Chapter 566 Power! I need more Power!
Hayato's identity upon joining the Organization Doma is actually quite subtle.
According to Dartz, he is the immediate superior of the Doma Three Swordsmen. Within the Organization Doma, Rafael and the other two were originally second only to Dartz, but Hayato was placed above them. While it's not to say he replaced Dartz, he could barely be considered Doma's second-in-command.
The problem is, Hayato is merely the person in charge of the Doma Three Swordsmen. the rest of the Organization Doma will not obey Hayato's commands, even if he is their superior's superior. Maintaining superficial respect is already the limit.
After all, there's a saying, "The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal, but my daughter's daughter is still..."
The latter half is not important.
And even the Doma Three Swordsmen, who are nominally directly under Hayato now, don't have a particularly enthusiastic attitude regarding Hayato joining Doma.
Especially---
"Just so you know, I don't trust you, Hayato Kobayashi."
Inside the cabin of a small passenger plane, Alister sat in the seat opposite Hayato, arms crossed over his chest, staring at Hayato with an unfriendly expression. "No matter how you look at it, you, as the Duel King, have no reason whatsoever to join the Organization Doma and become Lord Dartz's Subordinate. What exactly is your goal?"
Hayato casually picked his ear with an indifferent expression. "Let me correct you, I merely have a cooperative relationship with Dartz. He gave me this power, I joined Doma and then gave him a chance to convince me. That's it."
As he spoke, Hayato shook a bracelet strung with green gems tied to his wrist.
After joining the Organization Doma, Hayato naturally also received an "Orichalcos Fragment," which almost everyone in the organization had, and similarly, a card for the [Seal of Orichalcos]. The latter requires the former to be activated. However, although he had the ability to use the [Seal of Orichalcos], Hayato had absolutely no intention of adding it to his Deck.
After all, it's the famous "The 'Whoever Uses It Loses' Barrier." In the original work, from Grimo, a Minor Character from the Organization Doma, to the Doma Three Swordsmen and Dartz, anyone who used the [Seal of Orichalcos] could not escape the fate of defeat in a Duel. Even Yugi fell victim to this move.
"Ah~ For power, huh? That's truly reasonable~"
Valon, sitting next to Alister's seat, glanced at the "Orichalcos Fragment" on Hayato's wrist and said in a sarcastic tone, "You're already the Duel King, yet a reason like pursuing power is simply too low in credibility, isn't it?"
Hayato's life up until now has been investigated very thoroughly by the Organization Doma. With a complete family and free from worries about food and clothing, and as a Duelist, he has already stood atop almost everyone else, becoming the "Duel King." There is truly no necessity to pursue power in his life.
The three members of the Doma Three Swordsmen each have their reasons for joining the Organization Doma.
The country Alister lived in as a child fell into a war. That war was planned by the President of KaibaCorp at the time, Gozaburo Kaiba, who had already died, and died twice at that, to test newly developed weapons. Alister's younger brother died in that war. For this, Alister resented KaibaCorp and Kaiba Seto, who inherited KaibaCorp.
He joined the Organization Doma in order to utilize its power to seek revenge against KaibaCorp.
Valon was an orphan living alone since childhood. Once, the Church he lived in was burned down, and in a brawl, he killed someone and was sent to Prison. Later, because of Dartz, he defeated over twenty people through Duels and was released from Prison, regaining his freedom.
Although partly to repay Dartz for his kindness, staying within the Organization Doma was more so because Valon himself was somewhat content to go with the flow.
As for Rafael, like Valon and Alister, he was also alone in the World. His family was all lost during a sea trip when he was a child. After the shipwreck, Rafael, along with the card for Guardian Eatos, a gift given to him by his younger siblings before they died, lived together on a Deserted Island for several years before being rescued. But upon returning, he discovered that because his family had perished, his family property had already been seized by relatives.
Rafael, who had become confused and weary of this World, joined the Organization Doma under Dartz's guidance. He believed that after Dartz cleansed humanity, he could indeed create a beautiful New World. So that the tragedies he experienced would not happen again, he might be the only one among the Doma Three Swordsmen whose will is completely the same as Dartz's and who will carry out Dartz's instructions.
While Alister and Valon each expressed their distrust and rejection of Hayato, Rafael, sitting to the side, remained silent and said nothing. Only when Valon and Alister quieted down did he quietly say, "Pursuing power, huh? That's truly your style, Hayato Kobayashi."
"Hmm? Rafael, do you believe this guy?"
"Ah, isn't it obvious?" Seeing Valon's confused expression, Rafael, as if he had seen through everything, said with certainty, "Think back, Valon, what kind of person Hayato Kobayashi truly is. Excluding all the actions he has taken in the past, from Duel Monsters, which best reveals a person's true nature, think back to what kind of person he is."
"Hayato Kobayashi was able to become the Duel King, certainly due to his ability and the bonds of his Deck. But besides him, whether it's Mutou Yuugi or Kaiba Seto, they also have the potential to become King."
"The most crucial factor for him reaching the top as Duel King lies in his decision-making ability. For victory, he can abandon everything, even sending his Duel Monsters that have made great contributions to the Graveyard with his own hands is fine."
As he spoke, Rafael's gaze shifted from Valon and met Hayato's eyes, and Hayato could feel an extremely strong sense of disapproval in Rafael's gaze.
Valon thought back for a moment and found that it was indeed as Rafael said. Hayato Kobayashi's style as a Duelist was indeed a "Maximizing Benefit" advocate who primarily sacrificed his own monsters.
"So you mean?"
"Rafael means that the higher someone stands, the less willing they are to come down. After all, to climb to the position of the Duel King, he could abandon many things." Alister seemed to understand something after Rafael's hint, with an expression of realization. "Although we didn't see it directly, when we entered the Palace, didn't we also hear the voices of the Duel Monsters?"
"Presumably, this guy Hayato Kobayashi fell into a disadvantage during his Duel with Lord Dartz. That's why this guy needs power, just as he said, to find an opportunity to defeat Lord Dartz."
Rafael also nodded, agreeing that Alister's analysis was consistent with his idea.
"Ah, that's right. That's why I said from the very beginning, I need power, more Power." Hayato said, tracing the "Orichalcos Fragment" on his wrist. "Complete Suppression, a back that cannot be surpassed—this is the aesthetics of 'The Pursued' that I admire. Power is a necessary existence."
Alister narrowed his eyes upon hearing this and asked, "Even for this power, you, who joined the Organization Doma, might lose the friends who stood behind you before? You should know that for Lord Dartz's plan, we are going to collect the souls of many powerful Duelists next, and your friends are all indispensable excellent resources."
"Friends? Heh heh, those who stand behind the King are destined to be rejected. Friends are troublesome. My goal is to become the World's Strongest."
Listening to Hayato's words, plagiarized from a certain "King who crashed" decades later, Rafael looked at the expression on Hayato's face and seemed to confirm that Hayato wasn't lying. He sighed and said, "So that's how it is? In that case, even if you and I stand on the same side now, I still cannot approve of you, Hayato Kobayashi."
"However, for the sake of the organization, I will obey Lord Dartz's instruction and accept your joining."
Rafael had made his stance clear. As one of the Doma Three Swordsmen, he accepted Hayato's reason for joining Doma. And Valon, who was beside them, seeing that Rafael, who was almost the leader among the three of them, had made his stance clear, and who actually didn't care too much about Hayato, naturally also nodded at Hayato, indicating that he also accepted Hayato.
Alister, on the other hand, even though he understood Hayato's reason for joining Doma, because he still held onto the fact that Hayato had defeated him in a Duel before, he was still very resistant to Hayato joining.
Valon also saw his dissatisfaction and advised him as if joking, "Relax a little, Alister. At least Hayato has already accepted the 'Orichalcos Fragment', hasn't he?"
He looked at the gem on Hayato's wrist and said lightly, "Even if he doesn't use it, that gem will constantly unearth the darkness within the owner's heart, and even use it to birth new monsters."
"It just so happens that we came out to defeat powerful Duelists and seal their souls. How about our 'person in charge' Mr. also tries to get some action and see if he can unearth the dark monster within his heart?"
What Valon said wasn't baseless. The "Orichalcos Fragment" truly has the function of "unearthing the darkness within a Duelist's heart and birthing new monsters." Among the Doma Three Swordsmen, Rafael and Alister have already birthed their own darkness.
Hayato remained calm on the surface and even showed an expression of anticipation. "Heh heh, no problem at all. I am also looking forward to what kind of monster I can call forth from within my heart, as I pursue power."
However, in Hayato's heart, he felt somewhat fortunate about a certain Deck he had obtained before.
'The appearance of these cards, let alone the darkness within my heart, even if I kicked Dartz out now and claimed to be the reincarnation of the Orichalcos God, it would be fine, right?'
---
In a dimly lit Bar, a man with a Stars and Stripes bandana wrapped around his head tipped his head back and chugged a large glass of alcohol. The stimulating taste of the cheap, low-quality alcohol made the man somewhat sober, yet his nerves were numbed by the alcohol, as if half-asleep and half-awake.
Slightly nodding, the man's gaze, through the gap in his sunglasses, fell upon the TV screen hanging above the Bar counter. The screen was showing the Grand Finals of a recent Duel Monsters professional tournament. Because Duel Monsters as a form of entertainment was becoming increasingly popular and widespread, even soccer, which was best at prompting drunkards to empty their already thin wallets, had been replaced by Duel Monsters by the Bar owner.
On the screen, a blonde woman commanding her Harpie Lady monsters, fighting in cooperation with a Flying Dragon, was about to launch an Attack against a massive Tyranno on the opponent's Field. However, the power of the flock of birds was still somewhat insufficient before the former ruler of the planet. Those Winged Beasts and the Flying Dragon were forced back by the massive Tyranno's Aura and were flipped back into Face-Down Defense Position.
The man recognized both Duelists in the Duel. They were respectively Mai Valentine, who uses an [Amazon] Deck and a Harpie Lady Deck and is good at Spell/Trap Zone Destruction Tactics, and Rex Raptor, who specializes in Dinosaur-Type Monsters and whose Dueling Style is the rare straightforward "Dinosaur" style.
"Heh, Kujaku Mai and Rex. Even kids of this level can be arrogant in the professional Duelist circle?"
Watching Rex launch his Offensive but being blocked by Mai Valentine's Itaqua's Wind, the man commented disdainfully, almost saying "I could do that too." He subconsciously raised his glass to his mouth, only to find that the glass had already been emptied just now.
This made the man feel somewhat dispirited. Instead of continuing to linger at the Bar counter, he pulled out a few bills of cash tied with a rubber band from his pocket and threw them onto the Bar table. Without waiting for the bartender to give him change, he left the Bar counter.
In this remote small Bar, there were many poor wretches shamelessly asking the Bar for more alcohol, but those willing to give a tip were few and far between. Let alone the fact that the man threw down a Franklin, the bartender naturally wouldn't refuse this extra income and rarely showed a genuine smile as he respectfully saw the man off from the Bar.
Stepping onto the moonlight in the Alley, the man, who clearly wasn't drunk, staggered, walking forward in silence. After walking two steps, he fiercely punched the concrete wall on the side of the Alley. The rough surface of the wall scraped the skin off the man's hand, and blood flowed out.
"Bastard, bastard, bastard!"
As if cursing someone, or as if feeling sorry for himself, the man repeatedly punched the wall until the pain in his palm overpowered the numbness from the alcohol. He tore off his bandana and casually wrapped it around his trembling left hand, breathing heavily.
Completely disregarding the trash scattered on the ground in this quiet Alley, left uncleared, the man sat down against the wall. Using his right hand, which hadn't punched the wall, he pulled out a Deck from his chest. The card at the very front of the Deck was a Barrel Dragon.
The man who looked down on Kujaku Mai and Rex was none other than Keith! He had earned the name "The Bandit" by winning prize money in various events back then, reached the Top 8 in the Duelist Kingdom but was utterly defeated by Hayato, was almost killed by Pegasus and thrown off the Island, and was later controlled by Marik to attack the Egyptian Artifact Traveling Exhibition Hall, only to be utterly defeated by Hayato once again!
His fingers tightly gripped his Deck. Keith's face, full of stubble, was full of resentment as he muttered something angrily.
Perhaps at other times, after muttering curses to himself, Keith would vent his wrath and then get up again, go back to his home and sleep, and come back to the Bar the next day to buy alcohol to drown his sorrows.
But perhaps driven by destiny, a person Keith could never forget appeared before him this night.
"Chapter 567: As Long as Preparations Are Perfect, the Reaper Won't Come
The initial purpose of the Organization Doma was to help Dartz gather enough power to revive the "Orichalcos God," which was injured and dormant ten thousand years ago, and to cleanse the Earth once again.
As for the "Orichalcos God," the power it needed was not ordinary energy like heat or electricity, but the darkness within human hearts, as it was born from it.
However, even with the continuous wars in the world today, the darkness collected from hearts is merely a drop in the bucket for the "Orichalcos God's" revival needs. But if supplemented with the tough Souls of Duelists, that would be a different story.
Regardless of a Duelist's personal character, the stronger they are, the more significant Dark Power they can actually unearth due to their tough will. As long as their Souls can be captured by the [Seal of Orichalcos], Dartz can use these sealed Souls as Tributes to accelerate the "Orichalcos God's" revival.
Although Hayato, who became the Duel King, and Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey Wheeler, who swept the Top 4 of Battle City, are all from Domino City, if you want to find the highest quality Duelist Souls, it has to be America, where the "Father of Duel Monsters" Pegasus first promoted Duel Monsters, where the Professional Duelist system is most mature, and thus has the largest number of excellent Duelists.
Hayato knew that the destination of this trip was America, but he was still somewhat surprised that the first target they sought out was someone he knew.
"Although the organization is prepared to be enemies with the entire World, we still need to act discreetly as long as it doesn't affect efficiency. Compared to the Star Duelists who attract attention in the current Professional Duelist circle, the Duelists engaging in Illegal Duels in the Underground Duel Arena are more suitable as our targets."
Rafael explained to Hayato, "In terms of strength, some of them are actually not much inferior to Professional Duelists, and even if they disappear, it won't attract much attention. The only trouble is that Underground Duelists mostly don't participate publicly under their real identity to avoid legal responsibility, making it slightly difficult to find targets."
"However, since the real owner behind 'Underground Duel' projects like this is actually us, Doma, even this sole trouble doesn't exist anymore. The former All-American Champion, 'The Bandit' Keith, is our target."
"There's a high possibility that 'The Bandit' Keith, who once stood at a considerable height, can be persuaded to join Doma. However, if he refuses, we will Seal his Soul." Rafael paused here, looking at Hayato, "Also, do you need a chance to make a move?"
Upon hearing this, Hayato's expression remained unchanged, and he said coldly, "Keith? Heh heh, he's most suitable as an opponent to test my new power. Then I'll take care of him."
With that, Hayato didn't wait for Rafael and the other two accompanying him to say anything, and stepped into the alley, walking towards where Keith was sitting.
Behind Hayato, Alister frowned, looking at his back, and opened his mouth to say something, but only to see Rafael raise his hand to block him, stopping him from calling out to Hayato.
Shaking his head, Rafael watched Hayato approach Keith, his gaze flickering, lost in thought.
Although Rafael said they would first invite Keith to join Doma, as he walked towards Keith, Hayato had already inserted a card into the Card Slot, and with a "click," unfolded his Duel Disk.
This sound also attracted the attention of the bad-mooded Keith. He turned his head to look at the figure who appeared in the alley. Although he wasn't drunk, the alcohol still had some influence on Keith, preventing him from recognizing the person's identity at first glance. After several glances, Keith's eye suddenly widened.
"You are, Hayato Kobayashi?!"
"Yo, Keith, I really didn't expect to see you in a place like this. I remember the last time we met was... well, the last time." Hayato started with a string of nonsense, a grin appearing on his face illuminated by the dim streetlights, "Why do you look so downcast?"
"Tsk, isn't this all thanks to you!" Keith, who had stood up from the ground, looked at Hayato with a grim expression, "Because of the damage you left on me before Battle City, I was stuck in the hospital for a full six months, completely missing Battle City, the opportunity I originally wanted to use to regain my fame!"
"Becoming the Duel King is quite impressive, Hayato Kobayashi! But why are you appearing before me now?"
Keith wasn't a slow-witted guy. Watching Hayato approach him step by step, his hairs stood on end. He felt as if he was being targeted by some fierce beast, experiencing a fatal sense of crisis.
The only possible source of this feeling was the very strange Hayato Kobayashi before him.
Before the opening of Battle City, on the day Ishizu gave Kaiba the [Obelisk the Tormentor] card she brought from Egypt to Domino City, Keith, after being kicked out of Duelist Kingdom Island by Pegasus, accidentally fell into the hands of Marik, who was then the leader of the Rare Hunters. He was used as a sacrificial chess piece and cannon fodder, controlled by the [Millennium Rod] to attack the Egyptian Artifact Traveling Exhibition Hall.
Although Keith at that time was completely reduced to a puppet freely dominated by Marik, he wasn't without consciousness. He was very aware of his experience at that time, being controlled in an unusually clear state. And at that time, Hayato was Keith's opponent, and it was Hayato's second Duel with Keith after Duel Kingdom.
In that Duel, Keith had already lost to Hayato, and what was even more humiliating was that Hayato used an Infinite Loop centered around [Gearfried the Iron Knight] at that time. Although Keith, whose Life Points were depleted by the infinite damage, successfully broke free from Marik's influence, he was also sent to the hospital and lay there for over half a year, perfectly missing the subsequent Battle City.
Although Duel Monsters is now increasingly popular, with large and small events constantly being held globally, the event with the highest value to date is still Battle City from back then. While Keith was lying in the hospital, missing that event, he could only watch helplessly as one Duelist after another surpassed him.
Naturally, Keith put the hatred squarely on Hayato's head.
"Don't be so vigilant, Keith, let's have a Duel." Hayato stopped at a certain distance from Keith, leaving enough space, and threw something he was carrying towards Keith, who caught it with one hand.
Keith looked down and saw it was a standard KaibaCorp mail-order Duel Disk, looking quite ordinary.
"Duel?" Keith held the Duel Disk in one hand and his Deck, which he had taken out earlier but hadn't put away, in the other. The corner of his mouth curled up, whether in contempt or self-mockery, "What made you think of coming to Duel me, Hayato Kobayashi?"
"Is there a reason needed for a Duel?" Hayato raised the Duel Disk unfolded on his left hand and said. Only then did Keith realize that the Duel Disk Hayato was using was not the standard mail-order one he had thrown to him, but a dark green disk. The unfolded Duel Disk part was shaped like a blade, looking much cooler. "However, to match the atmosphere here, what's coming up isn't just an ordinary Duel,"
"But a Dark Duel, wagering your soul."
As soon as Hayato finished speaking, before Keith could react, the "Orichalcos Fragment" on his exposed right hand wrist shone brightly. Green light filled the alley, and under Keith's horrified gaze, everything around them was replaced by a murky darkness!
Keith took a step back, wanting to distance himself from Hayato, but found that where there should have been air behind him, there was an air-like wall, preventing him from leaving.
"Dark Game, is it that mind-controlling stuff again!"
Unlike Kaiba's stubborn and even pigheaded belief in science, Keith, despite using a Machine-Type Deck, was quick to accept Dark Games. This might be related to his mind being controlled by Pegasus and Marik, both Millennium Items owners.
Pegasus had humiliated him with Mind Reading and almost killed him by controlling his mind, while Marik had taken control of his body through a Dark Game. He was already unwilling to have fallen to this point, and being controlled again? Absolutely not!
Keith gritted his teeth, his wrath almost overflowing. He glared fiercely at Hayato, "There's a limit to looking down on people, you bastard!"
"Don't think I'm the same person I was back in Duel Kingdom, Hayato Kobayashi! Anyway, as long as I defeat you, it'll be fine!"
Saying this, Keith put on the Duel Disk and inserted his Deck into it. "I've been wanting revenge on you for a long time, Duel King!"
"Duel!"
[Keith: 4000 LP]
Seeing that Keith accepted the Duel, Hayato nodded with a satisfied expression: "Hmm, that's the aura I want, Keith. That's more like the 'The Bandit' Keith I remember, who had no ability but acted like a complete idiot."
"Give it your full power and Duel me, but remember to be careful and cautious, otherwise, the flames of my Demon Deck will absorb you in an instant."
"Duel."
[Hayato: 4000 LP]
Seeing Hayato draw five cards, out of pressure, Keith unethically took the first turn and drew a card: "Don't be arrogant, Hayato Kobayashi, I'll take the first turn, Draw!"
Looking at the card he drew, Keith said, "First, I activate the Continuous Spell Card [Second Coin Toss], This card allows me to restart a Coin Toss effect once per turn."
"Then I summon [BM-4 Blast Spider] in face-up Defense Position, and finally set all four cards in my hand!"
On Keith's Field, a spider-like tank with retracted metal limbs in a defensive state manifested. Although it was a Level 4 monster, it had an excellent DEF of 2200 points, and from the multi-barreled rocket launcher on its back, it was clear that its attack capabilities also needed to be guarded against.
[BM-4 Blast Spider] [4☆/Dark]
[Machine Type/Effect]
[1400/2200]
However, what was even more noteworthy was the full row of four Set Cards in Keith's Spell/Trap Zone. The only visible card back was so plain, yet impossible to ignore.
What a standard "T" Field Setup!
Hayato's mouth twitched, and he said helplessly to Keith, "What you mean by 'not the same person as in Duel Kingdom,' is this thing?"
"Heh heh, how about it, Hayato Kobayashi? You, who always likes to lay a bunch of traps for others to step on, how do you feel seeing a row of Set Cards on the opponent's Field?" Keith said proudly, "I can't wait to return those bad memories you left me back then."
"My turn ends."
Having laid out such a simple but full of presence Field, Keith declared the end of his turn.
[Keith: 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[BM-4 Blast Spider] [DEF 2200]
[Second Chance] [Set Card] X4
It must be said that this move by Keith did make Hayato a little flustered, but not completely. A full row of cards in Keith's Spell/Trap Zone, why wouldn't I quickly draw a [Harpie's Feather Duster] and have a blast?
Hayato's finger rested on the Duel Disk, and he drew a card: "My turn, draw a card."
After drawing the card, before Hayato could even confirm it, he heard Keith on the other side say, "At this instant, I will activate a Set Card during your turn's Standby Phase, and then chain activate another Set Card!"
Saying this, Keith successively pressed the activate Set Card buttons on his Duel Disk. Two cards in his Spell/Trap Zone flipped open, revealing red borders. One card art depicted the Reaper with a scythe, while the other was clearly printed with Keith's ace card, [Barrel Dragon].
"Continuous Trap Card, [The Grim Reaper's Stroll]. During the opponent's turn's Standby Phase, I can toss a coin to apply its effect." Keith said, raising his hand and snapping his fingers. A phantom coin appeared on his Field, with Kaiba's heavily biased [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] avatar on the Heads side, and a skull on the Tails side.
The coin was tossed automatically without being touched, spinning in the air, flipping as it fell to the ground, revealing the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] pattern.
"Heh heh, the result is Heads. In that case, due to the effect of [The Grim Reaper's Stroll], you cannot Summon or Flip Summon monsters this turn until the End Phase. Without monsters, even you can't escape defeat, Hayato Kobayashi."
While saying this, Keith also glanced proudly at the card next to [The Grim Reaper's Stroll]. "My second card is also a Continuous Trap Card, [Barrel Blast]. If a Coin Toss effect is activated once per turn, I can apply an effect based on the number of times Heads appears."
"Because [The Grim Reaper's Stroll] resulted in Heads 1 time, I inflict 500 points of effect damage to you!"
"Witness my retaliation, Hayato Kobayashi!"
Keith made a handgun gesture with his fingers, and in sync with his movement, a loaded [Barrel Dragon] gun barrel extended from the opened [Barrel Blast] in his Spell/Trap Zone.
A "bang" sounded, and a beam of impact shot out, passing through Hayato's body.
[Hayato: 4000 → 3500 LP]
The shot hit Hayato directly. Keith expected to see a painful expression on Hayato's face, but to his surprise, Hayato merely lightly brushed off the dust from the spot where he was hit, and said casually, "Is the retaliation you mentioned an attack that doesn't even count as a touch?"
"What a pity for my twenty-thousand-dollar jacket."
Provoking Keith with words, Hayato finally had time to check what card he had drawn, but perhaps because this Deck was his first time using it, his opening hand wasn't great this time.
In other words, he seemed to have a bricked hand, not having drawn a single Monster Card, only red and green cards.
Hmm, a Per☆fect☆Hand~
It could be said that Keith's [The Grim Reaper's Stroll] restriction was pointless, because Hayato didn't have any Monster Cards in his hand at all, and couldn't Summon even if he wanted to. However, relatively, Hayato also failed to draw [Harpie's Feather Duster], which would have been the optimal time to use it.
However, not drawing it is understandable, because the Deck Hayato is using this time is not the standard 40 cards but the limit of 60 cards, and there is only one [Harpie's Feather Duster] in his Deck, which he won from Kujaku Mai back in Duel Kingdom.
Sometimes you can't draw one out of 40, let alone one out of 60.
Seeing Hayato checking his hand, Keith calmed down slightly, the corner of his mouth curled up, and he pressed the activate Set Card button again: "Hayato Kobayashi, your hand size is 6 cards right now, correct? Then, in this situation where your hand size is 6 or more, and my hand size is two or less, I will activate this Set Card."
Keith flipped open his third Set Card in the Spell/Trap Zone, another Trap Card. The card art showed a hand about to toss a coin.
"Trap Card, [Graceful Dice], activate! After activation, toss a coin, and I will predict the result." Keith, with empty hands, folded his arms across his chest and said confidently, "If I guess correctly, I can draw cards from my Deck in one go until my hand is 5 cards. If I guess incorrectly, I skip my next turn."
"Ho ho, powerful cards often come with great risk, huh? You always like to use these gambling cards to gain high benefit, Keith."
"Hmph, as long as I get a good result, there is no side effect." Keith cold snorted, extended his hand, and declared, "My predicted result is, of course, Heads!"
As Keith made his judgment, the coin was tossed and flew into the air, but perhaps because the previous [The Grim Reaper's Stroll] used up some of Keith's luck, this time, the more crucial Coin Toss resulted in the skull facing upwards when it landed on the ground.
The result was Tails, Keith's guess was wrong.
"Tsk, it doesn't matter. As long as preparations are perfect, the Reaper won't come. This [Second Chance] I activated earlier isn't just for show."
Keith had anticipated the current situation and decisively activated the effect of [Second Chance]: "Because of my Continuous Spell Card [Second Coin Toss] on the Field, I have one chance to re-toss a coin this turn."
"The future changes here! The result is---"
The coin that had already landed on the ground seemed to rewind time, returning to its state of flipping in the air, and then landed again. However, this time the result changed, and the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] pattern appeared on top.
"---It's Heads!" Keith said proudly, placing his hand on the Duel Disk, "Then, with an empty hand, I can draw five cards in one go, Draw!"
If [Graceful Dice] is guessed incorrectly, it skips the user's entire next turn, which is a huge risk. At the same time, it comes with extremely high benefit. Keith, who had emptied his hand in the previous turn, now replenished a full five cards, making his resources abundant again.
And Hayato, on the other hand, couldn't do anything because none of the cards in his hand were Monsters.
...Or could he?
"Well, well, I have to say you've improved compared to before, Keith." Looking at Keith's operation, Hayato nodded approvingly, "Let me show you a little praise."
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card [Nightmare's Mirage]. This card allows me to draw cards until my hand size is four during your Standby Phase, and then discard the number of cards drawn during my Standby Phase. Then, I set three cards, turn end."
[Hayato: 3500 LP, Hand 2]
[Nightmare's Mirage] [Set Card] X3
From Keith's perspective, due to the effect of his own [The Grim Reaper's Stroll], the suspected Monster Card in Hayato's hand was successfully sealed and couldn't be Summoned, forcing him to rely on Setting Cards for defense. Unable to do anything else, he simply ended his turn.
"Heh, [Nightmare's Mirage], huh? In that case, one of your three Set Cards must be [Emergency Provisions], right? That kind of outdated combo is long past its prime, Hayato Kobayashi!"
Keith pressed the activate Set Card button, flipping open his last Set Card in the Spell/Trap Zone: "During your End Phase, I will activate this card, Trap Card [Dust Tornado]!"
"I target your [Nightmare's Mirage] on the Field and destroy that card! Then I can set one Spell/Trap Card from my hand!"
Hayato didn't draw a back row destruction card, but Keith Set one. A swirling tornado moved towards the [Nightmare's Mirage] on Hayato's Spell/Trap Zone. Without having any use, this card was destroyed by the storm and sent to the Graveyard. At the same time, Keith also set a card from his hand in his Spell/Trap Zone.
Keith and Hayato were dueling, while Valon, who was hiding and watching them, frowned strangely: "That 'The Bandit' Keith, I remember the information said that due to multiple setbacks, he's basically just a guy scraping by in the Underground Duel Arena?"
"Looking at him now, he's unexpectedly got some strength. He can actually suppress Hayato Kobayashi for a while."
Alister looked at Keith and said faintly, "That's the power of 'hatred,' Valon. When people vent the resentment in their heart, they can perform beyond their usual level. It's not surprising for them to do things they couldn't originally do."
"The power of a Duelist's heart can create miracles, but for that 'The Bandit' Keith, that's all there is to it." Rafael reached into his chest and touched the Deck he kept close to his body, "The cards tell me that the flow of the Duel has changed. That Hayato Kobayashi, it seems..."
"My turn!" Keith didn't know the evaluation of the Field's situation by Rafael and the others who hadn't shown themselves. He looked at the card he drew, revealing a proud smile, "Heh heh, I drew a good card."
"I activate the Spell Card, [Polymerization]!"
Chapter 568: Do you dare defy me, who possesses Baal?
"Activate Spell Card, Polymerization!"
Keith revealed the card he drew this turn. He activated the Spell Card Polymerization, using two cards from his Hand as Fusion Material.
On Keith's Field, the figures of two monsters appeared. One was Keith's ace monster, Barrel Dragon, and the other was Blowback Dragon, also modeled after a weapon.
"Using Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon from my Hand as Fusion Material,"
"Fusion Summon! Gatling Dragon!"
A massive machine appeared on Keith's Field. Its huge tires crushed the ground, and the spikes protruding from them looked intimidating. The main torso above the movement section had a triple-forked structure similar to Cyber End Dragon. From each of the three forks extended a metal pipe, and at the end of each of the three mechanical dragon heads was mounted a weapon of slaughter, their cold gun barrels pointed directly at Hayato.
Gatling Dragon [Level 8/DARK]
[Machine Type/Fusion/Effect]
[2600 ATK/1200 DEF]
"I change my BM-4 Blast Spider on the Field to Attack Position, then I enter my Battle Phase!"
BM-4 Blast Spider [DEF 2200 → ATK 1400]
Keith pointed at Hayato and sneered, "With this, the total ATK of the monsters on my Field has reached 4000 points! You're finished, Hayato Kobayashi!"
"First is BM-4 Blast Spider's direct attack, BM-4 Missile!"
Following Keith's attack command, the two missile pod hatches on the back of the BM-4 Blast Spider, which had changed to Attack Position on his Field, opened. Countless bombs with claws were fired from it, assailing Hayato.
Hayato, who didn't have even a single monster on his Front Row, had no cover he could use and was hit directly by BM-4 Blast Spider's attack!
"Boom!"
Seeing his monster's attack hit, Keith couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.
In truth, he knew very well that although Hayato was related to his current situation, he wasn't the biggest cause. More than that, it was the consecutive losses in Duelist Kingdom and Battle City that made Keith lose confidence in himself, leading him to indulge in self-destruction.
First, he was subjected to humiliation by Pegasus through "Mind Reading" and instantly defeated by an Elementary School Student guided by Pegasus in a public event;
Then, even cheating without dignity or glory during Duelist Kingdom, he still couldn't win against the then-unknown Hayato;
Afterwards, he was tortured by the leader of the International Crime Organization Rare Hunters, which hadn't disbanded yet—a guy named Marik—with a Dark Game until he lost his body;
Finally, at the Egyptian Artifact Traveling Exhibition Hall in Domino City, he was beaten by Hayato Kobayashi with an infinite loop chain until he was released from control.
In these numerous failures, even crushing defeats, Keith's absolute confidence in his strength as a Duelist was repeatedly trampled into the dust. But it was impossible for the proud Keith to admit that he had chosen this outcome, so Keith naturally shifted the responsibility onto Hayato.
What the hell, even if he's made a name for himself as the Duel King, Hayato Kobayashi is still just that same kid from back then. If I wanted to, couldn't I, Keith, still easily suppress him?
His aura before the duel was so intimidating, but now it seems there's nothing to be afraid of at all.
All I have to do next is—
"Crack!" After being hit by BM-4 Blast Spider's attack, a sudden sound of something breaking rang out from the smoke stirred up around Hayato, catching Keith's attention.
It was only now that Keith belatedly realized something: after BM-4 Blast Spider's attack just now, Hayato's Life Points hadn't changed at all!?
From beginning to end, he had only seen the attack explode and mistakenly thought it had been successful!
"Trap Card, Counter Gate! It negates your direct attack just now, and I draw a card from my Deck." Hayato, completely unharmed by Keith's recent attack, looked at the shattered Dimensional Wall in front of him, drew a card from his Deck, and said with a smile, "Don't think I haven't set up any defense just because I don't have any monsters on my Field."
"Don't limit the struggle of Duel Monsters to just the monsters, Keith."
Hayato glanced at the card he drew, showing a helpless expression: "If the card drawn by Counter Gate is a monster, I can Normal Summon it in Attack Position. Although I did draw a monster, unfortunately, the monster card I drew is a type that cannot be Normal Summoned."
Hearing Hayato say that, Keith's expression improved slightly.
"So, you still don't have a monster that can serve as a shield. In that case, you've only blocked one direct attack." Keith glanced at the two Set Cards in Hayato's Spell/Trap Zone and thought for a moment.
From the Nightmare's Mirage that Hayato activated earlier, it could be inferred that among the three cards he initially Set, there must be one that could actively send Nightmare's Mirage to the Graveyard to avoid its downside, Emergency Provisions. Then, he just activated Counter Gate.
There's still one card left, and he doesn't know what it is, but just thinking won't provide the answer. He should attack first.
"Using Counter Gate to defend against BM-4 Blast Spider's attack was your mistake, Hayato Kobayashi! Let's see how you'll block Gatling Dragon's attack now?" Keith pointed at Hayato, "Take this 2600 points of damage! Gatling Dragon's direct attack!"
"Bullet Storm!"
Gatling Dragon's three heads turned towards Hayato, locking onto the target. The metal gun barrels began to spin and warm up. The instant after receiving Keith's attack command, countless rain-like bullets flew out from the triple gatling guns, assailing Hayato!
"Pathetic, pathetic! An attack of this level isn't even a massage, Keith! I chain activate my Set Card, Spike Trap with Chain!"
"This card can be activated when an opponent's monster that was Summoned or Special Summoned this turn declares an attack. Destroy that attacking monster and inflict damage equal to half its original ATK to your opponent." Hayato pointed at Gatling Dragon on Keith's Field, "Anyway, it doesn't matter to you if your monster is destroyed, right?"
"Reap what you sow, Keith! I will destroy your Gatling Dragon, and then you will take damage equal to half its ATK!"
As Hayato's Set Card flipped open, a large pit filled with dense spikes appeared beneath Gatling Dragon, which Keith had Special Summoned with Polymerization this turn. If Gatling Dragon fell into it, it would inevitably be destroyed as it has no destruction resistance, and Keith would then take damage equal to half its ATK, which is 1300 points!
This was much harsher than the 500 points Keith had inflicted on Hayato just now with Barrel Blast!
Watching his Gatling Dragon on the Field lose its footing, lean back, unable to continue aiming at Hayato, and about to fall into the pit and be destroyed, the somewhat sensitive Keith unconsciously clenched his fists because of what Hayato had just said.
Reap what you sow?
What does Hayato Kobayashi mean by that? Is he saying that my outcome is entirely my own fault?
That kind of thing, that kind of thing...
"I won't let you get away with that!" Keith activated the Set Card in his Spell/Trap Zone. It was a Quick-Play Spell Card he had Set with Dust Tornado during Hayato's previous End Phase, and it could be activated this turn. "I chain your Spike Trap with Chain! Activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, De-Fusion!"
"De-Fuse Gatling Dragon on my Field! Special Summon the two monsters that were its Fusion Material from my Graveyard!"
Just before Gatling Dragon was pierced by the spikes, the power of De-Fusion caught up to it, causing it to instantly disassemble into two beams of light that flew out of the pit and returned to Keith's Field.
Because the target to be destroyed disappeared, Spike Trap with Chain's effect did not continue processing, and Keith did not take damage.
Looking at the two monsters that appeared on his Field, Keith took a deep breath and looked at Hayato, saying, "I told you, stop underestimating me. I am Keith Howard, don't treat me like some weakling you can find anywhere."
"Special Summon Blowback Dragon in Attack Position, and my ace monster, Barrel Dragon!"
Blowback Dragon, whose head is shaped like a Desert Eagle handgun, and Barrel Dragon, whose head and arms are composed of three revolvers, both manifested from the light, standing tall on Keith's Field!
Blowback Dragon [Level 6/DARK]
[Machine Type/Effect]
[2300 ATK/1200 DEF]
Barrel Dragon [Level 7/DARK]
[Machine Type/Effect]
[2600 ATK/2200 DEF]
Looking at the two monsters that appeared on his Field, Keith showed a smile: "Heh, it's been a while. I don't even know how long it's been since I was this serious in a duel."
In the Underground Duel Arena, most participants were Duelists trying to make a living through Duel Monsters but lacked the qualification to enter official duel events. Although there were a few strong players banned from official events for some reason, they were a minority. Most were just weaklings.
Duels between weaklings, or between strong players and weaklings, neither was very interesting. But what attracted people to the Underground Duel Arena was never just the duels, but the "gambling" outside of the duels.
Betting on whether the strong player could achieve an undamaged victory, or how many turns it would take them to win, and how weaklings struggling for victory in death duels full of excitement would survive.
Keith's skill level in the Underground Duel Arena was practically invincible. He could hardly find an opponent. Ordinary Duelists couldn't even last his second turn before being easily crushed by his monsters, then tearfully driven by the ruthless organizers into death duels to squeeze out their remaining value.
Effective attack and defense like what appeared in today's duel with Hayato, Keith didn't know how long it had been since he experienced this kind of excitement that Duel Monsters should have.
The former Keith, in a state like "The Bandit," swept through the prize money of major duel events. At that time, he gained countless victories and glory, but the more he had, the less he could accept losing glory, his heart filled with a longing for victory.
For victory, Keith could even resort to cheating. Even now, inside the wristband wearing on Keith's left hand, there were actually a few cards hidden for swapping during a duel.
Having fallen so far after so many incidents, Keith suddenly realized, did he truly desire victory that much in his heart?
Which kind of duel did his heart truly crave? A duel where a defenseless opponent was easily defeated by him, or a back-and-forth duel like the one Hayato was putting up?
Keith himself couldn't say for sure, but he knew his Battle Phase was still ongoing.
"Hayato Kobayashi, I'll return those words to you. A counter of that level is simply impossible to make me despair, someone who has already witnessed darkness." Keith glanced at the last card in his Hand and continued, "Your last Set Card should be Emergency Provisions, right? But it's useless! Witness the revenge of Bandit Keith, Duel King!"
"Because they were Special Summoned during the Battle Phase, both Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon can attack! First, Blowback Dragon's direct attack!"
"Fatal Shot!"
A bullet shot out from Blowback Dragon's head, flying across both players' Fields in an instant and piercing Hayato's body without obstruction under Keith's very eyes. Hayato's Life Points sharply decreased by a large amount.
[Hayato: 3500 → 1200 LP]
Seeing that Hayato didn't activate a Set Card and his Life Points had indeed decreased, Keith breathed a slight sigh of relief and said proudly, "How about that, Hayato Kobayashi? How does this pain feel?"
Looking at Hayato, who seemed to be hanging his head in pain, Keith said arrogantly, "You've tasted the stakes of underestimating me, Hayato Kobayashi, haven't you? It looks like I'm the strong player now. If you don't want to lose your life, just surrender yourself and release this domain."
But under Keith's gaze, Hayato raised his head and sneered, "Surrender? I say, Keith, you don't actually think you've won, do you?"
"No matter what kind of Duelist they are, they would never have the idea of 'surrender' or 'giving up'. How could someone who easily gives up on victory ever embrace victory?" Hayato said, glancing at Keith contemptuously, "Only someone like you would have such a thought."
Could Keith tolerate Hayato's words? He already disliked Hayato, and now provoked by his words, Keith's face darkened as he gritted his teeth and said, "You bastard, then get ready to have your Life Points cleared by this attack!"
"Barrel Dragon's direct attack, Triple Barrel Blast!"
Facing the three gun barrels pointed at him, Hayato said with a cold smile, "Now's the time, Keith! I've been waiting for this attack for a long time. Let your monster's attack be the final puzzle piece to complete my victory!"
"Chain Barrel Dragon's attack! Trap Card Power Wall activate!"
Following Keith's attack command, a bullet shot out from each of Barrel Dragon's three gun barrels. But just as they were about to cross Hayato's Field and hit him, they were directly stopped by a wall of light rising from Hayato's Spell/Trap Zone.
Keith, who knew Hayato's Deck quite well, naturally recognized the card Hayato activated. He stated its effect: "A card that reduces the damage you take from an opponent's monster's attack to 0, by sending one card from your Hand to the Graveyard for every 500 points of damage."
"Exactly, Keith! To maximize this card's effect, I specifically waited until your ace monster, Barrel Dragon, appeared before activating this card." Hayato placed his hand on his Duel Disk, grabbing a stack of cards. "Since Barrel Dragon's ATK is 2600 points, to reduce the damage to 0, I need to discard six cards."
Saying that, Hayato flicked his hand, pulling out all the cards he was holding,
"I'm tossing these cards!"
[Hayato: 1200 → 1200 LP]
The cards Hayato tossed merged into the wall of light, taking Barrel Dragon's attack. Keith's winning blow was ineffective, which made him extremely annoyed.
However, he noticed something—among the cards Hayato tossed into Power Wall's light wall, one was the Trap Card Sakuretsu Armor, but the other five cards were ones he had never seen before: one Quick-Play Spell Card and four monster cards.
No matter which of the four monster cards it was, just from the revealed card art, Keith felt an extremely ominous aura, as if he had seen some kind of enemy of humanity, filled with disgust and repulsion.
The wall of light, along with the six cards, entered Hayato's Graveyard and vanished. But Keith no longer had any monsters that could attack on his Field, and his Battle Phase thus ended.
Glancing at The Grim Reaper's Stroll on his Field, Keith's reason told him that he could continue using it next turn to lock Hayato's Summon and Flip Summon.
But the Duelist's instinct, awakened in Keith after a long time, warned him that it would be impossible to continue using this card to lock Hayato's Field.
Although he didn't recognize the cards Hayato had just sent to the Graveyard, Keith could feel a threat. After a brief thought, he activated a card from his Hand: "I send the Continuous Trap The Grim Reaper's Stroll on my Field to the Graveyard! I activate the Spell Card Magical Mallet! I draw two cards from my Deck."
"Then I Set one card. My turn ends."
[Keith: 4000 LP, Hand 1]
[BM-4 Blast Spider] [1400 ATK]
[Blowback Dragon] [2300 ATK]
[Barrel Dragon] [2600 ATK]
[Second Chance] [Barrel Blast] [Set Card]
"Then it's my turn! Draw a card." Seeing Keith end his turn, Hayato drew a card and added it to his Hand, then said, "The monster I drew last turn using Counter Gate, I will now Special Summon it. By banishing two Infernoid monsters from my Graveyard—"
"Infernoid? And, a Special Summon performed by banishing monsters from the Graveyard?" Keith frowned, watching Hayato hold a card above his head, his pupils contracting as he looked behind Hayato.
There, a tall figure vaguely appeared, with blue light points scattered across its body, seemingly there and yet not.
And as Hayato raised the card high, a gale suddenly blew through the Alley. The hem of Hayato's coat danced wildly in the strong wind, and a ferocious expression appeared on Hayato's face.
"Seitsemas, meaning 7, named the Defiled One,"
"Demon of Plunder, enemy of 'Victory', descent with the flames of the abyss!"
"Infernoid Baal!"
The blue light points moved in front of Hayato. In an instant, the illusory figure transformed into a physical form, and a gigantic demon manifested on Hayato's Field. The demon held a lance in its right hand and a ball of lightning in its left hand. Its massive wings seemed to blot out the sky, capable of domination over death. Just its appearance alone made Keith feel like he was suffocating.
'Is that really a Duel Monster?'
Keith's hands and feet turned cold, only this idea remained in his heart.
Infernoid Baal [Level 7/FIRE]
[Fiend-Type/Special Summon/Effect]
[2600 ATK/0 DEF]
Matching the gigantic demon was the wild smile on Hayato's face as he stood behind it: "It's not over yet! The total levels of the Effect Monsters on my Field is 7, so I will banish two more Infernoid monsters from my Graveyard!"
"Attondel, meaning 8, named the Abandoned by God,"
"Demon of Deceit, enemy of 'Glory', descent with the continuous flames!"
"Infernoid Attondel!"
Closely following the lightning demon glowing with blue lights, Hayato instantly Summoned a second demon. Orange lights were arranged across the second demon's torso. The demon, dragging long tail feathers like a peacock, moved its claws, looking down at Keith opposite him.
Even though he had three monsters on his Field as obstruction, Keith could feel that the monsters opposite him seemed to have targeted his soul!
Infernoid Attondel [Level 8/FIRE]
[Fiend-Type/Special Summon/Effect]
[2800 ATK/0 DEF]
"He easily Summoned two powerful monsters without Tributes..." Keith looked at the monsters on Hayato's Field, glanced at the Set Card in his Spell/Trap Zone, and took a deep breath to calm his mood. "But, you're still far from defeating me!"
"Heh heh, don't be impatient, Keith. This is my first time using this Deck, and the Infernoids' power hasn't been fully displayed yet." Hayato drew a card and said, "Heroes have the hero's stage, and demons have the demon's world. You said you've seen infinite hell? Then let me show you more darkness with this card!"
"Spell Card Planet Pathfinder! I add one Field Spell Card from my Deck to my Hand! I add Lair of Darkness to my Hand, then activate it directly!"
When Valon and the other two watching saw Planet Pathfinder, they initially thought the Field Spell Card Hayato would search for was Seal of Orichalcos. But when they heard that what Hayato added to his Hand wasn't Seal of Orichalcos but another Field Spell Card, Alister frowned.
"That Hayato Kobayashi guy, are the dark monsters born in his heart called Infernoids? Just looking at them gives you a feeling of discomfort in your soul." After a pause, Valon tried hard to avert his gaze from Hayato's monsters.
Although just the act of "looking", Valon felt all sorts of discomfort, as if his body and soul were warning him to stay away from those Infernoid monsters from the DNA level. Yet, those monsters seemed to possess immense gravity; their mere existence made people unconsciously approach and offer their souls.
"As the Duel King, such powerful dark monsters are indeed worthy of the name. But he didn't search for Seal of Orichalcos?" Alister still harbored caution towards Hayato. "Is it that he can't bring himself to seal others' souls?"
"No, it's not like that, Alister." Rafael, who shared a heart-to-heart connection with him, felt the tremor transmitted by his card spirit at this moment, his expression extremely solemn. "What Hayato Kobayashi is about to unleash is probably a darkness even more terrifying than the power of Orichalcos!"
"That kind of thing, how could—"
Alister's voice was cut off by the twisted shadow that suddenly surged up from beneath Hayato and Keith's feet. An ominous power, dark with a sickly green tinge, completely surrounded both Keith and Hayato. The shadow that shot up into the sky made Rafael and the other two instantly feel their hair stand on end, wishing they could escape from here immediately, even from a distance.
And Keith, surrounded by the Field Spell Card, couldn't leave. He could only watch helplessly as the shadow that surged from the underground directly invaded all the monsters existing on both players' Fields!
Especially the two Infernoid monsters on Hayato's Field, the twisted shadow entered the demons' bodies, causing the radiance in the tube-like devices on their bodies to suddenly flicker. From their original blue and orange, they turned into an ominous dark green.
Infernoid Baal [Level 7/FIRE → Level 7/DARK]
Infernoid Attondel [Level 8/FIRE → Level 8/DARK]
"Lair of Darkness! What unparalleled dark power! Just activating this card makes my mood feel so good, I wish I could sing a song!" Hayato spread his arms, showing an expression of enjoyment. "While this card exists, all monsters on both players' Fields become DARK Attribute."
"We've been in battle until now, and our Hands are depleted. So I activate my last card in Hand, the Spell Card Graceful Charity! Both players replenish their Hands to six cards." Hayato said, drawing six cards. "Since my Hand was 0, I can draw six cards."
"Tsk, then I, with one card in Hand, can draw five cards." Keith reached out and drew cards as well. Although Hayato didn't know what cards Keith had drawn, from his expression, he likely hadn't drawn good cards.
Hayato, whose Hand was replenished to six cards, didn't play any more cards. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "Let me see your performance, Infernoid! I will use Infernoid Baal's effect!"
The demon, named after the main god of law and justice in Semitic mythology, raised the lance in its hand. The spearhead, wreathed in lightning, followed Hayato's movement, pointing at Barrel Dragon, the monster with the highest ATK on Keith's Field.
Its red wings spread open, and then, under Keith's astonished gaze, his Barrel Dragon suddenly shattered and disintegrated without warning, turning into a ball of spiritual light that flew into Infernoid Baal's lance!?
"Tribute one monster on my Field, targeting one card in the opponent's Graveyard, to activate the effect of Infernoid Baal, to banish that card. This is Infernoid Baal's effect! And under the power of Lair of Darkness, once per turn, if I tribute my own monster to activate a card's effect, I can use one DARK Attribute monster on the opponent's Field as a substitute for my monster on the Field!"
"Because of Lair of Darkness's influence, even the monsters on your Field will fall under my domination and become my playthings!"
"Do you dare defy me, who possesses Baal?"
Infernoid Baal held Barrel Dragon's spiritual light, and with a squeeze of its palm, crushed the soul. Keith then saw the De-Fusion card he had activated earlier in his Graveyard get banished.
The banished De-Fusion was a minor matter; without a Fusion Monster on the Field, that card would be useless even if it were still in Keith's Hand. But the effect that Hayato used, combining Infernoid Baal with Lair of Darkness, made his legs tremble uncontrollably.
How could a monster like that possibly be defeated!?
"Enter my Battle Phase! Next is Infernoid Baal's attack!" Hayato's finger pointed at BM-4 Blast Spider, the monster with the lowest ATK on Keith's Field, and he gave the order, "Crush that monster, Baal!"
"Extreme Evil Leap Crush Attack!"
Among the famous 72 spirit gods of Solomon, Baal is ranked first. As an enemy of God "Lord", it can even be called "Lord Demon". The gigantic demon swung the lance in its hand, and with just one strike, it completely crushed BM-4 Blast Spider on Keith's Field!
"Ugh!"
[Keith: 4000 → 2800 LP]
Taking 1200 points of damage, Keith couldn't bear the piercing pain. His legs buckled, and he almost fell to his knees on the ground, letting out a wail, his forehead covered in sweat.
This feeling of pain even reminded him of the suffering from being slowly tortured by Lava Golem in the Dark Game with Marik a long time ago. That humiliation and unwillingness surged into Keith's heart.
But Keith endured the discomfort and pulled out a card from his Hand: "When BM-4 Blast Spider, a DARK Attribute Machine Type monster on my Field, is battle destroyed, I activate the effect of Desperado Barrel Dragon in my Hand!"
Making the declaration, Keith slammed the card onto his Duel Disk, looking directly into Hayato's eyes: "Don't treat me like some soft persimmon you can just squeeze however you want, Hayato Kobayashi! Just some Infernoids? I'll show you a counter right now!"
"Come forth, Desperado Barrel Dragon!"
Chapter 569: Adramelech: I Died, I Lived Again, Hit Me, Idiot~
At the location where Keith's BM-4 Blast Spider was destroyed, a mechanical dragon head, extremely similar to the Barrel barrels on the head of the Barrel Dragon he had previously Tributed, drilled out of the ground. Following closely behind were its arms, also shaped like gun barrels.
Its rivet-covered metal body stood tall on Keith's field. As soon as Desperado Barrel Dragon appeared, it immediately locked its sights onto Infernoid Adramelech and Infernoid Baal on Hayato's field!
[Desperado Barrel Dragon] [Level 8 / DARK / Machine / Effect / ATK 2800 / DEF 2200]
"Once per turn, during either player's Battle Phase, I can activate Desperado Barrel Dragon's effect: toss a coin three times, then destroy face-up monsters on the field up to the number of heads!" Keith pointed at Hayato. "Let the coin decide our destiny, Hayato Kobayashi!"
A coin appeared on each of Desperado Barrel Dragon's three barrels and was tossed into the air, spinning and flipping. When they landed, they revealed two skull patterns and one Blue-Eyes White Dragon pattern. The result was one heads and two tails.
Although he didn't get the best result, Keith wasn't overly disappointed. Getting one heads was enough.
"The number of heads is one. Destroying the Infernoid Baal that had already attacked was meaningless, so I chose to destroy the Infernoid Adramelech on your field that hadn't attacked yet!"
A fatal bullet shot out from Desperado Barrel Dragon's barrel, firing towards the Infernoid Adramelech on Hayato's field that hadn't attacked yet. Although Infernoid Adramelech's aura was incredibly powerful, it was still bound by the rules of Duel Monsters. Without effect destruction resistance, if it were hit by this bullet, the result could only be—
"Clang!"
Under Keith's gaze, Desperado Barrel Dragon's bullet landed on Infernoid Adramelech's body, but it didn't even scratch its paint and was easily deflected?
However, at the same time the fatal bullet was deflected, a dark green light tube on Infernoid Adramelech's body suddenly shattered.
Hayato took a card from the Graveyard and explained: "The effect of Infernal Devotee, which I sent to the Graveyard with Power Wall last turn. When an Infernoid monster on my field would be destroyed by effect, I can banish this Infernal Devotee from the Graveyard as a substitute for that monster's destruction."
He looked at Keith with a cold snort. "In the end, it's still the same old routine, Keith? Did you think I'd be stuck in my ways like you?"
"`Tsk`, you actually have a way to defend against effect destruction?" Keith frowned, glancing at the two monsters on his field.
Blowback Dragon has 2300 ATK, and Desperado Barrel Dragon has 2800 ATK, the same as Infernoid Adramelech. Even if Hayato continues to attack with monsters, he can only destroy Blowback Dragon and take 500 damage. With his current 2800 Life Points, he can withstand it.
And Hayato's Life Points currently have 700 points remaining. With Barrel Blast on his field, there is a way to achieve victory.
"Because a Coin Toss effect occurred, I will use Barrel Blast's power to inflict 500 damage to you."
Keith used Barrel Blast's once per turn effect. A phantom bullet instantly shot through Hayato, taking away 500 of his Life Points.
[Hayato: 700 → 200 LP]
"Heh heh, now your Life Points are down to the last 200 points, like a flickering candle, Hayato Kobayashi."
Hearing Keith's words, Hayato said with disdain: "Idiot, Life Points are the cheapest thing in a Duel. As long as Life Points haven't reached zero, they are infinite."
"My Battle Phase is still continuing. I use Infernoid Adramelech to attack your Blowback Dragon!"
"Infernal Unrivaled Wave Cannon!"
The peacock Demon spread its sky-blue wings, and the tail feathers behind it fanned out, revealing not the beautiful patterns expected of peacock tail feathers, but a giant fan made of flames.
With a flick of its tail, Infernoid Adramelech's attack instantly hit the Blowback Dragon on Keith's field, destroying the monster and, as if in retaliation, also inflicting 500 damage to Keith.
"Ugh!" His Life Points were deducted again. Keith still couldn't maintain a poker face like Hayato, who even seemed to be enjoying it. He let out a pained groan with a distressed expression.
[Keith: 2800 → 2300 LP]
"Activate Infernoid Adramelech's effect when it destroys an opponent's monster by battle, allowing it to make a consecutive attack." Hayato emotionlessly ordered the peacock Demon on his field that had just achieved a result. "This is a necessary sacrifice. Attack Desperado Barrel Dragon, Adramelech!"
"Infernal Unrivaled Bursting Wave Cannon!"
"Don't think adding 'Bursting' makes this attack any more amazing!" Keith said, annoyed. "You're fighting with two monsters that have the same ATK. Are you trying to make both monsters result in mutual destruction!?"
Hayato didn't answer Keith, just extended his finger with a cold snort. Infernoid Adramelech, which had just finished its attack, also began to act again.
Seeing this, Keith let out a cold snort: "`Tsk`, in that case, I can't lose in aura at least. Counterattack, Desperado Barrel Dragon!"
The peacock Demon's tail feathers, wreathed in flames, swept the mechanical dragon's metal body. At the same time, the bullet from the mechanical dragon's head barrel hit the giant Demon's light tube at point-blank range. Both monsters were hit in their respective vital spots, fought to a standstill, and were simultaneously sent to the Graveyard.
For Infernoid Adramelech, or rather, for all Infernoid monsters, being sent to the Graveyard is completely fine, like going home. And the word "Desperado" on Keith's Desperado Barrel Dragon wasn't added for nothing either.
Compared to Barrel Dragon, its conditions for appearing and the effects it uses on the field are more convenient and powerful. Even when it is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, it still has an effect that can be activated.
"When Desperado Barrel Dragon is destroyed, I add one monster with a Coin Toss effect and Level 7 or lower from my Deck to my hand."
"I choose the Level 4 Blowback Dragon."
Adding the searched card to his hand, Keith thought to himself:
'Blowback Dragon is a monster whose Coin Toss effect triggers upon Normal Summon. It can Coin Toss twice, and by utilizing the effect of Second Chance, I'll have a full four chances to toss the coin.'
'As long as I can toss heads once in these four chances, I can utilize the effect of Barrel Blast to take away Hayato Kobayashi's last 200 Life Points. The failure rate for this strategy is only 6.25%. No matter how I look at it, I'm guaranteed to win!'
Looking at the secretly proud Keith, Hayato, who had finished his Battle Phase, said: "At the end of the Battle Phase where Infernoid Baal attacked, I will activate its effect, choosing one card on the field to banish."
"The one I will banish is that Barrel Blast card on your field, Keith!"
"Nani!?"
Keith didn't expect that just as he came up with a strategy, Hayato would immediately put his plan to naught. The lightning from Infernoid Baal's spear landed on Keith's Set Card in the Spell/Trap Zone, instantly erasing the Continuous Trap, Barrel Blast.
While Infernoid Baal was taking action, Hayato wasn't idle either. He took a card from the Graveyard: "During my Main Phase 2, because the total Level of Effect Monsters on my field is 7, which is below 8, I activate the effect of Infernoid Adramelech in the Graveyard."
"Banish two Infernoid monsters from my Hand, then Special Summon it from the Graveyard."
"Revive, Adramelech!"
As Hayato banished two cards from his hand, Keith finally understood why Hayato had planned to make Infernoid Adramelech and his Desperado Barrel Dragon destroy each other earlier.
It turned out that his Infernoid monsters had no once-per-turn restriction on their special effects and could regenerate infinitely as long as there were enough Graveyard resources. Even though his Desperado Barrel Dragon could search for a card when sent to the Graveyard, it was still too much of a loss compared to the Infernoids that could revive directly.
The orange radiance lit up again, but was quickly eroded into a dark green light by the Field Spell Card, Lair of Darkness. The Demon reappeared on Hayato's field.
[Infernoid Adramelech] [ATK 2800]
But that wasn't all. Having just revived Adramelech, Hayato said with a cold snort, as if he had thought of some wicked idea: "When any Duel Monsters are sent to the Graveyard, it usually means the end of their life. When they are attacked, they feel pain, fear, or reveal a flaw."
"However, for the immortal Demons, the Infernoids, who have no sense of pain, they can follow like the fear that grips the heart, always present. Reviving from the Graveyard again and again is no problem."
Hearing Hayato's words, Infernoid Adramelech's mechanical face showed a human-like confused expression. It turned its head to look at Infernoid Baal next to it.
You told him we don't feel pain?
How would I know?
For some reason, listening to Hayato talk to himself, Infernoid Adramelech suddenly had a strange feeling, as if some destined event was about to descend upon it.
And when Keith heard Hayato's words, his eyebrow also twitched. "What are you trying to do by saying all that?"
"Heh heh, there's only one answer, Keith. That is, I will activate Infernoid Adramelech's effect, which allows me to Tribute one monster on my field once per turn to banish one card from your Graveyard!"
"Your Desperado Barrel Dragon is truly too powerful. To prevent you from reviving it with cards like Monster Reborn, I will Tribute Infernoid Adramelech itself, and then banish the Desperado Barrel Dragon from your Graveyard!"
Hayato said proudly, completely ignoring how the lights on Infernoid Adramelech's body trembled violently upon hearing his words.
However, Hayato had already declared a clear instruction. Infernoid Adramelech was completely unable to resist. The lights on its surface radiated with intense radiance!
"Sacrifice yourself for the greater good!"
Following Hayato's "grieved" wave of his arm giving the instruction, Infernoid Adramelech, which had just been revived less than a minute ago, was sent to the Graveyard once again. At the same time, Desperado Barrel Dragon in Keith's Graveyard was also banished, losing the possibility of being revived by Monster Reborn.
Keith, with a grim expression, looked at the two cards in his hand, Call of the Haunted and Monster Reincarnation, and frowned.
He was still thinking that even if he couldn't use Blowback Dragon in conjunction with Barrel Blast and Second Chance for a direct attack to chip away Life Points and gain victory next turn, he could still revive or recycle Desperado Barrel Dragon for another push. But being banished was not something Keith's usual strategy accounted for.
Furthermore, Hayato's Infernoid monsters, combined with the Field Spell Card, also have the annoying ability to Tribute Keith's monsters and banish cards from Keith's Graveyard during Keith's turn. He can't win this, how can he win this?
What made Keith's face darken even more was that Hayato actually banished two cards from his hand again. Infernoid Adramelech once again bounced back and forth between the Graveyard and the field, reappearing on the field.
"Set two cards. I end my turn."
[Hayato: 200 LP, Hand 0]
[Infernoid Baal] [ATK 2600]
[Infernoid Adramelech] [ATK 2800]
[Set Cards] x2
Field: Lair of Darkness
Looking at Hayato's field setup, Keith checked his hand again, unable to find any possibility of breaking through.
Blowback Dragon has the effect that upon Normal Summon, you can choose one card, Coin Toss twice, and if both results are heads, you can directly destroy one card. However, it can only destroy one of the two Infernoids on Hayato's field.
Even if one is destroyed, that destroyed Infernoid can immediately chain its own effect to Tribute Blowback Dragon for mutual destruction. This would leave Keith with an empty field with no monsters.
Call of the Haunted can revive a monster from the Graveyard. However, the strongest monster currently in Keith's Graveyard is just Blowback Dragon, which is no match for either Infernoid Baal or Infernoid Adramelech.
What's more, Keith didn't mind speculating about Hayato with the greatest malice. Given his past performance, it's possible that after Keith activates Call of the Haunted, Hayato might chain an Infernoid monster's effect to banish the target monster being revived, causing Call of the Haunted to be negated directly. That would be an annoying situation.
Various strategies flashed through Keith's mind. Although he couldn't see any hope of victory, Keith inexplicably felt excited. He lowered his head to look at the Duel Disk on his left hand.
Chapter 570: The Death of Keith
What Keith was looking at wasn't the cards in his Deck, but the few cards hidden under his left wristband. Among them were cards that were heavily reliant on luck when used normally, but could almost guarantee victory if cheating was involved.
"My turn." As he placed his index finger on the top of his Deck, Keith's thumb subconsciously rested on his wristband. With his hand speed, he could effortlessly use a feint to swap the hidden cards with the top of his Deck, a perfect sleight of hand.
It should be simple, right? Just a slight movement of his finger, and he wouldn't have to worry about victory. Even against Hayato Kobayashi, he could defeat him if he was willing to abandon a Duelist's dignity.
But somehow, it wasn't until he had already drawn a card from the very top of his Deck that Keith belatedly realized what he had done. He had naturally chosen to draw from the top of his Deck, subconsciously resisting the urge to cheat?
"Draw!"
Despite subconsciously doing something irrational, Keith laughed, speaking excitedly.
For the first time in a long time, he found the fun of dueling. He wasn't cheating for victory; instead, he was entrusting his destiny to his Deck, enjoying the process itself.
Before becoming the All-American Champion, the former Keith was actually always a gambler. Relying on the Deck he believed in and coin flips whose outcome no one could predict, he battled his way to the peak. But after becoming Champion, he couldn't gamble everything on a coin like before and started fixating on winning and losing.
The [Second Chance] card on Keith's field was also a card he added to his Deck at that time out of fear of failure.
"Speaking of which, now that I've fallen into the mud, isn't this precisely a second chance to challenge the peak again?" Keith suddenly felt a sense of relief. He flipped the card in his hand, revealing a Spell Card.
He looked at Hayato: "Thanks to you, Hayato Kobayashi, I suddenly know what I need to do next. In some ways, you're absolutely right; I brought this upon myself. So after I defeat you, I'll go back and re-enter the tournaments, then climb back to my original position little by little."
"Before that, I'll use this card to defeat you!" Keith said, playing a card. "I activate the Spell Card, [Iai Quickdraw]!"
Like a master swordsman drawing a divine sword from its sheath, Keith placed the card from his hand into his Duel Disk. Then Keith discarded a card from his hand: "[Iai Quickdraw]'s effect requires me to discard a card from my hand to activate it. I send a number of cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard equal to the number of cards on your field, then I draw one card from the top of my Deck and reveal it to both players."
"Because you have a total of five cards on your field, I send five cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard, and then I draw a card." After pointing out the five cards being sent to the Graveyard, Keith's finger rested on the Duel Disk again.
At this moment, Keith moved the Duel Disk he was wearing on his left wrist to his left waist. His right hand, as if gathering strength, placed his fingers on the top of his Deck. Like a peerless swordsman about to draw his sword for a strike, his entire being was incredibly focused.
Hayato remembered the effect of the Spell Card [Iai Quickdraw]: "If the card drawn is [Iai Quickdraw], I can send that card to the Graveyard and destroy all cards on the field, then inflict damage to you equal to the number of cards destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by this effect multiplied by 2000."
"Conversely, if the card I draw is not [Iai Quickdraw], I return a number of cards from the Graveyard equal to the number of cards previously sent from the Deck to the Graveyard back to the Deck," Keith added, maintaining his posture. The corner of his mouth curved up, "In other words, it's a gambling card that suits me perfectly, through and through."
The outcome of this Duel, Keith completely gambled on this single draw.
If he drew another [Iai Quickdraw] from his Deck, he could achieve a one-turn kill and instantly defeat Hayato, just like an Iai strike; if he didn't draw the card, Keith would have to return the cards in his Graveyard back to his Deck, completely wasting the previous resources.
Hayato didn't know Keith's mindset, but as the one who initiated this Dark Game, coupled with his previous understanding, Hayato already knew that Keith had cards hidden in his wristband.
After all, when talking about Keith, "hiding cards in his sleeve" is an unavoidable classic trope. Even years after the anime aired, there were professional players who paid homage to Keith with a "hiding a dragon in their pants" move in tournaments.
In the Shadow Realm, there are only three things that matter: fairness, fairness, and goddamn fairness. The fact that Keith had cards on his body wouldn't affect anything in itself; after all, Kaiba also wore a card around his neck every day.
However, if Keith dared to try cheating, Hayato could use the power of the Dark Game to punish Keith. In fact, the Duel Disk Hayato gave Keith was also a modified version.
Even though Keith was already in a desperate situation, Hayato had expected Keith to definitely try cheating again in such circumstances. But what he didn't expect was that Keith's draw didn't trigger the punishment of the Dark Game, meaning he hadn't actually cheated just now!?
Hayato genuinely found it hard to believe that "The Bandit" Keith would change his ways. Even if he had just said lines that should belong to a reformed male supporting character, it was difficult to immediately change Hayato's impression of him.
"That's rare, Keith. You didn't seem to use cheating just now. What a pity for the little surprise I prepared for you."
"Little surprise? Heh, as expected, you tampered with the Duel Disk you gave me, didn't you? Not surprising at all." Hearing Hayato taunt him, Keith retorted, "Were you guarding against me swapping cards like in our Duel at Duelist Kingdom?"
"That's right. So, do you still have the guts to continue drawing, Keith?" Hayato said with a cold smile. "Do you have a [Iai Quickdraw] card hidden in your sleeve to replace the draw? Without the means of cheating, do you have the confidence to entrust your future to your Deck?"
Hayato's contemptuous tone didn't affect Keith in the slightest. His sunglasses hid his closed eyes: "Don't underestimate me, Hayato Kobayashi. I'm the All-American Champion, 'The Bandit' Keith. Drawing whatever card I want is no problem for me at all. It's not just kids like you who can do that!"
"Answer me, my Deck! Show the trajectory of my Tamashii under the guidance of destiny!"
Keith's right hand held a card, drawing an arc in the air. A faint golden light, like an illusion, gathered on the card at Keith's fingertips: "Draw!"
"Spell Card, [Iai Quickdraw]!!"
As Keith revealed the card in his hand without even looking at it, the master swordsman in the card art of the [Iai Quickdraw] he had previously activated on his field also drew his sharp sword. An arc-shaped slash instantly swept across all cards on both players' fields!
The dejected aura that had been on Keith was completely swept away. He stretched out his hand and pointed at Hayato: "Send the drawn [Iai Quickdraw] to the Graveyard. Destroy my [Second Chance] on the field, and your [Infernoid Baal], [Infernoid Attondel], the Field Spell Card [Lair of Darkness], and those two Set Cards on your field, a total of six cards!"
Keith, who seemed to have transformed back into the glorious professional Duelist he once was, said in a deep voice, "Checkmate, Duel King!!"
For a moment, the only three audience members of their Duel—Rafael, Valon, and Alister—were all shocked, finding it hard to believe they were witnessing such a scene.
"That guy, he actually managed to draw [Iai Quickdraw] using the power of his Deck!" Valon cracked his fingers. "If six cards are destroyed, that will deal a total of twelve thousand points of damage to Hayato Kobayashi!?"
"Hard to believe. I thought that guy was just a small fry from the Underground Duel Arena who had given up on himself, but he actually defeated that Hayato Kobayashi!" Alister was also surprised. It should be known that if it weren't for Hayato, the person originally scheduled to duel Keith and seal his soul would have been Alister.
If he had been the one dueling, could he have possibly suffered a setback if he was careless?
Even Rafael hadn't imagined that Keith would successfully draw [Iai Quickdraw]. However, compared to Valon and Alister, one who couldn't imagine Hayato losing and the other doubting his own judgment, Rafael was more concerned that if Hayato lost in the Dark Game, wouldn't they three have failed to protect Hayato Kobayashi as Lord Dartz instructed?
A high jumper once said that if a person is killed, they will die; that's only natural. If a normal person loses in a Dark Game, their life will end. Hayato Kobayashi is dead after taking this blow from Keith Howard!
With this thought, Rafael noticed that although Hayato's face also showed an expression of surprise, there was no fear of death at all. Instead, he wore a confident smile.
"I've witnessed a scene beyond expectation, bliss~" Hayato spread his arms, watching his cards on the field explode and shatter, the flames consuming his body.
Seeing his [Infernoid] monsters on the field and the field beneath his feet being destroyed by the effect of [Iai Quickdraw], Keith couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. His long-tense nerves relaxed slightly, and the accumulated fatigue surged into his heart.
However, he wasn't a kid who would get proud just because he gained some advantage. Looking at the raging fire where Hayato stood, he mocked, "What a guy with dark humor, Hayato Kobayashi. Do you want me to think you could defeat me with that level of counterattack?"
"You're still standing there, Hayato Kobayashi!"
"Nani?! After taking 12000 points of damage, how could Hayato Kobayashi still be alive?!" Alister was also somewhat surprised by the remark and looked into the firelight. To his surprise, Hayato's completely unharmed figure actually emerged from the flames that dispersed with a wave of his hand!
Valon, with his excellent eyesight, saw Hayato's Spell/Trap Zone hidden by the firelight: "That card is, [Fusion Guard]?"
"In chain to [Iai Quickdraw]'s damage effect, I activated [Fusion Guard], negating [Iai Quickdraw]'s effect, and then I send a Fusion Monster from my Fusion Deck to the Graveyard."
Accompanying Hayato's voice, the "flames" on Hayato's field twisted and transformed into a long snake with black and white wings. Holding a black and white sphere in each hand, the snake's head had bull horns and coiled around Hayato. After roaring a sound incomprehensible to humans, the cards that had been destroyed by [Iai Quickdraw] reappeared from the flames, while the snake's figure dispersed like foam.
Watching Hayato send the [Infernoid Tierra] card to the Graveyard, Keith said helplessly, "It's that same old 'Necessary Sacrifice' routine again, Hayato Kobayashi."
"And I actually had the idea that 'maybe it could succeed' just now."
"Disappointed, Keith?" Hayato said with a light chuckle. Beside him, the revived [Infernoid Baal] and [Infernoid Attondel] became DARK Attribute again due to [Lair of Darkness], glaring menacingly at Keith, who only had one [Second Chance] on his field.
"Disappointed? A little, yes. But who can say for sure where the line between hope and despair lies? Being incredibly successful and full of hope for the future can turn into despair where everything is destroyed. Then, despair that can't get any lower also has the possibility of finding hope again."
Keith said, drawing a card from his hand: "I Attack Position Summon [Blowback Dragon], and use its effect. When it is Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned, I target your [Infernoid Attondel] and activate its effect."
On Keith's field, a bipedal mechanical dragon appeared. The [Blowback Dragon] is the lowest-tier existence among Keith's "Revolver" monsters. [Blowback Dragon] also doesn't have the ability to activate its effect multiple times like [Barrel Dragon] or [Revolver Dragon].
Facing the Demon monsters on Hayato's field, the Level 4☆ [Blowback Dragon] seemed so weak, but it still aimed the gun barrels on its head at [Infernoid Attondel], which had the highest ATK.
The coin spun as it was tossed into the air, but neither of the two Duelists looked at the coin, as if they already knew the ending.
Hayato looked at Keith and asked a question: "Do you think you'll need to use the effect of [Second Chance], Keith?"
"Heh? Am I not already using 'Second Chance'?" Keith replied, dodging the question.
"Ding~"
The coin landed on the ground, revealing two identical [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] patterns.
Before [Infernoid Attondel]'s curse could be uttered, it was hit and pierced by two bullets shot from [Blowback Dragon]'s gun barrels, destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.
Keith glanced at the four cards remaining in his hand and drew two of them: "I Set two cards. My turn ends."
[Keith: 2300 LP, Hand 2]
[Blowback Dragon] [ATK 1700]
[Second Chance] [Set Card] X2
Seeing Keith end his turn, Hayato also drew a card from the top of his Deck: "My turn, draw. Then I activate the effect of my Set Card in the Spell/Trap Zone, [Reckless Greed]. I draw two cards from my Deck."
"As a cost, I skip my next two Draw Phases."
Seeing Hayato use [Reckless Greed]'s effect to increase his hand to three cards, Keith also pressed a button on his Duel Disk: "In chain, I activate my Set Card, the Continuous Trap Card [Call of the Haunted]. I Special Summon [Barrel Dragon] from my Graveyard in Attack Position."
"Not giving up yet, Keith? Then I also chain activate [Infernoid Baal]'s effect. I tribute your [Blowback Dragon] on the field as a substitute for tributing my monster, and banish [Barrel Dragon] from your Graveyard."
Keith, not surprised, sent his [Blowback Dragon] on the field to the Graveyard and took out the [Barrel Dragon] card to banish it. He had already anticipated the current situation; [Call of the Haunted] was purely just a struggle.
Hayato glanced at the cards in his hand. Because of [Reckless Greed]'s effect, he finally added the only [Harpie's Feather Duster] in his Deck to his hand and promptly drew and activated it.
The [Second Chance] card in Keith's Spell/Trap Zone was torn apart by the storm along with his Set Card [Sakuretsu Armor]. With this, Keith's field was completely clear, leaving him with only his remaining 2300 Life Points to face Hayato's [Infernoid Baal] with 2600 ATK.
"What a majestic monster. Although using words that describe natural scenery to describe Duel Monsters is very strange, that is indeed the only word I can use to describe the monster on your field right now," Keith said with emotion, looking at the spirit god on Hayato's field, now completely without any means of resistance.
"Heh heh, that's right. This is the monster I manifested with the dark power within my inner thoughts after joining the 'Doma' organization. Through dueling you, I've tested out some of its power."
Hearing Hayato's words, Keith showed a strange smile.
"A monster born from your heart? Then I can only say it suits you perfectly. But are you the kind of guy who would join some strange organization, Hayato Kobayashi?"
"As long as it brings me power, you, Keith, who was once the All-American Champion, should understand, right? You can abandon anything for victory. How about it, want to join 'Doma', Keith?"
Even though Rafael had asked Hayato to invite Keith before the Duel began, it wasn't until now, having secured the outcome through the Duel and having victory within reach, that he invited Keith.
"Heh, I'll just assume you're telling the truth." Keith clearly didn't believe Hayato's words. "You probably still have things like 'join the organization or die' left to say, right? But saying it won't change anything. I personally have no interest in joining any organization, whether it's 'Ghoul' or 'Doma'."
"And I despise you. An organization joined by someone with your personality will definitely not have a good outcome. I don't want to be one of those 'sacrificed for the greater good' by you."
"Is that so? Then that's a pity. I activate the Field Spell Card [Seal of Orichalcos], then I enter Battle Phase."
The [Lair of Darkness] that Hayato had previously activated was replaced by a green ring. The dark green shadow in [Infernoid Baal]'s light tubes faded, returning to a blue light, but the power of the [Orichalcos] attached itself again.
[Infernoid Baal] seemed to look down on the power of the [Orichalcos] somewhat. It stomped its long spear on the ground, pushing away the power clinging to its body, but it didn't completely resist it. It still collected a portion onto its weapon, increasing its ATK slightly.
[Infernoid Baal] [ATK 2600 → 3100]
"[Seal of Orichalcos] has the ability to increase the ATK of all my monsters on the field by 500 points. I enter Battle Phase, and then [Infernoid Baal], direct attack 'The Bandit' Keith Howard!"
Wind and lightning were controlled by the spirit god and converged at the spearhead. Looking at the attack launched by the giant demon from above, Keith's face showed some nervousness, but only that, without any unwillingness towards failure or fear of death.
[Keith: 2300 LP → 0]
On the spear that pierced Keith's body, the power of the [Seal of Orichalcos] attached to it captured Keith's soul, pouring into the card.
And as Keith's soul left his body, the [Seal of Orichalcos] beneath the two, which had only been active for a short time, began to shrink. In a trance after leaving his body, Keith seemed to see something entering the card along with his soul.
Without any mercy for life, Hayato completed the finishing blow on Keith without hesitation, achieving victory in this Duel. He lowered his head and took out the [Seal of Orichalcos] card placed in the Field Zone. In the green ring on that card, Keith's soul's likeness was clearly added.
"The seventh Sephirah of the Qliphoth, the enemy of 'Victory', [Ba'al]." Hayato's mouth curved upwards, muttering to himself, "If the one who killed Keith was Ba'al, the enemy of 'Victory', then perhaps Keith can be considered..."
Hayato's voice was very quiet. Rafael and the other two, who were approaching him as the Duel ended, didn't hear what he said, nor did they care.
Under their own eyes, Hayato completed his first sealing of another Duelist's soul. This was like a corrupt police officer colluding with a gang and shooting someone on camera for the gang. Hayato Kobayashi had now completely stepped onto a path of no return and was a "partner" they could truly rely on.
Seeing Rafael and the other two approaching, Hayato casually threw the card that sealed Keith's soul over, which Rafael caught. Although [Seal of Orichalcos] immediately seals the soul of the defeated person in a Duel, the "Orichalcos God" doesn't have a remote upload function. Offering the soul as a sacrifice still had to wait until they returned to the "Doma" headquarters and handed it over to Dartz.
Rafael glanced at the card, said nothing, and put it away. Then he spoke, "Alright, let's continue searching for the next goal. First is—"