Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

A magnificent mirror appeared on the ground, and two orbs of light shot out from the cemetery and merged into the mirror. In the mirror, a warrior riding a dragon and holding a lance flew out.

"Super metallic armor, super gorgeous propulsion, super powerful knight! Warriors who control dragons, stage a dramatic battle!"

"【Dragon Knight Gaia】!"

Riding the Cursed Dragon, the Dark Knight Gaia made his entrance amidst Hayato's overly enthusiastic shout. As soon as he appeared on the field, he eagerly urged his upgraded mount to swoop down from the sky and thrust his lance at the Cocoon of Evolution on the field.

【Dragon Knight Gaia】【7☆/Wind】【Dragon/Fusion】【2600/2100】

"The knight returns stronger! Take this 2600-point attack, Moth! [Dragon Knight Gaia] attacks [Cocoon of Evolution], Cavalry Circle!"

"boom!"

The lance pierced through the defense of the [Cocoon of Evolution] with ease. With a loud explosion, the field of Yuga was instantly shrouded in smoke from the attacked [Cocoon of Evolution]. Unable to see clearly for a moment, [Gaia] retreated back to Hayato's field, watching the situation warily through the smoke.

"Great! The cocoon has been broken. That means that insect bastard's ace can't be used." Jonouchi said excitedly, looking at the smoke-filled arena. In his opinion, [Dragon Knight Gaia]'s attack just now had definitely killed the [Cocoon of Evolution] and the [Baby Larva] inside.

Clearly, he had never heard of the concept of "no harm even with smoke".

Almost the instant Jōnei finished speaking, a strange cry suddenly came from within the smoke: "Gah—, gah—!!"

"W-What was that sound?!"

"That sounds disgusting."

Many of the onlookers couldn't stand the sound, which resembled scratching a blackboard with fingernails, and covered their ears. However, Yuugo squinted her eyes as if she had heard some beautiful music: "She actually broke through the [Cocoon of Evolution] and interrupted the evolution of my precious monster."

"However, only the outer cocoon was damaged. After several rounds of growth, my [Baby Larva] has evolved!"

"Spread your wings and soar high, displaying your elegance and beauty, [Great Moth]!"

Amidst the smoke, a colossal green figure soared into the air, instantly reaching the same height as [Dragon Knight Gaia]. Its wingspan was so wide that they blotted out the sun, and with a single flap, the resulting hurricane instantly dispersed the smoke enveloping the Feather Moth Field.

【Giant Moth】【8☆/Earth】【Insect/Special Summon】【2600/2300】

"Impeccable defense and invincible attack power, though not in its complete form, let me defeat you just like that, Hayato!" Haga forcibly ended Hayato's turn and drew a card from his deck, even though Hayato was empty-handed. "[Great Moth], attack that [Dragon Knight Gaia]!"

Chapter 66 Currybo, the Eternal God

"Even though both have 2600 attack power, why would they use the [Giant Moth] they finally managed to summon to perish together with [Gaia]?!"

"Did that insect, the feather moth, have some kind of backup plan?"

The onlookers murmured amongst themselves, and Hayato frowned: 'I vaguely remember that Haga doing something similar during his duel with Yugi in the original timeline. His reason back then was... wait, could it be!'

"Don't underestimate me. My [Giant Moth] just flapped its wings and caused more than just a storm. Look at your field!"

Hearing Yuga's words, Hayato looked down. He saw that a pale yellow dust cloud had begun to spread across the previously empty area. Although [Dragon Knight Gaia] was flying, it inevitably inhaled some of the dust. With the inhalation of the dust, [Gaia] and the [Cursed Dragon] seemed to be suffering from hay fever; their strength weakened, and their attack power began to decline.

"So, it really is the poison of scales?"

"That's right, the moment the Great Moth was summoned, it scattered its scales across the entire field, and all living creatures were corroded by the poisonous scales!" Although it was a blank card, thanks to Yuumo's excellent ability to make up stories, Hayato watched helplessly as Yuumo continuously lowered Gaia's attack power.

【Dragon Knight Gaia】【ATK2600→1900】

"Strike while the iron is hot! [Great Moth], destroy the weakened [Dragon Knight Gaia]!"

"Giant Moth Flame Death Tornado!"

Yu Moth watched as her Earth-attribute, Flying Moth, capable of unleashing fire attacks, successfully destroyed Dragon Knight Gaia without sustaining any damage herself. She laughed arrogantly, "Then, Flying Mantis, attack directly!"

"Cough!"

[Hayato: 3400LP→2700LP→1200LP]

"Now our life points are finally reversed, Hayato. I can't wait to see you slink away from Duel Kingdom after losing the match. This is the price you pay for humiliating me!" Haga placed a card in his back row. "Set one card, end my turn."

[Yumo: 2300LP, 0 cards in hand]

【Large Moth】【ATK2600】

【Flying Mantis】【ATK1500】

"At the moment your turn ends, activate my face-down card, [Time Machine]." Watching [Dragon Knight Gaia] return to the field, and then have its attack power reduced to 1900 points once again by [Great Moth's] Poison Scale Powder.

"Muda, no matter how many times your monsters revive, my invincible [Great Moth] will crush them all." The moth looked contemptuously at the revived [Dragon Knight Gaia], "And in the next turn, your life, as fragile as a candle in the wind, will be completely wiped out by me."

"My turn. Whew~" Feeling the obvious pain transmitted to his body by the impact simulation system, Hayato let out a long breath and looked at Yuugo opposite him. "Should I thank you for healing me?"

Despite saying that, Hayato himself couldn't think of any good way to turn the tide. Even if he drew the [Dragon Slayer Sword] now, which could increase attack power, the attack power of [Dragon Knight Gaia] and [Great Moth] would only be enough to kill each other, and the appearance of the [Disruption] monster now would not be enough to turn the tide of the battle.

'If it's inevitable what cards a duelist draws, then my deck, please, give me a response!'

"Draw a card!" 'Kree~'

Hayato was taken aback for a moment when he saw the card he had acquired, then smiled. "Is this how it is? It seems like it might work."

"I'm entering battle mode! [Dragon Knight Gaia], launch an attack on [Flying Mantis]! Heavenly Primal Breakthrough!"

"boom!"

The longest-surviving [Flying Mantis] has finally finished its shift. However, although the battle destroyed the monster, the damage it caused to [Dragon Knight Gaia] was minimal because [Giant Moth] had significantly reduced Gaia's attack power.

[Feathered moth: 2300 LP → 1900 LP]

"That's it, my turn is over." Without even turning his hand face down, Hayato ended his turn.

[Hayato: 1200LP, 1 cards in hand]

【Dragon Knight Gaia】【ATK1900】

[Convenient ride]

Location: [Land of Disorder]

Although Yumoth's base score has dropped slightly, he still holds the advantage: "Heh, thinking of destroying monsters and minimizing the damage you take? But unfortunately, you still can't escape your fate."

"My turn, draw a card!"

Looking at the monster she had drawn, Haga laughed smugly: "Looks like your plan has failed, Hayato. What a pity, the card I drew this time is [Insect Man]." Showing the monster in her hand, Haga summoned [Insect Man].

[Insect Man] [2 stars/Earth] [Insect Race/Normal] [500/700]

Upon seeing Yuga summon this monster, Jonouchi's expression turned grim: "That monster is the one that killed the dinosaur Ryuzaki, the [Two-Headed Dragon King]."

"Although it doesn't have the usual magic enhancements, the [Insect Man] itself has 500 attack points. Use the [Giant Moth] to destroy [Dragon Knight Gaia], and then use the [Insect Man] to launch a direct attack. That handsome young man named Hayato is going to lose."

"What are you talking about?" Kyoko was already annoyed by Mai's figure, and Kyoko's words only made her glare at her more angrily. "I believe Hayato can overcome his difficulties."

"Duel Monsters isn't some idealistic game, little sister." After calculating the situation on the field, Mai Peacock sighed, "She's clearly a powerful duelist, but she's going to be eliminated at the very beginning of the Kingdom Tournament? There's no point in watching this match anymore."

“No, Mai, we believe in Hayato.” But to Mai’s surprise, her words were not accepted by the others. Even Yugi Muto, whom she cared about the most, was the first to refute her. “A true duelist will not give up because of a temporary predicament. And look at Hayato’s expression.”

Mai looked at Hayato and suddenly realized that even though the total attack from the monsters on the field had reached a level that could kill her, Hayato had a confident expression on his face.

Yuga laughed wildly, waving his arm across the field: "[Giant Moth], kill that [Dragon Knight Gaia] again! Hayato, after that, if [Insect Man] attacks once more, you'll lose!"

Hayato watched as the giant moth prepared to attack again, a mysterious expression on his face: "Hmph, Sorewadoka na?"

"What?" Yuga didn't hear Hayato's words clearly.

"Hayato, at the moment [Giant Moth] launches its attack, I will activate my AIBO effect from my hand!" Hayato played the card in his hand, and suddenly a magnificent rainbow appeared on the field, completely surrounding [Giant Moth] in the sky.

Within the rainbow, a spherical creature emerged, standing atop the giant moth that was bound by the rainbow and unable to attack, and made a cute face towards Hayato.

Among the onlookers, many female duelists felt as if their hearts had been struck by an arrow the moment they saw the adorable little monster wink and act cute, and exclaimed in unison, "So, so cute!"

"What's going on? Why can't my [Great Moth] attack? And what is that monster?" Yuga looked at the [Great Moth] that had stopped attacking and questioned Hayato sharply.

"The effect of [Rainbow Kuriboh] is that when your monster declares an attack, I can equip [Rainbow Kuriboh] from my hand to that attacking monster," Hayato explained. "The monster equipped with [Rainbow Kuriboh] will be charmed by its charm and unable to attack!"

Chapter 67 The winner is decided, the loser eats the dust.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" Seeing Hayato's smug expression, Hato, frustrated by her ineffective attack, pounded the dueling platform in a fit of rage. "My turn is over!"

He still had an [Insect Man] on the field, which could launch an attack, but against [Dragon Knight Gaia], it would only be a suicide mission, so he had to give up. If he had been able to kill Hayato just now, his action of drawing and summoning the [Insect Man] would have been quite decisive and wise.

The problem is that Yu Moth's [Giant Moth] is currently blocked from attacking by that annoying rainbow monster that suddenly appeared, while [Dragon Knight Gaia] has survived. This means that in the next turn, Yu Moth will have to face [Dragon Knight Gaia]'s attack on [Insect Man].

[Yumo: 1900LP, 0 cards in hand]

【Large Moth】(【Rainbow Kuriboh】) 【ATK2600】

[Insect Man] [ATK500]

"My turn, draw a card." Hayato had barely drawn his card, before he could even look at it, when he heard Hato yelling:

"Don't get too cocky, Hayato!" With a displeased expression, Haga said to Hayato, "Your [Dragon Knight Gaia] only has 1900 attack power. Even if you destroy my [Insect Man], it will only deal 1400 damage to me. I still have 1900 health points!"

"When it's my turn, I'll definitely take you down!"

Hayato laughed upon hearing this: "Hmph, hahahahaha! Well, you're probably going to be disappointed, because you won't have a next round, Haga!"

"Because I drew this card!"

Hayato flipped over the card he had just drawn; it was a magic card, [Become a Buddha].

"The effect of attaining Buddhahood is—"

"Destroy all the monsters on the field that have cards equipped?!" Hayato said the first half of the sentence, and Haga automatically added the second half, "But I don't have any activated spell cards on my field."

"Wait, could it be?!"

“That’s right, [Great Moth] is currently equipped with [Rainbow Kuriboh], so it will be destroyed by the effect of [Ascension]!” Hayato stretched out his palm towards the [Great Moth] in the air, then clenched his fist. “Soaring moth, ascend to Buddhahood!”

The rainbow band hovering around the giant moth tightened abruptly as Hayato unleashed his "Buddhahood" technique, transforming into a deadly noose around the moth's neck. The seemingly adorable Rainbow Kuriboh pulled on one end of the rainbow band with increasing force. A sharp "snap" rang out, and the giant moth was strangled by the rainbow band, turning into dust and disappearing along with Rainbow Kuriboh.

"Because the [Giant Moth] disappeared, the poisonous scales on the field also dissipated, and [Dragon Knight Gaia]'s attack power was restored!"

【Dragon Knight Gaia】【ATK1900→2600】

"No, could it be!" Haga looked at Hayato's [Dragon Knight] on the field and her own [Insect Man] on the field. "No, no way! Please don't!"

"Charge! Unleash your fury! [Dragon Knight Gaia] delivers the final blow to [Insect Man]!"

"Sun, submit to death!"

The Cursed Dragon spewed forth seemingly endless flames, which coalesced into a tornado that coiled around Gaia's lance, transforming it into a spiraling flaming spear. Aiming at the insect-men on the ground with nowhere to escape, Gaia's lance shot forth, trailing waves of fire.

Seeing the apocalyptic scene, Haga couldn't accept the reality. In despair, she collapsed onto the dueling platform, crying out, "Don't come near me!!!"

"boom!!!"

[Feathered moth: 1900 LP → 0]