Chapter 531: Kaiba, Your Card is Really Useful, But Now It's Mine
"Hayato?"
Yugi looked up at Hayato in the air and had a brief exchange, learning about the current situation.
Everyone outside was fine, and the missing Yugi Muto had been found by Hayato, who had ventured deep into the Pyramid of Light. Besides Kaiba Dome, a newly completed building, having a huge hole ripped through it, and Kaiba himself being beaten up, no one else was injured.
Additionally, Yugi learned from Hayato the necessary conditions to defeat Anubis.
However, Anubis was unaware of all this. He simply watched Yugi looking up for a moment, then revealed a confident expression.
"I see, I understand completely now." Yugi's finger rested on the top card of his Deck, and he made to Draw, remarking with a slight sigh, "The shortcut I thought I was taking turned out to be the longest path."
"My Turn, Draw!"
"Then I Activate the Spell Card, [Magic Stone of Excavation]! I Discard two cards from my Hand to the Graveyard to Add the Spell Card [Card of Safe Return] from my Graveyard to my Hand, and Activate it!"
"This card's Effect allows both players to Draw cards from their Deck until they have six cards in their Hand. Since I have no cards in my Hand, I can Draw six cards!"
Using [Magic Stone of Excavation], Yugi enjoyed the Effect of [Card of Safe Return] for the third time in this Duel, drawing six cards from his Deck at once. Seeing this, Anubis sneered, "Hmph, a useless struggle. What good are more cards against my invincible [Theinen the Great Sphinx] on the Field?"
"Furthermore, I also have no cards in my Hand, so I can also Draw six cards."
Synchronized with Yugi's movements, Anubis also drew six cards. Upon seeing the cards he drew, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile, as if he had drawn quite excellent cards.
'Although I drew four filler cards, [Dark Hole] and [Destruction Cannon Man] finally came to my Hand.'
'Next Turn, I just need to Normal Summon [Destruction Cannon Man], use its Effect to Equip it to [Theinen the Great Sphinx], then Activate [Dark Hole] to Destroy all Monsters on the Field. This will clear all the Monsters that brat might Summon this Turn, while [Theinen the Great Sphinx] can resist this destruction with [Destruction Cannon Man].'
'After that, a Direct Attack will secure my complete victory!'
Anubis's calculations were sound, but he failed to notice the smile that appeared on Yugi's lips as he saw the cards he had drawn.
'Hayato just told me that Kaiba has a new (Blue-Eyes) card with a powerful Effect comparable to a God Card. If I remember correctly, it seems to be the one Kaiba tried to Summon by Tributing [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] earlier, right?'
Thinking this, Yugi pressed the button to Activate a Set Card. "Anubis, in this Duel, I will Duel for Kaiba's sake too! I Activate my last Set Card in the Back Row, [Grave Robber]! By paying 1000 Life Points, I can select one card from my opponent's Graveyard for me to use."
[Yugi: 1600 → 600 LP]
"Hm? A card from my Graveyard?" Anubis raised his Duel Disk and said disdainfully, "It doesn't matter. [Theinen the Great Sphinx]'s Attack will not decrease because a Monster leaves the Graveyard."
"No, not your Graveyard."
Yugi shook his head, pointing to Kaiba beside him. "The Target I choose is Kaiba's Graveyard, whose Duel you interfered with. To be precise, it's that card Kaiba tried to Summon earlier but was interrupted by you!"
As he spoke, Yugi looked at Kaiba.
And at that very moment, Kaiba, who had been unconscious from suffocation for a long time, slowly regained some consciousness. As soon as he woke up, he saw his card lying next to him, and Yugi and Anubis confronting each other. His gaze happened to meet Yugi's.
"This is..."
"Kaiba, you're awake."
Kaiba regaining consciousness was unexpected for Yugi, but Yugi had already paid Life Points to Activate the card. Although taking Kaiba's card right in front of him was somewhat awkward, Yugi still extended his hand.
And the [Dark Magician] on Yugi's Field cooperatively waved the Staff in his hand. Magical Energy was released onto the card next to Kaiba, extracting one that flew into Yugi's hand, which Yugi precisely gripped between his fingers.
"Yugi! Kisama!"
Although Yugi's action was cool, one person was quite displeased.
Kaiba glared at Yugi. "Though I don't know what just happened, Yugi, how dare you take that (Blue-Eyes) from my Hand!"
'I've only ever used it in simulations, and you dare to steal my card's precious first time!'
The latter half of the sentence, being a bit embarrassing, Kaiba wisely chose not to say aloud.
"Sorry, Kaiba, I can apologize later, but right now I must defeat that person across from me." Yugi brought up what Anubis had done, his teeth gritted slightly, "How dare he take my Aibo away from me!"
In his anger, Yugi looked down at the card he had taken from Kaiba's hand.
[[Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon]][Level 10/LIGHT]
[Dragon/Effect]
[3000/2500]
[Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned. You can Special Summon this card by Tributing one [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] you control. This card gains 300 ATK for each Dragon-Type Monster in your Graveyard. When a Spell/Trap Card or Monster Effect is activated that targets a monster you control or you, the player can choose whether to apply its effect. Also, you can Tribute this card to Destroy any number of cards on the Field; this effect cannot be negated, and it can be activated during your Opponent's Turn.]
After Yugi finished reading the Effect of [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon], even he, having seen many shocking things, fell silent for a moment. After all, the Effect of this card was truly outrageous. He somewhat understood where Kaiba's confidence in defeating him and Hayato came from.
What does "the player chooses whether to accept" mean? What does "destroy any number, cannot be negated" mean?
Such a shameless Effect, it's so typical of Pegasus! When that guy gets an idea, he just loves to print cards with crazy Effects, completely disregarding whether the card's power level is balanced. Unforgivable, Pegasus!
After his usual internal scolding of Pegasus, Yugi reread the Effect of [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon]. This card was indeed strong, but its Summoning condition was truly troublesome. It couldn't be Normal Summoned, but could be Special Summoned by Tributing [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], and only Kaiba possessed [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]. This meant that even if dozens or hundreds more of these cards were printed, it wouldn't affect the Duel Monsters Meta.
If Yugi were to design it, first, he would change "can be Special Summoned" to "must be Special Summoned." Then, that ridiculous "choose to accept" Effect absolutely had to be removed. Finally, the card destruction Effect that could even Destroy God Cards would have to remove "cannot be negated" and only be able to Destroy one card. Then, these cards might be somewhat reasonable.
Although Yugi inwardly complained about the power of [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon], in the current situation, the overly powerful [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon] was perfectly suitable. To defeat Anubis, an even stronger Effect wouldn't be an issue.
However, the problem currently facing Yugi was that he did not have a card in his Hand that could Special Summon [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon]. After all, his Deck didn't contain many Higher-Level Dragon-Type Monsters, nor had he drawn [Monster Reborn] to revive [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] from Anubis's Graveyard.
But, Yugi did have [Autonomous Action Unit], and he "just happened" to draw a card that could Tribute a Monster to Recover Life Points to pay the cost for [Autonomous Action Unit]: [Mystical Chinese Pot]...
Unaware that Yugi behind him was staring at him with a subtle gaze, [Dark Magician] suddenly shivered, then heard Yugi's voice: "Anubis, to defeat you, I am willing to sacrifice my old friend, [Dark Magician]! I Activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, [Mystical Chinese Pot]!"
"I Tribute [Dark Magician]! My Life Points gain points equal to [Dark Magician]'s ATK, which is 2500!"
With a bewildered expression from [Dark Magician], a large pot descended from the sky, covering it and sending it to the Graveyard. Yugi's Life Points recovered accordingly.
[Yugi: 600 → 3100 LP]
"With enough Life Points, I can Activate this card, the Equip Spell Card, [Autonomous Action Unit]! By paying 1500 Life Points, I can Special Summon one Monster from your Graveyard to my Field in Attack Position and Equip it with [Autonomous Action Unit]! I choose [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] from your Graveyard, Anubis!"
"Come to my Field, [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]!"
[Yugi: 3100 → 1600 LP]
After all the turns, Yugi's Life Points returned to the value Kaiba had set. However, a three-headed White Dragon appeared on his Field.
"This is the second time someone has used my (Blue-Eyes) in front of me. But, if it's used to defeat the guy who dared to interfere with my Duel, your reckoning can wait." Kaiba's face turned sour with the appearance of [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]. However, perhaps because he had grown accustomed to seeing his (Blue-Eyes) change owners during his Duel with Hayato, Kaiba's greater anger was directed at Anubis.
"However, if my (Blue-Eyes) loses to some Fourth-Rate Duelist who looks like he uses a third-rate Deck, be prepared to apologize profusely, Yugi!"
"Don't worry, Kaiba, I want to defeat this guy even more than you do."
Replying to Kaiba, Yugi raised the [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon] he had just Added to Hand high above his head: "Now, I will continue Kaiba's unfinished Summon! I Tribute [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] on the Field!"
"A Summon beyond Ultimate Monsters, a Dragon of Light that erases everything!"
Following Yugi, Kaiba seemed to rise, perhaps due to the Summon of a new... a new (Blue-Eyes), and excitedly said: "Let your light completely tear apart the filthy and defiling darkness! Resilient, invincible, strongest! Crush, shatter, grand cheer!"
"Descent!" X2
"[Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon]!!"
"BLUE-EYES SHINING DRAGON!!!"
The body of the three-headed Ultimate Dragon suddenly cracked open with countless fissures, as if infinite light blossomed from within. Accompanied by sounds of shattering, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon] burst forth from within [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]!
Azure stripes, like totems, lit up its slender body, and its sharp skin was like armor with a mechanical texture. Dubbed the strongest card, surpassing even God Cards, by Pegasus, the father of Duel Monsters who created the Egyptian God Cards, [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon] grandly appeared!
[[Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon]][ATK3000]
The holy and dazzling White Dragon descended onto Yugi's Field. Even Yugi, looking at the White Dragon before him, was quite shaken: "Is this the strongest Evolution of (Blue-Eyes)?"
"Hmph, this is the symbol of my Power, [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon]." Kaiba said proudly, "If it weren't for that interfering guy earlier, I would have already defeated you, Yugi."
"Whatever about that." Yugi said helplessly, his piercing gaze sweeping towards Anubis. "Although I don't have enough Dragon-Type Monsters in my Graveyard to Power [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon], my only goal is its strongest Effect."
"I Tribute [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon] to Activate its Effect! I choose to Destroy [Theinen the Great Sphinx] on your Field, [Pyramid of Light], and that Set Card in your Backrow!"
"I've reached my limit of patience! Now, I will Destroy all your cards!"
Anubis, hearing Yugi's words, scoffed, "Muda da muda da! [Pyramid of Light] is not an ordinary Duel Monster card that you use. It houses a mighty Power capable of Destroying the World! How could it be—"
"Puh-ah!?"
Mid-sentence, Anubis suddenly let out a painful scream, clutching the crystal Pyramid on his chest tightly, his voice confused: "W-What happened?! What did you do!"
———Inside the Pyramid of Light———
"I see, that 'King of Destruction' actually wants to Destroy the World and turn it to ash, what a dangerous fellow." Yugi Muto and Hayato sat on scattered empty sarcophagi in a room, learning many things from Hayato.
Not far away, many Mummy remnants were scattered on the ground. Although their resilient life force meant they could still move even when in pieces, they were too weak and were easily suppressed by [Ojama Yellow] and other Ojama Monsters.
"But, Hayato, why is Bakura here too?" Yugi glanced towards the end of the room, where Bakura, with his rabbit-ear-like hair, was crouching beside a Mummy, his hand pressed firmly on the crystal Pyramid on its chest, continuously releasing the Magical Energy within. "And I feel like you're using Bakura."
"Don't just 'feel,' I am using Bakura, but this Bakura isn't the Bakura you know, Yugi." Hayato said, looking at the pleased Bakura. "That guy isn't a good person; it's mutual exploitation. But compared to Anubis, I'd rather let him get some benefit."
"Though, when you count it up, that guy still owes me a favor."
Feeling the millennium's worth of Power accumulated in the crystal Pyramid being released—although a large portion of it was wasted, and some returned to the Egyptian God Cards—Bakura, or rather, Zorc Necrophades appearing in Bakura's form, still absorbed a considerable amount of Power that left him quite satisfied.
"It's like greeting the first morning of the New Year in fresh underwear! Thank you very much, Hayato."
"See? He's even thanking you."
(end of chapter)
Chapter 532: You Can't One-Turn KO Me, Can You?
When Hayato first entered the Pyramid of Light, he hadn't actually expected to encounter Bakura. However, after seeing Bakura, Hayato understood what the Pyramid of Light truly was.
Compared to items like the (Millennium Items), which store immense Power due to human sacrifices during their creation, the Pyramid of Light was actually more of a versatile conversion device. Not only could it convert the Power of Destroyed Monsters into its own life force, as seen in the previous Duel with Hayato, it could even perform spatial displacement.
In his previous life, while watching the Anime, Hayato had wondered why this labyrinth of chaotic gravity, appearing after the Pyramid of Light, resembled Yami Yugi's "mind's chambers" so closely. Now, it seemed it wasn't just a resemblance; Anubis had used the Pyramid of Light to directly replace Yami Yugi's "mind's chambers" within the (Millennium Puzzle).
Thus, the connection between Yugi Muto and Yami Yugi, who were supposed to be telepathically linked through the (Millennium Puzzle), was severed due to the displacement. Even the remnant soul of the Great Evil God, Bakura, hiding within the (Millennium Puzzle), was transferred along with it into the Pyramid of Light.
Hayato, who knew Yami Yugi's true name and true identity, thus drew a conclusion: Anubis intended to use the intertwined Destiny of Kaiba and Yugi's thousand-year struggle to absorb their Power for himself. He even planned to go a step further, usurp Yami Yugi's position to lord over the World, and, on behalf of the Light of Destruction behind him, bring about the world's destruction!
Since his opponent was no good person, Hayato saw no need to pretend to be a gentleman. Hitting it off immediately with Bakura, he directly used the Power of the (Millennium Ring) to locate Anubis's whereabouts. That guy had directly replaced Yami Yugi's mind's chambers with his own, decorating it like a newly excavated tomb—a classic case of usurpation.
Although the hordes of Mummies guarding the room were of an insurmountable scale and possessed an undying nature, neither Hayato nor Bakura were ordinary people. They effortlessly suppressed these Mummies, which were good for nothing except their life force and numbers—Tristan and Joey, for instance, could have easily mowed them down.
Concerned that Anubis might tamper with his main crystal Pyramid, Hayato let Bakura handle it. Bakura, however, was quite particular; completely uninterested in the Power converted by the crystal Pyramid, he instead had a great need for the grudges and other negative emotions within it.
It was then that Hayato discovered that after the Pyramid of Light replaced the (Millennium Puzzle), his (Millennium Ring) surprisingly retained some of its ability to Counter the (Millennium Items). This explained Hayato's earlier interaction with Yami Yugi, informing him of the situation.
Within the miniature world inside the Pyramid of Light, Bakura was feasting heartily, while Hayato found the still-lost Yugi Muto and kept him by his side. Outside the world of the Pyramid of Light, Anubis, who was Dueling Yugi, watched incredulously as cracks gradually appeared on the crystal Pyramid on his chest.
"No, impossible! Why has it turned out like this!?"
"Within that (Millennium Rod), shouldn't there only be the weak soul of the King of Darkness's physical vessel? I meticulously observed for a long time before deciding to substitute the Pyramid of Light for the (Millennium Rod)!"
"What about that Evil Soul, and that intruder, it's that Hayato!"
"Damn you!"
"My perfect plan, ruined by a despicable fellow more vulgar than a frog's piss!"
"Killing you a thousand times wouldn't be enough! Hayato!"
It wasn't that Anubis was selectively holding grudges; he actually harbored great resentment towards Bakura, who was tampering with his crystal Pyramid. However, he didn't even know Bakura's name, and he hadn't paid any attention to Yugi's name either. He only remembered Hayato, so he simply dumped all his fury onto Hayato.
Nevertheless, Anubis's anger at this moment was, ultimately, nothing more than impotent rage.
On the Duel Field, the sacred light Dragon ascended into the air, emitting countless slender light beams from the patterns on its body.
As these light beams swept past Yugi and Kaiba, they appeared as mere ordinary light sources, simply passing without leaving a trace. However, when the light beams touched the surrounding blue walls of light, they reacted with the ferocity of quicklime meeting boiling water; the ground instantly shook and trembled, reacting with exceptional violence.
And on Anubis's Field, (Theinen the Great Sphinx), despite its ATK being boosted to an absurd 13500 points by its own Effect—enough to take down four and a half (Blue-Eyes White Dragon)s—was ultimately just a weakling with no Resistance. Under the illumination of the Holy Light released by the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, its body, which came into contact with the light beams, swelled up as if it were about to explode at any moment.
"Before you think about exacting revenge on others, you should worry about yourself, Anubis."
Yugi's voice carried, immediately followed by Kaiba's:
"As punishment for interfering with my sacred Duel, all your hope shall be extinguished by the Power of my invincible Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon."
"Take this, Anubis!" Both Yugi and Kaiba shouted.
"(Shining Nova)!!" Both Yugi and Kaiba roared.
As Yugi and Kaiba, with perfect synchronicity, simultaneously called out the attack name, the Power of the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon was unleashed to its fullest. For a moment, it was as if a supernova truly exploded within the Pyramid of Light, and sacred white light enveloped everything!
(Pyramid of Light), Destroy!
"Ugh, ahhh!"
Within the light, Anubis screamed in agony.
The Pyramid of Light, which had trapped Yugi and Kaiba, completely disintegrated under the might of the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, returning the two to the open-air Kaiba Dome Venue.
Mid-air, countless particles dispersed from the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon's body, and she gradually turned transparent. However, before vanishing completely, she turned her head to look at Kaiba.
Kaiba, who locked eyes with the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, perceived a hint of reluctance in her gaze. A sudden sadness and heartache gripped his chest, though he didn't know why.
"Kisara—" Inexplicably, Kaiba wanted to utter a name, but he couldn't recall what he was trying to say. Taking the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon Card back from Yugi's Hand, Kaiba silently gazed at the white dragon on the Card.
In the Audience Seating, everyone naturally saw Yugi and Kaiba return to the Field the moment the Pyramid of Light vanished.
"Yugi!" "Brother!"
The shouts of Joey, Mokuba, and others attracted Yugi and Kaiba's attention. Looking in the direction of the voices, Yugi hadn't even had time to greet Joey and the others before he noticed the position above their heads, his expression changing drastically: "Everyone, quickly get away from there!"
Confused, everyone looked up, and their faces all changed in alarm.
Earlier, after the Pyramid of Light Absorbed the Power of the Egyptian God Cards, it had released a soaring light column, creating a scene of the apocalypse descending upon the World, and in doing so, had also pierced a large hole in the roof of the obstructing Kaiba Dome.
Now, with the disappearance of the Pyramid of Light and the absence of the light column, the already unstable dome further disintegrated. A large piece of debris was crashing down under the force of gravity towards the Audience Seating directly below!
"Crash!"
"Mokuba!" "Téa, Joey, Tristan!"
Even with Yugi's warning about the danger from above, time was simply too short. The people in the Audience Seating had no time to escape and were covered by the dust kicked up as the debris crashed down.
Yugi and Kaiba's anxious shouts received no response.
However, amidst the dust and smoke, Joey, who had nervously hugged Tristan beside him out of fear, felt not the slightest pain even after a long while.
"It's over, it's over, I couldn't have been crushed to death, could I?!" Joey nervously muttered to himself. Because they were so close, he also saw Tristan, who had mimicked his actions almost perfectly, also hugging himself in the critical moment. "And to be crushed to death with this idiot Tristan, I haven't even been in a relationship yet!"
"The one calling others idiots is the idiot, and I haven't been in a relationship either! Unlike your ambiguous situation with Mai, I haven't made any progress with Serenity Wheeler because of you," Tristan retorted to Joey. "If you had a conscience, you'd at least let Serenity Wheeler and me go on one date."
"Even in a situation like this, where we're supposedly dead, you still shouldn't even think about that."
Tristan looked at Joey's foolish expression and pried open his hand from his shoulder. "So you're an idiot, right? We're not dead at all."
"Huh?" Joey was slow to understand, looking up to find that the debris, which should have crashed down, was now suspended a certain distance above their heads, not falling further. "Could it be that there really is a God in this World?"
Just then, a voice came from behind Joey and Tristan:
"Hmph, do I look like God to you?"
They turned to look and saw the speaker was Marik, holding up the (Millennium Rod), his forehead covered in cold sweat.
"It's just a mere piece of debris. (Lava Golem) isn't just for show, you know. Watch me push it back!"
Following Marik's arm, which held the (Millennium Rod), Joey and Tristan then realized that a gigantic lava arm had emerged from the ground, holding up the falling debris. It was none other than the Solid Vision Materialization of the (Lava Golem)'s Duel Monster Spirit.
The firelight of (Lava Golem) illuminated the dust and smoke, revealing the safe and sound crowd to Yugi and Kaiba on the Duel Field, causing Yugi to sigh in relief.
Worried about Mokuba, Kaiba immediately ran towards the Audience Seating. Yugi also wanted to follow, but at that moment, he heard a voice from behind him: "You, where do you think you're going?"
"!"
Yugi, turning his head, then remembered that he had only Destroyed the (Pyramid of Light) Cards; his Duel with Anubis wasn't over yet. Looking back to Anubis's previous location, he indeed saw Anubis struggling to get up from the ground.
With the Destruction of the (Pyramid of Light) Card, the crystal Pyramid on Anubis's chest was likewise covered in countless cracks, looking as if it would shatter at a touch.
However, completely contrary to the state of the crystal Pyramid, Anubis's body was currently brimming with a vast amount of energy visible to the naked eye. While his face showed annoyance, it was more dominated by relief.
"This great one's most important part of the plan, the (Pyramid of Light) meant to destroy this World and create despair, was actually Destroyed by you all, tsk. This means my plan can no longer proceed at all."
"However, it doesn't matter. The (Pyramid of Light) itself was merely an item I created using the knowledge I acquired. As long as I have enough time, I can still create another one; it would merely take a very long time, which is nothing to me, who is immortal after resurrection."
"But this sense of humiliation from having my plan thwarted—if I don't vent it, I won't be able to rest easy!"
Anubis sneered at Yugi: "What if you Destroyed all my Cards? With my remaining Life Points, you have no way to deplete them this Turn. And the next Turn, that will be the time of your demise!"
Yugi looked puzzled: "Your Life Points weren't only—!!!"
Anubis: 14500 LP
"Hohoho, I'll return those words to you, arrogant brat. This is my struggle for victory." Anubis proudly showed off a Card. "Before you Destroyed (Theinen the Great Sphinx), I Activated my Set Card in the Backrow, (Mysterious Chinese Pot)."
"It's truly thanks to you mortals who taught me this useful Strategy. Rather than letting (Theinen the Great Sphinx) be Destroyed, I might as well fry it and eat it."
"Now my Life Points are over ten thousand. Can you really inflict 14500 points of Damage in One Turn with only those four Cards in your Hand to defeat me?"
Triumphant Anubis anticipated the expression of despair that would soon appear on Yugi's face. However, what he didn't expect was that Yugi laughed: "Honestly, you've been a great help. I was just troubled that the severity of the punishment I inflicted upon you earlier might have been insufficient."
"In that case, perhaps this Card is more suitable. I'll perform my Normal Summon for this Turn. I Summon (Celtic Guardian) in Attack Position, with 1400 ATK! Then, I enter my Battle Phase!"
"A Monster with 1400 ATK? Aren't all Monsters under 1500 ATK just Fodder Monsters?"
Anubis said scornfully, and Yugi made his Attack Declaration: "Then I'll show you the Power of a 'Fodder Monster'! (Celtic Guardian), Direct Attack!"
The sharp sword sliced a wound across Anubis's chest, but due to the powerful life force currently coursing through Anubis, his wound instantly healed.
Anubis: 14500 → 13100 LP
"Useless! What a harmless Attack! And now you have no more mo—"
"Not so fast!" Seeing Anubis's smug expression, Yugi played a Card from his Hand. "I Discard my entire Hand to Activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Targeting (Celtic Guardian), whose ATK is 1500 or less!"
"(Berserker Soul)!"
(end of chapter)
Chapter 533: Degenerate, Monster Card!
"Activate Berserker Soul!"
After activating the card in his hand, Yugi saw Anubis still looked indifferent, and realized he didn't understand Berserker Soul's Effect.
He "kindly" explained: "Because of Berserker Soul's Effect, I draw one card from the top of my Deck to check it. If it's a Monster Card, I send it to the Graveyard, and then my Celtic Guardian on the Field can attack you again."
"Degenerate! (Draw!)"
With his finger on his Deck, Yugi drew the top card like a samurai drawing a sword. Without even looking at the card he drew, he immediately shouted,
"Monster Card! (Monster Card!)"
The Celtic Guardian, still on the Field in front of Anubis, swung its longsword again with this shout. The sharp blade once again cut through Anubis's body. Although his body healed again, a portion of his Life Points was once more taken away.
[Anubis: 13100 → 11700 LP]
"Tsk, troublesome brat." Anubis frowned, saying unhappily, "But these are still just minor, superficial injuries, not worth mentioning—"
"Degenerate!"
After sending the previously drawn Mammoth Graveyard to the Graveyard, Yugi drew another card, interrupting Anubis before he could finish. "Monster Card!"
[Anubis: 11700 → 10300 LP]
"Ugh!" Anubis gasped, choked by a blow from Celtic Guardian's blade. Amidst the pain, a look of surprise appeared on his face. "Why, it attacked again!?"
"Because of Berserker Soul's Effect, consecutive attacks do not have a once per turn restriction. It can continue until I draw a card that isn't a Monster Card!" Yugi sent the Giant Soldier of Stone from his hand to the Graveyard. "Even if your Life Points are cleared, Berserker Soul's Effect will continue to resolve."
"Here I come, Anubis. Do you have enough Life Points left?"
"Third Degenerate!"
As he spoke, Yugi drew another card.
Seeing Yugi so smug, Anubis grew furious: "You brat, it's just temporary luck that you drew two Monster Cards consecutively. How many Monster Cards can be left in your Deck, and how many more can you draw?"
"As for how many Monster Cards are in my Deck, I haven't really checked. But for a true Duelist, every draw is predetermined, and they can even create their own future."
Yugi said, showing the drawn card, Fortress Wing Dragon: "Monster Card!"
"Pfft!"
[Anubis: 10300 → 9900 LP]
"Ugh!" Stabbed through the heart again by the sharp blade, even though the wounds on Anubis's body healed at high speed once more, the speed of recovery was visibly much slower to the naked eye. "You bastard!"
"How dare you make me utter such a humiliating sound!"
"I won't let you off!"
Yugi looked at Anubis and said coldly: "Hmph, suit yourself. You can complain about that obsession to the Underworld's jailers after you die, it's fine."
"But there's one thing I won't let the Underworld's jailers handle."
Yugi pointed at Anubis, "Interfering with someone's sacred Duel, intending to destroy the world, and harming my Aibo, you've truly angered me, Anubis!"
"Upon you, I shall inflict the Punishment of a Thousand Blades!"
"Degenerate! Monster Card!"
"Degenerate! Monster Card!"
"Degenerate! Monster Card!"
"Degenerate! Monster Card!"
"Degenerate! Monster Card!"
"Degenerate! Monster Card!"
"Degenerate! Monster Card!"
[Anubis: 9900 → 8500 → 7100 → 5700 → 4300 → 2900 → 1500 → 100 LP]
With seven consecutive draws, Yugi drew seven more Monster Cards. By sending these seven cards to the Graveyard, Celtic Guardian relentlessly delivered seven consecutive attacks. The sharp blade rained down, instantly reducing Anubis's Life Points to a mere 100.
"Y-y-yah! My Life Points were originally a full 14,500, yet, yet you've reduced Anubis to such a state!"
Anubis glared at Yugi with hateful eyes, but Yugi merely placed his finger back on his Deck.
"Degenerate!" With another draw, Yugi drew a "Kuriboh", sending it to the Graveyard. "This is the final blow, Anubis."
"Monster Card!"
Though it couldn't compare to the MVP Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon that turned the tide in this Duel, the Celtic Guardian, which dealt the most damage, raised its longsword one last time and brought it down forcefully!
"Uwaaah!!"
[Anubis: 100 LP → 0]
"Degenerate!"
Although Anubis's Life Points had been cleared, and his body had even begun to turn to dust and dissipate, Yugi, because of Berserker Soul, still drew a card. However, this time, he drew Monster Reborn, which was a Spell Card, not a Monster Card.
After achieving its goal, Berserker Soul precisely ended its Effect at the right moment, without continuing to flog the corpse of Anubis, even if the attack launched against Anubis, who had died a thousand years ago, was broadly speaking "flogging the corpse."
Yugi wouldn't go as far as to shout "Monster Card!" when he drew a Spell Card, which would be incredibly despicable. If he did that, even Dark Magician Girl might be startled into losing a Level. He ended this Duel, looking at Anubis, whose body was half-transformed back into a decaying mummy, glaring at him with the single crimson eye in his half-changed face.
"Your ambition ends here, Anubis."
Anubis seemed to want to say something, but the dissipation of his body had fully spread. Before he could open his mouth to speak, his physical body completely disintegrated, falling to the ground, even crushing the already fragmented crystal Pyramid on his chest.
The crimson eye of the Eye of Udjat rolled onto the ground.
Joey and the others, who had moved from the Audience Seating to the Field, also witnessed Yugi's victory in the Duel.
"He succeeded!" "Yugi won!" "That's great, Yugi!"
No matter how you looked at it, this Duel was Yugi's victory, as Anubis himself had been defeated with his Life Points cleared by Yugi's Berserker Soul's consecutive attacks.
It was precisely at the moment the crystal Pyramid shattered that Yugi and Hayato, inside the Pyramid of Light World, felt everything around them begin to tremble violently.
"It seems the Duel outside has ended," Hayato said, looking at the ancient walls and floor tiles crumbling around him, revealing a void world. He knew that Yami Yugi must have defeated Anubis.
"Mm, because Yami Yugi is very strong," Yugi said, smiling and nodding. He noticed his body gradually becoming transparent, seemingly returning to the soul state he would normally appear in inside the Millennium Puzzle.
Almost instantly, accompanied by the disintegration of the surrounding space, Yugi's figure disappeared, seemingly returning to the normal world.
Hayato smiled, looking at the departing Yugi. "Not just Yami Yugi, Yugi, you are strong too."
However, this sentence was not heard by Yugi, but it was heard by another "person" slumping in that room. But that was someone completely uninterested in Duel Monsters.
"Hehehe, what a feast. I never thought that ugly fellow had such a rich foundation."
Bakura, looking relaxed, sat casually on the stairs like a pregnant woman, completely disregarding his image. Although the spatial rifts around him were gradually approaching, he remained indifferent, letting them spread.
He opened his narrowed eyes and glanced at Hayato, who walked up the stairs and picked up the red orb lying within the crystal fragments from Anubis's mummy's chest. Bakura said casually: "Are you interested in that thing? It's just a converter. Although it also has the ability to transfer and store power, the power inside it is completely empty now, with no utilization value whatsoever."
"Of course, if you're willing to slaughter humans using the method by which this thing was originally made, you can acquire power by converting human souls."
"I wouldn't go that far to pursue power. I'm quite interested in Double Jump," Hayato said, tossing the red orb in his hand. "However, you seem to know the origin of this thing?"
"Of course it is. Who do you think I am?"
A smug expression appeared on Bakura's face. "When that ugly Anubis got the manufacturing method for this thing from the entity behind him, I somewhat memorized it. And I also know the true nature of this thing and how to use it."
"To explain it in a way you can understand, this thing is like a wish-granting machine. It can almost make anything you wish for come true. The only cost is that you need to pay equivalent things in advance to achieve the wish. Because it's Equivalent Exchange, it's somewhat useless, which is why I'm not very interested in it."
"Equivalent Exchange?" Hayato's expression became a little strange upon hearing this, as he thought of something.
Bakura, who was watching Hayato, naturally knew what he was thinking from Hayato's expression. "That's right, 'Fifth Element.' I remember people outside call this thing that, right? Also known as 'Alchemist's Stone,' 'Red Elixir,' and so on. I feel 'Red Elixir' is more apt, since it's red."
"Of course, more commonly, it seems to be called 'Philosopher's Stone'," Bakura said with a mischievous look. "I can tell you how to make it. It's actually very simple: just use weapons made of Orichalcum to kill enough people, and you can reverse the Attribute of green Orichalcum. But unfortunately, even if you have the courage to kill, this world almost certainly has no Orichalcum left, and there won't be a second—"
As he spoke, Bakura looked at a card Hayato took from his waist and suddenly fell silent.
"Tch, if you had Philosopher's Stone, you should have said so earlier, wasting my time."
Taking out the Philosopher's Stone - Hermos card from his Inventory, Hayato looked at the red orb in the card art, which was identical to the orb in his hand. He smiled and put them both away, raising his gradually transparent hand. "Actually, it's more like wasting my time. After all, it looks like I have to leave too."
Hayato was different from Yugi. He entered the Pyramid of Light World with his actual body. Although he could stay a bit longer than Yugi, who was directly kicked out, continuing to stay would still result in being forced out. If it came to a forced expulsion, Hayato wasn't sure he could protect himself. He didn't want to become a Spirit Companion or a space ghost for now.
As for the information Bakura provided, it wasn't a waste of time. Through Bakura's words, Hayato finally learned the answer to a question that had troubled him in his previous life.
Years later, in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, during Jaden's third year at Duel Academy, he would meet transfer students from other Duel Academy branch schools. Among them was a student named "Jim Crocodile Cook." As a child, he was injured saving his crocodile friend named "Karen," losing his right eye. However, he received a red eye called "Eye of Orichalcos" from an unknown man.
Many events happened during that academic year, causing Jaden to awaken the dark power within him and transform into Supreme King Jaden, almost becoming a completely different person. However, he later returned to being Jaden because another mercenary companion named "O'Brien" used Jim's "Eye of Orichalcos."
According to Bakura, the 'Philosopher's Stone' was essentially reversed Orichalcum, which is "Orichalcos." This explained how Jim's red "Eye of Orichalcos" brought Jaden back, at the cost of Jim's life.
However, a new question arose. Bakura said there was no Orichalcum, or "Orichalcos," left in this world. Where did the person who gave the "Eye of Orichalcos" to young Jim get the Orichalcum, and how did they complete its creation?
Hayato temporarily suppressed these questions in his heart. He cast a deep glance at Bakura, who, from his appearance, bore no resemblance to a "Great Evil God" and looked more like a happy slob who had just gorged on fried chicken. Hayato's figure then disappeared from this world.
As Hayato departed, Bakura yawned with a hint of boredom. "Really, I'm all alone again. But to even possess a 'Philosopher's Stone,' he's quite an extraordinary fellow, Hayato."
"However, I, who am left in the Millennium Puzzle, am just a backup soul fragment of the main body. If there's anything to worry about, it's the main body outside that should worry, it's certainly not my turn."
Bakura, with crossed legs, disintegrated along with everything around him, returning to the Millennium Puzzle where he had been hiding.
After arriving outside at the Kaiba Dome, which had been destroyed into a "bird's nest," Hayato didn't rush to greet Ishizu and Yugi, who had noticed his appearance nearby. Instead, he immediately began searching for something on the ground covered in architectural debris.
His movements were swift. In just a few seconds, he found a red orb that stood out clearly even among the clutter. Its appearance was identical to the one Hayato had retrieved earlier. However, as he reached out to pick up the red orb, he was ultimately a step too late.
Black flames ignited on the red orb lying on the ground. A sudden burst of red light erupted, and from it, the voice of Anubis, whom Yugi and the others believed to be dead, surprisingly resounded:
"I was sealed for millennia, and forced to leave my homeland."
"How dare you provoke me again and again? You are truly seeking your own demise!"
(end of chapter)
Chapter 534: Let's Go Together, Anubis (6K)
"You are seeking your own demise!"
The spherical object that had rolled to the ground suddenly flew up and floated in the air. From within it, a massive amount of black sludge surged skyward like a tide, coalescing into a colossal monster with blood-red eyes that looked down upon Hayato, Yugi, and the others.
The sludge's form gradually shifted, and the head of the giant monster slowly revealed itself as a dog's head. Seeing this, Yugi, who had only just returned to the Real World and hadn't had a chance to properly speak with Yami Yugi, suddenly recalled the illusion he had seen earlier: "Anubis!?"
"What? He's still not dead? He's revived again!"
Having returned to the Millennium Puzzle due to Yugi's return, Yami Yugi was surprised to hear this. His expression immediately turned serious. "If we didn't deal with him the first time, then we'll do it again. We'll defeat him so he can't revive."
"Aibo!"
"Osu, I'll leave it to you, Yami Yugi!"
Shimmering with golden light, the Millennium Puzzle swayed a few times on Yugi's chest like a pendulum. Yugi's eyes, which had been gentle, became extremely sharp. Meeting Anubis's gaze, he drew a card from his Duel Disk: "Come forth, my most loyal servant! Dark Magician———"
"Your lines are too long!" Just as Yugi was about to Summon Dark Magician, Anubis suddenly roared in a very dishonorable manner. A pitch-black storm erupted, forcing the Dark Magician, which was about to fly out of the card, back into it. It even knocked all of Yugi's undrawn Deck off his Duel Disk.
It wasn't just Yugi; Hayato, who had moved immediately, had Summoned Gaia The Fierce Knight, but it too was struck back into its card, just like the Dark Magician, and was knocked away along with Rainbow Kuriboh and Ojama Yellow which hadn't been Summoned in time.
"Muda muda muda, such pathetic monsters have no right to even appear before me!"
The black sludge on Anubis's wolf-like form gradually dried and sharpened, as if it were covered in a hedgehog's spines. "This boring Ritual Duel was just a game I played to pass the time. Now, I have no patience to waste on you ants!"
"Even if my body and the Pyramid of Light were destroyed, I am Anubis!"
"I am the zombie of the dead, the King of the Underworld. If I kill the King of Light and the King of Darkness, I can still become the King of Destruction and obliterate this world!"
Anubis's body seemed to constantly evolve with time. The dog-like head, which had looked rather pathetic moments ago, not only rapidly grew a pair of fangs among its sharp teeth, but also began sprouting keen horns on its head, looking less and less like any normal creature found on Earth.
As he spoke, Anubis opened his gaping maw, and black-purple flames spewed forth from his mouth, completely ignoring Hayato and instead firing directly at Yugi and Kaiba!
Kaiba, who had previously moved a short distance away due to concern for Mokuba, had fortunately avoided Anubis's earlier roar. Seeing the monstrous entity dare to attack him, he immediately drew three cards and slammed them onto his Duel Disk: "Nonsensical fools spouting nonsense, but I won't stand by and watch you defeat Yugi!"
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!"
Kaiba clearly hadn't realized that Yugi's previous Duel had actually ended, and the "giant wolf" Anubis before them was not a virtual projection but a real entity. However, even if the scientifically-minded Kaiba were told the truth, he would most likely stubbornly cling to his own beliefs and refuse to acknowledge the supernatural.
Yet, even for Kaiba, who denied the supernatural, as he slammed three cards onto his Duel Disk without any supernatural items like Millennium Items boosting him, three Blue-Eyes White Dragon genuinely appeared before him, blocking Anubis's attack, and they were even materialized in Solid Vision!
Watching the Blue-Eyes intercept Anubis's attack at such close range, Yugi also breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Kaiba, who had walked over to his side from a distance: "Thank you, Kaiba."
"Hmph, don't misunderstand, Yugi. It's simply because only I can defeat you or Hayato." Kaiba said with a stern face, his voice full of pride, "If someone else defeats you before I do, I won't tolerate some randomly appearing third-rate Duelist getting ahead of me."
Anubis, seeing his attack blocked by Kaiba and them casually chatting with Yugi, was furious: "King of Light, I should have finished you off just now! How dare you interfere with me, you truly don't know your place. Do you think those weak Wyrms can stop me?!"
With another roar, the three Solid Vision Blue-Eyes White Dragon met the same fate as the Dark Magician and Gaia before them, being returned to their cards.
Anubis's aura once again dominated. As his body evolved, the spines on his back gradually transformed into countless muzzles. Potent dark power gathered within them, poised to unleash. Clearly, he intended to use some wide-area destruction technique to kill both Kaiba and Yugi at once!
However, just as the triumphant Anubis was about to utter some arrogant words to elevate his stature, he suddenly heard a voice: "Soar, my golden wings!"
"!"
Anubis felt an intense heat, capable of incinerating the very air, rapidly approaching from behind him. He had no time to defend as he was directly knocked to the ground by a massive flaming bird, looking utterly disheveled!
Holding up the card for The Winged Dragon of Ra, Hayato commanded Ra to press the attack: "You knew I was here, yet you didn't attack me first. You really underestimated me, Anubis. Ra, use Blazing Inferno Flash!"
The Winged Dragon of Ra, in its Immortal Phoenix form, surged with intensified flames, crashing once more into Anubis, who had fallen and couldn't get back up, pinning him to the ground again.
"Damn you! Hayato! It's you again!"
Anubis certainly hadn't forgotten that Hayato had repeatedly caused him trouble; he was partly responsible for the destruction of the Pyramid of Light. Now, with old and new grievances to settle, Anubis abruptly scrambled up from the ground during a lull in Ra's attack. The spiky cannons on his back unleashed countless black energy blasts, firing them at Hayato!
Ra didn't intervene but instead attacked Anubis again, restricting his subsequent attacks. As the barrage of energy blasts flew halfway, dense lightning cannon fire descended from the sky, intercepting each energy blast and causing it to detonate in mid-air.
"Boom!"
A long red Dragon manifested within the clouds. With Hayato's demonstration, Yugi naturally realized that ordinary monsters couldn't truly participate in Anubis's subjugation, but a God was different.
"Hmph, Thunder Force, huh..." Kaiba glanced at the Slifer the Sky Dragon Yugi had Summoned, and not to be outdone, he drew a card. "Then you go too, Obelisk the Tormentor! Fist of Fate!"
Following The Winged Dragon of Ra, which symbolized heaven and earth, and Slifer the Sky Dragon, which symbolized good and evil, the blue giant god symbolizing light and darkness—Obelisk the Tormentor—also made its entrance. All three Egyptian God Cards gathered, and Obelisk the Tormentor, immediately upon its appearance, swung a colossal fist at Anubis, who was suppressed by Ra!
However, just as the colossal fist, imbued with a powerful shockwave, was about to strike, beneath the flames unleashed by Ra, Anubis suddenly extended a hand that had evolved from a claw, catching Obelisk's punch!?
Gradually evolving a pair of massive wings on his back, Anubis's appearance became even more bizarre. Standing upright, he exerted force with his wrist, actually lifting Obelisk off the ground and flinging it into the air.
Mid-air, Slifer the Sky Dragon was brewing an attack to unleash a severe blow on Anubis, who had previously absorbed it. The "Superconductive Wave Thunderforce Cannon" attack was ready to fire, but to its surprise, Obelisk was flung by Anubis directly towards it, hitting it squarely!
And the attack from its mouth, unable to be controlled, fired off, but it went astray, coincidentally striking Ra, knocking it from the sky and almost destroying it!
The Egyptian God Cards, all fell!
On the ground, Yugi covered his forehead in exasperation. Hayato had been right all along; Slifer the Sky Dragon was definitely a traitor, a Heavenly Pit Dragon indeed.
"Arrogant ants, do you think mere Egyptian God Beasts can contend with me? Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic! I have extremely high resistance to these so-called 'Gods.' Before me, they are nothing more than ants, just like you!"
As Anubis spoke, he raised his hand with a sneer, clenching his five claws. Before him, a phantom of a Pyramid appeared, instantly expanding and trapping all the Egyptian God Cards that couldn't escape in time, imprisoning them inside!
"Ra!" Hayato watched Ra being sealed within the Pyramid of Light, glaring furiously at the triumphant giant monster, "A-nu-bis!"
"Hmph hmph, that expression of impotent rage truly delights me, Hayato." The sharp horns on his head gradually grew into a wild, gigantic axe blade. Anubis looked down at Hayato on the ground, "Without your troublesome Duel Monster spirits, you must be out of options, aren't you? Since you can no longer interfere with me, just die alongside the King of Light and the King of Darkness!"
The axe blade above his head swung down. Anubis was exceptionally eager to see the terrible state Hayato and Yugi would be in before this attack, as there was no way this attack could be stopped, no matter how he thought about it.
However, things did not go as planned.
"Not impotent rage, but invincible rage, Anubis!"
As Anubis's head plunged towards the ground, his jaw was struck by a gigantic fist that suddenly burst forth, accompanied by Hayato's furious roar. The axe blade on his head failed to strike, and he was instead sent flying again.
"Th-this is!" Anubis looked towards Hayato, and after clearly seeing the entity that had attacked him, his pupils contracted. "Raviel, Lord of Phantasms!? Why is it in your Hand?!"
"Yes, why indeed? I'm also looking for the answer to that question." Hayato took out two more cards from his Hand and placed them on his Duel Disk, walking step by step towards Anubis. "But it's not just Raviel, Lord of Phantasms. Since you know the Sacred Beast King, you might as well meet these two monsters as well!"
"Uria, Lord of Searing Flames, and Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!"
Lightning and molten lava surged forth. Beside the towering Raviel, Lord of Phantasms, the figures of Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder and Uria, Lord of Searing Flames appeared.
Since the Egyptian God Cards couldn't resist Anubis, Hayato simply Summoned the Sacred Beasts!
Three Archfiends, with the same color scheme as the Egyptian God Cards but diametrically opposed auras, stared at him fiercely. Anubis suddenly felt like backing down.
Thousands of years ago, the Egyptian God Cards were created alongside the Millennium Items through dark alchemy, at the cost of a massacre. However, the Pyramid of Light, where Anubis resided, possessed power that surpassed the seven Millennium Items, and consequently, a potent counter ability against the Egyptian God Cards.
But Anubis also knew that the Sacred Beasts were even older existences than the Egyptian God Cards. Although their power might not match the Egyptian God Cards, they possessed unique power. Anubis had learned of their terrifying power from the Millennium Spellbook, which recorded dark alchemy.
Anubis dared not gamble on whether Hayato could wield that power. He wanted to back down, but he felt that at least his aura couldn't lose:
"N-no, I must admit, you do possess some strength worth my attention, Hayato." The monster Anubis said stubbornly, "You've suddenly made me feel that humans are quite interesting. I've decided not to destroy the world. I'll let you off for today."
As he spoke, Anubis was about to fly away and escape, but Raviel, Lord of Phantasms' speed was even greater. With an "Ora!" roar, it grabbed Anubis's tail from behind, yanking him back down to the ground just as his feet left it.
This greatly embarrassed Anubis, but he also realized that without the same counter ability against the Egyptian God Cards, he couldn't even defeat the Sacred Beasts, which were weaker than the Egyptian God Cards. He could only bluster at Hayato: "Hayato! Do you know what it means to fight me to the death?!"
"Do you know that if I attack with my full power, I can easily kill you?!"
"No, I haven't considered that question at all." Hayato commanded the other two Sacred Beasts, encircling Anubis in a triangular formation. "But do you think you can just run away whenever you want? Ask yourself, where in this world is there such a good thing?"
"With the Sacred Beasts, I'll chop off your dog head. Go, Raviel, Lord of Phantasms, Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, Uria, Lord of Searing Flames!"
Having evolved for so long, Anubis's changes weren't just in his appearance; his size was also continuously increasing, gradually reaching a height where he could peer over Kaiba Dome.
However, even having evolved to this extent, Anubis sadly discovered that he still couldn't defeat any of the Sacred Beasts. Whether it was Raviel, Lord of Phantasms's punches, Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder's control over ice and electricity, or Uria, Lord of Searing Flames' molten lava, he was simply being beaten like a sandbag, utterly unable to fight back!
What was even more terrifying was that Anubis also realized the dark power composing his body was gradually being absorbed by the Sacred Beasts ganging up on him!
If this continued, he would be drained dry before being beaten to death. The Sacred Beasts' ability to "absorb all Duel Monster spirits in the world," as recorded in the Millennium Spellbook, was indeed true!
No, if this continues, I'll definitely go insane and die! Move, my agile mind, quickly think of a way to escape!
He dodged a punch from Raviel, Lord of Phantasms, but an ice blade fired by Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder sliced off a portion of the sludge forming his body. Before he could recover that part of his body, it was devoured by Uria, Lord of Searing Flames' molten lava. Anubis looked at the menacing Sacred Beasts before him and a bold idea formed in his mind—if the record of power absorption was true, perhaps the record of another ability was also true.
Recalling his memory from a thousand years ago, Anubis's gaze hardened, his already ferocious eyes fixed on Hayato: "You forced my hand, Hayato!"
As if going for broke, one of Anubis's claws made a self-mutilating motion, tearing a large chunk from his chest. The other claw plunged in fiercely, pulling out the core where his true form resided—the Philosopher's Stone!
Under Hayato's surprised gaze, Anubis, after extracting the Philosopher's Stone, actually threw it directly towards the location of one of the Sacred Beasts, Raviel, Lord of Phantasms. He then spoke: "You merely use the mighty Sacred Beasts as Duel Monster spirits, Hayato. You don't know the true nature of the Sacred Beasts, do you!"
"By the power of the Eye of Udjat as a guide, open now, gate leading to infinite dimensions! Gate of the Sacred Beasts!"
After being struck by Anubis's power, Raviel, Lord of Phantasms's body instantly stiffened, transforming into a blue orb of light. It collided with the yellow and red orbs, the forms of Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder and Uria, Lord of Searing Flames, which were not far away. As if Polymerization had been used on them, the three Sacred Beasts gradually twisted and transformed into an ancient, ominous gate!
The moment the appearing gate slowly opened, Hayato's body abruptly became rigid, utterly unable to move.
No, it wasn't a problem with his own body. Hayato noticed that not only himself, but Yugi, Kaiba, Joey, Marik, Ishizu, and the others behind him, and even Anubis in the distance, were all in an unmoving state. It was as if time-space itself had been frozen!
Immediately after, as the Gate of the Sacred Beasts fully opened, revealing its pitch-black interior, Hayato felt a suction force emanating from the gate, locking onto him—the closest person to the gate apart from Anubis. The architectural debris of Kaiba Dome on the ground was being dragged, and Hayato also found himself, unable to move, being pulled little by little towards the gate!
At the same time, Anubis's triumphant voice rang out: "Hmph hahaha, this is the punishment for being my enemy, Hayato!"
"If the Egyptian God Cards are a symbol of authority, the Sacred Beasts are a symbol of power. Not only can they grant their user immortal power, but they can also be used to open a gate to a Different Dimension, bringing transcendental power to the user."
"However, if one is devoured by the Gate of the Sacred Beasts, even I don't know the way back." Anubis said triumphantly, "I will watch you be swallowed by that gate here, and then close it. That way, there will be no one left in this world to obstruct me!"
"Struggle as much as you like, Hayato. I eagerly anticipate what pathetic and ugly struggles you will make to escape the fate of being sent to a Different Dimension. Anyway, before this Dimension-Level power, nothing can change your destiny of disappearing from this world and me destroying everything!"
Hayato fell into a brief silence. Although he couldn't move his body in the slightest, forced to let himself get closer and closer to the Gate of the Sacred Beasts at an increasing speed, his eyes shifted, looking at the people not far from his side.
Unlike himself and Anubis, under the influence of the Gate of the Sacred Beasts, Yugi, Kaiba, Joey, Marik, Ishizu, and the others behind him, couldn't even maintain consciousness. Their eyes were vacant, their bodies stiff and immobile, let alone Tristan, Téa, and Mokuba.
As Anubis said, with the Gate of the Sacred Beasts locked onto him, Hayato couldn't use any cards to change the current situation and escape. However, it was only that he couldn't escape; not all cards were unusable. There was still one card he could use.
"That's not it, Anubis." Hayato's voice was calm, drawing Anubis's attention. "You said the world's destiny is already set? That kind of thing didn't get my approval."
To Anubis's considerable surprise, he distinctly remembered Hayato's Hand being empty before, but now there was a green-bordered Spell Card: "What is that card?"
Before Anubis could even see what kind of card it was, he was astonished to find that Hayato, who had been completely immobile, was now moving his arm to raise the card over his head, which greatly unsettled him.
"Hey, what are you doing, Hayato!"
Hayato didn't answer Anubis. Instead, he shifted his gaze back to the others, letting his eyes linger on each person's face.
"Although Joey is very strict, everyone can basically see that he trusts you with Serenity Wheeler, so keep it up, Tristan;"
"Yugi and Yami Yugi have such a close bond, Téa, you seem like a third wheel, but Rebecca will be there for you, so keep it up;"
"Although Kaiba is incredibly stubborn and arrogant, he's also the one who often gets defeated. You've worked hard, Gomamon. No, Mokuba;"
"Even though you haven't changed the way you address me, you bastard, it doesn't matter. Try to take care of your body a bit more so Ishizu doesn't always worry, Marik;"
"It's a shame I couldn't make it to your and Mai Valentine's wedding banquet, but I worked so hard to set you two up, so don't let anyone steal you away, Joey;"
"Still playing Duel Bot, huh? Take a break; why not play some PvP? Just kidding. It's a pity, but I'm about to become someone you'll never be able to surpass, Kaiba;"
"It's a shame I can't take off the Millennium Ring, but the Egyptian God Cards are still here. Try replacing it with other Millennium Items, Yami Yugi. And Yugi, have enough confidence in yourself; you're clearly so strong."
Hayato's gaze finally settled on Ishizu.
"If I had known, I could have said what was in my heart sooner. Also, I'm a little sorry for breaking our promise."
"Anubis, the destiny of this world will be decided by me. Even if I can never return to this world, at least I will take your existence with me." Hayato's card, held high above his head, shone with light. "Unleash all ultimate power, using Anubis and the Gate of the Sacred Beasts as Fusion Material!"
"I Activate Super Polymerization!!"
"Let's go together, Anubis!!!"
(end of chapter)
Chapter 535: Transmigrated Again. Huh, why did I say 'again'?
Coldness, trembling. Such sensations did not appear.
Chumley closed and opened his eyes, finding himself in an unfamiliar jungle.
Chumley's memory of the previous second was still very clear. He remembered activating `Super Polymerization` to fuse Anubis with the Gate of the Sacred Beasts, which had been formed by the fusion of the Three Sacred Beasts. The irresistible `Super Polymerization` gave Anubis no chance to struggle; he and the Gate of the Sacred Beasts were instantly compressed into a single Card.
However, the gate's disappearance did not mean Chumley could escape the attraction from the different dimension. He was swallowed into the different dimension along with the Card that Anubis and the Gate of the Sacred Beasts had fused into.
Then, Chumley appeared in his current location. Given the lush forests and overgrown weeds around him, it might have been some sort of primal forest.
Chumley glanced at the Duel Disk on his wrist. Fortunately, the Cards that Anubis had knocked away earlier were timely retrieved before Chumley was sent into the different dimension. `Gaia`, `Rainbow Kuriboh`, and the others were all there. The only regret was that Anubis's seal on the Three Egyptian God Cards remained unbroken until Chumley left, so `The Winged Dragon of Ra`'s Card and the other two Egyptian God Cards were left behind in the original world.
However, while the original `The Winged Dragon of Ra` Card was indeed left behind, Chumley had brought `The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode`, which `Ra` had actively split off earlier.
Although he could sense `Ra`'s emotions from the Card and knew its condition was normal, since it was only an egg, the current `Ra` couldn't whimper as it used to.
Aside from that, Chumley didn't suffer any other major losses; it was just a possible eternal separation from Yugi, Kaiba, Joey, and Ishizu.
"Forget it, it's not my first transmigration anyway." Chumley forced himself to maintain a somewhat optimistic mindset, picking up a Card. "Let's see what that Anubis guy could Fusion Summon…"
Looking at the snarling Fusion Monster in his hand, Chumley raised an eyebrow, surprised, "`Starving Venom`!?"
On its long, slender, vine-like emerald body, numerous round jewels emitted a mysterious and dangerous light. At the end of the vine, a majestic and fierce Great Dragon, like a Demon King, was clad in purple armor, baring its fangs and claws.
[`Starving Venom Fusion Dragon`][Level 8/DARK]
[Dragon/Fusion/Effect]
[2800/2000]
[Fusion Materials: 2 DARK Monsters on the field, except Tokens]
[Effect: ① If this Card is Fusion Summoned: You can Activate this Effect. Target 1 Special Summoned Monster your Opponent controls; this Card's ATK increases by that Monster's ATK until the End of this Turn.
② Once per Turn: You can Activate this Effect, by Targeting 1 Level 5 or higher Monster your Opponent controls. Until the End Phase, this Card's name becomes the same as that Monster's, and it gains the same Effects.
③ If this Fusion Summoned Card is Destroyed: You can Activate this Effect. Destroy all Special Summoned Monsters your Opponent controls.]
Chumley wasn't sure what Effects Anubis and the Gate of the Sacred Beasts would have if they were used as Duel Monster Cards, but their Attributes would most likely only be DARK and not any other Attributes like LIGHT.
In that case, they would indeed quite fit the Fusion Material requirements of `Starving Venom Fusion Dragon`.
However, Chumley really didn't expect to be able to use `Super Polymerization` to Fusion Summon and Card Print this `Starving Venom`. At the time, he just thought that since `Super Polymerization` could Card Print anything, there was no harm in printing Anubis, who initially looked like mud, into a Monster like `Mudragon of the Swamp`, as long as it could drag Anubis into the fusion.
As a result, he ended up Card Printing such a powerful Monster as `Starving Venom`. Although he had transmigrated to an otherworld, it was still quite a lucky turn of events.
However, this also reminded Chumley that he should perhaps confirm something. Temporarily putting away `Starving Venom`, Chumley adjusted the Duel Disk on his wrist, then casually drew a Card from the top of his Deck and placed it on the Duel Disk, commanding, "Come forth, `Rainbow Kuriboh`!"
"Kuriri~"
Unusually, instead of being used as an Equip Card or revived from the Graveyard to take a hit, `Rainbow Kuriboh` was Normal Summoned by Chumley in the usual manner. It leapt lively from the Card Chumley had placed on his Duel Disk, spinning in the air on a seven-colored rainbow, then landed back beside Chumley cutely.
Although the surroundings were filled with towering trees with dense foliage, sunlight still managed to precisely pierce through the gaps between the leaves and cast small, circular patches of light on the ground. Chumley saw identical light patches on `Rainbow Kuriboh`'s body.
He lowered his head to look at `Rainbow Kuriboh`'s shadow on the ground, then glanced at his Duel Disk, which was powered off and not operating. Chumley could make a very certain judgment: `Rainbow Kuriboh` had materialized on its own at this moment, without any assistance from him.
Just like that time at the KC Cup.
Back then, due to the machinations of Bakura, Yako, Siegfried, and the Doma organization, a rift was opened between the real world and the Spirit World. This allowed most of the Duel Monster spirits within Duel Monster Cards in the affected `Kaiba Dome` to manifest and even materialize directly, without the aid of a Solid Vision system or similar assistance.
This made Chumley wonder, what exactly was the situation in the world he was currently in?
Was he in a place connected to the Spirit World, or was he currently in the Spirit World itself?
Chumley stroked and played with `Rainbow Kuriboh` while thinking deeply, but he didn't have long to ponder. Suddenly, a cacophony of sounds approached from afar, reaching Chumley's ears and forcing him to become alert.
Letting `Rainbow Kuriboh` stand on his shoulder, Chumley casually took out three Cards: `Dragon Master Knight - Gaia`, `House Dragonmaid`, and `Cyber End Dragon`—three powerful Fusion Monsters. The `Millennium Ring` on his chest also emitted a golden radiance.
Should anything happen, Chumley would not hesitate to slap the Cards in his hand onto the Duel Disk and materialize them.
The sound was getting closer and closer, seemingly heading straight towards him.
What could it be?
Chumley watched warily as the distant bushes rustled. Then, not far from him, the sound and the rustling bushes simultaneously ceased.
(end of chapter)