Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Hmph, you actually know how this thing works?" Kaiba frowned, took out two "arm blades" from his briefcase and threw them to Hayato, who caught them. He then tossed the remaining one to Yugi.

"This...could it be...?" Yugi caught the "arm blade" that Kaiba threw to him with some doubt and put it on his left wrist, imitating Kaiba. Looking at the squares on both sides of the "arm blade," Yugi felt a strange sense of familiarity. "Could this be...a dueling ring?"

“As everyone knows, anything can be solved with a game of cards.” Hayato handed Isis an “arm blade,” or rather, a duel disk, and after putting it on, he inserted his own deck into the slot. The duel disk’s mechanism automatically activated, connecting the two blade-like duel areas.

Isis followed suit, putting on her own card and inserting it into her deck. Four small projection devices flew out from their duel disks and landed around them, thus activating the projection system.

"Hmph, while the duel platform is useful, it's undeniably too bulky. I'm not the kind of mediocre person who stops at achieving a little success. I've miniaturized the duel platform and turned it into this portable duel disk," Kaiba said proudly, inserting his deck.

Hayato then looked at the black-robed figures who were unable to continue their attack and replied to Kaiba, "Hey Seto, it seems your Kaiba Group isn't doing a very good job with secrecy."

Kaiba couldn't quite refute Hayato's words, because he also saw several men in black robes extend their hands from their robes, each wearing a Duel Disk, though the style was different from Kaiba's.

Chapter 217 Underworld Police Respond to the Scene

"Those are experimental models!?" Kaiba's expression was quite unpleasant as he shouted angrily, "Hey, you cowardly cowards who dare not show your true forms, where did you steal these already-destroyed experimental Duel Disks from!"

"Hmph, Seto Kaiba, huh?" One of the black-robed figures who had been silent finally spoke up. "Instead of questioning whether we stole them, why don't you suspect that the people from your Kaiba Corporation didn't actually destroy these experimental machines?"

“Originally, we just had them take these useless things with them, but it seems they’ve actually come in handy. What do you think, Isis?” The black-robed man who had been hit by the lamppost said, removing his hood to reveal a face that was quite unfamiliar to Isis, but very familiar to the other three.

"Keith?! How could it be you?" Hayato asked, puzzled. "Weren't you kicked out of the Duel Kingdom by Pegasus?"

“Hmph, Hayato Kobayashi, isn’t this man’s fate all thanks to you?” Keith spoke, but his eyes were empty, as if he weren’t Keith at all. When he raised his head, the golden “Eye of Ugato” on his forehead was revealed.

Isis finally recognized who was speaking to him and quickly warned Hayato, "Mr. Kobayashi, please be careful. The person in front of you is not the owner of this body. The one controlling him is Malik Ishdar, the leader of the Gurus organization and the holder of the Millennium Scepter!"

“Malik Ishdar? And you, Miss Isis?” the game asked.

Isis nodded: "Yes, he is my brother, and also a member of the Tomb Keeper clan."

"Hmph, so I've become a member of the tomb-guarding clan again at a time like this, my dear sister?" Keith said expressionlessly. It seemed strange no matter how you looked at it, a scruffy, thirty-something man calling a young and beautiful girl like Isis "sister."

"Then, I wonder if I have the authority to safeguard [Obelisk] for that President Kaiba over there? Isn't this the mission of our tomb-guarding clan for thousands of years?"

"A clan of tomb guardians?"

Just as Yugi was about to ask Isis something, he was interrupted by Kaiba. He coldly said to "Keith," "So that's how it is. You went insane because you lost to Pegasus, 'Thief' Keith? But you've picked the wrong target for daring to set your sights on my [Obelisk]."

Prepare to face the wrath of the Blue-Eyes!

God knows how he interpreted "mind control" as "mental disorder".

Kaiba also unfolded his Duel Disk, forming a field together with Yugi's Duel Disk. He drew his cards before the others could. Due to the rules of the Dark Games, the two men in black who were confronting Kaiba and Yugi had no choice but to raise their Duel Disks and start playing cards.

Keith also raised his Duel Disk, his gaze shifting from Isis to Hayato: "So you're Kobayashi Hayato? Heh, Duel King, are you going to be an enemy of our Gurus too?"

"Enough with the nonsense. I've already started the Dark Game, do you really think you can persuade me to team up with you?" Hayato drew five cards from his deck and looked at Isis beside him. "Miss Isis, because it's the Dark Game, I'm afraid I can't go easy on your brother."

“This isn’t Malik himself. Even if he loses the duel, he probably won’t be hurt much.” Isis also drew five cards, just like Hayato. “So, Mr. Kobayashi, it’s okay if you go a little too hard.”

"How heartless, sister." Keith's face was as stiff as a zombie's; if he couldn't still speak, Hayato would have even suspected that Malik was controlling a corpse. "In that case, I won't show any mercy either~"

"Duel!"

[Hayato: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

[Isis: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

[Keith: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

[Miscellaneous fish: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

"When dealing with you, sister, I absolutely can't let you have the first move." Although his face looked stiff, it was, after all, the body of Keith, known as the "Thief." He drew his card quickly, gaining the first move.

"Summon [Mech Soldier] in Defense Position, then activate its effect. If I have no other monsters on my field, Special Summon another [Mech] monster from my hand."

"Special Summon [Mech Sniper]".

Two mechanical soldiers appeared in unison on Keith's field and simultaneously assumed a defensive stance.

“As long as [Mech Sniper] is on the field, you cannot attack other monsters whose names include [Mech]. I'll set two more cards face down, and then my turn ends.” Keith set two cards face down in the back row and looked at Isis expressionlessly. “Your turn, my dear sister.”

[Keith: 4000LP, 2 cards in hand]

[Mech Soldier] [DEF1500]

【Mech Sniper】【DEF800】

[GaiK] X2

“Malik…” Isis looked at Keith, calling her brother’s name, “Why are you here today?”

"Isn't the answer to this kind of thing very simple?" Keith glanced back and saw that Kaiba's Dragon deck had been targeted again with [Dragon Sealing Pot], while another black-robed man activated [Witch Hunt] to remove Yugi's [Dark Magician].

"The last Egyptian God card, Obelisk, and my long-awaited revenge—these two things rarely come together, so of course I can't let such a good opportunity slip by."

Isis hesitated slightly: "Malik, the Pharaoh—"

"Alright, Isis, get to the point!" Keith interrupted Isis impatiently. "Anything that stands in my way of revenge will be crushed, even my own sister!"

“Miss Isis, based on my years of experience dealing with brats, this three-year-old needs to be taught a lesson.” Hayato glanced disdainfully at Keith, then looked at his perfect hand. He thought to himself, “I’ll play this card later and let Malik, that three-year-old, have his fun.”

"My turn, draw a card." Isis nodded and drew a card from her deck. Duel with a veil on was not comfortable at all, so she simply took off the veil, revealing her full face. "Activate [Reduce Cost] from my hand, discard one card, and reduce the level of the monster in your hand by 2 stars."

"Then I use the effect of [Executioner - Demon Asura] which was sent to the graveyard. During the turn it is sent to the graveyard, I can activate one Trap Card from my hand."

"I won't let you activate that card!" Keith was very excited and immediately opened his face-down card, "【Mirror of Darkness】! As long as this card is on the field, negate the effects of DARK monsters on the field or in the Graveyard!"

Hayato wasn't surprised that Keith, or rather Malik behind Keith, would be so wary of the trap card that Isis almost activated. After all, that card was the most infamous underworld card, and it even left a shadow over an entire era.

Although it didn't activate successfully, Hayato could guess that Isis's card was definitely the legendary "Appearance of the Underworld".

Chapter 218 Using Underhanded Tactics

【Xianming】, whose full name is 【Reversal of the Realm and the Underworld】, before being weakened by the evil conglomerate K, dominated an era with its abnormal effects, trampling countless mainstream and super-mainstream elements under its feet, leaving them no room for resistance.

Its effect is that when you have 15 or more cards in your graveyard, you pay 1000 points to activate it. Both players exchange their decks and graveyards.

When used in conjunction with the effect of [Executioner - Demon Asura], as long as you can quickly add 15 cards to your graveyard, you can activate the effect of [Appearance of the Underworld] during your turn. If your opponent has no cards in their graveyard, they may even lose at the start of their turn because they have no cards to draw after exchanging cards in their graveyard!

This card is truly the worst of the worst; even hardcore players will be moved to tears upon seeing it.

However, Isis frowned as she watched Keith activate the [Mirror of Darkness], and asked the question that had been troubling her for a long time: "Malik, what method did you use to interfere with the power of the [Millennium Jewelry]?"

"Hmm? I see. I was wondering why you, with your ability to foresee the future (the Millennium Jewelry), were able to let me infiltrate this place so easily. I was even thinking that you might have prepared some kind of trap for me." Keith forced a stiff smile onto his face. "So, your precognitive abilities have actually failed you. Hahahaha, this is really interesting."

"Perhaps the [Millennium Jewelry] is also resisting you, Isis. It's resisting you for standing on the Pharaoh's side, so it refuses to show you the right future!"

Hayato overheard their conversation, his expression slightly strange. He glanced down at the [Millennium Wisdom Ring] hanging around his neck: "Could it be you...?"

“Miss Isis, don’t let his words affect you.” Hayato, who had a suspicion in mind, noticed the wavering on Isis’s face and quickly said, “Did the future predicted by the Millennium Jewelry go wrong? I think I know the reason, but it’s definitely not what Malik said. I will tell you the specific reason after this duel.”

Isis has always trusted the prophecies of the Millennium Jewelry, but because the future she foresaw has been going wrong one after another recently, she can't help but believe Malik's words and wonder if the Millennium Jewelry is really resisting her.

Hearing Hayato's encouragement, Isis suddenly realized that something was wrong with her mental state. She quickly refocused her attention on the duel and gave Hayato a gentle smile: "Thank you, Mr. Kobayashi. I will concentrate on the duel."

Noticing that Isis had successfully broken free from the magic of the Millennium Scepter that he had secretly released while hidden within the force field of the Mirror of Darkness, Keith glared at Hayato with considerable displeasure: "You bastard, you ruined my plans!"

"I see. I was wondering why Miss Isis suddenly became so depressed. You just secretly used the [Millennium Artifact], didn't you?" Hayato narrowed his eyes.

Malik's Millennium Scepter symbolizes mental power, possessing the same ability as Pegasus to remotely control someone's mind. In the original storyline, he manipulated others into duels on more than one occasion. Moreover, compared to Pegasus's Millennium Eye, which was developed later in the story, the Millennium Scepter's control is more powerful, even capable of remotely brainwashing or releasing magical energy.

He had just taken advantage of Isis's surprise at not anticipating his trap card activation, using the power of the Millennium Scepter to create an opening in her otherwise strong mind. While he was far from directly controlling Isis, it was more than enough to influence her emotions.

As for why Hayato wasn't affected, it's all thanks to Bakura, who contributed the useful Millennium Wisdom Wheel. The Millennium Wisdom Wheel, which has the ability to interfere with other Millennium Items, successfully blocked Malik's dirty tricks for Hayato. However, the Millennium Jewelry might also have been affected at the same time.

This explains why Isis's predictions of the future were repeatedly wrong, because Hayato was probably involved in each of those predicted futures.

However, Hayato will not reveal this matter for the time being. He will apologize to Isis afterward, since it was he who caused her to have a momentary lapse in judgment.

The [Netherworld] combo was interrupted, but Isis did not end her turn because of this. Instead, she rallied her spirits and continued the battle: "Summon [Wind Spirit] in Defense Position, set two cards, and end my turn."

[Isis: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand]

【Spirits of the Breeze】【DEF1800】

[GaiK] X2

It was the other man in black's turn. He drew a card, then used the monster on Keith's field as a tribute to Tribute, placing a monster face-down on his field – a rather mysterious move. After setting two cards face-down, he ended his turn uneventfully.

[Miscellaneous fish: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand]

[Inner Side Guardian Monster]

Now it's Hayato's turn.

"My turn, draw a card." Hayato drew a card, glanced around the field, and looked at Keith with ill intent. "Speaking of which, Keith was defeated by me back then. Suddenly, I feel like I'm back in Duel Kingdom."

"But it seems you've modified Keith's deck, haven't you, you three-year-old?" Ignoring Keith's protest of "Who's a three-year-old?!", Hayato played a card. "But coincidentally, my deck isn't the same one I used when I fought Keith."

"Activate the Spell Card, [Fusion]! Fusion of [Disruption Yellow], [Disruption Black], and [Disruption Green] from my hand!"

"Final Vent! Come forth, Lord of Disruption!"

The enormous [Disruptor King] landed on Hayato's field, dragging its round body. While striking a pose that no one would appreciate or care to see, it casually pulled out three stamps from its four-dimensional chrysanthemum and tossed them onto Keith's field, leaving three marks.

“When [Disruptor King] is successfully summoned, you can designate up to three zones on your opponent's field to be unusable. I've heard of the [Mech] deck; it's known for quickly summoning large numbers of Machine-Type monsters, right? I don't want to face a machine army.” Hayato said, activating another card from his hand.

"【Disruptor Modification】: Banish the three 【Disruptor】 monsters in my Graveyard, and summon a Fusion Material for a Machine-Type LIGHT Fusion Monster from my Deck. I will summon the materials for 【XYZ-Dragon Cannon】: 【X-Boss Cannon】, 【Y-Dragon Head】, and 【Z-Track】!"

"Then I'll just put them directly on my 'Opa'!"

Three beams of light appeared in the graveyard, and three Machine-Type monsters materialized on the field, beginning to merge together. Seeing this, Keith had no choice but to activate his face-down card: "Activate face-down card, [Divine Announcement]! Pay me 1500 Life Points to negate your Special Summon of a monster!"

On Keith's field, an old man with a white beard appeared, saying "No way!" and waving his hand to drive away the [X], [Y], and [Z] that were about to be combined, driving them away from Hayato's field and out of the game.

[Keys: 4000 → 2500 LP]

Although his base score was lowered, Malik didn't feel he had lost out because he successfully prevented Hayato from summoning that troublesome [XYZ].

What puzzled him was that Hayato had a "you've been tricked" expression on his face.

Chapter 219 Infinity...

"Hmph, I successfully interfered with the summoning of [XYZ], and you can still laugh, Hayato Kobayashi?" Keith looked at Hayato with some surprise.

Hayato has eliminated a total of six monsters so far. Doesn't he feel sorry for his monsters?

"They're just a few monsters. For me, it's enough to bait out your trap cards." Hayato glanced at the last card in his hand. "Now that you have no face-down cards to activate, I can use this card without any worries!"

"[A Treasure Card from Heaven]! Both of us have drawn 6 cards in our hands!" Hayato said, exchanging a glance with Isis. The two of them, who had been empty-handed, simultaneously drew 6 cards. Keith and the other guy drew 4 and 1 cards respectively.