Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"I don't really understand what happened..."

Honda collapsed, exhausted, after only finishing half of his sentence, seemingly because those few words had drained his last bit of strength.

"Honda! Hey! Pull yourself together, Honda!" Jonouchi angrily slammed his fist on the barrier in front of him. Having witnessed his friend collapse and lose consciousness before his eyes, Jonouchi desperately wanted to reach Honda's side, but the barrier blocked his way. "Damn it, this thing is so annoying!"

As Yugi watched Honda fall, he was extremely anxious, silently calling out to the Dark Yugi within the Millennium Puzzle: "My other self..."

However, the illusory figure of Dark Game appearing beside the game simply shook its head helplessly: 'Sorry, Aibo, there's nothing I can do either.'

'This barrier seems to be constructed by draining Honda and the others' life force. If we forcibly break through it, it could potentially harm them. Unless the person who set up the barrier removes it, we have no way to enter the room without harming them.'

“How could this be…” Yugi was also very disappointed after hearing Yami Yugi’s words. “Does this mean we can only watch Honda and the others fall here?”

“This is the expression I’ve always wanted to see, Yugi Muto.” Kigufrid leaned against the side of the passage, looking at the annoyance and resentment on Yugi’s face, and said with a sneer, “It’s this helpless expression.”

"Although my first target is Kaiba, I've never forgotten that you defeated me once in a duel. It feels great to watch your friend fall in front of you, and not even be able to get to your side, hahaha!"

"This is the punishment for those who oppose me, the noble elite Chigurhfrid von Schreid!"

Overjoyed, he had forgotten that he was still a prisoner. If his hands weren't tied, Jonouchi had no doubt that he would have stood with his hands on his hips or struck some other strange pose while laughing maniacally.

Being mocked like that, although the game wouldn't involve him getting angry and beating up Qigufrid, Jonouchi was still very unhappy and naturally wouldn't let go of such a good opportunity to vent.

Coincidentally, he had recently played a game called "Real Person Fighting," and one of the characters' moves was perfect for this situation.

"Get over here!"

With a sharp tug on the rope, Jonouchi watched as Chigurhfrid was pulled toward him in a panic. He showed no mercy to the sarcastic fellow and threw a punch.

"Ugh!!!"

Chigurhfrid, struck hard in the abdomen, let out a bloodcurdling scream. His eyes widened as if they were about to pop out, his head lolled to the side, his eyes rolled upwards, and he passed out.

"Such a weak aristocratic elite."

Jonouchi clearly understood the saying "a shrimp's heart is as good as a pig's," and he retorted as he looked at Chigurhfrid, who had been knocked unconscious by just one punch.

Having fought frequently, he knew that a punch of that force would generally only cause someone to be in so much pain that they couldn't speak. Chigurhfrid's physical condition was truly too weak to pass out like that.

After silencing the annoying Chigfried, Jonouchi turned to look at Yugi, about to say something, perhaps to discuss how to get around the barrier and into the room.

But just then, Jonouchi saw someone slowly standing up in the room and pointed at them in surprise: "Yu-Yugi, isn't that person inside—"

Upon hearing this, Yuqi turned around and looked in surprise at the guy who had just stood up and was dusting himself off.

"Hooray, hooray, it's really fate that we meet under these circumstances. There's also Yugi inside the castle." Bakura tugged at his hair with both hands, reorganizing two tufts into rabbit ears. "No, it's not an exaggeration to say it's luck, because this trap was clearly prepared specifically for you, or rather, for Yugi."

"trap?"

Seeing that Yugi and Jonouchi both looked like they didn't understand what he meant, Bakura calmly explained, "Isn't it easy to understand? This room has been set up with a more powerful barrier that absorbs life force than the outside, just to scheme against you guys who have gone to great lengths to get in here and want to break the barrier."

“But obviously, these guys got ahead of you and ended up becoming your substitutes.” As he spoke, Bakura squatted down and grabbed Honda’s nut-like hair, pulling him up from the ground. “Especially that bastard Honda Hiro, he even punched me. Karma comes fast.”

"I can't believe it!" Game was shocked.

Put yourself in their shoes. After you've overcome countless obstacles and reached the final boss's room, and defeated him, all that's left to get you to become a legendary hero and marry the princess kidnapped by the Demon King is to unlock the cell where the princess is imprisoned. Unless you're a cautious hero who uses a special attack ten times to kill even a slime at the entrance of a beginner village, who would be that careful?

If we switch roles, Yugi thinks that if he were the one who entered the room first instead of Honda and the others, he would have fallen for Bakura's trick just the same way.

“That’s not right. If it’s a trap,” Jonouchi said with some doubt, “why are you in there, Bakura? And Honda and Kyoko are all down, but you’re still able to move around normally?”

"There is only one answer, and that is that An Xiaozhi is actually the culprit who hid behind the scenes, connected other forces, and planned this incident."

The voice that answered Jonouchi did not come from the room where Bakura was, but from behind Jonouchi.

Hayato carried the Millennium Scepter he had taken from Malik, and the "Eye of Ugato" on the Millennium Wisdom Wheel on his chest flashed with golden light. He walked leisurely and calmly toward them in the city like an old-fashioned nobleman who was visiting a museum.

"Hayato-kun."

"Hmm." Hayato nodded as a greeting to Yugi, without explaining why Malik hadn't come in with him. Yugi, or rather, Dark Yugi from Millennium Puzzle, could guess the reason.

He looked at Bakura: "Yo, Rabbit-Eared Demon King, long time no see."

"Hayato Kobayashi, what are you doing here?" Unlike Hayato, who was as calm as if greeting an old friend, Bakura frowned and asked suspiciously, "Could it be that you're also thinking of making a move here? Don't forget our previous agreement."

"Ah, of course, I have a pretty good memory." Hayato nodded, glanced at Yugi who looked a little confused, and explained.

"Under the witness of the rules of the Dark Game, 'Hayato Kobayashi' cannot interfere with the actions initiated by 'Ryo Bakura' and his accomplices to overthrow the Kaiba Group. At the same time, 'Hayato Kobayashi' cannot proactively leak information to Seto Kaiba and other related personnel. That's roughly the agreement."

"However..."

Looking at Bakura, Hayato's lips curled into a wicked smile. "This agreement only applies to 'Kobayashi Hayato.' What does your agreement with 'Kobayashi Hayato' have to do with me, 'Dan Kuroto,' a KC Cup participant?"

As he spoke, Hayato raised the Millennium Scepter in his hand, making a gesture as if he were raising a weapon to strike down.

"Wait a minute, Hayato! This barrier seems to be maintained by Honda and the others' life force. Destroying the barrier directly will harm them!"

Seeing that Hayato seemed about to attack the barrier, Yugi quickly spoke up to stop him.

As Yami Yugi just explained in the "telepathic communication," although the gathered life force amplifies the card spirits, giving [Dark Magician] and [Dark Magician Girl] the ability to manifest without a duel ritual, pure black magic cannot remove this barrier, and this applies to other Duel Monsters as well.

When Bakura heard that Yugi actually knew the true situation of the barrier, he was a little annoyed and said, "Tch, you have a really sharp sense, Yugi. Or is it someone else you discovered? I was looking forward to seeing the look of regret on Kobayashi Hayato's face when he found out that his companion had been killed because of him."

"But now that you know the truth, what choice will you make, Hayato Kobayashi?"

Bakura paced smugly around the room, circling the card in the center: "Should I just watch as Honda Hiro and the others' life force is slowly drained away by this card, or should I take matters into my own hands and end their burden?"

Seeing Bakura's smug smile, Hayato didn't seem to feel any pressure at all, and returned the smile: "I'm determined to break through your barrier, but I will also absolutely protect Honda and the others' lives. Only then can we be considered whole."

At the top of the Millennium Scepter that Hayato raises, two phantoms, one yellow and one blue, appear around the two sharp objects representing "ears" surrounding the spherical "Eye of Ugato".

"Looks familiar, Bakura? This is a gift you gave me." Hayato extended his other hand, holding two cards in his hand: [Phantom Emperor - Labiel] and [Thunder Emperor - Hamon]. "[Labiel], [Hamon], lend me your power!"

"I will change Honda's fate!"

With a powerful shout, Hayato forcefully swung the Millennium Scepter, slicing through the barrier in front of him.

Yami Yugi explained that Yugi's judgment was entirely correct, because the power of ordinary Duel Monsters was indeed insufficient to break through Bakura's barrier. While the Egyptian God Cards possessed absolute power surpassing that of ordinary cards, they would inevitably cause harm to Honda and his friends while breaking through the barrier.

However, the only exception is the card for the [Three Phantom Demons].

The barrier that gathers the life force of most people in the Kaiba Dome venue uses the power of the [Three Phantom Demons], specifically the [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria]. The life force of Honda and the others who form the barrier is also drawn from the power of this barrier.

The power of [Thunder Emperor - Hamon] and [Phantom Emperor - Labiere] converged at the top of the [Millennium Scepter]. The barrier that Jonouchi had been unable to break through no matter how hard he tried was instantly dissolved and separated like a water curtain after the [Millennium Scepter] swept across it!

"You... you can actually use the power of two [Three Phantom Demons]?!" Bakura exclaimed in disbelief. "These [Phantom Demons] are supposed to only know how to destroy, so why are they so obediently following your commands?!"

Bakura had considered that the two [Phantom Demon] cards in Hayato's possession had the ability to disrupt his plans, which was why he went out of his way to win Hayato over. However, he never expected that Hayato would be so shameless as to play such word games.

Then there's the [Three Phantom Demons]. I finally managed to get my hands on the [Three Phantom Demons] cards, but all three of them are so stubborn and won't listen to me. Even the weakest one, [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria], required a huge price to be persuaded by Bakura to help me.

Why is it that Kobayashi Hayato can so easily command the theoretically more difficult-to-manage [Phantom Demon Emperor] and [Thunder Emperor]?

"Hmph, of course it's because I moved them with love and justice." Hayato sneered, glancing at the two cards in his hand. "If you don't believe me, you can ask them if they're moved or not."

Surrounded by the Three Phantom Gods and the Earthbound Gods, the two Phantom Demons, who had wholeheartedly surrendered their power to Hayato for his control, shook their heads frantically from an unseen perspective.

I dare not move, I absolutely dare not move.

Chapter 469 has ended.

Where am I?

Opening his eyes, Honda rubbed his temples and sat up on the soft bed, looking around.

The white walls, the clean light blue curtains, the bedside table, and the faint smell of disinfectant alcohol in the air made Honda wonder how he ended up in a hospital.

"Honda, you're awake."

When Jonouchi, who was sitting opposite Honda's hospital bed, saw that Honda had woken up, he quickly stood up and walked towards him. "The doctor said that you need to rest well now. Lie down properly."

"Within the city?"

Looking confused, Honda was pressed back onto the bed by Jonouchi. "I remember before..."

"Oh right, I was actually trying to tell you to run away."

Recalling what had happened before, Honda anxiously asked Jonouchi, "How are Kyoko and Keihei?"

"Don't worry, don't worry, everything has been resolved."

Seeing that Honda seemed a little agitated, Jonouchi reassured him, "The matter was perfectly resolved by me, Jonouchi-sama, along with Yugi and Hayato. Everyone is out of danger. Otherwise, how do you think you'd end up in the hospital?"

“It wasn’t just Kyoko and Keihei; many others who were in the venue at the time were rescued and out of danger. Most of them even recovered. It’s just that you thought they were the ones who were closest to the center of the incident, so they were unconscious for the longest time.”

Sitting next to Honda, Jonouchi recounted in detail what had happened.

"Oh dear!" Bakura was both surprised and furious to see Hayato use the power of the Three Phantom Demons to break into the barrier. But no matter how angry he was at Hayato, he couldn't change the fact that the barrier protecting the room had been removed. "Kobayashi Hayato, you bastard!"

"Hehe, that expression of yours isn't suitable for a behind-the-scenes boss, Bakura." Hayato, carrying the Millennium Scepter, grinned as he approached Bakura, cracking his neck as he went.

"So, how about a tense and exciting Duel Monsters match?"

Hayato raised the Duel Disk on his wrist, his deck already inserted beforehand. Moreover, Hayato's deck boasted an unprecedentedly powerful lineup, including both the Egyptian God Cards and Earthbound Gods, all designed to give Bakura a powerful boost.

If Bakura accepts his duel, he will face Hayato's full power. Although Hayato has no confidence in defeating Bakura with the Dark Games, or rather, in defeating Dark Bakura acting under the guise of "Bakura," he thinks that at least it will keep him in check for a while.

Unfortunately, unlike those who lack self-awareness, Bakura has a fairly clear understanding of his own strength in Duel Monsters.

"Duel Monsters? Ha, do you think I'm stupid?"

While retreating, Bakura kept a watchful eye on Hayato and Jonouchi and Yugi, who followed Hayato into the room.

"Even though I know that you are the strongest in the world, and that even Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba are no match for you, I don't have the blind confidence to think that I have the strength to fight against you or even defeat you."

Although Bakura always prefers to use underhanded tactics and would rather resort to dirty tricks than obtain what he wants by dueling monsters, what do you think is the reason for that?

I don’t know when it started, but Bakura has almost never defeated anyone in Duel Monsters. It’s as if he is cursed by Duel Monsters and can never win.

Knowing he would lose, why would he still use Duel Monsters to duel? Bakura didn't like wasting his time on such meaningless things, even though his time wasn't precious.

Hayato, Jonouchi, and Yugi approached Bakura in a triangular formation, closing in on him step by step. Seeing the three getting closer and closer, Bakura gritted his teeth and said viciously, "Damn it, you guys, don't get too cocky!"

"Otherwise what? Are you going to disobey us?" Jonouchi clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking, and approached Bakura. "Although I don't know what your reasons are, it's an undeniable fact that you hurt Honda and Kyoko."

"I'll take good care of you, Bakura-kun, with my fists!"

With that, Jonouchi quickened his pace and lunged at Bakura.

Bakura glanced behind him and saw that the card floating in the air was only a few steps away, which meant that he didn't have much room to retreat.

Since that's the case, it's time to give it our all!

"Don't even think about it! [Dark Doll - Nicole Fia], take care of them!"

Bakura drew a card from the Duel Disk on his wrist and slammed the monster he drew onto the Duel Disk, calling out the opponent's name.