Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"I, Diablo, am the victor, and that has never changed!"

Diablo drew two cards and showed Hayato the cards he was going to discard to the graveyard. "The cards I'm discarding from my hand are these two monsters, [Danger! Nishi!] and [Danger! Bigfoot!]!"

"【Danger! Nishi!】Activates its effect when discarded from hand: I add one 【Danger】 to my hand, other than 【Danger! Nishi!】," Diablo said smugly after quickly completing the search, not particularly concerned about the card he found. "The key is the effect of 【Danger! Bigfoot!】: When discarded from hand, it targets one face-up card on your opponent's field and destroys it!"

"What kind of rubbish [summoned beasts] are you? Crush them into mincemeat!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

With an arrogant expression, Diablo pointed at Hayato's [Summoned Beast - Kokutos] on the field, and the phantom figure of [Danger! Bigfoot!] appeared beside him.

However, after Diablo had been laughing for a while, he found that the effect of his declaration, "Danger! Bigfoot!", had not activated. The huge blue-skinned savage stood motionless beside him like a robot that had lost power.

Seeing that [Danger! Bigfoot!] hadn't moved as he'd hoped, Diablo showed no mercy to his card, immediately kicking the silent, numb savage: "You fat pig, are you defying me? Defying your creator, me! Move! Why aren't you moving!"

Yugi frowned as he watched Diablo's actions: "What is that guy doing with his cards!?"

“Diavolo said that his card spirits were all modified from ordinary creatures little by little, which means that guy never cared about his cards at all. He just used the cards as experimental subjects and didn’t care about the feelings of other life forms.” Kyoko looked disgusted. “What an utterly despicable guy.”

Jonouchi was also a little angry: "Even Frankenstein, the monster, has love in his heart, but this guy is just a perverted madman."

"Even villains have their own aesthetics, but this guy... heh. He's not even qualified to be a sacrifice for [Ra] in Gurus," Malik commented with a contemptuous expression.

"The most crucial thing is, this guy is absolutely stupid. He keeps spouting 'alchemy' and stuff like that; he must have lost his mind. I feel like I'm better than him at Duel Monsters." Honda crossed his arms over his chest. "Since the monster's effect isn't activating, shouldn't you consider whether it's Hayato's monster that's causing the problem?"

Seeing Diablo swinging his skinny limbs at [Danger! Big Foot!], Hayato shook his head helplessly and said, "Idiot, do you think everyone thinks that a monster with high stats but no resistance is strong? My [Summon - Kokutos] has resistance to becoming the target of the opponent's effects."

"Thinking you can just destroy my monster with the effect of [Danger! Big Foot!]? That's wishful thinking and incredibly stupid."

"Won't be the target of the effect? ​​Damn, what a disgusting effect." Diablo's expression darkened upon hearing Hayato's words. "But your other [Light and Darkness Dragon] doesn't have that resistance, right? In that case, I'll just destroy it!"

This time, having found the right target, [Danger! Bigfoot!] acted normally, just as it had done before when it was instructed by Diablo to capture Hayato and the others, reaching out with its massive, wall-like hand to grab [Dragon of Light and Darkness] on Hayato's field.

However, at the very moment that Danger! Bigfoot!'s hands came together, suddenly, the figure of the Dragon of Light and Darkness burst and disappeared like a bubble, as if he actually existed in another dimension and what we had just seen was just an illusory projection.

Diablo's eyes widened as he demanded of Hayato, "Where's that monster?! Where did that monster that looked like a charred, undercooked pancake go?!"

"Well, that's a pretty apt description. The 'Dragon of Light and Darkness' was a gift from a child who admires me. It's proof of the bond between us, and I wouldn't let someone like you destroy it."

As Hayato spoke, he gestured to the side, and Diavolo then noticed that a face-down card on Hayato's backcourt had been turned up at some point.

"Just now, I activated the Trap Card [Danger! Big Foot!] by chaining the effect of [Danger! Big Foot!]. This card's effect can target one face-up monster I control, and banish that face-up monster until the End Phase."

"That renders [Danger! Big Foot!] ineffective, as [Dragon of Light and Darkness] hides in the toilet to avoid the effect." Hayato shrugged. "In other words, you're just... well, you know."

Diavolo looked at Hayato, who seemed completely relaxed and didn't take him seriously at all, and felt incredibly angry, feeling looked down upon. He didn't even consider that someone of his skill level had no right to be respected.

After glancing at the two cards in his hand, Diablo hesitated for a moment before reaching for one of the cards on his field—the monster he had placed face down in defense position last turn.

"I will Flip Summon this monster and activate its effect!"

A jar with a sinister smile appeared before Hayato's eyes.

"The ability of 【Transformation Jar】 is that when this card is flipped face-up, both players discard all cards in their hands, and then both players draw five cards from their decks." Diablo said, discarding two cards from his hand, while Hayato also discarded his only card, 【Summoner - Aleister】, into the graveyard, and then both players drew five cards each.

Diablo hesitated just now because of this card-drawing effect, which is similar to a "treasure from the sky". Although he is terrible at playing cards, he can at least see that Hayato will be in trouble if he has too many cards in his hand. However, at least he used the effect of "Transformation Jar" to make Hayato discard "Summoner - Aleister" and avoid "Normal Summon Aleister ~ Effect Search Summon Magic ~" in the next turn, as Hayato said.

At the same time, he once again threw the two cards in his hand into the graveyard.

"Activate the effect of [Danger! Dogman!] which was discarded to the Graveyard. All monsters your opponent controls lose 1000 stats until the end of this turn. Then, I activate the effect of my second [Danger! Chupacabra!] to Special Summon one [Danger] monster from the Graveyard."

Diablo retrieved a card from the graveyard, held it in his hand, took a deep breath, and said through gritted teeth, "To be forced to use this card, what a disgrace!"

"What I want to Special Summon is [Danger! Dogman!], which was just thrown into the graveyard—that is, myself!"

As he spoke, Diablo's entire body rapidly grew a large amount of thick hair, and his bones twisted and deformed with creaking sounds. In just a few breaths, a skinny old man transformed into a muscular, hairy monster with a dog's head and a human body!

【Danger! Dogman!】【7☆/Dark】

[Beast Warrior Race/Effect]

[2400/1000]

Chapter 691: It's my fault for only reporting half the effect, but I won't apologize.

【Danger! Dog Man!】【ATK2400】

Even Hayato couldn't help but show a shocked expression when he saw Diavolo, or rather, "Dogman!", walking towards the front.

"It actually turned into a card monster?"

"The so-called 'human transmutation' is the ultimate subject of the alchemy I have learned. It is not simply about transforming flesh into living beings. Its essence is to create real beings with their own will from nothing."

"Before giving life to inanimate matter, the prerequisite technology is to change the form of existing life, which is the [Danger] series that I created by biologically modifying ordinary animals."

"But just as I was feeling proud of my achievement, that guy told me that he had already completed the 'human transmutation' project, and only the 'Philosopher's Stone' was left to complete the alchemy!" Looking at his hand, which had twisted into a grotesque shape, Diablo, the "dog-man," showed a clear expression of regret. "In order to catch up with that guy, I forcibly used my own body as material, trying to achieve 'human transmutation' with the incomplete technology, but I failed and turned into this monster."

"I was forced to leave the laboratory where I was before and came to this island, but I unexpectedly obtained the most suitable material for completing the 'Philosopher's Stone', Orichalcum, which allowed me to restore my body to its normal state."

Diablo grinned at Hayato, "But because of you, I'm forced to turn back into this form!"

"It's decided. I'm going to subject you to the most horrific torture when I catch you on the lab table later!"

While Diablo was fuming to himself, Hayato, sitting opposite him, impatiently picked at his ear: "Hmm? Are you finally done? Uh, actually I stopped listening after you said about twenty words."

"Instead of rambling on with incomprehensible threats, you should just get on with your round. With your pathetic skills, you're still 20,000 years away from defeating me." Hayato continued to provoke Diavolo with words, his face full of contempt. "If there wasn't a rule about burning ropes, you'd be dead already."

"Hmph! I'll prove it, prove my excellence, with this one card." Diablo, standing in the front row, said, his sharp fingernails pinching a card and placing it into the Duel Disk. "Activate Equip Spell Card, [Danger Capture Operation], equip myself!"

As the equipment magic card was activated, lassos suddenly appeared from all directions and wrapped around Diavolo's body. One end of the lasso was connected to a weight, which seemed to be used to restrict the movement of the captured monster.

However, after being entangled by the lasso, Diablo's eyes turned bloodshot, and as if enraged, he exhaled white breath from his nostrils. With a tug, he pulled up the weight connected to the lasso and used it as a flail.

【Danger! Dogman!】【2400/1000→3200/1800】

"Because of the effect of [Danger Capture Operation], my ATK and DEF have increased by 800 points, and I can attack monsters up to twice in the same Battle Phase!" Diablo grinned as he looked at Hayato and his only summon, [Summon - Kokutos]. "Now, your monster can no longer protect you!"

"But that's not all! There's still this card, [Earth Shatter]! This card can destroy the monster with the lowest ATK on your opponent's field! This effect doesn't target; it only affects the monster you control!" Diablo laughed triumphantly, raising his fist and slamming it down. "Crush me before my talent!"

As Diablo slammed his fist into the ground, a widening fissure suddenly split open, hurtling towards Hayato's summoned beast, Kokutos, and reaching his feet in an instant. Anyone who fell into it would plunge into an abyss.

Despite Diablo's confident gaze, [Summoned Beast - Kokutos] looked at him as if he were an idiot, then lightly flapped its wings—which weren't just for show—and took flight.

It took flight!?

"Oh dear, besides not becoming the target of the opponent's effects, [Summoned Beast - Kokutos] also has resistance to being destroyed by effects, but I forgot to tell you that just now, um, I forgot."

Under Diablo's angry gaze, Hayato said cheekily, "Well, it's my fault for not telling you all the effects at once, but I won't apologize."

"Damn it! You shameless bastard!" Diavolo was so angry he almost ground his teeth to powder, glaring furiously at Hayato.

He had already planned it all out: after destroying the opponent's Summoned Beast - Kokutos with [Earth Slash], he could then deliver a massive 3200-point slap to the opponent, and then simply use [Mothman] and [Polymorph Jar] to attack once and wipe out the opponent's dwindling Life Points.

I was so close to that glorious victory, but that dragon monster actually had resistance to effect destruction, and I was even looked down upon! Who would have thought those wings weren't just for show, they could actually fly!

Moreover, not only will it not be destroyed by the effect, but it will also not become the target of the effect. What's with that disgusting effect? ​​Can't I just have a proper duel?

In his annoyance, Diablo glanced at the monsters on his field and placed another card: "I haven't performed a Normal Summon this turn. I'll Tribute to this monster by sacrificing 'Transformer Jar' and 'Danger! Ogupco' on the field."

"[Danger! Thunderbird!]!"

Without uttering any impressive summoning words, Diablo summoned his monster cards onto the field rather unimpressively. Another [Danger] monster appeared at the cost of the disappearance of the now useless [Transforming Jar] and the [Danger! Ogupug!], which had the lowest attack power.

With a blinding flash and a deafening roar, lightning struck Diablo, transforming into a giant bird with vibrant, multicolored feathers.

【Danger! Thunderbird!】【8☆/Dark】

[Bird/Beast Race/Effect]

[2800/2400]

"So what if your monster has resistance to effect destruction? It can't possibly have resistance to battle destruction, can it? I'll tear that monster apart and then wipe out all your Life Points with this All-Out Attack!" Diablo glanced at his three monsters on the field, including himself, and said confidently, "Enter Battle Phase!"

【Danger! Mothman!】【ATK1800】

【Danger! Dogman!】(Danger Capture Operation)【ATK3200】

【Danger! Thunderbird!】【ATK2800】

"First of all, I'm going to use myself to attack that [Summoned Beast - Kokutos] on your field. You dared to look at me with such contempt just now, watch me tear you to shreds!" Baring his teeth, Diablo lunged at the [Summoned Beast - Kokutos] flying through the air.

Despite the excellent resistances of [Summoned Beast - Kokutos], there is a saying that "the most useless resistance is combat break resistance, and the most effective way to deal with monsters is combat break."

Even with a powerful defense of 2900 points, Diablo's attack power was boosted by [Danger Capture Operation]. The blue dragon flying in the air was captured by the lasso, pulled in front of Diablo, and pierced through the heart with a claw, along with the staff left behind by [Summoner Aleister], and was shattered.

However, because it was a defensive gesture, Hayato was not injured in the battle and calmly watched Diavolo land.

"Hahaha, that's the feeling! The thrill of cutting through flesh is still as captivating as ever, no matter how much time has passed!" Diablo, clutching the blue heart he had taken from [Summoned Beast - Kokutos], clenched it tightly and crushed it, laughing maniacally like a pervert.

On his chest, the red color within the blood-stained Orichalcum increased slightly, further transforming towards the Philosopher's Stone.

Hayato glanced at Diablo with disgust. As someone who knew the truth about the Philosopher's Stone, he was well aware that besides technology and materials, what was most important for completing it was life and soul. Diablo had filled the Philosopher's Stone with countless dead people in his efforts to complete it.

Perhaps some of them were filled with experimental animals that died in the experiments, which he used to make use of waste. But Hayato hadn't forgotten that when Diavolo discovered them, he also regarded them as experimental subjects!

“Now, you have no monsters left to protect you, it’s time to show the fear of death.” Diablo looked at Hayato and gave the order without hesitation, commanding his monster to attack. “Then, take this blow, [Danger! Mothman!] direct attack!”

[Hayato: 4000→2200LP]

The headless, winged humanoid monster lunged at Hayato, taking all 1800 points of combat damage. However, Hayato did not feel disgust when he looked at the ugly monster.

Through that direct attack, Hayato sensed the roars and wails remaining within the card. These were the resentments of the humans who had died in Diablo's experiments. As Diablo twisted their souls and bodies with alchemy, that hatred was left unexpressed within the card.

It should be noted that even Dartz, who collected the darkness of people's hearts to awaken the power of the god Orichalcos, only ever bound people's souls. Having experienced the upheavals of Atlantis, Dartz did not distort people's bodies, and even the souls he bound slept peacefully in the darkness without feeling any pain.

However, Diablo's actions have crossed the line. He wantonly alters the bodies and souls of living beings, twisting them into monstrous forms, and imprisoning them in cards from which they can never be freed.

Since Diavolo is such a despicable guy, Hayato felt that he no longer needed to hold back.

"At this moment, I activate the Trap Card 'Hateful Complaint,' so taste the resentment from your own cards, Diablo." Hayato said coldly as he pressed the activate face-down button on the Duel Disk, "This card can only be activated when a direct attack from an opponent's monster inflicts battle damage on me."

"I gain control of the monster with the highest DEF that my opponent controls until the end of the next turn. The monster whose control I gain is negated from its effects and cannot declare an attack."

Hayato said, pointing to [Danger! Thunderbird!], which Diavolo hadn't attacked yet, "Your highest DEF monster is [Danger! Thunderbird!], and I'm gaining control of it."

After [Hateful Complaint] was activated, [Danger! Thunderbird!] on Diablo's field trembled slightly. Realizing that it could move freely, it hurriedly flew to Hayato's field, away from Diablo who had transformed into a dog.

"Tch, you dare betray me, you useless piece of trash!" Diablo glared fiercely at [Danger! Thunderbird!], then sneered, "Hmph, you escaped this time, but so what if you took that monster that can't attack? You still can't beat me!"

"Face three cards down, my turn is over." Diablo declared the end of his turn by placing all three cards face down on his back row.

However, at the very moment his turn ended, the Dragon of Light and Darkness, which had been sent to another dimension by Hayato using the Subspace Matter Teleportation Device, returned to Hayato's field.

—Although the [Dragon of Light and Darkness] itself has the restriction of not being able to be Special Summoned, the [Warp Matter Transfer Device] returning it to the field is not considered a Special Summon.

At the same time, due to leaving and then returning to the field, the attack and defense of [Dragon of Light and Darkness] have been restored to their original values.