Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

[King Todoroki Battle - Hal], who had been silent like a statue since the start of the duel and was almost forgotten, stood up from his throne. His single, scarlet eye looked at the crowd surrounding [King's Shadow - Lopto] and spoke again after a long time.

This time, however, the voice that came out of his mouth was no longer that of an elderly man, but rather that of a mature woman: "My help, it hasn't come too late, has it?"

“Of course not, you’re always so reliable, whether it was the support attack just now or the spell that trapped those mortals.” Ignoring the menacing monsters around him, [King of War Shadow - Lopto] calmly stepped out from the crack in the lightning cage pillar and approached [King of Todoroki - Hal], who had also stood up and was walking towards him. “My dear [Vara].

"【Vara】?" Marufuji Sho was taken aback. "Isn't it 【Haar】?"

“No, it’s obvious that the other party is not [Hal] at all. Tsk, I was too careless. Was it because I was called by the wrong name that I didn’t calm down and just mechanically recalled the knowledge in my mind?” Misawa couldn’t help but bite his nails, his face full of humiliation and resentment. “I should have thought of it earlier, but I was misled by the guess that ‘Hal (High One) is the incarnation of Odin’.”

"In mythology, Odin exchanged his right eye with Mimir, the fountain of wisdom, but in the battle between King Kai and Hal, his right eye can still see but his left eye is gone; although the cloaked figure is Odin's inherent image, the cloak in mythology has always been described as 'embroidered with shining stars' rather than covered with thorns."

"The most important mistake is that Odin is the king of the gods, the king of the dead, the god of war, the god of power, and the god of magic. His spear flies like a shooting star, but there is never a single word that says Odin is the god of thunder. It's all because of Zeus in Greek mythology that I subconsciously felt that it was not a problem for the king of gods to have the power of thunder."

“It’s not the ‘Power Realm,’ ‘Star Realm,’ ‘God Realm,’ or ‘Law Realm,’ but specifically the ‘Todoroki Realm.’ What legend is there about Odin that matches the ‘Todoroki King Battle’?” Misawa looked at “【Todoroki King Battle-Hal】” standing next to 【King Battle Shadow-Lopute】. “This guy is not Odin at all!”

"【Vara】...Vara from Norse mythology..." Maeda Hayato, who had entrusted the task of breaking the energy shield to his teacher Daitokuji and had his monster act as his protector, pondered for a moment, then suddenly widened his not-so-large eyes. "It's the prophetess mentioned in 'Badr's Nightmare' from the Edda in Poetic Style!"

"No, that's not right. Even in the book 'Badr's Nightmare,' it was mentioned that the witch Vara that Odin found was not the one she gave the name of."

“You are no Volva, nor wise woman, rather you are the mother of three Thursar.” Daitokuji, who also had some impression of that poem, even recited the passage. With a solemn expression, he opened his eyes, his scarlet eyes scrutinizing the woman whose disguise was gradually fading away as the words of the group revealed her true form. “You are neither Volva nor the prophet; on the contrary, you are the mother of those three gluttons.”

"Fenrir the Wolf of the Sky, Jormungandr the Serpent of the Mortal World, and Hela the Goddess of Death—they are truly the most gluttonous of three siblings, and their mother is you, [Vara]? No, you are Angorboda, the 'Bringer of Sorrow'!"

“Absolutely right! Excellent wisdom, mortals, even I would gladly bestow upon you this reward—that is, to let you hear my true name!”

Standing before Angorboda, whose true name had been revealed—that is, [King's Curse - Vara], who had shed the disguise of [King of the Sea War - Hal] and revealed his true form—[King's Shadow - Lopte] grinned evilly and reached out to wipe his body. He tore off and discarded his mage robe, revealing the strong muscles hidden beneath his clothes.

"Salmon, mare, seal, fly, and old woman, in the sky, on the ground, in the sea, and even beside you, all things and phenomena may be my transformations. The combination of lightning and trees, fire and cunning gods are the best names for me. I will take the ship of doom as my chariot, my sword will be stained with the blood of the rooster on the World Tree, and my children will destroy the gods."

From the hands of [King's War Curse - Vara], a long tail burning with flames, a metal block with frost-covered dragon scales that was constantly deforming on its own, and a longsword that Jonouchi and the others had seen at [Sword World King's War - Frode]—the Sword of Victory—flew out and landed in the hands of [King's War Shadow - Lopte].

The shape of the Victory Sword, infused with transforming metal, changed; flames melted the original blade, turning it into a ferocious longsword; ice transformed into runes embedded in it; and finally, thunderclouds in the sky were once again stirred up and fell, crashing down upon the newly formed weapon.

Looking at the weapon in his hand, and feeling the power from all over the Nine Realms converging upon it with each swing, [Shadow of the King - Lopte] laughed wildly: "'Levantin,' I've named it 'Levantin,' the twilight blade that will lead the world to destruction!"

"And its forger is me—Loki!"

Chapter 1399 [Battle of the Shadow Realm Kings]?

Because of the changes at [Hōkai], it wasn't just the players in the game who lost their sight; Kaiba's side was also cut off.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is such a trash monster, it can be easily destroyed, it has become a standard target for comparing attack power." After saying this, Jonouchi looked around and nodded, "Yeah, as expected, Kaiba can't see or interfere with this virtual world."

"Otherwise, how could that Blue-Eyes White Dragon enthusiast possibly refrain from attacking me after hearing me slander the Blue-Eyes White Dragon like that?"

What astonishing wisdom! Even Hayato couldn't help but applaud Jonouchi's intellect!

"So that's how it is. It was a curse set up by that woman disguised as [King Kaio Battle - Hal]." Mai tapped the barrier around her. Although it was strange that Yugi and the others weren't resisting, considering the Duel King's wicked sense of humor, she chose to stay inside the energy shield and watch the events unfold outside. At the same time, she examined [King's Curse - Vara]. "But, when did that guy...?"

"It should be from the very beginning. The [King Kaio Battle - HAL] that we encountered may not have existed at all. It was already that woman in disguise back then."

Rebecca glanced at the curvaceous figure of [King's Curse - Vala], which even her red robe couldn't completely conceal, and then looked at Kyoko and Mai on either side of her. She sadly realized that even Asuka, who had left the audience to join the attack on [King's Shadow - Lopto], had a better figure than her. She said angrily, "That hateful girl!"

“And that sword, which belongs to [Sword King War - Frode], has actually ended up in that woman’s hands. Hayato also said that [Sword King War - Frode] was killed by someone he didn’t know when he arrived. It was probably her who did it.” Kyoko punched the energy shield in front of her unhappily. “I just don’t know how she managed to arrive at [Boom World] before us.”

"Well, it's just a small application of spatial teleportation. The main obstacle preventing them from entering the [Bombardment Realm] was [Sword King War - Frode]. But after being defeated by you, it's easy for a qualified spellcaster to manipulate the portal." Hayato explained, peeking out from the [Summoner - Aleister] card box on his waist.

"You still have the nerve to show your face?" Hayato said irritably, carrying the miniaturized form of [Summoner-Aleister]. The energy shield covering a space the size of a seat was only large enough for Hayato to move around in and didn't have the ability to make him appear in his normal-sized form. "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on [King's Shadow-Lopt]?"

"Don't just blame me, Master! You clearly assigned me to guard the place with [Temple's Water Spy], but that woman was only interested in spying on you and didn't do her job properly. That's why I got ambushed by that guy and couldn't stop him from escaping." [Summoner - Aleister] naturally wouldn't admit it was all her fault, and even pulled out the card from Hayato's card box that had previously sealed [Shadow of the King's War - Lopt], ​​"Besides, wasn't this all part of Master's plan—"

"Alright, go back and reflect on your actions." Before Alai could finish speaking, Hayato shoved him back down. He looked at the [King's Shadow - Lopto] who was calmly confronting Jaden and the others not far away, stood up from his seat, and said to him, "You were only halfway through what you were saying before, [Lopto]."

"Ha, of course, my esteemed 'master.' It's all the fault of these boring mortals who can't read the room. I had only just begun to explain the plan."

Leaning on the flaming demon sword he named "Levantin," whose flames, even hotter than the breath of the [Red-Eyed Black Dragon], easily dispelled the surrounding chill and created a circular area five or six meters in diameter free from frost. [Shadow of the King - Lopte] affectedly adopted the posture of a servant, gesturing with both hands to [Curse of the King - Vara] behind him. "As you can see, and as you all guess, my assistant is [Vara]. Without her assistance, my plan would not have proceeded as smoothly as it has."

"As a prophet, she subtly spread fabricated prophecies throughout the Nine Realms, and then collected the power left behind by the [Kings of War] from all over the Nine Realms for me. In the end, I forged this ultimate weapon that unites the power of the [Kings of War] from the lower six realms—'Levantin'."

"A fabricated prophecy? Could it be that the prophecy heard by [Queen Mador in the War of the Light Realm] was spread from that woman's mouth?" Misawa frowned. "But, 'the Lower Six Realms'?"

"The Dwarven Kingdom of the Iron Realm, whose united steel fortifications could not withstand an unexpected defeat; the ever-fighting Flame Realm and Ice Realm, even when united, could not withstand the stronger; the Sword Realm King, wielding the sword of certain victory, was ambushed and had his weapon stolen after his defeat; the wise and cautious Light Realm, misled by rumors and his own caution, did nothing; and finally, the Void Realm, whose arrogance was destroyed by the most arrogant."

【Shadow of Kings - Lopte】smugly said, "Then, their power will be collected one by one and forged into this weapon of mine. By collecting the power of the three worlds that run through the core of the World Tree—【Bombardment Realm】, 【Eternal Realm】, and 【Death Realm】, I will become the true King of the Nine Realms and ascend that empty throne!"

"That's it? It's just a virtual game. If you want to be the king of this virtual world that will disappear when the server shuts down, go ahead." Fubuki said with a serious expression, showing great disdain for what [Shadow of Kings - Lopto] said. "But why did you actually attack Ryou!"

"It's just a coincidence. After all, it took me quite a bit of effort to find two people who could represent light and darkness respectively." [Shadow of the King - Lopte] said, glancing proudly at the motionless Caesar. "The blind god of darkness, Hodr, unintentionally killed the invulnerable god of light with mistletoe. What a coincidence! Even more coincidentally, the [Light Oak] I brought from the [Astral Plane] happened to have the mistletoe I needed."

"That little tree still dares to plot against me? Then I'll use its scheming to finish this murderous drama, as a prelude to the grand spectacle of Ragnarok!"

The Astral Tree, Light Oak, knew that it was Loki, the current Shadow of War, who brought it from the Astral Plane to the "Duel-Links" world. So how could the Shadow of War, Lopt, not realize that he had teleported something extra? He even used the Astral Tree, Light Oak, as part of his plan to complete it.

In Norse mythology, Frigg, the mother of Baldr, the god of light, suffered from paranoia. When her son had a nightmare about death, she worried that his life was in danger. So she traveled all over the world, asking all things to swear to her that they would never harm Baldr. Not only bows and arrows, greatswords, hammers, and katanas, but even flowers, diseases, and stones made the oath. However, mistletoe was ignored by Frigg because it was too weak.

To test the effectiveness of her actions, Frigga had the gods throw their weapons at Baldr. As expected, they could not harm Baldr in his current state. However, Loki disguised himself as an old woman and sneaked into the gods' midst. He transformed mistletoe into a weapon and instigated Baldr's blind brother, the god of darkness, Hodr, to throw it. Hodr did as he was told, and the spear-like mistletoe pierced Baldr's chest. The world was plunged into a dark winter, which is the "Winter of Fimbulb," marking the beginning of Ragnarok.

Historical research suggests that this myth originated around 650 BC, a time when the Bronze Age ended and drastic climate changes occurred in Northern Europe. However, it is meaningless to trace the origin of this myth in history, as [Lopt, the Shadow of War] is transforming this myth into reality in the "Duel-Links" world and spreading its influence to the other nine realms!

"You must all be wondering what the point of what I'm doing is, because no matter what I do, this world is ultimately just an illusion." [Shadow of the King - Lopte] watched as [Booming Realm] was gradually transformed into a frigid winter land covered in ice and snow, and sneered, "But this is nothing more than the thinking of shallow mortals like you. You have a treasure mountain, but you don't even know it."

"This world was born from a illusory delusion, but its foundation is a product called 'network' used by you mortals—a network constructed by the connection between consciousnesses. 'Duel-Links' world? The name is quite apt for a mere mortal, but you mortals only use this world as a place for your 'Duel' games, unaware that 'Links' are the key!"

"A link of consciousness?" Upon hearing [Shadow of the King - Lopte's] words, Yugi recalled what Kaiba had mentioned before about the principles of this virtual world. Although he hadn't understood what Kaiba was saying back then, it seemed that Kaiba had indeed mentioned specific principles.

It seems that "the electromagnetic coils inside the game pod detect brainwaves, convert them into electrical signals, and then use these electromagnetic signals to build a cloud network that links everyone's consciousness across time and space."

Five years ago, in 2001, Hikari had already completed the prototype of this network system, which triggered an attack by Prana, including Blue God, Sera, and others. They discovered that once someone with a "superconsciousness" that surpasses human intelligence—that is, the talent of "Prana"—was mixed into Hikari's network, it could even trigger dimensional ascent and open a passage to an unknown dimension.

Through this passage, Hayato can freely open the gate to the underworld via the Quantum Cube. However, this does not mean that the door at the end of this passage can only lead to the underworld. For example, Ayane fell into the Dark Realm of Reversal because of his unresolved obsessions and almost caused a huge disaster in Domino City. He had to work as an experimental subject with Kaiba Corporation and other Prana for many years to pay off his debts.

But just like the Holy Grail in Fate, some people care about whether the passage that the Holy Grail can open can lead to the Root, while others care about the energy that opens the passage itself. Unlike Hayato and his friends, [Lopto, the Shadow of the King's War] is extremely interested in the consciousness network that constitutes the world of "Duel-Links".

"What is reality, and what is fantasy? Is what can be physically interfered with reality, and what can only be manipulated by thought, fantasy? This ambiguous question and answer will be confused and unanswerable in this world that is almost incompatible with your own. Through this power, consciousness will become able to effectively interfere with reality, and physical means will also be able to effectively manipulate fantasy."

Raising "Levantin" into the sky, [Shadow of the King - Lopto] said smugly, "I told you from the very beginning, 'Dan Kuroto,' that I am a mage awaiting the birth of the King of Destiny, and my destiny is to serve that great king. Although I am the God of Lies, I did not lie in that statement; I just did not say it completely."

"I will wait as a sorcerer for the opportunity to become the King of Destiny, manipulate fate to ascend the throne of the King of the Nine Realms, and I truly mean it when I say I am loyal to myself. And now is the day I ascend to godhood!"

"By unifying the power of the Nine Realms, I will further manipulate the consciousness of the many mortals scattered throughout the Nine Realms, constructing the consciousness of the mortals in this world as my sustenance, helping me to become the King of the Nine Realms!"

"Then, reality and illusion will be reversed, and I will be able to use this illusory world as a passage to enter the 'reality' you are in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the two powers of fire and ice erupted simultaneously from the "Levantine" raised by [Shadow of the Kings]. The mistletoe that had previously stabbed Caesar had somehow appeared in his hand and become fuel for the fire. Some kind of illusory spell existed between the ice and fire, harmonizing them, while the transforming metal that was modifying the sword of victory urged the sword of victory to grow larger along with the fire and ice.

Visibly, the form of [King's Shadow - Lopte] began to change, and behind the ever-changing [King's Shadow - Lopte], the form he would eventually take was faintly revealed.

Purple runes appeared on his exposed body, and the arm that touched "Levantin" gradually turned into a red and black demon-like shape. His lower body even mutated into an octopus-like multi-legged body, and spider-like spikes that looked like keratin or wood kept emerging from his body!

What's even more striking is Lopte's hair. His long, golden hair grows wildly, yet it still can't conceal the several abnormally enlarged demonic horns within. The pink highlight on his head is still there, showing that he's quite satisfied with this look and has no intention of changing it. However, the skin on his face is gradually turning as pale as his body, which is covered in runes. The skin around his eyes is cracking like flower petals, and his lips have turned scarlet, making him look like a terrifying clown.

"Now I will bring all nine realms under my control, the 'Shadow' realm that exists between illusion and reality—the [Shadow Realm]!"

"The combined power of numerous Kings' Wars existing in the Nine Realms, along with the consciousness of mortals and the power of the Kings, will construct a super-consciousness network! Ultimate Layered Light Transformation!"

"【Lopto, the Shadow of the War】? Now that I am about to become the King of the Nine Realms, this disguise is no longer needed." Loki, having abandoned the name 【Lopto, the Shadow of the War】, laughed wildly, "Reversing the order, I am now 【The War of the Shadows】—"

"【King of Shadows - Levantine】!"

"Danridou, I have ascended to godhood!"

As the arrogant [Shadow of the Kings - Lopte]'s body continued to deform and enlarge, approaching the being behind him that he named [Shadow Kings - Levantine], just as they were about to overlap, Hayato finally showed an expression of sudden realization.

"So that's how it is. The enemy from beyond the world that Darkness mentioned before he ran away, you were the one? I thought it was Zack who attacked. You absorbed the power of the Nine Realms' [King's War] and then tried to unify and stack all the power through the human 'Duel Link' network. So you were trying to play Xyz?"

With an expression of disappointment and boredom, Hayato complained, "Trying to break through my original limits and jumping from a Synchro slacker like [Polar Star] to playing Xyz in [King's War] is certainly ambitious, but... is that all? It doesn't feel as good as '[Ban Order] 'Destroy the Gun King]'."

"Besides—when did you develop the illusion that 'you can manipulate the consciousness network right in front of me'?"

"What?!"

As Hayato suddenly snapped his fingers, the power he had absorbed to form the consciousness network of the "Duel-Links" world vanished abruptly, amidst the terrified gaze of [King's Shadow - Lopto]. The runes on his body dimmed and disappeared, his transformation stopped, and he even reverted to his original form as [King's Shadow - Lopto]!?

Will they win in Chapter 1400? Absolutely not!

"Why!?" Loki stared in disbelief at his hands, which had returned to normal. "Without a doubt, there was nothing wrong with my procedure! The power of the Nine Realms' War of Kings should have been concentrated within me!"

"【Iron King War - Dwarf Union King】, 【Flame King War - Nagilfa】, 【Ice King War - Nidhogg】, 【Virtual King War - Utgard】, 【Sword King War - Frode】, 【Light King War - Queen Mador】, as well as 【Death King War - Hel】, 【Eternal King War - Jormungandr】 and 【Bombardment King War - Hal】..."

"The combined power of the Nine Realms' War of Kings should be more than enough to serve as a sacrifice for me to ascend to the supreme, powerful, and evil King of Kings—the Shadow Realm War of Kings!"

"Why, why, why—!?"

"Alright, that's enough. Stop acting crazy, you idiot, [Shadow of the Kings - Lopte]." Hayato said impatiently. "No, you wanted to call yourself [Shadow Kings - Levantine]? Although you didn't successfully 'transform,' I can grant you that wish in terms of title."

"Hard to accept the facts and want to scream at the heavens? There's nothing I can do, let me point out your stupidity. First, let's 'check the answer,' [Shadow King Battle - Levantine]."

"Don't you dare use that title to humiliate me!" [Shadow King War - Levantine]...no, [Shadow of War - Lopte] gritted his teeth in anger. Having failed to advance, he felt utterly humiliated by the self-designation he had just used, preferring to continue using the name [Shadow of War - Lopte]. "And...the answer?"

"Answers are useless to me! I... as you can see, I have already obtained the strongest power! The power of the Nine Realms has been concentrated in 'Levantin,' and the path to godhood is now unobstructed, as easy as plucking a leaf from a roadside bush. I will be able to—"

"idiot."

"!" Hayato's words made the interrupted [King's Shadow - Lopto] suddenly shudder.

"Are you such an idiot that you can't even understand what I'm saying? Or is this a distortion caused by absorbing too much power? [Shadow Realm King War - Levantine], no, [Shadow of King War - Lopte]. No matter how much power you devour from the Nine Realms' [King War], you will never achieve the sublimation of [Shadow Realm King War - Levantine], who is qualified to ascend to the position of King of the Nine Realms."

"Don't you understand? In other words—you are not qualified to become a [King of War] if you don't have the qualification to guide the consciousness link of 'Duel-Links'."

"!!"

“Once a person with the talent of ‘Pranar’—a talent that surpasses human intelligence—is mixed into the consciousness link, it can trigger dimensional ascension and open a passage to an unknown dimension.” Having also experienced the “Dark Side of Dimensions” incident, Yugi remembered what Amagami and the others had explained. “Looking at it from another angle, does it also mean that in order to trigger the power of dimensional ascension, one must be a ‘person’ with the talent of ‘Pranar’?”

"Although they are NPCs in the game, the creation of [Sword Realm King War - Frode] and others was based on the consciousness of the players who entered this virtual world. Therefore, the [King War] members all have the qualifications to compete for the position of King of the Nine Realms. However, [King War Shadow - Lopt], ​​who invaded this virtual world as a stowaway, is not human and naturally does not have such qualifications."

Jonouchi sneered at Lopto, the Shadow of the Kings, whose face was grim. "Even if he gathers the power of the Kings, he's still not qualified. Just like Hayato said—he's not even qualified to be a King."

"Ugh, ugh, ugh ugh ugh ugh!" [Shadow of the King of War - Lopt]'s expression twisted, and he gritted his teeth as he let out a beast-like roar, "It really is—absolutely correct!"

"Without 'Duel-Links' of consciousness, I am not qualified to become [King of War]! Correct, correct! Hmm~ Hmm~ Hahahaha, what have I done?!"

"Then I understand! What I should do!"

Glaring at Hayato and Jaden, and everyone who stood in his way, [King's Shadow - Lopto] grinned, revealing his fangs. "If that's how it is! If that's how it is, then from the beginning—we shouldn't have been bound by any [King's War]! The original idea of ​​transforming into the strongest, most evil, and highest [King's War] king is truly laughable!"

"Whether I can invade reality or not is irrelevant. I want to destroy everything in this fantasy world! I want to kill your spirits in this world!"

"Not as nourishment for my ascension to godhood, but merely as a tool for venting, to be completely destroyed from the inside out!"

The "Levantin" in his hand was shattered without a second thought by [Shadow of the King - Lopte], and the suppressed power within was instantly released, transforming into a beam of light that shot towards everyone.

As expected, everyone dodged immediately. Even Maeda Hayato easily avoided the beam cannon, which had an obvious wind-up but was not aimed at them at all. However, it seemed that the beam cannon was not aimed at them from the beginning, but passed straight through the square where everyone was and landed on the Rainbow Bridge in the distance.

The eight portals leading to the other nine realms appeared simultaneously as the Rainbow Bridge was struck by the light cannon. The chill of the unfolding "Fimbulwinter" also invaded the nine realms along the portals, and an unprecedentedly powerful aura emanated from the portal leading to Midgard—the [Eternal Realm]!