Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

He glanced at the gem on Hayato's wrist and said calmly, "Even if you don't use it, that gem will continue to uncover the darkness within the holder's heart, and may even give birth to entirely new monsters."

"Since we came out here to defeat powerful duelists and seal their souls, why don't we, our 'manager,' also try moving around and see if we can uncover the dark monster within?"

Baron's words were not unfounded. The "Orichalcos Shards" really do have the function of "excavating the darkness in the duelist's heart and giving birth to new monsters." Among the three musketeers of Doma, Rafael and Amelda have already nurtured their own darkness.

Hayato remained outwardly calm, even revealing an expectant expression: "Hmph, no problem at all. I'm equally looking forward to seeing what kind of monster I can summon from within my heart as I pursue power."

However, Hayato felt somewhat fortunate about a certain deck he had previously acquired.

'The appearance of these cards... let alone the darkness within, even if I kicked Dartz out right now and claimed to be the reincarnation of Orichalcos, it wouldn't be a problem, right?'

-----

In the dimly lit tavern, a man with a Stars and Stripes bandana wrapped around his head tilted his head back and gulped down a large glass of liquor. The cheap, low-quality liquor made him somewhat sober, yet the alcohol numbed his senses, leaving him in a half-dreaming, half-awake state.

Nodding slightly, the man's gaze peeked through the gap in his sunglasses at the television screen hanging on the bar counter, which was showing the final of a recent Duel Monsters professional tournament. Because of the increasing popularity and widespread appeal of Duel Monsters, even football, which was once the most effective way for drunks to empty their already meager wallets, had been replaced by Duel Monsters by the bar owner.

On the screen, a blonde woman was directing her harpies to fight alongside a dragon, preparing to attack a massive dinosaur on the opposite side. However, the power of the birds was no match for the former planetary overlord. The birds and dragon were forced back by the overwhelming presence of the dinosaur and were forced back to their defensive positions.

The man recognized the two duelists: Mai, who used the Amazon and Harpy decks and was good at backrow destruction tactics, and Ryuzaki, who specialized in Dinosaur-type monsters and had a rare, straightforward dueling style.

"Ha, Mai Kujaku and Ryuzaki, even brats like them can act arrogantly in the world of professional duelists?"

Watching Ryuzaki launch an attack only to have it blocked by Mai's [Itakua's Storm], the man commented disdainfully, almost as if he were saying, "I could do that too." He subconsciously raised his wine glass to his lips, only to find that he had already emptied it.

This left the man somewhat disheartened. Instead of lingering at the bar, he pulled out a few green bills tied with rubber bands from his pocket, tossed them on the table, and left without waiting for the bartender to give him his change.

In this secluded little tavern, there are many penniless men shamelessly asking the bar to pour them more drinks, but very few are willing to give a tip, let alone a man who tosses out a Franklin. The bartender, of course, will not refuse this extra income and, unusually, shows a genuine smile as he sees the man off as he leaves the bar.

Walking in the moonlight through the alley, the man, who was clearly not drunk, staggered forward in silence. After taking two steps, he slammed his fist hard against the cement wall on either side of the alley. The rough surface scraped his hand, drawing blood.

"Bastard, bastard, bastard!"

As if cursing someone, or perhaps wallowing in self-pity, the man pounded on the wall until the pain in his hands overwhelmed the numbing effect of the alcohol. He then tore off his headscarf and casually wrapped it around his trembling left hand, panting heavily.

Completely unconcerned about the scattered trash in this secluded alley, the man sat down against the wall and pulled a deck of cards from his pocket with his right hand, which hadn't been used to smash the wall. The card at the very front of the deck was a [Revolver Dragon].

The man who looked down on Mai and Ryuzaki was none other than the one who earned the title of "thief" by winning bounties in various competitions, who entered the top eight in Duel Kingdom but was defeated by Hayato, who was almost killed by Pegasus and thrown off the island, and who was later manipulated by Malik to attack the Egyptian Antiquities Exhibition Hall, only to be defeated by Hayato's Keith once again!

Keith gripped his deck tightly with his fingers, his stubble-covered face filled with resentment as he muttered something bitterly.

Perhaps at other times, after muttering a few curses to himself and venting his anger, Keith would get up again, go home to sleep, and then come back to the tavern the next day to drink away his sorrows.

But perhaps it was fate that brought Keith to the forefront that night, someone he could never forget appeared before him.

Chapter 567 If you are fully prepared, death will not come.

The Doma Organization was founded with the aim of helping Darz to gather enough power to revive the "Orichalcos," which had been injured and dormant for ten thousand years, so that it could once again cleanse the Earth.

For Orichalcos, the power He needs is not heat, electricity, or other ordinary energy sources, but the darkness in people's hearts, from which He Himself was born.

However, even though the world is still rife with war, the darkness collected from the souls is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the need to awaken Orichalcos. But if the resilient souls of the duelists were used as a supplement, that would be a different story.

Regardless of the duelists' personal character, the stronger the duelist, the more considerable the dark power they can actually unleash due to their strong will. As long as the souls of the duelists can be captured by the [Orichalcos Barrier], Dartz can use these sealed souls as sacrifices to accelerate the revival of the "Orichalcos God".

Although Hayato, who won the Duel King title, and Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey, who swept all four finalists in Duel City, are all from Domino City, the place with the most high-quality Duelist Souls is still America, the "father of Duel Monsters," Pegasus. America was the first to promote Duel Monsters, has the most mature professional duelist system, and therefore has the largest number of excellent duelists.

Hayato knew his destination was America, but he was still somewhat surprised that the first person he approached was someone he knew.

"Although the organization is prepared to be at odds with the whole world, it is still necessary for us to keep a low profile without affecting efficiency. Compared to the star duelists who are currently attracting attention in the professional duelist circle, the duelists who engage in illegal duels in the underground dueling arena are more suitable as our targets."

Rafael explained to Hayato, "In terms of strength, some of them are actually not much inferior to professional duelists, and even if they disappear, it won't attract much attention. The only trouble is that duelists in underground dueling arenas mostly don't reveal their identities to avoid legal liability, making it a little difficult to find them."

"However, since the real owners behind these underground fighting arenas and 'black boxing' events are actually us, Dorma, even this one problem doesn't exist. Former US champion 'Thief' Keith is our target."

“Keith, the ‘thief’ who once stood at a considerable height, has a high chance of being persuaded to join Doma. However, if he refuses, we’ll seal his soul.” Rafael paused here, looking at Hayato. “Also, do you need a chance to make your move?”

Hayato's expression remained unchanged as he coldly replied, "Keith? Hmph, he's the perfect opponent to test my new power. Then let me try him out."

Without waiting for Rafael and the other two to say anything, Hayato entered the alley and walked towards where Keith was sitting.

Behind Hayato, Ameruda frowned as she watched his retreating figure, opening her mouth as if to say something, but Rafael raised his hand in front of her, preventing her from calling out to Hayato.

Rafael shook his head, watching Hayato approach Keith, his eyes flickering as he seemed lost in thought.

Although Rafael said he would invite Keith to join Doma first, Hayato had already inserted the card into the slot and opened the Duel Disk with a "click" as he walked towards Keith.

The sound also caught Keith's attention, who was in a bad mood. He turned his head to look at the figure that had appeared in the alley. Although he wasn't drunk, the alcohol was still affecting him to some extent, preventing him from recognizing the person at first glance. After looking at him several times, Keith's eyes suddenly widened.

"You are... Hayato Kobayashi?!"

"Yo, Keith, I never expected to see you in a place like this. I think the last time we met was..." Hayato started with a string of empty words, a sinister grin spreading across his face, illuminated by the dim streetlights. "Why do you look so dejected?"

"Tch, isn't this all thanks to you!" Keith stood up from the ground, looking at Hayato with a grim expression. "Because of the damage you inflicted on me before Duel City, I ended up lying in the hospital for a full six months, completely missing the opportunity I had hoped to use to make a name for myself again in Duel City!"

"Becoming the Duel King is quite prestigious, isn't it, Hayato Kobayashi! But what are you doing here in front of me now?"

Keith wasn't a slowpoke. As Hayato approached him step by step, the hairs on his body stood on end. He felt as if he were being watched by some ferocious beast, and he had a deadly sense of crisis.

The only possible source of this feeling is the strange behavior of Hayato Kobayashi in front of him.

On the day before the opening of Duel City, when Isis gave Kaiba the card "Obelisk the Tormentor" that she had brought from Egypt to Domino City, Keith had accidentally fallen into the hands of Malik, who was then the leader of Gluth, after being driven out of the Duel Kingdom island by Pegasus. He was used as a sacrificial pawn and cannon fodder, and was controlled by the "Millennium Scepter" to attack the Egyptian Antiquities Exhibition Hall.

At that time, although Keith had completely become a puppet controlled by Malik at will, he was not without consciousness. He was fully aware of his experiences and was being controlled in an unusually lucid state. Hayato was Keith's opponent then, and this was their second duel after the Duel Kingdom arc.

On that occasion, Keith had already lost to Hayato, and what was even more humiliating was that Hayato was using an infinite loop centered around [Iron Knight - Gia Freed]. Keith, whose life points were depleted by the infinite damage, managed to escape Malik's influence, but was also sent to the hospital and lay in bed for more than half a year, completely missing the subsequent Duel City.

Although Duel Monsters has become increasingly popular and tournaments of all sizes are held all over the world, the most prestigious tournament to date is still the original Duel City tournament. Keith, who missed that tournament, is now lying in a hospital, watching helplessly as one duelist after another surpasses him.

Naturally, Keith harbored hatred towards Hayato.

"Don't be so wary, Keith. Let's have a duel." Hayato stopped a certain distance away from Keith, leaving enough space, and threw something he was carrying at Keith, who caught it.

Keith looked down and saw a duel disk from the Seahorse Group, which looked quite ordinary.

"A duel?" Keith held the duel disk in one hand and the deck he had taken out but hadn't put away in the other, a smirk playing on his lips, whether contempt or self-mockery was hard to tell. "How did you even think of dueling with me, Kobayashi Hayato?"

“A duel is a duel, do we need any reason?” Hayato said, raising the duel disk that had already been unfolded in his left hand. Keith then realized that the duel disk Hayato was using wasn’t the one he had given him, but a dark green disc with a blade-shaped unfolded part, which looked much cooler. “However, to match the atmosphere here, what follows is no ordinary duel.”

"It's a dark duel that stakes your soul."

As soon as Hayato finished speaking, before Keith could react, the "Orichalcos Shard" on his right wrist burst into light, filling the alley with green light. Under Keith's horrified gaze, everything around them was replaced by a murky darkness!

Keith took a step back, trying to create some distance between himself and Hayato, only to find that what should have been an empty retreat was instead blocked by an invisible wall, making it impossible for him to leave.

"Dark games and all that, is it some kind of mind manipulation game again!"

Unlike Kaiba's stubborn and even headstrong belief in science, Keith, despite using a Machine-type deck, quickly embraced the Dark Game. This may be partly due to his mind being controlled by Pegasus and Malik, the holders of the Millennium Items.

Pegasus had humiliated him by reading his mind and nearly killed him by manipulating his mind, while Malik had seized control of his body through dark games. He was already deeply resentful of being reduced to this state; he absolutely refused to be manipulated again!

Keith gritted his teeth, his anger almost overflowing, and glared fiercely at Hayato, "There's a limit to how much you can look down on people, you bastard!"

"Don't think I'm still the same person I was back in Duel Kingdom, Hayato Kobayashi! Anyway, as long as I beat you, everything will be fine!"

Keith said, putting on the Duel Disk and inserting his deck into it, "It just so happens that I've wanted to get my revenge on you for a long time, Duel King!"

"Duel!"

[Keys: 4000LP]

Hayato nodded with satisfaction when he saw Keith accept the duel: "Hmm, that's the kind of spirit I've been looking for, Keith. This is more like the 'thief' Keith I remember who has no real ability but acts like a complete idiot."

"Give me your all in this battle, but remember to be careful, or the flames of my demon deck will engulf you in an instant."

"Duel".

[Hayato: 4000LP]

Seeing Hayato draw five cards, Keith, under pressure, unceremoniously took the first turn and drew a card: "Don't be so arrogant, Hayato Kobayashi. I'll take the first turn. Draw a card!"

Looking at the card he had drawn, Keith said, "First, I activate the Continuous Spell Card [Second Chance]. This card can reset my coin toss effect once per turn."

"Then I summoned the [BM-4 Bomb Spider] face-up in Defense Position, and finally turned all four cards in my hand face down!"

On the field, a spider-shaped tank with its metal limbs folded up in a defensive stance appears. Although it is a Level 4 monster, it has an excellent defense of 2200 points. Moreover, the multiple rocket nests on its back also indicate that its offensive capabilities need to be guarded against.

【BM-4 Bomb Spider】【4☆/Dark】

[Mechanical Race/Effect]

[1400/2200]

However, what's even more noteworthy is the row of four face-down cards on Keith's back row. The only exposed card back is so simple and unadorned, yet it's hard to ignore.

What a perfect "T" shape!

Hayato smirked and said helplessly to Keith, "When you said 'the you who wasn't in Duel Kingdom,' you meant this thing?"

"Heh heh, how about it, Hayato Kobayashi? You always like to set traps for others to fall into, but now you see a row of dead cards on the other side of the field. How does that feel?" Keith said smugly. "I can't wait to return those terrible memories you left me with."

My turn is over.

Having laid out such a simple yet imposing field, Keith declared the end of his round.

[Keith: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand]

【BM-4 Bomb Spider】【DEF2200】

[Second Chance] [Gaicard] X4

It has to be said that Keith's move did make Hayato a little flustered, but not completely. Keith's back row is full of cards, shouldn't I quickly draw a [Feather Duster] to crush him?

Hayato's finger rested on the duel disk as he drew a card: "My turn, draw."

After drawing the card, before Hayato could even confirm it, he heard Keith on the other side say, "At this very moment, I will activate a face-down card during your turn's preparation phase, and then chain-activate another face-down card!"

As he spoke, Keith pressed the button on the Duel Disk to activate face-down cards one after another. Two cards on his back field were revealed one after the other, showing red borders. One of the cards featured the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe, while the other prominently displayed Keith's ace monster, Revolver Dragon.

“The Continuous Trap Card [Death's Journey] allows you to flip a coin during your opponent's Standby Phase to apply its effect.” Keith said, snapping his fingers. A phantom coin appeared on his field, one side featuring Kaiba's [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] portrait, and the other side showing a skull.

The coin was automatically tossed into the air without being touched, spun around, and tumbled to the ground, revealing the image of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Heh, the result is positive. In that case, because of the effect of [Death's Journey], you can't summon or flip summon any monsters until the end phase this turn. Without monsters, even you can't escape defeat, Hayato Kobayashi."

As Keith spoke, he glanced smugly at the card next to [Death's Parade], "My second card is also a continuous trap card, [Cannonball]. If the effect of flipping a coin is activated once per turn, the effect can be applied based on the number of times heads appear."

"Because [Death's Journey] landed head-up once, it deals 500 points of effect damage to you!"

"Witness my revenge, Kobayashi Hayato!"

Keith's finger gestured as he drew a pistol, and in sync with that gesture, the barrel of a loaded Dragon Revolver emerged from the Firearms detonated behind him.

With a loud "bang," a shockwave was released and passed through Hayato's body.

[Hayato: 4000→3500LP]