Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

While losing his family would certainly cause Rafiru immense grief, his current determination to realize the new world Dartz spoke of stems from everything he witnessed upon returning from the shipwreck.

There is an ineradicable darkness within the human heart. Without removing this darkness and without the resolve to sacrifice everything for it, humanity cannot embrace happiness. Rafael had never seen anyone who could overcome the darkness within their heart. Even if such a humanity were to move towards the future, it would only fall into the darkness and destruction.

Although he didn't agree with Ameruda's statement, Rafiru didn't refute him. Instead, he walked ahead and said, "Indeed, you've changed a lot, Ameruda. Is it because you escaped death once?"

Upon hearing Rafael's words, Amelda couldn't help but think of the few cards in her deck that had become blank, and smiled, saying, "That's probably it."

“However, although Darz said you would be the first line of defense, Rafiru, could I make the first move while you watch from the sidelines?” Ameruda said, catching up with Rafiru and walking alongside him. “It’s something I also have to do.”

Turning his head, Rafiru met Ameruda's gaze and noticed that Ameruda's eyes, which were usually shrouded in the shadow of hatred, were now clear and bright.

After a moment's thought, Rafael nodded, and Ameluda smiled when she saw that Rafael had agreed.

Although the temple was quite large, it eventually came to an end. Raferu and Amelda walked out of the long corridor leading to the altar and arrived at the temple entrance, which was perched high on the mountaintop.

Judging by the time, the sky outside the temple should have been brightly lit by the rising sun, but the thick black clouds blocked most of the sunlight, making the sky gloomy and somewhat dim. From a distance, Rafiru and Ameluda saw a helicopter flying towards them.

The plane had a large "KC" logo on it, as if it wanted everyone to know that it was a plane from the Haima Group.

Without making any move, Rafiru and Ameluda watched as the helicopter approached their temple and landed on an open area not far in front of them.

Upon opening the cabin door, Yugi and Kaiba were the first to step out. They weren't surprised to see Amelda and Rafael appear before the temple entrance. Having already come to their lair, it would be strange if Rafael and Amelda didn't come to meet them.

"You just got lucky and didn't know how to cherish your life, so you're just coming back to die, Nameless Pharaoh?" Rafiru's gaze swept over Yugi and Jonouchi, who was following him off the helicopter. "For Lord Dartz, the priority is to deal with Jonouchi Katsuya, who possesses the 'Legendary Dragon,' but dealing with you, Nameless Pharaoh, who no longer has the 'Legendary Dragon,' won't take me too much time."

“Rafael…” Looking at Rafael, who had previously inflicted a crushing defeat on him, Yugi clenched his fist.

Although Omoikamus didn't tell him who helped him in the "Orichalcos Barrier" for some reason, Yami Yugi was incredibly grateful for that person's help, because he couldn't imagine what a nightmare it would be like to lose Omoikamus.

Rafael said that he and the game are very similar. Although the game wants to deny it, it has to admit that if it loses Aibo, it is very likely that it will follow the same path that Rafael took after losing his loved ones and fall into darkness.

I'm so glad Aibo is still with me.

With that thought, Yugi's gaze met Rafael's with unwavering determination: "This time, I won't lose. I will definitely defeat you!"

Rafiru was about to step forward when he heard this, but then he saw Ameruda, who was standing next to him, take a few steps forward. He remembered what Ameruda had said to him on the way here, so he lowered his hand.

“I will defeat you again and seal your soul, nameless pharaoh, but not now.” Rafael said, looking at Ameruda walking forward. “Before our duel begins, it is Ameruda’s battle.”

Although Amelda didn't explicitly say what he was going to do, Rafael subconsciously felt that he should still challenge Kaiba to a duel.

And it wasn't just Rafael who thought this way; Kaiba thought the same.

The helicopter landed about twenty meters away from where Rafiru was. Ameluda had already covered about half the distance while Rafiru was speaking, and was still walking forward.

"Hmph, still stubbornly acting for Doma, you fool?" Although somewhat puzzled that Ameruda had moved a little too close, Kaiba first expressed his usual contempt. However, after looking at Ameruda a few more times, he frowned. "You seem a little different from before?"

"Hmph, but it doesn't matter. If you've been defeated by me once, you can no longer pose a threat to me. Get out of my way, Ameruda, don't block my path!"

Hearing Kaiba's words, Ameluda shook his head and said, "That won't do, Seto Kaiba. I have a duel that I absolutely must have."

Kaiba was already ready to raise his Duel Disk when he heard Amelda say that, but to his surprise, Amelda stopped when they were only about five meters apart, then turned around and raised the Duel Disk in Rafael's direction!

"Duel!"

[Ameruda: 4000 LP]

The sudden change left not only Yugi and Kaiba bewildered, but even Rafael was taken aback by Amelda's sudden challenge to a duel.

"What are you doing, Ameruda?! Seto Kaiba is standing behind you, you've got the wrong direction!" He frowned at the calm-faced Ameruda.

Ameralda held up the Duel Disk, her expression unchanged: "Of course I know Seto Kaiba is standing behind me, but Rafael, I don't recall ever saying that I was dueling with him, do I?"

"You bastard!" Rafael's expression was grim. "Have you betrayed Dorma?!"

"And didn't you say that your younger brother Miru was killed by the Kaiba Group? How can you stand on the side of your enemy!"

Upon hearing Rafael mention the word "enemy," Ameruda finally smiled, though it was a smile that was hard to describe: "Enemy, indeed, I've been on my enemy's side for far too long."

Ameruda's sudden falling out with Rafael left Yugi and the others standing behind him completely bewildered. Jonouchi looked at Honda beside him in confusion and said, "Ameruda should also be from Doma, right? Why did he suddenly duel with Rafael?"

"I don't even know where the end of the universe is, how could I possibly know the answer to this question?" Honda retorted sarcastically. "In the end, the very thing about dueling at the drop of a hat is strange enough."

“There’s no need to get so clear about the duelists,” Keihei interjected, looking at Ameruda’s retreating figure with a puzzled expression, and muttered to himself, “Just as I thought, Ameruda knew about that matter, didn’t he?”

"That matter?" Others couldn't hear Keihei's mutterings, but Ryuzaki, who was standing next to him and not much shorter, heard them clearly. Kaiba also noticed Keihei's expression, which seemed to suggest he was hiding something. "Is there something you're hiding from us, Keihei?"

Guiping hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Last night, I was kidnapped by Ameruda on the helicopter. Actually, before Hayato threw me off the plane, he put something in my clothes. At first, I thought it was my imagination, but after escaping the Paradis Group by plane, I found a note."

"The note contained a message left by Hayato, asking me to gather information about his secret plans to instigate battles between rebels and government forces in remote areas of Italy when the Kaiba Group was still controlled by Gosaburo as an arms dealer.

Upon hearing Guiping's words, Malik asked curiously, "How did you know it was a message left by my brother-in-law? Did you read the handwriting?"

“No, the writing on the note was printed out and the handwriting is illegible,” Guiping said with a hint of helplessness. “But my name is so easy to remember. Only Hayato would call me Kanbara Takuya. That name always gives me the illusion that I’m good at using fire-attribute dragon monsters.”

"In short, although it happened a long time ago and was a confidential plan within the Kaiba Group, because Nisama had previously assigned me to rebuild the network to prevent it from being breached again, I wrote a program to filter information and easily found the information about that incident, and sent it to the email address left by Hayato."

Speaking of that time, Keihei couldn't help but look at Ameruda in front of him: "The fact that he started a war to test weapons is undoubtedly one of the many evil deeds committed by Kaiba Gosaburo. But more importantly, there was an oversight in that war: the area chosen to test weapons of mass destruction was thought to be a no-man's land, but it was actually a village."

Ameruda took a deep breath and continued Keihei's words: "That village is the village I live in. On the day death came, I lost my family and, under Dartz's guidance, I came to hate Kaiba Gosaburo for committing such an unforgivable crime."

Hearing Ameruda say this, Rafiru was even more confused: "In that case, shouldn't you—"

“Rafael, I know what you’re trying to say, but didn’t you hear me?” Amelda’s lips curled into a smirk. “I was ‘guided by Dartz.’ While the tragedy was partly caused by Gosaburo Kaiba, the burning hatred made me dizzy. I simply hated Gosaburo Kaiba and carried that hatred onto Seto Kaiba.”

"But they completely overlooked the real culprit behind the scenes who used Kaiba Gosaburo and the Kaiba Group as weapons."

As he spoke, Amelda took a card from his pocket and showed it to Rafael. Rafael followed Amelda's gesture and saw that what he was holding was a [Barrier of Orichalcos] that sealed the soul of a complete stranger. The only thing that confirmed the person's identity was the Doma-style Duel Disk that was visible on the arm that the person had raised as he struggled in despair.

"What is that?"

"The outside reports are ultimately not as detailed as the information stored inside the Kaiba Group. From the intelligence that Hayato helped me obtain, I learned that the person in charge of selecting the test weapon area back then—the so-called 'temporary worker' that Kaiba Gosaburo later shifted the blame to—was this guy. At least before I knew his true identity, I really thought he was a 'temporary worker' and thought that Kaiba Gosaburo was shifting the blame."

Ameluda glanced at the card in her hand, her smile masking a gritted-teeth expression. "But I never expected that the notorious Kaiba Gosaburo would actually take the blame this time. Do you know who this guy is? From the very beginning, he was a spy planted in Kaiba Corporation by Dartz. The 'accident' in that war was never a mistake, but rather Dartz's 'arrangement'!"

“Even to keep the secret, Darzalcos made use of this spy by handing his soul over to ‘Orichalcos’ after he completed his mission to destroy my homeland!” Ameruda said with a sneer. “Isn’t it ridiculous that I have walked past the murals sealed with the soul of the one who actually destroyed my homeland countless times, pledging allegiance to the real culprit?”

"If it weren't for Hayato Kobayashi, I might still be kept in the dark by Dartz and serving him!"

Seeing the agitated Ameruda, Rafael finally realized that his former comrade was now truly on the opposite side. While he could certainly offer everything for Dartz's plan, looking at Ameruda now, it would be a lie to say that Rafael's resolve wasn't wavering.

Taking a deep breath, Rafael tried to suppress his other emotions and maintain a cold expression: "So, are you going to rebel against Lord Dartz, stop the arrival of the new world, and stand against me to kill me, Ameruda?"

"To this day, I have killed countless people who have stood in the way of Dartz's plans. Humanity will eventually usher in a new world. I will clear away all obstacles for Dartz, even you, Ameruda." With that, Rafael raised the Duel Disk. "Return your soul to Dartz."

"Duel!"

Rafiru: 4000 LP

As Ameluda watched Rafiru face off, she sighed silently in her heart.

'Kill you, Rafael? No, that's not why I'm here to duel you.'

"Having stood shoulder to shoulder with you for so many years, I know better than anyone that you are the most stubborn of the three of us. Words cannot persuade you; only a duel will do."

'Hurry up and realize it, Rafael, realize Dartz's true colors!'

Chapter 636 Strong and Powerful Teeth!

“I’ll take the first turn.” Rafael said, drawing a card and activating it immediately. “Continuous Spell Card [Guardian Angel's Treasure Card], I can only activate this card by discarding five cards from my hand. I draw two cards from my deck.”

Raphael closed his hand and sent all his cards to the graveyard, then drew two cards from his deck.

"It took six cards to exchange for two cards, and the effect of that card was so meaningless!" Jonouchi, who was watching Rafael and Ameruda's duel, couldn't help but complain.

Rafael glanced at Jonouchi and explained, "Are you wondering why we don't use the useful 'Pot of Greed,' Jonouchi Katsuya? The answer is, 'Guardian's Treasure Card' is a continuous spell card. As long as it's on my field, I can draw two cards during my draw phase each turn."

"While it's a very unprofitable card in the short term, in the long run it's equivalent to activating a [Pot of Greed] every turn. It seems Rafael, you're planning to stall for time as much as possible." Amelda knew the effect of [Guardian Angel's Treasure Card] and said calmly, "But I won't let you have your way."

"Is that so? But as long as I'm still standing here, I won't let you in and interfere with Lord Dartz's plans. If you want to move forward, try to defeat me, Ameruda." Rafael placed both cards face down on the back row and said, "Then I'll set two cards in my hand and end my turn here."

[Rafiru: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand]

[Guardian Deity's Amulet] [Face Card] x2

"You ended your turn without summoning a monster?" Kaiba looked at Rafael's field and sneered. "Amelda, others may not know, but I know your strength very well. Don't tell me you can't handle a situation like this."

There is no doubt that Rafael's two back row face-down cards must contain cards with summoning slots such as [Trap Hole] and attack slots such as [Explosive Armor], which serve as substitutes for monsters and act as defensive measures.

That kind of setup might be troublesome for most duelists, after all, they've spent a lot of resources to summon a powerful terminal minion, only to be instantly killed by a trap card, which would be a huge loss. However, Ameluda's [Mech] deck is even more troublesome.

Not only do [Mech] monsters continuously summon more [Mechs] after being destroyed, but cards like [Mech Fortress] can also take away the opponent's cards when destroyed.

Most importantly, the ace monster in Amelda's deck, "Machine Force: Destruction Force," has an extremely troublesome effect. During the Battle Phase, it can pay half of its Life Points to negate any effect activated by the opponent, and then further reduce the opponent's Life Points by half.

Most importantly, in addition to this effect, it also has the effect of being destroyed, which is common to most [Mech] monsters. [Mech Force - Destruction Armed Force], and its own attack power is exactly 100 points higher than [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], almost as if it were specifically designed to counter it.

That's absolutely disgusting.

Having fought Ameruda several times, Kaiba knew how difficult Ameruda was to deal with. However, to his surprise, after hearing what he said, Ameruda did not turn around. Instead, he said in a regretful tone, "What a pity, Seto Kaiba. To be honest, I really don't have a good way to deal with Rafael."

As Kaiba watched Ameruda place her fingers on the deck, preparing to draw a card, he frowned. Suddenly, something occurred to him: "You, I remember you said that '[Machine Force: Destruction Force] is a card born from the darkness within your heart by [Orichalcos Barrier],' right?"

"Could it be that you..."

The seahorse didn't continue speaking, but remained silent, while Ameruda drew out a card.

"My turn, draw a card." After confirming the drawn card, Amelda added it to her hand. She glanced at the two mysterious face-down cards in Rafael's back row. "Because of that [Guardian Deity's Treasure Card], dragging out the battle will definitely be disadvantageous for me. I can't afford not to take advantage of Rafael's weakest point on the field now."

"I activate the Continuous Spell Card [Mech Forces' Defense], and as long as I have a Level 7 or higher Machine-Type monster on my field, my opponent cannot target any Level 6 or lower Machine-Type monster on my field for attacks or effects."

"Next, I Normal Summon [Mech Soldier], and since I have no other monsters on my field besides [Mech Soldier], I Special Summon [Mech Sniper] from my hand in Attack Position!"

Ameruda played three cards in succession, instantly creating two lower-level monsters from his [Mech] deck on his field, and a defensive barrier rose up beneath his feet.

[Mech Soldier] [ATK1600]

[Mech Sniper] [ATK1800]

But it wasn't over yet. Any duelist with a bit of fame could do that kind of board presence. Ameruda's play wasn't finished. He revealed a card from his hand.

"Activate the effect of [Mech Fortress] in my hand, discard the Level 8 [Mech Force: Mega Transformation] from my hand and send it to the Graveyard, then Special Summon it from my hand in Attack Position!"

By discarding a card into the graveyard, Ameruda now has another giant mechanical monster on its field.

[Mech Fortress] [ATK2500]

In one round of maneuvering, Amelda summoned a total of three monsters on the field in just one turn. Although her hand was reduced to only one card, she gained an offensive with a total attack power of 5900 points!

If Rafael didn't have any defensive cards prepared in his back row, he would be instantly killed after taking the next direct hit. However, judging from Rafael's calm expression, he was quite confident in withstanding Amelda's attack.

"This guy's pretty impressive!" Ryuzaki exclaimed in surprise at Ameruda's opening move. As a professional duelist, he had noticed something beyond the appearance of the three monsters on Ameruda's field. "Although on the surface it just looks like a chain summon of three monsters,"

"Because of the appearance of the level 7☆ [Mech Fortress], the [Mech Forces' Defensive Circle] grants [Mech Soldiers] and [Mech Snipers] the ability to not be targeted by attacks or effects. This means that useful cards like [Magic Cylinder] and [Exploding Armor] are ineffective against them. Furthermore, the [Mech Sniper's] ability to attract attacks also forms a combo that hinders the opponent's attacks!"

"Strong and powerful, strong and powerful teeth!"