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# Chapter 688: Amazing, Right? Incredible, Right? A Genius, Right!
"I'll take the First Turn! Draw!"
Regarding the sudden turn of events where Hayato and the Black-Robed Figure naturally accepted the challenge to Duel, before Hayato could even shout "Duel" as an opening and draw his Hand, the Black-Robed Figure opposite him shamelessly drew six Cards in one go, snatching the First Turn in a rather unfair manner.
Not paying much attention to Hayato's glare, the Black-Robed Figure's gaunt fingers clutched the six Cards, fanning them out before his eyes. He seemed to have drawn good Cards for his Opening Hand, and his voice sounded somewhat pleased: "My name is Diabolo. Intruding upon this Island is the greatest fortune of your lives, because next, you will witness my masterpiece and even become a part of it."
"My name is Diabolo. Remember this great name, destined to spread throughout the World!"
[Diabolo: 4000 LP, Hand 6]
Despite the sudden Duel between Hayato and the guy calling himself Diabolo, no one was surprised why they were Dueling. After retreating a certain distance to leave enough Space for Hayato and Diabolo's Duel, Joey Wheeler scoffed upon hearing Diabolo's words: "What's the point of remembering a name that sounds so moldy?"
"Diabolo, 'Diavolo', that name means 'Fiend' in Italian, right? Why would anyone name their child that?" Although he hadn't even attended school, Marik surprisingly knew a bit more than Joey Wheeler. "That name, it's a fake name, right?"
While Joey Wheeler and the others focused on whether Diabolo's name was his true name, Yugi was concerned about something else. He conversed in his heart with Yugi Mutou inside the Millennium Puzzle: 'Aibo, do you feel the same way?'
'Are you talking about the aura of power on Diabolo, The Other Me?' Yugi Mutou inside the Millennium Puzzle also had the ability to perceive the Outside World. The moment Diabolo took out his Duel Disk, he realized that the aura on Diabolo felt the same as the power that had swept over them earlier. 'Yes, I also feel he's the source of that power.'
'Perhaps, even the materialization of Card Spirits is related to him.'
"First, I will Activate this Spell Card from my Hand, **Card Destruction**," Diabolo didn't know and wouldn't care about Yugi and the others' communication. He inserted a Card into the Spell & Trap Zone of his Duel Disk, speaking to himself, "Both Duelists with Hands discard all Cards from their Hand, then each Draw Cards from the Top of Deck equal to the number discarded."
Paused, Diabolo gathered the five Cards he had fanned out in his Hand and said proudly, "Although I don't know the condition of your Cards, you don't need to thank me for substituting them with better ones."
Honda, who was watching the Duel, found it strange. Even as a novice who had just started Duel Monsters, he could at least tell that Diabolo seemed quite satisfied with his Hand when he drew his Cards just now. But why would he use **Card Destruction**, a Card used to substitute unfavorable Hands?
Marik also noticed Tristan's confused look and muttered to himself, "He was so confident in his Hand just now, yet he used a Card like **Card Destruction**. If that confidence wasn't faked, then the only possibility is that 'discarded Cards have effects in the Graveyard'."
Hearing this, Diabolo, who was sending the five Cards gathered in his Hand to the Graveyard, glanced at Marik: "Heh heh, what if you know? This is my First Turn. Is there any possibility you can stop my Cards?"
"Because of **Card Destruction**'s Effect, I discard all five Cards from my Hand, then Draw five Cards from my Deck."
Hayato seemed to have no way to stop him, just as Diabolo said, and also Sent the five Cards in his Hand to the Graveyard: "My Hand also had five Cards, so I can also Draw five Cards."
Both Players simultaneously Sent their Cards to the Graveyard and Drew five Cards each. Hayato was quite satisfied with his newly Drawn five Cards; his luck wasn't too bad. However, Diabolo stared at his newly Drawn five Cards for a while, as if in astonishment at how bad the Cards he Drew were.
But it didn't matter. Diabolo's Goal from the start wasn't to Draw better Cards, but merely to "discard" his previous Hand.
"At this instant, a Card in my Graveyard can Activate its Effect!" He forcefully swung his dry palm, making one wonder if his arm, like a withered tree branch, would break from the effort, but Diabolo's tone was quite excited, "When discarded from the Hand, **Danger!? Tsuchinoko?**, **Danger! Mothman!**, and **Danger!? Jackalope?**, which I Sent to Graveyard, Activate their Effects!"
"First is **Danger!? Jackalope?**'s Effect. From my Deck, Special Summon one **Danger!** Monster other than **Danger!? Jackalope?** in Defense Position!"
"**Danger!**?" Yugi was also stunned by Diabolo's words. Even he, whose family owned a Card Shop and could be said to know everything about Duel Monsters information, had never heard of **Danger!** Cards. Could it be Cards granted to Diabolo by beings from the Spirit World?
However, since he had never heard of the **Danger!** Deck, why did the Monster names feel somewhat familiar?
Following Diabolo's declaration, a rabbit with green fur appeared from his Graveyard. If it were just green fur, that would be one thing, but on top of that rabbit's head were branched antlers like tree branches?
Although its appearance was cute, the change that happened to **Danger!? Jackalope?** the next moment could only be described as disgusting. Suddenly, **Danger!? Jackalope?**'s muscles rapidly swelled, tearing through its green fur and revealing bright red flesh. Amidst the twisted deformation, Diabolo's voice rang out:
"Experimental Model Gigantification, Volume change, Action pattern change, Rumor granting! Pitch-Black Demonic Serpent, leap from the lake!"
"**Danger! Ogopogo!**"
As Diabolo's words fell, the deformation of **Danger!? Jackalope?** was complete. What appeared before everyone was a hideous, giant Monster Snake. Its flat, spiky skull made it impossible to associate it with the cute **Danger!? Jackalope?** from before.
**Danger! Ogopogo!**
[Sea Serpent-Type/Effect]
[1200/3000]
"Eek! What is that monster!?" Joey Wheeler, who was watching the Field intently, was disgusted by the process of **Danger!? Jackalope?** turning into **Danger! Ogopogo!**. He took half a step back with a look of disgust, constantly rubbing the goosebumps on his arms. "I've never even heard of such a disgusting monster!"
As for Yugi, although he initially only focused on "**Danger!**" and didn't notice the Monster names, with the four reminders from **Danger!? Jackalope?**, **Danger! Mothman!**, **Danger!? Tsuchinoko?**, and now the appearing **Danger! Ogopogo!**, he had realized where that subtle familiar feeling came from when he heard the Monster names, even though he hadn't heard of the **Danger!** Deck.
"North America's 'Jackalope', 'Mothman', Japan's 'Tsuchinoko', and Canada's Ogopogo..." Listing the Monsters whose names had appeared, Yugi, who had switched back to his other personality knowledgeable about these strange things, stood behind Hayato and said loudly, "These **Danger!** Monsters are Cryptids from around the World!"
Hearing Yugi's words, Diabolo merely gave a cold snort: "Cryptids? Hmph, is that what ignorant humans call my experiment subjects? Although they are just failed experiments used to practice theories, they are not something you idiots can treat casually!"
"**Danger!? Tsuchinoko?**'s Effect: When this Card is discarded from the Hand, Activate this Card's Special Summon." Taking a Card from the Graveyard and placing it horizontally on his Duel Disk, Diabolo seemed to be in a bad mood because he heard the term "Cryptid", and continued, "Then there's **Danger! Mothman!**. This Card can only Activate when discarded from the Hand."
"Both Players Draw a Card from their Deck, and after that, select one Card from their Hand and discard it."
A slightly bloated, chubby pink-purple little snake appeared on Diabolo's Field. At the same time, Diabolo and Hayato had each Drawn a Card and selected a Card from their Hand to discard to the Graveyard.
**Danger!? Tsuchinoko?**
[Reptile-Type/Effect]
[1300/0]
After discarding the Card to the Graveyard, Diabolo waved his Hand again: "The Card discarded by **Danger! Mothman!**'s Effect is **Danger! Chupacabra!**. When this Card is discarded from the Hand, select one **Danger!** Monster from my Graveyard, other than itself, and Special Summon it!"
"Come forth, **Danger! Mothman!**"
**Danger! Mothman!**
[Insect Type/Effect]
[1800/400]
In just one Turn, Diabolo easily Special Summoned three Monsters to his Field. At the same time, he even retained his Normal Summon without using it, and throughout this process, he only played one **Card Destruction**.
However, for Hayato, this operation was still not enough to impress him. From the very beginning of the Duel, he had more or less guessed that the opponent was using a **Danger!** Deck, and this Deck, as Yugi guessed, was based on the "Cryptids" widely rumored around the World.
The so-called "Cryptids" refer to creatures that have many witnesses providing the same vivid descriptions, yet lack definite key evidence to prove their true existence, such as the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and so on.
Hayato just couldn't figure out how these "Cryptids" got involved with a guy like Diabolo, who seemed like a mad scientist.
"Diabolo, right?" Looking calmly at the two imposing Monsters and one cute **Danger!? Tsuchinoko?** (which is the Japanese legendary "Tsuchinoko Snake") on the opponent's Field, Hayato asked Diabolo, "You keep talking about 'experiment subjects' and such, what exactly do you mean?"
Hearing that Hayato, after seeing his invincible lineup on the Field, wasn't thinking about how to break through but instead had the leisure to ask him questions, Diabolo was somewhat disdainful: "I originally thought you, who dared to challenge me, might be someone amazing. Can't you see how powerful the Monsters on my Field are?"
"The **Danger! Mothman!** with 1800 ATK despite being Level 4, the **Danger!? Tsuchinoko?** just filling a spot, and the **Danger! Ogopogo!** with a despair-inducing 3000 DEF! Summoning such a powerful lineup in just one Turn makes me invincible!"
'No, it's not amazing at all, right?' The crowd watched the self-excited Diabolo speechlessly, ranting in their hearts, inexplicably feeling that this guy might be decades out of touch with the World.
If this were the era of Solomon Muto decades ago, this lineup could indeed be called terrifying. But now, any Passing Duelist could Destroy this pile of Monsters with no resistance using a single **Raigeki**.
Diabolo didn't know what the crowd was thinking. Feeling certain victory and getting proud, he felt he could be more composed. He extended a finger and pointed at the Monsters on his Field: "But, could a foolish guy like you ever imagine? The existence of these Monsters was modified little by little by my own hands!"
"Unlike Monsters born relying on Card Spirits, I transformed ordinary creatures into powerful Cards, creating this **Danger!** Deck!"
"Amazing, right? Incredible, right? A genius, right!"
The triumphant Diabolo looked at the stunned crowd, his mood becoming even more pleasant. Even Hayato was shocked by Diabolo's words.
"Transforming ordinary creatures into Card Spirits!?"
"Is that kind of thing really possible?"
"Rather, the fact that Card Spirits can be artificially created is already outrageous, let alone that it's through biological modification!"
Marik, Tristan, and Joey Wheeler discussed behind him, while Hayato seriously examined the Monsters before him. He knew that the artificial creation of Card Spirits was indeed possible. For example, Judai's Yubel, which Kaiba had Sent to Heaven, was an artificially created Card Spirit, a Monster transformed from a human through the modification of dark power, and then turned into a Card Spirit.
But, did this Diabolo also master this technology of creating Card Spirits? He had even managed to modify ordinary animals into Card Spirits!
"Heh heh, astonished by such a thing? How short-sighted." Diabolo said, raising his hand to lift his cloak. "How could you possibly imagine my grand goal and the greatness of alchemy!"
Lifting the cloak covering his body, Diabolo's true form appeared before everyone. He was a gaunt old man with pink hair that had spots like it had gone moldy.
However, the most eye-catching thing was a spherical stone embedded in his chest, which made Yugi, Joey Wheeler, and the others gasp in astonishment.
"Is that, Orichalcos?"
"No, it's not Orichalcos." Hayato, who knew more information than Yugi and the others, stared at the red in the center of the green gem and said in shock, "That is, a transforming Sage's Stone!"
"I'll take the First Turn! Draw!"
Regarding the sudden turn of events where Hayato and the Black-Robed Figure naturally accepted the challenge to Duel, before Hayato could even shout "Duel" as an opening and draw his Hand, the Black-Robed Figure opposite him shamelessly drew six Cards in one go, snatching the First Turn in a rather unfair manner.
Not paying much attention to Hayato's glare, the Black-Robed Figure's gaunt fingers clutched the six Cards, fanning them out before his eyes. He seemed to have drawn good Cards for his Opening Hand, and his voice sounded somewhat pleased: "My name is Diabolo. Intruding upon this Island is the greatest fortune of your lives, because next, you will witness my masterpiece and even become a part of it."
"My name is Diabolo. Remember this great name, destined to spread throughout the World!"
[Diabolo: 4000 LP, Hand 6]
Despite the sudden Duel between Hayato and the guy calling himself Diabolo, no one was surprised why they were Dueling. After retreating a certain distance to leave enough Space for Hayato and Diabolo's Duel, Joey Wheeler scoffed upon hearing Diabolo's words: "What's the point of remembering a name that sounds so moldy?"
"Diabolo, 'Diavolo', that name means 'Fiend' in Italian, right? Why would anyone name their child that?" Although he hadn't even attended school, Marik surprisingly knew a bit more than Joey Wheeler. "That name, it's a fake name, right?"
While Joey Wheeler and the others focused on whether Diabolo's name was his true name, Yugi was concerned about something else. He conversed in his heart with Yugi Mutou inside the Millennium Puzzle: 'Aibo, do you feel the same way?'
'Are you talking about the aura of power on Diabolo, The Other Me?' Yugi Mutou inside the Millennium Puzzle also had the ability to perceive the Outside World. The moment Diabolo took out his Duel Disk, he realized that the aura on Diabolo felt the same as the power that had swept over them earlier. 'Yes, I also feel he's the source of that power.'
'Perhaps, even the materialization of Card Spirits is related to him.'
"First, I will Activate this Spell Card from my Hand, **Card Destruction**," Diabolo didn't know and wouldn't care about Yugi and the others' communication. He inserted a Card into the Spell & Trap Zone of his Duel Disk, speaking to himself, "Both Duelists with Hands discard all Cards from their Hand, then each Draw Cards from the Top of Deck equal to the number discarded."
Paused, Diabolo gathered the five Cards he had fanned out in his Hand and said proudly, "Although I don't know the condition of your Cards, you don't need to thank me for substituting them with better ones."
Honda, who was watching the Duel, found it strange. Even as a novice who had just started Duel Monsters, he could at least tell that Diabolo seemed quite satisfied with his Hand when he drew his Cards just now. But why would he use **Card Destruction**, a Card used to substitute unfavorable Hands?
Marik also noticed Tristan's confused look and muttered to himself, "He was so confident in his Hand just now, yet he used a Card like **Card Destruction**. If that confidence wasn't faked, then the only possibility is that 'discarded Cards have effects in the Graveyard'."
Hearing this, Diabolo, who was sending the five Cards gathered in his Hand to the Graveyard, glanced at Marik: "Heh heh, what if you know? This is my First Turn. Is there any possibility you can stop my Cards?"
"Because of **Card Destruction**'s Effect, I discard all five Cards from my Hand, then Draw five Cards from my Deck."
Hayato seemed to have no way to stop him, just as Diabolo said, and also Sent the five Cards in his Hand to the Graveyard: "My Hand also had five Cards, so I can also Draw five Cards."
Both Players simultaneously Sent their Cards to the Graveyard and Drew five Cards each. Hayato was quite satisfied with his newly Drawn five Cards; his luck wasn't too bad. However, Diabolo stared at his newly Drawn five Cards for a while, as if in astonishment at how bad the Cards he Drew were.
But it didn't matter. Diabolo's Goal from the start wasn't to Draw better Cards, but merely to "discard" his previous Hand.
"At this instant, a Card in my Graveyard can Activate its Effect!" He forcefully swung his dry palm, making one wonder if his arm, like a withered tree branch, would break from the effort, but Diabolo's tone was quite excited, "When discarded from the Hand, **Danger!? Tsuchinoko?**, **Danger! Mothman!**, and **Danger!? Jackalope?**, which I Sent to Graveyard, Activate their Effects!"
"First is **Danger!? Jackalope?**'s Effect. From my Deck, Special Summon one **Danger!** Monster other than **Danger!? Jackalope?** in Defense Position!"
"**Danger!**?" Yugi was also stunned by Diabolo's words. Even he, whose family owned a Card Shop and could be said to know everything about Duel Monsters information, had never heard of **Danger!** Cards. Could it be Cards granted to Diabolo by beings from the Spirit World?
However, since he had never heard of the **Danger!** Deck, why did the Monster names feel somewhat familiar?
Following Diabolo's declaration, a rabbit with green fur appeared from his Graveyard. If it were just green fur, that would be one thing, but on top of that rabbit's head were branched antlers like tree branches?
Although its appearance was cute, the change that happened to **Danger!? Jackalope?** the next moment could only be described as disgusting. Suddenly, **Danger!? Jackalope?**'s muscles rapidly swelled, tearing through its green fur and revealing bright red flesh. Amidst the twisted deformation, Diabolo's voice rang out:
"Experimental Model Gigantification, Volume change, Action pattern change, Rumor granting! Pitch-Black Demonic Serpent, leap from the lake!"
"**Danger! Ogopogo!**"
As Diabolo's words fell, the deformation of **Danger!? Jackalope?** was complete. What appeared before everyone was a hideous, giant Monster Snake. Its flat, spiky skull made it impossible to associate it with the cute **Danger!? Jackalope?** from before.
**Danger! Ogopogo!**
[Sea Serpent-Type/Effect]
[1200/3000]
"Eek! What is that monster!?" Joey Wheeler, who was watching the Field intently, was disgusted by the process of **Danger!? Jackalope?** turning into **Danger! Ogopogo!**. He took half a step back with a look of disgust, constantly rubbing the goosebumps on his arms. "I've never even heard of such a disgusting monster!"
As for Yugi, although he initially only focused on "**Danger!**" and didn't notice the Monster names, with the four reminders from **Danger!? Jackalope?**, **Danger! Mothman!**, **Danger!? Tsuchinoko?**, and now the appearing **Danger! Ogopogo!**, he had realized where that subtle familiar feeling came from when he heard the Monster names, even though he hadn't heard of the **Danger!** Deck.
"North America's 'Jackalope', 'Mothman', Japan's 'Tsuchinoko', and Canada's Ogopogo..." Listing the Monsters whose names had appeared, Yugi, who had switched back to his other personality knowledgeable about these strange things, stood behind Hayato and said loudly, "These **Danger!** Monsters are Cryptids from around the World!"
Hearing Yugi's words, Diabolo merely gave a cold snort: "Cryptids? Hmph, is that what ignorant humans call my experiment subjects? Although they are just failed experiments used to practice theories, they are not something you idiots can treat casually!"
"**Danger!? Tsuchinoko?**'s Effect: When this Card is discarded from the Hand, Activate this Card's Special Summon." Taking a Card from the Graveyard and placing it horizontally on his Duel Disk, Diabolo seemed to be in a bad mood because he heard the term "Cryptid", and continued, "Then there's **Danger! Mothman!**. This Card can only Activate when discarded from the Hand."
"Both Players Draw a Card from their Deck, and after that, select one Card from their Hand and discard it."
A slightly bloated, chubby pink-purple little snake appeared on Diabolo's Field. At the same time, Diabolo and Hayato had each Drawn a Card and selected a Card from their Hand to discard to the Graveyard.
**Danger!? Tsuchinoko?**
[Reptile-Type/Effect]
[1300/0]
After discarding the Card to the Graveyard, Diabolo waved his Hand again: "The Card discarded by **Danger! Mothman!**'s Effect is **Danger! Chupacabra!**. When this Card is discarded from the Hand, select one **Danger!** Monster from my Graveyard, other than itself, and Special Summon it!"
"Come forth, **Danger! Mothman!**"
**Danger! Mothman!**
[Insect Type/Effect]
[1800/400]
In just one Turn, Diabolo easily Special Summoned three Monsters to his Field. At the same time, he even retained his Normal Summon without using it, and throughout this process, he only played one **Card Destruction**.
However, for Hayato, this operation was still not enough to impress him. From the very beginning of the Duel, he had more or less guessed that the opponent was using a **Danger!** Deck, and this Deck, as Yugi guessed, was based on the "Cryptids" widely rumored around the World.
The so-called "Cryptids" refer to creatures that have many witnesses providing the same vivid descriptions, yet lack definite key evidence to prove their true existence, such as the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and so on.
Hayato just couldn't figure out how these "Cryptids" got involved with a guy like Diabolo, who seemed like a mad scientist.
"Diabolo, right?" Looking calmly at the two imposing Monsters and one cute **Danger!? Tsuchinoko?** (which is the Japanese legendary "Tsuchinoko Snake") on the opponent's Field, Hayato asked Diabolo, "You keep talking about 'experiment subjects' and such, what exactly do you mean?"
Hearing that Hayato, after seeing his invincible lineup on the Field, wasn't thinking about how to break through but instead had the leisure to ask him questions, Diabolo was somewhat disdainful: "I originally thought you, who dared to challenge me, might be someone amazing. Can't you see how powerful the Monsters on my Field are?"
"The **Danger! Mothman!** with 1800 ATK despite being Level 4, the **Danger!? Tsuchinoko?** just filling a spot, and the **Danger! Ogopogo!** with a despair-inducing 3000 DEF! Summoning such a powerful lineup in just one Turn makes me invincible!"
'No, it's not amazing at all, right?' The crowd watched the self-excited Diabolo speechlessly, ranting in their hearts, inexplicably feeling that this guy might be decades out of touch with the World.
If this were the era of Solomon Muto decades ago, this lineup could indeed be called terrifying. But now, any Passing Duelist could Destroy this pile of Monsters with no resistance using a single **Raigeki**.
Diabolo didn't know what the crowd was thinking. Feeling certain victory and getting proud, he felt he could be more composed. He extended a finger and pointed at the Monsters on his Field: "But, could a foolish guy like you ever imagine? The existence of these Monsters was modified little by little by my own hands!"
"Unlike Monsters born relying on Card Spirits, I transformed ordinary creatures into powerful Cards, creating this **Danger!** Deck!"
"Amazing, right? Incredible, right? A genius, right!"
The triumphant Diabolo looked at the stunned crowd, his mood becoming even more pleasant. Even Hayato was shocked by Diabolo's words.
"Transforming ordinary creatures into Card Spirits!?"
"Is that kind of thing really possible?"
"Rather, the fact that Card Spirits can be artificially created is already outrageous, let alone that it's through biological modification!"
Marik, Tristan, and Joey Wheeler discussed behind him, while Hayato seriously examined the Monsters before him. He knew that the artificial creation of Card Spirits was indeed possible. For example, Judai's Yubel, which Kaiba had Sent to Heaven, was an artificially created Card Spirit, a Monster transformed from a human through the modification of dark power, and then turned into a Card Spirit.
But, did this Diabolo also master this technology of creating Card Spirits? He had even managed to modify ordinary animals into Card Spirits!
"Heh heh, astonished by such a thing? How short-sighted." Diabolo said, raising his hand to lift his cloak. "How could you possibly imagine my grand goal and the greatness of alchemy!"
Lifting the cloak covering his body, Diabolo's true form appeared before everyone. He was a gaunt old man with pink hair that had spots like it had gone moldy.
However, the most eye-catching thing was a spherical stone embedded in his chest, which made Yugi, Joey Wheeler, and the others gasp in astonishment.
"Is that, Orichalcos?"
"No, it's not Orichalcos." Hayato, who knew more information than Yugi and the others, stared at the red in the center of the green gem and said in shock, "That is, a transforming Sage's Stone!"
