Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

“John’s eyes are lake blue, and his hair color is similar to his eyes, but a deeper shade of greenish-blue.” Upon hearing this, Judai quickly described John’s physical characteristics. Since he already knew from [Warrior-Raz] that prisoners would have their clothes changed, he didn’t mention John’s blue and white uniform again.

[The God of War of the Dark World - Sylva] breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that he might not remember such a prisoner, but now it seemed that he did indeed have such a person in his memory.

"Yes, yes, there is indeed such a person who has been arrested and imprisoned there. However... I'm not sure if he is one of your accomplices, because when my men reported to me, they only said that they captured such a person from a nearby village. But, he does look similar."

“However, I don’t think that person is necessarily still there.” [The God of War of the Dark Realm - Gold] suddenly spoke up. “If your companion is also a powerful warrior, he should be transported to the nearest fortress soon. The four higher-ups of the ‘Overlord Army’ are currently collecting strong people from all over the place, seemingly to use their lives and souls to create some invincible power.”

"Because my superior is the Skeleton Priest, who can report directly to the Chaos Wizard, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. This is top-secret information that only I know."

"What!?" Jaden, who had previously thought that John wouldn't be in immediate danger even if he was taken hostage based on [Warrior-Raz]'s information, panicked upon hearing this. "John's dueling strength is on par with mine, doesn't that mean he's currently—"

"Calm down, Judai!" Seeing that Judai was about to take action, Manjoume, who had already guessed what the guy's reaction would be, suddenly grabbed his shoulder. Amon also stopped Judai from the side. "Don't forget that what we need to do now is to get information about that camp. At least we need to know the situation of the troops stationed there, otherwise the other side might take John hostage!"

"You can rest assured about that for now. Although there are troops stationed there normally, all the surrounding troops have been mobilized because a rare and powerful expert was discovered on a distant mountain. They are being led by [Dark Demon Realm Warrior Captain - Dark Sword] to capture the expert. There won't be many troops left there," [Dark Realm Martial God - Gorde] quickly said.

“However, there is still a risk that we won’t be able to eliminate everyone in time, resulting in your companions being captured and taken hostage. So this is when we come in handy again.” [The God of War of the Dark World - Sylva] suggested, “If the two of us step forward and disguise you as slaves we have captured, we can find your companions without alerting anyone.”

It has to be said that the idea of ​​the Gold and Silver Devil was quite tempting to everyone. Even Jaden, who was as anxious as he was, had to admit that the idea was perfect. However, Asuka raised a question at this moment: "The commanders of the armies that Jaden encountered before seemed to be willing to go through fire and water to carry out orders. Why are you so casual about betraying your comrades?"

"That's because we've never been in the same system from the beginning. We, who always operate as a group, are more serving the big shots above us, while the other lower-level [Dark Realm] armies are under the command of [Dark Realm's Mad King - Braum], the garrison commander of the nearby fortress. We are on the same level as him, we have no business conflicts but we don't have any good relationship either."

[The God of War of the Dark Realm - Gold] spoke honestly, while [The God of War of the Dark Realm - Sylva] was even more blunt, "It was his dereliction of duty that his troops failed to keep an eye on the prisoners being rescued. We are fighting for our own lives, so what does it have to do with us if our colleagues don't meet their performance targets?"

"Exactly, we only get paid so little each month, why risk our lives?"

"Why do I suddenly have the illusion that I'm seeing two office workers? Is even the existence of the spirit world so realistic?" Marufuji Sho complained.

Having confirmed the existence of the "suspected John" and obtained sufficient intelligence, the group had no intention of lingering and immediately took action. Considering the dangers of the infiltration mission, and to prevent the feigned capture from becoming a real capture, not everyone had to pretend to be a captured slave. They simply selected Judai, Fubuki, Asuka, and O'Brien to be responsible for the infiltration, while Marufuji Sho and the others were to prepare to provide backup outside the camp.

Although the Wandering Hero Fried led the villagers away first, the vehicle he and Jaden used to travel there—the Sonic Duck—was not taken away. The Sonic Duck, which the two had deliberately driven in another direction, was quickly found again by Jaden and his companions after they became aware of its existence, and they planned to use it as a tool to travel to the "Overlord Army" camp.

[Sylva, the God of War of the Dark World] and [Gold, the God of War of the Dark World] were certainly not qualified to ride the [Sonic Duck]. Just two people on one duck would be cramped enough, and Jaden and his companions weren't going to be considerate and make them run alongside the [Sonic Duck]. However, they weren't worried about the Gold and Silver Demons escaping or exposing them during their infiltration, because—

"A backup hidden energy source?" Marufuji Sho and Kenzan asked in confusion, each holding a card.

"No, these are our respective 'Soul Cards,' the repositories of our souls and powers. Whoever obtains this card can freely use our power, like holding a bull by the nose, and can even make us disappear from the world completely by tearing the card." Although he didn't understand what "backup hidden energy" meant, [Martial God of the Dark World - Gold] still explained.

The Dark God of War, Sylva, further explains, "Not only that, but even if we are already dead, we can still use this card to unleash our power and even summon ourselves in a sacred duel ritual."

"It can be used to control the life and death of the other party, and to unleash special power." Marufuji Sho nodded. "So it really is a 'backup hidden energy source'."

"I already said no... Fine, whatever you say it is." After glancing at Jaden, who was already standing next to [Sonic Duck] and ready to set off, [Sylva, the God of War of the Dark World] immediately shut up and said nothing more.

“If we hold the cards, we might not be able to react to their ambush. But if you guys, Marufuji, who aren't involved in the infiltration, hold these cards, it will be more effective in deterring these two smart and suicidal guys and preventing them from betraying us.” Fubuki said, patting the [Sonic Duck] beside her. “Well, Judai, you must be impatient, so let’s get going—come on, Asuka-chan, I’ve ridden ostriches and such before, so feel free to leave the piloting to me.”

"Hmm?" After Jaden got on the [Sonic Duck], Asuka, who had already sat behind him, turned her head and looked at Fubuki with a puzzled expression. Although she didn't say anything, her eyes seemed to say, "Brother, if you keep talking, something really bad will happen."

"Asuka, hold on tight, these [Sonic Ducks] are really fast." Judai couldn't see Asuka's eyes from his angle, he just reminded her, "You'd better hold on to something so you don't get thrown off."

"There's nothing good to grab onto behind me. Can I put my arm around your waist, Judai?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

Asuka, who had already wrapped her arms around Jaden's waist before he could even finish speaking, sighed as she sat on the Sonic Duck. Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders.

Turning her head, Fubuki saw O'Brien sitting behind her and said calmly, "Sorry, there's really nothing to grab on from behind. If you're okay with that, I can hold onto your waist instead, or I can sit in front of you."

"...Then you should just keep doing what you're doing now." Compared to being held by a man's waist, Fubuki felt that it was definitely harder for her to hold a man's waist herself.

Chapter 1851 General, please take this side path

"It's so quiet around here today. There aren't any cries from the prisoners in the camp. Perhaps a batch of slaves has already been sent to the fortress?"

"You're so carefree and easygoing."

"Because none of those important figures are here, it's just the two of us standing guard here, so no one will notice if we're slacking off."

In front of the "Overlord Army" camp, two elite soldiers from the dark world, Becky, were on guard duty, chatting idly.

“I can’t be like you, content to be an unknown nobody. My dream is to be famous and become a big shot, so even if I’m just standing guard, I’ll put in extra effort.”

"Keep it up!" Becky said, then suddenly noticed several figures in the distance. He raised his spear warily, "Lord Zul and the others haven't been gone long; they couldn't possibly be back so quickly. Could it be the enemy—"

"Yeah, right, don't make any unnecessary movements!" Unlike his companion, Becky, who was slacking off, noticed something and quickly patted him to stop him. Then, he straightened his chest, maintaining a serious and attentive posture. "The 'big shot' you were talking about is here!"

Although he didn't know what his companion meant, Becky, who was determined to "keep up the good work," also stood up straight. A few seconds later, the figures he had seen earlier approached. They were none other than their superiors in the "Overlord Army," the two great figures, the "God of War of the Dark World - Sylva" and the "God of War of the Dark World - Gold"!

—At least compared to these [Dark World Vanguard - Becky], whose status is like that of "gangster clones," the two level 5 beings whose names are derived from "silver" and "gold" are indeed considered "big shots."

However, what appeared in their field of vision were not only two "big shots," but also four people with their hands bound by ropes behind the two demons.

"Is this...the camp of the 'Overlord Army'?" Judai subconsciously wanted to peek inside, but remembering that he was a prisoner, he said stiffly, "This is...this is a truly gloomy place."

"Waaah, are we going to be locked in a terrible dungeon?" Asuka cried, pretending to cry. "I'm so scared, I can barely walk."

'Yeah, right! You weren't like this when you attacked me with that monster called [Guardian of Solemnity - Guardian of Law]!' [God of War of the Dark World - Gold] thought to himself, but dared not show it on his face. Instead, he tugged at the ropes binding Judai and Asuka: 'What are you babbling about? Haven't you realized your status as prisoners yet, you bunch of trash!'

The more arrogant he was, the more nervous he was inside, fearing that his words would anger Judai. Fortunately, Judai didn't seem to care about what he said, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

【The God of War of the Dark World - Sylva】 nodded to the two 【The Vanguard of the Dark World - Becky】: "Good, guard this place well. The prisoners held here are very important to Lord 'Overlord'."

"These are the ones we captured on the road. Were the last batch of prisoners sent to [Bron]?"

"Lord Sylva, the previous batch of prisoners has been sent away. However, there are still a few left, all of whom look about as thin as the ones following you. Lord Zul suspects that someone has captured the wrong ones and is not in a hurry to send them to Lord Bron."

Upon hearing the report from [Bege, the Vanguard of the Dark World], [Gold, the God of War of the Dark World] felt a chill run down his spine. The previous batch of prisoners was no longer here? Did that mean it didn't matter if Judai and the others were exposed now? Would they be treated as useless objects and killed off casually?

Looking flustered at her companions, [Sylva, the God of War of the Dark World] couldn't help but look at Judai, and a sudden idea struck her: "Then let's lock these few up with the remaining one. I remember it was that little brat from the last batch of slaves who looked young, the one with green hair, right?"

"Yes, you have a good memory. The one who was left behind was that little brat."

'Yada Thief!' In their hearts, the gold and silver demons cheered and high-fived each other. Thank goodness that brat who might be called "John" was still here!

Seeing one of the Dark World's elite soldiers, Becky, about to take the ropes binding Jaden and the others, the Dark World's War God, Gold, frowned and looked angry: "Did Sylva just praise you for nothing? Did we say we needed you to lead the way?"

"Yes, yes! I'm so sorry, Lord [Gold]!" [Bege] was startled by the sudden anger of [Gold, the God of War of the Dark World] and quickly returned to her original position. "We understand, our duty is to stand guard and watch out for the enemy!"

"Hmph, a gatekeeper should act like a gatekeeper." With an arrogant snort, [God of War of the Dark Realm - Gold] walked into the camp without looking back, with [God of War of the Dark Realm - Sylva] following behind him, holding a rope.

(The area is actually quite large; this is the front part, and the entire mountain behind it has been hollowed out.)

As they walked into the camp, the "Overlord Army" dug out some holes in the small hill next to the camp, installed iron doors to serve as prison cells. They looked simple, but the effect was quite good. At least until now, the escape rate of the slaves captured here is 0%, but after today, it may be different.

As the group of Judai followed them into the camp, a member of the Goblin Assault Force who had joined the Overlord Army came out of the cell carrying a bucket of food. It seemed that he had just finished distributing food to the prisoners—so theoretically he might be considered a member of the Supply Force?

However, its appearance also means that the Gold and Silver Demons were not exaggerating when they said they were trying to save their lives from Jaden and his group. If Jaden and his group were to force their way in, even this unarmed goblin would be able to threaten the lives of the prisoners who had no way to resist.

Upon seeing the arrival of the Gold and Silver Demons, the goblins of the Supply Squad, whose status was even lower than that of Becky, the Dark Elite standing guard at the gate, quickly bowed to show their respect, then picked up their buckets and left, so as not to get in the way of the important figures. They did not concern themselves with anything that was not their business.

After confirming that no one was around, the Gold and Silver Demons loosened their grip on the rope. Without the two of them pulling at one end, the rope, which was actually not even tied in a knot, slid loosely to the ground. Although O'Brien and Fubuki had suggested that tying it up a bit would make it less likely to be exposed, the Gold and Silver Demons dared not lay a finger on Jaden or the woman who seemed to have a crush on him.

—In contrast, Fubuki and O'Brien, who took the initiative to make the suggestion, were indeed firmly bound by the [God of War of the Dark World - Gold], and needed Jaden and the others to help them untie them.

"I regret it. If I had known it would go so smoothly, I wouldn't have bothered to tie my hands so tightly." Fubuki complained, stretching her wrists. Asuka rolled her eyes at him. "You can't even handle a little bit of hardship, which is why I told you before that you didn't need to come and infiltrate with me."

"I can't just stand by and watch my sister be in danger, can I?" Fubuki, grinning, once again earned a pair of eye rolls from Asuka.

O'Brien didn't even need help untying the ropes; he broke free on his own. He glanced at the Gold and Silver Devil, who obediently raised their hands to indicate that they wouldn't do anything, and then turned to Jaden: "So, let's start looking for people now."

"The prisoners should be around here, they're easy to find. After all, they don't hold too many people here; once they reach a certain number, they'll be sent away." "And as you just heard, a batch has already been sent to the fortress."

Upon hearing this, Asuka said with some concern, "So, it's possible that Mr. Fried and his companions aren't here, and John too...?"

“No, John is definitely here, there’s no mistake!” Judai said firmly, or perhaps because he could only believe that John was here now.

(Just because of the hair color, Jaden recognized that it wasn't John, and the voice actress wasn't Kanako Irie either.)

Just as the Gold and Silver Demons said, the place was not big. After passing through a few empty cells, Jaden and his companions found a cell with a tightly closed iron door in the direction that the goblin had just left. Inside, there was indeed a person with his head down, bound to the rock wall by chains—and his hair was exactly the same as John's, both being bluish-green!

"John!?" An excited Jaden unhesitatingly unfolded his Duel Disk, took out a card, and slapped it on. "Cheer up, John, we're here to save you!"

"Wait a moment, we'll open the door right away." Seeing that he seemed to have a chance to make a move, [Sylva, the God of War of the Dark World] wanted to step forward and flatter him.

But he saw that next to Judai, [E·hero Foam Man] was summoned. After looking at the keyhole of the iron gate, he pressed a few buttons on his arm, adjusted the output of the foam gun on his arm, blew out a key-shaped foam, inserted it into the lock, turned it casually, and actually opened the lock!?

"No, why is this door so easy to open?"

"Because I'm Bubbleman!" Facing the astonished Gold and Silver Demon, [E·hero Bubbleman] left behind this inexplicable sentence, flicked his cape, and turned into a pile of broken bubbles and disappeared.

However, he seemed to be in a very good mood, just like how the ban on [E·hero New Bubble Man], which caused [Sudden Mutation] to become a card of unknown cause, was suddenly lifted years later.

(Because the January 2023 report will reveal the sudden mutation)

But no one cared about the golden and silver demons who were slipping away from their only chance to flatter. Without the slightest hesitation, Jaden pushed open the door and rushed in to check on "John's" condition, but when he stood in front of him, he suddenly froze.

The others didn't follow, since the cell wasn't very big and there was no need for everyone to go in. Only Asuka followed Judai, and she also stopped when she saw "John's" face under his drooping hair.

"Hmm...who is it?" Slowly raising his head, "John" revealed an unfamiliar face. Although the hairstyle and hair color were almost identical, the completely different appearance and the voice he spoke told Jaden and the others that the person in front of them seemed to be just another person who happened to look somewhat similar to John.

But after a brief pause, Judai continued, helping to untie the chains binding "John's" hands: "Are you alright? We're here to rescue you and get you out of here."

"I... I was mistaken for a warrior and captured by the 'Overlord Army,' but while they were escorting the others away, they discovered I couldn't actually fight, so they abandoned me..." After explaining his identity, "John" looked at Judai and the others before him and forced a smile. "Thank you so much, thank you so much..."

"That's enough, don't force yourself to talk." Asuka helped Judai lift the boy up and led him out of the cell. Looking at the other two waiting outside, she shook her head and said regretfully, "This child isn't John..."

"That shouldn't be the case! If he's not a warrior, why would he be arrested?" [Sylva, the God of War of the Dark World] couldn't understand the situation. "Besides, I've heard somewhere that someone who looks like this is incredibly powerful. Could it be that he was arrested simply because he looks like someone else?"

“Those lower-level monsters are truly useless; they can’t even distinguish between the strong and the weak.” [Gold, the God of War of the Dark Realm] nodded in agreement.

"What do we do now, Judai?" O'Brien frowned as he looked at "John," who was unable to move on his own. "The prisoners here have already been moved, and there shouldn't be many left. If we take this person with us, we can get away safely. The fact that the prisoners in the camp have gone missing is enough to attract the attention of the 'Overlord Army' here, and to cover the evacuation of [Fried]'s side."

Jaden looked at John and nodded, saying, "Then, let's do it that way. But I think we should also look around for any Sonic Ducks that were looted by the Overlord Army before we leave. We can use them as our mounts for our next mission."

"Please come this way, everyone." [The God of War of the Dark World - Sylva] had already skillfully assumed the role of a "lackey," and the "guide" [The God of War of the Dark World - Gold] reminded without hesitation, "This direction is towards the stables. If it's [Sonic Duck], it should be kept here with the warhorses."

With the help of two "traitors," "black-line figures," and "gangsters," Jaden and his companions found Sonic Duck, which had been taken away by the "Overlord Army," as mentioned earlier by Freed the Wandering Hero.

The bad news is that a considerable number of the ducks seem to have been eaten as food for the Dark Sword, the mount of the Dark Demon Warrior Captain. The good news is that there are still quite a few left, enough for at least one for each of the Jadens and the others to use for transportation.

Pushing the Gold and Silver Demons along, letting them repeat their old tricks, Jaden and his group swaggered out of the camp's main gate. The addition of "John" didn't arouse any suspicion from the sentries at the gate—the Dark World's Vanguard, Becky. The Gold and Silver Demons' reason was that they were going to the fortress and would take all the prisoners with them. The reason for bringing out a large number of Sonic Ducks was to save them travel time and use them as transportation.

After leaving the camp for a while, Jaden and the others didn't continue to take "John" with them. Instead, they had him ride the [Sonic Duck] towards the evacuation point they had visited before. If they were lucky, he might be able to find the [Wandering Hero - Fried] and the others who had left. As for the town where he originally lived, since it had already been plundered by the "Overlord Army," there was no reason or need to go back, because there was no one or anything there anymore.

Everything was going according to plan and proceeding smoothly. Just as Jaden and his team were about to complete this operation, which only required a simple "search," no "fight," and all that was left was to "retreat," a beam of light suddenly shot in from afar and, right before Jaden and his team's eyes, struck "John," who was riding away on [Sonic Duck]!?

"Hmph, hmph, ugh ...

Amidst agonizing screams, "John's" body melted away, disintegrating into specks of light right before Judai and the others' eyes!

Marufuji Sho and the others, who were rushing from other places outside the camp to meet up with Judai and the others, were also stunned by this sudden scene and stood there dumbfounded for a moment.

After the first attack instantly killed "John", a series of similar attacks came from a distance. However, the target was not Judai and his group, but Marufuji and his group who were not far away. If Amon and Manjoume had not reacted quickly and summoned monsters to defend against the attacks, they might have been injured or even died like "John"!

Just as Jaden and his companions were wondering what was happening, a massive army appeared on the hilltop. Several monsters with ranged attack capabilities tirelessly unleashed their attacks. These were the same monsters who had just killed "John" and were the ones who had been relentlessly bombarding Marufuji Sho and his group.

Upon seeing a large army gathered here, the first guess that Jaden and his companions could make was that the Gold and Silver Devil had betrayed them!