Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Because, even though Hopkins is an archaeologist, the fact that he found out what he wanted to say could somehow involve another version of himself, which is no small matter.

'Aibo...'

The voice of Yami Yugi echoed from within the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi responded immediately in his mind, and golden light shone from the Millennium Puzzle, causing Rebecca to look at Yugi with sparkling eyes.

However, after the golden light faded, Rebecca looked at the game, whose appearance hadn't changed much but whose aura was completely different, and said in surprise, "Darling?"

"No, it feels completely different. You're not your darling!"

“Ah, nice to meet you, Rebecca Hopkins. You can think of me as another ‘Yugi Muto,’ the ‘Nameless Pharaoh’ your grandfather spoke of.” After greeting Rebecca, the only one among them who only now knew of his existence, Dark Yugi looked at Professor Hopkins. “So, Professor, what is it that you wish to say to me?”

Professor Arthur Hopkins realized that the boy in front of him had changed. After organizing his thoughts, he recounted his recent investigation into a newly discovered underwater site on the Atlantic coast near the US border.

Chapter 560 Duel Monsters Materialize

"In a civilization ten thousand years ago, there were already Duel Monsters."

"And that civilization was actually gradually destroyed by monsters."

As Professor Hopkins recounted his discoveries at the underwater ruins, everyone was quite shocked and incredulous, feeling as if their worldview had been greatly shaken.

In particular, Professor Hopkins did not make baseless accusations; he presented several photos he had taken at the underwater ruins to corroborate his claims.

Looking at the giant eye opening in the sky in the photo, which was destroying the world, and the three giant dragons in different poses emerging from the opened gate to another world and perishing together with the giant eye, even Honda, who wanted to say "How could Duel Monsters possibly exist", could no longer raise any more questions.

"Duel Monsters are real. Various monsters can be found in countless ancient ruins and murals. Necromancy, magic, and witchcraft are considered to be proof that humans summoned the power of monsters from other worlds and wanted to make use of it."

"Although we can't see the existence of Duel Monsters, they may actually be beings living in another dimension, similar to us."

"A civilization ten thousand years ago was destroyed by Duel Monsters. Ancient Egypt, which also had Duel Monsters three thousand years ago, may have suffered a similar fate, only it wasn't destroyed. And now, you, the nameless pharaoh from three thousand years ago, have appeared in this era." Professor Hopkins paused, his gaze turning grave as he looked at the game.

"I think there must be some important significance to why you appeared in this era."

Listening to Professor Hopkins' words, Yami Yugi turned his head and glanced at the [Kuriboh] that had appeared on his shoulder.

"Curry?" The brown furball tilted its head, looking at the game with a puzzled expression.

Unlike Anzu and Honda, who are not duelists, Yugi believes that most duelists, upon hearing Professor Hopkins's remarks about Duel Monsters, might initially disbelieve him, but if they recall the countless times they have received responses from their decks in past battles, they can understand Professor Hopkins's words.

Even for that science-obsessed guy like Haima, Professor Hopkins had already mentioned "parallel worlds" and "dimensional travel," so maybe he could at least somewhat accept it? Probably.

As one of the very few duelists who can see the existence of the card spirits, Yugi understands that Professor Hopkins is right. Duel Monsters are cards created by Pegasus based on the Egyptian Slate Monsters, but the spirits in the cards are living beings that can think and respond to the duelist's expectations.

Since Duel Monsters are real, the murals photographed by Professor Hopkins deserve attention.

'Was the civilization that produced Duel Monsters destroyed by Duel Monsters? Did the fate of that civilization ten thousand years ago also occur in ancient Egypt three thousand years ago? And what was I like back then...?'

The game was filled with thoughts, and just then, Professor Hopkins continued, "I'm just an ordinary old man. Although I have some research in archaeology, when it comes to the era of Duel Monsters, it's up to you young people."

"In addition, nameless pharaoh, I am not the only one who wants to see you today. Lady Isis Ishdar also has something to discuss with you."

"Hmm? Miss Isis?" Jonouchi, who was also recalling his past experiences with Duel Monsters and gradually accepting the premise that "Duel Monsters are real," suddenly realized when he heard Professor Hopkins' words. "No wonder you asked us to come to the Egyptian Antiquities Museum."

After all, Professor Arthur Hopkins was no stranger to Sugoroku Muto. It would be somewhat inappropriate for others to come directly to his door if they had something important to tell him, but there was absolutely no need for these old friends to specifically invite the game to the Egyptian Antiquities Exhibition.

If, in addition to Professor Hopkins, Ms. Isis, who works at the Egyptian Antiquities Exhibition, also had something to discuss with the game, then that would make sense.

Because Professor Hopkins had finished speaking, Dark Game, who wanted to think things through, cleverly switched places back into the Millennium Puzzle and released Surface Game again. Seeing that her "darling" had regained her original temperament, Rebecca immediately snuggled back to Game's side to cuddle with him, which angered Kyoko once more.

Not wanting to get caught up in the two girls' fight again, the game quickly followed Professor Hopkins, who was leading the way, and soon found Isis standing in front of a stone slab.

Yugi recognized that stone tablet. It was the precious artifact known as the "Prophecy Tablet" that Ishii had visited before Duel City, when she brought Hayato, Kaiba, and Yugi himself. It not only had cards of the three Egyptian God cards engraved on it, but also two ancient Egyptian figures whose appearances were almost identical to Kaiba and Yugi's. It even had Yugi and Kaiba's respective ace monsters, Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

At that time, Isis said that the stone tablet was engraved with an important prophecy for the nameless pharaoh to regain his memory. As long as the cards of the three Egyptian God cards were collected, the game could start the journey to find his own memory through this stone tablet.

However, this stone slab is different from the one seen in the game; the entire slab is now frozen inside a huge square ice block, and even the marks on it are somewhat blurred.

Moreover, despite the absence of any cooling device, the ice showed no signs of melting, and even when the game player got very close, they didn't feel any cold air.

Furthermore, the game was surprised to find that Isis wasn't alone around this stone slab; there were several other people surrounding her.

Because he didn't participate in the Duel City quarterfinals, he played as Rishid, whom he didn't know in the game.

Malik, unusually, wasn't wearing a pain-themed shirt but instead dressed properly in a leather jacket and jeans.

Kaiba Keihei, dressed in a little suit, looks like a mature little adult.

Isis, with her back to the game, stares at the stone slab, while Seto Kaiba looks at the game with an impatient expression!

"You're too slow, Yugi. I've been waiting for you for ages." Kaiba frowned as he looked at Yugi's timid appearance. "Hmph, it's because of you that the 'Sky Dragon of Osiris' card was taken by the Doma Organization."

"Seahorse, do you know...?"

Hearing Kaiba's words, Yugi's eyes were filled with disappointment and frustration. Yugi was actually quite bothered by having his "Sky Dragon of Osiris" card taken away, and Yami Yugi, unable to bear seeing his Aibo being overwhelmed by Kaiba's presence, stepped in to take his place.

"Kaiba, you were right just now, weren't you?" Yami Yugi, who had switched places, looked at Kaiba with a very serious expression. "Could it be—"

"Humph."

Kaiba didn't answer, but instead snorted and turned his head away, looking at Isis beside him. Yugi, based on his understanding of Kaiba, could tell that Kaiba hadn't given an answer.

He actually had his [Obelisk the Tormentor] card stolen by the "Doma" organization? That seahorse!?

Furthermore, judging from the situation, it seems that both he and Kaiba had their "God Cards" stolen last night. If that's the case, then wouldn't Isis's "Winged Dragon of Ra" also be—

"As you wish to say, Nameless Pharaoh." Seemingly foreseeing the future when the game would ask her a question, Isis gave the answer the game wanted in advance, "The organization called 'Doma' launched operations in three directions simultaneously last night, taking away the 'Cards of God' stored in three different locations."

"Even the Winged Dragon of Ra from Miss Isis's place!" Jonouchi, following behind Yugi, was quite surprised, then his face showed considerable anger. "Damn it, what exactly is that organization called 'Doma' doing? Are they coveting the power of the 'God Cards'? They actually took away Hayato's last remaining possession—"

"Hey, Jonouchi." Honda interrupted Jonouchi, but didn't say anything, only glancing at Isis. Seeing that Isis didn't react excessively to Jonouchi's words, he breathed a sigh of relief.

With his arms crossed and a cold expression, Haima said, "I started investigating the Doma organization last night, but strangely enough, even after using all of Haima Group's satellites to hack into the classified documents of various governments, we couldn't find a single clue about the existence of the Doma organization. It's as if those people fabricated it yesterday to attract attention."

"However, just when I was about to look for clues in other directions, this woman found me and said that she knew information about the Doma organization. But when I was willing to take the time to come here in person to hear her, this woman insisted on waiting until you, Game, also came here."

The seahorse's face showed impatience: "Now you can finally speak, Isis Ishdar."

Under the watchful eyes of Kaiba, Jonouchi, and Yugi, Isis nodded and said, "The so-called Doma Organization is actually an entity that existed long before the establishment of the current social order. It has lasted for nearly ten thousand years, and for these ten thousand years, this organization has been guiding human history. They are behind events such as the Industrial Revolution in England, the Renaissance in Italy, and Napoleon's unification of Europe in France."

"After countless years of development, their reach has extended to all sectors around the world, and even government departments have their henchmen working to keep them hidden."

“But now, they seem to have completed the process of accumulating power and have begun to act for a purpose. The first thing they did was to take the ‘God Card’ and seal the ‘Prophecy Tablet’,” Isis said, looking at the game. “And their goal is to resurrect their ‘god’ and recreate what was prevented ten thousand years ago.”

"Ten thousand years ago?" Upon hearing Isis's words, Yugi subconsciously looked down at the photo of Professor Hopkins that he was still clutching in his hand, his pupils shrinking. "Masaka!"

The timing of the events—both being ten thousand years—was too coincidental. Naturally, the game immediately connected the destruction of that civilization ten thousand years ago with the "god" that the Doma organization wanted to resurrect.

And at that very moment—

"Roar!"

Accompanied by a roar from an unknown monster, a wall not far from the game and the others, which had no artifacts, was suddenly pierced through by a beam of flame, revealing the scenery outside.

Startled, the game's crew peered through the gap in the artifact that Isis had foreseen and deliberately moved there, their faces all showing expressions of horror.

At this moment, the outside world seemed to have become another world. Giant dueling monsters were rampaging everywhere, whether on buildings, in the sky, or on the streets. Moreover, from their movements, it was clear that they were not projections at all, but all had physical forms!

Chapter 561 Falcon Sea Emperor, Resurrected!

Rewind to yesterday, the three Doma musketeers—Rafiru, Baron, and Ameruda—carrying the three "God Cards," boarded a transport plane and were on their way back to the Doma Organization headquarters after flying away from Domino City.

The duel between Ameruda and Isis ended inconclusively because Rafael, whose deck had been emptied by [Crypt], was about to be "killed" by Isis with [Hand Elimination] when he timely used his pendant inlaid with "Orichalcos Shard" to break the [Orichalcos Barrier], forcibly ending the duel in a way that resembled "pulling out a screw".

Although Rafael and the others said that "only the victor can leave the [Orichalcos Barrier]", only a fool would take that as an absolute fact. It's possible for a user of the [Orichalcos Barrier] to die within the [Orichalcos Barrier], but it's absolutely impossible for it to happen to Rafael and the other two high-ranking members.

Every member of the Doma organization carries an "Orichalcos Shard," which is a necessary condition for activating the "Orichalcos Barrier." However, the "Orichalcos Shards" held by Rafael and his two companions, as the "Three Musketeers of Doma," are somewhat special, possessing the ability to actively break the "Orichalcos Barrier." This is also how Rafael saved Amelda.

After rescuing Ameruda, Rafael and his team decisively abandoned the helicopter, which had consumed a lot of fuel due to the prolonged delay, and transferred to another spare transport plane to leave Domino City. It turned out that the helicopter hadn't been completely abandoned; Rafael had arranged for someone to pilot it overseas to divert the Kaiba Corporation's attention.

What's puzzling is that Isis, whose duel was interrupted, didn't seem to pursue them at all and let them leave. But since they had successfully brought the cards of the "Three Egyptian Gods" overseas, Rafael and the others naturally didn't dwell on it anymore.

Throughout the journey, Amelda remained sullen. After all, due to the uniqueness and powerful nature of the "Three Egyptian God Cards," this operation was of utmost importance to their Doma organization. Both Rafael and Baron had performed quite well in this operation.

Only Amelda, not only did he manage to steal the "Obelisk the Tormentor" card from Seto Kaiba thanks to Rafael's intervention, but he also nearly got sealed on the spot when he tried to seal Isis Ishtar's soul.

Furthermore, Amelda's mood worsened as she failed to achieve her initial goal of avenging Seto Kaiba during this operation.

Rafiru and Baron didn't take Ameruda's near death to heart. One of them prioritized the interests of the Doma Organization, while the other was the kind of guy who would slack off as long as he could to complete the mission. Although they cared about their companion's psychological problems, they only helped to the extent that their psychological problems would not affect their own completion of the mission.

Now that Amelda has collected all three Egyptian God cards, he can be as withdrawn or complain as he wants; it's none of their business anymore.

As a golden semi-circular ray of light rose above the horizon, dispelling the night and illuminating the sky, the transport plane carrying Ameruda and his companions quickly arrived at the current headquarters of the Doma Organization—located on a solitary island in the Atlantic Ocean. Due to the influence of the Doma Organization, this island was not even registered on the maps of various countries and was considered a "non-existent island."

From a distance, even from the helicopter, one can forget the spiraling mountain rising upwards on the island, where the Doma organization is hidden.

After the transport plane approached the island, the three of them boarded their own motorcycles and jumped out of the plane through the open rear door without waiting for it to stop at the island's airfield. They landed smoothly with a rather arrogant air and climbed up the island's "spiral mountain," arriving at the palace at the top of the mountain in no time.

After passing through a grand hall and a dark, winding passage, the Three Musketeers of Doma finally reached the end of their journey. Before them stood a huge mural, and on an altar in front of it, a cloaked figure held a card in his hand, his back to Rafael and the others.

"Dazi Master" X3

Looking at the person before them, whether it was the disgruntled Ameruda, the listless Baron, or even the arrogant Raferu, they all respectfully bowed down on one knee and greeted the person before them.

From the back of the person, who was facing away from Rafael and the other two, all that could be seen was a head of long, bluish-green hair peeking out from the hood. The person was not tall and had a rather slender figure. If you were to look at the person's delicate face when they turned around after hearing Rafael and the others' voices, it would be easy to mistake them for a woman.

This man is Daz, known to outsiders as the president of the multinational corporation Paradis, as well as a world-renowned philosopher, politician, and entrepreneur. But few people know that he is actually the leader of the Doma organization hidden behind human history!

"As expected, the power of the nameless pharaoh is not to be underestimated." Dartz ignored Rafael and the others' greetings, instead looking at a card in his hand with an air of superiority and speaking to himself. The card in his hand was a [Orichalcos Barrier], but it clearly displayed the image of Grimo, who had lost his duel with Yugi!

"The barrier was activated three times. Once it sealed one of our members, another time it resulted in a draw, and the last time it seemed to have been interrupted?"

Upon hearing Dartz bring up this matter, Ameruda's face grew even more somber, as he had fought the latter two of the three duels himself.

I'm so annoyed! I feel like I'm the only one who can't do it!

However, Dartz showed no interest in learning the details of the battle. Instead, he casually tossed the card that bound Grimo's soul into the fire beside the altar. As the card burned, Grimo's soul was sacrificed, and a faint green light flashed in the pupils of the three open-mouthed snake heads on the altar behind Dartz.

Watching his subordinate Grimo's soul being casually sacrificed by Dartz, Rafael remained expressionless, simply taking out three cards from his pocket: "I'm very sorry, Lord Dartz. However, we have successfully obtained the cards of the 'Three Egyptian Gods'."

Dartz extended her slender fingers and took the "Three Egyptian God Cards" from Rafael's hand. She felt the "weight" of the three cards, which was different from that of ordinary Duel Monsters. She smiled and said, "Hmm, I can feel it. There is a powerful force hidden in these three cards."

Holding three cards in her hand, Dartz turned around and walked back to the altar. One hand held a card to suppress the resistance of the spirit within it, while the other hand pulled out a card and placed it into the three open mouths of the three snakes on the altar, muttering:

"The red dragon that shook the heavens, the Sky Dragon of Osiris, symbolizing both good and evil."

"The colossus of Obelisk, a blue giant that shakes the earth, symbolizing both light and darkness."

"And the golden divine bird that shines with the light of the sun, symbolizing the heavens and the earth [Ra—, hmm?]"

Holding the card [Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra], Dartz frowned slightly in confusion. He hadn't noticed much because the other two Egyptian God cards were resisting, but now that he only had one [Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra], he realized that the card, which should be the strongest of the "Three Egyptian Gods," seemed to be just an empty shell.

If we compare the power of the monsters in the cards to metal ingots, the "God Cards" are undoubtedly the heaviest and largest among them. However, the card in front of us, [Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra], although it has the same size, has been hollowed out and is just a metal shell.

However, Dartz also remembered that the one who used the [Ra's Winged Dragon] before was Hayato Kobayashi. According to information, because of a crystal pyramid artifact from a tomb that was recently excavated in Egypt, an anomaly occurred at the Kaiba Dome in the Kaiba Industrial Park in Domino City. During that anomaly, the Duel King Hayato Kobayashi disappeared while sealing an anomalous creature and is suspected to have died.