Chapter 561: Hayato, the Sea Emperor, Revives!
Rewinding to yesterday, the Doma Three Swordsmen—Rafael, Valon, and Alister—carrying the three God Cards, transferred to a transport plane and were on their way back to the Organization Doma headquarters after flying away from Domino City.
Alister's duel with Ishizu ended inconclusively because Rafael, just as Alister's Deck was about to be cleared by Exchange of the Spirit and Ishizu was about to deliver the finishing blow with Card Destruction, timely used his pendant embedded with an Orichalcos Fragment to break the Seal of Orichalcos, forcibly stopping the duel with a method akin to "pulling the plug."
Although Rafael and the others had previously said things like "only the winner can walk out of the Seal of Orichalcos," anyone who took such words as absolute truth would be an idiot. The possibility of a Seal of Orichalcos user dying within the Seal of Orichalcos might happen to a regular member of Organization Doma like Grimo, but it would absolutely never happen to their three high-ranking members, Rafael, Valon, and Alister.
Every member of Organization Doma carries an Orichalcos Fragment, which is a necessary condition for activating the Seal of Orichalcos. However, the Orichalcos Fragments held by Rafael and the other two, as the Doma Three Swordsmen, are relatively special and possess the ability to actively break the Seal of Orichalcos. This was the method Rafael used to save Alister.
After saving Alister, Rafael and the others decisively abandoned the helicopter, which had consumed a lot of fuel due to the prolonged delay, and transferred to another backup transport plane to leave Domino City. The original helicopter wasn't completely abandoned; Rafael had arranged for someone to pilot it towards the sea to divert KaibaCorp's attention.
Although it was puzzling that Ishizu, whose duel was interrupted, had no intention of pursuing them and allowed them to leave, since they had successfully brought the Three Egyptian Gods cards overseas, Rafael and the others naturally didn't dwell on the matter.
All the way, Alister remained sullen. After all, due to the uniqueness and great power of the Three Egyptian Gods cards, this operation was considered extremely important by Organization Doma. Both Rafael and Valon's performance in this operation could actually be said to be quite good.
Only Alister had failed. Not only was the Obelisk the Tormentor card snatched from Kaiba Seto only after Rafael, who arrived later, intervened, but when attempting to seal Ishizu Ishtar's soul, he had completely messed up and was almost sealed on the spot.
Coupled with the fact that he hadn't completed his initial plan of revenge against Kaiba Seto in this operation, Alister's mood became even worse.
Rafael and Valon didn't take Alister's near-death experience to heart. One of them prioritized the interests of Organization Doma, while the other was a guy who would slack off if he could still complete the task. Although they cared about their companion's psychological problems, it was only to the extent that the psychological problems wouldn't affect their ability to complete the tasks.
Now that they had gathered the Three Egyptian Gods cards, Alister could sulk or complain all he wanted; it had nothing to do with them anymore.
As a golden semicircle of radiance rose above the horizon, dispelling the night and illuminating the sky, the transport plane carrying Alister and the others soon arrived at Organization Doma's current headquarters—located on a lonely Island in the Atlantic Ocean. Due to Organization Doma's influence, the existence of This Island wasn't even registered on any country's map, making it a Non-existent Island.
From the helicopter, one could see a spiral-shaped mountain rising on the Island from afar. Organization Doma was hidden on this high mountain.
After the three approached the Island in the transport plane, they each got onto their own motorcycle. Without waiting for the transport plane to land at the Airport on the Island, they jumped directly out of the opened rear hatch of the transport plane, landing smoothly with an extremely arrogant posture. They then climbed up the Spiral Mountain on the Island and soon reached the Mountain Peak Palace.
Passing through a large hall and then a dark and winding Passage, the Doma Three Swordsmen finally reached the end of their journey. Before them was a huge mural, and on an Altar erected in front of the mural, a person wearing a cloak held a card in their hand, their back turned to Rafael and the other two.
"Lord Dartz" X3
Looking at the person before them, whether it was the sullen Alister, the unmotivated Valon, or even the proud Rafael, all of them respectfully bowed down and knelt on one knee, greeting the person before them.
From the back of the person facing away from Rafael and the others, one could only see a head of teal-blue long hair extending from the hood. Their height wasn't tall, and their build was somewhat slender. Combined with the delicate face revealed when the person turned sideways after hearing Rafael and the others' voices, it would be easy to mistake them for a female if one wasn't careful.
This person was Dartz. To the outside world, his identity was the President of the multinational corporation Paradius Company, as well as a world-renowned philosopher, politician, and entrepreneur. But few knew that he was actually the leader of Organization Doma, hidden behind human history!
"Indeed, the power of the Nameless Pharaoh is not to be underestimated," Dartz didn't respond to Rafael and the others' greetings. Instead, he looked at a card in his hand with a high posture and spoke to himself. The card in his hand was a Seal of Orichalcos, but printed on the card was none other than the image of Grimo, who had been defeated in a duel with Yugi!
"The Seal was activated three times. Once sealed one of our members, another time resulted in a draw, and another time, it seems like it was interrupted?"
Hearing Dartz mention this, Alister's expression grew even darker, as the latter two of these three duels were his.
I'm incredibly annoyed, this feeling of being the only one who's useless!
However, Dartz had no intention or interest in delving into the duel details. He casually tossed the soul-restraining card holding Grimo's soul into the fireplace beside the Altar. As the soul-restraining card was burned, Grimo's soul was sacrificed, and the pupils of the three open snake heads on the Altar behind Dartz flashed with a faint green light.
Seeing his Subordinate Grimo's soul casually sacrificed by Dartz, Rafael remained expressionless. He simply took out three cards from his chest: "We are very sorry, Lord Dartz. However, we have successfully obtained the Three Egyptian Gods cards."
Dartz extended his slender finger and took the Three Egyptian Gods cards from Rafael's hand. Feeling the "weight" of the three cards, which was different from ordinary Duel Monsters, a smile curled up at the corner of his mouth: "Yes, I can feel it, the powerful power hidden within these three cards."
Holding the three cards in his hand, Dartz turned around and walked back to the Altar. With one hand, he held the cards, suppressing the spirit's resistance within them, while with the other hand, he extended the cards towards the three snake heads on the Altar, placing the three cards separately into the open snake mouths, muttering:
"The red divine dragon that shakes the sky, Slifer the Sky Dragon, which symbolizes good and evil;"
"The blue giant god soldier that shakes the ground, Obelisk the Tormentor, which symbolizes light and darkness;"
"And the golden divine bird that shines with the radiance of the sun, The Winged Dragon of Ra, which symbolizes heaven and earth—hmm?"
Holding The Winged Dragon of Ra card, Dartz frowned slightly, looking confused. Just now, because the other two gods were resisting, he hadn't noticed much. Now that it was just The Winged Dragon of Ra card, he realized that The Winged Dragon of Ra card, which should have been the strongest of the Three Egyptian Gods, felt like an empty shell at this moment?
If the power of the monster within the card was compared to metal ingots, God Cards were undoubtedly the heaviest and largest ones in terms of quality and volume. However, The Winged Dragon of Ra card before him, while having the same volume, had been hollowed out inside and was fundamentally just a metal shell.
However, Dartz also recalled that the one who had used The Winged Dragon of Ra before was Hayato Kobayashi. According to information, due to a crystal pyramid artifact discovered in a Tomb recently excavated in Egypt, an anomaly occurred at the Kaiba Dome within the Domino City Kaiba Industrial Park. During that anomaly, Duel King Hayato Kobayashi disappeared while attempting to seal an abnormal creature, suspected to be death.
And with Dartz's experience, his understanding of that anomaly was even greater than what the information suggested. First of all, that "crystal pyramid" was originally a dark item created three thousand years ago by a Pharaoh's father so that his son could rule the World even after reincarnation. It contained a portion of power originating from "Light," hence it was also called the Pyramid of Light.
Dartz had also come into contact with that power and knew that it had a great counter against the Three Egyptian Gods who protected the Pharaoh. It was possible that The Winged Dragon of Ra had depleted its power by sacrificing too much to protect its user during that anomaly, leading to the current situation.
Without guidance from anyone else, Dartz himself concocted a perfect reason that he could accept. However, it was no wonder he overthought it; after all, he was getting on in years, and who could have imagined that The Winged Dragon of Ra could pull off the "laying an egg" trick and create another Sphere Mode card as an avatar to store most of its power?
Dartz still placed The Winged Dragon of Ra card into the central snake mouth. After all, it was a God Card, and even if its foundation was depleted, its quality still surpassed most Duel Monsters. He could still squeeze some power out of it.
Seeing that Dartz seemed to be getting down to business, Rafael and the others naturally didn't linger there. With good judgment, they retreated, leaving Dartz alone.
After placing the three cards in the snake mouths, Dartz stood in the center of the Altar, gazing up at the mural before him, and spread his arms, speaking in a long-lost ancient Atlantean language: "This divine power is too wasted on retrieving the Nameless Pharaoh's memory. Using it to guide the birth of a new World is the right path."
Watching the green light simultaneously illuminate in the three snake mouths, continuously absorbing power from the three gods, Dartz, who had been calm, couldn't help but reveal an excited smile. "With these three cards, I will open the World Gate that has been sealed!"
"My exalted god, receive the power of the three monsters offered at this moment!
And with that great power, open the great gate connecting the Other World and the Real World, and guide the existence of the Different Dimension to descend!!!"
"Boom!!!"
The power of the God Cards was sacrificed to Doma's god. Accompanied by Dartz's cry, a green radiance shot up into the sky and struck the sky directly above the Island. Centered around This Island where Organization Doma was located, a wave began to spread across the globe.
The power of this wave was not a wave of energy transfer between substances, but a spatial wave generated by the opening of a Passage between two different Worlds. And in just a few breaths, the entire globe was enveloped by this strange power!
Then, simultaneously across the World, Duel Monsters from the Spirit World arrived in the Real World!
Bloodthirsty silver wolves, crude barbarians, ferocious fierce beasts, and even giant dragons that tore through the sky!
Watching a Two-Headed King Rex crush a car on the street, Yugi and most of the people around him were equally shocked. But at the same time, a strange voice came from his ear:
"Hmm, that guy finally left. What a dangerous fellow. But now, this place..."
"Eek! What is that eye?!?"
"Someone help!"
For some reason, accompanied by the voice's cry, Yugi, who had been quite alert just a second ago—even necessarily alert because he was startled by the sudden materialization of Duel Monsters—suddenly fell asleep the next second.
And the next second, Yugi suddenly woke up again, giving the people around him the strange feeling that he had suddenly gotten sleepy and then suddenly woken up.
Yugi almost thought he had experienced some sort of illusion just now, but then he heard Dark Yugi's voice coming from within the Millennium Puzzle: 'Aibo, in your hand...'
Hearing this, Yugi looked down and found that on a stack of photos he was holding, the photo that originally depicted a flying dragon now had a green-bordered card, like a Spell Card, added to it. And printed on the card was an emerald dragon exactly identical to the one in the photo?!
In the eye area of that dragon, there was clearly a scar, which looked exactly like a giant dragon Yugi had seen in the instantaneous dream he had just had. This made Yugi, who had thought his recent experience was just a dream, realize clearly that he had actually traveled to a Different Dimension in that short instant!
He recalled what the card spirit of Dark Magician Girl had said in the "dream" and immediately held up the card, attempting to call out the name of the emerald dragon:
"Timaeus!!!"
"Servant, dueler, are you perhaps my master?"
Looking at the man who suddenly appeared in the depths of the Palace after he had opened the Great Gate between the Different Dimension and the Real World, who had even smashed the Altar, and was now sitting in an arrogant posture looking down at him, Dartz raised an eyebrow.
"Are you, Hayato Kobayashi?"
Chapter 562: So That's How It Is, I Completely Understand
Although it currently seemed like Dartz was caught off guard by Hayato's sudden appearance, the truth was that Hayato, who looked calm as an old dog on the surface, was panicking inwardly at this moment.
After finally arriving at the location of the "God" that Aleister had mentioned in the Spirit World, he was pulled into a strange space. In that space, Hayato saw three statues of the Nameless Dragons.
Hayato had thought at the time that he had replaced Yugi, Kaiba, or Joey Wheeler and been chosen by the Nameless Dragons. But what he didn't expect was that the statues of the three Nameless Dragons actually spoke?!
Yes, they spoke! Before they were unsealed by their respective chosen ones!
In Hayato's memory, the three Nameless Dragons had barely spoken a single word, whether before or after being unsealed by Yugi and the other two. In the anime, they only spoke a few words after transforming from their Dragon Form into Human Form when facing Dartz in battle. They could be said to have taken being sparing with words to the ultimate, even giving the impression that their spirits hadn't truly awakened.
However, the fact that the Nameless Dragons spoke made sense to Hayato.
Putting aside everything else, when Yugi was called from the Real World to the Spirit World, although it was the voice of Dark Magician Girl that guided him, the boundary between the Spirit World and the Real World couldn't be opened by Dark Magician Girl's power alone, not even through a dream. At that time, the assistance of the already awakened Nameless Dragons was inevitable.
Moreover, there was no reason why even Kuriboh could make a "Kuri" sound, but the dignified "Nameless Dragons" couldn't make a sound.
In the space where the Nameless Dragons were sealed, Hayato learned through talking with them that the "God" in the Spirit World that Aleister mentioned was indeed them, but more accurately, it was them when they were still one entity ten thousand years ago. At that time, their name was Combined God Dragon - Timaeus.
However, due to the battle ten thousand years ago, the power of Combined God Dragon - Timaeus was split, becoming the current three Nameless Dragons. But they also successfully defeated the Orichalcos God, who intended to destroy all human civilization on the surface of the Earth at that time, and fell into a deep sleep together.
Regarding Hayato's request to return to the Human World, the three Nameless Dragons stated that they were helpless, as their power had been worn down too much during the ten thousand years of sleep. They could no longer actively open the dimensional gate and attack the Orichalcos God in the Human World from the Spirit World as they did ten thousand years ago.
However, they also stated that Hayato wasn't completely without hope of returning. If someone in the Human World actively wanted to open the dimensional gate, they could lend a hand to help open the gate. It didn't matter if the opponent's power wasn't enough; Hayato could still return to his original world through the dimensional gate.
During this time, Hayato had thought about trying to call out the names of the three Nameless Dragons himself to see if he could get something for nothing, but the Nameless Dragons awkwardly stated that even if Hayato called out the names correctly, it would be useless. This was because their seal could only be effectively removed by someone whose soul's wavelength matched theirs when calling out their names.
Timaeus chose the Nameless Pharaoh from three thousand years ago and the current Yugi Muto. Critias chose Priest Seto from three thousand years ago and the current Seto Kaiba. And Hermos, who belatedly realized it needed to find someone to unseal it, chose Joey Wheeler in one go.
These three were the people whose soul wavelengths matched their power that the Nameless Dragons had painstakingly found among billions of humans. Their appearances were even the same as the Nameless Dragons' appearances when they took Human Form. They couldn't be replaced by just anyone calling out a name.
The Nameless Dragons didn't let Hayato return empty-handed, however. They helped him split the Gate of Phantasms back into three Sacred Beast cards, taught him the correct usage method for the Sacred Beasts to prevent him from being tricked by others using his own cards again, and also replenished a portion of power into Hayato's Super Polymerization.
Hayato's Super Polymerization was acquired during the Battle City Top 4 match halftime. Due to Noah Kaiba's interference, they were brought into the Virtual World. There, Gozaburo Kaiba completed this Super Polymerization using the souls of The Big Five and Noah Kaiba, but in the end, it was snatched by Hayato.
Compared to the Super Polymerization that appeared in the GX era future, Hayato's card didn't have the power of the entire Dark World as backing. The reason it was able to drag Anubis down at that time was thanks to the influence of Gate of Phantasms. Under normal use, it couldn't fuse Anubis, who was empowered by Light of Destruction.
Of course, Hayato's Super Polymerization was at least stronger than a certain other Super Polymerization that also appeared in the Fusion Dimension, but Hayato wouldn't say who it belonged to.
In GX, Supreme King Judai and Yubel could perform exaggerated feats like fusing twelve dimensions with Super Polymerization. Hayato's Super Polymerization couldn't do that, but with the one-time power boost lent by the Nameless Dragons, fusing two dimensions was barely possible. And fusing something like Anubis, as before, was now no problem even without Gate of Phantasms.
However, the Nameless Dragons' help to Hayato wasn't free. Although Hayato couldn't help them escape their seal, they requested that when he returned to the Real World, if possible, he should contribute to defeating the Orichalcos God. This was something Hayato would do anyway, even without their request, so he readily agreed.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time in the Spirit World, the Nameless Dragons sensed that someone was pushing open the dimensional gate between the Spirit World and the Human World with a powerful force. Although the opponent's power seemed to be lacking a breath, with the Nameless Dragons' help, the dimensional gate successfully opened.
And just then, Aleister, who had always had a great talent and interest in Dimensional Summoning, volunteered to help Hayato pinpoint a location near someone who was strongly connected to him, so that Hayato wouldn't appear in some strange location on Earth. Hayato, half-believing, let Aleister try.
And then, well, he appeared in front of Dartz.
Because the commotion in the Palace was too great, the Doma Three Swordsmen, who had already left the Palace planning to rest, returned. However, upon returning to Dartz's side about a few minutes after the incident, the three were astonished to find that their Lord Dartz was currently having a pleasant conversation with Hayato Kobayashi, who had somehow appeared here?
"Lord Dartz, Hayato Kobayashi is here!?"
Alister and Rafael found it difficult to understand why Hayato Kobayashi, who had long been missing and even presumed dead, would reappear. Hadn't they specifically staked out for a long time and confirmed that Hayato Kobayashi hadn't faked his death before beginning their action to collect the "Three Egyptian Gods"?
Why did this guy suddenly pop up again, and directly appear in the deepest part of Organization Doma's lair, right in front of the organization's leader, Dartz!
More importantly, why were you smiling so happily while chatting with him, Lord Dartz!
Unlike his two companions who had many thoughts, Valon didn't like to spend his energy thinking. The moment he saw Hayato, his body sprang into action. Under the radiance of his Orichalcos Fragment, which unlike others who wore necklaces was ring-shaped and worn on his wrist, an armguard materialized on his arm, and he charged towards Hayato.
But just as Valon was about to ascend the altar stairs, which were more than half destroyed, and bypass Dartz to attack Hayato, Dartz turned his head. The smile he had while talking to Hayato faded, replaced by cold indifference, and he ordered, "Stand down, Valon, what are you doing to him?!"
Hearing Dartz's order, Valon's action also paused. He stood on the stairs, unsure whether to go up or not. If he went up, Dartz had already given an order, and he shouldn't disobey the leader's will. But if he didn't go up, that was Duel King Hayato Kobayashi, how could he ignore his existence?
"But Lord Dartz, that guy is Hayato Kobayashi."
Valon could only say this, afraid that Dartz didn't actually know Hayato's identity.
"Yes, Lord Dartz, please let us handle him." Alister also followed Valon, standing before Dartz. "We will definitely seal his soul for you and offer it to our 'God'."
Regarding Hayato's appearance, Alister felt that the timing of his appearance was perfect. He could just use the opponent's soul to compensate for his gaffe in the previous action. Even if it was just one, the value of a Duel King's soul was higher than the combined value of that bastard Kaiba Seto and Ishizu Ishtar's souls.
Unlike his two companions, Rafael looked at Dartz strangely, because he could tell from Dartz's expression that after hearing Alister and Valon say they would seal Hayato Kobayashi's soul, he became even more dissatisfied, even a little angry.
Rafael's intuition told him that he should probably watch from the side first and didn't need to follow them forward.
Looking at the restless Alister and Valon, Dartz looked down at the two with icy eyes: "There is no need for that. From today onwards, Hayato Kobayashi is also a member of Doma. He will be in charge of managing the three of you."
Hearing Dartz's words, Rafael and the other two all showed astonished expressions.
As an organization that had existed for ten thousand years, Doma naturally had a very strict rank hierarchy system for management.
The "Doma Three Swordsmen," namely Rafael, Alister, and Valon, could be said to hold a position second only to one person and above everyone else in the entire Organization Doma. When Dartz wasn't managing things, no one would object to them directly utilizing the resources of the entire Organization Doma to carry out tasks, because the "Doma Three Swordsmen" were only managed by the leader of Organization Doma, Dartz himself.
But today, Dartz actually told them that a new manager would be parachuted in above the three of them, and it was that Hayato Kobayashi. You must know that was Hayato Kobayashi, how could the dignified Duel King join Organization Doma, and they had just snatched the Three Egyptian Gods cards from his friend yesterday!
Although they had long known that Lord Dartz had always had a quite strange sense of expectation towards Hayato Kobayashi, inviting someone whose style was so incompatible with the entire Organization Doma was simply too strange, and he couldn't possibly be willing, right!
Seems like he saw the reluctance on the faces of the three, especially Alister, Dartz gave a cold snort: "Hmph, or are you saying you have an opinion on my decision?"
Since Dartz had spoken to this extent, even though Alister, Valon, and Rafael truly had opinions in their hearts, they all bowed: "No, your will, Lord Dartz."
"Oh, joining your Doma, Dartz? And in management?" Hayato showed an intrigued expression, saying with a smile, "That sounds quite interesting. Okay, I'll join."
How did things develop to this point?
Actually, Hayato was also quite surprised. Because after he appeared before Dartz, Dartz, upon seeing that it was Hayato, not only showed no vigilance on his face, but instead had an expression of joy, saying immediately, "As expected, you can always create miracles, Hayato Kobayashi. No, human from a Different Dimension."
First meeting, and his identity as a transmigrator was revealed?!
This made Hayato instantly lose his composure a bit, and he looked vigilantly at Dartz, who was completely composed and even a little happy: "How did you, you guy—"
"That's not important, Hayato Kobayashi, what's important is that it's great you've returned to this world." Dartz said with a smile, "How about it, do you want to join Doma?"
"Huh? Join Doma? What kind of joke are you making?"
Hayato frowned, not expecting Dartz to actually invite him.
"Doma is an evil organization, where do you see that I'm suitable to join? I don't have the aura of a savior for villains or anything like that."
Dartz heard this and smiled mysteriously: "Is that what you think, Hayato Kobayashi, that Organization Doma is an evil organization? No, Organization Doma exists for the future of humanity, for the future of the world. And all of this must start from ten thousand years ago."
Dartz approached Hayato without any guard, and while walking up the stairs, he slowly recounted a story.
Ten thousand years ago, long before the current human society had even taken shape, there existed a super ancient civilization, Atlantis.
At that time, the technological level of the Atlanteans was much higher than that of current human technology, and their consciousness had also surpassed that of today's society. And Dartz was the royalty who reigned supreme and guided the people in Atlantis, an absolute monarchy empire. He was the last emperor who brought Atlantis to its peak.
In Atlantis, the people had achieved universal freedom from want, living a prosperous life with just a little effort. Therefore, the people at that time had no selfish desires, living simply and steadily.
But one day, a meteor fell from the sky onto the land of Atlantis. At the location where the green meteor fell, a substance with strange power was mined—Orichalcum, which is Orichalcos.
Sage's Stone was made from Orichalcos, but the nature of these two things was completely opposite. Sage's Stone required paying a price first to receive gains, but Orichalcos could advance the returns first and then slowly reclaim the cost later.
Sage's Stone was like buying something with all of one's assets; no matter what, negative assets would not appear. But Orichalcos was like credit, a large sum of freely disposable assets that appeared suddenly, making it easy for people to spend money beyond their ability.
The key was that the Atlanteans at that time didn't know the latter nature of Orichalcos. They merely discovered that this miraculous substance fallen from the sky could satisfy their desires out of thin air, so they used Orichalcos extensively in various fields. Although at first, the speed of civilization development suddenly increased, by the time the Atlanteans discovered the price of using Orichalcos, it was already too late.
Having become accustomed to using this power, the Atlanteans could no longer leave Orichalcos. Furthermore, because they lavishly squandered this power, their ambition, desire, and greed, which were originally close to none, were released from within their inner thoughts, making Atlantis at that time utterly corrupt and full of sin.
Even worse, due to spiritual corruption, the Atlanteans mutated into monsters.
As emperor, Dartz could launch external wars to divert internal conflicts like a certain failed artist, he could order his subordinates in the research institute to develop technology, but for the change that appeared in the human heart, he was helpless.
And at this time, Dartz met the awakened "Orichalcos God." Seeking a solution, Dartz prayed to the "God" for an answer, but the "Orichalcos God" showed Dartz the future: the future where the Atlanteans, due to their constantly inflating desires that were unearthed within them and could never be satisfied, would eventually drag the Earth down with them to destruction.
The "Orichalcos God" told Dartz that the desires in the heart were like a rolling stone on a mountain; once it started rolling, it could never stop. It was not an omniscient and omnipotent God, but the darkness in the hearts of all life forms on the planet. It could not give Dartz the salvation he needed, but It could tell Dartz a way to avoid such a future.
"So, you personally pushed Atlantis into the abyss and destroyed Atlantis," Hayato summarized, looking at Dartz who stood at the same height as him.
"As the king of Atlantis, I could not accept Atlantis heading towards such a painful and desperate future. Rather than that, I would rather be the one to destroy Atlantis."
"However, my cleansing of all civilizations on Earth was stopped by a dragon that came from a Different Dimension, and the 'Orichalcos God' fell into a deep sleep."
"And after that, I began to examine the civilizations that survived on Earth after the destruction of Atlantis. But unfortunately, despite ten thousand years of development and the rise and fall of countless civilizations, I have consistently failed to find any possibility for today's humans to surpass the Atlanteans and surpass desire."
"From then on, I understood that unless a cleansing of all intelligent life forms is completed, the residual greed in the human heart cannot be eradicated; it will only drag down the future of later civilizations again and again."
Looking at Dartz's expression as he spoke, Hayato understood that this guy's degree of obsession was absolutely not something he could convince with a few simple verbal persuasion sentences. He was stubborn to a certain extent. Sighing, Hayato said helplessly, "So what does that have to do with me? I'm just an emotionless Duelist, even if I'm not wearing a bodysuit."
Dartz shook his head: "No, only you are different globally, Hayato Kobayashi. Because of the connection with the 'Orichalcos God,' I can feel the darkness in the inner thoughts of all intelligent life forms living on Earth. For these ten thousand years, only you, only in your soul have I not felt the existence of darkness."
"Your soul is so pure, like a rising sun, even illuminating others around at times."
"Kaiba Seto, Malik Ishtar, these people all have a powerful darkness in their hearts. I originally judged that they would inevitably fall into the abyss one day because of their own darkness, but because of your influence, I found that the darkness in their inner thoughts was actually dispelled."
"And Ishizu Ishtar, also because of you, she, who should have been bound by the future she foresaw, even gained the power to surpass destiny."
"Therefore, I have decided, Hayato Kobayashi, after I complete the cleansing of all humans worldwide, you will become the origin of the new humans."
Ah, is that so? Am I that sunny?
Hayato recalled how he had brought smiling faces to so many people through duels. Yes, he was indeed a sunny youth.
"So that's how it is, I think I understand." Hayato waved his hand, "But unfortunately, you still can't convince me to join Doma. Rather—"
"I want to take this great opportunity to directly deal with you, the leader of Organization Doma!"
Swish!
Hayato suddenly unfolded the duel disk he was wearing on his wrist and activated the duel.
"Heh, in the way of Duel Monsters? In that case, let's bet our fates, Hayato Kobayashi."
Hearing Hayato say he would deal with him using Duel Monsters, Dartz wasn't angry at all. Instead, he raised an arm, and green radiance rose from beneath the altar, gathering on Dartz's arm, transforming into an Organization Doma model duel disk.
"If you win against me, you can take my life points. But if I win, then you will join Organization Doma. But don't worry, I won't force you to do anything, I just hope you can wait for me to complete the cleansing of the old humans."
"Whatever, I'm not going to lose anyway." Hayato didn't think he would lose to Dartz, so he naturally didn't take his request seriously. He confidently inserted a deck into the duel disk. "This time I'm using the invincible pure Drytron deck! The wind of victory is blowing from behind Hayato Kobayashi!"
Duel!
[Dartz: 4000 LP]
[Hayato: 4000 LP]
"I'll take the first turn! Draw!" Drawing a card, Hayato glanced at his hand, then drew one of them and said, "I activate the effect of Drytron Zeta Aldhibah from my hand! I tribute Drytron Alpha Thuban from my hand! Drytron Zeta Aldhibah is special summoned from my hand in defense position!"
Starlight radiated on the field, and a mechanical dragon holding a pair of swords and shields manifested on Hayato's field.
[Drytron Zeta Aldhibah] [Level 1/Light]
[Machine Type/Special Summon/Effect]
[2000/0]
"Drytron, I remember those were the cards from the Cyber Style that had no successor. As expected of you, Hayato." Over ten thousand years, because Organization Doma had infiltrated everywhere in the world, Dartz even had some understanding of the existence of Drytron.
"Because Drytron Zeta Aldhibah was successfully special summoned by its effect, I can add one Ritual Spell Card from my deck to my hand. The card I will add is this one," Hayato's mouth curled up as he revealed the card he had searched, "Diviner of the Herald!"
Chapter 563: Effect Too Long, Didn't Read, Negated
Although he saw Hayato add the [Diviner's Oracle] to his Hand, Dartz didn't realize what Hayato was planning to do next, and Hayato had no intention of explaining his upcoming strategy to Dartz.
Confidently explaining one's upcoming strategy, or vehemently praising an already completed strategy as "invincible," only to be overturned and defeated by the Protagonist saying "Sore wa dou kana (Japanese Phrase)"—this kind of "explanation death" is a classic way to lose in Yu-Gi-Oh!, but Hayato had no interest in trying it.
He preferred to reveal the despair of the Opponent's Field little by little through their shocked gaze.
To defeat Dartz, Hayato was indeed using a "pure" Drytron Deck this time. However, the [Diviner's Oracle] he just added to his Hand wasn't used by the Drytron's Ritual Monster, but rather belonged to the Ritual Spell of Herald of Perfection.
Hmm, why would a pure Drytron Deck have a Monster whose name doesn't sound like [Drytron] at all, instead of the archetype's Boss Monster or second-in-command [Drytron Ritual Monsters]?
What's so new about that? A proper Drytron Deck *does* include [Herald]!
Hayato actually brought [Drytron Ritual Monsters] too, but as for its use...
"I Activate the Ritual Spell Card Prepreparation of Rites from my Hand! I Tribute the Level 12☆ Drytron Meteonis Draconids from my Hand to Ritual Summon!"
"The stars shine brightly here, declaring what is the ultimate perfection under the Cyber Dragon Constellation's meteor shower! Descent, my Glory, my Tamashii!"
"Ritual Summon! Herald of Perfection!"
*Thump, thump, boom!*
Because Hayato pulled out a Drytron Deck, the Drytron Meteonis Draconids, which had instinctively prepared to appear, was ready to hit the Field. But unexpectedly, Hayato actually Tributed the Boss Monster of his mighty Drytron Deck!?
*Why didn't I see you were this kind of person back then?*
Tributing a [Drytron Ritual Monster] in a "pure" Drytron Deck to Ritual Summon Herald of Perfection—isn't this a form of NTR?
The Starlight of Drytron Meteonis Draconids scattered across the Ground. Appearing on Hayato's Field was a bizarre-looking creature that seemed like multiple spheres stacked together to form its body and limbs. From the pair of colorful large wings on its back, it was probably an Angel?
Herald of Perfection [Level 12☆/LIGHT]
[Fairy/Ritual/Effect]
[ATK 2000/DEF 3000]
Looking at the Monster Hayato Summoned, which had absolutely no connection to the Drytron Monsters he expected, even the experienced Dartz couldn't help but Rant: "That Monster doesn't look like a Drytron at all, how can this be considered a 'pure' Drytron Deck? And, it looks quite ugly."
"Nonsense, Herald of Perfection is clearly so cool!" Because of Herald of Perfection's Strength, Hayato said with a straight face, "How could there be a Monster in the World as cool as Herald of Perfection?"
After all, this Herald of Perfection was a Card Hayato spent a full 20,000 DP Points in the System's Shop to acquire a complete set of supporting Cards for, all to Increase the Strength of Hayato's Drytron Deck.
He originally wanted to use this Deck to give Kaiba and Yugi a "surprise," but Dartz ended up being the first person to experience the Herald of Perfection, affectionately known as "Kang Shifu" by countless Duel Monsters enthusiasts.
Looking at the two remaining Cards in his Hand, Hayato drew one of them: "I Set one Card from my Hand, then I Activate the Spell Card Card of Demise! Both players draw until they have 6 cards in their Hand. Since I have no Cards in my Hand, I can Draw six Cards in one go."
After exhausting his Hand with his Field Setup, Hayato used Card of Demise to Draw six Cards in one go.
Dartz looked at his Hand helplessly: "What a Pity, I only have five Cards in my Hand, so I can only Draw one Card, completely Wasted this opportunity."
Saying that, he also Drew a Card.
Hayato then Drew one Card from his six Hand Cards and Sent it to the Graveyard, saying: "Next, I Activate the effect of Drytron Alpha Thuban in my Graveyard! I Tribute the Ritual Monster Cyber Angel Benten from my Hand to Special Summon Drytron Alpha Thuban from my Graveyard in Defense Position."
"Similar to [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah], [Alpha Thuban] also has an Effect that can be Activated after being successfully Special Summoned by its own Effect. I Add one Ritual Monster from my Deck to my Hand. I choose the second Cyber Angel Benten from my Deck."
"And the Effect of Cyber Angel Benten: When this Card is Tributed, I Add one LIGHT Attribute Fairy Monster from my Deck to my Hand. I choose the third Cyber Angel Benten."
Another mechanical Dragon similar in Style to [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah], Drytron Alpha Thuban, appeared on Hayato's Field. The two Heavenly Dragons stood on either side of Herald of Perfection, like loyal Subordinates.
Drytron Alpha Thuban [Level 1☆/LIGHT]
[Machine Type/Special Summon/Effect]
[ATK 2000/DEF 0]
Hayato's Hand Size also Increased again, reaching an exaggerated total of seven Cards.
"I Set one Card, and my Turn ends." After simply setting up his Field, Hayato uncharacteristically didn't Set a row of Set Cards in his Spell/Trap Zone, ending his Turn simply like this.
[Hayato: 4000 LP, Hand 6]
[Drytron Zeta Aldhibah] [DEF 0]
Herald of Perfection [DEF 3000]
Drytron Alpha Thuban [DEF 0]
[Set Card]
Ignoring the Effects of Hayato's Monsters, he simply Summoned two Monsters with 2000 ATK and one Monster with 3000 DEF this Turn. While these values aren't bad, they aren't particularly terrifying either, and he only Set one Card, which is very unlike the Strategy Hayato usually employs.
The two Drytron Monsters actually don't have any particularly noteworthy Effects; aside from their Special Summoning method, they can basically be treated as two Vanilla Monsters with no Effects. If his Opponent was Kaiba with his Aggro Deck, Summoning a single [Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] could easily Clear Hayato's Field in one Turn.
But, is that really the case?
Hayato looked at the Herald of Perfection on his Field, secretly feeling Proud: 'Herald of Perfection's Effect is to Negate and Destroy the Activation of a Spell/Trap/Monster Effect by Tributing one Fairy Monster from the Hand. It can also Negate and Destroy the Special Summon of multiple Monsters, and it doesn't have a once per Turn Restriction. It's because of this Effect that it's called 'Kang Shifu'.'
'And my Hand...' Looking at the six Fairy Monsters filling his six Hand Cards, Hayato just wanted to ask Dartz, *how satisfied are you?*
With a God Hand, what kind of Field Setup can Dartz possibly achieve against the invincible "Kang Shifu"? Victory is guaranteed, right?
"My Turn, Draw!" Dartz Drew a Card from the top of his Deck and looked down at it. "Hmm, I Activate the Spell Card Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand that I just Drew. This Card—"
"Hold on, the Effect is too long, Negated." Hayato put on a shameless Expression, casually Sent a Card from his Hand to the Graveyard, interrupting Dartz's speech. "Herald of Perfection's Effect, Activate by Discarding one Fairy Monster from my Hand."
"I Discard the Fairy Monster Herald of Green Light from my Hand! When the Opponent Activates a Spell/Trap/Monster Effect, Negate and Destroy that Activation!"
The Card Dartz placed in his Duel Disk had only just opened halfway and hadn't taken Effect yet. As Hayato Discarded a Card from his Hand, the colorful wings behind the Herald of Perfection on his Field switched to the green corresponding to Spell Cards. The emerald wings flapped fiercely, directly Crushing and Destroying Dartz's Card.
"Oh, I see. So that Monster's Ability is to gain protection by Discarding Monsters from the Hand."
His first Card was Negated, but Dartz didn't mind. Instead, he spoke about Hayato's Herald of Perfection with interest, "Guiding the Power of the Future through Discarding... I see, I understand what you meant by 'this Monster is very cool,' Hayato."
"It has nothing to do with its appearance. Although this Herald of Perfection is appearing in your Duel for the first time, I believe this Monster must be a manifestation of your spirit. Indeed, you are the same kind of person as me, Hayato."
"If you try to protect everything, you will only end up protecting nothing. Only by making the right Discards can you move towards a perfect Future."
"Huh? Is... is that so?" Hayato blinked, unable to figure out Dartz's thought Circuit.
*I just simply Negated one of your plays, is there a need to think so much? You're Dartz, not Demiurge, don't just randomly have your thoughts become Dihua!*
After praising Hayato a few times, Dartz Sent the [Ko'aki Meiru Diamond Core] that was Negated to the Graveyard and said, "However, Hayato, you used that protection Effect too early. How will you deal with this next Card?"
"Spell Card Core Blast! I can Activate this Card by revealing one [Ko'aki Meiru Iron Core] from my Hand! Destroy one Monster on the Field, then inflict 1000 Damage to both Duelists!"
Seeing the second Card Dartz played, Hayato was able to confirm that Dartz was using a Koa'ki Meiru Deck.
This Deck can be considered quite old in the history of Duel Monsters. And compared to Decks like [Dark Magician] and [Blue-Eyes White Dragon], which have kept up with the times despite being old, the Koa'ki Meiru Deck is quite "conservative." The entire Deck consists of only Normal Effect Monsters, without a single Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, or Link Monster, not even Fusion or Ritual.
In the official Card Art Story, [Ko'aki Meiru] Monsters were created by the famous Dark World scientists [Giant Mediocre Ghost] and [Magical Scientist] by recycling the Corpses of Monsters that died on the Battlefield, using the [Ko'aki Meiru Iron Core] as the Core to create a series of Experiment Subject-like Monsters.
Because the possibility of computer Calculation was 0% when designing the [Ko'aki Meiru] Series, these Experiment Subject Monsters had no possibility of future development, and it was reasonable that no subsequent enhancements appeared. At the same time, [Ko'aki Meiru] Monsters were also very unstable, even having a "Self-Destruct" Effect.
---Although they felt like failed products, [Giant Mediocre Ghost] was very satisfied with their Effects, and even designed the [Giant Germ] based on himself with similar Effects.
The ultimate Destiny of the [Ko'aki Meiru] Monsters was when [Giant Mediocre Ghost] modified [Gagagigo], causing [Gagagigo the Risen] to go berserk and tear everything apart, leading to chaos in the research base of [Giant Mediocre Ghost] and [Magical Scientist], forcing [Giant Mediocre Ghost] to press the [Self-Destruct Button] and [Forced Ejection Device]. The [Ko'aki Meiru] Series also ended because the most important Core, the [Ko'aki Meiru Iron Core], was damaged.
This is the kind of Deck Dartz is using.
Hayato hadn't played with [Ko'aki Meiru] much and hadn't encountered Players who primarily used [Ko'aki Meiru], so he didn't know much about it. After all, this Deck didn't have Waifu Cards like [Dragonmaid] and wasn't strong enough. Knowing that Dartz was using [Ko'aki Meiru], Hayato's confidence greatly Increased.
*With this weak Deck, isn't my invincible "pure" Drytron going to Crush it?*
"Hoho, a Card similar to [Ring of Destruction], how weak, weak, weak! Herald of Perfection's Effect doesn't have a once per Turn Restriction! I will once again Discard a Fairy Monster Herald of Purple Light from my Hand to Activate its Effect!"
"Negate and Destroy the Effect of Core Blast!"
Core Blast, which consisted of six hexagonal metals surrounding an Energy Core and was somewhat similar to [Ring of Destruction] in Card Name, Effect, and Specification, also failed to Activate successfully. It had just revealed its shape when it was slapped into the Graveyard by the green wings of Herald of Perfection.
Hayato still had four Cards remaining in his Hand, while Dartz had five Cards left, one of which was confirmed to be the [Ko'aki Meiru Iron Core] he just revealed.
In front of the "Kang Shifu" Herald of Perfection, as long as Hayato's Hand is not depleted of Fairy Monsters, he can keep Negating. Dartz won't be able to make a play even if he's frustrated to death.
"Pure" Drytron is such a powerful Deck. The Title "Chongzhu Yishi Rongguang (Username)" wasn't given for nothing. What do you call a top-tier Ritual Deck? (Leans back).
Although Drytron also has the flaw of being very uncomfortable if Counter Cards are played against it, that situation usually only happens in formats like BO3 (best of three) in Hayato's previous life. In a Duel like this, where the Victory or Defeat is decided in one game, how could he be so unlucky as to encounter Counter Cards?
Hayato looked at Dartz smugly.
Seeing his second Card also "Negated," Dartz smiled slightly: "No once per Turn... does that mean unless I break through that Herald of Perfection, I basically can't use Spell/Trap/Monster Effects?"
"In that case, I Normal Summon this Monster."
As Dartz placed a Card down, a seemingly ordinary blue humanoid Monster appeared on his Field.
Koa'ki Meiru Doom [Level 3☆/WIND]
[Fiend Type/Effect]
[ATK 1700/DEF 800]
"[Ko'aki Meiru Doom]?"
Because he didn't know much about the [Ko'aki Meiru] Series, Hayato, who could fluently recite the complex Effects of Core Cards in certain Comboing Decks, didn't remember the Effect of the Monster before him.
"ATK 1700, huh? Hmph, useless. Without the support of other Card Effects, that Koa'ki Meiru Doom can't even Destroy my invincible Herald of Perfection, let alone Surpass the Drytrons."
Hearing this, Dartz, despite knowing that Hayato's Herald of Perfection had an Omninegate Effect that could be used unlimited times per Turn, nodded and said, "In that case, I'll Activate a Card that has the Effect of strengthening Monsters."
"Continuous Spell Card Core Overload Activate! While this Card is on the Field, it Increases the ATK of all Face-Up [Ko'aki Meiru] Monsters on my Field by 500 Points!"
"In that case, I Activate the Effect of Herald of Perfection! I Discard the Fairy Monster [Outer Entity] from my Hand," Hayato Discarded a Card from his Hand and commanded Herald of Perfection, "Go, Kang Shifu, give it two slaps!"
The seven-colored wings behind Herald of Perfection changed color again, but at this moment, the unremarkable Koa'ki Meiru Doom on Dartz's Field suddenly opened its mouth and roared: "ROAR!!!"
Not only was Hayato startled, but even Herald of Perfection was frightened and suddenly froze its Body. The color of its wings stopped changing and even dimmed.
And Dartz only spoke at this moment, answering Hayato's confusion: "I'm afraid not, Hayato. If I remember correctly, your Herald of Perfection is a LIGHT Attribute Monster, right?"
"My [Ko'aki Meiru] Monsters are built around the same Core, based on the remains of other Monsters. Although they cannot exist for long, they can Radiate a sufficiently dazzling Radiance in their short Life." Dartz's Finger pointed at Koa'ki Meiru Doom. "Even a Level 3☆ Monster can release powerful Power in this Instant."
"As long as Koa'ki Meiru Doom exists Face-Up on my Field, the Effects of LIGHT and DARK Attribute Effect Monsters Activated during the Main Phase will all be Negated!"
"The Effect of your Herald of Perfection has been Sealed by me, and the Card you Discarded cannot be returned!"
"Nani (Japanese Phrase)!?"
"How can someone bring this kind of Card?!"
Hearing this, Hayato's face showed an Expression of "Cannot Accept," his Face Art would score a ten even from Dark Marik.
Due to the interference of Koa'ki Meiru Doom, Herald of Perfection's Power was stripped away and couldn't be used. Furthermore, the [Outer Entity] Hayato Discarded couldn't be returned because it was the Cost to Activate Herald of Perfection's Effect. Dartz's Core Overload successfully Activated.
Instantly, the [Ko'aki Meiru] symbol on the left side of Koa'ki Meiru Doom's chest changed from its original bright yellow to crimson. Hot air directly melted its muscles and emerged, revealing the [Ko'aki Meiru Iron Core] buried within Koa'ki Meiru Doom's Body.
Koa'ki Meiru Doom [ATK 1700 → 2200]
Koa'ki Meiru Doom's Effect Negates the Effects of LIGHT and DARK Attribute Monsters, whether Activated on the Field or in the Graveyard. Therefore, although the [Outer Entity] Hayato Sent to the Graveyard also had an Effect that could be Activated, it would also be Negated, which made him very Annoyed.
And Dartz's Turn continued.
"This way, the troublesome Herald of Perfection cannot Influence me for the time being, but it is still necessary to deal with it."
"I Activate the Effect of Koa'ki Meiru Diamond Core in my Graveyard! I Banish this Card from the Graveyard to prevent my [Ko'aki Meiru] Monsters from being Destroyed this Turn."
Saying this, Dartz Drew a Card. "Next, I Banish one [Ko'aki Meiru Iron Core] from my Hand! I Special Summon the ultimate [Ko'aki Meiru] Monster from my Hand!"
"Koa'ki Meiru Drago!"
The Koa'ki Meiru Diamond Core that was previously Negated took Effect in the Graveyard. After shattering, it scattered a curtain of Energy that enveloped Dartz's Field, granting the Monsters Dartz would Summon next the Ability to not be Destroyed.
Perhaps because he had passed his chuunibyou phase, Dartz didn't shout any cool Summoning Lines. A gradually shattering [Ko'aki Meiru Iron Core] appeared before him. As the Core radiating bright yellow Radiance dissolved, the powerful Energy contained within was released, transforming into a liquid silver metal Giant Dragon!
Koa'ki Meiru Drago [Level 8☆/WIND]
[Dragon Type/Special Summon/Effect]
[ATK 3000/DEF 2500 → ATK 3500/DEF 2500]
The standard male protagonist's second Ace Card panel of 3000/2500 ATK/DEF, after being empowered by Core Overload, Increased again, now having the Ability to break through Herald of Perfection's Defense!
Moreover, Koa'ki Meiru Drago also has an Effect that can be Activated—
"Once per Turn, during my Main Phase, I Activate the Effect of Koa'ki Meiru Drago! I choose one Card on the Opponent's Field and Destroy it directly!" Dartz extended his Finger towards Hayato's Field. "The Card I will Destroy is the Herald of Perfection on your Field, Hayato!"
"Core Heat Stream!"
The metal Dragon's Skull, whose skin was directly attached to its skeleton, faced the direction of the effect-Sealed Herald of Perfection. A scorching metal stream erupted from its mouth, heating even its Body to a glowing red. Behind the metal heat stream, the Herald of Perfection on Hayato's Field was completely Destroyed.
Thus, only two [Drytron]s in Defense Position with 0 DEF remained on Hayato's Front Row. On Dartz's Field, however, stood the Koa'ki Meiru Doom with 2200 ATK and the Koa'ki Meiru Drago with 3500 ATK.
"Over the long Years, I have come to understand a truth, Hayato. That is, if you are going to do something, you must do it to the Ultimate extent in one go. Half-hearted compromise changes nothing, whether it's changing the Future of the World or Duel Monsters."
Holding his last Card in Hand, Dartz waved his hand and commanded: "Now, enter my Battle Phase!"
*Thanks to Player "Chongzhu Yishi Rongguang (Username)" for the 1500 Points Tip, thank you, thank you.*
*Thanks to Player "jiajia" for the 500 Points Tip, many thanks.*
*The "Yu Lei Sao" in the Recommendation also wrote a Yu-Gi-Oh! book, recommending it.*
End of Chapter
"Enter my Battle Phase! I use [Koa'ki Meiru Doom] to Attack [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah]!"
"[Koa'ki Meiru Dark Impact]!"
[Koa'ki Meiru Doom], with 2200 ATK, extended its palm, which was heated red from the core overheating inside its body. A ball of energy was unleashed, attacking [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah] in Defense Position on Hayato's Field.
Although Drytron Monsters uniformly have a relatively high 2000 ATK, their DEF are without exception 0.
Facing [Koa'ki Meiru Doom]'s Attack, [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah] was instantly Destroyed and Sent to the Graveyard. However, because it was in Defense Position, Hayato didn't take any Damage.
Seeing that Hayato didn't Activate a Set Card, Dartz felt somewhat relieved and ordered again, "Next, [Koa'ki Meiru Drago] Attacks, Destroying that [Drytron Alpha Thuban]!"
"[Koa'ki Meiru Heat Wave Impact]!"
The second Drytron was also Destroyed by Dartz and sent to the Graveyard. Although for Drytron Monsters, going to the Graveyard is like going home and they aren't afraid at all, and both Drytron Monsters were in Defense Position so they wouldn't cause Hayato any Damage.
However, for Hayato, not letting his opponent gain an advantage was his priority; he absolutely couldn't let Dartz simply Destroy two Monsters for free.
Dartz, who had finished ordering his two Monsters to Attack, looked at Hayato's empty Field. Just as he was about to say something, he saw the Set Card in Hayato's Spell/Trap Zone suddenly Activate.
"Heh heh, you've Destroyed every single Monster on my Field, Dartz," Hayato said with a proud smile. "Although I'm annoyed, it's precisely in this empty situation that this Card's Effect can be maximized! At the End Phase of your Battle Phase, I Activate my Set Card!"
"Evenly Matched!"
Dartz saw on the Card Art of the Trap Card Hayato Activated, several Duel Monsters dressed as Japanese samurai and generals dueling and fighting with sharp swords. He recognized these Monsters; it seems like Industrial Illusions recently released Monsters from the Six Samurai Deck alongside [E HERO] at the Duel Monsters Convention.
"A Trap Card Activated during the Battle Phase? But Hayato, don't forget my [Koa'ki Meiru Iron Core] grants the [Koa'ki Meiru] Monsters on my Field the ability to not be Destroyed. Whether by Battle or Effect, it's complete Resistance."
Hearing Dartz's words, Hayato shrugged and said with a smile, "Your Monsters have complete Resistance, but the Duelist doesn't. If I can't deal with your Monsters, can't I still take down the Duelist? The Effect of Evenly Matched targets the Duelist, not the Monsters."
"The Effect of Evenly Matched is: If the number of Cards on your Opponent's Field is more than the number of Cards on your Field, it can only be Activated at the End Phase of both players' Battle Phase. Until the number becomes the same as the number of Cards on my Field, your Opponent must choose Cards on their own Field and Banish them face-down,"
Hayato reached out and pointed at the three Cards on Dartz's Field. "That means, after all that nonsense about 'choice' and 'decision' you were talking about earlier, now it's your turn to choose which Cards on your Field to give up, Dartz!"
"I only have Evenly Matched and one Set Card on my Field, which means you must choose one Card out of the three on your Field to give up!"
Dartz currently has these three Cards on his Field: [Koa'ki Meiru Doom], [Koa'ki Meiru Drago], and [Limit Overdrive]. Although Evenly Matched has been Activated, it is currently still on the Field and hasn't gone to the Graveyard. For Dartz to make the number of Cards on his Field equal to Hayato's, he must choose one of his Cards to Banish face-down.
Compared to Sending to the Graveyard, Banished Cards are relatively harder to Recycle, and Banishing face-down can be said to be permanent Banishing that is almost impossible to Recycle.
"A choice..." Dartz heard this and smiled, and without hesitation, took the Continuous Spell Card from his Duel Disk. "Although this will reduce the Combat Power of the Monsters on my Field, my intuition tells me that the existence of [Koa'ki Meiru Doom] is necessary, and [Koa'ki Meiru Drago] is also a powerful Monster I finally managed to Summon."
"I Banish [Limit Overdrive] from my Spell/Trap Zone face-down."
Dartz chose to Banish his Continuous Spell Card face-down. And with the departure of [Limit Overdrive], [Koa'ki Meiru Doom] and [Koa'ki Meiru Drago] on his Field also lost their Power Boost at the same time.
[Koa'ki Meiru Doom] [ATK 2200→1700]
[Koa'ki Meiru Drago] [ATK 3500→3000]
"Willing to weaken your own Monsters just to maintain that suppression, huh? Tsk, how troublesome." Hayato looked at Dartz making his choice, annoyed. "Pity you didn't Set that Card from your Hand before the Battle Phase started, otherwise, I could have Banished one more Card from you."
Dartz merely smiled. "Even I, who am not particularly good at Duel Monsters, wouldn't be foolish enough to Set a Card before the Battle Phase, right?"
Saying this, he inserted a Card from his Hand into his Duel Disk. "Set a card. My Turn ends. It's your turn now, Hayato."
[Dartz: 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[Koa'ki Meiru Doom] [ATK 1700]
[Koa'ki Meiru Drago] [ATK 3000]
[Set Card]
As Dartz declared the End Turn, the locations on [Koa'ki Meiru Doom] and [Koa'ki Meiru Drago] on his Field where the [Koa'ki Meiru Core] was mounted glowed red as if about to explode. However, the [Koa'ki Meiru Iron Core] that Dartz Banished earlier Activated its final ability, preventing them from being Destroyed by their own Effect.
[Koa'ki Meiru] Monsters generally have a negative effect that requires Discarding [Koa'ki Meiru Core] at the End Phase to maintain their existence. Only a few are exceptions. However, [Koa'ki Meiru Iron Core] can temporarily exempt them from this flaw.
Hayato looked at the [Koa'ki Meiru Doom] still on Dartz's Field, then glanced at the Hand full of LIGHT Attribute Monsters in his own Hand, and ranted with considerable helplessness, "Seriously, Dartz, why would you use [Koa'ki Meiru Doom], which counters my Monsters so much?"
"I wasn't planning on being your enemy, Hayato." Dartz, with empty Hands, wore an innocent expression. "This [Koa'ki Meiru] Deck I'm using wasn't prepared for you. Think back, what are the Attributes of the Ace Card of the Nameless Pharaoh and the Ace Monster of Kaiba Seto, respectively?"
"[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] which is LIGHT Attribute, and [Dark Magician] which is DARK Attribute. I merely prepared 'a little bit' of Cards to counter them, considering I might face them. It just so happens that you, Hayato, got to experience it first."
Hearing Dartz's explanation, Hayato clicked his tongue, annoyed. "Tsk, fine, let's just say that. Then, My Turn! Draw a Card!"
Drawing a Card, it was the Spell Card Magical Mallet. It came at quite the opportune moment. Hayato really needed to change his Hand.
"I Activate the Normal Spell Card Magical Mallet. I return this Card and any number of Cards from my Hand to the Deck and Shuffle them, then Draw Cards equal to the number I returned to the Deck. I choose to return my entire Hand to the Deck."
After showing the Magical Mallet in his Hand, Hayato gathered the Cards spread open in his Hand, put them into his Deck, and the Duel Disk automatically Shuffled.
Hayato's Hand size plus Magical Mallet was a total of 4 Cards. So he could Draw four Cards at once.
"Draw!" He drew Cards from the Top of the Deck after Shuffling was complete, flipped them over and took a look. Hayato revealed a smile. "Yare yare, I drew a pretty good Card."
"I Activate the Spell Card Cyber Emergency. This Card's Effect is: Add one [Cyber Dragon] or one Machine Type LIGHT Attribute Monster that cannot be Normal Summoned from my Deck to my Hand."
"[Cyber Dragon]?" Dartz was first a bit confused, then showed an expression of understanding.
Drytron are "Cyber Dragon" Secret Technique Cards. In that case, it's reasonable that the Deck used would contain Cards related to [Cyber Dragon]. Furthermore, the Drytron Monsters Hayato just used are indeed Machine Type LIGHT Attribute Monsters that cannot be Normal Summoned.
So he's going to Search for a Drytron?
"Don't forget, Hayato, [Koa'ki Meiru Doom] still exists on my Field. All LIGHT and DARK Attribute Monster Effects on both players' Fields are Negated. Even if you Search for a Drytron, it will be useless," Dartz reminded him. "If a Drytron that cannot be Normal Summoned cannot Special Summon itself with its own Effect, it's just a brick."
Hayato's mouth curved up. "I never said I was going to Search for a Drytron, Dartz. The more I use Drytron's Ritual Summon, the more I realize Rituals have their limit. So, to defeat you, I am willing to give up my old friends, the Drytron."
"The Card I Add to Hand is this one, Cyber Eltanin!"
"Next, I Activate the Spell Card Reasoning. You Declare a Level from 1 to 12. Then I excavate Cards from the Top of my Deck until a Monster that can be Normal Summoned appears."
"Now, choose, Dartz."
Dartz had some impression of the Cyber Eltanin Hayato Added to Hand. He remembered it seems like a Secret Technique Card from the Cyber Style lineage as well. However, for a long time, no one, not even from Cyber Style, could use that Card. Therefore, just like with Drytron, Dartz, facing Cyber Eltanin for the first time, also didn't know what kind of Effect it had.
But what was certain was that Cyber Eltanin's Attribute is LIGHT. This means it is also within the Negation range of [Koa'ki Meiru Doom]. Furthermore, because [Koa'ki Meiru Doom]'s Negation Effect is a Continuous Negation that doesn't start a Chain, even abilities like [Cannot be Chained to Special Summon] are useless.
A Monster that cannot be Summoned, no matter how powerful, is fake.
Therefore, Dartz focused his attention on the Reasoning that Hayato Activated. This Card wasn't rare. Dartz also knew its Effect. After a brief thought, he said, "I Declare Level 1☆."
"Hoho, Level 1☆, how malicious, Dartz. Did you figure that my pure Drytron Deck has no Level 1☆ Monsters that can be Normal Summoned, and even if there are Level 1 Monsters, there's nothing to fear?" Hayato flipped over the Card on Top of the Deck. It was the Ritual Monster Cyber Angel Benten, which was Shuffled back into the Deck earlier. It cannot be Normal Summoned.
Hayato Sent it directly to the Graveyard. He flipped over the Card on Top of the Deck again. It was Drytron Delta Altais, which also cannot be Normal Summoned. Hayato also Sent it to the Graveyard.
He flipped over eight Cards in succession. Hayato finally flipped over a Monster that can be Normal Summoned, [Rainbow Kuriboh].
"Kuri~"
Holding the [Rainbow Kuriboh] Card, he showed it to Dartz. Hayato said, "The Monster that can be Normal Summoned is Level 1☆ [Rainbow Kuriboh]. Since it matches the number you guessed, I Send all the excavated Cards to the Graveyard."
"With this, the winning equation is already established, Dartz!"
Watching Hayato Send a total of nine Cards to the Graveyard, Dartz hadn't yet realized what Hayato was going to do.
Only to see Hayato press a button on his Duel Disk, Activating the only Set Card on his Field. "Although it's not the first time I've Summoned you, pour your starlight here once again, O starlight of the Cyber Dragon Constellation!"
"Activate Set Card, Descent from the Heavens!"
As Hayato's Set Card Activated, a Starry Sky appeared above his head. The shining stars connected to each other, forming a long dragon.
"During the turn this Card is Activated, I cannot Special Summon Monsters by effects other than this Card's," Hayato said, while reaching his Hand towards the Graveyard Zone. "Banish all LIGHT Machine Monsters from my Graveyard and my Field to Activate Descent from the Heavens!"
"I Banish everything from my Graveyard!"
Hayato flicked his Hand. The LIGHT Machine Monsters in his Graveyard—from the initial two Drytron, the Drytron Mu used to Ritual Summon Saffira, and the seven Drytron just Sent to the Graveyard (excluding [Benten] and [Rainbow Kuriboh])—a total of ten Monster Cards were all Banished!
The Banished Monsters ascended into the air, becoming part of the stars. Hayato raised a Card from his Hand high. "I Special Summon one Level 6☆ or higher Machine Type LIGHT Attribute Monster from my Hand, ignoring its Summoning Condition!"
The starlight seemed to find a gathering place, all converging towards the Card Hayato held high above his head. Before Hayato could place the Card on his Duel Disk, a loud dragon roar echoed from behind Hayato.
The head of a massive giant machine dragon materialized through the converging starlight and the power of the numerous Monsters Hayato Banished. Although clearly a mechanical construct, it seemed to possess its own life, looking down upon everything on the ground.
And beside the giant mechanical dragon head, the power of the Monsters Hayato Banished by Descent from the Heavens gathered, transforming into hovering small machine dragon head funnels, orbiting the giant head like planets guarding a star.
"O starlight wandering in Space, transform into a raging torrent and light of hope, gather in my Hands!" Hayato slammed the Card in his Hand onto his Duel Disk. "In the name of Stars, Infinite, and Draco, open the gate of truth for me!"
"Appear, my glory, my Tamashii!!"
"Cyber Eltanin!!!"
[Cyber Eltanin] [Level 10☆/LIGHT]
[Machine Type/Special Summon/Effect]
[?/ ?]
Chapter 565: Unreachable—
"My Glory, my Tamashii!!"
"Cyber End Dragon!!!"
The majestic Machine Heavenly Dragon manifested behind Hayato, its massive figure seemingly about to pierce the ceiling of the Palace. After Cyber End Dragon appeared, Hayato waved his hand fiercely: "When Cyber End Dragon is Special Summoned, I activate its effect: Send all other monsters on both players' fields, except Cyber End Dragon, to the Graveyard!"
Hearing this, Dartz said strangely, "But, because of Koa'ki Meiru Doom's effect, the effects of LIGHT and DARK Attribute monsters activated during the Main Phase are all negated. That Cyber End Dragon is a LIGHT Attribute monster, isn't it?"
"That's true, but the power from the starlight is different from souls bound by gravity, Dartz." Hayato pointed to the Trap Card on his Spell/Trap Zone, which was gradually dispersing after its effect banished Machine-Type monsters from his Graveyard to Special Summon Cyber End Dragon.
"The Cyber End Dragon Special Summoned by the effect of Descent from the Dracos will have its ATK and DEF become the number of monsters banished by Descent from the Dracos's activation × 500, and it gains the ability to not be affected by card effects other than its own."
"Cyber End Dragon isn't just for show. A mere Koa'ki Meiru Doom, watch me push it back!"
"Star Cluster Siege!"
Cyber End Dragon [??/?? → 5000/5000]
Inheriting the power of the ten monsters in Hayato's Graveyard, Cyber End Dragon's power instantly increased to a peak difficult for ordinary Duel Monsters to reach—a full 5000 points, on par with Five-Headed Dragon.
At the same time, the countless dragon-headed funnels hovering around it all began to charge, the radiance emitted by the converging energy beams like countless stars in the night sky!
Koa'ki Meiru Doom on Dartz's Field naturally let out a roar immediately, attempting to interrupt the effect activation of Cyber End Dragon, a LIGHT Attribute monster that should have been countered by it, just like when it interrupted Herald of Perfection's effect before.
However, the emotionless Machine Heavenly Dragon clearly wouldn't care about the threat of an ant on the ground, even if it was a demon of corpses.
Koa'ki Meiru Doom's deterrence had absolutely no effect on Cyber End Dragon. This was only natural, after all, what Descent from the Dracos granted to Cyber End Dragon was the most noble ultimate immunity; neither Spell/Trap Cards nor Monster Effects are effective against Cyber End Dragon.
A laser rain filled with destructive aura fell with a roar as Hayato waved his palm!
After a roar like World destruction, Koa'ki Meiru Doom and Koa'ki Meiru Drago, which were just now showing off on Dartz's Field, had disappeared.
With this, there were no monsters left on Dartz's Field. As long as he used Cyber End Dragon to direct attack, victory would be his!
After seeing the light of hope for victory, Hayato didn't get carried away and recklessly attack directly. Instead, he vigilantly noticed the Set Card that stood out on Dartz's Spell/Trap Zone after his Front Row was completely cleared.
Although Cyber End Dragon gained ultimate immunity to "not be affected by opponent's effects," Dartz's cards like Sakuretsu Armor for destruction, Dimensional Prison for banishing, Magic Cylinder for returning damage, or Enemy Controller for changing battle position, none of these would take effect on it.
But that didn't mean Hayato could ignore Dartz's Set Card. If the card Dartz Set was something that revived his monster or a card like The Golden Apples that recovered Life Points, Dartz's Set Card could still effectively protect him without targeting Cyber End Dragon.
Hayato drew a card from his Hand: "Perhaps I'm being too cautious, but just to be safe, let me see what your Set Card is, Dartz."
"Quick-Play Spell Card Mystical Space Typhoon, I choose to destroy that Set Card on your Spell/Trap Zone."
A cyclone formed on Hayato's Field and moved towards the only Set Card on Dartz's Spell/Trap Zone. Dartz naturally wouldn't let the tornado released by Hayato destroy his Set Card and pressed the button on his Duel Disk: "I don't want this duel with you, Hayato, to end just like this. That would be a pity. Chain Mystical Space Typhoon, I activate Trap Card Waboku."
Due to the Chain Rule's principle of "last activated, first resolved," Dartz's Set Card successfully flipped open and revealed its true form before Mystical Space Typhoon arrived. A layer of golden energy shield was released from the card, enveloping Dartz. Although Waboku was then destroyed by Mystical Space Typhoon, the shield was retained.
"Waboku's effect is that my monsters will not be battle destroyed this turn, and the battle damage I take also becomes 0," Dartz said with a smile as he sent the destroyed Waboku to the Graveyard. "It was originally a card meant to prevent Koa'ki Meiru Doom from being battle destroyed, but it was destroyed by you, Hayato, before the Battle Phase."
"Not destroyed, but sent to Graveyard. There's a big difference between the two."
Hayato corrected him, pouting annoyedly, "Is this the card you used to protect your monster? Tsk, you still managed to make it take effect."
"Yes, Hayato, I will not take any more battle damage this turn," Dartz said with a smile, his tone not containing any taunt, merely asking, "So, are you going to make a pointless attack with Cyber End Dragon?"
Hayato frowned and said, "That kind of pointless action has no meaning at all, does it? It's not like I can inflict damage to you anyway."
Knowing clearly that Cyber End Dragon's attack would not inflict any damage to Dartz while Waboku was in effect, Hayato naturally wouldn't attack just to suffer a setback.
Anyway, Waboku's effect only lasts for one turn. He could attack next turn to end Dartz. With Cyber End Dragon's ultimate immunity and extremely high ATK, could it possibly be defeated within one turn?
Hayato put down the card in his Hand: "Set one card. My turn ends."
[Hayato: 4000 LP, Hand 0]
Cyber End Dragon [ATK 5000]
[Set Card]
"It's my turn again. Draw a card." Even though Hayato had an invincible Cyber End Dragon on his Field, Dartz didn't feel nervous at all and easily drew a card. "Then I activate Spell Card Pot of Greed. Draw two cards from my Deck."
After his Hand size increased to two, Dartz looked at the cards he drew and smiled: "Hmm, I drew a good card."
"Hayato, your power is truly strong. From you, I can constantly feel the light of hope that you, from a Different Dimension, bring to this World polluted by desire."
"To prevent this light of yours from leaving, I will definitely win this duel. So, from now on, I'm going to get serious."
Although Dartz's words were gentle, Hayato felt annoyed hearing them.
"Don't talk as if you can win anytime, Dartz. Before saying things that underestimate me, at least gain the upper hand in the duel."
Hayato glanced at the Cyber End Dragon on his Field and said proudly, "Although I've always believed that the word 'Invincible' is a perfect flag, describing whoever says it will suffer a setback, my Cyber End Dragon right now can indeed only be described as 'Invincible'."
"5000 ATK at the peak of Duel Monsters, a sturdy 5000 DEF, and ultimate immunity that won't be affected by your card effects!"
"Do you dare defy me, who possesses Cyber End Dragon?"
Dartz heard Hayato's analysis and nodded in agreement: "It is indeed as you say, Hayato. Your Cyber End Dragon is a considerably powerful card, even to the point of being an 'Invincible' existence among Duel Monsters."
"However, it still has one major flaw."
As he spoke, Dartz summoned a monster card to his Field.
"I Normal Summon Koa'ki Meiru Crusader in Attack Position. Then I activate this Spell Card, Flash Absorption."
On Dartz's Field, a humanoid monster holding two swords manifested. Various parts of its body were asymmetrical, looking as if many fragmented pieces were haphazardly pieced together to form it.
Koa'ki Meiru Crusader [Level 4 / EARTH]
[Warrior Type / Effect]
[2000/200]
Hayato's face was full of vigilance, but not because of Koa'ki Meiru Crusader.
Although a Level 4 monster having 2000 ATK was considered excellent, considering the generally unstable characteristic of Koa'ki Meiru monsters which require Koa'ki Meiru Core to maintain existence, Koa'ki Meiru Crusader was "nothing special."
What Hayato cared about was the Flash Absorption that Dartz activated.
As the Flash Absorption card appeared on Dartz's Spell/Trap Zone, a very thin screen appeared on Koa'ki Meiru Crusader's body.
And at the same time that screen appeared, countless slender ribbons of light drifted from Cyber End Dragon on Hayato's Field, floating towards Koa'ki Meiru Crusader on Dartz's Field!
"Flash Absorption is a Spell Card that can be activated by targeting one LIGHT Attribute monster on the Opponent's Field. Its effect is to increase the ATK of all Face-up Attack Position monsters on my Field by the targeted monster's ATK until the End Phase."
Dartz said Flash Absorption's effect with a smile.
"Cyber End Dragon only gained resistance to not be affected by opponent's effects, it can still be the effect target of your card. Did you utilize this point, Dartz?" Hayato looked at the imposing Koa'ki Meiru Crusader after it absorbed the powerful energy from Cyber End Dragon. "Cyber End Dragon's ATK is 5000 points..."
"Yes, therefore, Koa'ki Meiru Crusader on my Field will also increase its ATK by 5000 points to a full 7000 points!"
Koa'ki Meiru Crusader [ATK 2000 → 7000]
"Not only that, Koa'ki Meiru Crusader also has the ability to make a second attack only once if it battle destroys a monster. I enter Battle Phase, and use Koa'ki Meiru Crusader to attack Cyber End Dragon on your Field."
"This is the end, Hayato. Join Doma." Dartz pointed his finger at Cyber End Dragon. "Koa'ki Meiru Cross Slash!"
"Boom!"
Even though Cyber End Dragon on Hayato's Field had its ATK increased to 5000 points, facing Koa'ki Meiru Crusader's attack with 7000 ATK, Cyber End Dragon, which only had resistance to effects and no battle destruction immunity, was ultimately destroyed.
"Ugh!" Hayato also cried out in pain from taking damage for the first time in this duel.
[Hayato: 4000 → 2000 LP]
"Because it battle destroyed a monster, Koa'ki Meiru Crusader can make a second direct—"
"Before that, I activate my Set Card!"
Dartz's words were cut off halfway by Hayato's sudden interruption.
Only to see the Set Card on Hayato's Spell/Trap Zone open, and a red light suddenly shot towards Koa'ki Meiru Crusader, which was about to make its second attack, forming a collar with several grenades attached around its neck.
The card Hayato activated was not a particularly rare card, and Dartz recognized it immediately: "This is, Ring of Destruction?"
"Its effect is to destroy one monster on the Field, and then inflict damage to both players equal to that monster's ATK value..." Dartz said, revealing a rather helpless expression. "Are you that obsessed with victory or defeat, Hayato?"
"At least I don't want to lose my life's freedom." Hayato showed an unwilling expression. "Because of Ring of Destruction's effect, your Koa'ki Meiru Crusader will be destroyed, and then you and I will both take 7000 points of damage!"
"Now's the time! I've endured to my limit! I'm pressing it now!"
Pointing his thumb towards the collar on Koa'ki Meiru Crusader's neck, Hayato bent it as if pressing a button, and Ring of Destruction exploded with a roar following this action!
"Boom!"
[Hayato: 2000 LP → 0]
[Dartz: 4000 LP → 0]
Although Hayato didn't start a dark game and Dartz didn't use Seal of Orichalcos in this duel, the simulated impact accompanying the high 7000 points of damage was enough to make ordinary duelists lose their strength and fall. For a moment, due to the impact caused by Ring of Destruction, Hayato and Dartz, standing on opposite sides, both knelt on the ground, panting heavily.
Perhaps because he had taken 2000 fewer points of damage than Hayato, or perhaps because he was no longer a normal life form, Dartz got up earlier than Hayato. He walked in front of Hayato, who hadn't recovered yet, and reached out his hand: "The ending of this duel is a draw, Hayato. It seems I can't entrust my life to you."
"Hmph, are you humiliating me, Dartz?" Hayato didn't take Dartz's hand but stood up with an unwilling expression. "To draw in such a humiliating manner, it truly harms my pride. Truly losing composure."
"But Dartz, I was just careless just now. If we duel again with my full power, I won't lose!"
"Yes, I know that too, Hayato. But you're not the only one who didn't use full power, I didn't either." Dartz looked regretful when Hayato didn't take his hand, then spoke again, "However, thanks to dueling with you, I've understood something."
"Even if you, from a Different Dimension, lost this duel, you probably wouldn't obey me and join Doma. This will that cannot be twisted truly moves me. Therefore, I've changed my mind; I won't force your will."
"However, if you look at this World from my perspective, you will definitely understand the correctness of what I am doing. This World built by humans is wrong and must be changed. Organization Doma is not an evil organization acting for selfish desire."
Dartz reached out his hand again, looking directly into Hayato's gaze: "So, join Doma, Hayato. Not as my subordinate, but as my collaborator."
Facing Dartz's renewed invitation, Hayato pondered for a moment, then slowly raised his arm and gripped Dartz's palm, his face stubborn: "Let me make it clear beforehand, I'm only doing this to wait for the next opportunity to take your life. I won't help you do anything."
Dartz didn't care about Hayato's words and said with a smile: "Of course, that's fine. But I believe that before that, you will understand me."
And just as Hayato gripped Dartz's hand, he finally received a message from the system:
[Special Condition {Join Hostile Force: Duel with Dartz and Draw 1/1} Completed]
[Task Changing]
[Task Change Completed]
[Main Quest Triggered: {I Want to Become a Yangge Star}]
[Task Description: Ageless and immortal, immortal body, and the Orichalcos power. How can you possibly defeat such a Dartz? Might as well join Doma.]
[Trigger Condition: In the {The Emperor is My Hayato, This Point Has Never Changed} Task, complete the {Join Hostile Force} Option]
[Content:
Enemy, grass! Enemy, fight! — Defeat Legendary Dragon card holders 0/3
Defeat them all — Defeat Doma Three Swordsmen 0/3
Become a gang boss in nine days — Defeat Dartz 0/1
??? — Defeat ??? 0/1]
[Task Reward Preview: 30000 DP, UR Limited Exchange Ticket X5]
Yes, this draw situation was entirely orchestrated by Hayato.
Hayato losing to Dartz? That's impossible to even think about.
In fact, when Hayato appeared before Dartz, he received a notification from the system, telling him that because he was now in front of Dartz, he had triggered a hidden condition of the task {The Emperor is My Hayato, This Point Has Never Changed} that had been triggered long ago.
As long as he dueled Dartz and drew, Hayato could change the original task, which aimed at annihilation Organization Doma, into this current task of joining Organization Doma.
Hayato remembered that Dartz was essentially integrated with the power of the Orichalcos God. As the darkness of the planet, the Orichalcos God was forcibly sealed by the Pharaoh's power at the end of the Doma Arc, and Dartz was naturally not someone who could be killed by just one dark game.
As for the condition of "betting Dartz's life in the duel," Dartz didn't take it seriously, and Hayato didn't really take it seriously either.
After all, as early as Duelist Kingdom, Hayato had learned through the dark game with Dark Bakura that dark games were okay for dealing with ordinary duelists, but against guys like Anubis, Bakura, and Dartz who feed on darkness, perhaps a handgun would be more useful. At least a handgun doesn't consume one's energy like a dark game.
And to make his joining Organization Doma seem less abrupt, Hayato even prepared a persona for himself, but it turned out to be completely useless because Dartz inexplicably had a good affection for him. Only after the duel ended in a draw did Hayato barely manage to use a bit of the acting he had painstakingly prepared.
However, reflecting on it now, Hayato felt that his flaws were actually quite significant. For example, using Ring of Destruction on Koa'ki Meiru Crusader could have been chained to Flash Absorption, causing it to be destroyed before its ATK increased, resulting in Dartz having an empty Field.
Another example is that he actually had Rainbow Kuriboh in his Graveyard, which was sent to the Graveyard by Reasoning earlier. Even if he didn't use Ring of Destruction after Cyber End Dragon was destroyed by Koa'ki Meiru Crusader, he could special summon Rainbow Kuriboh and wouldn't be direct attacked.
Hayato left quite a few such flaws in this duel. After all, his usual habit is to dig traps and wait for others to step on them. Even though this time he deliberately went easy for the sake of a draw, he still subconsciously left many traps unburied.
It's like how a Thunder Dragon player subconsciously sets a T-shaped trap when they draw a Hand of red cards, how a Junk Doppel player habitually summons a Water Machine and Hundred-Headed Dragon, or how a Drytron player negates an effect whenever someone activates one—it has become a conditioned reflex.
He could only hope that Dartz didn't notice these flaws.
However, while Hayato was worried about this, in reality, although it was his first time acting, Hayato's acting was quite good because he referenced Kaiba after being crushed repeatedly. At least in Dartz's view, Hayato's performance was genuine.
Hayato, who came from a Different Dimension, formed bonds and became partners with the Nameless Pharaoh and others. Due to an accident, he went to a Different Dimension and returned to Reality, appearing before him. After learning that he was the leader of Organization Doma, Hayato, out of a sense of justice and to protect his partners, challenged him. At the end of the duel, he was even willing to give up his Duelist's glory and go for a mutual destruction with Ring of Destruction rather than join Doma.
Ah, what a radiant soul.
Who knows how many filters Dartz added when looking at Hayato from a Different Dimension.
And Hayato's willingness to join Doma made Dartz incredibly happy. In his view, since Hayato was willing to stay in Doma, it meant there was hope for Hayato to be persuaded by him. With a little more effort, perhaps Hayato could quickly understand him and truly become his companion, working together for the New World.
Dartz believed that his personal charisma successfully persuaded Hayato, while Hayato joined Doma with different intentions, preparing to pull a big one on Dartz someday. Their feelings were ultimately misplaced.
End of Chapter