The great battle over at the Industrial Illusions Society is finally drawing to a close.
The duelists left at Doma's headquarters unsurprisingly became cannon fodder and were sealed. Some elites were dragged away from the Industrial Illusions Society too, but their numbers are few.
Although the players here picked up quite a few kills, when it comes to offering their lives, they are not surpassed by anyone. If it weren't for their number of revivals and that the seal couldn't seal them, the number of willing sacrifices here would far exceed the other side…
In the Orichalcos Seal, Valon had a brutal friendship punch session with Jonouchi, hurting each other, and ultimately left completely satisfied.
As mentioned before, the Doma Three Musketeers all have stories, and Valon is no exception.
It's interesting to say how Dartz noticed him and appointed him as one of the Doma Musketeers from a young age; the simple reason being he could fight well.
Yes, indeed, not in card games but in the physical sense of hitting people with a brick.
Valon was an orphan from a young age. When he was very young, the church he lived in was burned down by bullies, and the young Valon, angry, ran to take revenge on the bullies.
The punks at the time didn't realize the severity of the problem. Naturally, they didn't take the young Valon seriously, each laughing at the little brat.
Could you actually beat us at seven?
And then...
... Valon killed them all...
After that, Valon was thrown straight into prison for killing trash.
At the time, the group of prisoners was intrigued to see such a little kid come in. They all leaned on prison bars to watch as Valon, shackled, was escorted by guards with lewd smiles on their faces as if looking at a helpless little lamb thrown into a wolf pack.
Then Valon... Valon beat the entire prison.
That was when Dartz appeared.
Dartz was instantly impressed by Valon, saying, "Kid, you sure know how to fight from a young age; you must be good at card games too."
So he arranged a Battle Royale version of card games in prison. Everyone got a Duel Disc and a card deck. Losers would have their souls sealed, with only the last winner regaining freedom.
Valon didn't disappoint, sealing everyone's souls to win his freedom and thus joined Doma, becoming one of Dartz's Three Musketeers.
He thought his life was the result of his struggles, believing he met Dartz, the right guide, at the right time, but the truth was otherwise.
From the very beginning, when his childhood church burned down and he killed bullies driven by inner darkness, his life was already on Dartz's orchestrated path.
Because the fire was initially set by Dartz's people.
Dartz burned down the church, removing Valon's only home, even implicating innocent people in it, all to activate the darkness within Valon, making him wander aimlessly early in life, eventually falling into his palm.
... Just like how Dartz ignited war in Amelda's hometown.
War erupted in Amelda's country without warning, with Dartz as the mastermind. He murdered all of Amelda's family, orchestrating events for young Amelda to helplessly watch his brother die before him, dragging the entire country into war, leaving fields of corpses, all to make Amelda eventually become his subordinate.
The same is true for Rafael. This uncle faced a maritime disaster in childhood, losing everything before he turned to darkness, following Dartz's guidance. Little did he know, the maritime disaster was Dartz's plan; this manipulative puppet master summoned storms and tsunamis to engulf the ship Rafael's family boarded, leaving him the sole survivor.
This is Dartz, a leader who stops at nothing, lacking principle and bottom line for his objectives.
If he ever had humanity, it was buried with Atlantis ten thousand years ago.
Ultimately, the Doma Three Musketeers were just used by him. Dartz created their childhood tragedies, stirred the darkness within them, molded them into what he wanted, and cultivated them into his most satisfactory pawns.
But inherently, the three were not truly bad people. At least, each one showed their inner light at the end.
Rafael was particularly remarkable.
Here, Dark Yugi and Rafael engaged in their final showdown on the rooftop. With a convincing narrative paired with flashbacks, Dark Yugi redeemed Rafael. In the end, Rafael activated a Magic Card "Soul Charge," reviving any number of Monster Cards from his graveyard, receiving damage equal to the number of summoned monsters x500. (Animation effect)
Rafael voluntarily forfeited all his remaining Life Points, reviving all monsters he lost in this duel, sacrificing the duel and even his soul.
At that instant, he successfully destroyed the darkness within him with sheer will, surpassing The Seal of Orichalcos, ensuring his soul was not drawn away.
Thus, the Doma Three Musketeers and Industrial Illusions Society's elite powers were completely wiped out.
President Haima attentively watched the battle, feeling it wasn't enough after, slightly nodding at Yugi, thinking, "This truly is the man I acknowledge."
Then he turned around and suddenly realized...
... Hmm? Where's the other man I acknowledge?
Wasn't he just following?
At this moment, a phantom appeared at the center of the rooftop. Clad in a white robe, a man with blue hair gracefully landed before the three, hands held behind his back, with an air of superiority.
Rafael was shocked: "Master Dartz!"
Yugi and Haima both revealed surprised expressions.
Is he Dartz?
"You disappoint me, Rafael." He smiled faintly, "But of course, it was expected."
"Master Dartz." Rafael stepped forward to speak but was stopped by Yugi's raised hand.
"Unnamed Pharaoh and Seto, strictly speaking, this is our first meeting." Dartz smiled, "Nice to meet you. I am your foe, the puppet master behind the Doma Three Musketeers.
Plus, there should have been another Duel King here, but I already delivered him special treatment."
Haima's eyelid twitched. Yugi only then realized a person was missing behind: "Youyu?"
"Honestly, the Duel King also had several unexpected qualities. Although I don't want to admit it, he did make me feel threatened…"
Haima said with a stern face: "Where did you take him?"
"Far away from here, Seto." Dartz chuckled, paused, and said, "All you need to know is that threat has been eliminated. Youyu is no longer my concern."
"Dartz!" Dark Yugi clenched his fist, "How many more sacrifices will satisfy you?"
Haima didn't speak for a moment, but his expression was similarly grim.
Dartz still stood with his hands behind his back, pleased with their reactions.
Is Youyu dealt with?
Actually... Dartz didn't know.
Yet it didn't stop him from boasting.
Since boasting isn't taxed and with Yugi suddenly disappearing during their duel is a fact…
Dartz, hands behind his back, continued the show, appearing in control and having everything planned while pondering where Youyu had gone…
Youyu was initially an uncertain variable to him, and not knowing where he went or what he was doing now made Dartz feel uneasy.
However, with the plan prepared for millennia advanced to this stage, he had no retreat, deciding to hasten the pace.
"You may think you've found Doma's heart, but you've destroyed an empty shell, actually." Dartz maintained composure, "My location has been sent to you, Seto. Bring your resolve and fighting spirit, come find me."
Haima pulled out his phone for a look, finding an address marked in the map indeed.
He frowned slightly: "What do you mean by this?"
Dartz smiled, didn't reply, disappearing like wind with his gradually fading voice.
"Come find me, Unnamed Pharaoh, Seto. I'll be waiting for you."