Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"When it enters the field, everything is reset to zero. All cards in both players' hands, on the field, and in the graveyard, except for the one in question, are returned to their decks. This effect cannot be chained to any monster, spell, or trap effect. Let's call this move 'Root Wave,' symbolizing the creative power of the universe returning to its origin." Hayato paused, then looked at Omottamaru and said, "However, it seems you can't even react with fear anymore?"

"Corresponding to the name of the technique, 'Root Wave,' this power that severs the path forward and turns the future into a precipice of no return is called 'Cliff-Shattering Sword.' But don't misunderstand, it's not the world that's being destroyed, only your future, Kagemaru—"

"Then let's end this duel. Now, let's enter my battle phase, and [Creator God - Tiera] will directly attack the opponent!"

Chapter 1187 I can't do anything...

Any resistance is futile before the power of [Creator God - Tiera]. Completely useless!

The power of restoration, covering the hand, field, and graveyard, returns all of Hayato and Kagemaru's cards to their initial state. Under the power of [Creator God - Tiera], there is not even a chance to leave a single hand trap or graveyard trap.

Back then, the Trisolaran "Nameless Dragon" provided power to [Hyperfusion], thereby devouring the giant sea beast "Orichalcos God" that had merged with Dartz—one of the incarnations of Darkness codenamed "Leviathan." What was born at that time was [Creator God - Tiera]. However, it was only at this moment that Hayato had the opportunity to use it and end the duel with Kagemaru.

Born from [Hyperfusion], [Creator God - Tiera] even has the same effect as [Hyperfusion], which prevents the activation of spell, trap, and monster effects from being chained. It is unstoppable and invincible!

Kagemaru had 1501 remaining base points, while [Creation God - Tiera] had an attack power of 3400 points. Flames symbolizing divine punishment and the wrath of the heavens clung to the giant arm at the foot of [Creation God - Tiera] and slammed down on Kagemaru!

In an instant, Kagemaru's basic score was cleared, and the high combat damage exceeding his basic score value turned into a substantial impact in this dark game, sending Kagemaru flying. The main point of impact, Kagemaru's abdomen, showed a noticeable dent, as if several ribs were broken.

However, how could Hayato, being so kind, possibly allow the Creator God Tiera to beat Kagemaru with such force just to torture him? The moment the Creator God Tiera's power invaded Kagemaru's body, all the external spirit power and human life force that Kagemaru had previously absorbed were expelled from his body—specifically, Kagemaru, lying on his back unable to move, had his mouth wide open, and large golden specks of light were spitting out of his mouth, forming long lines!

To deal with a despicable person like Kagemaru who is willing to harm the entire world single-handedly, Hayato's approach is to make him vomit up everything he has swallowed. Although it would be difficult to make him exactly the same as before he attacked, at least 90% of his power would be returned to its rightful owners around the world under the guidance of the power of the Creation God - Tiera.

What Kagemaru needed to obtain with the assistance of the "Three Phantom Demons" and the "Seven Essences Unlocking Gate" to achieve, Hayato only needed the card [Creator God - Tiera]. In fact, it was much more difficult to send it back than to absorb it. This is the value of [Creator God - Tiera], one of the two supreme creator gods in the DT world view!

Of course, Hayato wouldn't leave the remaining ten percent to Kagemaru either. He said he'd make him spit it all out, and that was fine. Even if he couldn't send it back, it didn't matter. The excess power and vitality of those spirits would remain on the island, enhancing the vitality of all creatures, including the students, and helping duelists better awaken their card spirits.

As for Kagemaru—

After [Creator God - Tiera] sent away the last bit of power that could be returned to its original position within its capabilities, Hayato waved goodbye to it and put away the cards on the Duel Disk. Kagemaru felt the desperate, suffocating power that had rushed into his body finally disappear, and he tried to move despite the pain in his abdomen.

However, his body was weak and powerless, and his legs had no strength to make any kind of "carp jumping" motion to get up. Even his hands, which were supporting his upper body to try to sit up from the ground, were trembling. Just when he was about to get up, he heard a crisp "crack" from his elbow. It had dislocated.

Kagemaru fell back to the ground once again. When he raised his hand, he realized that after losing the power of the "Three Phantom Demons," he had not even retained the power of "Darkness" and had turned back into that old man.

"After all that preparation, in the end, I've turned back into this ugly, powerless state..." Turning her head to look at Hayato not far away, Kagemaru's voice was full of envy. "I just want to be young again, especially after seeing you teenagers and young people in your twenties, I just want to regain my youth no matter what..."

"But after losing the power of 'Phantom Demon' and 'Darkness', I've become an old man who can't even stand up on my own!"

"I can't do anything..."

Walking up to Kagemaru, looking at him reciting the lines from the wrong server, if this were a children's film or television work, after defeating Kagemaru, Hayato should start encouraging him with words, telling him not to rely on external forces but to rely on himself, starting with getting up through his own efforts.

And what Hayato, such a gentle person, did was perfectly natural—

"Hey? Let's see your deck." Completely ignoring what Kagemaru had just said, Hayato's first action was to expertly remove the Duel Disk from Kagemaru's arm and take down his deck. He then proceeded to examine the cards in Kagemaru's deck, directly taking away... cough, to be precise, to prevent Kagemaru from using these dangerous cards for anything else, and confiscating them for safekeeping in his own storage. Yes, that's it.

As for Hayato, he already had the "Three Phantom Demons" cards, so why did he need to get the matching cards for the "Three Phantom Demons" from Kagemaru? It wasn't that he couldn't afford to open the card packs in the system shop, but rather that getting them from Kagemaru was more cost-effective.

The system did push something like the "Three Phantoms Special Gacha Pool" to Hayato back then. In addition to the cards that Kagemaru used to be associated with the Three Phantoms, the grand prize was the three fusion forms of the Three Phantoms: the heavily nerfed [Chaos Phantom - Amitel], the separately cut [Chaos Phantom - Amitel - Void Phantom Rasengan], and [Phantom Emperor - Tri-Cyborg] that Hayato somehow connected to the Three Phantoms.

Compared to the special grand prize [Light Creator God - Heracles] in the previous "Three Egyptian Gods Special Card Pool" that even Hayato didn't get, the "Three Egyptian Gods Special Card Pool" is nothing. With those extra DP points, it's better to just get a few cards directly from Kagemaru, and even the original anime version of [Chaos Phantom Demon - Amitel] instead of the shoddy version—cough cough, to correct you again, not get them, but collect and keep them.

After Hayato confiscated all the support cards, the next thing to deal with was the three "Three Phantom Demons" that Kagemaru had created himself. Although they also bore the name "Three Phantom Demons" and their effects were the original versions without any weakening, compared to the three "Three Phantom Demons" that Hayato carried, which were made by Daitokuji himself and fully awakened by being fed by Dark Bakura and hunting the souls of powerful duelists, Kagemaru's "Three Phantom Demons" didn't even have their own intelligence.

They were merely imitations of the stone tablets created by Kagemaru using the power of "Darkness". From the moment they were born, they were suppressed by Kagemaru's "Seven Gates of Relief". The power they absorbed was not much of their own, and they even had to be expelled due to Kagemaru's defeat. The self-awareness that had finally shown some signs of awakening was directly shattered by the power of [Creator God - Tiera].

So much so that when Hayato got the three cards, seeing that he didn't care much about them and even took out the cards they were on, Hayato's "Three Phantom Demons" pounced out of their cards like wild dogs that had broken free, each seeking out their "other selves" and devouring each other.

Following Hayato, they went hungry for three days and nine meals a day. For Hayato, who is the "most loving duelist," it's impossible for him to go to the Dark Game to hunt souls all the time while playing cards. It's a rare treat for them, since they usually only have the dueling energy from the abundant duelist will in the Duel Academy to satisfy their hunger.

As for "killing" "another version of myself" or something... it has nothing to do with me, it's better than me starving, in other words, "this is a necessary sacrifice"!

When the three Phantom Demons, having finally enjoyed their feast, lazily returned to their cards to sleep, the three cards in Hayato's hand remained intact and could even be used normally on the Duel Disk for summoning. However, Hayato could sense, using his "New-Type" ability, that the cards' "inner workings" were in complete disarray.

Fun fact – While there is no limit to the number of Pokémon a single card can awaken (for example, Hayato awakened the Pokémon of the three Pokémon, Disruption Trio, and their siblings from the Trap Card Disruption Trio), the number of times a card can be awakened is limited to one. There is no such thing as having a new Pokémon after awakening a card and then switching to another player.

In the cards of Kagemaru's "Three Phantom Demons," the old, nascent spirits were nipped in the bud. Even if Hayato took these cards and played a few rounds of cards with Yugi, Kaiba, and Jonouchi, there was no chance of a spirit being born. If it can't awaken, it can't awaken; tearing up the card won't help.

To put it another way, just like neutering a pet, Kagemaru's "Three Phantoms" cards have been rendered harmless. Hayato, who already has the "Three Phantoms," can even give these cards away, and he has already thought of the recipients.

After putting the cards away, Hayato looked at his feet. Although the Duel Disk he had taken off was still there, Kagemaru was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, Hayato quickly found Kagemaru. While he was checking what cards he had "confiscated," Kagemaru had actually managed to climb up to a position close to the sealing device with his old body?

He says he "can't do anything," but in reality, he can move around normally and even stand up and walk on his own.

With his back to Hayato and refusing to look at him, Kagemaru moved closer to the sealing device, his previous dejection and disappointment vanishing, replaced by a ferocious expression: "Get there... as long as we get there!"

Taking advantage of Hayato's inattention, even though he lost the "Three Phantoms," it didn't matter. As long as he retrieved the card [Dark Demon - Neosphia] that replaced the "Three Phantoms" in the sealing device, he could have another chance to turn the tables. Not only could he reinfuse the power of "Darkness" into his body and regain his youth, but he could also use [Dark Demon - Neosphia] to launch a sneak attack on Jaden Yuki, who was still dueling Amunaeru on the other side.

Although it's despicable, as long as I can achieve my goal, that's enough! By taking Kobayashi Hayato's students hostage, I can exchange them for the "Three Phantom Demons" again. This time, I won't even give them a chance to duel; I'll just unleash the invincible "Three Phantom Demons" in their physical form!

Kagemaru, who has neither the ability to summon spirits nor the "Prana" talent that Hayato jokingly calls "New-Type," is completely unaware that during the time Hayato held the "Three Phantom Demons" cards, he had already killed all the unawakened spirits on those three cards, and even if he got the cards himself, he would not be able to summon the materialized "Three Phantom Demons."

Seeing Kagemaru approaching the sealing device and immediately guessing what he was up to, Hayato sighed, "I'm just too much of a saint, too gentle. I didn't even kill such a vile guy, giving him a chance to fight back in his death throes."

He said that, but Hayato's feet seemed rooted to the spot and he just watched as Kagemaru crawled up to the sealing device and pressed it against the center of the device!

"You've fallen for it, Hayato Kobayashi! This is my escape route!" Kagemaru stood up, leaning against the rising sealing device, and turned to Hayato, shouting triumphantly, "It was just a temporary victory, and you were careless, which gave me an opportunity!"

"You shall pay for this mistake with your life!"

The sealing device that extended from the ground opened, spitting out the card [Dark Netherworld Demon - Neosphia] that Kagemaru had previously placed inside. This card, which Kagemaru had placed there to maximize the effect of "Seven Essences Unlocking Gate," became the only card that Kagemaru had left that Hayato hadn't taken, and was now seen by Kagemaru as his hope for turning the tide!

In response, Kagemaru even came up with a brilliant line: "I'll decide the ending of the story!"

Reaching out and grabbing the card from the sealing device, Kagemaru held it above his head and declared, "【Dark Netherworld Demon - Neosphia】, activate!"

However, when he tried to use the card he was holding up to block out the shadow of the sun that had reappeared from behind the clouds, he found that the card hadn't blocked out all the light, and about half of the sunlight was still shining down on his head.

Turning his head in confusion, Kagemaru's eyes widened in surprise, for he saw that his [Dark Demon - Neosphia] card had inexplicably been cut in half, leaving him with only half a card!

Looking back, Kagemaru realized that besides the "[Dark Netherworld Demon-]" in his hand, the sealing device also contained the remaining "-Nyosphia," but when and by whom was it made?!

"Oh dear, oh dear, if I hadn't reminded you, you really wouldn't have reacted at all, would you?" Hayato calmly strolled towards Kagemaru, as if he had expected Kagemaru's [Dark Demon - Neosphia] card to be destroyed.

"You confirmed that the 'Seven Essences Unlocking Gate' was functioning properly before you started your operation, right? But when you opened the sealing device and only received a few 'bonuses' that I had carefully prepared, you only showed anger and didn't feel any doubt?"

"Can't you use your brain to think about where all that collected energy went?"

Hayato walked past Kagemaru, who was sitting helplessly on the ground in despair, and pressed a button on the sealing device. The heptagonal prism-shaped sealing device opened another layer. Kagemaru had no idea that the device had another layer until Hayato took action.

Looking at the only card in the inner device, Hayato didn't touch it. Instead, he introduced it to Kagemaru: "Have you ever heard of the story of 'The Wandering Swordsman'... ah, no, the legend of 'King Arthur'?"

"I brought back some 'souvenirs' from my trip to Victoria a while ago. At the request of an old online scammer, I left that [Paladin - Artorias] card on Duel Academy Island. Let me see where it is?" After looking around, Hayato looked down at the device and said, "Oh my, it's right here!"

"You, you, you!"

Trembling, he pointed at Hayato. Kagemaru's weak, pale face flushed red with anger. He couldn't speak for a long time, clutching his chest and panting heavily, his breathing rapid as if he were about to suffocate at any moment.

"Oh dear, why do you look so dangerous, Chairman Kagemaru?" Hayato said with a smile as he squatted down in front of Kagemaru, showing no intention of offering any help to the pleading Kagemaru. "You don't look like you want me to save your life, do you? You may be old, but your thinking is still quite naive and childish, isn't it?"

"You don't care about other people's lives, yet when your own life is hanging by a thread, you want me, the one you wanted to kill before, to save you? Ask yourself honestly, is there such a good thing in this world?"

"Since you've done something so disgraceful, then I'll make sure you look respectable." Without even glancing at the barely breathing Kagemaru, Hayato stood up and casually said, "'Seven Stars' infighting, Chairman Kagemaru's untimely death, doesn't that sound much better?"

Chapter 1188 is different from XX, and different from XX!

Meanwhile, things are in a terrible state for Pigsy... while the duel on Jaden's side is still ongoing.

Although it seems like Hayato and Kagemaru have been dueling for a long time, a closer look reveals that they've only fought five rounds. The duel started by Hayato and ended in his third round, so very little time has passed.

Meanwhile, Jaden and "Amunaeru," who started their duel later than Hayato and Kagemaru, had only just reached the third round. "Amunaeru" had taken the initiative and had just drawn a card from his deck.

"My turn, draw a card."

【Amunaeru: 100LP, hand 6→7】

Don't ask why Amunaeru's base score is only a meager 100 points. This is the high burst power of the [E·hero] used by Judai. In the last round, he was just a little bit away from defeating Amunaeru.

Although he still had seven cards in hand, six of them were thanks to the "Heavenly Treasure Card" that Jaden used in the previous turn, which replenished both of their hands with a large number of cards. However, even though Jaden maximized his combat power with the "Heavenly Treasure Card", he was ultimately unable to achieve a kill in the previous turn, and Amunaeru still got to his turn.

However, at least Jaden cleared Amunaeru's field of all monsters, leaving only five cards in his back row.

[Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining] [Gaikart] x4

Looking at the card in her hand, Amunaeru couldn't help but say to Judai, "Although I really want to praise you for doing a great job, Judai, after all, you were only 100 points away from clearing my life points, unfortunately, there is no error on the path of alchemy."

"A little bit off here, a little bit off there, small mistakes in ordinary times accumulate and can lead to irreparable failures in crucial matters at the most critical moments."

"So, I'm not an alchemist at all, don't talk to me like I'm your teacher!" Jaden said angrily to Amunaeru. "Daitokuji-sensei was my most important teacher. You killed him, do you have the right to say such things!"

"Teacher, Daitokuji?" Amunaeru pretended to know Daitokuji. "What kind of person is he in your opinion? I respect him very much. He was able to abandon the bottom line of being human to pursue the end of the alchemical path, but he had long given up on living as a human, and in the end he failed because of human emotions. He was a foolish person."

“But Judai, you are different from Daitokuji. The one who creates a new era is not an old man. You have the ability to inherit Daitokuji’s alchemy and continue on, reaching the end scenery that he never saw.” Amunaeru raised the Duel Disk on his arm and continued, “So I must confirm your talent here, confirm that you will continue as an alchemist in the future, using my deck.”

"Who would understand what you're saying!"

Without answering Jaden's question, Amunaeru pulled out five cards from her hand in one go and said, "Alchemy, in layman's terms, is a strange technology that can turn the rotten into the magical. Its specific manifestation is this ability, which can command almost any normally visible existence."

"Magic Cards: [Iron Lamp], [Bronze Scales], [Lead Compass], [Tin Magic Circle], [Mercury Hourglass] Activated!"

In the very first turn of Daitokuji, he had already used a Spell Card of the same series as the card he was activating at this moment, "Silver Key," in front of Judai. Its effect was to Special Summon a single "Alchemy Beast - Silver Moonface" from the hand or Deck while "Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining" was on the field.

Now that he has seen five cards with the same effect in a row, how could Jaden not guess what the effect of these cards is?

"Masaka?"

“That’s right. Like the Silver Key, these five cards were extracted from impurities in the Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining, and each corresponds to one of the other five Alchemy Beasts.” Amunaeru’s Duel Disk automatically shuffled and retrieved the five cards, placing them on top of the deck. Amunaeru reached out and pulled out the five cards to show Jaden.

"Therefore, I Special Summon five monsters from my Deck in Attack Position: [Alchemist Iron Fire Dragon], [Alchemist Bronze Scale Python], [Alchemist Lead Lion], [Alchemist Tin Eagle], and [Alchemist Mercury Remora]!"

With the activation of the five cards, five streams of metal were released from the huge [Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining] window behind Amunaeru, landing on his field and transforming into five alchemical metal monsters of different shapes.

【Alchemy Beast - Iron Fire Dragon】【ATK500】

【Alchemy Beast - Bronze Scale Python】【ATK500】

【Alchemy Beast - Lead Lion】【ATK500】

【Alchemy Beast - Tin Eagle】【ATK500】

【Alchemy Beast - Mercury Remora】【ATK500】

Although they come in different forms and have different attributes, all of Amunaeru's [Alchemy Beasts] are Level 3 Rock-Type monsters with 500 ATK and DEF. They are also "Special Summon" monsters and cannot be Normal Summoned; they can only be Special Summoned by the effects of their corresponding Alchemy Spell Cards.

Amunaeru's ability to reliably keep these cards in the deck and prevent them from being drawn into her hand and causing hand clogs clearly demonstrates her strong dueling ability. However, strength aside, this doesn't change the fact that Amunaeru only summoned five relatively weak monsters from her deck using five cards from her hand.

Moreover, the monsters on the field in the Tenth Generation are not just for show.

[Yujo Judai: 2000LP, 2 cards in hand]

【E·hero Sunrise Man】【ATK2500→3100】

【E·hero Nova Master】【ATK2600→3200】