Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

At the moment when Mahad merged with the [Fantasy Wizard] just before his death, the stone tablet of the [Fantasy Wizard] in the temple corresponding to the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel] shattered completely, and Mana, along with Yami Yugi, Isis, Set, Kalim, Shada, and others who possessed the [Millennium Items], all felt this.

Although they did not witness it directly, everyone felt that their companion Mahad was no longer alive.

As dawn broke and the rising sun dispelled the darkness, casting its light upon the earth once more, a blank stone slab, originally intended to replace one in the Aknamkanon royal tomb, slid down the mountain and stood atop the earth amidst the explosion caused by the underground fusion of Mahad and the [Dark Magician] formed from the [Imagine Mage].

The light illuminated the stone slab, and on the slab, the figure of Mahad, dressed in a mage's robe and holding a staff, was already etched.

Standing beside Dark Game, compared to Dark Game, who needed to maintain the Pharaoh's majesty, Priest Simon, perhaps due to his advanced age, even after witnessing many partings and deaths, couldn't help but feel deeply saddened, revealing a sorrowful expression: "Priest Mahad, he gave his life to defend against the dynasty's enemies."

Before the throne, the other priests also wore solemn expressions. Priest Set, who held the Millennium Scepter, did not express his usual disdain for Mahad. Instead, he said angrily, "That fool Mahad, I have warned him time and again not to act recklessly on his own!"

"Even if it meant running away, it wouldn't have mattered. Just call for help if you're in danger. But that guy completely ignored my advice and insisted on fighting alone. He was so immature, which is why he sacrificed himself in vain. It's really—"

While it seemed that Priest Set was blaming the already sacrificed Mahad, the other priests had witnessed it firsthand yesterday. After receiving the Pharaoh's order, Priest Set was arguably the first person besides the Pharaoh to leave the city to provide support. The anxious expression on his face at that time had already revealed his true feelings for Mahad.

Although they are usually one-sided rivals, that doesn't mean that Seth has never acknowledged Mahad's outstanding abilities, which even he can suppress. It's just that this man never expresses his true feelings even when he considers someone a friend.

"Ahem, Seth!" The priest Aknadi weakly patted Seth's shoulder, interrupting him and preventing him from continuing. Although everyone could see that Seth was a tsundere who was overly eager to please, not everyone could accept that awkward way of expressing emotions.

After Mahad's sacrifice yesterday, Aknadi, as the holder of the "Millennium Eye," also sensed Mahad's sacrifice and unexpectedly escaped the attack from his own "Millennium Eye" that had been troubling him since the night Bakura attacked the royal city. The doctor was also shocked to find his previous diagnosis that Mahad would be "difficult to wake up" overturned.

However, although he regained consciousness, Aknadi was not actually fully healed; his previous injuries remained. When he fully activated the power of the Millennium Eye, Bakura's attack rebounded, causing the dark magic within the Millennium Eye to completely spiral out of control and rampage throughout Aknadi's body.

Although Aknadi was able to reclaim these powers with the power of the Millennium Eye, he still needed some time to recuperate. Before that, he could not use the power of the Millennium Eye again, nor could he even summon the Slate Spirits, and his body remained in a weak state.

After all, the Millennium Eye is one of the three "evil" Millennium Items. As Aknadi uses its power, he naturally has to bear the risks of using that power.

Having been interrupted by Aknadi, Seth, who treated him with the utmost respect, remained silent. After calming himself slightly, he adopted a composed expression and said, "I lost my composure, Lord Aknadi, Pharaoh."

“Mahad’s sacrifice is irreversible, but what matters more to us now is Bakura, the thief who has repeatedly attacked the dynasty and provoked us.” Recalling the humiliation of being defeated by Bakura, Seth clenched his fist. “Did Mahad successfully kill him at the cost of his own life?”

Hearing Set's words, the priest Kalim spoke up, "The magic that Priest Mahad used at the end was a forbidden secret technique that he and I developed together based on the fusion power of the Millennium Scales. When the power of humans and elves merges into one, it can unleash several times the original power."

"Although it is very disrespectful, during the experiment, Priest Mahad and I both believed that the power could even surpass the god summoned by the Pharaoh. This fact remains unchanged even after witnessing the descent of the 'god' with our own eyes."

“However, Priest Kalim, you must not have forgotten that the evil monster that thief possessed, named [Diabund], is a being capable of contending with the power of 'gods',” Seth said, looking at Kalim. “Now that we have already paid the price with Mahad’s life, we cannot gamble on possibilities; we must make absolute confirmation.”

"Even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance that the thief Bakura escaped from Mahad's hands, it would mean that the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel] may have already been taken by the other party."

After a pause, Set looked at Dark Game on the throne: "Pharaoh, I hereby request that the magician's training ground be excavated to ascertain the condition underground."

Upon hearing this, Priest Shada, who held the Millennium Key, couldn't help but glance at Set: "What you said isn't entirely impossible, Priest Set. Although Priest Mahad has been using his magic to suppress the Millennium Wisdom Wheel, which possesses the most evil power among all the Millennium Items, if that Millennium Item falls into the hands of others, it might be turned against us."

"The power of the Millennium Wisdom Wheel comes from the wisdom of Aten, which even the god Lara needed to use when creating the universe. In addition to guiding the direction of all things, it also has the powerful ability to suppress other Millennium Artifacts and even the Slate Spirits."

He turned to look at Dark Game on the throne: "I share the same view as Priest Set, Pharaoh."

“However,” Kalim said, looking at Seth and Shada who were worried about the enemy, “we have already confirmed the destroyed magic training ground. Even if we work day and night and use the power of the stone spirits, it would probably take at least three days and three nights to dig it out. This is a seal that Priest Mahad made with his own life to prevent that thief from leaving from underground.”

Seth snorted and said, "I believe in Mahad's abilities. As someone who has always considered him an opponent, I believe in his abilities more than anyone else. But I don't believe in things like luck. No one can guarantee that the thief Bakura doesn't have some special ability to leave from underground."

Upon hearing Set's words, Kalim, realizing he might not be able to argue with him, frowned and simply stated directly to Dark Game: "In short, Pharaoh, I disagree with Priest Set's suggestion. We cannot waste the seal that Priest Mahad obtained through his own sacrifice."

"Mahad left behind time; your thinking is a waste of his sacrifice!"

Seeing that Seth and Karim, who were sitting on the throne, were disagreeing and almost arguing, Dark Game frowned and said, "Alright, you two be quiet!"

The Pharaoh spoke, and the five priests before the throne immediately bowed and knelt on one knee. Although they hadn't yet vented their emotions, Set and Kalim could only helplessly shut their mouths.

Looking at the priests beneath the throne, Yami Yugi felt quite troubled.

After arriving in the world of memories, he felt like he had never had a moment's peace. First, Bakura attacked the palace, then he had to deal with his original interpersonal relationships without any memories. Then, he finally found a sense of belonging in Mahad and Mana, but Mahad died just like that.

Moreover, Dark Game, who had some knowledge of psychology in modern times, even noticed something—since the night Bakura attacked the palace, he not only trampled on the faces of the priests and the pharaoh, but also tore a rift between the priests.

With Mahad's death, this previously buried and undiscovered rift was exposed. Without Mahad as the leader among the priests to suppress it, the priesthood was almost on the verge of infighting.

Right now, although the Dark Game can allow Isis and Aknadi to express their opinions and make a decision based on majority rule, the result will only be that Set and Shada, or Kalim, will reluctantly obey without their opinions being adopted. It may seem to suppress the contradiction, but it will only cause the conflict to erupt in a more intense form in the future.

He looked at Isis and said, "Priest Isis, your [Millennium Jewelry]..."

"I am truly sorry, Pharaoh, but ever since the night the royal city was attacked, the Millennium Jewelry has been able to see only a murky future," Isis said, kneeling on the ground without raising her head. "After last night, it can only see endless darkness."

Isis's words did not surprise Yami Yugi. Back in the modern era, because Hayato possessed the Millennium Wisdom Ring, he had long known that the Millennium Wisdom Ring had the power to interfere with other Millennium Items, and that blocking the Millennium Jewelry to foresee the future was commonplace for him.

With a light tap of his fingers on the armrest of the throne, Yami Yugi thought for a moment and said, "Because we cannot rule out the possibility that the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel] has fallen into Bakura's hands, all the stone tablets that were originally placed in the temple of Mahad have now been moved to prevent Bakura from using the stone tablet spirits of Mahad to deal with us."

“Priest Aknadi’s health has not yet recovered, so the task that Mahad was originally supposed to complete, returning my father’s mummy, will be the responsibility of you two, Isis and Kalim. As for Seth and Shada, you two will take over the security work of the royal city that Mahad was previously in charge of.”

"Let's talk about excavating the mage training ground after Priests Isis and Kalim have finished their tasks and are free to do so."

Upon hearing Dark Game's order, both Kalim and Set, though somewhat reluctant, accepted it. Aknadi, however, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he heard the Pharaoh assign Set to oversee the city's defenses.

Being put in charge of guard duty means that Seth is bringing his troops, originally stationed outside, into the capital. This complete and unguarded trust is simply—

Unbeknownst to Aknadi himself, a faint light flashed across the Millennium Eye in his left eye.

In an oasis not far from the buried magician's training ground, a burned hand struggled to extend from underwater and rested on a rock on the shore.

Chapter 732 Hayato: OMO

After receiving orders from the Dark Game, Isis and Kalim each counted their soldiers and gathered them at the exit of the royal city, preparing to go to the Valley of the King's Rest to let the former Pharaoh Aknamkanon rest in peace.

However, at the city gate, Isis saw a familiar face.

"Kobayashi Hayato?"

"Yo, Priestess Isis, we meet again." The person who appeared at the exit of the royal city was none other than Hayato, who was about to be forgotten as the protagonist if he didn't make his presence known. Leaning against a stone pillar, he looked at Isis and asked, "Where are you going?"

"This is none of your business," Priest Kalim said sternly, glancing at Hayato. Only two days had passed since Bakura's attack on the palace and his effortless, playful defeat of the priesthood; Kalim hadn't forgotten Hayato, who had also stormed into the palace that day.

Although the other party was the one who helped the Pharaoh repel the thief, it is also true that he was an unidentified intruder. If Yami Yugi had not used the Pharaoh's authority to allow Hayato to enter the palace, he might have had to be punished for his disrespect after the commotion caused by the Bakura incident was quelled.

Although it sounds unreasonable that Hayato was punished despite coming to help, that's just how the dynasty operates.

Regarding Hayato, whose identity is unknown, although only the late Mahad had expressed his wariness towards Hayato, at least among the six priests at the time, Karim shared the same view as Mahad and did not trust Hayato. He simply suppressed these feelings because of the Pharaoh's statement at the time.

The real reason why Kalim was treating Hayato coldly at this moment was that after Aknadi attacked Bakura but was knocked down and fell into a coma, Kalim, who was the first to arrive at the scene to help, knew that not only Bakura was present, but Hayato was also nearby.

However, Hayato appeared before Kalim completely unharmed, which meant he was fully capable of helping Priest Aknati. After all, Priest Aknati was such a highly respected person, how could anyone not lend him a helping hand?

Hayato Kobayashi, why are you just watching from the sidelines?! Didn't Pharaoh say you were our comrade?! Could it be that you've betrayed us?!

Although Kalim did not shout and question Hayato as he did above, his suspicions about Hayato, which he already had, were amplified by the Aknadi incident. If there were no evidence and Hayato seemed to have the Pharaoh's deep trust, Kalim would have considered going to the Pharaoh to complain that Mahad was attacked because Hayato betrayed his whereabouts.

Even now, Kalim doesn't give Hayato a friendly look.

"We have no need to reveal our whereabouts to someone like you."

Upon hearing Kalim's words, Isis naturally sensed the inexplicable hostility he harbored towards Hayato, and said, "Priest Kalim, this young man is recognized by the Pharaoh, and I believe he is someone who can be entrusted with trust."

"Entrust your trust? Ha, Priestess Isis, I'm not surprised at all that you, a woman, would say such a thing." Glancing at Isis, Kalim said arrogantly, "Ha, you should know that I've eaten more sand than you've drunk Nile water, so don't blame me for not reminding you."

As he spoke, Kalim spurred his horse toward Hayato and circled him a couple of times, saying, “Don’t underestimate this kid just because he’s a kid. I can always sense something off about him. Haven’t you noticed how he moves? He seems to have the self-perception of a 20-year-old who’s 1.95 meters tall.”

Upon hearing this, Hayato couldn't help but look at Kalim with newfound respect, while Isis raised an eyebrow in confusion: "How did you arrive at such an accurate number?"

"That kind of thing isn't important. What's important is that the Millennium Scales couldn't find any discrepancies between this person's body and soul, but his body showed this strange sign, almost as if the soul of a twenty-year-old youth had entered this body shrunk to that of an eight-year-old!"

Kalim said coldly, "Until I know why you are not appearing before us in your true form, I will never trust you, a fellow of unknown origin!"

As he spoke, Kalim called out to those behind him, and without waiting for Isis to react, he left the royal city without looking back. Most of the soldiers in the troops gathered at the exit of the royal city followed Kalim and left the city.

"If you want to trust this person, that's fine with me, Priestess Isis, but that also means I won't travel with you, because I don't want to take the risk of having a stranger in my party."

Watching Kalim leave after uttering those words, Isis remained silent for a long time before finally sighing and saying to Hayato, "I'm sorry, Hayato Kobayashi, I apologize for Priest Kalim's rudeness. He's actually a very good person, but perhaps because of the Mahad matter, he's not in a good mood."

"I don't care about those things. Compared to them, does that guy named Kalim have that many men? He's not even in the same league as you." Hayato waved his hand, not caring about what Kalim had just said.

Unlike the other priests, Hayato actually met Isis a second time on the night Bakura attacked the palace, since Hayato had used Isis's Gladiator's Disc against Bakura. Although he usually likes to steal... I mean, collect his rightful spoils, Hayato didn't keep Isis's Gladiator's Disc and returned it to its rightful owner when Isis came looking for it.

However, they only met a second time, and their relationship didn't develop any further. Hayato only sought out Isis because he had no other choice.

Yesterday, Yami Yugi, along with Mahad and Mana, used magic to repair damaged houses in the city and enhance the Pharaoh's prestige. Meanwhile, Hayato was not idle either, but was planning a speedrun of Yami Yugi's strategy.

Yes, speedrunning is normal, isn't it? How could a real player always stick to the conventional walkthrough? Especially since Hayato knows Bakura's true identity and purpose, as well as where the strongest power can be obtained in the ultimate dark game set in this world of King's Memory.

Three thousand years ago, Yami Yugi, also known as the Nameless Pharaoh, lost his "name". The purpose of Yami Yugi opening this world of memories is to find his lost "name". Coincidentally, the existence that his "name" can summon is the strongest power in this world.

Hayato had forgotten many plot details, but he remembered this "name" very clearly. "If I just tell Yami Yugi his 'name,' I can pass through the memory world," Hayato originally thought.

However, on his way to the palace to find Dark Game the next day, Hayato discovered something strange—he couldn't say the nameless pharaoh's name no matter what he did. It wasn't that his memory had been erased or that he had been forcibly silenced, but rather that something far more absurd was happening.

The words he was supposed to say would be drowned out by a sudden, inexplicable cacophony of noise, making them completely inaudible. First came the shouting of two women, then the commotion of vendors arguing and fighting, and even in quiet corners, there would be terrifying noises like buildings suddenly collapsing with a loud crash. It was as if the whole world was targeting Hayato, preventing him from uttering that name.

Hayato even tried to whisper something in Nefertari's ear, but Nefertari was nearly hit on the head by a pot that flew from somewhere, forcing Hayato to give up his attempt to tell her the name and tell Nefertari not to follow him to avoid being caught up in that calamity.

Hayato remembered reading a manga once, in one of the series, there was a villain with a troublesome ability, or even invincible power. His ability was that anyone who had the thought of tracking him would be attacked by "disaster," and all sorts of small details in daily life would turn into unimaginable deadly attacks.

Hayato, who is trying to say the lost "name" of the nameless pharaoh, seems to be in a similar situation, with the whole world preventing him from saying that name.

Although many of their actions so far have been subtle and all aimed at not harming Hayato, they seem to have no regard for the lives of others. In addition to Nefertari, who was almost hit by the falling building, Hayato even saw a passing farmer nearly crushed to death by the collapsing building.

Hayato couldn't guarantee that if he continued to try, the situation wouldn't worsen or begin to threaten his life.

As for the situation of "writing it out" which never appears in various literary works, Hayato also tried it, but it was completely useless. The paper strips written on papyrus would get wet for no reason, the stones carved on rocks would suddenly crack, and when he tried to draw on the sand, the wind would blow the sand away so that not a single word could be left.

The root of everything lies in that "name". It's not that Hayato thinks Yami Yugi's "name" is the root of the disaster, but rather that he remembered the reason why the nameless pharaoh three thousand years ago lost his name, it was to seal away the evil that he could not fight back then.

Accompanying the name of the king is the lost memory, which constitutes the world within the stone tablet. However, besides the king's name, entangled with the memory is also the evil will that was sealed away. This is probably the root of the calamity Hayato encountered, preventing Hayato from uttering the name Yami Yugi.

Having arrived at this conclusion, Hayato didn't rush to the palace to find Yami Yugi or make futile attempts. Instead, he wandered around the city for a whole day, searching for evidence to verify his conjecture. And as it turned out, he actually found quite a bit.

The current Pharaoh is none other than Yami Yugi. He grew up in this city and ascended the throne just yesterday. When Hayato asked the residents, everyone naturally said they knew the Pharaoh's name.

The problem is that when they tried to say it, they all got stuck in thought and couldn't say the Pharaoh's name. They even remembered peeping at the girl next door taking a shower when they were kids and she had a large bust, but they still couldn't remember the Pharaoh's name.

If it were just one person, Hayato might have guessed that the first old man he asked, who was sitting in the shade, had a bad memory. Anyway, even after leaving, the old man kept asking Hayato what his name was. But the second old lady who bought vegetables, the third farmer, and at least twenty other people he asked couldn't remember the name of the nameless pharaoh.

Therefore, the only possibility is that the name of Dark Game has been directly erased from this world of memories, because the evil will that constitutes the world of memories along with the King's memories would never allow the name of the King, who restrained himself, to remain in this world.

Besides human memories, Hayato also searched for many stone tablets that should have recorded the king's name, only to find that the words on those tablets had been erased out of thin air, just like the blank space on the king's memory tablet that Hayato had seen in the outside world.

Whether it's the memories of the living or inanimate objects, the nameless pharaoh's name has been completely erased from this world. Even Hayato, who knows that name, cannot utter it. Doesn't that mean there's no way to clear this world?

Not quite. Hayato also knows of a place where Yami Yugi's name is definitely still preserved and hasn't been erased. In fact, it might be the only place in the entire world where Yami Yugi's name can be found. That is the tomb of Yami Yugi, or rather, the Nameless Pharaoh. In the original timeline, the King's true name came from there.

If we can get there, we might still be able to quickly pass through this world of memories.

So, Hayato only has one problem: he doesn't know the way.

Not to mention where exactly the nameless pharaoh's tomb was in such a vast Valley of Royal Sleep, Hayato, who had no memory of this world, didn't even know which direction to go after leaving the royal city to reach the Valley of Royal Sleep. In desperation, he came to Isis's side.

After hearing Hayato explain his purpose and his desire to accompany her to the Valley of the Royal Slumber, Isis hesitated for a moment, but then refused Hayato: "I'm sorry, Hayato Kobayashi, I can't help you with this matter, because not everyone is qualified to enter the Valley of the Royal Slumber. Only priests like us who possess the [Millennium Artifact] are allowed to."

"Even if you have the Pharaoh's permission, without the [Millennium Artifact], the royal family that guards the Valley of the Sleeping Kings, where the pharaohs have been buried for generations, will never let you pass through there."