Chapter 56: The Invincible Old Ai is about to fall—wait, he hasn't fallen yet

Chapter 56: Invincible Old Exodia—Wait, He Hasn't Fallen Yet

"Ah, it's Haga-kun." Hayato didn't have much of a natural affinity for Haga, but the game had failed to convey how disgusting this guy truly was. On the contrary, he felt a slight bit of goodwill toward Haga for informing him of the existence of the "new rules." So, seeing Haga appear, he was actually quite welcoming. "Did you trade for any powerful cards, Haga-kun?"

"Hehe, the cards used for trading couldn't possibly be the duelists' strongest cards. At most, it's just exchanging useless cards for other useless cards. Besides, I have great confidence in my deck." Haga leaned in quite enthusiastically, his gaze wandering across the round table before quickly locking onto the golden box that Yugi had just taken out [Time Magician] from, before he had even had the chance to close the lid.

"And no matter how powerful a card is, it won't be a match for your [Exodia], Yugi."

Hearing such a powerful duelist—one who had won the National Duel Monsters Championship—affirm the strength of his friend, Jonouchi looked proud. "Of course! [Exodia] is an invincible monster!"

Anyone who didn't know might think [Exodia] belonged to Jonouchi rather than Yugi.

"While there isn't just one set of [Exodia] cards—it's not as rare as the four copies of [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]—among the duelists I know, you're the only one who has managed to collect the full set, Yugi."

Haga took the opportunity to keep steering the conversation toward [Exodia]. Knowing his intentions, Hayato simply sat to the side and watched this ill-intentioned fellow, waiting to see when he would reveal his true purpose.

Yugi felt a bit embarrassed by Haga's words. He scratched the back of his head and said with a smile, "Don't say that. Actually, this [Exodia] set isn't mine; it's my Chicken's collection."

"Collecting cards is just the basic requirement. Being able to assemble [Exodia] in a duel means you are very impressive too, Yugi." Haga walked toward Yugi with a smile. "Hey, Yugi, you know, I've never seen such rare cards as [Exodia] before. Could you let me take a look?"

The simple-minded (?) Yugi didn't think much of it. He very readily took out the deck from the golden box, selected the five [Exodia] cards, and handed them to Haga. "Of course, no problem!"

"So this is [Exodia]? As long as you collect the five cards in your hand, you can win the duel regardless of the situation. So powerful... truly too powerful." Haga held the five cards in his hand, speaking in an exaggeratedly flat tone.

"Hey, Yugi, do you know? From the moment I heard about [Exodia]'s invincible ability, I started thinking about one question: if I were to duel you, how should I deal with [Exodia]?" Haga paused, turning his head to look at the sea under the night sky.

The wind over the sea grew stronger, bringing larger waves with it. The bright moon that had been hanging high in the sky had been obscured by dark clouds at some unknown point, leaving nothing but pitch blackness across the ocean. It was as if the darkness had been specifically prepared for someone or something.

Yugi was a smart person. Although he tended to trust others easily, he could sense something wrong in Haga's words at this moment. "What are you trying to say, Haga?"

"I have finally confirmed it. Under the infinite power of [Exodia], I cannot defeat you." Haga suddenly flashed a smile, having already backed up until his back hit the railing. "But the moment I held these [Exodia] cards of yours, I finally found the answer—the answer to how to defeat you!"

Seeing Yugi about to rush toward him, Haga's hand gripping the [Exodia] cards swung violently toward the railing. The five cards were thrown forcefully, drifting toward the sea. "If I can't defeat [Exodia], then I'll just have to destroy it!"

"Chicken's cards!" Yugi reached out desperately, trying to grab the cards, but the distance between them was far too great. Amidst Jonouchi's shock, Yugi's anxiety, and Haga's joyful eyes, the cards thrown by Haga were about to drift out of the ship. But just then, several insect nets suddenly extended from the lower deck, precisely catching all the cards.

Only then did Hayato leisurely rise from his chair, walk to the railing, lean over, and speak: "Sorry to keep you all waiting so long. Bring the cards up."

"Yes, Mr. Hayato," came the voice of a staff member in black from the lower deck. Clearly, they were the ones who had used the nets to catch the falling cards.

Seeing his plan fail, Haga attempted to flee, but Jonouchi, having reacted in time, grabbed him by the collar. Haga's legs kicked and struggled as he looked at Hayato with disbelief. "You bastard, you were prepared all along! I didn't tell anyone!"

"Ask your own conscience: can your acting truly hide your thoughts? When I saw you in the cabin, I could smell it—that disgusting stench unique to villains, even more foul than a frog's urine." Hayato paused. "To use Yugi's kindness and trust to try and destroy his cards... a person like you is even worse than rat droppings in a toilet."

Several men in black climbed the stairs carrying insect nets. One of them held the five rescued [Exodia] cards and approached Yugi, handing them over respectfully.

"Yugi, quick, check if the cards are all there!" Jonouchi asked with concern. The power of [Exodia] relied on the completeness of the five cards; even one missing would make it useless. Yugi spread out the five cards, and after confirming they were all there, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hayato-kun, thank you so much this time. Because of you, Chicken's cards weren't thrown into the sea." Yugi thanked Hayato sincerely. If not for Hayato, those five cards would have been lost to the ocean.

Hayato waved it off. "I had my suspicions when Haga kept steering the conversation toward [Exodia], but I had no evidence. Acting prematurely would have been unwise on my part."

"However, fortunately, the VIP treatment Pegasus gave me is the real deal; I can command the people of Industrial Illusions. Although it caused you all some fright, we've caught Haga red-handed."

Seeing that the group's attention was temporarily not on him, and seeing the Industrial Illusions staff eyeing him like a predator watching its prey, Haga felt a surge of panic. He had taken such a massive risk only to fail to destroy [Exodia] and get caught instead. He felt a surge of malice.

He reached up, grabbed Jonouchi's hand that was holding his collar, and bit down hard. Jonouchi, in pain, reflexively let go. The moment Haga's feet hit the ground, he immediately lunged toward Yugi's body.