The rampage of the destructive divine power, a terrifying cyclone swept across the grand hall.
The blinding light from the fist of Obelisk the Tormentor made everyone present unable to open their eyes. The overbearing shockwave knocked everyone to the ground. The circular corridor on the second floor of the palace fractured under the impact of the divine power, maids and soldiers screamed as they plummeted, and stones shattered into dust on the tiled floor.
The confrontation between the Egyptian God and the Evil God, the Pharaoh and the Thief King's roles facing off for the first time in this Ultimate Darkness Game, resulted in...
...mutual destruction!
The Quick-Play Magic "Madness Infection" deals damage to the opponent equal to half the attacking monster's attack power. The instant Obelisk's attack power surged to infinity, so the damage Yugi, as the controller, received was also infinite.
Ordinarily, if a normal human bore the explosive punch of such a destructive god, not only would their body shatter, but even their soul might not escape the fate of being obliterated.
But fortunately, even in ancient duels, spirit power was somewhat constrained by the Darkness Game. Both sides' Life Points hit zero at the same time, and according to the game rules, there was no winner. Although the explosive punch's shockwave gravely injured both, it wasn't enough to doom either of them.
The moment Obelisk's punch detonated, Yugi felt a tightness in his chest, as if a heavy iron hammer struck him squarely. For a moment, he felt the blood surge within his chest, a scorching and searing pain from deep within his body, as if a piece of his soul had been shredded, burning hotly inside.
His vision darkened, he felt a bit nauseous, and his body uncontrollably kneeled halfway as a mouthful of blood mixed with stomach acid surged up his throat.
The flames in the grand hall made the scenery in front of him seem to blur. He leaned on the scorching floor, attempting to stand, but the intense pain in his chest stopped him.
He felt like he might have cracked a rib, maybe several — although theoretically, that should only be an illusion simulated by the Darkness Game because this entire world, including his body, was built on his memories in a virtual space.
The only bit of solace was that the Thief King seemed to be in even worse shape than him.
Receiving Obelisk's infinite attack power punch head-on, Bakura's facial muscles distorted exaggeratedly in the blue storm, and his body was flattened to the ground like a ragdoll, rolling and slamming into a protruding part of the floor.
He lay on the ground for a moment in a sorry state, then shakily stood up, his red robe in tatters, feeling like he was wrapped in a torn rag.
Bakura wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face full of desperation yet still showing a cold smile: "Not bad, Pharaoh, you brought out the Egyptian God so quickly..."
The other three priests in the palace, Kareem, Shada, and Aknadin, also rushed to the palace upon hearing the commotion. However, just as they entered, they witnessed the clash between The Wicked Dreadroot and Obelisk the Tormentor. Before they could even stand firm, they were swept off their feet by Obelisk's massive punch.
After failing twice to stand, Dark Yugi finally managed to get up with the support of Yugi. Knowing he was no longer able to fight, he suppressed the discomfort in his chest and stomach, asking solemnly, "Bakura, what exactly are you trying to do?"
"Tsk, it seems you still haven't remembered anything." Bakura barely steadied his steps, sneering, "Fine, let me generously tell you, Pharaoh.
The victory condition in this Darkness Game... is the Millennium Items in the hands of the priests by your side!"
"What!?"
"No way!"
"..."
The priests all hurled curses, but their spirits were evidently not as high as before. After all, they had each been caught up in the recent divine power shockwave, now lying or kneeling scattered, unable to rise for a long time.
The power Bakura displayed was far beyond expectations... No, to say it should be far beyond the understanding of the priests for both this new Pharaoh and the Thief King's strength.
They couldn't even imagine that playing cards — no, playing stone slabs — could reach such levels of intensity!
Although the stone slabs of the Three Egyptian Gods had always been sealed in their Guardian Divine Hall, prominently displayed for worship, even for these priests, witnessing the descent of an Egyptian God firsthand was a first.
Even the previous Pharaoh Aknamkanon had never summoned an Egyptian God.
In the story setting, Ancient Egypt required the "power of the true name" to call upon a god.
The stone slabs of the Three Egyptian Gods were indeed carved in the temple, but unlike today's Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, which clearly list the monster names and effect texts, the three stone slabs of the Egyptian Gods only depicted them in abstract, minimalist lines, without anyone knowing their names.
Ironically, these creatures were prideful and would never appear unless called by name. Until now, these god beasts were merely objects of faith and legend among the people of Ancient Egypt, with almost no one ever having seen them in person.
But now, this young Pharaoh accurately called out the name of one of the Egyptian Gods, unveiling the god's true appearance before the priests!
And even more beyond their imagination was that the power of the gods was not unparalleled!
An "Evil God" equivalent to a god existed!
The priests' worldviews were collapsing...
Bakura never took these NPCs seriously from the start, mocking them: "Hey, you priests fancy yourselves the owners of the Divine Artifacts, but surely you're unaware of the secrets hidden within them, right? Placing the seven Divine Artifacts within the stone slab of Kruelna Village will awaken the ultimate darkness!"
All the other priests were at a loss, except for the elderly priest Aknadin holding the Millennium Eyes, whose eyelids twitched, looking at Bakura in terror.
This guy... could he know about Kruelna Village?
Aknadin had never told anyone; this was a secret only he knew, the true origin of the Millennium Items.
Indeed, as Bakura said, these seven Divine Artifacts were not weapons forged to uphold justice. No, calling them forged was inaccurate.
In the past, to fend off foreign invaders and safeguard the country's territory, the previous Pharaoh Aknamkanon entrusted Aknadin with the task of creating the Millennium Items. But only Aknadin knew these items were not crafted but summoned using an unimaginable amount of blood and souls from the depths of the Netherworld!
As the price for creating these items, he massacred the entire population of Kruelna Village, sparing neither the old nor children.
And not only that, he sealed even all soldiers, subordinates, and slaves accompanying him in the cave where the Millennium Items were born, as if tossing every living person into a giant alchemy mixer, grinding them down to the bone and soul until not a speck remained.
Throughout, Aknadin had shouldered alone the guilt of the Millennium Items' birth, never mentioning it to anyone. It was thanks to these seven artifacts that Ancient Egypt could avert national humiliation during a powerful foreign invasion.
It's said that an invincible conqueror led his unstoppable army to the gates of the Egyptian Royal Capital, ready to take the city in a decisive strike, only to be met by the Pharaoh himself, leading the Seven Great Priests to face them.
But behind them, not a single soldier, only a...
...a Dark Great Mage Exodia.
And that was it.
Feeling like Xiang Yu's army at Gaixia, surrounded while Han's forces were ready to strike, only to see a light beam flash, with an Ultraman appearing in the Chu army...
In that battle, Exodia vaporized the conquering army overnight, the supreme mage spirit making a name for itself and gaining the title "Dark Great Mage," intimidating the world.
But to gain such powerful strength, the darkness and bloody cost hidden behind it, only Aknadin knew.
At this moment, witnessing the power Bakura displayed and hearing his words, a terrifying possibility struck Aknadin's mind.
Could this Thief King... be a survivor from the original Kruelna Village!?