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Chapter 871: Boring, I Want to See Rivers of Blood
As Karim and Aknadin sealed Tragoedia into the tablet, perhaps because Seto had drawn away some of its power using the Millennium Rod, the engraving of Tragoedia on the tablet appeared for only an instant before disappearing again, and a hole also appeared in the center of the tablet.
The phantoms dispersed one by one, and the figures of Aknadin and the others disappeared. Only the image of that tablet remained, perfectly overlapping with the tablet Kaiba had seen illuminated by light points before.
"What was that just now...?" Kaiba cast a confused gaze at Karim beside him, seeking an explanation.
"That was a scene from three thousand years ago that was engraved. It happened before King Aknamkanon's soul returned to the Underworld and the Pharaoh we served ascended to the throne. The purpose for which Astrologist Tragoedia committed the sin was not important to us at the time, and we thought that simply sealing the monster Tragoedia like that would resolve everything."
Kaiba nodded. Because he had heard the name Thief Village from Tragoedia's mouth, even if Karim was reluctant to mention it, he could roughly guess what had happened.
However, what was unexpected was that among the Thief Village chosen by Aknadin to create the Millennium Items, besides Bakura, who called himself the Thief King and was a survivor who personally experienced the massacre, there were also people who escaped calamity by being away from the village and not returning.
And despite being from the notorious Thief Village, Tragoedia could still become the Pharaoh's Astrologist, clearly possessing considerable ability.
Karim paused and continued, "At least for the first few decades, that was indeed the case."
"But, after a very, very long time, so long that the three Priests who sealed Tragoedia—Aknadin, who betrayed the Pharaoh and became the Great Dark Priest; I, Karim, who sacrificed myself in the struggle against Great Evil God Zorc Necrophades; and you, Seto, who became Pharaoh—no, you, Kaiba Seto, your past life."
"Pharaoh Seto's last order during his reign was to disperse and seal the Millennium Items, which possessed power transcending the world, a power that humans were not yet ready to receive. But precisely when the Priests gave up the legacy of the Millennium Items passed down from the previous generation, Tragoedia, who had been sealed, quietly revived."
Hearing this, Kaiba felt a little strange: "Wait a minute, before you said Tragoedia's power wasn't strong, that even Seto alone could suppress it with his power. But why did the succeeding Priests become so useless? Even without things like the Millennium Items, they couldn't suppress Tragoedia?"
"Could it be that Tragoedia is still continuously growing within that so-called stone tablet for sealing beings?"
Karim shook his head, denying Kaiba's wild idea: "No, although Aknadin later betrayed us, the knowledge he used was undoubtedly the truth. Although the monsters sealed in the tablet can still perceive the Outside World, all they can do is purely 'resentment' and 'powerless rage'. Their power will not change in the slightest because of this; instead, their intelligence will only wear down completely over the long years."
"However, while the power within hasn't changed, it doesn't mean Tragoedia's strength couldn't increase further. There is one thing that humans cannot speed up or slow down, and it is also the thing that Astrologist Tragoedia was most familiar with."
As he spoke, Karim extended his finger and pointed upwards.
Kaiba raised his head and saw the deep blue ceiling of the Tomb again. Karim was certainly not pointing at the Tomb itself, but at the Starry Sky above.
"That Tragoedia can actually use the power of the stars too?"
Although he didn't believe in those mystical things, Kaiba, as a Duelist, could easily accept Cyber Dragon, which is said to use the radiance from the Cyber Dragon Constellation via the Cyber Style, as well as Drytron, the incarnation of the Cyber Dragon Constellation itself. And now, he seems like he has encountered a third type of Duel Monster related to the "Stars"?
Human Astrology? No way; the power of the stars from Duel Monsters cards? Yes way!
Karim nodded and affirmed: "So-called astrology is the ability to deduce the future based on known astrological signs. It seems vague, but actually, it is a very profound field of knowledge. And this power became extremely strong three thousand years ago due to the appearance of a very rare astrological sign. That is, 'Planetary Alignment', also known as 'Nine-Star Alignment' and so on."
"Do you believe in attraction, Kaiba Seto? Attraction exists between all things; all things have attraction. And the stars surrounding the supreme Sun have always been pulling at each other with attraction. When the sign of 'Planetary Alignment' appears, the attraction between the stars will be in a perfect superposition state, and at this moment, astrology, which originally had limited power, will burst forth with great power."
"It can even provide power to Tragoedia, who was once the Pharaoh's best Astrologist but later became a monster sealed in the tablet, allowing its power to even break through the restriction of the tablet originally prepared for ordinary monsters and extend to the Outside World."
"Control Minds, this is the power possessed by the monster that Tragoedia fused with. Its original strength was quite weak, probably just enough to make someone suddenly feel a strong urge to go to the Restroom, and it wouldn't even have any use on someone who had just finished using the Restroom."
"But with the blessing of astrology's power, Tragoedia's ability, which had completely fallen into madness as a result of decades of being sealed and whose whole person had completely transformed into a monster's thought, became so strong that it could slightly take effect on the Priests who held Millennium Items after rigorous training!"
Although Karim said the effect on the Priests was only "slight," Kaiba still noticed the key point: "The premise is that the Millennium Items were still in the Priests' hands, right? But you said before that Seto's last order during his reign was actually to seal the Millennium Items separately?"
"That's trouble now, sounds like it, right? Monsters invaded, darkness enveloped, and the Kingdom fell into crisis because of it. I wanted to tell a similar plot, one that would make the story dramatic and captivating, and also show off my storytelling skill level. Unfortunately, I can't, because actually, the influence Tragoedia brought about came to an abrupt halt before it could even expand."
"'Planetary Alignment', which can enhance the 'power of the stars' to the greatest extent, certainly benefited Tragoedia due to the influence of astrology. But in the end, the astrology he used was merely the ability to utilize the residual starlight." Karim spread his hand. "Mere starlight, how could it compete with the blazing Sun?"
"Even if it were another Pharaoh in another era, Tragoedia might have been able to cause quite a commotion. But the Pharaoh who succeeded Seto was arguably the strongest and greatest in Egypt's history of several thousand years. Ramesses II, a Pharaoh who far surpassed other Pharaohs, who dared to proclaim himself a God during his life, the sole person on the Surface World who could not be defied—he was the transformation of the Sun."
In Karim's narration, the process of Ramesses II resolving Tragoedia was roughly this—
Tragoedia used its power to Control Minds, successfully controlling the Temple guardian;
Tragoedia set a trap, successfully luring Ramesses II to its home ground, the sealed Stone Tablet Temple;
Tragoedia felt it had a great advantage, Tragoedia went in for the fight;
Tragoedia, RIP.
He easily broke through Tragoedia's ability without any effort. Not only that, when Ramesses II learned that Tragoedia's "Planetary Alignment" actually included a portion of the Sun's power, this Pharaoh directly ordered the tablet, which already had a crack, to be further expanded, forcibly separating the "power of the stars" that made it stronger, so that it wouldn't cause trouble for others later.
Kaiba, who had originally thought he would hear some good stories, ended up only hearing Karim's extensive praise for Ramesses II, and couldn't help but say, "Boring, I want to see rivers of blood."
"Since that Tragoedia has been resolved by that Ramesses II guy, you still haven't answered my question. What is your goal in bringing me here?"
Hearing Kaiba say this, Karim shook his head: "The problem is resolved? I thought so too a few years ago, but the problem is that before you, other people accidentally stumbled in here. That boy who fell in here was attracted by the attraction emanating from Tragoedia's tablet, and he voluntarily approached and touched it."
"He was a child who, although his personality was a bit gloomy, was still considered kind. But perfect humans do not exist in the World; his heart still had a flaw, and this flaw and oversight were utilized by Tragoedia, turning that boy into its puppet."
"In the years that followed, that boy returned several times, bringing some cards here each time. I recognized those cards; they were clearly the power of the stars that Pharaoh Ramesses II had separated from Tragoedia's body at the time."
"Three thousand years have passed, and unknowingly, 'Planetary Alignment' is about to appear again. At that time, Tragoedia's power will grow to its strongest level, but there is no Pharaoh Ramesses II in this era."
Karim looked at Kaiba, and said solemnly, "That boy hasn't appeared again for a year or two, but I believe Tragoedia is definitely still controlling him somewhere, attempting to revive itself. Please, you must defeat that trouble that we carelessly left for our descendants at the time, Kaiba Seto. This is my request for bringing you here!"
As he spoke, Karim actually lowered his proud head under Kaiba's disbelief gaze and sincerely made his request.
Kaiba didn't rush to agree to him, but instead frowned and said, "Before that, you forgot one thing, Karim. You still have one question you haven't answered me. That is, why are you, who should have died, here? And why, despite knowing so much, are you just watching here instead of taking action yourself to stop Tragoedia?"
Hearing Kaiba's words, Karim sighed: "It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't. Let me show you something..."
As he spoke, Karim raised his hand. A wisp of gold light suddenly rose in his hand and condensed into shape. It was actually the Millennium Scale!?
"Three thousand years ago, in order to counter the Great Darkness Evil God summoned by the Great Dark Priest, we Priests used our full power to protect the Pharaoh, and I sacrificed my life at the time." Looking at the slightly transparent Millennium Scale in his hand, Karim felt quite emotional. "I thought my outcome would be to fall into the Underworld and await the God of Death's judgment. But what I didn't expect was that the Millennium Scale actually possessed a very special hidden power."
"Death God Anubis's most famous legend is none other than the Weighing of the Heart and Feather to judge the destination of the dead. Perhaps because of this, the Millennium Scale actually possessed power related to death. After my death, I actually transformed into a soul wandering the World, carrying a portion of the Millennium Scale's power."
Glancing at the Millennium Scale in his hand, even Karim said with a bit of embarrassment, "Pity that the true Millennium Scale also seems to have been somewhat influenced by this and lost some of its power, becoming a bit weaker."
Nowadays, Kaiba was already skilled at hearing about supernatural topics he wasn't interested in and immediately forgetting them, completely failing to remember what Karim was saying. However, if Hayato were here, upon hearing Karim's words, he would likely understand why Shadi was so weak when using the Millennium Scale.
Extending his hand, Kaiba watched his palm pass directly through Karim's body beside him without any obstruction, yet without the slightest feeling of touching anything. Kaiba instantly "understood".
"I see. It must be because the so-called Millennium Items made of gold material formed a special interior structure due to the ancient people's backward forging skill level, which can retain some kind of specific magnetic field for a long time. And the essence of human thought is the transmission of electrical signals. Within a special magnetic field, a segment of electrical signals remains active for a long time without consumption. This is the true reason Karim can 'exist' for a thousand years."
"Great, I'm gradually understanding everything."
Looking at Kaiba, who had suddenly become excited and seemed to have gained some inspiration, and unlike Pegasus, who suffered from severe procrastination, was full of motivation and wanted to take action immediately, Karim spoke again: "Tragoedia, who has regained its 'power of the stars' and is hiding in the darkness, waiting for 'Planetary Alignment'..."
"The destiny of humanity, the future of the World, I'm entrusting it to you, Kaiba Seto."
As if the signal was bad, Karim's figure before Kaiba suddenly became somewhat blurry, and the scene before his eyes changed abruptly like a fading painting. In just the blink of an eye, Kaiba found himself having left that Tomb again and returned to the street?
(End of Chapter)
As Karim and Aknadin sealed Tragoedia into the tablet, perhaps because Seto had drawn away some of its power using the Millennium Rod, the engraving of Tragoedia on the tablet appeared for only an instant before disappearing again, and a hole also appeared in the center of the tablet.
The phantoms dispersed one by one, and the figures of Aknadin and the others disappeared. Only the image of that tablet remained, perfectly overlapping with the tablet Kaiba had seen illuminated by light points before.
"What was that just now...?" Kaiba cast a confused gaze at Karim beside him, seeking an explanation.
"That was a scene from three thousand years ago that was engraved. It happened before King Aknamkanon's soul returned to the Underworld and the Pharaoh we served ascended to the throne. The purpose for which Astrologist Tragoedia committed the sin was not important to us at the time, and we thought that simply sealing the monster Tragoedia like that would resolve everything."
Kaiba nodded. Because he had heard the name Thief Village from Tragoedia's mouth, even if Karim was reluctant to mention it, he could roughly guess what had happened.
However, what was unexpected was that among the Thief Village chosen by Aknadin to create the Millennium Items, besides Bakura, who called himself the Thief King and was a survivor who personally experienced the massacre, there were also people who escaped calamity by being away from the village and not returning.
And despite being from the notorious Thief Village, Tragoedia could still become the Pharaoh's Astrologist, clearly possessing considerable ability.
Karim paused and continued, "At least for the first few decades, that was indeed the case."
"But, after a very, very long time, so long that the three Priests who sealed Tragoedia—Aknadin, who betrayed the Pharaoh and became the Great Dark Priest; I, Karim, who sacrificed myself in the struggle against Great Evil God Zorc Necrophades; and you, Seto, who became Pharaoh—no, you, Kaiba Seto, your past life."
"Pharaoh Seto's last order during his reign was to disperse and seal the Millennium Items, which possessed power transcending the world, a power that humans were not yet ready to receive. But precisely when the Priests gave up the legacy of the Millennium Items passed down from the previous generation, Tragoedia, who had been sealed, quietly revived."
Hearing this, Kaiba felt a little strange: "Wait a minute, before you said Tragoedia's power wasn't strong, that even Seto alone could suppress it with his power. But why did the succeeding Priests become so useless? Even without things like the Millennium Items, they couldn't suppress Tragoedia?"
"Could it be that Tragoedia is still continuously growing within that so-called stone tablet for sealing beings?"
Karim shook his head, denying Kaiba's wild idea: "No, although Aknadin later betrayed us, the knowledge he used was undoubtedly the truth. Although the monsters sealed in the tablet can still perceive the Outside World, all they can do is purely 'resentment' and 'powerless rage'. Their power will not change in the slightest because of this; instead, their intelligence will only wear down completely over the long years."
"However, while the power within hasn't changed, it doesn't mean Tragoedia's strength couldn't increase further. There is one thing that humans cannot speed up or slow down, and it is also the thing that Astrologist Tragoedia was most familiar with."
As he spoke, Karim extended his finger and pointed upwards.
Kaiba raised his head and saw the deep blue ceiling of the Tomb again. Karim was certainly not pointing at the Tomb itself, but at the Starry Sky above.
"That Tragoedia can actually use the power of the stars too?"
Although he didn't believe in those mystical things, Kaiba, as a Duelist, could easily accept Cyber Dragon, which is said to use the radiance from the Cyber Dragon Constellation via the Cyber Style, as well as Drytron, the incarnation of the Cyber Dragon Constellation itself. And now, he seems like he has encountered a third type of Duel Monster related to the "Stars"?
Human Astrology? No way; the power of the stars from Duel Monsters cards? Yes way!
Karim nodded and affirmed: "So-called astrology is the ability to deduce the future based on known astrological signs. It seems vague, but actually, it is a very profound field of knowledge. And this power became extremely strong three thousand years ago due to the appearance of a very rare astrological sign. That is, 'Planetary Alignment', also known as 'Nine-Star Alignment' and so on."
"Do you believe in attraction, Kaiba Seto? Attraction exists between all things; all things have attraction. And the stars surrounding the supreme Sun have always been pulling at each other with attraction. When the sign of 'Planetary Alignment' appears, the attraction between the stars will be in a perfect superposition state, and at this moment, astrology, which originally had limited power, will burst forth with great power."
"It can even provide power to Tragoedia, who was once the Pharaoh's best Astrologist but later became a monster sealed in the tablet, allowing its power to even break through the restriction of the tablet originally prepared for ordinary monsters and extend to the Outside World."
"Control Minds, this is the power possessed by the monster that Tragoedia fused with. Its original strength was quite weak, probably just enough to make someone suddenly feel a strong urge to go to the Restroom, and it wouldn't even have any use on someone who had just finished using the Restroom."
"But with the blessing of astrology's power, Tragoedia's ability, which had completely fallen into madness as a result of decades of being sealed and whose whole person had completely transformed into a monster's thought, became so strong that it could slightly take effect on the Priests who held Millennium Items after rigorous training!"
Although Karim said the effect on the Priests was only "slight," Kaiba still noticed the key point: "The premise is that the Millennium Items were still in the Priests' hands, right? But you said before that Seto's last order during his reign was actually to seal the Millennium Items separately?"
"That's trouble now, sounds like it, right? Monsters invaded, darkness enveloped, and the Kingdom fell into crisis because of it. I wanted to tell a similar plot, one that would make the story dramatic and captivating, and also show off my storytelling skill level. Unfortunately, I can't, because actually, the influence Tragoedia brought about came to an abrupt halt before it could even expand."
"'Planetary Alignment', which can enhance the 'power of the stars' to the greatest extent, certainly benefited Tragoedia due to the influence of astrology. But in the end, the astrology he used was merely the ability to utilize the residual starlight." Karim spread his hand. "Mere starlight, how could it compete with the blazing Sun?"
"Even if it were another Pharaoh in another era, Tragoedia might have been able to cause quite a commotion. But the Pharaoh who succeeded Seto was arguably the strongest and greatest in Egypt's history of several thousand years. Ramesses II, a Pharaoh who far surpassed other Pharaohs, who dared to proclaim himself a God during his life, the sole person on the Surface World who could not be defied—he was the transformation of the Sun."
In Karim's narration, the process of Ramesses II resolving Tragoedia was roughly this—
Tragoedia used its power to Control Minds, successfully controlling the Temple guardian;
Tragoedia set a trap, successfully luring Ramesses II to its home ground, the sealed Stone Tablet Temple;
Tragoedia felt it had a great advantage, Tragoedia went in for the fight;
Tragoedia, RIP.
He easily broke through Tragoedia's ability without any effort. Not only that, when Ramesses II learned that Tragoedia's "Planetary Alignment" actually included a portion of the Sun's power, this Pharaoh directly ordered the tablet, which already had a crack, to be further expanded, forcibly separating the "power of the stars" that made it stronger, so that it wouldn't cause trouble for others later.
Kaiba, who had originally thought he would hear some good stories, ended up only hearing Karim's extensive praise for Ramesses II, and couldn't help but say, "Boring, I want to see rivers of blood."
"Since that Tragoedia has been resolved by that Ramesses II guy, you still haven't answered my question. What is your goal in bringing me here?"
Hearing Kaiba say this, Karim shook his head: "The problem is resolved? I thought so too a few years ago, but the problem is that before you, other people accidentally stumbled in here. That boy who fell in here was attracted by the attraction emanating from Tragoedia's tablet, and he voluntarily approached and touched it."
"He was a child who, although his personality was a bit gloomy, was still considered kind. But perfect humans do not exist in the World; his heart still had a flaw, and this flaw and oversight were utilized by Tragoedia, turning that boy into its puppet."
"In the years that followed, that boy returned several times, bringing some cards here each time. I recognized those cards; they were clearly the power of the stars that Pharaoh Ramesses II had separated from Tragoedia's body at the time."
"Three thousand years have passed, and unknowingly, 'Planetary Alignment' is about to appear again. At that time, Tragoedia's power will grow to its strongest level, but there is no Pharaoh Ramesses II in this era."
Karim looked at Kaiba, and said solemnly, "That boy hasn't appeared again for a year or two, but I believe Tragoedia is definitely still controlling him somewhere, attempting to revive itself. Please, you must defeat that trouble that we carelessly left for our descendants at the time, Kaiba Seto. This is my request for bringing you here!"
As he spoke, Karim actually lowered his proud head under Kaiba's disbelief gaze and sincerely made his request.
Kaiba didn't rush to agree to him, but instead frowned and said, "Before that, you forgot one thing, Karim. You still have one question you haven't answered me. That is, why are you, who should have died, here? And why, despite knowing so much, are you just watching here instead of taking action yourself to stop Tragoedia?"
Hearing Kaiba's words, Karim sighed: "It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't. Let me show you something..."
As he spoke, Karim raised his hand. A wisp of gold light suddenly rose in his hand and condensed into shape. It was actually the Millennium Scale!?
"Three thousand years ago, in order to counter the Great Darkness Evil God summoned by the Great Dark Priest, we Priests used our full power to protect the Pharaoh, and I sacrificed my life at the time." Looking at the slightly transparent Millennium Scale in his hand, Karim felt quite emotional. "I thought my outcome would be to fall into the Underworld and await the God of Death's judgment. But what I didn't expect was that the Millennium Scale actually possessed a very special hidden power."
"Death God Anubis's most famous legend is none other than the Weighing of the Heart and Feather to judge the destination of the dead. Perhaps because of this, the Millennium Scale actually possessed power related to death. After my death, I actually transformed into a soul wandering the World, carrying a portion of the Millennium Scale's power."
Glancing at the Millennium Scale in his hand, even Karim said with a bit of embarrassment, "Pity that the true Millennium Scale also seems to have been somewhat influenced by this and lost some of its power, becoming a bit weaker."
Nowadays, Kaiba was already skilled at hearing about supernatural topics he wasn't interested in and immediately forgetting them, completely failing to remember what Karim was saying. However, if Hayato were here, upon hearing Karim's words, he would likely understand why Shadi was so weak when using the Millennium Scale.
Extending his hand, Kaiba watched his palm pass directly through Karim's body beside him without any obstruction, yet without the slightest feeling of touching anything. Kaiba instantly "understood".
"I see. It must be because the so-called Millennium Items made of gold material formed a special interior structure due to the ancient people's backward forging skill level, which can retain some kind of specific magnetic field for a long time. And the essence of human thought is the transmission of electrical signals. Within a special magnetic field, a segment of electrical signals remains active for a long time without consumption. This is the true reason Karim can 'exist' for a thousand years."
"Great, I'm gradually understanding everything."
Looking at Kaiba, who had suddenly become excited and seemed to have gained some inspiration, and unlike Pegasus, who suffered from severe procrastination, was full of motivation and wanted to take action immediately, Karim spoke again: "Tragoedia, who has regained its 'power of the stars' and is hiding in the darkness, waiting for 'Planetary Alignment'..."
"The destiny of humanity, the future of the World, I'm entrusting it to you, Kaiba Seto."
As if the signal was bad, Karim's figure before Kaiba suddenly became somewhat blurry, and the scene before his eyes changed abruptly like a fading painting. In just the blink of an eye, Kaiba found himself having left that Tomb again and returned to the street?
(End of Chapter)
