Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

The gold in his eyes had faded without him noticing. Looking at Kagemaru's bewildered expression, Jaden stepped forward instead of backing down, saying, "There's only one answer to your question. That is, I will create the future with my comrades!"

"Enough! I've had enough of this formality!" Kagemaru said, but he couldn't hide the panic in his heart. Although the stone disc on Jaden's chest was constantly glowing and showing its presence, Kagemaru could guarantee that the aura he sensed at the moment Winged Kuriboh evolved was definitely not an illusion.

That darkness was purer and deeper than the "Darkness" power he had embraced!

Although Jaden Yuki displayed the same, or even greater, spiritual power as Jun Manjoume, Kagemaru had no intention of seizing his spiritual power. Pointing at Jaden, he said, "That brat is yours, Amunaeru, take care of him!"

"I'm going to duel with that other brat who has the key!"

Just as impatiently he had been before, wanting to skip the duel and seize the key, Kagemaru now desperately wanted to do so. But when he looked at the other key holder beside Jaden, Asuka, he was suddenly dumbfounded.

Because he saw that, without him noticing, someone he least wanted to see had actually arrived there.

"Hey, everyone heard that, right? He's the one who challenged me to a duel." Holding Marufuji Ryo's "Seven Essence Seal" key, showing no grief for the students' fall, the person who rushed to the battlefield was—Kobayashi Hayato!

Chapter 1172 The Seal Opened

"Kobayashi Hayato!?" "Mr. Hayato!?"

Different people reacted very differently to Hayato's appearance. Jaden and Asuka showed expressions of relief, while Kagemaru was even more nervous than before.

To the students, although Hayato is usually the greatest danger, he is the most reassuring person when danger comes. But to Kagemaru, Kobayashi Hayato is the biggest obstacle to him obtaining the cards in the "Seven Seals of the Spirit". He is more terrifying than 100,000 killers!

In the numerous urban legends featuring the dueling king Hayato Kobayashi, although the causes and processes vary, they all invariably end with "Hayato Kobayashi defeats the evil organization to its knees, proving that the dueling king is invincible." This is enough to prove the value of Hayato Kobayashi as "the strongest man in the world" in people's minds.

You can't beat him. A man like that, just by appearing, can put your mind at ease, as if he's the embodiment of victory. You simply can't win...

Fearing Hayato, Kagemaru couldn't help but take a step back.

However, no longer relying on those ugly and strange life support devices and transportation machines, but instead personally stepping onto this land with his youthful body, Kagemaru suddenly realized that he didn't seem to have any reason to fear Hayato.

Although Hayato Kobayashi is the largest shareholder of International Illusion Company in the economic field and has a close cooperative relationship with Kaiba Entertainment Group, both of which far surpass Kagemaru Pharmaceutical, which is not very well-known internationally, and even the subsidiaries of Kaiba Group are larger than Kagemaru Pharmaceutical, all of that has nothing to do with Kagemaru and Hayato who are about to face each other here.

In Duel Monsters, Hayato Kobayashi is indeed formidable, a fact universally acknowledged. His title of "King of Duel" was not self-proclaimed but earned through sheer strength. Whether it was Pegasus, the "Father of Duel Monsters," or fellow legendary duelists like Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba, he was defeated by them all.

However, Kagemaru, utterly lacking in self-awareness, didn't believe his strength was weak. Despite being able to fight evenly to a draw with Jun Manjoume, a first-year student at the Duel Academy, Kagemaru still considered himself invincible and incredibly strong. Especially now that he had absorbed the powerful energy from "Darkness," his strength had exploded, surged, and surged! What in the world could stop him?!

Even Hayato Kobayashi!

As for the final plan—to bypass the duel and directly attack Hayato with the materialized card monster [Dark Demon - Neosphia]—Kagemaru was somewhat tempted, but he ultimately abandoned the idea that made him feel uneasy. Even that brat named "Yuki Judai" exuded an aura that made him feel uneasy; who knew what kind of monster Kobayashi Hayato would be?

Moreover, he always felt that if he did that, he might encounter something extremely terrifying; Kagemaru had that premonition.

Indeed, people need to think more. What distinguishes humans, the rulers of the world, from lower animals is their ability to think. With just a little calm thinking, I easily analyzed that Kobayashi Hayato was just a coward in disguise. Not only my body, but my mind has also become as clear as when I was young. Embracing the power from "Darkness" was definitely the right thing to do. My amazing wisdom is indeed impressive!

Youth has returned to my aging body, which is incredibly relaxing. My body feels so light, and I have nothing to fear from people like Hayato Kobayashi anymore!

Thinking of this, a confident expression suddenly returned to Kagemaru's face. With unparalleled confidence and the shame and anger that he had just taken a step back out of fear, Kagemaru actually took another step forward and said, "You actually appeared in front of me openly, Kobayashi Hayato!"

"Huh? You were just trying to run away out of fear, and now you dare to approach me, Kobayashi Hayato?" Seeing Kagemaru take a step forward, Hayato spread his arms and said arrogantly, "Besides, if we're talking about appearing openly... this is Duel Academy, this is my territory. As the principal, my power is unlimited. What's wrong with me appearing here?"

"But you, Chairman Kagemaru, sent your third-rate duelists with fourth-rate decks to sneak onto this Duel Academy Island. What are your intentions?"

Kagemaru never expected that, despite the fact that only the fallen Jun Manjoume had seen him when he returned to his youthful state, and that he had never introduced himself to the people he was chasing, such as Jaden Yuki, Kobayashi Hayato would call him by name the first time he saw him in his youthful form.

"Chairman Kagemaru? I remember Ms. Nakao Yuki, who was sent by the Duel Academy's board of directors not long ago to investigate Judai's trespassing into the abandoned old school building, mentioned that she was acting on Chairman Kagemaru's orders." Asuka said with some doubt upon hearing Hayato's name. "Back then, in order to prepare information and materials for Judai to avoid expulsion, Manjoume specifically looked for Chairman Kagemaru's information, but..."

“I seem to remember him too, but shouldn’t that ‘Chairman Kagemaru’ be an extremely old man?” Jaden frowned and said, “Could it be that the old man is dead, and this guy also named Kagemaru is a descendant or relative of that old man, who has inherited the position of chairman and is planning to do something bad to the academy?”

"Idiots, even if you ignorant brats die, I don't want to die either!" Clearly hearing Judai and Asuka's whispers, Kagemaru angrily shifted his gaze, glared at Judai and Asuka, before turning back to Hayato. "Speaking of information, did you investigate my past? Tch, since you already know, I won't pretend anymore."

“That’s right, I am the founder of Shadow Maru Pharmaceuticals, the founder of Duel Academy and chairman of the academy’s board of directors, and also the leader of the ‘Seven Stars’ organization. I am ninety-five years old this year.”

With his thick, black hair reaching his waist, and his muscles bulging, no one, let alone the stunned Jaden and Asuka, could reconcile the image of Kagemaru who could easily stare in Tarzan on a different set with that of the old man from five years ago who, even with a cane, walked unsteadily at a commercial event, seemingly on the verge of death.

"Is he ninety-five years old?"

"Obviously ninety-five years old!" Kagemaru said with a satisfied expression in the face of Judai's doubts. It was that look of surprise that mattered. Although returning to youth was primarily his own desire, seeing the surprised expressions on others' faces when they learned his true age was still incredibly satisfying. "Sixty years, maybe seventy? My body has returned to roughly the same level as it was back then. Youth and vitality have returned to my aged body—this is an unparalleled experience!"

“This is the benefit that the power of ‘Darkness’ has brought me. No matter the cost, I must keep this wonderful feeling of regaining what I lost in my body and never let it leave again.” Kagemaru looked at the key to the “Seven Essence Seal” that Hayato was tossing in his hand. “No matter what the cost.”

"I see, it's something from inside the 'Seven Gates of Essence.' Is that what you want?" Hayato stopped tossing and catching, looking at the key in his hand that Marufuji Ryo had lost to Ramesses II and then taken back by him. "But I remember that you need all seven keys to open the seal, right? How many have you collected so far?"

"Why don't you think back to who told you that 'seven keys are needed,' and who can guarantee that it's true?" Kagemaru said smugly. "Activating the 'Seven Essence Seal' only requires one key, and then opening the seal's isolation function requires two keys, and I already have two."

Kagemaru's words made Jaden realize what had happened to him and Asuka before they were unable to escape: "After defeating Daitokuji-sensei, you obtained the first key and lured Manjoume here, and then used Manjoume's key to keep us here?"

“That’s exactly right. Not only that, after the third key is used, the seven obelisks residing in the ‘Seven Essence Seal’ will rise from the ground, increasing its operational power. Then, after obtaining the fourth key, the seal will be opened, releasing the terrifying power sealed within.” Kagemaru paused, then continued, “The fifth, sixth, and seventh keys are not absolutely necessary; they are merely used for further modifications to the ‘Seven Essence Seal’.”

"The fifth one is an enhancement to the sealed cards, making them completely obedient to my commands and unable to rebel."

"The sixth card can enhance the card's properties and even expand its influence to the whole world."

"And the last, seventh one is quite ordinary; it's just a destruction device." Kagemaru said with a cold smile. "It's just the trigger for destroying this island that might hold evidence of my actions. Whether it's activated or not depends entirely on my will."

(When the six keys enter the seal)

Pointing at Hayato, Kagemaru confidently said, "The first and second keys are already in my hands. As for the keys to those two brats over there, I'll just leave them to my loyal subordinate, Amunaeru, a member of the 'Seven Stars'."

"You're next, Hayato Kobayashi!"

Instead of regretting his previous act of challenging Hayato, Kagemaru, after "thinking it through," believed that he had no reason to fear Hayato and once again provoked him.

Opening the seal requires at least four keys, and controlling the cards within the seal to prevent them from going out of control requires five. If everything goes smoothly, after seizing the three keys from Jaden, Asuka, and Hayato, Kagemaru will immediately obtain the "Phantom Demon" card he has been longing for from the "Seven Essence Seals".

At that time, the power of the "Illusion Demon" card and "Darkness" will help him ascend to the position of King of the World. Coupled with the long lifespan that comes with it, he will be nothing short of a god!

"Hoo~hoo~, if you want the key, come closer to me, although even I don't quite know where you get that courage."

Hayato looked at Kagemaru with surprise, not caring at all about the threat this rejuvenated old man posed to him. He had just warmed up with Ramses II and had little interest in Kagemaru, a third-rate duelist who could only spar with students in the academy. It was like fighting the Chess King in the Cloud Top and then going to fight Warhawk. Even a hot-blooded idiot like Jaden would find it hard to get excited.

However, to Hayato's complete surprise, although he was no longer afraid of Hayato, Kagemaru did not have much courage to fight Hayato. He desperately wanted to obtain the keys from Hayato and Jaden, but still did not want to do so in a duel with too many variables and no absolute certainty.

While saying "You're next, Hayato Kobayashi," making people wonder if he wanted to use a substitute to fight Hayato... I mean, the materialized card monsters exchanged punches, but before Hayato and the others could react, Kagemaru shamelessly turned around and ran away, seemingly to escape, but suddenly ran to the side of Manjou who had fainted on the ground!

Grabbing the unconscious and defenseless Manjoume by the collar, Kagemaru used his strong body to lift him up and shouted at Hayato, "You've been tricked, Kobayashi Hayato! This is the shortcut I took to get the key!"

“Unlike you boring ‘duelers’ who need to fight to stupidly obtain the key, Amunaeru can directly use the key to open the seal. From the very beginning, I never intended to duel with you professional duelists. I have no intention of taking the long way around!”

"Now, your student is in my hands. Hand over the keys obediently! Not just one, but all three, or your student will suffer a terrible death right before your eyes!"

"Manjoume?" Hayato raised an eyebrow when he saw Manjoume being held in Kagemaru's hand. He looked at Jaden and Asuka with surprise and said, "When you guys ran away before, didn't you think of taking that kid Manjoume with you?"

However, after looking at Judai and Asuka, he realized that they didn't seem to have much room to spare for taking another person with them; they were already struggling to avoid Kagemaru's pursuit.

While the scenes in movies and TV dramas where someone falls down and is immediately caught, then delivers a dying message in someone's arms are incredibly melodramatic, they do offer some insight. The point is that if someone falls, at least they should be dragged back to safety and not left in the hands of the enemy. Otherwise, Manjoume wouldn't have become Kagemaru's hostage at that moment.

"I was actually thinking of telling you that I play Fuze in Rainbow Six Siege, but it doesn't seem quite appropriate in front of the students." Hayato glanced at Eyeshadow Maru. "But one hostage for three keys, where did you get that exchange rate?"

"Heh, this isn't a business war, and you have no right to bargain with me," Kagemaru said smugly. "If you insist on taking more, what about those two students who've collapsed over there?"

Hayato didn't turn around, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw [Dark Netherworld Demon - Neosphia] descend from the sky and land next to Tenjouin Fubuki and Marufuji Sho, who were also lying unconscious on the ground. The meaning was quite straightforward; it was clear that they intended to take them, who were also under the threat of Kagemaru, hostage in exchange for the key in Hayato and Jaden's hands.

"Hayato-sensei..." Jaden called out to Hayato, but didn't continue speaking. However, the way he removed the "Seven Essence Seal" key from his neck and handed it to Hayato made his meaning clear.

Asuka did the same thing.

Seeing this, and knowing that both students had given him the power to make the decision, Hayato reluctantly took the key, turned to look at Kagemaru, and threw the key away without any hesitation.

The moment the keys to the "Seven Seals" were thrown, Kagemaru immediately abandoned his Manjoume and ran towards them, catching them before they hit the ground. Although the chances were slim, Kagemaru didn't want to see these important keys, which he was about to obtain, destroyed because they fell to the ground.

The seven sealed keys, which were kept by the seven selected teachers and students, were all concentrated in Kagemaru's hands at the moment. Apart from the two keys held by Daichi Misawa and Professor Chronos, the keys held by Manjoume, Daitokuji, Judai, Asuka, and Caesar were all held by the other five.

As Hayato and the others rushed to Manjoume's location to bring him back immediately, the key in Kagemaru's hand turned into golden light and vanished. Huge obelisks rose from the ground around the open space, and the sky darkened in an instant!

Looking at the device sealing the card that rose up along with the obelisk in the very center of the open space, Kagemaru's lips curled into a ferocious grin.

Chapter 1173 The Three Illusionary Demons Awaken the Feminine Within (lol)

As he watched the "Gate of Seven Essences" open and the sealed cards within were transported to the surface via a mechanical device, Kagemaru was extremely excited.

How many years has it been? I have waited far too many years to be here today, to be at this moment. Only one step remains to fulfill my long-cherished wish: to reach out and grab the three cards that pop out from the rising device.

Although he had never held them in his hands, Kagemaru had long memorized the names of those three cards and knew the card illustrations perfectly. He could even copy them out of thin air. The "Three Phantom Demons" cards that he had been longing for were about to be his!

【Divine Flame Emperor - Uriah】!

【Thunder Emperor - Hamon】!

And [Phantom Emperor - Rabiel]!

Although there is still a considerable gap between the actual execution of his ideal plan—Kobayashi Hayato being lured away, his "Seven Stars" obtaining the keys to the "Seven Essences Unlocking Gate" one by one, and then him calmly reigning over Duel Academy Island like a king to obtain the "Three Phantom Demons" cards—for example, those "Seven Stars" didn't get a single key for him, he currently only has five keys, all of which he obtained through his own efforts, and Kobayashi Hayato has actually returned to the island.

Moreover, before obtaining the "Three Phantom Demons" card, he had to accept the power of "Darkness" because of the inherently evil Manjoume kid, and returned to his youth at some unknown cost.

But it doesn't matter. All of that is no longer important now that I've obtained the "Three Phantom Demons" card!

This has never been such a wonderful start! Cheers to me! Applause to me!

Kagemaru thought that after he released the brat with the ten thousand eyes and used the key to open the "Seven Essences Unlock Gate," Kobayashi Hayato might suddenly launch a surprise attack on him. He didn't expect Amunaeru, who was always on the sidelines, to be of any help. In fact, Kagemaru did not let [Dark Demon - Neosphia] leave the side of Tenjouin Fubuki and that unknown brat, so that he could continue to use it to threaten Kobayashi Hayato at that time.

To everyone's surprise, this backup plan also failed to come in handy. After handing over the key with the other two kids and arriving at the side of the Manjoume kid, Kobayashi Hayato made no further moves. He simply watched as he opened the "Seven Essences Unlock Gate" and approached the sealed "Three Phantom Demons" card, even stopping the other two kids from doing something.

There was no need to think about those trivial things anymore. Standing in front of the mechanical device, he reached out his hand to the three cards on it. Kagemaru was overjoyed and his heart was pounding.

Now, I hold the future in my hands!

After Kagemaru took the cards out of the device, he immediately held the three cards, which contained terrifying power, above his head, turned around and arrogantly said to Hayato and the others, "Youthful flesh, long life, and the power of card monsters!"

"Insignificant humans, I, Lord Kagemaru, will now rule you—"

"Show yourselves, you 'Phantom Demons'!"

As Kagemaru moved, dark clouds immediately began to gather in the sky, lightning flashed and thunder roared between the dark clouds, and the light dimmed instantly, as if the end of the world was about to arrive.

However, the thunder in the sky continued to strike, but the "Three Phantom Demons" cards in Kagemaru's hand did not show anything special. The dark clouds and thunder in the sky seemed to be just background effects with nothing special about them.

After waiting for a long time, Kagemaru still didn't see the "Three Phantom Demons" cards in his hand show any special power. However, he clearly felt that he had gained control over the three sealed cards through the power of the "Seven Essences Unlocking Gate". Why didn't the three cards make any move?

Unconvinced, he lowered his hand slightly, wondering if it was because he hadn't positioned himself correctly. He then raised his hand again and said, "Come forth, 'Three Phantom Demons'!"

"It's quite normal for people to not be as capable as they get older. Although their muscles may look younger, who knows what the condition of their internal organs is?"

Hearing words that seemed to be meant to comfort him, Kagemaru glared at Hayato, who had a mocking expression on his face: "Are you trying to make fun of me, a god?! What do you mean by saying such nonsensical things?!"

"Consider yourself a 'god'? That's a bit premature. You can't even unleash the power of the cards in your hand, can you?"

Following Hayato's words, Daitokuji, who was not far from Kagemaru, retorted: "That's not entirely true. Although organs are organs and muscles are muscles, even the organs inside the human body have so-called 'organ muscles' that are used to exert force and maintain organ function. Even those muscles are spongy muscles—"

"Enough! Nobody needs your useless knowledge of the human body, Amunaeru! Are you and Hayato Kobayashi trying to fool me?!" Kagemaru impatiently interrupted Daitokuji, angrily saying, "Your knowledge is useless if it can't help me. I just want to know why I can't use the power of 'Phantom Demon'!"

"You are the creator of the sealing barrier. Did you tamper with it?"

"Instead of suspecting others for doing something wrong, why not consider your own shortcomings? Although your posture is correct, your tone and lines are terrible. You should have shouted something like 'For the Horde' or 'Shazam' instead." Hayato had a mysterious smile on his face. "Or, if you didn't have any problems, is it possible that there's something wrong with the card you're holding?"