Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"The effect of [Sky Apprentice] is that if there are other [Entertainment Partners] on my field besides him, I can gather the power of my partners to attack together." As Hayato spoke, two BBs pierced through [Cartoon Revolver Dragon], "destroying the opponent's monster before damage resolution."

"Your attack is back!"

"boom!"

The BB gun pierced the Cartoon Revolver Dragon, and the bullet holes continued to spread throughout its body. The explosion sent flames soaring into the sky, and the Cartoon Revolver Dragon was destroyed and sent to the graveyard.

"Then comes the Sky Magician, who attacks the Mermaid with the Bow!"

After the disciple's "attack and counterattack show" ended, it was the master's turn to perform. The ring that had previously blocked the attack of the "Cartoon Revolver Dragon" for the "Sky Disciple" flew back into the "Sky Magician's" hand. The four rings detached from his hand and floated together behind the "Sky Magician," causing ripples in the space within the rings.

From the distorted space, four dragon heads of unknown origin slowly emerged—a pitch-black dark dragon, an evil dragon that seemed to be the embodiment of destruction, a pure azure dragon, and a red dragon with heterochromatic eyes.

Hayato stared wide-eyed in surprise, somewhat puzzled as to why the four dragon figures appeared among the four rings of the Sky Magician. But when he blinked, he found that the four dragon heads in the rings had disappeared again, as if what had just appeared in his eyes was just an illusion.

Four magic cannons shot out from the Sky Magician's ring, flying towards the Mermaid with the Bow on Pegasus's field. Hayato looked at Yugi beside him and Pegasus opposite him, but found that their expressions were normal, as if they had not noticed the change that had just occurred to the Sky Magician.

"Hayato boy, I won't let you destroy my monster like this!" Pegasus, seeing the incoming Light Cannon, activated his face-down card in the back row, "Trap Card [Absorption Shield], negates your [Sky Magician]'s attack and restores my Life Points to its ATK value!"

A transparent barrier blocked the path of the trembling mermaid, protecting her. The Sky Magician's energy cannon struck the barrier, but it didn't even cause a ripple; instead, it transformed into life force, replenishing Pegasus's energy.

[Becas: 6600→9400LP]

"Hmph, you fool, you just said you were going to negate my monster's attack, right?" Pegasus activated a face-down card, forcing Hayato to temporarily suppress his doubts and activate a card from his hand, "Spell Card [Double Chance]: When a monster's attack is negated, it can only attack again once, and its attack power is doubled!"

【Double Chance】is the card Hayato used to defeat Samejima Iemitsu. Thanks to Pegasus's activation of 【Heavenly Treasure Card】, Hayato added it to his hand and successfully activated it: "【Sky Magician】's attack power is 2800 points, after doubling it becomes 5600 points!"

"You'll reap what you sow! Give me back all the basic points you just recovered! [Sky Magician], a double attack that soars into the sky!"

From within the ring of the Sky Magician, a second magic cannon shot was fired, and this one was much thicker than the four that had been fired before. This time, Pegasus no longer had any face-down cards to protect his Mermaid with the Bow; the monster was directly destroyed and sent to the graveyard, and the aftershocks of the attack caused Pegasus to stagger.

[Becas: 9400→5200LP]

Having lost a full 4200 points of basic points in one go, Pegasus's face was contorted with pain due to the corresponding intensity of the attack, and his once neat silver hair became a mess. Where was the composure he had at the beginning of the duel?

Meanwhile, there are still monsters on Hayato's field that haven't been attacked yet.

"A righteous sneak attack!" Using the cover of [Sky Magician's] light cannon, [Help Princess], carrying her slap wand, ran to Pegasus's side. Now, Pegasus had no monsters left on the field to use as cover, and she could launch a direct attack.

"Go! [Help the Princess], use fire magic on Pegasus!" Although it was called fire magic, after [Help the Princess] summoned a blazing fireball, she directly enchanted the fireball onto the tip of her staff. After Pegasus clenched his fist, a knock-off "fire fist" hit Pegasus in the face.

"Cough!"

[Becas: 5200→4000LP]

All the monsters launched a final attack, and Hayato reduced Pegasus's Life Points to 4000, the same as his own, and also cleared Pegasus's field completely: "Two cards are set, my turn ends."

[Hayato: 4000LP, 1 cards in hand]

[Entertainment Partner - Sky Apprentice] [ATK800]

[Entertainment Partner - Sky Magician] [ATK2800]

【Entertainment Partner - Helping the Princess】【ATK1200】

[Flappy Card] [Flappy Card] [The Magician's Right Hand]

"Phew~" Pegasus recovered from the soreness in his body from the impact, let out a deep breath, and barely calmed himself down. "I really underestimated you guys, Hayato boy, game boy, that you would get angry over a mere provocation. I'm still not mature enough."

"To you fellow holders of the Millennium Artifact, I seem to have gone a bit too far." Pegasus's tone grew increasingly cold. Whether it was an illusion or not, Yugi and Hayato noticed that Pegasus's messy, shoulder-length silver hair was floating in mid-air, as if there was an updraft beneath his feet.

A golden light flashed from the [Millennium Eye], and in an instant, Hayato and Yugi felt as if they were being watched by something.

Chapter 171 The Demon God of Sacrifice

In the audience outside the arena, although some people were invited by Pegasus only because of the forces behind them, the number of duelists was not small, and a considerable number of them also noticed the changes that had occurred in Pegasus.

"Pegasus, is he going to get serious?"

Samejima's expression was more serious than ever before, which puzzled Honda, who was standing next to him: "But didn't the game already crack Pegasus's 'Cartoon World'? Hayato even cleared out his field, so that guy is bound to lose, right?"

"No, actually, this duel has only just begun." Samejima looked thoughtful. "I don't know if you remember, but there is a special kind of monster among Duel Monsters, Ritual Monsters."

"Hmph, I can't forget it even if I wanted to," said Mai Kongque irritably. She was defeated by the Chaos Warrior, summoned by a ritual monster from the game—the Chaos Warrior summoned by the Light and Darkness Dual-Body Monster. How could she forget the monster that defeated her so easily?

"Although we haven't seen many, we've already seen two types of Ritual Monsters," Jonouchi said, recalling the events. The first time they saw a Ritual Monster was the day before the school's cultural festival, during a duel where their class booths were up for grabs. It was Goro from another class who used "Hungry Hamburger." Including the game's "Chaos Warrior," there were only two in total.

Compared to the number of other monsters, ritual monsters are indeed quite rare, and many people have never even seen one.

“Ritual monsters are high-level monsters that can only be summoned when the monster itself, the ritual card, and the ritual offerings are all gathered together. While the conditions for their appearance are demanding, they are also mostly quite powerful monsters,” Samejima explained. “The biggest limitation of ritual monsters is that in order to summon them, a large number of monsters are often required to meet the level requirements.”

"【Hungry Hamburger】requires a total level of 6, and 【Chaos Warrior】requires a total level of 8. It seems that's true." Honda nodded, recalling for a moment, and confirmed that it was indeed as Samejima had said.

Samejima looked at Pegasus: "But I once heard a rumor that Pegasus has a Super Ritual Monster that only requires a Level 1 tribute and has the ultimate effect of being the 'deepest darkness among Duel Monsters'."

"Rumor has it that the monster is even more powerful than the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"A ritual monster even more powerful than the Blue-Eyes White Dragon can be summoned with just level 1?!"

Jonouchi frowned: "How could there be such a shameless monster? The person who printed this card is too despicable!" He couldn't help but look at Pegasus.

Oh, it's Pegasus. Never mind then. This guy's a card-printing idiot, always thinking about printing powerful cards for himself. It's not the first time.

"Our leisurely Game Time is over. Start Now! I will use the utmost respect and tactics to defeat you two Duel Kings!" Pegasus said solemnly, drawing a card from his deck and playing it on the field. "Activate Spell Card: [Advanced Ritual]!"

"From my deck, I send a Normal Monster whose total Level is the same as the Ritual Monster's Level to the Graveyard to fulfill the Ritual Monster's Ritual requirement!" Pegasus drew a card from his deck and sent it to the Graveyard without hesitation. "The card I sent to the Graveyard is [Thousand-Eyed Cult God]."

"It's a Level 1 monster! It seems the rumors were true after all." Samejima watched Yugi and Hayato on the field with bated breath. "That monster is coming soon, good luck, Yugi, Hayato!"

Yugi watched Pegasus send the Level 1 [Thousand-Eyed Cult God] to the graveyard, his face full of doubt: "A Level 1 monster, you're actually trying to summon a Level 1 Ritual Monster? Hmph, Pegasus, you've run out of tricks."

"No, that's not it, Yugi. On the contrary, the most dangerous monster is coming. Look closely at Pegasus; the dark power within him is expanding like never before." Hayato looked at Pegasus seriously. "Although I'm not entirely sure, I'll activate the effect of my 'Magician's Right Hand' on the field. It can only be used once per turn. If there is a Spellcaster monster on the field, negate one Spell Card activation!"

The ritual altar, brimming with dark magic, was about to be completed, and the surging dark magic was just a hair's breadth away from being released. Then, Hayato, the Sky Magician, raised his right hand, which was bathed in holy light, and holy light magic burst forth, causing the construction of the altar on Pegasus's field to stop.

Before Hayato could even breathe a sigh of relief at successfully stopping the monster's arrival, the construction of the Dark Altar, which should have stopped and fallen apart, resumed. The Sky Magician, radiating holy light, was suddenly blocked from the field by a blizzard that seemed to freeze the soul.

"How is that possible!?"

"Nothing's impossible, Hayato boy~" Pegasus displayed the spell card he had just activated. "The effect of [Snowstorm] is to designate one spell card on the field and negate all its effects, as well as those of cards with the same name. Don't think you can stop me so easily~"

As Pegasus spoke, the dark power that had been brewing in his left eye, the Millennium Eye, finally materialized and rapidly spread across the dueling arena. Yugi's Millennium Puzzle and Hayato's Millennium Wisdom Wheel seemed to resonate and lit up together, and the equal dark power began an invisible confrontation on the field.

But the confrontation didn't last long before a new force intervened. The three forces from the three were suddenly drawn together and guided to the altar that had finally been completed on Pegasus's field. Using the [Thousand-Eyed Cult God] as a sacrifice as its dwelling place, a grotesque-looking ball of flesh appeared on Pegasus's field, engulfing all three forces within it.

"Kuriri!" Rainbow Kuriboh appeared on Hayato's shoulder and said urgently. It meant that it felt an unprecedented sense of oppression from that monster, even stronger than that from Bakura.

"This is my true ace monster, the darkest power deep within Duel Monsters, the ultimate fantasy monster that reigns supreme at the pinnacle of Duel Monsters!" Pegasus's expression completely lost control, revealing an exaggerated facial expression that rivaled even the sunny boy Malik, with veins bulging around his right eye. "Hey, game boy, Hayato boy, go ahead and try to surpass this monster!"

"But all your efforts are in vain! Because I am the creator of Duel Monsters, the invincible god among Duel Monsters! My [Narcissus] is invincible!"

[Sacrifice Demon] [1☆/Dark]

[Mage Race/Ritual/Effect]

[0/0]

Chapter 172 The Sea King, the Revival—Oh, it's the Dark Magician!

"Attack and defense are both 0? That really matches its level." Honda asked Samejima beside him with a puzzled tone, "Although I'm not very good at Duel Monsters, I still know a little bit about them because of the games."

"Is that kind of monster really stronger than that seahorse's [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]?"

Jonouchi shook his head: "No, Honda, that monster is definitely not simple at all. Look at its attack power, it's 0!"

"Hayato told me that even monsters with infinite attack power are just that, and the most troublesome Duel Monsters are those with 0 attack power, and those with 0 attack power and 0 defense power are even more difficult."

"Hey, look at that [Narcissus], it's so lame. Its attack and defense are both 0." [Disruption Yellow] was completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere on the field. Seeing that Pegasus's ace [Narcissus] was not even as good as its own, it suddenly became arrogant. "I could do better than that kind of monster."

"Activate, [Sacrifice Demon]'s special effect." Pegasus's face bulged with veins, and a black light flashed in his [Millennium Eye]. "Once per turn, it can absorb a Monster into its body and gain all of that Monster's power!"

"【Sky Magician】! As Hayato-boy's strongest ace, become the bait for my strongest monster—【Najima】!"

The "tumor" on Pegasus's field began to deform. Two fleshy wings, resembling both bones and fascia on a piece of flesh, opened, revealing the deformed body of the [Nasrid] within the tumor—a cone-shaped torso that was wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, like a spinning top; a long neck that twisted like a snake, topped with a head composed of a single eye; sharp claws that flashed with cold light on their five fingers; and an empty cavity in the abdomen that constantly writhed like the mouthparts of some kind of marine creature.

Although he had developed some immunity to these ugly and disgusting monsters from spending every day with them, it didn't mean that Hayato could suppress his aversion to the [Narcissus Demon].

"Activate, devour, and transform all things into your nourishment! [Sacrifice Demon], Dark Cave!"

At Pegasus's command, the gigantic maw in the abdomen suddenly expanded, growing to the size of a normal person. The eyes of the [Narcissor] emitted a purple light, locking onto the [Sky Magician]. Deep purple evil magic expanded outwards, and despite the help of the [Sky Apprentice] and the [Helping Princess], they could not prevent the [Sky Magician] from being swallowed and absorbed by the black hole in the [Narcissor]'s abdomen.

[Sacrifice Demon] [0/0→2800/2000]

"After absorbing the [Sky Magician], the [Nasagi] will gain all of his power, including his attack power, defense power, and even his effects!"

"Bonds? Friendship? Trust? Ridiculous!" Pegasus's face hardened with a menacing expression as he pointed at the game. "Die under the attack of Your Friend's ace monster, game boy!"

"【Sacrifice Demon】Directly attacks Yugi Muto! Fantasy Sky Magician!"

From the "wings" behind the [Sacrifice Demon], the figure of the [Sky Magician], who had just been absorbed, emerged. His eyes were lifeless, and his entire body was drained of magic, leaving him in a disheveled state. Receiving Pegasus's command, the [Sky Magician], under the [Sacrifice Demon's] control, raised his hand holding the ring and launched a merciless attack on the empty game arena!

"They're using Hayato's monster to attack Yugi?!" Kyoko stood up from her seat with concern. Although the people sitting in the row behind her complained that their view was blocked, she couldn't care less. "Yugi, hang in there!"

"If you let this attack pass, my game score will be reset to zero, and I won't allow that!" Hayato glanced at Yugi, who nodded to signal Hayato to continue. Hayato then played his last card from his hand, "If an opponent's monster attacks, activate the effect of [Rainbow Kuriboh] in my hand!"

"Come forth, invincible Curipo!"

Riding on the radiance of the rainbow, Rainbow Kuriboh bravely intercepted the Sky Magician's attack. The seemingly fragile rainbow wall perfectly blocked the attack and transformed into a rainbow of light that bound the Nassarima, rendering it unable to attack for the time being.

"Onorei, you've interfered with me again, Hayato Kobayashi!" As the dark magic of the Millennium Eye continued to spread and dissipate, Pegasus's mental state seemed to be affected as well. The "Eye of Ugato," a pattern common to all Millennium Items, began to faintly appear on his forehead. "My turn is over!"

[Bekas: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand]

【Najima】(Sky Magician, Rainbow Kuriboh)【ATK2800】

"Ah, Anigei, that guy seems a bit off!" Only now did [Disruption·Yellow] belatedly realize the terror of [Naji Demon]. His legs trembled as he couldn't help but say, "Anigei, why don't we surrender? We can't beat that guy."

"Yeah, Anigae, surrendering means you lose half the battle." Besides [Disruption Yellow], the other four [Disruption] monsters also appeared. Even though it wasn't their battle, they were so eager to surrender. As expected of the [Disruption] clan, known for their incompetence, cowardice, and self-preservation, they are truly unreliable.

"Bullshit, stop spouting nonsense. Where did you hear that surrendering means losing half the battle?" Hayato waved away the troublesome [Disruption] monsters and focused on the duel. However, Pegasus, whose mental state was gradually deteriorating, was putting immense pressure on him.

Of course, the contrast between Beckas, who usually likes to add a few English words to his sentences, and his sudden serious speaking style might also be a factor.

"Was the corruption of the Millennium Eye accelerated due to multiple factors, including being at a disadvantage in the duel, summoning the [Narcissus], and repeatedly exploiting its power? No, rather than saying 'Pegasus was corrupted by the Millennium Eye,' it's more accurate to say 'the Millennium Eye controlled Pegasus.'"

Looking at Pegasus, the puppet he once controlled, now bearing the "Eye of Ugato" on his forehead, Hayato sighed, his gaze hardening again: 'Whether you're Pegasus, Millennium Pegasus, or Pegasus Ultimate, if you dare challenge my monster, I'll unleash a devastating attack within three turns, and wipe out your entire deck!'

"My turn, draw a card!" It's time for another turn in the game. Draw a card and add it to your hand.

After glancing at the card he had just drawn, Yugi had an idea and acted on it immediately: "Summon [Sacred Spirit] in face-up defense position, then activate the Spell Card [Trap Booster]. By discarding one card from my hand, I can directly activate a Trap Card from my hand!"

"Discard the [Dark Demon - Kilfar Demon] from my hand, activate the Trap Card [Flip and Reuse], Special Summon the [Man-Eating Bug] from my Graveyard to your field!"

The Flip Monster "Man-Eating Bug," gifted to Yugi by Hayato, was sent to Pegasus's field by Yugi. However, since it was entered in face-up Defense Position, it most likely won't have a chance to activate its effect. Moreover, Yugi didn't activate this Trap Card out of kindness.