Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Sebadorgon, use Evolution Flame!"

A beam of laser shot out from the mouth of the mechanical dragon that appeared beside Ryo Marufuji, bombarded the forest ahead, and exploded, shattering a stone wall covered with vines that blocked the way.

After the obstacles in front were blasted away, Marufuji Sho didn't need Marufuji Ryo to give any instructions and immediately shouted, "Speed ​​up and charge forward! [Super Transport Robot - Giant Drill]!"

"Drill! Drill!" Beneath Marufuji Sho's feet was his card monster—[Super Transport Robot - Giant Drill]. At this moment, this huge transportation machine was carrying Jaden and the others, quickly passing through the forest. The giant drill swept away the obstructing trees, and the matching tracks treated the terrain as if it were nothing.

Although it has a slightly chibi art style, Marufuji Sho is the only one among them who possesses a "mount" card monster that can carry multiple people. Even though the top of the [Super Transport Robot - Giant Drill] is slightly curved, its enormous size means that Jaden and the others won't easily slip off even if they stand on it.

As they rolled over the damaged stone walls, Marufuji Sho focused on directing their advance, while Maeda, acting as the lookout, keenly noticed something flash past in the woods they were passing through. He quickly warned the others, "Watch out! They're catching up! It looks like they're in the nearby woods!"

"In that direction? I understand. Please, [E·hero Skyman]!"

(You didn't see anything)

Beside Judai, the hero, carrying a spiral flight wing, leaped up and used the strong wind generated by the high-speed spinning blades to lift himself off the grip of gravity and hover in the air. He then used his flight backpack to concentrate the wind force in one spot and sweep it into the forest.

(You were just seeing things.)

"Blinger Fan!"

The storm invaded the forest, easily locking onto the dark figure that Maeda had previously glimpsed moving through the trees and engulfing it in a tornado-like whirlwind, allowing Jaden and the others to see its true form.

It was actually a round eggplant? But unlike ordinary eggplants, the eggplant that appeared in front of Judai and the others not only had a sharp tail thorn protruding from one end of its long stem, but also had many leaves growing from the stem, turning into two pairs of translucent wings. It even had a head with a pair of big eyes and a foot made of flowers, making it look just like a bee!

Despite struggling, he couldn't escape the storm unleashed by [E·hero Sky Knight]. [Natural Eggplant] was swept up in the gale and slammed into a nearby tree, whereupon he passed out.

It wasn't that Jaden didn't want [E·hero Sky Warrior] to go all out and finish off the opponent directly, but rather that he didn't have enough time. The moment [E·hero Sky Warrior] knocked out the bee-like "eggplant," a large swarm of messy "insects" and "plants" followed closely behind them, led by a "stag beetle."

However, despite being called a "stag beetle," the insect's elytra are actually two purple leaves, and its prolegs are not those of a normal insect, but rather branches with leaves, and even some twigs remain on them? Upon closer inspection, even its pair of serrated mandibles are actually made of wood!

The creatures that Jaden and his companions encountered could not be simply described as "insects" or "plants." They were more like plants that had grown into the shape of insects, or insects whose bodies had been replaced by plants.

People interested in biology might linger here because of these fascinating creatures, but only if they can survive their attacks.

"Waaaaah! They're catching up!" Marufuji Sho only glanced at the scene behind him before he couldn't help but panic. "Why are those insects, plants, uh, those creatures chasing us like this?!"

"Don't be nervous, Sho. Trust Jaden, just trust him. He'll protect us." Maeda Hayato comforted Marufuji Sho in time. It was precisely because of Marufuji Sho's courage and personality that he specially assigned such a "psychologist" to the "pilot." At the same time, he diverted Marufuji Sho's attention, "Maybe it's because you're usually too picky about food, so those tomatoes, peas and such are carrying resentment towards you?"

"No, I'm just a little picky about food. How could anyone possibly eat tomatoes? I hate tomatoes the most!"

“Tomatoes won’t hurt you, right?” said Maeda Hayato, who wasn’t a picky eater and was as tall and strong as his father. “Besides, don’t you quite like ketchup?”

"Ketchup and tomatoes are different, and tomatoes are different too!" Marufuji Sho stated firmly. "As for tomatoes not harming people..."

Marufuji Sho didn't say anything more after that, but pointed to a few of the monsters in the "insect-plant hybrid" army behind him, hopping and skipping along as they chased after them.

If it's not a tomato, then what is it?

(Yuma: Hey! Can we make peace?)

Let's rewind a few minutes—

"When that woman who called herself the [King of Light War - Queen Mador] forcibly took Fubuki away, I was also affected and came to this world, and then I met you who suddenly appeared."

As Marufuji Ryo spoke, he glanced at Judai and a smirk appeared on his lips. "Although I don't know what kind of experiences you've had, it was probably you who started it all, Judai, right?"

"Ah, to be honest, I was the first one to find that open space, and I was also the first to see those braised tofu characters, but it was the teleportation array activated by the incantation recited by Master Daitokuji."

Upon hearing Judai's words, Daitokuji quickly corrected him, "It's not braised tofu, it's runes, meow! You can pronounce Misawa's name correctly, Judai, how could you pronounce the runes wrong?"

"Is it what you, Master Daitokuji, have always talked about—equivalent exchange?"

"If Misawa knew, he might be willing to pay this 'equivalent' for you, meow."

"Hehe, since Caesar, you didn't come to this world voluntarily, why don't you leave from the direction we came from?" Jaden turned to the side and pointed behind him. "The pool in the center of that palace can be rotated like a steering wheel. I just turned it two notches clockwise. Maybe if you turn it two notches counterclockwise, you can go back?"

However, Maeda looked back and quickly tugged at Jaden's hand, saying, "Wait, wait a minute, Jaden, we just came out of that door, right? But now that door is gone!"

"Huh!?" Upon hearing this, not only Judai but also Daitokuji turned around in surprise, only to find that the place they had just left had turned into a seemingly endless dense forest. Not to mention the door, they couldn't see any trace of the palace they had been in before.

"It seems your path to this place is only meant to last for a short time, or perhaps only once? However, I never intended to leave like this." Marufuji Ryo watched as Judai and Daitokuji, master and apprentice, fumbled for the air behind them like they were performing a pantomime of wiping windows, trying to find the vanished door. He said nonchalantly, "I have little interest in leaving here to continue that boring match. Since Master Daitokuji is unwilling to duel with me, I'll just have to find another opponent."

"That mysterious woman who calls herself the 'King of Light' is a worthy opponent."

“That sounds interesting. Count me in, Caesar.” Upon hearing this, Judai left Daitokuji alone to continue touching the air, then turned to Marufuji Ryo and said, “I’m also very curious about this place. Maybe I’ll encounter some formidable opponent.”

"But I will be the only victor."

"That's not necessarily true. We'll see who moves faster then."

As they spoke, Jaden and Caesar, who were looking at each other, simultaneously curled the corners of their mouths into confident smiles, clearly believing that they could defeat each other.

"Before you two continue your sparring, brother, I think you should check this area first." Marufuji Sho, who had been seemingly lost in thought, swallowed hard, a hint of panic in his voice. "Over there... something seems off..."

Originally, Marufuji Sho only noticed a strange butterfly. The butterfly was just sitting on the tree, looking at a drop of water about to fall, and glancing over here every now and then. Apart from its strange appearance, it didn't really bother Marufuji Sho.

However, as Judai and Sho interacted with Marufuji, Marufuji gradually noticed that there seemed to be more and more strange animals and plants in the forest, such as the beetroot that grows hands and feet on its bulbs and digs itself out of the ground and looks at them with its big, watery eyes, and the camellia and rose that open their eyes to peek.

But gradually, Marufuji Sho noticed that even on several ancient trees in the distance that were entwined with vines, there were eyes that looked like tree holes opening up, and claws that stretched out from the vines quietly touched the ground, as if they wanted to uproot the trees themselves.

The scene was so vivid that it seemed as if the arrival of these outsiders, like Jaden and his companions, had awakened the seemingly living forest, drawing the attention of insects and plants to their presence and causing them to gradually approach.

But Marufuji Sho still had a small question—in this forest, there are trees, flowers, and insects, so why are there no birds or other animals?

This question was answered when he saw a bird land on a branch and have its throat pierced and sucked dry by a mosquito that looked like a mutated cherry tomato. At the same time, he felt a chill run down his spine.

He quickly alerted Judai and the others, and following Marufuji Sho's guidance, Judai and the others immediately discovered that the creatures in the forest had somehow surrounded them.

"Are these plants?" Jaden asked, a little curious but still relaxed, raising his hand to greet the creatures that were "curiously" observing them. "Hello everyone, my name is Jaden Yuki, nice to meet you—"

When they noticed that Judai and the others had stopped talking and were observing them, before Judai could even express his friendliness in order to actually communicate with them, a series of knife-like leaves suddenly flew from somewhere and stabbed at Judai and the others. If Judai hadn't decisively pulled Maeda and Sho to roll on the ground, they would definitely have been cut or even pierced by these knife-like leaves.

—Didn't they see that the leaves they avoided had completely sunk into the ground or were firmly embedded in the trees? Nobody wanted to test whether their bodies could compare to these huge trees that one person couldn't wrap their arms around.

Even so, Judai's clothes were still torn on the back. Although Marufuji Ryo dodged the attack by turning to the side, the hem of his overly long trench coat was still pierced with several holes by the "flying leaf knife".

There was no need for greetings anymore. The other party had already shown its hostility. Even Jaden, who loved Pokémon, couldn't communicate with these seemingly cute monsters that actually only possessed pure malice. Almost simultaneously, Ryo Marufuji and Jaden each drew cards from their Duel Disks.

"【Electronic Dragon】!" "【E·hero Sky Warrior】!" "【E·hero Solid State Warrior】!"

Seeing that Jaden had summoned two monsters at once, Ryo Marufuji raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He tried to summon another monster, just like Jaden, to deal with possible attacks from all directions. However, when he tried to summon the second monster, Cyber ​​Dragon, he couldn't help but frown.

Even though the virtual world "Duel-Links" doesn't have a stamina bar, he felt weak when trying to summon the second entity, the [Cyber ​​Dragon]. He had previously tried summoning the [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon] and the three [Cyber ​​Dragons] without any problems; the only difference between him and before was—

Looking at his torn clothes, which were slowly repairing themselves because the game's mechanics prevented him from being naked, Marufuji Ryo immediately said, "Any part of me that gets attacked, even my clothes, will be forced into combat. I can only summon one [Electronic Dragon] at most."

"Huh? That explains why I can't summon any more monsters." Jaden said, then looked at the two-bodied hero, who was manipulating the gale to create a compressed gas shield to block attacks and creating a large number of cover for defense under the cover of his companions. "But, it seems like I can summon one more than you can, Caesar?"

"Perhaps it's because of the monster's level, or perhaps it's because you, Jaden, have special talents?" Maeda Hayato speculated. Although the abilities of "spirit users" are quite mystical, in his opinion, Kaiba Corporation's technology is even more excessive. Being able to detect the talents of "spirit users" in the virtual world and add settings to them separately might be exaggerated, but for Kaiba Corporation, it's not surprising at all.

“However, if we’re dragged into battle, a few monsters probably won’t be enough to deal with so many enemies. The power of [E·hero Skyman] and [E·hero Solidman] is limited, isn’t it?” Maeda thought for a moment and said, “We should get out of the encirclement as soon as possible! Sho and I haven’t been dragged into battle, but Sho has a large number of [machine] monsters based on vehicles!”

"At a time like this, they're actually relying on me?" When Marufuji Sho heard that Maeda had come up with a plan that required him, a nobody, to be the main force, his first reaction was to run away, especially since his brother, who had become incredibly unfamiliar, was watching him. However, when he saw Judai looking at him, his eyes filled with expectation and trust, Marufuji Sho suddenly felt all his previous thoughts vanish.

"Big brother, do you trust me?"

“Of course, I believe you can definitely do it.” Judai answered without hesitation when Marufuji Sho suddenly asked him.

"Alright, then I believe in myself, and I believe in you, my big brother!" Marufuji Sho suddenly became determined. Just before the barrier of gale and solid earth was about to break, he smoothly drew several cards from his deck at once.

"【Steam Robot】, 【Drill Robot】, then 【Submarine Robot】, and then use the 【Transport Robot Link Zone】, which grants Fusion Monsters immunity to effect destruction and negation, to perform the Fusion!"

"Come forth, ultimate underwater warship carrying hope—the Thunderclap—oh wait, it's all your fault for always calling it by the wrong name, Big Brother," Marufuji Sho shouted again, "Come forth, [Super Transport Robot - Giant Drill]!"

"Everyone, get on the [Super Transportation Robot - Giant Drill] quickly, and watch closely, my drill is about to break through the encirclement!"

Propelled by steam power, the enormous [Super Transportation Robot - Giant Drill] was incredibly fast. Almost the instant the group climbed to the top, it accelerated forward, instantly crashing into several ancient trees blocking the way and crushing trees and roadside plants as it hurtled forward.

—Then, let's return to the present.

"Master Daitokuji, we're counting on you to guide us! You have to be reliable at a time like this!" While easing the psychological pressure on Marufuji Sho, who was shouldering the heavy responsibility of leading everyone to safety, Maeda Hayato didn't forget to urge Daitokuji Do behind him.

This is their current division: Jaden's [E·hero Skyman] and [E·hero Solidman] are responsible for defending the perimeter and building a wall on [Super Transport Robot - Giant Drill] to prevent the group from being thrown off by Marufuji Sho, who occasionally performs high-speed maneuvers. Marufuji Ryo is responsible for clearing obstacles in front of them and preventing pursuers from closing the distance. Marufuji Sho operates [Super Transport Robot - Giant Drill].

Maeda Hayato, who was also not in battle mode, kept his summoning ability unused for emergencies. This also greatly relieved the pressure on Marufuji Sho. Daitokuji, who seemed to be doing nothing, was actually the busiest one, because he was holding a container of mercury and staring at it with his eyes half-closed.

"You're a student from the Red Dorm, and you've even taken my courses for a year longer than Jaden and the others. Can't you have a little more confidence in my alchemy, Maeda-kun?" Daitokuji said without looking up, trying to keep the container from overflowing. "It's just ahead. If we keep going at this speed for another five minutes, we'll get rid of these guys soon, meow."

"Because the concentration of magic in the air is getting stronger and stronger. The concentration in the area where we are going to our destination is more than a hundred times that of this area. Even if it is not the center of this world, it is definitely a special place. These creatures cannot adapt to the concentration of magic there. Just like humans will get oxygen poisoning if they breathe too much oxygen. Once we get there, we will have successfully broken through, meow!"

Daitokuji spoke with great excitement, but there was a hint of worry in his heart. He was implying that Judai and the others would be safe once they got there, but in reality, he didn't think that what lay ahead would be a safe place. After all, the concentration of magic power in this area had already given rise to strange creatures such as insects that were like plants and plants that were like insects. Who knew what kind of strange monsters would be born in that high concentration of magic power area?

Although it is a virtual world, the realistic setting still made Daitokuji have a doubt in his heart. Although he knew that Seto Kaiba's technology was extremely exaggerated and could even easily achieve the ultimate task of "human transmutation" that he, an alchemist, regarded as a miracle, could such a realistic virtual world, which was completely different from the real world, really be a world that could be completed by human power?

Amid Daitokuji's worries and the relief of the others who were temporarily intimidated, the [Super Transport Robot - Giant Drill] continued its journey. After repelling several more waves of attacks, their surroundings suddenly changed, leaving behind the dense jungle and opening up a bright and open space.

Behind them, the mixed army of insects and plants couldn't catch up with Jaden and his group before they completely left, and could only watch Jaden's grimacing face in helpless rage. Meanwhile, the [Super Transport Robot - Giant Drill] continued to move forward. With no pursuers behind them, Jaden and his group turned their gaze to the distance ahead.

The greenery did not completely disappear, but rather served as a simple embellishment covering the strange and slender ancient trees. Surrounded by these ancient trees, a palace covered in moss appeared before the five people. However, the moss did not make the palace look old; instead, it blended harmoniously with nature, transforming it from a later creation into a beautiful whole.

Near that palace, which was not far away, Jaden and his friends saw a group of people moving around in the distance. However, the pair of translucent wings and pointed ears that sprouted from their backs immediately reminded them of the legendary "spirits".

“I see, so that’s what the ‘Light Realm’ in the ‘Battle of the Light Realm Kings’ means, meow.” Daitokuji, on the other hand, had a look of sudden realization after seeing the “elves” in the distance. “Those aren’t elves, to be precise they should be called ‘light elves,’ beings in Norse mythology who live in the elf kingdom of Alfheim. However, judging from the buildings that were built there later, this isn’t their residence; it seems they were relocated here.”

"However, it is not common for a world to have such a lush forest. If I am not mistaken, this may be related to the 'abundance' ability of the owner of this place. 'Mardel' is the English name for 'Mardel', but it can also be translated as 'Mardoll', which is the alias of Freya, the goddess of love, a member of the Vanir in Norse mythology."

"This is Vanaheim, the home of the Vanir gods, one of the nine realms in Norse mythology. The so-called 'realm of light' is probably because the queen's alias contains the word 'light'."

As soon as Daitokuji finished speaking, a round of applause rang out, and the quickest to react, Judai and Caesar, immediately looked up at the sky.

Under the shimmering sunlight, a "fairy" with three pairs of luminous wings and a pair of butterfly wings gracefully descended and hovered in mid-air in front of them. She smiled and said, "A very clever mind indeed. You were able to analyze so much information even though no one had communicated with you. Even I have to give you praise."

"Well then, humans who have come from afar, welcome to the kingdom of the Vanir gods, Vanaheim, which is also my [Light Realm]." Gently pulling at her pale green dress, the graceful woman smiled and said, flowers blooming out of thin air from her dazzling golden hair. "And before you stands the supreme being of this kingdom—[Light Realm King War - Queen Mador]."

Chapter 1348 Domo, Judai Yuki Desu

"Ah, hello, my name is Daitokuji Hugo Nyan~" Hearing the [Light King Battle - Queen Mador]'s polite self-introduction, Daitokuji subconsciously introduced himself politely as well.

"Is it time for self-introductions?" Judai asked Daitokuji, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Of course, for duelists in the arena, greetings are a sacred and inviolable etiquette. Those who know the other's name must return the greeting and also tell the other their own name. That's what the Kojiki says, meow." Daitokuji said with an air of authority, easily convincing Jaden that Daitokuji's words were true.

"I see. Well then—Domo, Desu Yuki Jaden." Having genuinely been persuaded by Daitokuji, Jaden greeted [King of Light War - Queen Mador] earnestly, and went straight to the point, "The one Caesar mentioned who kidnapped Misawa and Fubuki, is that you?"

"Kidnapped? That's a harsh way to put it. I clearly invited them to be guests in my world." Hearing Judai's words, [King of Light War - Queen Mador] frowned slightly and corrected her, "Putting aside everything else, even if I brought them here, it's none of your business, is it?"

"Someone like Big Brother?" Marufuji Sho looked at Judai with some doubt. He had a feeling that [King of Light War - Queen Mador] seemed to have some kind of problem with Judai? This was clearly their first time meeting each other.

Furthermore, since he was friendly to everyone else, why was the other party deliberately targeting Judai? Was it simply because Judai asked if the other party was the one who kidnapped Misawa and Tenjouin Fubuki-senpai?

However, unlike the somewhat sensitive Sho Marufuji, Judai didn't care about the other party's attitude towards him. He only cared about whether Queen Mador of Light was the one who kidnapped his friends: "How could it not be my business? Both Misawa and Fubuki are important partners of mine."

"Is that so? You say such nice things, but do you really care about the safety of your companions?" [Light King Battle - Queen Mador] Only when facing Judai did the gentleness on her face turn into rejection and contempt, and she said sarcastically, "What a 'righteous' 'hero'."

As she spoke, she ignored Jaden and looked at the others, saying, "More than anything else, I must first apologize for the trouble you all suffered. The [Nature] that I placed on the periphery with my 'Abundance' ability was meant to protect my kingdom from uninvited guests from other worlds. I never imagined that it would cause trouble for these rare guests before it even came in handy."