Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Before he could even hear the voice clearly, "Bekas's" wrist, the hand holding the remote control, was suddenly gripped tightly. In pain, his joint instinctively loosened and released the remote control, which was then caught by another hand reaching out from the side.

Baron rushed to "Bekas's" side and immediately snapped off the transmitter on top of the remote control with his fingers. Then, he clenched his fist and crushed the remote control in an instant. He finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Claymore mines surrounding everyone in the lobby being put away.

"You'd better give me an explanation, Baron!"

With his revenge about to be completed ruined by the sudden intrusion of his incompetent teammate, Pegasus completely lost the will to maintain his pretense. He angrily reached out and ripped off his face, hair and all, revealing a furious Ameluda. "Explain why you suddenly came here!"

He could have easily killed the despicable Seto Kaiba by simply pressing a button, and also taken down a few other duelists who would get in his way later. But that idiot Baron suddenly appeared and destroyed his remote control!

The Claymore mines below were something I painstakingly set up over a long period of time. That idiot Baron didn't contribute anything, so he really doesn't care at all about destroying them!

"N-what...?"

How could Baron explain this? Was he supposed to tell the furious Ameruda that although he initially agreed with his trap plan and even suggested adding more traps and bombs, it was because he didn't know that Mai was among the people coming, and that he changed his mind because he discovered that Mai was going to be accidentally injured by Ameruda?

Unable to think of a good reason, Baron simply diverted the attention of the annoyed Ameruda: "Instead of that, Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba came up the stairs!"

"Whose fault do you think this is!" Amelda naturally noticed Kaiba and Yugi walking quickly on the escalator, and angrily shoved Baron's shoulder, saying, "Rafael and that bastard went to seal Pegasus's soul, and the cleanup work was the responsibility of the two of us, but now things have become much more complicated because of you."

"I'll handle Seto Kaiba; you take care of the rest!"

As he spoke, Amelda ran toward the stairs, taunting Kaiba, "If you're not afraid of falling into my trap again, then follow me, Seto Kaiba!"

"You bastard, stop right there!" Kaiba naturally recognized Ameruda the moment he removed his disguise. He hadn't settled the score with Ameruda for losing Obelisk the Tormentor because he was killed by a Destruction Wheel last time. He wasn't worried that Ameruda had set up any traps, so he followed him directly. Keihei followed behind Kaiba.

Baron didn't stop Kaiba, but after Kaiba left with Ameruda, he materialized an arm armor and slammed a heavy punch into the doorway that Keihei and Kaiba had just passed through.

"boom!"

The concrete was shattered by Balong's punch and fell, blocking the stairs and making it impossible to enter. He stood in front of the pile of rubble, looked at the menacing crowd in front of him, and said with a smile, "I'm sorry, but only one side can pass here."

"And we meet again, Mai-chan~!"

Peacock Dance shuddered, glanced at the city, and quickly said to Balong, "Hey, I'm not your acquaintance, don't call me that so affectionately!"

Chapter 579 She is a woman who could be my mother.

Peacock Dance and Baron have met more than once, so it's not accurate to say they don't know each other. After all, she is quite vengeful and hasn't forgotten that she was defeated by Baron in the KC Cup.

Although Mai was initially interested in Jonouchi because she had been defeated by him once, her attitude towards Baron was somewhat different; he was merely "the guy who defeated me once."

Baron, on the other hand, although he has defeated countless women so far, just like no one would keep track of how many slices of bread they have eaten in their lifetime, he is particularly concerned about and attentive to the peacock dance.

On one hand, Peacock Dance was indeed a beauty, and not the kind of weak woman that Baron disliked, but rather quite independent and strong. On the other hand, perhaps because so much time had passed and his memory was somewhat blurred, or perhaps because of an unconscious association with Peacock Dance whom he liked, Baron could always see the figure of a nun he knew in his childhood in Peacock Dance.

As a child, Baron was an orphan who lived in a church. Because he had no parents and was not a good-tempered person, Baron got into many fights during his childhood. Every time Baron was injured after a fight, the nun who lived with him in the church would gently apply medicine to him and comfort him in soft words.

For Baron, that nun was a woman who could become his mother.

But the nun died in a mysterious fire, engulfed in flames along with the church. Baron, who was out, narrowly escaped, but could only watch helplessly as the church's ruins collapsed in the flames.

At the time, the church where Baron lived was facing demolition. The construction team, unwilling to pay the high demolition compensation, hired a group of local thugs who frequently came to cause trouble. Baron often fought with these people to protect the church. At the scene of the fire, Baron saw these people again.

While the onlookers were filled with astonishment and sorrow as they watched the church engulfed in flames and the dead inside, the thugs were overjoyed at the money they would receive for completing the construction team's commission.

"It was just an old church, and it burned down pretty badly."

"Haha, this saves us the trouble of demolition."

"So, this must have been a huge help, hehe."

Baron had no evidence to prove that the thugs who had repeatedly provoked Xiu's daughter were the arsonists, but it didn't matter. From the moment he saw the person he cared about die in the fire and the church that left behind countless memories turn into ruins, Baron had nothing left to care about.

That was the last time Baron fought for someone he cared about. When he came to his senses, he was the only one still standing in the alley, and the steel pipe in his hand was covered in the blood of the thugs.

Afterwards, Baron was imprisoned for murder, but after being released by Daz, Baron completely began to live for himself.

It wasn't until the appearance of the Peacock Dance that Baron felt he had found a reason to fight for protection. So when he saw the Peacock Dance appear among the group of players and Ameruda was about to activate the trap, he made the typical "pig teammate" move.

Even now, despite standing in front of Yugi and the others and materializing his armor to assume a fighting stance, Baron actually doesn't want to fight Mai, even though Mai has always maintained a respectful distance from him.

"Balong, so you're one of those 'No Code' organizations too?" Kongquewu asked sharply, looking at Balong, who was wearing a helmet that hid the helpless expression on his face.

"So you really know this guy, Mai?" Jonouchi asked Mai, looking at her. "I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."

Compared to Jonouchi, Yugi's memory is obviously much better: "I remember that during the KC Cup, he was one of the players who entered the official tournament using a deck of two monsters, and he was the one who defeated and eliminated Mai.

When the game brought up her defeat back then, the strong-willed Mai was clearly still a little unhappy, but she still continued the game's words, saying, "That's true back then, but I've improved a lot since then. However, after that guy Baron defeated me, he invited me to join his organization after the match, saying that it would make me stronger."

"I only found out now that your organization is called 'Uncensored', Baron."

Honda corrected, "So it's 'Doma' and not 'uncensored'? How come even Mai has the same habit as Jonouchi?"

"Whether it's 'uncensored' or 'less censored,' whatever you're doing, get out of my way, you guy named Balong!"

Jonouchi said impatiently to Baron, who was blocking his way, "Although you just saved us from that guy disguised as Pegasus, don't blame us for being impolite if you keep blocking our way!"

As he spoke, Jonouchi pretended to crack his knuckles in his clenched fist.

However, don't assume he's a good-natured person just because Baron was willing to sabotage Ameruda's plans for Mai's sake and could still greet her with a gentle smile despite her hostile attitude. Seeing Jonouchi threaten him with force, Baron immediately adopted a fierce expression: "I told you, this is Accelerator's territory."

Baron had witnessed the continuous interaction between Jonouchi and Mai since they entered the room. Their ambiguous posture made Baron's eyes bloodshot, and his displeasure with Jonouchi had been building for quite some time. "Don't think that just because I saved you, I'm on your side. As long as I'm standing here, you won't get through here."

As he spoke, Baron added smugly, "Judging by the time, even if the International Illusion Society has been resisting, so much time has passed. Rafael and the others should be close to completing the sealing of Pegasus's soul, right?"

"What!?" Upon hearing Baron's words, Yugi's expression froze. "So your target really is Pegasus!"

"Hmph, after all, he's the father of Duel Monsters. It would be troublesome if he came up with some cheating cards to interfere with our plans. In his words, 'Let's sacrifice the despicable card printers first.'"

The game frowned, a sense of urgency creeping into its heart.

They weren't just visiting the International Vision Society this time; Kaiba needed data on the society's virtual images from Pegasus, and Yugi was also eager to learn about the Eye of Timaeus that Pegasus currently possessed, as Pegasus might know something about it.

Even if they have nothing to do with Pegasus, the game cannot accept yet another soul being sealed away by the people of Dorma.

However, to reach higher floors, this guy named Baron is an enemy that must be defeated, meaning that it really is a matter of—

"Tch, in that case, let's have a duel, Baron. It'll be perfect for me to avenge my previous crushing defeat."

Peacock Dance took a step to the side, raised the Duel Disk on her wrist, and said to Baron, who immediately replied, "Okay."

As he spoke, Baron followed Mai Peacock to a slightly more open area and deactivated the materialization of his arm armor to deploy the Duel Disk.

"?"

Some games, when taken seriously, are practically overflowing with question marks.

Who was it that just said, "As long as I'm standing here, you won't get through here"?

Why did you run off so eagerly after the peacock dance only shouted "Fight me!", completely ignoring the rest of them?

Chapter 580 You're Next, Nameless Pharaoh

The rational Yugi was puzzled, but Jonouchi, seeing that Baron had moved aside, quickly nudged Yugi's back and said to him, "Good opportunity, Yugi! Hurry up and go find Pegasus while this guy moves aside."

However, Jonouchi only told the game to move on quickly, but he himself had no intention of leaving. Instead, he kept his eyes on Baron and Mai, who had found their spots and were about to start their duel.

"And what about you, Jonouchi?"

Upon hearing the game's question, Jonouchi gestured towards Mai's side: "That Baron is a member of the 'Mu...' Doma' organization, right? He might have been involved in sealing Ryuzaki and the others' souls."

“I can’t trust that guy named Baron. What if he does something to Mai…” Jonouchi clenched his fists, thinking of the possible scenarios. “I won’t let him get away with this!”

"Even if it costs me my dignity as a duelist, I will intervene in the duel before that guy even gets going!"

Along with Jonouchi's will, a faint dragon's roar reached his ears, and Yugi caught a fleeting glimpse of a black dragon's phantom behind Jonouchi.

The game clearly sees that this is a sign that Jonouchi's card spirit is about to awaken. It's really unexpected that Jonouchi, who used to know nothing about Duel Monsters, is now almost at the point of awakening his card spirit.

However, although Jonouchi had considered staying, Honda patted him on the shoulder and said, "If that's the case, leave it to me."

"Honda?"

“That Baron said that it was ‘they’ who sealed Pegasus’s soul on the top floor of this building, right? There were at least two of them. It would be too dangerous for you to go up alone, Yugi. So, Kyoko and I will stay here.” Honda pointed to himself with his thumb. “My athletic ability is super strong. I can definitely interrupt the duel before that strange magic card Baron activates. At least getting Mai out will be no problem.”

During the duel with Grimo in the last game, Honda noted the time it took for the barrier to open after the card "Orichalcos Barrier" was activated. First, a green light shot into the sky from the card, then a magic circle was drawn in the air. Then the magic circle descended and trapped both duelists inside. Except for the descent phase where there might be some obstruction preventing rescue, the rest of the time was at least ten seconds.

A dolphin fanatic whose hair and hat are connected can kill a centenarian in less than a second. Nine seconds can make someone who is extremely excited sing a song. And ten seconds is enough for Honda, even if he is just an ordinary person who can punch and kick the Great Evil God, to intervene in the duel and take away Mai by force before the barrier is fully deployed.

Of course, it was only Jonouchi and Honda who were so wary of Baron activating the [Orichalcos Barrier] that they were so concerned. After all, although they could see that Baron treated Mai Kongzak somewhat differently, they didn't know exactly what Mai Kongzak's status was in his heart.

"Honda..."

Seeing Jonouchi looking at him seriously, Honda patted his chest: "Hmph, don't worry, Jonouchi. Don't forget that you've never beaten me in a fight."

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about? Every time I'm about to win, you suddenly surrender and lose half, okay? And the few times you won, it was always me letting you win."

The atmosphere relaxed slightly, and Jonouchi smiled and asked Honda, "Then, the dance is yours, Honda."

"Oh, don't worry."

Honda made a manly promise to the city.

Baron and Mai heard everything clearly as Jonouchi, Yugi, and the others were loudly plotting. However, what Mai found strange was that Baron only glanced down at the emerald ring that was emitting a faint glow on his hand, without doing anything to stop Yugi and the others. He simply watched as Yugi and Jonouchi climbed over the fallen rocks on the ground and entered the staircase.

Peacock Dance was actually aware of Balong's feelings for her. After all, she had seen plenty of such things when she worked as a dealer on a cruise ship. If she were really an emotionally oblivious and naive young girl, she would have been taken advantage of long ago.

However, she wasn't the kind of manipulative woman who liked to string others along. Kong Que Wu hated that kind of person the most. She had always been very clear about Ba Long: "We're not close, so don't come over. I already have someone I like." But Ba Long just kept "staying by my side."

However, Kong Que Wu doesn't think that Ba Long is the kind of person who would easily abandon his responsibilities for a woman.

She considered herself quite good at judging people. She could tell that Baron might appear indifferent and unambitious in ordinary times, but that was simply because he was actually an arrogant person. He was so arrogant that he felt he could do whatever he wanted, so there was no need to strive for it. He was quite self-centered, even living only for himself.

People like Baron might arbitrarily change or disrupt other people's plans because of their own ideas, but it's very strange that he's letting Yugi and Jonouchi leave and causing his mission to fail.

Baron seemed to sense Mai's confusion. He glanced at Honda and Kyoko, two people who weren't even duelists, who remained on the first floor, then turned his gaze back to Mai with no interest: "Are you wondering why I didn't stop Yugi Muto and Katsuya Jonouchi, Mai-chan?"

"Alright, alright, Dance, Peacock Dance, is that alright now?" Seeing that Peacock Dance across from him was angry because Baron had used such an intimate way of addressing her without permission, Baron quickly corrected her, which made Peacock Dance's expression ease a little. "In our Doma organization, I actually belong to a small team called the 'Doma Three Musketeers,' and my status in the entire organization can be said to be second only to the leader."

"Although that's how it is, I've been assigned to do a lot of work all the time. In the end, I'm just working for someone else."

"However, although we have been tasked with collecting duelist souls recently, it has been the most leisurely time for us 'Doma Three Musketeers' because a newcomer who has risen to a very high position recently joined the 'Doma' organization."

"This time, sealing Pegasus's soul will probably be done by him as well. And I think even the Father of Duel Monsters won't last long against him, since he's already defeated him once."

As Baron spoke, he showed the ring on his finger that had an "Orichalcos fragment" embedded in it. "When this fragment glows, it means that someone in the sensing range has activated the [Orichalcos Barrier], which cannot be stopped once used. I think if Amelda's opponent is Seto Kaiba, he wouldn't be able to act that quickly, so Pegasus has probably already been drawn into the duel."

"Even if Yugi and the others get to the top floor now, it'll be too late. And I'm suddenly looking forward to seeing their expressions when they finally see that guy, hehehehe~"

As they climbed the stairs, neither Yugi nor Jonouchi heard what Baron said. Although they were unaware of Pegasus's current situation, they were still trying to get to the upper floors as quickly as possible.

Although using the elevator might be the most suitable way, the ceiling that Baron had smashed earlier blocked the elevator entrance on the first floor, making it impossible for them to enter. They could only go to the upper floors and then take the elevator to the top floor.

However, it's quite possible that the designer of the International Illusion Society headquarters building was drunk when drawing the blueprints to find inspiration. If you want to take the elevator, there is an entrance on the first floor, but the elevator doesn't stop on the second, third, and fourth floors. You have to go all the way to the fifth floor to find the second floor with an elevator.