Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

But after a day outside the city, Karim's mind completely changed.

He was so focused on the benefits of this mission that he forgot that the Valley of the King's Long Sleep was located in a remote area. Not only were there no oases or towns to rest along the way, but there was also nowhere to hide when sandstorms came. Furthermore, because he was carrying the mummy of King Aknamkanum, he couldn't even rest and had to reach the Valley of the King's Long Sleep as soon as possible. The experience along the way was terrible.

Among the many priests, apart from the commoner priest Set, Shada Sin and Isis Ishdar are both from the tomb-guarding family. Although the past of the priest Aknadi is unknown, his daily etiquette shows that he comes from an extraordinary background and has received a good education. The priest Mahad, who is the same age as the current pharaoh, goes without saying. Kalim is also of noble birth.

Although he had undergone arduous training to become a priest, Kalim, who was still quite pampered in his daily life, could not bear the hardships of the journey. Naturally, he did not blame the Pharaoh who had given him the orders, but rather attributed this dissatisfaction to Set.

Kalim had been complaining like this, but when he saw "Set" appear in the Valley of the Kings' Long Sleep, he didn't even think about how Seth ended up there. He just wanted to settle his scores with the guy right then and there.

"Priest Set?" Beside Kalim was another person, Priest Isis, who wore the [Millennium Jewelry]. She was also taken aback when she saw Hayato and Kaiba, but she quickly reacted and said to Kalim beside her, "No, please wait a moment, Priest Kalim."

"Although they look exactly the same, if you look closely, you'll see that the person who appeared with Kobayashi Hayato is definitely not the same person as Priest Seto."

Any normal person would have calmed down a bit after hearing Isis's words, but who was Kalim? He sneered as he clipped the Millennium Scales to his waist and cracked his knuckles, making a "click-clack" sound: "Not Set? Now that you mention it, I can see that now. Indeed, that guy Set is even more annoying to me than this person."

"But what does it matter if it's not Seth? In fact, it's even better that way. I can finally vent all the frustration I've been putting off on him!"

As he spoke, Kalim ordered Maliku, "Hey, you! Open this barrier for me, I'm going to beat him up!"

When Malik heard Kalim order him around, he immediately glared back: "Don't order me around! I only tolerated you before because you had the Pharaoh's orders. This is the territory of the Tomb Keepers, and I am the chieftain of the Tomb Keepers!"

Kaiba was already annoyed by Mariko's actions, and then Kalim inexplicably appeared, calling him by his name "Seto" even though he clearly didn't know him. Standing behind the barrier, Kaiba yelled at the two who were about to fight him: "Yakamashi! You bunch of weirdos!"

Separated by a barrier, the three men huddled together, looking as if they were about to fight at any moment.

Hayato, who was also standing inside the barrier, stood aside and watched the show. He even said to Priestess Isis, who had come to the edge of the barrier, "Hey, don't they look like dogs arguing behind a glass window?"

"Huh? Glass?" Isis tilted her head in confusion, not understanding Hayato's meaning. She bent down and fiddled with the spell left on the ground for a while, saying, "Kobayashi Hayato, why are you and this person who looks exactly like Priest Set here?"

"That's a long story. A lot happened after you and that arrogant priest Kalim left the capital." Hayato brushed aside Isis's question for the time being. He felt it was better to keep the news of the 'Pharaoh's attack' a secret as much as possible to avoid affecting the morale of others.

"Many things?" Isis looked at the [Millennium Wisdom Ring] hanging on Hayato's chest, pondered for a moment, and sighed, "Has Bakura come again?"

"Because you see, the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel] was buried with Priest Mahad in the underground magic training ground, right? Since the Pharaoh said before we set off that he would not excavate there for the time being, and given the Pharaoh's honor, he would not go back on his word, that means Mahad failed to perish together with that thief Bakura, and that the other party took the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel] to the palace again, right?"

Although she had been away from the royal city for two days, just by seeing Hayato wearing the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel], Isis was able to analyze a great deal of information with remarkable clarity and accuracy.

Unlike Isis of the future, the priestess Isis of three thousand years ago hadn't fully developed the "Millennium Jewelry." She could barely use her ability to see the future, unlike Isis who could not only see the future but also rewind the past. It was precisely for this reason that Isis specifically trained her reasoning skills to improve the accuracy of her glimpses of the future.

"Alright, it's off." With the last node pressed, Isis removed the barrier, freeing Hayato and Kaiba. The moment the barrier was removed, Kaiba, Karim, and Mariko, who had just looked like they were about to fight, actually stopped as Hayato had joked, not at all as arrogant as they had said.

"Tch, what are you doing, Isis Ishdar? Who told you to release these two criminals!" Instead of continuing to confront the other two, Malik chose to vent his anger on Isis. "Do you think that just because you've become the Pharaoh's priest, you can put me, the patriarch of the tomb-guarding clan, above you?"

“No, I didn’t mean that, Maliku.”

Looking at her younger brother Maliku, who had always liked to compete with her since childhood, Isis felt helpless. She thought to herself that she had spoiled him too much since he was a child. If she had another chance, she would never give in to him again and would definitely teach him a lesson. However, she did not show her emotions on her face. Isis said calmly, "I just saw it. The two of them successfully passed the trial of the Hot Sand Sphinx, right?"

“Kobayashi Hayato is a friend of the Pharaoh, and this man who looks exactly like Priest Set must have received the Pharaoh’s permission to come here, since he can accompany Kobayashi Hayato. In other words, they were not criminals from the beginning, and you have no reason to imprison or try them.”

"Tch, sharp-tongued." Mariko muttered a complaint upon hearing Isis's words, but couldn't refute them. Only Isis's words could explain why Hayato and Kaiba were able to pass the Sand Lion's test.

"Hmph, Hayato Kobayashi, you actually came here." Kalim glanced at Hayato and snorted coldly. "Although I don't know what reason you used to persuade the Pharaoh, I still don't trust you, especially that guy next to you who looks just like Set."

"What exactly are you planning to do here?"

Hayato, who was as hostile as ever towards Kalim, didn't take his hostility to heart at all and casually said, "My answer is to protect the Millennium Items in your hands."

"Ha, what a joke." Just as Hayato had predicted, Kalim didn't believe Hayato's words at all. "Are you saying that the thief Bakura has a new target besides harming the Pharaoh, and has his eye on the Millennium Artifacts that our priests possess? How ridiculous."

"The Millennium Artifacts are not something that just anyone can use. Only by undergoing necessary training and being recognized by the Millennium Artifacts can one have even the slightest chance of wearing one. Even then, one still needs to undergo arduous training and practice to use them."

"Born into nobility, I am known as 'the busybody Kalim.' Since the time of the previous Pharaoh Akhenamkanon, I have been undergoing arduous training as a prospective user of the Millennium Scales among the Millennium Items. It was not until a few years ago that I completed my training and was able to inherit the position of priest and the Millennium Scales."

Kalim spoke with a proud expression, and then he saw Hayato lift the Millennium Wisdom Ring on his chest: "Is that so? But I haven't trained for a single day and I'm already wearing the Millennium Wisdom Ring."

"you!"

Kalim was speechless for a moment, pointing at Hayato but unable to utter a word, only able to snort: "Hmph, anyway, I don't believe anyone would try to steal the Millennium Item. Let him come out now if he dares—"

"boom!"

Before Kalim could finish speaking, a loud bang suddenly came from above the valley. The Sand Lion that had appeared in front of Hayato and Kaiba earlier was suddenly knocked down from the sky and slammed heavily to the ground. At the same time, an arrogant voice rang out: "The Valley of Royal Slumber, huh? Hehehehehe, your grandpa Bakura has come to visit again!"

From the top of the valley, Diaband, with the lower half of a white snake and the upper half of a demon, spread its wings and glided down from the sky. The loud voice standing on the snake's head was none other than Bakura, who had been scared away by Hayato earlier.

Hayato wasn't wrong before. After using the Millennium Wisdom Wheel to find out the whereabouts of Kalim and Isis, he did indeed set his sights on these two Millennium Items that were currently isolated!

"Scorching Sand Sphinx!" The moment the Scorching Sand Sphinx crashed to the ground, Maliku rushed over with a pained expression and knelt beside it, examining its wounds. Its once star-like body was now covered in cuts from the attacks, and a tongue dangled from its ethereal human face, leaving the Scorching Sand Sphinx seemingly in a state of near-death.

"No, don't die, Sandstorm Sphinx!" Malik stroked the Sandstorm Sphinx's body, but the words that came out of his mouth were not the tender words he had expected. "You've been kept here, eating so much meat every day, that we tomb guardians have to eat the bits of meat that we can save from between your teeth to have a taste of meat. If you die after eating so much meat, won't all that meat have been eaten for nothing?"

"Don't die, you hot sand sphinx!"

"Alright, alright, that guy's fine. He just got knocked out after being thrown to the ground." Hayato glanced at the Sandstorm Sphinx and could tell that although the wound looked intimidating, it wasn't deep at all; it was just a superficial injury. Since Diaband's attack hadn't killed the Sandstorm Sphinx, he interrupted Marik's soul-calling. "Now, we need to deal with that guy."

Upon hearing Hayato's words, Marik looked up at Diaband and Bakula, which were heading into the valley, and said through gritted teeth, "They dare to trespass into the Valley of the King's Long Sleep, they don't take me, the patriarch of the tomb-guarding clan, seriously at all."

"Behold my ultimate move!"

Hearing Maliku's words, Isis, who was standing to the side, looked at him curiously: "Ultimate move? I've never heard of that?"

“Ha, you fool, what’s so special about something that’s widely known?” Marik said, pointing to Diaband in the air. “See that monster? Its lower body is a giant snake and it doesn’t have legs. So we should make full use of our advantage of having legs.”

"Faced with such a formidable enemy, my ultimate weapon is..."

Just as Isis thought Maliku was about to do something, he suddenly threw down his scepter and turned around: "Nigeria Ludayou~"

"Idiot! Even the Sandstorm Sphinx is no match for that kind of enemy. How could we possibly win? I'm resigning as the chieftain of the Tomb Keeper Clan!"

Chapter 773 features the same type of spirit.

"Maliku Ishdar!" Kalim cursed as he watched Maliku flee, "Do you still have any honor left in your clan of tomb guardians? To desert in the face of battle, how shameful!"

Bakula had only just appeared, and hadn't even landed yet, when one of his men had already escaped, which infuriated Kalim.

But he had no time to pay attention to the fleeing Marik, because Bakula had already arrived in front of them in the Diaband.

Standing on the snake's head, looking down at everyone, Bakula arrogantly said, "Hmph, it seems the news I heard was indeed true. The Millennium Scales and the Millennium Jewelry, these two Millennium Artifacts, are waiting for me to come and collect them."

"Bakura?" Kaiba frowned as he looked at the person who had appeared before him. Unlike the others who already knew of Bakura's existence, this was actually Kaiba's first meeting with the always troublemaking Bakura. "I remember you were a classmate, weren't you? Why aren't you in class and instead showing up here?"

"Huh? You, who dropped out after only one day of class, do you have the right to say that?" Although he was an ancient Egyptian from three thousand years ago, Bakura was actually a pawn controlled by Bakura. Even though the seahorse had left the previous barrier, Bakura could still see his presence. "But I am not the Bakura you know."

"My name is Bakura, the avenger corresponding to the game of being a pharaoh, the Thief King Bakura!"

"And look, isn't this Hayato? I set off as soon as I got the intelligence, but I didn't expect you to get here even faster than me." Looking at Hayato, Bakura focused his gaze on the Millennium Wisdom Wheel and said coldly, "However, the same tricks won't work on me this time. Don't even think about using that invisible monster to get close to me again, and I won't fall for your tricks again."

"Since you've personally delivered the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel] to my door, then I'll gladly accept these three [Millennium Artifacts]: the [Millennium Scales], the [Millennium Jewelry], and the [Millennium Wisdom Wheel]!"

"Let's do it, Diaband!"

After making his own threats, Bakura disregarded all the rules of the underworld and, without waiting for Hayato and the others to respond with their own threats, ordered Diaband to launch an attack.

The spiraling airflow rushed towards the group, but just as it was about to reach them, it was torn apart and shredded by the claw of the manifested Winged Dragon Ra.

“That won’t do, Bakura. I’m the one who always steals from others. Don’t even think about taking the Millennium Wisdom Wheel from me.” Hayato stepped forward and looked at Bakura. “I came here specifically to stop you. Go, Ra’s Winged Dragon.”

With the support of the Gladiator's Disk and the Millennium Wisdom Wheel, Hayato's burden when using Ra's Winged Dragon was much lighter. He was able to unleash more power from Ra's Winged Dragon than before. The Sun Bird opened its beak and, as a response to Diaband's attack, sent a breath of fire back at Ra's Winged Dragon.

Bakura remained completely unfazed and confidently stated, "Have you lost your mind, Hayato? I just said that the same tricks don't work on me, and you should have known that before."

"Then, to deal with you, it would be better to use the same move."

Bakula raised his hand with a cold smile, and Diaband followed suit, raising his arm as well. The same golden mechanical patterns as those on Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra lit up on his forearm. A ball of almost identical flame flew out from Diaband's hand, turning into a pillar shape, and collided with Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra's attack.

"Divine Flame Cannon!" x2

Compared to the last battle, this time Hayato had the added boost from the Millennium Wisdom Wheel and the Gladiator's Disk, allowing him to unleash 1000% of his original power. Even so, in the clash of energy with Diaband, who had previously stolen Ra's Winged Dragon, the two only managed a draw.

This is only under the premise that Diaband is attacking with only one hand.

"Weak, weak, weak! [Diaband] is the embodiment of resentment. After obtaining the power of all three Egyptian Gods, it is already the strongest monster in the world. Even without using its immortality, its combat power surpasses that of your [Ra's Winged Dragon]!"

Hearing Bakura's words, Hayato calmly said, "It seems to be the same type of Pokémon as my [Rathalos]. Although it is not known for its speed, it has extremely powerful strength."

"But I'm not the only one fighting here!"

Behind Hayato, Karim and Isis did not desert their posts. Instead, they used the time Hayato bought to summon their slate monsters. Three identical monsters appeared before Karim. Bright yellow lightning crackled around their outstretched wings, their slender, emerald-green bodies were long and graceful, and their dragon heads were majestic and noble.

The Slate Monster used by Kalim was none other than [Thunder Dragon], a rare monster in the early days of Duel Monsters that had a "hand activation effect"!

The three monsters that appeared on Isis's side were even more invincible: [Mudora], [Keldor], and [Argento]. If it weren't for the fact that Isis's Gladiator's Disk only had three slots, Hayato had no doubt that she would have pulled out another [Kelberk] to form the terrifying Earth Angel Genta Four combination that made countless card players tremble with fear.

However, compared to the earth angels who colluded with mermaids to dominate the pie chart, the stone slab monsters summoned by Isis only appear in their pre-transformation form. Perhaps they will need thousands of years to grow and accumulate power before they become the earth angels that eventually appear in Isis's hands.

Now is not the time to reminisce about how powerful and terrifying the Netherworld Pearl Tears were. In front of everyone, there is Bakura and his [Diabund] waiting to be defeated.

"Heh heh, were you just stalling for time for these monsters to appear, Hayato? Muda muda!" Bakura said arrogantly. "No matter how many ants gather, they can't kill a dragon. I won't even need a second to take down these small monsters!"

"After the Winged Dragon of Ra, I will use this destructive power, the power of the Titan of Obelisk!"

After receiving Bakula's command, Diaband raised his arms, seemingly serious and ready to give it his all. The same markings as the "True Ancestor Type" [Obelisk the Tormentor] appeared on his body, and a large amount of energy gathered in his clenched fists, forming two spheres!

"That's... the Divine Fist Crushing Strike?!"

How could Kaiba, who had once used the power of Obelisk the Tormentor, not recognize the source of the technique used by Diaband in front of him?

Chapter 774 Don't Make Flags Randomly

"Don't even think about hitting it!"

The Titan of Obelisk possesses unparalleled destructive power. If Bakura were allowed to unleash it, Hayato, protected by Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra, would be fine, but Isis and Carim's monsters would likely be wiped out instantly, and they would also suffer severe injuries.

While Diaband was still charging up, Hayato immediately commanded Ra's Winged Dragon to attack.

As the Winged Dragon Ra approached, Bakura sneered: "Heh, don't even think about getting in my way, Hayato!"

Diaband, who had been charging up his fists simultaneously, released one hand and stopped charging. Under Bakula's control, Diaband multitasked and once again unleashed "Divine Flame Cannon" with one hand, blocking the attack from Ra's Winged Dragon that was trying to interrupt him.

Seeing this, Bakura was about to laugh and mock Hayato when Karim's voice rang out: "Don't ignore my presence, Bakura!"

Three bolts of lightning struck from different angles, bypassing Diaband, who was struggling with Ra's Winged Dragon, and heading straight for Bakula. After summoning the Thunder Dragons, Kalim controlled them to fly to different locations to look for an opportunity to strike.

While Thunder Dragon's attack wasn't among the strongest of the Slate Monsters, it was still powerful enough to kill a mere mortal like Bakura. In Kalim's estimation, Bakura would be forced to stop Diaband's charging attack and return to defense in the face of this attack.

Faced with the attack, Bakula wanted to use the wings of [Diabund] to protect himself. After all, wings had no other use in the current situation of fighting on the ground, just like feet are only decoration when flying in the air.

But just as Diaband's wings were about to move, the monsters that Isis had summoned earlier had already completed their preparations. The moment a large magic circle was completed, Bakura felt his body become heavy and somewhat strained, and Diaband's movements became sluggish, making it difficult to use its wings to protect itself in time.

"You bunch of bastards, you're bullying the few with the many of you!"

"Enough with the nonsense! What's the point of talking about chivalry with a heretic like you?" Kalim said righteously. "I, Kalim, have traveled far from my homeland and seen many countries, but I have never encountered a vile person like you, Bakura, who is more filthy than frog urine and reeks of disgust!"

"There's only one person on the other side, let's all attack together!"