CHAPTER 455: CHAPTER 454: BOSS (BONUS)

"Your name is... Kurozaki, right?"

After putting away his Duel Disk, Kira approached the boss and asked gently.

Kurozaki forced a broad smile: "Boss, just call me Kuro."

On his fierce, ugly face, he squeezed out an ingratiating but awkward smile.

All the humiliation and anger from the duel were forcibly suppressed, and even his tears were swallowed. What kept his anger in check was the strong survival instinct he’d developed over years of living on the edge.

He was still alive.

He’d lost the dark duel. Kurozaki could feel the strong dark energy enveloping him, as if it were pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Now, fully enveloped in this power after losing, Kurozaki could tell that this man’s mastery of dark forces was formidable—far beyond any regular dark duelist he’d seen. He must be some kind of solitary, hidden master duelist.

But why would such a big shot come to mess with them?

Shouldn’t people of this caliber be busy trying to conquer the world?

While he thought this, he dared not show any disrespect. He knew he was only alive because this guy was merciful—having lost, it was like his life was in his opponent’s hands. A single thought from the man, and he could die at any moment.

"Well then, Kuro," Kira said, "don’t be nervous, I’m not a devil. As you know, the Knights of Hanoi have just been founded, and right now, I’m the only member.

But a one-man organization is a bit shabby. So, I’d like to ask everyone’s opinion: if you all agree, why not join us as a branch of the Knights of Hanoi starting today?"

"No problem!"

Kurozaki quickly shouted.

"I’ll follow Boss Revolver to the ends of the earth!"

Seeing the boss agree, the underlings also hurriedly pledged their loyalty.

After all, it was obvious they had no choice.

"Very good," Kira nodded, standing before them in a commanding pose. "Now, here’s our first order for the Knights of Hanoi.

Let’s set a small goal: unite all the city’s underground forces and merge them into the Knights of Hanoi. What do you think?"

"Huh?"

Kurozaki blinked, confused.

"What? Is there a problem?"

"N-no... It’s just..." Kurozaki hesitated, then said quietly, "To be honest, Boss Revolver, there are three major powers in this city. Everyone wants to wipe out the others.

But the reason a balance has been maintained is not just because everyone’s strength is about the same, but because someone behind the scenes won’t allow it."

"Who?"

Kurozaki looked around cautiously, then stepped forward and whispered conspiratorially, "They call themselves Doma, said to be an ancient organization. We can’t compare to them..."

Kira chuckled.

So, you guys are a bit behind on the news, huh? You haven’t heard what happened this week?

He waved it off.

"No worries, I’ve already talked to them—they’re fine with it."

Kurozaki: "!"

He dared not speak another word. Suddenly he had a feeling that this new Boss Revolver was even more formidable than he’d thought.

"So, where are the other two factions’ headquarters?" Kira asked.

Kurozaki thought for a moment: "The closest one should be Yasha’s nightclub."

"Lead the way," Kira ordered.

Kurozaki was stunned.

"Huh? Right now?"

"Otherwise?" Kira retorted.

"Oh, okay..."

Kurozaki hurriedly led the way, heart pounding.

Could it be that tonight, the three-way standoff would be unified?

With the biggest power absorbed, the Shadow Riders would probably walk right into their trap. And, after that reminder from the Doma cadre, Kira thought that even if the Shadow Riders didn’t show, this plan was still a good idea.

After all, a dark duelists’ organization had many advantages. He’d have his own network, access to resources and information otherwise out of reach.

And in the original, many villains had their own organizations. Usually, before the villains made their move, the protagonist side was completely in the dark, always reacting passively.

But if he could build his own network in the world of dark duelists, he’d be able to gather intelligence on villains before they rose to power.

If lucky, he could even take them out while they were still growing, killing them in the cradle.

Now was the early stage of the Knights of Hanoi’ development, and these guys were the founding members.

The group name was just something Kira made up on the spot, using the name of the famous cyber-terrorist group from Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains. Since that group didn’t exist in this era, there was no worry about copyright...

Probably.

After a short ride, they arrived at the nightclub.

Yasha, also a tough guy, was surprised to see the famous Kurozaki show up in person and came out to confront him.

But when he heard that Kurozaki wasn’t the main guy, and that the one beside him was, Yasha was even more surprised.

"Revolver?"

Yasha snorted.

"Never heard of you. I, Yasha, don’t get involved with the underworld much these days. Now any Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to make trouble in my place. Well, since you’re here, I assume you’re ready."

He activated his Duel Disk.

Kira smiled in silence, activating his own. Kurozaki and his men, just beaten, now looked excited, as if anticipating something.

And Kira didn’t disappoint.

"...

Activate Trap ’Massivemorph’, double your monster’s ATK.

Trap Card ’Alchemy Cycle’, set my ’Amazoness Swords Woman’s’ ATK to 0.

Amazoness Swords Woman: any battle damage I would take is instead inflicted on you.

Omae wa mou shindeiru."

Yasha spat blood and tumbled to the ground, eyes full of disbelief and confusion.

Did I just kill myself?

Even his men were dumbstruck.

They thought, "Boss, that was way too fast. If you can’t even last a turn, your wife must be really suffering..."

Kurozaki felt a rush of satisfaction, especially seeing Yasha’s stunned face, and realized the best part of dueling was this. Thinking back, at least he’d put up a fight, which was more than Yasha—he even felt a little proud now.

Kira put away his Duel Disk and stepped forward: "Your name is Yasha?"

Yasha snapped out of it, also feeling the crushing dark energy on his chest.

Then he quickly forced a smile.

"Haha, Boss Revolver, no need to be formal. Just call me Little Ya."

Kurozaki: "..."

He suddenly felt like he’d seen this kind of scene before.

PS: Bonus Chapter at 500 PS