# Chapter 836: The Millennium Key Likes Me, Funny Valentine!
Only three turns had passed, and this brief duel had already ended. The result was Hayato's complete victory, while Axel O'Brien had fallen and was unable to get up, having suffered mental torment far exceeding his limit during the duel.
However, although Hayato had turned this duel into a Dark Game, that was as far as it went. Hayato had no plan to kill Axel O'Brien like this; after all, there was no Duelist more loving than him. Although Axel O'Brien was a Thief who dared to covet Nefertari's jewelry and even tried pointing a gun at Hayato at the beginning, Hayato had already dealt him sufficient punishment.
Furthermore, although Axel O'Brien's identity was merely that of a Mercenary who worked for money and wasn't clean, Hayato still appreciated his performance as a Duelist who didn't give up until the last.
As the duel with Axel O'Brien ended, the System, which had a very low presence, settled the DP points and also notified Hayato that a card had dropped after the duel with Axel O'Brien.
Putting the **Mystic Wok**, which could fry and eat monsters but wasn't used on the Duel Disk, and the **Forbidden Lance**, which granted monsters effect target and effect destruction resistance, as well as **The Winged Dragon of Ra** and **Psychic Feel Zone** from his Hand back into his Deck, Hayato casually took out the card the System had dropped and took one glance.
It wasn't a strange drop that made one's vision go dark, like when Hayato dueled Samejima back then and the card dropped was **Necroface** despite being a Cyber Style card. The card dropped by Axel O'Brien, who used a Pyro Deck with extremely high purity, was naturally a Volcano card.
**Volcanic Rocket** [Level 4/FIRE]
[Pyro Type/Effect]
[1900/1400]
This card was the one Hayato obtained. It possessed the ability to search one **Blaze Accelerator** card from the Deck or Graveyard and add it to his Hand when Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned successfully. **Blaze Accelerator** is considered the soul of the Volcano Deck, so this card can basically be considered a major play starter for the Volcano Deck.
But the question is, putting aside the possibility of obtaining it, how could someone who doesn't use a Volcano Deck possibly include a **Blaze Accelerator** that fundamentally doesn't fit in their Deck?
Even Hayato's card pool, which has extremely high purity, doesn't have a **Blaze Accelerator** card—wait, it seems there is one?
Hayato thought for a moment and took out a card from his Deck, **Blazing God Cannon**, a support card for **The Winged Dragon of Ra**. Although it's ridiculous, this card indeed has the **Blaze Accelerator** archetype and is within **Volcanic Rocket**'s search range.
Putting the card back into the Warehouse for storage, Hayato, who has a hoarding habit like a hamster, didn't think about selling this card, which surprisingly had an SR rarity, at the Shop. What if he needed it someday?
And after finishing the duel with Axel O'Brien, Hayato didn't forget one thing—Axel O'Brien had received the penalty corresponding to his disrespectful action, but he wasn't the only Thief.
At this moment, Funny Valentine hadn't realized that Hayato had turned his attention towards him. His bloated body looked at Axel O'Brien, who was fallen and unable to get up, revealing an expression of disdain. His golden hair swayed with his head-shaking movement.
"How unsightly, Axel O'Brien. Just playing a Duel Monsters game with a kid, and you fall just because you lost? The highly-rated Mercenary is nothing more than this. In the end, he's just a lowly poor ghost."
As he spoke, his peripheral vision caught a faint golden radiance from Hayato's direction. His attention shifted, and he happened to see Hayato taking out a golden artifact from his body. It was shaped like an Ankh rune, with one end resembling a key that could open some kind of lock.
The light that attracted Valentine's attention came from it. However, unlike ordinary people who would wonder why a golden accessory with no visible switch or glowing structure would emit light, Valentine's attention was completely concentrated on the key itself—the Millennium Key that Hayato had somehow obtained from Shadi.
"So... so beautiful, what is this? I feel an unprecedented great power from it, what kind of charm that surpasses understanding!" Funny Valentine exclaimed, then looked at Hayato, "What is that thing's name? Tell me quickly!"
"This? It's called the Millennium Key. It belongs to me, yes." Since Shadi said he gave it to him, it means the ownership of the Millennium Key now belongs to himself, so Hayato believed there was no question with this statement. "Axel O'Brien has accepted the punishment that belongs to him. So, the next one is you, Funny Valentine."
"It possesses the ability to open and control the heart. Theoretically, it can distort a person's inner thoughts into various stances like a puzzle, changing their mind and thought along with it. However, even though I've already encountered quite a few Millennium Items, this is my first time using the Millennium Key. It's difficult to predict what will happen to you next."
Holding the Millennium Key straight up and pointing it at Funny Valentine, Hayato approached him and said, "Relax. It might hurt a lot at first, but it will hurt even more later. This is the punishment for you stealing Nefertari's jewelry, you ignorant and fearless Thief."
Looking at Hayato approaching him without any defense, Funny Valentine's desire swelled greatly as his gaze was fixed on the Millennium Key, unable to move his line of sight away.
He wanted it, he wanted it very much. Just listening to Hayato's description, Funny Valentine felt that compared to the Millennium Key, the Royal Consort Nefertari's jewelry from three thousand years ago was fundamentally nothing. Antique jewelry is indeed worth a fortune, but its greatest use is merely to add a little to one's capital.
But the Millennium Key is different. With its supernatural power, if he obtained that thing, perhaps he could become an absolute leader who manipulates human hearts, or even become the President of the American system with a 91% approval rating—that wasn't an impossible possibility. Funny Valentine had that kind of confidence!
"I feel it, Hayato Kobayashi. I feel the deep attraction of that Millennium Key to me. Such a magical item should never be held by a kid like you. It should be used by me."
Funny Valentine spoke, and suddenly took action. His bloated body was surprisingly agile as he easily snatched the Millennium Key from Hayato's hand and held it in his own hand.
The radiance on the Millennium Key paused for an instant, then surged fiercely, as if truly happy to have fallen into Funny Valentine's hand!
"As expected, power surged up! The Millennium Key likes me, Funny Valentine!"
Under the power of the Millennium Key, a glowing Eye of Wjat/Udjat mark appeared on Funny Valentine's forehead. His fat body rapidly thinned down, transforming into a handsome guy with a golden ratio figure in the blink of an eye!
**Chapter 837: Aren't Fools People? Do They Deserve to Be Teased?**
Holding the Millennium Key, Funny Valentine felt his spirit undergo an endless ascension, and power surged forth with it. Even his originally bloated figure slimmed down in a very short time.
"Oh no, this is terrible! The Millennium Key was actually snatched away just like that, something bad is going to happen!" Seeing such a change appear on Funny Valentine after he obtained the Millennium Key, Hayato couldn't help but say, his tone very surprised. However, the expression on his face quite contradicted his words, looking completely calm, making his words sound extremely artificial.
Anyone who had enough contact with Hayato and had some understanding of his personality could tell that Hayato was clearly being sarcastic towards Funny Valentine. The Millennium Key being snatched by him was completely within the plan. However, there was one person who took Hayato's words seriously.
"Huh!? Is something terrible going to happen?!" Bakura said with an anxious expression, "Hayato, quickly use your invincible brains to think of a way!"
"It's too late, Bakura. Why don't you stay behind and die to stall for us? It's better for one person to die than for all of us to be finished."
"N-no way! What kind of sense does it make for you, Hayato, to tell me to die as soon as we start?"
Listening to the conversation between Hayato and Bakura, Marik pursed his lips somewhat helplessly: "Brother-in-law, even I can't stand watching this anymore. Why are you teasing the fool? He's already foolish, and you're still teasing him."
Seeing that Marik also seemed to be like Hayato, not at all worried about what Funny Valentine, who had completely changed image after getting the Millennium Key, would do to everyone—as if he had gone to a Parallel World and swapped with someone else—Honda scratched his head, feeling somewhat confused, despite feeling a sense of peace.
"Even I, who have no supernatural power, can see that guy named Valentine has obtained great power from the Millennium Key. Is it really okay to just leave him alone like this?"
Hearing Tristan's words, Marik also smiled and said carelessly: "Heh heh, you've asked the right person about this, Tristan. No one understands the Millennium Items better than I do. Although their abilities vary and only have slight overlaps in certain domains, when it comes to the Millennium Items, there's a common characteristic."
"The Millennium Items will choose qualified Users. Those with insufficient talent cannot obtain a response from the Millennium Items at all. Those with limited talent can hardly reach the lower limit of the Millennium Items even by exhausting their life."
Reminded by Marik like this, Joey Wheeler also remembered the concept they had heard about in the World of Memories: "Those who are not qualified just by touching the Millennium Items will suffer the backlash of the power on them and have their souls scattered!?"
"But that Funny Valentine doesn't look like he's about to have his soul scattered at all, does he? It's more like he's completely lost his mind." Looking at Funny Valentine, who was intoxicated by the power of the Millennium Key, with the golden "Eye of Wjat/Udjat" on his forehead becoming increasingly brighter, Téa commented.
"Speaking of which, I seem to have had such an out-of-control appearance before. Once was in Egypt back then when Mr. Shadi forcibly granted me the Millennium Eye, and another was during the Duelist Kingdom when I must have absorbed too much Dark Power, causing the Millennium Eye to go berserk and lose control. Also, this is the first time I've heard of such a concept. Was Mr. Shadi actually trying to kill me back then?"
Looking at Funny Valentine's appearance, Pegasus couldn't help but recall bad memories. And knowing for the first time that "those who are not qualified will die if they touch the Millennium Items" made it difficult for him to remain calm. He couldn't help but feel a little lucky that he didn't die on the spot back then.
However, although Pegasus usually acted like a playful child, he was an adult after all and was quite quick to accept Reality. Looking at Funny Valentine, he said to Téa: "However, don't mind those external illusions, Miss Téa. The more power seems to inflate, sometimes it precisely means the foam is about to burst."
Listening to the others talking without any reservations about him, Funny Valentine didn't care at all what they were saying. He clenched his fist, feeling the great power within it.
"Unparalleled exhilaration, I'm even about to sing a song excitedly." As he spoke, Funny Valentine stared directly at Hayato and said, "Just now you said I was next? Snatching away your Millennium Key is the so-called 'move' in the battle, and also the defeat of the person who is 'one move short', right?"
"Hayato Kobayashi, this passage describes you, not me. It seems you are one move short! The next person to suffer should be you, because just now you actually dared to kick a God!"
"A God? A crazy guy, his brains have been clouded by power, arrogantly calling himself a 'God'?" Hayato looked at Funny Valentine and said contemptuously, "And instead of using the power you got to escape with the fallen Axel O'Brien, you're approaching me?"
"That lowly beggar? Why would I take that trash and escape? There's no need for that!" Funny Valentine also felt he had a certain victory and said proudly, "You think that as the Employer, I could have stayed out of it and waited for him to bring the required things and hand them into my hand, but I deliberately came here to put myself in danger?"
"From the very beginning, I had no plan of making a 'deal' or negotiating equally with that lowly beggar, but was thinking of taking the opportunity to kill him here!"
As he spoke, Funny Valentine actually pulled out a handgun from his clothes. As a person from the American system, it was a very reasonable thing for him to carry a gun at all times.
Staring intently at Hayato, Funny Valentine's eyes were full of the fire of desire: "I can feel it, not just the Millennium Key. On your body, and on the body of that starfish head kid Mutou Yuugi, there are sources of other, greater power. They are the same type as the Millennium Key, the so-called Millennium Items, right!"
"I will snatch those things and make them mine. This way, eternal happiness will surround me, rejecting all misfortune!"
Thinking of it, he acted. Funny Valentine lifted up his hand and was about to point at Hayato. But as he lifted up his hand, he saw on the arm holding the Millennium Key, a change appeared starting from his palm.
His previously fat arm had become toned and strong because the power of the Millennium Key changed his heart, further promoting his body to become fit and powerful. But now, on that arm which was well-proportioned and not excessively bulky, a strange spiral distortion appeared at a speed visible to the naked eye. The skin in the part where the distortion passed was rapidly aging!
If that were all, it would be fine. As the spiral distortion passed, Funny Valentine could feel that the affected area was beneath the aging surface. Bones, blood vessels, nerves, blood, cells, etc. Everything in his body seemed to start rotating. Under the distortion, his body began to fall apart!
"W-what is happening?! Why is my body starting to spiral?!"
Looking at Funny Valentine shouting in panic, Hayato said calmly: "Did you forget what I just said? Or are you so foolish that you wouldn't realize it unless I pointed it out directly? I did say it, didn't I? The Millennium Key has the ability to manipulate people's hearts by connecting them like a puzzle."
"The body will change with the mind's understanding. Your body slimmed down under the power of the Millennium Key. Naturally, the same principle can be used to make your body collapse."
Funny Valentine glared ferociously at Hayato: "You bastard, did you tamper with the Millennium Key? You actually easily committed such a despicable act. Was even my act of snatching the Millennium Key within your calculations?!"
"I won't let you get away with this, Hayato Kobayashi!" As the composition of his body spiraled, Funny Valentine's body largely aged and disintegrated, falling onto the Ground and melting downwards. He unwillingly roared at Hayato, "I will absolutely not let you get away with this, Onore—"
Even his last curse couldn't be fully spoken. Funny Valentine completely disappeared from the World because he attempted to meddle with the power of the Millennium Key. And the Millennium Key that had just killed him also fell onto the Ground because there was no hand holding it, making a "clink" sound.
Hayato didn't care how dangerous the Millennium Key was, which could easily murder and take life. He bent down and picked it up from the Ground and checked if it was scratched, had paint chipping, or was deformed.
"Although the result is like this before us, I clearly only planned at first to make this guy roll around like a circus clown for a day as a penalty." Putting away the Millennium Key, Hayato also said helplessly, "Blame it on your own name then. It made me subconsciously think of an ending that matched that name, and also that greedy heart of yours that couldn't see your own ability."
Although Hayato said this, Marik behind him didn't quite believe Hayato's words and said with a chuckle: "Although you say that, Brother-in-law, I don't believe you didn't notice his movement. You could have even directly used the power of the Millennium Key, but you insisted on reaching out your hand to let the Millennium Key approach."
"There's no such thing. I, Hayato Kobayashi, have always been upright and honest and never do such sinister things to scheme against others." Even though Marik had already said this, Hayato still had a calm expression: "I really didn't react to his movement."
"Is that so? You were so fast when you controlled that Mercenary's movement with the Millennium Rod before. What you're saying has very low credibility, Brother-in-law."
And seeing Funny Valentine erased from this World just like that, without even a last trace, Yugi, who had already switched back into his own body when Hayato's Duel ended, felt some emotion, though not much.
It wasn't that he was cold-blooded. Just as Hayato said, Funny Valentine was the one who took action against them first and had stepped onto the path of death. If he hadn't gone to snatch the Millennium Key because of greed, he wouldn't have died at all. If anyone was to blame, it could only truly be his greedy heart.
Also, Funny Valentine's performance was truly not qualified in Yugi's eyes. First, he refused the Duel and instead let Axel O'Brien Duel in his place. After Exodia showed eye-catching excellent will as a Duelist, he then subjected the Exodia who lost the Duel to extreme taunt. And finally, after getting the Millennium Key, he completely inflated and arrogantly called himself a God, he was just short of saying lines like "Hayato Kobayashi, I have ascended to godhood".
Even Yugi, whose personality was already very gentle, somewhat looked down on Funny Valentine. As for Atem within the Millennium Puzzle, there was even less to say. Having found his Lost Name and recovered all his memories, although his personality wouldn't change drastically, his way of thinking was somewhat influenced by the memories of those ten-plus years three thousand years ago. For a person like Funny Valentine, he completely didn't think Hayato's handling was wrong in any way.
There was only one thing that made Atem and Yugi somewhat concerned—
Lifting up the Millennium Puzzle on his chest, the golden inverted pyramid and the silver-white chain swayed together before Yugi's eyes. He couldn't help but mutter to himself: "Is Funny Valentine truly too greedy, or is the power of the Millennium Items too easy to make people's desire rise?"
This question, even Atem in the Millennium Puzzle couldn't give Yugi a suitable answer.
Power itself doesn't inherently have good or bad. Only the stance of the person using the power can determine where the power can be used. The power of the Millennium Items is like this. Three Thousand Years Ago, the Millennium Items could help Atem's country pacify the surroundings and bring peace, but it was also the Millennium Items that caused High Priest Akhenaden to stir up a greatly harmful rebellion.
In the present, the power of the Millennium Items helped Yugi achieve his wish — obtain friends, and also assisted them along the way to defeat many strengths, and also defeated Dartz, who intended to destroy all humans and create a New World, saving the World. But at the same time, as described in Ishizu's prophecy back then, the three "Dark" Millennium Items - the Millennium Eye, the Millennium Rod, and the Millennium Ring - also once stood against them, bringing considerable threat.
Oh, the Millennium Ring doesn't count. The time Hayato ran off to Doma doesn't count. How can you say the Duel King's matters were a betrayal? If you ask, the fact of joining Doma has already been Negated by Herald of Perfection.
Yugi didn't expect to get an answer from others, he was truly just talking to himself, but unexpectedly, a male voice sounded, answering his words:
"Both are true. Humans are not perfect, they have excessively strong desire. At the same time, it's an undeniable fact that the Millennium Items have an irresistible temptation for humans. Vessel of the Pharaoh."
Looking towards the sound, a man wearing a white Egyptian-style long robe, with white fabric wrapped around his head, slowly walked out from around the corner not far away, as if he had been waiting for a long time. And in his hand, he was holding a golden scale before his chest.
Shadi looked directly at Yugi with unfocused eyes and said calmly: "Therefore, I have come to assist you in sealing the Millennium Items forever, as long as the Pharaoh returns to the Underworld."
The purpose of this Minor Character Funny Valentine was to introduce Shadi. Once useless, he's naturally discontinued here. This method of leaving the field was thought out long ago, that's why he's called Funny Valentine.
It was for this plate of vinegar that I wrapped this plate of dumplings.
(End of Chapter)
# Chapter 838: Avoiding the Edge, Temporarily Enduring
"Shada?" Hayato looked at Shadi, who had suddenly appeared, mistaking him for Priest Shada from three thousand years ago because of their identical faces. However, upon noticing the other party's unfocused eyes, he recognized his identity. "No, it's Shadi after all."
"Why are you here?"
"Hello, Hayato Kobayashi." Shadi nodded at Hayato and said seriously, "Similar to the Ishtar Family, I, Shadi Sin, as the last descendant of another branch of the Tomb Keepers, have always stood on the Pharaoh's side from beginning to end. My appearance here is naturally to help the Pharaoh's Soul still residing within the Millennium Puzzle."
"The mission of the Ishtar Family is to await the Pharaoh's Soul's return to the human world three thousand years later, in the present, and help him recover his lost memories and name. In contrast, the mission of my family is the opposite: to help the Pharaoh Seal the Millennium Items and return his soul to the Underworld—"
"What kind of nonsense are you suddenly spouting, bald guy!"
Shadi's words were cut off halfway by Joey Wheeler, who was extremely impatient. Joey Wheeler glared fiercely at Shadi with an annoyed expression. "Saying 'return his soul to the Underworld' and all that, if you speak plainly, aren't you just telling Atem, who finally found his name, to go die!"
"Don't think that just because you helped us before, we won't take action against you, Shadi."
Honda also stood beside Joey Wheeler, cracking the knuckles of his clenched fist. Although the two, who styled themselves the Invincible "Domino City Fighting King," had been beaten more than once in fights, they weren't afraid at all when it came time to fight.
After Atem and Hayato were brought into the Tablet World within the World of the King's Memory by Dark Bakura and dragged into a Dark Game, Yugi, Joey Wheeler, Téa, and Tristan, who remained in the Outside World, were brought into the World of the King's Memory because the Millennium Items suddenly glowed and resonated together amidst the light. The Millennium Key, which was the first to glow, was the one Shadi had given to Hayato beforehand.
So while it was true that Shadi had indeed helped them before, that alone wasn't enough for Joey Wheeler and the others to forgive Shadi for saying Atem should "go die." Even Téa looked at Shadi with an unfriendly expression.
"Although I haven't been to the Underworld, that kind of place can't be good at all. Even counting the time from three thousand years ago, The Other Me is still only twenty years old," Yugi take a deep breath and looked at Shadi, saying, "And during all this time, he hasn't even had enough time to live for himself. Having finally recovered his name, he shouldn't have to leave again so soon!"
"But this is the Pharaoh's Destiny, Mutou Yuugi, the Vessel of the Pharaoh's Soul." Shadi's unfocused eyes stared at Yugi. "He is not a soul that belongs to this era. The era he belongs to, the people he knew, have all disappeared into time. This era does not have a vessel that can hold his soul, not even you."
But facing Shadi's gaze, Yugi said without backing down, "My name is Mutou Yuugi! And The Other Me also has his own name now, he is called Atem!"
Pegasus didn't interrupt, but glanced at Marik, who was also not involved and was standing aside watching the drama, and asked, "The world where the Tomb Keepers existed should have ended three thousand years ago, right, Marik boy? Even ancient Egypt has disappeared. What makes you Tomb Keepers so dedicated to your mission?"
"I don't know, I've never thought about that question." Marik said indifferently; he was always indifferent about matters in this aspect. "Although I am indeed from the Tomb Keepers, and even my father, Geb Ishtar, was the former clan head of the Ishtar Family, don't forget, I separated from the Ishtar Family long ago. I am Marik, simply just Marik."
"Matters concerning the Tomb Keepers have nothing to do with me. Even before separated from the Ishtar Family, I was always a rebellious person who didn't want to be bound by a mere family, unlike my older sister. Even Rishid is more like a Tomb Keeper than I am."
Looking carelessly towards the group confronting Shadi, Marik said casually, "However, if I had to say, it's probably what's called 'destiny.' Most people only have the ability to drift with the current, following the guidance of destiny. Even if their ability increases, they can only stir up bigger waves in the current of destiny, yet they still cannot overcome it. This is the same even if it's my Older Sister, Ishizu."
"Isn't it ridiculous? Even though she has the Millennium Necklace which can reveal the future and almost surpass destiny, Ishizu, with the strongest talent in history, could only see a fixed future from the Millennium Necklace. She is still a slave of destiny, only able to move forward along with the family's destiny and unable to control her own direction."
"Destiny... me also tried to find a way to change it. As a result, I encountered Mr. Shadi in Egypt many years ago, and instead got lost in the current of destiny," Pegasus said with a smile upon hearing Marik's words, his gaze turning towards Hayato and Yugi. "However, when my destiny was just a hair's breadth away from reaching its end, I was dragged out of the vortex."
"Hayato Kobayashi is the man who can become my Brother-in-law. Unlike most people, he is the sun on the sea of destiny. Even the current that sweeps countless people forward cannot force him to change his trajectory. Furthermore, I, Rishid, and Older Sister have all separated from our own destinies because of his sun-like attraction."
Marik exclaimed, then showed an expression of watching the drama again. "As for the Pharaoh's Soul returning to the Underworld, if Brother-in-law wasn't here, that guy Shadi might have succeeded, but now he fundamentally has no possibility of convincing the Pharaoh's Soul."
"My soul, return to the Underworld?" Since Shadi's goal involved him, Atem also exchanged bodies with Yugi and came to the Outside World, looking at Shadi before him and speaking. Looking at the other party's face, Atem felt the same as Hayato; the other party was very similar to Shada.
However, it was only that appearance. Shadi always gave Atem a feeling that he was somehow a "controller" who was outside of this world, looking down on the entire world from above, always having a feeling of attempting to arrange certain matters, which made him very uncomfortable. This was completely different from the Shada he knew.
"Precisely so, my Pharaoh." Shadi also noticed the change in Yugi's body and knew that Atem had appeared, saying respectfully, "Firstly, I, Shadi Sin, as the last descendant of the Tomb Keepers loyal to you, Pharaoh, hereby congratulate you on finally recovering your lost and important name."
"Then, I also need to inform you that as long as the Millennium Items still exist in the human world, they will inevitably continuously issue a fatal temptation to humanity because of the powerful dark power they possess. This heart of greed will only cause humanity to gradually deviate from the path forward and step onto the wrong path."
Shadi paused, then slightly moved aside and pointed towards where Funny Valentine had disappeared. "Such an end, over the three thousand years that the Millennium Items have existed, is actually not the first instance. And as long as the Millennium Items don't disappear, the same destiny will repeat countless times."
Hayato crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Shadi and saying, "The Millennium Items are products of dark alchemy, so they are difficult to destroy. So, do you mean that if Atem doesn't seal them, the blood and hatred they bring will all be blamed on him?"
"I absolutely did not mean that."
Shadi also quickly denied it. His goal was to guide the Pharaoh's Soul onto the path of returning to the Underworld, not to put a big hat on the Pharaoh's Soul. He didn't think that moral blackmail tactics would be useful against a soul from three thousand years ago, and moreover, he disdained using it.
"Pharaoh, you should have already experienced enough matters in these modern years. The best example is none other than the Emperor of Atlantis, Dartz, who was just recently defeated by you, Hayato Kobayashi, Kaiba Seto, and others working together."
Shadi didn't pay attention to Joey Wheeler, who was being held back by Tristan behind him and angrily shouting, "Who are you calling 'and others,' hey, you bald guy!" He said seriously to Atem, "The Atlanteans lost their path forward and deviated under the temptation of the Orichalcos's power. The Millennium Items now serve the purpose of the Orichalcos. Pursuing its power will only make humanity step onto the path of destruction."
"Humanity's darkness is still expanding to this day. It must be curbed before it reaches the edge of bursting. This is for the salvation of the world, my Pharaoh."
Saying this, Shadi also pointed to Pegasus, making Atem look towards his side.
Upon hearing Shadi's words, Pegasus also subconsciously raised his hand, his finger passing through the silver hair hanging down covering half his face, and touched his left eye. That was where he had created an artificial eye with the same appearance as the Millennium Eye to fill the blank in his left eye. Because of the characteristic of the metal itself, Pegasus, who wasn't lacking money, chose gold to create it.
He once thought that the impact of losing his left eye and the dark power of the Millennium Eye was perhaps the greatest test he had undergone. But looking at it now, was it actually incredibly lucky that he didn't die like Funny Valentine back then?
Seeing that Shadi still wanted to continue convincing Atem, Hayato spoke up and interrupted him. "Let those words stop here, Shadi Sin. Although you say you won't use moral blackmail, aren't you still trying to tempt Atem?"
"Because the yearning for power is harmful, you want to erase the existence of power? If Kaiba were here and heard what you said, his head would fall off from laughing. If you said something like that in a gym, you'd be held down on a dumbbell and beaten."
Slowly walking towards Shadi, Hayato said as he walked, "I'm too lazy to say big words to you. The ultimate fate of humanity isn't something you can change just because you want to. Arrogantly wanting to control the future, do you think you're some kind of god?"
"What's wrong with yearning for power? Those who step onto the wrong path are merely isolated cases lacking sufficient resolve in themselves. You, who don't believe this and generalize from isolated cases, otherwise, try to defeat me, who has also been 'lost' by power!"
The spirit suddenly rushed out from the Gaia Card that Hayato had thrown out but not yet retrieved. Gaia, holding a lance, attacked towards Shadi, scaring him into quickly retreating two steps to dodge. The lance pierced the wall, missing Shadi's head by mere inches.
"Hayato Kobayashi, what are you doing!" Shadi said, looking nervously at Hayato.
Shadi originally intended to say this, but facing the imposing Hayato, Shadi couldn't help but recall that experience when he attempted to use the Millennium Key to probe Hayato's inner thoughts back during Battle City. Even if it's today, recalling that time, Shadi's heart was still filled with fear.
It was also after that time that the Millennium Key, one of the two Millennium Items he could use, also became unable to respond to him anymore. After multiple failed attempts, he simply handed it over to Hayato, but found that Hayato could actually still use its power.
Ever since he lost his body several years ago and was between the boundary between death and life, the power he could exert was far less than before. He was fundamentally not Hayato's opponent now, moreover, besides Hayato, there are also Marik, Pegasus, and the Pharaoh's Soul here, so many people.
It seems he won't be able to convince the Pharaoh's Soul to embark on the journey of returning to the Underworld today. In that case, he can only retreat first.
"If you are still in the joy of recovering your memory, I, who specifically came here to give a warning, have indeed disturbed the Pharaoh's celebration. But one day, the Pharaoh will realize I am correct, and by then, I will still offer my power to seal the Millennium Items for you, Pharaoh." Even if it was obvious he was running away, Shadi still spoke some fine words. Saying this, he turned around and left without hesitation.
Bakura, who had been watching Shadi for a long time, hearing Shadi say this, also finally mustered up the courage to speak. "Um, are you called Shadi? I'd like to ask, have we met somewhere before?"
However, after Shadi heard Bakura's words, he only paused his steps slightly and continued walking silently towards a corner. After stepping into that corner, he instantly disappeared.
"That guy finally left." Joey Wheeler didn't hide his rejection of Shadi at all. After all, that guy said he wanted Atem to leave them and go to the Underworld. He looked at Atem and said, "Don't take that guy's words to heart, Yugi. Putting other things aside, look at us, is there anyone who would develop desire for the Millennium Items?"
"Idiot, Atem has already recovered his name, why are you still calling him Yugi?" "Ehe, wasn't I just worried he'd overthink things and accidentally said the wrong name?"
Atem looked at Tristan and Joey Wheeler and also noticed Téa's worried line of sight from beside him. He smiled and shook his head, telling them not to worry, and didn't say anything else, returning to the Millennium Puzzle.
Chapter 839
Shadi's arrival was merely an interlude for everyone; they quickly cast the matter aside and stopped mentioning it. But was it truly that they didn't care, or did they intentionally gloss over it?
The handling of the Millennium Items that Shadi mentioned wasn't the key point; the key point was Atem himself. Shadi was right about one thing: this era is not Atem's era.
His era was three thousand years ago in Ancient Egypt, and it has vanished into the past. Whether it was Mana, Simon, Shada, Seto, or Aknadin, they have all entered the Underworld and are no longer in the world. Atem is the last remnant; this era has no vessel capable of containing him.
Even with Yugi, because of the existence of the Millennium Puzzle, the two coexist as one body with two souls. Perhaps both are quite satisfied with this state now, but it is foreseeable that as Yugi continues to grow up, after he graduates, starts work, and gets married, the state of the two coexisting will become increasingly unstable.
After Shadi brought this up, both Yugi and Atem, being quite intelligent people, thought of this point. However, both are currently maintaining silence and haven't spoken about this aspect. Naturally, the others could only intentionally gloss over the matter and not discuss it, allowing the two to think for themselves.
However, someone did break the somewhat strange atmosphere. From the Corner where Shadi disappeared, several Staff members in uniform casually walked over. When they saw Hayato's party gathered together, they couldn't help but be stunned.
To steal the Queen Nefertari's jewelry from three thousand years ago that was on display here, Exodia O'Brien and Funny Valentine used bribery to buy off the local gang responsible for selling Scenic Area tickets. However, they hadn't bought off the Staff within the Scenic Area.
After all, the manpower of the Scenic Area Staff was too large, making it difficult to avoid problems, unlike a gang where buying off the leader could control the subordinates. Buying off the Staff's leader wasn't very useful; anywhere, even an Elementary School Student could instinctively learn the trick of "reporting others."
For these Staff members, Exodia chose to have the gang members he bought off create some commotion to attract their attention and lure away some of the Staff from the key point locations. It didn't need to take too long; about ten minutes was completely sufficient for him.
In terms of the specific time spent, Exodia indeed didn't miscalculate. He stole Queen Nefertari's jewelry from the guards even faster than the expected time and brought it outside the Museum, just waiting to leave the Scenic Area to complete the deal with Funny Valentine.
What he didn't expect was that Hayato's party would unaccountably appear suddenly from a hidden Passage. The Scenic Area map circulating among the Scenic Area Staff that he had stolen didn't even have this Secret Passage. Furthermore, Hayato's party, who suddenly appeared, were excessively strong and used supernatural power and Duel Monsters to defeat him.
What was even more outrageous was that his employer, Funny Valentine, had lost his life due to greed. Forget whether Nefertari's jewelry was still in his hand; even if he took it out, there was no employer to deliver it to. While finding another buyer might yield a higher reward than Funny Valentine, it also added more trouble. If he wasn't careful, he might even be double-crossed.
If Exodia were currently in a conscious state, all of the above would inevitably become his troubles. However, because his duel with Hayato wasted a lot of time, new troubles had already appeared, and they were even bigger troubles than the previous ones.
"Hey, who are you guys? Why are you in this place!"
Because the Staff usually had some contact with tourists from all over the World, these two Egyptians who discovered the group spoke English that was quite fluent, or at least not heavily accented—after all, it is one of Egypt's mainstream languages nowadays—and asked Hayato's party.
Since this morning, they had learned from their colleagues at the Entrance that ticket sales were abnormally poor today; not a single tourist had come. Winter was supposed to be Egypt's peak tourist season, and they didn't know what the ticket-selling gang was up to. But anyway, they were on a fixed salary, so whether more or fewer tickets were sold was none of their business.
But the question was, if no tourists had bought tickets, why did the two of them see such a large party suddenly appear in the Scenic Area? Especially the man standing among them who was one meter ninety-five tall; he somehow gave them an evil sense of oppression, as if they had encountered a villain among villains.
Moreover, even within the Scenic Area, there were distinctions between completely open zones, restricted development zones, and forbidden open zones. The location where Hayato's party was situated was not a place where tourists could freely enter and exit; it was a forbidden open zone under strict restriction, storing important artifacts that absolutely could not be entered by tourists!
As one of them observed Hayato and the others who weren't moving, he seemed to notice something. His pupil contracted, but he still suppressed his surprise and subtly nudged his colleague with a hidden movement, reminding him to look towards the side of the group. The person who was reminded also glanced in that direction, but saw a deformed and scrapped gun.
Even from the angle where the two of them were standing, the black person who fell to the ground and looked like he had been beaten to death, whose body was covered in mud... had a gun tucked into his waist!
Although they used to rant together while drinking after work about how this job in the Scenic Area, despite paying well, had too many matters and was quite boring, and they truly wished to encounter more interesting and exciting things during work, wasn't this level of excitement a bit too much?!
Unlike a certain beacon of freedom, Egypt also implements a complete gun ban. Although they didn't know the relationship between the standing people and the fallen person, reporting the situation first was definitely the right thing to do!
Immediately, one of the Staff members pulled out the issued intercom and broadcast on all channels: "Intruders detected in Zone 114514, possessing guns. Security Personnel numbers 1919 and 810, report!"
"Huh?! Uh, We, not, bad!" Although the poor student Joey Wheeler couldn't understand what the two Staff members were saying, he could tell that they were communicating with others. He quickly spoke using his extremely limited English vocabulary.
However, Joey Wheeler's skill in "persuasion" was clearly not sufficient. He couldn't dispel the Staff members' vigilance with just three words. On the contrary, his step forward made them even more nervous.
Blocking his colleague who was using the intercom behind him, the other Staff member drew a baton he carried with him and said to Joey Wheeler, "Just stand there, don't approach us another step!"
"If you move again, someone will die!"
When Hayato heard these two speak, he felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had heard their voice somewhere before. After carefully examining their appearance again, he suddenly realized that these two were exactly the same as the two guards he had defeated when he infiltrated the Royal Palace in the Memory World at that time.
"Hoho, you've already noticed the crisis here, right? You know that reporting me, Hayato Kobayashi, carries a fatal crisis, yet you can still lift up the courage to face me, Hayato Kobayashi?" Hayato put his hands on his hips, ignoring the other party's warning, and stepped forward to approach, a wicked smile on his face. "Just with the stick in your hand?"
Although Hayato had no weapon in his hand, as he approached, the Staff member holding the baton inexplicably felt a phantom pain, as if he had been beaten by him.
"Uh, I mean I'll die..." Subconsciously, he took a step back.
"Huh? What are you afraid of?" However, his colleague behind him didn't understand what was wrong with him and warned Hayato and the others, "Although we don't know who you are, since you broke in here carrying guns, you are absolutely not good people. This place stores many valuable artifacts. Even if you take us down, we will never let you take the things away easily!"
"Please wait a moment, sir." Pegasus quickly stopped Hayato, who was showing a face that didn't look like a good person, from continuing to negotiate with the Security Personnel. He stepped forward to substitute for him, pulled out a business card from in one's arms, and said in his rarely fluent English, "My name is Pegasus J. Crawford, President of Industrial Illusions. If you have heard of 'Duel Monsters,' you should know me, right?"
"Please don't be so nervous. We are merely tourists who accidentally wandered in here, not dangerous suspicious individuals."
"Pegasus? The Father of Duel Monsters?" The Security Personnel was also stunned. He reached out and accepted the business card Pegasus handed him, looking at the engraving on the business card, which was made of pure gold by Pegasus, who clearly wasn't short on money. It was indeed Pegasus's name.
Even if he had only heard of Pegasus's name and hadn't seen his appearance, this Security Personnel somewhat believed Pegasus's identity after receiving the business card. Although a simple business card couldn't completely prove the truth of Pegasus's identity, Pegasus's sincere words were very convincing, not just the weight of the gold.
However, just when the group thought they had managed to appease the two Security Personnel, the person who had taken the business card raised his hand again, pointed to the briefcase the group had placed on the ground before, and said, "If it's the famous 'Father of Duel Monsters' Pegasus, I can tentatively believe it. I now believe you 100%."
"But what is in that Box over there? Medicine? Guns? Or perhaps important artifacts stolen from here? I now believe 100% that you are not suspicious individuals, but that's not enough. Please open that Box and prove it to me, so I can believe you an extra 1%, making it 101%."
Upon hearing this, Yugi and Joey Wheeler's inner thoughts sank. Although they were indeed innocent, the only thing they had done wrong was fare evasion, but precisely that Box was the one thing that couldn't be opened. Inside was Nefertari's jewelry that Funny Valentine had hired Exodia O'Brien to steal!
If they opened that Box and let the other party see what was inside, even if they didn't do it, they would have to bear this scapegoat. After all, the other party would absolutely not believe the account that "an American hired that black person on the ground to steal things, but that American just evaporated into thin air"!
Why did they have to notice that Box of all things?!
"Hmm? Are you hesitating? Hesitating to open that Box? So what exactly is in that Box? Please open it." The Security Personnel said with a frown. "Or are your words just now a deception towards us?"
Upon hearing this, Hayato sighed and said, "My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror; All I do is just." As he spoke, he was about to pull out the Millennium Rod from behind him to give these two modern Egyptians a little taste of ancient Egyptian shock.
In the end, it still came to this. He still had to use the Millennium Rod to use brainwashing hypnosis. Hayato was a pure love faction, after all, he really didn't want to take action.
However, just as the Millennium Rod was halfway drawn, Marik reached out and pressed down on Hayato's hand. Facing Hayato's confused gaze, Marik said calmly, "It doesn't matter, I will take action."
"I originally wanted to get along with you as an ordinary person, but all I got was repeated questioning and suspicion." As he approached the two Security Personnel, Marik casually pulled out a document. "I'm not pretending anymore, I'm coming clean. I'm from the Ishtar Family, I'm coming clean."
"Didn't you just tell us you weren't from the Ishtar Family? You changed your mind too quickly!" Joey Wheeler ranted mercilessly. "And even if you are from the Ishtar Family, what does that have to do with ordinary people?"
Honda also chimed in, "Exactly. Are you saying they'll really ignore us just because you gave them your family name?"
Then, the two of them saw the two Security Personnel, who had just been on vigilance against the group, change their expressions the moment they saw the name on the document in Marik's hand. The one holding the baton quickly put it away, and the other quickly spoke into the intercom, saying, "Situation dispel, everything is normal. It's an Important Figure from the Ishtar Family."
"Huh? Why?!" Joey Wheeler looked at Marik, who had put away the document, and asked in Japanese language that the Security Personnel couldn't understand, "Why are they so afraid just hearing 'Ishtar'?"
Marik shrugged, "I thought you should know. Although the Staff here are government employees, the deterrent power of their leaders and superiors is far less terrifying than the gang factions that are everywhere."
"And unfortunately, although they advocate for seclusion, the Ishtar Tomb Keepers can be considered the largest gang in Egypt."
Hayato looked at the document in Marik's hand again with some surprise. "But what's with that document? Haven't you lifted your wanted criminal status yet?"
"Ah, this," Marik proudly shook the document book in his hand, "I just grabbed it when I was at the Tomb Keepers' Clan Territory. It was my father's document from before; he looked quite similar to me when he was young."
"You would actually do petty theft? Marik, you've become such a bad child, you've really disappointed me."
"Brother-in-law, maybe you should stop taking other people's Deck first?"
Thanks to the 500 points from the tip "Pure Love Gang". Thank you.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 840: Forgot to title the previous chapter, but can't change it after publishing
Because Ishtar's identity was unexpectedly useful, after sneaking into the Restricted Area within the Scenic Area without tickets, they were discovered by two Staff. However, instead of being driven away, they were warmly guided and told which places within the Scenic Area were most worth visiting.
Three thousand years ago, both Hayato and Atem were more familiar with this area than the Staff, but after three thousand years, the Staff were clearer on what had disappeared and what remained.
Refusing the two Security Personnel whose attitudes had drastically changed and who eagerly volunteered to act as Tour Guide, the group followed the Passage within the Scenic Area towards the recommended attractions.
"Speaking of Pegasus, are you still doing card design?" Hayato asked Pegasus on the way. "You've been in Egypt for several days now, but I haven't seen you take out any design drafts or anything."
Hearing Hayato's words, Pegasus, who had originally been quite cheerful and looking forward to the upcoming journey, felt the smile on his face stiffen slightly, and his steps paused briefly.
He gave a dry laugh and said, "Oh ho ho ho, my cards are progressing very smoothly. Thanks to Hayato boy and Yugi-boy, me's inspiration is gushing like a god possessed. Compared to the progress before coming to Egypt, it has advanced by 1000%."
Bakura had also learned from Hayato before that Pegasus's goal in organizing this Tour Group was to find inspiration for creating new cards. Hearing this, he naively said, "That's great, Mr. Pegasus. In that case, I'm sure you'll finish creating the new cards very soon, right?"
However, this time Pegasus couldn't even maintain his fake smile, and the expression on his face completely fell.
"Huh? Did I say something wrong?" Bakura was startled and quickly asked Hayato beside him, worried that he might have said something he shouldn't have.
But Hayato didn't need to say anything. Joey Wheeler, standing nearby, said with a confident look, "Heh heh heh, at times like this, Great Detective Joey Wheeler should step in. No one is more familiar with that expression on Pegasus's face than me."
"Hayato, Yugi, Bakura, you were good students who got good grades in class and always finished your homework on time. But I'm different. I know better than any of you that expression on Pegasus's face when you played video games too happily the night before and only remembered the homework assigned wasn't done until the next morning."
"No, to be more precise, it's the expression when you haven't done your homework and also discover that everyone else has finished and submitted theirs, and you don't even have the opportunity to copy someone's work!" Tristan, standing next to Joey Wheeler, also said with full confidence.
"There is only one truth, Pegasus, your card creation progress before coming to Egypt was 0%. Even if it's 1000% of the original, which is ten times, it's still 0!" X2
Joey Wheeler and Tristan, standing back to back, simultaneously pointed their fingers at Pegasus and said in unison.
Marik's twitched mouth: "Where should I even start ranting? The fact that Pegasus can openly slack off for so long, or the examples you two used for comparison?"
"What do you know? Can a creator's work be called slacking off?" Pegasus argued forcefully under everyone's gaze, saying things like "Extensive research is needed to decide which plan to adopt" and "Only carefully crafted cards have soul."
"But didn't you say before that the card design was basically half finished?" Hayato looked at Pegasus helplessly. "Don't tell me that half refers to having finished creating a new folder."
Pegasus also sighed and said helplessly, "Even me wouldn't do something so tasteless to keep people in suspense. Actually, this is related to you, Hayato boy."
As he spoke, Pegasus took out a notebook from his backpack behind him, his expression conflicted and his movements somewhat hesitant. However, in the end, he made up his mind and spread open the notebook. "Because it's Yugi-boy and Hayato boy, me thinks me can show you me's manuscript. But please, absolutely do not spread anything from this around."
The others were also made curious by Pegasus's rare serious tone and gathered around to look at the contents of the notebook. On the page Pegasus had spread open, the most prominent feature was seven gems of different shapes and vibrant colors, which the group also knew what they were.
Due to the global ocean current anomaly caused by Dartz earlier, Industrial Illusions had salvaged the national treasure of a certain ancient country—seven gems said to have magical power. This was Pegasus's drawing of the gems' appearance. The core goal of this trip was for Pegasus to design new cards based on these gems.
But next to the clean seven gems were numerous images related to "gem" and "crystal". They had learned about this from Pegasus before and knew that he had always been unable to find the most suitable design that resonated with him.
But what did this have to do with Hayato?
Pegasus also saw the group's confused look, pointed his finger to the outermost position, and said, "Actually, after coming to Egypt, thanks to your luck, Hayato boy, me got a vague idea for some cards. This monster is one of the Duel Monsters me vaguely sensed from the ancient gems."
At the position Pegasus pointed to, he had redrawn one of the seven precious gems, the azure precious gem, and next to the gemstone, he drew a unicorn pegasus spreading its wings and soaring.
"A Pegasus... 'Pegasus'? Is this your personal preference? This is what The Other Me said." Yugi relayed Atem's words from within the Millennium Puzzle. It seemed he was also very interested in new cards, even though he had just been influenced by Shadi's words. "However, I also feel this appearance is very suitable."
Pegasus glanced at Yugi and nodded approvingly. "Compared to the Pharaoh's Soul, who has an imposing presence in Duel Monsters, Yugi boy, perhaps you have more talent in card design."
"Many people think that designing a card only requires simply drawing the card's image and designing an effect to complete the creation of a new card, but actually, that's not the case. The most important things for creating new cards, besides inspiration, are feeling and that subconscious feeling of resonating with the Duel Monster's spirit and helping them come into the card."
"If this card is created, me would want to name it [Azure Gem Pegasus]. The prefix term would be [Crystal Beast]. Me would design seven different creatures around the seven gems. As for the pegasus's appearance, it's simply a coincidence."
Regarding the fact that the designed [Crystal Beast・Azure Gem Pegasus] happened to share a name with his own name, "Pegasus," Pegasus also helplessly spread open his hand, and then pointed seriously at [Crystal Beast・Azure Gem Pegasus] and said, "Don't you think it's very cool? As a Card Designer, me thinks this is too cool. It fits me's imagination of 'gems' perfectly, full of natural charm and illusion."
However, compared to Yugi, the others' talent in card design was not very obvious. They couldn't feel the kind of subconscious feeling that Yugi and Pegasus spoke of, that "this card should look like this," nor could they feel anything cool about the [Crystal Beast・Azure Gem Pegasus] which was still just a pencil sketch.
More than that, they felt that Pegasus was still inserting his personal preferences into the card creation. After all, he had done so before, and this time, just inserting his own name was already quite restrained.
"But even so, what does it have to do with Hayato?" Bakura asked curiously.
Pegasus looked at Bakura, who had also come closer, feeling a bit uncomfortable in his heart. Even though a considerable amount of time had passed and he knew that Dark Bakura had disappeared from Bakura's body, at that time, Dark Bakura had also approached him with a harmless appearance just like the current Bakura, and then struck ruthlessly, gouging out his Millennium Eye and almost killing him.
To this day, Pegasus still feels a faint phantom pain in his left eye when he sees Bakura. After subtly putting half a step's distance between himself and Bakura, he pointed to another drawing next to the [Crystal Beast・Azure Gem Pegasus] in the notebook. "Originally, if there were no accidents, me would only use [Azure Gem Pegasus] as a starting point for the rest of the journey, completing the other [Crystal Beast], and then adding some Spell/Trap Cards to declare the completion of the new cards."
"But the problem is, just now, me saw this unforgettable monster from Hayato boy."
The position Pegasus pointed to was a sketch of a monster that everyone had seen before—the **El Shaddoll Construct**, which Hayato had Fusion Summoned with **El Shaddoll Nephilim** and **Volcanic Blade** in the duel against Exodia, a sketch of which had been handed over to the Staff.
"I was wondering what you were doing scribbling in that notebook back then. Turns out you were sketching Brother-in-law's monster," Marik said, somewhat confused. "But I still can't understand. Aren't [Shaddoll] monsters all creatures made of silk thread, shadow, and the like? How can this be related to a few pieces of gemstone?"
Marik just said it casually, but Pegasus actually nodded. "That's me's idea. Although creating entirely new monsters from scratch is fun, adding new elements to existing monsters to pioneer another possibility is also very interesting, just like the cute [Toon] monsters."
Pegasus paused, then looked at the sketch of **El Shaddoll Construct** with a slightly confused expression. "Also, perhaps me's inspiration has gone off course, but me always has the illusion that compared to [Shaddoll], the 'gem' itself is more important to this monster. And if me separate the gems on **El Shaddoll Construct** and use **El Shaddoll Construct's** knight image for the design, me feels that a name like [Gem-Knight] would sound better."
"That's certainly a statement in your style, Pegasus," Joey Wheeler ranted. "Why don't you just make non-humanoid monsters like Dragon-Type monsters into armor or something to be worn by humanoid monsters someday? That way, you can create a whole new Deck series."
"Isn't that just blatant plagiarism of 'Monster Hunter'?" Tristan, who often played games online with Joey Wheeler, naturally recognized the game where Joey Wheeler's inspiration came from immediately and ranted.
"But me thinks the possibility is quite good."
"You two... one dares to say it, and the other dares to listen..."
Hayato, on the other hand, sighed slightly in his heart. Although Pegasus was a bit of a scumbag and even an NTR Deck Player, which Hayato, the Pure Love War God, disdained the most, his talent as a Duel Monsters card designer had to be acknowledged as truly strong.
The [Shaddoll] Deck, in its lore, is not a naturally existing species. Instead, it is a group composed of countless monsters between life and death, intercepted from the normal Cycle of Life and Death System by a certain evil will for the purpose of reviving itself, and manipulated as puppets.
This is why [Shaddoll] monsters mostly have the element of "silk thread" and why most of their lower-level monsters are Spellcaster Type.
Because their source is the Cycle of Life and Death System, [Shaddoll] monsters can actually be almost regarded as products of certain originally existing monsters becoming [Shaddoll] after death. This means their source is as messy as the composition of Hayato's Deck, almost covering every species they can involve.
For example, [Shaddoll Falcon] was originally [Gusto Falcon] from the [Gusto] Deck, [Shaddoll Beast] was originally [Naturia Beast] from the [Naturia] Deck, and the prototypes of **El Shaddoll Nephilim** and **El Shaddoll Construct** are from the [Gem-Knight] Deck: [Gem-Knight Lazuli] and [Gem-Knight Crystal].
Just a blind guess based on intuition unexpectedly guessed the name [Gem-Knight], which is why Hayato felt admiration for Pegasus's talent.
"But if you can't choose, why not just create both series?" Hayato asked curiously. "For you, Pegasus, there shouldn't be a possibility that after creating one, you lose interest in the other possibility, or don't have the money or energy to create a second set of cards, right?"
Although the [Gem-Knight] cards were also available for purchase in the System Shop, and besides the useful but indeed expensive boss monsters, the main Deck lower-level monsters were relatively cheap, Hayato wasn't someone who had to collect every Deck he saw. If that were the case, who knew when Hayato would be able to assemble the tens of thousands of cards in the System Shop.
Rather than buying cards, Hayato still preferred to watch Pegasus create the [Gem-Knight] cards, so they wouldn't only exist in a certain official fan anime work. I'm sure no one would disagree that A5 is a fan work, right?
However, Pegasus shook his head. "That kind of thing, if me could, me would definitely want to create as many cards as possible. But it's not that me is unwilling to create both types of cards, but that me cannot."
"There are only those seven gems with strange power. Naturally, only seven basic gem cards can be completed. Me can even imagine a future where, after completing the basic cards, me will find it difficult to create support cards."