Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Rafael, on the other hand, hasn't made a move on the game yet. However, while Hayato and Amelda were enjoying the drinks prepared for Dartz, Rafael wasn't idle either; he was actually doing something important.

"Has Baron's body been disposed of, Rafiru?"

"Yes, Lady Dartz."

Standing behind a projector-like device, Rafael spoke respectfully. Before Rafael, the technologically advanced projector emitted dazzling light, projecting a three-dimensional humanoid figure out of thin air in front of him.

Although the human figure was constructed out of thin air by light, its features were quite clear, and it was none other than Dartz!

The Doma Organization is a secret organization that Darzalsky established after his failure ten thousand years ago. However, a secret organization cannot do anything if it only hides behind the scenes. It needs a "white glove" that can influence the world while concealing its identity as the "mastermind".

Was the rise and fall of the Roman Empire an inevitable historical event?

Who provided the funds and materials for the Age of Exploration?

Was the revolution initiated by the citizens truly a spontaneous event by the citizens themselves?

How did Napoleon come to power?

As times change, Dorma's "white glove" has repeatedly appeared behind the scenes of history. But gloves always get dirty and need to be replaced. Today, Dorma's "white glove" is the Paradis Group, a super behemoth that even the combined might of the International Illusion Society and the Seahorse Entertainment Group cannot match.

The device that Rafiru is using to communicate with Dazzle is based on Paradis Group technology. However, even Paradis Group is just a useful "white glove". Dazzle, who is the president of the group, can discard it at any time if he wants.

After all, it's just a "white glove," and not only the Paradis Group, but also Rafiru and the "Three Musketeers of Doma" are the same in Daz's mind.

As Rafael candidly recounted how he had been monitoring Hayato Kobayashi and his speculation about whether Hayato had interfered in Baron's death, Dartz simply said nonchalantly, "Look at the time. The bombers that Amelda requested should have already arrived on Crawford Island and begun indiscriminately bombing Pegasus J. Crawford's castle, right?"

"They seemed to be risking their lives to complete the mission. But they still didn't succeed."

Rafiru, who was somewhat saddened by Baron's death, was interrupted by Darz's words. He showed no expression, but respectfully lowered his head and said, "Yes, it was all for your will. But they have done their best."

Looking at Dartz, who remained completely unmoved as he spoke of Baron's death and Ameruda's near-death experience, as indifferent as if he were saying "the vegetables in the fridge have gone bad," it was impossible for Rafiru not to have any thoughts.

Although Rafiru, who joined Dorma after losing his family, placed his cards above all else as a substitute for his deceased family members, he also regarded Baron and Ameluda, who were younger than him and joined Dorma later, as his younger brothers.

Baron, who likes to be lazy but is full of drive at heart; Ameruda, who is kind at heart but is filled with the rage of revenge; Rafael never puts pressure on them as a "senior" or "elder," but the inarticulate Rafael actually takes good care of them in his daily life.

Even without such emotions, upon hearing the news of the death of a teammate, companion, or "friend" with whom one has spent so many years, even the most hard-hearted person would inevitably feel sad. However, judging from Dartz's expression, it seemed as if she was thinking, "Even if I risked my life, I couldn't defeat my opponent. I'm so useless."

'Lord Dartz, did he not care about our lives at all...?'

Rafiru couldn't help but think this to himself, but he quickly found a reason for Dartz's actions: 'No, it's because Lord Dartz is too focused on his ideal of creating a new world. He's so close to his goal, yet the Nameless Pharaoh and the others are preventing him from taking another step.'

'That's why Lord Dartz temporarily ignored the news of Ameruda and Baron's deaths. Yes, that's it.'

If Baron and Ameluda are like younger brothers in Raferu's eyes, then Dartz is like a teacher to Raferu, or even a "father".

Ten years ago, Rafael went on a cruise with his family for his birthday. On his birthday, Rafael received a birthday gift from his younger siblings—the Duel Monster Card [Guardian - Etos], which he had long wanted but was difficult to collect due to its rarity.

My first time traveling at sea with my family;

For the first time, I received a gift of my favorite Duel Monster cards.

Two joyful events coincided, and these two joys brought Raferu even more happiness. What should have been a dreamlike, blissful time... but why did it turn out this way...?

The cruise ship had its route confirmed to be safe before setting sail, but for some unknown reason, it went astray and ended up sailing over an underwater volcano, and even more unfortunately, it encountered an underwater volcanic eruption.

In the midst of the cataclysmic upheaval, Rafael tried to reach out and grab his younger siblings, whom he had separated from, but missed them by mere millimeters, watching helplessly as the distance between them grew ever greater. Then, a colossal wave swallowed everything, and when Rafael awoke, he found himself stranded on a deserted island.

There was no trace of anyone else on the island except him. Rafael miraculously became the only survivor of the shipwreck. The only thing that came with him to the island was a gift he received from his younger siblings—the card of [Guardian-Athos]. And from time to time, Rafael could see the materialized [Guardian-Athos] appearing beside him.

Rafael now knows that he awakened his Spirit Master ability and became able to see the Card Spirits back then, but at the time, Rafael only thought that it was all a hallucination caused by his mental stress.

For three whole years, Rafiru lived alone on the island with the faint hope that "since I survived, my family might have survived somewhere too." He ate fish for three whole years without anyone to talk to, to the point that he now feels nauseous at the sight of fish.

His only solace during this time was the [Guardian] cards he had received. He lived with the card spirits, calmly and expectantly awaiting the future. And indeed, a miracle occurred: Rafael, on the island, saw an island appear in the distance and went out to sea, only to find it was just an illusion, but was unexpectedly rescued by a passing ship.

But when Rafael miraculously returned to human society, the faint hope that had sustained his fragile spirit was extinguished by cruel reality and turned into profound despair.

Apart from Rafael, no one survived the shipwreck. Rafael's family members were never found, and the relatives who had previously fawned over Rafael's family revealed their true colors, either plotting to seize their wealth or trying to exploit Rafael's miraculous return and fame.

At that time, Rafiru, who was filled with confusion about the world and could only feel darkness, saw the island in the sea that had taken him away from the deserted island again. However, this time he did not reach the phantom, but met Dartz instead.

After learning that Dartz's goal was to "reset" the world, Rafael joined Doma and became one of the "Three Musketeers of Doma". Dartz acted as his "teacher" on Rafael's path of growth, and because of his admiration and recognition of Dartz's ideal of "creating a new world", Rafael had a fatherly respect for Dartz.

However, Dartz's performance today has, for the first time, left a rift in Rafiru's heart regarding Dartz's image. The "Three Musketeers of Doma" are risking their lives for Lord Dartz's plan, but how does Lord Dartz truly view us?

Rafael pieced this rift back together with his reverence for Dartz over the past decade, but a rope that has been cut and then tied back will have knots, and a wound that has been torn open and then healed will have scars. The faint thoughts that Rafael had for Dartz were ultimately buried deep in his heart.

'What matters most to Lord Dartz is his grand plan. As long as it's for creating a new world, we wouldn't mind sacrificing our souls for him. Both Ameruda and Baron were already prepared for this.'

Rafael's eyes were somewhat serious. 'Me too.'

Seemingly sensing Rafiru's inner will, Darz looked over and asked, "Nameless Pharaoh, where are they now?"

"They're already on their way to me, Lord Dartz." Although Dartz didn't say it explicitly, Rafael said, "Please rest assured, I will definitely complete your mission and defeat the Nameless Pharaoh and the 'Legendary Dragon' card he possesses, even if it costs me my life."

Upon hearing Rafael's assurance, Dartz merely gave a cold laugh. The more amiable Dartz was towards Hayato, the more harsh and cruel he was towards Rafael and the others: "Rafael, you are the strongest of the 'Three Musketeers of Doma,' and I believe you have the strength to defeat the Nameless Pharaoh."

"However, I don't like hearing assurances like 'I will kill him,' because it sounds like bluffing. Only a spineless scumbag who can only threaten people with a knife but doesn't dare to actually do it would say such meaningless things. I've heard too many of these assurances."

“It’s more important to do than to say. Do it before you say it. It’s not about ‘killing him’ but ‘killing him.’ I hope to hear that from you next time.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the projector in front of Rafael dimmed, and Dartz's figure disappeared from his sight. Rafael straightened up, stared at the spot where Dartz had vanished, and closed his eyes as if deep in thought.

After a long while, as if he had made up his mind, Rafael walked to a table in the room, took out a few cards from an open briefcase full of Duel Monster cards, and put them into the Duel Disk deck area on his wrist.

After adjusting his deck, Rafael turned to look out the window. Gazing out from his vantage point, he saw that it was already pitch black outside.

It's already six or seven o'clock in the evening. As we gradually enter winter, the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer, and it gets dark earlier and earlier than in summer.

Rafiru is currently at the location of the Paradis Group's headquarters, the "white glove" of the Doma organization. After leaving Yugi, he brought Baron's corpse here, both to find a place to put Baron and to prepare to welcome Yugi and his group who had exposed their destination.

After arriving at the Paradis Group by private car via a shortcut, Rafiru used the identity of Dazi to dismiss all the staff who originally worked there, leaving only a few people who would be needed in the future, leaving an empty industrial park to await the arrival of the game team.

As night fell, the Paradis Park, which was usually as bright as day, was plunged into darkness. But in this darkness, a rather conspicuous beam of light shot straight along the central avenue toward the building where Rafiru was located.

Rafiru recognized it; it was the RV the gamers had seen briefly in Conflict Town.

'Has it come, nameless pharaoh? The duel between us is finally about to begin.'

With mixed feelings, Rafael pressed the call button on a walkie-talkie on the table: "Let's get started."

Chapter 617 was delayed until now because the home internet was down.

Driven smoothly by Peacock Dance, the RV entered the industrial park of the Paradis Group without any hindrance. The Paradis building, shrouded in the night, seemed like a giant standing in the darkness, becoming larger and larger as the RV approached. Youxi, sitting in the passenger seat, sincerely felt a deep sense of oppression.

"Is that the Paradis Group? Compared to the Haima Group and the International Illusion Society, it feels much more oppressive." Leaning out from the back of the car, Honda bent over and looked at the Paradis Group building in the distance. "Hiss~ I have a strange feeling, like someone has stuck an icicle in my butt. It's chilling and terrifying."

“Although the analogy is a bit strange, it’s true that I feel the same way.” Ryuzaki agreed with Honda’s view.

It wasn't that Ryuzaki was too cowardly. To his shame, even though he considered himself a fairly good duelist, looking at that distant building, he felt a sense of tension, as if he were being targeted by some ancient hunter.

"It is indeed a bit strange. This is the world's strongest and most famous Paradis Group, right? But despite having such a large industrial park, it is quieter than a no-man's land."

While driving, Kong Quewu agreed, "Did you see that? Along this stretch of road we just drove, when you looked through the windows of any of the buildings, not a single one of them had its lights on."

Hearing what Mai said, Kyoko, who was taking care of Jonouchi who hadn't fully recovered, asked curiously, "There are no lights. Maybe it's because the American labor unions have set working hours, and the workers have all gone home."

“Oh dear, Kyoko, you should stop reading those shameless articles written by those domestic media outlets. Capitalists will do anything for profit. They're capable of anything, from working overtime beyond the standard hours to breaking the law.” Lying on the bed, Jonouchi said with a knowing look on his face, “And they'll even say it's a blessing for the workers.”

"Jonouchi, you idiot, shut up and get some rest!" Mai, who was driving, heard Jonouchi's voice and saw him in the rearview mirror. Jonouchi wasn't lying properly on the bed and was sticking his head out, looking at the people in front of him with a smug expression. She couldn't help but distract herself and said.

As one of the three musketeers of Doma, Baron, unlike Amelda and Rafael who nurtured powerful monsters from the depths of their inner darkness, infused his darkness into the [Armor] deck, giving those monsters the ability to strike at the very core of the duelist's power.

Then, to make matters worse, Baron activated the "Orichalcos Barrier" later in the duel, turning the duel into a dark game. For these two reasons, Jonouchi suffered considerable injuries in his previous duel with Baron, and because less than six hours had passed, he had not yet recovered.

Rather, it would be more accurate to say that Jonouchi experienced two rollercoaster-like drops and one surge during that duel. Although Baron had a change of heart and put the armor on Jonouchi to protect him after the final, potentially fatal blow, Jonouchi was still quite remarkable for maintaining his mental clarity and not falling into a vegetative state.

However, this was already Jonouchi's limit. Although Jonouchi himself said "It's okay to have big breasts," his body was so weak that he couldn't even win an arm wrestling match against Yugi, and everyone unanimously asked him to lie down and rest in bed.

Even now, the fact that Yugi and the others are still taking Jonouchi along is actually the result of Jonouchi's strong resistance. He refused to go to the hospital and be left alone, and instead wanted to go with Yugi to venture into the den of the Paradis Group, claiming that the reason he didn't go to the hospital was because he couldn't afford to see a doctor.

The reasons were quite valid, and Jonouchi himself was adamant, so Yugi and the others had no choice but to take Jonouchi along. However, they didn't intend for Jonouchi to come with them to the Paradis Group. Mai and Kyoko would stay in the RV to watch over Jonouchi, while Ryuzaki, Honda, and Yugi would go to the Paradis Group.

However, even with this plan, it was predicated on their safe arrival at the Paradis Group headquarters. And it's common for plans to fall short of changing circumstances, just like now—

Just as Kong Que Wu was distracted and looked at the rearview mirror, although she had taken several breaks in between, she had been driving for almost a whole day. In addition, after entering the Paradis Industrial Park, she had been driving on a dark, deserted, straight, and wide avenue. It was inevitable that Kong Que Wu's concentration would be a little sluggish, and she was not as focused as when she was driving on the road.

While Mai was distracted, Ryuzaki, who was looking at the road ahead, saw something unbelievable and strange, and his pupils contracted. He shouted anxiously, "Hey Mai, watch where you're going! There looks like someone up ahead!"

Startled by Ryuzaki's shout, Mai quickly snapped out of her daze and instinctively slammed on the brakes to slow down. However, the slightest difference resulted in insufficient braking distance, and the RV and the figure illuminated by the headlights in the distance were getting closer and closer: "Oh no, we're going to crash!"

Just as a speeding tanker truck cannot slam on the brakes to slow down even if it sees a pedestrian ahead, the large RV they were riding in could not avoid the pedestrian in front of it by turning the steering wheel like a motorcycle. In just a moment, the RV crashed hard into the "pedestrian".

"Oh!"

The result of the collision between the vehicle and the pedestrian was undoubtedly that the pedestrian was thrown out and fell to the ground not far away. However, although it was a collision with a person, the people in the car felt as if the RV had hit a concrete pillar. The force of the impact was so great that Ryuzaki and Honda, who were not sitting properly in the back, almost fell over, and even Jonouchi almost rolled off the bed.

The passenger in the passenger seat rubbed his forehead, which he had accidentally bumped earlier. He was equally surprised that someone would suddenly appear on the road. Kong Quewu had been using high beams to check the road conditions since the beginning, but that person seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on where that person had come from. He'd been hit by the RV and thrown from the vehicle, and he didn't even know if the other person was alright. With that thought in mind, Yugi unbuckled his seatbelt and got out to check on the situation.

But Kong Quewu called out to him, "Wait a minute, don't get off the bus yet!"

"That thing is not human!"

As the peacock dance finished speaking, the "humanoid" that had just been knocked away got up from the ground, and only then did the game see the other party's true face.

Its deep purple skin was covered with gray armor that didn't look like a fake. Its tall body was nearly three meters tall when it stood up, like a giant. More importantly, its face was not human but had a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, baring its teeth and revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. It was not human at all, but clearly the image of a demon soldier crawled out of hell!

On the demon's left hand was a blade resembling an extended duel disk, engraved with familiar runes—patterns that had appeared on the [Orichalcos Barrier]. On the demon's forehead, just like those duelists who used the [Orichalcos Barrier] in duels, was a [Orichalcos Barrier] emblem, emitting an ominous green light.

After the demon soldier that had been thrown into the air got up from the ground, it showed no signs of having just been hit head-on by a multi-ton RV. With a roar, it suddenly pounced on Yu-Gi-Oh and the others, lying on the hood of the vehicle, ready to use its sharp claws to pierce the windshield and attack them!

The menacing demon soldiers might have terrified an ordinary young girl, leaving her frozen in fear or screaming and shrinking back. But Kongque Mai, true to her strong character, saw the demon soldier reach out and slammed on the gas pedal, roaring, "You filthier than a toad that's fallen into a toilet, get the hell away from me! Like a baseball hit by a home run!"

"Oh!"

Although there wasn't much acceleration distance, the RV engine was powerful enough to hit the demon's waist in an instant, causing it to crash into the demon a second time. This time, Peacock Dance floored the accelerator, slamming the demon to the ground and running it over by the several-ton RV.

After running over the demon soldier in her hit-and-run, Peacock Dance looked out through the windshield, which had restored her vision, and discovered that another demon soldier had appeared not far away. Moreover, it did not emerge from a hiding corner, but instead rose directly from the ground after a small [Orichalcos Barrier] appeared.

"There's a second one? No, there's one over there too!" After seeing the second evil ghost soldier, Kong Que Wu quickly discovered a third and a fourth. These soldiers, who seemed to have wandered out of a fantasy world, emerged one after another from one magic circle after another, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

"Here too!" "And here too!"

Not only from the front, but also with Ryuzaki and Honda's exclamations, everyone discovered that a large number of demon soldiers had appeared from both sides, clearly surrounding the RV where they were!

Peacock Dance even caught a glimpse in the rearview mirror that the demon soldier who had been knocked down earlier was getting up unharmed and walking towards them again!

"Tch, everyone, hold on tight!" With a determined look, Peacock Dance skillfully shifted gears and stepped on the gas. "Don't underestimate me, my driving skills were learned in Hawaii!"

"Ugh!!!" X5!

The RV, weighing several tons, was driven with the aura of a supercar accelerating from a standstill by Kong Quewu's fierce driving skills. At the cost of almost everyone in the back row being swayed from side to side, the RV zigzagged left and right to avoid the evil soldiers who had not yet formed a dense formation, and squeezed out from the gaps.