Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Chapter 588 The plan to eliminate the duelists was set by Dartz.

Just as Hayato was bluffing Rafiru and the other two with the famous weight loss guru and politician Fanny Valentine's "napkin theory," a voice came from Yugi's ear as he lay in the hospital bed.

"Human boy, open your eyes. I am [Timaeus]."

"!"

With that call, the game suddenly opened its eyes, only to find itself lying on a hospital bed in some unknown place.

Clutching his head, the game recalls his last memory: his other self was attacked by the [Fierce, Hungry, Poisonous Fusion Dragon], his last life points were wiped out, and he was injected with some kind of "toxin," collapsing in agony and being forced back into the [Millennium Puzzle].

He emerged from the Millennium Puzzle, only to witness the building collapse, after which he lost consciousness.

"Jonnouchi!" In the first moment, Yugi didn't even have time to think about how he survived that situation, but instead thought of Jonnouchi, who had also fallen at that time like him.

Fortunately, as soon as Yugi turned his head, he saw Jonouchi sitting on the bed next to him. Jonouchi looked at him with a confused and blank expression, and it was clear that he had just woken up not long ago.

"Huh? What's this?"

Seemingly having no memory of what happened after being knocked down, Jonouchi scratched his head and muttered to himself. Seeing Yugi sitting on a bed next to him, he asked, "Yugi, how are you? Are you alright?"

"Hmm, everything seems normal. How about you, Jonouchi?"

"It's the same, it feels as ordinary as taking a nap."

Although Jonouchi felt no discomfort or pain, this normalcy was the most abnormal thing. After all, they had lost to Hayato in a duel that was even darker than the Dark Games. Why were they completely fine now? Even symptoms like headache, dizziness, and weakness in the limbs would be much more normal.

Moreover, the feeling of falling was genuine, yet the two of them are now lying unharmed in hospital beds, making it hard to understand what exactly happened.

At that time, there should only be five people on the top floor of the International Illusion Society: Hayato, Jonouchi, Hayato, Rafael, and Pegasus whose soul was sealed. Could it be that Hayato saved the two of them?

Yugi hadn't figured it out, but Jonouchi, with a wide, exaggerated expression and a look of panic, said to Yugi, "Hey Yugi, are we actually dead now? Could it be that we fell to our deaths back then and are now in heaven?"

"No way! I haven't even seen Shizuka get married yet. At least I need to check out her boyfriend so she doesn't get scammed!"

Before the game could even quip that the setting Jonouchi described was impossible, Jonouchi himself had already come to believe it and thought that he and the game might really be dead, which was why they went to heaven.

As for why Pegasus wasn't seen? Probably because that guy went to hell. After all, he was the kind of person who could answer without hesitation, "Batman's mom and dad," when Hayato told the joke about "something covered in holes rolling around in a dark alley."

Just as Jonouchi was feeling resentful, the door to the ward was pushed open, and a familiar face appeared in front of Yugi and Jonouchi: "That's why I said you could entrust Shizuka to me without worry, Jonouchi."

"Honda!?" Jonouchi was somewhat surprised to see Honda here, but he finally realized, "Oh right, heaven shouldn't look like a hospital ward, and Honda, you're here too."

"So, we're not dead?"

Upon discovering that he was not actually dead, Jonouchi became somewhat happy again. At the same time, Mai Kujaku and Kyoko followed Honda in: "Yugi!" "Jonouchi!"

"Everyone is alright, that's great."

Although he wasn't as worried about dying as Jonouchi, it would be a lie to say that Yugi wasn't worried about the safety of his other friends when he woke up to find no one around. After all, he didn't know the extent of the collapse at the time, and Mai and Kaiba had been fighting against the Doma organization. If they had been defeated, their souls would have been sealed.

However, seeing Mai the Peacock here, Yugi knew that she must not have been defeated by that guy called "Baron". Kaiba, still expressionless, walked into the ward with Keihei when Yugi thought of him.

A doctor's voice could be heard from outside the door: "The patient has just woken up. Too many of you going in will disturb their rest."

"Hmph, are you ordering me around, Seto Kaiba? You idiot, the Kaiba Group's acquisition of this hospital isn't for you to boss me around."

Without turning his head, Kaiba walked into the ward and saw Jonouchi and Yugi sitting on the bed. A faint smile appeared on his lips, as if he wanted to laugh but was suppressing it. He said arrogantly, "You look so pathetic. Have you gotten weaker from spending too much time with mediocre people, Yugi?"

“At times like these, it’s okay to reveal a little of your true feelings, brother.” Behind Kaiba, Keipai peeked out. Seeing that Yugi and Jonouchi looked quite energetic, he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “It’s good that you’re alright. Yugi and Jonouchi, you had no idea how much your brother had been out there before you woke up—”

“It’s okay not to talk about that kind of thing, Keihei!” Kaiba interrupted Keihei directly, deliberately changing the subject. “I have something more important to ask you than those trivial matters.”

"What exactly happened on the rooftop?"

After saying this, as if guessing the questions that Yugi and Jonouchi might ask, Kaiba added, "Pegasus was also one of those attacked by Doma. Although he was lucky enough not to die from the fall because of you, he is unconscious like the other victims. So, at present, the only people who know what happened are the two of you."

"Because we didn't fall to our deaths?" Yugi didn't quite understand what Kaiba meant, but he nodded and said, "As for 'knowing' things, we don't know much either, because when Jonouchi and I reached the top floor, it was right when Pegasus was defeated, and we didn't even get to say a word to each other."

"Tch, now that I think about it, that's probably why. They initially intended to stop us from going upstairs, but later the other two members of the Doma organization didn't even try to stop us. They obviously knew we couldn't stop Pegasus from having his soul sealed." Jonouchi said somewhat unhappily, recalling what had happened before.

Kaiba glanced at Jonouchi, then looked at Yugi and said, "So, you and Yosuke just watched the Doma organization leave? And how did you both fall unconscious afterwards?"

"How could there be no resistance? I was fighting alongside another game back then, but I was completely outmatched. I was suppressed from start to finish with almost no chance of winning. Just when I had a glimmer of hope, it was extinguished." Jonouchi clenched his fists as he recalled the duel.

In that duel, Jonouchi could be said to have done his best, with almost no mistakes or bad hands. He used every card to its fullest potential, bringing out the full power of himself and his deck.

The game is similar. In that duel, several powerful monsters showed their desire to defeat the dark power. However, even the [Super Magical Dragon Knight - Red-Eyes Dragon Rider], which was born from the bond between the two, was devoured by the power of [Super Fusion], giving birth to the final poison dragon.

"Even if you and Yugi teamed up, you still couldn't defeat them? How is that possible!" Honda and the others were also surprised to hear what Jonouchi said. After all, the two who teamed up were not just two random third-rate duelists, but the golden duo of Yugi and Jonouchi.

Even disregarding the bond between them—that they could understand each other's tactics and whether the cards they set up were usable with just a glance—one was a top four in Duel City, and the other had an undefeated record except for the Duel King. Yet, they actually lost in a duel.

"Could it be that the other side is so uncivilized that they sent more than ten people to fight you all at once?" Although he knew that this situation was unlikely, this was the only possibility that Guiping could think of at this moment.

But Jonouchi shook his head and said with a slightly bitter tone, "No, the one who defeated me and Yugi was just one person. Yugi and I were the ones with more people."

“And even if Yugi and I teamed up, we would still be defeated, which wouldn’t be surprising,” Jonouchi said, and everyone present, including Kaiba, couldn’t help but show an expression of disbelief. “After all, the person standing opposite us is Hayato.”

"Impossible! Hayato already died in his fight with Anubis!" The first to deny Jonouchi's statement was Kaiba. He abandoned his previous nonchalant demeanor and, as if unable to accept Jonouchi's explanation, said excitedly, "You second-rate duelist must have seen wrong!"

“Although we also want Hayato to come back, Jonouchi, Kaiba is right, could you be mistaken?” Honda was also incredulous when he heard Jonouchi say that his opponent was Hayato.

Anzu chimed in, "Right, just like back in Duel Kingdom. Pegasus sent someone to impersonate Kaiba and tell us that Kaiba was dead, but the cards they used weren't the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that Kaiba usually uses."

"You guys in the game, did you encounter the same situation?"

However, when Kyoko asked Yugi for confirmation, she only received a firm shake of her head from Yugi: "No, without a doubt, the person standing in front of us at that time was Hayato. Although he was using a new deck, the monsters that Hayato always had with him, such as [Disruption Yellow], cannot be faked. That person was Hayato."

"Indeed, it can only be Hayato himself." Recalling his performance in that duel, Jonouchi was quite certain. After all, there are people who are good at releasing monsters to gain an advantage in a duel, but only Hayato can release monsters so naturally.

Everyone else would feel a little embarrassed, but Hayato would not only be happy but even laugh out loud.

"But back then, Hayato said something like 'I'm tired of playing the game of friendship' and 'I joined the Doma organization 'for power'..." Yugi's expression turned somewhat downcast as he recalled what Hayato had said before.

Jonouchi, however, got up from his hospital bed, patted Yugi, and said, "Have some faith in Hayato, Yugi. He's not that kind of person. I have evidence that Hayato is being controlled."

"Ugh?"

Jonouchi's words surprised the game somewhat. They had gone to the top floor of the International Illusion Society together, and the duel was right there, so how did Jonouchi manage to gather any clues?

Jonouchi proudly raised his head: "As everyone knows, Hayato likes to shout 'Tamashi' randomly, as if every monster he has is his 'Tamashi,' but everyone knows that Hayato's real trump card should be that [Summoning Exophysis]."

"Instead of using effect damage to finish off the opponent, he uses a direct attack to wipe out their life points. This is completely unlike Hayato's style."

As he spoke, Jonouchi arrogantly declared, "No one understands Hayato better than me." He then repeatedly moved his hands together like an accordion.

'It would be strange if Hayato's fighting style were so easy to predict.' Although he knew that what Jonouchi said was not very credible and could only be taken as a joke, Yugi smiled as Jonouchi cheered him on.

Yes, I should have trusted Hayato. If he really wanted to take my life and Jonouchi's, with Hayato's abilities, it would have been an easy task for him to either launch a dark game or have the [Hungry Poison Fusion Dragon] kill us both directly.

He stayed in Doma pretending to be throwing himself into darkness for power; there must be some unspeakable reason for it.

Watching Jonouchi interact with the others, Kaiba snorted and said with a hint of regret, "So that means Kobayashi Hayato is now on my opposite side, right? That's for the best, I can just take advantage of the situation and defeat him to win the title of Duel King."

Having known Kaiba for so long, Yugi and the others have learned how to translate Kaiba's arrogant remarks, realizing that he actually means he's happy that Hayato is still alive.

"However, despite making a special trip to the International Illusion Society, I was unable to gather any clues whatsoever. My precious time was truly wasted."

Upon hearing Kaiba's words, Yugi suddenly remembered something and said, "Sorewadokana."

Kaiba looked over at the sound, only to find that the two games had switched places at some point. Yami Yugi had a confident smile on his face and calmly said, "Before, I was too busy with my duel with Hayato to focus on this. Now I suddenly remembered something."

"At that time, Hayato said that 'the plan to eliminate duelists was set by Dartz.' I think the name 'Dartz' might be a breakthrough."

Chapter 589 Deep Blue Skill Points!

"Palatis Group?"

Malik, leaning against a jeep, frowned as he looked at the message on his phone. He was actually quite handsome, so the mere act of frowning attracted the attention of many passing men (no doubt), who thought, "Wow, this dark-skinned handsome guy is so good-looking."

Only a casual observer who has never seen Malik's top-notch facial expressions during a duel would think that way.

Hearing Malik's mutterings, Isis, sitting in the jeep beside him, ran her fingers over the Millennium Jewelry. After habitually predicting a short period of the future, she said to Malik, "So that's how it is. The nameless pharaoh and the others learned from the Doma Organization that 'Daz,' the president of the Paradis Group, is also a member of the Doma Organization and holds a high position?"

“Um, at least let me finish reading the text message, sister.” Malik’s furrowed brows relaxed as he looked helplessly at Isis, who had already read the text message he had just received from the “future” before him. “It feels like receiving a New Year’s gift and knowing what it is from the outside without even opening the wrapper. There’s no anticipation at all.”

After making a casual remark, Malik looked away from Isis's feignedly innocent face and glanced back at the text message on his phone. Although the general plot had already been spoiled, Isis hadn't revealed some details, so Malik could only satisfy his anticipation with these "details."

Soon, Malik noticed one:

"Even the Pharaoh and that Jonouchi who joined forces couldn't defeat a mysterious opponent of the Doma organization?"

"Hey, is this for real? Is it possible for a non-leader of a villainous organization to do something like that?"

"That Honda guy, did he say it backwards when he was editing the text message?"

The person who texted Malik was Honda. He already had Malik's contact information. After his trip to the International Illusion Society ended in failure, he relayed to Malik and his group their plan to go to the Paradis Group to continue gathering intelligence on the Doma Organization.

However, in the text message, Honda, who had discussed it with Yugi and Jonouchi, did not tell Malik that his opponent in that duel was Hayato.

While it's good news that Hayato didn't die but returned intact, what's puzzling is that he's joined the Doma organization, which persecutes other duelists, and now stands on the opposite side as an enemy.

This is very strange. Before figuring out the situation, the game thinks it's best not to let Malik, especially Isis who came to America with Malik, know this information. After all, a slim hope can breed despair.

In the text message, they only mentioned that the Doma organization currently has four very strong duelists collecting souls, and that the identities of Amelda and Rafiru have been somewhat revealed by the Kaiba Group's energy, while Baron is an "acquaintance" who dueled with Malik in the last KC Cup.

Hayato's information wasn't revealed, only that he was a powerful duelist capable of contending with both Jonouchi and Yugi working together, but this was precisely what made Malik find it hard to believe. Yugi and Jonouchi were defeated together—what kind of Sword God of Ten Mile Slope was this? How come he'd never heard of such a formidable figure before?

In Malik's mind, among famous duelists, Kaiba's strength is at best a 30/70 split with Yugi, and Yugi is 70%. Mai, who just won the All-American Duel Monster Tournament, is only famous; in terms of strength, she is not as good as Jonouchi. The previous one, Rebecca, is the same. However, he has heard that there is someone called "Guardian" who might be able to fight Yugi to a 50/50 split.

Malik could only think of one person who could rival the combined strength of Yugi and Jonouchi: Hayato. However, in Malik's mind, Hayato was no longer in this world, so he naturally ruled out the possibility that this guess was true.

Little did they know, Yugi and the others kept Hayato's return a secret, and what Malik was even more unaware of was that Isis, sitting in the jeep, had once again activated the power of the Millennium Jewelry to observe the future.

Three minutes later, Lishid will push the shopping cart out of the mall, and on his way back to the jeep, he will accidentally trip over the aluminum can that Malik had carelessly discarded earlier.

An hour later, the three people who were planning to drive onto the interstate to the Paradis Group will be stopped and harassed by two racially prejudiced white police officers. Then Malik will use the power of the Millennium Scepter to make them think they are dogs for three days.

We'll be able to drive to the area where the Paradis Group is located this evening. On the way, we'll encounter some gangsters trying to extort money from us, which will take a while, but we'll still be able to reach our destination smoothly, although it will be a bit slower than when we're with Yugi Muto and his group.

Within the Paradis Group, there will be—

Isis's observation of the future suddenly became blurry after arriving at that point in time within the "Palatis Group." Although she didn't experience the headaches or vomiting blood that are common phenomena in fantasy novels, Isis did feel slightly dizzy. However, this is a normal phenomenon when switching from an overview of the future to a first-person perspective.

However, even though the future became blurry and indistinct, Isis still noticed the presence of the Millennium Wisdom Ring hanging on the chest of a person standing opposite Seto Kaiba in that brief glimpse of the future.

The future glimpsed through 【Millennial Jewelry】is absolute!

Despite possessing the willpower to transcend fate, Isis was incredibly grateful that when she inherited the Millennium Artifact from the Tomb Keeper clan, the Millennium Jewelry was the most compatible item, and she desperately hoped that the future she had envisioned would become a reality.

When Isis opened her eyes, she saw Lishid pushing a shopping cart toward the jeep.

"It's too slow, Lishid. I'm about to be roasted alive by the sun," Malik urged. "I shouldn't have chosen an off-road jeep just to look cool when I rented the car."