Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Unaware of Jaden's planned tactics, Kaiba, caught off guard, drew a card from his deck and said, "It seems this duel is coming to an end. You haven't forgotten the effect of [Blue-Eyes Dragon from the Abyss] that I used in the first turn, have you, Jaden?"

"My turn, draw a card!"

"Then, activate this face-down Ritual Spell Card, Chaos Mode! I Ritual Summon this Level 8 Ritual Monster from my hand—Blue-Eyes Chaos Max Dragon!"

As Kaiba activated his Ritual Spell Card, five futuristic pillars rose from his field, pointing straight into the sky. The pentagonal space surrounded by the five pillars was transformed into a deep void under the influence of an invisible force.

"Send this Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard to make its total Level 8. Take a short rest in the Graveyard, Blue-Eyes, and then appear before me in an even more powerful form!"

"The powers of light and darkness have merged into one, and here I unleash upon you the lash of utter defeat!"

"Ritual Summoning!! [Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon]!!!"

The dark purple chaos was torn apart by a pair of wings inlaid with blue-green crystals and spreading light. The carapace on its body moved and unlocked like a mechanical structure, and the crystals all over its body lit up one by one. A huge dragon with a body similar to but completely different from the Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared to the sky. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon disappeared and spun into the air, looking down at everything on the ground!

[Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon] [8☆/Dark]

[Dragon Clan/Ritual/Effect]

[4000/0]

"Attack power, 4000 points!?"

Hearing the exclamations of Manjoume and the others, Kaiba ignored them and waved his hand, saying, "I don't think I need to remind you of the existence of [Gathering Power], right? Since the Ritual Summon of [Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon] was successful, I can target one card on your opponent's field or in their Graveyard and banish it."

"I've chosen the face-down card in your back row, Jaden Yuki!"

The light of [Gathering Power] was released once more, surging into the body of the [Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon]. The [MAX Dragon], whose body was significantly more robust than other [Blue-Eyes], did not choose dragon breath, but instead gathered energy with its strong and powerful dragon claws, and then swung down heavily!

The face-down card that Judai had on the back field was immediately banished!

However, when the Seahorse Man saw what card it had excluded, it showed a surprised expression: "【Damage to Slimming】?"

"Before you banished it, I activated the effect of [Gathering Power] ahead of time. After all, [Gathering Power] can only banish cards but cannot negate their effects." Jaden picked up the banished [Damage Reduction] card from his Duel Disk and said, "This card's effect can reduce all the damage I take this turn to half. In other words, my current 800 Life Points can be considered as doubled to 1600."

"Hmph, what's the difference between 800 and 1600 points of defense against [Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon]? It has a defense penetration effect, while your [Winged Kuriboh LV6] only has 200 defense points!" Kaiba said, waving his hand, "Enter my battle phase, use [Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon] to attack [Winged Kuriboh LV6]!"

"Chaos MAX Burst Stream!"

Upon hearing Kaiba's attack declaration, Jaden immediately declared, "Now! This is the moment I've been waiting for! When the opponent declares an attack, or when the opponent activates the effect of a monster on the field, I will release my Winged Kuriboh LV6 to activate its effect!"

As Jaden spoke, his Winged Kuriboh LV6 suddenly emitted a bright light, enveloping the Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon before it could even unleash its attack!

"The Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon will be destroyed by the effect of Winged Kuriboh LV6, and then you, Kaiba, will suffer effect damage equal to the Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon's original attack power of 4000! That power is precisely the reason for your defeat!"

Clenching his fist and swinging it forward, Jaden declared, "Destroy yourself, Aibo! This is a necessary sacrifice!"

The equipment on [Winged Kuriboh LV6], resembling that of [E·hero Flame Wingman], is not merely for show or decoration; it's not just for looks. Intense flames burn upon its body, making [Winged Kuriboh LV6] appear, for a fleeting moment, like a phoenix. After a brief charge, [Winged Kuriboh LV6] detonates itself!

"boom!"

Watching the Winged Kuriboh LV6 burst into light as it charged toward the Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, before spectacularly self-destructing, Jaden felt victory was within his grasp!

However, just when he thought the [Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon] should have been destroyed, the dragon's wings of light suddenly flapped, creating a gale that completely dispersed the dust around it, revealing its unharmed form!

"Destruction without targeting? Hmph, you're still too green, Jaden Yuki. You're far from satisfying me." Kaiba's calm voice reached Jaden's ears. The helmeted, trench-coated man explained the effect of his monster, "[Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon] Besides its defense penetration effect, as long as it's in the Monster Zone, it cannot be targeted by the opponent's effects nor destroyed by them!"

"Resilient! Invincible! Strongest!"

Jaden's biggest oversight was that he didn't know that the last Blue-Eyes monster to appear, despite being a powerful offensive Blue-Eyes, had an extra resistance compared to the other Blue-Eyes, who were all powerful but lacked resistance.

This oversight resulted in the Winged Kuriboh LV6 failing to destroy the Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, rendering the subsequent additional damage effects meaningless and resulting in a wasted effort.

"Since the target has disappeared, the battle rewind rule has been triggered. I will select a new target." Kaiba's gaze shifted to the other monster on Jaden's field, and he commanded again, "Attack once more, [Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon]!"

Without even a moment's regret for the sacrifice of [Winged Kuriboh LV6], the one who immediately rushed to the battlefield was—[E·hero Mudball]!

Jaden glanced at the Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon with 4000 attack power and the E-Hero Mudball on his field with 3000 defense power, and was somewhat glad that the card he had drawn and activated earlier was Damage Slimming.

"Because of the [Damage Reduction] effect, all damage I receive is halved, so I will still have some basic points left—"

"No, it's over, Jaden Yuki." Kaiba interrupted Jaden, "I didn't finish explaining before, but the Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon's defense penetration is much stronger than some warrior-type monsters that ride horses or dragons and whose base attack power is only 600 points!"

"What did Gaia do to you?"

Completely ignoring the complaints from the sidelines, Kaiba pointed to the sky and said, "【Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon】When attacking a Defense Position monster, inflict battle damage to the opponent by a factor of twice the attack power of the monster!"

“攻击力4000点的【青眼混沌MAX龙】攻击守备力3000点的【E·hero泥球侠】时造成的伤害不是1000点而是2000点，哪怕有【伤害瘦身】减半伤害、你依旧会受到1000点的战斗伤害！”

"It's over, Jaden Yuki, the final attack of the Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!"

"Chaos MAX Burst Stream!"

As he shouted, the seahorse man, feeling triumphant that he had finally gotten his revenge, laughed arrogantly and yelled, "Crush!"

"Jade Shattered!!"

“Big cheers!!!”

"Hmph, hahahahahahaha!"

Chapter 1205 What you're talking about is Seto Kaiba, what does that have to do with me, Seto Kaiba?

[Yujo Jaden: 800LP → 0]

"The outcome is decided!" Although he was also a commentator, "Kyuu" remembered that he was there as a "referee." As Jaden's life points reached zero, he loudly declared, "Yuki Jaden has been defeated. The victory of this duel belongs to Kaiba!"

"Let's give a round of applause to this shameless bully!"

Upon hearing this, the Seahorse Man immediately glared angrily at "Nine of Bamboo"—if "Nine of Bamboo" could feel his angry gaze through the helmet on his head.

"I...lost..." Judai's voice was low as he looked at his life score, which had dropped to zero, and he couldn't help but sigh.

Although this duel was not a Dark Game but a regular duel, Jaden still had a reason to win, because he and his companions had to defeat Kaiba Hitoyuki in order to leave this world.

But they had lost. In a duel that Kaiba practically treated like child's play, they were completely overwhelmed, utterly humiliated, and given a so-called "complete defeat." This also meant that they couldn't demand Kaiba let them leave…

"Although he's just a third-rate duelist with a fourth-rate deck, the duel he put on was barely passable. Hmph, even I can't help but feel a surge of excitement." Kaiba looked at Jaden, whom he had defeated, and didn't feel any joy despite the obvious victory. He just nodded almost imperceptibly, which was a sign that he acknowledged Jaden's performance.

However, that's all. The duel with Judai is still far from satisfying him. He needs to grow for at least two or three more years before he can be considered a true second-rate duelist—referring to someone like Jonouchi Katsuya.

He realized he had been too hasty, picking the fruit before it even had a chance to grow. Jaden Yuki was still too green... Thinking this, the Duel Disk in Kaiba's hand disappeared in a burst of blue light.

Seeing Jaden fall to the ground by the attack of the Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, he crossed his arms and walked up to Jaden with the arrogance of a victor, looking down at him and saying, "But, could it be that you were defeated by the power of the Blue-Eyes and were so terrified by that absolute power that you lost the ability to stand up on your own?"

"That's not true!" Although he was a little down after losing the duel, Jaden stood up immediately after hearing Kaiba's words. As a duelist, he wouldn't be discouraged by one or two defeats. However, although he stood up quickly, Jaden couldn't help but rub his chest, which had been hit by the aftershock of the Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon's attack. "Ouch... it still hurts a bit."

Although it's not a dark game, the attacks from the Blue-Eyes Kaiba, who have spirits, will still cause some real damage if they don't hold back, even if the Blue-Eyes have no reason to harm Jaden. It's like how an elephant, no matter how much it tries to restrain itself, will still hurt an ant when it steps on it.

"So, Jaden Yuki, are you still afraid of 'failure'?" Looking at Jaden Yuki, who was a head shorter than him, Kaiba recalled his future self from his memories. It seemed that his height hadn't increased much? Reflecting on the fact that this was another old rival who had mysteriously experienced a second growth spurt a year after graduating from university, Kaiba spoke up.

"Fear...?" Jaden answered without hesitation, "No, although I am indeed a little unwilling to accept defeat, there is no doubt that this was an interesting duel. I have given it my all in the duel, so I enjoyed it."

“If you’re afraid of losing, you’ll stop moving forward. That’s normal, because any living being will feel fear because of pain.” Kaiba’s lips curled up when he heard Jaden’s words. “But true duelists don’t feel that way.”

"Are you sure that's a duelist and not a super beast?"

Ignoring the complaints from "Nine of Bamboo" beside him, Kaiba continued, "A true duelist is one who can overcome fear, banish defeat, and stride forward with a thirst for victory. A duelist who walks on his own glorious path full of honor is a true duelist. That is my understanding of a duelist."

"Although you are much better than duelists of the same age, you are still far from being a legend. The legendary duelists you know have already opened the door to the dueling world and started their legendary journey when you were your age. You are just standing in front of the dueling door and have never seen the unknown territory behind it."

"After witnessing the power of true warriors, continue to overcome your fear of defeat, and then embark on the endless path of battle, Jaden Yuki." As he spoke, Kaiba turned his back to Jaden and raised the Duel Disk to his chest.

After he pressed a button on the Duel Disk, Jaden and Manjoume were surprised to find that a black dot suddenly appeared on the floor of the cave not far in front of them, and as it twisted and expanded, it turned into a rotating hole.

"Is this a wormhole? An Einstein-Rosen bridge?" While others were still puzzled by what the dark opening in front of them was, Misawa, who usually gave off a rational vibe, seemed somewhat fanatical and excited. "Unbelievable! Since the concept of wormholes was proposed, the scientific community has never observed any evidence of their existence!"

Is its actual object a quantum foam existing at the Planck scale? What type of singularity is it? What is its redshift function and shape function?

"Heh! To have the opportunity to collect such rare data up close, it would be worth dying for!"

As he spoke, Misawa muttered "blessing" and was about to rush toward the "wormhole" he was talking about. It was only with the help of Maeda Hayato and Marufuji Sho that he was barely able to hold him back and prevent him from touching the seemingly indistinct black hole.

"Mr. Seahorse Man, what is that?"

Upon hearing Jaden's question, the Kaiba-man, with his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow and said impatiently, "What is that? That's the space tunnel you've been longing for, the one that will allow you and your friends to leave this place. The specific principles behind it are not something you can understand just by me explaining them."

Ignoring Misawa's plea, "I think I understand, so please explain," the Kaiba waved impatiently, "I've already opened a space tunnel for you to leave from here, so whether you have something to do or not, you can leave from here."

"Huh?" Jaden scratched the back of his head, somewhat puzzled. "But I didn't defeat you in the duel, did I?"

"Haha, he believed it! He really believed it!" Seeing that Jaden actually believed Kaiba's previous words and thought that he could only leave this place by defeating Kaiba in the duel, "Kyuubi" pointed at Jaden and laughed, "He really believed it! Kaiba is so funny!"

"Hmph, a mere brat thinks he can defeat me?" The seahorse sneered. "So you don't want to leave here?"

Upon hearing what Kaiba-sensei said, Marufuji Sho, who was still holding onto Misawa, immediately advised Judai, "No matter what, it's good enough to be able to leave here, brother. The process doesn't matter. Let's get out of here as soon as possible."

“While I don’t completely agree, I think the bespectacled dwarf over there is right about some things. Let’s leave here, Judai.” Manjoume glanced at Marufuji Sho and said to Judai, “Nobody knows whether we came here by physical means or just by entering a dream-like state.”

Wan Zhang's main concern stemmed from the fact that they hadn't arrived in the hot springs but had changed back into their usual clothes, something that hadn't happened when they visited the "Valley of the King's Long Sleep." He couldn't help but recall the "soul travel" theories he'd seen online before; perhaps they were actually in a soul state, which explained why they were wearing their usual clothes and why even Marufuji Sho, who lacked the "Spirit Master" ability, could see the spirits.

If we linger here any longer, won't they just sink to the bottom of the water and drown?!

Hearing Manjoume's advice, Jaden, though unaware of Manjoume's thoughts, agreed that since it was time to leave, it would be best to do so. So he turned to Kaiba and said, "Although I don't know the reason, I am very grateful for your help, Mr. Kaiba."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Kaiba!" Not only Judai, but also Manjoume and the others thanked Kaiba for helping them. Maeda Hayato and Marufuji Sho also released Misawa Daichi.

"Hmph, don't be so happy too soon. I have no interest in wasting any more time with you guys here. If you keep dawdling, I'll have to retreat back to that space tunnel." Even when he heard Jaden and the others' thanks, Kaiba's tone was as cold and unapproachable as before. He said this with some impatience, leaving them only with his back to them, wearing a trench coat that fluttered in the anti-gravity wind.

Now that he was free to move around, Daichi Misawa slammed his fist into his palm and said, "Since it's safe, I'll collect some data first—"

"No, there's no time for you to study it step by step now. Let's leave before we offend those people over there." "That's right, that's right, it's best to leave first, Si Ze."

After saying a few words, Manjoume and Maeda each grabbed Misawa's arm and pulled him directly into the space tunnel, completely ignoring Misawa's attempt to stay at the edge of the tunnel to observe the specific teleportation process.

"Wow! This might be my only chance in this lifetime! Missing this opportunity would be a loss for the scientific community!"

"Alright, alright, be quiet, Itsawa-kun." Seeing that Misawa didn't even react when his name was mispronounced and was still preoccupied with researching the space tunnel, Marufuji Sho, who was following behind, quickly covered his mouth to prevent him from disturbing Kaiba, while calling to Judai, "Big brother, hurry up and stand over here!"

Jaden glanced at the back of the seahorse, bowed slightly in thanks, and then quickly followed Fujisho and the others into the dark cave above. The seemingly deep cave was like stepping on flat ground, with no special changes. It wasn't until Jaden also came in that Manjoume and the others had the same feeling as when they were in the hot spring.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet gave way, and the group of five felt themselves falling again, plummeting into the wormhole. As warm water gushed out of the spatial tunnel like a fountain, the figures of the group disappeared into the water and vanished from the wormhole.

Watching Jaden and the others disappear, "Kyuubi" said to Kaiba, "In the past, when we encountered anything supernatural, you insisted on explaining it with 'science,' but now you've gone to the other extreme. The reason you didn't explain to Jaden and the others is simply because you were using the Duel Disk in your hand as a remote control, right?"

"Speaking of which, that wormhole looked familiar. Was it a replica of the teleportation array you analyzed in Dorma back then, Seth?"

"Hmph, nonsense. I don't understand what you're talking about," the helmeted Kaiba retorted stubbornly. "The superstitious science-obsessed person you know is Seto Kaiba. What does that have to do with my Card Spirit Kaiba?"

Okay~

Shrugging, "Nine of Bamboo" adjusted his mask slightly, having no intention of revealing the Seahorse's identity. He walked towards the still-spraying water tunnel. He had witnessed the duel and the amusement of someone acting strangely due to their unknown identity, so he had no reason to stay any longer. It was time to leave this little world.

The worries of the Jadens were completely unnecessary. The reason they were wearing their usual clothes was simply because the person who created this place had slightly modified the teleportation mechanism and added the requirement to wear clothes to prevent accidental exposure. Apart from that, this world was similar to other small worlds. It was easy to enter and leave if the conditions were met. Otherwise, how would those spirits have gathered together?

Although the main purpose of this world is simply to provide a place for someone to play cards, it doesn't mean that this world will be destroyed after the duel with Jaden ends. Kaiba doesn't mind continuing to maintain this world, and "Nine of Bamboo" doesn't need to worry about how Kaiba will deal with the Pokémon that have been attracted here; the other party will handle it.