Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

“Absolutely right. Luring Jonouchi away was part of the plan. Without Red-Eyes by your side, Yugi won't be able to summon Super Magical Dragon Knight - Red-Eyes Dragon Rider anymore, right? That would make taking you down even easier.” Hayato casually picked up a card and slapped it onto the Duel Disk, laughing as he said, “I was asked to hold you off, but taking you down shouldn't be a problem either, right?”

"Instead of worrying about Jonouchi, think about yourself first, Yugi!"

As Hayato threw out a card, the ground rumbled, and then suddenly, earthen walls rose rapidly from the previously flat ground!

Before they could even react, a several-meter-high earthen wall separated Honda, Kyoko, Ryuzaki, and Yugi!

"Kyoko! Honda! Ryuzaki!" In the first instant, the figure of [Dark Magician] appeared beside Yugi, throwing out a ball of magic energy in an attempt to break down the earthen wall.

But to the game's surprise, the power of the Dark Magician was actually blocked by a mere wall?

What kind of wall is this that can block even the attack of a Dark Mage with an attack power of 2500?

No, no, this isn't an ordinary wall!

This is the [Maze Wall]! It's a Duel Monster card from the "Maze Brothers"!

"Well, I finally managed to defeat the 'Dungeon Brothers' after all. After sealing their souls, it's only reasonable to take a little loot, right?" Hayato said after taking all the money and cards from the Dungeon Brothers after defeating them.

Seeing Yugi's anxious expression, Hayato spoke up again, urging, "Since it's the Labyrinth Brothers' labyrinth, you should know what's inside, right? Hurry up and go find Kyoko and the others!"

"However, sneak attacks won't work on me~"

Leaving behind a sarcastic remark, Hayato's figure disappeared as a moving wall concealed him, and the game thwarted the sneak attack launched by the Dark Magician.

"Damn it!" Yugi had planned to grab Hayato first and make him solve the [Maze Wall], but he didn't expect Hayato to guess his thoughts. Yugi clenched his fists, looked at the dead end in front of him, and turned around unwillingly, and proceeded along the only path at present.

As a Duel Monster, the [Maze Wall] has an extremely high defense of 3000 points, which is difficult even for the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] to break through. Although it is not impossible to summon a monster with a higher attack power to break through the wall, the game does not think it has the ability to completely dismantle the wall.

Moreover, according to Hayato, there are likely traps and monsters in the labyrinth, so they need to conserve their strength.

The game progresses along the walls of the maze, while outside the maze, Hayato stands with an unexpected guy.

"Using the [Maze Wall] to hold off the Nameless Pharaoh and his men? Not a bad idea."

"Hmph, of course." Hayato looked at Rafael, who had no idea that the other party would be here, and forced a cold expression. "Didn't Dartz say that the game was left to you to solve? I have no interest in doing work for others for free."

Damn, I was planning to give the game a little hint after driving away the people from Doma, but if Alai hadn't discovered that [Guardian - Aiwass] was actually nearby, he would have been caught red-handed by Rafiru.

Damn it, thankfully the workers reacted quickly!

Chapter 604 Rabiel is still chasing me, damn it!

According to Rafiru, the reason he inexplicably came to Hayato and Baron's side was purely on a whim.

This is a lie, a complete lie.

Even without the ability to read minds, Hayato could guess why Rafael was here. It was simply to get him and Baron to act together and see if he would reveal any flaws because he was traveling alone. The hidden Rafael himself was the best surveillance.

Although it's an old trick, that's precisely why it's so effective.

Rarely seen, he wasn't afraid of trouble and volunteered to Daz to deal with Baron, who needed someone to help him restrain the others traveling with Jonouchi, or at least most of them for a period of time, to create an environment for him to have a one-on-one duel with Jonouchi.

When Baron mentioned this at the base in Doma, his first thought for help wasn't Hayato but Ameruda. However, Ameruda said that he had collected records of a transoceanic flight application issued by a jet under Kaiba's name, intending to intercept Kaiba, so he couldn't help Baron.

Then Baron thought of Rafael, since Rafael's assigned mission target, "The Nameless Pharaoh," meant that he was traveling with Jonouchi, and the two of them could complete the mission together.

However, at that time, Rafiel said that he had other tasks to complete before dealing with the "Nameless Pharaoh" and refused Baron. So Baron could only work with Hayato, the only one who agreed to his request.

The "other mission" that Rafiru mentioned at the time was probably "following behind Hayato and Baron to see if Hayato would expose any problems when he only had one teammate."

It's like deliberately hiding behind a team of players in "Among Us" to see if there's an imposter among them—a classic case of playing the old trick.

Hayato had already planned to first stall Yugi and the others for a while as requested by Baron, and then find a suitable opportunity to briefly explain his current situation and what would happen next to him to Kyoko and Yugi, so that they could cooperate with his acting later.

Hayato did this both to reassure his friends and to minimize the chances of him making any seemingly villainous but actually harmless moves.

As for why he didn't tell Jonouchi, Honda, and Ryuzaki, it wasn't that Hayato was treating them differently. It was mainly because none of them seemed like people who could keep secrets. Hayato felt that if he told Jonouchi that his "betrayal" was actually fake, Jonouchi might inadvertently reveal it to him.

He wanted to stay in Dorma a little longer. Also, the "gift" for Darz was still being prepared and hadn't been completed yet.

However, the plan was aborted due to Rafael's presence, which greatly displeased Hayato, who wore a sour expression.

Rafael was unaware of Hayato's thoughts at that moment. Although he was monitoring Hayato, he maintained a facade of "I trust you and consider you a comrade," and asked Hayato, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of something interesting." Hayato, who had been looking annoyed, suddenly gave a wicked smile, pulled out a card, and said to Rafael, "The resentment of being forcibly separated from your companions will turn into an unusually strong joy when you finally reunite with them."

"I wonder how this joy will turn into despair when I find myself in an extremely dangerous situation?"

As Hayato placed the card on the Duel Disk, a surge of spirit power was released, and a gigantic blue monster appeared amidst the layers of [Labyrinth Walls]. It was none other than [Phantom Lord Rabiel], one of the "Three Phantom Demons"!

His name is derived from a variant of the name of the famous mythological angel "Raphael". Coincidentally, the name of Raphael next to Hayato is also a variant of the name "Raphael". After rounding up, it is the same as his name.

After returning to the human world from the spirit world, Rabiel and the others did cause some trouble at first. After all, they had obediently followed Hayato before because Hayato had too many "gods" under his control and always suppressed them, so they didn't dare to rebel.

However, when Hayato first returned to the human world, his "divine" power was at its weakest, giving the "Three Phantoms" hope of rebelling and regaining their freedom.

However, when they actually started to make a move against Hayato, they were chased down and beaten up by the main body of the Winged Rathalos, which had been hiding inside the Winged Rathalos - spherical shape, and were almost killed on the spot.

Who would have thought that the card of [Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra] was lost in the human world by Hayato along with the other two "Egyptian Three" cards? And the real [Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra] was actually hiding in an egg! You two, master and servant, are both such old coins!

So now, [Phantom Emperor - Rabiel] has no choice but to obediently appear and act as a "monster" in the dungeon, without any thought of resistance.

Although it possesses the ability to absorb the power of surrounding spirits as a "Phantom Demon," would [Laviel] dare to absorb the spirit power of the people around it? Yugi, Ryuzaki, and Hayato himself—[Laviel] felt that if it dared to make a move, Hayato might very well have [Laviel's Winged Dragon] tear it apart in the next second.

Huh? Too cowardly? Not at all.

Being Hayato's dog is the greatest honor!

The shameless and proud Rabiel took steps through the labyrinth.

Meanwhile, inside the maze, Yugi used his many card sprites to split up and explore at every fork in the road to save time. Soon, he found his first scattered companion—Kyoko, who was overjoyed to see Yugi.

"Games!" "Apricot!"

Because she had little ability to protect herself, Kyoko was forced to move a distance by the moving walls after the maze opened, but afterwards she consciously stayed in place and did not wander around aimlessly.

After all, no one knows where the dangers in the maze might appear, and Kyoko believed that the game would definitely find her.

And that was indeed the case. The first person the game found was Kyoko, who had stopped at a crossroads and hadn't left. What surprised the game even more was that Ryuzaki and Honda, who should have been separated, also appeared from two other crossroads.

That's for sure. In reality, Hayato didn't design the maze properly at all. Although the route was complicated, it was actually incredibly simple. After all, it was hastily completed just to deal with Rafael.

However, unlike Ryuzaki, who unexpectedly found his team again so quickly, Honda, running frantically, shouted anxiously, "Yugi, Kyoko, Ryuzaki! Run!"

As he ran, Honda glanced behind him: "Rabiel is still chasing me! Damn it!"

A gigantic blue monster appeared before them!

Immediately, the game activated its Duel Disk, summoning [Dark Magician] once more to launch an attack. However, just like its previous attack on the [Labyrinth Wall], the [Dark Magician]'s power, which should have been invincible, was once again thwarted and failed to achieve its goal. Meanwhile, [Phantom Emperor - Rabiel] approached the group with a ferocious grin on his face!

Seeing that even the power of the Dark Magician couldn't defeat Rabiel, Yugi and the others immediately thought of running away to create some distance before figuring out a countermeasure. However, when they turned around, they saw that the side path that Yugi had taken when he came from behind was blocked by a moving wall!

"Damn it, is it a trap?!" Ryuzaki pounded on the wall, but the thick stone wall didn't budge. He had no choice but to give up on his futile efforts and looked back at the game that was facing the blue demon.

【Phantom Emperor - Rabiel】As a Duel Monster, its attack power is as high as 4000 points. Outside of Duel Monsters, it is the strongest of the "Three Egyptian Gods" who are comparable to the "Three Egyptian Gods". Ordinary Duel Monsters are not to mention fighting against it. Just being able to maintain their existence without being absorbed by it is already very strong.

However, facing the approaching [Rabiel], Yugi's gaze remained firm as he resolutely stepped forward, commanding [Dark Magician] to continuously attack [Phantom Emperor - Rabiel].

Even if the difference in strength is enormous, I have important friends behind me, and I absolutely cannot and will not give up on them!

With this belief in mind, the game played another card, that nameless fake card, [Eye of Timaeus].

The power of the "Legendary Dragon" was transferred to the [Dark Magician], and then it actually transformed into the [Red-Eyes Black Dragon], which was not located in this castle!

Next, the ultimate "Soul Card" that once defeated Hayato, the fusion monster of Jonouchi and Yugi's "Symbol of Friendship"—[Super Magical Dragon Knight - Red-Eyes Dragon Knight]—makes its appearance!

The moment it appeared, even [Phantom Emperor - Rabiel] felt threatened for a moment. He immediately created a clone with his own power and planned to absorb the clone's power to defeat the monster in front of him as soon as possible.

However, [Super Magical Dragon Knight - Red-Eyes Dragon Rider] swung his weapon, and with an astonishing strike, he destroyed [Phantom Emperor - Rabiel] along with the [Labyrinth Wall] that was trapping Yugi and the others!

The sudden turn of events caught even Hayato off guard: "What?!"

"Looks like your plan has failed." Rafael looked at the [Super Magical Dragon Knight - Red-Eyes Dragon Knight] that appeared next to the game with a shocked expression, his brows furrowed with seriousness.

As the sole spectator of that duel at the top of the International Illusion Society, Rafael was fully aware of the immense power of the monster before him—power so overwhelming it was practically monstrous, almost like a fake card.

He had thought that the appearance of this monster made Jonouchi Katsuya's [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] necessary, and that it would be easier for Baron to deal with Jonouchi Katsuya first before he could deal with the Nameless Pharaoh. But now he saw the [Dark Magician] transformed into this form under the power of the "Legendary Dragon".

Although it's not currently in the midst of a duel, no one can guarantee that the "Legendary Dragon" won't replicate the current situation in an official duel. In fact, Rafael believes that such a situation will definitely happen again!

To defeat the Nameless Pharaoh, the existence of the [Super Magical Dragon Knight - Red-Eyes Dragon Knight] is unavoidable, and to deal with this monster, it is indeed necessary to deal with the troublesome "Legendary Dragon" first!

Remembering something that Daz had told the others, Rafiru had an idea. But just as he was about to take action, suddenly, the gem "Orichalcum Fragment" on his pendant began to glow green.

"What's this?" Hayato first discreetly put away a card, then glanced at his pendant, a puzzled expression on his face. "What's going on?"

Rafael looked at him with a serious expression and said, "This is a phenomenon that occurs when the [Orichalcos Barrier] seals the soul of a powerful duelist. The duel on Baron's side has probably already been decided."

"Let's find Baron first, get him to evacuate, and then slowly head for the Nameless Pharaoh—"

Rafiru was about to make a move when he saw Jonouchi, who was being helped out of the alleyway and limping, in the distance by the peacock dancer. He couldn't continue.

Undoubtedly, the reaction of the "Orichalcos fragments" indicated that a duel had just ended and someone's soul had been sealed by the [Orichalcos Barrier]. However, Jonouchi emerged alive, though he appeared somewhat weak and disheveled, he was indeed still alive.

This means that the loser in the duel with Jonouchi was actually Baron!

Baron's loss to Jonouchi was unexpected by Rafiru, because in his previous observations, Jonouchi's strength was not bad, but only good, first-class rather than top-class, and had no special characteristics except for being lucky.

Especially in the duel between him and Yugi against Hayato, compared to Yugi who was able to fight Hayato to a standstill, Jonouchi was mostly just defending and holding on, lacking the ability to make any moves.

In Rafael's eyes, Baron was second only to himself and Lord Dartz in the Doma organization, and even stronger than Amelda. Rafael and Baron had sparred before, and the result was almost a draw, with Rafael slightly winning.

This Baron, however, was defeated by that guy Jonouchi. Although it seemed like a narrow victory, the win was undeniable. Was it the power of the "Legendary Dragon"?

Rafael couldn't help but wonder if Jonouchi had used the power of the "Legendary Dragon" to defeat Baron in the duel, and what kind of power his "Legendary Dragon" possessed.

However, Rafiru was slightly puzzled as to why Baron, who also possessed "Orichalcos fragments," should have the ability to forcibly break through the "Orichalcos barrier," so why was his soul still sealed?

Chapter 605 It's normal for the Three Musketeers to have four people, right?

Under the protection of [Super Magical Dragon Knight - Red-Eyes Dragon Rider], the game team successfully broke through the "complex" maze.

As soon as they came out, the group of four saw Jonouchi and Mai walking from a distance, as well as Hayato and Rafiru standing not far away.

"Was that person also from Dorma?"

Kyoko and Honda did not go to the rooftop with Jonouchi and Yugi during the recent International Illusion Club battle, but this was not the first time the two had seen Rafael. At least they had seen Rafael as spectators at the KC Cup, but they did not have a deep impression of him.

"Everyone, be careful." The game commander, [Super Magical Dragon Knight - Red-Eyes Dragon Rider], stood in front of Hayato and Rafael, looking at them with a serious expression. "That guy's name is Rafael. He's a very powerful duelist and one of the 'Three Musketeers' of the 'Doma' organization."

Ryuzaki also looked serious: "I also remember that guy. He worked with someone called 'Baron,' and at that time, it seemed that Kobayashi Hayato, Baron, and another guy I didn't know called 'Ameruda' were all following this guy's orders."

"Even among the 'Three Musketeers of Dorma,' that guy seems to be one of the top fighters, which means he's also a formidable and dangerous duelist!"