Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"I'll take the first move. Draw a card!"

After Hayato suddenly announced a duel and the man in black accepted the challenge as a matter of course, before Hayato could even shout "Duel" to draw his hand, the man in black, without any sense of sportsmanship, drew six cards in one go, shamelessly stealing the first turn.

Ignoring Hayato's eye roll, the black-robed man held out six cards in his thin fingers, seemingly having drawn a good starting hand. His voice sounded somewhat cheerful: "My name is Diablo. Entering this island is the greatest fortune of your lives, because soon you will witness my masterpiece and even become part of it."

"My name is Diablo, remember this great name that is destined to be known throughout the world!"

Diablo: 4000LP, 6 cards in hand

The sudden turn of events, with Hayato and the guy calling himself Diavolo starting a duel, didn't surprise anyone. Why were they playing cards? After stepping back to give Hayato and Diavolo enough space to fight, Jonouchi heard Diavolo's words and curled his lip in disdain: "What's the point of remembering a name that sounds moldy?"

“Diavolo, that name means ‘devil’ in Italian, right? How could anyone name their child like that?” Although he had never been to school, Malik surprisingly knew more than Jonouchi. “That name, is it a pseudonym?”

While Jonouchi and the others were focused on whether Diablo's name was his real name, Yugi was concerned with something else, silently conversing with the Yugi within the Millennium Puzzle: 'Aibo, do you feel the same way I do?'

'You mean the aura of power emanating from Diavolo, my other self?' The Gameplay character in the Millennium Puzzle also possessed the ability to sense his surroundings. The moment he pulled out his Duel Disk, he realized that the aura emanating from Diavolo seemed to be the same as the power that had swept over them before. 'Yes, I also feel that he is the source of that power.'

'Perhaps even the materialization of the card sprites is related to him.'

"First, I'm going to activate this spell card in my hand, [Hand Elimination]." Diablo, unaware of and unconcerned about the conversation between Yugi and the others, inserted a card into the spell and trap zone of the Duel Disk. "Duelists with cards in their hand, discard all of your cards and then draw the same number of discarded cards from the top of your deck."

Diablo paused, then closed his five unfolded cards and said smugly, "Although I don't know the condition of your cards, you don't need to thank me for giving you a better hand."

Honda, who was watching the duel, found it a bit strange. Even as a novice to Duel Monsters, he could tell that Diablo seemed quite satisfied with his hand when he drew the cards. So why would he use a card like "Hand Elimination" which is used to replace unfavorable cards?

Malik noticed Honda's confusion and muttered to himself, "He was so confident in his hand just now, yet he used a card like [Hand Elimination]. If that confidence wasn't feigned, then the only possibility is that 'discarded cards still have effects in the graveyard'."

Diablo, who was sending the five cards he had gathered together into the graveyard, glanced at Malik upon hearing this: "Hmph, so what if he knows? This is my first move, do you think he can stop my cards?"

"Because of the effect of [Hand Elimination], I discard all five cards in my hand and then draw five cards from my deck."

Hayato seemed to have no way to stop Diablo, just as he had said, and sent his five cards to the graveyard: "I also have five cards in my hand, so I can draw five cards as well."

Both players sent their cards to the graveyard at the same time and drew five cards each. Hayato was fairly satisfied with the five cards he had drawn; his luck wasn't too bad. However, Diavolo stared at his five newly drawn cards for a while, as if surprised that the cards he had drawn were so bad.

However, it doesn't matter, since Diablo's goal from the beginning was not to draw better cards, but simply to "discard" his previous hand.

"At this very moment, I have card effects in my graveyard that can be activated!" Diablo swung his withered hand with great force, making one wonder if his arm, as thin as a dead branch, would break from the force, but his tone was quite excited. "When discarded from my hand, the effects of [Danger? Child of Earth?], [Danger! Mothman!], and [Danger? Antlered Rabbit?] that I sent to the graveyard can be activated!"

"First, the effect of [Danger? Antlered Rabbit?] allows me to Special Summon one [Danger] monster from my Deck in Defense Position, except for [Danger? Antlered Rabbit?]!"

"【Danger】?" Yugi was taken aback by Diavolo's words. Even though his family owned a card shop and he was extremely knowledgeable about Duel Monsters, he had never heard of a card called 【Danger】. Could it be a card bestowed upon Diavolo by some being from the Pokémon world?

However, since I've never heard of the [Danger] deck, why do the monster names seem somewhat familiar?

Along with Diablo's declaration, a rabbit with green fur appeared from his grave. If it were just that the fur was green, that would be one thing, but on the top of the rabbit's head, there were forked antlers like tree branches.

Although it looked cute, the next moment, the changes that occurred to [Danger? The Antlered Rabbit?] were nothing short of disgusting. Suddenly, the muscles on [The Antlered Rabbit?]'s body swelled violently, bursting through its green fur to reveal bright red flesh, twisting and deforming, as Diablo's voice rang out:

"The experimental model has been enlarged, its size and movement patterns have changed, and it has been imbued with legend. O black serpent, leap out of the lake!"

"[Danger! Augupuk!]!"

As Diablo finished speaking, the transformation of [Horned Rabbit?] was complete. What appeared before everyone was a huge, ugly serpent with a flat head covered in spikes. It was impossible to associate it with the cute [Horned Rabbit] from before.

【Danger! Augupuk!】【8☆/Dark】

[Sea Dragon Clan/Effect]

[1200/3000]

"Ugh! What kind of monster is that!?" Having been completely absorbed in watching Jonouchi transform from [Horned Rabbit?] into [Ougupu!], he was disgusted and took a half-step back, rubbing the goosebumps rising on his arms. "A disgusting monster I've never even heard of!"

As for Yugi, although he initially only focused on "[Danger]" and didn't notice the monster's name, after being reminded four times by "[Horned Rabbit?]", "[Mothman!]", "[Child of Earth?]", and now "[Ogupug!]", he realized where the subtle sense of familiarity he felt with the monsters when he heard their names came from, even though he had never heard of the [Danger] deck before.

“The ‘Garcuto’ and ‘Mothman’ of North America, the ‘Hammer Snake’ of Japan, and the Okanagan Lake Monster of Canada…” Yugi, switching back to his usual persona and displaying considerable knowledge of these strange and unusual creatures, stood behind Hayato and declared loudly, “These [Danger] monsters are unidentified life forms from all over the world!”

Upon hearing the game's words, Diablo merely snorted coldly: "Unidentified life forms? Hmph, is that how ignorant humans refer to my experimental subjects? Although they are just failed attempts to put theories into practice, they are not something you fools can treat so casually!"

"【Danger? Child of Earth?】's effect: If this card is discarded from your hand, this card can be Special Summoned." Diablo took a card from his Graveyard and placed it face down on the Duel Disk. He seemed a little annoyed by the word "unidentified life form," and continued, "Then there's 【Danger! Mothman!】, which can only be activated if this card is discarded from your hand."

"Both players draw one card from their decks, and then discard one card from their hand."

A slightly chubby, pinkish-purple snake appeared on Diablo's field. At the same time, Diablo and Hayato each drew a card and discarded a card from their hand to the graveyard.

【Danger? Child of Earth?】【3☆/Dark】

[Crawler Category/Effect]

[1300/0]

After discarding the card into the graveyard, Diablo waved his hand again and said, "Because the card discarded by the effect of [Danger! Mothman!] is [Danger! Chupacabra!], when this card is discarded from my hand, Special Summon 1 [Danger] monster from my graveyard other than itself!"

"Come out, [Danger! Mothman!]!"

【Danger! Mothman!】【4☆/Dark】

[Insect Clan/Effect]

[1800/400]

In a single turn, Diablo easily Special Summoned three monsters on his field, while simultaneously keeping his Normal Summon unused, and in the process, he only played one [Hand Elimination] card.

However, such a move was not enough for Hayato. From the very beginning of the duel, he had more or less guessed that his opponent was using the [Danger] deck, which, just as the game had guessed, was based on the "unidentified life form" that was widely rumored around the world.

The so-called "unidentified life forms" refer to creatures that have been described vividly by numerous eyewitnesses, but for which there is no concrete, crucial evidence to prove their existence, such as the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot.

Hayato just couldn't figure out how this "unidentified life form" was related to Diavolo, that mad scientist-like guy.

"Diavolo, right?" Hayato calmly looked at the two menacing monsters on the opponent's field and the cute [Child of Earth?], also known as the "Hammer Snake" in Japanese folklore, and asked Diavolo, "What exactly do you mean by keeping talking about 'experimental subjects'?"

Hearing that Hayato, after seeing his invincible lineup, didn't think about how to counter it but instead had the leisure to ask him questions, Diavolo was somewhat disdainful: "I was thinking that you, who dared to challenge me, might be some kind of powerful guy. Don't you understand how strong the monsters on my field are?"

"Although it's only a 4-star, the [Danger! Mothman!] has an attack power of 1800, the [Danger? Child of Earth?] is just there to fill in the numbers, and the [Danger! Augupu!] has a defense power of 3000, which is enough to make people despair. I'm practically invincible by summoning such a powerful lineup in just one turn!"

'No, he's not that great at all, is he?' The crowd looked at Diablo, who was getting excited on his own, speechless. They wondered to themselves if this guy had been out of touch with the world for decades.

If this were decades ago, during the era of Sugoroku Muto, such a lineup would indeed be considered terrifying. But now, any passing duelist could easily destroy this bunch of monsters with a single Lightning Bolt.

Diablo, oblivious to everyone's thoughts, felt a surge of confidence and ease, pointing a finger at the monsters on his field: "But can a fool like you imagine? These monsters were all created by me, bit by bit."

"Unlike those monsters that are born from card spirits, I transformed ordinary creatures into powerful cards, creating this [Danger] deck!"

"Impressive, right? Superb, right? Genius, right!"

Diavolo, beaming with pride, looked at the stunned crowd, his mood growing even more smug. Even Hayato was shocked by Diavolo's words.

"Transforming ordinary creatures into card sprites!?"

"Is that really possible?"

"It's already absurd enough that card spirits can be created later, let alone that they're even created through biological modification!"

Malik, Honda, and Jonouchi were discussing in the back, while Hayato was seriously observing the monsters before him. He knew that the creation of Card Spirits was indeed possible; for example, Jaden's [Yubel], which Kaiba had sent into the sky, was a Card Spirit created later, transformed from a human into a monster through dark power, and then into a Card Spirit.

But does this Diablo in front of us also possess the technology to create card sprites? He's even managed to transform ordinary animals into card sprites!

"Hmph, amazed by something like this? How short-sighted." Diablo said, raising his hand to lift his cloak. "How could you possibly imagine my grand ambitions, and the magnificence of alchemy!"

When Diablo lifted the cloak that concealed his body, his true appearance was revealed to everyone. He was a gaunt old man with pink hair that looked like it was moldy and covered in spots.

However, what is most eye-catching is the spherical stone embedded in his chest, which surprised Yugi, Jonouchi and the others.

"That's... Orichalcos?"

"No, it's not Orichalcos." Hayato, who knew more than the others, stared at the red spot in the center of the green gem and exclaimed in shock, "That's... the Philosopher's Stone in transformation!"

Chapter 689 Traitor Dragon Mini

"Hmph, surprisingly discerning, not only recognizing the raw material Orichalcos, but also knowing about the Philosopher's Stone?" Diablo said, stroking the unfinished Philosopher's Stone embedded in his chest, as if showing off. "Let me introduce myself again."

“My name is Diablo, and I am an alchemist whose research topics are the Philosopher’s Stone and human transmutation.”

Pointing to the three monsters on his field, Diablo's tone was full of pride: "These monsters you see are byproducts of my 'human transmutation' project, which in turn advanced my 'philosopher's stone' project at the time of their creation."

"Even though they're just failed attempts, they're still enough to be a nightmare that will defeat you!"

"Summon a monster in defense position, then set four cards face down. End my turn."

Diablo: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand

【Danger? Son of Earth?】【ATK1300】

【Danger! Mothman!】【ATK1800】

【Danger! Ogupug!】【DEF3000】

[Inside-side defense position monster]

[GaiK] X4

"No, compared to those rotten potatoes and stinky eggs in your front row, your four face-down cards in the back row are obviously more frightening, right?" Hayato retorted, looking at Diavolo's smug face. At the same time, Diavolo's performance confirmed that this guy had indeed been isolated from the world for quite some time.

Not recognizing Jonouchi, Yugi, or himself, who were once featured on a global live broadcast of Duel City, could be understood as him having little interest in television programs and not having watched the broadcast. However, due to the recent Dartz incident, many people who had been attacked by Doma spread the word about the existence of the "Orichalcos Barrier." Even those in remote mountain villages with no internet access had heard of the term "Orichalcos."

Diablo was surprised to learn that they knew about "Orichalcos," and judging from his behavior, he probably hadn't been in contact with human civilization for decades.

As for the Duel Disk that manipulates the mist, Hayato could tell from the subtle modifications that it was most likely a copy made by Diavolo based on the specially modified version of the Duel Disk that he had.

However, even Hayato couldn't quite grasp what Diavolo was talking about—alchemy, human transmutation, and so on. But that didn't matter; for Hayato, there was only one thing to do next—

"Okay, this time we're playing a pure Gaia deck. Gaia is an old friend of mine, and I must summon Gaia immediately."

"My turn, draw!" Hayato smiled slightly as he drew the top card from his deck and raised his Duel Disk. "That [Hand Elimination] card did help you summon a lot of monsters, but you're not the only one who knows how to use that effect."

"Activate the effect of [Yomi Frog] in my Graveyard. If I have no Spell/Trap Cards on my field, I can Special Summon this card from my Graveyard during my Standby Phase."

As they spoke, a halo slowly rose from the ground not far in front of Hayato, and a frog with pure white wings on its back, looking as if it had ascended to heaven, appeared on Hayato's field with the halo.

【Yellow Spring Frog】【1☆/Water】

[Aquarium/Effect]

[100/100]

"A monster with only 100 ATK and DEF? Hmph, just a weakling." Diablo said disdainfully, looking at the newly appeared [Yomi Frog]. "It's completely unnecessary for a monster like that to be on the field."

"Is that so? Then you'd better watch closely to see what kind of power this weak monster will unleash in my hands." Hayato glanced at the six cards in his hand, drew one, and said, "Send one monster of 5 stars or higher from my hand to the Graveyard, and then Special Summon that monster from my hand!"

"Bathing in the crimson spiral spear, riding the swift winds to the unknown world, come before me! [Dark Knight - Gaia's Origin!]"

After a pause, Hayato added before slapping the card down, "As everyone knows, if you don't shout out the card's name with enough force, the card won't respond. Shout his name out loud!"

"Gaia!!!"

With Hayato's loud shout, Gaia, now clad in cool armor and riding a new mount, made her entrance. Honda and Jonouchi, watching from the sidelines, exclaimed that Hayato's classic shout had just the right feel to it.