Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

As Fanny Valentine spoke, Jonouchi was somewhat puzzled because he heard Hayato next to him suddenly clench his fists and crack his knuckles.

"The price I paid for this treasure is nothing compared to its beauty! With this beauty alone, I could sell it for an astronomical sum. There's nothing more exciting than that!"

"I'm about to have you—"

Because the black mercenary was staring at her, Fanny Valentine was somewhat annoyed that her appreciation of beauty was being interrupted, but this was overshadowed by the excitement of soon obtaining this treasure. Holding the ornament in her hands, admiring it closely, Fanny Valentine said with deep emotion,

"—Three thousand years ago, the famous Ramses II gifted his beloved queen, Nefertari, with jewelry!"

"Oh!"

Unable to restrain himself, Hayato slammed his fist into the stone door, seemingly triggering a mechanism. With a loud "bang," the stone door burst open, and Fanny Valentine stared in astonishment as a large group of people were suddenly revealed through the open wall.

Chapter 831 The Duelist Matters Don't Need to Be So Clear

The moment Hayato and his group appeared, the black mercenary immediately sprang into action, grabbing Fanny Valentine and pulling him behind him to protect him from the sudden appearance of Hayato and his group. At the same time, he also snatched the jewelry from the other man's hand and put it back in the box.

The mercenary locked the briefcase instantly, drew a gun from his waist, and was about to fire at Hayato and his companions.

However, no matter how fast his reaction was, he was still no match for Hayato, who had already made his move behind the stone gate. The card of Gaia flew out of Hayato's hand and struck the gun before the muzzle could be raised to aim.

The mercenary was astonished to find that what had struck the gun was clearly just an ordinary paper card, but the force that erupted in an instant was like a charging heavy cavalryman pressing a lance against a pistol. The pistol was deformed and sent flying, and the mercenary's hand holding the gun went numb, and his fingers almost broke.

The mercenary, who was about to draw his weapon again, was suddenly paralyzed by the golden cane hanging from the waist of the boy at the front of the group. The mercenary was completely immobilized and frozen in place.

It wasn't until the black mercenary was subdued by Hayato using the Millennium Scepter that the overweight white man—who seemed to be named Fanny Valentine—realized what had happened and exclaimed in a panic, "Who...who are you people? How did you all come out of a place like that!"

"Exor O'Brien, aren't you a very famous mercenary? Why don't you hurry up and kill these guys? Why aren't you doing it!"

The mercenary named Exor O'Brien, who was controlled by the Millennium Scepter, rolled his eyes helplessly with his back to Fanny Valentine before finally looking at Hayato and the others.

As a mercenary who had been on the battlefield several times and hadn't lost any limbs yet, he could confidently judge from his experience that five of the eight people in front of him were just a bunch of kids who had never seen blood, and they looked like just a group of students.

A short man with a colorful starfish-shaped head, a cowardly white-haired man in a blue and white striped sailor shirt, a timid woman, and two thugs who looked like they'd been in many fights. Apart from these three, the other three gave him a very ominous sense of crisis.

Hayato walked past the completely immobilized Exor O'Brien and headed straight for the suitcase that had fallen to the ground because of Exor's restraint. However, upon seeing Hayato's actions, Fanny Valentine rushed over to try and grab the suitcase as well.

Seeing this, Hayato naturally kicked the other person without any mercy, sending him staggering back several steps and falling to the ground, before picking up the box.

Behind Hayato, Honda and Jonouchi exchanged glances: "Hayato looks really angry, he looks a bit scary."

"Speaking of which, back in the Slate World, Hayato was supposed to be the reincarnation of Pharaoh Ramses II," Honda shrugged. "While I don't know if that was just something that happened in the Slate World or if it's the same in the real world, it's hard to judge the act of saying you want to take Nefertari's jewelry in front of Hayato."

"Put yourself in my shoes. If someone tried to take Cindia's belongings from me, I'd probably be even angrier than Hayato-boy~"

Hearing what Honda and Pegasus said, Malik curled his lip indifferently: "It can't be true. Although Duel Monsters, Spirits, and Dark Games are all supernatural things, the idea of ​​soul reincarnation is too far-fetched."

"Especially when you judge who is whose reincarnation, there is no basis at all. Let's not even mention that Seto Kaiba is the reincarnation of a priest or that my brother-in-law was a pharaoh in his previous life. It's simply outrageous to say that I am the reincarnation of the patriarch of a tomb-guarding clan from three thousand years ago."

Honda glanced at Malik and said, "If you're talking about evidence..."

“Malik and Malik, these two names sound very similar.”

Jonouchi also counted on his fingers: "And Malik, you're good at using torture decks, and Malik seems to be very good at torture devices and such."

“Mariku also has an older sister named Isis,” Kyoko chimed in.

Finally, the game added insult to injury: "And Miss Isis also suppressed Maric very well, which made him actually a little inferior."

"Hmph, that's exactly right. You see, that's the difference. I'm not afraid of my sister at all," Malik retorted stubbornly.

"Would you dare say that to Miss Isis's face?"

"The weather is really nice today."

Seeing Hayato pick up the briefcase, Fanny Valentine was very anxious. Ignoring the fact that the mercenary he had hired was completely unable to move in front of Hayato, he pointed at Hayato and said, "You brat, put my things down right now!"

"Your stuff? Hmph, there's a limit to ignorance. This is clearly mine. I haven't even settled accounts with you two thieves yet." Hayato frowned, not in a hurry to open the locked briefcase, and said coldly, "It's only because it was me and not Meliamon that you two would already be in the underworld."

"That's just sophistry. I don't know what's going on with you guys, but the fact that you're here means you're not good people either. You're clearly just trying to double-cross us." Fanny Valentine gritted his teeth in anger. "And you say it's your stuff? Do you think you're Ozymandias?"

“I have no need to explain this to an idiot like you. As thieves who stole Nefertari’s jewelry, you should be prepared to face judgment.” Hayato raised his hand and put the Duel Disk he always carried on his wrist. “Let’s decide your fate with the Duel Monster ritual.”

"Dueling monsters? Hmph, although I've never participated in any high-profile competitions, I won't lose to some lowly, poor nobody who just pops up out of nowhere—"

Fanny Valentine started off with an arrogant expression, but as he spoke, he suddenly realized that the people in front of him looked somewhat familiar because of the keyword "Duel Monsters".

Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Kobayashi Hayato! Even he, an outsider, knew that Kobayashi Hayato was the Duel King! Instantly, Fanny Valentine's burgeoning confidence vanished, and he firmly shook his head: "No way! You're Kobayashi Hayato, aren't you? I'd never duel with you!"

"I've heard the rumors in the duelist world that anyone who has ever dueled a Duelist King will experience endless pain and torment! Duel with Kobayashi Hayato is no different from walking into the underworld!"

Upon hearing Fanny Valentine's words, Malik clicked his tongue and shook his head: "You're doomed. Your brother-in-law is petty and holds grudges. To actually call him a duelist from the underworld to his face, that's too brave."

Not only Hayato, but when Fanny Valentine looked at the others, he recognized several people he knew: "Pegasus J. Crawford of the International Illusion Society, and the legendary duelist Yugi Muto, what are you guys doing here!"

"We just heard it! It was you who bribed the yakuza to raise the ticket price that brought us here. I was wondering why the price was so outrageous." Jonouchi said with a displeased expression. "And what's with skipping over me? If you're going to express your feelings, at least include me, Jonouchi!"

"Jonouchi? Never heard of him before?"

"You're using such vulgar language!"

Jonouchi, who wanted to punch someone, was held back by Honda and Yugi. Hayato, seeing that Fanny Valentine had refused the duel, decided to take out the Millennium Key to conduct a small experiment.

The power of the Millennium Key is somewhat similar to that of the Millennium Eye and the Millennium Scepter. They are all powers that touch the soul. In the hands of Xia Da three thousand years ago, until she developed the ability of awakened spirits, it could only be used to determine what kind of demons were in other people's hearts.

However, in Shadi's hands, the Millennium Key had the ability to "disrupt the puzzle in people's hearts and turn them into their puppets." Hayato wanted to test this ability on Fanny Valentine, and also on the mercenary.

Fanny Valentine was unaware of the impending danger, but the dangerous signs from Axel O'Brien, who had saved him countless times on the battlefield, kept issuing warnings. Although he was restrained and unable to move, he could still speak and immediately said, "Please wait a moment, I am willing to accept this duel!"

Hayato paused, turned around to look at Exor O'Brien, especially scrutinizing the other's particularly prominent nose, then waved his hand to release the control of the Millennium Scepter and said, "Alright, then you shall accept the duel."

As the control was released, Exel staggered forward two steps and stood still. He looked up and saw a duel disk being thrown toward him, and instinctively reached out to catch it.

Then, naturally, although he was a mercenary, Exel was also carrying a deck of cards. After wearing the Duel Disk on his wrist, he inserted his deck into the slot of the Duel Disk, unfolded the panel, and stood opposite Hayato.

“Wait a minute, why should I let you duel in my place?” Fanny Valentine got up from the ground, looking at Hayato and Exel who seemed ready, and said, “No, why did we suddenly start playing cards? Was it necessary? And why Duel Monsters?”

"As far as I know, the origin of modern Duel Monsters games lies in the dueling rituals passed down from ancient Egypt. It's said to possess magical powers, and perhaps Hayato Kobayashi, the Duel King, possesses some kind of mysterious power related to it," Exer said, without turning around, his back to Valentine. "As for the reason for the duels..."

Exel was highly doubtful that even if he explained himself, the Valentines, as he knew them, could comprehend his thoughts. His intuition told him that accepting the duel was the only correct choice, otherwise something terrible would definitely happen, because he had just experienced the power of the Millennium Scepter and had no doubt about that.

Moreover, Valentine's presence here was solely for the purpose of stealing important cultural relics. Although the local gangs had been bribed to control the entry of foreign tourists, the government staff of the scenic area itself had not been bribed; they had simply been transferred elsewhere by him.

If Hayato Kobayashi and his gang cause any trouble and provoke the Egyptian government, even he wouldn't be very confident that he could escape without killing anyone or revealing his identity. He left the battlefield to become a thief because he didn't want to risk his life for money anymore. He didn't want to be wanted and not have a peaceful life. He still had children at home who needed his care.

"You don't need to know so much about duelists," Hayato said casually, glancing at Valentine. Turning his gaze to Exel, looking at the composed black mercenary, Hayato inserted his deck into the duel disk and said, "Duel."

"Duel!" Exel raised his Duel Disk, connecting it with the Duel Disk signal on Hayato's wrist, and both began drawing cards.

[Hayato: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

[Exercise: 4000LP, 5 card in hand]

It must be admitted that even though Hayato's hand speed is very fast, it is still slower than that of Exel, who relies on his hand speed to survive on the battlefield. However, thanks to the card pop-up function that Keihei modified on Hayato's Duel Disk, he was able to draw five cards in advance and seize the initiative.

"First move is mine, draw a card." Hayato drew a card, glanced at his perfect hand, and smiled coldly, "So strong, too strong. I'll use the cards in my hand to unleash a scorching sun-like punishment on you."

"Activate the Continuous Spell Card, [Nightmare Mirage]. This card allows me to draw up to four cards during my opponent's Standby Phase, and then discard the number of cards drawn during my Standby Phase."

"Next, I summon a monster in defense position, then set four cards face down, and my turn ends."

With an unusually standard "T" formation, Hayato instantly emptied his hand, ending his turn.

[Hayato: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand]

[The inside side represents a monster]

[Nightmare of the Mirage Tower] [Given Card] X4

Exer: "?"

"Yeah, a scorching sun-like punishment." Malik nodded, helplessly complaining, "He really has my brother-in-law's style, so sunny."

"See? I told you so before. The rumors were true. Duel with Hayato Kobayashi is torture. Even I can see that this round is just too weird." Valentine pointed to the cards on Hayato's field and said, "A full five face-down cards. This is not a normal duel like I know anything about!"

Looking at the cards on Hayato's field, Exel's expression turned somewhat grim, but since Hayato had ended his turn, he also drew a card from the top of his deck: "My turn, draw."

"In that instant, thanks to the effect of [Nightmare Mirage], I replenished my hand to four cards." Hayato drew a card from his deck, while Exel, unconcerned, played a card from his own hand:

"Attack signal summoned, [Volcanic Blade]!"

The ground in front of him cracked open, revealing churning lava, and a monster breathing fire crawled out of the lava.

【Volcanic Blade】【4☆/Fire】

[Flame Clan/Effect]

[1800/1200]

Chapter 832 You rich people don't care, but we're poor.

"A monster with an attack power of 1800 points, it looks quite imposing."

Hearing Jonouchi's voice from behind, Hayato casually said, "Yeah, it looks pretty imposing, so I'm going to activate my back row face-down card, the Trap Card [Slippery Summon]."

As Hayato revealed his backrow face-down card, a red circle appeared at the feet of the newly revealed [Volcanic Blade], while a blue circle appeared next to the monster in face-down defense position on Hayato's field.

"I can activate this effect when my opponent successfully summons, flips, or special summons a monster. I will special summon one Level 4 or lower monster from my hand in face-up Defense Position." As he spoke, Hayato played a card from his hand. "The monster I'm Special Summoning is this one: [Apostle of the Sun]!"

A sudden sandstorm swept across the land, and the warm winter sun suddenly turned into a scorching blaze. A guard clad in golden armor rose from the circle and knelt before Hayato as if to stand guard, or perhaps to express his loyalty and respect.

[Apostle of the Sun God] [4☆/Light]

[Angel Race/Effect]

[1100/600]

But that wasn't the end of it. The sandstorm was still raging, and in addition to the original Apostle of the Sun God, two more identical Apostles of the Sun God appeared on Hayato's field.

Surrounded by these guards wearing golden falcon helmets, and with the surrounding ruins of ancient Egypt adding to the atmosphere, Exel almost genuinely believed that Hayato was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt resurrected.

"When 'Apostle of the Sun' is successfully Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned, its effect is activated. I can Special Summon up to two 'Apostles of the Sun' from my hand or Deck." Hayato explained to Exor, "Now I have four slot monsters on the field. I've collected all the tributes, and God is about to arrive!"

"I told you, prepare to face the judgment of the scorching sun, you thief!"

Exel frowned as he glanced at the four monsters on Hayato's field and said, "Is it the legendary ultimate rare card, the 'Three Egyptian Gods,' which was once held by the Duel King? Even I've heard of it. Although I don't know what connection that accessory has with you, I need the money it can bring me."

"Unlike normal monsters, this ultimate monster requires three monsters as sacrifices to summon, possessing terrifying power that ordinary monsters cannot withstand. In that case, all we need to do is eliminate the sacrifices before it arrives!"

As he spoke, Exel drew a card and inserted it into the Spell & Trap Zone: "Spell Card activated, [Lightning Vortex], by discarding one card from my hand, destroy all monsters on my opponent's field!"

The sandstorm that had risen out of nowhere had just subsided slightly when a large cluster of dark clouds, gathering lightning, drifted in from the sky, seemingly about to strike. Seeing this, Bakura asked the person beside him with some confusion, "If you want to destroy all the monsters on the opponent's field, why use [Lightning Vortex] instead of [Lightning Strike]?"

“Right, if we use [Lightning Strike], wouldn’t we still have one card left in our hand?” Malik was also a little confused.