"The former Pharaoh? That's impossible!"

The elderly former High Priest Simon froze in shock, his jaw nearly dropping as a familiar figure suddenly appeared behind Isis in the temple—right before everyone's eyes.

"The former Pharaoh… could it be Father?"

Although the loss of his memories blurred his father's face, the instant the figure appeared, Yugi felt a powerful pulse in his blood—enough to confirm the man's identity without doubt.

"No… that's not the former Pharaoh…"

Her slender neck seized—or rather, the Millennium Necklace around her neck seized—Isis grimaced in pain as she forced out her words.

"The true former Pharaoh would never radiate such overwhelming, cold darkness… The only person vile and strong enough to possess a Pharaoh's body like this… is the Thief King, Bakura!"

The figure behind her let out a low, cold laugh.

"Heh heh heh… Long time no see, Pharaoh. I didn't expect you to crawl back alive after falling into that gorge. Should I call it the luck of royalty?"

"Bakura, you bastard! How dare you desecrate my father's body like this!"

"It's too dangerous, Pharaoh! Leave this battle to me!"

Seto's commanding voice rang out as the light of a monster's summoning flashed behind him. Having rushed back at full speed from the front lines, Seto burst into the palace and placed himself firmly between Bakura and the Pharaoh.

"Spirit Summon—cut down this impostor! Vorse Raider!"

[Vorse Raider ATK 1900]

"High Priest Seto… I was just wondering how I'd collect the last Millennium Rod. And here you are, delivering it straight to me. But you'd better tread carefully~"

Facing the charging Vorse Raider, Bakura casually pulled Isis closer and held her before the descending blade.

"If you're not careful… this beautiful priestess might not survive the next second."

Completely unbothered by his own shameless cruelty, Bakura not only controlled the body of the former Pharaoh but now used Isis as a living shield.

The massive blade halted just inches from her. Seto gritted his teeth, seething.

"Damn it… Just like you said, aibou… This villain's shameless to the core!"

Having followed Seto into the main chamber, Hoshino Alter—carrying the chibi Hoshino—also rushed in, shouting furiously at the horrific scene before her.

"Hoshino? You're still here? No… more precisely, another version of you…"

Glancing at both the adult and miniature Hoshino, Bakura finally pieced it together. The confusion he'd felt upon seeing Hoshino fully restored in the palace, despite her earlier fall into the former Pharaoh's tomb—it all made sense now.

"So this was the ace you had hidden, Hoshino? Even so, you're still one step too late."

His grip on Isis's neck tightened again, her painful cries echoing through the chamber.

"Seto… Hand over the Millennium Rod now, or this woman dies."

"Don't worry about me, Seto… Even if I die… we cannot allow him to claim the Millennium Items!"

Despite the agony, Isis forced the words out between clenched teeth.

"I admire a woman with resolve." Bakura loosened his grip just enough for her to breathe, before smirking darkly.

"But she's not the only bargaining chip I've kept."

With a snap of his fingers, the unconscious Shada and Karim—bound by writhing dark energy—appeared within the palace.

"If one priest's life isn't enough for the trade… what about three? Pharaoh, you should be grateful I didn't just kill your loyal priests when I had the chance—ha ha ha ha!"

Back when Hoshino fought Bakura, she had wondered why he spared Shada and Karim. Now the truth was laid bare: Bakura hadn't shown mercy. He had simply preserved them, waiting for the moment they'd serve their final purpose as leverage.

Yugi's teeth clenched so tightly they nearly cracked. He glared at the man desecrating his father's body and using his loyal priests as tools.

"Bakura… You… are the one I will never forgive…"

"Come now, Pharaoh, make your choice! I don't mind killing one priest just to set the tone."

"Seto!" Yugi's voice cut through the tension, decisive.

"Pharaoh… You can't mean—"

"Give him the Millennium Rod…"

"You can't be serious, Pharaoh?!" Seto's eyes widened.

"Every one of us became a priest knowing we'd sacrifice our lives to protect the Items and serve you. That is the pride of the priesthood!"

In his heart, Seto believed even if the entire priesthood perished here—including himself—they must never let the final Millennium Item fall into enemy hands. He knew Shada, Karim, and Isis all shared that conviction.

"That's an order. Don't make me repeat myself, Seto!"

Their beliefs clashed, but Yugi—while king—still had a gentle heart. He could not bear to watch his faithful priests die because of his own hesitation. That was a line he would never cross. For him, this was the absolute duty of a ruler.

"Please, Seto… I've already lost Mahad. I cannot lose any more of you."

"Prince…" At the mention of Mahad, Mana's expression clouded with grief.

"Pharaoh!"

Seto's hand trembled as he gripped the Millennium Rod. A king's command could not be defied. Even if he were ready to die, the Pharaoh's will was absolute.

With no choice left, Seto reluctantly extended the Millennium Rod to Bakura.

"Heh heh heh... ha ha ha! Such a touching display of loyalty between king and servant. I may be despicable," Bakura sneered, "but I am not without honor. Now that all seven Millennium Items are mine, the rest of you worthless gnats—your so-called priests—are useless to me. Here, take them back!"

Having claimed the final Millennium Item, Bakura tossed the three captive priests aside like discarded trash.

"Farewell, naive Pharaoh. The countdown to the end of the world… has already begun! Ahahahaha!"

With maniacal laughter, Bakura vanished from the palace's throne room, leaving behind only despair, and the looming shadow of an unstoppable terror.

(***)

"This is the final GM Item, Hoshino."

"Once I obtain all seven Millennium Items, I can activate it—the slab that will resurrect the Dark God, Zorc!"

One by one, the seven Millennium Items were embedded into the Millennium Stone Tablet within the royal family's tomb at the southern edge of the kingdom, all by the hands of the former Pharaoh. The earth cracked, the skies split, and from this gateway between the underworld and the living, the true ruler of darkness was about to be fully revived.

"Now, the ultimate Shadow Game reaches its final act. Look—not only the Memory World, but even the real world is being affected by Zorc's resurrection!"

With smug pride, Bakura pointed upward. The once pitch-black void now reflected scenes of reality—violent winds, erupting volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis—an apocalyptic vision.

"As expected of the ultimate Shadow Game! So if I'm revived in the Memory World, my body will return to the real world as well!"

As the endgame began, the sand-table map of ancient Egypt and the entire Shadow Game's space began to dissolve.

"Since I'm about to be revived, this space has no more use. Back to the Memory World with you. Go tremble with your friends under the reign of Zorc, the Dark God—Hoshino!"

"Bakura… no—Zorc the Dark One!"

As her body blurred, dissolving into the Memory World's flow of energy, Hoshino stared sternly at the sneering Bakura.

"Even if you revive in the Memory World, you'll never reach the real one. Because in this final game… I will destroy you completely!"

.

..

...

"Something evil is coming, Seto!"

Now returned to her human form from her White Dragon state, Kisara gazed forward, trembling.

The Conquering King, who had just crushed monsters on the battlefield, also turned his eyes toward the storm of darkness spreading across the horizon.

"Oh? That's… an overwhelming power. Kid, do you know what it is?"

Waver's brows furrowed, his expression grim as he sensed the vast magical surge in the air.

"There's no mistake… It's a Beast. A calamity rejected by human history—an evil born from humanity itself!"

"Beast" referred to disasters that threatened the extinction of humanity—entities born from human civilization, growing more powerful over time, only to destroy it from within like a cancer.

Kaiba asked, "A Beast? You mean like the Orichalcos God that Dartz controlled back then?"

"Similar, but not the same. Each Beast embodies a different concept. The troubling thing is—they appear in chains. Once one arrives, the others tend to follow."

Watching the undead of Atlantis and the Orichalcos monsters freeze mid-action, Waver's unease only deepened.

Zorc's revival had begun, and with it, the Orichalcos God—a Beast-level threat—might return as well.

"Fall back to the capital! We can't take on a Beast alone. We need to regroup with the Master and the others, then form a strategy."

"Let's go, Seto! Staying here means death!"

Transforming back into a White Dragon, Kisara scooped Kaiba and Marlene onto her back.

Now was not the time for Kaiba to argue or insist on horseback—today, he had no choice but to ride with her.

.

..

...

The Royal Capital

Thanks to the evacuation efforts led earlier by Yugi and the others, most border citizens had already fled to the capital. As a result, the city streets were overflowing with people.

"Wh-What is that thing?!"

Someone in the crowd pointed toward the colossal figure taking shape within the southern tombs, its outline formed from the fused darkness of the underworld and the living realm—Zorc.

Even a faint glimpse of the Dark God unleashed crushing terror, spreading like wildfire through the citizens.

That Zorc's form could be seen from the capital—despite it being at the kingdom's southernmost edge—meant his size was beyond comprehension.

"Mama, I'm scared!"

"Waaaah! I wanna go home!"

As children wailed in terror, the negative emotions of the entire capital surged—fuel for the Orichalcos' power.

Standing atop the palace's highest balcony, Hoshino Alter looked out toward the horizon, her gaze fixed on Zorc's growing silhouette.

"This is bad. The fear of Zorc's arrival is strengthening the Orichalcos, making the coming battle even harder."

Yugi stepped forward. "As Pharaoh, I must calm the people's fears!"

But doubt gnawed at him. He was newly crowned, and he wasn't sure if the people truly trusted him yet.

Just as he steeled himself to act, a brilliant White Dragon soared across the gray sky, catching the attention of the panicked crowd.

Hoshino Alter exhaled in relief. "Thank goodness. They made it back safely."

"You brats! Listen up—!"

A voice thundered from atop the dragon's back, echoing throughout the capital.

"The Great Bounty Hunter Marlene is here! If anyone dares cry again—try me!"

"..."

The capital, moments ago filled with screams and sobs, fell dead silent. Marlene's name alone carried enough weight to terrify even children into silence.

Hoshino Alter's jaw dropped. "So it's true… Just hearing her name makes even crying kids shut up. She really is the Great Bounty Hunter!"

Yugi gave a small, wry smile. "Well, at least this stops the Orichalcos' power from growing… that's a relief."

"Ugh, wait—you're so heavy!" Hoshino Alter groaned, feeling the sudden increase in weight from the chibi Star in her arms.

Light enveloped her compact form, like a magical girl's transformation, as Hoshino's original body returned—her presence fully restored after leaving the Shadow Game's space.

"Calling a young girl 'heavy'? Don't forget, other me—we weigh the same!"

Two identical Hoshinos embraced each other tightly—a self-hug so embarrassing that even Yugi and Mana blushed.

"Heh, I knew you'd make it back, aibou… Now we've got a real chance!" Hoshino Alter grinned at her counterpart.

Clasping her Alter's command seal-etched hand, Hoshino smiled confidently.

"Of course. The plan had a few twists, but we're not out of time yet. For the final Servant… I'll use all my mana!"