Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

【The Darkness of the Underworld - Alette】【ATK2000】

【King of the Underworld - Aron】【ATK2500】

[Disruptor King] [DEF3000]

[Armed Dragon Assault Cannon] [ATK1750]

Previously, Pharaoh did have a great time Special Summoning monsters from his Graveyard using [Twilight of the Underworld - Kass], but due to the side effects at the time, Hayato Special Summoned [Disruptor King] from his own Graveyard.

At the time, because the [Netherworld God - Augdo Abyss] with an attack power of 3100 was still on the field, Pharaoh didn't pay much attention to this monster whose effect had been nullified. However, he didn't expect that at this moment, [Disruptor King] would become a problem for Pharaoh because of its big butt that even [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] couldn't break.

The last card he had left wasn't one he could use to aid in the battle at this moment, so Pharaoh really didn't have a good idea of ​​how to deal with Hayato's "Disruption King" for the time being.

"Judging from your expression, it seems the cards in your hand can't help you destroy my monsters, right?" Hayato said with a smug smile. "This is really surprising. I thought you were going to crush me this turn at the start of your turn, but you can't even clear the monsters on my field."

Hearing Hayato's words, Pharaoh became even more displeased and immediately ordered, "Tch, don't get too cocky. We'll deal with that [Disruptor King] next turn. This turn, I'll destroy your [Armed Dragon Cannon]!"

"Enter the battle phase, and then use [Netherworld King - Aron] to attack [Armed Dragon Strike Cannon]."

"Roar, divine retribution!"

With the standard protagonist's ace stats, [Netherworld King - Aaron] waved his scepter, and a dark, turbid stream detached from his body, transforming into a giant fist in front of him, which he then smashed towards Hayato's [Armed Dragon Strike Cannon].

Under normal circumstances, the [Armed Dragon Strike Cannon] originally had a powerful attack power of up to 3500. However, at the very beginning of the turn, its effect was nullified by [Forbidden Drop], and its attack power was also reduced to half of its original value.

Faced with the attack of [Netherworld King - Aron], the [Armed Dragon Strike Cannon] struggled to resist, dragging its mostly damaged armor that had become a burden instead of amplifying its power. However, the numerical difference was clearly demonstrated in the beam attack. Its beam cannon was shattered by a single punch from [Netherworld King - Aron], and the cannon itself was also hit by the giant fist, destroyed and sent to the graveyard.

The combat damage fell on Hayato, who was behind him.

[Hayato: 4000→3250LP]

It wasn't until he was about to be injured that Hayato discovered something quite unexpectedly.

He had assumed that the duel between him and the guy in front of him, who had his own face, spoke in an annoying way, and seemed to be Bakura's helper pulled from the modern world into his memory world, would be a dark game with real damage.

Hayato initially wanted to use decks like [Dragon's Radiance], [Inferno Machine], or [Gaia], which he used more often, was more comfortable with, and had a higher potential, since Dark Games is not something to be taken lightly.

However, when he took out his deck, he found that among all his Pokémon, only the "Disruption Trio," which was the first Pokémon he awakened, was awake. The other Pokémon were still asleep. With no other choice, Hayato used the mixed deck of "Disruption," "VtoZ," and "Armed Dragon" in his hand.

However, as the base points were deducted, I did not feel any pain at all, as if the duel at this moment was just a game duel.

It's a bit strange, and quite unexpected.

Pharaoh had no idea what Hayato was thinking. Seeing the Armed Dragon Strike Cannon destroyed and sent to the graveyard, he said smugly, "Hmph, now you know how powerful I am. Because of the existence of the Disruption King, you escaped with your life, Hayato Kobayashi."

"Now, I'll face down one card, and the rest of my turn ends." Hayato declared the end of his turn by placing his last card face down on the back field.

[Pharaoh: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand]

【The Darkness of the Underworld - Alette】【ATK2000】

【King of the Underworld - Aron】【ATK2500】

【GaiKa】

Location: [The Origins of the Underworld]

Chapter 740 Okay, this time we're playing pure Cyber ​​Dragon.

The Pharaoh's turn was over, but Hayato didn't breathe a sigh of relief. Instead, he looked at the face opposite him that was exactly the same as his own and asked the question he had asked for the third time since they met:

"Who exactly are you?"

Unlike his initial surprise when the question was asked the first time, or his initial wariness when it was asked the second time, Hayato was somewhat puzzled when he asked the question for the third time.

The man who called himself "Pharaoh" seemed to have noticed Hayato's change as well. He crossed his empty arms and said arrogantly, "Hmph, it took you two rounds to barely detect a trace of the hidden truth. Although it still doesn't meet my standards, it's not like you're really hopelessly obtuse."

"Hehe, if you really want to know the answer, at least show me respect. For example, at least bow down and kneel before me. If that happens, I might be happy to tell you the answer."

Upon hearing Pharaoh's words, Hayato, with a sullen face, said, "I'm not an honest person; I'd actually kneel down to someone just to get an answer."

Hayato placed his finger on the top of the deck and looked at Pharaoh, saying, "Anyway, I'll get the answer as long as I defeat you. I can do that this turn, so I'm not in a hurry for just one turn. Let's end this duel with this draw!"

"My turn, draw a card!"

Seeing that Hayato had rejected his "suggestion," Pharaoh nodded almost imperceptibly. Although the situation on the field seemed to indicate that Pharaoh was helpless against Hayato, in reality, if Hayato failed to create enough advantage this turn, the [Netherworld] monsters in Pharaoh's graveyard would return in the next turn, giving Pharaoh the advantage.

Hayato couldn't possibly be unaware of this situation, yet he still rejected the Pharaoh's "proposal." This didn't anger the Pharaoh; rather, it was Hayato's arrogance that pleased him somewhat. Only if Hayato truly submitted to him as he claimed would the Pharaoh be angry, even furious.

However, what he thought in his heart was one thing, but what the Pharaoh said was another. He would not show his satisfaction with Hayato, but said disdainfully, "You think you can defeat me in this round? Hehehehehe, stop talking such arrogant nonsense, Kobayashi Hayato."

"Let them put on a show of futile struggle before me, before me, the king of kings, the pharaoh among pharaohs, and then be crushed!"

Looking at the card he had drawn, Hayato smiled and said, "Struggle? Yes, then you'd better watch closely, because what follows is my struggle for victory!"

"I activate the Spell Card [Life-Slaying Treasure Card]. I draw cards from the top of my deck until I have five cards in my hand. Then, during the fifth Standby Phase after activation, I discard all the cards in my hand." Hayato said as he drew cards from his deck, "But it doesn't matter, the duel will end before that. Draw!"

Hayato drew five cards from his deck, and before he could even see what cards he had drawn, suddenly, the [Netherworld King - Aron] on the Pharaoh's field moved on its own. As its scepter slammed to the ground, a water blade formed from a stream of turbid water pierced through one of the cards in Hayato's hand.

"This is?!"

"The second effect of [Lord of the Netherworld - Aron] can only be activated if the opponent adds a card to their hand outside of their Draw Phase. Send one random card from the opponent's hand to the Graveyard," Pharaoh explained with a smile. "By the way, its third effect is that if an opponent's monster is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, you can add one LIGHT or DARK Reptile monster other than [Lord of the Netherworld - Aron] to your hand from your Deck or Graveyard."

"It's just a pity that the one sent to the graveyard by the [Origin of the Netherworld] effect was the [Primal Life Form Derivative], so the effect couldn't be triggered."

After a pause, Pharaoh continued, "While [Lord of the Netherworld - Aaron] is on the field, using card effects carelessly can lead to unpredictable consequences. For example, even if you replenish your hand with a magic card now, you might accidentally send a key card to the graveyard."

As he spoke, the Pharaoh glanced at the Hayato card that had been pierced by the water blade, "Then let me see, which card sent you to the graveyard?"

Pharaoh paused for a moment when he saw the card art on the card Hayato sent to the graveyard: "Why is there a Cyber ​​Dragon in your deck!? Isn't this a mix of a Disruptor, Armed Dragon, and VWXYZ deck?"

"Hmph~ Since you've figured it out, I won't pretend anymore." Hayato looked helpless. "On the surface, I'm using Disruptive Armed Dragon VtoZ, but actually, this deck I'm using is 'pure' Cyber ​​Dragon!"

"The radiance of Draco shines down, and the universe sings to me!"

Hayato draws a card and holds it above his head, declaring, "I'll pay half my Life Points to activate this card, a Quick-Play Spell Card called Cyber ​​Fusion Support. Once this turn, when I Fusion Summon a Machine-Type Fusion Monster, I can banish materials from my hand, field, or Graveyard."

"Then, with the Quick-Play Spell Card [Cyber ​​Load Fusion], thanks to the enhancement from [Cyber ​​Fusion Support], I can select Fusion Materials from the field, graveyard, hand, and banished zone to return to the Deck, and Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster with [Cyber ​​Dragon] as Fusion Material from the Fusion Deck. This turn, none of my other monsters can attack."

"These are the materials I want to choose!"

[Hayato: 3250→1625LP]

As his life points plummeted, lightning crackled across Hayato's Duel Disk, but this lightning was bound and drawn into the fusion vortex above Hayato's head. At the same time, behind Hayato, one monster after another appeared as phantoms.

[X - Leader Cannon], [Y - Dragon Head], [Z - Metal Tracks]...

[XYZ-Dragon Cannon], [VW-Strike Tiger]...

【VWXYZ-Dragon Power Cannon】, 【Armed Dragon Power Cannon】...

The machine-type monsters that Hayato had summoned in the previous battle appeared either from the graveyard or from the excluded area, surrounding the [Cyber ​​Dragon] in the center, a total of ten monsters throwing themselves into the fusion vortex.

Then, the ultimate [Cyber ​​Dragon] descended!

"Hoo hoo hoo, don't blink, this is the last monster you'll ever see!" Hayato slammed the Fusion Monster card onto the Duel Disk. "Fusion Summon! Chimera Overload Dragon!"

"Apart from [Chimera Overload Dragon], all my cards on the field will be sent to the graveyard due to their own effects, but as long as I have one of them, that's enough, since its ATK is determined by the number of Fusion Materials."

"The attack power of the [Chimera Overload Dragon] that has descended at this moment using ten mechanical monsters as fusion materials—"

"---It's 8000!"

【Matching Overload Dragon】【ATK8000】

A colossal ten-headed mechanical dragon descended upon Hayato Field. Before any battle even began, its massive body, as it stretched out, occupied almost the entire space on Hayato Field, and instead crushed the "Disruptor King" and sent it to the graveyard.

The tide that had previously engulfed the entire area and swallowed even massive meteorites was now like a small puddle in front of the enormous body of the [Chimera Overload Dragon]. Seeing this, the Pharaoh revealed an excited expression: "Hmph, hehe hahaha, that's it! This is the level that can satisfy me."

"Because [Chimera Overload Dragon] sends [Disruptor King] to the graveyard, even if it is not activated by his third effect, add one LIGHT/DARK Reptile monster from my Deck to my hand!"

"So, are you going to attack, Hayato Kobayashi?"

Upon hearing Pharaoh's words, Hayato gave an affirmative answer: "Isn't there only one answer to that kind of thing?"

"Enter my battle phase, then use [Chimera Overload Dragon] to attack [Lord of the Netherworld - Aron]!"

"Destroy Burst Stream"

Instead of criticizing Hayato for stealing someone else's move name, Pharaoh smiled and said, "What a pity, Hayato Kobayashi. In order to summon this monster, you sacrificed your own [Disruptor King] to gain the power to end everything."

"However, the power gained through sacrifice is utterly meaningless. Your act of sending [Disruptor King] to the graveyard has brought me this card. The effect of [Axolotl Gentleman], which I just added to my hand, has activated!"

"When your opponent declares an attack, Special Summon it from your hand, and your opponent can only attack it!"

Just before the photon impact that was about to destroy everything was about to hit [Lord of the Underworld - Aron], a Merlin... I mean salamander, jumped out of the Pharaoh's hand. Dressed in a suit and holding a parasol, he elegantly opened the parasol and completely absorbed the attack of [Chimera Overload Dragon] before being destroyed and sent to the graveyard.

The decisive blow was lured away?!

Despite the destruction of [Axolotl Gentleman], which was Special Summoned in Defense Position, Pharaoh suffered no damage in the battle; instead, the Netherworld Tide beneath his feet surged violently.

Because the Reptilian monster on Pharaoh's field was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, [The Origin of the Netherworld] is about to take effect and destroy Hayato's trump card on the field—[Chimera Overload Dragon]!?

"It seems that in the end, I am still the better player, Hayato Kobayashi." The Pharaoh, who felt that victory was already secured, said with satisfaction as he watched the [Chimera Overload Dragon] about to be swallowed by the tide. "In that case, consider it a reward for the faint light that you emitted in your struggle. Remember my name and worship me with reverence."

My name is ———

"Snap—!"

In an instant, both Pharaoh and his companion, who were about to insert their cards into the Duel Disk or announce their names, froze at the sound of a voice from somewhere. The temple-like scenery around them shattered, and Hayato was suddenly back at the entrance to the royal city!

"Hey, what were you spacing out for, Hayato Kobayashi?" Priest Seth shook Hayato's shoulder to wake him up, frowning in confusion as he wondered why Hayato had suddenly started spacing out after coming into contact with the power of the Millennium Key.

Hayato, recovering from the sudden change in the world, looked at Seth before him. Although he knew that Seth had seemingly woken him up out of kindness, he still couldn't suppress his displeasure and gritted his teeth, saying, "Seth, I really thank you!"

As Hayato's figure abruptly disappeared, leaving only the Duel Disk and Hayato's last unplayed card on the ground, Pharaoh frowned, only relaxing slightly after a long while: "Hmph, it was so close to deciding the outcome, but old man Set suddenly interrupted it. What a pity."

Noticing the Quick-Play Spell Card [Forbidden Cloth] that had disappeared from Hayato's field, Pharaoh raised an eyebrow: "Heh heh, looks like you've also prepared a card to counter [The Origin of the Netherworld], huh? Trying to gain resistance so you won't become a target of [The Origin of the Netherworld]'s effect? ​​But too bad, this is the only face-down card left in the back row."

Take the Trap Card "Double Bass Dance" from the Duel Disk. With this card in hand, if Hayato's "Chimera Overload Dragon" survives "The Origin of the Netherworld" and dares to attack again, it will only make Hayato suffer the consequences.

The Pharaoh then looked at a card belonging to Hayato that had not yet dissipated on the ground. Out of curiosity, he bent down and picked it up. However, his expression changed drastically when he saw what kind of card it was.

"Tch, how could it be this card?" Watching the [Spell of Painful Souls] in his hand dissipate in the wind, the Pharaoh remained silent for a long time before sighing, "It seems that I lost in the end. What a rare feeling of defeat."

"However, losing to one's own reincarnation is not something to be ashamed of. After all, I am the Pharaoh, the sun, and my reincarnation is naturally the sun as well. Hmph, there's nothing to be ashamed of, hehehehehe!"

Chapter 741 This is a substitute attack!

That night, in a stone shrine near the palace, Set encountered Aknadi.

"Seth, what brings you here?" Standing on the altar in the center of the temple, Aknadi turned his head, wanting to see who had broken into the temple that he had specifically ordered his soldiers not to allow anyone to enter. But when he found that the footsteps were Seth's, he relaxed and asked Seth kindly.

"I couldn't find you near your quarters, so I thought I might find you at the Stone Temple. When I saw soldiers guarding the temple entrance, I knew you must be here, Lord Aknadi."