Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Chapter 1028 Thunder! Time to bring in the laundry!

When it comes to the red, yellow, and blue Duel Monsters combination, most people would probably think of the "Egyptian Three" immediately. Unfortunately, the "Egyptian Three" have been buried under the earth along with Atem's soul returning to the underworld.

Although, thanks to the Blue God, the Sky Dragon of Osiris, the Titan of Obelisk, and the Winged Dragon of Ra were all unearthed from his past memories using the power of the Quantum Cube, the former two had already returned to the underworld to slumber. Even though Hayato had the Quantum Cube at his disposal, he had no intention of digging them up again.

After all, the Winged Dragon Ra is back in Hayato's hands, and that's enough. Otherwise, would Hayato be going to play around with sacrificial weapons, or be betrayed by the traitorous dragon?

A single bullet would easily take the life of an ordinary person, so Hayato didn't use the three-colored mechanical monsters that make up the [XYZ-Dragon Cannon], nor would he ever use the [XYZ-Dragon Cannon]. Those weapon-like monsters were far too dangerous; Hayato had no intention of killing anyone, he simply wanted to subdue these members of the Public Security Bureau.

After all, there is no duelist with a more loving heart than Hayato.

Therefore, the monster he used was—

"Immerse yourself in the vortex of flames and awaken the undying power! [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria]!"

"A mighty roar that resounded through the heavens, transforming into thunderous booms, swung open the gate to the Pure Land, displaying its full power! [Thunder Emperor - Hamon]!"

"Sing praises to the darkness! Offer your blessings for the birth of the shattered giant god! [Phantom Demon Emperor - Rabiel]!"

Before Hayato's eyes, accompanied by gushing lava from the ground, suddenly solidified ice crystals shattered by lightning, and a huge shadow rising from the shadows, three monsters named "Phantom Demons," corresponding to "Phantom Gods," appeared and instead surrounded the Security Bureau personnel who had surrounded Hayato and Chronos.

As Hayato's "good partner" and with whom he formed a "deep bond," the "Three Phantoms" were very disobedient when they first acquired the card. They were always thinking of disobeying Hayato's orders and doing things their own way, acting recklessly, and even trying to absorb Hayato's life force to overthrow him.

However, the Egyptian Gods, led by Ra, acted as the Egyptian Demons' kind elder brothers and gave them a good talking-to, after which the Egyptian Demons became obedient and dared not harbor any more thoughts. Even when the Egyptian Gods were countered by the Pyramid of Light, they still obediently followed Hayato's commands and fought. They just didn't expect Anubis to know how to manipulate them using the Phantom Gate.

After Hayato handed the Egyptian God Cards to Atem to initiate the Duel Ritual, the Egyptian God Cards, though their long-dormant ambitions rekindled, immediately abandoned their plans upon discovering that Ra's Winged Dragon Ra hadn't left. After Hayato obtained the third Ra card, containing a spirit, by retrieving the memories of Ra's Winged Dragon Ra from the Blue God, they dared not harbor any further reckless thoughts.

At that moment, as Hayato summoned them, the "Three Phantoms" immediately released their unique ability to absorb the power of the spirits, just as Hayato had intended when he summoned them. They precisely controlled the power to ensure that it only covered the area encircled by the three "Phantoms" and did not affect anyone else on the street.

However, the only ones present who could see what the "Three Phantoms" were doing were Hayato, who summoned them, and Klein, who was pinned to the ground and looking up at the giant Trisolaran demon god. Neither Chronos beside Hayato, the executive agents of the Security Bureau surrounding the two of them, nor the pedestrians watching the show on the street saw the Trisolaran "Phantoms" appear.

All they could see was Hayato, surrounded by enemies, placing three cards on the Duel Disk, a tool used in the Duel Monsters game. After a flash of light, nothing appeared, and the sky above, which had finally cleared up a bit, was mysteriously covered by dark clouds again in a very short time.

Instinctively, Klein called out, "Be careful!"

But the moment he uttered that cry, the pain from his face being pressed against the rough ground reminded him once again of his betrayal by his colleagues, his scapegoat situation, and his humiliating subjugation, pinning him to the ground, unable to move. These bastards wanted to harm me, why did I warn them?

Thinking of this, Klein swallowed back the words he was about to say: "This man named Dan Kuroto has summoned three ominous-looking Duel Monsters, and they've surrounded you." Noticing his former colleagues' gazes, Klein said with amusement, "It's going to thunder, time to bring in the laundry!"

"Humph!"

One of the operators holding down Klein thought Klein would say something useful, but he didn't expect Klein to say such boring things. The operator, who had been annoyed with him for a long time, punched Klein to shut him up. "You arrogant guy who keeps spouting nonsense like 'elf' and looks down on people, you talk too much. If you bother me again, I'll beat you up again!"

However, due to the angle, he didn't see that Klein's seemingly pained grin was actually a cold laugh. Meanwhile, the beaten Klein was eagerly anticipating what kind of torture these good-for-nothings and bastards, who hadn't been alerted by his warning and therefore hadn't been on guard, would suffer at the hands of Dan Kuroto.

When they went on missions together before, Klein's colleagues from the Public Security Bureau had heard him say that he seemed to have some special ability, a kind of ability to see the spirits that exist in Duel Monsters cards. However, neither the naked eye nor electronic cameras nor special instruments that transmit and receive magnetic fields and radio waves could capture the "spirits" that Klein mentioned.

They already disliked Klein, who had no background and low education, thinking he was probably an idiot. How could a mere kid like him have supernatural things like elves in a game?

Klein was thus ostracized even more, and in turn, he couldn't show a friendly face to those who were ostracizing him. Their relationship deteriorated time and time again, but because they all worked in the Public Security Bureau, they didn't have any conflict. In fact, because of Klein's excellent abilities, his colleagues couldn't even resort to workplace bullying tactics.

Hayato glanced at Klein with some surprise. Was he really being ostracized because of his rare ability to see spirits? Even the most hateful person has a pitiable side, but that had nothing to do with Hayato. He wasn't the kind of saint who would easily feel pity for others because of such things.

Furthermore, even though they also have the ability to see spirits, Judai and John haven't become as arrogant and conceited as Klein. Ultimately, it's because of his bad personality that he can't get along with others. His ability to see spirits only exacerbates the already strained relationships.

However, even if Klein set aside his contradictions and the reality of betrayal and reminded these Security Bureau agents, it wouldn't have affected the outcome. As the "Three Phantom Demons" lowered themselves and unleashed their full power upon the Security Bureau agents they surrounded, Klein heard a mournful cry. The spirits of his [X-Swordsmen], who had always been by his side, were rapidly losing power and aging!

Compared to Klein, who at least had the protection of the elves, as the "Three Phantoms" absorbed the life force of the elves and even the spiritual energy of the humans, the first frail operator, who seemed to have the weakest physical condition, slipped and fell on a stone while moving forward in a daze. The other operators also fell into various states of weakness and collapsed suddenly.

From an outsider's perspective, just as Hayato and Chronos, who had chased the thief to the outside of the scenic area, were about to gang up on the thief after his accomplice caught him, the group of people suddenly collapsed as if they hadn't slept well the night before. It was as if someone had used some colorless smoke bomb mixed with sedative tea to knock them out!

Clonus, trapped in the encirclement, couldn't see what was happening. Not witnessing any spirit abilities, he only knew that after Hayato played three cards but failed to summon any monsters from the Duel Disk, and after the man who had captured Klein punched him, those surrounding them collapsed on their own. While bewildered by this bizarre and terrifying scene, Clonus felt a slight sense of relief.

Although he didn't know exactly what was going on, it seemed that Klein, who mistakenly believed himself to be a member of some evil organization, had been pushed out as a scapegoat by the other cops... his colleagues. In that case, even if Klein claimed to be in cahoots with Dan Kuroto and a member of the evil organization, no one would believe him. Besides, all these cops had inexplicably collapsed; if he and Dan Kuroto left this place, they should be able to get rid of this trouble that had suddenly clung to them, right?

Only Klein, the only person besides Hayato who could see the spirits, saw with perfect clarity the "Three Phantoms" who were bending down and absorbing the spiritual power they were stealing from his former colleagues. Their terrifying faces, like demons from the depths of hell, filled him with dread.

Although the two operators holding him down had fallen, the strength of the [X-Swordsman] guarding Klein was limited. Even if Klein wanted to get up and escape, he couldn't do something so difficult. In fear and despair that he might be killed, Klein also lost consciousness.

The moment after Klein, the only one who could see the "Three Phantoms," fainted, the demon-like "Three Phantoms" obediently returned to Hayato's card like dogs that had heard their master's whistle. They even dutifully vomited out the spiritual energy they had previously consumed, as if afraid that Hayato would suspect them of having any rebellious intentions and take the opportunity to beat them up.

"Tsk, why are you looking at me like that? Don't you think I'm a kind person?" Hayato grumbled, glancing at the "Three Phantoms" in the card who looked at him with the fear of seeing a hundred thousand murderers, and put the card away. As the "Three Phantoms" disappeared, the dark clouds that had just covered the sky also suddenly dissipated, making the pedestrians on the roadside sigh that the rain in England was really quite strange.

"Uh, Mr. Dan Kuroto?" Chronos asked softly as he watched Hayato put away his Duel Disk. "I'm not quite sure what's going on, but shouldn't we leave here before these people wake up?"

“Although the ‘Three Phantom Demons’ have expelled the life force and spiritual energy they absorbed, these people won’t recover so quickly. Even someone with Jonouchi’s constitution will be unconscious for an hour or two, so you can speak loudly without worrying about waking them,” Hayato said nonchalantly, glancing at Chronos. “However, aren’t you worried that I’m a member of the evil organization ‘The Academy,’ Mr. Chronos?”

“Not at all… well, actually there is some, but Mr. Dan Kuroto, you are a trustworthy person, that’s what my intuition tells me.” Chronos initially wanted to pretend that he wasn’t worried about Hayato at all, but when he thought of Hayato’s evil aura when he threatened Klein, he became a little less confident, but still said what he really thought, “Besides, compared to these British guys who won’t listen to reason, I think you are safer, Mr. Dan Kuroto.”

“At least, I won’t be pushed out as a scapegoat.” As he spoke, Chronos glanced at the fallen Klein and shook his head. This trip to England had left him with a bad feeling, not only because of the terrible weather, but also because the way the Sheriff’s Office acted was so incompatible with his personal aristocratic spirit.

Looking at Hayato, Chronos said, "So, I think you might be able to call me 'Chronos-sensei' now, Mr. Dan Kuroto~"

"Oh, Professor Chronos. Hmm, I feel like this is a more natural way to address you."

Hayato nodded, and together with Chronos, they bypassed the unconscious Security Bureau agents lying on the ground, ignoring them. Their safety was no concern in public; at most, their wallets might be stolen, but what did that have to do with Hayato?

Before leaving, Hayato made a special trip back to Glastonbury Abbey to buy some souvenirs to take back with him to his friends.

As Hayato put several books about British runes, Avalon, and the legend of King Arthur into his backpack, he casually said to Chronos, "Now that you've decided to join the Duel Academy, I think it's time to leave England. The Duel Academy starts next month, so you'd better familiarize yourself with the school before you officially start working there."

"By the way, you don't need to call me Mr. Dan Kuroto anymore, just call me Hayato, Kobayashi Hayato."

“Oh, okay, Mr. Hayato…” Chronos instinctively used honorifics, repeating Hayato’s name before finally realizing what he was doing. His face contorted with surprise, “Wait a minute, Kobayashi Hayato!?”

Chapter 1029 I'll have two drinks

"Have you heard the story of the chivalrous knight-errant? In the second year of Yuanhe, the Huashan family... I've had enough of these, let me try another one? Well then, the adventurer Joe William, 48 years old..."

Upon hearing Hayato's words, Malik casually picked his nose and said, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Hurry up and bring it up—do you think I would say that, brother-in-law? My sister didn't tell me to ask you what kind of stories you've come up with that can only fool a three-year-old."

"Huh? Aren't you one of them?"

Hayato's voice came from the other end of the phone. Malik couldn't tell what Hayato was doing from the noise around him, so he casually said, "No way, I'm at least ten or even nine years old."

"If a nine-year-old can satisfy you, then your IQ is only at this level," Hayato remarked, then asked, "Why would Iss want you to call me?"

"My sister has suddenly become busy again recently," Malik said casually, picking at the dirt under his fingernails. "It seems like it was last week? The British Museum in Victoria had an important artifact stolen, and even after all this time, there are still no clues, and nobody even knows if the artifact was sold on the black market outside of Victoria. Brother-in-law, you went to Victoria, right? You should have heard about this, right?"

“That’s right.” Hayato raised an eyebrow and calmly replied to Malik’s words.

“Victoria’s artifacts have nothing to do with people from other countries, but the artifacts in the British Museum that Victoria occupied are related. However, before this incident, Victoria had always refused to return the artifacts on the grounds that ‘the British Museum can provide artifacts with far more comprehensive and secure protection than any other country could originally provide.’”

At this point, Malik smiled and said, "But with this theft of cultural relics, the reason that was already so lame, like an old lady's cane, has fallen apart. How could other countries let go of such a good opportunity to reclaim their own things with a legitimate reason? The reason of 'fearing that their cultural relics will also be stolen' is simple and effective."

"Although the tomb keepers had been secretly switching artifacts and bringing them back to Egypt for a long time, this time, with this excuse, those artifacts that were originally hidden in the dark have the opportunity to be brought out into the open for public viewing again, so my sister's cultural relics management bureau has become busier. But overall, we still have to thank the person who stole the Victorian artifacts, it's all thanks to him."

"Speaking of which, that person is quite formidable. Although the people in Victoria have caught someone who seems to be a traitor within their ranks and claims to be the mastermind behind the theft of the artifacts, even a blind man can see that he's just a scapegoat. The identity of the real thief has still not been revealed." Malik paused, then casually asked, "Brother-in-law, you're also in Victoria, do you have any leads?"

“I don’t even know where the end of the universe is, how could I possibly know who stole the artifacts?” Hayato said confidently, and then he told Malik what had happened to him during his time in Victoria, but with the events of Dartz and the golden shawl omitted.

"I always feel like you run into trouble wherever you go, brother-in-law. Do you have some kind of novel protagonist-like constitution that makes you so prone to attracting trouble?" Hearing that Hayato had been taken to Avalon and played cards with the legendary King Arthur, Malik wasn't surprised at all; he just remarked wistfully. After all, it's Hayato. He wouldn't be surprised if someone told him that a pharaoh other than Atum had risen from the underworld and come out to play cards with him.

"If I were the protagonist of a novel, I could easily encounter a dozen or so beautiful women on the street and then effortlessly add them to my harem with my domineering presence, instead of just being coveted by VIP members of the Big Bird Roundabout Bar." Hayato complained, thinking of that guy, Dazi, and then told Malik to remember to clean the house when he had time before hanging up the phone.

Although so much time has passed since Duel City, Malik is still staying at Hayato's house. Firstly, Hayato's parents are usually abroad and rarely come home, so the house is empty and he can stay there. However, it's also because Malik, as an undocumented immigrant, can't legally buy a house, especially now that Domino City is increasingly "dominated" by the Kaiba Corporation.

However, this is just a minor issue. The entire city of Domino is now practically under Kaiba's surveillance. He's well aware of Malik's existence, and if Hayato just tells him, he probably won't mind doing such a small favor. But at the same time, it's foreseeable that Kaiba will definitely take the opportunity to ask Hayato to play a game of cards with him.

The main reason Malik stayed at Hayato's house was because he was a lazy dog. While living alone was comfortable, it also required dealing with many troublesome things like water, electricity, and sanitation. However, if he stayed at Hayato's house, he only needed to help Hayato clean the house occasionally, and he didn't have to worry about anything else.

Hayato wasn't too bothered, since his house was quite big anyway. Besides, Malik wasn't the kind of hypocritical, saintly tanuki who didn't have his own income, lived in someone else's house, chanted "world peace" slogans, and felt guilty for betraying others' trust in him. Hayato wasn't referring to anyone in particular.

After Hayato finished his phone call, Chronos seemed to have finished making arrangements with his family and informed others of his plan to go to the Duel Academy. He came to Hayato's side and said, "Dan Kuroto... no, Mr. Hayato, I'm ready to leave and can go to the Duel Academy anytime."

"Hmm? Don't you need to go home? Just to make a phone call? Don't you have any important luggage to take?"

Hearing Hayato's words, Chronos shook his head and said, "I don't have any important items at home that I need to carry with me. My parents are very happy that I have found a meaningful job, and they are in good health and have servants to take care of them. There's nothing for me to worry about."

"I can't wait to report to the Duel Academy. Just thinking about being able to teach my understanding of Duel Monsters and all aspects of knowledge to students and help those who are more talented than me to go to higher places makes me incredibly excited."

Overwhelmed with excitement, Chronos glanced at Hayato and said somewhat shyly, "What excites me even more and is unbelievable is that Mr. Dan Kuroto, your true identity is actually the legendary Duel King, Kobayashi Hayato! I've traveled with you and even fought you once. It's so exciting that I want to sing a song of 'Ananone'!"

Hayato had no idea about this before telling Chronos his true identity. He had never heard Chronos mention that he was actually a fan of his. Even though he had told Chronos his identity several days ago, Chronos still got incredibly excited every time he talked about him.

In Hayato's memory, Chronos had never been a fan of any legendary duelist. Even when he tried to curry favor with Pegasus, it was only because he wanted to climb up the ranks, not because he admired Pegasus himself.

According to Chronos, the main reason he became a fan was that among the many legendary duelists, he was the only one who used Machine-type monsters as one of his main fighting forces, namely Hayato's AtoZ monsters. Compared to Yugi's Mage-type monsters, Joey's Warrior-type monsters, and Kaiba's Dragon-type monsters, Chronos had a higher affinity for Machine-type monsters. Although he didn't hate the other races, he had a special admiration for Hayato, who used Machine-type monsters.

After all, as a duelist, it's impossible not to want to become stronger. And as the strongest duelist—the King of Duels—it's not unreasonable for Hayato to be called the strongest user of Machine-type monsters when using Machine-type monsters.

Because Dartz, that pervert who keeps shouting "Hayato, my hero" all day long, and Hayato, who has a bit of PTSD about fans, was relieved to know that Chronos was more focused on him becoming stronger, he came with Dartz to the airport where Hayato's plane landed when he arrived in Victoria, intending to leave this country shrouded in rain and fog.

When Hayato defeated the Bureau of Public Security in charge of the stolen artifacts that day with the "Three Phantoms," although he did not engage in the Dark Game, he could still easily manipulate those whose mental energy had been drained by the power of the "Three Phantoms." Hayato erased his and Chronos's existence from their minds, making them forget what they had done that day, and this did not even require Hayato to precisely manipulate each one of them.

The "Three Phantom Demons," isn't that amazing?

As for Klein, who was protected by the elves, Hayato did nothing. He simply "casually" took the cards from Klein's deck that did not contain any elves. Hayato had no interest in the [X-Swordsman] monsters that did contain elves and left them to Klein. Whenever Hayato thinks about Hayato, he can't help but feel that he is too kind.

After being betrayed, Klein seemed to try to expose Hayato and Chronos's existence, but having already been labeled a "traitor," he was quickly pushed out as a scapegoat by his superiors and the case was forcibly closed without the gold cape being recovered. Hayato even saw Klein appear on television.

Despite being the one who was betrayed, he was branded a traitor. Hayato felt sorry for Klein, watching him being stripped of his titles and medals, and drank two more cups of cola.

Since Chronos didn't need to return to Italy, the two of them could simply go directly to Duel Academy Island. However, Chronos was quite puzzled when Hayato led Chronos into the VIP lounge without buying plane tickets, after simply telling someone.

"Don't you need to buy a ticket, Mr. Hayato?" In Chronos's mind, it should be common sense to buy a ticket before you take a plane, but judging from Hayato's appearance, did he already buy the ticket in advance?

"I didn't buy a ticket beforehand, Professor Chronos." As if he could read minds, Hayato casually picked out his favorite snacks at the bar in the VIP lounge and replied to Chronos, "Buying a plane ticket is indeed the normal procedure under normal circumstances. But, if you had your own plane, would you still need to buy a ticket?"

"My own plane?" Chronos was taken aback. Looking through the transparent glass wall of the VIP lounge towards the tarmac outside the airport, he immediately noticed a small passenger plane painted entirely red slowly driving out of the hangar.

As the largest shareholder of the International Illusion Company, Hayato no longer needed his family's money; he was quite wealthy himself. He had long ago commissioned Airbus, the European company, to customize an aircraft as his private jet. However, because it was a completely custom-made product, it was only recently completed. Hayato informed them that there was no need to specifically send it to the Eastern Country; instead, they should bring the plane to this airport in Victoria and wait for him to board.

"The Airbus A380, this is the prototype of this aircraft. Airbus seems to intend to use this aircraft to challenge the Boeing 747's dominance in the long-haul passenger market. However, this has little to do with this customized version, because its configuration is completely different from General Electric's. I even customized an arcade, a dueling arena, and a swimming pool inside, and the price was only three billion US dollars. One billion of that was used to cut in line and improve Airbus's efficiency."

Hayato, happily munching on a cup of yogurt provided free of charge in the VIP lounge, casually introduced it to Chronos, saying, "I named it 'Steel Tank.' Don't ask why an airplane would be called a tank. Airbus designers were also curious and asked me about it. My answer was that it's because I bought it, so I'm happy to."

“Now I completely understand what you meant when you said ‘no one is as rich as me’, Mr. Hayato. Compared to you, I feel like I’m still a beggar.” Chronos shook his head with a smile. Seeing that Hayato had a cup in addition to the yogurt in his hand, he assumed that Hayato had taken one for himself as well. He said, “Um, I don’t really like this kind of cheap yogurt.”

"Oh, I'll have two drinks." Hayato waved his hand. "I feel so-so, but what can I do when it's free? The staff should be getting the plane ready soon. I'll treat you to the 'ticket' this time, Professor Chronos."

As he spoke, Hayato freed his hand to rub his chin and muttered to himself, "However, just traveling by plane feels like something's missing. I've got it, I'll say that later."

"Steel Tank, Hayato Kobayashi, launch!"

Chapter 1030 Seahorse, you tricked me!

Following the plane crash that occurred on his way to Egypt, Hayato was visiting the island now known as "Duel Academy Island" for the first time. After about half a year, the once uninhabited island had been transformed into a completely different place thanks to the joint efforts of the Kaiba Entertainment Group, Kagemaru Pharmaceutical Group, and Anasis Shipping Company.

Unfortunately, while the Kaiba Group had prepared a helipad for helicopters when planning the Duel Academy, it did not support the landing of passenger planes. This meant that Hayato could not take his "Gundam" to overlook the overall appearance of Duel Academy Island from the air. He could only land on the nearby land and then take a ship prepared by Anasis Shipping Company to Duel Academy Island.

This was also part of the original cooperation. Not only Hayato and Chronos are now involved, but whenever it's time for Duel Academy to start or end school, or when there are supplies that need to be sent to Duel Academy Island, or when others visit Duel Academy, the ships provided by Anasis Shipping Company will be responsible for transportation.

—At least that's the current situation. However, as the Duel Academy continues to operate and other Duel Academyes are established, the Duel Academy will inevitably purchase its own long-term vessels, and its cooperation with Anasis Shipping Company will change from leasing to ordering vessels. But that's a matter for the future; for now, the ship that Hayato and Chronos are traveling on is leased from Anasis Shipping Company.