Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

In Hayato's graveyard, [Summoner Aleister] and [Shaddoll Lizard], which had just been sent to the graveyard by [Summoned Beast - Melkaba], appeared as phantoms beside Hayato. Hayato continued, "Once per turn, I can activate the effect of [Shaddoll's False Canon] during both players' Main Phases. I banish the Fusion Material Monsters specified by [Shaddoll] Fusion Monster from my field and graveyard, and Fusion Summon that Fusion Monster from my Fusion Deck!"

"I'm excluding the Shaddoll monster in my graveyard—Shaddoll Lizard, and the DARK monster—Aleister the Summoner!"

Beside Hayato, [Summoner-Aleister] sighed helplessly: "If possible, I would actually prefer to merge with a beautiful lady. Master, can't you grant me this small request?"

"You're lucky you even got to participate, and you want to get close to pretty girls? Get lost, you scumbag, stop asking for so much." He kicked [Summoner-Aleister] in the butt, but the latter dodged it. Afraid of being beaten up by Hayato, [Summoner-Aleister] immediately used his staff to knock the [Shadowdow Lizard] on the other side into the fusion vortex that appeared in front of him, and then quickly jumped in after him.

Being excluded was like coming home to Aleister; he loved being excluded.

As the fusion materials were added, a large amount of black energy emerged from the card [Shadowdome's Pseudo-Scripture], spreading across the ground like flames. Strands of blue-green threads extended from the black flames, gathered in one place, and suddenly burst forth with a jet-black light!

Although the black light sounded strange, within that dazzling black light, the figure of a green-haired girl riding on a giant dragon beast gradually appeared. The staff in her hand wrapped around the many threads in front of her and she pulled hard!

In an instant, the black flames were split apart, revealing the true form of the terrifying entity, and Hayato's voice followed—

"Souls wandering between life and death, release the resentment that has settled in the abyss of darkness upon this land! Crowned with the name of 'God' in the sense of 'interpretation,' let the locked-up despair descend here!"

"Fusion Summon! Level 5☆——"

"【Shadowy Midrash】!"

Combining terrifying sealing abilities with simple yet resilient resistance, the girl who appeared on Hayato's field rode a phantom dragon with a black and purple body. The green-haired priestess slowly opened her eyes and saw Hayato. A joyful expression appeared on her puppet-like face, but after seeing the [Saintess of Guidance - Exeria] and the [Knight of Guidance - Friedriss], she showed a rather human-like expression of defensiveness and resistance.

—However, after a moment, having seen through the fact that [Saintess of Guidance - Exria] was nothing more than a glutton and posed no threat whatsoever, [Shadowy Midrash] focused all her attention on a one-sided staring contest with [Knight of Guidance - Freudris].

【Shadowd Midrash】【5☆/Dark】

[Mage Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2200/800]

Ramses II had just Special Summoned "Horus's Glory - Imset" with 3000 ATK, while Hayato's Fusion Summoned "Shadowy Midrash" only had 3000 ATK and DEF combined, which seemed a bit underwhelming. However, Duel Monsters is not just about simple numerical values; in addition to monster effects, the synergy of Spell & Trap Cards is also crucial.

The "Shaddoll Pseudo-Scripture" already comes at a "huge" price by banishing Fusion Material Monsters, so it's only natural that it's not just about the power of second-speed fusion during the Main Phase for both players. And the fact that "Entangled Serpent Staff User" is assimilated into a member of "Shaddoll" in the card art isn't just for aesthetic purposes.

"The effect of 'Shaddoll's False Canon' is processed, and you can send one monster on your opponent's field with the same Attribute as 'Shaddoll Midrash' that was Fusion Summoned by the effect of 'Shaddoll's False Canon' to the Graveyard. This effect doesn't even target! Compared to that, the mere restriction of 'monsters Fusion Summoned by this card's effect cannot attack directly' is practically nonexistent."

Hayato paused, then pointed to Ramses II's field and said, "My choice is naturally your only monster, which is also a DARK: [Horus's Glory - Imset]!"

"Too lazy to come up with another name, let's go, Xiaomi, and use Tiansheng Assimilation!"

Using the same move name as when he used [Knight of the Instruction - Freudris] before, Hayato commanded [Shaddoll Midrash] to begin its operation. The latter immediately abandoned its confrontation with the most threatening [Knight of the Instruction - Freudris] through its helmet and ran to Hayato's side to command the black flames released by [Shaddoll's False Canon].

The pitch-black flames engulfed [Horus's Glory - Imset]. Despite possessing immense power and the ability to constantly revive, it had no resistance whatsoever and was unable to put up a fight. In an instant, it was engulfed by the black flames, its sand-based body rapidly assimilated and devoured. Finally, pulled by the threads mixed in with the black flames, [Horus's Glory - Imset], which was supposed to send a card on the field to the graveyard without targeting, was itself sent to the graveyard by the effect of another card!

The invincible [Glory of Horus - Imset] has fallen again, how inhumane!

Although it looks very powerful, with the ability to search, revive, clear the field, and boast a noble 3000 attack power, it's clear that [Horus's Glory - Imset] hasn't had much luck in this duel, as this is already its third defeat.

Hayato was about to make a sarcastic remark about Ramses II's pitifully weak monster when, behind the swirling sand, he suddenly saw a wolf-headed monster with a drawn bow appear on Ramses II's field!

"【Horus's Blessing - Duamteph】!? When did it arrive!?"

The special summons of the Horus monsters are not chainable, but there is still a sequence. Even if Hayato chain-activates Shaddoll's Apocalypse, Ramses II cannot summon all the Horus monsters in his graveyard in one go. The special summons of the other monsters can only be completed after the special summon of Shaddoll Midrash and the effect of Shaddoll's Apocalypse have resolved.

But when exactly did the [Blessing of Horus - Duamteph] come about?

The sharp-eyed Hayato suddenly noticed that one of the two cards placed face down in Ramses II's back area had been opened at some point, revealing a somber cemetery where the dead were buried—

"【The Cry of the Living Dead】?"

"Don't think you're the only one who can chain my cards to activate face-down cards, Hayato Kobayashi. Now that I'm no longer part of 'Red Reboot,' I can freely use both of my backrow Trap Cards," Ramses II said. "Chaining your 'Shaddoll's Apocalypse,' I activated this Continuous Trap Card 'Call of the Dead,' Special Summoning 'Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph' from my Graveyard."

"Normally, the Special Summoning of Horus monsters can only be done one at a time. I took advantage of this subconscious tendency of yours and Special Summoned two Horus monsters at once. And you probably don't need me to remind you a second time about the effect of Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph, right?"

【Horus's Blessing - Duamteph】【ATK0→1200】

[Horus's Blessing - Duamteph], which had already quietly drawn its bow, witnessed [Horus's Glory - Imset] being sent to the graveyard by [Shadowdome's False Canon]. Existing in the Monster Zone, it fulfilled the activation conditions of its effect the instant that other cards on Ramses II's field left the field due to the opponent's effect. The sharp arrow was shot into Ramses II's empty hand, caught by him, and turned into a card.

"So the draw is based on the type of monster in the Monster Zone? But if it's just one card, it won't make much of a difference." Hayato glanced at the card in Ramses II's hand and said, "You can't expect me to draw a 'Heavenly Treasure Card' like that, can you?"

"Hmph, so you think you can take advantage of the situation to draw 'Rainbow Kuriboh' from your deck and imitate me using Nefertari's power at crucial moments to hinder my finishing blow? I won't give you that chance." Ramses II said, waving his hand, "My Special Summoning of the 'Horus' monster from the Graveyard isn't over yet. Because 'King's Coffin' is on the field, I will Special Summon 'Horus's Vanguard - Happin' from the Graveyard!"

At the start of this turn, the card that was sent to the graveyard along with the effect of [Horus's Glory - Imset] was revealed. Representing animals like "macaques" and "baboons," the "Lung Guardian" who guards the north appeared, holding a long spear shaped like a paddle, standing in the empty space left by [Horus's Glory - Imset], baring its teeth at [Saint of Guidance - Exelia] on Hayato's field, who had been staring at it.

【Horus' Forerunner - Hapi】【8☆/Wind】

[Beast Warrior Race/Effect]

[2400/1600]

At the same time, because the number of Horus monsters increased, Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph was also boosted, doubling in power.

【Horus's Blessing - Duamteph】【ATK1200→2400】

There are two monsters with 2400 ATK! If we could use Xyz, Ramses II's Horus monster would probably be able to unleash tremendous power, but the times don't allow it, and neither does Hayato, nor Hayato's Shadowy Midrash on the field.

"Although you managed to get a Special Summon with [Call of the Dead] before Xiaomi's appearance, you don't think [Shadowdome Midrash] is just for show, do you?" While Xiaomi blushed, Hayato, focused on his card game, watched Ramses II Special Summon [Horus's Vanguard - Happin]. "As long as [Shadowdome Midrash] is in the Monster Zone, both players can only Special Summon one monster per turn during that period, even if [Horus] monsters aren't in a chain!"

"In other words, you used up your last special summon to summon that baboon, Ozymandias!" Hayato said arrogantly, pointing his thumb at himself. "In the end, I, Hayato Kobayashi, am still the better one. In the end, it is still my victory and my dominance!"

Upon hearing Hayato's words, Ramses II covered his face, and after a brief silence, suddenly burst into maniacal laughter: "Hmph, hahahahaha, isn't it a bit too early to arrogantly declare my defeat now?"

"The Pharaoh is omnipotent on earth, and all things are in my hands!" Ramses II activated the card he held by inserting it into the magic trap zone. "The mere darkness of Apophis dares to tarnish the light of the sun? I have already trod the ladder to victory!"

"I wish to use this card—" A nameplate appeared out of thin air in Ramses II's hand, and he grasped the hanging cord attached to it. At the same time, on the previously empty nameplate, the metal surface rapidly deformed, as if engraving a string of ancient Egyptian characters on the spot.

Marufuji Ryo couldn't understand what was written on the plaque in Ramses II's hand, but both Hayato and Ramses II could see it clearly. It read "Uthermare Setpanli Ramses Meliamon," which was Ramses II's original name.

Therefore, the name of the card he is activating at this moment is self-evident—

"【True Name】, activate!"

Chapter 1157 Move! Pull! Why aren't you moving!

"【True Name】, activate!"

—WDNMD, my cabinet moved, I'm not playing anymore.

Hayato thought he was already pretty good at NTR... I mean, he liked to free monsters controlled by evil forces and let them fight under his command with their own free will. But he never expected that this guy, Ozymandias, not only liked to steal other people's works and put them under his own name, but he could even steal other people's cards while playing cards.

That "True Name" card is yours? That clearly belongs to Atum!

...You said Hayato himself also has a "True Name" card? Never mind then.

"Only one card with the name '[True Name]' can be activated per turn, and it can only be activated by declaring a card name. The card name I want to declare is '[Horus the Black Flame God]'!"

Ramses II spoke, raising the plaque inscribed with his "King's Name" above his head, its light radiating and shining on the top card of his deck. "Then the effect of [True Name] is to reveal the top card of the remaining deck. If that card is the one whose name is declared, add that card to your hand; otherwise, send the revealed card to the graveyard."

"However, there are no 'ifs' in front of the Pharaoh, because the Pharaoh can do whatever he wants, whether it's winning or drawing the card he desires!" With his finger on the top of the deck, Ramses II drew a card without hesitation, and the card, glowing with golden light, was turned over to show Hayato. "In short, the Pharaoh can draw whatever card he wants!"

The card that Ramses II revealed was none other than the second card in his deck, "Horus the Black Flame God," which he had declared. This successfully fulfilled the conditions for the effect of "True Name," and Ramses II added that card to his hand!

But that's not all. If it only had this one effect, the "True Name" effect would be too weak. The real power of "True Name" and the ability that best symbolizes the Pharaoh's majesty lies in the subsequent effects that follow up after adding the revealed card to your hand!

"After adding [Horus the Black Flame God] to my hand, the follow-up effect of [True Name] is resolved, meaning I can add another Divine attribute monster from my deck to my hand or Special Summon it." Ramses II raised his Duel Disk, a powerful aura constantly being awakened and spreading from his deck. "Open your eyes wide, Kobayashi Hayato, my brilliance now surpasses that of the sun. There are few in this world who have the honor of witnessing my glory. Behold the true sun!"

"Looking up at the sky, prostrating on the earth, the radiant sun you gaze upon is none other than me! Hehe, hehehahahahahaha!"

Although he was already exhausted from facing the Horus monsters in the previous duels and had never directly confronted the being that Ramses II was about to awaken from his deck, the extremely special aura made Ryo Marufuji realize immediately that the card Ramses II was about to search was no ordinary being, but an extremely special monster. In addition, the "divine attribute" mentioned in the effect of "True Name" described by Ramses II made it clear that the monster his opponent was going to use was obvious.

"A Divine attribute monster... could it be the legendary three ultimate dream cards at the pinnacle of Duel Monsters—the 'Egyptian Three'!?"

"You're sorely mistaken! Given your relationship with that fellow over there, I'll grant you the special favor of knowing the great being who is about to descend. Accept this gift with gratitude and trepidation, you lightless one!" Ramses II glanced at Marufuji Ryo, and, feeling confident of victory, generously explained to him, "What I'm adding to my deck is the strongest being, even among the 'Three Egyptian Gods,' standing at the very top, and also the strongest monster in my deck. No, not a monster, but Kamida!"

"Although I trust Nefertari the most, who gave me her power and transformed into the Rainbow Kuriboh, there is no doubt that the power I am about to use is the strongest. Now, listen to the name of God!"

Raising the dueling disk above his head, even the dazzling sunlight seemed to dim in comparison to the brilliance of Ramses II's dueling disk, he shouted: "Come into my hands, [Ra]!"

Golden light burst forth as Ramses II cried out the name of God. After a sudden, intense burst of light, a picture appeared in Ramses II's outstretched hand, reaching for the light that surpassed even the sun's radiance—

"Ok?"

Ramses II felt something was off about the texture and instinctively pressed the object between his fingers. It didn't feel like a normal card at all; instead, it was rather soft. He instinctively looked up and realized that what he was holding wasn't a Duel Monsters card, but a doll.

Holding the doll up to his face, Ramses II noticed a note attached to it, written in slightly crooked ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Instinctively, he read the words aloud:

"I prefer another master to you, so I'm not going to help you beat him up, hmph. But as compensation, I'll give you a doll."

Startled, Ramses II, after reading the note aloud, finally realized who had written it and what it meant. He looked at the note, then at the doll, and after a brief silence, he said to Hayato, somewhat angrily, "Unforgivable, Kobayashi Hayato! How dare you snatch 'Ra' from my hands!"

"That's the look I've been wanting to see, Raikou! This is the look I've been waiting for!" Facing Raikou, Hayato hadn't expected that Raikou's [Winged Dragon of Ra] would resist the search for him, but that didn't stop him from arrogantly jumping up and taunting, "That jealous look on your face, hahahahaha!"

"Don't you ever think about why it could be because when you declared the card name you wanted to search, you only said 'Ra' and not 'Ra the Winged Dragon of Ra'?"

"Hmph, how could I possibly do something so pointless!" Ra II glanced at [Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra], which not only refused to leave the deck to come into his hand but had even run away from the deck, leaving only a blank card, and said with extreme displeasure, "Why are you just watching, [Ra]!"

"Tsk, I should have thought of that long ago. There was a time when [La] showed that he was closer to you than I was during the duel."

"Fine, even without you, it's alright. The cards I have now are enough to defeat Hayato Kobayashi!" Looking at the cards in his hand, Ramses II finally gave up on summoning [Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra] and chose to channel his anger into power to retaliate against Hayato. "Even though Special Summoning is restricted, it doesn't prevent me from using monster effects. The effect of [Horus the Black Flame God] in my hand is activated!"

"Besides its second effect after being Special Summoned, [Horus the Black Flame God] also has a first effect that I haven't used yet: If a [Horus] monster and [King's Coffin] are already on my field, I can send one card from my hand or field to the Graveyard to activate this effect." Ramses II pointed to [Shadowy Midrash], which had just appeared on Hayato's field, and said, "Ignore targeting and destruction resistance, and send one card directly to the Graveyard."

"Send the remaining [Cry of the Living Dead] to the graveyard, and send [Shadowy Midrash] to the graveyard!"

"Destructive Flame Burst Bomb!"

"Aren't you really afraid the seahorse will cause you trouble?!"

Amid Hayato's complaints, Horus the Black Flame God from Ramses II's hand appeared as a phantom, absorbing the power of the Cry of the Living Dead on his back field to temporarily materialize it, and spewing out a mouthful of pitch-black dragon flame to attack Hayato's Shadowy Midrash.

Although it has resistance that cannot be destroyed by effects, the effect of [Horus the Black Flame God] is to send it directly to the graveyard. Therefore, even though it is resistant to leaving Hayato's side, [Shadowdome Midrash] is still forced to reluctantly enter the graveyard, thus removing the restriction that both sides can only Special Summon once per turn.

Because of the "Call of the Living Dead," "Horus's Blessing - Duamteph," which was resurrected from Ramses II's graveyard due to its effect, also disappeared from Ramses II's field along with "Horus the Black Flame God," which had also lost its power to maintain its existence. The latter returned to Ramses II's hand, while "Horus's Blessing - Duamteph" entered its home-like graveyard.

However, for the Horus monsters, constantly switching between the field and the graveyard is commonplace. The moment Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph was sent to the graveyard, Ramses II retrieved the card and placed it on the Duel Disk, saying, "If you haven't Special Summoned Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph by its own effect this turn, return once more while King's Coffin is on the field, Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph!"

【Horus's Blessing - Duamteph】【ATK0→2400】

Although the Horus monsters have a strong ability to revive, it is a bit of a pity that the special effect cannot be triggered when Ramses II himself, rather than Hayato of the opponent, removes them from the field. Although the almost unconditional revival once per turn is already very powerful, it is still a pity that the full effect cannot be used.

The same applies to the "Horus the Black Flame God" card in Ramses II's hand. It can only be Special Summoned from his hand by its own effect when Hayato actively removes a "Horus" monster or "King's Coffin" from his field using its effect.

While Hayato has [Shadowdome Nephilim] on his field, which automatically activates its effect at the start of the Damage Step to destroy Special Summoned monsters, seemingly a "traitor" to Ramses II's strategy, Ramses II also has a "traitor"-like card on his field. It's none other than [Coffin of the King], the core of his deck's strategy. While it's in the Spell & Trap Zone, [Horus] monsters will not be destroyed by card effects that don't target themselves.

If Shadowdome Nephilim's effect were to target, the result would be completely different. Alternatively, her effect could send monsters to the graveyard or even banish them to trigger the effects of Horus monsters. However, she deliberately destroys monsters without targeting.

Ramses II's original plan was to use "The Name of Truth" to release three of Hayato's troublesome monsters on the field at once to Normal Summon them, specifically the variant of "Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra," "Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere," from his deck. Then, he would use the effect of "Horus the Black Flame God" to send them to the Graveyard without targeting them, so that "Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere" could be released by Hayato Kobayashi in the next turn to Special Summon "Ra's Winged Dragon of Ra" from his deck.

The original plan was that Hayato Kobayashi would only have [Saintess of Guidance - Exia] on his field with a minimum attack of 2000 points and no significant effect, while Ramses II would be able to command two [Horus] monsters with an attack of 2400 points each to launch an attack, and Hayato Kobayashi's Life Points would be wiped out in one turn.

Now that a kill is no longer possible, let's start building up our board as much as possible. With that in mind, Ramses II didn't hesitate to send [Horus the Black Flame God], a card from his hand that had already had its effect used and was temporarily useless, to the graveyard, saying: "Send one card from my hand to the graveyard, activate the effect of [King's Coffin], and send one [Horus] monster from my deck to the graveyard. I chose [Horus's Blessing - Kebushenaf]."

"Next, Special Summon [Horus's Blessing - Kebshanaf] from the remaining graveyard using its own effect, and further enhance the power of [Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph] due to the increase in monster types!"

The last of the four sons of Horus, the Pharaoh's guardian and servant in the underworld, was finally summoned from the deck by Ramses II. The eagle-headed [Horus's Blessing - Kebushenaf], representing the falcon and vulture, guarding the west and the "gut", came to Ramses II's field with a scepter with a scorpion's tail, standing next to [Horus's Blessing - Duamteph] to provide it with new power.