Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Since you're so eager to show off, fine, I'll grant your wish." With that, Hayato played the [Fusion] spell card, "I'll activate the [Fusion] spell card to fuse the three [Disruption] brothers in my hand together."

"Descend, Lord of Disruption!"

Chapter 151 The Two Who Set Up Counter-Cards

"Can you seal off the monster zone with [Disruptor King]?" In the last duel, Hayato had just used [Disruptor King], and Yugi still remembered it clearly. "If you summon this monster, things will get troublesome."

Just as the vortex formed by the [Fusion] spell card was about to engulf [Disruption Yellow] and the outline of [Disruption King] was already blurring out, Yugi didn't hesitate any longer and activated the face-down card in the back row: "Trap Card activated, [Spell Disruption Array]!"

"I'm discarding one of my cards to negate the activation of your Fusion Spell Card!" Yugi sent his only remaining card to the Graveyard, a confident smile on his face. "Under the effect of the Interference Field, the summoning of Disruption King will fail."

[Game: 3400LP → 2800LP]

[Hayato: 3700LP → 3400LP]

"Tch, got countered. But at least I've found a trap." Hayato wasn't discouraged. Instead, he played one of his only two cards besides the three [Disruption] cards stuck in his hand. "Activate the spell card, [Horse Bone's Price], to release [Paladin - Artorias] on my field and draw two cards from my deck."

[Hayato: 3400→2800LP]

"Although I got two more cards in my hand, I lost another 600 life points because of the [Temptation of the Necromancer] I played myself." Jonouchi frowned. "I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I have a feeling that Hayato..."

"It seems like he's intentionally putting cards into the graveyard, isn't it? It's his second turn now, but he's already put a total of seven cards into the graveyard." Mai also noticed Hayato's strange behavior.

"What is Hayato planning?" Samejima asked suspiciously. "By sacrificing his life points time and time again, what is he trying to send to his grave?"

At the duel arena, Hayato had just replenished his hand when he played a card he had just drawn: "Just in case, first, the Spell Card [Whirlwind]. I will activate the face-down card on your field and destroy it."

[Hayato: 2800→2500LP]

[Game: 2800 → 2500 LP]

Yugi shrugged and revealed the face-down card. Sure enough, it was the [Explosive Armor], nicknamed "Trickster Armor." Having tricked Hayato into playing a [Whirlwind], Yugi didn't feel he'd lost out. Although he didn't understand the sudden smile on Hayato's face, he confidently said:

"It was a wise choice, Hayato, to destroy Gekko instead of weakening my Dark Magician Girl."

"However, the Dark Magician Girl who possesses the Magic Spellbook has an attack power of 3000 points. With just the cards in your hand, can you collect enough pieces to defeat her?"

Hearing the game's clumsy provocation, Hayato smiled indifferently: "[Dark Magician Girl], after being enhanced by the equipment card, has an attack power of up to 3000. It's really a powerful monster."

“But,” Hayato played a card, “no matter how powerful the force, it can never escape its own limitations.”

"Activate the Spell Card, [Witch Hunt]!"

To Yugi's astonishment, Hayato played a card that a normal deck would never include: "After this card is activated, destroy all face-up [Spellcaster] monsters on the field!"

On Hayato's field, a massive cross wreathed in flames was erected, and the raging fire, following the lingering traces of magic in the air, spread towards the [Dark Magician Girl] on the game field. The adorable mage, seeing the approaching flames, paled instantly, frantically casting several spells, but to no avail. She was engulfed by the flames and sent to the graveyard.

"Targeting the Spellcaster monsters in my deck? It seems that being too familiar with them isn't a good thing either," Yugi said with a wry smile. "However, although two of my cards were sent to the graveyard, thanks to the effect of the Equip Card [Magic Spellbook], I can recover 1000 Life Points when this card is sent to the graveyard."

[Game: 2500→3500→2900LP]

[Hayato: 2500→2200LP]

"Although he successfully destroyed the game's [Dark Magician Girl], Hayato's life points are getting lower and lower." Samejima frowned, unable to understand Hayato's current intentions. "Besides, apart from the three [Disruption] monsters with 0 attack power, Hayato only has one card left in his hand, right?"

"Even if that card is a monster with high attack power, what can it achieve with just one direct attack?"

Hayato quickly answered Samejima's questions.

With a rather excited expression, Hayato summoned a rather unremarkable monster from his hand—a small bird-beast with a chance of white smoke slowly drifting from its body and pale purple feathers all over.

"Although this move was quite despicable and shameless, I'm sorry, Yugi, I really, really, really wanted to defeat you!" Looking at the completely empty field and hand that he had cleared, Hayato said triumphantly, "At this moment, victory is in my hands!"

"That Hayato guy, he just summoned such an ordinary monster?" Jonouchi was puzzled. If Hayato had summoned monsters like the [Goblin Assault Force] or [Dark Knight Gaia], he could somewhat understand Hayato's purpose in going to great lengths to clear the game field. But what appeared on Hayato's field was just an incredibly ordinary-looking little bird.

Considering that some Duel Monsters may appear ordinary but have incredibly high stats, such as a certain 1-star White Rabbit, Jonouchi first checked the attack and defense stats of the monster summoned by Hayato. However, the 200 attack stat and 100 defense stat exceeded Jonouchi's expectations.

"This monster is an extremely special Soul Monster, possessing the ability to return to your hand at the end of the turn it is Summoned or Flip Summoned, and as you can see, its ATK is only a mere 200 points," Hayato explained the monster's effect. "However, at the cost of all of the above, this monster possesses an extremely powerful effect!"

【Yata Ura】【2☆/Wind】

[Demon Race/Soul/Effect]

[200/100]

Although the Jonouchi and the others outside the arena couldn't see anything special about the [Yataru] summoned by Hayato, both the current controller of the body, Yugi, and Yugi himself, who was temporarily sleeping in the [Millennium Puzzle], felt a strong threat when facing this monster, which was listed as a forbidden card in the card rules of Hayato's previous life.

The feeling was as intense as having a gun pressed against your temple.

“The effect of [Yata-u] is…” Hayato said, casually brushing aside a stray hair from his forehead, his eyes sharpening, “When this monster directly attacks the opponent and deals damage, skip the opponent’s next draw phase!”

Chapter 152 The Terrifying Blockade of Yata-u? A Reversal of the Battle Situation

Upon hearing Hayato describe the effect of [Yata Crow], Jonouchi was unimpressed: "Skip a card draw? This effect sounds so ordinary, it doesn't do justice to its weak size and cumbersome card return effect."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Samejima and Mai, hoping to gain some approval from them. However, he watched helplessly as their expressions turned quite unpleasant.

"Isn't this kind of monster a bit too overpowered?" Kong Que Wu frowned, biting her pearly red lips. "Without any restrictions on summoning, wouldn't it be possible to continue indefinitely?"

"Permanently sealing off the opponent's duelist, what a terrifying effect! Truly worthy of the name 'Yatagara'," Samejima said solemnly. In Japanese mythology, Yatagara, or "Yatagara," is a being with three claws, possessing the ability to guide the souls of the dead and exact revenge.

It can manage the boundary between life and death, and coexist with death. Furthermore, it possesses a paradoxical immortality, namely—as long as death exists, the Yatagarasu will not die.

The "Yata-u" card used by Hayato is based on this legendary mythical bird, making it an extremely rare monster card.

Just how rare was it? On the high platform beside the dueling ring, Pegasus had appeared at some point. A velvet cushion adorned the high-backed chair, and a small table beside it displayed red wine and children's books. However, Pegasus had no interest in enjoying any of this.

"Soul Monster? If I remember correctly, the International Illusion Society shouldn't have released this special monster card that I just completed, right?" Pegasus appeared calm on the surface, but his grip on the armrest revealed that he was in a bad mood. "In other words, the only remaining Soul Monster in the world should be the prototype card in my possession."

“Yes, yes, Mr. Pegasus.” Behind Pegasus, a man in black said tremblingly, “But we just received news from the card warehouse that all your prototype cards are still there. Our security should be fine.”

"No, no, no, of course I know how secure the Soul Monster Prototype Card is. After all, I trust you guys a lot." Pegasus glanced at his subordinates behind him, and Pegasus instantly absorbed the thoughts fed back by [Millennium Eye], confirming that the man in black was not lying.

Pegasus's gaze then turned to the duel taking place below him: "Because I remember quite clearly that the current Soul Monsters are just demos, and there is no [Yata-U] among them."

In the duel arena, Yugi's expression changed when he heard Hayato describe the effect of [Yata-u].

"I see. That explains your actions, Hayato. You went to great lengths to clear my hand and the field of cards so that you wouldn't be hindered when [Yataru] attacks, right?"

Hayato nodded: "While the effect of [Yata-u] is powerful, it's based on the premise that the attack passes through and causes damage. I wouldn't dare to launch an attack without destroying your [Dark Magician Girl] and clearing your [Explosive Armor]."

"But now, the puzzle for victory is complete!" Hayato pointed at Yugi, "[Yata-u], launch a direct attack on Yugi!"

"Your hand is empty, you can't exactly conjure up a [Kuriboh], can you?"

With a flap of its pale purple wings, the raven took flight from the ground, its form resembling a swung scythe as it hurtled towards Yugi. With no monsters to shield it, no face-down cards to activate, and no cards left in its hand, once the attack succeeded, Yugi would be forever trapped in the endless cycle of attacks from [Yata-chan]!

Seeing the approaching undead bird, Yugi, despite the pressure, laughed and placed a hand on the grave: "You're something else, Hayato. It seems you've gone all out to become the final victor."

"However, I have a reason not to lose, and I will not lose to you so easily!" From the graveyard, Yugi drew a card and slammed it onto the dueling platform.

A dark shadow suddenly appeared on the field, blocking the path between [Yataru] and Yugi. The moment it appeared, it released a powerful electromagnetic field that was visible to the naked eye, instantly pushing the oncoming [Yataru] back onto Hayato's field.

Seeing the turtle appear on the game field, Hayato was reminded of his past experiences when he was playing cards and his older brother was repeatedly turned into a turtle. Although he knew it was not the same monster, his mood still became a little bad.

After releasing that electromagnetic field, the turtle-shaped monster seemed to have reached the limit of its mechanical use, and it suddenly disintegrated into mechanical parts. Yugi picked up the card: "[Super Electromagnetic Turtle]'s effect is: When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can end the Battle Phase at any time."

"That card, when did you get it—oh, I see, it's the cost when [Magic Interference Array] is activated?" Hayato said with a helpless wry smile, "As expected of you, Yugi. Even when I used this combination, you could still handle it. It's not that easy to defeat you after all."

"My turn is over, and [Yataru] returns to my hand." Hayato retrieved the [Yataru] after his failed attack, ending his turn with a sense of resignation.

[Hayato: 2200LP, 4 cards in hand]

The Temptation of the Necromancer, The Abyss Amulet

"As expected of a game, it can even overcome such a desperate situation." Seeing that the game had avoided the attack of [Yata-u], Jonouchi breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Hayato. "However, Hayato has also consumed too many resources before, and now he only has 2200 basic points left."

"Not only that, all of Hayato's monster cards are face up. He has a [Disruption] monster with no combat power, and there's also [Yata-u]. With a hand like that, Yugi only needs to draw one monster with slightly higher attack power to easily defeat Hayato," Samejima calmly analyzed.

Now, it's time for a turn in the game.

"My turn, draw a card!" Yugi drew a card and smiled, revealing the card in his hand. "Hayato, this is the monster I drew."

"Come forth, [Queen Knight]!"

The only female among the Three-Body JQK Knights, and also the most frequently used monster in the game, appeared on the field, gracefully drawing her longsword and charging towards Hayato.

"[Queen Knight], launch a direct attack on Hayato!"

Hayato, not to be outdone, discarded a card: "I'm not so easily defeated, Yugi! Activate the effect of [Abyss Amulet] to send [Disruption Black] to the graveyard and negate this damage!"

The phantom of [Disruption Black] appeared in front of Hayato's dueling platform, actively facing the [Queen Knight's] sword and blocking the 1500 points of damage that Hayato would have otherwise suffered.

"However, you will still have to take 300 points of damage from [Temptation of the Necromancer]." As Yugi said this, a black light flew out from [Temptation of the Necromancer] on Hayato's field, reducing Hayato's life points again.

[Hayato: 2200→1900LP]

Chapter 153 Full of Determination

Game: "My turn is over."

[Game: 2900LP, 0 cards in hand]

【Queen Knight】【ATK1500】

Looking at his base score of only 1900 points, and the games with 1000 points higher than his, Hayato felt no pressure, but rather immense joy.

"Dueling monsters, this is really fun." Hayato drew a card from his deck, glanced at it, and smiled. "Infinite possibilities, and with them comes limitless fun."

"Activate the Spell Card, [Mega Hammer]! My hand isn't strong enough to form a formula to defeat you, so Yugi, I need to change my hand!" With that, Hayato shuffled his deck, putting the two [Disruption] monsters, [Yata-u], and [Mega Hammer] into it, and drew four new cards.

In Hayato's previous incarnation's physical card collection, there was also a card called "Magic Hammer," but its effect was to return any number of cards from your hand to the deck, shuffle them, and then draw the number of cards returned. While this could effectively prevent situations where some cards were stuck in your hand and you couldn't play them, it wasn't particularly useful.

The card Hayato used was a card with the anime version of its effect, which he obtained from a card pack he bought from Sugoroku's card shop. Unlike the physical card, the anime version of "Mega Hammer" doesn't go to the graveyard when the card is returned to the deck; instead, it returns to the deck along with the card, making it a pretty good card.

Hayato drew four more cards, thought for a moment, then drew one and placed it on the field to activate: "Spell Card, [Nightmare Mirage], During your Standby Phase of the game, I can draw up to four cards from my Deck."

“Then, I set two cards face down and Normal Summon this monster.” Having emptied his hand, Hayato played his last card. “Come forth, my bond card, the symbol of my will, my Tamashii!”

"【Gaia, the Dark Knight of the Gale】!!"

Before the duel began, Hayato considered it for a long time before finally deciding to add Gaia, whose card spirit had fallen into a deep sleep and was no longer smooth, to his deck for dueling with Yugi.

Before Gaia's Duel Spirit awakened, Gaia had always been a key card in Hayato's deck. However, over time, as Hayato collected more and more powerful cards, Gaia's importance diminished, and it lost its status as a key card.

However, when playing against the game, Hayato always feels like he's missing something if he doesn't bring the [Gaia] card.

On the high platform, Pegasus narrowed his right eye slightly, thinking: The seal placed on Gaia by the Millennium Eye has actually been broken? Was it the power of the Millennium Item he possessed? Or was it just something as intangible as the bond with the Duel Monster?

"It's actually [Gaia]?" The game was slightly surprised.

"The effect of 【Gaia, the Dark Knight of the Gale】 is that when I only have one monster in my hand, I can Normal Summon it without tribute." Hayato's face was full of smiles. "To deal with you, it's definitely better to use this card."