Yugi recognized that head.
"So, an Exodia deck was where your confidence in accepting this duel came from?"
He immediately understood.
"Damn it!"
Having been seen through, the Gryus lackey flew into a rage.
"Then what I need to do is simple. I activate my Set card, the Continuous Trap, [Goblin Thief]!"
Whenever a monster on your field inflicts battle damage on the opposing player, they randomly discard 1 card from their hand.
"What!?"
This card was simply adding insult to injury for the lackey.
"Battle continues. [Green Gear], attack him directly!"
The green gear robot slammed its fist into the lackey.
[Gryus Lackey: LP 4000 → 2400]
"By the effect of [Goblin Thief], discard a card at random."
Yugi did not care which card his opponent discarded. As long as he chipped away at his hand, that was enough.
"Damn it!"
The lackey reluctantly discarded a card.
[Gryus Lackey Hand: 4 → 3]
Although the discard was not truly random, it did not matter. With Silent Swordsman on Yugi's field sealing Spell Cards, the opponent could not draw many cards. After having his hand depleted, it would be even more impossible for him to assemble Exodia.
"I end my turn."
Yugi ended his turn directly without even Setting a card.
"My turn... draw..."
[Gryus Lackey Hand: 3 → 4]
"This is..."
The lackey's mood suddenly brightened when he saw the card he had drawn.
"Heh heh heh. I Set one card and end my turn."
The lackey simply Set a card and passed.
[Gryus Lackey Hand: 4 → 3]
"My turn, draw!"
[Yugi Muto Hand: 2 → 3]
"Battle. [Silent Swordsman LV7], attack him directly!"
Without doing anything else, Yugi entered the Battle Phase.
Silent Swordsman immediately leaped high into the air.
"You fell for it! I activate the Trap Card, [Mirror Force]!"
This card could only be activated when an opponent's monster declared an attack. Destroy all Attack Position monsters on your opponent's field.
An image is available here and can be viewed in the updated version.
The lackey's Set card flipped open.
—Submit before the sublime power of Hanno!!
For some reason, that line echoed in Yugi's mind. However, he did not dwell on it and flipped open another Set card on his field.
"I chain my Set card, the Trap Card [Trap Jammer]!"
For this turn, negate the effects of all Trap Cards on the field except this card.
An image is available here and can be viewed in the updated version.
For a heavy-trap player like Yugi, this card was even better than [Solemn Judgment].
"..."
Before the lackey could react, the Trap Card in front of him shattered. Then Silent Swordsman's greatsword came crashing down.
[Gryus Lackey: LP 2600 → 0]
"Damn it, you actually dared to defeat me. Then I've changed my mind—I'll take your cards by force!"
The lackey shouted furiously.
"Resorting to such despicable means? AIBO, give me your body."
The King immediately said to Yugi.
"Okay, I'll leave it to you, Other Me."
The King then took control of Yugi's body.
The King used Dark Power on the three Gryus members who were about to make their move.
"Mind Shock!"
The three lackeys lost consciousness and collapsed.
"Call the police, Yugi."
Anzu suggested this to Yugi after he had switched back.
"Yeah, we really should call the police. We should notify Kaiba too."
Yugi nodded in agreement.
Duel City Begins
Just as Yugi and the others were about to call the police, the unconscious Gryus lackey suddenly stood up.
"What!?"
The King had taken over Yugi's body again and watched the lackey warily.
He had clearly used Mind Shock. The man should have been unconscious.
Soon, the lackey raised his head. A golden light shone on his forehead, and the mark of an eye appeared.
"The crest of a Millennium Item?"
The King's pupils suddenly contracted.
"It has been a long time, Yugi. The strongest duelist who defeated Pegasus. The one speaking to you now is the weakest man among the rare card hunters. The true power of Gryus is far greater than this."
The Gryus lackey spoke in a different voice.
"Hey, what is this guy talking about?"
Watching the bizarre scene before him, Jonouchi immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
"Other Me, the way he speaks is like Bandit Keith when we met him before. It feels as though someone is controlling him. I'm afraid the one speaking to us now is Gryus's leader."
Yugi warned the King.
"I see. I understand now."
The King stared at the other side vigilantly.
"Who exactly are you?"
He demanded.
"Like you, I am one chosen by a Millennium Item. It is all thanks to the power of the Millennium Rod I possess."
The other side did not hide it.
"The Millennium Rod!?"
The King remembered what Isis, the woman he had met a few days ago, had told him: that he would later encounter an enemy wielding a Millennium Item.
So the leader behind Gryus was the enemy she meant?
"This little sideshow was merely a small greeting. My name is Marik."
The other side revealed his name.
"Marik, what is Gryus's objective?"
The King continued questioning him.
"To gather the God Cards, the three rare cards resurrected in this world."
Marik did not hide that either.
"God Cards?"
The King was curious about the term.
"Three stone tablets passed down from ancient Egypt, each housing Dark Power: [Obelisk the Tormentor], [Slifer the Sky Dragon], and [The Winged Dragon of Ra]. Whoever gathers all the God Cards will not only gain the title of Pharaoh, but also obtain the power to conquer the world."
Marik spoke at length.
"I see. The power to conquer the world?"
However, the King sensed that Marik was hiding another purpose.
"We of Gryus already possess two God Cards, and the remaining one is in the hands of someone in this city. Yugi, our game has only just begun. I look forward to your performance. Heh heh heh~!"
The other side laughed sinisterly. Then the body lost its control and collapsed to the ground.
After that, nothing else happened to Yugi and the others. The police and President Kaiba both arrived.
"Hmph, Yu-gi. I never expected you to defeat an opponent before Duel City even began—and one of those Gryus rats, at that."
President Kaiba was as arrogant as ever.
He removed a transparent card from the Gryus lackey's Duel Disk.
"The rules of Duel City state that after defeating an opponent, you may take their Puzzle Card. Collect six Puzzle Cards, and you can proceed to the location of the quarterfinals."
As he spoke, he handed the Puzzle Card to Yugi.
"Wouldn't this be against the rules?"
Yugi accepted the Puzzle Card somewhat awkwardly.
"Hmph. They are merely weaklings. You are the only opponent I value."
As President Kaiba said this, he shot Jonouchi a glance.
"Hey, what do you mean, weakling?"
Seeing President Kaiba look down on Jonouchi, he immediately flew into a rage.
"Even weaklings like this have Duel Disks. How disappointing."
President Kaiba continued his sharp-tongued assault, making Jonouchi want to summon his fists and hit him.
"Damn it!"
Jonouchi was already about to rush over and throw a punch, but his best friend Honda Hiro stopped him.
"Hmph, Yu-gi. I'll be waiting for you at the end of Duel City."
With that, President Kaiba turned and left. The police also carried away the three Gryus lackeys.
Finally, with no Gryus members left to obstruct them, Jonouchi safely arrived at the hospital. His biological younger sister, Shizuka Kawai, was also sent in for surgery to treat her eye disease.
The next day.
"Really!? The operation was a success!?"
At home, Yugi felt relieved when he heard Jonouchi's call.
Before you continue