Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

[Heart-shaped Teapot] [Lid Card] [Lid Card]

Because Hayato has two cards in his graveyard, namely 【Dimensional Arena】 and 【Chain Material】, plus one card of unknown meaning that was sent from the top of his deck to the graveyard by the effect of 【Inferno Tearah】, there are now a total of three normal trap cards in his graveyard.

The effect of the [Silver Castle Statue] increases its attack by 400 for each normal trap. Before Hayato knew it, this was the only monster on his field that had surpassed the attack of [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]. It was only during Hayato's turn that Hiroya Misawa noticed this.

'Its attack power has already reached 3200 points, and it will continue to rise if the number of trap cards increases. I haven't forgotten that trap card that was just set.' Thinking this, Hiroya Misawa glanced at his two set cards in the back row. 'Damn it, because of that [Heart Pot], I can't use either of my cards.'

'That guy set so many cards face-down in the back row, it's about time they came in handy!'

His gaze swept toward the mysterious man beside him, but although four cards were covered, the man did not activate any of them after Hayato drew them out.

"I activate my backrow face-down card, [Dead Soul Fusion]: Select a monster from my Graveyard as Fusion Material and banish it face-down; Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck. Because of this effect, the Fusion Summoned monster cannot attack this turn."

After pressing the button to activate the face-down card, as expected, one of Hayato's two face-down cards in the back row was a normal trap card. This means that after Hayato sends this card to the graveyard, the attack power of his "Silver Castle Statue" will increase again.

But before that, Hiroya Misawa asked, puzzled, "Except for the monsters in your graveyard?"

In his memory, the only monster card known in Hayato's graveyard was [Hellfire Machine - Tierra].

What answered his question was the two purple-bordered cards that Hayato took out of the graveyard. The border color indicated that they were Fusion Monsters. Were they the cards that the effect of [Inferno Tyra] sent from the Fusion Deck to the graveyard?

"Previously, [Inferno Tyra] used its effect to send these two cards from my Fusion Deck—[Armored Black Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Dragon] and [Cyber ​​Ender Dragon]—to the Graveyard. Now, I'm banishing them face-down with the effect of [Dead Soul Fusion]."

Holding two Machine-Type monsters that were not exactly related to the so-called "Pure Silver Castle" deck, but rather completely unrelated, Hayato took out a Fusion Monster card and said, "Let's witness the darkness of Cyber ​​Stream, the deepest Cyber ​​Stream!"

Hayato, using the "Pure Silver Castle" deck, slammed down the cards in his hand: "I'm too lazy to think of a summoning phrase, I'll just use the most noble Fusion Summon to summon the invincible [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon]!"

The symbols of the "surface electron flow"—[Electronic Terminator Dragon] and the symbols of the "inner electron flow"—[Armored Black Dragon - Electro Dark Dragon]—have merged and combined into one powerful monster.

This is the [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon] that Samejima Master summoned when Hayato challenged the "Cyber ​​Flow" secret technique. Now, thanks to the effect of [Dead Soul Fusion], it makes a grand appearance on Hayato's field!

【Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon】【12☆/Dark】

[Mechanical Race/Fusion/Effect]

[5000/3800]

At the same time, because the variety of common trap cards in the graveyard has increased again, the attack power of [Silver Castle Statue] has been increased once again.

[The Demon Statue of Silver Castle] [3200/2800→3600/2800]

"Attack power of 5000 points, on par with the [Five Divine Dragons], and its level is as high as 12☆!"

Hiroshi Misawa could only marvel at the appearance of [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon] on Hayato's field; he had no means of retaliation. But at that moment, the mysterious figure next to him spoke up: "Chain this monster's Special Summon, and I'll also open my backrow face-down card."

"Continuous Trap Card [Conqueror of the Golden Land]!"

As the mysterious man revealed his face-down card, Hayato and Kaiba saw the card he had flipped over. Upon seeing the card image, Kaiba frowned: "This card...it seems like it was used just now, right?"

"【Conqueror of the Golden Land】was one of the cards in my hand that was sent to the graveyard last turn, but in addition to its effect that can be used in the graveyard, it also has the most basic effect of a Continuous Trap Card." The mysterious man said, "After activation, 【Conqueror of the Golden Land】will be Special Summoned to my field as a Normal Monster, and can still be used as a Trap Card."

From the opened card, a noble knight wielding a swift sword slowly emerges on horseback, seemingly unremarkable, if one ignores the large patches of his skin dyed gold. Not only the knight, but even the warhorse is the same; its upper body is a normal skin color, while its lower body is a dazzling, ominous gold.

Adding to the scene was Eldridge, the Golden Lord, sitting calmly and expressionlessly in his seat, watching the changes on the field. The Golden Kingdom deck used by the mysterious man, despite being mostly made of dazzling gold, only gave people a sense of darkness and curse, as if the birth of this gold came from some ominous and calamity.

[Conqueror of the Golden Land] [5 stars/Light]

[Undead/Normal]

[500/1800]

Seeing the knight on horseback in a defensive position on the field, Kaiba said disdainfully, "A Trap Monster deck? Hmph, it's just adding a shield with a mere 1800 defense points to yourself. Nothing special."

"No, although it does appear in the form of a normal monster, [Conqueror of the Golden City] has a different effect when [Eldridge the Golden Lord] is on my field."

As he spoke, the mysterious figure pointed a finger at Hayato's [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator] on the field. For some reason, looking at that somewhat flamboyant pointing gesture, Hayato's sense of déjà vu intensified. Now he was certain he knew that person. But how could that guy...?

"The second effect of [Conqueror of the Golden Land] is to destroy one face-up card on the field. This effect does not target, so I will naturally choose [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon] which was just Special Summoned."

The Conqueror of the Golden Land, summoned in conjunction with the Special Summon of [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator], swung its Swift Sword at the former. Suddenly, golden marks appeared on the ground between them, spreading rapidly and instantly climbing up the body of [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator].

"Yosh! So what if the attack power is high? As long as it's destroyed, that's all that matters!" Hiroya Misawa said smugly, only to find that Hayato and Kaiba on the other side both had indifferent expressions.

"Although this is the first time I've seen this monster, 'Cyber ​​Stream'? I've heard of it, but I didn't expect it to have such powerful strength." Kaiba said casually, then looked at Hayato and said, "Hayato Kobayashi, what effects does that monster have? I don't think you would just send out some weak monster to test the opponent's face-down card."

"You didn't recognize [Armored Dragon] but believed me? That's so touching, Seth." Hayato winked at Kaiba, glancing at [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon], whose entire body was now completely dyed gold and looked like a sculpture. "[Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon]'s resistance is simple, but even I had to go through a lot of trouble to defeat it back then."

"Although it can be targeted, [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon] has the purest ability that is not affected by the card effects activated by the opponent."

"Except for, destroy, send to the graveyard, change attack power, defense power, or even the form of attack, nothing works against [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon]. This is the iron will and steel-like toughness of 'Cyber ​​Stream'!"

"It's a bit of a shame to destroy such a dazzling piece of gold, but there's no need for a performance anymore. Break free from these fragile constraints, [Armored Dragon]!"

With a crisp snap of Hayato's fingers, the [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon], which seemed to have been transformed into gold, came into action. With a flap of its wide wings, it shattered all the gold coating on its body, scattering golden dust all over the ground.

Along with it, Hiroya Misawa's spirit was also shattered.

"5000 attack power, yet it's unaffected by the opponent's card effects? What kind of cheat card is this!" Looking at his pitiful, weak, and helpless [Destroyer Swordsman] on the field, and then at Hayato's luxurious lineup, Hiroya Misawa had an expression that said, "I can't accept this."

The only thing that could console him was that the [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon] Special Summoned due to the effect of [Dead Soul Fusion] couldn't attack this turn.

Hayato had no choice, since he had used the effect of [Chain Material] in the previous turn. The monsters fused and summoned in that turn would be affected by its effect, which meant that if he had used [Dead Soul Fusion] in the previous turn, even [Armored Dragon], which is unaffected by the opponent's activated effects, would be destroyed along with [Hellfire Tearer] during the End Phase due to the effect of [Chain Material].

Although [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Ender Dragon] cannot attack this turn, it still managed to bait out one of the mysterious man's back row bomb cards. Hayato also changed the battle position of [Silver Castle Statue] on his Duel Disk, declaring, "I am changing [Silver Castle Statue] to Attack Position. Entering my Battle Phase."

"Use the [Demon Statue of the Silver Castle] to attack [Golden Lord Aldrich]!"

【The Demon Statue of the Silver Castle】【DEF2800→ATK3600】

[Golden Secretary - Eldridge] [DEF2800]

Hearing that Hayato had chosen his teammate Eldridge instead of his own Destroyer, Hiroya Misawa breathed a sigh of relief. On one hand, it was best to avoid losing any Life Points in this dark game; his Destroyer was in attack position while Eldridge was in defense position, and there was an old Eastern saying, "Better to sacrifice a friend than yourself."

On the other hand, Hirokazu Misawa, who also uses an undead monster, knows that his teammate's [Golden Lord Eldridge], as an undead monster, naturally has the "zombie" ability that is typical of undead monsters.

When the golden lich heard Hayato say he was going to attack him with the [Silver Castle Demon Statue], the four scarlet eyes revealed under the golden mask narrowed. Instead of feeling any danger, the lich seemed to be looking forward to what was about to happen and continued to sit on the throne with his legs crossed.

The mysterious figure activated the card again: "Chain attack declaration of [Silver Castle Statue], I will activate this card, Continuous Trap Card [Guardian of the Golden City]!"

"Similar to [Conqueror of the Golden City], after activation, it will become a Normal Monster and be Special Summoned to my field. Furthermore, if [Golden Lord Eldridge] is on the field, I can select another face-up monster on the field and reduce its ATK to 0!"

"Become the souls of the Golden Land!"

Reaching out again, the mysterious figure naturally wouldn't choose to use the effects of [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon] this time. The target of the [Guardian of the Golden City] effect was naturally the [Demon Statue of Silver Castle], which was about to launch an attack.

Although its attack power has been increased to 3600 points due to its own effect, if it takes this hit, the attack power of [Silver Castle Statue] will be reduced to zero instantly, and the effect of [Guardian of the Golden City] does not only last for one turn.

Similar to the [Conqueror of the Golden Land] just now, a beast resembling a lion or tiger, with half of its body still flesh and the other half transformed into gold, appeared on the mysterious stage, baring its long, sharp fangs at the [Demon Statue of the Silver City].

[Guardians of the Golden Land] [8☆/Light]

[Undead/Normal]

[800/2500]

【The Demon Statue of the Silver Castle】【ATK3600→0】

"Tch, I actually got tricked in a place like this." Hayato glanced at the [Silver Castle Demon Statue] on his field. The silver statue, which had just raised its greatsword but hadn't even started its attack, was now dyed a nouveau riche gold, which annoyed him. "There's nothing I can do. It seems I can only end the battle phase like this."

Although Hayato did declare an attack, the special summoning of [Guardian of the Golden City] changed the number of monsters on the Mysterious Man's field. After triggering the battle rewind rule, Hayato naturally wouldn't foolishly use [Silver Castle Statue], which has ATK, to continue attacking [Golden Lord Eldridge], which has 2800 DEF.

"During my Main Phase 2, I activate the effect of [Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon] and equip it to either player's Graveyard. I choose [Horse-Headed Demon] from my opponent's Graveyard."

Since his attack was thwarted, Hayato changed course and decided to make things difficult for Hiroya Misawa in the next turn. He thought to himself, 'Among the cards that guy set down earlier, there were three [Elixir of Immortality] and two [Elixir of Immortality] Spell/Trap cards. Now there are still two [Elixir of Immortality] cards left to activate.'

'Although I don't know exactly which card it is, the effect of the [Golden Kingdom Elixir of Immortality] is to Special Summon Undead Monsters. It's quite troublesome, but still better than [Skill Drain] or something similar.'

Even though the [Silver Castle Statue], which is in attack position and has zero attack power, is about to face Hiroya Misawa's attack in the next turn, Hayato doesn't take him seriously at all and is only thinking about the mysterious person who uses [Golden Country].

'As for that small fry over there, this card should be enough.' Hayato thought to himself, glancing discreetly at the attack card he had just placed.

Chapter 881 So strong, too strong!

My turn is over.

[Hayato: 4000LP, 1 cards in hand]

【The Demon Statue of the Silver Castle】【ATK0】

【Armored Dragon - Cyber ​​Dark Terminator Dragon】(Horse-Headed Demon)【ATK5000】

【Heart-shaped Teapot】【Lid Card】

After Hayato announced the end of his turn, before starting his own, Hiroya Misawa looked at Hayato and Kaiba, and suddenly laughed.

"Although you are powerful duelists, Kobayashi Hayato and Kaiba Seto, you two don't cooperate at all. You're just fighting yourselves."

With his fingers resting on his deck, Hiroya Misawa arrogantly said, "Your duel initially intimidated me with its powerful aura, but now it's my turn to retaliate. I'm venting my frustration at being suppressed since the beginning, and the humiliation of being defeated by Seto Kaiba!"

"My turn, draw a card!"

As he drew a card from his deck, the already smug Hiroshi Misawa became even more arrogant upon seeing the card he had drawn: "Here it comes, my perfect offensive strategy. Now I have the key card in my hand!"

"Activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Whirlwind]! I'm going to use this card's effect to destroy that [Heart Pot]!" Pointing at the Continuous Trap Card [Heart Pot] on Hayato's back field, Hirokazu Misawa had been holding back that card for a long time, and a whirlwind swept towards it.

Upon hearing this, Kaiba gave a cold laugh, showing no intention of using his face-down cards to assist Hayato. Instead, he said contemptuously, "Want to break the seal on your backrow cards? You can only see the cards on your own field and are stuck in the past. After all, you're just a third-rate duelist."

“That’s right, unlike you, Seth, who is thinking about the future of humanity a thousand years from now, just like Mafti.”

"Hmph, even I'm not that free. And don't compare me to a virtual character." Hayato's words earned him a glare from Kaiba. In the midst of their conversation, the Heart-Soothing Pot was destroyed by the Whirlwind, but neither Kaiba nor Hayato reacted to it.

The two men's attitude angered Hiroya Misawa: "Damn it, you two don't take me seriously at all!"

"That arrogant attitude of looking down on others will be corrected with my unsealed face-down card! I'll show you my power!" Pressing the activation button, Hiroya Misawa reveals a card that was able to be activated due to the destruction of [Heart Pot]. "I'm activating this Quick-Play Spell Card, [Destroyer Swordsman's Fate]!"

"Target up to three monsters of the same type in your opponent's Graveyard, banish those monsters, and gain ATK and DEF of one of my [Destroyer Swordsman] or [Destroyer Sword] monsters until the end of this turn by 1000 x the number of banished monsters!"

"I've chosen cards from your graveyard, Seto Kaiba, because you sent Blue-Eyes Steel Dragon to the graveyard before due to the effect of [Inferno Tyra], right? I'm going to banish that monster! Also, I think there must be other Dragon-Type monsters among the Fusion Monsters you sent from your Fusion Deck to the graveyard before!"

Upon hearing Hiroya Misawa's words, Kaiba's expression turned cold: "How dare you exclude my Blue Eyes!?"

"Hmph, so what if you glare at me with those fierce eyes? Can you kill me with your eyes?" Hiroya Misawa met Kaiba's gaze and said, "The reason I excluded the dragons in your graveyard instead of Hayato Kobayashi's monsters is firstly because your dragon monsters can provide the greatest boost."

"Secondly, in my eyes, I will defeat Kobayashi Hayato this turn. What cards are in his graveyard is not worth my attention!"

"Show off your gravesite, Seto Kaiba!"

Upon hearing Misawa Hiroya's words, Kaiba instead revealed a cold smile, looking at Hayato beside him, and unusually teased, "You're actually being looked down upon like this, Hayato? Are you going to be taken down in one turn? Although it's very unpleasant that [Blue-Eyes] is excluded, if I could see you suffer a setback, I feel that [Blue-Eyes] would be willing to tolerate it a little, after all, that's too rare."

Just as Jonouchi and Amelda were eagerly anticipating seeing Kaiba suffer a setback, seeing Hayato suffer a setback would also be a rare experience for Kaiba.

This time it was Hayato's turn to roll his eyes at Kaiba: "Come on, you've become so wicked. Who corrupted you like this?"

As he spoke, Kaiba took out several cards from his graveyard and held them in his hand. When he looked at Misawa Hiroya, his expression changed to an arrogant one: "These are the monsters in my graveyard: Blue-Eyes Steel Dragon, XY-Steel Dragon Cannon, XZ-Tank Cannon, and YZ-Tank Dragon."

"Huh? This is... [XYZ]!?" Hiroya Misawa was taken aback when he saw the card Kaiba had taken out. "Why would you send these monsters to the graveyard?"