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"Chapter 466: Valon and Marik Have a Pleasant Play Session
Walking through the Backstage Passage, Joey Wheeler suddenly sneezed for no reason.
"Ah-choo!"
"Remember to cover your mouth when you sneeze, Joey Wheeler!"
"Sorry, sorry."
Facing Hayato's lecture, Joey Wheeler apologized with a forced smile. "I suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable just now, couldn't hold it in."
"But speaking of which, how much further until we reach our destination? I feel like we should move faster."
Hayato, leading the way, spread his hands helplessly. "I don't want to go at this speed either, but we're following the Magical Trace left by Marik, like Theseus following a thread through Minos's Labyrinth."
"However, we've almost reached the Last Fork in the Road."
Turning a corner, another Staff Passage appeared before them. Room numbers from 401 to 408 were neatly arranged on both sides, leading to various rooms.
Hayato swept his hand across his chest. Although it was a Millennium Item, its primary function was navigation. The five golden conical pendants of the Millennium Ring floated up out of nowhere, all pointing in one direction.
They all pointed to Room 402.
Hayato raised an eyebrow. "I really can't tell. It's highly possible that the person who secretly built this Basement was an anime/manga fan, or is it just a pure coincidence?"
Seeing Joey Wheeler and Yugi looking confused, Hayato didn't bother to explain, but Rayne, who was with them, offered the answer. "Ah, I know this. Rei Ayanami's room in *EVA* is Room 402."
"Well, that's indeed the idea, but explaining a reference feels strange." Hayato shrugged, walked elegantly to the door of Room 402, and kicked the door.
Due to the President's extravagant personality, all the specifications within the Kaiba Dome Venue were set very high, and the security was very robust. So, theoretically, it would be impossible for an ordinary human to break the door just by kicking it.
However, Marik and Tristan had already entered once before Hayato and the others, leaving an irreversible trace on the door lock that Joey Wheeler and the others could have found even without Hayato's Millennium Ring—another footprint kicked onto the door.
The door was kicked open with a bang, revealing a Spiral Staircase to a Lower Level before Hayato and his group of five—Hayato, Yugi, Joey Wheeler, Rayne, and Zigfried. It was unknown how much deeper it went.
As the door opened, Hayato and the others also faintly heard sounds:
"...Armor... Punch..."
"...Powerful Monster... Wheel..."
"...This is fundamentally not a Duel... Direct Attack..."
"...Boxers... Muda..."
Yugi frowned and tilted his head to listen. Whether it was because the sound was distorted due to the long transmission distance or for other reasons, Yugi couldn't tell exactly who the two voices belonged to, or if he knew them.
However, one thing was certain: the situation below was far from peaceful. Tristan and his group might have already come into conflict with a possible Gatekeeper or similar character.
Normally, a slight conflict wouldn't worry Yugi and the others, but with the anomaly not yet dispelled, Tristan and his group were very likely to encounter life-threatening danger.
There was no need to say anything more. The three of them exchanged glances, their communication complete. They all started running towards the Stairs. Seeing this, Rayne naturally hurried to catch up. The only one suffering was Zigfried, whose hands were tied. Joey Wheeler gave him a rough tug, almost making him fall, and forced him to run to keep up with Joey Wheeler and the others, lest he fall down the Stairs.
——————If there's an anomaly, find the Red and White——————
"You!", "this is fundamentally not the Duel I wanted!"
At the Bottom of the Stairs Hayato and the others had just discovered, the source of the sounds they had heard, Marik, was having a pleasant Duel with Valon.
However, from the "joyful" sounds coming from the armored figure standing before Marik, one could tell that this "pleasant" Duel was likely only "pleasant" for one side.
In a way, the Duel between the players at this moment could be considered evenly matched. Not only did both players have five cards in their Hand, but they also each had five cards on their Field, and even their Life Points were equally split at 2000 LP.
However, if Valon had a choice, he would rather have an opponent completely crush him than have this kind of "evenly matched" situation.
On Valon's Field was a row of monsters neatly arranged. And just like his Companion Alister's Meklord Deck, Valon's Armor Deck also consisted entirely of Machine-Type monsters.
[Active Guard Armor] [DEF 1500]
[Mental Helmet] [DEF 500]
[Black Hole Shield Armor] [ATK 0]
[Burst Gauntlet Armor] [ATK 0 → 1000]
[Transcend Boots Armor] [DEF 1000]
Unlike conventional Duel Monsters, the Armor Deck's duel style is extremely special. This is because Armor Monsters appear in a stance where they are equipped onto the Duelist's body. If you want to activate an attack to battle, simply declaring an attack is not enough; the Duelist themselves must wear these Armor Monsters and perform a punch attack.
It's very strange, but at the same time, this is Valon's true duel stance. Only in this way can he fully exert his full power.
In addition, Armor Monsters have a characteristic: they are treated as a whole, but can also be treated as individual parts. A Duelist can only attack with one Armor Monster per turn, but when being attacked, they can decide which Armor Monster will bear the attack.
Because this concept was too advanced, although the rarity of the Armor Deck wasn't high, no one except Valon wanted to use it. However, it's hard to say that the existence known as Meklord, which appeared decades later, didn't borrow from this interesting concept.
But, although the concept was interesting and Valon himself particularly enjoyed the process of dueling with Armor Monsters, he was not happy at all at this moment.
The Black Hole Shield Armor on his left hand, which had the ability to actively Tribute itself to protect other Armor Monsters, was tightly bound by a Fiend's Chain. The glowing pattern of Curse of Fiend was engraved on the Burst Gauntlet Armor on his left hand.
Torture Wheel hooked the Active Guard Armor, preventing it from changing its stance or attacking, and even causing 500 points of damage each turn.
And the Mental Helmet and Transcend Boots Armor were each equipped with an Axe of Dullness, which increased ATK but negated effects.
Wearing the armor, and thus forced to be controlled along with the Armor Monsters, Valon, who completely resembled Exodia the Forbidden One, looked at Marik with great annoyance. "What kind of Duel is this?!"
"Heh heh, I don't even know where the End of the Universe is, so how could I know the answer to the question?" Marik looked at his duel disk. Although his Front Row was empty, his Spell/Trap Zone was completely filled with red and green cards, and he couldn't help but reveal a smile of pleasure.
"Duel Monsters is so fun," he said, placing his hand on his duel disk. "My turn, draw!"
"Then, I will grant you this powerful monster! Go, Lava Golem!"
Walking through the Backstage Passage, Joey Wheeler suddenly sneezed for no reason.
"Ah-choo!"
"Remember to cover your mouth when you sneeze, Joey Wheeler!"
"Sorry, sorry."
Facing Hayato's lecture, Joey Wheeler apologized with a forced smile. "I suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable just now, couldn't hold it in."
"But speaking of which, how much further until we reach our destination? I feel like we should move faster."
Hayato, leading the way, spread his hands helplessly. "I don't want to go at this speed either, but we're following the Magical Trace left by Marik, like Theseus following a thread through Minos's Labyrinth."
"However, we've almost reached the Last Fork in the Road."
Turning a corner, another Staff Passage appeared before them. Room numbers from 401 to 408 were neatly arranged on both sides, leading to various rooms.
Hayato swept his hand across his chest. Although it was a Millennium Item, its primary function was navigation. The five golden conical pendants of the Millennium Ring floated up out of nowhere, all pointing in one direction.
They all pointed to Room 402.
Hayato raised an eyebrow. "I really can't tell. It's highly possible that the person who secretly built this Basement was an anime/manga fan, or is it just a pure coincidence?"
Seeing Joey Wheeler and Yugi looking confused, Hayato didn't bother to explain, but Rayne, who was with them, offered the answer. "Ah, I know this. Rei Ayanami's room in *EVA* is Room 402."
"Well, that's indeed the idea, but explaining a reference feels strange." Hayato shrugged, walked elegantly to the door of Room 402, and kicked the door.
Due to the President's extravagant personality, all the specifications within the Kaiba Dome Venue were set very high, and the security was very robust. So, theoretically, it would be impossible for an ordinary human to break the door just by kicking it.
However, Marik and Tristan had already entered once before Hayato and the others, leaving an irreversible trace on the door lock that Joey Wheeler and the others could have found even without Hayato's Millennium Ring—another footprint kicked onto the door.
The door was kicked open with a bang, revealing a Spiral Staircase to a Lower Level before Hayato and his group of five—Hayato, Yugi, Joey Wheeler, Rayne, and Zigfried. It was unknown how much deeper it went.
As the door opened, Hayato and the others also faintly heard sounds:
"...Armor... Punch..."
"...Powerful Monster... Wheel..."
"...This is fundamentally not a Duel... Direct Attack..."
"...Boxers... Muda..."
Yugi frowned and tilted his head to listen. Whether it was because the sound was distorted due to the long transmission distance or for other reasons, Yugi couldn't tell exactly who the two voices belonged to, or if he knew them.
However, one thing was certain: the situation below was far from peaceful. Tristan and his group might have already come into conflict with a possible Gatekeeper or similar character.
Normally, a slight conflict wouldn't worry Yugi and the others, but with the anomaly not yet dispelled, Tristan and his group were very likely to encounter life-threatening danger.
There was no need to say anything more. The three of them exchanged glances, their communication complete. They all started running towards the Stairs. Seeing this, Rayne naturally hurried to catch up. The only one suffering was Zigfried, whose hands were tied. Joey Wheeler gave him a rough tug, almost making him fall, and forced him to run to keep up with Joey Wheeler and the others, lest he fall down the Stairs.
——————If there's an anomaly, find the Red and White——————
"You!", "this is fundamentally not the Duel I wanted!"
At the Bottom of the Stairs Hayato and the others had just discovered, the source of the sounds they had heard, Marik, was having a pleasant Duel with Valon.
However, from the "joyful" sounds coming from the armored figure standing before Marik, one could tell that this "pleasant" Duel was likely only "pleasant" for one side.
In a way, the Duel between the players at this moment could be considered evenly matched. Not only did both players have five cards in their Hand, but they also each had five cards on their Field, and even their Life Points were equally split at 2000 LP.
However, if Valon had a choice, he would rather have an opponent completely crush him than have this kind of "evenly matched" situation.
On Valon's Field was a row of monsters neatly arranged. And just like his Companion Alister's Meklord Deck, Valon's Armor Deck also consisted entirely of Machine-Type monsters.
[Active Guard Armor] [DEF 1500]
[Mental Helmet] [DEF 500]
[Black Hole Shield Armor] [ATK 0]
[Burst Gauntlet Armor] [ATK 0 → 1000]
[Transcend Boots Armor] [DEF 1000]
Unlike conventional Duel Monsters, the Armor Deck's duel style is extremely special. This is because Armor Monsters appear in a stance where they are equipped onto the Duelist's body. If you want to activate an attack to battle, simply declaring an attack is not enough; the Duelist themselves must wear these Armor Monsters and perform a punch attack.
It's very strange, but at the same time, this is Valon's true duel stance. Only in this way can he fully exert his full power.
In addition, Armor Monsters have a characteristic: they are treated as a whole, but can also be treated as individual parts. A Duelist can only attack with one Armor Monster per turn, but when being attacked, they can decide which Armor Monster will bear the attack.
Because this concept was too advanced, although the rarity of the Armor Deck wasn't high, no one except Valon wanted to use it. However, it's hard to say that the existence known as Meklord, which appeared decades later, didn't borrow from this interesting concept.
But, although the concept was interesting and Valon himself particularly enjoyed the process of dueling with Armor Monsters, he was not happy at all at this moment.
The Black Hole Shield Armor on his left hand, which had the ability to actively Tribute itself to protect other Armor Monsters, was tightly bound by a Fiend's Chain. The glowing pattern of Curse of Fiend was engraved on the Burst Gauntlet Armor on his left hand.
Torture Wheel hooked the Active Guard Armor, preventing it from changing its stance or attacking, and even causing 500 points of damage each turn.
And the Mental Helmet and Transcend Boots Armor were each equipped with an Axe of Dullness, which increased ATK but negated effects.
Wearing the armor, and thus forced to be controlled along with the Armor Monsters, Valon, who completely resembled Exodia the Forbidden One, looked at Marik with great annoyance. "What kind of Duel is this?!"
"Heh heh, I don't even know where the End of the Universe is, so how could I know the answer to the question?" Marik looked at his duel disk. Although his Front Row was empty, his Spell/Trap Zone was completely filled with red and green cards, and he couldn't help but reveal a smile of pleasure.
"Duel Monsters is so fun," he said, placing his hand on his duel disk. "My turn, draw!"
"Then, I will grant you this powerful monster! Go, Lava Golem!"
