
Hearing this, Dark Yugi turned his head to look at Kaibaman standing behind him. Although the opponent refused to admit he was Kaiba, let's just assume he is "Kaibaman" for now. "Kaibaman," who possesses LIGHT Attribute magic power, can control that monster guarding the tablet for a period of time. So perhaps making the power of the LIGHT Attribute stronger can defeat that monster.
But when Dark Yugi turned his head, he found that "Kaibaman," who had been there just now, had unexpectedly disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Strange, wasn't that guy called Kaibaman still here just now? We didn't even have time to thank him for his help," Mana said somewhat strangely, tilting her head.
And just then, someone was calling out to the few of them from afar: "Pharaoh / Yugi, Hayato!"
Looking in the direction of the sound, only to see Malik and Kaiba rushing towards the direction where everyone was, coming from the Thief Village Entrance. While jogging, Malik was also waving. The scene at this moment was exactly like Earth Defense Force Members seeing the Crashed Pilot who had been missing for a while appear after Ultraman finished fighting the monster.
Behind Malik and Kaiba, the Troops who had been waiting outside the Village before also came along, seemingly because of the underground commotion earlier, worried about the Pharaoh's safety.
Dark Yugi believed for a moment that "Kaibaman" might really not be Kaiba and expressed his idea to Hayato.
"Hmm? Why do you think so?" Hayato said confusedly.
Dark Yugi shrugged. "As you know, if it were Kaiba, he would fundamentally never say words like 'magic power,' right? I even suspected more than once if his brains could really understand anything other than science?"
Thinking back to that time, Joey Wheeler could wear the Red-Eyes Black Dragon Armor and melee duel with Valon, so there's naturally no problem whatsoever for me, Kaiba President, to awaken a spirit that can be worn on his body for transformation.
Chapter 797: Eating Hotpot and Singing Songs
Hayato and Dark Yugi didn't dwell too long on the relationship between Kaibaman and Kaiba Seto.
After handing the unconscious Seto over to the Medical Unit for care, the group withdrew from the dangerous Thief Village and began discussing countermeasures on the way.
"That tablet must be destroyed, there's no other way," Hayato said resolutely. "Imagine, you and your wife are out of the City together, eating hotpot and singing songs, and suddenly you're killed by that monster released from the tablet..."
"While I understand what you mean, Hayato, isn't that example a bit strange?" Dark Yugi remarked, then said seriously, "The birth of the Millennium Items was indeed full of darkness, but they are also a precious legacy left to later generations by my Father. We should definitely find a way to get the Millennium Items back from that tablet."
"If that monster isn't eliminated, it will always be a hidden danger to the Kingdom. Whether it's to reclaim the Millennium Items or for the stability of the Kingdom, it's necessary to find a way to defeat that monster."
As Dark Yugi spoke, he lowered his head and looked at the several Duel Arenas on the ground.
Before, Bakura, based on the dark alchemy in Aknadin's mind, used the power of the Millennium Stone Tablet and three Millennium Items to destroy everyone's Duel Arenas within the Underground Space at that time, rendering them unusable. Even though they had now left that place, the Duel Arenas were still in a scrapped state.
The Previous Pharaoh, his Father, had the need to manufacture the Millennium Items back then precisely because the Kingdom was in a state of war. It was by relying on the Millennium Items and the supporting technology like the Duel Arenas and the tablet for sealing spirits that they were able to obtain the military power to defeat other countries.
Although the surrounding countries have now been pacified, due to the trouble Bakura has caused during this time, Dark Yugi, as the Pharaoh, learned from reports from his subordinates that some Rebel Forces within the country, unwilling to accept the country's demise, seemed to think that the new Pharaoh, meaning himself, wasn't very capable, and again harbored ambitions of restoring the country, causing disturbances in various places.
Therefore, it is necessary to reclaim the Millennium Items, and to prevent them from being utilized by that group of rebels, that tablet must also be destroyed. Even if this is the Memory World, he must do his best to fulfill his duty as Pharaoh.
Not to mention, from the very beginning with Thief Bakura and the Great Dark Priest played by Aknadin, until now where Bakura isn't even putting on an act anymore and has directly begun to control the evil will within the Millennium Stone Tablet, as the Player of this so-called Ultimate Dark Game, Bakura seemed to be intentionally collecting the Millennium Items from the start. He has now already collected six pieces.
Although he doesn't know what will happen after Bakura collects all seven Millennium Items, they should try to stop what the enemy wants to do as much as possible. In order to win this Dark Game, the last Millennium Item—Priest Isis's Millennium Necklace—must be properly stored and cannot be lost.
"Even if you say so, Prince, we don't have any way to defeat that monster," Mana said somewhat dejectedly. "I, Mana, already used 1000% of my strength to attack it with magic before, but there was no reaction at all. So sad, so disappointed, I need the Prince to comfort me."
Mana's intentions were so obvious that not just Dark Yugi, but even Dark Magician, who had to return to the tablet to rest due to magic exhaustion before, could hear them.
Pretending not to understand Mana's meaning, which made her puff up her cheeks and pout angrily, Dark Yugi looked at Hayato and said, "What Mana said isn't wrong. That tablet is indeed our goal, but ultimately, that monster Bakura summoned is also an obstruction we cannot bypass."
"We must think of a way to deal with it before it breaks the Seal left by Mahad."
"Regarding this point..." Hayato thought for a moment and said, "Having woken up for so long, Yugi, you should have also noticed the problem with your name, right?"
Although he didn't know why Hayato brought up his name, Dark Yugi also nodded and said, "Mm, no matter where, I haven't been able to find any record of my name. Not only that, whether it's Priest Simon, Mana, or even Mahad, they also couldn't say my name."
Before, Dark Yugi had also hoped that Mahad, who was no longer among the living, might have a way to tell him his name. However, the result was the same as his many attempts in the Royal Palace before. Even Mahad, who is now not human but the Millennium Stone Spirit, Dark Magician, still couldn't say his name.
Even though he had lost his memory, after waking up from unconsciousness, he had already recalled his childhood memories with Mahad and Mana, as well as memories of his father. Many memories tucked away in corners were also recalled in great detail. Yet, only his own name, something that theoretically should be the hardest to forget, couldn't be recalled.
His own name, what kind of power does it have?
Dark Yugi looked at Hayato, wanting to hear if Hayato knew anything. And Hayato, hearing Dark Yugi's words, also nodded: "Actually, based on what I know, the key to maintaining the existence of memories in this Memory World lies in your name, Yugi. That name connects everything in the Memory World, including that Millennium Stone Tablet."
"As long as you can get back your name, Yugi, if my judgment is not mistaken, then you will obtain invincible power capable of bringing an end to everything. Destroying that Millennium Stone Tablet and even winning the Dark Game against Bakura will be easy."
"And in my guess, there is a place where your name is still recorded. That is in the Tomb presided over by Priest Simon and built for you."
That's right, Hayato's idea is very simple. Since Bakura's tricks are so troublesome, if they're hard to deal with, then let's just not deal with them. I'll just have Yugi go find his true name. Can you still fight against the invincible Creator of Light?
And hearing Hayato's words, although Dark Yugi didn't know where Hayato's information came from, he still had great belief in Hayato. He nodded and said with a smile, "That's quite a coincidence. Actually, when we came out of the Royal City, I heard from Aibo that you, Hayato, were looking for my tomb. So, Aibo and the others asked me to get the location of the tomb from Priest Simon, and they were acting separately from us."
"Calculating the time, they should have already arrived there. If finding my name is enough, then let's go to the tomb next to meet up with Aibo and the others."
Meanwhile,
"Is this The Other Yugi's Tomb? Even with a map, it's really hard to find," Joey Wheeler exclaimed, standing on the Sand Dune and looking at a hidden building in the distance. "Even so, just looking from here, it's truly magnificent."
End of Chapter
**Chapter 798: Did Grandpa Solomon Fool You?**
"Joey Wheeler, what are you climbing so high for? Hurry and come down! We still need to find The Other Yugi's name." Before Joey Wheeler could strike a cool pose on the Sand Dune, Tristan urged him from below.
"It's rare to come to such an amazing place, can't you let me take a few more glances and feel the passage of years?"
Muttering under his breath, Joey Wheeler took a small jump forward, sliding down the slope of the Sand Dune and arriving stylishly beside the others. "But then again, we do have the important mission of finding The Other Yugi's name."
Téa glanced at Joey Wheeler, who was grinning foolishly like an idiot, shook her head helplessly, and turned to look beside her. "Sorry, Nefertari-chan, boys sometimes do strange things like this."
Nefertari said with a smile, "No, Meriamun sometimes does things that others can't understand either. He even says things like he's a god or something. I'm quite used to it."
As the Auxiliary Priestess to the Current Pharaoh, Priest Shimon had overseen the construction of the Pharaoh's Tomb and was arguably the person most familiar with Dark Yugi's tomb structure. However, someone was needed to oversee the overall situation in the Royal City. With Aknadin missing, Shada still recovering from serious injuries, and Seto having to go on an expedition with the Pharaoh, Priest Shimon had no reason to go to the Pharaoh's Tomb again.
After all, at that time, even Dark Yugi hadn't yet learned from Hayato how important his name was.
However, although Priest Shimon couldn't come, Dark Yugi obtained a simple map from him and gave it to Yugi and the others to guide them on their way. Furthermore, Simon had even marked some points of attention on this map regarding the mechanisms inside the tomb that needed attention.
Although Priest Shimon's thoughts were thorough, there was a problem with one thing. That is, whether it was Yugi, Téa, Joey Wheeler, or Tristan, none of the four of them could read Ancient Egyptian Text. Dark Yugi didn't realize this at all because he could read it himself. It was only when the group was about to depart after Dark Yugi left, and they opened the map, that they discovered this.
However, luckily, they encountered Nefertari, who could read, and she just happened to be free and willing to accompany them to Dark Yugi's tomb.
Spreading open the map as they walked on a small road leading to the tomb, Nefertari glanced at the map, turned her head, and said to Yugi beside her, "The map says, if you enter the tomb from this road, you need to find a cat engraving inside, and light the oil basin below the engraving. Afterwards, text will appear on the wall above the oil basin. Read the text, and you can proceed to the next stage."
"A cat? Ancient Egyptians like cats that much? They even built cat statues in the tomb."
Joey Wheeler said casually upon hearing this, but Tristan beside him smiled upon hearing Joey Wheeler's words, and explained somewhat proudly, "That's not it at all. In Ancient Egypt, cats were sacred beasts, believed to have the power to conquer death. They also believed that mummifying corpses allowed people to obtain eternal life."
"Also, because cats like to bask in the sun, Ancient Egyptians believed they had the ability to communicate with Sun God Ra."
Hearing Tristan's words, however, Joey Wheeler looked at him with a suspicious gaze. "Are you really Tristan? How would that idiot Tristan know so much about Ancient Egypt?"
"The one calling others an idiot is the idiot!" Tristan frowned and squeezed Joey Wheeler's shoulder hard. "Can't I have some extracurricular hobbies?!"
However, Téa casually exposed Tristan's lie from beside them. "Extracurricular hobbies? Didn't you, Tristan, ask me to ask Miho-chan what her hobbies were? And after learning she was interested in Ancient Egyptian history and even found mummies cute, didn't you specifically go study Ancient Egyptian history?"
The "Miho-chan" Téa mentioned referred to Nosaka Miho, the Library Committee Member in their class, who is also known as "Little Ribbon". Before, Tristan had pursued her and confessed on the day of the School Cultural Festival. However, he and Manjoume Shouji, who also liked Little Ribbon at the time, were both rejected and heartbroken.
The reason Tristan could show off his knowledge about Ancient Egypt to Joey Wheeler now was probably thanks to the effort he made back then to get closer to Little Ribbon.
With his lie exposed, Tristan also blushed a little. "W-what are you talking about? Téa, how can you just slander my good name like that?"
"Oh, you're blushing? How old are you, still so shy." Joey Wheeler seeing this, took the opportunity to break free, and in turn put his arm around Tristan's shoulder. "I see you completely don't understand. Otherwise, let me introduce you to some good stuff..."
"Uh, I think Shizuka is very---"
"Get lost!"
Amidst the playful noise of the two guys who couldn't be serious when they were together, the group of five passed through a small door, seemingly for the builders to leave, and successfully entered the part of the tomb building that was only exposed on the surface, arriving inside a spacious palace.
As a Pharaoh's Tomb, even the part Yugi and the others entered was built quite grandly. Although there were no valuable decorations, just the many ferocious engravings all around gave a sense of authority and dignity. Especially the statue at the highest point, which had a falcon head and human body, representing Sun God Ra, made one feel as if they were being judged under the gaze of a god.
Following the hints on the map, everyone quickly found the cat engraving mentioned. They took out a flame source and lit the oil basin below the engraving. Sure enough, Ancient Egyptian Text gradually lit up on the wall in front of them.
"From here onwards is the domain where the great Pharaoh slumbers. Intruders will, due to the judgment of the god, find their bodies decay and their souls buried in darkness." Reading the text aloud, Nefertari said quite seriously. "I am very sorry to disturb this Pharaoh's long slumber. Please forgive any offense."
"No, no, Nefertari-chan, this tomb is still empty right now." Téa looking at the serious Nefertari, quickly said. "This is the Current Pharaoh's tomb. The Other Yugi, who is the Pharaoh, is still alive, so it's okay."
"Hmm, then let's consider this an apology in advance for any future offenses." Nefertari thought for a moment, and said with a smile.
As they were speaking, the ground in front of them began to move. As a section of the floor moved away, it revealed a set of stairs leading to the real Pharaoh's Tomb underground.
The group, who had come for this purpose, walked down the stairs without hesitation. But as they walked, Joey Wheeler suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
"I don't know why. This should be our first time coming to this tomb, right? Why do I always feel like I've heard a description of this tomb somewhere before?"
"Huh? Joey Wheeler, you feel that way too?" Tristan was startled and also said, "Actually, I have that feeling too. It's like someone described the mechanisms inside this tomb to us. For example, they might have said that after walking down the stairs, there would be a place with many mechanical puppets in front."
As they were speaking, the group had already finished walking down the not-too-long stairs and arrived underground. What appeared before their eyes was indeed a room filled with many mechanical puppets holding swords. Besides an extremely narrow winding passage, the rest was an endless abyss.
At this, Téa and Yugi were also slightly startled. They looked at Tristan and Joey Wheeler respectively, and said in unison, "Grandpa Solomon, the place you mentioned before was actually here!?"
# Chapter 799: True Name, Get
"Hmm?"
Nefertari tilted her head, somewhat confused, as she watched Joey Wheeler and Tristan. Just moments ago, they had needed her to lead the way, but after arriving underground in the tomb, they suddenly walked confidently ahead, not at all afraid of stepping on mechanisms.
After thinking for a moment, she reminded the others, "The map says that the mechanisms here are those puppet soldiers holding weapons. If you advance without showing respect and fear, you will be killed. However, it doesn't say exactly how 'showing respect and fear' is defined."
"When it comes to liking to make people guess boring jokes, Priest Shimon, who looks a lot like Master Solomon, is exactly the same," Joey Wheeler said nonchalantly, walking confidently at the very front. He stepped onto the suspended stone slab, which was only wide enough for one person, and walked straight towards the corner ahead of him.
And right at that corner, a statue holding two sickle swords seemed to sense that someone had stepped onto the suspended stone slab. It straightened up and also approached in Joey Wheeler's direction.
"Heh heh, coming towards me, huh? Not escaping but approaching me, Joey Wheeler?" Imitating Hayato's tone from memory, Joey Wheeler said the line he had long wanted to try saying. "But Muda Muda, Master Solomon already told us the answer! As long as you keep your right foot forward, then—Uwah!"
He was only halfway through his sentence, his coolness lasting less than three seconds, when his body's conditioned reflex made him suddenly bend backward, narrowly dodging a slash swung by the statue that looked like it would cut him in half at the waist, his expression one of fright.
"Th-this isn't right, is it?! Didn't you say just keeping your right foot forward would be fine!?"
Seeing Joey Wheeler retreat in a flustered state, Tristan also covered his forehead, unable to watch, and reminded him, "Idiot, it's not the right foot, it's the left foot! You completely remembered it wrong!"
"Ah, huh?" Hearing Tristan's reminder, Joey Wheeler also quickly adjusted his stance, switching to having his left foot forward and right foot back. As expected, the statue that had attacked him stopped swinging its weapon, its sharp blade hanging in mid-air without falling.
Joey Wheeler finally breathed a sigh of relief, then said stubbornly, "Ac-actually, I of course remembered to keep my left foot forward. I just wanted to test whether these statues could really move. Mm, the test went smoothly, mm."
"You're really stubborn," Tristan commented, then said to the others, "But it seems like it really is like the story Grandpa Solomon told us. As long as you keep your left foot forward, you won't be attacked by the statues."
"In Ancient Egypt, Pharaohs were regarded as the representative of God on Earth, and after death, they would be regarded as becoming gods. Statues dedicated to the Pharaoh also had to have their left foot forward, like offering their heart to the Pharaoh. If you wanted to advance, you had to express respect with your left foot forward. This represented absolute obedience within the Pharaoh's tomb, which is a divine domain. The moment you forgot this humility, you would be given the sanction of death."
But as he was speaking, Tristan found that no one was listening to him at all. Yugi and Téa had already followed Joey Wheeler onto the suspended stone slab, bringing Nefertari with them. "Hey, you guys are going too far! It hurts my pride, you know!"
"Nobody's interested in that kind of stuff! Hurry up and catch up, Tristan!" Joey Wheeler called out to Tristan from afar. "You're the slowest one now! I'm already halfway there!"
Although walking with the left foot always forward was a bit awkward, as long as you were careful to avoid the statues and not fall into the abyss, the difficulty of this stage could only be described as incredibly easy.
Tristan pouted and also walked towards the suspended stone slab. "Walk slower, Joey Wheeler! Don't forget Grandpa Solomon also mentioned there seems to be a mechanism here where stepping on it will trigger moving spike walls! You have to be careful not to—"
*Click.*
Tristan's words stopped short. He looked down at his feet. Speak of the devil, the mechanism was triggered just as he finished speaking, only it wasn't Joey Wheeler, but he himself who triggered it.
For a moment, the people walking ahead couldn't help but turn back to look at Tristan. At the same time, behind Tristan, the stairs they had come from earlier had their path blocked by a giant rock that fell with a crash, and sharp spikes also extended from the wall behind them and began pushing forward.
"Everyone, don't just stand there! Hurry and advance!" Seeing this, Yugi quickly spoke up to remind everyone. With the mechanism triggered, the time available for them to pass this stage suddenly became a bit tight. "You must remember to keep your left foot forward!"
Although he usually spoke softly, having gone through so much with Dark Yugi, Yugi could also show a brave side and leadership qualities when necessary. Everyone quickly followed, cautiously advancing all the way, and finally, before the spike wall arrived, everyone passed this stage.
And as soon as they arrived at the next stage, everyone saw that directly in front of them, a statue was prominently placed. The statue's head had a rare starfish-like hairstyle. First of all, this couldn't possibly be a statue of Mutou Yuugi or Solomon Muto. Priest Shimon wouldn't go so far as to place a statue of himself in the Pharaoh's tomb.
Then there was only one answer. This statue was of Dark Yugi, or rather, the Nameless Pharaoh. And even though they were underground, there were no torches providing light around them, yet everyone could clearly see that something seemed to be carved below the statue, and it was currently emitting radiance, attracting everyone's attention.
"As the Pharaoh's tomb, that should be the place used to inscribe the Pharaoh's great deeds during his life," Nefertari said, looking at the statue. "Only because the owner of this tomb is still alive, they couldn't inscribe the Pharaoh's great deeds for the time being. It was probably just inscribed with the Pharaoh's name. Hmm, in other words, that should be the place we're looking for, where the Pharaoh's true name is recorded."
"Alright, then let's hurry over!" Joey Wheeler said excitedly upon hearing Nefertari's words. As he spoke, he started to walk forward. Leading to that statue was a suspended stone slab path they had walked on before. Only unlike the previous stage filled with statues that would attack people, this time the stone slab path seemed to have patterns carved on it, but Joey Wheeler completely failed to notice this.
It was Téa, however, who quickly grabbed Joey Wheeler, whose actions were faster than his thoughts, and warned him, "Wait a minute, Joey Wheeler! Don't forget this is The Other Yugi's tomb, there are many mechanisms! Didn't you see there's a stone slab standing there? Let Nefertari interpret it first before we advance."
Hearing Téa's words, Joey Wheeler finally noticed that this stage was different from the previous ones. There was actually a stone slab placed in a conspicuous spot after entering, with some Ancient Egyptian text carved on it, as if explaining the rules of this stage.
"The spirit residing on the stone slab will sanction those who disrespect the Pharaoh's eternal slumber. The moment fear arises in your heart, your soul will be absorbed by the spirit." Looking at the text on the stone slab, Nefertari translated it and read it aloud to everyone. And as everyone looked back at that stone slab path, they found that the patterns on the stone slab really looked like monsters.
Just looking at the appearance of these monsters on the stone slab, it seemed a lot of effort was put into making them. Each one looked ferocious and terrifying, as if they would truly jump out of the stone slab and swallow people to kill them.
And after translating the words on the stone slab, Nefertari looked at the markings on the map again. But after reading the words on the map, she looked up again and said with a somewhat strange expression, "However, the map says that this stage can be easily passed as long as you pretend not to have seen the text on the stone slab."
"Eh? There's clearly a stone slab here at the entrance, which is clearly left here as a hint, so why does it say you can pass by not looking at the stone slab?" Joey Wheeler was taken aback upon hearing this and said somewhat strangely.
Téa also nodded, somewhat confused, while also glancing at the stone slab she couldn't understand. "And, the hint is a bit late. Haven't we already seen that stone slab?"
Yugi, on the other hand, lowered his head and thought for a moment, but figured it out. "I get it. This stage probably utilizes the psychology of 'don't think about a rooster', right?"
"Under normal circumstances, people's thoughts are easily guided. Even if you weren't thinking about 'roosters' originally, but when someone tells you 'don't think about a rooster', you will subconsciously think about a rooster," Yugi explained to everyone. "Like Joey Wheeler just now, he probably wouldn't have looked at the stone slab under his feet at all and would have headed straight for The Other Me's statue. But after seeing the hint, he would notice the stone slab under his feet."
"The previous stages would filter out tomb robbers who weren't smart or cautious enough, as well as illiterate tomb robbers. The tomb robbers who can reach here are basically literate and careful. They will naturally read the hint text on the stone slab and then notice the monsters on the stone slab under their feet. And after knowing they will come out and kill people, they will naturally develop vigilance and even the psychology of fear, and finally be killed by the monsters on the stone slab."
Joey Wheeler's gaze towards that stone slab changed in an instant. "Wh-what an insidious strategy! It's simply like Yugi, who always sets five cards on the first turn during a duel! He's too calculating! I'm starting to suspect if Master Solomon's ancestors migrated from Ancient Egypt to Domino City."
Honda also joked, "Maybe so! Look at Yugi, Grandpa Solomon, and Priest Shimon's hairstyles, it simply runs in the family! Even The Other Yugi's hairstyle is."
"Alright, you two unreliable guys, stop making up gossip about others here," Téa impatiently pushed Joey Wheeler and Tristan, who were arm-in-arm and gossiping like old women. "Since we can pass as long as we don't look at our feet, let's hurry over and record The Other Yugi's name so we can return it to him."
The few people who knew the mystery of this stage walked forward, keeping their line of sight straight ahead and not looking at their feet. As expected, they passed through the suspended stone slab path safely all the way and arrived in front of Dark Yugi's statue. And after approaching, they could finally see what the glowing script carved below the statue was.
On the stone slab, where a large space was left for later people to modify, several Ancient Egyptian text seemed to possess extremely strong mystical power and glowed with radiance. As the few people approached, the radiance gradually disappeared, but Yugi and the others had already found those few glowing text.
Looking at the text on the stone slab, Téa thought for a moment, took out a metal pendant from her body and revealed it, saying, "Just now when I came to Egypt, I bought this souvenir from the airport. It's said to be used for inscribing the names of the Royal Family and Pharaohs. I'll use this to carve The Other Yugi's name so I can hand it over to him."
"Oh, that's very thoughtful, Téa," Joey Wheeler said, looking at Yugi. "Then Yugi, the task of carving the name is entrusted to you. We can't really do this kind of thing for you."
Yugi also nodded and accepted the metal plaque from Téa's hand. With this metal plaque, even if The Other Self loses his memory again in the future, he won't forget his name again. Just like the memories between them, even if time flows, it cannot cause wear and tear.
Turning around, Yugi opened the metal plaque's outer casing and took out the metal plate, placing the metal plaque onto the stone slab. The metal deformed as it adhered to the stone slab, leaving behind Dark Yugi's name.
And the next moment after the metal plaque recorded Dark Yugi's true name, the few people saw that section of the name on the stone slab was erased out of thin air, as if that name could only exist in one place and had already been transferred from the stone slab to the metal plaque in Yugi's hand.
"Eh~ I was still thinking of letting Nefertari-chan translate what The Other Yugi's name was. At least I wanted to know the pronunciation of his name," Tristan said, looking at the stone slab where the name had disappeared, scratching his head. "Can it really disappear out of thin air just by touching it?"
Joey Wheeler also nodded. "What a coincidence, I actually also wanted to know the pronunciation of The Other Name. Not only can't we understand it, we can't even pronounce it, isn't that very awkward?"
Watching Yugi put the metal plaque with Dark Yugi's name back into the protective casing and seal it properly, Joey Wheeler turned his head again to look at Nefertari and asked, "Nefertari, can you read this name?"
However, Nefertari shook her head. "No, I can't. I don't know why, but if these few characters were separate, I should be able to recognize them. But when they are together, I can't read them, and it feels like only the owner of this name can read it."
"It's okay, Nefertari-chan," Téa comforted Nefertari. "We are also going to return this name to the Pharaoh next. From him, we can also know how to read this name."
"Mm, if I can find my name again, The Other Me will definitely be very happy," Yugi said, looking at the metal plaque in his hand, and also revealed a smile, genuinely feeling happy for The Other Self. Putting the metal plaque away and stored it properly, Yugi looked at everyone and said, "Then next, we go back and find The Other Me."
"That's true, but the path we came from is blocked by that spike wall," Tristan said somewhat awkwardly, after all, he was the one who triggered that mechanism. "We still have to first—Huh?"
As the few people were talking, they saw a faint golden radiance appear on the surrounding walls inside the underground tomb, surrounding the few people gathered around the statue. The radiance flashed, and everyone actually disappeared underground in an instant, and were transferred to the surface.
Before they could react to the instantaneous change in the surrounding environment, the people who had returned to the sand dune where Joey Wheeler had stood before saw that the Dark Yugi's tomb they had just passed through was instantly surrounded by a sandstorm whipped up by a gale.
It was as if after the few people took Dark Yugi's name, this tomb had fulfilled its duty and disappeared into the desert.
End of Chapter
Chapter 800: It's the Same Type of GM Item
"Pharaoh, your Tomb is just ahead."
Although Seto spoke to him with a respectful appearance, Dark Yugi always felt something strange when listening to his words, especially since Seto's words gave him a strange sense of déjà vu, like "General, Huanggu Village is ahead," "General, this place is called Fallen Phoenix Slope," or "Big Brother, drink your medicine."
"Mm, I understand." Ignoring this strange feeling for the moment, Dark Yugi looked at Priest Seto, who had recovered from his coma and was riding alongside him on a horse, and asked with concern, "Are you feeling alright, Seto?"
Seto shook his head, indicating he was fine: "Thank you for your concern. After receiving treatment from the Physician, my body is completely normal."
In the past, Seto's behavior was always measured and polite, knowing his proper place. However, Seto, who had recovered from his coma after leaving Thief Village, was acting a little unusual today. He didn't maintain his usual position behind the Pharaoh, but instead rode alongside Dark Yugi.
Not only that, but Seto also didn't refer to himself as "subordinate" every time he spoke to Dark Yugi, as he had before, but directly and unceremoniously referred to himself as "I".
Although he had recovered most of his memory and remembered many things, due to the ingrained common sense he learned while living in the present, Dark Yugi didn't feel that Seto's behavior beside him was impolite in any way.
Even if Dark Yugi noticed the difference in Seto's words and actions compared to the past, he wouldn't care too much. After all, considering his experience in Thief Village, even if Seto's personality suddenly changed drastically and he became as arrogant as Kaiba, Dark Yugi wouldn't be too surprised.
They had been traveling from Thief Village for about half a day. They had also rested at an Oasis along the way. After all, from yesterday morning until now, they had been entangled with the Great Dark Priest and Bakura all night without sleep. Resting allowed them to move forward better.
Seto's coma was partly due to being attacked by the dark power of the Millennium Items, but also because he had temporarily received too much shocking and worldview-shattering news. After the Physician's treatment, he successfully awakened, but like Hayato and Dark Yugi, his Duel Disk was also scrapped by Bakura and couldn't be used.
Although Seto had woken up and was safe and sound, the other two didn't seem to be so lucky.
Isis was the first to challenge the Great Dark Priest, or rather, Aknadin's **Diabound Kernel**, with Duel Monsters. She was severely injured once, and then she was the first to be ambushed by **King of the Skull Servants** during the retreat. After that, she had been stubbornly maintaining the summoning of the Stone Tablet Monster.
The result was that the Physician gave a diagnosis: if Isis stayed away from all dark power, whether it be Millennium Items, Duel Disks, or Stone Tablet Monsters, and recuperated properly for at least a few months, she could recover completely. Otherwise, her body condition could rapidly deteriorate, and in severe cases, there was even the possibility of her soul scattering.
Therefore, although Isis was one of the few who still had a usable Duel Disk, Dark Yugi strictly ordered her not to use any related items. The **Millennium Necklace** continued to be kept by Malik, and the Duel Disk was temporarily borrowed by Hayato.
And then there was Aknadin.
Bakura claimed that Aknadin was corrupted into the Great Dark Priest because his methods stirred and amplified the inner darkness and desire in Aknadin's heart. Naturally, this involved the infusion of malice and the erosion of dark power. Not to mention, when Aknadin was about to lose his usefulness, Bakura decisively used his GM Item, **Limiter Removal**, on him.
As everyone knows, powerful items are often accompanied by great risk. The greater the power **Limiter Removal** exerted on Aknadin, the greater the influence it had on him. Even though Aknadin, brought out by Dark Yugi, received treatment from the Physician, he is still unconscious. It's even highly likely that he will remain unable to wake up like this in the Future.
However, even so, Hayato specifically had Mahad and Mana set up a seal on Aknadin before Mahad returned to the tablet to rest, to control his actions and the mobilization of power, preventing him from being unruly if he were to wake up at some point.
Even though Bakura had already taken the blame for Aknadin's corruption, no one could guarantee whether Aknadin, separated from Bakura's control, could return to his former self, nor could they confirm which stance he currently stood on. In short, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
And so, as the party walked through the Desert towards Dark Yugi's Tomb, after walking for a while, Dark Yugi saw several people walking towards them from a Sand Dune in the distance.
Even from a long distance away, Dark Yugi could already see the colorful Starfish head on one of the people, identical to his own, with his excellent eyesight that could see the card effects on others' Duel Disks. The symbol was distinct; it must be Yugi's party.
"It's Aibo and the others!"
Looking at Dark Yugi, who was simply excited at the sight of Yugi, Hayato ranted: "Does your eyesight get a boost when you're looking for Yugi? Being able to see clearly from this distance is a bit too much."
However, a relaxed smile also appeared on Hayato's face. Ranting aside, his eyesight was actually quite good too. Looking from here towards Yugi and the others, he saw Nefertari's figure at one glance and felt a subconscious sense of happiness.
Another key point was that it seemed like Yugi and the others had already brought Dark Yugi's Name out of his Tomb. This meant that Dark Yugi, having obtained his Name, could begin summoning that invincible existence.
It wasn't some kind of "invincible" that was boasted about and came with negative buffs, but truly invincible in every meaning. The only Creator God, the ultimate existence symbolizing the light and sun that create the World, **Horakhty the Creator of Light**.
As long as Dark Yugi obtained his true name and summoned this existence, let alone the monsters released from the Millennium Stone Tablet, even the true form of the evil will within the tablet, and even the Orichalcos God, they could all come. None of them would be his opponent.
There was nothing left to fear.
With a pleasant mood, upon seeing Yugi and the others, the group also quickened their pace and quickly crossed the short distance. Yugi's party successfully brought the Nameplate inscribed with Dark Yugi's true name to his side.
"Aibo!" "The Other Me!"
They hadn't been separated for long, but it felt like a long time. Dark Yugi and Yugi embraced each other, affectionately calling out to the other.
"Eek, ugh!" Watching the two close friends, Hayato stood aside and sighed casually, looking at Téa, who couldn't intervene between the two.
Beside Hayato, Nefertari also greeted him lively: "Good afternoon, Meriamun. Honestly, next time you go on a long trip, can't you tell me in advance? I suddenly couldn't find you anywhere."
"Mm, good afternoon, Nefertari." Hayato paused, scratched his head, and said somewhat perfunctorily, "Next time for sure, okay? Next time for sure."
Hearing their conversation, Tristan on the side frowned and muttered to himself, confused: "I've been wondering about this for a while, isn't the Name Nefertari... And Meriamun, I remember it's..."
"Huh? Joey Wheeler, what did you say?" Joey Wheeler, who hadn't heard Tristan clearly, asked. Tristan also shook his head, "No, it's nothing."
Joey Wheeler didn't pay much attention either; actually, he had just asked casually.
Letting go, Yugi took out the treasured Nameplate from his arms and solemnly handed it to Dark Yugi.
"Aibo, this is---" Staring intently at the Nameplate in his hand, Dark Yugi could feel a unique attraction towards himself emanating from it. "My, Name?"
"Mm, with this Nameplate, you'll never lose your Name again, The Other Me." Yugi said, looking at Dark Yugi before him, feeling empathy for the urgency in his heart that could be felt without words.
Having slumbered within the Millennium Puzzle for three thousand years, everything had changed when he woke up, and he didn't even have a single memory left, unable to even exclaim "everything has changed." Now, Dark Yugi's memories were being recovered little by little, and the most important Name was about to return to his hand. Yugi was genuinely happy for him.
Holding the Nameplate, Dark Yugi looked at the Name inscribed on the face of the Nameplate under everyone's expectant gaze.
However, the expected special reaction didn't appear even after Dark Yugi stared at the Nameplate for a long time. Everything was completely normal, which made Hayato feel a little strange.
"Have you remembered your Name, Pharaoh?" Seto asked, looking at the silent, motionless Dark Yugi.
Dark Yugi still looked at the Nameplate and finally shook his head helplessly after a long while: "I can feel that this is indeed my Name, but for some reason, even looking at my Name before me, I can't recall my Name, nor can I read the text on it."
"I have a feeling, as if I'm not yet ready to bear the weight of this Name. This is my intuition from the bottom of my heart." Dark Yugi's expression was somewhat dejected, and he said helplessly with his arm hanging down, "You all came here for nothing, Aibo, everyone."
"Not at all, you're being too distant by saying that, Yugi, we're friends." Joey Wheeler said cheerfully, "Even if you can't remember it temporarily, as long as this Nameplate is on your body, you can look at it anytime. You'll remember it eventually."
Téa also nodded and said: "Right? It's just a Name, it shouldn't be too urgent to remember, right?"
"I do remember that in Ancient Egypt, people regarded Names as very important, considering them equal to soul, body, and Life Points, believing they possessed special mystical power." The observant Tristan noticed the expectant expressions of the others when Dark Yugi received the Nameplate earlier, as if they thought something would happen after Dark Yugi remembered his Name.
With his sharp observation skills, he asked: "What happened when you went to that Thief Village, Hayato, Yugi?"
"Well, that's a long story." Hayato briefly explained what happened in Thief Village in a few words, mentioning Bakura's death in Necrovalley along the way, and finally talked about the six Millennium Items that were taken and placed on the Millennium Stone Tablet. "That's roughly how things are."
"The Name of the Nameless Pharaoh is the foundation of this World's Existence and the most fundamental law. If The Other Yugi successfully remembers his Name, he will inevitably gain the Power sufficient to defeat the monsters released by Bakura." Hayato paused and said helplessly, "I just didn't expect the current situation to occur."
Hayato had already prepared to welcome the descent of the invincible Creator of Light. After all, in the original plot he knew, Dark Yugi also successfully remembered his Name shortly after obtaining it, and then, guided by his 'Egyptian Ghost' Father, successfully summoned the Creator of Light.
But now, not only was the Creator of Light not summoned, which Hayato could somewhat understand (after all, Kaiku Corporation's official cards also printed that three Egyptian Gods were required as tribute for its summon), but Dark Yugi couldn't even remember his Name, which was beyond Hayato's expectation.
Moreover, saying things like "not yet having the ability to bear the weight of the Name" - compared to the original plot, the current development of events has indeed shown many differences, but the various changes that have occurred shouldn't have affected Dark Yugi.
The biggest difference is that besides Dark Yugi, Hayato also participated in this Memory World as a Player. It's impossible that just because there's one more Hayato, the weight of the Memory World has changed to a degree that the current Dark Yugi cannot bear, right?
Hayato could only guess that perhaps the time was not yet ripe, and it wasn't time for the invincible Creator of Light to descend.
But the problem is, before Bakura's hidden card that corresponds to the Creator of Light, or rather, the true form of Bakura sealed within the Millennium Stone Tablet, descends, they currently can't even deal with the monster released from the Millennium Stone Tablet after the six Millennium Items were placed on it.
Without the Creator of Light, they still had to find a way to enhance their power, to gather as much power as possible to subdue Bakura. Since things had come to this, Hayato also made up his mind and walked towards Malik behind him.
"Malik, I remember you said before that Seto... I mean Kaiba, had you use the power of the **Millennium Necklace** to help him awaken the spirit in his heart, right?"
"That's right, I was actually a bit surprised that it actually worked. Seems like I'm pretty amazing, huh?" Although Malik was a little strange as to why Hayato was asking him about this now, he still nodded, then said somewhat impatiently,
"You're not going to ask me again what spirit Kaiba Seto awakened, are you? I already told you I was unconscious at the time and didn't see anything. When I woke up, I just saw Kaiba next to me, I didn't see anything like 'Kaibaman'."
"No, it's not about that. It's fine as long as you successfully used the **Millennium Necklace**." Hayato had previously asked Malik for confirmation about the connection between 'Kaiba Seto' and 'Kaibaman', but as Malik said, there was no result, and Kaiba himself refused to admit it. However, he wasn't looking for Malik for this matter now.
Taking out the treasured item from his body, Hayato solemnly said to Malik: "The **Millennium Necklace** possesses the ability of Future Sight. If this item is used on it, what kind of power can it unleash?"
The GM Item in Hayato's hand was called **Stardust Crusaders**. It possessed the ability to record a GM Item that has been used and copy its effect. At this moment, it was recording the **Limiter Removal** that Bakura had used!