Chapter 400 - # Chapter 721:725

## Chapter 721: I've Occupied the High Ground

"Hoh? Is this it, one of the [Millennium Items], the [Millennium Ring]?"

"Yes, Great Pharaoh. In an earlier dynasty, there was a Nameless Pharaoh who sealed evil entities in the Name of the King. The [Millennium Items] are products of that dynasty." Kneeling below the Throne, a Priest held a tray. "Aside from the [Millennium Rod] buried with the Nameless Pharaoh, the Previous Pharaoh Seti I collected almost all of the others."

"Among them, the [Millennium Scepter] and [Millennium Necklace] were passed down by the Ishtar Family, to which Priestess Isis belonged, while the [Millennium Scale] and [Millennium Key] were passed down by the Sin Clan, to which I, Shaya Shin, a descendant of Priest Shada, belong."

"Aside from the [Millennium Eye], whose whereabouts are unknown from earlier years, this one [Millennium Ring] remains. However, Pharaoh Seti I did not allow this [Millennium Item] to be buried with him, saying that this [Millennium Ring], which possesses evil power, was not worthy of entering his Tomb. Therefore, he ordered his subordinates to hand it over to you for handling today, the day of your ascension, Pharaoh."

The figure on the Throne looked at the golden wheel presented by his subordinate, a smile playing on his lips. "What qualification does Old Man Seto with his strange hobby have to talk about others? Besides him, no one else would think of filling their Tomb with Dragons."

As he spoke, the Pharaoh on the Throne reached out to directly pick up the [Millennium Ring]. Seeing this, the Priest holding the tray with the [Millennium Ring] on it quickly warned, "Please do not touch this [Millennium Item] directly, Pharaoh!"

"There is indeed evil power present on this [Millennium Item]. Almost everyone who has touched it has, without exception, been corrupted and cursed by its dark power and met a tragic end!"

However, the Priest's warning did not affect the Pharaoh's actions in the slightest. He still went his own way, reaching out and directly picking up the [Millennium Ring] from the tray, holding it up before his eyes and examining it with interest.

And just as the Priest had said, the moment the Pharaoh picked up the [Millennium Ring], the Dark Will hidden within the [Millennium Ring] attempted to come to the Outside World by using the Pharaoh's body. A voice sounded in the Pharaoh's ear.

"Heh heh, nice body, quite sturdy. Looks like you've been doing some fitness lately?"

"Perfect, truly perfect. Although your brain is a bit stupid, knowing the [Millennium Ring] is dangerous yet still touching it directly with your hand, I'm not too picky. This body of yours, which is perfect to this extent, shall be taken by me—"

The evil voice paused, then suddenly became somewhat panicked. "Wait, wait a minute, what's going on?! Why is the dark power I infiltrated into your body having no effect on you?! Who exactly are you!"

"Heh, would you ask why the sun is the sun, Lightless One?" Holding the [Millennium Ring], the golden Pharaoh said contemptuously. "You don't even know My name, the sole name in heaven and earth that needs to be engraved deep in the soul, yet you dare to presumptuously touch My sacred form with your weak and pathetic power."

"Should I admire your courage for daring to act after seeing the world of difference, or should I be astonished that you fundamentally didn't even see the gap between you and Me? It truly troubles Me somewhat."

As he spoke, the Will within the [Millennium Ring] found that the power it had accumulated by murdering those who touched the [Millennium Ring] after narrowly escaping death back then began to flow out uncontrollably. If this continued, the remaining power might not even be able to sustain its own existence. It immediately begged for mercy:

"Wait, stop quickly, please spare me!"

"I can give you many things, anything you want. Greater territory, a powerful army, unrivaled power, even eternal life, I can give you!"

It wasn't that it was cowardly, it was just that it completely hadn't expected this current Pharaoh to have such powerful ability, even its power was being taken by the opponent. It truly didn't know what kind of background the opponent had; the purity of his soul was as radiant as the sun.

The Pharaoh raised an eyebrow upon hearing the Dark Will's words. "Hoh hoh, are you tempting Me, tempting Me, who even the almighty god despaired after witnessing My great deed? Heh heh, indeed, even the almighty Me has things I cannot do. My body is still too easily decayed compared to My greatness."

"If I spare you, I can obtain the eternal life you offer..." As he spoke, the Dark Will could feel the flow rate of its power seemingly slowing down a bit.

The Dark Will sneered inwardly. After all, the Pharaoh before it was just a human. They would be easily dominated by their desires. No matter how radiant their soul, this inner darkness, even after thousands of years, probably no human could control it—

"...Do you think I would say that?"

"What!?" Its power flowed out of the [Millennium Ring] even faster, even faster than before, disappearing. The Dark Will couldn't believe that the Pharaoh, who had just seemed somewhat hesitant, had actually rejected the great temptation of "eternal life," which should be the eternal pursuit of all humans!

"A Pharaoh is someone protected by the gods, the agent of the gods on the Earth. To display their royal authority, eternal life is so full of temptation." The Pharaoh smiled confidently. "But I am the Pharaoh among Pharaohs, the King of Kings. Protected by the gods? It is the gods who receive My protection, My radiance surpasses the sun!"

"Grant Me eternal life? Hahaha, a mere Lightless One in the shadow outside the radiance, living on the Earth, it is already a grace that you can offer Me power, what qualification do you have to 'grant' it?"

As the power flowed away, the fragmented soul that had escaped from a certain Pharaoh's Seal before and hidden inside the [Millennium Ring] struggled unwillingly, but its consciousness gradually blurred, about to fall into a slumber from which it would be difficult to recover even after another thousand years. "You guy, it should be fundamentally impossible for a human to suppress me..."

"Impossible? Hahaha, there is nothing impossible for a Pharaoh on the Earth. All things are within My palm!"

Bakura, who had been sitting in his seat, suddenly stood up, gasping for air, with a terrified expression. But he found that he was currently standing before a wide sand table.

The terrain on the sand table was extremely detailed, encompassing mountains, rivers, villages, and city-states. It was clearly the terrain of Ancient Egypt from three thousand years ago. Following the Nile River, he found a large City where many detailed game pieces were placed. The appearance of one of these game pieces was almost exactly the same as Bakura's!

"Tsk, damn it, it actually made me recall bad memories. If it weren't for that guy, I would have been revived three thousand years ago. In the end, I was dragged into the grave by that guy for nearly a hundred years, and only brought out by a Grave Robber. That guy really lived a bit too long."

Sitting back in the chair, looking at the sand table before him, Bakura's face was gloomy. "Is it because I dragged Hayato Kobayashi into the Dark Game with me? I, who should have remained conscious, actually got too immersed in the identity of the game piece and almost couldn't extricate myself. I almost failed unexpectedly."

"Hayato Kobayashi, I never expected him to draw such an ace card. But thanks to that, it successfully awakened me as the Chessmaster. Thinking about it carefully, even that guy, if he's in the state of being eight or nine years old, he's not worth worrying about. The advantage is mine."

Muttering to himself, Bakura glanced at the three small ornaments placed beside him, feeling a bit hesitant. "Fortunately, the time to regain consciousness wasn't too late. If it had been any later, I might have been forced to use these three one-time cheat items."

"Thanks to 'me' not being a reckless person without a brain, although I directly charged into the Royal Palace, I still left a contingency plan," Bakura's mouth curved up as his fingers lightly tapped the edge of the sand table, looking outside the Royal Palace where the game pieces were placed. "It's almost time for them to take effect."

————Memory World is a Tabletop RPG—————

The attack of [Drytron Meteonis Draconids] successfully broke through [Diabound]. Bakura was blasted away along with it, crashing into the wall and making a crater. His body was embedded in the wall, his life or death unknown.

"Did I finish it off?" Hayato was just thinking that Bakura should be finished after this attack, when he heard Priest Seto behind him jinxed it.

As expected, almost at the same time as Seto finished speaking, Bakura, whose body was embedded in the wall, let out a "Bugah" sound, spat out a large mouthful of blood, and then actually supported himself with his hands against the wall and stood up again.

"Cough, cough, that really hurt, Hayato Kobayashi. I was just a little bit away from losing my life." With a gloomy expression, Bakura wiped the blood from his chin and looked towards Hayato behind [Drytron Meteonis Draconids]. "How many times now? You always manage to bring me some unexpected 'surprises'. But time is almost up today, I think I should take my leave first."

"How dare you! Is the Royal Palace a place you can just come and go as you please?" Because Hayato had successfully heavily injured this assassin who had just given the Priests such a hard time, the coast was clear, and Seto felt like he was back in business. He actually raised his Duel Arena again, intending to summon another Stone Tablet Monster to battle.

Looking at the opponent, he was fundamentally like a flickering candle. That strongest monster was also finished off. Whoever goes now can get the kill, alright? Watch me, Seto, be one step ahead at the crucial moment. How can I lose when he's half-crippled?

But just as Seto raised his Duel Arena, only to see Bakura suddenly waved a hand in his direction. [Diabound], which had clearly just been annihilated by [Drytron Meteonis Draconids]'s attack, actually appeared beside him in an instant! And its body began to melt like wax, twisting and transforming into the appearance of a pure white version of [Drytron Meteonis Draconids]!

"Boom!"

Hayato's [Drytron Meteonis Draconids] and Bakura's [Diabound], which had transformed into [Drytron Meteonis Draconids], attacked simultaneously. The powerful energy collided inside the Palace, stirring up a storm. Seto's action was interrupted before he could even finish summoning a monster. He looked on in astonishment at Bakura's [Diabound].

"If the inner monster is destroyed, even if it doesn't die, it should be heavily injured and unconscious. Why did this guy's monster regenerate after being destroyed, and even gain the power of other monsters!?"

"Is this the power of your [Drytron], Hayato? The power of pure light coming from the Starry Sky is actually so powerful, it truly exceeded my expectations." Although Bakura was beaten to the point of spitting blood and could only stand by supporting himself against the wall, the expression on his face was very arrogant. "You guys don't think I'm trying to escape because I'm scared, do you?"

"As if! It's because my goal has already been achieved. Humiliate you guys who wield the power of darkness but claim to be on the side of justice, and obtain great power, this is my true goal!"

"[Diabound] is the embodiment of resentment that cannot be sealed and will not die. The stronger the power that destroyed it before, the more power it brings me in return! Now I have obtained power that can almost rival the power of a god!"

With one hand on his hip, Bakura laughed proudly. But he didn't notice that because he was blasted away earlier, Simon and the other Priests had brought the mummy of the Previous Pharaoh Aknamkanon, which he had originally trampled underfoot, back to Dark Yugi's side.

Almost at the same time as Bakura said "power of a god," Dark Yugi looked at the mummy that came to his side, but in a trance, he heard a voice saying something to him.

"...Justice is with God..."

"What is this voice?" Dark Yugi had no impression of this voice that inexplicably sounded, but his intuition told him, "he" should know the owner of the voice.

Following his intuition, he lowered his head. Looking at the mummy before him, an inexplicable idea surfaced in Dark Yugi's mind. He subconsciously felt that this voice came from "his" deceased Father, the Previous Pharaoh before him who had already been made into a mummy!

Listening to that voice and Bakura, do gods also exist in this era? There's no harm in trying anyway. Yugi, who couldn't summon a Stone Tablet Monster, thought for a moment, raised his left hand wearing the Duel Arena, and shouted loudly, "Three Egyptian Gods, respond to me! I will here, summon you forth!"

"The most suitable god right now is—" Recalling the record of [Slifer the Sky Dragon], and thinking that the self-damaging effect of [The Winged Dragon of Ra] wasn't very suitable for this current situation, Dark Yugi decisively shouted loudly, "Descend! [Obelisk the Tormentor]!"

"What!? The new Pharaoh actually knows the names of the legendary Three Egyptian Gods?!" Hearing Dark Yugi call out a god's name, Simon had a shocked expression, and Seto, who had just suffered a setback nearby, clearly heard Simon's words. "A god? [Obelisk]?"

A gale swept across the Earth. The blue giant god stood tall beside the Starry Sky Dragon summoned by Hayato, confronting Bakura's [Diabound]!

"A monster that can steal the power of other monsters, so strong, too strong, Bakura! But to deal with a Heretic like you, we don't need to talk about any code of honor. Now it's a righteous two-on-one!" Hayato glanced at [Obelisk the Tormentor], then said proudly to Bakura, "Now we've occupied the high ground!"

"Let's go!" X2

"[Obelisk the Tormentor]!" "[Drytron Meteonis Draconids]!"

"Divine Fist Smash Attack!" "Draconid Barrage!"

Although 1+1 doesn't necessarily equal 2, their combined effort is certainly greater than one alone. Bakura had finally managed to steal the power of Hayato's [Drytron Meteonis Draconids] at the cost of heavy injury, but he never expected that Dark Yugi, in turn, would actually summon [Obelisk the Tormentor], a monster of comparable power, to join the battle!

[Diabound]'s attack was canceled out by [Drytron Meteonis Draconids]'s breath. Afterwards, [Obelisk the Tormentor] threw out his giant fist, about to hit Baku—

"The same move won't work on me!" Bakura had a ferocious expression. He adjusted his position and actively moved towards [Obelisk the Tormentor]'s attack, but before being hit, he summoned a weak Small Fry Monster that looked very weak to block in front of himself.

"Boom!" The attack destroyed the shield monster Bakura temporarily summoned, but the remaining impact force was utilized by Bakura. He flew backwards towards the window, escaping from the Palace!

"You guys fell for it, Yugi, Hayato! This is my escape route! In terms of strategy, you guys still can't compare to me, Bakura!" Following the direction Bakura escaped, Hayato and Dark Yugi were about to pursue, but saw that in the City-State outside the Palace, black smoke was rising from multiple places!

Although for most of the anime, the Millennium World arc seemed like a Role-Playing Game, finding teammates, collecting items, fighting bosses, it was indeed a proper Tabletop RPG Game. Of course, it can also be understood as a Real-Time Strategy Game. It is said that it's because Takahashi himself was very fond of this type, so even though Duel Monsters was already very popular earlier, he still didn't change his idea of using this game type to finish the story. However, during the Millennium World arc, due to Takahashi himself's health reasons, many regrets and flaws were still left behind.

End of Chapter

Chapter 722: Diabound Has No Pain

Although today was a great day for the new Pharaoh's ascension, it was clear that no matter how much the Ancient Egyptian people advanced their technology tree, they were still far from the point of manufacturing fireworks to celebrate.

If it were just black smoke rising from one place, it could be dismissed as an accidental fire somewhere, but at this moment, trouble was breaking out in so many different locations.

Someone is causing destruction in the City! This was the only thing Hayato and Dark Yugi could realize when they saw the black smoke rising from multiple places. Because Bakura had attracted their attention, they had only just noticed this now.

Bakura was also cunning. He waited until the situation was unfavorable to him and he was planning to escape before formally revealing this. Furthermore, he only deliberately left arrogant harsh words as he fled the Royal Palace to draw Hayato and Dark Yugi's attention. The moment he stepped out of the Royal Palace, he immediately fell silent and ran away discreetly. Even Hayato, who rushed out of the Royal Palace right after Bakura, couldn't find his figure.

"I was originally planning that if I could defeat Bakura here, there might be a possibility of ending this Dark Game once and for all, but he still managed to escape." Watching Dark Yugi walk out behind him, Hayato said with a solemn expression, "If we could ignore the commotion happening now and continue the pursuit, there might still be a possibility of catching that guy Bakura. However..."

"Even knowing this is a world from memory, I don't think we can leave the people unattended." Dark Yugi looked at the black smoke in the distance and made a difficult choice. "Even without the memories of the past, I believe I still have the necessary responsibility as Pharaoh to protect my subjects."

"Therefore, Mahad, Seto, Lord Aknadin, Isis, Shada, Karim, Simon!"

"Pharaoh!" Hearing Dark Yugi's words, the seven priests who also saw the scene outside the Royal Palace bowed down, awaiting their Pharaoh's instructions.

"Take all the power you can mobilize and immediately go to the places where the commotion is occurring to protect the people." Dark Yugi didn't know what his personality was like three thousand years ago or how he usually did things, but he couldn't worry about that anymore. "Act with the resolve to defend the Pharaoh, and you must act quickly. Now, all of you, move out."

"Yes!"

There were eight places around the Royal Palace where black smoke was rising. After assigning seven priests, including Simon, Dark Yugi said, "Then, the remaining one will be left to me. As for Hayato, I ask you to go and chase Bakura."

"Quite the Pharaoh's authority, Yugi." Hayato nodded. "Leave Bakura to me. Without further ado, I'll set off now."

Saying this, Hayato raised his hand. Starlight shone down and converged above his head into the [Drytron Alpha Thuban] that had appeared once before. Hayato's raised hand just happened to grab onto a point of leverage on its body, and he was lifted up by the ascending [Drytron Alpha Thuban], leaving the Royal Palace.

Watching Hayato fly away, Dark Yugi, who was very reassured by him, didn't waste time. He was about to set off to quell the chaos within the City-State, but just then, Priest Isis inquired of Dark Yugi, "Pharaoh, I wish to know, who is that young man?"

"His name is Hayato, uh, Hayato Kobayashi. He is my friend, a friend I can completely trust, and his strength is very great. Don't worry." Glancing at Priest Isis, who looked very much like Ishizu, Dark Yugi didn't have any gossipy thoughts. After a brief introduction of Hayato, he was about to set off to save the people.

On the other hand, Simon, quite interested, leaned over to Isis's side and asked her, "Are you very interested in that child, Isis?"

In Simon's mind, a grand emotional drama had already been quickly imagined in a short time.

However, Isis shattered Simon's illusion with just one sentence: "No, Lord Shimon, it's just that the young man took my Duel Arena, so I must know his name."

"Before today, I had never seen this young man's figure in the City. Having been by the Pharaoh's side since childhood, I also never knew the Pharaoh was acquainted with that young man," Mahad, who was walking beside them, said seriously upon hearing Simon and Isis discussing Hayato. "Although I trust the Pharaoh, I still feel that young man is quite suspicious."

"Heh, is that the evaluation you've made with your professional quality as a priest responsible for the City's defense work?"

Initially, Simon had only spoken to Isis out of gossip. Mahad sharing his idea with the two caused Seto to join in as well. "Someone as derelict as you, repeatedly making mistakes, I suppose your evaluation isn't very credible. On the contrary, I believe that anyone who can help us, help the Pharaoh, regardless of their origin, has value in being utilized."

"Even if just looking at that young man makes me feel he is a self-interested person who would sacrifice others without hesitation to protect what is important to him, I believe we can, as the Pharaoh said, place enough trust in him."

After Seto finished speaking, he wanted to see how Mahad would debate with him. However, after telling Simon and Isis his opinion, Mahad hadn't really listened to him at all and had gone straight to follow the Pharaoh, who was walking faster, leaving Seto somewhat angry.

"How dare he disregard me like this, that bastard Mahad!" Clenching his fist, Seto also silently quickened his pace. The scene from the Great Hall just now suddenly came to his mind.

The powerful spirit that the combined efforts of the priests couldn't contend with was repelled by the team-up of that young man and the Pharaoh. Although Seto's words just now were partly intended to stand on the opposite side of Mahad, they were also his true inner thoughts. As someone who admired power, he truly believed Hayato could be trusted and thought highly of him.

However, besides that, Seto also hadn't forgotten the shameful appearance of being in a sorry state under the spirit's power, he who prided himself as the true Strongest Priest but had no opportunity to prove his talent. This was actually a considerable blow to the arrogant Seto, because it meant Seto was not actually the Strongest Priest as he thought himself to be.

'A spirit that can contend with the power of a Divine-Beast, huh? That means as long as I defeat the opponent, it will be enough to prove that I am the Strongest Priest, but the premise is that I must obtain great power comparable to a Divine-Beast.'

Recalling the Blue Giant Divine-Beast's attack just now, Seto narrowed his eyes. '[Obelisk the Tormentor], is that the name of the Divine-Beast? Although it is a high and mighty Divine-Beast, since that young man can also summon a spirit almost comparable to a Divine-Beast, it proves that although Divine-Beasts are powerful, there are still spirits that possess ability close to a Divine-Beast. I am not without opportunity to obtain similarly great power!'

"Seto..." Someone reached out and patted Seto's shoulder, bringing back his attention. Releasing his clenched palm, Seto looked back and turned to face the opponent, "Lord Aknadin?"

"I can see that you seem to be struggling with the loss just now." Although he didn't use the [Millennium Eye] on his left eye to read Seto's inner thoughts, Aknadin easily guessed Seto's feelings and tried to console him. "Don't take it too much to heart. Although it's just a rough intuition, I believe that Grave Robber is fundamentally not human."

"Did you see that with the [Millennium Eye], Lord Aknadin?"

Aknadin nodded: "Ah, I saw the Grave Robber's inner darkness, if what I saw was indeed his inner thoughts. Compared to a human, that guy is practically composed of pure malice and resentment. Just these are enough to maintain his form."

"You have reached the ultimate that an ordinary human can achieve, Seto. Your combat power just now, even Mahad, whom others praise as the Strongest Priest, his [Illusion Magician]'s performance was far inferior to your stone tablet monsters."

Seto heard Aknadin say he had done well enough, but the unwillingness in his heart didn't lessen even slightly. Instead, a stronger competitiveness arose.

"But Lord Aknadin, that young man, and the Pharaoh are not---"

"I don't know about that young man, Seto, but the Pharaoh is special. The Pharaoh, as the Divine-Beast's representative on the Surface World, cannot be compared to ordinary humans." Aknadin interrupted Seto's words, looked at Dark Yugi who was some distance away, and sighed, thinking of something in his heart.

Hearing Aknadin's words, Seto gritted his teeth: "Is that so? Humans have a limit? No matter how many spirits from sinners' hearts are collected and sealed into tablets, the power obtained cannot compare to the Divine-Beast controlled by the Pharaoh?"

"In that case..." Hiding the rest of his words in his heart, Seto slightly bowed to Aknadin, thanking him for his consolation, and walked forward. A dark idea that startled even himself surfaced in his heart.

---If the power of the spirit nurtured in the heart of a heinous sinner is insufficient, then what if a group of sinners combine the power of the spirits in their hearts?

Furthermore, spirits are born from the human heart, so is it possible that besides sinners, ordinary people also have the possibility of nurturing spirits in their hearts?

However, as soon as this idea emerged, Seto himself rejected it. Although he pursued power, he felt that the cost of obtaining power must never break through his bottom line. If power could only be obtained at the cost of harming the weaklings who should be protected by him, a priest in a high position, he would disdain to use such power.

Watching Seto walk away quickly, Aknadin sighed again. Having read Seto's inner thoughts with the power of the [Millennium Eye], he was both surprised by Seto's pursuit and obsession with power and proud of the pride in Seto's heart. However, a similar feeling of unwillingness also surfaced in Aknadin's heart.

'Humans have a limit, and the Pharaoh cannot be discussed in the same way as humans. But, Seto, you should have had the opportunity too. You originally also had the possibility...'

"All spirits, when attacked and damaged, will feel pain and fear, thus affecting their combat power and revealing flaws." Hayato's face showed a solemn expression. "But, [Diabound] doesn't have that feeling!"

"Nobody said that, except for you, the guy who talks to oneself! Don't just make things up randomly, Hayato Kobayashi!"

With the help of the white snake on [Diabound]'s lower body, Bakura's body was thrown out, dodging the [Drytron Meteonis Draconids]'s attack. Only [Diabound] was left to wail as it was hit by the [Drytron Meteonis Draconids]'s attack.

Although it had managed to obtain power comparable to [Drytron Meteonis Draconids] before, [Diabound]'s power was merely "transforming" rather than "increasing". It could only be on par with [Drytron Meteonis Draconids] but couldn't surpass it.

If Hayato only had [Drytron Meteonis Draconids] to use, Bakura wouldn't have needed to escape while leaving harsh words. But beside the [Drytron Meteonis Draconids] at this moment, there was another [Drytron Meteonis Dracodes] present!

"Boom!"

The [Drytron Meteonis Dracodes]'s attack fell. The already injured [Diabound] actively met the attack to protect Bakura from being hit. Its body exploded and was directly broken through. Even though [Diabound] could be reborn an infinite number of times, Bakura was still inevitably affected by its destruction. He stumbled and almost fell to the ground, allowing Hayato behind him to close the distance.

Not daring to linger, Bakura continued to run forward, and once again summoned the [Diabound] that had just died once behind him, trying his best to delay Hayato.

Because Hayato's pursuit was quite timely, it only took him a little time to successfully find Bakura's figure escaping from the Royal Palace. After discovering Hayato heading straight towards him, Bakura, hiding in the Alleyway, didn't hold onto any false hope and immediately started to escape. Because of the two [Drytron] monsters Hayato summoned, he had no choice but to similarly summon [Diabound], starting the current chase battle.

'No, at this rate, that Kid will catch up soon. I have to find a way to shake him off!'

Watching [Diabound] delay him for just over ten seconds before being broken through again, Bakura was extremely anxious in his heart.

At the very beginning, it could delay him for nearly a minute, allowing him to almost shake off Hayato, but after only a few times, Hayato's two [Drytron] monsters had mastered the method of breaking through [Diabound]. The efficiency of the massacre was getting higher and higher. [Diabound] facing those two monsters was simply like a dead pork facing the machine processing pork on the assembly line in a meat processing plant; it had fundamentally no ability to fight back!

It was at this moment that the sharp-eyed Bakura suddenly saw in the distance a Little Girl walking on the street holding two bottles of beer, looking over with a bit of curiosity about what commotion was happening here.

'Got it! You're the one!' An inspiration surged into Bakura's heart. He summoned [Diabound] again, but this time Bakura didn't abandon it. Instead, he controlled the white snake on its lower body to go straight towards the Little Girl in the distance, shouting, "You forced me to do this, Hayato Kobayashi! Look over there!"

"If you take another step towards me, don't blame me for laying a hand on that Little Girl over there! You don't want Innocent People to be injured because of your action, do you!"

Looking at the young girl grabbed by Bakura's [Diabound], Hayato frowned: "This is truly a bad, terrible result. Why are you here, Nefertari?"

"Huh? Didn't Meriamun ask me to help you find two bottles of beer?" The young girl held Hostage by [Diabound] had her body wrapped by the white snake and couldn't move, but she seemed not to have understood the current situation, tilting her head and looking at Hayato.

The Ascension celebration is today, considering whether to update more, but the refreshing leave request is tempting me to slack off.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 723: You're Such a Baby!

He was just a hair's breadth away from defeating Bakura and, in Hayato's view, securing victory in this Dark Game. Yet, Bakura unexpectedly managed to find a Hostage on the street and seize them.

Even if it were any other ordinary person, Hayato might have gritted his teeth and steeled himself, perhaps convincing himself with the reason, "The opponent is just an NPC in the Memory World," to ignore the Hostage and continue to attack Bakura.

But of all people, the one Bakura had taken Hostage was Nefertari, who had been by Hayato's side ever since he woke up in the Memory World. Subconsciously, Hayato resisted the possibility of her being harmed. Looking at Bakura, he also stopped in his tracks.

And when Bakura heard that Hayato actually knew the Little Girl he had grabbed at random, he raised an eyebrow, grinned, and said, "Seems like my luck is actually better than I thought. I was originally thinking that if I just grabbed a random person, a guy like you, Hayato, might ignore the Hostage and continue to attack me. I was already preparing to keep escaping."

"As it turns out, she's someone you know in this era? I'm really lucky, hehe."

Smiling, Bakura pulled out a small knife from his person, his expression twisted into something perverse. He leaned closer to Nefertari and continued speaking to Hayato, "Don't come any closer. This little knife of mine is coated with a potent poison that kills on contact with blood. If you don't want to see this Little Girl cut by my sharp blade, you're not allowed to take another step closer to me. Also, remove the Duel Arena from your wrist!"

Although he acted arrogant, Bakura's eye remained fixed on Hayato, not daring to look away for a moment. He worried that his demands might be too excessive, causing Hayato to wouldn't accept them and attack while shouting things like "Sacrifice yourself for the great cause."

However, what gave him a sense of peace of mind was that after a few seconds of silence, Hayato did not remove the Duel Arena, but also didn't directly refuse. Instead, he looked at Nefertari and said to Bakura, "You can forget about me removing the Duel Arena. I don't trust that you won't sneak attack me after I remove it and can't summon monsters."

Although he refused to remove the Duel Arena, Hayato did follow Bakura's demand and did not advance even a single step. At the same time, one of the two Drytron that were originally present disappeared, leaving only Drytron Meteonis Draconids guarding him. This made Bakura feel a slight sense of peace of mind.

At the same time, Bakura was also confused about something. This Hayato Kobayashi, although he didn't know how he did it, had somehow entered the Memory World with that identity. But logically, at that point in the Memory World's timeline, he shouldn't have known anyone. What was going on with this Little Girl?

Although there might be a slight deviation in when they entered the Memory World, Hayato, Dark Yugi, and Bakura should all have arrived around the same time. Did he get to know someone from this era in such a short time?

Forget it, that kind of thing doesn't matter. He doesn't have the habit of getting to the bottom of everything. As long as he can utilize this Little Girl to make Hayato Kobayashi hesitant and afraid to attack him, allowing himself to escape, that's enough.

"Hey, Hayato Kobayashi, let's make a deal. You let me leave here, and then I'll release this woman and return her to you unharmed. How about it? Isn't that fair? After all, you don't have a reason to kill me even if it means killing this woman, do you?"

Hearing Bakura's words, Hayato showed an indifferent expression. "No reason? I don't think so. If I defeat you, won't this Dark Game end? In that case, sacrificing one or two people isn't a problem."

"Heh, the way you stopped so decisively just now because this woman was taken Hostage by me doesn't quite match what you're saying." Bakura paused, seemed like he thought of something interesting. "And, killing me will end this Dark Game? Then you really are..."

With an expression that seemed to be holding back laughter, Bakura grinned and let out a few sinister chuckles, then continued, "Although it would be more beneficial for me not to say it, I really cannot resist the temptation of showing off and satisfying my vanity. So, I'll give you a little reminder, you who are completely ignorant of this ultimate Dark Game."

"You should know, right? Your current body isn't 'Hayato Kobayashi'. Just like The Other Yugi Three Thousand Years Ago was the Pharaoh, in this Dark Game, every Player has their own identity in the plot." Playing with the sharp blade, Bakura pointed to himself and said, "To enhance the sense of immersion, let me introduce myself now."

"Here, my name isn't Bakura Ryo, that high school student I chose Three Thousand Years Ago. It's Bakura, the Grave Robber who robbed the Pharaoh's tomb, Thief King Bakura. Don't call me by the name Bakura anymore."

After Bakura, no, Bakura finished speaking, regardless of whether Hayato understood his "kind" hint or whether he agreed to the deal he had proposed earlier, he retreated about ten meters while watching Hayato, accompanied by the Diabound beside him.

Hayato frowned and took a step forward. But just then, the Diabound, whose lower body white snake was still tightly binding Nefertari, swung its arm and violently smashed a nearby mansion, scattering stone and building wreckage everywhere, forming a line.

"Don't move, Hayato Kobayashi!" Bakura pressed the small knife back against Nefertari's neck and threatened Hayato sharply, "I told you, stand still and don't advance half a step. Don't think I won't harm this woman. Stand there obediently like a mouse caught on a sticky board and don't come any closer! Or do you not care if this woman gets hurt?"

Hearing Bakura's words, the Hostage Nefertari instead protested, "That's not true! Meriamun cares about me very much, even though he's a very shy person."

"Meriamun? Tsk, is that Hayato Kobayashi's name? As expected, it's that guy." Bakura glanced at Nefertari, who clearly had no sense of being a Hostage, and pouted. "Although I don't know where you got the idea that this guy is shy, the more he cares about you, the more advantageous it is for me."

Pointing at the line formed by the building wreckage, Bakura shouted to Hayato, who was standing still, "Until I've moved to a safe distance, you stay where you are and don't move. Don't cross that line, not even a single step. Otherwise, I'll kill this woman. Once I'm safe, I'll naturally let her go."

"You have no right to negotiate!"

Watching the distance between Bakura and himself gradually increase, Hayato felt helpless but could do nothing, only allowing the opponent to move away.

When the distance was sufficient, Bakura looked at Hayato, who had indeed stayed put obediently, and sneered, "That's quite unexpected. I thought you'd try some more schemes. You've become more obedient, Hayato. Is it because of this woman?"

Hayato didn't speak, just glared at Bakura.

"Don't look at me like that. Worried I'll go back on my word? Heh, I'm not you."

As he spoke, Bakura did indeed release Nefertari, pushing her away to create distance. But in the very next moment, the Diabound suddenly unleashed an attack on Nefertari, who had been pushed away by Bakura!

"Boom!"

The Drytron Meteonis Dracodes that Hayato had previously recalled had somehow crept up near Bakura and was set. Hayato had originally planned to have it sneak attack Bakura, but he didn't expect Bakura to attack Nefertari after releasing her. This forced Hayato to expose the existence of Drytron Meteonis Dracodes prematurely to take the attack from Diabound and shield Nefertari from the damage.

"Attacking Nefertari? Bakura, you're too despicable!"

"What gives you the right to say that, you guy who just tried to sneak attack me!" Bakura turned and desperately escaped, not forgetting to throw a threat at Hayato, "This is it for now, but don't think my offensive will end this easily. I will definitely return!"

Because he had deliberately created distance earlier, in just the blink of an eye, Bakura quickly escaped without a trace under the cover of Diabound, leaving Diabound to toughly take the attack of two monsters and be destroyed. Although it wailed quite miserably when attacked by the two Drytron, what did its pain matter to Hayato?

Seeing Nefertari return to his side unharmed, Hayato also breathed a sigh of relief. He said to the smiling Nefertari with annoyance, "You're too carefree, Nefertari. You just escaped danger, why are you smiling so happily?"

"Hehehe, because Meriamun, you looked so worried about me just now, when you saw I was almost attacked," Nefertari said with a smile.

Hayato rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Honestly, aren't you worried at all about being attacked and getting hurt?"

Nefertari thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, because Meriamun, you're here. I believe you can protect me well."

Looking at the naive Nefertari, who for some reason believed in him so much, Hayato really didn't know what to say. He could only reach out and take the bottle of beer she had been holding since just now.

"Give it here, this is the beer you saved for me, right?"

"Ta-da! This is high quality beer that I finally managed to find. That's why I came over here. Although I got caught by that guy with the sinister smile because of it, I successfully waited for my reunion with you, Meriamun."

Watching Hayato take the beer and twist open the bottle cap, Nefertari had an expectant expression. "How is it? How does beer taste? Is it good?"

"Uh, to be honest, it didn't quite live up to my expectations." Swallowing a mouthful of the beer he had been looking forward to for a long time, Hayato looked at the beer bottle in his hand with some distaste. "Although it does have a bit of an alcoholic taste, to be honest, it's fundamentally just fermented porridge. Super disappointing."

"That's why I advised you long ago, Meriamun. The reason the common people drink beer is because they have to drink it as a source of water. How could you possibly get used to drinking it? If you're going to drink, wine or other fruit wines would be more suitable."

While Hayato and Nefertari were talking, he also noticed that in the direction Bakura had left, a Priest on a horse was leading Soldiers towards a direction where black smoke was rising, likely to suppress the chaos caused by Bakura's Subordinate.

He hoped they had better luck and didn't run into Bakura face-to-face. Otherwise, even if Bakura was in a hurry to escape, it wasn't impossible for him to casually defeat a weaker Priest, considering he couldn't be defeated by the combined strength of the seven Priests and required Hayato and Dark Yugi to team up to defeat him.

And Bakura indeed had no interest in these ordinary Soldiers. His resentment and hatred were more concentrated on the Previous Pharaoh, Aknamkanon, and the Current Pharaoh, Dark Yugi.

For revenge, he could drag Innocent People into it as sacrifice without hesitation. But if it didn't have any influence on his revenge, he wasn't a madman who would attack everyone he saw.

Especially now, when he hadn't been away from Hayato for too long, Bakura knew that the reason Hayato wasn't continuing the pursuit was because he saw that pursuing him with his means of escape would just be wasted time.

But if he wasted time massacring the Soldiers he encountered, Bakura had no doubt that Hayato wouldn't miss this opportunity to launch a pursuit again.

Therefore, even while watching the well-trained Soldiers organized by the organization defeat his Subordinate, whom he had arranged to cause chaos and destroy the City in various places, one by one, Bakura had no intention of stopping. However, although he didn't harm the Soldiers, the Priest leading the Soldiers noticed him.

"He's on my side?" Aknadin saw Bakura's figure darting across the street and about to escape into the distance. He quickly moved his legs, which were old but still had some strength left, to pursue and try to intercept him on his path. At the same time, a golden light shone from his Millennium Eye on his left eye.

"Before in the Great Hall, I didn't use this power to keep a low profile. I'll take this opportunity and use my Millennium Eye to control your mind!"

The eyes are a projection of the spirit. Aknadin, who had held the Millennium Eye for decades, was different from the younger Priests who had only inherited their respective Millennium Items from the previous Priests for a few years at most. His development of the Millennium Eye's power was actually quite deep already.

Not limited to the original ability to display the appearance of the Spirit within one's inner thoughts, Aknadin had expanded upon this ability, developing a terrifying ability to read inner thoughts, influence others' thoughts, and even imprint his own thoughts into others' minds, which was almost mind control.

But the moment Aknadin imprinted his will into Bakura's mind, who seemed completely defenseless, his thought suddenly plunged into a darkness. That darkness even surged back through the power of the Millennium Eye and entered Aknadin's mind. Spitting up blood, Aknadin rolled his eyes and fell to the ground.

Absorbing the will in his brain, Bakura instead gained Aknadin's memory. He looked at him with interest. "How interesting, this guy is actually... This ambition that isn't for himself but grows in the darkness, perhaps it can be utilized."

"However, not now." Glancing back and seeing that Hayato hadn't pursued him, Bakura's footsteps didn't stop for a moment as he escaped the City-State, passing Aknadin, mounting the camel he had hidden beforehand, and fleeing into the sandstorm.

It seems like there's an update today, update early, Happy National Day everyone, except for Numeron Player (lol).

End of Chapter

# Chapter 724: Mahad, You're So Gentle

"That is the situation, Pharaoh." The lights lit within the Royal Palace dispelled the night. Mahad and the Priests knelt before Dark Yugi's Throne. "The attackers in the City were the Subordinates of that Grave Robber—Bakura, who was previously arrested for the crime of 'robbing the Pharaoh's tomb'—and they have now all been annihilated."

"From the attackers, we found traces of Dark Power. It was by relying on this power that they evaded the guards' searches and brought weapons into the Royal City undetected, causing a commotion."

Perhaps to compensate for his previous negligence, when all the Priests were ordered to go to various parts of the City to rescue citizens and quell the chaos, Mahad not only completed Dark Yugi's order to defeat the attackers causing the chaos, but also took the opportunity to conduct interrogations. From Bakura's, or rather, the Tomb Robber's Subordinates, he learned exactly how they managed to infiltrate the Royal City.

Because today was the day of the new Pharaoh's ascension, although the Royal City had lifted the usual transit restrictions, allowing people to come to the Royal Palace which was previously almost impossible to approach without detailed inspections, this was only limited to within the City. The inspection checkpoints at the various entrances to the City were not only not lax at all, but Mahad had dispatched more manpower to strengthen vigilance.

But despite all their planning, Mahad couldn't prevent Bakura from giving supernatural power to his Subordinates to use. This power allowed Bakura's Subordinates to hide their weapons in their shadows, successfully deceiving the Guards and enabling them to cause such a large commotion within the City.

"Hmph, are you trying to shirk responsibility by using the excuse that the opponent's power exceeded your ability, Priest Mahad?"

Seto looked at Mahad and said, somewhat unconvinced, thinking to himself how sly Mahad was. Why hadn't he thought of interrogating those attackers to collect information while quelling the chaos? Damn it, Mahad!

However, Mahad didn't take Seto's provocation-like tone to heart. He just lowered his head and continued speaking to Dark Yugi on the Throne: "That is not the case. Before the Pharaoh punishes this Subordinate's negligence, I would like to first request that the Pharaoh consider the safety of the Soldiers and dispatch more Guards."

"It's not your fault, Mahad. Bakura's ability indeed exceeded the scope you could handle. I have no plan to blame you." Looking at the serious Mahad, Dark Yugi on the Throne comforted him and actively changed the topic. "So, what are the losses?"

"Quite a few people had their houses burned down and were attacked by that Grave Robber's Subordinates during the commotion. However, because the rescue was timely, no one was severely injured or died. For a small portion of victims with more severe injuries, I have already arranged for physicians to care for them."

It wasn't Mahad answering Dark Yugi's question, but Seto, who was also bowing before the Throne as he reported. After a slight pause, Seto turned his head and looked towards the empty position between them, the Priests. "However, the most severely injured wasn't the people, but rather, Lord Aknadin, who clashed with the fleeing Grave Robber Bakura for that instant."

"Regarding Lord Aknadin's situation, a preliminary diagnosis has been completed through the combination of the physicians in the Royal Palace and the power of the two Millennium Items that Priest Karim and I possess—the Millennium Key and the Millennium Scale," Shada, who stood with Karim and didn't speak much among the seven Priests, continued after Seto.

"It seems the Dark Power on that Tomb Robber exceeded the power Lord Aknadin plus the Millennium Eye could exert by at least nine or ten times, which resulted in Lord Aknadin suffering a backlash when attempting to use the power of the Millennium Eye. He was attacked by the power of his own Millennium Eye, which is why he fell into his current comatose state."

Hearing Shada's words, Seto, who was quite concerned about the situation of Aknadin, who was somewhat like a teacher to him, asked, "How long will it take for Lord Aknadin to wake up?"

Karim, holding the Millennium Scale, shook his head and said, "On that point, neither the physicians nor we are clear. Fundamentally, the power of the Millennium Items are not powerful items that ordinary people can control. We also don't know to what extent Lord Aknadin has trained the power of the Millennium Eye. In a short time, there isn't a high probability that Lord Aknadin will recover consciousness. Even if he wakes up, he might have to recuperate on a hospital bed for a long time before he can recover."

"Is that so?" Seto took a deep breath and didn't continue speaking. Since childhood, without his father's companionship by his side, Seto somewhat regarded Aknadin, who guided his growth like a teacher, as a father figure. Regarding the calamity Aknadin was currently encountering, his inner thoughts were quite distressed.

"Priest Aknadin he can get through this calamity. I believe that." Shimon, who was also a Priest who once served together under the Previous Pharaoh Aknamkanon, although also worried about the safety of his only remaining old friend, still comforted everyone, "What we should do is not grieve for his experience, but rather do what is within our power and not waste the sacrifice he made."

"Priest Shimon is right. It's not yet time for us to grieve, because Priest Aknadin will wake up. We should hold this trust and hope." Dark Yugi glanced at the Priests who, under Shimon's encouragement, had lifted their spirits once again before their aura had fallen low, and nodded slightly. He continued to inquire, using official business to redirect the Priests' attention. "So, what is the situation regarding Bakura?"

"I am truly sorry, Pharaoh. We have already deployed forces over a large area, but we are still unable to ascertain the whereabouts of the Grave Robber Bakura," Priest Isis answered Dark Yugi. "The Army stationed in the Streets of the City Outskirts, the Desert, the Valley, etc., have formed a Perimeter around the Royal City. Currently, we have not yet discovered the whereabouts of Bakura who escaped from the Royal City."

"As long as the opponent is a living person with a physical form, it is absolutely impossible for them to cross this cordon without being discovered. However, the power of Diabound that that Tomb Robber possesses is also not something ordinary Soldiers can handle," Mahad analyzed with a calm expression, but beneath that calm expression, the tone as he spoke held an unwillingness that was hard to conceal.

"Although it is shameful, I must admit, except for Your Majesty the Pharaoh who possesses the power of a legendary God, and the young man named Hayato, even our Priest Set with our combined strength are not his match."

"I took the liberty of issuing the order to the Soldiers to 'prioritize preserving their life points and focus on discovering the opponent's whereabouts as the main goal'."

Even if Mahad didn't continue speaking, Dark Yugi also guessed what he would do next—again requesting punishment from him for this initiative. He quickly said, "You did very well, Priest Mahad. Compared to letting the Soldiers make unnecessary sacrifices, the information about Bakura that those who survived brought back is more valuable."

"After a day, I am already very tired. Let's stop here today. Everyone, go back and rest well. Tomorrow, let's continue our effort."

Although he wasn't actually very tired—after all, except for being busy for a long time in the afternoon because of Bakura's matters, fighting and leading soldiers to deal with Bakura's Subordinates in the City, Dark Yugi himself basically just rode a horse and sat on the Throne. Besides consuming some energy, he didn't expend much effort. The reason he said this was also to let the Priests go back and rest.

Furthermore, he also learned more detailed information about the Duel Arena from Shimon. Just like the later Duel Monsters, the Duel Arena, besides being able to summon stone tablet monsters, also had many aspects that had similar rules. For example, although you could summon multiple monsters in one go, the maximum number was five, unless you could summon a spirit from your inner thoughts outside of the Duel Arena like Bakura did before, only then could you have a sixth monster.

Also, in the later Duel Monsters game, Duelists had the concept of "Life Points". On the Duel Arena, there was also an existence named "Soul". Although it doesn't directly represent people's souls, this "Soul" is basically linked to the life and death of the Duel Arena User.

In Duel Monsters, when a Duelist's Life Points are reduced to zero, except for certain special circumstances, it basically means the duel has determined the victory or defeat. Whereas if a Duel Arena User's "Soul" is completely consumed, then that User can lose their life and die.

Therefore, Shimon had specifically reminded Dark Yugi that even if he might fall into danger due to losing combat power, directly removing the Duel Arena when his "Soul" is very low is better than continuing to wear it and wait for his "Soul" to reach zero.

And in today's battle, besides Aknadin who is currently in a comatose state, Seto, Mahad, and Isis, who blocked one attack for everyone, were the ones whose "Soul" was consumed the most. However, luckily, this "Soul" thing, although similar to Life Points, the difference is that it can be restored through good rest as time passes. This is why Dark Yugi specifically let the Priests go back and rest at this moment.

If they don't rest properly to restore their "Soul", it's like going to fight the final boss with low HP, without buffs, without repairing equipment, and without bringing supplies. If they have to battle when they need to and are still having low "Soul", that would be bad.

The Priests also saw Dark Yugi's true intention hidden beneath his words. After paying their respects to him, they each exited the Royal Palace's Great Hall and dispersed. However, before dispersing, Isis, using the reason of "going to retrieve her Duel Arena", asked Karim and Shada, the two who had met Hayato before, and learned its whereabouts.

And after the Priests left, Dark Yugi didn't go back to rest either. Instead, he stood up from the gold Throne, confirmed once that no one was around, and then very ungracefully rubbed his neck, lower back, and buttocks, looking with a look of disgust at the Throne which, in the eyes of others, was perhaps full of temptation, authority and dignity, and a symbol of power.

"Who exactly thought of using gold to make chairs, and made them so straight without even a trace of a curve? Sitting on it is cold and hard, extremely uncomfortable." Having gotten used to sitting on various ergonomically designed chairs and more comfortable sofas in modern times, Dark Yugi was completely unaccustomed to this Throne of his. If it weren't for the fact that he also didn't understand much about design, he was even thinking about whether or not to call craftsmen over tomorrow to carve out some curves so he could sit a little more comfortably.

Especially since today Dark Yugi, besides sitting on the Throne and putting on the Pharaoh's authority and dignity, also rode a horse. Riding a fast horse without a saddle was simply a torment to his lower body, especially his crotch and buttocks. Even Yugi, whose body subconsciously knew how to ride a horse, still inevitably suffered this kind of torment.

Although the account he gave for letting the Priests go back included the meaning of letting them go back to rest and restore their "Soul", on the other hand, Dark Yugi truly didn't want to continue sitting on the Throne. He wasn't some kind of Emperor whose buttocks were stuck to a gold toilet. Even if he got up and stood, or walked around in this Royal Palace which was quite unfamiliar to him, it was better than continuing to sit.

Thinking this, Dark Yugi moved his arms, which were somewhat fatigued because of the heavy gold ornaments on his body, and walked towards the outside of the Great Hall. But just as he walked out of the Palace, he saw a certain young girl whose back was facing him, being scolded by Priest Mahad, who had left the Royal Palace earlier, with a serious expression.

"Mahad?"

Mahad noticed the voice when Dark Yugi spoke his name, turned his head and looked towards Dark Yugi. Upon realizing it was the Pharaoh, he showed a confused expression. "Pharaoh? Why are you taking the Passage leaving the Royal Palace?"

*I'll tell you it's because I don't know the way so I chose one of the passages you all walked through, do you believe that?*

Muttering in his inner thoughts, Dark Yugi thought of a good reason. "So many things have happened today. I want to go and see the people's situation outside the Royal Palace again."

"Your Majesty, you have just been attacked by an Assassin. You should be more cautious. At least, you absolutely must not leave the Royal Palace alone."

Dark Yugi thought about it and it was indeed true. He smiled slightly and said to Mahad, "You're absolutely right. It's my fault. I will be more careful."

Dark Yugi himself felt there was nothing wrong with acknowledging a mistake, but Mahad, hearing his words, quickly apologized, "No! Pharaoh, this Subordinate absolutely did not intend to lecture Your Majesty, it's just that—"

"Oh dear, what do you mean 'just'? Since just now I've felt that the feeling when Master speaks is extremely awkward." At this moment, that young girl standing in front of Mahad turned around, interrupted Mahad's words, and with an overly familiar appearance, moved close to Dark Yugi's side and hugged his arm. A soft touch came from it.

"What exactly are you doing? There isn't anyone else by the Prince's side, why are you acting so affected? You can totally go back to feeling like before and talk to the Prince, you know?"

"Hey, I'm right, aren't I, Prince?" While saying this, the young girl also moved her face extremely close to Dark Yugi, playfully blinking her bright eyes and acting cute.

"That's too rude, Mana!" However, Mahad reached out and grabbed the young girl named Mana, pulled her clothes, and pulled her away from Dark Yugi's side. "How can you be so reckless? Quickly leave the Pharaoh's side!"

After pulling Mana away, Mahad continued speaking, "Also, he's not the Prince, he is the Pharaoh. Towards the Pharaoh, you must maintain reverence! Also, Mana, I wasn't finished speaking just now! You actually used magic control on the Guards to secretly run into the Royal Palace? Don't you know that doing that will weaken the defense? Today the Pharaoh almost got injured because of the Assassin's attack!"

"Eh? The Prince almost got injured!?" Mana hearing this showed a panic expression, immediately bent down and moved away from Mahad trying to block her arm, and again rubbed against Dark Yugi's side, using an action that was more like taking advantage compared to checking, reaching towards Dark Yugi's abs that weren't completely blocked by his clothes. "Let me quickly check the Prince's development, ah, no, if he's injured!"

Even Dark Yugi, facing the overly enthusiastic young girl, still inevitably had his cheeks flushed. Thanks to Mahad dragging the young girl away again. *Did you protect the Pharaoh's virginity, Mahad? You are so gentle, simply the gentlest in the world.*

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 725: This is Disrespect

After saving Nefertari, Hayato didn't return to the Royal Palace with the two priests, Shada and Karim, who arrived later to carry Aknadin away. For one, while the two priests were loyal to the Pharaoh, they were quite wary of Hayato, this newcomer. Hayato knew that if he went back to the Royal Palace to find Yugi, he'd likely have to keep facing those looks, and he had no interest in being uncomfortable.

Also, although Nefertari seemed carefree, Hayato thought that since she had just escaped danger, it would be better for her to go home and rest.

"Going home or something..."

Along the way, Nefertari was hesitant and wouldn't walk ahead. It was a good thing Hayato had specifically memorized the route from the Royal Palace to what was likely his home when he went out today; otherwise, he might have gotten lost. When they arrived at Hayato's, or rather, "Meriamun's" house, Nefertari suddenly had an idea.

"Oh, right, Meriamun, you haven't eaten much today, have you? I can't go home right now, I have to make you something to eat."

Saying this, Nefertari's hesitant expression from before vanished. She skillfully opened Hayato's door and walked in.

Hayato wanted to tell Nefertari that he'd actually eaten quite a bit of decent food when he got lost near the Kitchen in the Royal Palace. Aside from the bread that made him want to Rant, everything else suited his taste, and he was quite full. However, seeing the young girl's lively and cheerful appearance, Hayato just let her have her way.

Even though it was Hayato's home, Hayato was far less familiar with the environment than Nefertari. Having sweated a lot throughout the day, he still needed the young girl's guidance to find the washroom with his change of clothes.

Although the general impression of Egypt in the world seems to be mostly desert, and it's true that a considerable area of Egypt is desert, people aren't foolish. They wouldn't be so silly as to not use an oasis they could rely on and instead insist on venturing into the desert.

Relying on the existence of the Nile River, the Ancient Egyptian people actually had no shortage of water to use. What's more, due to the Nile River's occasional flooding and receding, some historians even described the life of the Ancient Egyptians like this: "After the flooding Nile River recedes, the farmland near the riverbanks fundamentally doesn't need irrigation. You just need to scatter the seeds and then drive pigs to trample in the muddy ground, and you can wait for the harvest next year."

Although there might be some exaggeration, this description is based on real history. It is also because of this that the Ancient Egyptians, who did not suffer from famine, had so much energy to build various magnificent buildings. After all, if your stomach isn't even full, who would be interested in building something like a Pyramid?

However, it's not entirely true to say that the Ancient Egyptians built Pyramids, Sphinxes, and other buildings purely out of boredom to vent their energy after eating their fill. Actually, many Pharaohs built various buildings more to promote their great achievements and illustrious Authority/Dignity, and some Pharaohs even built them frantically out of interest.

For example, one of the most famous Pharaohs in all of Ancient Egypt, a Pharaoh whose lifespan was among the best even when the scope is expanded to the entire world, Ramesses II.

Speaking of which, he remembered being invited by Ishizu to accompany Yugi to the Egyptian Artifact Traveling Exhibition Hall in Domino City to see the Stone Tablet of Memories, which was still there at the time. He also happened to see the Mummy of Ramesses II, which was also on display.

However, although the era of that Pharaoh was quite close to the time the Memory World is currently in, there was still a gap of several decades. When the Nameless Pharaoh ascended the throne, that Pharaoh hadn't even been born yet.

Submerging his body in a wooden barrel filled with water, Hayato's thoughts wandered as he examined the Duel Arena he'd picked up... well, found in the Royal Palace.

The appearance of the Duel Arena was very similar to the Golden Duel Disk he had seen among the Tomb Keepers before, with hardly any gap. It could basically be confirmed that the later Duel Disk evolved from this Duel Arena. He wondered where Kaiba got the inspiration from and if he paid anyone a copyright fee.

Unlike Dark Yugi, who received special guidance on how to use the Duel Arena from Priest Shimon, Hayato had only learned a little operation by observing Mahad and Bakura's battle before, and being able to summon Drytron was entirely due to luck and intuition.

Although Ritual Monsters were supposed to require a special Ritual Summon to descent, it seems like, as Hayato had explained to Bakura before, the change in time caused the Starry Sky to shift position. The power of the Cyber Dragon Constellation was stronger than it would be three thousand years later. Although not as strong as a thousand years prior, this power also allowed Drytron to bypass the ritual's restriction and be summoned directly.

As for the specific principle, Hayato didn't know much. It was probably that the change in the position of the celestial body made the power easier to transmit to Earth, no longer requiring a ritual to boost it or something. As for Duel Monsters, there's no need to understand everything so clearly.

However, although it was free from the ritual's restriction, Drytron's own power didn't change much. It still maintained the same skill level as three thousand years later, which translates to stats of 4000 ATK/DEF, the same as Obelisk the Tormentor. Although it could be considered quite powerful, it was still somewhat insufficient if the opponent was Bakura's Diabound.

Although the plot of the Millennium World arc was somewhat vague due to the long passage of time and he couldn't remember it clearly, Hayato still remembered that the monster Diabound did indeed have the ability to grow infinitely, just as Bakura said. Each time it was defeated by a new powerful monster, it would become stronger.

So, even though Dark Yugi and Hayato had managed to team up and force Bakura and Diabound into a retreat before, and Hayato alone could even use two Drytron of comparable power to force Bakura into nothing but fleeing for his life, if Diabound were to gain even a slight bit of growth, the situation would instead reverse, leaving Hayato and Dark Yugi with no way to deal with Diabound.

At most, they could use the remaining two of the Three Egyptian Gods, Osiris and Ra, to defeat Diabound at most twice. But that would instead become a catalyzer to boost its power and make it stronger. After that, they would be completely helpless against Diabound.

Therefore, Hayato felt that even if it was just a little bit, he had to find a way to awaken more spirits to assist in battle, such as Uru, which might have a miraculous effect.

However, Hayato was only able to awaken the Drytron spirit before because the Cyber Dragon Constellation in the Starry Sky was still shining even three thousand years ago. Crossing three thousand years ago, many card spirits had fundamentally not even been born yet, let alone been awakened. As for the Earthbound Immortals card, Hayato had accidentally obtained it in the Virtual World created by KaibaCorp before.

Although the Earthbound Immortals have existed for as long as five thousand years, in the present of three thousand years ago, Uru should still be slumbering on the Nazca Plain in South America along with the other Earthbound Immortals. That's a long way from Egypt, where Hayato is currently located, so he fundamentally couldn't count on it waking up on its own to respond to Hayato.

Hayato even felt that perhaps the world map in the Memory World only consisted of Egypt. The Americas hadn't even been discovered three thousand years ago, so it was fundamentally impossible for them to exist in a Pharaoh's memory.

"Ah, this is really troublesome. If only someone could help me awaken card spirits," Hayato said dramatically, glancing at the phantom that had gathered in the Room, refracted as starlight through the existence of the Duel Arena. "What kind of cool spirit could possess such powerful power?"

"Although I don't understand humans very well, Contractor, are you making a request to Us?"

The aggregate of starlight that had gathered and taken form—Drytron Alpha Thuban, whose appearance was much smaller and more compact than its normal size, only the size of Hayato's palm—spoke up, floating in the air in front of Hayato, supported by dots of stardust. "Are you requesting Us to provide power to the other existences around you that have not yet awakened?"

"The contract between Us and you is an existence that even time cannot wear and tear. There is no need for such a thing. Our existence alone is enough. None of the other existences around you will be Our opponent."

Although Drytron Alpha Thuban didn't speak out loud, it transmitted its thought directly into Hayato's head via telepathy, and even made Hayato feel its proud breath.

"I understand the principle, but little dragon, you don't want to have to appear every time you encounter some Small Fry in the future, right?"

Ignoring Drytron Alpha Thuban's resistant appearance, Hayato grabbed it in his hand and began to rub it. His fingers slid over its wings, tail, and other parts, feeling the unique coolness of the metal material and the rich engraved detail on its surface. As someone who used to be a model enthusiast, Hayato had long wanted a Drytron model to play with.

"Ugh! Let, let Us go, Contractor!"

"Our joints are getting wet!"

Drytron Alpha Thuban, which had always maintained a large size, never expected Hayato to be interested in its miniature version. It struggled with considerable resistance, but in its current state, it fundamentally couldn't resist Hayato's playing. After being played with for a while, Drytron Alpha Thuban pleaded, "We, We understand. According to the contract, We will help you, Contractor, awaken other cards!"

Afraid that Hayato would continue to play with it, Drytron Alpha Thuban quickly flew up the moment Hayato stopped moving. It shot a beam of starlight at Hayato, which entered the Duel Arena beside the wooden barrel. Through it, the starlight was converted to provide power to Hayato's card spirits, while it itself turned around and disappeared without a trace.

"Huh? He just got away like that?" Looking at the remaining dots of stardust beside the wooden barrel, Hayato said with some regret, "I was thinking of doing a 'Yoshi Yoshi Yoshi Yoshi' for the first time in a while. Forget it, there'll be a chance sooner or later. Let's see what Drytron Alpha Thuban did first."

Standing up from the wooden barrel, Hayato's abdominal muscles emerged from the water. His muscular yet well-proportioned stats made it hard for Hayato to believe even now that this boy named "Meriamun" was really only eight years old. After drying himself off, Hayato picked up the Duel Arena placed nearby and put it on.

A familiar power came from the Duel Arena. A laser beam shot out from a yellow energy bar on the Duel Arena, rapidly printing a card in mid-air like laser engraving!

Reaching out his hand, Hayato took the card. He flipped it over and saw a familiar existence.

It was none other than The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode!

This was simply an unexpected surprise. Hayato had not included the Three Egyptian Gods, which he had lent to Yugi before and which were responsible for protecting the Pharaoh in this era, in the list of spirits that could possibly be awakened. He never expected that under the power of Drytron, Ra would return to his side.

Although, it wasn't in the normal form of The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Ying ying ying~" For some reason, although The Winged Dragon of Ra always had a rather aloof and dignified appearance in front of others, every time it appeared in front of Hayato, it cried out as if it was trying to be cute, purely a crying monster.

Hayato was quite happy to see The Winged Dragon of Ra, but at the same time, he was also a little disappointed. While The Winged Dragon of Ra was strong, it was one of the battle power that already existed. Fundamentally, it made little difference whether it was with Yugi or with Hayato; the card spirit awakening felt like nothing.

"Ying?" The Winged Dragon of Ra called out with some confusion. Although Hayato didn't say it explicitly, it also felt the slight disappointment in Hayato's heart. After a brief pondering, it called out again, and the card lit up with light. "Ying ying ying ying ying ying, ying ying ying (Everyone look at me, I have an announcement)!"

Following The Winged Dragon of Ra's call, Hayato looked at the card again. Golden light entered Hayato's eye. Hayato remembered that he seemed to have seen such light before, perhaps before the finals of Battle City.

The light dispersed, but the one The Winged Dragon of Ra card that Hayato had in his hand instantly increased to three. In addition to The Winged Dragon of Ra and The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode, there was also an extra card printed with an undying bird engulfed in blazing fire, which was the third form of The Winged Dragon of Ra that Hayato knew—The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix!

Not only that, the moment Hayato assembled all three forms of The Winged Dragon of Ra, a beam of light shot out from Hayato's hand and extended towards the sky. The light beam manifested in the night sky, suddenly dispersing a large portion of the dark clouds in the sky, revealing a section of a golden four-sided pyramid!

"Is that... an inverted Pyramid?" Looking out the window, Hayato said to himself with some surprise.

Meanwhile, far away in the Royal Palace, Dark Yugi also noticed the huge golden four-sided pyramid in the sky. With years of contact, he was more familiar with what it was than Hayato. "Why, the Millennium Puzzle...?!"

Dark Yugi had lived in the Millennium Puzzle for so many years, so he naturally wouldn't mistake it. Because its volume was magnified so many times, Dark Yugi was able to see the engraved detail on it clearly from the Royal Palace on the Ground from a long distance. Comparing it with the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck at that moment, he was even more confirmed that it was absolutely the Millennium Puzzle.

But what was going on? How could there be a second Millennium Puzzle hanging in the air?

Mana, who was beside Dark Yugi, looked at Yugi's puzzled and confused expression and asked with some confusion, "What's wrong, Prince?"

"Mana, how many times have I told you, this is disrespect to the Pharaoh!"

"Oh, you're too rigid, Master!" Mana quipped at Mahad, then asked Dark Yugi again, "Prince, the expression on your face is like someone living in the Desert who can only survive on an Oasis suddenly seeing the Nile River. You look so confused and shocked. What's wrong?"

Hearing Mana's words, Dark Yugi couldn't help but look at her and Mahad and say, "Confused or something, can't you see it there, Mahad, Mana? Right there in the Sky, the Millennium Puzzle is extending from the cloud layer."

"Huh?" Hearing this, Mana looked in the direction Dark Yugi was pointing, but in her eye, she could only see the sky where the starlight was obscured by sparse clouds. She couldn't see anything else at all. "But Prince, there's nothing there at all."

"It is the same for me. I could not see the sight of the Millennium Puzzle appearing in the air that you spoke of, Pharaoh," Mahad said, indicating that he, like Mana, couldn't see anything.

This made Yugi feel a little strange. Could it be that he was seeing the legendary "Mirage"? That didn't seem right either. Although Dark Yugi had heard that mirages could appear late at night, the conditions in Ancient Egypt clearly didn't fit the possibility. Besides, Dark Yugi had repeatedly confirmed it several times and hadn't found any flaw in the Millennium Puzzle in the Sky.

He believed that he shouldn't have been mistaken. In that case, perhaps he should change his approach. It wasn't that only he was mistaken; rather, only he, who came from the Outside World and did not belong to the Memory World, saw correctly. He saw the true sky that people in the Memory World like Mahad and Mana could not see.

Specifically, perhaps he could go find Hayato tomorrow to verify it. Anyway, he should have plenty of time in this Memory World, and because of the attack by Bakura—oh, he's called Bakura now—'s Subordinate today, he also had a very sufficient reason to leave the Royal Palace.

After all, the people suffered heavy losses due to the attack by the dynasty's enemy. As the Pharaoh, it was no problem at all for Dark Yugi to leave the Royal Palace to visit the people in various places and check on their situation. Incidentally, he could also launch a pursuit of Bakura.

Although the current Dark Yugi didn't have a clear goal of what he was supposed to do in this Memory World, and he didn't know why his past self three thousand years ago lost the "name" that was highly valued by the Ancient Egyptians and became the Nameless Pharaoh, he at least knew one thing: defeating Bakura was the right thing to do.

"Perhaps I was mistaken. It's nothing, Mahad, Mana." Suppressing the plan in his heart, Dark Yugi said casually. Then, as if remembering something, he asked Mana, "Oh right, Mana, did you and Mahad know me before I ascended as Pharaoh?"

"Hmm? Why are you asking that, Prince? Master and I have always been your playmates. We've been by your side since childhood, so of course we know you."

Mana paused, then leaned closer to Dark Yugi and said, "We practiced martial arts and learned magic together, and Master was very strict with you back then, not just me. If you did something wrong, he would swing his stick and hit you, shouting that this is what a true magician is like. Have you forgotten these things, Prince?"

Looking at Mahad and Mana in front of him, the figures of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl appeared before his eye and overlapped with the two of them.

No, no, it must be an illusion. Although this was not Reality but the Memory World, Mana and Mahad in front of him were also living humans. How could they turn into card spirits?

Immediately, Dark Yugi denied his conjecture. But when he came back to his senses, he found that Mana's face was very close to his, and she was staring at him with bright big eyes, having just come back to his senses.

"That's too strange, Prince. We've only been apart for less than a day, but why do I feel like you've become a completely different person? It's so strange!"

There was nothing Dark Yugi could do about Mana getting closer and closer, and he couldn't say that he actually had no memory of three thousand years ago. Fortunately, at this moment, Mahad spoke up, "This is disrespect, Mana! The Prince is already the Pharaoh. He bears the responsibility not just for himself, but for all the subjects of the entire country. You cannot treat him with the same attitude as before!"

Unexpectedly, upon hearing Mahad's reprimand, Mana smiled slyly and said playfully, "Hehe, Master, you just said 'Prince', right?"

"Uh..." Mahad was speechless upon hearing this. He hadn't expected that he would accidentally, subconsciously, use the old title for the Pharaoh. This was disrespect! For a moment, he didn't know what stance he should take to continue lecturing Mana.

But Mahad didn't continue to scold Mana. Seeing Dark Yugi's relieved expression, Mana felt a little disappointed, because she knew that Mahad was actually right. The Prince who was her Childhood Friend had, upon ascending as Pharaoh, taken on a heavy mission and could no longer be treated as before.

"Prince, are you bothered by my title for you?"

Mana, who had misunderstood Dark Yugi's expression, took a deep breath and apologized, "Sorry, now, I should call you Pharaoh, right...?"

Yes, the dignified and great Pharaoh, the Pharaoh who cannot be angered or disobeyed, the agent of God on Earth, and the Pharaoh for whom she could only bury her feelings deep in her heart and could not convey them...

Thinking of this, Mana's mood couldn't help but become a little low. Dark Yugi noticed Mana's expression, was stunned for a moment, and then smiled at her and said, "No, it's alright, Mana. From now on, you can continue to call me Prince."

"Huh? Really!" Hearing Dark Yugi's words, Mana showed a disbelief expression, and then happily hugged Dark Yugi again, even wrapping her legs around Dark Yugi's body. "Oh oh oh! My mood right now has soared tenfold!"

"Get off the Pharaoh, Mana! This is disrespect!"

"No way, I got the exclusive title of Prince, Master! You're purely jealous of me, right? I've always wanted to see that jealous expression on your face, hahahaha!"