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Chapter 668: Epilogue
The existence of Organization Doma seemed indestructible, but in reality, it could be broken with a single poke. Without anyone noticing, Organization Doma extended its influence to all parts of the world, secretly weaving a net that enveloped the entire world.
However, the only one fixing this net at the other end was Dartz alone. Once Dartz died, Organization Doma would be disintegrated in an instant, but Dartz, who was connected to the Orichalcos God, happened to be an ageless and immortal existence.
If there were no accidents, Dartz would not die, so an accident happened.
As countless souls absorbed by the Orichalcos God returned to their rightful positions, people whose souls had been sealed and fallen into slumber due to Doma's actions exposed the matter without hesitation after waking up. Naturally, at first, it was merely regarded as the nonsensical ramblings of victims suffering from mental instability after the incident.
However, as evidence increased, the tide turned again. Waves of "denouncing Doma" appeared simultaneously across the world with remarkable coordination, determined to expose the people of Organization Doma. Naturally, there were also those who took advantage of the chaos to attack their opponents.
Of course, the matter caused a huge stir, but the final result was a lot of noise but little action. After a few insignificant minor characters were pushed out to take the blame and attract the attention of the people, the internet naturally lost its memory.
However, those in high positions weren't fools either. Having long known the truth of the hidden world, such as Card Spirits, they learned that powerful figures like Rafael and Valon, the Doma Three Swordsmen, were actually defeated head-on, and even the ageless and immortal, invincible Lord Dartz was eliminated along with them, his ashes scattered to who knows where.
Those people naturally severed ties with their former identity as Doma members and didn't dare to contact other companions whose identities had been somewhat exposed in this incident, fearing that the person who eliminated Dartz would use their connection to track them down and eliminate them as well.
Of course, these subsequent events didn't have much connection to Hayato, Yugi, and the others. After all, rather than uphold justice, they preferred to sit together dueling.
Oh, it wasn't completely without influence.
"Hayato, you wouldn't want others to know that you were once a Doma member, right?" Sitting across from Hayato, Joey Wheeler wore a grin, displaying a ridiculous expression.
"This Japanese Duelist, show-show-way." Hayato, however, was completely composed. He reached out and pointed to a card on his side of the table. "Instead of making such an ineffective threat against me, why don't you first think about how to deal with this Monster on my Field, Joey Wheeler?"
"Who told you that Monster was too unfair!"
Hearing Hayato's words, Joey Wheeler couldn't help but complain with a slumped face: "Not being destroyed by Effect is one thing, but as long as it's on the Field, both players can only Special Summon a Monster once per Turn. That Effect is way too unfair."
"Dealing with Mi is an important part of the Duelist's gaming experience, something you must try." Hayato picked up the **El Shaddoll Midrash** card from the table and said with a smile.
Its Effect seems simple, but when the player going first brings out **El Shaddoll Midrash**, nicknamed "Mi", it means that the player going second, unless they deal with Mi before their field setup, is limited to Special Summoning one Monster. And on top of that, Mi can ignore cards like **Raigeki**.
As for how frustrating the dueling experience is, Joey Wheeler has certainly experienced it deeply.
Stretching, Hayato let Joey Wheeler rack his brain trying to figure out how to deal with Mi with the three remaining cards in his Hand. Hayato stood up and looked towards the distant sky.
What nice weather. I should get some french fries later.
Just as Hayato was thinking this, the door of the Kame Game Store was pushed open. The bell hanging on the doorframe made a crisp "ding-dong" sound. Hayato turned his head and saw Tristan walking in, carrying a bag of milk tea.
"Hayato, I brought you milk tea." Tristan took out a cup of milk tea from the bag and handed it to Hayato. He then went behind the troubled Joey Wheeler and put his arm around his neck. "Yo, isn't this Lord Joey Wheeler, the top 4 player of Battle City and a super duelist? Got trapped by Hayato's card again?"
"You're so annoying, Tristan." Although he couldn't deal with Hayato's Mi, Joey Wheeler could get rid of the troublesome Tristan. To retaliate against this guy, Joey Wheeler took a cup of cold milk tea and pressed the cup against the back of Tristan's neck.
This duel to pass time naturally ended with Joey Wheeler activating his "Quick Victory" effect. Téa, who walked in behind Tristan, saw the two of them messing around in the store without considering the situation, affecting other customers, and stopped them. However, Grandpa Solomon, sitting behind the counter, chuckled and said it was fine.
As the game of Duel Monsters became increasingly popular worldwide, more and more card shops appeared in various cities. And Domino City, as the former host of the Battle City tournament, the residence of the current Duel King, and the location of KaibaCorp's headquarters, the top company in the Duel Monsters industry, naturally had even more card shops.
However, since everyone was going to buy cards anyway, most people chose the Kame Game Store. The main reason was that many duelists who were already considered "legendary" often frequented the place.
Mutou Yuugi, Katsuya Jounouchi, and Hayato could all be considered regulars. There was Rebecca, the former All-American Professional Duelist Champion who came to Japan with her Grandpa Solomon Muto to visit Yugi, and Kujaku Mai, the current All-American Champion who traveled the world but occasionally found excuses to visit Japan and have Joey Wheeler be her tour guide, and so on. Although Hayato and the others were very familiar with them, in the eyes of ordinary people, they were all incredible celebrities.
It's like a popular internet-famous store. People go to check in at internet-famous stores. Other places might have photos or signatures of celebrities at most, but at this one, the celebrities are sitting right at the table next to you, so business is naturally good.
However, although the card shop's business was genuinely booming, customers gradually became much more rational. When they met Hayato and the others, they would at most ask for a signature and wouldn't foolishly initiate a challenge.
Although the current Duel King, Hayato Kobayashi, was happy to duel with these "duel enthusiasts"—I mean, leeks who could provide DP Points—they fundamentally had no hope of victory, even if their opponent wouldn't be too serious. The period after Duelist Kingdom ended, when duelists frantically challenged Yugi and Hayato, did not reappear.
Of course, nothing is absolute. Among so many people in the world, there wasn't even a single fool who couldn't see themselves clearly. So, what was the need for Dartz to destroy the world?
Hayato held the cup of milk tea, said goodbye to Yugi and the others, and walked out of the Kame Game Store's gate. In the Open Space next to the card shop, used as a parking lot, a motorcycle was parked. It was borrowed from Marik. He was planning to go to KaibaCorp.
Glancing at the System Panel which displayed "Defeat 'Legendary Dragon' User 2/3", Hayato couldn't help but show a mischievous smile. He had previously defeated Yugi and Joey Wheeler, and he had also defeated Alister, Valon, and Rafael once during the Doma arc. Dartz was also personally eliminated by him.
To complete this quest, Kaiba would just have to suffer a beating. But anyway, that guy who gets the urge to duel anytime, anywhere, never resists. It was also perfect timing; he hadn't fully finished debugging the Shaddoll Deck he got after the previous quest settlement. He might as well use Kaiba as an opponent to try out this "Pure" Shaddoll Deck.
Thinking this, Hayato got on the motorcycle and rode away.
----Blessings to this world once again saved by dueling----
Prosperous San Francisco, even at night, the city remained bright and beautiful. The eternal lights illuminated, dispelling the darkness, like a city that never sleeps.
However, there are always places where light cannot reach, such as deserted alleys, or dark and empty sewers.
"Drip-drop----"
Water droplets dripping from the pipes splashed onto scales. A pitch-black long snake slowly crawled out of the water. After spitting out an undigestible foreign object from its stomach, it seemed to have used up all its full power, slumping motionlessly and sliding into the water, dispersing into a dark aura diluted by sewage.
What the strange snake spat out was a perfect sphere. It looked like a glass bead, and its copper-green color gives a sense of deja vu like a beer bottle.
A ray of light projected from within the sphere, shining onto the wall beside the Sewer, gradually forming a translucent figure. It was none other than Dartz, who should have died in the duel against Hayato?
"Cough, cough!" Where was the composed stance Dartz had as the leader of Doma at that time? Relying on the last bit of Dark Power he carved out before the connection with the Orichalcos God was severed, he luckily activated a contingency plan he had casually left behind hundreds or thousands of years ago.
However, the Dartz at this moment couldn't be considered "revived", because this was fundamentally just an independent consciousness he had separated at some unknown time. Although it inherited all the memory of the self that was killed by Hayato, and the idea was the same, Dartz himself had indeed died.
It was also because he inherited the memory of Dartz whose idea had changed in the last moment that the Dartz at this moment, although still alive, no longer had the idea of destroying the world in his heart.
Because, Hayato had taken the decision-making power over Human Destiny from Dartz's hand with that duel. A future of ruin might be waiting at the end of Human Destiny, but Human Destiny would be changed by humans themselves.
"Although I don't know what I should use my 'revived' life for," Dartz muttered to himself, leaning against the wall and barely getting up. "Let me, a soul who has experienced doomsday, become an observer of Human Civilization once again. I truly look forward to seeing what kind of future you will lead humanity's future towards, Hayato, my 'hero'..."
Looking at the Orichalcos Stone on the ground that carried his soul after being revived, which was slowly rolling away due to its appearance and the terrain, Dartz was about to go and pick it up.
But just then, a sound of footsteps echoed in the Sewer, which should have been empty, approaching Dartz's direction from the darkness.
A slender, fair hand picked up the Orichalcos Stone from the ground and held it. A White-Haired Youth with East Asian features appeared before Dartz, his expression one of intoxication. He took a deep breath towards the Orichalcos Stone in his hand: "Mmm~~ What incredibly sweet air. Is this the Human Darkness from that 'Orichalcos God'? It smells a bit too good, doesn't it?"
"It makes me a little jealous of Hayato. To think he could absorb so much Dark Power all by himself." The tips of his messy hair curled up in a rabbit-ear-like appearance. The youth's handsome face looked at the wary Dartz, revealing a ferocious smile. "However, how lucky I am to have caught a fish that slipped through the net. It wasn't in vain that I hid and kept watching the drama from beginning to end."
"Although I didn't wait for the right time to enter the field, with your power as a replenishment, perhaps it's enough for me to start an interesting game."
Dartz's line of sight didn't stay on the youth who had suddenly appeared before him, but looked towards the Darkness behind the youth. In the Darkness, which churned like boiling water, Dartz sensed an extremely familiar aura and couldn't help but widen his eyes: "You are! From three thousand years ago----"
"Shh~, I still want to keep a little mystery until the last, even if there isn't much left." The youth continued to smile. Besides the Orichalcos Stone he had just picked up, he now held a Millennium Eye in his hand. "Let me introduce myself. My name is currently Bakura Ryo."
"Furthermore, unlike you who only observed Hayato's uniqueness when you reached Pegasus's Castle, I've had my eye on Hayato from the very beginning. In other words, I was here first."
(Author's Note: Another little trick to avoid racking my brain for a title)
(Author's Note: Especially for epilogues, sometimes coming up with a title can take me nearly ten minutes.)
(Author's Note: Next, we'll be entering the Egypt Arc. It's expected that subscriptions will decrease due to the sharp drop in dueling screen time, but here's a preview: the plot will be heavily modified.)
(Author's Note: Also, I finally finished Xenoblade Chronicles 3 today. Rex really kept his word!)
(Author's Note: For those who played Xenoblade Chronicles 3, spoilers below;)
(Author's Note: Spoiler Alert;)
(Author's Note: minor spoilers;)
(Author's Note: Don't read further;)
(Author's Note: If you still read, then spoilers ahead;)
(Author's Note: (Unrelated tangent: Rex, the protagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, is one of the protagonists of the popular meme "I love Nia and everyone". At one point, people thought Nia was a 'defeated dog' who couldn't reach him. Then in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Nia also appears. She has a photo of the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 protagonist group after Rex became an adult. In it, Nia and the other two female protagonists, Pyra and Mythra, are all holding a child. A true life winner. Saying he loved everyone meant he married everyone together.))
(End of Chapter)
The existence of Organization Doma seemed indestructible, but in reality, it could be broken with a single poke. Without anyone noticing, Organization Doma extended its influence to all parts of the world, secretly weaving a net that enveloped the entire world.
However, the only one fixing this net at the other end was Dartz alone. Once Dartz died, Organization Doma would be disintegrated in an instant, but Dartz, who was connected to the Orichalcos God, happened to be an ageless and immortal existence.
If there were no accidents, Dartz would not die, so an accident happened.
As countless souls absorbed by the Orichalcos God returned to their rightful positions, people whose souls had been sealed and fallen into slumber due to Doma's actions exposed the matter without hesitation after waking up. Naturally, at first, it was merely regarded as the nonsensical ramblings of victims suffering from mental instability after the incident.
However, as evidence increased, the tide turned again. Waves of "denouncing Doma" appeared simultaneously across the world with remarkable coordination, determined to expose the people of Organization Doma. Naturally, there were also those who took advantage of the chaos to attack their opponents.
Of course, the matter caused a huge stir, but the final result was a lot of noise but little action. After a few insignificant minor characters were pushed out to take the blame and attract the attention of the people, the internet naturally lost its memory.
However, those in high positions weren't fools either. Having long known the truth of the hidden world, such as Card Spirits, they learned that powerful figures like Rafael and Valon, the Doma Three Swordsmen, were actually defeated head-on, and even the ageless and immortal, invincible Lord Dartz was eliminated along with them, his ashes scattered to who knows where.
Those people naturally severed ties with their former identity as Doma members and didn't dare to contact other companions whose identities had been somewhat exposed in this incident, fearing that the person who eliminated Dartz would use their connection to track them down and eliminate them as well.
Of course, these subsequent events didn't have much connection to Hayato, Yugi, and the others. After all, rather than uphold justice, they preferred to sit together dueling.
Oh, it wasn't completely without influence.
"Hayato, you wouldn't want others to know that you were once a Doma member, right?" Sitting across from Hayato, Joey Wheeler wore a grin, displaying a ridiculous expression.
"This Japanese Duelist, show-show-way." Hayato, however, was completely composed. He reached out and pointed to a card on his side of the table. "Instead of making such an ineffective threat against me, why don't you first think about how to deal with this Monster on my Field, Joey Wheeler?"
"Who told you that Monster was too unfair!"
Hearing Hayato's words, Joey Wheeler couldn't help but complain with a slumped face: "Not being destroyed by Effect is one thing, but as long as it's on the Field, both players can only Special Summon a Monster once per Turn. That Effect is way too unfair."
"Dealing with Mi is an important part of the Duelist's gaming experience, something you must try." Hayato picked up the **El Shaddoll Midrash** card from the table and said with a smile.
Its Effect seems simple, but when the player going first brings out **El Shaddoll Midrash**, nicknamed "Mi", it means that the player going second, unless they deal with Mi before their field setup, is limited to Special Summoning one Monster. And on top of that, Mi can ignore cards like **Raigeki**.
As for how frustrating the dueling experience is, Joey Wheeler has certainly experienced it deeply.
Stretching, Hayato let Joey Wheeler rack his brain trying to figure out how to deal with Mi with the three remaining cards in his Hand. Hayato stood up and looked towards the distant sky.
What nice weather. I should get some french fries later.
Just as Hayato was thinking this, the door of the Kame Game Store was pushed open. The bell hanging on the doorframe made a crisp "ding-dong" sound. Hayato turned his head and saw Tristan walking in, carrying a bag of milk tea.
"Hayato, I brought you milk tea." Tristan took out a cup of milk tea from the bag and handed it to Hayato. He then went behind the troubled Joey Wheeler and put his arm around his neck. "Yo, isn't this Lord Joey Wheeler, the top 4 player of Battle City and a super duelist? Got trapped by Hayato's card again?"
"You're so annoying, Tristan." Although he couldn't deal with Hayato's Mi, Joey Wheeler could get rid of the troublesome Tristan. To retaliate against this guy, Joey Wheeler took a cup of cold milk tea and pressed the cup against the back of Tristan's neck.
This duel to pass time naturally ended with Joey Wheeler activating his "Quick Victory" effect. Téa, who walked in behind Tristan, saw the two of them messing around in the store without considering the situation, affecting other customers, and stopped them. However, Grandpa Solomon, sitting behind the counter, chuckled and said it was fine.
As the game of Duel Monsters became increasingly popular worldwide, more and more card shops appeared in various cities. And Domino City, as the former host of the Battle City tournament, the residence of the current Duel King, and the location of KaibaCorp's headquarters, the top company in the Duel Monsters industry, naturally had even more card shops.
However, since everyone was going to buy cards anyway, most people chose the Kame Game Store. The main reason was that many duelists who were already considered "legendary" often frequented the place.
Mutou Yuugi, Katsuya Jounouchi, and Hayato could all be considered regulars. There was Rebecca, the former All-American Professional Duelist Champion who came to Japan with her Grandpa Solomon Muto to visit Yugi, and Kujaku Mai, the current All-American Champion who traveled the world but occasionally found excuses to visit Japan and have Joey Wheeler be her tour guide, and so on. Although Hayato and the others were very familiar with them, in the eyes of ordinary people, they were all incredible celebrities.
It's like a popular internet-famous store. People go to check in at internet-famous stores. Other places might have photos or signatures of celebrities at most, but at this one, the celebrities are sitting right at the table next to you, so business is naturally good.
However, although the card shop's business was genuinely booming, customers gradually became much more rational. When they met Hayato and the others, they would at most ask for a signature and wouldn't foolishly initiate a challenge.
Although the current Duel King, Hayato Kobayashi, was happy to duel with these "duel enthusiasts"—I mean, leeks who could provide DP Points—they fundamentally had no hope of victory, even if their opponent wouldn't be too serious. The period after Duelist Kingdom ended, when duelists frantically challenged Yugi and Hayato, did not reappear.
Of course, nothing is absolute. Among so many people in the world, there wasn't even a single fool who couldn't see themselves clearly. So, what was the need for Dartz to destroy the world?
Hayato held the cup of milk tea, said goodbye to Yugi and the others, and walked out of the Kame Game Store's gate. In the Open Space next to the card shop, used as a parking lot, a motorcycle was parked. It was borrowed from Marik. He was planning to go to KaibaCorp.
Glancing at the System Panel which displayed "Defeat 'Legendary Dragon' User 2/3", Hayato couldn't help but show a mischievous smile. He had previously defeated Yugi and Joey Wheeler, and he had also defeated Alister, Valon, and Rafael once during the Doma arc. Dartz was also personally eliminated by him.
To complete this quest, Kaiba would just have to suffer a beating. But anyway, that guy who gets the urge to duel anytime, anywhere, never resists. It was also perfect timing; he hadn't fully finished debugging the Shaddoll Deck he got after the previous quest settlement. He might as well use Kaiba as an opponent to try out this "Pure" Shaddoll Deck.
Thinking this, Hayato got on the motorcycle and rode away.
----Blessings to this world once again saved by dueling----
Prosperous San Francisco, even at night, the city remained bright and beautiful. The eternal lights illuminated, dispelling the darkness, like a city that never sleeps.
However, there are always places where light cannot reach, such as deserted alleys, or dark and empty sewers.
"Drip-drop----"
Water droplets dripping from the pipes splashed onto scales. A pitch-black long snake slowly crawled out of the water. After spitting out an undigestible foreign object from its stomach, it seemed to have used up all its full power, slumping motionlessly and sliding into the water, dispersing into a dark aura diluted by sewage.
What the strange snake spat out was a perfect sphere. It looked like a glass bead, and its copper-green color gives a sense of deja vu like a beer bottle.
A ray of light projected from within the sphere, shining onto the wall beside the Sewer, gradually forming a translucent figure. It was none other than Dartz, who should have died in the duel against Hayato?
"Cough, cough!" Where was the composed stance Dartz had as the leader of Doma at that time? Relying on the last bit of Dark Power he carved out before the connection with the Orichalcos God was severed, he luckily activated a contingency plan he had casually left behind hundreds or thousands of years ago.
However, the Dartz at this moment couldn't be considered "revived", because this was fundamentally just an independent consciousness he had separated at some unknown time. Although it inherited all the memory of the self that was killed by Hayato, and the idea was the same, Dartz himself had indeed died.
It was also because he inherited the memory of Dartz whose idea had changed in the last moment that the Dartz at this moment, although still alive, no longer had the idea of destroying the world in his heart.
Because, Hayato had taken the decision-making power over Human Destiny from Dartz's hand with that duel. A future of ruin might be waiting at the end of Human Destiny, but Human Destiny would be changed by humans themselves.
"Although I don't know what I should use my 'revived' life for," Dartz muttered to himself, leaning against the wall and barely getting up. "Let me, a soul who has experienced doomsday, become an observer of Human Civilization once again. I truly look forward to seeing what kind of future you will lead humanity's future towards, Hayato, my 'hero'..."
Looking at the Orichalcos Stone on the ground that carried his soul after being revived, which was slowly rolling away due to its appearance and the terrain, Dartz was about to go and pick it up.
But just then, a sound of footsteps echoed in the Sewer, which should have been empty, approaching Dartz's direction from the darkness.
A slender, fair hand picked up the Orichalcos Stone from the ground and held it. A White-Haired Youth with East Asian features appeared before Dartz, his expression one of intoxication. He took a deep breath towards the Orichalcos Stone in his hand: "Mmm~~ What incredibly sweet air. Is this the Human Darkness from that 'Orichalcos God'? It smells a bit too good, doesn't it?"
"It makes me a little jealous of Hayato. To think he could absorb so much Dark Power all by himself." The tips of his messy hair curled up in a rabbit-ear-like appearance. The youth's handsome face looked at the wary Dartz, revealing a ferocious smile. "However, how lucky I am to have caught a fish that slipped through the net. It wasn't in vain that I hid and kept watching the drama from beginning to end."
"Although I didn't wait for the right time to enter the field, with your power as a replenishment, perhaps it's enough for me to start an interesting game."
Dartz's line of sight didn't stay on the youth who had suddenly appeared before him, but looked towards the Darkness behind the youth. In the Darkness, which churned like boiling water, Dartz sensed an extremely familiar aura and couldn't help but widen his eyes: "You are! From three thousand years ago----"
"Shh~, I still want to keep a little mystery until the last, even if there isn't much left." The youth continued to smile. Besides the Orichalcos Stone he had just picked up, he now held a Millennium Eye in his hand. "Let me introduce myself. My name is currently Bakura Ryo."
"Furthermore, unlike you who only observed Hayato's uniqueness when you reached Pegasus's Castle, I've had my eye on Hayato from the very beginning. In other words, I was here first."
(Author's Note: Another little trick to avoid racking my brain for a title)
(Author's Note: Especially for epilogues, sometimes coming up with a title can take me nearly ten minutes.)
(Author's Note: Next, we'll be entering the Egypt Arc. It's expected that subscriptions will decrease due to the sharp drop in dueling screen time, but here's a preview: the plot will be heavily modified.)
(Author's Note: Also, I finally finished Xenoblade Chronicles 3 today. Rex really kept his word!)
(Author's Note: For those who played Xenoblade Chronicles 3, spoilers below;)
(Author's Note: Spoiler Alert;)
(Author's Note: minor spoilers;)
(Author's Note: Don't read further;)
(Author's Note: If you still read, then spoilers ahead;)
(Author's Note: (Unrelated tangent: Rex, the protagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, is one of the protagonists of the popular meme "I love Nia and everyone". At one point, people thought Nia was a 'defeated dog' who couldn't reach him. Then in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Nia also appears. She has a photo of the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 protagonist group after Rex became an adult. In it, Nia and the other two female protagonists, Pyra and Mythra, are all holding a child. A true life winner. Saying he loved everyone meant he married everyone together.))
(End of Chapter)
