Chapter 83: Hayato Kobayashi and the Seven Horcruxes
After getting Lunch from the lively Uncle Anasis and enjoying a delicious meal, Hayato and Bakura parted ways with them. Of course, they took the Star Chips Hayato had won with them.
Uncle Anasis's hard work all morning had gone to waste. Hopefully, he'd keep up the effort and not stop. Wandering around, Hayato searched for suitable targets while savoring the taste of the meal he'd had for Lunch.
"Hey, you over there!"
Although it was earlier than the time before his transmigration, the technology in this world hadn't fallen behind at all; in fact, it surpassed quite a bit. At the very least, many of the self-heating meals and military rations Hayato had eaten in his previous life didn't taste as good as what he'd gotten from Anasis today.
"That Hayato Kobayashi! Stop right there!"
The rice was like it had just been cooked, the beef tasted great, and the Shrimp and asparagus were absolutely amazing, just like they were fresh.
"Don't ignore Yours Truly!"
Lunch was sorted, but there wasn't anywhere good for dinner, and he couldn't hunt. Maybe it would be better to Assemble ten Stars quickly and go find Pegasus.
"Hayato Kobayashi!"
A figure suddenly darted out in front of Hayato, blocking his path, and glared at him angrily. If he weren't so short, maybe he'd have a bit more Aura? Probably?
"You're... Rex Raptor, right?" Hayato took half a step back, creating some distance, before recognizing the person in front of him. It was indeed Rex Raptor, whom he had met once on the Cruise Ship heading to Duelist Kingdom, the Runner-up of the All-Japan Duelist Kingdom Selection Tournament.
"That's right, Yours Truly!" Seeing that Hayato recognized him, Rex Raptor put his hands on his hips triumphantly, tilted his head, and snorted proudly, "So you recognized Yours Truly? Well, I guess that can't be helped. After all, Yours Truly is the national Duel Monsters Runner-up! Being too famous isn't exactly..."
He shifted his gaze back to where Hayato had been, only to find that Hayato wasn't there at all. From not far away, he could hear the sound of Hayato talking with the white-haired person following him—
"Um, Hayato-kun? Isn't it a bit rude to just leave Rex standing there?"
"Don't worry about it. He didn't say he wanted to challenge me to a Duel, right? Look, we've already left, and he's still talking to himself over there. Maybe he's just bored and looking for someone to chat with."
"Hayato Kobayashi!"
Rex darted in front of Hayato again, blocking the path of the Hayato who had ignored him. "You! Do you not even see me, a national-level Player?"
"Honestly? Yeah, I didn't really put you in my Heart. After all, I even defeated Weevil Underwood, the Champion. What makes you think you're any different, Mr. Runner-up Rex?" Hayato said impatiently, waving his hand. "I'm really busy right now, I have tons of things waiting for me to do. Be a good boy, go find someone else to Duel, okay?"
Hayato wasn't actually messing with Rex, because he really did remember something important he needed to do. Of course, it wasn't to collect ten Stars and go freeload off Pegasus for dinner, but to continue thinking about the problem Anasis had interrupted earlier—how to deal with the Dark Power within his Body?
Although Hayato now possessed the Millennium Ring, which had the ability to interfere with Millennium Items, what had been continuously affecting Hayato wasn't Pegasus's Millennium Eye itself, but the Power left behind in his Body by the Millennium Eye. It was like how Armament Haki and Seastone could nullify a Devil Fruit user's abilities, but couldn't make the products of those abilities disappear.
Furthermore, the Power of the Millennium Eye was left behind because Hayato had actively tried to stop Pegasus, not because Pegasus intentionally left it. Even if Pegasus himself were to help Hayato, it would likely be difficult to precisely control this Dark Power.
However, Hayato actually had a bit of an idea on how to deal with this Power. His Inspiration came from a certain Socket Man who sacrificed himself to defeat the Great Demon King with the lightning scar, and who created seven Horcruxes for survival.
Hayato also Plan to imitate this approach and gradually guide the Dark Power out of his Body in batches. Although the presence of the Millennium Ring had lessened the Power's influence on Hayato, having something that didn't belong to him inside his Body always felt strange.
"You! You're even more arrogant than me!" Rex was clearly angered by Hayato's disdain. "I'm not like that guy Weevil Underwood. If I were the one Dueling you, I wouldn't be defeated so easily."
Hayato glanced at Rex. "So, are you here to Duel me? I don't mind taking the last few Star Chips I need from you."
"But, judging by your expression, it seems like you have something else going on. Otherwise, you wouldn't have held back until now."
"Tch, you saw through me." Rex pouted and said, "Someone asked me to bring you to a certain Place, and then they want to Duel you."
"You don't seem like the type to just obediently do someone else's bidding, do you? What did they give you?"
Rex heard Hayato's words and stammered, "Well, I bet my Star Chips, and then I lost the Duel. The other person used this matter as an exchange."
He didn't expect himself to be quite valuable? Valuable enough for someone to trade Star Chips for him?
Hayato glanced at Bakura, then at Rex. "Alright then, lead the way, Mr. Rex."
Rex walked in front, leading Hayato and Bakura through a Forest they had just passed by, arriving at a clearing in the center of the Forest. In the middle of the clearing, a Duel Platform had already been set up. Standing beside the Duel Platform was a Staff member from Industrial Illusions, dressed in black.
Across from the Staff member stood a blonde Woman with her back to Hayato. A gentle breeze blew through the trees, and even from a distance, Hayato could smell a faint, lingering fragrance. Even without seeing her face, Hayato could recognize her identity just from her back—
"Hey, Mai Valentine! I've brought that guy Hayato Kobayashi here! Our deal is done, right?" Rex saw the person and shouted.
Mai Valentine turned around, revealing a Duelist Glove she had just received from the Staff member. However, the glove had an extra row of slots for inserting Star Chips compared to a normal glove. "You're so impatient. No wonder you lost to me so miserably, Rex-kun~"
"Shut up! I've brought the person here, the deal's over!" Rex, infuriated by Mai Valentine bringing up his previous crushing defeat again, yelled out angrily and walked back in the direction he came from without looking back.
Just as he passed by Hayato, he whispered to him, "That Woman is very good at breaking through Spell/Trap Zone Cards." Hayato turned his head slightly in surprise, watching Rex walk into the Forest as if he hadn't done anything.
"What's wrong, Hayato-kun?" Bakura looked at Hayato with some confusion. Rex's voice was much quieter than his previous shouting, so Bakura hadn't heard what he just said.
"It's nothing. I just think this guy Rex, even though he often hangs around with that Insect scumbag, is actually a pretty decent person," Hayato said casually, his gaze returning to Mai Valentine, who was walking towards him.