Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

As Hayato placed the card down, shadows instantly covered a large portion of the golden spaceship's deck, and a giant doll, accompanied by countless purple threads, stood on the ground, looking down at Ramses II.

The doll's face is as kind and benevolent as a Bodhisattva with closed eyes. The layers of purple armor on its body form a shape similar to that of a shrine maiden who worships gods in a shrine, while the radiant threads behind it resemble a pair of wings of light, making it look like an angel.

【Shadowdee Nephilim】【8☆/Light】

[Angel Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2800/2500]

"[Summon-Merkaba] followed by [Shadowdome Nephilim]? Hmph, that's a bit more decent. Although he still likes to mix and match cards as always, at least he has a strong opponent now, even if the name 'God' isn't quite worthy of it." Not only [Summon-Merkaba], but Ramses II was also familiar with the effect of [Shadowdome Nephilim]. Although Hayato didn't use the other two abilities very often, he was still very clear about its second effect, which was extremely effective against Special Summoned monsters.

At the start of the damage step when battling a Special Summoned monster, destroy the monster without targeting it. This ability is effective against all three Horus monsters currently on Ramses II's field, allowing him to destroy one regardless of ATK difference. However, that's all; it only destroys one monster. Ramses II has a total of three Horus monsters on his field, so destroying just one is nothing.

"If [Shaddoll Nephilim] is Special Summoned, activate its effect: Send one [Shaddoll] card from my Deck to the Graveyard." While Ramses II focused his attention on [Shaddoll Nephilim], Hayato also activated his own monster effect, "and the effect of [Shaddoll Beast], which is its Fusion Material. If it is sent to the Graveyard by an effect, you can activate this effect: Draw one card from my Deck."

"Self-chained C1 [Shaddoll Nephilim] C2 [Shaddoll Beast], chaining later and then reversing the order. I draw one card from my deck and send one [Shaddoll] card from my deck to the graveyard." After his hand returned to three cards, Hayato showed the card he was sending to the graveyard. "The card I'm sending to the graveyard is this [Shaddoll Lizard]. If it's sent to the graveyard by an effect, its effect activates, sending one [Shaddoll] card from my deck, other than [Shaddoll Lizard], to the graveyard."

"I will send [Shadowdome's Apocryphal Text] to the cemetery."

The threads connecting Shadowdome Nephilim dragged a "lizard" from Hayato's deck to the graveyard. Then came the power of the former natural beasts, completely controlled by Shadowdome. The Shadowdome in the graveyard activated their effects one after another, and dark purple magic power clung to the swaying purple threads. For a moment, Hayato's surroundings looked incredibly sinister, as if he were some kind of evil being.

Following a Fusion Summon, there's a series of activated effects and graveyard expansions; in the blink of an eye, Hayato's graveyard has swelled several more cards. A true duelist must not only utilize the negative effects of cards but also skillfully use the graveyard, which should be the final resting place of the dead. The [Shadowduck] deck is perfectly suited for utilizing graveyard strategies. These cards sent to Hayato's graveyard don't feel like "sacrifice" or "death" at all; for them, who never even entered the cycle of life and death, entering the graveyard is like going home.

"The Shaddolls can unleash their powerful abilities when entering the graveyard or leaping from the shadows into reality, while the Summoner represents connection and circulation, responsible for connecting the Shaddolls' power to another destination. As the power of the Summoner and the Shaddolls constructs a passage to the outside world on the field, the great dragon kingdom's heavenly voice has already resounded!"

As Hayato spoke, he drew a card from his hand. It was a card representing the third system, which he had already acquired at the start of the duel, in addition to [Shaddoll Beast] representing [Shaddoll] and [Rampage Magic Circle] representing [Summoned Beast]. "The more I duel, the more I realize that there are limits to summoning monsters from a Fusion Deck, unless you go beyond the Fusion Deck!"

"I won't Special Summon a monster from my Fusion Deck, Ramses II!" Hayato inserts the card into his Spell & Trap Zone, and a red streak of light descends from the sky above his head, falling downwards. "With this card, let this duel end. Assimilate under the voice of the heavens!"

"【Apostles of the Underworld】, activate!"

As Hayato activated the card, the red light pierced the ground, leaving an indelible mark on the golden deck, shaped like a giant dragon. At the same time, a melodious bell rang out behind Hayato, as if it came from a distant clock tower or castle.

(Where the bell tolls)

Looking at the card Hayato activated, Ramses II asked with a puzzled expression, "That card... I haven't seen it before. Is it new?"

"Otherwise, you didn't think you were the only one who could get your hands on this new card, did you? It's just that you hadn't witnessed my ability to use this card until today." Hayato said arrogantly, one hand on his hip. "Anyone who has fallen to me will lose the chance to surpass me, because my divine talent has kept me invincible, leaving everyone else in the dust!"

"The effect of 【Apostle of the Sky】 is to send one monster from my Fusion Deck to the Graveyard, and then add one 【Teaching】 monster or 【Albus's Fallen Child】 from my Deck or Graveyard with ATK less than or equal to the ATK of the monster sent to the Graveyard to my hand." Hayato took out a Fusion Monster and, before sending it to the Graveyard, showed it to Ramses II, saying, "The monster I sent to the Graveyard is this 【Shadowdew - Divine Child Crystal】 with 2600 ATK, so I can add this 【Teaching Saintess - Execia】 with 1500 ATK to my hand."

Upon hearing the name of the card Hayato added to his hand, the knowledgeable Ryo Marufuji immediately thought of something: "Ecclesia? Is that name taken from the ancient Greek word for church, 'ecclesia'? It sounds like a very holy saint."

“Holy? Probably.” Hearing Ryo Marufuji’s words, Hayato couldn’t help but glance at the card in his hand. Seeing the girl in the card art with a “steamed bun, muddy vessel?” expression, he shrugged and continued, “However, powerful cards often come with great risks. After activating [Apostle of the Sky], I cannot Special Summon monsters from the Fusion Deck until the end of the turn.”

"But it doesn't matter. Even without summoning from the Fusion Deck, I already have a powerful enough lineup waiting to be played!" With a wave of his hand, Hayato first took a card from the graveyard and said, "Shaddoll monsters generally have the ability to activate their effects when they enter the graveyard, and Shaddoll is no exception. When Shaddoll - Divine Child Crystal is sent to the graveyard, I can target one Shaddoll Spell/Trap Card in my graveyard and activate its effect, adding that card to my hand."

"What I have chosen is the only one in my graveyard, the [Shadowdew Apocalypse]."

Using the effect of [Shaddoll - Divine Crystal], Hayato retrieved [Shaddoll's Pseudo-Scripture], which had just been sent to the graveyard, completing a step in the lyrics he had been humming in his heart. Hayato's hand not only did not decrease but increased to four cards, and one of the cards in his hand also trembled as he completed the search.

"Hmm? Don't be impatient, you glutton. I just need to finish the search first. Your appearance will be soon." After reassuring the card for a couple of minutes, Hayato took out a card from his hand. "Under the miraculous protection of the Stigmata, the noble saintess will appear here. Pray! God is in heaven!"

"This effect can only be activated if there is a monster Special Summoned from the Fusion Deck on the field. Special Summon this card from my hand!"

"Come forth, [Saintess of Guidance - Exeria]!"

Before the mark left by the [Apostle of the Sky] on the ground had faded, a silver-white iron hammer fell and smashed into the center of the mark. The miraculous power attached to the hammer formed a magic circle, and the hammer completely dispelled the remaining mark. The person holding the hammer was a blonde girl wearing gorgeous yet holy armor and a flowing dress. The holy mark on her forehead was the source of the miraculous power she used, and it also showed her identity as a saint.

For some reason, both Ramses II and Ryo Marufuji, upon seeing the blonde girl, immediately formed a strange impression in their minds that she had a huge appetite, even though she hadn't done or said anything.

(Foodie Saintess [Confirmed])

(Wrong picture, this is the one)

【The Saintess of Guidance - Acrisia】【4☆/Light】

[Mage Race/Effect]

[1500/1500]

As Hayato Special Summons [Saint of Guidance - Acrecia] to the field in Attack Position, he reaches into his deck, catches a card he has searched, and says: "If [Saint of Guidance - Acrecia] is Normal or Special Summoned, this effect can be activated: Add one [Guidance] card other than [Saint of Guidance - Acrecia] from my Deck to my hand. After this effect is activated, I cannot Special Summon monsters from my Fusion Deck until the end of this turn."

"However, this self-restraint is superimposed on the [Apostles of the Underworld], so it has no effect on me at all."

"Holy indeed! The guardians have returned at this moment!"

【Saintess of Guidance - Acycia】At Hayato's command, she clasped her hands together in prayer, and a card appeared out of thin air in front of Hayato. Hayato caught the card, showed it to Ramses II, and placed it on the Duel Disk as well.

"The card I retrieved from my hand is 【Knight of Guidance - Frideris】. Like 【Saintess of Guidance - Exia】, if there is a monster on the field that has been Special Summoned from the Fusion Deck, she can be Special Summoned from my hand during both players' Main Phases."

"Come forth, saints, knights, and the strongest in the kingdom who bear the name of the iris! Holy one! My glory shines throughout the world!"

The invincible Holy Sword; the Holy Shield that wards off evil and illuminates the earth; and the Holy Armor that embodies both speed and power, justice and light—Saintess Friedris, who wields these three most powerful artifacts of the [Teaching Dragon Kingdom], is the undisputed strongest and a holy knight of noble character. Just standing before her fully armed form, any evil will be brought to justice!

【The Knight of Guidance - Flederis】【8☆/Light】

[Mage Race/Effect]

[2500/2500]

"Her? She's actually a woman?" Surprised that the fully armed knight in front of him was a woman, Marufuji Ryo nodded after thinking for a moment. "Speaking of which, the name Fleurdelis is taken from the Gallic fleur-de-lis, right? Before it became a symbol of the Gallic royal family, the fleur-de-lis was already associated with the Christian Trinity in the 14th century, and even earlier, in the 13th century, it was a symbol of the Virgin Mary."

Hayato glanced at Marufuji Ryo and retorted, "Your extracurricular knowledge is a bit too much, Caesar. I told you the school doesn't assign enough homework. Also, didn't you notice that the card art for my previous activation of [Apostles of the World] included [Saintess of Guidance - Exeria] and [Knight of Guidance - Friedrich] with her helmet off?"

Turning back to the field, Hayato looked at the two [Instructor] saintesses in front of him, one wielding a sword and shield and the other holding a massive warhammer, despite being of the mage race. He said, "Although she alone possesses the power to contend with most strong individuals, when protecting her comrades, [Instructor Knight - Friedris] can unleash power beyond her limits!"

"If I control another [Teach] monster other than her when she is Special Summoned, I can go a step further and select one face-up monster on the field to negate its effects until the end of this turn!"

Pointing towards Ramses II on the field, Hayato declared, "I'm going to nullify the effect of your [Blessing of Horus - Duamuteph]!"

"Holy one! At this moment, forgive the sins of all enemies!"

Faced with [Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph], whose current attack and defense power rely entirely on its own buffs, Hayato unhesitatingly declared its effects nullified.

"The sound of heaven is assimilated!"

Chapter 1154 Do I look a lot like God?

The invincible [Blessing of Horus - Duamutef] fell after [Knight of Guidance - Flederis] released a holy golden light.

In order to protect [Saintess of Guidance - Exeria], whom she regarded as her younger sister, she used a power called "Heavenly Voice Assimilation" to immediately strip [Blessed of Horus - Duamutef] of the power drawn from other [Horus] monsters, causing its attack and defense power to quickly drop back to 0.

[Horus's Blessing - Duamteph] [DEF3600→0]

But that's not all. When Hayato fused to summon [Shaddoll Nephilim], he used [AD Changer] as a fusion material in addition to [Shaddoll Beast]. After taking the latter card out of the graveyard, Hayato said, "Not only that, I'm going to use the effect of this [AD Changer] in my graveyard again."

"During my Main Phase, I can banish this card from my Graveyard and target a monster on the field to activate this effect. Change the battle position of the targeted monster." Hayato put the [AD Changer] card back into his pocket, and [Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph], which had been "Assimilated by Heavenly Voice," was also forcibly changed to Attack Position by Hayato. "I change the battle position of [Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph] on my opponent's field."

【Horus's Blessing - Duamteph】【DEF0→ATK0】

Although Ramses II has three monsters on the field, there's no rule that you have to clear all the monsters to win the duel. No matter what method you use, as long as Ramses II's Life Points are depleted, it's Hayato's victory!

With [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] on his field and the monster card [Summoner - Aleister], the trap card [Shadowdos's False Canon], and a spell card of unknown meaning in his hand as ammunition for its activation effect, now that [Red Reboot] has sealed Ramses II's ability to activate backrow trap cards, no matter what spell card or monster card it is, it's all useless against Hayato's invincible light chariot!

Next up is the member [Kamisama Nephilim], who possesses the ability to "slay Special Summoned Monsters." No one is more skilled in combat than her, especially against Horus monsters, which are all Special Summoned by Ramses II.

Next, I think, maybe it's just to make up the numbers, the gluttonous saintess and the invincible [Knight of Guidance - Friedrich], I can feel their domineering spirit, I can feel their determination! Summoning them to my field, Hayato's confidence immediately surged, surged, surged!

Such strong and powerful women, what in the world can withstand them? Damn it, what in the world can withstand them!

"Even with the new card, your strength is still just so-so, King of Kings, Ham Sausage." Hayato brazenly mocked Ramses II. An ordinary person would have been scorched by the sun for offending the Pharaoh's majesty, but Hayato wasn't afraid at all, jumping up and retorting sarcastically, "You even brought out the spaceship and made such a big commotion, and this is all you get?"

"Then let's move on to my battle phase, and I'll take you down this round. As it turns out, even with just Ramses II, the outcome of our duel is still a complete victory for me, Kobayashi Hayato!"

“Since it has the word 'god' in it, the opponent for this battle is confirmed. After all, ‘all kings’ blood must end with the sword,’ so it’s only meaningful to use a ‘god’ to defeat a ‘god’ for the right sense of ceremony.” After declaring that he was entering his battle phase, Hayato, with a rather flamboyant air, put one hand on his hip and pointed the other towards Ramses II’s field, “First, I’ll use [Shadowdome Nephilim] to attack [Horus the Black Flame God]!”

"Forbidden Technique - Instant Shadow Killing Formation!"

As Hayato declared his attack, lines he had specially recorded and voiced by Kaiba played from his Duel Disk. Accompanied by Kaiba's slightly displeased and gloomy voice, the giant puppet [Kamisama Nephilim], controlled by the threads, sent a large number of feather-like threads flying into the ground.

Below Horus, the shadow he projected had somehow been connected to the power of Shadow-Nephili. His own shadow had become the outlet for the opponent's attacks. No matter how Horus tried to dodge, he could not avoid the killing array composed of large strands of silk that shot out from the shadow, literally "following him like a shadow."

Horus the Black Flame God attempted to resist with his own black flames, but his full-force attack could only destroy the ground where the shadow was located. How could he destroy a shadow that was projected onto the ground because of his own existence? Not even the slightest damage could be done to the Shadowdike Nephilim. Horus the Black Flame God was utterly frustrated as he was entangled, torn apart, destroyed, and sent to the graveyard by the threads.

"The effect of [Shadowdome Nephilim] can be activated at the start of the Damage Step when she battles a Special Summoned monster, destroying that monster. What an incredibly useful effect! I love you even more, [Nephilim]."

Hayato looked approvingly at Shadowdike Nephilim, whose doll-like body couldn't help but blush. Then he turned to Ramses II and said, "Next up is the attack of Ecclesia, the Holy Maiden of Teaching, on Duamuteph, the Blessed One of Horus!"

As Hayato gave the order to attack, Ramses II noticed that the Saintess of Guidance, Acyria, did not attack him immediately. Instead, she was standing next to the Knight of Guidance, Friedrich, and was patted on the head by the latter before she began to attack in an active state.

"【Knight of Guidance - Friedris】is not only the strongest who can take on a thousand men, but also an excellent commander. When my 【Guidance】 monster declares an attack, its third effect can be activated, increasing the ATK of all 【Guidance】 monsters on my field by 500 points!"

【Saintess of Guidance - Acrisia】【ATK1500→2000】

Inspired by the Knight of Guidance - Freudris, the gluttonous saintess's attack power increased by 500 points, successfully surpassing the "1500 points" threshold of the weak monsters. At the same time, the Knight of Guidance - Freudris herself was also encouraged, and it seems that being close to the saintess also greatly inspired her.

【Knight of Guidance - Flederis】【ATK2500→3000】

"A legendary 3000-point attack power, on par with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Do you dare defy me, the one who possesses the Guiding Knight - Friedrich, Ramses II?" He didn't even bother calling him "Ramses II," Hayato pointed forward, "A warrior on the battlefield, cutting through barriers and reaping castles!"

"Heavy hammer sparks!"

The seemingly frail girl wielded a massive two-handed hammer. It was unclear whether it was the miraculous power of the Stigmata that allowed her to wield this heavy weapon with ease, or whether it was simply because she ate a lot that gave her innate superhuman strength. In any case, [Saintess of Guidance - Exelia] smashed the hammer down on [Blessed of Horus - Duamuteph], whose attack power had been reduced to zero due to the nullification of effects, whose armor was dull and devoid of divine power, and who could not even fly to dodge or draw her bow to fight back.

With a deafening roar and a cloud of dust, even Ryo Marufuji felt the spaceship beneath his feet tilt slightly due to the attack from [Saintess of Guidance - Acrisia]!

"To unleash such a terrifying full-force attack against an opponent who offered no resistance—[Saintess of Guidance - Exeria], what a brutal and cold-blooded monster she is!"

"You were the one who ordered me to attack!" Upon hearing Hayato's exclamation, [Saintess of Guidance - Acrisia] immediately turned around unhappily and said with a hint of anger, revealing her fierce fangs, making Hayato have no doubt that if he got any closer to her, she might bite him.

Hmm? Something seems off?

Noticing the location of the destroyed [Blessing of Horus - Duamuteph] on Ramses II's field, covered in dust due to the savage and crude attack of [Saint of Guidance - Exeria], Hayato raised an eyebrow: "Such a little attack and so much dust comes out, how long has it been since you cleaned it? Is your golden ship made of mud, Ozymandias?"

"Even if you're doing special effects, don't choose something this outrageous, right?"

"Huh? What happened?" Tilting her head, the blonde saintess looked puzzled and confused. "I don't think anything happened. I defeated my opponent, isn't that normal? Although the feel of the action was a little off."

"If nothing unexpected happens, something's probably going to happen." [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] pushed up the helmet visor, revealing the face of [Summoner - Aleister], who had somehow gotten inside the armor. "You're doomed. Master is petty. If anything happens, you'll definitely be the scapegoat for just cursing him!"

"Eh!?"

Upon hearing Hayato's familiar words about the "no harm from smoke" principle, Ramses II's voice also came from behind the dust: "Hmph, although the Horus monsters are servants of the gods, their bodies are also made of sand, which is why they are immortal. What's wrong with me using a little special effects?"

The dust was blown away by the gale on the deck of the spaceship soaring through the sky, revealing only one monster left—Ramses II of [Horus's Glory - Imset], who was in attack mode. However, Hayato noticed that his base score had not decreased due to the attack from [Saint of Guidance - Exeria] and was still 4000 points.

What's even more intriguing is that at the spot where [Blessing of Horus - Duamteph] disappeared, an ominous drop of murky liquid floated out of nowhere, and one of the three face-down cards in Ramses II's back row was also open!

"The Quick-Play Spell Card 'Forbidden Drop' was activated when your monster declared an attack on my 'Blessing of Horus - Duamuteph'. The destruction of my monster by your attack was merely an illusion; the truth is that the monster was released by the activation of 'Forbidden Drop' when it attacked!"

Ramses II took out a card from the back row and showed it to Hayato: "You can activate this effect by sending any number of cards other than 'Forbidden Drop' from your hand or field to the Graveyard. Select that number of effect monsters on your opponent's field, and until the end of this turn, those monsters' ATK is halved and their effects are negated."

"At the same time, because I sent the monster card [Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph] to the Graveyard, you are also unable to chain the activation of [Forbidden Drop] to activate the monster card's effect!"

Ramses II's gaze was focused on [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] on Hayato's field. Although the Tricolor Conan, with its second speed, could chain into a regular Quick-Play Spell Card to negate it, [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], being a monster card, was completely helpless against [Forbidden Drop], which could not be chained by monster card effects at this moment.