Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

However, although they had no prior relationship, Ryuzaki initially came to help Kaiba with the intention of rescuing him.

There weren't many people freely moving around in the venue, and the group of men in black who had suddenly appeared were using some unknown method—Duel Monsters—to kill people. Ryuzaki only managed to defeat them in the Duelist battle because of his superior skills. However, no one knew if there would be another wave of men in black, or when they would attack.

Ryuzaki didn't blindly rush into the evacuation tunnel. He remembered the gunshot clearly, and the current situation was that those who could move should stick together as much as possible. Because the commotion caused by Kaiba's final summoning of the [True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] during his duel with Chigfried was too great, and since it was the closest to Ryuzaki, Ryuzaki rushed over to see if he could help.

However, upon arriving here, Ryuzaki looked around but couldn't find the man in black. Instead, he saw Kaiba walking towards the exit and a guy lying on the steps struggling to move toward a suitcase, seemingly having difficulty moving.

Out of kindness, Ryuzaki, after confirming that the person was reaching for the suitcase, stepped forward to help him pick it up and opened it for him.

"I never expected there to be someone so fanatical about Duel Monsters. Even with a disability in his lower body, he still came to watch the KC Cup. It's a pity I was eliminated in the first round, otherwise you might have been able to see my heroic figure."

Completely oblivious to the glances from Chigurhfrid and Kaiba, Ryuzaki casually opened the unlocked suitcase, reached inside, grabbed a hard object, and pulled it out. "Seeing how difficult it is for you to move around, don't worry, I'll help you. Here you go—"

Ryuzaki stared blankly at the gun that had appeared in his hand.

"Wait, wait a minute, what is this thing?!"

"It's a handgun, isn't it? Although I've never handled a gun before and have no interest in firearms, the metallic texture and weight tell me it's a handgun, and not a toy gun, but a real one!"

"Why can I pull out a handgun just by opening a briefcase? Does everyone in this country have a handgun?!"

Seahorse frowned, then his pupils contracted, because he noticed that Chigurhfrid's position had moved and was now much higher than where he had been!

Considering the briefcase in Ryuzaki's hand, could that guy Qigufried have just been moving towards that briefcase?

The pistol in the box... Could this guy be planning something?!

"Hey, Ryuzaki the Dinosaur, get away from that thing at your feet!"

Based on what he had just seen Ryuzaki do from afar, Kaiba knew that Ryuzaki seemed to be trying to help him out of good intentions. Kaiba wouldn't accept the favor; instead, he would mock Ryuzaki for looking down on him and thinking everyone was as weak as him.

However, despite his usual arrogant demeanor, the seahorse did not want the fantasy he had just conjured up to become a reality.

Seeing that Ryuzaki hadn't reacted yet, Kaiba said, turning around and stepping back up the steps towards where Chigfried was: "This guy isn't one of the weakened ones you thought he was!"

"He's in cahoots with the people who just attacked you, and he's practically the leader!"

"His target is the gun in your hand!"

"N-Nani?!" Ryuzaki looked at Chigfried lying at his feet in surprise, and moved his foot back a step to create some distance between himself and Chigfried.

"Too slow, too slow, too slow!"

However, Chigurhfrid, with a ferocious expression, grabbed Ryuzaki's other foot tightly and pulled him sharply to the side.

Ryuzaki's center of gravity was disrupted, and he fell backward onto the steps. The gun he had just been holding was thrown into the air by his arm, which he unconsciously swung when he fell.

"I told you, the victor is always me, Chigurhfrid von Schreid!" Watching the pistol spin and fall through the air, Chigurhfrid completely lost control of his expression, laughing maniacally with a ferocious grin. "Thanks to this guy named Ryuzaki, he helped me open the briefcase and retrieve the pistol!"

After glancing at the distance between himself and the seahorse, Chigurhfrid became even more arrogant: "How far are you from me? Ten meters? Nine meters? Even if you move as fast as you can up the steps, it will take you at least five seconds to get to me."

"But taking the pistol and shooting you wouldn't take me even a second!"

"Although your fists are strong and powerful, at this distance, a pistol is both accurate and fast!"

"This is what happens when you fall for my trick, and this is my escape route!"

"Times have changed, Seto Kaiba! A pistol is much more useful than Duel Monsters!"

Chigurhfrid laughed triumphantly and reached out towards the falling pistol. His experience told him that he could catch it if he could just reach out.

"Whoosh-"

"Pfft!"

Just as Chigfrid's fingers were about to catch the falling pistol, his palm was suddenly pierced by a Duel Monster card that appeared out of nowhere.

Even the softest blade of grass, when extremely thin, can easily scratch a person's skin if one is not careful. And if a rapidly spinning card is practiced to the extreme, it can even slice through sheet metal.

Maintaining the motion of throwing the card, Kaiba watched as the "Goddess of Reversal," which he had repeatedly used as a throwing weapon, injured Chigurhfrid's palm, causing him to lose his grip on the pistol and fail to catch the falling weapon. With a cold smile, Kaiba bent down, caught the pistol that slid down the steps, and skillfully released the safety after confirming that there was enough ammunition.

"No, times haven't changed, Chigurhfrid."

Ryuzaki sat up on the steps, clutching the back of his head where he had been hit, and looked down at the deck of cards tucked into his Duel Disk, who was groaning in pain while clutching his hand that had been almost pierced by a card. He was completely bewildered.

What the heck? The Duel Monsters cards I use every day are this powerful?

How did that guy Yuga manage to tear up the card and eat it back then?

Chapter 451 The Moth in the Memories of Living

Let's rewind to before the duel between Kaiba and Chigfried.

Upon seeing the card Rafael produced, Yugi's pupils constricted, and he exclaimed in surprise, "That card is—!"

"【Divine Flame Emperor - Uria】, I remember you should have dueled with a duelist who once possessed this card, right, Yugi Muto?"

Rafael looked at the card [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria] in his hand. "Because of its special ability to absorb life force, [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria] seems to be known as one of the 'Three Phantom Demons' along with two other cards held by Duel King Hayato Kobayashi."

"Although not as powerful as the 'Three Egyptian Gods,' the 'Three Egyptian Demons' are still quite significant. Therefore, as part of a deal with someone, we set up an encirclement centered on this card, which is a barrier that encompasses the entire Kaiba Dome."

Upon hearing this, Jonouchi looked at Yugi with some surprise: "Hey Yugi, is what that guy said true or false? So there are other super powerful cards besides the three Egyptian God cards?"

“Isn’t Hayato’s ‘Earthbound God - Veracruz’ a perfect example?” Yami Yugi frowned. “What he’s saying isn’t a lie. Back when I was collecting puzzle cards in Duel City, the first opponent I encountered was someone who possessed the ‘God Flame Emperor - Uria’ card. And you know that person too, it’s ‘Insect’ Yumo.”

"Hamo? That insect bastard!" Jonouchi clenched his fists tightly upon hearing Hamo's name. He recalled what happened in the Duel Kingdom, or more precisely, what happened on the cruise ship bound for the Duel Kingdom.

In order to reduce the number of duelists who posed a threat to him, that guy Yuga resorted to underhanded tactics and tried to throw Exodia, which Sugoroku had given to Yugi, into the sea.

Although Hayato had taken precautions and had someone catch the card in a net, due to a moment of carelessness, Jonouchi, who was controlling Haga, was bitten by Haga and released his grip in pain. Haga seized the opportunity and forcibly swallowed the most crucial [Sealed Exodia], causing [Exodia] to become incomplete.

Feeling guilty for his own negligence, Jonouchi still thinks about it to this day.

Although Hayato disqualified that bastard Haga with Duel Monsters as soon as Duel Kingdom opened, and also erased his identity as a duelist, and even took away his dueling chips and deck, Jonouchi felt that even this level of punishment was too lenient on that bastard.

Enraged, Jonouchi said, "That bastard Haga was already disqualified as a duelist by Hayato in front of all the Duel Kingdom participants, how could he still get a Duel Disk to participate? That's outrageous! I better not run into that guy, or I'll teach him a lesson."

As he spoke, Jonouchi clearly forgot that he himself did not actually qualify to participate in Duel City and only managed to obtain the Duel Disk by luck with the help of Masaji Manjoume.

Hearing Jonouchi's words, Yugi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Um, Jonouchi, I'm afraid you can no longer do this..."

With a solemn gaze fixed on the [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria] in Rafael's hand, Yugi continued, "The last person to use [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria], Yuga, died the moment he lost his duel."

"To be precise, he died after his soul was devoured by [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria]. This kind of sinister card isn't something just anyone can control; using it comes at a price," Rafael added.

Jonouchi looked surprised: "So it's true? That card can actually absorb life force and devour souls!?"

Suddenly, Jonouchi's expression changed, and he said nervously, "Wait a minute, if I'm not hallucinating or my memory is playing tricks on me, didn't you just say that you set up some kind of barrier with that [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria]?!"

"Could it be that the effect of that barrier is—!!"

Under the gazes of Yugi and Jonouchi, Rafael nodded: "【Divine Flame Emperor - Uria】can absorb the life force of Duel Monsters and the souls of humans, and the barrier acts as an amplifier to spread this effect. However, due to personal preference, the barrier I modified will not have any effect on Duel Monsters, but it will continue to absorb everyone's fighting spirit and life force."

“While in the short term it will only make people listless and weak, if it lasts too long, it is not impossible for it to endanger the lives of some people.” Rafiru stared into the game’s eyes. “So, if you want to break this barrier, you have to act quickly, nameless pharaoh.”

"Beat me in a duel to take [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria], then put this card back into the barrier located under this venue to remove the barrier."

Looking at Rafael's calm expression, Yugi was filled with doubt: "You're not on my side, are you? Why are you telling us so much?"

"That's right, and we don't even know if what you're saying is true or false."

Ignoring Jonouchi standing by the game, Rafael calmly said, "Whether you believe it or not is up to you, Nameless Pharaoh. But, whether what I say is true or false, after seeing the [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria] I possess, you won't refuse to duel me, will you?"

In response to Rafael, Yugi retrieved his deck. Inserting the deck into the Duel Disk, the blade-like disk snapped shut, and Yugi, with his raised arm, pointed it at Rafael: "Rafael, just as you said, I don't trust you, and I can't be sure if what you say is true."

“Bringing [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria] back to the underground barrier might break the barrier, but it might also lead to us falling into a trap you have set. Nothing is certain.”

"But you're right about one thing: I won't refuse a duel with you."

"Not only because [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria] is a possible key card, but also because that card with evil power must be retrieved."

As he spoke, a confident smile appeared on his lips. "Besides, we still have a duel that's not over yet."

Not long ago today, Yugi faced off against Rafael under Kaiba's arrangement. However, after only a brief exchange, before they could even get serious, Rafael surrendered, ending the duel.

The duel that never ended has now resumed.

Chapter 452 When you can't come up with a suitable title, not coming up with one is also a form of title

"Duel!" x2

Rafiru: 4000 LP

[Game: 4000LP]

"I'll take the first turn, draw a card!" Rafiru drew a card from his deck, but instead of starting the game immediately, he frowned and looked at Rafiru, who had drawn five cards and was waiting for the game to begin.

In order to seize Rafael's [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria] to test whether his method of removing the barrier was true, Yugi began a duel with him. However, Yugi, who had already inserted his deck into the duel disk and was waiting for Rafael, noticed that Rafael had not put the [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria] he had taken out earlier into his deck before inserting his deck into the duel disk.

Despite having a card like [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria], which is evil but whose power is equally undeniable, Rafiru chooses not to use it. Yugi couldn't fathom Rafiru's thoughts.

Although the game couldn't see through Rafael, Rafael, in turn, saw through the game's inner thoughts at that moment: "Are you wondering why I'm not using [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria], Nameless Pharaoh?"

"Ah, yes, it's a little suspicious that they don't use powerful cards." Yugi didn't mince words and directly admitted that his thoughts were indeed as Rafael had said.

If Yugi hadn't faced [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria] head-on and sensed a similar aura from the card Rafael pulled out, he might have even suspected that Rafael was using a fake card to fool him.

Rafael thought for a moment and said, "The reason for not using it is probably due to compatibility. I don't like the cards of [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria], and even if I forcibly add them to my deck, it will only hinder me."

"It's not because of the monster's effect or any other factor that's causing the problem, but because of the monster 'Divine Flame Emperor - Uria,' which both I and my cards hate, and that's the only reason."

Hearing Rafael's words, Yugi was slightly taken aback: "You and your monster?"

The table game within Millennium Puzzle reminds you: 'The other me, look over there.'

The two gamers looked toward Rafael's side. Although it was just air to others, the two gamers, Yugi and Yami, who had the ability to see Duel Monsters, clearly saw a semi-transparent phantom floating next to Rafael.

However, they only had time to catch a glimpse of the phantom's existence. Seemingly sensing the game's gaze, the phantom retreated into nothingness in time, leaving only the rapidly disappearing head of the bird and a single white wing in the eyes of the two game players.

"Was that... a card spirit from Duel Monsters?" Yugi, the protagonist of the Millennium Puzzle, said uncertainly. He had noticed the phantom that appeared next to Rafael earlier than Yami Yugi, but he only noticed that the phantom had a bird's head, which Yami Yugi noticed only when he saw the disappearing wings.

'It looks like a monster from the Bird-Beast Clan?'

'It could also be a monster from the angel race.'

The two games exchanged their thoughts in their minds, but after hearing what the other game said, Yami Yugi glanced at the expressionless Raphael and shook his head: "Although I don't know what organization Raphael belongs to or what his position is in, how could his card spirit, which has affected so many innocent people, possibly be an angel monster?"

Although there is no concrete evidence, in the game's understanding, the race of a duelist's card spirit is often closely related to the duelist's personality. The game speculates that this is likely because the cards of awakened card spirits are often the duelist's favorites, and people naturally tend to use cards that reflect their personality.

The two games feature a total of three card sprites: [Dark Magician], [Dark Magician Girl], and [Kuriboh], representing the Mage and Demon races, respectively.

The first two, corresponding to the yabi game, have extremely strong adaptability and active thinking, while the latter, representing the gabi game, is probably because the gabi game deck contains a lot of trap cards.

The proud Kaiba uses the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, a weapon renowned for its immense power. In the game, a blurry phantom can often be seen accompanying Kaiba, but Kaiba himself never notices it. Even if he did notice, the science-obsessed Kaiba would only assume it was just a hallucination caused by exhaustion.