To hell with human adaptability, ancient Egyptian cuisine, and that damned black bread!

"What is this?! It's way too delicious! QAQ"

Tears streamed down Hoshino's face as she ate—finally tasting modern-style food again after so long. And with someone like Tamamo behind the cooking, even the rough edges worn down by all that coarse ancient food were soothed at last.

Compared to her, Yugi's reaction wasn't as dramatic, but the noticeably quicker pace of his eating and the relaxed brow—more at ease than even during state affairs—made it clear Tamamo's cooking had struck him too.

"It's just plain ol' home cooking~ If Master is satisfied, then I'm happy," Tamamo said with a warm smile.

Plain home cooking? This was totally on par with Archer's level—what the heck is her definition of plain?

Mana, fidgeting shyly, asked:

"U-um... Prince, Hoshino... won't you try mine too...?"

"You actually made something edible?" Yugi asked, clearly surprised. In all his memories, Mana had never once shown an interest in cooking.

"Of course I did!" she huffed, puffing her cheeks in indignation at the doubt in his tone.

"It's just a simple egg dish, but I can handle that! I'll bring it out now, and you guys better eat it all, okay?~"

"Crushed Egg Dish": I... I hate this world...!!

"What the hell is that?!"

Hoshino stared at the pitch-black, powdery substance on the plate, which was giving off smoke like it was crying over its own tragic fate. Even scooping just a little with a spoon made the silverware visibly react—some sort of chemical meltdown seemed to be occurring.

"Is this... quicklime stir-fry?"

"It's egg! An egg dish!!" Mana pouted and corrected indignantly.

"You are going to eat it, right? This is my first time cooking, after all!"

Calmly setting down the nearly-eroded spoon, Hoshino turned toward the door and shouted:

"—Guards! Arrest the assassin! Someone is trying to poison the Pharaoh!"

(***)

Meanwhile…

Mahad, tasked with searching for traces of the Thief King Bakura, had arrived at an old, dark ruin.

It wasn't that he'd found any direct evidence—the truth was just as Seto had said. The explosion had completely engulfed Bakura, leaving not a single trace behind.

Under normal circumstances, one would assume his body had been utterly destroyed. And yet, with a growing sense of unease, the Millennium Ring on Mahad's chest suddenly began to glow, guiding him to this spot.

"When did such a place appear within the capital?"

Mahad knew the city like the back of his hand. For a mysterious building like this to suddenly appear—and for it to be singled out by a Millennium Item—meant it had to be hiding something important.

"Lord Mahad!"

The guards who had followed him awaited his orders.

"I'll go in alone. If there's danger inside, charging in blindly would only lead to needless sacrifice."

He never expected these guards to be of help in actual combat. Their task was simply to widen the search net—regular humans were helpless before Spirit Beasts.

"You all search the perimeter of the ruins."

"Yes, Lord Mahad!"

As the guards dispersed, Mahad entered the ruins alone.

The walls were covered with strange murals depicting all sorts of Spirit Beasts Mahad had never seen. The deeper he went, the more certain he was that something was wrong—and before long, he reached the heart of the ruins.

"Hahahaha! Oh, brave High Priest! Coming all by yourself into enemy territory... quite bold of you!"

"That voice—!"

Mahad's entire body tensed. That sinister laugh pierced into his bones like icy steel.

"—Thief King Bakura! So you are alive!"

To have survived an explosion like that—even Mahad couldn't begin to imagine how. But somehow, Bakura had pulled it off.

From the shadows emerged Bakura, a twisted smile on his face as he activated his Duel Disk.

"Impossible!"

Mahad was even more shocked. Not only had Bakura survived, but he appeared completely unscathed, as if last night's battle had never happened.

"Surprised? Of course you are. But someone like you, stuck inside memory, would never understand even if I explained it."

Clenching his teeth, Bakura's rage toward Hoshino needed an outlet—and Mahad was the perfect target.

"That damn Hoshino not only ruined my entire plan, but even used up one of my precious GM items... Unless I eliminate her, this Ultimate Shadow Game will always be in danger!"

Mahad couldn't make heads or tails of what Bakura was rambling about—GM items, Ultimate Shadow Game—none of it made sense.

"Bakura... what are you? You're not just a thief, are you?"

"That's not something a mere NPC like you needs to know. Just die quietly and hand over the Millennium Ring!"

Bakura's Duel Disk glowed gold as he summoned two terrifyingly familiar monsters that drifted ominously within the ruins.

"Diabound! Here's your meal—go feast and regain your strength!"

[Diabound Kernel ATK 1800] X2

These were the original forms of Diabound that had once absorbed the power of Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor—until Hoshino's assault had reduced them back to their base forms.

Having lost that power, Bakura had been biding his time, lurking in the shadows to slowly pick off the High Priests one by one, regaining his strength and reclaiming the Millennium Items.

And Mahad was the first step in that plan.

"Don't think I'm the same as I was yesterday. In the name of the kingdom's greatest magician, I, Mahad, shall eliminate you here and now—for the Pharaoh's sake!"

Raising his Duel Disk, Mahad summoned a new Spirit Beast—an evolved form forged from the pain of last night's defeat and the resolve born from soul-deep training.

"—Come forth! Magician of Dark Illusion!"

[Magician of Dark Illusion ★★★★★★★ (Level 7)][DARK][Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 2100/DEF 2500][This card's name becomes "Dark Magician" while on the field.]

The dark figure of the Magician of Dark Illusion materialized before Mahad. Though it wasn't god-tier, it was more than enough to handle the reverted Diabounds.

"Strike down the Diabound! Dark Illusion Burst!"

With 2100 ATK vs Diabound's 1800, the magician's staff released a surge of black energy, blasting one of the Diabounds.

But Diabound's real threat didn't lie in its ATK—it lay in its parasitic evolution and combo abilities.

"Diabound's special ability activates! It fuses with the Magician of Dark Illusion, lowering his ATK by Diabound's own value!"

As Diabound twisted its body and lunged forward, Mahad smiled faintly and swung his Duel Disk arm toward the floor.

"I saw that coming, Thief King Bakura! Continuous Spell—Burden of the Mighty! It lowers Diabound's ATK—and that weakens its effect too!"[Effect: Each face-up monster your opponent controls loses 100 ATK × its own Level.]

A magical sigil spread beneath Mahad's feet, encircling Bakura's two Diabounds and sapping their attack power.

[Diabound – LV5 ATK 1800 → 1300] ×2

"Even if you've weakened Diabound's attack, once it possesses the Magician of Dark Illusion, he still won't be a match!"

[Magician of Dark Illusion ATK 2100 → 800]

Still pouring his soul into the duel, Mahad activated a second magic tablet.

"It's not over yet! Magic Tablet—Dark Magic Expanded!"[Effect: Apply these effects in sequence, based on the number of "Dark Magician" and/or "Dark Magician Girl" on the field and in the GYs.

● 1+: 1 DARK Spellcaster monster on the field gains 1000 ATK until the end of this turn.]

"Let my soul strengthen the spell—Magician of Dark Illusion!"

[Magician of Dark Illusion ATK 800 → 1800]

With the combined might of two magic tablets, even under Diabound's possession, the Magician of Dark Illusion's ATK now surpassed its captor.

"—Advance! Illusion Impact!"

A blast of pitch-black magic erupted, striking Diabound. Once the cause of the High Priests' humiliating defeat, Mahad alone now washed away that disgrace.

"Impressive… No wonder Simon called you 'Egypt's strongest magician.' A dual magic combo… this is my first time seeing it in this world."

"This world?" Mahad narrowed his eyes. He had just seized the upper hand, and yet Bakura didn't look the least bit concerned.

"Even if your skills are considered top-tier here, they're nothing in my eyes! Now rise—Diabound, evolved after absorbing the Magician of Dark Illusion!"

Dark energy bled into Diabound's once-pure white body. After devouring the Magician of Dark Illusion, it transformed into an evolved form.

[Diabound – 'Magician of Dark Illusion' – ATK 1300 → 3400]

Unlike the slow digestion of Obelisk, this time Diabound absorbed the Magician of Dark Illusion's power within seconds—its ATK soaring dramatically.

"Bring down divine punishment, Diabound! —Black Illusion Impact!"

"Then I'll use everything I have right here! Magic Tablet—Mystic Box!"

Two enormous magic boxes, each painted with three question marks, appeared out of thin air, swallowing both the Magician of Dark Illusion and the evolved Diabound.[Effect: Target 1 monster your opponent controls and 1 monster you control; destroy the first target, then give control of the second target to your opponent.]

"I'll destroy your evolved Diabound—and then transfer control of my Magician of Dark Illusion to your field!"

Countless blades pierced the box holding Diabound. Its agonized screams echoed out as purplish-red fluid trickled from the cracks.

"With this, your evolved Diabound is destroyed!"

Exhausted and unable to hide it, Mahad had burned through three magic tablets in one go—an enormous cost. Of course, one could also say it was because he lacked cards in hand, but the former sounded nobler.

Bakura sneered, utterly unfazed by the loss of his Diabounds.

"Are you stupid?! You destroyed my Diabound that way, but that means your only Spirit Monster—the Magician of Dark Illusion—now belongs to me!"

"Huff…" Mahad steadied his breathing, eyes glowing with unwavering resolve.

"Loyalty never fades. No matter what happens, we will never betray the Pharaoh! This is my final tablet—Owner's Seal!"[Effect: Return control of all monsters on the field to their owners.]

"With Owner's Seal, I reclaim my Magician of Dark Illusion! And now, your Diabounds are destroyed!"

Exhausting the last of his soul power, Mahad had fought a glorious duel—singlehandedly defeating what even the High Priest Council once failed to overcome: two Diabounds.

"Prepare to face judgment, Thief King Bakura!"

"Hahahahahahahaha—!"

Bakura burst out laughing hysterically, clutching his stomach as if watching a comedy show.

"You burned through nearly all of your soul just to barely take down my Diabounds? That's the best Egypt's 'strongest magician' can do? What a joke!"

"???"

"You've used up everything—while I haven't even begun! Magic Tablet—Soul Charge! Rise again, Diabound!"[Effect: Target any number of monsters in your GY; Special Summon them, and if you do, you lose 1000 LP for each monster Special Summoned by this effect.]

With the help of the magic tablet, the two Diabounds Mahad had destroyed at great cost were resurrected. The side effect—2000 LP damage—meant nothing to Bakura.

"And now, Magic Tablet—Mystical Space Typhoon—to destroy your Burden of the Mighty! That way Diabound's ATK won't be reduced anymore!"

A raging blue cyclone shattered the stone tablet. Freed from its restraints, Diabound moved with terrifying speed.

[Diabound ATK 1800] ×2

"You're finished, Mahad! Accept your defeat and obediently hand over the Millennium Ring!"

Once again using Diabound's possession tactics—and without the attack reduction—Mahad's Magician of Dark Illusion stood no chance.

"I won't let you win, Thief King Bakura! For the sake of this kingdom… for the Pharaoh… I offer my soul to become his strength!"

Though he had nothing left, Mahad summoned one final magic tablet—an empty one. It was prepared for himself, a resting place for his soul.

"Forbidden Tablet—Eternal Soul! I shall fuse with the Magician of Dark Illusion and carve my spirit into the tablet!"

A forbidden spell passed down among royal magicians: the caster's body would be completely destroyed, leaving only their soul, forever etched into the stone.

As his body slowly disintegrated, turning into pure soul energy, Mahad merged with his Spirit Beast in the final moment.

"My Pharaoh!! From this moment on, your humble servant Mahad shall remain forever at your side! Summon—Dark Magician!!"

(*****)

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