Chapter 691: It's My Fault for Only Telling You Half the Effect, But I Won't Apologize
[Danger! Dogman!] [ATK 2400]
Looking at Diabolo, or rather Danger! Dogman!, who had moved to the Front Row, even Hayato couldn't help but show a shocked expression.
"You actually turned into a Card Monster?"
"What is called 'Human Transmutation' is the ultimate subject of the alchemy I have learned. It is not merely creating a mass of flesh with life force, but its essence is to create true living beings with self will from nothing."
"Before granting activity to non-living substance to turn it into life, the prerequisite technology is to change the form of existing life, which is the Danger! series I created by performing biological modification on ordinary animals."
"But just as I was proud of my achievements, that guy told me he had already completed the 'Human Transmutation' subject, and was only missing the 'Sage's Stone' to perfect alchemy!" Looking at his hand twisted into an abomination, the "Dog-Man" Diabolo showed a clear expression of regret on his face. "To catch up to that guy, I forcibly used my own body as material, attempting to achieve 'Human Transmutation' with unfinished technology, but I failed and turned into this monster appearance."
"I was forced to leave the Laboratory I was in before and came to This Island, but unexpectedly obtained the most suitable material for completing the 'Sage's Stone', the Orichalcos Stone, which allowed me to recover my body to its normal appearance."
Diabolo bared his teeth and looked at Hayato, "But because of you, I was forced to turn back into this appearance!"
"I've decided, I'm going to subject you to the most horrific torment after I grab you and put you on the experiment table later!"
Although Diabolo was getting angry by himself, Hayato on the opposite side impatiently dug at his ear. "Hm? Are you finally done talking? Uh, actually, I stopped listening after you said about twenty words."
"Instead of rambling on with threats nobody understands, why don't you hurry up and continue your turn? With your terrible operation, you're still twenty thousand years away from defeating me." Hayato said with a contemptuous expression, continuing to enrage Diabolo with his words. "If there wasn't a saying about burning the rope, you'd be dead already."
"Hmph! I will prove it, prove my excellence, with this one card." Standing on the Front Row, Diabolo said, gripping a card with his sharp claws and inserting it into his Duel Disk. "Activate Equip Spell Card, Danger! Zone, equip it to myself!"
Following the activation of the Equip Spell Card, ropes suddenly appeared from all directions and wrapped around Diabolo. One end of the ropes was connected to heavy weights, seemingly intended to restrict the action of the captured monster.
However, after being entangled by the ropes, Diabolo, or rather Danger! Dogman!, his eyes turned scarlet, as if enraged, and he exhaled white breath from his nose. With a pull of his arms, he directly tore up the weights connected to the ropes and used them as meteor hammers.
[Danger! Dogman!] [2400/1000 → 3200/1800]
"Due to the effect of Danger! Zone, my ATK/DEF increase by 800 points, and I can attack monsters up to twice during the same Battle Phase!" Diabolo looked at Hayato and the only monster on his Field, Invoked Cocytus, and grinned. "With this, your monster can no longer protect you!"
"But it's not over yet, there's also this card, Fissure. This card can destroy one monster on the Opponent's Field with the lowest ATK! This effect cannot be targeted, and it can take effect on the only monster on your Field!" Diabolo laughed proudly, raising his fist and smashing it down hard. "Be crushed before my talent!"
As Diabolo's fist smashed onto the Ground, the Earth suddenly cracked open with a continuously expanding fissure, rushing towards Invoked Cocytus on Hayato's Field. In an instant, it had already reached its feet. Once it fell in, it would plummet into the bottomless Abyss.
In Diabolo's confident gaze, Invoked Cocytus looked at him with the gaze of an idiot, and gently fanned the pair of wings on its back that weren't just for show, and flew up.
It flew up!?
"Oh my, oh my, while it Cannot be targeted by the Opponent's Effect, Invoked Cocytus actually also has Resistance against Effect Destruction. I just forgot to tell you just now, yes, I forgot."
In Diabolo's angry gaze, Hayato said cheekily, "Well, it's my problem for not telling you all the effects in one go, but I won't apologize."
"Damn it! You shameless bastard!" Diabolo was so angry he almost ground his teeth, glaring furiously at Hayato.
Just now, he had planned it all out. After using Fissure to destroy the Invoked Cocytus on the Opponent's Field, he could use his massive 3200 ATK to hit the opponent hard, and then just attack with the two monsters Mothman and Morphing Jar to clear the opponent's Life Points that were like a flickering candle.
He was only one step away from such a magnificent victory, but it turned out that Dragon-Type Monster also had Resistance to Effect Destruction, and he was even looked down upon!? Who would have thought that pair of wings weren't just for show and could actually fly!
Moreover, not only is it immune to Effect Destruction, but it also Cannot be targeted by effects. What kind of annoying effect is that? Can't you just let me duel properly!
Annoyed, Diabolo looked at the monsters on his Field and set another card. "I haven't performed a Normal Summon this turn yet. I tribute Morphing Jar and Danger! Ogopogo! on the Field to Tribute Summon this monster."
"Danger! Thunderbird!"
Without shouting any cool summoning chant, Diabolo summoned the Monster Card in his Hand to the Field without much aura. Another Danger! monster appeared at the cost of the now useless card Morphing Jar and the monster with the lowest ATK, Danger! Ogopogo!.
Accompanied by a bright flash and a roaring sound, lightning struck beside Diabolo, transforming into a giant flying creature with brilliant colors feathers.
[Danger! Thunderbird!] [Level 8 / Dark]
[Winged Beast Type / Effect]
[2800/2400]
"Even if your monster has Resistance to Effect Destruction, what about it? It can't possibly have Resistance to Battle Destruction, right? I will tear that monster to shreds and then clear your Life Points in one go with this total attack!" Diabolo looked at the three monsters on his Field, including himself, and said confidently, "Enter Battle Phase!"
[Danger! Mothman!] [ATK 1800]
[Danger! Dogman!] (Danger! Zone) [ATK 3200]
[Danger! Thunderbird!] [ATK 2800]
"First, I will use myself to attack that Invoked Cocytus on your Field. You dared to look at me with contempt just now, watch me tear you to shreds!" Baring his teeth, Diabolo lunged fiercely at Invoked Cocytus flying in the sky.
Although Invoked Cocytus had extremely excellent resistance, there was a saying, "The most useless resistance is Battle Destruction Resistance, and the most effective way to remove a monster is Battle Destruction."
Even with a powerful DEF of 2900 points, now that Diabolo had increased his ATK using Danger! Zone, the blue dragon flying in the sky was captured by the ropes, pulled in front of Diabolo, and its heart area was pierced by a claw, destroyed along with the staff left by Aleister the Invoker.
However, because it was in Defense Position, Hayato did not take Battle Damage, and watched Diabolo land calmly.
"Hmph hahahaha, this is the feeling, the pleasure of cutting through flesh and blood, no matter how much time passes, it's still so captivating!" Holding the blue heart taken from Invoked Cocytus in his Hand, Diabolo squeezed it hard, crushing the heart, and laughed maniacally like a pervert.
And at the position of his chest, the red color within the blood-stained Orichalcos Stone increased slightly, further converting towards the direction of the Sage's Stone.
Hayato looked at Diabolo with disgust. As someone who knew the truth of the Sage's Stone, he was well aware that to complete the Sage's Stone, besides technology and material, the most important things were life and soul. To complete the Sage's Stone, Diabolo didn't know how many of the dead he had already stuffed into it.
Perhaps some of them were experimental animals that died during experiments, which he used as waste utilization, but Hayato hadn't forgotten that when Diabolo found them, he had also regarded them as experiment subjects!
"Now, you no longer have any monsters to protect yourself, it's time to show the expression of fear in the face of death." Diabolo looked at Hayato and ordered without hesitation, commanding his monsters to attack. "Then, accept this painful blow, Danger! Mothman!'s Direct Attack!"
[Hayato: 4000 → 2200 LP]
The headless winged human figure monster lunged at Hayato, and Hayato took the full 1800 points of Battle Damage from its ATK. However, when Hayato looked at the ugly monster, he did not feel disgusted.
Through that Direct Attack just now, Hayato felt the roar and wail remaining in the card. That was the resentment of the humans who had died in Diabolo's experiments. As Diabolo twisted their souls and bodies with alchemy, that hatred was also left within the card with nowhere to vent.
One should know that even Dartz, who collected human souls to awaken the divine power of the Orichalcos God, all he did from beginning to end was merely restrain human souls. Dartz, who had experienced the incident at Atlantis, would not twist human bodies, and even the souls he restrained were slumbering in peaceful darkness and would not feel pain.
But what Diabolo had done had already broken through the bottom line. He wantonly tampered with the bodies and souls of living beings, twisting them into the appearance of abominations, and also confining them within cards, forever unable to obtain liberation.
Since Diabolo was such a wicked guy, Hayato felt that he had no need to hold back anymore.
"At this instant, I activate Trap Card Hateful Complaint. Taste the resentment from your own cards, Diabolo." Pressing the activate set card button on his Duel Disk, Hayato said with a cold face. "This card can only be activated when an Opponent's Monster's Direct Attack inflicts Battle Damage to me."
"I gain Control of one Face-up monster on the Opponent's Field with the highest DEF until the End Phase of the Next Turn. The effect of the monster that gains Control through this effect is negated, and it cannot declare an attack."
Hayato said, pointing a finger at Danger! Thunderbird! on Diabolo's Field, which hadn't attacked yet. "The monster on your Field with the highest DEF is Danger! Thunderbird!. I gain its Control."
After Hateful Complaint was activated, Danger! Thunderbird!'s body on Diabolo's Field trembled. After realizing it could move freely, it quickly flew to Hayato's Field as if escaping, getting away from Diabolo, who had transformed into a Dog-Man.
"Tsk, you dare to betray me, useless thing!" Glaring fiercely at Danger! Thunderbird!, Diabolo gave a cold snort. "Hmph, you escaped this time, but what does it matter if you take that monster that can't attack? You still cannot win against me!"
"Set three cards, my Turn End." Setting all three cards on his Spell/Trap Zone, Diabolo declared his Turn End.
However, at the instant his Turn Ended, Light and Darkness Dragon, which had been sent to the Different Dimension by Hayato's Interdimensional Matter Transporter before, returned to Hayato's Field.
---Although Light and Darkness Dragon itself has a Special Summon Restriction, Interdimensional Matter Transporter returning it to the Field does not count as a Special Summon.
At the same time, because it left and returned, Light and Darkness Dragon's current ATK/DEF recovered to its original value.
[Diabolo: 3500 LP, Hand 0]
[Danger! Dogman!] (Danger! Zone) [ATK 3200]
[Danger! Mothman!] [ATK 1800]
[Set Card] X3
"Tsk, it came back again, that annoying monster." Seeing Light and Darkness Dragon reappear, Diabolo's expression was very bad, because it meant his cards in the Spell/Trap Zone might not be able to activate.
However, he suddenly had another thought and regained his confidence. "I almost forgot, you said before that monster's effect is Forced Activation, right? Does that mean even the activation of your own cards will be negated by that monster?"
"In that case, doesn't it mean you have a Hand full of cards, but they'll just be negated by your own monster before you even play them? Hahahaha, what a completely stupid monster!"
"Heh, is that so?" Hayato scoffed. "Although you understand alchemy, which few people learn, unlike another Alchemist I know who has a gentle personality, you're just scum, and a short-sighted scum at that."
"Let me reveal to you the true power of creation from nothing, and the ultimate power to destroy everything!"
Drawing a card from the top of his Deck, Hayato casually sent the drawn card to the Graveyard as Cost, and activated a card in his Hand. "Discard one card from my Hand, I activate Quick-Play Spell Card, Super Polymerization!"
"This card allows me to select Fusion Material required for a Fusion Monster from both fields and send them to the Graveyard, and Special Summon a Fusion Monster from the Fusion Deck as Fusion Summon!"
As Hayato activated Super Polymerization, a gale swept across the Field for a moment. The sky, which was originally shrouded in a faint mist, suddenly cleared, but the next moment dark clouds pressed down again. Amidst the lightning and thunder, Diabolo felt a suffocating feeling.
"A card that selects Fusion Material from both fields!?" After a moment of surprise, Diabolo came back to his senses and gritted his teeth. "But don't forget your Light and Darkness Dragon—"
"Useless, the activation of Super Polymerization cannot be chained to by Spell/Trap/Monster Effect, its Spell Speed is even higher than Counter Trap!" Hayato's words cut off Diabolo's last hope. He pointed a finger at Diabolo. "The monsters I choose are Danger! Mothman! and Danger! Dogman! from your Field!"
"Me!?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 692: I Am Kind-Hearted
"Me?!"
Hearing that Hayato's chosen Fusion Material included himself, Diabolo's face showed an expression of disbelief—if that dog-like face was capable of showing disbelief.
Moreover, he couldn't understand what kind of monster could be Fusion Summoned from a [Danger! Dogman!] and a [Danger! Mothman!]. As the creator of the [Danger!] Archetype, no one understood the [Danger!] Archetype better than him.
Although Diabolo himself couldn't imagine what kind of Fusion Monster Hayato intended to Summon, the power of [Super Polymerization] had already begun to take effect. A tearing force originating from the root of his soul emerged within the storm. Diabolo watched helplessly as his body seemed to be torn in half, pulled towards the center of the storm raised by [Super Polymerization].
However, all Hayato needed was the power of the two cards, [Danger! Dogman!] and [Danger! Mothman!]. Diabolo himself was not within the scope of the materials required by [Super Polymerization]. The next moment, Diabolo's body actually split into two parts: one part was Diabolo himself, transformed into an aged human figure, and the other part was the stiff body of [Danger! Dogman!].
The two monsters, [Danger! Dogman!] and [Danger! Mothman!], were thrown together into [Super Polymerization]. Diabolo, who had fallen to the ground, had a bewildered expression on his face and looked down at his hands.
These were human hands, not forcefully suppressed and modified by the power of the Orichalcos, but exactly as they were originally. Under the power of [Super Polymerization], his body had actually reverted back to a human body!?
But Diabolo himself wasn't overly excited by this. Instead, he suddenly looked up in the direction of [Super Polymerization]. There, the two monsters, [Danger! Dogman!] and [Danger! Mothman!], had fused into one, but the unfinished Sage's Stone that had been embedded in [Danger! Dogman!'s] body did not enter the storm. Instead, Hayato reached out and caught it.
"Give that thing back to me!"
"Hmm? No can do. This is the reward for helping you turn back into a human." Weighing the green jade stone, which was less than the size of a fist, in his Hand, Hayato said to the angry Diabolo, "If you want it, you should come and get it yourself. But before that, think about how you're going to barely survive in the face of this invincible power!"
"Materials are two DARK Attribute monsters on the Field. A despairing vine laden with fruits of sin and blood, from the depths of its winding roots in Hell, a new threat is born! Appear! The Poison Dragon with hungry fangs!"
"Fusion Summon! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"
The body created by the dark modification experiment dissolved into nourishment for vines under the power of [Super Polymerization], growing robustly into a ferocious Poison Dragon. And in the dissipating storm, Hayato also saw the souls that had been confined within the cards, gaining liberation and vanishing along with the storm.
[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon] [Level 8 / DARK]
[Dragon Type / Fusion / Effect]
[2800 ATK / 2000 DEF]
After one [Super Polymerization], the two monsters that were originally on Diabolo's Field completely disappeared, leaving it empty. Although he had the protection of three Set Cards in his Spell/Trap Zone, in front of the [Light and Darkness Dragon] on Hayato's Field in its full state, they were simply three pieces of waste paper.
And what he had to face were three consecutive powerful monsters on Hayato's Field: two Giant Dragons with 2800 ATK, and one [Danger! Thunderbird!] that originally belonged to him. Even though [Danger! Thunderbird!] could not attack due to the effect of [Hateful Complaint], even so, the ATK of just the two Giant Dragons was more than enough to clear Diabolo's current meager 3500 Life Points.
"The Sage's Stone is the only project I have hope of succeeding in. You bastard, you actually stole it from my Hand! Unforgivable!" Diabolo, blinded by rage, didn't care that [Light and Darkness Dragon] was still on Hayato's Field. As soon as [Starving Venom Fusion Dragon] appeared, he immediately activated a Set Card. "What kind of monster is that? All of you, go to Hell!"
"Trap Card, [Torrential Tribute]! Can be activated when a monster is Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned successfully! Destroy all monsters on the Field!"
As Diabolo's Set Card in the Back Row was revealed, a raging blue torrent instantly threatened to sweep across the entire Field. Diabolo used this Field-clearing card without any burden, since at this moment, only Hayato's Field had monsters. He had no monsters that could be destroyed.
However, the black and white wings on [Light and Darkness Dragon's] back flapped, and the torrent that seemed capable of destroying everything instantly became calm in the face of its power, unable to stir up a single wave.
"Idiot, did you forget the effect of [Light and Darkness Dragon]? By decreasing its ATK/DEF by 500 points as a cost, I will negate the activation of your [Torrential Tribute]."
Hearing Hayato's words, Diabolo, however, showed a proud expression. "Heh heh, indeed, the effect of [Torrential Tribute] was forcefully negated by the effect of [Light and Darkness Dragon]. But I noticed it just now. Although the effect of [Light and Darkness Dragon] seems to be a Continuous Effect, capable of even negating Trap Cards."
"However, its effect actually enters a Chain, doesn't it!"
"As long as I use [Torrential Tribute] to bait out its first effect, I can chain the activation of the card I truly want to use after [Light and Darkness Dragon's] effect activates!"
Saying this, Diabolo proudly revealed his second Set Card in the Spell/Trap Zone. "Quick-Play Spell Card, [Tribute to the Doomed]! Destroy that [Light and Darkness Dragon] on your Field!"
Beneath the waves that [Light and Darkness Dragon] had calmed, as Diabolo's card activated, several foul bandages suddenly shot out from within, wrapping around [Light and Darkness Dragon], which was still unable to move after using its ability. The bandages tightened, dragging [Light and Darkness Dragon] directly into the Graveyard.
Watching [Light and Darkness Dragon] be destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, Hayato couldn't help but glance at Diabolo. "You truly surprise me. A guy like you could actually think of a way to break through [Light and Darkness Dragon] like this? But I remember, the side effect of [Tribute to the Doomed] is skipping your next Draw Phase, right?"
"Heh heh, do you think I'll just sit here and wait for death because I have no Hand? Naive kid." Diabolo said proudly upon hearing this, activating the last Set Card in his Spell/Trap Zone. "Trap Card, [Reckless Greed]! I Draw two cards from my Deck, then skip my next two Draw Phases."
Hayato watched as Diabolo revealed what his last Set Card was and drew two cards, and he gave a cold smile. "I see. You think I can't inflict enough damage to you this Turn?"
"Although [Light and Darkness Dragon] has indeed been destroyed by you, aren't you worried that I can still Summon other monsters?"
"Try it if you can." Diabolo's heart skipped a beat, but he still spoke stubbornly. Actually, he really hadn't considered this point. Hayato hadn't performed a Normal Summon this Turn. Although he had destroyed [Light and Darkness Dragon], leaving only the [Starving Venom Fusion Dragon] with 2800 ATK on Hayato's Field that could attack.
However, his Life Points were only 3500. If Hayato Summoned another monster with 700 or more ATK, he would be finished.
However, what Hayato said next made Diabolo genuinely breathe a sigh of relief.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any monsters in my Hand that can be Normal Summoned. And as expected, I still have to leave the final opportunity for revenge to this monster." Although he had a Death Striker with 900 ATK in his Hand that could be Normal Summoned, Hayato didn't play it. After glancing at the [Danger! Thunderbird!] on his Field, he declared, "Enter my Battle Phase!"
"[Starving Venom Fusion Dragon's] Direct Attack! Against this kind of guy, there's no need to hold back. Release your maximum power!"
Pointing at Diabolo, [Starving Venom Fusion Dragon] lunged towards its target following Hayato's movement. Dangerous purple poison gleamed on its winding, vine-like body.
"Strong Acid Poison Extinction Rain!"
The predatory dragon coiled around Diabolo like a python capturing its prey. Its ferocious dragon head looked down upon Diabolo from above, then suddenly opened its mouth and poured down highly corrosive venom like a rain curtain!
"Ugh! Ahhhhhhh!!!"
The reason for Diabolo's wail was naturally that [Starving Venom Fusion Dragon], Summoned by the power of [Super Polymerization], was not some illusory Duel Monster. The attack it caused at this moment was real, tangible damage, not a phantom. Diabolo was truly drenched in highly corrosive venom!
[Diabolo: 3500 → 700 LP]
The potent poison instantly corroded down to the bone, and even the bones were fragile against this concentration of venom. But the next moment, what Diabolo didn't expect was that his body actually began to heal rapidly.
"Although I don't know how old you are, it seems you've lived until now because of your own modifications, right?" Hayato glanced at the Orichalcos Stone in his Hand, thinking about how to deal with this thing, and said casually, "The power of [Super Polymerization] merely stripped away the power within you that could exist as a Card Spirit. I specifically left that life force for you."
"So, there's no Duelist more loving than me."
"Damn, damn it!" Diabolo glared at Hayato. How could he be as kind-hearted as he claimed? Precisely because of the constant self-healing, the poison left by [Starving Venom Fusion Dragon] had instead fused into his body. From that moment on, he could feel the maddening sharp pain spreading throughout his entire body every single moment. That life force had instead become the source of his pain.
However, as long as he was given time, with his talent, he could definitely complete Human Transmutation. At that time, he would naturally be able to resolve this pain by replacing his body. As long as he killed this arrogant kid in front of him!
Diabolo looked at the cards in his Hand. Among the two cards he drew with [Reckless Greed], one was the Spell Card [Raigeki], which could easily destroy all monsters on the Opponent's Field directly. The other card was the Spell Card [Mystical Space Typhoon], which could be used to destroy Spell and Trap Cards.
Next Turn, he just needed to use [Mystical Space Typhoon] to destroy any Set Card the kid might have, then use [Raigeki] to sweep away the [Starving Venom Fusion Dragon] that had caused him so much pain. Then he could use the [Danger! Thunderbird!] that had returned to this side to Direct Attack and clear the kid's Life Points.
He had suffered so much humiliation, he absolutely had to blast this kid into dust!
"This pain, I will return it to you double next Turn—no, 1000%!"
Hearing Diabolo's harsh words, Hayato spread his hands. "Next Turn? When did you get the illusion that 'you still have a next Turn'?"
"Huh?" Enduring the pain, Diabolo looked at Hayato's Field. He should no longer have any monsters that could attack. The only [Starving Venom Fusion Dragon] had already inflicted damage on him, and [Danger! Thunderbird!] was an existence that could not attack and couldn't even use its effect.
"Your next line is, 'Heh, you don't have any monsters that can attack anymore, do you?'"
"Heh, you don't have any monsters that can attack... What!?" Diabolo looked at Hayato, paused slightly, then continued, "Hmph, a boring trick. What if I say it again? You don't have any monsters that can attack and inflict damage to me anymore!"
Hayato held a card between his fingers and said, "Sore wa dou kana. Who says a monster that can't attack can't inflict damage?"
"I said before, I have to leave the final opportunity for revenge to this monster." Looking at the [Danger! Thunderbird!] on his Field, Hayato inserted the card into his Duel Disk. "Battle Phase End. Then, in my Main Phase 2, activate Continuous Spell Card, [Psychic Ectoplasm]!"
"During each player's End Phase, each player must Tribute one monster on their Field and inflict damage equal to half the ATK of that monster to their Opponent!"
Hearing the effect of [Psychic Ectoplasm] that Hayato described, Diabolo froze, then suddenly looked at [Danger! Thunderbird!].
[Danger! Thunderbird!] [ATK 2800]
If Hayato Tributed that monster, he could inflict a total of 1400 damage to him in one go!
"Wait, wait a minute, you're not going to Tribute my monster to attack me, are you!? You're not going to Tribute that monster, are you!"
Hayato nodded without hesitation upon hearing this. "Sodayo~"
"I am kind-hearted. I can't stand to see others suffer, so I'm here to give you liberation."
"Not just you, Diabolo, but also the souls you've confined within the cards."
Saying this, Hayato waved his hand. "My Turn End. Then, due to the effect of [Psychic Ectoplasm], I Tribute [Danger! Thunderbird!]. Sacrifice yourself for the great cause!"
Under the effect of [Psychic Ectoplasm], the massive body of [Danger! Thunderbird!] on Hayato's Field disintegrated, and several spirit bodies flew out from within. These souls looked like ordinary small birds and flew directly towards Diabolo!
Watching the souls from the card come at him, Diabolo was so terrified that he fell onto his buttocks, shouting in terror, "No, don't!"
"Don't come near me!!!"
It's been 2600 days in the blink of an eye, but I'm still 30 days short of 2500 check-ins. There are indeed great ones on Twitter with 2600 consecutive check-ins, Miracle 18 minutes.jpg (ps: refers to a server crash on the JP Server once, where there were only 18 minutes of normal online check-in time throughout the day, causing a large number of players to miss check-ins)
End of Chapter
Chapter 693: Precise Cliffhanger
"Hmph, hmph..."
Watching Diabolo collapse to the ground, struck down by the Soul released from Danger! Thunderbird!, continuously wailing and groaning, Hayato felt no pity. He simply extended his hand, allowing a bird Soul from Danger! Thunderbird! to perch on his fingertips.
"'Humans will die someday, and pain and sadness will pass. But I am willing to believe that Souls can be Reincarnated. If there is a next life, I want to become a bird, Soaring freely in the Space'." Watching the Soul on his fingertips Disperse, Hayato lowered his hand. "Well, looks like even birds can't escape the Destiny of being trapped in a cage?"
[Diabolo: 700 LP → 0]
Due to the Power of Psychic Ectoplasm, Diabolo's remaining 700 LP were Cleared by Danger! Thunderbird!. However, his Body on the ground kept twitching and he never woke up.
Hayato didn't Explain to Yugi and the others what he had done. Instead, he spread his hands: "Alright, just leave this guy here. Everything is over."
"Is it really okay to just leave a guy like this here?" Looking at the fallen Diabolo, Joey Wheeler had a look of disgust. "Although I still don't understand what this guy's 'Experiment' and stuff were all about, just defeating him in a Duel seems too light..."
"Don't worry, he will suffer enough Punishment next, and he won't be able to go anywhere."
"Especially the 'Truth' of Death, that is a place he can never Arrive at." As Hayato spoke, he walked over to Diabolo and took out his entire Deck from his Duel Disk, which was constantly turning into mist and Dispersing. However, this time, Hayato did not take this Deck into his hand. Instead, he took out the Danger! Cards he held.
As everyone knows, humans can "Accidentally" tear up an entire Deck. Hayato naturally also Accidentally tore up the Danger! Cards in his hand in one go. As he did so, several Monster Phantoms appeared before him, clearly the Monsters Diabolo had used before, such as Danger! Bigfoot!, Danger! Nessie!, etc.
As the Cards were torn, golden smoke rose from the Monsters' Bodies into the air, and their distorted Monster forms recovered to their original forms—Little White Rabbit, gorillas, Fish, etc., scattering with the wind.
Although Hayato knew that the Power of the Danger! Deck was far more than what a noob like Diabolo had used, and that it actually had extremely powerful Field Setup Ability, relatively speaking, he would rather choose to lose this powerful Deck. The Cards were restraining Souls filled with Unwillingness and Pain; he wouldn't feel comfortable using such a dark Deck.
As for the Punishment he didn't explicitly tell Yugi and the others about for Diabolo, it was actually during the Last Attack just now. Hayato had controlled the intensity of Psychic Ectoplasm. What hit Diabolo's Body was less the Souls from Danger! Thunderbird! and more purely Pain and Resentment.
Hayato had deliberately preserved a powerful Life Force in Diabolo's Body, comparable to that of a Card Spirit, to eternally counter the Poison of Starving Venom Fusion Dragon left in his Body. Diabolo's Mind would also be eternally tormented by the Malice he created, unable to find Liberation.
He could be said to be continuously living, but also continuously approaching death, forever lingering before death, unable to Arrive. This was the Punishment Hayato inflicted upon him.
However, although Hayato released all the Souls from Diabolo's Cards, something unexpected happened. Before those Souls left, they left behind an extremely faint trail of golden mist leading into the Forest, as if guiding the Path.
"Hey, Joey Wheeler, what is this thing?" Tristan saw this and asked Joey Wheeler beside him, but Joey Wheeler just spread his hands. "I don't even know where the End of the Universe is, how would I know this?"
Marik rubbed his chin and voiced his guess: "Could it be that those Souls are guiding us in the direction we should go?"
"I think it's very possible." Téa said, looking at Yugi, and Yugi also nodded, indicating that he shared Téa's view.
"This direction seems to also lead to that Volcano, which is the same as our original direction. Since taking other paths is equally unfamiliar, why don't we try following this?" Hayato thought for a moment and offered his suggestion, and the others had no objections.
Before Diabolo's attack here, everyone had already rested briefly. Although they had the idea of camping here before, now that they had this mist that looks like it could Disperse at any moment as Guidance, it was better to continue moving forward.
The Path pointed out by the mist also led into the dense Jungle. So, just like before, the formation remained two people leading the way with the other four walking behind. Because they had rested for a while before, Tristan picked up his shovel again. Joey Wheeler, on the other hand, felt he still had plenty of stamina, so currently, they were the two leading the way, while Hayato, Marik, and Yugi were happy to take it easy and walk behind.
Although Téa wasn't a fragile woman without the ability to fight, there were five boys in the team, so there was plenty of labor, and it wasn't necessary to have a girl lead the way.
Walking at the back of the team, Téa asked Hayato with a bit of curiosity: "Hayato, you said this is called 'Sage's Stone'. Is that true? I remember in Yugi's Deck, there seems to be a Spell Card used to support Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl called Gem of the Sage."
"Well, although the names are quite similar, there's actually a big gap. Just this incomplete 'Sage's Stone' provided that guy Diabolo with various powers to transform ordinary creatures into Card Spirits and gain eternal life." Hayato tossed the Orichalcos Stone, which was about the size of a marble, and said casually, "As for the finished product, you can refer to this card. It can basically make your heart's desires come true."
As he spoke, Hayato took out his Philosopher's Stone - Sabatiel card and revealed it to them.
Upon seeing the card effect of Philosopher's Stone - Sabatiel, which was fundamentally a fake card, even Yugi's eyes widened: "Declare a card name, and then rule-wise it can be used as the declared card and gain the same effect!? That effect is too unfair! Can a completed 'Sage's Stone' be made into such a powerful card?"
"Believe me, Yugi, you wouldn't want to know the method to complete the 'Sage's Stone', nor would you want to see the completed 'Sage's Stone'. The very existence of such a thing is a taboo subject for Alchemists." Hayato put away the card and exclaimed, "Perhaps only a madman like Diabolo would resort to any means to complete the 'Sage's Stone'."
"However, I also suspect that the Orichalcos Stone itself might have had an influence on that guy's deranged mind."
"The Orichalcos that the Planet uses to test humans..." Yugi exclaimed, suddenly remembering, "Oh right, Hayato, Diabolo seemed to have mentioned before that there were other Alchemists, and he was competing with them to complete the 'Sage's Stone'. Do you know any other Alchemists?"
Although it was the first time he had heard that Alchemists actually existed, Yugi had noticed before that Hayato seemed familiar with Alchemists, as if he also knew other Alchemists.
"Other Alchemists, well, I actually only know one, and even then, you could only say we know each other one-sidedly." Hayato was about to talk about the Alchemist he knew, but at this moment, they had just walked out of the Jungle, following the golden smoke to the foot of a Hill.
Without the cover of the Bush, a huge Obelisk-like pillar stood upright on the Earth before their eyes, and two people were standing before the Obelisk.
Chapter 694: He Gave Too Much
Approximately two hours ago.
"Captain, we've arrived at the designated coordinates." On a small ocean ferry, the First Mate, who was constantly monitoring the radar system on the control panel, said to a burly man beside him. "However, the detection radar hasn't picked up any signals indicating the existence of an Island or anything similar."
The burly man, who was called Captain, simply nodded upon hearing this. He raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes, looking out at the boundless Sea Surface where nothing seemed to exist.
However, a man beside the burly man, whose style was completely out of place on this Ship and who looked more like an office secretary running errands than a crew member, spoke sternly to the First Mate who had just called out "Captain": "That's disrespectful to Mr. Anasis. You should at least address Mr. Anasis as 'Chairman'!"
"What does it matter, Socrates? Actually, I prefer the title 'Captain' over 'Chairman'," Anasis said, lowering the binoculars without finding anything and revealing a cleft chin as he laughed heartily. "When I first inherited the family business, I spent a lot of time sailing with my subordinates. Sea life, no matter how long it's been, still makes me feel so excited. Just hearing 'Captain' makes me feel several years younger."
"Mr. Anasis..." Looking at the World's Shipping Magnate before him, known for his consistently willful personality, Socrates, as his secretary, helplessly chose to give up. "Since it's your idea, alright. It's not like this is the first time you've been willful anyway."
"Just like this time, the 'Island Not on Maps, far from the world's noise.' Such an unrealistic illusion fundamentally couldn't exist, could it? Yet, you insisted on coming here single-mindedly."
"No way about it, Socrates. How does that saying go? I originally wanted to refuse, but Mr. Kagemaru gave too much. That's how it is."
Anasis laughed heartily, then turned around to look at the other two figures in the Room. "However, Mr. Kagemaru, we have now arrived at the destination, but neither the radar nor the naked eye can find the existence of the Island you mentioned."
"Compared to the meager transaction profit it is for you now, isn't it obvious that this is more about satisfying your own curiosity?" Behind Anasis, Socrates said in a low voice with a helpless expression, while the First Mate silently stared at the radar map and nodded in agreement.
They had been with Anasis for decades. They couldn't be clearer about Anasis's curiosity, which never allowed itself to be under restraint. In the earliest days, he liked secret treasures and artifacts from the Seabed. Later, he developed a liking for rare "curses," "magic," and similar items from around the World. Some time ago, due to that global event, he started becoming interested in things like "lost civilization" and "Mysterious Place."
Although he initially had no interest in the opponent when he heard that the famous entrepreneur Kagemaru wanted to rent a large exploration ship from their company, he suddenly became interested when the opponent revealed he was looking for the "Island Not on Maps," and even came along on the Ship himself.
At the back of the Room, an old man leaning on a cane heard Anasis's words and said with a smile, "Don't be impatient, Mr. Anasis. If you could find the Non-existent Island simply by sailing the Ship nearby, then This Island couldn't have been hidden for so long."
"To enter That Island, you need a small trick." As he spoke, the old man named "Kagemaru" turned his head to look at the young man standing beside him. "It's time for you to act, Amunaeru... Or should I call you by your other name now?"
"Well, in the face of truth, human individuals are so insignificant. Names are just simple appellations. As long as I know you're calling me, Mr. Kagemaru, that's fine."
The man wearing the mask said casually, but then spread his hand. "I still need to explain to you beforehand, Mr. Kagemaru, that I'm not sure how far my friend's research subject has progressed, or if he still considers me a friend with whom he can share knowledge. Everything is uncertain."
"No matter how uncertain it is, I have to try." Hearing Amunaeru say this, Kagemaru showed no intention of being dissuaded. After all, since they were already here, how could they not try? "Besides, you know, don't you? I'm already ninety years old this year."
"Watching my strength disappear from my body little by little, and the vitality and spirit of my youth decline daily and vanish, the closer my lifespan gets to its end, the more unwillingness I feel. Unwillingness to be buried and left behind as part of the abandoned old era, precisely at the moment when this World is becoming increasingly exciting."
Saying this, Kagemaru coughed twice and glanced at the long black hair outside Amunaeru's mask. "That's really good. You're also almost ninety years old, aren't you? If I could use that technology of yours, wouldn't I have no need to come here?"
Hearing Kagemaru's exclamation about aging, Amunaeru shrugged. "No way about that either. To be honest, completing human transmutation even once is already a miracle in alchemy. Among all the Alchemists I know, I'm probably the sole person who has completed human transmutation. Even so, the 'me' of today is an existence full of flaws and must cooperate with another research subject."
'However, although I knew at that time that the 'Sage's Stone' could actually be completed and wasn't just a fleeting illusion, who would have thought that the truth of the 'Sage's Stone' would actually be...'
'The goal of coming here this time is both to confirm if there's any other possibility of completing the 'Sage's Stone' and to slightly repay Kagemaru's kindness for funding me for decades.'
Without speaking the words in his heart, Amunaeru sighed, called out, and turned to walk out of the Room. "In short, Mr. Kagemaru, and if you want to explore the Island together, Mr. Anasis, you too, come with me."
"If we're going to That Island, we'll have to transfer to a small boat."
As is well known, corresponding to the different uses in numerous professional fields, ships can be freely customized and modified into different ships designed for different use scenarios, such as icebreakers specifically strengthened in the bow and power system for use in polar regions, or research vessels specialized for stability to protect internal equipment and samples.
And the so-called "exploration ship" is naturally specially designed for explorers to sail and explore globally. It largely belongs to the something of limited use category of "poor people can't afford it, rich people don't need it," but it still has all the necessary configurations, including a small speedboat specifically for landing on Islands.
Besides Kagemaru and Amunaeru, Anasis and Socrates also left the exploration ship together on this speedboat. The First Mate remained on the Ship with dozens of other crew members to manage the anchored exploration ship, waiting for the four to return.
But honestly, the First Mate didn't think it would take much time from his heart. He suspected that after the speedboat had gone a short distance, the masked guy with Kagemaru wouldn't be able to keep up that pretentious trick anymore.
Actually, Amunaeru, standing at the very front of the speedboat facing the sea wind, was holding four test tubes containing unknown liquid in his hand, muttering something under his breath.
As he finished his chant and poured the liquid from the test tubes in his hand, the liquid in the test tubes ignored the gale and actually converged into four circular formations in front of Amunaeru, continuously expanding and overlapping.
Immediately after, Kagemaru, Anasis, and Socrates witnessed an incredibly shocking scene — As if a curtain had been pulled open in the air, a mass of mist that had appeared at some unknown time enveloped their speedboat. Then, a boundary appeared in the sky, and before their eyes, as if they had entered another World, a massive Island suddenly appeared!
"It actually exists!"
Socrates was somewhat dumbfounded. "'Island Not on Maps' is real!"
"Oh oh oh, I'm completely excited! I can't wait to land on This Island and explore!" Anasis controlled the speedboat with one hand, continuing towards the suddenly appearing giant Island, while using the other hand to hold down the hat on his head, his expression full of excitement. "Although Duel Monsters, especially the duel with young Hayato back at that time, was also very interesting,"
"But as a man of the Sea, the excitement of discovering a New World is truly unique!"
While excited, Socrates couldn't help but rant: "A Mysterious Place in the Indian Ocean. If I didn't know that movies are all fake, I'd almost suspect there might be a giant gorilla dozens of meters tall on This Island."
Anasis said with a smile, "That's a pity, Socrates. We don't have a beauty here worth that gorilla climbing the Empire State Building to fight off planes."
Compared to Anasis and Socrates, Kagemaru was relatively less excited. Even so, Kagemaru's face, covered in age spots, was slightly flushed. "Amunaeru, is This Island the location of that Alchemist who studied under the same master as you, but unlike you who primarily researched the 'Sage's Stone,' primarily researched 'human transmutation'?"
"As far as I know, he has been on This Island for almost fifty years and has never left. As long as there are no accidents, we will definitely find him here, as long as there are no accidents. However, regarding whether the matter will succeed or not, you need to make mental preparation beforehand."
Amunaeru stepped down from the bow of the Ship and glanced at Kagemaru.
What he didn't know was that there's a saying: If there are no accidents, then accidents are about to happen.
Just as the speedboat carrying the group was heading towards the small island, Anasis, who was steering, casually adjusted the hat on his head, but the corner of his eye caught a firelight on the horizon. Subconsciously, he raised his head, but saw an airplane falling towards the Sea Surface from the horizon!?
"Boom!"
The airplane crashed into the sea so quickly that Anasis had no time to react. He just saw the airplane smash directly into the Sea Surface, creating a large fireball. Fortunately, the location where the airplane crashed was very far from them, even outside the mist covering the small island. Anasis and the others were not affected by the airplane's crash, merely slightly startled.
"Seriously, that scared me to death. That's why I like Ship and not airplanes." Patting his chest, Anasis said with a startled expression, "See how dangerous flying is? You see airplane crashes all the time. Why don't you see Cruise Ship sinking?"
"Probably because something like the Titanic incident is equivalent to a dozen airplane accidents at once." Beside him, Socrates answered without hesitation. "Oh, not necessarily. One airplane like the Twin Towers incident is probably enough too."
Amunaeru and Kagemaru didn't appreciate Anasis and Socrates' dark humor. After seeing an airplane crash nearby, Kagemaru wore a regretful expression: "What a pity. I wonder how many young people lost their lives on that airplane just now. So much lifespan wasted like that."
Amunaeru, however, raised his head to look at the sky and said after a moment of silence, "It's not necessarily wasted. Actually, the people on the airplane seem to have parachuted. Look, over there."
Kagemaru looked in the direction Amunaeru was pointing and saw several parachutes opening in mid-air. They seemed to be passengers who had parachuted from the airplane that had just crashed. And judging from the direction the parachutes were moving, those people seemed like they were coming to This Island here?
Seeing Kagemaru's confusion, Amunaeru spread his hand. "It's probably because I just lifted the domain on the Island that shielded it from unrelated people. To enter This Island, I exposed it for a short period of time, so those people with nowhere else to go chose to land on This Island."
"So, will those people influence us?" Kagemaru said, frowning. He was very concerned about this action and didn't want to see any accidents occur.
"Well..., I'm not too sure either, but I don't think my friend would care too much. Although, I haven't seen him for almost ten years. I don't know how he is now." Amunaeru's tone was very flat, which made Kagemaru feel a bit anxious.
Thinking that the Alchemist on the Island might get angry because they brought too many irrelevant people intruding, and in a fit of pique, refuse to exchange knowledge regarding "human transmutation" and "Sage's Stone," causing him to lose the hope of extending his lifespan, Kagemaru's breathing couldn't help but become heavy.
He had been funding Amunaeru's alchemy research to extend his life a long time ago, but this guy had never been able to produce results effective for him for decades. First, he said that the "Sage's Stone," which he primarily focused on, was impossible to complete. Then, he said that "human transmutation," which had succeeded once, had no hope of a second success. Although he always felt that this guy was hiding things and unwilling to give him the real goods, considering that he couldn't let the investment from earlier years go to waste, Kagemaru couldn't fall out with Amunaeru.
And when Amunaeru said he had an Alchemist friend, Kagemaru gained new hope, his last hope. If he couldn't obtain the possibility of eternal life from the Alchemists of today, then he would probably only have the option to create something called "Phantasm Beasts" based on the knowledge from that ancient book he once obtained. He just didn't know exactly what the so-called "Phantasm Beasts" were.
Kagemaru's gloomy gaze was fully seen by Amunaeru, but he said nothing. Only after the speedboat finally arrived at the shore did he lead Kagemaru towards the center of the small island, to find his "friend."
End of Chapter
Chapter 695: Capitalists Attract Each Other
Returning to the present, just as Hayato and the others walked out of the Forest, they saw two figures standing before an Obelisk-like pillar, communicating with each other.
"Is this the place, Amunaeru?" Kagemaru leaned on his cane, asking Amunaeru, who was stroking the pillar beside him. Behind Kagemaru was a four-legged mechanical device.
Although Kagemaru, nearing a hundred years old, maintained an exceptionally healthy body compared to other elderly people his age due to his training in his youth, he was ultimately old. Just now, he had relied on that four-legged crawling device to keep up with Amunaeru's pace through the Jungle and arrive at their destination.
However, unlike Amunaeru, Kagemaru, who knew nothing about alchemy, could not tell anything special about the pillar before him.
Amunaeru, on the other hand, stroked the pillar with his finger, a sense of astonishment and excitement flowing from his self-talk: "What a magnificent structure! To think they constructed a seal through seven Obelisks, casting all the dead beings on This Island into the seal, utilizing nature's own cycles to complete the 'Sage's Stone'? Truly a genius idea!"
"Although it might spend a lot of time, as long as we wait slowly, the day it's completed will eventually come!"
Seeing Amunaeru getting excited by himself, Kagemaru impatiently urged, "Amunaeru!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Seeing such a remarkable idea, I couldn't help myself for a moment." Interrupted by Kagemaru from the stream of wonderful ideas appearing in his mind, Amunaeru wasn't angry. He said to Kagemaru with a slight apology, but he also felt a bit strange.
"However, it's truly strange. Since Diablo constructed such an item on the Island, unless he had a brain short-circuit and thought of draining the pond to catch all the fish by killing all the living beings in one go to speed up the process, shouldn't there be many animals on the Island to continuously provide enough energy? Why did I only see a few flying birds on the way here?"
Amunaeru rested his chin on his hand, looking like he was deep in thought. "Also, that guy Diablo, logically speaking, shouldn't he have appeared before me long ago? After all, we have such a good relationship. Every time I appear, he's always eager to care about the progress of my experiment and share what achievements he has made."
'No, that Diablo clearly just wanted to show off to you. Where did you get the idea that he considered you a friend?' Kagemaru, standing behind Amunaeru, grumbled internally. His expectation of getting help from the Alchemist named Diablo couldn't help but decrease slightly.
He should have thought of it earlier. This guy Amunaeru fundamentally doesn't understand much about social etiquette. Maybe that guy named Diablo didn't just not consider him a friend, but even saw him as an opponent or enemy. How could he possibly help him?
Just then, someone joined their conversation: "If the Diablo you're talking about is an old guy with pink hair covered in mold spots, then unfortunately, he probably won't be able to come before you."
"Who's there?!" Kagemaru looked over at the sound, but saw several young people with backpacks of varying size, dressed like tourists, walking out of the Jungle not far away. The one who spoke was a tall, handsome youth walking at the front of the group.
'Are they the travelers who parachuted from that airplane just now? Hmph, they'd better not influence my actions.' Kagemaru wasn't very interested in these young people, especially the short one whose hair stood up like a Starfish (Nickname for Yugi), and the dark-skinned, white-haired kid with a weak appearance. It was very obvious that these two were the least worth paying attention to in the group; they looked like weaklings at a glance.
However, the leading young man who had just spoken to them caught Kagemaru's particular attention. After observing him for a bit, he couldn't help but frown.
Kagemaru felt that the young man looked familiar, but although he looked quite handsome, for some reason, Kagemaru always felt that there was a very evil aura about That Person. This was Kagemaru's intuition as a capitalist who had built up a vast enterprise from scratch. From the first moment he saw that young man, Kagemaru felt a unique attraction, the attraction between capitalists who attract each other.
Even if the other party wasn't a high-ranking leader in some organization, they were at least a decision-maker with the resolve to sacrifice their subordinates without hesitation to achieve their goal.
However, Kagemaru, whose understanding of Duel Monsters was only superficial, didn't recognize the youth. Amunaeru, standing beside him, recognized the other party's identity at a glance and said in astonishment, "Mr. Hayato!? Why are you here?"
"Uh, I remember now, could it be that airplane just now was..."
"Well... it's pretty much like that. I didn't want to be here either, but because of an accident, I got to know that there's actually a crazy Alchemist on This Island." Hayato glanced at Amunaeru, who was wearing a mask, and greeted him, "It's been a long time since the KC Cup. Long time no see, Professor Banner."
Hayato thought the other party would refuse this address again, but to Hayato's surprise, Amunaeru actually nodded and accepted it: "Yes, I do go by that name now, Mr. Hayato."
"Is he someone you know, Professor Banner?" Kagemaru looked at the Alchemist he had hired beside him and asked. He seemed to be asking who Hayato and the others were, but actually, when he heard Amunaeru say "Hayato", he had already remembered where he had seen this young man.
'Hayato Kobayashi, huh? I didn't expect the Duel King to appear here. Is he really here by accident? Looking at the group of people his age behind him, are they traveling with friends during the holidays? Probably.'
'Hmph, a kid is just a kid after all. Even if he's some so-called Duel King, he only became the strongest by playing child's tricks. He's clearly in a treasure trove but fundamentally hasn't noticed what a great existence is before his eyes.'
The main reason Kagemaru, thinking this in his mind, asked Amunaeru was actually to ask about another point. That is, not many people knew Amunaeru's new name, "Professor Banner". When did Hayato Kobayashi intersect with Amunaeru, and when did he come to know this name?
Don't look at Amunaeru being a sturdy young man with black hair; actually, he is about the same age as Kagemaru. It's just that the case of "Human Transmutation" that Amunaeru successfully completed before was applied to himself, exchanging his body once, allowing him to get rid of his old body and return to youth.
But at the same time, it also meant that Amunaeru's original identity disappeared with the death of his old body. The reborn Amunaeru had to request Kagemaru to help him prepare a new identity, and for this new name, Amunaeru thought for a long time back then and chose "Professor Banner".
"Ah, as for Mr. Hayato, I met him during the previous KC Cup. At that time, I happened to be searching for potentially existing ancient power in the Americas. Before returning empty-handed from the Nazca Plain in South America, I happened to catch the KC Cup event jointly organized by Industrial Illusions and KaibaCorp and participated casually. That's where I met Mr. Hayato."
"Although Mr. Hayato wasn't participating under his own name at the time, speaking of which, I chose my current name because I remembered how Mr. Hayato addressed me back then."
Amunaeru smiled, raised his hand to take off the mask on his face, revealing a young face. His smile was very kind, and his eyes were narrowed. He looked like an honest person with a good temper who wouldn't fight back even if bullied.
However, Yugi felt a sense of familiarity looking at the face Amunaeru revealed. He seemed to have seen the other party somewhere before.
As he recalled, Yugi suddenly remembered something. That is, at that time, when Paradox was planning to kill Pegasus and destroy the history of Duel Monsters, and Yusei Fudo and Judai from the Future time travelled to rescue them, wasn't there a ghost named "Professor Banner" beside Judai?
Thinking about it this way, since the other party could exist as a ghost beside Judai in the Future and Judai seemed to respect the other party very much, this Uncle named Amunaeru should also be a good person, right?
Thinking of this, Yugi was no longer vigilant towards Kagemaru and Amunaeru who appeared before him, feeling somewhat relieved.
"Oh right, Mr. Hayato, you just now said that Diablo, or Diablo, can't appear before us. If possible, could you tell me what happened?" Remembering what Hayato said when he first appeared, Professor Banner looked at Hayato and asked with a serious request, "He is my friend, and I have a problem in alchemy that I wanted to ask him for help with."
"Well..." Hayato glanced at Professor Banner, shrugged, and recounted everything that had just now happened without concealment, from the time they landed on the Island and were attracted by the sound of others being attacked to a Forest Clearing, and then being attacked by Diablo with Danger! Bigfoot!.
Hearing Hayato say that Diablo was not only conducting biological modification but also arbitrarily using humans for his experiments, Professor Banner also had a shocked expression. He wanted to defend his friend, saying that the other party wasn't that kind of person, but when he carefully recalled the other party's behavior over the past few decades since they met, he could only remain speechless in the end, his heart full of emotions turning into a sigh.
"Sigh..."
"Sigh..."
Kagemaru, standing beside Professor Banner, also sighed. Hearing that the Alchemist capable of completing the "Sage's Stone" was practically dead because of dueling, Kagemaru felt more sad than if his own son had died, even though he didn't have a son.
You're a person who's also decades old, why would you duel with a kid in his teens or twenties? If you didn't duel, would the other party attack you directly with monsters from their card? And you can actually die from dueling?
The key is that he died, which means his plan to extend life by using the power of the Alchemist named Diablo also fell through. How could this not make Kagemaru disappointed and resentful?
He was disappointed because without Diablo's "Sage's Stone", Amunaeru would have no way to complete his "Human Transmutation" to extend life and continue living; he was resentful because Hayato Kobayashi, this hateful kid, destroyed everything he had within reach!
However, before Kagemaru could cast a gaze full of wrath at Hayato, his gaze was completely attracted by a small, reddish-green gem the size of a glass bead that Hayato casually took out from his arms.
Although he didn't understand alchemy, Kagemaru knew that this jade could satisfy his desire. This wasn't some vague intuition; he truly heard a voice from within that stone, as if calling him to reach out and touch it!
"This stone is that guy Diablo's 'Sage's Stone', but you saw it, right? It's not finished yet, still the color of the raw material 'Orichalcos'. Rather than satisfying desire, it mostly just arouses desire. The gap between it and a true 'Sage's Stone' is like the difference between a steamed bun that fills your stomach and a snack that whets your appetite."
Unconcerned with the unfinished version of the "Sage's Stone" in his hand, Hayato tossed the jade up and down, playing with it, and Kagemaru's gaze followed the jade's movement.
"However, this thing is useless to me. Professor Banner, do you want it?"
Yes, whether he wants it or not, I want it. That's my treasure, give it to me quickly!
Kagemaru roared in his mind. Seeing Hayato extend his hand, he almost subconsciously reached out to take it, only managing to control his restless hand with his other hand with great difficulty.
Get it, Amunaeru!
But, despite Kagemaru's desperate prayers in his mind, to his great astonishment and disappointment, Professor Banner reached out, caught the Orichalcos Stone, and then handed it back, wanting to return it to Hayato?!
"Let's forget it, Mr. Hayato. With my talent, I can't change the method of manufacturing the 'Sage's Stone'. I can only follow the path of those who came before. And completing the 'Sage's Stone' in that way..." Glancing at the reddish Orichalcos Stone in his hand, Professor Banner firmly refused. "Even if it's called the highest achievement of an Alchemist, it would make me sick."
"Actually, not long before, during the commotion caused by Atlantis, I also accidentally obtained an Orichalcos Stone. If I wanted to use it to complete the 'Sage's Stone', I could have done it long ago, but I finally chose to give up."
With a smile at the corner of his mouth, Professor Banner said casually, "It just so happened that I encountered a child in the Americas whose eyes were injured trying to save his animal friend. I gave that Orichalcos Stone to that child whose emotions towards his friend were moving."
Kagemaru, listening on the side, clenched his fist tightly.
This bastard Amunaeru, does he think I'm deaf and can't hear? Before, he kept telling me he didn't know the method to complete the "Sage's Stone". Don't you clearly know it? You're resisting the method you know for a little bit of psychological fastidiousness? Damn it, what kind of reason is that!
Even if it requires sacrificing a large number of lives to complete the Sage's Stone, it doesn't matter. I am Kagemaru, Kagemaru who founded countless pharmaceutical groups! I have saved countless human lives in my life, although it was in exchange for wealth, what's the problem with hundreds or thousands of people dying to save someone as important as me!
It's clearly you, Amunaeru, you bastard, who is ungrateful and doesn't want to save me, right? You don't want to use the precious "Sage's Stone" for me. Including the fact that "Human Transmutation" has a flaw and can't be used on me must also be a lie. You guy definitely doesn't want to share the method of extending lifespan with me!
You even gave away that "Orichalcos" that seems capable of manufacturing the "Sage's Stone"? How foolish!
Kagemaru didn't notice that in the short time he had been staring at the Orichalcos, the darkness he had accumulated in his mind throughout his life seemed to have been completely stirred up and exploded in his heart, pouring out entirely onto Hayato, who held the Orichalcos Stone, and Amunaeru, who refused to save him.
But on the surface, Kagemaru still maintained an unperturbed appearance, showing no sign of the resentful thoughts filling his heart.
"Um, is there some trouble with the manufacturing of the 'Sage's Stone'?" Forcing a kind smile onto his face, Kagemaru asked Hayato and Professor Banner.
"This isn't a question of whether it's troublesome or not, Mr. Kagemaru. To be honest with you, the completion of the 'Sage's Stone' is basically filled with the death of countless lives. To reverse death into life, what is needed is naturally this process of life falling towards death. It's because of this reason that I told you I couldn't complete the 'Sage's Stone'."
Kagemaru?
Hayato heard the name and glanced at the old man beside Professor Banner. In an instant, he remembered the other party's identity. This old man before him seemed to be frequently in the news, apparently the founder, Major Shareholder, and current Chairman of a certain internationally renowned pharmaceutical group, and seemed to have some cooperation with KaibaCorp.
Moreover, in the Future, this guy seemed to have become one of the founders of Duel Academy and served as the Chairman?
Because Hayato's impression of "Kagemaru" only consisted of three images: an old man in a wheelchair, an old man lying in a life support pod, and a naked muscle maniac, for a moment, seeing Kagemaru standing on his own and able to speak without an oxygen mask, Hayato really didn't recognize him. The principle was the same as how some people don't recognize others when they put on clothes.
Hayato paused slightly, thinking of Duel Academy.
Because he hadn't paid much attention before, it was only now that Hayato suddenly remembered that the terrain of the Island they were currently on, aside from not having the academy buildings and the Dock for ships, wasn't much different from the Duel Academy in his impression. Even the several giant pillars before his eyes were exactly the same as the seven pillars sealing the Sacred Beasts on Duel Academy?!
Could this place be the future Duel Academy?!
And just as Hayato was observing the seven pillars, Professor Banner also noticed his action and couldn't help but glance at the seven Obelisks. Then, he suddenly recalled the function of the seven Obelisks he had investigated before, and a smile appeared on his face: "Oh right, we can utilize this place!"
"I have an idea, Mr. Hayato, Mr. Kagemaru. As long as we seal the Orichalcos Stone using this sealing device left by Diablo, it can continuously absorb power through the natural elimination of living beings on the Island, and eventually complete the 'Sage's Stone'!"
Professor Banner said, glancing at Kagemaru, "Although this might require some time, once the 'Sage's Stone' is completed, Mr. Kagemaru, I will definitely help you complete 'Human Transmutation'."
"Yes, I believe you. Then I'll leave everything to you, Professor Banner." Kagemaru's face still wore a smile, but the darkness stirred up by the Orichalcos Stone in his mind was already raging like waves. 'Hmph, saying he'll help me, this guy Amunaeru must be thinking of outliving me and monopolizing the power of the 'Sage's Stone', the hateful guy!'
'I won't let you succeed. After I go back, I'll lie in a life support pod to minimize metabolism and extend life as much as possible. Also, do you think I can only rely on you? I've decided, I'll use this place as the location to create the Phantasmagoric Martyrs. That book recorded that Phantasmagoric Martyrs can grant people powerful life force, which is much more reliable than alchemy or anything else.'
And in Hayato's ear, the voice of Rainbow Kuriboh, who deliberately remained invisible, was heard.
'Kurikuri~'
"Hmm?" Hayato was startled and couldn't help but glance at Kagemaru, who was lowering his head, seemingly lost in thought. 'The Sacred Beasts say that this guy Kagemaru has a similar scent to them?'
(End of Chapter)