Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"I activate the Spell Card 'Pot of Greed' and draw two more cards from my deck. Then I activate the Spell Card 'Monster Resurrection'," Kaiba said, his hand now containing seven cards. He drew one of the cards and activated it, "I will revive 'Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon' from my graveyard."

The White Dragon of Ritual, wielding the power of chaos, reappeared on Kaiba's field. Amelda glanced at the Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon with disdain and said, "Oh, you resurrected the Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon? Are you trying to replicate the battle from last turn? Hmph, don't forget the effect of my Mech Force: Destruction Force, Seto Kaiba."

"Before the [Mech Force - Destruction Armed Force], which is the embodiment of my hatred, the effects of your [Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] during the combat phase are simply—"

“I don’t need you to remind me of that, and I never said I was going to use Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon to finish you off. Besides, Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon that was resurrected from the graveyard instead of being a ritual summoned no longer has that power.” Kaiba impatiently interrupted Ameruda, and drew another card on his own. “My formula for victory is much more perfect than you think.”

"I Normal Summon [Dragon Ruler], then activate the Spell Card [Dragon Summoning Flute] to Special Summon two Dragon-Type monsters from my hand. Come forth, my [Blue-Eyes]!"

With a dragon's roar, a second and a third Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on Kaiba's field, bringing the total number of Blue-Eyes monsters on his field to four, creating an imposing aura!

[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [ATK3000]

[Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon] [ATK3000]

【Dragon Dominator】【ATK1200】

Looking at the white dragons that appeared on the seahorse field, even Ameruda, who had been confident of victory, was somewhat affected by the imposing aura of the flying dragons. However, after careful consideration, he still did not think he had any chance of losing the duel.

Even if you gather all three white dragons, the strongest ultimate dragon formed by fusion, [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], is only a monster with an attack power of 4500 points. It is completely unable to destroy [Mech Force: Destruction Force] on your field.

Even the God of Destruction, Obelisk the Tormentor, which Seto Kaiba possesses, is only a monster with 4000 ATK. Moreover, he has already used his Normal Summon this turn. Could he possibly print another card?

Just as Ameruda was thinking this, he saw Kaiba play one of his remaining two cards: "This is the last step on my path to victory. Bow down before Kamui, you rat! Activate the spell card [Double Summon] to allow me to perform another Normal Summon this turn."

"Then, for the sake of victory, sleep in the graveyard for now, [Blue-Eyes]! I release the three [Blue-Eyes White Dragons] on the field as sacrifices!"

"A scorching gale sweeps across the land, turning all living things to corpses before it. Submit to my descent, Kami!!"

"【The Colossus of Obelisk】!!!"

As Kaiba raised the last card in his hand, the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons on his field turned into light and rose into the air. Behind Kaiba, a blue giant slowly and heavily rose from the ground. Even though it hadn't made any move yet, its sheer presence made Amelda take a step back.

"This is... God!?"

Before today, Ameruda had seen the "Card of God" on other occasions, but mostly only in videotapes or as an observer. This was his first time directly facing the majesty of the "Card of God".

"Entering my combat phase, [Dragon Dominator], attack [Mech Sniper]!"

The rare Spellcaster-Type monster in Kaiba's deck, "Dragon Ruler," received a command and charged towards Amelda's "Machine Sniper" in Defense Position on the field.

The 800 DEF monster, "Mech Sniper," was destroyed without resistance, and Amelda immediately activated the effect of "Mech Force Frontline": "Once per turn, if one of my Machine-Type monsters is destroyed by battle, I Special Summon one Machine-Type monster of the same Attribute with 1800 or less ATK from my Deck by the effect of 'Mech Force Frontline.'"

"I hereby Special Summon a [Mech Raider] with 1500 ATK in Defense Position."

[Mech Raider] [8 stars/location]

[Mechanical Race/Effect]

[1500/2400]

Seeing that Amelda had summoned another monster, Kaiba scoffed disdainfully, "Hmph, this is never going to end, but it's over. During the Battle Phase, I release my Blue-Eyes Chaos Dragon and Dragon Ruler to activate the effect of Obelisk the Tormentor!"

"An effect activated during the combat phase? In that case, I'll activate it—" Upon hearing this, Ameruda waved his hand forward, about to use the effect of [Mech Force - Destruction Force] to interfere, but to his surprise, the black flames on [Mech Force - Destruction Force] annihilated themselves before they even got close to [Obelisk the Colossus]!?

"How is that possible? Monster effects activated during the battle phase should be nullified by [Mech Force: Destruction Armed Force]!"

His response was the seahorse's maniacal laughter.

"Hmph, hehe, hahahahahaha!!" As the two monsters on the field were unleashed, and seeing the terrifying power gathering in the fists of Obelisk the Tormentor behind him, Kaiba laughed arrogantly and said, "What stands before you isn't a monster, but Kamida!!"

"Upgrade your attack power to infinity and crush that [Mech Force - Destruction Armed Force], [Obelisk]!!"

【Obelisk the Colossus】【ATK4000→∞】

"Soul Energy Max!!!"

Chapter 554 The Second God

"Soul Energy Max!!!"

Facing the [Obelisk the Tormentor], which was fully demonstrating what "divine power" and "divine might" meant, and whose attack power had been increased to a terrifying ∞ in one go, Amelda finally understood why that person cared so much about the power of the "God Card".

Because it truly surpasses all Duel Monsters to date, if we want to carry out that person's plan, it is absolutely impossible not to have this power in our hands!

After releasing the two monsters, the power of [Obelisk the Tormentor] had broken through to an unattainable ∞, which made Amelda reflect on whether his decision not to add the card [Orichalcos Barrier] to his deck before the duel to save Seto Kaiba's life was correct.

After all, Kaiba's current life points are only 400. If what he just drew was not that face-down card with no meaning on the field, but "Orichalcos Barrier", with the 500 attack power bonus provided by the field spell card, he would have already defeated Kaiba Seto. Why would he have left him with only 400 life points left to eke out a living?

Because of his arrogance, Ameruda himself is undoubtedly at a disadvantage in this duel. The iron fist of the [Obelisk the Giant], which was not even necessary to participate, is falling towards his [Mech Force: Destruction Force].

However, Ameluda's pride wouldn't allow him to admit that he would lose to Seto Kaiba. Even if he could accept losing to anyone else, he couldn't and would never lose to Kaiba.

Having made his decision, Amelda activated his backcourt card as his divine fist landed: "Don't be so smug, Seto Kaiba. I will not let you win this duel so easily. I have not lost yet!"

"Chain attack with your [Obelisk the Tormentor], I'm going to activate my trap card in the back row—"

"【Destroy the ring】!!!"

"What?!" Kaiba was about to say "Trap cards are ineffective against gods" to mock Ameruda, but when he saw that the face-down card Ameruda opened was [Destroy Ring], he instantly understood what the other party was thinking.

Since the god's attack is unstoppable and will inevitably annihilate the monster chosen as the target, then all we need to do is destroy our own monster before the god's attack arrives.

The effect of the card 【Destroy Ring】 is to destroy one of your monsters and then inflict 1000 effect damage to both duelists. Both Kaiba's remaining 400 Life Points and Amelda's remaining 1000 Life Points will be reduced to zero under the effect of this card!

A ring with several grenades attached appeared on the arm of [Mech Force - Destruction Force], then exploded with a bang, the shockwave of which struck both Kaiba and Ameruda at the same time!

"Ugh!" x2

As if mirroring each other, the two, who had little life points, both reached zero along with their life points and knelt on one knee on the ground, unable to get up.

Obelisk the Titan's seemingly inevitable punch ultimately landed on empty air, the force of the punch shooting straight into the sky, tearing a hole in the night sky of Domino City and revealing the sky behind the low, dark clouds.

[Ameruda: 1000LP→0]

Seto Kaiba: 400LP → 0

With both players' life points reaching zero, the duel ended. All of Ameruda's mechanical units on the field vanished, and Obelisk the Tormentor behind Kaiba, which had failed to achieve any results, could only leave the field unwillingly. The cards on both players' duel disks fell and scattered on the ground.

On the surface, the situation seemed to have returned to the beginning when Kaiba was chasing Ameruda, but at that moment, Kaiba heard a voice coming from behind him: "So, it's a draw, Ameruda."

"Who goes there!?" With one hand on the ground, Kaiba turned around and found that a blond man had somehow appeared on the roof. He had clearly had Isono and the security team seal off the area below the building, so there shouldn't be anyone able to come and go freely!

Judging from the other person's expression, it seemed they had been there for some time, perhaps even witnessing the entire duel between me and the thief. Yet, I hadn't noticed them until they spoke!

Because the other person was standing in the shadow cast by the building, Kaiba could only make out that the other person's hair was blonde and that the figure looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recognize who it was.

However, Amelda told Kaiba the answer: "Did you come here specifically to laugh at me, Rafael? I was just a hair's breadth away from getting the 'God Card'."

'Rafiru?'

When Kaiba heard Amelda mention the other person's name, he naturally thought of Rafael, the mysterious duelist nicknamed "Guardian" whom he had encountered during the KC Cup held in America. Upon looking at the person standing in the shadows, he realized that the person resembled "Rafael" in at least 70% of his memory.

As Rafael emerged from the shadows, Kaiba was able to confirm that the person who had been with Rafael was none other than himself!

"But the result is what matters, Ameruda. In the end, you did not complete the task of obtaining the 'God Card'. In order not to affect the plan you set for yourself, I even waited until you and Seto Kaiba perished together before showing myself."

Rafael emerged from the shadows, responding to Ameruda's words as he walked towards the seahorse.

'That 'Guardian' Rafael actually knows that scoundrel who tried to steal the 'God Cards'?'

'No, it's not just that they know each other, they're completely in cahoots!'

Seeing Rafael approaching him, seemingly unsure of what he was up to, Kaiba struggled to his feet, straightened up, and assumed a defensive stance. He demanded, "You, you're Rafael, aren't you? What are you and that other guy's goals?!"

"Huh? Ameruda, you didn't use the power of Orichalcos? Why didn't you seal Seto Kaiba's soul away?"

Seeing the wary seahorse, Rafiru frowned and turned to look at Ameruda.

Amelda, however, looked impatient: "You're meddling too much, Rafael. All you need to know is that even Lord Dartz has given me special permission to decide how to deal with Seto Kaiba. As for sealing his soul, I'll find other powerful duelists to fill the gap. You don't need to worry about it!"

Talking to themselves and completely ignoring their own questions, Rafael and Amelda enraged Kaiba, who was already in a bad mood because of his defeat in the duel.

"Hey, you two, don't answer my questions with questions!" Kaiba said, reaching out his arm to Rafael, who was only an arm's length away, trying to grab the other's collar. "I know very well from my dueling experience that you're not the kind of duelist who blindly pursues powerful Duel Monsters in your deck. Coveting the power of 'God' doesn't make any sense at all."

"Even resorting to despicable means to steal the 'Card of God,' what exactly is your purpose—cough!"

Kaiba was only halfway through his sentence when Rafael, in excellent condition, nimbly dodged Kaiba's arm, lunged forward, and delivered a powerful abdominal punch, interrupting Kaiba's words.

Because he had been repeatedly injured by simulated impacts exceeding the virtual projection system's threshold during the duel, Kaiba's body was already exhausted. When Rafael launched a direct attack with "I summon my fist in attack mode," he couldn't suppress his pent-up physiological reactions and was knocked to the ground in pain.

However, Rafael only subdued Kaiba and did not take any further action.

"Since you've put it that way, then you can deal with Seto Kaiba yourself from now on, but it's best to do it before these legendary duelists interfere with our plans."

As Rafael spoke, he walked around the seahorse, bent down, and picked up the card of "Obelisk the Tormentor" from the ground. Just as the divine power within the card was about to spread out and punish Rafael, an ominous green light emanated from the chain ornament with a green gem embedded in his neck, temporarily suppressing the divine power back into the card.

"However, collecting the 'God Cards' is the main task at present. Even if you are unwilling, I must bring this [Obelisk the Tormentor] to Lord Dartz."

"Ya, ya ge!"

"Put that card down!"

The seahorse, lying on the ground, saw Rafael take away the card of [Obelisk the Tormentor]. It gritted its teeth and struggled to get up, but its weakness was undeniable. It would need some time to recover before it could move freely.

However, the seahorse didn't have enough time left.

Just after Rafiru took the Obelisk the Tormentor, a noise gradually approached the rooftop, the airflow became turbulent, and then a searchlight directly illuminated the rooftop of the Seahorse Building in the night.

It was a helicopter! It climbed straight up to this height of over a hundred meters, and it seemed to be there to pick up Ameruda and Rafiru!

Helping Ameruda board the helicopter, Rafael said expressionlessly as he watched Kaiba get up, "As a duelist, I regret that I was unable to duel Hayato Kobayashi; however, as a member of the organization, his departure is of great significance to the implementation of our plan."

"We'll take Obelisk the Tormentor, one of the three 'God Cards' left by Seto Kaiba and Hayato Kobayashi. That means we've collected two of them now, and we only have the last one, Ra the Winged Dragon of Ra, left."

After a pause, Rafael added, as if to make up for it, "But before Seto Kaiba, as a duelist, gets angry and furious that his friend's card was taken away, Seto Kaiba, as the president, should worry more about his own Kaiba Group."

After saying this, Rafiru climbed onto the helicopter's ladder and boarded. The helicopter then moved away from the roof of the Seahorse Building, leaving Seahorse, who had just managed to get up from the ground, with no chance to chase after it. He could only slam his fist hard on the cold ground in frustration.

"I'll save your life for next time, Seto Kaiba. I'll be much more careful next time we meet. Fear my revenge while you're filled with trepidation!" Ameruda, who had already boarded the plane, watched the Kaiba building recede into the distance and uttered his harsh words. It was unclear whether his voice could drown out the sound of the helicopter rotors and reach Kaiba's ears, or simply disappear into the night sky.

The rage in Kaiba's eyes as he glared at the helicopter disappearing into the horizon showed that he would probably never forget the humiliating experience of having his card taken away.

Furthermore, Kaiba even avenged the humiliation he suffered at the "Pyramid of Light" incident by targeting Ameruda and Rafael. As a duelist, he had been repeatedly humiliated by underhanded tactics. Anubis's swift and decisive death left him no chance for revenge last time, but this time he was determined to exact his revenge on Rafael and Ameruda, doubling the score!

Having made such a vow in his heart, Kaiba had to consider something else, namely, what Rafael had said when he left: "Be careful of the Kaiba Group." However, Kaiba did not understand why the Kaiba Group needed his attention.

Today, after transforming into an entertainment group, the Kaiba Group first cooperated with the International Illusion Society, then defeated the Schreid Group, a major rival in the Duel Monsters field, and also has a deep cooperation with the Manjoume Foundation. It can be said that it has made full use of the technique of "treating guests, beheading, and taking in dogs".

Unlike some companies, Haima Group is now truly thriving, so what is there to worry about?

Could it be that some super-capital with nothing better to do is idly attacking Haima Group's stock price?

After careful consideration, Kaiba realized that Rafael's words might just be a smokescreen to distract him. His immediate priority was to find those two bastards, teach them and their organization a lesson, and then retrieve the card of [Obelisk the Tormentor].

On the other hand, Kaiba also kept in mind the name "Ameruda," the thief Rafiru had mentioned. The thief seemed to be a former victim of the Kaiba Arms Group, and perhaps he could find some clues using that name as a starting point.