Chapter 819: Chapter 792: Merlot’s Whereabouts

Clap clap clap clap——

On the dark and breezy night, a series of crisp claps echoed through the wilderness.

Having just finished a delightful duel, Judai had packed up his Duel Disc and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see his good buddies Yugen and Joey appearing from between the trees, walking towards him. Yugen applauded enthusiastically for his recent performance.

"Yugen, Joey?" Judai was surprised, "You guys are here."

"Just got back." Yugen said.

Joey: "I took Yugen’s private jet, he gave me a lift..."

Saying this, he couldn’t help but show a look of envy and resentment.

"Kuso (Damn)! That stingy Kaiba, it’s been over ten years and he’s still targeting me. He won’t even replace my Duel Disc with a new model, yet he gifts others a private jet..."

Judai chuckled and patted his shoulder: "Well, don’t mind it. After all, Yugen and President Kaiba have quite an unusual relationship."

"Really?"

Joey showed a skeptical expression. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"How unusual is it?"

"I’m not really sure." Judai scratched his head, "I just heard some rumors that they get along well. Many of Yugen’s cards seem to be from the Kaiba Group..."

"Nani?"

Joey’s eyes widened upon hearing this, and recalling his lifelong feud with Kaiba, he couldn’t help but turn to look at Yugen.

"Rumors." Yugen feigned innocence, "I haven’t met the President many times, we’re actually not close."

Joey once again looked suspiciously at the newest model Duel Disc from Kaiba Group, unofficially released, in his hand.

"Then what about this?"

Yugen nodded: "Yeah, it’s from the Kaiba Group."

"Rare Card?"

Yugen nodded again: "That’s true."

"Your jet?"

Yugen tilted his head, thought a bit.

"Kaiba’s."

It’s hard to deny.

Joey almost couldn’t help but want to smash his Duel Disc: "So you’re saying, you’re not close with Kaiba, and he gives you these just because he finds you pleasing?"

"I know it’s hard to be convincing..." Yugen thought for a bit, "If anything, I’m close with his brother."

"Keihei... Compared to his brother’s nasty temperament, he is indeed quite a lovable kid."

Joey was lost in reminiscing.

Back in the day, even though Joey and his friends weren’t on good terms with Kaiba, their relationship with Keihei was quite good. After all, they could be considered as friends who went through hardships together, and Keihei wasn’t like his brother, proud and awkward, but rather willing to get along with Yuugi and the others.

However, come to think of it, Joey probably hadn’t seen Keihei in many years, his memories of Keihei likely still stuck in his elementary school days. Otherwise, calling Keihei a "lovable kid" now might somewhat seem out of place.

"That was quite a nice duel just now." Yugen smiled at Judai, "You’re continuously getting stronger, Judai."

"No need to mention it."

Judai grinned proudly at Yugen.

"We should have a rematch sometime, I may not lose again now."

"I’m looking forward to it. But not now, we have more important matters to handle. Let’s save this duel for later."

"Sounds good!"

The two of them spoke, extending their fists and bumping them, quite in sync.

Seeing this scene, Joey couldn’t help but recall his own close friends back then, when everyone shared an unbreakable bond, tightly connected by solid friendships. But now, everyone has gone their separate ways, and it’s tough to reunite.

But speaking of...

Do you call that getting stronger?

Joey also witnessed Judai’s duel earlier. Although he thought Judai was strong, there was a sense of wanting to grumble that he couldn’t quite grasp.

He felt the duels of this Osiris Red youth used to seem different when he first knew him... Or perhaps it was just a trend back then, but not as pronounced.

At least back then, Judai didn’t seem to have tactics like "gift the opponent a big monster and then take it out with a Golden Blade blow", which makes one’s blood pressure spike.

Could this have something to do with him being one with the Overlord now?

Hmm, that’s reasonable. The Overlord is dubbed the ruler of darkness, possessing unfathomable dark powers. Merging with such a being, it makes sense that duels become a bit darker.

Of course, this thought wasn’t voiced out loud, otherwise, the Other-dimensional King would surely protest his innocence.

No, no, no, I’m just a minor king managing the Twelfth Dimension, my darkness level can’t even match half of these two!

And looking at the nearby Zapp Shokyo lying on the ground, already unconscious, Joey couldn’t help but think, this person would definitely not agree that it was a beautiful duel...

Joey pondered.

Speaking of which, he kind of felt that Yuugi’s duels seemed a bit like this before... Not referring to Atom, but his best friend Muto Yuugi.

Maybe this is the correct way to open the duels of strong players?

Should I try experimenting with new tactics next time I get the chance...

But before his thoughts could drift further, Yugen pulled him back.

"Mr. Joey Wheeler, did you say you’ve obtained important information?"

"Huh? Oh, yes."

Joey reined in his thoughts, speaking seriously.

"President Beckas has been taken down."

"Beckas... You mean that Beckas?" Judai showed a surprised look.

"I’m afraid it’s him." Joey nodded, "I’ve already helped him break free from control... at least temporarily."

But he said that while being manipulated he designed a very dangerous Sword Fighting Card, which is now in the hands of that guy named Merlot."

He paused, looking at the guy already unconscious on the ground.

"This one is also sent by them. They refer to your newly acquired power as part of the ’Darkness of the Universe’, which I suspect likely means the Overlord."

"Do they fear the Overlord’s power?" Judai asked.

"As part of the Light of Destruction faction, the power you wield definitely makes them nervous." Yugen said, "Perhaps that’s why they hastened their attack."

"We can’t let these guys swagger any longer."

Joey clenched his fist as he spoke.

"We must strike back! And directly challenge that guy named Merlot with a duel to settle it!"

"I suspect he might also have such thoughts now." Yugen said, "By controlling Beckas, it’s likely not just for a card."

Beckas is the modern Father of Duel Monsters, the best designer in this world. He designed Phantom Gods and Evil Gods, and only he can control the most powerful forces and visualize them with cards.

Merlot wants to utilize his power to further perfect his deck, likely having access to International Fantasy Association’s advanced equipment, secret research data, research resources, and...

Yugen suddenly paused.

"What’s wrong?"

Judai and Joey looked at him together.

Yugen’s mind raced, then he raised an eyebrow.

"I have a feeling that maybe... I’ve guessed where Merlot might be now."