Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Something's up!" "Hayato's so fast!" "I need to catch up with Shizuka too!" "Huh? You again?" "Shizuka's mine!" "You little brat!?" "Catch up with Mai first before you meddle!" "That's right!" "I'll kill you both first!"

Noticing Hayato and Isis's situation, Jonouchi, Honda, and Otogi were exchanging strange signals through changes in their eyes and raising their eyebrows. However, as they exchanged the signals, they almost came to blows.

“This is a major life event for someone else in another game, and they didn’t even tell me.” Muto Soroku pretended to be angry, but then laughed. “After Isis told us, she took us on a private plane from the Egyptian Antiquities Authority and came over.”

"However, it's just the three of us left. The others didn't make it because it was too sudden." Otogi paused after breaking free from Kaijouchi's chokehold and explained, "It's everyone related to the game. After Miss Isis told us that another game seemed to be leaving, I contacted some people through my own channels. I think they should also care about you, even if they are far away."

“For example, Rebecca and Arthur, unfortunately they are currently engaged in closed archaeological work at the Atlantis ruins discovered on the other side of the Atlantic. Although Rebecca kept asking to come, unfortunately she can’t make it in time.” Muto Soroku counted on his fingers, “There’s also a guy named Kajiki Ryota who can’t come but seems to have sent some seafood by express delivery, and a young man named Ryuzaki with a loud voice, etc.”

“But Miss Isis, how did you know we would come here?” Kyoko asked curiously. “Malik said he didn’t know where the Underworld Tablets were placed either, or it was that person named Shadi who brought us here.”

"How could you expect me, who left the tomb-guarding clan at the age of ten, to know this?" Malik spread his hands, saying helplessly, but then frowned. "Speaking of which, haven't you seen that guy named Shadi? Where did he go?"

"Could that guy still be on the ship?"

“That guy has disappeared.” The seahorse, who had been watching for a while, suddenly spoke up. “I was the first one up. The people on the ship told me that the man named Shadi left a message saying that someone would take us to the Temple of the Underworld.”

“I went to look for that guy, but there was no sign of anyone resting in his room, and he wasn’t even in the surveillance footage. He disappeared without a trace while on a ship at sea.” After a pause, Seahorse said with certainty, “Not only is he a swimming champion, but he also seems to be a hacking expert who can modify surveillance footage without leaving a trace.”

"This is so much like a seahorse," Jonouchi complained, then added, "It's okay without that guy, Miss Isis will take us to that underworld temple with Hayato, right?"

Upon hearing Jonouchi's words, Isis simply smiled gently, glanced at Hayato, and nodded, saying, "Then let's not delay any longer, let's set off now."

Leaving the small town where the dock was located, the group headed towards the desolate mountains far from the world. Around noon, as they walked through the valley, they discovered a rock wall with inscriptions in front of them.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, what should leave, should not stay..." Hayato, who could read ancient Egyptian priestly script, recited this as he looked at the rock wall. The ground in front of the rock wall then automatically opened up, revealing steps leading down to the bottom.

"A voice-activated electric door? Humph, such a tasteless design."

Ignoring the seahorse's comments behind them, the group entered the stone gate and descended the rather long flight of stairs, soon arriving underground.

In the very center of the empty temple was a platform raised above the ground, upon which sat the Netherworld Slab that many of them had seen in the world of the King's Memory. This slab was capable of resurrecting the Great Evil God of Darkness and was also an important tool for burying pharaohs.

Looking ahead along the stone slab, at the end of the temple is a door, but the stone slab is tightly closed and cannot be opened. It is inscribed with lost ancient Egyptian priestly script. Looking further up, an Eye of Horus looks down at the stone slab, and above that are a pair of eyes that look like those of a hawk, namely the eyes of the goddess Ugato and the goddess Nekubet.

Looking at the words on the door, Isis read: "When the seven treasures are placed on the stone tablet, the gate to the underworld will be opened."

"And by revealing the Pharaoh's true name, the Pharaoh's soul can rest in peace and go to his own underworld." Atum in Millennium Puzzle translated, and the game read the following passage aloud.

“However, the Eye of Horus is the eye that sees the truth, and under the gaze of the gods, it will judge whether you are the one who can make the Pharaoh lay down his sword,” the seahorse read aloud, looking at the text.

“Ah, I know the last line.” Even Bakura spoke up, “If you accept this duel ceremony, then offer up the seven secret treasures.”

"No, the way you guys are doing this, I really feel like ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs are just some common stuff," Malik said, glancing at the people around him.

Chapter 918 Playing cards on the boat has hurt me so badly. From today onwards, I will quit boating!

Hayato rolled his eyes at Malik and walked towards the stone slab, taking out several of the Millennium Items he had brought with him. Yugi followed behind Hayato. The rest of the group remained where they were, watching the two of them arrive at the stone slab.

"The Millennium Key symbolizes life; the Millennium Scepter symbolizes the mind." Malik embedded the two golden artifacts into the left and right hands of the goddess Mat on the stone slab, his eyes filled with emotion, while the seahorse also glanced at the Millennium Scepter.

“The Millennium Jewelry symbolizes the future, and…” After placing the Millennium Jewelry around his neck, Hayato removed the Millennium Wisdom Ring from his chest, touched the Millennium Treasure that had been with him for so long, and embedded it into the stone slab on his chest. “And the Millennium Wisdom Ring that guides the way.”

After setting down the Millennium Wisdom Wheel, Hayato stood up, turned around, made way for Yugi, and walked to where everyone was. Yugi then bent down and took out several Millennium Items.

At the base of the stone slab, the "Millennium Scales," symbolizing balance, are embedded. Then, on the forehead of the goddess Mat, the "Millennium Eye," representing the soul, is pressed in. Finally, there is the "Millennium Block" on the game's chest.

Although the Millennium Cone was a symbol of royal power three thousand years ago, in the game's view, the Millennium Puzzle is a symbol of friendship.

'Speaking of which, it all started when Yugi completed the Millennium Puzzle.' Looking at the Millennium Puzzle in Yugi's hand, Sugoroku Muto thought to himself. The golden chest containing the Millennium Puzzle was the spoils of his last expedition to Egypt, though he viewed that expedition more as a defeat.

Because of that experience, Muto Sugoroku, true to his vow, took off his suit and put on overalls, transforming from a mafia-like gaming expert into a little old man who looked after the game shop and spent his time with his lonely grandson who didn't have many friends.

Sugoroku Muto himself tried to assemble the Millennium Puzzle but had no clue how. That's why he gave it to his grandson as a toy and told Yugi that if he could assemble the Millennium Puzzle, his wish would come true.

However, that was actually a lie. Sugoroku Muto had never heard of the Millennium Puzzle having any ability to grant wishes. What he was really thinking was that if the game could complete the puzzle, he would act as the genie in the fairy tale and grant his wishes as much as possible, whether it was wanting a toy or going somewhere to play.

Besides, he didn't really believe that something like the Millennium Puzzle could actually be completed by humans. He even planned to fulfill his grandson's wish to make him happy even after he gave up on the game.

However, Sugoroku Muto never expected two things. First, Yugi's wish was to have friends. Second, he never expected that Yugi would actually complete the Millennium Puzzle after eight years of perseverance. And the completed Millennium Puzzle really fulfilled Yugi's wish and helped him make many friends.

Unexpectedly, the game now requires him to remove the Millennium Puzzle that brought him his first friend, and to actively send his first friend away...

"Thank you, Millennium Puzzle." Looking at the Millennium Puzzle in his hand, Yugi untied the chain and solemnly embedded it into the heart of the stone slab.

The instant the Millennium Puzzle was placed in the game, with all seven Millennium Relics gathered, the seven ancient artifacts began to glow under the combined influence of the stone slab, even automatically creating a powerful airflow around them. Illuminated by the golden light, the Eye of Horus on the wall in front of the stone slab, surrounded by ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, also lit up simultaneously!

"The Eye of Horus on the door is glowing!" Honda exclaimed in surprise, and Malik explained, "The inscription on it says that the Eye of Horus can see through the ritual of dueling to see the true nature of the soul. Since it is lit up, it means that from now on, both Pharaoh's Soul and Yugi Muto must fight with all their might and hold nothing back."

"Speaking of which, although we've all agreed that Yugi should be Atem's opponent in the duel," Jonouchi said with some doubt, "how exactly should we get Atem and Yugi to duel?"

Upon hearing this, Hayato smiled mysteriously: "Didn't that three-year-old just say that the Eye of Ugato will see through the true nature of the soul...?"

As Hayato finished speaking, the eyes above the Eye of Horus—Nekubet, the dove goddess of Upper Egypt with a white crown, and Ugato, the serpent goddess of Lower Egypt with a red crown—lit up in unison with the Eye of Horus.

As Yugi stood up, raised his Duel Disk, and unfolded it in a pose ready to meet the challenge, the shadow beneath his feet, which was made particularly clear by the light, gradually split into two different parts, each facing the stationary direction!

"The shadow of the game!?" Jonouchi exclaimed in surprise, looking left and right before pointing at Malik's feet. "Hey, Malik, your shadow is fainter than ours!"

“Don’t make a fuss. I just said that ‘the Eye of Ugato will see through the true nature of the soul,’ and the shadow that is reflected is actually our soul.” Malik said nonchalantly, as if he had expected it. “As for me, although so much time has passed, a part of my soul is really missing, and it’s very difficult to recover.”

"Oh, I see. No wonder you're such a jerk."

"You're the jerk! That's called a shadow jerk!"

Malik's displeasure went largely unnoticed by the others, because what caught their attention more was that after the shadow beneath their feet split in two, a golden light suddenly flashed across Yugi's body, and then, as if a high-speed movement had created an afterimage, Yugi also split in two along with the shadow?!

The light ahead dimmed temporarily, and when the two "games" turned to look at each other, everyone noticed that although their outfits seemed identical, there were subtle differences. For example, the game on the right was wearing a school uniform properly, while the "game" on the right wore the school uniform as a trench coat, draped over his shoulders, and revealed the neck ring and wristband that had been hidden by the school uniform, making him look quite cool.

The two also had very different expressions. Compared to the "Game" on the left, the "Game" on the right appeared much more outgoing and assertive. Even Pegasus, who was missing an eye, could recognize them as Game and Atem!

After the duel ceremony began, it seemed that in order to allow Atum, who needed to duel, to cheat by switching personalities, the two souls were separated, and Atum was even given a temporary body to exist in reality!

"Damn it, am I seasick or suffering from heatstroke? Is it because of the duel on the ship yesterday?" In an instant, the seahorse came up with a "scientific" reason to explain the phenomenon before him and said with certainty, "I was injured in the duel on the ship, and I'm so weak? From today onwards, I will abstain from ships!"

"You didn't even mention the duel, just as I expected," Guiping remarked.

After exchanging a glance, Yu-Gi-Oh and Atum smiled knowingly, said nothing, and turned away from each other, like cowboys about to duel in a Western movie, keeping their distance from one another.

"Does this duel really have to happen? Atum has even gained a body that he can move on his own." Looking at the two silent figures, the sentimental Kyoko clasped her hands to her chest and couldn't help but say, "To have your own body without the trouble of the game, only to lose it again so soon... that kind of thing..."

"I just feel like, why the rush? Even just one more day would be fine. Could the duel ceremony be postponed a little longer? Let's all get together a little longer, even if it's just for one more day—"

A hand landed on Kyoko's shoulder. She turned her head and saw Isis. Isis, who was responsible for guiding the Pharaoh's soul here, shook her head regretfully and said, "I'm sorry, Masaki, but once the duel ceremony begins, there is no way to stop it halfway. Otherwise, the Pharaoh's soul would wander the world forever without finding peace."

"Although he can spend more time with his friends in the mortal world, human life has its limits. The Pharaoh's soul, forever wandering, will be tormented by the pain of watching his friends leave, and he will never be able to see his friends who are also waiting for him in the underworld."

"You wouldn't want to do this to the spirit of the old man, would you?"

Seeing that Kyoko had been persuaded by Isis, Hayato, feeling an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, squeezed Isis's soft fingers to calm her down.

"Um, I'm sorry for saying such strange things," Kyoko said apologetically. "Even now, I'm still thinking about greedy things."

Sugoroku Muto comforted Kyoko, saying, "No, you don't need to apologize, Kyoko. You know the truth in your heart, don't you? But you still spoke it out, you spoke everyone's mind..."

"Whether it's the game or Atem, they've already made their decision. We can't interfere with their duel. All we can do is stand here, witness the outcome, and be witnesses," Hayato concluded, arms crossed.

Kaiba snorted coldly: "How long are you going to keep talking nonsense? There was no such thing as cancellation or postponement for this duel, was there? The reason is very simple, there is only one very simple reason, and that is that I came here specifically to watch."

"Didn't you say the signal on the ship was bad? We've been off the ship for so long, why aren't you leaving? You just wanted to come along, didn't you, you trespassing seahorse!"

"Hmph, mediocre people can only utter noises that are completely incomprehensible."

'In this duel with you, I will use every trick in the book to achieve victory.' With his back to Atem, Yugi walked forward. 'But that's just deceiving myself, just fooling myself. Actually, I don't want to duel you, my other self.'

"But if things continue like this, you will never escape this cage I've placed you in. I was the one who awakened you from your slumber, so rather than handing you over to someone else, I would rather be the one who defeats you and sends you to the underworld, to bear the torment—this is my responsibility!"

'My other self, right now, longs to speak with you again, to hear your whispers in the gentle breeze...'

'However, as the duelist who has resolved to fight you, I can only express my respect with silence!'

Atem, with his back to the game, shared the same thoughts as the game. Although the Millennium Puzzle was no longer there to facilitate their connection, the bond and understanding between them had never been based on it. Despite the increasing distance, their hearts had never been separated for even a moment.

'Aibo, you are the one who accepted my challenge to a duel. Thank you so much. I can't find any words to express my gratitude other than "thank you."'

Standing still in sync with the game, Atem, with his back to it, didn't turn around. Instead, he closed his eyes and thought to himself, 'But I am also a duelist. Any enemy standing in my way must be defeated with all my might. I believe you think the same way.'

'To defeat any enemy before me is the dignity of a duelist.' Yugi, standing similarly with his back to Atem, thought to himself, 'You think the same way, don't you, my other self?'

'So—'X2

With their thoughts perfectly synchronized, Atum took out his prepared deck from the card box at his waist, while Yugi put down the golden chest he had brought, lifted it up, and took out the deck stored inside.

'—I will defeat you!' x2

Both players simultaneously inserted their decks into the Duel Disk, and numbers appeared on the disk along with their synchronized shouts:

"Duel!" x2

【Pharaoh's Spirit Atem: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand】

[King's Container - Yugi Muto: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand]

"It has begun, the duel ceremony!" Kaiba's eyes widened suddenly, he didn't blink for a long time, unwilling to miss even the slightest detail of this duel.

"Should we...should we cheer for them?" Otogi glanced at Atem, then at the game, his expression extremely conflicted. "If Atem wins, he can be with us again, like before, but then..."

"I'm going to cheer for the game, so that Atum can return to the Underworld!" Jonouchi said firmly, but Honda noticed that Jonouchi's fists were clenched tightly as he spoke, and sweat was dripping down his forehead.

"Yes, Atem's soul must be freed." Hearing Jonouchi's words, Kyoko, though equally reluctant, also looked up. "Me too! I'll cheer for the game!"

“This is a trial, and I believe it is a trial to overcome the past. Only by overcoming the past can one grow.” Hayato muttered to himself, looking at Atum and Yugi. “You all think so too, right? Atum and Yugi.”

"Glory will be with you, and we will be here to witness the end together."

Looking at Atum, the game said firmly, "Then, I'm going in, my other self!"

“Come on, Aibo!” Atum responded, watching the game draw a card from the deck.

"I'll go first. It's my turn, draw!" Yugi adds a card to his hand and draws one. "Then I activate the Spell Card, Red-Eyes Fusion! I send Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Level 6 Crystal Dragon - Water Magician God from my Deck to the Graveyard as Fusion Materials."

"Fusion Summon this monster from the Fusion Deck!" Yugi held a purple-bordered card in his hand and played it onto the Duel Disk.

Chapter 919 I'm going to beat the grass!?

"Send the [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] and the Level 6☆ Dragon-Type monster [Magic Crystal Dragon - Water-Burning Magician God] from the Deck to the Graveyard as Fusion Materials!"

"The flames of calamity fell from the heavens, and the demonic flames blazed forth, transforming into a crimson eye!" Yugi placed the card in his hand on the Duel Disk, "Fusion Summon!"

"【Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon】!"

In the underground temple, a huge figure fell to the ground, and raging flames rose and spread. The monster summoned by the game opened its scarlet eyes.

[Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon → Red-Eyes Black Dragon] [ATK3500]