"The Pharaoh is inscribed on the tablet..." After hearing Ishizu's explanation, Yugi muttered to himself, noticing that the Millennium Puzzle on his chest had started to glow brightly.
"That image of the Pharaoh!" Kaiba exclaimed, his eyes widening as he followed Ishizu's pointing.
"Is it referring to me?" The spirit of the Pharaoh, after switching bodies with Yugi, looked puzzled but seemed to be beginning to understand something.
"O Pharaoh, I have been waiting for you." Ishizu, bowing respectfully, greeted the Pharaoh with a formal bow. "The nameless Pharaoh who has lost his memories!"
At this moment, Hoshino finally understood why Ishizu had been staring intently at Yugi from the start. It turned out that the other Yugi, hidden within the Millennium Puzzle, was the Pharaoh.
"But the Pharaoh engraved on this tablet... his hairstyle is identical to Yugi's." Hoshino examined the tablet closely. Art from a thousand years ago was usually very abstract.
Take the Slifer the Sky Dragon tablet they had seen earlier—Hoshino greatly admired Pegasus's imagination for being able to depict such a detailed monster from the simple carvings.
Similarly, the tablet representing the Pharaoh was just as abstract. While the figure didn't have many distinctive facial features, the star-shaped hairstyle was so iconic that Hoshino thought she could recognize it even in ashes.
"And the monster engraved above the Pharaoh—could it be the Dark Magician?" Hoshino asked as she inspected the tablet further, noticing another familiar shape. "It looks kind of cute~"
If the tablet did depict the Dark Magician, it would make sense, as it was Yugi's ace card.
"Look at the other side of the Dark Magician!" Kaiba suddenly exclaimed, excited.
"You were the one who didn't want to come here in the first place, and now you're all into it?" Hoshino looked at the haughty Kaiba with disdain.
"That's the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba said, pointing at the tablet.
"That's supposed to be a Blue-Eyes White Dragon? How could you even tell..." Hoshino sighed, feeling tired from constantly making remarks. Commenting on everything was exhausting, after all.
From the Sky Dragon to this Blue-Eyes White Dragon, all the abstract depictions on the tablet were somehow instantly recognized by Kaiba. Hoshino figured that Kaiba must have some connection with these tablets.
"Yes, it depicts the fateful duel between the Pharaoh wielding the Dark Magician and the priest wielding the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. This sacred event is inscribed on the tablet." Facing Kaiba and the Pharaoh (Yami Yugi), Ishizu spoke slowly, "Don't you think this destined confrontation mirrors the current situation perfectly?"
She was referring to the duel between Kaiba and Yugi.
"The priest wielding the Blue-Eyes White Dragon... and the Pharaoh... their fateful duel..." Kaiba, clutching his head, seemed to be struggling to accept this revelation.
"Seto Kaiba, now do you understand why you can wield a God Card?" Ishizu pressed, attempting to make Kaiba face the reality before him.
"It's just a coincidence! I believe in science above all else, and there is no explanation for such unscientific matters!" However, Ishizu had underestimated Kaiba's stubborn and unwavering belief in science. Even when confronted with such evidence, he forcefully denied it.
"I came here solely to learn the whereabouts of the remaining two God Cards, not to hear your stories!" Kaiba, frustrated, reiterated his purpose and urged Ishizu to get to the point. "If you only lured me here with tales of the God Cards, then I'm leaving."
"Are you planning to run away, Seto Kaiba?"
"..." Kaiba didn't respond, turning to leave.
"Rare Hunters! They have stolen Slifer the Sky Dragon and The Winged Dragon of Ra from Egypt!" Ishizu, perhaps realizing this was her last chance to stop the stubborn Kaiba, revealed the truth in hopes of keeping him there. "Their leader, Marik Ishtar, the wielder of the Millennium Rod..."
"Ishtar?! That's the same last name as yours, Ishizu..." Hoshino, half-gaping, seemed hesitant to continue.
"Yes, Marik, the leader of the Rare Hunters, is my younger brother." Ishizu sighed deeply. It was clear she carried a heavy burden.
"So I ask you to reclaim the God Cards and save my brother, who has lost his way. And, nameless Pharaoh, the God Cards are also essential to restoring your lost memories."
"But if the God Cards are in the hands of Rare Hunters, how are we supposed to find them?" The Pharaoh, frowning, seemed increasingly concerned about his lost memories after learning more about his identity.
"As for how to retrieve the God Cards..." Once again, Ishizu turned her gaze to Kaiba.
"Hmph, Rare Hunters, huh? Interesting. If rare cards are their target, then we'll use rare cards and the God Cards to bait them into coming to us!" Kaiba, who had initially been about to leave, seemed to have achieved his goal upon hearing the truth from Ishizu.
"Hoshino, do you remember the Duel Disk we tested at noon? Well, the Duel Disk has been upgraded!"
"Upgraded? And in just a short time?!" Hoshino, incredulous, marveled at Kaiba's extraordinary genius. No wonder someone like him held such faith in science—it wasn't without reason.
"That's right, the perfect Duel Disk! It no longer relies on an internal computer to process data. Instead, it transmits data to a satellite equipped with supercomputers owned by Kaiba Corp!" With a dramatic flourish, Kaiba spun around, lifting his coat for no reason. "The data processed by the supercomputers is transmitted back, allowing even duels between gods to be perfectly simulated!"
"So... what does this have to do with retrieving the God Cards?" Hoshino tilted her head, watching Kaiba with curiosity.
"With the Duel Disk's portability, I'll turn the entire city of Domino into a battlefield for Duel Monsters!"
"Ohhhh!" Even though Hoshino didn't understand what Kaiba was saying, she couldn't help but feel that it sounded impressive.
"And most importantly, the duels will follow the ante rule—where the loser must hand over the rarest card in their deck to the winner." Kaiba continued explaining.
"This rule!" The Pharaoh suddenly realized something.
"That's right. This rule will be irresistible to the Rare Hunters. Marik, the God Cardholder, will take the bait and deliver the God Cards right into my hands!" Kaiba, with his plan perfectly laid out, wore a look of confidence.
"This citywide tournament, the largest in dueling history, will turn all of Domino into a dueling arena! I shall name it... Battle City!"
"It's truly a genius idea, this plan is flawless!"
Hearing Hoshino's unabashed praise, Kaiba, who intended to turn the entire city into a battleground, accepted the compliment. How could any duelist refuse such an exciting tournament?
"My ultimate goal is still only the three Egyptian God Cards." With a satisfied expression, Kaiba pointed to Yugi.
"Listen carefully, Yugi! It doesn't matter if you're a Pharaoh or whatever, or what ancient promises you carry! I want to defeat you based on my own current will. I will put an end to the conflict between us at this Battle City!"
"Kaiba, I eagerly await our duel!" Yugi's Duelist spirit was just as ignited, strongly responding to Kaiba's challenge.
Standing nearby, watching the two stare each other down, Hoshino smiled like a proud father.
"So this is what it feels like to have fated rivals. Not bad~"
Though Hoshino wasn't a fangirl, she didn't dislike the idea of fated enemies who pushed each other to grow.
Finding a rival like this, who is both a companion and an enemy, would truly be a highlight in one's life.
"Both of you, do your best!" Without realizing it, Hoshino found herself cheering them on.
"What are you talking about, Hoshino? You can't just take a bystander's attitude like this." Yugi turned and smiled slightly.
"This Battle City is also my battle for revenge against you. Don't think that just because you won in Duelist Kingdom you can rest easy!"
"Hoshino, as the Duel King, I won't allow you not to participate in Battle City!" Kaiba also turned his gaze to Hoshino with a hint of a threat in his voice.
"Or are you afraid you'll lose to me and forfeit your Heroic Spirit cards?"
"You sure talk big, Kaiba. Don't forget, I destroyed your God Cards. Our record is one win each, it's time to settle this once and for all!"
"It was one win and one draw."
Oh, right, I already have a companion who is both a rival and a friend. Even though I'm in another world, the bond formed through duels is undeniably real.
"You guys are truly reliable. With the three of you here, even though the Millennium Necklace cannot foresee the future clearly, I feel a great sense of relief." Ishizu gently touched her necklace, her exquisite face softening into a smile.
"Hmph, enough idle chatter. I need to return and work with Mokuba on the specifics of Battle City. You two better prepare for the battle while I'm busy!"
"We should head home for dinner too, right, Yugi?"
"Yeah, we shouldn't keep Grandpa waiting too long. Thank you, Ishizu, for telling me all of this today..." Yugi, eyes filled with determination, took one last look at the tablet with his engraved image. "I will retrieve my lost memories!"
"Let's go~"
However, just as Hoshino was about to leave the underground chamber where the tablet was stored, her deck pouch suddenly felt like it had been struck by electricity, and her cards scattered everywhere.
"Oops, that was careless of me," Hoshino mumbled as she crouched to pick up the cards. "Did I bump into something?"
Ishizu, who had initially planned to help, suddenly tensed up. "This feeling... it's a God Card!"
"Why—why do you have a God Card on you, Hoshino?"
"Huh? A God Card?" Kaiba, who had already reached the steps and was about to leave, immediately turned back upon hearing the term. "The stolen God Cards from Egypt... could they be in your possession?"
"Hoshino, have you had any contact with the Rare Hunters?" Ishizu scanned Hoshino with a sharp gaze. Hoshino, crouching and looking dumbfounded, seemed caught off guard.
"Huh? A God Card? Contact with the Rare Hunters?" Completely confused, Hoshino was momentarily at a loss for words. "But I don't have any God Cards..."
"Hoshino, could it be that card?" Seeing Hoshino in a panic, Yugi suddenly realized.
"The Evil God Card!"
"Evil God Card?!" Both Ishizu and Kaiba frowned upon hearing the term.
"The Evil God Card... could it really be in your hands, Hoshino?" Realizing Hoshino had no connection to the Rare Hunters, the sharp look in Ishizu's eyes immediately disappeared, as if it had never been there.
"Is there a legend about the Evil God Card too?" After gathering the scattered cards, Hoshino pulled out the one she had received from Devlin earlier that afternoon.
[The Wicked Dreadroot]
"Hoshino, where did you get that card?" Kaiba stared intently at the stats of the Evil God, which rivaled those of Obelisk, asking anxiously, his eyes filled with two emotions: curiosity and jealousy.
"It's just..." Holding the Evil God Card, Hoshino recounted the encounter with Devlin to Kaiba and Ishizu.
"How could such a fortunate thing happen to you!" Kaiba's tone implied his disbelief that something like this hadn't happened to him instead.
"Cards imbued with divine power are drawn to those with a fated connection." Now understanding that Hoshino possessed an Evil God Card, Ishizu seemed to grasp the situation.
"In that instant, I felt the gods' fear. That's likely why the residual energy from the tablet attacked your deck."
"Even gods feel fear? Could Devlin's words be true?" Yugi murmured, deep in thought.
("This is the Evil God Card that can suppress the God Cards!")
"There are many versions of the legend of the Evil God Cards, but no one has ever seen an actual one. Even the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, which sealed the God Cards, has never come across one." Ishizu, recalling the relevant information about the Evil God Cards, slowly explained it to the group.
"That's why the Evil God Cards have always been considered something akin to an urban legend. No one knows whether they truly exist."
"You said 'they'?" Hoshino, holding the Evil God Card, quickly caught the key point. "Does that mean there's more than one Evil God Card?"
"Yes, according to legend, there are three Evil God Cards, corresponding to the three God Cards."
"After creating the God Cards, Pegasus feared that their immense power might go out of control, so he created three Evil God Cards to suppress them."
"Of course, this is just one of many versions of the story," Ishizu added.
"The reason the Evil God Cards never appeared is that Pegasus realized in the end that using an even greater power to suppress another would only lead to a cycle of destruction. So it's said that the Evil God Cards were never completed."
"Unfinished cards, huh..." Hearing this, Hoshino started to feel a bit eerie about the card in her hand.
Why would an incomplete card appear in this world and ultimately end up in her possession?
Hoshino's intuition was once again telling her that things were heading in a troublesome direction.
(*****)
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