Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Do you know how worried she is about you?!

Standing at the back of the crowd, Isis's expression turned somewhat strange upon hearing Malik's words. She wondered whether she should tell Malik that because of the future she had seen through the Millennium Jewelry, she had never actually worried about Hayato's safety. However, considering the current atmosphere, she decided it was best not to say such a thing.

As Malik angrily questioned him and approached, Hayato composed himself and said nonchalantly, "I don't even know where the end of the universe is, how could I possibly know the answer?"

"Besides, what does it matter to me that Isis is worried about me..." Feigning indifference, Hayato looked at Isis, who was standing at the back of the crowd, with a cold gaze, but met Isis's gaze with a gentle smile.

For some reason, even though he had already mentally reviewed all sorts of scumbag quotes, Hayato couldn't continue when he looked into Isis's eyes. He was supposed to be wearing the Millennium Wisdom Ring, which could interfere with the abilities of other Millennium Items, but for some reason, being looked at by Isis gave him the unsettling feeling that she could see right through him.

It wasn't so much that she believed in herself because she saw what she was going to do in her future plans. Isis felt more like she unconditionally believed in herself even though she didn't know what she was going to do.

Hayato couldn't quite put his finger on it, but this feeling made even someone as composed as him, who could throw [Disruption Yellow] as a shield, feel somewhat uneasy.

Rafael was unaware of Hayato's feelings, but he knew that there were quite a few people standing on the rooftop now.

Seto Kaiba and Katsuya Jonouchi, who hold two other "Legendary Dragon" cards; Mai Kujaku and Ryuzaki Dinosaur, the champions and runners-up of the Duel Monsters of America; Isis Ishtar, the head of the Gravekeeper Clan; and Malik Ishtar, the former leader of the international criminal organization Grus.

Jonouchi's defeat of Baron proves that he is no ordinary opponent, and the fact that Seto Kaiba is still here shows that Amelda failed to kill him on Duel Kingdom Island. Unfortunately, Rafael has indeed expended a lot of energy in his recent duel with Yugi and is not at his best. Although he is confident in defeating the others, Kaiba and Jonouchi are a bit of a problem.

"Nissama!" Just then, Kaiba suddenly heard Keipai's voice and turned his attention away from Hayato and Rafiru. He turned his head sharply and saw a helicopter flying overhead.

Kaiba recognized the helicopter. After escaping from Duel Kingdom Island in his Blue-Eyes White Dragon Jet, Kaiba had to transfer to this helicopter at the American branch of the Kaiba Corporation to get to the Paradis Building due to fuel tank limitations. However, Kaiba learned his piloting skills in Hawaii and should be able to operate that helicopter. Why did he suddenly start shouting?

As the seahorse looked on in confusion, a helicopter that had been flying overhead landed not far ahead. Then he saw that the person sitting in the pilot's seat was not Keipai, but Ameruda!

"Hey, Seto Kaiba, I'm back from hell." Amelda greeted him, patting Keihei's hair in the passenger seat. "You don't want Keihei to get hurt, do you?"

Chapter 631 Bullshit! Who said I'm dead?

It must be said that the helicopter hijacked by Ameruda arrived just in time. Because neither of them wanted to cause any more trouble or conflict, Hayato and Rafiru retreated to the helicopter immediately.

"Can't you take action against your old friend, Kobayashi Hayato?"

Hearing Rafael's words, Hayato smiled dismissively: "Don't make me laugh, Rafael. How could a human be friends with bread?"

"But you, you finally defeated Yugi, and all you managed to seal away was this thing?" Hayato said, raising his hand to reveal a card, which was none other than the [Orichalcos Barrier] card that Rafael had abandoned on the ground earlier, the one that sealed Yugi's soul. "Besides, are you really willing to let Yugi's soul leave like this without sealing it away?"

“Who knows where this soul came from?” Seeing that Hayato had actually picked up the card that he was planning to throw away, Rafael frowned and said, “Do whatever you want with that card, throw it away or tear it up, it doesn’t matter.”

"As for the nameless pharaoh, there's nothing to fear anymore. I've already done what Lord Dartz wanted and made the 'Legendary Dragon' abandon the nameless pharaoh. The mission is complete. Even if he escapes with his life, he won't be a threat."

Once inside the helicopter, Rafiru and Hayato sat in the back cabin. As soon as they entered the cabin, Hayato saw Keihei sitting in the front passenger seat, his hands and feet bound, looking helpless.

Even if Ameruda and Keihei hadn't said anything, Hayato could have guessed what was going on with the helicopter. It seems that since Sugoroku wasn't present, Keihei had taken on the role of the "Millennial Hostage" without hesitation.

"Wait a minute, don't even think about running away!"

On the rooftop, watching Hayato and Rafael get into the helicopter and it take off, Malik hurriedly swung the Millennium Scepter in his hand, and the phantom of the Lava Demon instantly appeared, reaching out towards the helicopter as if to hold Hayato and the other two back from leaving.

He wanted Hayato to give him, or rather Isis, an explanation, but before the Lava Demon's giant magma hand could reach the helicopter, it was cleaved in two by a sword strike from the Guardian - Ethos.

Sitting in the cabin, watching the agitated Malik on the rooftop, Hayato arrogantly said, "Remember this day, Malik, because on this day you almost captured the infamous Kobayashi Hayato. Now, I'm running away~"

Although Kaiba and the others still wanted to launch a pursuit, they were hesitant to act because they were worried that Guiping was still in the helicopter and that the helicopter had already begun to climb.

With a moment's respite, Hayato turned around and greeted Ameruda, who was sitting in the driver's seat, saying, "You're too slow, Ameruda. Do you really need that much time to deal with a kid like Naruto (Keipai: Who's that?!)?"

Hearing Hayato's complaints, Ameruda, in the pilot's seat, said helplessly, "I finally waited for a suitable opportunity to jump into the helicopter circling below, okay? This isn't an easy job. If you're so capable, you try it next time."

As he spoke, Ameruda pulled on the helicopter's control stick with one hand, causing the helicopter to rise to a certain height.

After rising slightly, Ameruda looked at Keiping beside her and said gently, "Although I do feel a little sorry for taking you hostage, Keiping, don't worry, I won't hurt you."

Although her words were gentle, Ameluda was actually planning to push Keihei off the co-pilot's seat of the helicopter and return him to Kaiba. The helicopter was only five or six meters above the rooftop. Although it sounded strange, Ameluda had a lot of confidence in Kaiba's protective heart towards Keihei and his strong physique.

However, considering that Ameruda is now the pilot of the helicopter, and that Keihei has been quite well-behaved and hasn't struggled much, just in case, Hayato, who was sitting in the back, took over the task of throwing Keihei off the helicopter.

Hayato carried him from the front row to the back. Looking at the man before him, Keihei sighed helplessly, "Hayato-nii, could it be that you really..."

“Even I would get impatient answering the same question so many times, Lambo.” Hayato pulled out a piece of chocolate from somewhere and stuffed it into Keihei’s mouth, making him close his mouth in time. Then he patted Keihei on the shoulder. “But no matter how many times, my answer is always the same.”

"That is, for a more powerful Towa."

As Hayato's magnetic voice rang in Keihei's ears, Keihei felt something being stuffed into his pocket. Then, his body was suddenly lifted up and carried out of the cabin by Hayato, who held him by the waist.

"Seth, catch!"

The feeling of falling came and went quickly. Keihei was caught by Kaiba, who had been waiting for a long time, without suffering any injury. After Kaiba caught Keihei, the helicopter carrying Rafael, Hayato, and Amelda quickly climbed to an unstoppable height. Everyone could only watch helplessly as the three of them sped away.

After Malik's [Lava Demon] was destroyed by Rafael's [Guardian - Ethos], he suffered some backlash. Although this damage was nothing to ordinary duelists, Malik's body was not in good condition to begin with, and he could barely stand with Rishid's support.

However, more than physical discomfort, Malik felt anger, dissatisfaction, and disappointment.

For Malik, he has never been someone who stands on the side of justice; he has always been an egoist. Although the birth of Dark Malik's personality was somewhat guided by the Millennium Scepter, it ultimately originated from Malik himself. Even without the existence of the Dark personality, Malik can be considered a veritable villain.

However, villains also have their own aesthetics. For Malik, who has almost died once, Rishid, who is like an older brother, Isis, who was forced to shoulder her own burdens, and Hayato, who saved her life, are the only important people in Malik's heart now.

He wasn't upset about Hayato joining Doma, but rather about how Hayato, despite not having disappeared during the "Pyramid of Light" incident, had kept the fact that he hadn't known until now, even though Hayato didn't seem to have just returned recently.

It's like you consider someone your best friend, but that person doesn't consider you their best friend; even when something good happens that's worth sharing, you're not the first person to share the good news.

Despite this emotional turmoil, Malik, who was always called "three-year-old" by Hayato, who was even less mature than his own dark personality "six-year-old," was no fool. After calming down a bit, he connected the news that "Hayato is still alive" with the events of the past few months and looked at Isis with a rather strange expression.

If we base our reasoning on the logic that "Hayato is dead, and Isis refuses to accept the fact and continues to use the Millennium Jewelry," then while Isis's behavior over the past period is somewhat reasonable, her occasional display of a relaxed mood seems rather off. It would only be somewhat plausible if we added the explanation that "Isis has gone mad" to the basic logic.

However, from another perspective, "Hayato may be missing, but he's actually alright." Given that Isis knew this information, her behavior suddenly became exceptionally reasonable.

“Sister, tell me honestly, did you already…” Malik frowned as he looked at Isis, and received a nod of affirmation from his sister, which made Malik feel a little embarrassed.

Although Malik felt cool when he questioned Hayato about "whether he knew how worried his sister was about him," he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed if Isis didn't actually care about Hayato's safety at all.

More importantly, he also noticed something.

Even knowing that Hayato had joined Doma, Isis didn't react excessively just now, which means that she had likely already seen some fragments of the future. Although Malik knew that the troublesome interference ability of the Millennium Wisdom Wheel meant that Isis wouldn't see too much or too clearly, she could at least touch upon a considerable portion of the truth.

Given Hayato's twisted sense of humor, could it be that this guy joining Doma...?

As Malik's wild guesses gradually led him closer to the truth, a smile crept onto his lips. He became somewhat more accepting and began to look forward to how the two members of the Doma organization who had just been with Hayato would react when they discovered Hayato's true identity.

"Hayato..." Watching the helicopter disappear into the distance, Jonouchi murmured Hayato's name, his clenched fists loosening in resignation.

Through repeated encounters, Jonouchi has come to realize one thing: Hayato is now truly on the opposite side, working for Doma. Bringing Hayato back through conversation is no longer an option.

However, this did not mean that Jonouchi had given up on Hayato; on the contrary, it strengthened his resolve.

Just like in Duel Monsters, even if you summon an invincible monster, it doesn't mean the duelist is invincible. If you can't bring Hayato back, just kill all the people in Doma first. Then the "brainwashing" on Hayato will surely be removed.

"I will stop you, Hayato, even if it costs me my life!"

Just then, Jonouchi heard Honda and Kyoko's voices behind him: "Yugi? Yugi's awake!"

With difficulty, he opened his eyes. As soon as he woke up, he saw a group of people surrounding him. Still a little dazed and confused, he sat up from the ground and said, "I... where am I...?"

"Thank goodness, you're alright, Yugi." Kyoko helped Yugi to her feet and said with concern, "We were so worried when we saw you lying on the ground. We thought you had lost your duel with those people from the Doma organization."

Seeing his friend safe and sound, Honda smiled easily: "How could that happen? The game is still here perfectly fine. That [Orichalcos Barrier] from the Doma organization seals the souls of the losers into cards, doesn't it?"

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Upon hearing Honda's words, Yugi's body trembled as he suddenly recalled everything that had happened after his defeat in the duel, and his drooping hands clenched tightly.

Jonouchi noticed this as well, "Are you alright, Game?"

Although not a very bright person, Jonouchi had a vague feeling that something was wrong with the game in front of him.

Then, he suddenly remembered that the feeling Yugi gave off at this moment was not the gentle and kind Yugi they were most familiar with in normal times, but rather the Dark Yugi who usually only appeared from the Millennium Puzzle during duels?

"I...I'm alright..." Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes. The usually strong-willed Yami Yugi stared at the ground, unable to accept the reality, and said, "Why...how could I be alright!"

"Wait a minute, Yugi—" Although Honda reacted a beat slower than Jonouchi, who was more intuitive, he realized that the Yugi in front of him was not the surface Yugi but the dark Yugi. Upon hearing Yugi's words, his pupils contracted. "That kind of thing, could it be!"

“Playing with you, playing with him…” Kyoko couldn’t help but raise her hand to cover her mouth.

"Aibo, he took my place, before the [Orichalcos Barrier] sealed my soul!" Yami Yugi, whose memory was frozen at the moment when Origami pushed him out of the [Orichalcos Barrier], could no longer maintain his composure. He looked up at the sky with a sorrowful expression: "Aibo! Aibo!!"

'What's wrong, my other self?'

Because of Yami Yugi's desperate and sorrowful cries, the atmosphere outside was somewhat somber. Yami Yugi, immersed in this atmosphere, was feeling down when he heard Hō Yugi's voice.

"Ai... Aibo?!" Yami Yugi's eyes widened, tears still streaming down his face, a look of disbelief on his face. "Your soul wasn't sealed? You... you weren't dead?"

'? '

The game character in Millennium Puzzle also didn't wake up for long. As soon as he regained consciousness, he heard another version of himself calling out from outside. He tried to ask what had happened, but then he heard the other version of himself say that he was already dead.

"Bullshit! Who said I'm dead?"

These were the words spoken by Jiang Wen. Of course, the actor playing the role of You Yi wouldn't say such a thing. He simply said with a hint of helplessness, "Well, although I did have the idea of ​​replacing you before, a lot happened after I pushed you out, and it's hard to explain in a short time."

Omote Gameplay was unsure how to explain to Yami Gameplay what had happened inside the "Orichalcos Barrier," but just knowing that Aibo was alive made Yami Gameplay incredibly excited.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Aibo. You can tell me what happened later, but let's switch back now."

However, to Yami Yugi's surprise, he failed when he tried to switch places with Omote Yugi.

"Sorry, my other self, I might not be able to come out right now." The other self in the Millennium Puzzle looked helpless. "Although I avoided having my soul sealed, he said that if I show myself, the Orichalcos Barrier will reopen, so I'll have to trouble you, my other self, to stay outside for a while longer."

Chapter 632

'he?'

Yami Yugi was puzzled, not only because Omoi Yugi, though not having his soul sealed, could not return to his body, but also because he keenly noticed that Omoi Yugi mentioned a so-called "him".

'I don't really understand the specifics, but basically, if I go back into my body now, the [Orichalcos Barrier] will reappear, so for now, I'll have to ask my other self to handle things outside.'

After a pause, the game recalled what had happened inside the [Orichalcos Barrier].

The "he" mentioned in the game naturally refers to Hayato. In fact, he was quite surprised to see Hayato in the [Orichalcos Barrier].

At that time, Yugi was already determined to die and was going to have his soul sealed in place of Yami Yugi. However, at the critical moment, he discovered that the shrinking speed of the [Orichalcos Barrier] had been suddenly reduced, and the card spirit [Gaia] appeared in the [Dark Knight Gaia] card that Hayato had left in Conflict Town, which he had picked up and put in his deck.

The game already knew that the card spirit [Dark Knight - Gaia] that Hayato possessed existed. It was because he was puzzled as to why Hayato would lose [Gaia], which had been with him for a long time, that he kept the card with him for safekeeping so that he could return it to Hayato in the future.

However, since picking up that card, this was the first time the game had seen the card spirit of [Dark Knight - Gaia] appear. Moreover, he didn't appear empty-handed; he was holding a pendant that looked extremely familiar—an item necessary for activating [Orichalcos Barrier], a "Shard of Orichalcos" that could be considered standard issue for members of the Doma Organization.

Although everyone in the Doma organization possesses an "Orichalcos Shard," they differ from one another. For instance, the "Orichalcos Shard" held by the Doma Three Musketeers can not only activate the "Orichalcos Barrier," but also forcibly dispel it to avoid negative effects.

However, that's only possible before the duel is decided. Once the duel is over, even Rafael, Baron, and their "Orichalcos fragments" are powerless against the "Orichalcos Barrier" that has begun to shrink and seal the soul.

After Hayato joined Doma at Dartz's invitation, in addition to obtaining the "Orichalcos Barrier," he also obtained "Orichalcos Fragments," which were of the same strength as those held by Rafael and the others, and also had the ability to break the "Orichalcos Barrier."

However, back in Conflict Town, Hayato secretly entrusted Yugi's soul along with the "Orichalcos Fragment" he possessed to Gaia, who stored it in the card "Dark Knight - Gaia." And when Yugi's soul was about to be sealed, Hayato decisively offered a helping hand.

By using the power of the "Orichalcos Shards" to interfere with the [Orichalcos Barrier], the mechanical [Orichalcos Barrier] malfunctioned in its perception of the souls within. The soul of the moth carried by [Gaia] was used as bait and swallowed by the [Orichalcos Barrier] to replace the game. Thus, a "switcheroo" was carried out by [Gaia] right before the game's eyes.

However, this was not without its price. Although Orichalcos was programmed like a machine, it was not stupid. While Yugi's soul was sealed in place of Yugi's soul, if Yugi's soul returned to its body, even the slow-witted Orichalcos would be able to sense the difference between the two souls.