NOVEL WEB Chapter 289: Chapter 289
"Truly worthy of being the exalted deity, capable of turning the Duel King into one of her subordinates!" Rafael's tone brimmed with reverence as he knelt, his speculation confirmed.
Valon chimed in, "With the exalted deity now descended and allied with the Duel King, there's no need to fear even the Legendary Dragons."
"Duel King, huh…" Hearing that title used to address her, Hoshino was almost certain she had returned to her original timeline. Only in this timeline did she retain her title as the Duel King—she had never dueled Yugi in the Battle City Finals.
"But what's this Legendary Dragon?" Hoshino asked aloud.
It was clear that even the "deity" had no idea what the so-called Legendary Dragon was, but given her current role as the omniscient, omnipotent Orichalcos deity, asking too many questions might expose the act.
"The Legendary Dragons are cards possessed by the chosen duelists—Yugi Muto, Seto Kaiba, and Jonouchi Katsuya. When awakened, these dragons can unleash the latent power within their cards, a force capable of rivaling even the power of Orichalcos," Rafael explained honestly, treating Hoshino as a true ally under the deity's immense pressure.
"Well, they're all familiar names," Hoshino mused. "Yugi and Kaiba aside, even Jonouchi. It seems that the Jonouchi of this timeline is slowly rising to the ranks of the future world's top duelists."
"So, the God Cards—did you defeat Yugi to claim them?" Hoshino pressed on. Setting aside the unknown power of the Legendary Dragons for now, she needed to confirm how they had managed to seize the God Cards. If Yugi, even with the God Cards, had lost to these three, then the power of Orichalcos was indeed formidable.
"No, we followed Lord Dartz's prophecy and took them from that old man, Sugoroku Muto," Valon replied smugly.
"That's outright robbery!" Hoshino exclaimed inwardly. "To steal something as priceless as the God Cards... this could've been reported to the authorities!" She was surprised, though, to learn that they hadn't dueled Yugi to claim the cards. Whether it was clever or reckless remained to be seen.
Their intelligence was evident in using force to seize the God Cards—a move both devious and effective for villains. After all, dueling to claim rare cards only to end up losing everything was the hallmark of foolish villains.
Recklessness, on the other hand, lay in blatantly violating the unspoken rules of the duel-centered world. Villains who broke these rules often met even worse fates than those who simply lost duels.
At least this confirmed that they hadn't defeated Yugi despite his God Cards. This realization relieved Hoshino, though she did feel an urge to challenge these three with her newfound strength and settle things quickly.
"Ahem, my loyal followers!" The mature deity feigned a cough, seemingly sensing Hoshino's battle-lust, and intervened to calm her.
Casting a glance at the unconscious Dartz at her feet, she declared, "Take Dartz, who has exhausted himself summoning me, to rest. Afterward, you shall join Hoshino to defeat the chosen duelists as soon as possible."
How could she lie so naturally about Dartz being drained from the summoning when he'd been knocked out by the motorbike? The tire mark on his face was a dead giveaway!
"Yes, exalted deity of Orichalcos!" The three Doma duelists agreed in unison. As the oppressive black flames dissipated with the deity's apparent disappearance, only Hoshino and the unconscious Dartz remained before the ritual platform.
Hoshino understood the deity's reasoning. This was enemy headquarters; acting recklessly without sufficient information was dangerous. Even though the summoning ritual had been interrupted, any deity summoned by sacrificing the power of the God Cards would be no trivial opponent.
Fortunately, the trio misunderstood the situation, and with Dartz incapacitated, it was a good time to infiltrate their ranks. When they brought her to Yugi, Kaiba, and Jonouchi, she could defect at the right moment and turn the tables.
"Sorry, I'm actually an undercover agent!" Thinking this, Hoshino couldn't help but find the situation amusing and somewhat cool—a strange excitement at the prospect.
"Phew, finally gone," Alister muttered in relief, daring to exhale now that the oppressive black flames and deity had vanished.
Valon stretched out his leg, stiff from kneeling too long. "That's the deity from ten thousand years ago? What a terrifying presence. But to think the deity would appear as such a stunning and elegant woman—it kind of explains the people's faith back then."
"Stop saying such things," Rafael warned, ever the strict and disciplined one. "The exalted deity may have merely concealed her true form and might still be present."
"She hasn't left at all~" Hoshino chuckled to herself. The so-called disappearance was simply the deity returning to her Duel Monsters card.
Ignoring Rafael's warning, Valon, noticing Hoshino's smirk, curiously approached. "So you're really the Duel King? You're even cuter in person than the rumors say. Honestly, you don't look like such a strong duelist."
Valon's laid-back attitude matched his punkish outfit, complete with motorbike goggles.
"Hah! Interested in cute duelists, are you, Valon? You were like this with Mai Valentine, too," Alister sneered.
"Mai Valentine?!" Hearing that name here startled Hoshino.
Valon, however, suddenly turned serious. "Mai is different. She's like me. I've already decided to protect her."
"Oh, that's why you recklessly broke the Seal of Orichalcos during her duel against Jonouchi, just to stop the match," Rafael rebuked.
"What's this Seal of Orichalcos you're talking about?" Although curious about Mai's situation, Hoshino prioritized gathering intel.
Valon was shocked. "What? The exalted deity didn't grant you the power of Orichalcos? The Seal of Orichalcos is a field card that not only powers up your monsters but also traps the souls of defeated duelists as offerings to the exalted deity."
"A field card that boosts monsters while sealing souls? Isn't that basically Malefic World but with a soul-stealing bonus?! Why do all you villains have such similar aesthetics?" Hoshino muttered in exasperation.
Based on the information gleaned from the trio, the term "Doma Three Swordsmen" refers to Doma, an organization under Daz's command. It is a secretive group that has shaped human history for over 10,000 years.
Even major historical events—such as the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the Industrial Revolution, the Italian Renaissance, and Napoleon's unification of Europe—were orchestrated behind the scenes by Doma. Their influence spans the entire globe, extending even to law enforcement and military forces.
If what the trio said is true, then Doma is likely the most powerful force in the world. With such overwhelming strength, they could easily rule it outright. Not even Kaiba's immense wealth would be enough to challenge them.
The evidence supports this: Paradius, established in Doma's name, is the largest and most powerful global enterprise. It possesses immense wealth, comparable to the reserves of the entire United States. Their influence is so vast that they can blackmail world leaders and manipulate global stock markets. Through economic control, they even acquired 51% of KaibaCorp's shares from Seto Kaiba.
"I feel like I just stumbled upon some earth-shattering secret..." Knowing nothing would have been easier. Now fully aware, Hoshino couldn't help but feel a chill of fear.
If she betrayed an organization this powerful—one with such deep global influence—uttering the words, "Sorry, I'm a spy," could mean spending the rest of her life being hunted down.
Alister rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Should we change our name now? Since we've added a new member, one personally chosen by the god."
Prompted by Alister's remark, Valon clapped his hands as if realizing something. "So, we're the Doma Four Swordsmen now! Sounds good!"
"No matter the title, adding strength is always a good thing," Rafael remarked as he finished securing the unconscious Daz. "At the very least, it gives us a strong backup in case we lose another duel to the Legendary Dragons."
Alister's face suddenly darkened. "Rafael, what do you mean by that? Are you implying I lost to Kaiba?"
"I'm just stating the facts," Rafael replied bluntly, unfazed by Alister's reaction. "You didn't defeat Seto Kaiba, even after using the Orichalcos Barrier, did you?"
(***)
[Alister VS Seto Kaiba]
[Seto Kaiba LP: 700]
[Alister LP: 1500]
"Kaiba, all the monsters you rely on have been destroyed under the Seal of Orichalcos! And my monsters each have at least 2000 ATK!"
[The Seal Of Orichalcos Effect: ①: The attack power of the monsters on your field increases by 500. ②: Your own magic/trap card area can also be used as a monster area. ③: If there are cards in your monster area, monsters in the magic/trap area cannot be targeted for attack. ④: This card will not be destroyed.]
Thanks to the field's effect, Alister had filled his field with seven monsters, including tokens. The overwhelming numbers pushed Kaiba, with an empty field, into a dire situation.
"You claim to have no ties to Gozaburo Kaiba's war profiteering? The food you ate, the clothes you wore, even the cards you wield—aren't they all tainted by blood money?"
"I've said before—I'll bear the sins of Gozaburo. But that doesn't mean I'll lose to you!"
Kaiba drew a card, his eyes locking onto an unfamiliar Dragon card in his hand.
"How is this card in my deck? What were those hallucinations I just saw? And why do I instinctively know its name and how to use it?"
"Still clinging to reason, Kaiba? Within the Seal of Orichalcos, duelists who lose have their souls sealed! Repent for your bloodstained sins!"
Kaiba's grip tightened around the card. His hesitation vanished as his determination solidified.
"A sealed soul? Do you think such nonsense could shake me? The unexplainable is merely what science hasn't uncovered yet!"
He raised the card high.
"Let me show you my new power—[The Fang of Critias]!"
The Dragon card featuring Critias bore no description, only its image.
"The Legendary Dragons awaken the true power of Duel Monster cards!" Kaiba declared, placing Fang of Critias on the field and flipping his only Set card—Crush Card Virus.
"Using Fang of Critias' effect, I fuse it with my Trap Card, Crush Card Virus! Witness the true form of the Legendary Dragon—[Doom Virus Dragon]!"
The materialized Critias combined with the virus. The colossal dragon twisted and fused with the trap, morphing into a new, menacing shape.
[Doom Virus Dragon★★★★(Level 4)][DARK] [Dragon/Fusion/Effect][ATK 1900/DEF 1500]
[Must be Special Summoned with "The Fang of Critias", using "Crush Card Virus".]
"Doom Virus Dragon's effect activates! When this card is Special Summoned, all monsters on your field, in your hand, and drawn in the next three turns with 1500+ ATK are destroyed! Your field is clear, Alister!"
The virus, unleashed from the dragon's body, wiped out all seven of Alister's high-ATK monsters, even those empowered by Orichalcos. The power of the Legendary Dragon had turned the tide of the duel in an instant.
"It's over! Attack directly, Doom Virus Dragon—Plague Burst!"
"Not yet! Quick-Play Spell, activate—[Contagion of Madness]!"
[Contagion of Madness Quick-Play Spell Effect: Activate only when an opponent's monster declares a direct attack. Inflict damage to your opponent equal to half that monster's ATK at the same time you take Battle Damage.]
The plague erupted from the dragon's attack, its infection spreading uncontrollably—even breaking through the Orichalcos Barrier itself.
[Alister LP: 1500 → 0]
[Seto Kaiba LP: 700 → 0]
(***)
"A draw doesn't count as a loss!" Alister snapped indignantly. Already harboring deep resentment toward Kaiba, being mocked for failing to win with the Seal only stoked his anger further.
From Alister's account, Hoshino pieced together several key facts:
First If a duel ends in a draw, neither duelist's soul is sealed by the Seal Of Orichalcos.
Second.....Legendary Dragons are absurdly overpowered, capable of fusing with any card! These things are even more broken than the Egyptian God Cards!
(*****)
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