# Chapter 551: The Machina Explosive Setup, and the White Dragon's Explosive Birth
"Huh? He directly Summoned a Monster with 2500 ATK?"
Seeing the Machina Fortress appear on Alister's Field, Kaiba raised an eyebrow. He didn't expect that despite being a despicable scoundrel, the opponent still possessed some strength.
But that's all there is to it. A mere Monster with 2500 ATK still won't catch Kaiba's eye.
Alister didn't expect just one Monster to surprise Kaiba much. "Next, I Activate the Continuous Spell Card Machina Frontline. Once per Turn, when a Machine Type Monster on my Field is Battle Destroyed, I can Special Summon one Machine Type Monster with the same Attribute but lower ATK than the destroyed Monster from my Deck."
"Then I Set two cards from my Hand. I End my Turn."
[Alister: 4000 LP, Hand 1]
Machina Fortress [ATK 2500]
Machina Frontline [Set Card] [Set Card]
"Hmph, so you prepared cards to summon follow-up Monsters for Defense when your Monster is Battle Destroyed, considering it would be Crushed by my Blue-Eyes?" Kaiba said disdainfully, drawing a Card from his Deck with his Finger. "But unfortunately, the Power of my Blue-Eyes cannot be stopped by preparations of that level. My Turn, Draw a Card!"
"Normal Summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands. When this Monster is Normal Summoned successfully, I can Search my Deck for one Ritual Spell Card or Ritual Monster and Add it to my Hand. I choose the Ritual Spell Card Chaos Form."
"Next, I Activate the Ritual Spell Card Chaos Form! I send Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my Hand to the Graveyard as Ritual Tribute, fulfilling the Level 8 requirement!"
"With absolute Power, take complete control of Light and Dark, and Descent here to tear everything apart!"
"Ritual Summon! Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!"
Having Evolved and gained Chaos Power, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon Manifested on Kaiba's Field. Having discarded all Defense, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon transformed into a formidable spear of Destruction, pointing directly at Alister!
Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands [ATK 1400]
Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon [ATK 3000]
"Enter my Battle Phase! I Attack your Machina Fortress on the Field with Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!"
After making the Attack Declaration, Kaiba added, "When Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, which was Ritual Summoned using Blue-Eyes White Dragon as Ritual Tribute, declares an Attack, I Activate its own Effect,"
"Change the Battle Position of all Monsters on the Opponent's Field, and the ATK/DEF of Monsters whose Battle Position is changed by this Effect become 0!"
"Also, this Turn, when Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon Attacks a Defense Position Monster, it gains the piercing ability, inflicting Battle Damage to the Opponent equal to the amount its ATK exceeds the Target Monster's DEF!"
The azure Giant Dragon spread the wings of Light on its back, and purple Lightning Radiated from behind it. Following Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon's movement, the Machina Fortress, which was originally in Attack Position and ready for battle, was forced to Change Battle Position!
Machina Fortress [ATK 2500→DEF 0]
Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon with 3000 ATK, while possessing the Ability to weaken the Opponent's ATK/DEF, also has the piercing ability to Crush all Defense. If Kaiba's Attack hits successfully, it's enough to inflict a full 3000 points of Battle Damage to Alister's Life Points in one go!
In this Situation, Alister's choice was---
"Truly the consistent Violence of KaibaCorp, but my Revenge won't End just like that!" After Confirming that his Machina Fortress on the Field had indeed been changed to Defense Position, Alister decisively Activated a Set Card in his Spell/Trap Zone, "I Activate the Trap Card Machina Overload!"
"It's useless, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon cannot be targeted by an opponent's effect, nor can it be destroyed by an opponent's effect!"
Although he didn't Know what Effect the Set Card Alister flipped had, Kaiba still said with Confidence,
Alister returned a cold Smile. "That doesn't matter, because what I'm going to Destroy isn't your Monster, but my Machina Fortress!"
"The Effect of Machina Overload is, Target one Machine Type Monster on my Field; Special Summon one Machina Monster with a different name than that Monster from your Deck, then Destroy the Targeted Monster." Alister Drew a Card from his Deck and slapped it onto his Duel Disk, "I Special Summon Machina General in Defense Position from my Deck, then Destroy my Machina Fortress!"
The Machina Fortress, which was originally the attack target by Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, exploded with a roar, sending Parts flying and shattering everywhere. From within, another completely new Machina Monster appeared, Machina General. Equipped with a chainsaw and electromagnetic cannon on its hands, its appearance alone showed it wasn't an ordinary Duel Monster.
But what surprised Kaiba wasn't the Appearance of Machina General, but rather that after Machina General was Special Summoned by destroying Machina Fortress, the Parts of Machina Fortress, which should have been discarded, actually began to Gather again, transforming into a mechanical Giant somewhat similar to Machina Fortress!
"When Machina Fortress is Sent to the Graveyard, I can Banish it to Activate the Effect of Machina Overdrive in my Graveyard, Special Summoning it in Defense Position." Alister Explained, a ferocious Smile on his face, "This is the Resentment you, Kaiba Seto, must face, the Resentment that cannot be erased!"
"Hmph, boring. I have no idea what nonsense you're spouting. In my eyes, there are only pure Duel Monsters. Save your idiotic ramblings for the Police." Kaiba glanced disdainfully at the two Monsters on Alister's Field,
[Machina Overdrive] [Level 8/EARTH]
[Machine Type/Effect]
[2600/1500]
Machina General [Level 10/EARTH]
[Machine Type/Special Summon/Effect]
[3000/2500]
"Although Machina Fortress wasn't Destroyed by Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, it triggered an Attack Replay, allowing Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon to select an Attack Target once again and Attack. And Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon's Effect doesn't have a 'once per Turn' Restriction."
Kaiba said, his Finger pointing at Machina General, the Monster with the highest ATK on Alister's Field: "Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, Attack the Machina General in Defense Position! But before that, use your Effect to change the Battle Position of all Monsters on the Opponent's Field!"
The wings of Light, which had already been released but not yet retracted, Radiated again. Under the Lightning released by Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon for the second time, the two High-Level Machina Monsters Alister had Special Summoned simultaneously Changed Battle Position, and their Power was also stripped away.
[Machina Overdrive] [DEF 1500→ATK 0]
Machina General [DEF 2500→ATK 0]
In that Instant, the chainsaw on Machina General's Right Hand, which had been spinning at high speed, suddenly stopped, and the electromagnetic cannon on its left arm also ceased Charging. The entire machine stopped functioning as if the Power had been cut off for a moment. Meanwhile, on Kaiba's Field across from it, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon had already opened its mouth and unleashed a fatal Breath upon it!
"Boom!"
Without any resistance, Machina General was easily destroyed and crushed into wreckage by Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon's Power. Kaiba watched coldly as Alister's Monster turned to ash.
After the Smoke of the Explosion, the Monster that was revealed didn't surprise Kaiba. After All, he still remembered the Machina Frontline that Alister had Activated earlier.
Machina Defender [Level 9/EARTH]
[Machine Type/Effect]
[2800/0]
When Machina Frontline's Effect resolves, it doesn't use the Destroyed Monster's ATK while on the Field, but rather its Original Attack while in the Graveyard for the Settlement. Machina General's ATK was 3000, so Alister chose to Special Summon Machina Defender with 2800 ATK, which is almost the maximum possible.
However, what concerned Kaiba was that he had expected Alister's Life Points to be only 1000, like a Flickering Candle, after this round of Attacks. But Alister's Life Points were currently as high as 5000?
Only then did Alister open his mouth to Explain: "At the Instant your Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon Attacked, I Activated another Set Card, Nutrient Z. When 2000 or more Battle Damage is taken, this Card can be Activated During Damage Calculation for that damage. My Life Points gain 4000."
[Alister: 4000→8000→5000 LP]
Actually, Alister didn't need to Explain. Kaiba also Knew the Effect of this Card, and could even say he was very familiar with it. In several Duels with Hayato in the Past, because the Blue-Eyes Deck Kaiba Used focused on Beatdown and had many High Attack Power Monsters, Hayato often Used cards like Attack Reflector Unit, Rainbow Life, and Nutrient Z.
"Hmph, so the Characteristic of High Attack Power was Utilized. However, I don't care."
"Tsk, truly arrogant, Kaiba Seto." Although Alister's Life Points increased instead of decreasing, the Damage he took was real. He rubbed his stomach slightly. "Because of Machina Frontline's Effect, when my Machina General was Battle Destroyed, I Special Summoned Machina Defender, which is also EARTH Attribute and has a lower ATK of 2800, in Attack Position from my Deck."
"When Machina Defender is Normal or Special Summoned successfully, I can Activate its Effect: Reveal three Machine Type, EARTH Attribute Monsters from my Deck to the Opponent. The Opponent randomly chooses one, and I Add the chosen Monster to my Hand, returning the rest to the Deck."
As he spoke, the Phantom of the three Monster Cards Alister chose was Projected before Kaiba.
Machina Peacekeeper, Machina Gearframe, and Machina Cannon
The three Monsters were the same as the other Machina Monsters Kaiba had seen Before, all being Machine Type, EARTH Attribute Monsters. After the Phantoms of the three Cards were shuffled and presented several times, Kaiba casually pointed to the one in the middle: "I choose the Card in the middle."
The Card flipped over. It was a humanoid Machine Soldier with orange-yellow armor, Machina Gearframe.
"In that case, I Add Machina Gearframe to my Hand, and the other two Monsters are returned to the Deck." Alister took back the other two Cards, then Added Machina Gearframe to his Hand.
Kaiba looked at Alister's Field and frowned.
He had clearly succeeded in Battle Destroying the Opponent's Monster, but in the blink of an eye, the Monsters on the Opponent's Field had increased from one at the start of the Turn to two now. And they weren't just Small Fry to fill the numbers, but actual High-Level Monsters.
Although Machina Overdrive's ATK/DEF were Permanently reduced by Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, the 2800 ATK of Machina Defender couldn't be ignored. With just a slightly better Equip Card, it could surpass his own Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon.
However, the Opponent had set up their Field early, but seemed to Forget that it was Still his Battle Phase. He hadn't said the Battle Phase was over, had he?
"Although the only Monster left on my Field is Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, which has already Attacked, the Blue-Eyes in my Graveyard are eager to make their Appearance. During the Battle Phase, I Activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Silver's Cry! I Special Summon one Dragon-Type Normal Monster from my Graveyard!"
"My Glory, my Tamashii! Descent here!"
"Burū-Aisu-Waito-Doragon!"
Speaking of which, he had Hayato to thank. After being hit by Trap-Heavy Decks repeatedly, Kaiba had learned not to unleash his full Power from the start. Although he could have Summoned Blue-Eyes White Dragon During Main Phase 1, he had kept the Card Silver's Cry until now, and it had indeed come in handy.
The White Giant Dragon with blue eyes makes its grand Appearance!
Blue-Eyes White Dragon [ATK 3000]
"Because it was Special Summoned During the Battle Phase, Blue-Eyes White Dragon can also participate in Battle. And the Attack Target I choose is the Machina Overdrive on your Field, whose ATK was changed to 0 by Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon."
Kaiba extended his Hand, pointing at the mechanical Giant on Alister's Field, "Machina Frontline is indeed a Card that can effectively maintain your battle line, but its Effectiveness is only once per Turn. If another Monster is Destroyed this time, you'll only have Machina Defender left on your Field."
"Go, Blue-Eyes, Burst Stream of Destruction!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon is Kaiba Seto's most trusted Card and strongest Ace Card. Although it is just a Normal Monster Card with no Effects, its Overwhelming Power is its strongest Means/Method.
The White Dragon Revived from the Graveyard unleashed a Flood of Light from its mouth, engulfing the Machina Overdrive which had been 'cut off from Power' by Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon earlier, instantly Destroying and Crushing it!
"Ugh!" Alister also cried out in Pain from Blue-Eyes White Dragon's Attack, which had barely been weakened at all.
[Alister: 5000→2000 LP]
After All, the only Card in Alister's Spell/Trap Zone was Machina Frontline. He had no Countermeasure to stop Blue-Eyes's Attack. But on the other hand, he had already prepared his "Revenge".
"The Pain you inflicted upon me is destined to be settled, Kaiba Seto!" Alister Drew a Card from his Graveyard, "When the Machine Type, EARTH Attribute Machina Overdrive on my Field is Battle Destroyed, I Activate the Effect of Machina General in my Graveyard!"
"Special Summon Machina General, Return!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 552: Dump Truck, The Dump Truck Descends the Mountain!
"Activate the effect of [Machina Colonel] in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it!"
Although the [Blue-Eyes] Kaiba revived from the Graveyard successfully destroyed Alister's [Machina Megaform] on the Field, what he didn't expect was that this battle instead triggered the revive effect of [Machina Colonel] in Alister's Graveyard.
On Alister's Field, the tall war fortress [Machina Colonel] was crawling out from the wreckage of [Machina Megaform].
"Compared to [Machina Megaform], which is limited to Special Summoning when [Machina Fortress] is sent to the Graveyard, the conditions are much more lenient, only requiring an EARTH Attribute Machine Type? What a troublesome effect." Seeing this, Kaiba decisively played the card in his Hand. "Hmph, in that case, I'll just banish you from the Graveyard before you revive!"
"Quick-Play Spell Card, [Called by the Grave]!"
"Target one monster in the Opponent's Graveyard and banish it. Negate the effect of that monster and cards with the same name until the end phase of the next turn!"
Kaiba reached out and pointed at the [Machina Colonel] that was still reviving: "The one I choose is your [Machina Colonel]! Ghosts, stay put in the Graveyard!"
"Nani!?"
As Alister wore a dumbfounded expression, a ghastly green arm suddenly burst from the ground in front of the [Machina Colonel] that was halfway through its revive. It was none other than the invincible Called by the Grave, also known as 'Called By', the legendary 'Pointy Finger', 'Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring Annihilation', and 'Hand Trap Nemesis'!
In front of this card, although [Machina Colonel] possessed tenacious revive ability and excellent ATK/DEF stats, it could not escape the destiny of being banished. It struggled before disappearing from Alister's sight!
"Ya, Yarou!" Seeing his monster disappear again, Alister gritted his teeth in anger, but there was nothing he could do against Kaiba.
"This should be the end of it, you rat. I'm utterly tired of your persistent monster revives," Kaiba said, looking coldly at Alister. "If this is the end, then I will set the last card in my Hand and end turn."
[Kaiba: 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] [ATK 3000]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [ATK 3000]
[Set Card]
"Tsk, my turn, draw a card." Alister drew a card. It was another [Machina] monster, Machina Soldier. Its effect allows it to be Special Summoned directly from the Hand by discarding one [Machina] monster other than itself. Additionally, it has an effect to Special Summon a [Machina] monster from the Graveyard with a level lower than or equal to a Machine Type monster on your Field after actively destroying that monster.
However, Alister glanced at his Graveyard. There were no monsters there with ATK that could surpass [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] and [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] on Kaiba's Field. There was only the [Machina Megaform] that had just been destroyed. Although its 2600 ATK was only a 400 point gap from 3000 points, that small gap was as distant as heaven and earth.
Similarly, there was Machina Soldier on his own Field. Its 2800 ATK was high, but it just couldn't get past the 3000 ATK of the [Blue-Eyes] family. Just thinking about it made him angry.
As for the other two cards in his Hand, one was Machina Gearframe, which he had added to Hand using Machina Soldier's effect last turn. The other card was a trap with an unclear meaning. For him, whose goal was to defeat Kaiba Seto, it was completely useless. Alister couldn't even remember why he had included this card in the Deck.
Only with one more card as resources would he have the hope of surpassing Kaiba Seto!
Alister's gaze sharpened, and he declared loudly: "I activate the effect of Machina Soldier in my Hand! By discarding one [Machina] monster other than this card from my Hand, I Special Summon Machina Soldier on my Field in Defense Position!"
On Alister's Field, a mechanical device resembling a laser turret rose up. However, what was strange was that its cannon barrel wasn't aimed at the opposing Kaiba, but instead immediately targeted Machina Soldier on Alister's own Field.
[Machina Radiator] [Level 8/EARTH]
[Machine Type/Effect]
[1700/2400]
Alister continued: "The second effect of Machina Soldier can be activated by targeting one Machine Type monster on my Field. Choose one [Machina] monster from my Graveyard with a different card name than that monster and a level less than or equal to that monster's level, Special Summon it, and destroy the targeted monster."
"I choose to destroy Machina Soldier on my Field, and then Special Summon [Machina Megaform] from the Graveyard!"
Under the laser beam of Machina Soldier, Machina Soldier, its ally, didn't die by Kaiba's hand but was instead destroyed by a friendly fire backstab. From the wreckage of Machina Soldier, the giant robot [Machina Megaform] made its return to Field.
[Machina Megaform] [ATK 2600]
"Hmph, even though Machina Soldier has higher ATK, you chose to Summon [Machina Megaform] again? What a nonsensical operation," Kaiba said with disdain upon seeing this. "A monster that has been defeated by my [Blue-Eyes] once is useless no matter how many times it revives, because its future holds only the possibility of being crushed by [Blue-Eyes]!"
Hearing Kaiba's words, Alister paid no heed. Instead, he directly waved his Hand and commanded: "I am no crazy idiot. Everything I am doing now is preparation for the coming victory. For victory, I will tribute [Machina Megaform] on my Field to activate its effect!"
"Special Summon one [Machina] monster from my Hand or Deck! I choose to Special Summon Machina Sniper from my Deck in Defense Position!"
After seemingly meaninglessly sending to the Graveyard the only high-level monster in attack position on his Field, Alister only summoned a lower-level [Machina] monster.
The card Machina Sniper wasn't a rare card. Kaiba remembered its effect was to prevent the opponent from attacking monsters other than Machina Sniper. Its effect could only be described as trash.
Most other monsters with similar 'attack attractor' effects have the ability 'only attack this card'. If you gathered two, you could barely achieve an attack seal lineup. But Machina Sniper merely restricted 'attacking Machina Sniper'. It was so weak it was pathetic. Only its 1800 ATK could barely catch Kaiba's eye.
[Machina Sniper] [DEF 800]
But what struck Kaiba as strange was that after sending to the Graveyard [Machina Megaform], Alister's expression became serious.
"I activate the effect of Machina Overload in my Graveyard." Alister reached into his Graveyard and took out a trap card he had activated last turn. "After banishing Machina Overload from the Graveyard, I then target these three Machine Type monsters: Machina Soldier in the Graveyard, and the banished [Machina Fortress] and [Machina Colonel]. I add them to my Deck and shuffle them, then draw a card!"
After retrieving the three cards and shuffling them in the Deck, Alister solemnly placed his finger on the Deck: "Bearing my hatred, I will absolutely not stop here in my Duel against you, Kaiba Seto. I'm betting everything on this draw!"
"Draw!"
He fiercely drew a card. Seeing the jet-black Soldier on the card, different from ordinary [Machina] monsters, Alister truly saw the path to victory manifest before his eyes!
"When Machina Citadel is added to Hand by a method other than drawing, I activate its effect! I Special Summon Machina Citadel from my hand to the Field in Defense Position! As a restriction, I cannot Special Summon non-Machine Type monsters this turn!"
He slammed the card onto his Duel Disk. A [Machina] monster appeared on Alister's Field. But unlike other [Machina] monsters, this [Machina] monster appearing before Kaiba, although also covered in steel armor, was wrapped in black-purple energy outside its armor, resembling vines and flames, constantly rising and twisting. It gave off an ominous feeling.
[Machina Unclassified Reserve Soldier] [Level 4/DARK]
[Machine Type/Effect]
[1800/800]
"Is it not EARTH Attribute but DARK Attribute? And that appearance, it's somewhat similar to Machina Sniper..." Kaiba looked at the monster before him. Although it gave him a subtle feeling, because its ATK wasn't very high, he didn't pay too much attention to it.
Alister pointed at [Machina Unclassified Reserve Soldier] and said: "If EARTH Attribute [Machina] monsters are ordinary existences, then DARK Attribute [Machina] monsters are the embodiment of the hatred I hold towards you. Your filthy life should be ended by the twisted, corrupted DARK [Machina], Kaiba Seto!"
Even Kaiba, who had always looked down on Alister, couldn't help but frown after hearing him say it so many times: "You guy, you've been muttering about 'resentment', 'pain', 'revenge', and such since the duel began. Enough with the boring jokes. I have no time to care about what some guy who just showed up like you is dissatisfied with me about."
"Is that so? My pain is 'nonsense' in your eyes, Kaiba Seto? Hehe hahahaha..." Hearing this, Alister laughed somewhat maniacally, his gaze filled with wrath, staring intently at Kaiba. "It won't do if a filthy guy like you doesn't properly feel some pain. With this duel, starting from this moment, I will begin my retaliation!"
"When Machina Citadel is Summoned or Special Summoned, send to the Graveyard one [Machina] monster from my Deck other than Machina Citadel..."
"The monster I choose is this one, Machina Ruinforce!"
Accompanied by Alister's surging fighting spirit, he fiercely drew a card from his Deck. Although he was merely sending it to the Graveyard, Kaiba felt at this moment as if some terrifying existence capable of world destruction was beginning to awaken before his eyes!
Alister, who had sent Machina Ruinforce to the Graveyard, glanced at the insignificant trap card remaining in his Hand. Indifferently setting it, he pointed towards the sky above his head: "Kaiba Seto, in my eyes, neither KaibaCorp, which has committed countless crimes, nor you, are things that need to exist in this World."
"The wealth and power you currently enjoy are nothing but filthy things built upon the blood-soaked arms you once sold. You say my resentment is insignificant? Then I will use these filthy arms, wrapped in 'insignificant resentment', to destroy everything about you as a Duelist!"
"Banish Machina Gearframe with level 4 and [Machina Megaform] with level 8 from my Graveyard! Special Summon my ace monster that was just sent to the Graveyard from my Graveyard!"
As he spoke, Alister's Hand grabbed the two monster cards that popped out of the Graveyard and fiercely threw them up. As the cards flew into the air, phantoms of Machina Gearframe and [Machina Megaform] appeared behind him, only to be immediately crushed by Darkness!
"Nani!? He's banishing monsters from the Graveyard and then Special Summoning from the Graveyard?" Kaiba was very surprised by the summoning method Alister described for his ace monster. "And what is this aura? What is this familiar feeling!?"
Feeling confused, Kaiba immediately recalled the next moment where he had felt this atmosphere before—it was at KaibaCorp headquarters!
However, it wasn't the headquarters of the current 'KaibaCorp', but the headquarters of the former 'Kaiba Military Industries'. It was on Duelist Island, which he had destroyed many years ago, on the Military Production Line filled with Gozaburo Kaiba's ambition and sin!
"Release the resentment accumulated in the Abyss of Darkness upon this land! Destroy all order, the embodiment of destruction that unifies all dark and chaos!"
Alister tore off the mask on his face, revealing his ferocious smile. The card taken from the Graveyard was held between his fingers and slammed onto the Duel Disk!
"Descend, my hatred, my Tamashii!"
"Machina Ruinforce!"
It should have only been a virtual projection, but at this moment, Kaiba felt the tremor coming from beneath his feet was so real. Amidst the roaring sound of the ground, a gigantic war machine burst from the earth. The black aura wrapped around its body was identical to Machina Citadel, and its oppressive aura pressed down on Kaiba!
[Machina Ruin Force] [Level 10/DARK]
[Machine Type/Special Summon/Effect]
[4600/4100]
"Enter my Battle Phase! Here I come, Kaiba Seto!" Alister reached out and pointed at [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] on Kaiba's Field. "Machina Ruinforce, attack [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon]! Crush that eyesore of a monster!"
"Positron Convergence Cannon - Instant Thunder!"
Chapter 553: Soul Energy MAX!
"[Machina Ruin Force], attack [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon]!"
[Machina Ruin Force][ATK 4600]
[Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon][ATK 3000]
While [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] on Kaiba's Field was powerful when attacking, capable of reducing all of the opponent's monsters' ATK and DEF to 0, changing their Battle Position, and gaining Piercing Damage, making it a powerful monster that could easily reduce the opponent's Life Points significantly.
However, its effect could only be activated when it attacked. When attacked by Alister's [Machina Ruin Force], it could only sit there with 3000 ATK and wait for defeat, unable to do anything.
However, Kaiba activated the Set Card in his Spell/Trap Zone at this moment: "A monster with 4600 ATK, you certainly made me look at you differently, you rat. But don't think that gives you the ability to touch my [Blue-Eyes]!"
"I Activate the Trap Card [Sakuretsu Armor]! When your [Machina Ruin Force] declares an attack, destroy your monster!"
A laser beam shot out from the [Sakuretsu Armor] Kaiba flipped up, attacking the [Machina Ruin Force] on Alister's Field that was ready to attack. Although it had 100 more ATK than [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], no matter how high the ATK, it was meaningless if it couldn't hit.
Kaiba thought this, watching with wide eyes as the effect of [Sakuretsu Armor] hit [Machina Ruin Force], and then was repelled by the "Dark Power" on its body!?
Not only that, after being affected by [Sakuretsu Armor], the black flame on [Machina Ruin Force] burned even more fiercely, even spreading to Alister and Kaiba themselves!
"Ugh!"
"Cough!"
The two, whose bodies were scorched by the black flame, simultaneously let out sounds of pain, and their Life Points dropped sharply.
[Kaiba Seto: 4000 → 2000 LP]
[Alister: 2000 → 1000 LP]
"Heh heh, Muda da muda da muda da! When the opponent activates an effect during the Battle Phase, I can Pay half of my Life Points to negate the effect you activated, and my Life Points become half. In front of my [Machina Ruin Force], all your struggles are futile, Kaiba Seto!"
Having lost 1000 Life Points due to activating the effect of [Machina Ruin Force], Alister also looked uncomfortable, but seemed to be slightly better off than Kaiba. Or perhaps it was the expectation of being able to take revenge on Kaiba immediately that made him wave his hand confidently and say, "Destroy that [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon]!"
"Positron Convergence Cannon - Instant Thunder!"
The treads on the lower body of [Machina Ruin Force] rotated at high speed, driving the massive war machine like a dump truck speeding down a highway, slamming fiercely into the [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] on Kaiba's Field.
[Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] only had time to spread its light wings to block the first wave of the collision, but it didn't expect that the Cannon Barrel on the shoulder of [Machina Ruin Force], large enough to fit [Ojama King], had finished charging. A scorching ray cannon bloomed at point-blank range on the face of [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon]!
Easily destroying [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon], the overflowing battle damage was inflicted upon Kaiba, who hadn't even caught his breath yet!
"Gahhh!!"
[Kaiba: 2000 → 400 LP]
In just one Turn, Kaiba, who had held a complete advantage, had his Life Points reduced to only 400. At the start of the Turn, he had 4000, but his Life Points were cut by a whole digit.
Alister laughed proudly: "Heh~ heh~, that's the kind of wail I want, Kaiba Seto! I want to listen to your wail like a defeated dog! But compared to the pain that KaibaCorp brought to the World, your wail is still too faint."
"Let me enjoy more of this wail in the next few Turns. My Turn ends."
[Alister: 1000 LP, Hand 0]
[Machina Sniper][DEF 800]
[Machina Unclassified Reserve Soldier][DEF 800]
[Machina Ruin Force][ATK 4600]
[Machina Radiator][DEF 2400]
[Machina Frontline][Set Card]
It took Kaiba quite some time to recover from the intense pain, breathing heavily. He couldn't understand why the damage from the Virtual Projection System was so exaggerated, feeling just like the unrealistic "Dark Game" that Yugi and Hayato had mentioned before.
It was too unscientific. Kaiba didn't remember setting such a high damage limit for the Virtual Projection System.
His Duel Disk shouldn't have any problems, so the only problem could be the guy opposite him who claimed he wanted to take revenge.
Kaiba wasn't entirely sure of the opponent's identity, but if he had said so much and Kaiba still hadn't realized the origin of his hatred, then he wouldn't be the Kaiba Seto who overthrew Gozaburo Kaiba's rule over KaibaCorp.
'Legacy Debt from Kaiba Military Industries, huh?'
'Hmph, Gozaburo, you really did all sorts of bad things. The debt you left behind has found its way to me. But I have no interest in paying the price for others.'
'Because what I see has always been the future, never the past!'
Kaiba's gaze fell upon Alister's Field. [Machina Ruin Force]'s ATK was 4600, surpassing [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]. This meant that even if Kaiba Summoned [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] or [Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], it would be difficult to defeat the opponent.
As for [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon], which was a step above [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], Kaiba currently only had one monster, [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon], in his Graveyard, plus two [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] monsters on the Field. Even adding the Dragon Type monsters that would be sent to the Graveyard during the process of Summoning [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon], it would be difficult to surpass [Machina Ruin Force].
The wrath of the Dragons in the Graveyard that [Deep-Eyes White Dragon] could Gather upon its appearance could clear the opponent's Life Points, but [Deep-Eyes] appears when a [Blue-Eyes] is destroyed. An effect activated during the Battle Phase would be broken by [Machina Ruin Force], so he couldn't win that way either. Moreover, winning through passive defense wasn't Kaiba's style; he preferred to take the initiative to attack.
As for [Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon] and the like, there was no need to mention it. Although it could banish [Machina Ruin Force], he would be defeated by the battle damage before that.
In that case, what card in his Deck could gain power exceeding that monster?
Kaiba lowered his head, a smile playing on his lips.
"Hmph, such a pathetic sight is rare, but it must be because I was too careless. You fourth-rate Duelist using a third-rate Deck couldn't possibly think you can defeat me, could you?" Kaiba's finger rested on his Duel Disk. "I said it before, until I subdue that guy who defeated me and then disappeared without a trace, I won't lose. It doesn't matter if I use his power for victory!"
"My Turn, Draw!"
"Then, Activate the Spell Card [Graceful Charity]! Both Players Draw Cards until their Hand becomes six. Since my Hand is 0, I can Draw six Cards."
After Drawing six Cards with a grand gesture, Kaiba saw the blue-bordered Monster Card that appeared in his Hand, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
Alister was not to be outdone: "My Hand is also 0, so I can Draw six Cards."
Kaiba was indifferent to Alister's fighting spirit; he was always indifferent.
"Activate the Spell Card [Pot of Greed]! I Draw two more Cards from my Deck. Next, Activate the Spell Card [Monster Reborn]," Kaiba's Hand increased to seven Cards, then he drew one of them and activated it. "I will Revive [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] from my Graveyard."
The Ritual White Dragon holding Chaos Power reappeared on Kaiba's Field. Alister looked at [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] dismissively and said with disdain, "Oh, Revived [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon]? Are you thinking of replicating the battle from the last Turn? Heh heh, don't forget the effect of my [Machina Ruin Force], Kaiba Seto."
"In front of [Machina Ruin Force], which is the embodiment of my revenge will, the effect of your [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] activated during the Battle Phase is simply---"
"You don't need to remind me of that, and I never said I would use [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] to finish you. Moreover, [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] Revived from the Graveyard, not Ritual Summoned, no longer has that power." Kaiba impatiently interrupted Alister, and then drew another card on his own. "My winning equation is far more perfect than you imagine."
"Normal Summon [Lord of D.]! Then Activate the Spell Card [The Flute of Summoning Dragon]! Special Summon two Dragon Type Monsters from my Hand! Come forth, my [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]!"
Accompanied by a dragon roar, the second and third [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] appeared on Kaiba's Field. In an instant, he had gathered a total of four [Blue-Eyes] monsters on his Field, imposing!
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon][ATK 3000]
[Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon][ATK 3000]
[Lord of D.][ATK 1200]
Looking at the White Dragons that appeared on Kaiba's Field, even Alister, who had been certain of victory, couldn't help but be affected by the aura of the flying giant dragons. But upon careful thought, he still didn't believe there was any possibility of him losing the Duel.
So what if he gathered three White Dragons? The strongest Ultimate Dragon [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] that could be Fusion Summoned was only a monster with 4500 ATK, completely unable to break through the [Machina Ruin Force] on his Field.
Even the God of Destruction [Obelisk the Tormentor] that Kaiba Seto possessed was only a monster with 4000 ATK. Moreover, he had already used his Normal Summon for this Turn. Could he possibly print another card?
Just as Alister thought this, he saw Kaiba play one of his remaining two cards in Hand: "This is the final Stairs to my victory! Kneel before divine power, you rat! Activate the Spell Card [Double Summon]! This Turn, I can Normal Summon one more time."
"Then, for victory, sleep in the Graveyard for now, [Blue-Eyes]! I Tribute the three [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] on the Field!"
"The scorching gale sweeps across the Ground, turning all living beings into corpses before it! Obey me and descend! Kami!!"
"[Obelisk the Tormentor]!!!"
As Kaiba raised the last card in his Hand, the three [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] on his Field turned into light and ascended into the air. Behind Kaiba, the blue Giant God Soldier slowly and heavily rose from the underground. Although it hadn't made any movements yet, its sheer aura made Alister involuntarily step back.
"This is, a God!?"
Before today, Alister had seen "God Card" on other occasions, but mostly in videotapes or as a bystander. This was his first time facing the majesty of a "God Card" directly.
"Enter my Battle Phase! [Lord of D.] attacks [Machina Sniper]!"
[Lord of D.], one of the rare Spellcaster Type Monsters in Kaiba's Deck, received the instruction and rushed towards the [Machina Sniper] on Alister's Field in Defense Position.
[Machina Sniper] with 800 DEF was destroyed without resistance, and Alister immediately activated the effect of [Machina Frontline]: "Once per Turn, when my Machine Type Monster is destroyed by battle, due to the effect of [Machina Frontline], I Special Summon one Machine Type Monster with the same Attribute and 1800 or less ATK from my Deck."
"I Special Summon [Machina Air Raider] in Defense Position with 1500 ATK."
[Machina Air Raider][Level 8 / EARTH]
[Machine Type / Effect]
[1500 / 2400]
Seeing Alister summon another monster, Kaiba let out a disdainful cold snort: "Hmph, it's endless, but it's already over. During the Battle Phase, Tribute the [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] and [Lord of D.] on my Field! Activate the effect of [Obelisk the Tormentor]!"
"An effect activated during the Battle Phase? In that case, I Activate---" Hearing this, Alister waved his hand forward, about to use the effect of [Machina Ruin Force] to interrupt, but to his surprise, the black flame on [Machina Ruin Force] extinguished itself before it even got close to [Obelisk the Tormentor]!?
"How is that possible? A Monster Effect activated during the Battle Phase should be able to be negated by [Machina Ruin Force]!"
His answer was Kaiba's wild laughter.
"Hmph hmph, hehe, hmph ha ha ha ha ha!!" As the two monsters on the Field were Tributed, Kaiba looked at the terrifying power gathering in the fists of [Obelisk the Tormentor] behind him and laughed arrogantly, "What stands before you is not a monster, but Kami-da!!"
"Increase its ATK to Infinite! Crush that [Machina Ruin Force]! [Obelisk the Tormentor]!!"
[Obelisk the Tormentor][ATK 4000 → ∞]
"Soul Energy Max!!!"
(End of Chapter)
## Chapter 554: The Second God Card
"Soul Energy Max!!!"
Facing the display of the "Power of the Gods" and "Might of the Gods" that boosted its ATK to a terrifying ∞, Alister finally understood why the "God Card"'s power was so highly valued by Lord Dartz.
Because it was truly an existence that surpassed all Duel Monsters up to this point. To execute Lord Dartz's plan, it was absolutely necessary to control this power!
The power of Obelisk the Tormentor after Tributing two monsters had broken through to an unreachable ∞. This made Alister reflect on whether his decision at the start of the Duel, specifically not including the Seal of Orichalcos card in his Deck to spare Kaiba Seto's Life Points, was correct.
After all, Kaiba's current Life Points were only 400. If he had drawn the Seal of Orichalcos just now instead of that meaningless Set Card on the Field, with the 500 ATK boost provided by the Field Spell Card, he would have already defeated Kaiba Seto. Why would he have left him with those 400 Life Points, like a flickering candle, to cling to life?
Due to his arrogance, the person who had fallen into a disadvantage in this Duel was undoubtedly Alister himself. Obelisk the Tormentor's iron fist, which shouldn't have been on his Field, was descending towards his Machina Ruin Force.
However, Alister's pride would not allow him to admit defeat in a Duel against Kaiba Seto. Even if he could accept losing to anyone else, he absolutely could not and would never lose a Duel against Kaiba.
Having made up his mind, Alister Activated the Set Card in his Spell/Trap Zone just as the Divine-Beast's fist was about to strike: "Don't get cocky, Kaiba Seto! I absolutely won't let you win this Duel as you wish. I haven't lost yet!"
"In Chain to your Obelisk the Tormentor's attack, I Activate the Trap Card in my Spell/Trap Zone—"
"Ring of Destruction!!!"
"Nani?!" Kaiba was about to mock Alister by saying, "Trap Cards are ineffective against Gods," but when he saw that the Set Card Alister flipped was Ring of Destruction, he instantly understood his opponent's idea.
Since the God's attack was unstoppable and would inevitably annihilate the monster chosen as the attack target, then he just needed to Destroy his own monster before the God's attack arrived.
The effect of Ring of Destruction was to Destroy one monster on your Field and then inflict 1000 points of effect damage to both players. Under the effect of this card, both Kaiba's remaining 400 Life Points and Alister's remaining 1000 Life Points would simultaneously be reduced to zero!
A ring with several grenades attached appeared on Machina Ruin Force's arm, then exploded with a bang. The impact of the explosion hit both Kaiba and Alister at the same instant!
"Ugh!" X2
As if mirroring each other, the two individuals with low Life Points knelt on the ground simultaneously as their Life Points were reduced to zero, unable to get up.
And Obelisk the Tormentor's certain-hit punch ultimately landed on empty space. The punch's airflow shot straight into the sky, tearing a hole in the night sky of Domino City and revealing the sky behind the low, dark clouds.
[Alister: 1000 LP → 0]
[Kaiba Seto: 400 LP → 0]
As both their Life Points were reduced to zero, the Duel ended. The Mechanical Troops on Alister's Field completely dispersed, and Obelisk the Tormentor behind Kaiba, having achieved no results, also had to leave the Field unwillingly. The cards on both their Duel Disks fell and scattered on the ground.
On the surface, the situation seemed to have returned to how it was at the very beginning when Kaiba was pursuing Alister. But at this moment, Kaiba heard a voice coming from behind him: "So, it's a Draw, Alister."
"Who's there!?" Supporting himself with one hand on the ground, Kaiba turned his head and saw a blond-haired man had appeared on the rooftop at some point. He had clearly ordered Isono to Seal off the Building below with the Security team; it should have been impossible for anyone to enter or exit freely!
And judging by the other party's expression, it seemed he had been here for some time. Perhaps he had even watched their entire Duel with that thief, yet Kaiba hadn't noticed him until he spoke?!
Because the other party was standing in the shadow cast by the Building, Kaiba could only make out that his hair was blond and his figure looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't tell who he was.
However, Alister provided Kaiba with the answer: "Did you come specifically to mock me, Rafael? I was just that close to getting the God Card."
'Rafael?'
Hearing Alister say the other party's name, Kaiba naturally remembered Rafael, the mysterious Duelist with the nickname "Guardian" whom he had encountered during the KC Cup held in America. Looking at the person standing in the shadow, he bore at least a seventy percent resemblance to the "Rafael" in his impression.
And as Rafael stepped out of the shadow, Kaiba was able to confirm that the person was indeed Rafael himself!
"But the result is what matters, Alister. Ultimately, you failed to complete the task of obtaining the God Card. To avoid affecting the plan you set for yourself, I even waited until you and Kaiba Seto achieved mutual destruction before showing myself."
As Rafael walked out of the shadow, he responded to Alister while walking towards Kaiba.
'That 'Guardian' Rafael actually knows the rat who tried to steal the God Card?'
'No, they don't just know each other, they're working together!'
Watching Rafael walk towards him, unsure of what he intended to do, Kaiba struggled to get up from the ground, straightened his body, and adopted a defensive posture. He demanded, "You, you're Rafael, aren't you? What is your goal, and that guy's over there!"
"Hmm? Alister, you didn't use the Power of the Orichalcos? Why didn't you Seal Kaiba Seto's soul?"
Looking at the wary Kaiba, Rafael frowned and turned to Alister.
Alister had an impatient expression: "You're meddling too much, Rafael. You just need to know that even Lord Dartz specifically allowed me to decide how to handle this guy, Kaiba Seto. I'll naturally find other powerful Duelists to fill in for the soul sealing. You don't need to worry about it!"
Talking to themselves and completely ignoring his question, Rafael and Alister's actions infuriated Kaiba, whose mood was already bad from losing the Duel.
"Hey, you two, don't answer a question with a question!" Kaiba said, extending his arm towards Rafael, who was only an arm's length away, intending to grab his collar. "I know you well from Dueling you. You're not the type of Duelist who blindly pursues the power of powerful Duel Monsters in your Deck. Coveting the power of a God makes no sense at all."
"Even using despicable means to steal the God Card, what is your goal— *Cough*!"
Kaiba's words were cut short. Only to see the perfectly fine Rafael agilely dodge Kaiba's arm, lean forward, and extend his right hand clenched into a fist, delivering a forceful punch to the abdomen that interrupted Kaiba's words.
Because he had repeatedly taken damage exceeding the Virtual Projection System's simulation impact threshold during the Duel, Kaiba's body was already exhausted. After receiving this direct attack from Rafael's "I Attack Position Summon my fist," he couldn't suppress the physiological reaction he had been holding back and was struck down onto the ground with a painful expression.
However, Rafael merely subdued Kaiba and didn't take any further action.
"Since you said so, then you can deal with Kaiba Seto yourself another day. But it's best to do it before these Legendary Duelists interfere with our plan."
Rafael said this as he walked around Kaiba, bent down, and picked up the Obelisk the Tormentor card from the ground. Just as the Divine-Beast's power was about to spread out and inflict a penalty on Rafael, the chain around his neck, embedded with a green gem, emitted an ominous green radiance, temporarily suppressing the God's power back into the card.
"However, collecting the God Cards is the primary task right now. Even if you're unwilling, I must bring this Obelisk the Tormentor to Lord Dartz."
"Ya, Yarou!"
"Put that card down!"
Kaiba, lying on the ground, saw Rafael take the Obelisk the Tormentor card and gritted his teeth, struggling to get up. But his body's weakness was an undeniable fact. To move freely, he would need some time to recover.
However, Kaiba didn't have enough time.
Just after Rafael took Obelisk the Tormentor, a noise gradually approached the rooftop. The airflow began to become turbulent, and then a searchlight directly illuminated the rooftop of KaibaCorp Tower in the night sky.
It was a helicopter, climbing straight up to this height of over a hundred meters! And judging by the situation, it seemed to be here to pick up Alister and Rafael!
Helping Alister board the helicopter, Rafael looked at Kaiba, who was about to get up, and said expressionlessly, "Regarding Hayato Kobayashi's disappearance, as a Duelist, I regret not being able to Duel him; but as a member of the organization, his departure has significant meaning for the implementation of our plan."
"Kaiba Seto, we will take Obelisk the Tormentor, one of the three God Cards left behind by Hayato Kobayashi. With this, we have collected two, leaving only The Winged Dragon of Ra."
After a pause, Rafael added, as if offering compensation, "However, before Kaiba Seto, the Duelist, gets angry and wrathful about the card left by his friend being taken, Kaiba Seto, the President, should worry more about your own KaibaCorp."
After saying this, Rafael climbed the helicopter's rope ladder and boarded. The helicopter then flew away from the rooftop of KaibaCorp Tower. This left Kaiba, who had finally managed to get up from the ground, with no chance to chase after them. He could only pound the cold ground fiercely with his fist in frustration.
"I'll take your life next time, Kaiba Seto. I absolutely won't be careless when we meet again. Fear my retaliation in trepidation!" Alister, who had already boarded the cabin, looked at the gradually receding Kaiba Building and let out his harsh words. He didn't know if his voice could carry over the sound of the helicopter's rotors to Kaiba's ears or if it would simply disperse into the night sky.
The wrath in Kaiba's gaze as he glared at the helicopter disappearing into the distance showed that he would likely never forget this humiliating experience of having his card stolen.
Furthermore, Kaiba even attributed the humiliation from the previous Pyramid of Light incident to Alister and Rafael. As a Duelist, he had been humiliated repeatedly by underhanded tactics. Anubis from the last time died cleanly, leaving no room for retaliation. This time, he would absolutely get back at Rafael and Alister double for what they did!
Having made such a vow in his heart, Kaiba couldn't help but consider other matters, namely Rafael's words about "paying attention to KaibaCorp." However, Kaiba didn't understand why KaibaCorp needed his attention.
Currently, after transforming into an Entertainment Conglomerate, KaibaCorp first collaborated with Industrial Illusions, then thwarted Schroeder Corporation, a major opponent in the Duel Monsters domain, and also had deep cooperation with Manjoume Conglomerate. It could be said that they had perfected the techniques of "inviting guests, beheading, and taking them as dogs."
Unlike certain companies, the current KaibaCorp was truly worthy of the name and thriving. What was there to worry about?
Could it be that some super capital with nothing better to do would idly target KaibaCorp on the stock market and short its stock price?
After thinking carefully, Kaiba felt that Rafael's words might just be a diversion to attract his attention. The immediate priority was still, as expected, to find those two bastards, teach them and the organization behind them a lesson, and then reclaim the Obelisk the Tormentor card.
On the other hand, Kaiba also remembered the name of the thief Rafael mentioned, "Alister." The other party seemed to be a victim of the former Kaiba Military Industries. Using this name as a clue, he might be able to find some leads.
However, there was one more thing Kaiba was very concerned about.
That Rafael said they had already collected two God Cards and were only missing The Winged Dragon of Ra. Did that mean Mutou Yuugi had also been attacked by them?
Frowning, Kaiba wondered if he should notify that woman.
But he didn't know that at this moment, in the Egyptian Antiquities Traveling Exhibition Hall, although The Winged Dragon of Ra had been targeted by Valon, it had not yet been attacked. Ishizu, however, had already seen a small piece of the future using the Millennium Necklace.
*
Thanks to "X" for the 100 Qidian Coin Tip. Thank you.
*
Author's Note: Many people know that the Protagonists of each generation of Yu-Gi-Oh! have the sound "Yu" in their names, but many don't know the other half of this knowledge point: each generation also has a character corresponding to the Protagonist whose name contains "Jyo" (not necessarily the second male lead, it could be the third male lead or even a comedic character, but they are positioned as a teammate).
YU + JYO = YU-JYO (Friendship), the famous Handshake Card. The Card Art is the original YU-JYO duo, Yugi and Joey Wheeler.
By the GX era, it was "Yu"uki corresponding to Man"jou"me. Although he became a comedic supporting character later in the Anime, he had a lot of screen time in the Manga and had the aura of a second male lead.
The Zexal YU-JYO duo is "Yu"ma and Ten"jo" Kaito. Kaito is the best.
For the "Jyo" in the 5D's YU-JYO duo, many people might not think of him: the minor character in the Anime, Mukuro En"jo", the guy who played Flame Skull burn damage. His ace card in the Anime is King of Speed, while in the Manga, his Deck is a Vehicle Deck (not Sho Marufuji's Roids, but a literal Vehicle Deck that hasn't been real card adapted, like Signpost, Traffic Light, Gate, etc.).
Although he is a minor character in the Anime, in another Worldline of ZONE, where the Meklords didn't have an impact and the homeless Yusei Fudo didn't go to Satellite to join Team Satisfaction, he competed in the WRGP with Akiza and Mukuro Enjo, and didn't meet Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan.
*
End of Chapter
# Chapter 555: Valon (Baron) Arrested for Theft? How Could I Have Such a Strange Dream?
My name is Valon, and I live in... oh, I've already introduced myself, haven't I? Then I'll skip the preamble.
You see, I, Valon, actually had a rather unpleasant past. So, after becoming one of the Doma Three Swordsmen, compared to my colleagues Alister, who carries a heavy burden, and Rafael, who seems to have grand ideals, I'm a bit more "unambitious." All I want is just to live a peaceful life.
After all, to reach my current position, which is second only to one person and above everyone else, I feel I've already experienced enough struggle. Moreover, if it were a strong and powerful opponent, it might pique my interest somewhat, but if it's just some rotten potatoes and stinky eggs, it's really hard to get motivated.
However, with great power comes great responsibility. Sometimes, even though I'm very reluctant, some necessary tasks still need to be done. For example, right now, I'm acting to obtain the The Winged Dragon of Ra card, held by Ishizu Ishtar, the Family Head of the Tomb Keepers, located in the Egyptian Antiquities Traveling Exhibition Hall in Domino City.
Valon is actually quite dissatisfied with his goal. After all, while it seems to be generally accepted that "The Winged Dragon of Ra is the most powerful card among the Three Egyptian Gods," and this is acknowledged by all Duelists currently known to have come into contact with the power of the God Card, this premise is only valid if there is a user who can fully unleash The Winged Dragon of Ra's power.
When Lord Dartz gave the Doma Three Swordsmen the instruction to "collect the cards of the Three Egyptian Gods," he also mentioned that based on his observations, there are only three people in this World who can fully unleash the power of The Winged Dragon of Ra: Hayato Kobayashi, Mutou Yuugi, and Ishizu Ishtar's younger brother, the former leader of the Rare Hunters criminal organization, Malik Ishtar.
However, to be precise, Malik Ishtar himself can at most unleash only half of The Winged Dragon of Ra's power. It is his dark personality, who died in the battle against Hayato Kobayashi, that had the ability to use 100% of The Winged Dragon of Ra's power.
The same goes for Mutou Yuugi. After all, one of the Millennium Items he possesses, the Millennium Puzzle, houses the soul of the amnesiac Nameless Pharaoh. It would be too embarrassing if he couldn't even unleash the power of a God Card.
As for Hayato Kobayashi, although Lord Dartz has always held a special feeling towards that guy, he is, after all, someone who has disappeared. What does it matter if he could unleash 1000% of The Winged Dragon of Ra's power?
Aside from these three, although The Winged Dragon of Ra, like the other two God Cards, can be used by anyone related to the Millennium Items, there are no others who can fully unleash its power. And The Winged Dragon of Ra, when unable to unleash its full power, is strictly speaking, not even as good as the other two divine-beasts.
Although Valon seems to have heard of a concept that sounds profound but is unclear, like "The user of The Winged Dragon of Ra must be able to read the Egyptian hieratic text that appears on the card," the credibility of this information is questionable. After all, Valon has never once seen Hayato Kobayashi read any hieratic text in the duel replays where he used The Winged Dragon of Ra.
My conclusion: Purely fake at first glance. It's definitely just another rumor fabricated by some third-rate media outlet for the sake of circulation. They've never even gotten their hands on The Winged Dragon of Ra card, so how would they know about the so-called "hieratic text" appearing on it?
Valon, who hadn't read the information carefully at that time, completely forgot that although the source of that information was indeed a third-rate publication related to Duel Monsters, the contributor of the manuscript was someone named "I Grant You This Powerful Monster." This name was actually a pen name used by Marik, who, after losing the income from the Rare Hunters organization and spending all his money lavishly, had to earn money.
Meanwhile, Valon, who had already arrived near the Egyptian Antiquities Traveling Exhibition Hall, was also unaware that although it was late at night, his target, Ishizu, was not sleeping at all. Instead, she was foreseeing the future through her Millennium Necklace.
It is well known that in any work, characters with abilities like "foreseeing the future" often face various "restrictions." Either the ability itself comes with a great cost, or speaking about the future changes the future, or the character themselves has the personality of a Riddler. In any case, they basically won't speak plainly and reveal the future completely, or they themselves cannot see the future clearly.
Ishizu's Millennium Necklace, through the legacy of the Tomb Keepers over a thousand years, has had its ability developed quite thoroughly. From a thousand years ago until now, its ability has always been a pure "foreseeing the future."
Ishizu herself, when her father was still alive, was once evaluated as "the most outstanding individual in the history of the Tomb Keepers in terms of ability." Her use of the Millennium Necklace can be said to surpass her ancestors from a thousand years ago. Compared to her ancestors who needed time to slowly see a single instant of the future, Ishizu's glimpse into the future is almost instantaneous, seeing a very long segment and not easily misled by the future.
Of course, this was the situation before she came from Egypt to Domino City. Since arriving in Domino City, because Hayato, who possesses the Millennium Wheel of Wisdom, always appears within the range of the Millennium Necklace's foreseeing the future, the Millennium Necklace's foresight ability has been useless for a long time.
Not only was the premonition of the future reduced to a single instant, but the future seen would occasionally be unreliable. It only returned to a normal state once when Hayato left Domino City for America to participate in the KC Cup. After Ishizu also went to America because Marik was hospitalized, the Millennium Necklace stopped working again due to being close to the Millennium Wheel of Wisdom.
Now, because Hayato and the Millennium Wheel of Wisdom have disappeared together, the Millennium Necklace has finally emerged from the clouds and seen the clear sky, returning to its normal state for a long time. However, Ishizu would rather remain in that state where she cannot see the future; the cost of this power is simply too heavy.
Some time has passed since the Pyramid of Light incident. Since Hayato's "disappearance," neither Marik nor Rishid has seen any happy expression on Ishizu's face again.
They can often only see Ishizu using the power of the Millennium Necklace again and again to glimpse the future, using The Winged Dragon of Ra, the card Hayato used most often, as a catalyst, trying to find Hayato's figure.
Neither Marik nor Rishid tried to stop Ishizu, even though they were convinced that Hayato, who had died in the battle against Anubis, had no possibility of appearing in the future again, and they knew that Ishizu's reckless use of the Millennium Necklace was only harmful to her body.
But how could they stop Ishizu? By denying her delusion and making her completely give up hope?
However, what Marik and Rishid didn't know was that Ishizu, who was always rational and calm, was not being reckless in her stubborn use of the Millennium Necklace's power this time. It was entirely because of the image of the "future" she saw in the instant her ability to foresee the future was restored.
A gigantic black snake, an illusory existence, opened its maw, capable of absorbing even light, and swallowed the power of The Winged Dragon of Ra, Obelisk the Tormentor, and Slifer the Sky Dragon, as well as the power of many more Duel Monsters cards.
Subsequently, the giant snake, like the Leviathan of mythology or Jörmungandr encircling the world, tore apart the world's restraints, opening the boundary between the world of card spirits and the Real World. The entire world was shrouded in dark clouds.
Duel Monsters from the Different Dimension were released into the Real World. Amidst the great chaos, Ishizu saw the Millennium Wheel of Wisdom return to the Real World from the Different Dimension. At the same time, due to the influence of the Millennium Wheel of Wisdom, the image of the future that Ishizu could foresee also stopped there.
And the image described above was something Ishizu only saw once when the Millennium Necklace was restored. Afterward, no matter how she tried to foresee the future, even forcefully taking The Winged Dragon of Ra card as a guide with a strong attitude, she couldn't see that image again, let alone show the future she saw to Marik and others.
Although she only saw the extremely blurry Millennium Wheel of Wisdom, Ishizu firmly believed that Hayato would definitely return from the Different Dimension. After all, Hayato was capable of creating miracles that surpassed the absolute future foreseen by the Millennium Necklace.
Moreover, Hayato had made a promise during the Pyramid of Light incident that he would definitely return safely. What was promised would definitely be done.
Watching the future guided by The Winged Dragon of Ra again and again, Ishizu's glimpse into the future would always abruptly stop at a certain point and fall into disorder, consistently failing to obtain the future she wanted to see.
But in this continuous process of searching, Ishizu had a sudden impulse to change the form of foreseeing the future. Instead of looking directly into the distant future, she slowed her steps, looked at the short present, and then gradually accelerated towards the future.
And so—
"Heh heh, so this is the Egyptian Artifact Traveling Exhibition Hall?"
Not even bothering to put on a cloak, Valon arrived in front of the exhibition hall wearing his ridiculously chuunibyou armor that absolutely no one else would wear. He merely tied a piece of cloth over his face and called it a "disguise," as if afraid people wouldn't be able to recognize him from surveillance footage.
In reality, he genuinely didn't care much about being recognized afterward. After all, once the tasks were completed, he wouldn't even need to return to Japan; he would have already gone Abroad to enjoy his peaceful life.
He wasn't like that guy Alister, who completely disguised himself from head to toe, claiming it was to "bring fear to Kaiba Seto," and even specifically bought a piece of cloth to cut and use as a mask. The cloth on Valon's face was leftover from Alister, as Valon was used to living in poverty and felt it shouldn't be wasted.
If Alister hadn't had leftovers, Valon probably wouldn't have even bothered with this piece of cloth and would have just come here openly and brazenly.
Looking at the building before him, which was an exhibition hall for artifacts but looked incredibly modern on the outside, Valon, standing on the quiet street, couldn't help but exclaim, "I heard that KaibaCorp's construction team was contracted for this project, right? And they say it was completed very quickly back then. To be able to guarantee both speed and quality, KaibaCorp is quite amazing."
"I wonder how that guy Alister is doing. Is it possible that Kaiba Seto discovered him, causing the failed theft, and then he naturally started a duel with the goal he's been 'concerned' about for so long?"
"Heh heh, thinking about it that way, maybe I won't be the last one. Although I'm not aiming for first place, I don't want to be the slowest either. Second place, not too high and not too low, is definitely the most suitable for me."
"But speaking of which, where would Ishizu Ishtar be?"
"Right here, Mr. Valon."
"Hmm!?!"
Even the bold and somewhat thick-skinned Valon was startled by the sudden female voice near his side.
After all, putting yourself in someone else's shoes, if you were standing alone on an empty street in a quiet suburban area late at night and suddenly heard someone speaking very close to you, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to be scared into having a heart disease without any psychological preparation.
Turning his head, Valon saw a woman dressed in white traditional Egyptian clothing with a veil covering her face, waiting near the exhibition hall as if she had known of his arrival beforehand. Her position was coincidentally in Valon's blind spot.
Valon is actually a bit face-blind and not very good at distinguishing people's beauty or ugliness. Coupled with the fact that the woman was wearing a veil, he didn't immediately recognize her identity. However, as Valon's line of sight moved down and he saw the gold jewelry around her neck with the engraving of the Eye of Udjat, he remembered the information he had seen multiple times in his mind.
"A Millennium Item shaped like a necklace, that would be the Millennium Necklace, right? The owner is..."
"Yo, are you Ishizu Ishtar?"
"Did you see the future with the power of the Millennium Necklace? Oh my, foreseeing the future is actually real, huh? I was a bit skeptical before."
Recognizing Ishizu's identity and realizing that his infiltration had ended before it even began, just like the National Football Team's World Cup journey, Valon showed no awkwardness about being caught red-handed by the owner. Instead, he revealed an interested smile. "In that case, does that mean I don't need to waste my breath, and you already know what my goal is, Miss Ishizu?"
"Hand over The Winged Dragon of Ra," Valon said, extending his hand confidently. "I promise I'll take it and leave without doing anything extra. Or did you foresee my arrival in the future and hide it?"
Under Valon's gaze, Ishizu still didn't say a second word. Instead, she simply reached out and tossed a card.
Taking the card Ishizu threw, Valon looked down, slightly surprised, because what he had received was indeed the last and strongest God Card, The Winged Dragon of Ra.