Chapter 656: The Dual-Souled Emperor Standing Eternally at the Peak (Not)
Yugi and the others looked at Hayato, or more accurately, after seeing the person standing next to Hayato, their minds collectively froze.
Although their clothes were different, the Green-haired Man standing next to Hayato looked exactly the same as Dartz who was not far away!
"There are two Dartz?" Joey Wheeler, who had broken free from Tristan 's arm, rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Am I seeing things?"
"No, although their appearances looked slightly different, that is also undoubtedly Dartz."
Kaiba also frowned, put down Keipei, and raised his Duel Disk, maintaining a guarded stance. "What in the world is this...?"
Unlike the first Dartz who wore a long robe, the second Dartz who appeared with Hayato wore a suit of armor and had a cape trailing behind him. The difference between the two was like that between a priest and a general.
After appearing here with Hayato, the second Dartz walked towards the direction of the first Dartz.
"You bastard, you actually ran out!" Dartz gritted his teeth, looking at the "Dartz" approaching him.
"Yes, thanks to Hayato." Compared to Dartz, who was covered in dust and looked miserable, the "Dartz"'s demeanor was relaxed and carefree. "It looks like you've been defeated and are on your last breath."
"You..." Dartz seemed like he wanted to say something else, but the pain left by the duel interrupted him before he could speak. He could only cover his chest and watch "Dartz" continue to approach him.
"Although I don't know who that guy is, the one we defeated just now was Dartz, right?" Joey Wheeler watched "Dartz" continue forward and reached out, wanting to stop him. "Hey, you over there, step back. Things are about to get ugly."
However, before he could get closer, Hayato, who was standing still, raised his hand and stopped Joey Wheeler.
"Hayato?"
"Let that guy go ahead. If we want everything to truly end." Hayato said nonchalantly, watching "Dartz" and Dartz approach each other.
Hayato's location wasn't too far from the Altar where Dartz was. Therefore, in the time it took Hayato to stop Joey Wheeler, "Dartz" had already arrived in front of Dartz, who could barely stand.
"Stop struggling." "Dartz" smiled coldly, looking at Dartz standing before him. He extended his hand and placed it on Dartz's chest. "If you can't even defeat the 'Legendary Dragon', then you have already lost."
"I won't lose, I won't lose to the 'Legendary Dragon'," Dartz said with a gloomy face, turning his head to look at the Legendary Knights who had already completely dissipated not far from Yugi and the others. "I just need power, more power."
"Of course, I completely understand." "Dartz" showed a strange smile, looking at Dartz. "You and I, we were originally one, without difference. But you lost me, and I also lost you."
"And now, we are connected by these same feelings."
Saying this, "Dartz" used force with his hand, plunging it into Dartz's body. In the next moment, both of their bodies were simultaneously enveloped by the radiance that suddenly burst forth!
"What's going on!?" The scene before them caught everyone off guard. It was difficult to understand what had happened. In their confusion, they all turned their heads to look at the only person who might know the truth—Hayato, who was calmly organizing his deck.
Noticing everyone's gaze, Hayato put away his deck and sighed. "Do you know about dual personality?"
Dual personality refers to a person having two relatively distinct and separate personalities. For ordinary humans, it might be difficult to understand, but everyone present had some understanding of dual personality because of the two best examples: Yugi and Marik.
It was from Hayato's mouth that everyone learned that Dartz actually also had a dual personality. However, compared to others, Dartz's dual personality was much more extreme, even splitting to the extent of becoming two separate individuals, which were the "Dartz" and Dartz they had just seen.
Hayato also only learned about this when he was trapped by Dartz in that independent Space, watching Yugi and the others' duels, and had accidentally encountered "Dartz". The other Dartz said Hayato could call him Lemuria.
Upon hearing this name, Hayato also recalled that he had actually encountered him once a long time ago during the Duelist Kingdom. However, Lemuria's appearance at that time was different from the Dartz in Hayato's memory, so Hayato had never connected the Lemuria he had only met once with Dartz.
The splitting of dual personality mostly originates from external factors, such as traumatic life events, the pressure of a difficult environment, or the inability to unify one's identity. Marik's own personality disorder stemmed from the subtle influence of the dark power within the Millennium Rod and the shock of Rishid being branded with a tattoo in front of him. According to Lemuria, his situation was also extremely similar to Marik's.
Ten thousand years ago, after the Atlantean Civilization had obtained the power of the Orichalcos for a period, the inner darkness in the inflated human heart activated the mystical power of the Orichalcos, gradually beginning to transform the bodies of the Atlanteans whose desires were out of control. However, at that time, the Atlanteans did not realize that the source of the problem was the Orichalcos, thinking they were just isolated cases.
Until one night, Dartz, in his palace, discovered something was wrong with his queen—Ivoray. First, there was a severe headache, then one arm twisted and deformed, her skin turned pitch-black, and her nails became sharp. Queen Ivoray, fearing the anomaly appearing on her body, immediately fled from Dartz's side, not wanting Dartz to see her hideous appearance.
At that time, Dartz didn't fully react to what was happening, nor did he forcefully obstruct Ivoray's departure. Only after a slight delay did he follow the departing queen, wanting to see what was going on.
But it was precisely that slight delay. By the time Dartz caught up with the departing Ivoray, the Ivoray who reappeared before him had already completely transformed into a twisted monster, with bat wings on its back, blood-red eyes, and a mouth that could stretch to its ears, revealing a full set of sharp teeth. The originally dignified and elegant queen had turned into a beast within a few breaths. Even when Dartz found her, she, or rather, it, was still tightly biting the neck of an attendant.
Sharp teeth pierced the attendant's skin, and blood dripped from the teeth onto the ornament on the former Queen Ivoray's chest. It was a pendant that Dartz had once given her, inlaid with a finely polished Orichalcos Fragment, and it was emitting an ominous green light.
His lover transformed into a beast before him, his gentle queen became a fiend who wantonly massacred living beings. The painful Dartz took action and delivered a finishing blow to the monster that Queen Ivoray had become.
However, Queen Ivoray was not the only one who turned into a monster. Overnight, the power of the Orichalcos began to run wild. The prosperous Atlantean Civilization fell into panic and massacre. Throughout the entire night, Dartz, overlooking the country under his rule, remained bewildered and in silence, clutching the Orichalcos Fragment taken from the deceased Ivoray, helpless against everything the Atlantean Civilization was experiencing.
It was under these circumstances, through the Orichalcos Fragment in Dartz's hand, that the just awakened "Orichalcos God" encountered Dartz. It conveyed to Dartz the reason why the Atlantean Civilization was experiencing all of this and presented him with a view of the future.
Under the triple influence of the impact of knowledge, the pain in his inner thoughts, and the power of the Orichalcos, Dartz's inner thoughts also split from that moment on. The gentle Atlantean Prince Dartz and the obsessed Atlantean Emperor Dartz completed their separation. Dartz's pupils also became heterochromatic eyes, one green and one yellow, from that time.
At the very beginning, the personality of Dartz, who wanted world destruction, gained the advantage. The Atlantean Civilization, having been too deeply permeated by the power of the Orichalcos, had no future left. He therefore chose to completely bury the Atlantean Civilization to serve as the energy for the "Orichalcos God", in order to destroy the world and re-create it. That collection of energy was the collection of the Atlanteans' inner darkness—**Serpent God - Avatar of Darkness**.
However, not everyone in the Atlantean Civilization agreed with Dartz's action. For example, Dartz's father, the former Emperor Aenheart, was unwilling to see the Atlantean Civilization destroyed like this. He took Dartz's sister, Chris, with him to the Spirit World to seek aid. What happened after that was the confrontation between the 'Legendary Dragon' and the "Orichalcos God" that Yugi and the others know about.
After the war ten thousand years ago, the 'Legendary Dragon' which fought across worlds and the "Orichalcos God" which had not been awakened for long, both fell into slumber. Dartz's world destruction plan was destroyed. It was also taking advantage of this opportunity that the suppressed Dartz began his counter-offensive. The two personalities fell into a stalemate, neither able to gain complete control of the body.
Thus, the struggle between the two Dartz continued for seven thousand years. During these seven thousand years, Human Civilization, which had been shattered and destroyed by the great war, was rebuilt. Furthermore, because the power of the spirits in the Real World had been scattered across the world and sealed into tablets to slumber during that war, without coexisting with spirits, Human Civilization gradually developed in a completely different direction from Atlantis at that time.
This allowed the gentle Dartz to gradually suppress the obsessed Dartz. With one side having the advantage, Dartz recovered his ability to move around, observing the human world under different identities. Until Three thousand years ago, he came to Ancient Egypt and personally witnessed a priest of the Pharaoh at that time, in order to resist the invasion of enemy countries, cast an evil ritual at the stake of a village's life to refine seven items, awaken the spirit power within the tablets.
Those were the seven **Millennium Items**.
Spirit power driven by dark power fell into human hands. An incident identical to the one he had experienced seven thousand years ago was presented before his eyes once again. At this point, the suppressed Dartz turned the offensive, seizing control of the body back from the Dartz who had merely been observing human development.
He could not accept the tragedy of Atlantis descending upon the world again. Therefore, he had to guide Human Civilization, so that it would not walk the path of ruin.
Thus, Doma was born. And because humans began to walk alongside spirits once again, Dartz, who was filled with pessimism about the future of Human Civilization, also began collecting human souls once more, preparing to awaken the "Orichalcos God".
Thus, another three thousand years passed. Doma spread its branches and leaves throughout the world, rooting itself deep within Human Civilization.
Out of curiosity towards Pegasus, who had created a new vessel for spirits—Duel Monsters Cards, Dartz decided to see what kind of person he was before destroying humanity. He utilized Doma's faction to participate in the Duelist Kingdom. However, his first impression of Pegasus was very poor, because he discovered that Pegasus was fundamentally being controlled by the dark power of the **Millennium Eye**, completely lacking the qualification to be taken seriously by him.
Very disappointed, Dartz had planned to leave then and there, to finish collecting souls and destroy Human Civilization sooner. However, in a situation he hadn't expected, because of a demonstration duel showcasing the new rule for Duel Monsters used in the Duelist Kingdom, he saw Hayato's appearance.
Completely different from all the humans he had seen up to that point, at that time, although Hayato was enveloped by a layer of dark power around him that only Dartz could observe due to the influence of Pegasus's **Millennium Eye**, this did not affect Dartz's ability to see the pure white purity within Hayato's inner thoughts, and that soul that shone like the sun.
Dartz, who had no interest in the New World and only wanted to destroy everything, was countered by the personality of the other Dartz, who had been suppressed for three thousand years. Because of Hayato's appearance, he rekindled hope for a New World. As long as there was Hayato, it was not without possibility for the humans of the New World to overcome the future of ruin!
Using the alias "Lemuria", Dartz observed Hayato's performance in the Duelist Kingdom, watching him gradually obtain things like the **Millennium Ring**, little by little dispersing the darkness around him and becoming stronger. After watching Hayato duel and defeat Keith, Dartz gifted Hayato a card and left.
He was filled with hope for Hayato's existence, and became even more firmly resolved to destroy all existing humans and bring about the descent of the New World. However, before that, he decided to first create a space and isolate the other personality, which he had managed to suppress with great difficulty, inside it, to prevent it from hindering his subsequent action.
"I see, I completely understand!" Joey Wheeler clenched his fist and struck his palm. "So, the good Dartz and the bad Dartz have now combined into one again, right?"
"Does that mean Dartz has given up on world destruction?"
"No, not at all," Hayato rubbed the tip of his nose and spread his hand. "Although the two Dartz have some divergence, their lack of confidence in humans is a consensus."
"In other words..." Without finishing his sentence, Hayato turned his head and looked in Dartz's direction.
The radiance dispersed, and only one Dartz remained before everyone's eyes. Still with heterochromatic eyes, one green and one yellow, Dartz looked at Hayato and showed a smile.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 657: You Weren't in Shenyang, I Mean Atlantis
"So, what should I call you now? Virgil?" Hayato frowned, feeling a bit uncomfortable under Dartz's gaze.
"I am still Dartz, Hayato. Whether it's the me who wants to destroy the world or the me who wants to create a New World, I am Dartz." Raising his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists, Dartz looked at his body with satisfaction.
"Dartz!"
Feeling a sense of unity in his body that he hadn't experienced in nearly ten thousand years, Dartz heard Yugi's voice and turned his head to look at him. "Nameless Pharaoh, no, Yugi Mutou? Unfortunately, I'm no longer interested in you."
Yugi, looking serious, saw that Dartz had no intention of fighting and couldn't figure out his thoughts. He spoke, "Even if you've fused with another personality, do you still intend to destroy Human Civilization?"
"Isn't that obvious? My idea has never changed from beginning to end."
As Dartz spoke, raising his hand, he gripped a pendant on his chest. The pendant was engraved with the pattern of the Seal of Orichalcos. "The stubborn me, the delusional me, both are Dartz. Although there's a divergence on reshaping the World, we only have one view regarding humans."
"Humans, accompanied by the power of spirits and shrouded by the dark power brought back into the World by you, the Nameless Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, three thousand years ago, are unable to avoid the decline of their spiritual civilization that comes with the development of material civilization. The Future holds only ruin."
"Therefore," Dartz's gaze became filled with killing intent, "I will definitely destroy humanity and reshape a New World!"
"You and Paradox must have a lot in common," Yugi said seriously, raising his Duel Disk. "We will definitely stop you, Dartz!"
Joey Wheeler stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Yugi. "Looks like one duel wasn't enough?"
"Hmph, it doesn't matter. No matter how many times you come, it will only be my victory," Kaiba also said with confidence.
But looking at Yugi and the others, Dartz smiled mysteriously. "Duel? No, there's no need for that anymore. The duels with you before were just me wanting to collect as many powerful souls as possible to accumulate more power for the Orichalcos God and then revive it."
"However, that was just the idea of one of my selves."
Dartz's words made Joey Wheeler a little confused. "One of the Dartz?"
"Ultimately, what is the Orichalcos God? It is the trial of the Planet beneath our feet, the incarnation of darkness in the human heart. As long as humans cannot overcome their inner darkness, the Orichalcos God will never be destroyed." As he spoke, Dartz took off his pendant and held it above his head. "What it needs for its revival is simply the darkness in the human heart."
"So, thinking differently, if I just restore its power without letting it fully revive, wouldn't the quantity of souls needed be greatly reduced?"
Yugi's eyes widened. "Masaka?!"
"That's right, I've stalled for enough time, Nameless Pharaoh, and Hayato!" Dartz laughed loudly, clutching the pendant in his hand. "Just now, during this time, I activated the means I've silently kept on the Orichalcos God for ten thousand years. Now it has revived without any consciousness!"
"It has become a weapon of world destruction that I can command at will!"
As Dartz's voice fell, a strong radiance bloomed from the pendant in his hand. A green light opened a swirling, distorted Space behind him, and a huge dark figure shot out from it. The dark figure's movement was too fast and too sudden. Before anyone could react, it swallowed Dartz in one go and retreated back into the Space, disappearing.
Only Dartz's last words before disappearing echoed in the Space: "Prepare to welcome destruction, humanity!"
Watching Dartz being taken away by the dark figure and disappearing, Hayato didn't feel any surprise. Actually, in the Space that sealed Dartz's personality, one of the Dartz had already told Hayato his idea.
Although Hayato was the catalyst that allowed the gentle Dartz personality to suppress the obsessive Dartz personality, the two Dartz personalities had the same attitude towards Hayato; neither had the idea of being his enemy.
The gap between the two Dartz personalities lay solely in their reflections on the death of Queen Ivoray ten thousand years ago. One Dartz believed that even someone as gentle as Queen Ivoray couldn't resist the invasion of darkness, and even with New Humans, it would be impossible to avoid the Future of ruin; the other Dartz, however, believed in the ethereal possibility, creating a New World and New Humans to prevent the tragedy from repeating.
However, even though neither Dartz had the idea of harming Hayato, Hayato absolutely had to defeat them.
The Future of humanity is ruin. This point has been successively explained by the bosses of previous Yu-Gi-Oh! series, proving that they weren't just looking for an excuse to destroy the world but had truly seen the Future of ruin. Especially decades later, with the appearance of Synchro Summon, the Ener-D, reactivated by the revival of the Red Dragon, drives the Perpetual Motion Machine to accelerate the process of ruin once again.
But even if the Future of humanity is ruin, it doesn't mean humanity must be destroyed prematurely. Hayato cannot accept Dartz's idea on this point. Although Hayato admits that he is indeed a very pure person as Dartz said, with a high Deck purity and only setting "one" trap, to say that Hayato could become the ancestor of New Humans or something like that, forget it.
He would rather continue playing cards for decades until he grows old and dies with friends like Yugi, Joey Wheeler, and Kaiba in this Human Civilization that is destined for ruin. This is the peaceful life he desires.
Because of this, Hayato did not stop Dartz's personality from hitching a ride with him to the Outside World, recombining with the other Dartz, and then awakening the Orichalcos God. It's faster to defeat Dartz in one go after they combine than to fight them one by one.
[Main Quest: I Want to Become a Yangge Star]
[Quest Progress: Defeat 'Legendary Dragon' Owner 2/3
Defeat Doma Three Swordsmen 3/3
Defeat Dartz 0/1]
[Side Quest: Pioneering the Future's Ninety-Nine Slashes]
[Quest Progress: Use a Deck containing specific cards to Defeat Dartz 0/1]
Hmm, it's definitely not because he wants to quickly crush Dartz in one go to claim the task reward.
As for the Orichalcos God, heh, Dartz isn't the only one who tampered with it.
Thinking this, Hayato crammed the Deck he had already prepared into his Duel Disk, causing it to field setup. He stepped towards the Space Dartz had left behind, calling out without turning his head, "Yugi, Joey Wheeler, Seto, get ready for the final battle."
"Huh? That fast?" Joey Wheeler scratched the back of his head, but his feet followed Hayato directly. "You haven't even explained why you joined Doma, Hayato."
"Well... I'll tell you slowly after this incident is over."
"Hmph, and don't think I owe you anything for sacrificing yourself so self-righteously last time, Hayato Kobayashi." Kaiba also started walking, following behind. "Get ready to be crushed by my Blue-Eyes, which is far stronger than before. I haven't given up the idea of taking the Duel King crown from you."
"That tsundere act is outdated, Seto, but bring it on. I'm not that easy to defeat."
Watching Hayato chatting with Kaiba and Joey Wheeler, Yugi, who also followed, smiled and said, "Welcome back, Hayato."
"Yeah, I'm back, Yugi. And now, let's go together and defeat Dartz."
The four of them didn't hesitate at all about entering the Space where Dartz had disappeared to face Dartz and the revived Orichalcos God, because they all knew this was the last battle, the final battle that would determine whether Human Civilization could continue.
The Future of humanity and the World was now entrusted to them.
"Hayato!" Just then, Hayato, who was walking forward, heard someone calling his name from behind. Turning his head, he saw Ishizu watching him.
Looking at Hayato, who was about to embark on the path of battle again, Ishizu took a deep breath and didn't say much, just showed a smile. "This time, don't break your promise again, Hayato."
"Yeah, this time it's a real promise," Hayato replied with a smile and gave a thumbs-up.
Meanwhile, Téa also came up and stood beside Yugi. Seeing this, Yugi said, "Wait a moment, Téa, I'll exchange with The Other Me."
The understanding Yugi was very thoughtful. He was well aware of his childhood friend Téa's inner thoughts. Téa, she liked The Other Self.
But Téa was startled for a moment when she heard Yugi's words, then smiled and shook her head. "No need, the current Yugi is fine."
As she spoke, Téa gave Yugi a hug. "Yugi, please promise me you'll come back. Please tell The Other Yugi the same thing."
"Téa..." Yugi, being hugged by Téa, was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Okay, we will definitely come back."
Kaiba glanced at Ishizu and Hayato, then at Téa and Yugi, and gave a cold snort. "Boring. Women only influence the speed of my draw a card."
"Huh? Kaiba, did you just say something?" Joey Wheeler turned his head, looking at Kaiba with a confused expression. He hadn't heard what Kaiba said clearly just now, because Kaiba's own voice got quieter and quieter halfway through his sentence, as if he wasn't very confident himself.
"I will become the World's number one Duelist. Women are troublesome." Kaiba turned around and walked straight into the Space. "Hurry up, Hayato, Yugi. Don't make me wait."
"Ah, Kaiba, are you trying to sneak ahead? Don't think you'll be the first one!"
Joey Wheeler moved too quickly, almost squeezing into the Space left by Dartz right behind Kaiba. This made Kujaku Mai helplessly rubbed her forehead. "That idiot, he's too dense. It was such a good atmosphere, and he runs off to compete with Kaiba Seto about who goes first?"
"Haha, Joey Wheeler is just that kind of idiot, Mai," Tristan laughed heartily, patting Kujaku Mai's shoulder, and gave a thumbs-up to Yugi, who was hugging Téa. "Make sure you come back safe, Hayato, Yugi."
After a brief farewell, Yugi and Hayato stood side by side in front of the Space, took one last look at the people behind them, and stepped into the swirling Space. After a flash of light, the two found themselves on a desolate Street. Joey Wheeler and Kaiba, who had gone ahead, were standing not far away, looking at the sky in the distance.
"Where is this place?" Looking at the Buildings on both sides of the road, they couldn't just be described as old; they were incredibly dilapidated, as if they had been snatched from an archaeological site and built here. They looked like they had at least ten thousand, maybe even nine thousand years of history.
And a Castle-like Building in the distance, with a huge City Gate over ten meters high, was engraved with a giant serpent totem they had never seen before.
While looking at the Buildings on both sides and walking towards where Kaiba and Joey Wheeler were, Yugi froze when he got closer. Because looking out from the end of the Street where Joey Wheeler and Kaiba stood, beneath their feet was actually a vast ocean, and in the ocean, they could even see the Doma Temple with a helicopter still parked there?
They were currently on a Floating Island at least a hundred meters above the Sea Surface!?
"Could it be, this is..." Looking at the surrounding Buildings, Yugi couldn't help but recall the view of Atlantis that Dartz had shown them in Paradius Tower. Although the view had undergone drastic change over ten thousand years, there were still faint traces of the prosperous past.
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be Atlantis, the prehistoric civilization ruled by Dartz ten thousand years ago. I didn't expect it to actually exist on the Seabed of the Atlantic Ocean," Joey Wheeler said with a shocked expression. "And Dartz actually turned it into a Floating Island, it's really—"
"I never thought a prehistoric civilization would possess anti-gravity technology. That's amazing."
"So why can't you stop believing in science, you guy!" Joey Wheeler said to Kaiba in dissatisfaction.
Just as the few of them were exclaiming at the view of Atlantis, Dartz's voice came from behind them. "Too slow, too slow, you've kept me waiting, Duelists!"
"Dartz?!" Turning their heads sharply, Yugi looked around the empty Street. "You're not here at all, where are you hiding!"
"Hiding? What a funny saying, Yugi Mutou." The location of the voice changed. Yugi and the others subconsciously looked up at the sky, their eyes wide.
Only to see from the clouds, a giant skull emerged, looking down at the group of four. Just this one head was almost the size of the entire Floating City, Atlantis!? The clouds were dispersed by the twisting of the giant beast's body, revealing its full appearance. Everyone was shocked to find that the giant beast before them was actually a giant serpent, its body extending from one end of the sea to the other, as if it was wrapped around the entire World?
Just like the mythological Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, and Leviathan, the giant beast that carries the World!
On top of the giant serpent's head, the naked Dartz revealed his upper body, his lower body actually fused with the giant serpent. "Immortal body, ageless and immortal, and Orichalcos power!"
"This is humanity's final trial!"
"So this is the Orichalcos God, what a big mud eel," Hayato exclaimed, looking up. "However, Dartz, this guy, really doesn't know what 'Combination Death' is."
As everyone knows, just like the monsters in Super Sentai, no matter how powerful they are in their normal state, even making the heroes suffer multiple times, once they become giant, they will be defeated by the invincible combined robot.
In the World of Duel Monsters, no matter what you fuse with, whether it's a Resurrection Bird, a True Dragon, or something else, once you combine with a giant Duel Monster, you won't have a good outcome.
Oh, Hayato also combined with Resurrection Bird, so never mind.
Chapter 658: Move, Orichalcos God, Why Aren't You Moving!
"To think, you've merged yourself with a Monster like that, Dartz?" Looking up at Dartz, whose lower body was integrated into the Giant Serpent, Kaiba let out a cold snort. "Hmph, truly a disgusting form."
"But you cannot deny that now, having undergone Fusion with the 'Orichalcos God', I possess immense power, enough to bring about world destruction and reshape Human Civilization." Dartz looked down at the crowd, casually raising a finger and snapping his fingers. "After my failure back then, Atlantis was submerged into the Sea. The disappearance of a continent triggered Great Floods across the globe, recorded in countless versions of mythology." "Now, let me recreate the Great Flood of that time!" Following Dartz's declaration, Joey Wheeler and Kaiba turned around to look beneath their feet, only to find that the originally turbulent Sea Surface had eerily fallen silent. Immediately after, a Vortex appeared in the Center of the Ocean, gradually expanding and rising, transforming into a water spout connected to the floating Atlantis Castle? From a distance, it looked as if a water pillar was supporting the submerged City! After the water pillar rose, Atlantis, which was already about a hundred meters above the Ground, began to ascend even further. As the Castle rose, the water pillar also grew thicker, even starting to spread out circles upon circles of giant waves nearly a hundred meters high! "In some myths, deities spent seven days to create the world, isn't that right?" Dartz extended a finger. "One hour. To bring about this world's destruction, it will only take me one hour!" "Within one hour, these waves I command will arrive at Coastlines across the globe, crush everything that Human Civilization has managed to preserve over ten thousand years of development, submerging everything and returning it to its origin, until Humanity is extinct!" "Everything will be submerged beneath the Ocean, and Nameless Pharaoh, Seto, and Joey Wheeler, you too will be defeated by me! With your sorrowful and despairing eyes, watch the world's destruction from this sole safe place!"
As he spoke, the Giant Serpent beneath Dartz opened its mouth. Its massive maw, filled with sharp teeth, was like the Entrance to a bottomless Abyss. With just a simple breath, a gale swept towards the four of them, making it almost impossible for them to stand firm and threatening to be blown away!
"Tsk, come out, Blue-Eyes!" Just then, Kaiba drew a card from his Deck. Resisting the wind pressure, he pressed it onto his Duel Disk, and the form of a White Dragon appeared, blocking the gale. "The strength of this Virtual Projection System is really high, huh? But don't think that this can stop me from crushing you, Dartz!"
Joey Wheeler was already too lazy to comment on Kaiba. While the massive [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] blocked the gale, he quickly drew a card as well. "I'm the one who'll defeat you, Joey Wheeler! [Red-Eyes Black Dragon], let's go together!" Following the White Dragon of "Victory", the Black Dragon of "Possibility" also appeared as a form. Both Giant Dragons simultaneously unleashed their respective attacks, black flame and a flood of light, sweeping towards the Giant Serpent. However, facing the attacks of [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] and [Blue-Eyes White Dragon], the Giant Serpent beneath Dartz merely flicked its head contemptuously, directly deflecting both attacks.
But Joey Wheeler and Kaiba had bought some time. Taking advantage of this, Yugi had once again prepared the three [Legendary Dragon] Cards and the [Legendary Heart] Card. The three [Legendary Knight] reappeared before Yugi, Joey Wheeler, and Kaiba. Their sword edges crossed as they struck down, and immediately after, a thick bolt of lightning fell from the sky, striking towards the Giant Serpent. Compared to before, the attacks performed by the [Legendary Knight], the "Orichalcos God"'s old opponents, were undoubtedly much more effective. Dartz urgently controlled the Giant Serpent to perform an evasive maneuver, clearly showing fear towards the power of the lightning. But the lightning, in a way Dartz hadn't expected, curved and adjusted its angle, striking the Giant Serpent. The massive body couldn't help but stiffen under the lightning's attack. Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey Wheeler exchanged glances and simultaneously began their respective attacks.
"Fusion of three Blue-Eyes! Then radiate the peerless ultimate light, [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon]!"
"Armor merge, [Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon]! And then, [Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword]!"
"Come forth, [Palladium Oracle Mahad]! Valkyrion the Magna Warrior! And [Catapult Turtle]!"
Yugi and the other two summoned monsters quite enthusiastically. Taking advantage of the fact that this wasn't a Duel, they freely drew cards and ignored summoning conditions, wildly playing monsters onto their respective Duel Disks. To boost the momentum, Yugi even threw out [Kuriboh] just to add to the numbers.
For a moment, the monsters summoned by the three of them frantically launched attacks at the "target" in the air — the "Orichalcos God" and Dartz who had undergone combination with it, currently unable to move or counter. Various monsters capable of ranged energy blasts created a dazzling light show, while those without such abilities, like Joey Wheeler who had personally donned the [Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon] Armor, wielded the [Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword] and continuously unleashed sword slashes. Even more outrageous was Yugi's [Kuriboh]. After absorbing the effects of the [Multiply] and [Minefield] Spell Cards from Yugi's hand, it actually hopped directly onto [Catapult Turtle] and was launched towards the "Orichalcos God"! Although the attack of a single monster might seem insignificant compared to the massive "Orichalcos God", many small efforts add up. Under the combined attack of everyone, the Giant Serpent's entire head was enveloped by the attack, and a powerful radiance swallowed it whole!
"Alright! The attack hit Dartz!" Seeing this scene, Joey Wheeler punched the air excitedly.
Yugi was also somewhat happy. "With this, everyone—"
"Useless, useless, useless, useless!"
Before Yugi could finish speaking, Dartz and the completely unharmed "Orichalcos God" poked their heads out, laughing loudly and taunting. "Weak, weak, weak! Your attacks are fundamentally useless against me! Hahahaha!"
"Roar!"
Along with Dartz's wild laughter, the "Orichalcos God" let out a fierce roar. Cracks visible to the naked eye appeared in the air. Its wrathful roar had actually shattered the air!?
The impact instantly swept across the monsters in front of everyone. Yugi immediately commanded Valkyrion the Magna Warrior to disassemble and block in front of them, acting as a shield to block the first wave of impact. But even the weakened impact easily sent the three of them and their monsters flying. Even [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon] was knocked to the ground.
"No, no way, this must be a joke! Under an attack like that, Dartz is still completely unharmed!?" Joey Wheeler, protected by [Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon], received the lightest injuries. He was the first to climb up from the ground, but saw that the [Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword] in his hand had already shattered and disappeared, and even the armor of [Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon] was covered in cracks.
"Our monsters, in just one hit?" Yugi struggled to get up with the help of [Dark Magician Girl]. Under the attack just now, [Dark Magician] had sacrificed itself to protect Yugi.
And Kaiba also managed to stand up. Beside him was [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon], protecting Kaiba with most of its body. Even [Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon], whose power was so great it could erase Deities, couldn't unleash its full might because Kaiba himself still believed it was merely the power of the Virtual Projection System, so the Card Spirit fundamentally couldn't display its full strength. This was just one roar from the "Orichalcos God", and it had easily destroyed their setup? It was hard to imagine what kind of might it would possess when it truly launched an attack.
Joey Wheeler couldn't imagine such a scene, but Dartz gave Joey Wheeler the answer. The Giant Serpent opened its mouth for the third time. This time, the "Orichalcos God" was serious. As it took a deep breath, terrifying energy gathered in its mouth, forming a massive purple sphere, aimed in everyone's direction. The sphere's size, even if not as large as the entire floating island of Atlantis, was at least the size of the Castle in front of them. If they took an attack of this magnitude, things would be bad!
"Cry, scream, and then die!" Dartz raised his hand with a wild laugh, about to swing it down to make the "Orichalcos God" launch its attack.
But just then, Joey Wheeler roared, "Dartz!"
"Do you know who I am?"
Confident that he could take down the three of them with a wave of his hand, Dartz smiled contemptuously. He wasn't in a hurry to deliver the final blow and said, "An unknown nobody? What else could you be?"
"Then you better listen up! My name is Katsuya Jounouchi, 8th place in the Japan National Duel Monsters Selection Tournament in Domino City, 4th place in the Duelist Kingdom Tournament, 4th place in Battle City, a Duelist chosen by [Hermos], one of the [Legendary Dragon], and, and..."
"I can't think of anything else! Let's go, Yugi, Kaiba!"
Looking like he was racking his brain, Joey Wheeler finally just shouted in exasperation.
And as Joey Wheeler's voice fell, another voice immediately followed.
"God-Hand-Impact!!"
Unbeknownst to them, a blue giant god had quietly hidden in a blind spot of the floating island of Atlantis that Dartz hadn't noticed, using Yugi and the others as cover. While Dartz's attention was drawn by Joey Wheeler, [Obelisk the Tormentor] spread the wings on its back, which were not mere decoration, and delivered a rising punch that caught the "Orichalcos God" off guard. Its head was thrown high, and the energy accumulated in its mouth exploded!
"Boom!"
Surely there isn't a Deity that can't fly, right?
"[Obelisk the Tormentor]?!" Dartz looked down angrily at the blue giant god that had quickly retreated after its attack succeeded. "It's useless! Your power already became one of the 'Orichalcos God''s Tributes! Your attack is also not effective against me!"
While shouting, Dartz commanded the Giant Serpent that formed his lower body to attack [Obelisk the Tormentor]. But another bolt of lightning struck the "Orichalcos God", causing Dartz's offensive to pause once more.
"[Slifer the Sky Dragon]!"
Only to see, behind Joey Wheeler on Atlantis, Kaiba and Yugi were each holding a card above their heads. These were two of the God Cards that had been taken by Dartz's Subordinate before and whose power had been sacrificed to the "Orichalcos God" — [Slifer the Sky Dragon] and [Obelisk the Tormentor]. Before, when Hayato planned to challenge Dartz after Rafael and Alister left, he had conveniently retrieved the three God Cards. However, before Hayato could start a Duel, Dartz was one step faster and sealed them in a Different Dimension. Now, Hayato had temporarily given two of those cards to Yugi and Kaiba to use. The [Millennium Puzzle] hanging on Yugi's chest was radiating golden light. At this moment, it was the power of the [Millennium Puzzle] that was supporting the two God Cards in launching an attack on Dartz at this critical juncture to avert the danger.
However, compared to the power the Deities originally possessed, the dark power supplied by Yugi at this moment was undoubtedly much weaker and couldn't last too long. Dartz was filled with wrath that two "God Cards" that were no opponent for him dared to attack him and interfere with him taking down the three of them. However, he overlooked one thing—
Ever since just now, Hayato hadn't been acting alongside Yugi and the other two in attacking Dartz.
Just as [Slifer the Sky Dragon] and [Obelisk the Tormentor], along with Yugi and the others, had completely occupied Dartz's attention, suddenly, Dartz on top of the "Orichalcos God"'s head caught a glimpse of what seemed like sunshine behind him out of the corner of his eye.
The sky at this moment was completely covered by the dark clouds controlled by the "Orichalcos God". There was no opportunity for the Sun to show itself, so where could sunshine come from?
Confused, Dartz only then remembered that he hadn't noticed where Hayato had gone. He whipped his head around, but saw a sun disc rising from the Sea Surface.
Golden sun's fire burned fiercely on the Immortal Phoenix. Because at that time, its true form had resided within [The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode] card and gone with Hayato to the Spirit World, leaving behind only an empty shell of [The Winged Dragon of Ra] card in the Human World, [Ra] was the sole one among the [Three Egyptian God] whose power had not been absorbed by the "Orichalcos God". At this moment, the Immortal Phoenix spread its wings, and flames spread and expanded, covering the sky and blocking out the sun, nearly as large as the "Orichalcos God"'s snake head. And Dartz suddenly noticed that at the position above [The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix]'s head was none other than Hayato, who had undergone combination with [Ra]! "Didn't expect this, Dartz? I can use combination too!"
"Hayato, what are you doing?!"
Seeing [Ra] in its Phoenix form charging towards him, Dartz shouted in surprise and fear.
But Hayato acted as if he hadn't heard, merely speaking to Dartz. "Dartz! You always watch from the sidelines, manipulating others to reap the benefits!"
"Unforgivable! Even if I risk my life, even if I sacrifice this body, I won't spare you! I won't let you live!"
"Lend me your body, [Ra]!"
The Immortal Phoenix let out a cry as if responding to Hayato, and the sun disc-like golden light on its body surged fiercely once more!
And Dartz was surprised to find that as [The Winged Dragon of Ra] approached, lights of various colors lit up one after another on the "Orichalcos God" that formed his lower body!?
It was none other than Hayato's [Infernoid] monsters! Unbeknownst to him, these monsters had appeared within the "Orichalcos God"'s body and were currently vying with Dartz for the "Orichalcos God"'s power, rendering Dartz fundamentally unable to move and forcing him to face Hayato's attack!
"Dartz, you wouldn't understand. This is the power of my spirits, my partners, teaming up with me!"
"Move! Orichalcos God!" The Immortal Phoenix was getting closer and closer, and Dartz shouted frantically, "Orichalcos God, why aren't you moving!"
"Hraaaaaaah!!!"
"Uwaaaaaaah!!!"
Amidst the shouts of both Hayato and Dartz, [The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix] collided fiercely with the "Orichalcos God". The bird's beak, burning with sun's fire, pierced Dartz on top of the "Orichalcos God"'s head. The shattered body of the "Orichalcos God" turned into a mud-like substance, covering both Hayato, who was on top of [Ra], and Dartz.
Chapter 659: Don't Ask Me Where Chapter 124 Went
In the pitch-black darkness, a faint radiance bloomed from the [Millennium Ring], providing Hayato, who had just opened his eyes, with some visibility.
The first layer was Yugi and the others summoning monsters for a feint attack. The second layer was Joey Wheeler taunting, followed by Yugi and Kaiba summoning Divine-Beasts. The third layer was Hayato and [Ra] performing a direct attack. The fourth layer was the [Infernoid] being set up beforehand to snatch the power of the "Orichalcos God" from Dartz, preventing the attack from missing.
However, Hayato was actually on the fifth layer. His true goal was to use the [Infernoid] to interrupt Dartz's connection with the "Orichalcos God", and then use [Ra]'s attack to send both Hayato and Dartz into the "Orichalcos God"'s body. The reason for this was—
Hayato walked forward on the ground that felt like mud under his feet. The faint light from the [Millennium Ring] he held dispelled the darkness within a certain range around him, revealing several unfamiliar faces before his eyes.
Pitch-black tentacles extended from the walls, wrapping around these unconscious people. Hayato didn't recognize them, but judging by the ancient clothing they wore, they were definitely not modern humans.
At least the one wearing animal skins certainly wasn't.
Walking forward, Hayato saw countless figures bound around him. Finally, he arrived at an open space and saw Dartz's figure.
"This is inside the Orichalcos God." Dartz's line of sight seemed unrestricted by the darkness, following Hayato as he walked towards him. "The darkness nurtured by the souls I've collected over ten thousand years is all stored here."
"Standing here, you should be able to feel it. The deep-rooted Inner Darkness of humanity that cannot be removed. So Hayato, don't come to stop me."
Although Dartz still maintained an attitude showing no intention of fighting Hayato, Hayato raised his Duel Disk. "Sorry, Dartz. While you're right, humans are full of flaws like defective products, the future of humanity should be decided by humanity itself."
"You, who wish to destroy humanity, will be defeated by me, right here!"
As Hayato finished speaking, his Duel Disk unfolded. The golden light blooming from the [Millennium Ring] expanded into a ring, clearing away the obstructions between Hayato and Dartz and providing a relatively flat ground.
Looking at Hayato, Dartz was silent for a moment before sighing helplessly. "Why are you unwilling to accept this? Is it because of the Nameless Pharaoh and his group?"
"Then, I will defeat you, Hayato, and then go take down the Nameless Pharaoh and Seto who influenced you, and let the world return to Demise." Dartz also raised his left hand. A tentacle extended from the side and wrapped around Dartz's arm. As the tentacle retracted, an unfolded Duel Disk was also equipped on Dartz's wrist.
Looking at the Deck in Dartz's Duel Disk, Hayato frowned, and he felt his hair stand on end. For some reason, the Deck Dartz was using gave Hayato a feeling of dread, as if he had encountered something terrifying. Even the [Seal of Orichalcos] Deck Dartz used before hadn't given Hayato such a feeling.
"Duel!" X2
[Hayato: 4000LP, Hand 5]
[Dartz: 4000LP, Hand 5]
"I'll take the First Turn, Draw!" Hayato was faster, completing his initial draw of five cards, securing the first turn and drawing one more. Looking at the Powerful Monster he drew into his Hand, Hayato decisively placed it on his Duel Disk and Summoned it.
"Summon [Dragonmaid Laundry Dragon] in Defense Position!"
In front of Hayato, Little Blue, the sole designated target of persecution in Duel Monsters, which is [Dragonmaid Laundry Dragon], rose from the card with her hands on her hips. Although startled by the dim and terrifying environment around her, Little Blue quickly realized she was here to Battle, not to wash clothes. She pulled out a basket of clothes from behind her to block in front, while she crouched behind it covering her head.
[Dragonmaid Laundry Dragon][Level 2/Water]
[Dragon Type/Effect]
[500/1600]
"When [Dragonmaid Laundry Dragon] is Summoned/Special Summoned successfully, I Activate her Effect." Hayato said, drawing three cards from the Top of Deck. "Send three cards from the Top of my Deck to the Graveyard."
While sending the cards to the Graveyard, Hayato finally looked to see what cards Little Blue had milled.
First card, [Pot of Greed]!?
Second card, [Monster Reborn]?!
Just looking at the first two cards, Hayato felt his heart stop. You really are something, Little Blue! Just like that, you sent two Powerful Single Cards to the Graveyard.
But it doesn't matter, because the third card Little Blue sent to the Graveyard was [Ojama Blue]!
"Activate Magic Card [Terraforming]! I Add one Field Spell Card from my Deck to my Hand." Catching the card automatically searched out by his Duel Disk, Hayato raised his Duel Disk, revealing the opened Field Zone. "Heroes have their Stage to Battle on, and Small Fry also have a hiding place. I Activate Field Spell Card [Ojama Country]!"
"Once per turn, by sending one card with 'Ojama' in its name from my Hand to the Graveyard, I Special Summon one [Ojama Monster] from my Graveyard."
"I send [Ojama Magic] from my Hand to the Graveyard, and Special Summon [Ojama Blue] in Attack Position!"
Looking at the surroundings being replaced by a stretch of low-lying buildings, and an ugly monster appearing on Hayato's Field, Dartz raised an eyebrow. "An [Ojama] monster from the Graveyard? Is that a card that [Dragonmaid Laundry Dragon] sent to the Graveyard just now? I thought you were using a [Dragonmaid] Deck, Hayato."
"As everyone knows, [Dragonmaid Laundry Dragon] is Little Blue, but who says [Ojama Blue] can't be Little Blue?" Hayato said after placing the [Ojama Blue] card on his Field. "Because of [Ojama Country]'s Effect, as long as an [Ojama] monster exists in Face-up Position on my Field, the ATK and DEF of all monsters on the Field are swapped."
[Dragonmaid Laundry Dragon][DEF1600→500]
[Ojama Blue][ATK0→1000]
"Next is the Effect of [Ojama Magic], which I just sent to the Graveyard. When this card is sent from the Hand or Field to the Graveyard, I Activate its Effect," Hayato said, drawing three cards from his Deck at once. "Add [Ojama Green], [Ojama Black], and [Ojama Yellow] from my Deck to my Hand."
"Following that is Magic Card [Ojama Remodeling]! I Reveal the Machine Type LIGHT Attribute Fusion Monster [ABC-Dragon Buster] from my Fusion Deck, Banish three [Ojama] monsters from my Hand, and Special Summon the three Fusion Materials of [ABC-Dragon Buster] from my Deck!"
"Come forth, [A-Assault Core], [B-Buster Drake], and [C-Crush Wyvern]!"
Using one [Dragonmaid Laundry Dragon] as a Play Starter, Hayato easily Summoned as many as five monsters on the First Turn, completely filling his Front Row. And after this series of Operations, he still had two cards remaining in his Hand.
[A-Assault Core][DEF200→1900]
[B-Buster Drake][ATK1500→1800]
[C-Crush Wyvern][ATK1200→2000]
At this moment, Hayato's Field had assembled all three Fusion Materials for [ABC-Dragon Buster], a monster Dartz had never seen before. This made Dartz couldn't help but look towards Hayato's remaining two cards in Hand. Could [Polymerization] be among them?
As Dartz expected, after Summoning [A-Assault Core], [B-Buster Drake], and [C-Crush Wyvern], Hayato indeed drew another card and was about to play it. But what Dartz didn't expect was that as Hayato played the card, the monsters that disappeared from his Field were actually [B-Buster Drake], [C-Crush Wyvern], and [Dragonmaid Laundry Dragon]!?
"Uwaaaaaa!!!"
[B-Buster Drake] and [C-Crush Wyvern], which should have been mechanical, exploded on the spot into a pool of blood. Amidst Little Blue's wail and struggle, they were swallowed into a pool of blood whose art style had no similarity to [Ojama Country]. At the same time, Hayato held up a card and shouted:
"Human Destiny is born from Blood! If the Future is also full of Ruin and bloodshed, then I will use this ultimate Destiny Incarnation to surpass it!"
"Level 8, Come On!!"
"The ultimate Destiny HERO, [Destiny HERO - Plasma]!!!"
From the pool of blood, a HERO who looked more like a Fiend than a Warrior opened his scarlet eyes. A pair of demon-like Wings spread behind him, revealing his dragon head-like Right Hand.
[Destiny HERO - Plasma][Level 8/Dark]
[Warrior Type/Effect]
[DEF600→1900]
"Although [Destiny HERO - Plasma] is a Level 8 Monster, it cannot be Normal Summoned. It can only be Special Summoned by Tributing three monsters on my Field," Hayato explained. "And when [B-Buster Drake] and [C-Crush Wyvern] are sent from the Field to the Graveyard, they also have Effects that can be Activated!"
"Self-Chain, Chain 1 [C-Crush Wyvern], Chain 2 [B-Buster Drake]!"
Searching a card from his Deck, Hayato revealed it to Dartz and said, "Because of [B-Buster Drake]'s Effect, I Add Union Monster [Metalmorph Parasite - Lunarook] from my Deck to my Hand. Then, with [C-Crush Wyvern]'s Effect, I Special Summon it."
"Boil, my Blood!"
Making a motion like pouring liquid from a cup, Hayato placed the card in his Hand down, and a puddle of silver, squirming liquid appeared on his Field.
[Metalmorph Parasite - Lunarook][Level 7/Water]
[Aqua Type/Union/Effect]
[1000/500→500/1000]
"[Metalmorph Parasite - Lunarook]'s Effect: Once per turn, during my Main Phase, this card on the Field can be equipped to a Face-up Monster on my Field as an Equip Card. I Equip it to [Destiny HERO - Plasma]."
Hayato paused, then added, "Because of this Effect, [Destiny HERO - Plasma] equipped with [Metalmorph Parasite - Lunarook] will not be affected by the Spell Card Effects controlled by you, Dartz."
"I see, you want to protect that monster called [Destiny HERO - Plasma]?" Dartz couldn't help but narrow his eyes. "What kind of Effect does that monster have exactly..."
The card [Destiny HERO - Plasma] was made by a Designer in the Industrial Illusions Card Design Department—who was Aster Phoenix's Father, now deceased. Originally, according to Industrial Illusions' regulations, cards were required to be entered into the Database for filing after completion.
However, as soon as the [Destiny HERO - Plasma] card was completed at that time, that guy D.D. killed Aster's Father and stole this card. D.D., having committed the crime of murder, naturally wouldn't walk into a trap by entering the card's Data but kept it hidden himself to quietly make a fortune.
It wasn't until the previous KC Cup that the arrogant guy, because Hayato made him lose face in a Duel, chose to secretly retaliate at night. As a result, he was Explode☆Killed by Hayato using [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca], dropping an OCG Version of [Destiny HERO - Plasma] for Hayato. The original version returned to Aster's Hand.
Because it was his Father's Keepsake, Aster also treasured [Destiny HERO - Plasma]. The result was that although the card [Destiny HERO - Plasma] could be used normally due to the Influence of the Light of Destruction, Industrial Illusions' Database did not have the Data for this card. Dartz therefore couldn't rely on his own means to learn this card's Effect.
However, Hayato's Boss Monster isn't just [Destiny HERO - Plasma]. His Opponent is Dartz, and this is the crucial Last Battle. He wouldn't hold back.
"I Banish [Ojama Magic Remodel] from my Graveyard, and Activate its Effect targeting the three [Ojama] monsters I Banished. Those monsters return to the Deck and are Shuffled, then I Draw a card from my Deck." Returning the Ojama Three Brothers he used to Special Summon [A], [B], and [C] to the Deck, the Duel Disk automatically Shuffled, and Hayato drew a card. His Hand Size returned to two.
Then, Hayato took out two more cards from his Graveyard and picked up the [A-Assault Core] on the Field as well. "I Banish [B-Buster Drake], [C-Crush Wyvern], and [A-Assault Core] from the Field!"
"The Requiem Melody will repair the world of the perfect god! Embrace me! [ABC-Dragon Buster]!"
The three Machine Monsters on Hayato's Field Disassembled and Combined, assembling into a brand new weapon.
[ABC-Dragon Buster][Level 8/LIGHT]
[Machine Type/Fusion/Effect]
[3000/2800→2800/3000]
"I Set a Card, and Activate Continuous Spell Card [Nightmare's Mirage]. Turn End."
[Hayato: 4000LP, Hand 0]
[Ojama Blue][ATK 1000]
[Destiny HERO - Plasma] (Equipped with Metalmorph Parasite - Lunarook)[DEF 1900]
[ABC-Dragon Buster][DEF 3000]
[Nightmare's Mirage][Set Card]
(Field)[Ojama Country]
Hayato looked at his properly set up Field and said proudly to Dartz, "Now, it's your turn to play the game."
Chapter 660: Chongzhu Yishi Rongguang, Can Pull Out Any Ritual He Points To
From Hayato's deck, Ojama Yellow, who never understood the meaning of "staying put," poked his head out and looked at Hayato's field.
"Hehehe~ Aniki is getting completely serious this time."
Also poking her head out was Little Blue, Dragonmaid House from Hayato's graveyard: "Oh oh oh, so many powerful monsters!"
Ojama Yellow: "Destiny HERO - Plasma, who is unaffected by the opponent's spell card effects and can also negate the opponent's monster effects!"
Little Blue: "ABC-Dragon Buster, who can banish the opponent's cards during the opponent's turn and even hide itself in the graveyard!"
Looking at each other, Ojama Yellow and Little Blue said in unison, "And, the two of us, who are incredibly powerful!"
"Definitely going to crush them!"
Amidst the back-and-forth banter of the two, Dartz began his turn: "My turn, draw."
"The continuous spell card, Nightmare's Mirage, activates the moment you enter your standby phase!" Seeing Dartz draw a card, Hayato quickly said, reaching for his deck with his right hand, "During the opponent's standby phase, I draw cards from my deck until my hand size is four. Draw!"
Saying this, Hayato drew four cards at once, and his hand that had been completely used up last turn was replenished by more than half in the blink of an eye.
"The gold and silver treasures seen by The Bandit in the Desert are nothing but an empty mirage, easily shattered, and the future and hope that Human Civilization can see now are the same," Dartz shook his head slightly and commented. "Now that you have drawn four cards, Hayato, it means that during the standby phase of your next turn, you will also need to discard four cards from your hand because of this."
Having observed Hayato for a long time, Dartz was naturally no stranger to Nightmare's Mirage. He also glanced at the two cards set in Hayato's Back Row.
Just like Kaiba's three Blue-Eyes White Dragons are always linked with Polymerization and De-Fusion, and Joey Wheeler's Graceful Dice and Dice of Archfiend always appear together, Hayato's Nightmare's Mirage is always used in conjunction with the quick-play spell card, Emergency Provisions.
This combo allows Hayato to replenish four cards for the cost of two cards when playing second, a return rate as high as 100%, and he can even gain 1000 life points.
That Emergency Provisions is likely set among those two cards now, right?
"Heh heh, you can't be sure about that, Dartz. As long as I want to do it, the future I resist will not befall me," Hayato said, boasting, looking at the four perfect cards he had drawn.
Hayato was still satisfied with his current field setup. After all, as far as he knew, whether it was the Ko'aki Meiru deck that Dartz used against him before, which was completely tailored to counter him, or the Orichalcos cards Dartz used in his duel against Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey Wheeler, none of them would be a match for his "pure" Dragonmaid deck.
However, Hayato slightly overlooked one point, which was that the Ko'aki Meiru deck was a collection of cards that Dartz had casually gathered over ten thousand years as a pastime, and the Orichalcos cards were also the power Dartz obtained based on the "Orichalcos God."
But, as the Emperor of the Atlantean Civilization which flourished before the birth of Human Civilization ten thousand years ago, the power that Dartz himself possessed was only now being displayed to Hayato.
"During my Main Phase, I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands in Attack Position." Dartz played a monster card from his hand onto the field, about to activate the effect of the monster he had summoned. "When Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands is summoned or successfully Flip Summoned, activate its effect. I search from my deck—"
Saying this, Dartz was about to take out a card from his deck, but to his surprise, the Duel Disk he was wearing on his left hand, which was manifested by dark power, released an electric current the next moment, stopping him from performing the search action?
"Oh? Are you trying to search for that broken card, Mirror Knight Summoner, or its corresponding ritual spell card from your deck, Dartz?" Hayato immediately thought of the broken card he had seen Dartz use when he was sealed in a Different Dimension.
One ritual spell card, one tribute, one ritual monster, and then you could summon as many tokens as possible onto your field without cost, and each of them had exaggerated resistance to battle destruction and combat power. They could be used for aggressive plays to clear monsters offensively or as tributes to summon a powerful monster defensively. Even though Link Summon did not exist in this era, Mirror Knight Summoner could still be called a powerful ritual monster.
Naturally, Hayato thought Dartz was going to summon that monster, since Dartz had already demonstrated the same process in his duel against Yugi and the others.
Facing Dartz's puzzled expression as he looked at his Duel Disk, Hayato put his hands on hips and said proudly, "Seizing the first turn and setting up my field was your greatest failure, Dartz. From the moment I summoned Destiny HERO - Plasma, you no longer have the qualification to play the game."
"As long as Destiny HERO - Plasma exists in my Monster Zone, all face-up monster effects on your field will be completely negated!"
Hearing Hayato's explanation, Dartz looked at his field and only then noticed that the blood pool from which Hayato had summoned Destiny HERO - Plasma earlier had not left Ojama Country, but had gradually spread to his side of the field. The Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands he had just summoned happened to step right into it.
The defiled blood polluted the bronze statue, negating its effect and wasting Dartz's precious Normal Summon.
Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands [Level 4/LIGHT]
[Fairy/Effect]
[1400/1000 → ATK 1000/DEF 1400]
Compared to Aster's original Destiny HERO - Plasma, Hayato's Real Card Version Destiny HERO - Plasma, while lacking the ability like a fake card to "gain the effects of Equip Monsters," gained a biased version of the Skill Drain effect as compensation, which could be activated as a single card without needing the support of D-Force.
Any monster on Dartz's field would have its effects negated, while Hayato's monsters were completely unaffected. Furthermore, this was a continuous effect that didn't need to be activated. Because of this, the Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands that Dartz had just summoned to the field could not use its effect to search for a Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell Card from the deck.
Seeing his combo starter become ineffective, Dartz's expression was normal: "I see, you've locked down the monster effects on my field. Is that why you specifically equipped that Destiny HERO - Plasma with a protecting Union Monster to prevent it from being destroyed?"
"But Hayato, that alone is not enough to lock down my full power. Although all monster effects on the field will be negated, the monster cards in my hand will not be affected." Saying this, Dartz revealed a card from his hand to Hayato. "Discard Gishki Shadow from my hand and activate its effect!"
Damn, Dartz, what's going on with you? Why are you playing Gishki?
Looking at the card Dartz discarded and sent to the graveyard, Hayato's heart stopped, and he ranted in his inner thoughts.
First the weak Ko'aki Meiru deck, and now the outdated Gishki Ritual Deck. Dartz, are you an old-timer?
Speaking of Ritual Summon, a Summoning Method abandoned by Kaiku Corporation, Hayato was naturally no stranger to it. After all, he himself had the "pure" Drytron deck, which could be called the strongest Ritual Deck. It was just that because he was annoyed by the Counter Card Ko'aki Meiru Doom that Dartz used against him last time, Hayato did not continue using the Drytron deck in this duel that he absolutely had to win, but instead chose the Dragonmaid deck.
Counting through the numerous Ritual Decks, each has its own characteristic. For example, Megalith, whose Ritual Monsters can act as Ritual Spells themselves; Vendread, which Ritual Summons from the Graveyard; Nekroz, which uses cards from the Extra Deck as Tributes, and so on. The Gishki deck naturally also has its characteristic, a quite annoying characteristic.
"Because of Gishki Shadow's effect, I can Add to Hand one Gishki Ritual Spell Card from my Deck. The card I select is this one, Gishki Aquamirror, and I activate it."
This time, Dartz successfully took out a Ritual Spell Card from his deck because he was activating the monster effect by discarding and sending to the graveyard from his hand, not using a monster effect on the field. He showed it to Hayato briefly and said,
"Gishki Aquamirror can tribute face-up monsters from my field and the opponent's field whose total Levels equal that of the Ritual Summoned monster, and perform a Gishki Ritual Summon!"
That's right, just like how Infernoid monsters, under the effect of Void Imagination, can tribute the opponent's powerful monsters as the cost for their own effects with their excessive "tribute" effect, the most annoying aspect of the Gishki deck is that it can use the opponent's monsters as tribute for a Ritual Summon!
Hayato's face turned dark, watching his invincible Destiny HERO - Plasma and the Ojama Blue next to it both being sent to the graveyard.
Although Hayato had equipped Destiny HERO - Plasma with the Union Monster Metalized Parasite - Moon Cloak to give it resistance to being unaffected by the opponent's spell card effects, to prevent Dartz from taking control of monsters or planning to disrupt the game, unfortunately, the "tribute" of Gishki Aquamirror is the power of the rules and completely ignores your resistance. The two monsters and the blood pool in the center of Ojama Country receded together, turning into ten stars that floated towards Dartz's field.
"The Atlantean Civilization was a civilization closely related to the Ocean. My ancestors were accompanied by spirits, and what they finally gained was this secret art. However, as the power of the Orichalcos descended, the out-of-control human heart and darkness led this secret art to undergo mutation, causing the Atlanteans to become twisted and distorted."
Saying this, Dartz held a card with a blue border over his head. "The total Level is 10☆. Take this fallen stance as a warning! Fear it! That which emerges from the Nether Sea!"
"Ritual Summon! Gishki Zielgigas!"
Behind Dartz, a tall giant rose from the suddenly appearing pitch-black tide. Its strange, four strong and powerful arms assumed a battle stance. As soon as it appeared, it trampled the buildings in Ojama Country.
Because the Ojama monsters disappeared from Hayato's field, Ojama Country lost the power to swap Flip Monsters' ATK and DEF at this moment. What's worse, Hayato also lost Destiny HERO - Plasma, which had a powerful negation effect, causing the monsters on Dartz's field to regain their own effects.
Gishki Zielgigas [Level 10/WATER]
[Aqua/Ritual/Effect]
[ATK 3200/DEF 0 → ATK 1600/DEF 0]
Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands [ATK 1000 → ATK 1400]
ABC-Dragon Buster [DEF 3000 → DEF 2800]
Because of Gishki Aquamirror's effect, Gishki Zielgigas appeared using Hayato's monsters as Tribute.
However, as everyone knows, powerful cards are often accompanied by great risk.
The ATK of Gishki Zielgigas, Ritual Summoned by Gishki Aquamirror's card effect, fell from 3200 points, which surpassed Blue-Eyes White Dragon's ATK, to only 1600 points, half of its original ATK. Furthermore, Dartz could not perform a Battle Phase this turn.
Even if he could perform a Battle Phase, with just the ATK of the two monsters on Dartz's field, he couldn't even break through ABC-Dragon Buster's defense.
Although he had some understanding of Gishki's characteristic of being able to Tribute the opponent's monsters as Tributes for its own Ritual Summon, Hayato's knowledge was only that much. Because he hadn't played Gishki much or dueled against Gishki many times, Hayato didn't remember what kind of effect Gishki Zielgigas had.
But looking at it not activating its effect as soon as it appeared, he guessed it wasn't an on-appearance activation, which meant it had to be manually activated. This gave Hayato an opportunity to make a move.
"Although I don't know what ability that monster has, in short, I'll activate ABC-Dragon Buster's effect first!" Saying this, Hayato sent a card from his hand to the graveyard. "Once per turn: You can discard 1 card, then target 1 card on the field; banish it. This effect can also be activated during your opponent's turn."
"How dare you tribute my Tamashii, Destiny HERO - Plasma! It's always only me who gets to tribute other people's monsters! Unforgivable, Dartz!"
Hayato reached out and pointed at Gishki Zielgigas behind Dartz. "Banish your Gishki Zielgigas on the field!"
Accompanying the card Hayato sent to the graveyard as energy filled into the cannon barrel, ABC-Dragon Buster's two cannon barrels skipped the charging process and directly fired two laser beams. In an instant, they pierced through the body of Gishki Zielgigas, which had appeared for less than ten seconds. The four-armed giant was destroyed in just a few seconds of appearing, and even its remains were erased.
Dartz, however, had a relaxed stance about his Ritual Monster being banished. Looking at ABC-Dragon Buster's smoking cannon barrels, he said, "A powerful effect that can banish cards during the opponent's turn, huh? Although it's a bit of a pity about Gishki Zielgigas, it also forced out your monster's once-per-turn effect, Hayato."
"Also, although it has already been banished, I still have to mention that Gishki Zielgigas's effect is: You can pay 1000 life points; draw 1 card and reveal it to both players, then if it was a Gishki monster, you can return 1 card on the field to the owner's deck."
Glancing at the three cards in his hand, Dartz drew one of them and said, "However, starting now, I'm going to go all out, Hayato."
"Activate the magic card, Advanced Ritual Art. Send Normal Monsters from my deck to the graveyard whose total Levels equal that of the Ritual Summoned monster, and Ritual Summon one Ritual Monster from my hand."
As Dartz spoke, he drew out a card that Hayato did not expect. "The Normal Monster I sent to the graveyard is Little White Rabbit, Level 1!"
A Level 1 Ritual?
Hayato froze for a moment.
Wait a moment, don't tell me, you're not going to summon that monster—