Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Target hit perfectly! Mana-chan wins big! Yay!"

Malik looked up and saw a young girl in a court mage's robe proudly showing off to a man riding beside her. Malik, who had long presided over the tomb-guarding clan in the Valley of the King's Long Sleep, had never met the Pharaoh, but the moment he saw the young man on horseback, he instinctively felt that he was the Pharaoh.

"Mage Mana, as I just mentioned, there are people in front of the monster horde. Your magic attack was too reckless; you almost hit them!"

Next to the young man whom Maric thought was the Pharaoh, a young man holding a golden scepter reprimanded the mage girl with a serious expression. The other's face made Maric subconsciously look at the seahorse lying next to him: "Is that your brother?"

"Hmph, I only have one younger brother."

Mariko was given a disapproving look by the seahorse, feeling somewhat confused: "Wait a minute, why does he look a bit bigger than you?"

“That’s…Priest Set…”

The one who answered Marik was not the starfish-headed seahorse that was completely distracted and staring intently at the one riding on horseback, but Isis, whom he had been carrying on his back and who had finally awakened because of the magic just now.

“Oh, you’re finally awake, Isis.” Upon hearing Isis’s voice, Malik put her down and glanced at the man next to the starfish head that resembled a seahorse. “So he’s Priest Set. He really does look exactly like a seahorse.”

"It sounds like you've been keeping an eye on that person?" Hearing Marik's words, Kaiba finally turned to look at him.

Malik nodded and sighed, "I don't know if you've heard, but of the six priests under the current Pharaoh who possess the Millennium Artifact, including the priest Mahad who died not long ago, only Priest Set was of commoner origin."

"Actually, before Seth underwent the trials and selection of the Millennium Artifacts, the Millennium Scepter and the Millennium Jewelry were assigned to the Tomb Guardians. However, unlike Isis, I did not gain the approval of the Millennium Scepter at that time, so it was Seth who passed the trials who ultimately became a priest."

Speaking of his past, Maliku seemed somewhat relieved. "That's all. I missed out on a certain position for some reason. If it were you, you would naturally pay attention to the person standing in that position as well."

Kaiba thought about it and put himself in the shoes of his own time in Duel City, where he had the final battle with Hayato and competed for the title of "Duel King." He could understand why Maric was paying attention to Seth.

Looking at Maliku's face, Kaiba thought of the "sunny boy" from the future, and he rarely comforted others, saying, "If you could do it all over again, you might also gain the approval of the Millennium Scepter."

"It's quite unexpected to hear such words from someone like you." Maliku glanced at the seahorse and smiled. "Thanks for your kind words."

The two who had been running for their lives were already exhausted, collapsing to the ground without even sitting up. While they were talking, the people who had rescued them from the [Bones] approached. Only then did Maliku realize that the few he had seen were merely at the very front; many more followed behind them.

The approaching group also saw the faces of Maric, Isis, and Kaiba. The appearance of Priest Isis and Maric, the head of the tomb-guarding clan, was not surprising, but the three leaders were stunned when they saw Kaiba's face.

The mage girl Mana subconsciously turned her head: "Hey, hey, Priest Set, is that your younger brother?"

"Hmph, think before you speak, Mage Mana, I have no brothers."

Seth frowned and glared at Mana. If it weren't for the fact that she was a disciple of his deceased old rival Mahad, a woman favored by the Pharaoh, and that he needed her magical assistance on this trip, he would have already cursed her out.

Looking at the seahorse whose face was exactly the same as his own, Seth's expression turned cold. He said to Yami Yugi beside him, "Pharaoh, please be careful not to get too close. I suspect that he may be one of the thief Bakura's men, who disguised himself as me and infiltrated the palace."

"It is highly likely that the theft of the Millennium Cone and the Millennium Key, as well as the disappearance of the priest Aknadi, were all the work of this person."

"You have only recently awakened and have not yet recovered. I suggest we apprehend him and interrogate him first."

It wasn't that Seth was targeting Kaiba; anyone who saw someone who looked exactly like them would likely find it difficult to trust them. This wasn't just Seth's feeling towards Kaiba; Kaiba also harbored a subtle aversion towards Seth. In fact, even Hayato felt the same way about Meliamon.

However, Dark Game did not heed Set's guess, but instead shook his head with a smile: "No, Priest Set, I know him, he is my friend, and he can be trusted."

"Right, seahorse?"

Upon hearing Yami Yugi's words, Kaiba was somewhat surprised: "You...you're Yugi? I thought you were some ancient person who looks just like you. Kobayashi Hayato wasn't lying to me after all?"

When Kaiba met Hayato before, Hayato had already told him a lot of things, including Yami Yugi and how he was dragged into the Dark Game by Bakura. He also explained that Yami Yugi was the soul of an unknown pharaoh from three thousand years ago and that this world was a world of pharaoh memories.

Hayato spoke to him very seriously, but Kaiba didn't believe him at all. He always scoffed at things like "soul" and "memory." But the being who was being respected as a pharaoh by a group of ancient people did show familiarity with him. Kaiba realized that Hayato wasn't making things up. Yami Yugi really was a pharaoh from three thousand years ago.

However, the soul and such...

Suddenly, with an expression of sudden realization, the seahorse nodded: "I see, I'm gradually understanding everything."

"In this dark game, you've acquired the identity of the Pharaoh, right? Just like those idiots from the Five Elders who arranged for me to be a sacrifice to those ugly dragon monsters called the Five Divine Dragons in the virtual game, it's all just an identity within the game."

The seahorse looked confident, with an expression that said, "Nobody can fool me." It explained, "I am not a normal player because I was mistakenly drawn into this dark game due to 'quantum entanglement,' so naturally I cannot be seen by the characters in the game and I do not have a basic identity."

"I think I understand now."

No, just from what you're saying, I can tell you don't understand anything at all.

Looking at the seahorse, Yami Yugi silently complained to himself.

Seeing that Pharaoh had inexplicably conjured up a new friend, Seth also mentally complained about how Pharaoh had so many friends. However, even though Yami Yugi said that Kaiba was his friend, Seth didn't give Kaiba a friendly look: "Kaiba? That sounds like a woman's name. So he's a man?"

Before the seahorse could get angry, he turned to the two people beside it: "And you, Marik Ishdar, as the patriarch of the tomb-guarding clan, shouldn't you be stationed in the Valley of the Royal Rest? Why are you here with Priestess Isis? And Priestess Isis, the Pharaoh's order to you was only to bury the previous Pharaoh with Priestess Kalim, so why are you here?"

"I thought Seahorse was infuriating enough, but do you think you're the Pharaoh? Don't question me!" Maric, who had just escaped death, glared angrily at Seth, who was arrogantly questioning him and his companions.

He had indeed come to terms with not gaining the Millennium Scepter's approval, but he had never said that he didn't dislike Set. Set's current behavior only made Maliku more and more annoyed.

However, the name Seth mentioned also reminded Maliku of something: "Now is not the time to argue with you about these things."

Looking at Yami Yugi, Malik solemnly said, "Pharaoh, this is the first time I have met you, and I am afraid I cannot give you a full bow. In short, please be sure to send someone to rescue us from the direction we came from. Priest Kalim and Hayato Kobayashi stayed behind us to delay the enemy so that we could escape."

Upon hearing this, Seth also became serious: "You came from the thief village of Kreelna, right? Indeed, the message left by Priest Aknadi before his disappearance was correct; the thief Bakura's lair is in that place. And they even dared to kidnap Priest Aknadi and steal the [Millennium Artifact] from Pharaoh and Priest Shada..."

"This is truly unforgivable, Be...Bakula!"

Seth was a little confused; had he almost misspoken someone's name?

Upon hearing Set's words, Isis replied, "No, although I don't know if the Thief Village of Clay Elna is the lair of the thief Bakura, Priest Set, I think the person who stole the Millennium Scales and the Millennium Cone shouldn't be the thief Bakura."

"Previously, I was ordered to go with Priest Kalim to the Valley of the Royal Rest to bury the mummy of the previous Pharaoh Aknamkanon. We were then attacked by Bakura. Fortunately, Hayato Kobayashi arrived in time to save us, and we killed the thief Bakura right there in the Valley of the Royal Rest."

“Yes, yes, I can vouch for it. And the tomb guardians in the Valley of the Royal Sleep, I had them preserve Bakura’s body before I left,” Marik said hastily. “And the one who left Priest Kalim and Hayato Kobayashi behind to buy us time wasn’t Bakura, but another guy who called himself the ‘Dark High Priest’.”

“That guy placed the Millennium Cone and the Millennium Key on a stone slab that he claimed connected to the underworld right in front of us. The slab had seven empty slots, which corresponded to the seven Millennium Items. And after he met us, he tried to take the Millennium Items we were carrying.”

Marik paused, glancing at the Millennium Scepter in Priest Set's hand. "Speaking of which, although I haven't seen the kidnapped Priest Aknati anywhere, that 'Dark High Priest' wears the Millennium Eye. The Priest Aknati you mentioned has most likely fallen into his hands and had his eye taken away."

"If we include the Millennium Scepter that you have, Priest Set, then it seems like all seven Millennium Artifacts are gathered here?"

Mana tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "The Millennium Items must have been made by the previous pharaohs using the highest alchemy. Could there be some special purpose in collecting all seven? These seven Millennium Items have always been kept in the palace, and there are research records in my master's notes. What exactly was the purpose of that person collecting all seven Millennium Items?"

Yami Yugi lowered his head, his mind filled with growing doubts, but he didn't have much time to think. Nodding, he said, "In any case, there's no time to lose. We need to set off immediately to rescue them. Not only Hayato and Priest Kalim, but also the missing Priest Aknadi and the soldiers who disappeared with him."

Chapter 786 Throwing Tiles, Touching Throwing Tiles

Dark Yugi woke up shortly after Hayato left, and after he woke up, Yugi, Jonouchi and the others who were guarding him told him about Hayato's speculation about Aknade before he left.

Out of trust in everyone, especially Aibo, Yami Yugi naturally had doubts about Aknadi. However, before he could put his doubts into practice after waking up, news came.

The priest of Aknadi and a large number of troops stationed in the royal city have gone missing. The two "Millennium Artifacts," the "Millennium Cone" and the "Millennium Key," have also disappeared without a trace. Furthermore, a large amount of bloodstains and an extremely well-hidden message were found at the priest of Aknadi's residence.

The message conveyed was that Aknadi discovered Bakura's infiltration of the palace again and witnessed him stealing the Millennium Artifact. As a witness, Aknadi was also attacked by Bakura and taken away by Bakura along with a large number of soldiers in the royal city. Their destination was Bakura's stronghold, the thief village of Kreelna.

The court sorcerers used their magical powers to try to recreate the scene at the residence of the priest Aknadi, and discovered that in addition to the priest Aknadi, there was indeed another person with an extremely strong dark aura who had appeared, and the blood on the ground was indeed the priest Aknadi's.

Logically, the more information one has, the easier it is to deduce and analyze the truth. However, Yami Yugi seems to be struggling to figure it out.

Hayato said that Aknade was not a good person and had ulterior motives, but in the blink of an eye, Aknade was "sacrificed". No matter how much Yami Yugi wanted to suspect Aknade, he couldn't do anything about it. Aknade, who claimed to have been kidnapped by Bakura, had no suspicion whatsoever.

However, upon hearing that Marik and the others had seen the two missing Millennium Items and Aknadi's Millennium Eye, but not Aknadi himself, Yami Yugi's suspicions were rekindled, even though it wasn't impossible that Aknadi had been murdered.

He had a premonition that once he found the "Dark High Priest," he might be able to learn the truth and the answer to everything.

Upon hearing Dark Game's words, Mana nodded obediently and waved her wand, saying, "Yes, Priestess Isis and the others came from that direction, right? I sensed a very strong dark aura there. I'll go and provide support, Your Majesty... Pharaoh."

Halfway through her sentence, Mana promptly corrected herself on how she addressed Yami Yugi. The title "Prince" was her exclusive privilege; although Yami Yugi himself had permitted it, with so many people around, she decided to stick with the majority and call him "Pharaoh."

As she spoke, Mana rode her horse to the front. As a member of the court mages, Mana's magical level was second only to the late Mahad, giving her enough strength to ensure her safety, especially since she had made great progress in her recent diligent training after Mahad's death.

After Hayato, Seth, and Shada devised a method to awaken the spirits within them using the Millennium Items, the popularization of spirits was temporarily halted due to the disappearance of the Millennium Eye and Millennium Key. However, Mana, who had heard of this method, tried it herself.

Even without the alchemical crystallization of the Gladiator's Disk or the recognition of the Millennium Artifact, Mana, with her magical prowess, was actually only one step away from awakening her own spirit form.

Mana went ahead, and Yami Yugi, who was traveling with her, naturally wouldn't let her go too far alone and wanted to catch up. Priest Set also followed to protect the Pharaoh. Seeing this, although he had just run a long distance and didn't have enough energy, Kaiba still stood up and wanted to follow the others back to the Thieves' Village.

Even though he knew he had no power, there was a difference between being unable to do anything and doing nothing. The seahorse had a burning anger inside that it couldn't vent.

Just as Kaiba was about to catch up with Seth and Yami Yugi, Seth, who was a step behind Yami Yugi, slowed down, glanced at Kaiba, and stopped him: "Enough. What's the use of you catching up? You have no power, so even if you catch up, you can't protect anything. You'll just be a burden to us."

"Stay here, you seahorse guy, if you have any self-awareness at all."

Mana is a court mage who can use magic to fight. Although the Pharaoh's Millennium Cone was stolen, he can still summon the stone monsters that were previously transferred from the stone tablet temple of Mahad. Seth also has extensive experience in controlling stone monsters to fight.

Seth glared at Kaiba, annoyed that he had just escaped the pursuit of those monsters and was now stubbornly insisting on going back. However, he seemed to forget that he often displayed the same stubbornness in the eyes of others.

Whether it was a hallucination caused by seeing the same face or not, when Set looked at the seahorse that resembled him, he inexplicably saw a very familiar pursuit of power in its eyes. He seemed to have seen similar looks in Bakura's attack on the palace and in Mahad's sacrifice.

Perhaps when everything is over, the seahorse with such eyes will be able to awaken a decent Pokémon using the power of the Millennium Key, but Seth doesn't have time to waste on the powerless seahorse right now. After speaking, he turned around and chased after Yami Yugi without looking back, no longer paying attention to the seahorse.

Although Yami Yugi, Seth, and Mana left, they weren't the only ones who came to the Thieves' Village this time. There was also an army of nearly a hundred people who followed the direction the three had left in. However, a logistics force was left behind to take care of Maric, Isis, and Kaiba.

Isis received treatment and care from the physician, and the Millennium Jewelry she wore was removed to prevent its magic from interfering with the magic used during the medical treatment, and was temporarily handed over to Isis's younger brother, Maric.

Looking at the Millennium Jewelry in Maric's hand, and with Seth's contemptuous words echoing in his mind, a thought popped into Kaiba's head.

He patted Mariko on the shoulder, gesturing for Mariko to walk to the side with him. After confirming that no one was around, Kaiba told Mariko his thoughts.

"Awakening a spirit with the Millennium Item? Do you really believe what Hayato Kobayashi said?" Maric raised an eyebrow. "But the problem is, this isn't the Millennium Eye or the Millennium Key, and I haven't received the Millennium Jewelry's recognition either."

The Millennium Items may appear to be just gold artifacts, but the magic they contain is unlike that of an inert metal like gold; it is unusually active. Compared to the Millennium Items that Kaiba knew about three thousand years later, the Millennium Items in this memory world seem to have a more obvious magic.

Perhaps the passage of three thousand years has worn down the power of these "Millennium Artifacts", or perhaps they were sealed away, causing their magic to become dormant?

In short, in this era, the "Millennium Artifact" is designed so that those who fail the trial are not even qualified to touch it. Just touching it will cause extreme pain and torment, and in severe cases, it can even kill the person who touches it.

Aknadi had warned Bakula about this before, but Bakula, due to his connection with the creation of the Millennium Items, completely disregarded this premise. Of course, it's also plausible to consider Bakula as having already passed the trials of the Millennium Items.

This is why the healers didn't keep the Millennium Jewels separately, but instead entrusted them to Maric for temporary safekeeping. As the head of the tomb-guarding clan, who was almost chosen as one of the Millennium Items but unfortunately failed, Maric, unlike ordinary people, cannot gain the Millennium Items' approval to use their power, but he can still barely touch them without getting hurt.

But now, Kaiba is telling Maric to use the power of the Millennium Jewelry to awaken the spirits, and he wants to help.

What if the spirits' power doesn't awaken and Kaiba gets killed by the magic of the Millennium Jewelry? Even the relatively mild "good" Millennium Items don't mean they're without danger. In a more serious case, Marik himself might not have a good ending because of it.

"Stop joking. Do you know what happens when someone who isn't qualified tries to use the Millennium Item?" Looking at the seahorse, Mariko poked his chest with his finger. "Your soul will be scattered, and you'll die a horrible death! Don't think that just because you escaped with me earlier, we have any special relationship. I won't feel sorry for you if you die, and I'm definitely not going to gamble my life with you."

“I had heard before that among the priests under the Pharaoh, Priest Aknadi had a hobby of collecting stone tablet monsters, and that Set also liked to collect stone tablet monsters, but the difference was that he only pursued those stone tablet monsters with great power.”

"You look exactly like Priest Set, and even your thoughts are the same. Is it necessary to risk your life for power?"

Mariko's words were harsh, but they carried more of a sense of helplessness. He could see the same thirst for power in Kaiba's eyes, but seeing it didn't mean understanding it. Was power really that important, worth Kaiba risking his life for?

Hearing Maliku's words, Kaiba nodded firmly: "Yes, that's right. For the sake of power, this is a necessary sacrifice."

Seeing the disdainful look on Mariko's face after hearing his answer, Kaiba took a deep breath and said, "I don't want to go through that situation again. I've had enough of that once."

What Kaiba was referring to was naturally not the fact that he, the president of Kaiba Entertainment Group and a legendary duelist whose strength ranks among the top three in the world, had been criticized as a "burden" three times in a short period of one day, or even just a few hours—although this did indeed infuriate Kaiba.

What the seahorse has had enough of is that it has no power to change anything, no power to fight back, and no power to protect others from helping it.

His pride was extremely strong, but Hayato and Karim's selfless act of covering the rear repeatedly humiliated him.

Ultimately, the root of all this is that he lacks power.