Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Hayato had never encountered any of the members of the Grus, but the only ones he remembered were the "Light and Dark Masks." The second reason Hayato could recognize them at a glance was because their masks were so unique, each only covering half of their face, making them practically useless.

As for the third reason why Hayato had a certain impression of them, even most of the villainous bosses, such as Noa Kaiba who once cut off Hayato's perfect hand, only got the best treatment of fighting Kaiba and Atem in a two-on-two battle. Only the most powerful ones, like Dartz, had the qualification to fight Kaiba, Jonouchi, and Atem at the same time.

As for Mask of Light and Darkness, he is one of the few beings who has fought against Atem and Kaiba at the same time. The difficulty of that duel was no less than that of the Nine-Headed Insect causing Babo to rush and kill Tang Sanzang and his disciples. It makes people sigh once again that the nickname "Three-Year-Old" of Malik, the leader of Gurus, was indeed not given lightly.

Despite being minor characters, they dared to provoke Atem and Kaiba, even resorting to kidnapping and life-threatening duels. Their courage is almost comparable to Paradox's ability to fight several powerful duelists simultaneously.

For example, right now, even though they were caught in Hayato's dark game and saw that Hayato possessed the Millennium Wisdom Ring, which was similar to the Millennium Scepter of their former leader Malik, the Mask of Light and Darkness still bravely challenged Hayato to a duel, even though Hayato was suffering from the memory interference of the Quantum Cube. Their courage was still commendable!

“Kufufuf, ‘Grus’s Mask of Light and Darkness’? That’s a thing of the past, who knows how long ago!” Mask of Light said with a hint of pride. “When ‘Grus’, which was organized by Malik who controlled all the members by his own means, was disbanded, we who broke away from him were absorbed by that person and given even greater power and invincible tools.”

"We have been reborn, and the organization we belong to is called 'New Gurus'!"

"Alright, that's enough, Mask of Light." Compared to Mask of Light, who seemed clever and always took the initiative to speak but actually had little patience and wasn't very bright, Mask of Darkness, who didn't talk much and seemed like a brute who only knew how to use force, was actually the smarter one in the duo. Fearing that his partner might reveal information he shouldn't, he quickly interrupted Mask of Light to continue, "After we take down these people and get the important cards, you can find a secluded place to talk to me slowly."

"Tch, you have no idea what it feels like to show off. Showing off to you and showing off to these weaklings are completely different things." Mask of Light said with some dissatisfaction, but still followed Mask of Darkness's advice and didn't continue. "I understand. Anyway, there's only one person on the other side, so no matter how you look at it, it's our side's advantage."

"Let's finish this quickly, Duel!"

As they spoke, Light and Dark Masks raised the Duel Disk again, which they hadn't hidden before. The Duel Disk, which looked similar to the ones circulating in the market, was opened. Light and Dark Masks, disregarding all sportsmanship, drew five cards in advance, preparing to launch a preemptive attack while Hayato was drawing his cards.

【Mask of Light: 4000LP, 5 card in hand】

【Mask of Darkness: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand】

Seeing that he could no longer get information out of them, Hayato raised his Duel Disk and said, "Double duels, huh? It's been a while since we've had this type of duel. After all, there are very few duelist combinations that are as well-coordinated and balanced in strength as Yugi and Jonouchi. They're either as well-coordinated and balanced as the Labyrinth Brothers but weak, or as well-coordinated as Kaiba and Keihei but unbalanced in strength."

"I hope you two can bring a little fun to my deck." Hayato took out a deck and inserted it into the Duel Disk. "Tremble before my 'Pure [Inferno]' deck!"

"Duel!"

[Hayato: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

Just as Hayato drew five cards, Mask of Light drew a card from his deck first and said to Mask of Darkness beside him, "Kuffuffuffuff, it seems my hand speed is faster than yours, Mask of Darkness, I'll take the first turn!"

"That doesn't matter, as long as we take down this guy and bring back the [Homunculus - Psychic Shocker] card." Mask of Darkness didn't care much about who attacked first or last. "In order, your turn is followed by this guy's turn, and then it's immediately my turn. Although he can enter the battle phase when it's his turn later, he'll be facing a field that the two of us have set up together. There's no way he can lose!"

"That's it, the Mask of Darkness!"

Hayato remained calm as he watched the two who completely disregarded him.

Everyone knows that going first allows you to draw cards, but I've been playing [Hellfire Machine], so I specifically chose to break through as the second player. These two were cannon fodder under Malik in Gurus before. Even if they say they got stronger cards from the so-called leader of "New Gurus", how much stronger could they be?

Mask of Light began his turn, glancing at the card he had drawn. He played it, saying, "First, I activate the spell card, [Dark World's Guide]. Both players draw one card from their decks and discard one card from their hands."

It seems like drawing one and discarding one is neither a gain nor a loss, but since the card "Dark World's Guide" is itself part of the resources, this card is actually a card disadvantage. Unless the deck used is a graveyard-dumping deck like the "Dark World" archetype, very few people will use it.

After Hayato drew his card, he sent a card with an unclear meaning to the graveyard. Both Light and Dark Masks also drew and discarded their cards, but neither of them activated the effect of the card sent to the graveyard.

Upon seeing the new card in his hand, Mask of Light coldly sneered and played it, saying, "Next, if there are no monsters on my field, I Special Summon 'Invading Demon's Cell' from my hand!"

"Liberate it, summon [Invading Demon - Mantis Scythe]!"

The ladybug-like [Invading Devil's Cell] vanished from the Mask of Light's field in an instant. Special Summoned, it instantly became a sacrifice for a Superior Summon. Its jet-black carapace was torn apart and reassembled by continuously expanding muscles, eventually transforming into an insect demon that stood upright, with huge mantis-like scythe legs, a pair of insect-like elytra, and an alien-shaped long tail covered by a carapace. The blue muscles inside its chest were slightly exposed. However, compared to the [Invading Devil's Cell], what remained unchanged was its jet-black carapace and the rhinoceros beetle-like emblem on its forehead.

【Invading the Demon - Mantis Scythe】【5☆/Dark】

[Demon Race/Effect]

[2200/0]

"Holy crap, a perfect hand?!" Hayato exclaimed instinctively as he looked at the monster that appeared on the Mask of Light's field. Hayato had only seen the [Invasion of the Devil] deck in casual deck battles before, but he had a particularly deep impression of it—or rather, [Invasion of the Devil: Mantis Scythe].

The reason is simple: the Knight of Hanno, one of the two actors who played the iconic "Perfect Hand" scene, used this deck. At the time, he was completely blocked by several high-level monsters and could hardly move his hand. This perfectly matches the classic "high-level starting hand" of the Trinity Summoning deck. After all, not everyone can be like Kaiba's Blue-Eyes, who can instantly turn a high-level starting hand into a "Fusion" card and become a truly perfect hand.

【Invading Demon - Mantis】 was one of the high-level monsters that blocked the Hanno Knight. Moreover, it wasn't just one card, but three cards appeared at the same time. And unlike 【Cyber ​​Dragon】, it didn't have the ability to be Special Summoned directly. You can imagine how "perfect" that hand must have been.

Not understanding what Hayato was saying, the Mask of Light, who had successfully Tribute Summoned [Invasion Demon - Mantis], immediately activated its effect, saying: "When I successfully Tribute Summon [Invasion Demon - Mantis] by Tributing [Invasion Demon] monster, I pay 1000 Life Points to activate this effect and Special Summon one [Invasion Demon] monster from my Graveyard!"

【Mask of Light: 4000→3000LP】

"I Special Summoned this 'Gatekeeper of the Demon' which was sent to the Graveyard by 'Dark World's Guide', and because of the effect of 'Gatekeeper of the Demon', I can Normal Summon only once in addition to the Normal Summon the turn 'Gatekeeper of the Demon' is Tribute Summoned face-up!"

"I summon [The Caller of the Demon] from my hand!"

The two scythes of 【Invading Demon - Mantis Scythe】sliced ​​open an "X" shape in the air in front of him, and from that opening, the Mask of Light card and two other 【Invading Demon】 monsters from the graveyard came to his field, instantly forming a formidable force.

[Invading the Devil's Gate] [4☆/Dark]

[Demon Race/Effect]

[1500/1900]

[The Summoner of the Invading Demon] [4☆/Dark]

[Demon Race/Effect]

[1700/0]

After the initial setup, Mask of Light had two cards left in his hand. He placed one face-down on his back row and said smugly, "Kufufuf, what an unexpectedly smooth setup! As expected, the 'Invasion Demon' deck that sir bestowed upon us is the strongest, invincible deck. Especially with the perfect synergy between Mask of Darkness and me, I'm afraid even if we encounter that bastard Malik again, we can easily defeat him, right?"

"I'll place a card face down, and my turn is over!"

【Mask of Light: 3000LP, 1 card in hand】

【Invading the Devil - Mantis Scythe】【ATK2200】

[Invading the Devil's Gate] [DEF1900]

[The Invader of the Devil's Call] [ATK1700]

【GaiKa】

Chapter 1089 Hellfire Machine - The True Eldest Sister

"My turn, draw a card."

Hayato drew a card and played it without even looking at it. "Activate Quick-Play Spell Card [Whirlwind] to destroy the card in your back row."

"And then your next sentence is, 'Tch, in that case I'll activate this Continuous Trap Card [Combo Emperor] before you destroy it.'"

"Tch, in that case, I'll put this Continuous Trap Card down before you destroy it—" In sync with Hayato, Mask of Light watched the [Whirlwind] that Hayato activated and said subconsciously. Only then did he realize that Hayato had actually "predicted" what he was going to say and guessed the type and even the name of the card he had set down!

How did you know what card I stamped?!

Linked to [Whirlwind], the face-down card that appeared in the back row of Mask of Light was none other than [Combo Emperor]!

"Although I haven't played it, I've seen quite a few people using high-level summon decks like 'Emperor' and 'Invading Demon' to 'accelerate' high-level summons. I already guessed it when I saw you set one in your back row and kept one in your hand." Hayato said casually, revealing a contemptuous smile. "If you want to activate its effect, do it now. If you wait any longer, that continuous trap card will be destroyed."

Looking at Hayato, the two Masked Light and Masked Darkness couldn't help but recall the horrors they had experienced in Grus under Malik's control, and the humiliation of being mentally controlled and losing themselves at any moment.

His fingers trembled slightly, but seeing the card in his hand, Mask of Light gritted his teeth and said, "Once per turn, [Combo Emperor] can be activated during my opponent's Main Phase and Battle Phase. I will perform a Tribute Summon. Right now, I will use its effect to Tribute Summon this [Invading Demon Summoner] from my hand by releasing [Invading Demon - Longshovel] from my field!"

Like the insect "Golden Bell," the [Caller of the Invading Demon], with its elytra erected, swelled and mutated like the previous [Demon Cell], evolving into a more advanced [Invading Demon] monster through a kind of abnormal development. Apart from retaining its original exposed orange flesh and the emblem that almost all [Invading Demon] monsters have, [Invading Demon - Longshovel] is completely unrecognizable as the [Caller of the Invading Demon]. Its body has widened considerably, and it stands upright, pointing its mutated cannon-like right arm at Hayato's field, but it can't lock onto anything.

【Invading the Demon - Longshovel】【7☆/Dark】

[Demon Race/Effect]

[2600/0]

"With just one tribute, you possess attack power surpassing even a rare monster like [Red-Eyes Black Dragon], Kufufufufu, are you scared? Scared of my [Invading Demon]!" The Mask of Light proudly placed the card on the Duel Disk. "This is the power of [Invading Demon - Shovel]! It allows for a face-up Attack Position Tribute Summon using only one [Invading Demon] monster!"

"It's a bit of a shame that another effect of [Invading Demon - Longshovel] was that when a [Invading Demon] monster was successfully Tribute Summoned, it could have selected one card on the opponent's field and sent it directly to the Graveyard, and restored 1000 Life Points to me."

Mask of Light said somewhat displeasedly, watching Hayato's [Whirlwind] sweep across his back row and destroy [Combo Emperor]. With the support of [Combo Emperor], he could have freely chosen a suitable time, such as when Hayato was about to set up or launch an attack, to use [Combo Emperor] to precisely destroy Hayato's [Invading Devil - Longshovel], a powerful terminal monster, or a troublesome back row card. He could also take the opportunity to recover 1000 Life Points to make up for the Life Points he paid out in the previous turn.

But now, he has wasted a powerful effect of [Invading the Devil - Longshovel] for nothing.

"Without a target to act upon, the second effect of [Invading Demon - Longshovel] cannot be activated upon successful summoning." Since the chain of [Whirlwind] and [Combo Emperor] had already been completed when [Invading Demon - Longshovel] was successfully summoned, Mask of Light, seeing that [Invading Demon - Longshovel] could not activate its effect, said, "However, besides it, [Invading Demon's Caller], which I released, can activate its effect!"

Before he could send the "Caller of the Invading Demon" to the graveyard, the Mask of Light showed it to Hayato before throwing it into the graveyard. He said, "When I successfully Tribute the 'Caller of the Invading Demon' to Tribute a monster of the 'Invading Demon' rank, I can Special Summon one 'Invading Demon' monster of rank 4 or lower from my Deck."

"I Special Summon 'Sentinel of the Infiltrator' in Attack Position. While this card is face-up on the field in Attack Position, monsters Special Summoned at Level 5 or higher cannot activate their effects!"

Beside [Invading Devil - Longshovel], another [Invading Devil] monster appeared on the field of Mask of Light. The monster's short stature and unique appearance easily reminded people of one of the raw materials for the Recovery Liquid - the American cockroach.

【The Sentinel Who Infiltrated the Devil】【3☆/Dark】

[Demon Race/Effect]

[1100/0]

Hayato also remembers that in the DT world view to which [Invading Demons] belong, [Invading Demons Sentinels] did indeed evolve into [Invading Demons Cockroach] based on the conflict between the power of light and darkness, and were nicknamed "The Chosen One of Evolution". Their greatest skill was witnessing epic events from the sidelines. They survived from the Demon War to the Battle of Tiera and were also the only survivors of the villainous [Invading Demons] and one of the heroes who saved the world.

Hmm, now that I think about it, could I be the villain? Hayato raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the [Inferno Tira] card in his Extra Deck.

Wrong. [Invasion Demon - Cockroach] is the chosen one, while [Invasion Demon's Sentinel] remains [Invasion Demon's] lackey. Rather than letting the [Invasion Demon's Sentinel], with its bright future, continue to wreak havoc under [Invasion Demon's] control, it's better to eliminate it sooner rather than later and free it. Yes, indeed, there is no duelist more compassionate than me.

Mask of Light, assuming Hayato was afraid of the Invading Demons on his field, arrogantly declared, "Powerful Invading Demons can multiply and expand their forces rapidly like cockroaches, constantly growing stronger by preying on lower-level Invading Demons through superior summons. So what if you destroyed my Combo Emperor in the back row? I now have four powerful monsters on my field!"

“You’re right, but I’m playing with [Inferno Machine]. I’m not afraid of even if a useless player creates a perfect field with six level 12 monsters, so why would I be afraid of your [Intrusion Demon]? What kind of villain are you, and what kind of villain am I?” Hayato said, revealing a card from his hand, “Continuous Spell Card [Purgatory Dream] activated!”

As the card was inserted into Hayato's back row, a phantom projection appeared behind him, with several rings connected by lines, resembling the Kabbalah Tree of Life, but in a completely inverted state.

"The main effect of 【Purgatory Dream】 is that you can send this face-up card on the field to the Graveyard, perform a cool fusion with monsters from your hand and field, and fusion summon the 【Inferno Machine】 Fusion Monster. If there are only monsters Special Summoned from the Fusion Deck on your opponent's field, you can also add up to six more monsters from your Deck to this cool fusion."

"So, you mean it only works best against a Fusion deck? Hah, that sounds rubbish. Who can guarantee that the opponent's deck is definitely a Fusion deck?" Mask of Light said disdainfully, glancing at Mask of Darkness beside him. "And this time you're really unlucky. In this duel that involves your life, you're facing both me and Mask of Darkness using Tribute Summoning decks, Kufufufu!"

"I see. So that guy over there is also using a Superior Summon deck?" Hayato deliberately spoke loudly, noticing the grim expression on Dark Mask's face, who had remained silent the whole time.

This made Mask of Light look at his teammates: "Is this... something that can't be said?"

"What can you do now that you've already said it?" This wasn't the first time Dark Mask had been annoyed by his partner's sharp tongue, but what could he do? From Gurus to the current Neo Gurus, his partner had always been him, and it wasn't time to change partners yet. All he could say was, "From now on, just be quiet and finish this guy off quickly, Light Mask."

"Heh, a deck that uses cards with no clear meaning is definitely just a weak deck." Mask of Light glanced at Hayato's hand. "With no Fusion Monsters Special Summoned from a Fusion Deck on my field right now, that guy only has four cards in his hand to use. I don't know what he has to be afraid of."

"You really dare to say that, huh?" Hayato shook his head, took the [Purgatory Dream] from the Duel Disk, and said, "Well then, don't blink, victory or defeat can be decided in an instant."

"The effect of 【Purgatory's Dream】 activates, sending two monsters from my hand, 【Inferno Machine Nava】 and 【Inferno Machine Lilith】, to the Graveyard. The Fusion Material requirement for this monster is two 【Inferno Machine】 monsters!"

"Beneath the divine star tree that created all things lies the God of Reversal. When the solid Kabbalah mark opens, abandon all hope! Appear! The true form of the one who destroys all order, guides ultimate malice, and leads the world's nightmare!"

"Fusion Summoning! [Hellfire Machine - Evil Thoughts]!"

Compared to Mask of Light, who never utters a summoning phrase when summoning monsters and whose summoning of numerous monsters lacks any real impact, Hayato is clearly much more professional. Accompanied by an enigmatic summoning phrase, his two monster cards gather together in one place.

Compared to the minimum three materials required for [Inferno Tierra], one less material is needed, which makes even the fusion of [Inferno Nava] and [Inferno Lilith], the two big brothers in the [Inferno] deck, slightly flawed. It failed to fuse into a behemoth similar to [Inferno Tierra]. The frame of flames that appears on Hayato's field is only about the size of [Inferno Decimal].

However, the flames that made it up completely changed from cyan and purple to a chilling light blue. "That is the fire of the soul." Even the two members of the Masked Light and Masked Darkness, who knew nothing about this monster, had this thought in their minds the moment they saw the fusion monster called "Hellfire Machine: Evil Thought" emerge from the flames.

And the [Hellfire Machine - Evil Thoughts], bathed in these terrifying flames, is a demon that devours souls!

"No, that's all. Monsters that size look weak and powerless!" Mask of Light retorted defiantly, looking at the small [Hellfire Machine - Evil Thought]. "Besides, even if it's a fusion monster, as long as its level is 5 stars or higher, it won't be able to activate its effect due to the [Sentinel of the Invading Demon] ability—"

Halfway through his sentence, Mask of Light stopped, looking at Hayato's [Hellfire Machine - Evil Thought] on the field with surprise: "A Level 1 ☆ Fusion Monster!?"