Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

After looking at the [Millennium Jewelry], Malik confirmed, "This is indeed my sister's [Millennium Jewelry]."

Kyoko glanced at the game and knew what the other party was hesitating about. On one hand, Bakura was undoubtedly evil, having repeatedly committed acts of ruthless killing in the past. On the other hand, Bakura was now extending an olive branch to the game, which was full of temptation: "recovering memories." He even offered the [Millennium Item] as a token of his sincerity.

Trusting Bakura means choosing to satisfy one's own needs and temporarily ignoring the evil deeds the other party has committed; but not trusting Bakura means losing the readily available opportunity to satisfy one's desires.

Just as Yugi hesitated, Hayato looked at Bakura and said, "Lead the way, take us wherever you want to go. However, I don't trust you, Bakura."

"Oh? You don't trust me, yet you still want me to lead the way?" Bakura looked at Hayato and smiled. "That familiar, unpleasant arrogance, Kobayashi Hayato."

Standing up, Bakura walked ahead and pushed open the door: "Then, come with me, let's go to the stone tablet that records the king's memories."

Chapter 715 The King's Memory, Unlocked

After leaving Malik's house, the group discovered that during their journey to the underground chamber, the tomb guardians, who had appeared perfectly normal before, were all lying on the ground, their faces contorted in agony. Although they didn't examine each one closely, as they passed by the fallen tomb guardians, they could clearly sense the aura of dark magic emanating from them.

Without a doubt, it was Bakura who did it. In order to perfectly infiltrate the tomb-guarding clan, he killed all the witnesses, showing the style of a certain unnamed man.

"Don't worry about these guys. I just subdued them; I didn't hurt anyone. After all, if I killed someone here, you definitely wouldn't continue to cooperate with me, right?"

Bakura, walking ahead, didn't even flinch as he casually stepped over the body of a fallen member of the tomb-guarding clan—a man Hayato recognized as the one who had been the most eager to curry favor with him among the guards earlier—and said without turning his head, "They'll naturally wake up once we leave."

Hayato looked annoyed upon hearing this: "That's for the best."

If he could, Hayato really wanted to finish off Bakura right there, but he couldn't.

This is not only because Bakura has taken Isis hostage, but also because even if Bakura is killed physically using the power of the spirits, it would only kill the human "Bakura," and would have no effect on the evil will controlling Bakura's body at this moment, even if Hayato used the power of the three Egyptian Gods, the strongest ones at his disposal.

After all, an unknown pharaoh had already tried it three thousand years ago.

As for the Duel Ritual and the Dark Games, Hayato had used them before in Duel Kingdom. He originally thought that if he killed "Dark Bakura" once back then, it might put him at ease for a while. However, after being devoured by the rules of the Dark Games, "Dark Bakura" secretly returned to Bakura's body in less than five days and then attacked Pegasus to steal the Millennium Eye.

Without absolute certainty of defeating the opponent, and with the opponent holding important hostages, Hayato really had no way to deal with Bakura.

But it doesn't matter. Although Hayato has forgotten a lot of the plot due to the passage of time, he has not forgotten the most memorable part of the "King's Memory" arc in the Yu-Gi-Oh! storyline.

As long as you follow the plot, Dark Bakura's evil will will carry out his character design—"99% failure rate." He will lose to Dark Yugi in the final Dark Game and be defeated in the King's Memory. At the same time, Dark Yugi will also be able to regain his name and memories.

Although there was a risk of being swallowed by darkness if he lost the game, it was a necessary sacrifice for the final victory. Hayato convinced himself of this, and decided not to interfere with Bakura.

Just as Hayato had predicted, Bakura led the group away from the Tomb Guardian Clan's territory and walked quite a distance before arriving at a cave leading underground. Bakura, who had been leading the way, stopped and turned to look at the group: "First stop, the stone slab leading to the King's Memory, we've arrived. I told you I wasn't lying, did I?"

“It would have been fine if this stone slab had been specially sent to Domino City, but it was sent back because of that exhibition. If it were still in Domino City, we wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble to come to Egypt to find it.” Bakura complained with a look of disgust. “Luckily, that woman knew where the stone slab was after it was transported back to Egypt, otherwise I might not have been able to find it either.”

"Another thing I have to mention is that the [Millennium Eye] is really useful, but I would be even happier if it were the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel]."

"Heh, that won't do. The Millennium Wisdom Wheel is mine. Why don't you call it and see if it responds?" Hayato glanced at Bakura and sneered.

"You were the one who stole it from me, and you still have the nerve to say it so confidently?" Bakura rolled his eyes, which was his reply to Hayato. He turned to look at Yami Yugi and chuckled, "Alright, Yugi, no, nameless pharaoh, you who have been longing for your lost memories and vanished name have finally gathered the necessary conditions and arrived at the stone slab where you can regain your memories and name."

"Go in, nameless pharaoh, that is the destiny that has awaited you for three thousand years."

With that, Bakura made a respectful gesture to step aside, indicating that Yami Yugi could now enter the cave leading to the King's Memory Slab.

"I don't need you to tell me!"

Upon hearing Bakura's words, the usually composed Yami Yugi revealed an expression of annoyance.

On one hand, although it was Hayato who made the decision to temporarily cooperate with Bakura, Yugi couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart. After arriving in Egypt and meeting Bakura again, Yugi couldn't understand why he felt a strange aversion to Bakura, finding him irritating no matter how he looked at him.

On the other hand, although he had been searching for his memories, it would be a lie to say that he did not feel even the slightest hesitation or confusion when the moment finally came when he could retrieve them.

Dartz's seductive words from long ago still echoed in Yami Yugi's ears. He didn't know what kind of person he was in the past, the one who used the "Millennium Artifact" with such a bloody truth behind it, the one who was a pharaoh three thousand years ago, and what caused him to lose his memory and name, and return to the human world three thousand years later.

And, after regaining her memories, will she become a completely different person from who she is now, and so on.

However, now is not the time to think about those things. Although Dark Game also has human flaws, such as hesitation, regret, and remorse, he can suppress these emotions with reason. Now that he is only one step away from the stone slab, it is indeed time to retrieve his memories.

Thinking this, Yugi glanced at the people around him, his gaze sweeping over Kyoko, Jonouchi, Honda, Hayato and the others (Malik, Pegasus: Hey!), nodded slightly, and walked into the cave that stretched downwards.

Descending the rather long stone steps, the group arrived underground in a short while. In a cavern only one room in size, the wall prominently displayed the same stone tablet that had once been exhibited in Domino City. It depicted an unnamed pharaoh from three thousand years ago, an ancient Egyptian figure strikingly similar to a seahorse, the Dark Magician and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and the "Three Egyptian Gods," recording the king's memories.

"The stone tablet of memories... has come before me once again." Looking up at the "self" depicted on the stone tablet, Yami Yugi murmured to himself. Behind Yami Yugi, Kyoko watched his back, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

'Game... Although I always casually call him 'Game,' there's another person's personality inside Game's body, but I've never known his real name...' Kyoko reached into her pocket, her fingertips touching the cold, hard object. She made up her mind and took that thing out of her pocket.

“Game,” Kyoko called out, stopping Yami Yugi who was looking at the stone slab and about to retrieve his memories. She held a necklace with a metal nameplate in her hand and offered it to Yami Yugi, saying, “Please, accept this.”

Turning back, Yami Yugi looked at what Kyoko was holding. Having no memory of it, he didn't recognize it: "What is this...?"

“It’s a nameplate that can be engraved with your name. I heard at the airport that it was used to engrave the names of ancient Egyptian pharaohs, so I bought it specifically.” Kyoko explained as she watched Yami Yugi reach out to borrow it.

Picking up the metal nameplate and examining it, Yami Yugi said with some doubt, "But there's no name engraved on it?"

“In that case, when your memories return in the game and you remember your real name, I hope you can have it engraved on this.” Kyoko smiled, trying to sound lighthearted, but she couldn’t hide the bitterness in her voice. “That way, no matter what happens next time, you won’t forget.”

Following Xingzi's glance to the side, everyone noticed that on the weathered and ravaged stone slab, some damage was particularly obvious, and the gaps seemed to be where the pharaoh's name was recorded.

"The pharaoh's name on that stone tablet was all crossed out, wasn't it? I want to at least let me know your real name."

Looking into Kyoko's eyes, Yami Yugi smiled and said, "Thank you, Kyoko. I will cherish this gift."

With that, Yami Yugi untied the necklace, put it around his neck, and turned back to face the stone slab.

Meanwhile, after Yami Yugi and Kyoko finished saying goodbye, Hayato reached out to Yami Yugi and handed him three God Cards: Obelisk the Tormentor, Sky Dragon of Osiris, and Winged Dragon of Ra. This time, the spirit of Ra also returned from its sphere form to the Winged Dragon of Ra card itself.

"Then, let's begin, game, and regain your memories."

"Yes, thank you, Hayato." Taking the three cards from Hayato, Yami Yugi nodded solemnly and looked at the stone slab with a serious expression.

Armed with three God Cards, I arrived before the stone slab. What will happen at this moment? The answer lies here!

“Let’s begin!” As he spoke, Yami Yugi raised his hand, holding all three God Cards above his head, pointing them toward the stone slab.

In an instant, the ground was enveloped in light bursting from the stone slab, the source of which was the [Millennium Puzzle]-style carving at the very center of the slab. The stone slab sealing the king's memories was officially opened by the power of the nameless pharaoh's soul and the three God Cards!

In that instant, Yami Yugi felt his body was so light, as if he was no longer bound by gravity and was floating up. He looked away from the shimmering stone slab to avoid the light and subconsciously glanced down, only to see "himself".

No, it wasn't me, it was Aibo, it was Yugi Muto's body. My soul had left Aibo's body and seemed to be drifting towards the glowing stone slab!

The constraints that had bound his soul within the Millennium Puzzle for so long have been lifted!

Before he could think any further, in the next instant, Dark Game, the nameless pharaoh's soul, disappeared into the shimmering stone slab. The moment he entered the slab, the nameless pharaoh knew that it was opening the door to his lost memories!

A tunnel-like space appeared before the nameless pharaoh. With trepidation, he closed his eyes and waited for the memories to flood his mind.

However, what he didn't know was that at that moment, outside, seeing Yami Yugi use three God Cards to open the stone slab of the King's Memory, Bakura, who had led them here, sat on the steps and suddenly collapsed.

From a perspective unseen by others, a soul detached from Bakura's body and burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, you've been tricked! Kobayashi Hayato, Muto Yugi, this is my attack route!"

Following the shimmering stone slab, Dark Bakura's soul almost immediately followed Dark Yugi and disappeared into the slab.

"I have waited for this day for a long time. My clone hidden in the Millennium Puzzle is my coordinate. The moment the gate to the King's Memory opens, I will also enter the King's Memory. This ultimate dark game will also—"

Entering the tunnel-like space, Bakura saw the nameless pharaoh floating not far in front of him, not having gone too far. He laughed triumphantly and was about to attack the unsuspecting pharaoh when he suddenly felt his body sink.

Suddenly turning his head, Bakura saw that the spot where he had just crawled in, and the leg that he hadn't gone far away from, was being grabbed by an arm.

Immediately afterwards, the owner of the arm also crawled in and poked his head out—it was none other than Hayato.

"How did you even get in here?! Don't get in my way!" Yamibakura said angrily, looking at Hayato.

“Nothing will change if we don’t intervene. That’s what I thought before, but it’s not my style to suffer a loss and not retaliate.”

The moment Yami Yugi activated the King's Memory, Hayato, who was prepared and used the power of several Millennium Items on his body to sink his soul into the stone slab, looked at Bakura, whom he was holding back, and sneered, "So, don't even think about messing with Yugi. Your opponent is me, Bakura!"

"O-O-no-rae!" As his body drifted further and further away from the nameless pharaoh due to Hayato's interference, Dark Bakura glared at Hayato. "Anyway, I can't possibly lose. In that case, one more player won't hurt. You'd better join this dark game too, Kobayashi Hayato!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a force suddenly spread from Dark Bakura, shrouding everything in the tunnel space in darkness, and Hayato lost consciousness in an instant.

The next moment, Hayato heard someone shouting something in his ear.

Chapter 716 A body that looks like a child, but a mind far surpassing that of ordinary people.

My name is Hayato Kobayashi, a high school duelist who has defeated countless powerful opponents in the past.

However, in order to stop an evil will, I was dragged into an unprecedented dark game.

When I woke up, I had turned into a child!?

"It doesn't matter that my body has shrunk; my mind is still that of a high school student duelist. I can still beautifully defeat the Dark Duelists that even adults can't handle. That's the duelist Hayato!" Hayato said confidently. "There's only one truth!"

"Wow, that's amazing!" The girl sitting in front of Hayato applauded enthusiastically at his statement. "However, it feels a little disjointed. Did you hear it from somewhere else, Meliamon?"

“Who knows about that kind of thing?” Hayato spread his hands and looked at the girl in front of him. “But I’ve explained it many times already. I’m not that Meliamon. My name is Kobayashi Hayato. I don’t know why I ended up here.”

The girl's face showed a helpless expression: "But even if you say that, Meliamon, you're still Meliamon, aren't you? I just don't understand!"

Looking at the girl trying to act cute towards him, Hayato covered his forehead with a helpless expression, looking like he had a headache.

After entering the King's Memory Slab with Yami Yugi and Bakura, Hayato was dragged into the Yami Yugi by Bakura and came to this world, where he met a girl who seemed to be named "Nefertari" who was trying to wake up his "Meriamon".

Hayato's understanding of ancient Egypt is basically based on his card-playing world. He has virtually no memory of these two names, although he feels like he has heard them somewhere before. However, Hayato eventually concluded that Egyptian names are generally similar in format, so he put them aside for the time being.

After entering this world, Hayato's body transformed into that of a child, whose appearance was somewhat similar to that before entering the Dark Game, as if he had been rejuvenated. However, the girl named "Nefertari" insisted that "Meriamon" had always looked like this.

No matter what Hayato said, the girl insisted on this point, and Hayato couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he let her call herself "Meriamon".

Aside from the changes in his body, it was natural that Hayato didn't bring anything he had with him when he entered this world. Both the Duel Disk and the Millennium Item seemed to have been left outside. However, Hayato did leave the Duel Monster Cards in the system's inventory beforehand.

However, after Hayato took out the card to check, he found that the usually noisy card spirits were unusually quiet. If Hayato hadn't been able to clearly sense that the spirits were sleeping in the card, he might have thought that they hadn't been able to enter this world either.

However, it seemed there was no difference even if they came in, because Hayato didn't know how to wake them up either.

"Hehehehe..."

Seeing Hayato's troubled expression, Nefertari laughed, which made Hayato glance at her. "What are you laughing at, Nefertari?"

“It’s so strange to see you looking so troubled, Meliamon. You’re usually so good at solving problems, no matter what they are, and you can always find a solution quickly.” Nefertari said with a smile, but then she looked puzzled. “But it’s so strange, I feel like I’ve forgotten something.”

"What is it...?"

As she spoke, Nefertari glanced out the window, "Oh, right, the ceremony is about to begin!"

"Oh no! I came to call you, Meliamon, and now I'm going to be late too!" Without another word, Nefertari grabbed Hayato's hand, dragged him to his feet, and ran outside. "Hurry, hurry, we're going to be late!"

Without resisting, Hayato readily allowed Nefertari to pull him along, asking, "Hey, don't be in such a hurry, Nefertari. What ritual is it that's making you so anxious?"

"Honestly, Meliamon, did you oversleep? Today is the Pharaoh's coronation ceremony. Most people only get to witness it once or twice in their lives. If we don't hurry, we'll be standing in the distance where we can't even see the Pharaoh clearly."

Upon hearing Nefertari's words, Hayato's face showed a thoughtful expression. If there were no exceptions, since Yami Yugi, Bakura, and Hayato himself had all been dragged into Bakura's Dark Game, they should have started at the same time. It was impossible for one of them to have entered the game ten years earlier.

Therefore, following this line of thought, the pharaoh who ascended the throne today is probably—

Opening his eyes, Dark Game looked somewhat bewildered.