Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

“A [LV] monster, huh? It’s been quite a long time since I’ve seen this type of monster.” Honda said, glancing at Hayato beside him. “The first [LV] monster I ever saw was your [Armed Dragon], Hayato.”

"However, the game actually summoned a [LV] monster at this time."

Hearing Jonouchi's words, Kyoko was somewhat puzzled: "Huh? What about [LV] monsters? I remember Hayato's [Armed Dragon] was also a fairly powerful monster, wasn't it?"

"【Armed Dragon LV7】and even higher evolutionary forms are indeed powerful, but one thing cannot be ignored: before evolving to that form, the juvenile form of 【Armed Dragon】 is not much stronger than ordinary cards," Isis reminded Anzu.

“Evolution requires certain conditions to occur step by step. This is a common characteristic of [Armed Dragon] and other [LV] monsters. If [Silent Magician LV4] had been summoned at the very beginning of the duel, there might have been a chance for it to evolve into a powerful form…” Guiping glanced at Atem and Yugi, “But even I can see that their duel is nearing its end.”

"Hmph, it feels... inferior to [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]."

Kaiba crossed his arms and arrogantly commented, then looked at Yugi with some disappointment and said, "The outcome of this duel is already decided. Despite having desperately displayed all his talents and even defeated a god, he can only rely on such weak monsters now. He simply cannot defeat [Dark Magician Girl]. What a waste of my time and expectations."

However, Hayato glanced at the back of the game and asked, "Sorewadoka?"

"My turn, draw a card." Atum drew a card and saw that the card he drew was not a LIGHT monster that could meet the activation conditions of the effect of [Super Magical Warrior - Chaos Ruler], but a Spell Card [Soul Captor]. Although it was not the best choice, it was not bad either.

However, as Atum added the card he drew to his hand, he heard Yugi on the other side say, "As long as [Silent Magician LV4] is in the Monster Zone, every time the opponent draws a card, they place a Spell Counter on [Silent Magician LV4]."

Beside the white-clad magician girl, a black sphere floated in mid-air, with a golden triangular pyramid embedded in its center. As the magic indicator was placed, the [Silent Magician LV4]'s posture changed slightly, as if she had grown somewhat.

If the [Silent Magician LV4] we just saw was an eight-year-old child, he's now almost twelve.

【沉默魔术师LV4】（魔力指示物0→1）【ATK1000→1500】

"【Silent Magician LV4】Although her own attack power is only 1000 points, each magic indicator on her body can increase her attack power by 500 points."

Atum followed up on the game's words and retorted, "However, her attack power is still not as high as [Dark Magician Girl]'s, and Aibo, you should also know very well that simply having high attack power is useless."

"I use the Normal Spell Card [Soul Predator] from my hand to target one face-up monster on my opponent's field, destroy that monster, and then restore 1000 Life Points to my opponent."

After inserting the card into the Spell & Trap Zone, Atum spoke as he reached out to the [Silent Magician LV4] on the field, striking the same pose as the [Soul Predator] card.

A white ball of light appeared on the chest of the [Silent Magician LV4], which seemed to be her soul. As Atum was about to peel the soul away with a card, the [Silent Magician LV4]'s tender face showed an uncontrollable expression of pain, as if she had gone to the Torrington Base to fly a Gundam and contracted Torrington Syndrome.

However, at that moment, Yugi, not wanting his monster to be destroyed by Atem, pressed the button to activate the face-down card, saying, "I won't let you do that! My other self will protect [Silent Magician] from being destroyed by you! Activate face-down card, Continuous Trap Card [Safe Zone]!"

"Target one face-up Attack Position monster on my field, [Silence Magician LV4]. As long as [Safe Zone] is in a Spell/Trap Zone, [Silence Magician LV4] cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects, nor can it be destroyed by battle or your opponent's card effects."

Although it couldn't utilize the "cannot become the target of the opponent's effect" resistance because it was activated by the chain [Soul Predator], a protective barrier still managed to be erected under [Silent Magician LV4]'s feet before the soul was stripped away, allowing it to survive Atem's spell card.

Patting his barren chest to retract his soul, the [Silent Magician LV4], who had narrowly escaped, breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head to look at Game behind him, his eyes filled with gratitude and a subtle emotion. However, due to the angle, everyone watching, including Atum, could see it clearly, except for Game, who failed to notice the [Silent Magician's] gaze.

"...Speaking of which, isn't the 'Silent Magician' also considered a little girl?" Jonouchi suddenly said out of the blue, and Hayato, who knew what he meant, nodded, "Yeah, it's a game after all, so the title 'Little Girl Killer' isn't wrong, is it?"

"Little girl killer? That sounds pretty scary, but why would a game have such a strange title?" Guiping said, somewhat puzzled. "Is there anything like 'little boy killer'?"

"I don't know, I think you can ask the priest at your church."

"Stop spreading those hellish jokes, brother-in-law, you'll never get to heaven."

"Are you kidding me? We're already at the gates of the underworld, do you think we can get to heaven?"

Hearing Hayato and the others' words, Yugi turned his head to look at them, puzzled, and asked, "What, are you talking about me?"

“No, it’s nothing. Let’s continue the duel, Aibo.” Atum sighed, saying nothing, but looked at [Silent Magician LV4] and said, “Although [Safe Zone] protected your [Silent Magician LV4], Aibo, that card’s effect should be more than that, right?”

Game nodded: "Yes, after all, powerful cards often come with great risks. While [Safe Zone] grants [Silent Magician LV4] long-term resistance, it also restricts her from directly attacking the opponent. At the same time, it is bound to [Call of the Living Dead]."

Atem nodded, placing his finger on the [Dark Magician Girl] card on the Duel Disk, and said, "You went to such lengths to protect her so she could continue to grow stronger? Well then, I'll attack before she grows to an even stronger form. After all, even though you won't be destroyed, you'll still take battle damage, right?"

"Change [Dark Magician Girl] to face-up attack position, then enter my battle phase and attack [Silent Magician LV4]!"

【Dark Magician Girl】【DEF1700→ATK2000】

As Atem waved his hand, the lively and restless [Dark Magician Girl], who had been itching to attack, also waved her wand in unison, throwing a magic bullet at [Silent Magician LV4]. Yugi did not respond by activating a back row card, but simply adopted a defensive stance.

The magic bullet struck in front of [Silent Magician LV4], but was deflected by an invisible barrier that appeared beneath her feet, protecting her from harm. The magic power that had nowhere to go landed on Yugi behind her, causing his base score to drop. [Silent Magician LV4] immediately cast a worried glance at Yugi.

"Hmm..." Despite the force [Dark Magician Girl] had taken, the damage was still there, and Yugi subconsciously made a sound.

[Game: 4000 → 3500 LP]

Seeing the game's base score drop, Kaiba, watching from outside the arena, wore an expression of certainty, increasingly convinced that the game had no chance of winning. This had nothing to do with whether he approved of the game or not; it was simply his personal judgment.

However, after taking 500 points of damage, Atum saw that the game's face was actually smiling.

"Is this what it feels like to be a protector, my other self?"

"Aibo?" Atum looked at the game, somewhat puzzled.

The gamer pointed to the [Silent Magician LV4] on his field and said to Atum, "It was a long time ago, before I met Jonouchi, Honda, Hayato, Kaiba, Keihei, Bakura, Isis and others (Malik: Hey!), before I met my current friends, and even before I completed the [Millennium Puzzle] and met the other me."

"Back then, I didn't have many friends. At school, I would only occasionally exchange a few words with Kyoko, and that was only because we had been going to school together since we were little. At that time, my friends were just the games at the game shop run by Chicken Sauce and Duel Monsters cards."

“Each card is my only friend in my loneliness. I love each and every one of them, and I added them to my deck in this duel with another version of myself. However, of all the cards, my favorite is the [Silent Magician], because I see myself in her.”

"As an introvert, I used to stay in one place, afraid to step out, curled up in a safe zone, silent and lonely, until I met another me, you."

"Just like my situation on the field, isn't it? I've always received a lot of care from you, my other self. I'm really, really grateful to you. Thank you, my other self. I can't find any words other than 'thank you' to express my gratitude to you."

After a pause, Yugi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, all he saw was a pure and unwavering will: "Then, I will make [Silent Magician LV4] grow, make [Silent Magician LV4], who is like my clone, stronger, and let her step out of this [Safe Zone] to show the other me how she and I have grown!"

"I no longer need the [Safe Zone], because I'm going to defeat you, my other self!"

The only expression the game showed on Atum's face was a smile.

“Is that so? Impressive, Aibo. I can clearly feel the surging, turbulent resolve within you. In this duel where body and soul resonate, it’s less a battle of decks and more a clash of our wills.” Atum lowered his raised hand, looking directly at Yugi. “So, attack, Aibo. Show me your resolve, your resolve to surpass mine!”

"My turn is over."

Atum: 4000 LP, 0 cards in hand

Dark Magician Girls, ATK2000

【Super Magical Warrior - Chaos Ruler】(The Curse of the Hexagram) 【ATK2300】

"My turn, draw!" After drawing his card, Yugi paused for a moment when he saw the card he had drawn, but then activated it without hesitation. "I activate my second [Magic Flower Pot] to send my Continuous Trap Card [Safe Zone] to the Graveyard, and then draw two cards from my Deck."

The safe zone protecting [Silent Magician LV4] disappeared, and Yugi drew two cards from his deck, added them to his hand, and pressed the button to activate the face-down card, saying: "Now is the time, [Silent Magician], our growth will blossom at this moment, under this card. Open my face-down card in the back row, [Miracle Trail]!"

"Choose a face-up Attack Position monster on my field to activate this effect; your opponent draws one card from their Deck."

"Then, until the end of this turn, the attack power of my chosen monster—[Silence Magician LV4]—increases by 1000 points, and it can attack the monster up to twice in the same battle phase. However, as a negative effect, when [Silence Magician LV4] battles, the battle damage it inflicts on another player becomes 0."

As Atum drew a card, the game added, "In addition, because of another version of me drawing a card, the [Silent Magician LV4] Admiral will place another magic counter, increasing his attack power once again!"

【沉默魔术师LV4】（魔力指示物：1→2）【ATK1500→2000→3000】

As the number of markers increased, the changes in [Silent Magician LV4] became increasingly noticeable. She had grown from the appearance of a twelve-year-old girl to approximately sixteen years old, looking about the same age as Rebecca. Yugi then waved her hand and gave the order:

"Entering the battle phase, I use [Silence Magician LV4] to attack another [Dark Magician Girl] on your field!"

"Silence Demon Blast!"

As retribution for bullying her and harming the game, the Silent Magician LV4, whose age was now close to that of Dark Magician Girl, waved his wand and created a magic bullet that was extremely similar to Dark Magician Girl's attack, which he then hurled at her. Dark Magician Girl was completely taken aback that the Silent Magician, whom she had just been able to bully at will, had suddenly turned the tables on her.

Although she managed to create a magic bullet to launch a counterattack, the Dark Magician Girl's counterattack was completely ineffective, as it was easily pushed back and detonated by the Silent Magician.

"boom!"

Atum: 4000 → 4000 LP

Although it was an attack signal, Atem did not suffer any damage due to the effect of [Miracle Trail]. However, the game's attack did not end there. Instead, it ordered [Silent Magician LV4] to attack [Super Magician Warrior - Chaos Controller], who was bound by [Six-Pointed Star Curse].

Despite his impressive entrance, the [Super Magic Warrior - Chaos Ruler] was constantly getting thrashed, except during the beginner protection period, and couldn't even mount a counterattack. With his attack power reduced, he was hit in the face by a magic bullet, destroyed, and sent to the graveyard.

Similarly, Atum was unharmed. As [Super Magician Warrior - Chaos Controller] and its bound [Hexagram Curse] were destroyed and sent to the graveyard, Atum smiled as his field was cleared, looking at the game and saying, "What a magnificent double attack, Aibo. Now my field has been cleared in one go."

"However, you didn't notice one thing: when [Super Magic Warrior - Chaos Controller] was destroyed, the power he possessed to create the future was also inherited by me."

Upon hearing Atum's words, Yugi couldn't help but look at Atum's hand. Atum, who should have had nothing in his hand, was now taking a card from the graveyard and showing it to Yugi:

"If the Fusion Summoned [Super Magician Warrior - Chaos Ruler] is destroyed, its third effect is activated: target one Spell Card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand."

"And what I'm going to add to my hand is this [Heavenly Treasure Card]!"

Chapter 930 Watch closely, my transformation!

"I'm adding this [Heavenly Treasure] from the graveyard to my hand!"

Seeing the card Atum retrieved from the graveyard, Guiping's lips twitched: "This is the third time, isn't it? This is the third time the 'Heavenly Treasure Card' has appeared in this duel, and it's in the same person's hand all this time. Isn't that card supposed to be a limited card? Why is it acting like it's not limited at all?"

"That's not how it works. Atum also expended a lot of resources to retrieve the [Heavenly Treasure Token], since it's just too useful." Jonouchi paused, then said somewhat awkwardly, "But speaking of which, although it's been activated twice before, it seems that Atum hasn't actually benefited from the [Heavenly Treasure Token]'s effects even once?"

"The first time, Yugi Muto reversed [Temple Guardian], and the second time, [Cry of the Dead] resurrected [Temple Guardian] again." Ameruda rarely commented, "It is precisely because he knows the power that Pharaoh's Soul can unleash with the resources of the cards it draws that Yugi Muto is so vigilant."

"But what about now? He can't possibly find a way to summon the Temple Guardian again, can he?"

As Yugi watched Atem put the card into his hand, he realized that the [Silent Magician LV4] on the field had already finished its attack and he could no longer continue his battle phase. There were no monsters that could directly kill Atem or prevent him from using [Heavenly Treasure Card], so he had no choice but to end his battle phase.

Looking at the two cards he had left, Yugi first drew one of them and said, "My battle phase is over. Then, in Main Phase 2, I will activate the Normal Spell Card 'Sealed Golden Chest'."

Before Yugi appeared a golden chest that many in the audience recognized immediately. It was the chest that now housed Yugi's card deck, but in its earlier days, it was used to store scattered fragments of the Millennium Puzzle. That item could be seen as proof of the bond between Atem and Yugi, equivalent to the Millennium Puzzle itself.

"That golden chest has become a Duel Monster Card?" Jonouchi, who was seeing the card for the first time, asked curiously. "What kind of effect does that card have?"

"【Sealed Golden Chest】Targets one card in my Deck and banishes it face down. Then, during my Standby Phase on the second turn after 【Sealed Golden Chest】 is activated, I add that banished card to my hand."

At this point, the game stopped talking, it's unclear whether it's because the [Sealed Golden Chest] only has this effect, or if the card actually has further effects that the game doesn't want to reveal now.

Atum didn't ask any further questions. He simply watched as the game selected a card from the deck, placed it in the golden chest, closed the lid, and sealed it away.

"A method to precisely retrieve cards from the deck? Compared to [Time Capsule], it avoids the risk of being unable to retrieve them if destroyed, but the time required for it to take effect is too long. I'm afraid this duel will end before the future when that card reaches your hand arrives, Aibo!"

Upon hearing Atum's words, Yugi, who had placed the card into the Sealed Golden Chest with a heavy heart, looked up, concealing his emotions, and said, "Perhaps that is indeed the case, my other self... You cannot see that future with me."

"Set a card face down, and my turn ends."

[Game: 3500LP, 0 cards in hand]

[Silent Magician LV4] [ATK 3000 → 2000]

【GaiKa】

“Aibo…” Atum frowned, temporarily putting aside the strange feeling in his heart, and placed his finger above the deck, saying, “My turn, draw a card!”

Upon catching a glimpse of the card he had drawn, Atum raised an eyebrow and placed it face down in his back row, leaving him with only one card in his hand: the [Heavenly Treasure] he had retrieved in the previous turn. It seemed he intended to maximize the number of cards he could draw.

As Atum drew a card, without needing any game notification, he saw that another magic counter had been added next to [Silent Magician LV4].

【沉默魔术师LV4】（魔力指示物2→3）【ATK2000→2500】

"The attack power is still increasing, huh? Well then, Aibo, I'll help your monster increase its attack power a little more. Activate the Spell Card 'Heavenly Treasure Card,' allowing both duelists to draw cards from their decks until they have six cards in their hands!" Atem, who was finally able to enjoy the effect of 'Heavenly Treasure Card' after so many duels, smiled. This was the third time he had activated this card, and he was finally reaping the benefits.

Indeed, the game had no way to stop Atum from drawing cards. Watching him draw six cards from his deck, Atum himself drew six cards as well.