Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

As the old man, immersed in the life support device, was feeling quite pleased with himself, he suddenly heard a voice say, "You've been rambling on and on since just now, spouting nonsense that nobody can understand. It's so noisy, you old man!"

Standing at the edge of the open space, Manjoume looked impatient: "I thought it would be something interesting, but it's just an old man? You wouldn't happen to be a member of that 'Seven Stars' group, would you?"

"Let me make it clear beforehand, Mr. Manjoume, I am an egalitarian. I treat everyone equally, regardless of age or gender. If I don't like someone, I won't hesitate to kick them, whether they're a kid licking a lollipop or an old woman with a cane. Don't even think about collapsing on the ground and trying to extort money from me halfway through a duel!"

"The third-in-command of the Manjoume Group? Hmph, I am not a member of the so-called 'Seven Stars' you speak of." The old man's eyesight in the life support pod had deteriorated to the point that his vision was almost completely blurred. However, with the help of the telescope and facial recognition functions built into the mechanical device, he knew who Manjoume was not far away. His body did not move, but the quadruped robot moved with the life support pod.

"I am Shadow Maru, the founder and largest shareholder of Shadow Maru Pharmaceuticals, one of the original founders of Duel Academy, and the chairman of the board of directors of Duel Academy—"

As the device moved and sunlight streamed into the life support pod, a cold light shone from a ring shaped like the "Eye of Ugato" on the old man's right ring finger.

The moment Manjoume heard Kagemaru say that he was the "Chairman of the Duel Academy," the wariness in his eyes lessened slightly. Just as he was about to ask this old man why he had come to the island, he heard the rest of Kagemaru's sentence:

"—And, the founder of the 'SevenStar' organization, the leader of the 'Seven Stars,' Kagemaru, is also the one who will soon rule this world with eternal life and absolute power!"

"You...you said...what!?" With the same expression as the male protagonist in the next movie set who was "Deaf" (a character in the movie), Manjou was astonished by Kagemaru's nonsensical declaration.

However, Manjoume quickly realized what was going on and immediately raised his Duel Disk, saying, "Although I don't really understand what nonsense you're spouting, I'm pretty sure you're someone I have to defeat, right? Seriously, it's pretty exciting for a student to fight the school's chairman."

"I only wanted to find a Seven-Star opponent for a duel, but I ended up catching the biggest fish ever. Life is truly full of surprises."

Upon hearing Manjoume's words, the robot in which Kagemaru was located paused, and a somewhat puzzled voice came from the machine to Manjoume's ears:

"You said you wanted to challenge the 'Seven Stars' to a duel..."

"...But isn't the 'Seven Stars' standing right behind you?"

Chapter 1163 Pursuit! Extinguish! Lightning everywhere! A thousand-foot eye flashes with lightning!

Manjou's eyes suddenly widened, and he abruptly turned to look behind him, only to see Daitokuji Temple with its head bowed and the upper half of its face covered in shadow.

In Daitokuji's hands, Manjoume saw a blackish-purple book that he had never seen before, which suddenly appeared in Daitokuji's hands. In the center of the book was an "Eye of Ugato".

Immediately, Manjoume thought of the mask he had seen on the Titan's face when he fought him in the Osiris-Red dormitory; it also bore the "Eye of Ugato".

Could it be that...?

Just as he was about to make a move, Manjōmu was suddenly struck by an invisible impact and sent flying.

“If it is above, it will surely appear below; if it is inside, it will surely appear outside.” Daitoku-ji Temple still bowed its head, looking down at the fallen Manjoume not far away.

This clearing in the dense forest was not flat, but had a very obvious depression, sinking at least one meter below the ground. So when Manjoume lay on the ground, the height difference between Daitokuji Temple and Manjoume was more than two meters, which was about the same height as the students would see when they sat in class and looked at the teacher at the front and lowest point of the classroom.

However, Manjoume, who used to be high up, was now low down, while Daitokuji, who was always low down, was standing high up looking down at the fallen Manjoume, just like the strange lines he had just uttered.

"This is a sentence from the Jade Record, which means that all development and change must follow the law of going from the inside out and from the top down. If you grasp this law, you can know whether an apple is rotten, whether an organ is diseased, and whether a person has changed. However, it seems that you, Wan Zhangmu, have failed to grasp this law and have failed to notice my difference."

As he spoke, the skin on Daitokuji's face that he had just pressed back down did not crack again, but it bulged up, like a newly added blood vessel, and he paused in his steps.

"As always, you like to spout useless nonsense, Daitokuji." His slightly disgruntled voice came from the life support device where Kagemaru was. "No, now, I should call you Amunaeru again, the original, strongest, and most trusted member of the 'Seven Stars,' the non-human duelist organization I founded?"

“If you truly trusted me completely, you should still be in your group recuperating, instead of bringing your men to this island.” Daitokuji shook his head, unbuttoned his white suit jacket to reveal a black, tight-fitting mage's robe he always wore, and took out a folded cloak and mask from his pocket to cover his face, which was slightly grotesque due to bulging veins.

(Before changing clothes)

(After changing clothes)

Long ago, Daitokuji, in order to repay Kagemaru for his continued support of his research, sought a way to prolong Kagemaru's already dwindling life. After abandoning the "Phantom Demon Card" plan, he chose to create the Philosopher's Stone on the island where Diablo had once conducted experiments—which is now the Duel Academy Island.

Although Daitokuji's abilities cannot create a perfect Philosopher's Stone, even a flawed Philosopher's Stone can greatly extend Kagemaru's life, only it cannot grant him more extraordinary powers or immortality.

However, Daitokuji's thoughts were one thing, while Kagemaru's thoughts were another. In Kagemaru's eyes, Daitokuji clearly had a way to help him, but he didn't use it, which was obviously a sign that he was unwilling to help him. He was extremely dissatisfied with this, so he directly took the box containing the unfinished "Phantom Demon Card" from Daitokuji's previous laboratory and brought it to Duel Academy Island, asking Daitokuji to place it properly in order to awaken the "Phantom Demon Card".

Daitokuji couldn't dissuade the headstrong Kagemaru. He knew that with Kagemaru's financial resources, even without him, they could probably find other alchemists. After all, the world was vast, and who knew how many hidden talents lay hidden within? Even if someone's talent wasn't as great as Daitokuji's, it didn't matter. Kagemaru only needed someone to place the "Three Phantom Demons" cards into the "Seven Essence Seals" on the island.

In that case, all Daitokuji can do is minimize the impact of the "Seven Essence Seals" on life on the island and reduce its power to the minimum. However, now that the Duel Academy has been established for four years, it seems that the cards that were placed at the beginning of the school's establishment are ready to be harvested. Therefore, Kagemaru came to the island in person to collect the results. For this purpose, he even found a way to cooperate with Tenma Tsukiyo to distract Hayato.

Sensing the underlying dissatisfaction in Daitokuji's words, Kagemaru in the life support pod also felt a bit annoyed. In his opinion, he had already been very magnanimous by not taking Daitokuji's treacherous behavior of slacking off and cheating on funding for a long time. Who gave Daitokuji the right to complain about him and interfere with his will?

If it were the young Kagemaru, a shrewd and calculating man navigating the world of commerce, he would naturally have suppressed his dissatisfaction and, with a smile, kindly appeased Daitokuji, since he would need him again in the future. However, with his health deteriorating and his lifespan dwindling, he had long lost that inclination. In his eyes, Daitokuji had been at the Duel Academy for too long and it was time to give him a good talking-to.

"You'd better remember your place, Amunaeru. You're also a member of the 'Seven Stars,' and you're not on the same side as the teachers and students on this island." When Kagemaru's voice was simulated by the device, his already indifferent tone became even colder, with a mechanical edge. "Don't forget, I'm not the only one whose days are numbered. How much longer can your body hold out?"

Kagemaru and Daitokuji didn't just meet today. He had been supporting Daitokuji's alchemical research for decades. When Daitokuji's body was nearing its limit due to illness, it was Kagemaru who helped him with his "human transmutation" experiments. Naturally, he knew that Daitokuji's second life was also nearing its end.

This is also why Kagemaru was so dissatisfied when Daitokuji proposed the "Philosopher's Stone" plan. "We both don't have much time left," he thought. "How can I guarantee that after I provide you with abundant resources and help you forge the Philosopher's Stone, you will resist the temptation to live and hand it over to me?"

“I am not alive… no, there’s no point in saying this.” Daitokuji did not argue with Kagemaru. Although he was focused on studying alchemy, he was not a fool who knew nothing. He understood Kagemaru’s personality and thoughts, and knew that no matter what he said, he could not change the impression he had on Kagemaru. He looked around the open space.

—Although Kagemaru's plan was well-thought-out, intending to use the evil power of the "Phantom Demon Card" to prolong his life, no one stipulated that only he could scheme. Back when Daitokuji was carrying out the operation of putting the "Phantom Demon Card" into the "Seven Essence Seal" at the beginning of the school's founding, Hayato stopped Daitokuji and, without Kagemaru's knowledge, made a "million" of modifications to Kagemaru's perfect plan.

Over the years, although Kagemaru had long since stopped funding experiments such as the "Philosopher's Stone," Daitokuji had accumulated a considerable amount of savings in his own way. His experiments on the "Philosopher's Stone," the ultimate project he had been longing for, had never stopped and had already achieved some results.

After Kagemaru realizes his "Phantom Demon" plan has failed and is filled with despair, this is the perfect opportunity to give him the "Philosopher's Stone," preventing him from clinging to his greed for the power of the "Phantom Demon." But for now, let's first help him open the "Seven Essence Seals" and let him see what the "Phantom Demon Card" is like inside.

"Was he knocked unconscious? That makes it easier for me to get the key." With that, Daitokuji walked toward the fallen Manjoume, intending to retrieve the "Seven Essence Seal" key that he always wore around his neck.

As the "second creator" who transformed the original alchemical array into the current "Seven Essence Seals," Daitokuji still had some special privileges when opening the "Seven Essence Seals." He granted himself the privilege of opening the seal without needing to duel, simply by obtaining the key. Otherwise, there would be no point in him making the key to the "Seven Essence Seals" a physical key.

Otherwise, wouldn't it have been cooler if Daitokuji had designed a key that was a tattoo-like emblem when scattered, but could be combined to form a cool monster? He even had the shape in mind; a dragon would be perfect, both cool and stylish, preferably red, which would give off a feeling of speed.

However, this privilege is only so-so. In any case, he still needs to obtain the key to the "Seven Essence Seal" to break the seal, just like everyone else. He only has one more way to obtain the key than others, which is already good enough. After all, alchemy arrays are just like programs written by programmers. The more functions you add, the more likely the code is to make mistakes.

Now, he is about to take the key to the "Seven Essence Seal" from Manjoume's body. Including the one he already possesses, he will have two.

As Daitokuji reached out to the fallen Manjoume, he saw that Manjoume, who had been lying flat, had somehow put one foot on the ground and exerted force while raising the other foot high and kicking it fiercely towards his chin!

"Oh!"

Caught completely off guard, Daitokuji was kicked away by Manjoume's sneak attack, sliding a distance on the ground before coming to a stop.

"You're spouting more and more nonsense. Can't you guys just string your words together? Don't skip over the things people most want to know!" Manjoume wasn't knocked unconscious at all, contrary to Daitokuji's prediction. Looking at Daitokuji who had been kicked away, he subconsciously imitated Judai's action, brushing his finger across his nose, and smugly laughed, "How did that kick feel, a return of the favor?"

"That brat Manjoume, he wasn't even knocked unconscious?" The life support device Kagemaru was in didn't approach Manjoume. The machine turned according to Kagemaru's thoughts, looking towards the direction of Daitokuji who had been kicked away. "Amunaeru, your technique is far too rusty. Or did you hold back on this brat because of your feelings?"

“No, when I attacked just now, I used Armnile, which represents the ‘breath of clouds’ in alchemy. If an ordinary person were hit by it, they would not only be knocked away, but would also fall into a coma due to suffocation. It has nothing to do with holding back.” Getting up from the ground, a green circular symbol with a dot in the center lit up in his hand. Daitokuji looked at Manjoume and said, “It’s probably because of Manjoume’s special circumstances.”

"It's Mr. Manjoume! I didn't allow you, you despicable 'Seven Stars' posing as a school teacher, to call me by my name!" Glaring at Daitokuji, Manjoume stood up, opened his Obelisk-Blue dormitory uniform, revealing the spot where Daitokuji's attack had hit him, where a deck of cards lay. "Like you said, the top is the bottom, the inside is the outside. My luck is pretty good, but yours is terrible."

Hearing Manjoume's utterly terrible understanding of the "Jade Record" he had just read, Daitokuji shook his head helplessly. It seemed that Manjoume had absolutely no talent for alchemy.

"That sneak attack that ambushed me was only thanks to the protection of the [Dragon of Light and Darkness], that's my good fortune; and now, don't think that one kick is all it takes to end it. You're not Daitokuji-sensei, are you? Although I don't know when you switched him, I know very well that he's just a coward, and could never be any 'Seven Stars'."

"Whether it's one or two, the creator of the 'Seven Stars' or the strongest of the 'Seven Stars,' I'll fight them all the same, Mr. Manjoume. This is your misfortune!" Looking at Kagemaru and Daitokuji, Manjoume arrogantly planned to duel with both of them, adding two victories to his record in one fell swoop.

"Is that so? The [Dragon of Light and Darkness]? I remember that it was also a powerful elf from ancient Egypt..." Having inputted all the miscellaneous information he'd collected over the years to prolong his life into the computer—though not much, he still knew a little about the existence and background of the [Dragon of Light and Darkness]—Kagemaru suddenly became interested. Looking at Daitokuji, who was about to attack again, he immediately called out, "Wait a minute, Amunaeru!"

"I don't know if you're holding back because of your feelings for the student, but it's alright. You don't need to lay a hand on this brat. After all, I'm not some kind of demon." Kagemaru said smugly. The quadruped robot began to move, positioning him between Daitokuji and Manjoume. The device then turned so that Kagemaru was facing Manjoume, who was scrutinizing him. "Anyway, we have plenty of time now. Let's treat this as a long-awaited mental exercise. I'll duel this brat, defeat him, and obtain the key to the seal."

As he spoke, the restraints in front of the life support pod where Kagemaru was located were released, revealing a pair of mechanical arms. One of the life support arms was already equipped with a duel disk and the deck for dueling was installed, while the other mechanical arm flexibly drew five initial cards from the deck without any room for Manjoume to refuse.

"Duel".

[Kagemaru: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

"Whether it's you old bastard whom I wanted to take down from the beginning, or that guy over there impersonating Daitokuji, I don't care either of you, because you are both targets I want to eliminate."

Even now, he still firmly believes that Daitokuji is not Manjoume of Daitokuji. As he speaks, he takes out his deck and inserts it into the slot, unfolding the Duel Disk, which is of excellent quality and has not been damaged in the slightest during Daitokuji's sneak attack. "Before the others arrive here following the commotion, I'll quickly take you down, old man. I don't want anyone to steal the victory that's almost in my hands, especially that Jaden guy!"

"Pursue! Extinguish! Every single one is lightning!" Shouting his cool lines, Manjoume drew five cards from his hand and exclaimed, "Mr. Manjoume~ da (lightning)!"

"Duel!"

【Manjou: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand】

"I'll take the first strike. Draw a card!"

Although he was quite imposing, Manjoume only started drawing cards after Kagemaru had already drawn five. He couldn't possibly outrun the pre-prepared mechanical arm and seize the initiative, so he had to go second. Before Kagemaru, who had gained the first move, began his turn, he first raised his left hand to look at the five cards he had drawn.

Seeing a decent card, Manjou's lips curled into a slight smile.

However, what Manjou didn't notice was that something reflected light flashed by in the dense forest behind him.

Kagemaru, who can only see things through the device, "sees" the cards in front of him, and a smirk of confidence curls up at the corner of his mouth beneath the oxygen mask.

Chapter 1164 Gunman? Demon? [Magic Bullet]!

"I summon [Magic Shotgun - Starr] from my hand in Attack Position."

The robotic arm deftly retrieved a card from the hand and inserted it into the Magic Trap area of ​​the Duel Disk, where a virtual image appeared accompanied by Kagemaru's voice.

She was a woman dressed in revealing exotic dancer attire, her face veiled in black, but the strange orange bat wings growing from her right elbow added to her eeriness, while the red pistol at her waist confirmed that she was not as weak as she appeared.

【Magic Shotgun - Starr】【4☆/Light】

[Demon Race/Effect]

[1300/1700]

"Sigh~ They actually used such a flashy Duel Monster, and dared to summon it in Attack Position with a mere 1300 attack power?" Manjoume looked disdainfully at the [Magic Bullet Shooter - Starr] summoned by Kagemaru. "Moreover, it hasn't done anything after being on the field for so long. Could it just be a weak monster?"

Upon hearing Manjoume's words, Kagemaru's voice, emanating from the mechanical device, carried a hint of contempt and displeasure: "First it was Kobayashi Hayato and that Kaiba Seto, and now even the brats from the Manjoume Group. Do young people these days only know how to study future technology and have no idea about past history?"

The nearly 100-year-old man, born at the beginning of the last century, said with dissatisfaction: "Even if you don't know the famous opera 'Der Freischütz,' you should at least know about the famous gunslinger from the Western expansion era, 'Queen of the Mountain Bandits,' Bell Starr!"

"Where did you get that outdated knowledge from the last century? What normal person would bother to understand that kind of thing?" Manjoume retorted. "Would understanding that kind of thing help in a duel? Would it help me beat Jaden Yuki? If not, I have no interest in understanding that boring stuff."

Meanwhile, Daitokuji, who was watching the duel from the sidelines, spoke up, saying, "'Queen of the Oklahoma Outlaws' means 'Queen of the Oklahoma Outlaws.' Bell Starr was such a legendary female gunslinger and outlaw queen. In addition to her exceptional marksmanship, she also knew how to manage her forces and command them—"

"Amunaeru, are you perhaps giving pointers to that brat, hinting at the effect of my card?"

Because of what Kagemaru said, Daitokuji stopped and did not continue the introduction. Instead, he said, "...I didn't have that intention. It was just my professional habit of popularizing knowledge that made me think of introducing you to the person who was the prototype of that card."

"Heh, you'd better think that way." Kagemaru didn't dwell on the matter and tentatively believed Daitokuji's explanation. He took out a card from the mechanical arm and looked at Manjoume, saying, "Anyway, even if you hadn't said anything, I was already planning to start using its effects anyway."

"In my Spell & Trap Zone, which is in the column containing [Magic Shot Striker - Starr], I activate the Spell Card [Pot of Greed], and I can draw two more cards from my Deck."

Watching Kagemaru activate his magic card, Manjoume scoffed, "Old man, is this your first time playing Duel Monsters, or do you have OCD? Why do you like putting magic cards, trap cards, and monsters in the same row?"

"Arrogant brat, stop barking. I have my reasons for doing this." Kagemaru's voice sounded like a sneer as he looked at his [Magic Bullet Shooter - Starr] on the field and said, "If a Spell/Trap Card is activated in the column where this card is located, the effect of [Magic Bullet Shooter - Starr] is activated!"

"I will Special Summon one Level 4 or lower [Magic Bullet Shooter] monster from my Deck, except [Magic Bullet Shooter - Starr], to my field in Defense Position." The mechanical arm retrieved the card automatically from the Duel Disk and placed it horizontally on the disk. Kagemaru said, "The monster I Special Summon is this one, [Magic Bullet Shooter - Kid]!"

Following "Bear Starr," the second monster used by Kagemaru, the "Magic Bullet Shooter," is clearly modeled after "Billy the Kid," one of the most famous and renowned gunslingers in the Westerns, as its name suggests.

This young gunslinger, both a villain and a chivalrous hero, is dressed in the classic cowboy attire of Western movies, from his hat and cape to his boots and the holster at his waist. And on his left elbow, where he holds the gun, like the previous [Devil Shooter - Starr], a striking orange demon bat wing grows.

【Magic Shotgun - Kid】【3☆/Light】

[Demon Race/Effect]

[1600/200]

After the effect of [Magic Bullet Shooter - Starr] resolved, the mechanical arm drew two cards from the deck and added them to Kagemaru's hand, so that his hand was restored to six cards after summoning two monsters. He then immediately used his mind to control the mechanical arm to insert one of the drawn cards into the Spell & Trap Zone, in the column where [Magic Bullet Shooter - Kid] was located.