Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

The game has a very oppressive atmosphere.

Although the guy in front of him seemed to be completely unprepared and could be defeated simply by summoning a monster and attacking, Yugi himself had no intention of making a move for the time being. After all, he had no idea where Muto Sugoroku was, and if the guy had made some kind of device that was "a bomb connected to his pulse," taking action would only put his grandfather in danger.

The first thing to do is to find out where the other side is hiding Grandpa. As for the subsequent rescue, the game is confident in Jonouchi and Honda.

The hooded man was unfazed by Yugi's aggressive demeanor. He did indeed see one of the "Three Egyptian God Cards" he knew, [Sky Dragon of Osiris], in Yugi's hand. He calmly said, "Yes, it is indeed a 'God Card'."

"My name is Grimo, and I belong to the 'Doma' organization. I am a servant of Lord Rafael, one of the organization's three musketeers." As he spoke, the hooded man named Grimo removed his hood, revealing a bald head that shone brightly even in the night sky and a programmer's hairstyle that suggested he had no interest in playing cards. "If you want to win back your grandfather, accept my duel with the 'God Card' as the stake!"

Raising his wrist, the side of the circular device worn by Gulimo unfolded, extending into six sections that formed a duel disk. Its design was completely different from that released by the Seahorse Group, appearing quite Western European in style and also quite ferocious due to its many sharp angles.

Not fully focused on what the other person was saying, and not noticing the frown on Yugi's face when he heard the name "Rafael," a sense of foreboding crept into his mind. Although he didn't know whether Gurimo, who had just been standing on high ground, knew about Jonouchi and Honda's existence, the other person hadn't paid attention to his words and still hadn't revealed where his grandfather was hidden.

"I can accept your duel, but before that, tell me where the chicken sauce is!"

"You're really in a hurry. Can't you put your mind at ease until you see your grandfather?" Gulimo frowned, his free right hand pressing on the edge of the duel disk on his left wrist, as if activating some device. "Then let me show you."

"Om—"

As the machine operated, the tower crane next to Gulimo actually started to move and slightly adjusted its angle. Only then did Yugi notice that Muto Sugoroku had just been in his blind spot, right behind that large wooden plank, secured by ropes and suspended in the air by the ropes!

"Chicken sauce!"

"Crack!"

The machinery stopped operating, and the tower crane also stopped moving. Muto Sugoroku and the wooden plank securing him swayed from side to side in the air due to inertia, making one worry that he would be thrown out if the rope broke.

As Sugoroku Muto finally appeared, the game caught a glimpse of Jonouchi and Honda's blue school uniforms near a pile of building materials not far behind Gurimo, and knew that the two had begun their operation after finding Sugoroku's grandfather.

To prevent Gulimo from noticing their presence, Yugi immediately said, "I'll take your duel, for the sake of Chicken Sauce!"

"Duel!"

[Game: 4000LP]

[Gulimo: 4000LP]

While Yugi is dueling with Gurimo in order to save his grandfather, he is unaware that everything is being watched by a surveillance camera installed on the edge of the rooftop, including Yugi and Gurimo in the duel, Anzu watching Kyoko with worry behind Yugi, and Jonouchi and Honda in the corner.

Following the data network from the webcam, a tall, blond man was watching a game on a computer screen. If the game were playing, he would immediately recognize this man as Rafael, whom he had faced in the KC Cup!

"Nameless Pharaoh, let me witness your power."

Rafael wasn't alone. After hearing his mutterings, someone walked up behind him, casually placed their hand on the back of Rafael's chair, and looked at the screen: "Hey~, your servant has already clashed with Yugi Muto? He's quick on his feet."

Baron raised his hand to adjust the goggles on his forehead: "That's great. Yugi Muto is probably the easiest opponent to take the cards from among the three who currently possess the 'Three Egyptian Gods' cards, after all, his weaknesses are too obvious."

“Compared to Kobayashi Hayato, who previously held the ‘Three Egyptian Gods’ cards, it was indeed much easier for Muto Yugi to seize the cards, but that was on the premise of holding his family hostage.” Ameruda couldn’t help but turn her head and say, “Rafael, your subordinates are completely different from your style, but in the end, it’s all for Lord Dartz’s great goal, so I can’t criticize them.”

"Well, whatever, as long as we achieve our goal." Compared to Ameruda, who was slightly hesitant to take action against his family, Baron was not opposed to Grimo's plan to kidnap Sugoroku Muto. "By the way, Ameruda, what are you planning to do? How do you intend to take the 'God Card' that Seto Kaiba has? I remember he seems to have a younger brother, right?"

Upon hearing Baron mention the name "Seto Kaiba," Ameruda's previously calm expression suddenly twisted. Just hearing the name seemed to have already enraged him, but he still held back and said, "Hmph, I'm not like Seto Kaiba, who's dirtier than a rat in a toilet. I can take 'God' from the Kaiba Corporation whenever I want."

"But you, Baron, I remember the last 'god' picture was at the Egyptian antiquities traveling exhibition, right?"

“Ah, yes, the person who holds that card is called…” Baron straightened up and glanced at the computer screen he had been operating on the other side. It displayed Isis’s information: “Isis Ishdar, the patriarch of the Egyptian Tomb Keeper Clan. She was eliminated in the quarterfinals in Duel City. Apart from that, she has no record of any public duels. Neither Yugi Muto nor Seto Kaiba is much stronger than her.”

"It's arguably the worst target ever; it offers absolutely no challenge."

"Although I said that 'Yugi Muto is the easiest opponent to steal the cards from,' this woman named Isis is not even qualified to be my opponent. Moreover, she looks quite ordinary. I heard that before Hayato Kobayashi disappeared, he seemed to have some connection with this woman because someone provided information that her younger brother was called Hayato Kobayashi's brother-in-law."

As Baron made his assessment, he couldn't help but think about what kind of woman was considered beautiful according to his own aesthetic standards, and the first image that popped into his mind was a blonde woman.

Rafiru, who had been silently watching the screen, spoke up when Baron mentioned "Hayato Kobayashi": "Although the intelligence gathered from various sources and the videos retrieved from the Kaiba Group's internal monitoring network all indicate that Hayato Kobayashi disappeared during his battle with that being called 'Anubis'."

"But I've always had a feeling that Kobayashi Hayato, the world's strongest duelist, won't die so easily. Even Dartz-sama thinks so."

"Impossible. Although I don't doubt Lord Dartz, that guy is already gone without a trace." Baron didn't agree with Rafael's idea. "Besides, Rafael, you know that Lord Dartz has always had a strange approval of that Kobayashi Hayato guy, and always said that he thinks highly of him."

“Exactly, I don’t know what makes Hayato Kobayashi, who’s always hanging out with Seto Kaiba, who’s even more vulgar than a frog’s pee, so deserving of Dartz’s high expectations.” Amelda also felt that Rafael’s premonition was wrong. “Besides, it’s because Hayato Kobayashi went missing that we received Dartz’s orders to seize the ‘Three Egyptian Gods.’ You must have misunderstood Dartz, Rafael.”

"Is that so? Probably..." Rafael nodded as if he was convinced, but it seemed more like he was just being perfunctory. He fell silent again and looked at the screen in front of him.

While the group was talking, the duel between the game and Gulimo progressed rapidly.

Chapter 548 Isn't your symbol of friendship a bit too sinister?

"My turn,"

The game player rested his finger on the deck and glanced at the situation on the field.

To be honest, when Grimo kidnapped Sugoroku Muto and threatened Yugi to a duel on the stakes of Osiris the Sky Dragon, Yugi actually regarded Grimo as a powerful duelist and took the duel seriously.

After all, Yugi has participated in many Duel Monsters tournaments held worldwide. Even if he hasn't studied his own duel videos in detail, he should at least be clear about his own strength. Since Grimo had the courage to challenge Yugi, it means that he is very confident in his own strength.

However, to the game's utter surprise, he completely overestimated Grimo's strength. His opponent was simply too weak. Although he managed to perform a special summon of [Captain of Charge] in the first round to achieve an attack seal, that was all he did.

(【Captain of the Charge】Effect: ① When this card is successfully Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 monster of 4 stars or lower from your hand. ② While this card is in the Monster Zone, your opponent cannot target other Warrior monsters for attacks.)

There was no need to use the "Sky Dragon of Osiris" that was already in the deck. Yugi only needed to summon the "Dark Magician" and "Dark Magician Girl" master-apprentice duo to achieve perfect suppression. However, Yugi did not fully exert his strength to expand his advantage and seize victory. Instead, he acted as if he had already used all his strength to delay the time as much as possible.

It seems that Gurimo's Duel Disk has a device to control the crane. If there's one, there's bound to be another. No one can guarantee that Gurimo doesn't have other means to control the device. If he gets angry after being killed by Yugi and tries to drag Muto Sugoroku to his death, that would be bad news.

So, by deliberately delaying the game, he made it seem like he was struggling to evenly match up with Gulimo, and despite having a [Black Blast Magician] card in his hand that could easily clear the field, he refused to activate it.

Gulimo seemed to have been tricked, believing he had suppressed the legendary duelist Yugi Muto. He focused entirely on his duel with Yugi, thinking that he could win if he just put in a little more effort.

Afterwards, under the cover of the game, Jonouchi and Honda successfully rescued Muto Soroku from the air.

In a normal duel, Yugi might continue to duel Grimo out of respect for his opponent and pride as a duelist, even after rescuing Sugoroku Muto. However, in Yugi's eyes, Grimo, who used the kidnapping of Sugoroku Muto as a means to duel him, had no honor as a duelist.

Respect is mutual. Since the other party has tarnished the sanctity of the duel, there is no need for me to continue the duel with them.

But at that moment, Gulimo suddenly started laughing.

"Are you trying to escape, nameless pharaoh!?"

"Hmph, hehe, hahahahaha, you think I didn't know your target from the very beginning was that old man? I knew your plans the moment you arrived on the rooftop. Don't think you were the only one who didn't use your full strength just now, Nameless Pharaoh. Now I'll show you my true power!"

As he spoke, Gulimo activated an ominous Field Spell Card, "This is our sacred domain, born from the darkness of the earth. Its mysterious ultimate magic will become my power at this moment. Surround us and our enemies with a sacred mark!!"

"【Orichalcohol Barrier】, activate!!!"

Yugi, who was trying to escape by imitating the "muddy road oiling" technique he had learned from Hayato a long time ago, had just turned around and hadn't even had time to widen the distance between himself and Grimo when suddenly a bright green ring descended from the sky, enveloping Yugi and Grimo.

The chain ornament inlaid with green gemstones that Gurimo wore on his chest emitted the same emerald green light. The ancient, long-lost Atlantean script in the ring lit up together. The ring, which should have been just a projection, instantly became a tangible existence, constructing a circular barrier that sealed off the game and Gurimo inside. Jonouchi and Honda, who wanted to approach from outside the barrier, were also repelled!

The game's first thought was naturally to use the Millennium Puzzle to launch a "dark game" that transcends ordinary duels, in order to reverse control of Grimo's restrictive methods.

However, just as the "Eye of Ugato" on the game's forehead lit up, the Millennium Puzzle was instantly devoured by the circular barrier, rendering it completely powerless, as if it were just an "ordinary" gold nugget.

Lines extend and connect within the ring, three lines connecting to form a "Z", and two "Z"s combine to form an unusual six-pointed star. The same pattern even appears on Gulimona's smooth forehead along with a proportionally reduced ring, as if his hair loss was to make room for this pattern.

"Until a victor is determined, the sacred [Orichalcos Barrier] will isolate all obstacles. Only the victor of the duel can walk out of here, while the soul of the loser will remain forever within the [Orichalcos Barrier] card!"

Afterwards, Grimo demonstrated the other effects of the [Orichalcos Barrier]. As long as the [Orichalcos Barrier] exists, Grimo can use the Magic Trap Zone as a Monster Zone. At the same time, monsters in the Magic Trap Zone will not become targets until all monsters in the Monster Zone are destroyed. In addition, the [Orichalcos Barrier] also has the ability to darken monsters and increase their attack power by 500 points.

Even more outrageous is that "Orichalcos Barrier" has the effect of not leaving the field. Once activated, it will always exist. Whether it is bounced back to the hand, destroyed, banished, or even set by another Field Spell Card, it has no effect on "Orichalcos Barrier". It's as if it won't leave until it takes the soul of a defeated player.

Looking at the densely packed effects on the [Orichalcos Barrier], the game couldn't help but want to complain that this was definitely a fake card. Even a despicable card printer like Pegasus wouldn't dare to print a card with such disgusting effects.

However, before complaining about the game, Grimo did something that surprised and angered the game—he activated a spell card called "Osiris the Sky Dragon," declaring the name of the card that he knew existed in the game's deck before the duel, adding it to his hand using its effect, and then summoning it by sacrificing three monsters on his field.

He even left behind a [Heavenly Treasure Card] to maximize the power of [Osiris the Sky Dragon]!

Under the influence of the [Orichalcos Barrier], the [Sky Dragon of Osiris], which was originally supposed to bring divine punishment, was also corrupted by darkness!

Even the game itself was completely caught off guard, and although he managed to save his life points by using [Attack Invincibility] in time, his [Dark Magician] and [Dark Magician Girl] on the field were completely destroyed by the concentrated attack of Grimo's dark monsters.

[Gulimo: 2000LP, 6 cards in hand]

【Osiris the Sky Dragon】【ATK6500】

(Backcourt) [The Captain Charging into Battle] [ATK1700]

(Backcourt) [Demon Tamer] [ATK1300]

(Field) [Orichalcos Barrier]

Although Yugi has six cards in his hand now because he also benefited from the effect of "Heavenly Treasure Card," and will have seven cards in his hand when he draws the card he's about to draw this turn, the presence of "Sky Dragon of Osiris" means that Yugi doesn't really have any good ideas to defeat Grimo for the time being.

While Osiris the Sky Dragon often acts like a traitor when it's an ally, it's incredibly troublesome when it appears as an enemy. Its Lightning Shot, which activates automatically regardless of battle position, is a complete shredder, making it impossible to stall for time even with ordinary monsters.

—Speaking of which, it seems that [Sky Dragon of Osiris] could also be considered a traitor this time, right? It was in its own deck before, but now it's on the opponent's field.

He really is the "traitorous dragon." The more I play the game, the more I realize how incredibly prescient Hayato was.

What's more troublesome is that Grimo used [Orichalcos Barrier] to place his [Charging Captain] and [Demon Tamer], which are like weaknesses on the field, in the back, making it impossible to attack the target without defeating [Sky Dragon of Osiris].

For now, we can only pin our hopes on the next gacha pull...

"Draw a card!"

The game player drew the top card from the deck, and his expression froze for a moment, as if he had remembered something.

Looking at the card in his hand, Yugi's eyes hardened. He placed it and another card face down on his field: "Summon a monster in face-down Defense Position, then face down a card. End my turn."

[Game: 3000LP, 5 cards in hand]

[The inside side represents a monster]

[Signature Card][Signature Card][Signature Card]

"Heh heh, it seems your strength is only at that level, Yugi Muto. Facing the darkened [Sky Dragon of Osiris], all you can do is cower and defend."

Gulimo sneered, "But your struggles are futile! I will make you watch your monster be crushed before your very eyes, and then your [Sky Dragon of Osiris] will bestow upon you your defeat. Finally, I will offer the spoils of victory, the [Sky Dragon of Osiris], and the [Barrier of Orichalcos] that seals your soul to my master!"

"My turn, draw a card, and then [Sky Dragon of Osiris] gains a power boost!"

Because Grimo drew a card, his hand size increased to seven. [Sky Dragon of Osiris]'s attack power reached 7000 points due to its own effect, and after being boosted by [Orichalcos's Barrier], its attack power reached a full 7500 points!

【Osiris's Sky Dragon】【ATK6500→7500】

Glancing at Gaika in the back of the game, Gulimo appeared arrogant, but he was actually a very cunning person. This could be seen from the fact that he had seized the opportunity when the game held back to buy time, pretended to use his full strength, and then suddenly unleashed his power to suppress the game.

If he were truly an idiot, how could he have fought his way up to his current position in the fiercely competitive Doma organization and become a subordinate of Lord Rafiru, one of the Doma Three Musketeers trusted by that lord?

He recalled the information about Yugi Muto recorded in the file, not caring that the attack power of [Sky Dragon of Osiris] would decrease as a result, and decisively played a card from his hand: "I've already let you succeed once before, and this time I've learned my lesson. I have to deal with those troublesome face-down cards in your back row first."

"I activate the spell card [Great Storm] to destroy all Spell/Trap Cards on the field!" Gulimo said smugly. "Although there is a risk of destroying my own cards along with it, the only Spell/Trap Card on my field is the Field Spell Card [Orichalcos Barrier], which cannot be removed from the field. Therefore, the only card that will be destroyed is you, the nameless Pharaoh!"

【Osiris's Sky Dragon】【ATK7500→6500】

"Hmph, Sorewadoka na?"

"What?!"