Chapter 456: Thanks, My Win Rate is a Thousand Percent!
[Hayato: 2000 LP]
[Rayne: 1 LP]
"It's, it's Mr. Hayato!?"
Hayato had previously used the mind-controlling ability of the **[Millennium Rod]** to prevent others from connecting him with "Hayato Kobayashi," achieving a different kind of "disguise." However, after throwing the **[Millennium Rod]** towards Marik, Rayne von Schroeder was finally able to link Hayato with "Hayato Kobayashi."
'Why is my opponent Mr. Hayato?! Why didn't I realize it before!?'
Looking at the dumbfounded Rayne von Schroeder, Hayato knew this guy was definitely thinking about things unrelated to the Duel right now.
Under normal circumstances, Hayato might have enjoyed watching Rayne von Schroeder's constantly changing expression as his inner thoughts shifted, but the situation was urgent. Although Hayato wouldn't go so far as to kill Astra, he still wanted to end the Duel as quickly as possible.
Although, in reality, Hayato dueling Rayne von Schroeder now to stop Bakura's plan seemed to violate the agreement they made during the Dark Game, it was well-known that Kaiba was responsible for the KC Cup arrangements, and Hayato was "used" by Kaiba.
Just as there's nothing wrong with a repairman carrying a hammer and wrench with him, as a Duelist, there's nothing wrong with Hayato giving his all in a Duel; it just so happens that his opponent is Rayne von Schroeder.
After getting the **[Millennium Rod]**, Marik was as excited as if he'd eaten cheap candy and chased it with brandy. He ran off somewhere with Tristan and the others, and Hayato felt he needed to move faster.
"Rayne von Schroeder, bring it on! Let me see your... Federation, ah, no, let me see your strength as a Duelist." Since it was still Rayne von Schroeder's turn, Hayato felt a bit awkward about just ending his turn without even going through the Battle Phase. "Giving your all in a Duel, no matter who your opponent is, is one of the necessary qualities of a Duelist."
"Come on, Rayne von Schroeder!"
Hayato had said this much, and although Rayne didn't think he could easily defeat Hayato, the Duel King, he was somewhat encouraged and found his courage.
At this moment, Rayne von Schroeder's Life Points were only 1 point, but Hayato only had one Set Card on his Field.
Rayne's Hand contained a **[Revival Water]**, which could be used to revive the **[Iron Knight]** sleeping in Rayne's Graveyard. Also, the **[Golden Castle of Stromberg]** had an effect that allowed him to Special Summon a monster from his Deck in Attack Position once per turn. This way, he could gather a monster combine with 2000 or more ATK on the Field.
As long as the attack went through, he could achieve victory. With this, the great achievement of defeating the Duel King seemed close at hand?
Rayne's heart burned with excitement. Although he was quite vigilant about what card Hayato had in his Spell/Trap Zone, he couldn't help but imagine the scene after he secured the victory.
"I activate the effect of my Field Spell Card on the Field, **[Golden Castle of Stromberg]**." After searching for a card from his Deck, Rayne von Schroeder summoned it to the Field. "Once per turn, I can randomly Special Summon one monster with Level 4 or lower from my Deck to my Field in Attack Position."
"Come forth, my monster!"
The **[Golden Castle of Stromberg]'s** effect for Special Summoning a monster is random, meaning what specific monster appears depends entirely on luck. If he's lucky and summons a monster with high ATK or a powerful effect, that's great. But if he's unlucky and summons a weak normal monster like **[Ojama Yellow]** with 0 ATK, that would be bad.
However, clearly, Rayne von Schroeder's luck was quite good. The monster that appeared on his Field was **[Little Red Riding Hood]** with 800 ATK.
The cute little girl, wearing a hat made of red cloth, appeared bouncing onto Rayne's Field, looking cheerful and carefree. From time to time, she would look around, and her eyes, gazing at the magnificent **[Golden Castle of Stromberg]**, didn't hold the greed adults show when seeing gold, but only innocent curiosity.
**[Little Red Riding Hood]** [Level 3 / EARTH]
[Fairy / Effect]
[800 / 1200]
Although her ATK was much lower than **[Iron Knight]'s** 1700 points, she had an effect that allowed her to Special Summon a Warrior Type monster with Level 4 or lower from the Deck when she is destroyed by battle. Of course, with Rayne's current 1 LP, if **[Little Red Riding Hood]** were destroyed by battle, he would lose immediately; even if the effect could be activated, it would be useless.
In reality, Rayne von Schroeder wasn't planning on lasting until the next turn. Both sides' Life Points were like a flickering candle; one Battle Phase was enough to decide the victory or defeat.
"I use my last card in hand, the Spell Card **[Revival Water]**, to Special Summon **[Iron Knight]** from my Graveyard in Attack Position, and then enter the Battle Phase!"
Rayne von Schroeder fully immersed himself in the Duel. At this moment, he had cast everything outside the Duel to the back of his mind. All he thought about was "winning the Duel," and all he saw was Hayato standing opposite him.
Even the **[Gryphon Winged Beast]** that Rayne von Schroeder had discarded to the Graveyard sensed his astonishing fighting spirit.
"What intense desire for victory. Has he transferred all his inner thoughts of unease and concerns about other things into the Duel? It's not a bad way to win," the illusory spirit murmured in a voice even its master couldn't hear, glancing in Hayato's direction.
"But ultimately, fighting spirit can only allow you to unleash your potential one hundred percent. When the gap in power reaches a certain level..."
Rayne von Schroeder waved his hand forward: "First, I use **[Little Red Riding Hood]** to declare a direct attack! Mushroom Mushroom Impact!"
As the protagonist of the famous fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood," **[Little Red Riding Hood]**, despite her weak ATK, possessed a powerful kind of power: the so-called protagonist's aura.
After receiving Rayne's attack command, **[Little Red Riding Hood]** began to move in a flustered manner. But just as she took a step, she performed the legendary technique "Falling Flat," and her entire body fell down onto the ground. The basket in her hand, filled with mushrooms she had picked from the Forest, also flew out of her grasp. The basket spun in mid-air, and all the colorful mushrooms "coincidentally" flew towards Hayato's position. Judging by the color of the mushrooms, even just one could probably make the whole village lie flat.
Hayato raised an eyebrow, completely surprised that **[Little Red Riding Hood]'s** attack method was the legendary mushroom medley. He initially thought it would be something like a little punch to the chest.
Although the colorful mushrooms had a great impact on his mind, Hayato could just barely handle it.
[Hayato: 2000 → 1200 LP]
The mushroom rain passed through Hayato, taking 800 Life Points from him. Seeing this, Rayne said excitedly, "Niiiice! Only 1200 Life Points left! **[Iron Knight]**, let's press the attack and go for the final direct attack!"
Beside **[Little Red Riding Hood]**, who had just sat up from the ground, tearfully looking at the basket she had dropped, **[Iron Knight]**, also a protagonist from a fairy tale, charged forward on his war horse.
However, what Rayne didn't expect was that the Set Card in Hayato's Spell/Trap Zone, which hadn't reacted at all during **[Little Red Riding Hood]'s** direct attack, flipped open the moment **[Iron Knight]** declared an attack.
"Muda da, don't think this level of attack can finish me off, Rayne von Schroeder," Hayato said with a triumphant smile, flipping over the card in his Spell/Trap Zone. "I'll use the invincible **[Absorption Shield]** to turn your **[Iron Knight]'s** attack into material for my Life Points!"
"Negate one monster's attack, and **[Iron Knight]'s** Life Points value will be added to my Life Points!"
"Clang~"
Although it had already reached Hayato, and **[Iron Knight]'s** lance only needed to pierce Hayato to secure victory for Rayne von Schroeder, the illusory energy shield perfectly absorbed the impact force of **[Iron Knight]'s** attack and added it to Hayato's Life Points.
[Hayato: 1200 → 2900 LP]
Even though all of Rayne's monsters had completed a round of attacks, Hayato's Life Points had actually increased compared to before the Battle Phase began. This made Rayne von Schroeder somewhat frustrated. "As expected of Mr. Hayato, he's not that easy to defeat." Glancing at his own single Life Point, Rayne von Schroeder could already see his crushing defeat next turn. As long as Hayato summoned any monster with ATK greater than 0, he could then use the power of **[Spiritual Energy Entity]** to defeat him.
"My turn ends. Then, because of the effect of **[Spiritual Energy Entity]**, I tribute **[Little Red Riding Hood]** on my Field and send her to the Graveyard, inflicting damage to my opponent equal to half of **[Little Red Riding Hood]'s** ATK value, which is 400 points of damage."
"Sorry, **[Little Red Riding Hood]**, please rest in the Graveyard for now." With an apologetic expression, Rayne von Schroeder sent **[Little Red Riding Hood]**, who had just managed to tidy up her basket on his Field, to the Graveyard. After taking a few deep breaths to calm his mood, he looked at Hayato.
[Hayato: 2900 → 2500 LP]
[Rayne: 1 LP, Hand 0]
[Iron Knight] [ATK 1700]
Field: **[Golden Castle of Stromberg]**
"Mr. Hayato, come on."
"Alright, then my turn begins." Hayato nodded and reached for his Deck.
He vaguely remembered that in the original plot, Rayne von Schroeder's **[Golden Castle of Stromberg]** seemed to be the same as the current situation, used by that pink-haired Zigfried von Schroeder as an activation key, and he had also tampered with it. However, he couldn't quite remember the specific ways it was tampered with.
As a Duelist, even though he could recite the full name, level, summoning condition, effect, and even the specific effect ruling of a card just by looking at its card face, this didn't prevent Hayato from forgetting the specific plot details. It was like how many people could write out song lyrics word-for-word but couldn't recite "On the Six States."
However, Hayato felt that sort of thing didn't matter, because judging by the current situation on the Field, victory was his no matter what.
2500 Life Points against 1 Life Point, the opponent has no hand and no set cards, and besides a monster with 1700 ATK, there's only a Field Spell Card. His win rate was 1000%; there was no way he could lose.
Hayato did remember the effect of **[Golden Castle of Stromberg]** after its real card adaptation. Once per turn, it could Special Summon a monster from the Deck that listed **[Golden Castle of Stromberg]'s** card name. When an opponent's monster attacks, it would be destroyed directly, and half of its ATK would be reflected as damage. Also, the cost to maintain it was to banish the top 10 cards of the Deck face-down position during each turn's Standby Phase.
It looked cool, but it was completely useless, right? All Hayato needed to do next was draw any monster with ATK greater than 0, then end turn, and he would achieve victory directly with the effect of **[Spiritual Energy Entity]**.
He was definitely going to win.
Thinking this, Hayato's finger touched the card at the top of his Deck and drew the first card, but he didn't even have time to flip it over and look at it.
But just then, the **[Golden Castle of Stromberg]** beneath Rayne and Hayato suddenly flashed with a golden light. Immediately after, before Hayato could even react, a full half of the cards in his Deck were ejected and sent to the Graveyard!?
???
Hayato's eyebrows shot up, his head full of questions.
Where's my Deck?
Where's my thick Deck from just now?
There were at least thirty-something cards just now, how did the Deck suddenly become only about half its size after a flash of golden light?
The confused Hayato looked at Rayne von Schroeder opposite him, only to find that his face also wore an expression of surprise: "How could this be!?"
"The effect of **[Golden Castle of Stromberg]**, why would it!?"
It seemed he knew something.
"Hey, Rayne, what's going on?" Hayato asked. "Did you activate some effect?"
In a Duel, asking if the opponent activated a card effect is completely allowed. Even asking what specific effects the opponent's cards have is within the permitted scope. However, whether or not to answer the opponent's questions is something the Duelist decides for themselves.
After all, in Duel Monsters, psychological games, collecting information, and verifying it are also a great pleasure. A cautious Duelist might choose not to let their opponent know all their effects until the Duel ends, while some incredibly reckless Duelists might reveal the full effects of their cards without even being asked by their opponent. It's even possible for them to reveal the combo they plan to use and what cards they have in hand.
"No, it's not an effect I activated. No, wait, it is the effect of my card." Rayne said somewhat incoherently, first shaking his head, then nodding. As if he couldn't think of a way to explain, he pointed directly at his Duel Disk.
"**[Golden Castle of Stromberg]**, the Field Spell Card **[Golden Castle of Stromberg]** I activated earlier, it has an effect that requires me to send half the cards in my Deck to the Graveyard during each Standby Phase as a maintenance cost."
"But I don't know what's going on, this cost for maintaining the card appeared on your side!"
Chapter 457: A Card That Cannot Be Destroyed?
"[Golden Castle of Stromberg] must send half the cards from my Deck to the Graveyard during my Standby Phase as a cost to maintain it. But I don't know why, Mr. Hayato, this maintenance cost appeared on your side!"
Rayne's confusion and doubt didn't seem faked. Hayato could tell he genuinely didn't know why such a change had occurred.
Even the card's user himself didn't know the specific situation. Combined with the information Hayato knew, the answer was obvious. This was clearly a trick Zigfried von Schroeder had played on the [Golden Castle of Stromberg] card, or at least one of them.
"Leonhardt!"
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Just as Hayato thought of Zigfried von Schroeder's name, he heard Zigfried von Schroeder's voice from afar, calling out Leonhardt's real name.
Rayne looked in the direction the voice came from. He saw Zigfried, whose hands were tightly bound behind his back with a rope, looking angrily at Rayne standing on the Duel Field. His eyes were filled with wrath, furious at Rayne's lack of ambition: "Leonhardt, what kind of expression is that!"
"Brother?!" Rayne hadn't expected his Brother to appear in such a bound state.
"What kind of look is that!"
Zigfried leaned over the railing, seemingly wanting to say more, but Rex, who was beside him, yanked the rope hard, interrupting his chanting that could trigger Rayne's psychological shadow: "Hey, that's enough! Behave yourself, you guy!"
"Rex?"
Hearing Hayato call his name, Rex's gaze turned to the Field, his expression startled: "Huh? Why are you Dueling this kid? Shouldn't it be that guy called... what's his name?"
"That's not important. What's going on with you and that capture next to you?"
"This guy?" Rex tugged at the rope wrapped around his hands. "I'm not sure about the specifics. Kaiba Seto said that the anomaly happening here is largely related to this guy. He told me to bring him to the Duel Field, and he himself went to the Kaiba Land Building next door."
After Rex yanked the rope tied to his hands, Zigfried almost lost his balance and looked angrily at Rex: "Damn it, that I would fall into the hands of a lower being like you, what a disgrace!"
Zigfried shifted his gaze back to Rayne: "You, Rayne, I gave you the absolute Ace Card, [Golden Castle of Stromberg]! Why, after using such an invincible card, are you still unable to win the Duel!"
"Bro- Brother!?" Rayne's expression froze upon hearing Zigfried's words. He pointed at Zigfried in disbelief and said, "Could it be, could it be that Brother, you were the one who tampered with this card?!"
"And my Duel Disk, and the anomalies on others?"
"Hmph, isn't that obvious!" Zigfried gave an affirmative answer. "To pull KaibaCorp down from its original position, these lower beings are necessary. If so many people suffer accidents, even if KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions unite, they won't be able to easily cover it up."
"Rayne, you just need to win. As long as you can achieve victory using [Golden Castle of Stromberg], the Trojan Program I placed inside KaibaCorp will completely detonate. You just need to win before Kaiba clears the Trojan!"
Zigfried said excitedly, "So, don't show me that weak expression! The noble blood of the Schroeder family flows in your body, the same as mine. For the glory of the family, achieve victory in the Duel!"
Listening to Zigfried's words, Rayne's face initially showed some hesitation, but after hearing Zigfried's excited demands, Rayne instead raised his head with a determined expression.
"Wrong."
"What?" Zigfried frowned. Because the Spectator Area was some distance from the Duel Field, he couldn't hear Rayne's words clearly.
"Wrong!" Rayne's expression was very serious. "All this talk about the family's glory and future, about seeing me as hope, about noble blood, Brother, you've always just been doing it for your own jealousy!"
"To arbitrarily modify a card's effect or something, Brother, you are simply humiliating my dignity as a Duelist!"
Rayne's right hand grabbed his left arm, where he wore his Duel Disk. "Look clearly, Zigfried, from the moment I put on this Duel Disk, the person standing before you is not Leonhardt von Schroeder, but the Duelist Leon von Schroeder!"
"Don't try to shackle me with your nonsensical things anymore!"
Zigfried, meeting Rayne's rebellious gaze, became so angry he clung to the railing again. Even though Rex pulled him several times, he couldn't be pulled back. "You Idiot, how dare you defy me, your Brother!?"
"Are you perhaps planning to end all this by losing the Duel?" Laughing out of extreme anger, Zigfried put on a face art. "Idiot! It doesn't matter if you lose! If that happens, the device that caused others to fall unconscious can never be turned off! I calculated that possibility long ago!"
"The only way to turn that thing off is to send to the Graveyard [Golden Castle of Stromberg], which is Face-Up Position on the Field and has resistance to being destroyed!"
Zigfried laughed triumphantly from the Spectator Area. Getting carried away, he even revealed the method to break it.
Because deep down, Zigfried didn't believe any card could achieve this.
[Golden Castle of Stromberg] had to be sent to the Graveyard while its effect was active in Face-Up Position on the Field. This restricted many methods such as returning it to the hand, destroying it after its effect is negated, destroying it after being Flip Set, or banishing it.
Before determining this extremely harsh condition, Zigfried had specifically compared all the card data he had collected so far, one by one, before deciding. Except for [Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End], which had been listed as a Forbidden Card, no other card possessed the ability to break it.
Besides not being destroyed by Spell/Trap/Monster Effects, [Golden Castle of Stromberg] also had abilities such as preventing the opponent from Normal Summoning monsters, forcing the opponent's monsters to battle their own monsters, and directly destroying the opponent's monster when it attacks and reflecting the damage. At the same time, it retained the effect of [Golden Castle of Stromberg] itself to Special Summon Monsters.
What made him especially proud was that even the biggest flaw of the original [Golden Castle of Stromberg]—having to send to the Graveyard half of his Deck every Turn—was changed to "the maintenance cost is borne by the Opponent."
After adding so many powerful effects, [Golden Castle of Stromberg] was invincible!
Zigfried firmly believed this.
But after hearing Zigfried's words, Hayato couldn't help but glance at his Graveyard. Because of [Golden Castle of Stromberg]'s effect just now, he had sent over ten cards to the Graveyard. The card on top was a card he had put in just in case before the Duel.
Hayato's mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile: "Yare yare daze, that's just perfect. That so-called 'cost' that helped me with Graveyard Setup was really helpful."
"Hmph, with just you— Hmm?!" Zigfried looked at Hayato disdainfully, then was startled. Only then did he realize that Rayne's opponent was actually the Duel King, Hayato Kobayashi.
He was sure it was someone else before, so why did it suddenly change to the Duel King? No wonder that Idiot Rayne couldn't defeat his opponent.
Despite seeing Hayato, Zigfried was still full of confidence in [Golden Castle of Stromberg]: "It's useless! Even against the Duel King, [Golden Castle of Stromberg] is invincible! You, whose Deck has been reduced by half, cannot defeat [Golden Castle of Stromberg]!"
"Because that card cannot be destroyed!"
"Sore wa dou kana?"
Hayato had a confident smile on his face as he flipped over the card in his Hand: "My energy surpasses your imagination."
"Don't blink! What's about to manifest before you is the ultimate radiance of God!"
"Activate Spell Card [Pot of Greed]! I draw two cards from my Deck." As he spoke, Hayato's finger rested on his Deck. "Although the probability of each draw is constantly changing, for a True Duelist, everything is inevitable."
"Even the future of the draw can be created by oneself!"
"Draw!"
As Hayato drew the card from the top of his Deck, although he hadn't played the drawn card yet, Zigfried, who had been full of confidence just moments ago, suddenly began to breathe heavily.
He widened his eyes, staring intently at the tall blue giant shadow faintly appearing behind Hayato.
Although Zigfried had not watched Kaiba's replay from Battle City, he had learned about the existence of [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] and [Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon] from Rayne, who had seen the replay.
However, even he knew about the three Duel Monsters that first appeared in Battle City, standing at the apex of Duel Monsters, even being given the title of "God," and collectively known as the [Three Egyptian Gods].
[The Winged Dragon of Ra], used by Hayato Kobayashi, conquering everything with the light and fire of the Sun;
[Slifer the Sky Dragon], controlled by Mutou Yuugi, suppressing and judging the enemy;
And [Obelisk the Tormentor], held by Kaiba Seto, the symbol of power and destruction.
"Spell Card [Monster Reborn]! I Special Summon [Obelisk the Tormentor] from my Graveyard in Attack Position."
The Spell Card bearing the Ankh symbol was sent to the Graveyard by Hayato. As the Ankh symbol, symbolizing "Life," filled the phantom behind Hayato, [Obelisk the Tormentor] fully manifested behind Hayato!
[Obelisk the Tormentor][10☆/Divine Attribute]
[Divine-Beast Type/Effect]
[4000/4000]
"ATK, 4000!?" Rex couldn't help but stare in astonishment at the blue giant that seemed to reach the sky. In an environment where the standard ATK of other Duel Monsters was 1000+, Ace Monsters could reach 2000+, and only a few people's Ace Monsters could exceed [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] to reach 3000, [Obelisk the Tormentor]'s 4000 ATK and DEF were overwhelming.
Although Rex was confident that his [Ultimate Conductor Tyranno] could put up a fight even against a God, the majesty of a "God" descending before him was simply too shocking.
"[Obelisk the Tormentor] can only be destroyed by the Monster Effect of a Divine Attribute Monster. The effects of Trap Cards and low-level monsters are negated against it. The effects of monsters Level 10 or higher and Spell Cards activated in the current Turn only have effectiveness for one Turn against it."
Hayato glanced at the card in his Hand, explaining the effect of [Obelisk the Tormentor] on the Field. Before the Duel, because of Professor Banner's words, he had added [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca] to his Deck, and also included [Obelisk the Tormentor] just in case.
As it turned out, it came in handy, and [Obelisk the Tormentor] was even sent to the Graveyard by the effect of [Golden Castle of Stromberg].
"Although [Obelisk the Tormentor] Special Summoned by [Monster Reborn] can only exist on the Field for one Turn, that's enough, because the Duel will end within this Turn."
Hayato glanced at Zigfried, a smile playing on his lips. "Speaking of which, [Obelisk the Tormentor]'s previous master was Seto, wasn't it? Using it to bury [Golden Castle of Stromberg], and your ambition, couldn't be more fitting."
"Tch, a mere God of Destruction that can only exist for one Turn." Although Zigfried was shaken by [Obelisk the Tormentor], he still spoke stubbornly. At the same time, he truly didn't believe his talent would lose to a "God." "Don't forget, even if you clear Rayne's Life Points by attacking, it's useless if you don't destroy [Golden Castle of Stromberg]!"
"Otherwise, what do you think the card in my Hand is for?" Hayato sneered, inserting the last card in his Hand into the Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Disk. "Quick-Play Spell Card, [Fist of Fate]!"
"When a Monster whose original Card Name is [Obelisk the Tormentor] exists on my Field, select one Effect Monster on your opponent's Field, negate its effect, then destroy it. Furthermore, monsters whose original Card Name is the same as the destroyed monster also have their effects negated this Turn!"
"Additionally, when this card is used during my Main Phase, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the opponent's side of the Field!"
As Hayato activated his card, [Obelisk the Tormentor] standing behind him raised his fist. An orange airflow filled with destructive aura gathered on his fist.
And as the giant god soldier raised his fist, [Golden Castle of Stromberg], which Zigfried had given resistance to being destroyed, actually began to tremble, cracks continuously spreading.
"Th- This is impossible!?" Zigfried's face was filled with disbelief. "[Golden Castle of Stromberg] shouldn't be destroyed by any card!?"
Hayato crossed his arms over his chest, watching the [Iron Knight] that was killed along with its soul by the divine power just by the giant god soldier raising his fist, and replied: "First, you merely added fictional abilities to the original card effect. In the radiance of God, fictional things will ultimately reveal their hidden truth."
"Second, what stands before you is not a Duel Monster, but Kami-da!"
Saying this, Hayato raised his hand towards the sky, no longer looking at Zigfried outside the Field, but looking at Rayne, who was visibly afraid but looking at [Obelisk the Tormentor] with aspiration.
"God card, is this Mr. Hayato's strength… it's truly, inspiring!"
It's obvious that people can't breathe through their mouths while sticking out their tongues (laughs
Bonus: In fact, if you dry your hands with a paper towel, it releases 56g of carbon dioxide, which is about the same as playing on your phone for one minute, while a hand dryer releases 40g. However, using your pants does not release carbon dioxide and only damages your personal image a little.
(End of chapter)
# Chapter 458: Master Duels are Fun, What's DL?
"Crackle~!"
"Thud."
Among the Three Egyptian Gods, the God of Destruction, **Obelisk the Tormentor**, symbolized by power, could hardly be stopped when it swung its fist. Its momentum might not have shaken the earth and mountains, but it certainly shook the heavens and the earth.
Like a boxer targeted by a battered Sett, a Duelist facing **Obelisk the Tormentor** was constantly under its pressure even outside of battle. As for the result of being attacked by it, the most fitting example was the Duel Robot that Kaiba crushed after first obtaining **Obelisk the Tormentor** from Ishizu to test its power.
The specific force analysis isn't important. What's important is that although Keipei recycled and reused that duel robot, only the duel robot's logic program was recycled. The physical existence of that duel robot was completely destroyed the moment it was hit.
Even a metal robot was scrapped, let alone a person?
However, despite saying that, **Obelisk the Tormentor** actually hasn't injured people much. Especially Joey Wheeler, who only had a slight chest pain even after enduring infinite ATK.
And Leon von Schroeder didn't suffer much damage either. Most of **Obelisk the Tormentor**'s attack was used to destroy the **Golden Castle of Stromberg**, and the remaining impact force brushed past Rayne's cheek like a breeze.
It was Force Nullification! The Giant God Soldier used Force Nullification of extremely high purity!
Facing monsters like the Three Egyptian Gods that surpassed the Duel Monsters rules, the additional cheating effect Zigfried added to the **Golden Castle of Stromberg** was destroyed. The "Card that cannot be Destroyed" was destroyed, and the Field Zone on Leon's Duel Disk, which had been locked before, was also opened. The discharge device was damaged, and the **Golden Castle of Stromberg** card fell to the ground.
Although the wind wasn't very strong, having faced a God's Fist directly, Leon von Schroeder sat down on the Duel Field's ground after his last Life Points were reduced to zero. There was no disappointment or dejection on his face due to his defeat. Instead, he looked with aspiration at the **Obelisk the Tormentor** gradually dispersing behind Hayato.
"Is this Obelisk? The Three Egyptian Gods are really strong..."
Hayato recycled his cards from the Graveyard, placing **Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca** and **Obelisk the Tormentor** separately back into the Card Box on his waist. While powerful cards like the Three Egyptian Gods could effectively increase the average strength of a Deck, they also had a certain probability of affecting the field setup. Even Hayato would selectively add the Three Egyptian Gods to his Deck if he were to use them.
Also placed in the Card Box was the Quick-Play Spell Card that had just laid the foundation for the final blow, **Fist of Fate**.
Throughout the history of Yu-Gi-Oh!, there are varying opinions on who the Strongest Duelist is in each generation and who is the strongest overall. There is also little consensus on which Duel Monster has the most powerful effect. However, in the original Yu-Gi-Oh! DM, it is generally believed that the strongest Duel Monster is **The Creator God of Light, Horakhty**, summoned by assembling the three Three Egyptian Gods.
That is, the "Creator God Type" card with a global limit of ten thousand copies, and only one in all of Duel Monsters.
As the old saying goes, if a person has no dreams, what's the difference between them and a slacker? So, after winning the Battle City champion and collecting the Three Egyptian Gods, Hayato naturally set his sights on the [God Card] affix unlocked in the System Shop.
It wasn't that Hayato's resolve wasn't strong, but rather that the System was an old unscrupulous merchant. It used to just perfunctorily put names on things, but the [God Card] affix unlocked after collecting three Divine-Beast Type monsters actually had an animated image of **The Creator God of Light**.
Just like how players of the famous collection game "Steam" can't control their wallets when they see a green "-90%", Hayato naturally couldn't control himself either and spent a fortune on this affix's draw.
As expected, it was a spectacular failure. A total investment of over 30,000 DP Points, and he didn't even see a shadow of **The Creator God of Light**. Instead, Hayato got support cards for the Three Egyptian Gods like **Superconductive Wave Cannon**, **Soul Crossing**, and **Apostle of Ra**. **Fist of Fate** was also one of them.
Although the Three Egyptian Gods performed excellently in the anime and manga, if the Three Egyptian Gods were real card adapted with their overly imba effects, it would be a disaster for the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" meta and affect the balance too much. Therefore, when the real cards of the Three Egyptian Gods were released, their effects were all nerfed. **The Winged Dragon of Ra**, which had the most effects, was even tragically dismembered.
Of course, whether this "affecting balance" excuse is true or false is up for debate. After all, Kaiku Corporation has done strange operations like not banning the famous "Slacker" - **Destiny HERO - Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer** when it was rampant in the meta, but instead putting the **Fusion Destiny** of the Slacker Deck **Destiny HERO** on the Forbidden List.
Truly you, Kaiku Corporation.
Anyway, it's all just for selling cards.
Although the castrated Three Egyptian Gods can still be used in duels, the cost of three monster tributes and their not-so-powerful effects make them too low in cost-effectiveness except for satisfying nostalgia. They can't even perfectly recreate the original matchups.
So, the clever card seller Kaiku Corporation came up with a new operation - although I can't strengthen the cards, I can sell other patch cards.
Thus, the effects that were castrated and removed from the Three Egyptian Gods were made into separate cards, which are the Three Egyptian God-specific cards like **Fist of Fate**. Their positioning is similar to **Clay Charge**, which is tied to **E•HERO Clayman**. These cards like **Fist of Fate** are also tied to their respective God Cards.
Although it didn't elevate the status of the Three Egyptian Gods, it at least gave players who like the Three Egyptian Gods a chance to recreate famous scenes.
Of course, simply recreating famous scenes wasn't enough to boost card sales significantly. Therefore, these cards, in addition to having the effects that should have been on the God Card's true form, also have some new effects added. For example, **Fist of Fate**'s ability to destroy all of the opponent's Spell and Trap Cards and lock monster effects.
After organizing his Deck, Hayato stepped forward and stood before Leon von Schroeder, who was sitting on the ground, looking down at him. "How does it feel, being completely and utterly defeated, crushed head-on by a God Card?"
"How does it feel? It's quite impressive, it's almost becoming a shadow covering my heart."
Although his words were gloomy and sounded like he was about to become withdrawn, when he looked up at Hayato, Leon von Schroeder's face held a bright and confident smile. "But the more it is like that, the more courage I have to break through this dark cloud."
"I hope that one day, I will have the chance to duel you, Mr. Hayato, when you are using your full strength."
Listening to Rayne's words, Hayato nodded in satisfaction and returned a smile. "That's a great thing to say. You are much better than your Brother, whose mindset gap is deadly. Good, very spirited!"
"In that case, after witnessing the majesty of the peak, engrave the image of being crushed by a God in your heart and strive to grow, Leon von Schroeder!"
Patting the standing Rayne's shoulder, Hayato turned back and looked at Zigfried, who was lying on the railing with a grim expression. "Alright, you're next, Zigfried von Schroeder."
"Damn it, Hayato Kobayashi!"
Zigfried on the Spectator Area wished he could get rid of Hayato, but the distance between them and his bound hands meant that at most he could only clench his fists to vent his anger.
Under Rex's escort, Zigfried was brought to the edge of the Duel Platform below the Spectator Area. There should have been staff maintaining order on the Passage connecting the two areas to prevent spectators from rushing onto the Duel Field during a duel and interfering with the match. However, the anomaly on site affected all non-duelists, and it was likely that even the staff in the Backstage were not spared.
"This guy, I'll hand him over to you, Hayato Kobayashi." Handing the rope he held to Hayato, Rex sighed with some emotion. "It's only been a few years, hasn't it? We were still opponents competing on the same stage during the Duelist Kingdom, but I didn't expect you to become so strong now."
Zigfried was very dissatisfied that he was being handed over like a traded horse, simply by passing the reins. Hearing Rex say that Hayato was strong, he gave a cold snort, his face full of disdain.
Hayato wrapped the rope around his hand a few times to secure it and looked at Rex playfully, teasing, "Come on, you didn't even make it into the top 8, so how is that the same stage?"
"Hey, don't tear me down! Even being on the same stage during the Star Chips collection phase counts as the same stage, right? And I was only one Star Chip away from collecting enough back then! But the others on the Island wouldn't duel me, even if it meant time-out elimination, just because I was the runner-up of the Japan National Tournament."
"Even Yugi, because many people only heard the news that he defeated Kaiba and didn't think it was true, wouldn't refuse his duels. You only barely won against Weevil once back then, let alone Joey Wheeler, whom no one knew at all."
Recalling the past, Rex sighed and shook his head, not dwelling on his "past glory" for too long. "Anyway, I'll hand this guy over to you. I've completed Kaiba's commission."
"From this person's mouth, Kaiba found out the three keys to solving the anomaly: the 'key' that started the anomaly, which is that kid's card you just defeated; the 'program' that drives the anomaly, which seems to be placed on KaibaCorp's network; and finally, the 'ability' that achieves the anomaly, which is somewhere unknown and also seems to be a card."
After repeating the information he got from Kaiba to Hayato, Rex turned around. "Well then, I'll be leaving now."
"Where are you going?" Hayato asked. "The situation inside the Venue is quite dangerous. Do you want to come with me?"
Others might not have noticed, but Hayato, who was accompanied by a large number of card spirits, had already discovered during the duel that the inside of the Kaiba Dome Venue after the anomaly began seemed to be gradually being transferred to another world, and that world was the Spirit World where the card spirits resided.
Even Hayato could only guess at the specific method of implementation for now. It was probably by reversing **Uria, Lord of Searing Flames**'s ability to convert "life force" and "spirit power" to enhance some spirit-related existence to open a gate. Although that gate had only opened a tiny gap for now, over time, it was highly likely that the Kaiba Dome would truly be transferred into the Spirit World.
And even through just a gap, an extremely abundant otherworldly aura was pouring into this Venue. Hayato had already sensed it when he just recycled **Obelisk the Tormentor**. Even without the support of the virtual projection system, Obelisk could briefly maintain its existence for a moment.
And if it were a weaker Duel Monster, materialization for a long time wouldn't be a problem.
Opening the gate was like baiting before fishing. Although it would scare away some fish, some fish would also approach after a brief vigilance due to curiosity and temptation. If the gate continued to open, it wasn't impossible for residents from the Spirit World to come to the Real World.
"You mean the materialization of Duel Monsters? As for that, I also have self-preservation ability." To Hayato's slight surprise, Rex seemed to have accepted the concept that "Duel Monsters can materialize," as if he had already experienced something similar. "I also have a certain self-awareness of my ability, so the mission to save everyone is entrusted to you, Duel King."
Turning around coolly, although he was a shorty, Rex was full of presence. "As for me, I'll do my best to save a few people. After all, we talked quite well before, and I promised to save them and take them out for steak."
"Also, Joey Wheeler must be working hard somewhere, right? Remember to remind that guy not to forget what he said before about working hard for my sake."
Waving his hand, Rex walked up the stairs.
"Achoo!!"
Joey Wheeler suddenly sneezed, rubbing his nose. "Who's thinking about me behind my back?"
Frowning, Joey Wheeler lowered his hand, not letting the sudden sneeze distract him for too long. He refocused on Yugi and Rafael in the middle of their duel.
On Rafael's Field, **Guardian Eatos** equipped with **Guardian's Power** had an ATK of 4000 points, comparable to the **Obelisk the Tormentor** that had appeared on the Duel Field in the center of the Venue, which had attracted immense attention just now.
[Guardian's Power] [Spell Counter: 3]
"Did the Duel King end his battle using a God Card?" Rafael calmly said, withdrawing his gaze from the center of the Venue. "Although I didn't really want that situation to occur, one part of the plan has probably been destroyed by the Duel King."
"Focus properly on the duel and stop looking around, Rafael," Yugi shouted sternly from across Rafael, with only a **Chaos Magician** in Defense Position remaining on his Field. "Do you think you already have certain victory!"
[Yugi: 400 LP, Hand 3]
[Chaos Magician] [DEF 2100]
[Set Card]
[Rafael: 2000 LP, Hand 1]
[Guardian Eatos] (Guardian's Power) [ATK 4000]
[Set Card]
"Certain victory? Nameless Pharaoh, are you actually trying to say I'm arrogant?" Rafael looked at the [Chaos之魔导]Chaos Magician on Yugi's Field in Defense Position, then reached out and pointed at his [守护者-艾托斯]Guardian Eatos. "My Guardian Eatos's ATK is currently as high as 4000 Points. Can other Duel Monsters achieve that?"
"Not only that, Eatos, equipped with [守护者之力]Guardian Power, can remove Spell Counters instead of being Destroyed. If you want to defeat me and take [神炎皇-乌利亚]Uria, Lord of Searing Flames from my Hand, he is the one you must overcome."
"Can you surpass me, Nameless Pharaoh?"
As Rafael spoke, he Set the Card in his Hand. "I Set my last Hand Card. End Turn."
[Rafael: 2000LP, Hand 0]
Guardian Eatos (Guardian Power) [ATK4000]
[Set Card] X2
Yugi heard this and frowned.
In the previous few Turns, after Summoning that Guardian Eatos, Rafael suddenly became serious. Not only did he consecutively Destroy and Send to Graveyard Yugi's Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, which had originally held the advantage on the Field, but he also used Guardian Eatos's Effect to Banish Yugi's Monsters in the Graveyard one by one, increasing Guardian Eatos's ATK.
After Yugi spent resources and finally Destroyed Guardian Eatos with difficulty, Rafael Revived it again and equipped it with [守护者之力]Guardian Power.
Because I didn't know its effects, Yugi didn't expect [守护者之力]Guardian Power to actually have virtually infinite Destruction Resistance. After several rounds of offense and defense, Yugi's resources were almost exhausted, but he had managed to stack the number of Spell Counters on Guardian Power to three.
[Yugi: 400LP, Hand 3]
Chaos Magician [DEF2100]
[Set Card]
He looked down at his Hand. They were [次元融合]Dimension Fusion, [神秘的中华锅]Mystical Wok, and [复活的祭坛]Altar of Rebirth. Dimension Fusion can Special Summon all Banished Monsters of both players back to the Field, but it has the Restriction that it can only be Activated by Paying 2000LP. With Yugi's current 400 Life Points, he doesn't have enough to Activate this Card.
However, if he used Mystical Wok to Tribute the Chaos Magician on his Field, there would be a possibility of Activating it. But in that case, he would have to find a possibility among the Banished Monsters that would be enough to defeat Rafael's Guardian Eatos.
"If it's just fantasy, I can't verify if my prediction for the future can be realized. In that case, I'll place my hope for Victory on this next Draw." Yugi's gaze met Rafael's. Rafael, full of confidence in his Monster and Set Defense, felt the fiercely burning fighting spirit in Yugi's gaze. "Guardian Eatos, you will be defeated by me and my Deck!"
"My Turn, Draw!"
After drawing the Card in his Hand, Yugi flipped it over. Seeing the Card he drew, he couldn't help but smile. "Then in this Turn, I will surpass Guardian Eatos!"
"Activate Spell Card [黑魔术的继承]Dark Magic Inheritance! Banish two Spell Cards from my Graveyard—[禁忌的圣衣]Forbidden Dress and [魔术师的救出]Magician's Rescue! Then, I add one Spell/Trap Card that lists 'Dark Magician' or 'Dark Magician Girl' in its Card Name from my Deck to my Hand."
After inserting the Card he had just drawn into the Spell & Trap Zone, Yugi wasn't in a hurry to Search for a Card from his Deck. Instead, he reached out and pointed at the Chaos Magician on his Field. "However, before that, I will Activate a Chain to Chaos Magician's Effect!"
"Although [守护者之力]Guardian Power can continuously protect Guardian Eatos from being Destroyed as long as it has Spell Counters, it itself shouldn't have resistance, right?" The corner of Yugi's mouth curved up as he said confidently, "A dragon's inverse scale is the hardest scale on its body, but Destroying it will consequently expose its biggest weakness!"
Chaos Magician gathered the scattered mystical power from Dark Magic Inheritance, turning it into a magical arrow. As Yugi's hand swung forward, it pointed directly at the [守护者之力]Guardian Power equipped onto Guardian Eatos!
As long as Guardian Power is Destroyed, Guardian Eatos's troublesome Battle/Effect Destruction Resistance will disappear along with it, and its ATK will also drop back down to 2500 Points. Even if he doesn't use other Monsters, just Chaos Magician can result in Mutual Destruction with it.
"Tsk, did you see through it? Not bad discernment."
Rafael found that Yugi had actually found one of Guardian Eatos's weaknesses and couldn't help but frown. "But if the same move is used too many times, how could others not guard against it? Your use of Chaos Magician's once per Turn effect to Destroy a Card was completely within my calculations!"
"Flip Set Card, [突破技能]Breakthrough Skill!"
Seeing that the flying magical arrow was about to destroy [守护者之力]Guardian Power under the Control of Chaos Magician, Guardian Eatos's figure suddenly disappeared from Rafael's Field.
At the same time, Chaos Magician, focused on controlling the magical arrow, was momentarily stunned by the disappearance of its target and completely failed to notice Guardian Eatos, who had somehow appeared beside it.
The sword edge slashed past. Although Chaos Magician made an avoidance movement the moment Guardian Eatos acted, Chaos Magician's Staff, used to block the Attack, was cut off by a single sword strike.
Guardian Eatos successfully landed a blow and was kicked back to Rafael's Field by Chaos Magician, who remembered it was actually a melee Mage. But its goal was already achieved. Although Chaos Magician, having lost the assistance of its wand, still possessed powerful mystical power, it could no longer freely use powerful spells like before. Even the patterns on its robe were no longer vibrant.
Yugi clicked his tongue, somewhat annoyed.
He had originally thought that if he were to Activate Dimension Fusion, Tributing Chaos Magician would be inevitable. In that case, he would have to consider how he could fully utilize Chaos Magician's Power.
Although Mystical Wok is also a Spell Card that can trigger Chaos Magician's Effect, if the Tribute Target is Chaos Magician, he wouldn't be able to Activate this Effect in the Graveyard situation. So Yugi thought of using Dark Magic Inheritance to unleash Chaos Magician's last bit of residual heat.
However, Yugi wasn't overly disappointed by this. If Guardian Power could be easily broken, that would be underestimating Rafael, who had been entangled with him for several Turns. That the Opponent would set up defensive Cards was also within expectations.
"Because Chaos Magician's Effect was Negated, Dark Magic Inheritance re-resolves. I add one Card from my Deck to my Hand." After Yugi Searched out a Card from his Deck, he drew out [神秘的中华锅]Mystical Wok. "Since Chaos Magician cannot defeat Guardian Eatos, then let's switch Opponents."
"Activate Spell Card Mystical Wok! I Tribute the Chaos Magician on my Field, then I Recover Life Points equal to Chaos Magician's ATK Value, which is 2500 Points!"
见游戏居然将自己的怪兽解放,拉菲鲁不屑地冷哼一声,却没有说什么.
明明在之前的很长一段时间里,决斗怪兽的圈子中有许多人跟自己一样都不太愿意将喜爱的怪兽随意送入墓地,而是会在对战之中想办法将它们保存下来.
但是似乎是从决斗都市,或是更早之前,突然就开始流行起了"XXX,我好喜欢你啊,为了你,我要将你分解掉""与其被你破坏,我还不如将我的XXX炒了吃""为了大义牺牲吧,XXX!"之类的为了胜利,所以将自己的怪兽用各种手段破坏的决斗风格.
怎么想,都是小林隼人那个家伙的问题,身为决斗王居然将决斗者们的风格带偏到这种错误的道路上,那位大人的想法是对的,这个世界果然出了问题!
拉菲鲁的心情越想越糟糕,看向游戏的眼神也逐渐变得不太好了.
暗游戏倒是不知道拉菲鲁的想法,在他看来,将自己的怪兽送入墓地之中没有什么不对的.
表游戏经常使用[栗子球]之类的卡片,甚至常有[增殖]+[机雷化]这种量产自爆部队的同归于尽操作;
城之内的怪兽一个个的都很擅长在被破坏后"很有骨气"地从墓地里返场,拿到异常适合在场上和墓地里反复横跳的[真红眼黑龙]后城之内的"诈尸"行为更是变本加厉;
隼人就更不用说了,甚至就连海马,在虐菜的时候也经常会有使用[破坏轮]+[防御轮]的combo.
被其所认可的决斗者们都能接受,甚至都有加入这种操作之中,也难怪暗游戏不觉得把怪兽送入墓地有什么不对.甚至就连他自己,卡组中也固定加入[超电磁龟]甚至[弹射龟]这些需要送入墓地和需要把其他怪兽送入墓地的卡片.
[Yugi: 400→2900LP]
His Life Points, which had originally almost hit rock bottom and could be Cleared with just one Sparks, recovered to 2900 Points. With ample Life Points, Yugi didn't linger his gaze on this Value for too long. Instead, he drew out a Card and played it onto the Field.
[Yugi: 2900→900LP]
"Hmm?" Even though Yugi's Life Points had just been sharply rising, they plummeted like a dive. Rafael was a bit surprised. "He didn't have any intention of keeping the Life Points gained from Tributing his own Monsters. He actually just used them lavishly like this."
"Oh Nameless Pharaoh, regarding the sacrifice of your own Monsters, don't you care at all?"
Listening to Rafael's words, Yugi felt a bit strange. If it were someone else, shouldn't they be focused on what Card he was going to use after spending so many Life Points? Why is this person actually asking if he cared about my own Monsters?
"I killed my way from Baicaoyuan to Sanwei Bookstore, chopping melons and dicing vegetables for three days, and didn't even blink. You ask me if my eyes are dry?"
Although he felt in his heart that this person Rafael might have some serious illness, Yugi's answer was still quite serious. "In your opinion, is it necessary to always talk about the sacrifice of Duel Monsters, Rafael? My idea is different from yours."
"Every single Monster that sacrifices in battle is contributing their power for me. As a Duelist, all I can do is remember their sacrifice and then make the most of that sacrifice." Yugi's gaze looked towards the Graveyard Zone on his Duel Disk.
[魔道化-利真]Magical Merchant, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Chaos Magician... Monster after Monster, they all existed in his memory. Although only Chaos Magician remained in the Graveyard and the other Monsters had all been Banished, Yugi could feel that every single Monster was actually accompanying him in his hand.
"Just dwelling on the Monsters leaving and sacrifice changes nothing and is meaningless."
"Only winning this Duel is the best reward for the Monsters who trust me."
On Yugi's Spell/Trap Zone, the Dimension Fusion Card appeared. With the full 2000 Life Points Yugi offered as a cost, space shattered above Rafael and Yugi, revealing a Passage connecting the Monsters that were Banished one by one during this Duel.
"Moreover, speaking of 'squandering Life Points'..." Yugi's mouth curved up, revealing a confident smile. "Cards lose their meaning if they aren't used at the right time."
"According to Hayato, it seems to be something someone who disappeared from everyone's memory said. Although I don't quite understand what it means, I really agree with this sentence."
[AD变更者]Attack/Defense Changer was dragged out from the void with the help of Magical Merchant. Two Dark Magicians with completely identical expressions stood side by side, the two of them busy staring at each other. They completely failed to notice the plea for help from Dark Magician Girl beside them, who had only half crawled out from the void and gotten stuck at the waist, making it look like a scene from a doujinshi.
And on the other side, led by [后援守护者]Backup Gardna, [武器召唤师]Weapon Summoner, [太阳之战士]Warrior of Sunlight, and [太阳之守护者]Guardian of Sunlight, who had appeared in the previous battle, were not to be outdone and returned one by one from the Different Dimension to above the Field.
All the Monsters that had appeared in the previous Turn returned from the Banished Different Dimension World. This scene, like the Avengers assembling, was cast into Rafael's heart along with the words Yugi had said earlier.
"Just dwelling on leaving and sacrifice cannot change anything and has no meaning at all?..." His gaze glanced towards the Guardian Eatos on his own Field. Rafael couldn't help but have memories of the past stirred within him.
Rafael, whose heart was somewhat shaken, raised his hand and reached for the Green Gem Pendant on his chest. Feeling that warmth that shouldn't belong to a stone, Rafael forced his will to refocus.
"No, I am not immersed in the past. The painful past only made me realize more clearly that that Adult's idea has no errors at all." Looking up at the Monsters about to jump down from the Passage, Rafael pressed the Activate Set Card button on his Duel Disk. "Sorry, Nameless Pharaoh."
"'Guardian Eatos will be defeated by you.' You said that just now, didn't you? As punishment for blocking that Adult's plan, I will sever your hope!"
"Quick-Play Spell Card [来自异次元的埋葬]Burial from a Different Dimension!"
Chapter 1: I Want to Help the New Student Homura Akemi Integrate into the Class
Chapter 12: Eat Shit, Kyubey, I Will Change the destiny of Magical Girls
(End of Chapter)
# Chapter 460: Mastering Chaos
"You said, 'You will defeat [Guardian Eatos]', didn't you? As punishment for hindering that person's plan, I will sever your hope!"
"Quick-Play Spell Card, [Burial from a Different Dimension]!"
As Yugi's [Dimension Fusion] took effect, two [Dark Magician]s, [Dark Magician Girl], [AD Changer], and [Magidog - Rijion] leaped out from the void passage, descending from the sky towards Yugi's Field.
However, right on the trajectory of the two [Dark Magician]s and [Dark Magician Girl]'s descent, a spatial tunnel abruptly appeared, swallowing them whole before they could even react.
"[Dimension Fusion] can return banished monsters to the Field as much as possible, but this 'as much as possible' has a limit. Once the selection is complete and the Summon begins, it cannot be changed."
"The effect of [Burial from a Different Dimension] is to return up to three banished monsters from either side to their owner's Graveyard. This way, the 2000 Life Points you paid as cost only allowed you to Summon [AD Changer] and [Magidog - Rijion], two monsters with not very high ATK, to your Field."
"As for [Dark Magician] and [Dark Magician Girl], they couldn't be Summoned because they returned to your Graveyard."
Rafael looked at [AD Changer] and [Magidog - Rijion] that landed on Yugi's Field, as well as the monsters on his own Field.
[Backup Soldier] [DEF2200]
[Summoner of Swords] [DEF1600]
[Solar Guardian] [DEF2100]
[Solar Warrior] [DEF1400]
[Guardian Eatos] [ATK4000]
Aside from [Guardian Eatos] equipped with [Guardian's Power], although Rafael also benefited from Yugi's [Dimension Fusion] to fill his entire Field, all the Summoned monsters were placed on the Field in Defense Position, even [Solar Guardian] with 2400 ATK and [Solar Warrior] with 2100 ATK.
He didn't mind being called timid; Rafael felt this caution was necessary. Although his Life Points were as high as 2000, more than double Yugi's, he wouldn't slack off in the slightest due to this lead, remaining vigilant at all times.
Even [Solar Guardian] with 2400 ATK, if in Attack Position, it wasn't impossible for it to be instantly defeated by a suddenly appearing 12☆ Normal Monster Fusion Monster with 4500 ATK, similar to [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]. Although the probability was small, Rafael, who felt he was just one step away from victory, thought it best to be cautious now.
Even with the Field filled, the only monster in Attack Position was still [Guardian Eatos]. This meant that if Mutou Yuugi wanted to defeat him this Turn, attacking [Guardian Eatos] was still his only choice, rather than using the monsters that appeared on his Field due to [Dimension Fusion]'s effect as a breakthrough point.
Joey Wheeler , watching from outside the Field, couldn't help but clutch his head with both hands: "This is... this is bad!"
"He spent so many Life Points, but only managed to Summon two monsters that don't even qualify as shields! The strongest [Dark Magician] and [Dark Magician Girl] couldn't make it to the Field!"
"And Yugi's Life Points are down to the last 900, like a flickering candle before so many powerful monsters!"
"Yugi is in a huge crisis!"
The panicked Joey Wheeler looked at Yugi with a face full of worry: "That guy actually brought a card like [Burial from a Different Dimension]! Constantly banishing the monsters in Yugi's Graveyard without leaving any behind was actually baiting Yugi into using a card that Special Summons monsters from the Banished Zone like [Dimension Fusion], how cunning!"
"Could Yugi have been controlled by his rhythm the whole time?"
However, Yugi's face didn't show the panic or surprise Joey Wheeler had expected. Even though the most powerful three monsters were blocked after activating [Dimension Fusion] at a large cost, Yugi's face instead showed a confident smile.
"With this, your Set Cards are all used up, right?"
"What?" Rafael didn't quite hear what Yugi said, frowning as he looked at Yugi's smiling face.
"At the start of this Turn, you had two Set Cards in your Spell/Trap Zone. First, the effect of [Chaos Magician] tested out one of them, and then [Dimension Fusion] consumed the second one."
"This way, your Set Cards have been completely used up, and I can finally begin my true strategy." Yugi held the last two cards in his Hand. On his Field were only [AD Changer], [Magidog - Rijion], and one Set Card from the previous Turn. He looked at Rafael, "Just as I said before, I will surpass that [Guardian Eatos] for you to see this Turn, Rafael!"
"If you can do it, show me, Nameless Pharaoh. Let me see your resolve." Rafael found it difficult to describe his feelings in words.
Before the Duel with Yugi, he was certain that his will was firmly committed to that person's plan and would not be emotionally swayed by anything else.
However, as the Duel progressed, the will and power Yugi displayed shattered the barrier in his inner thoughts. Having always regarded Duel Monsters as substitutes for family and his most precious treasures, he was initially angered by Yugi's actions of casually sending monsters to the Graveyard. But gradually, he saw the deep friendship between Yugi and his monsters hidden beneath Yugi's seemingly heartless actions.
It was a feeling of "partners" completely different from his own "family".
Rafael suddenly wanted to see how far Yugi could go, to see if Yugi could truly surpass [Guardian Eatos], whose ATK still reached 4000, as he claimed.
However, thinking of the stakes of this Duel—[Uria, Lord of Searing Flames] and the other person involved—Rafael couldn't help but fall silent.
Meanwhile, Yugi played his first card: "Activate the Magic Card, [Altar of Revival]!"
As the card was inserted into the Spell & Trap Zone, a dilapidated altar rose on Yugi's Spell/Trap Zone. Not only was the offering spot empty, but the two sacrificial areas for offerings were also bare, looking like an altar of some ancient, long-forgotten deity that didn't even have believers.
Yugi banished two cards from his Deck: "The effect of [Altar of Revival] is to banish two cards from my Deck, then add one card from my Graveyard to my Hand. I banish the top two cards of my Deck, then recycle [Fusion Conscription] from my Graveyard!"
"[Fusion Conscription]?!" Rafael looked at the altar on Yugi's Field with some surprise. As two cards were offered as Tribute, a card rose from the empty altar and was taken back into Yugi's Hand.
Joey Wheeler was also a bit surprised: "That card, I remember it's similar to [Dragon's Mirror], a card that can perform Fusion Summoning using monsters on the Field and in the Graveyard. However, unlike [Dragon's Mirror] which is limited to Dragon Type Fusion Monsters, [Fusion Conscription] seems to be limited to Spellcaster-Type Fusion Monsters."
Due to Joey Wheeler 's weak knowledge of Duel Monsters cards exposed during multiple Duels in Battle City, after Battle City, Grandpa Solomon , disappointed, enforced hellish training on Joey Wheeler as his Master.
Thanks to this, Joey Wheeler , who had always lacked sensitivity towards Duel Monsters, finally remembered the effects of many cards. [Fusion Conscription] was one of them.
But what made Joey Wheeler surprised was, "But if I remember correctly, isn't that Hayato's card?"
Although [Fusion Conscription] has no other limiting conditions besides the Type, the Fusion Monsters that this card can Summon that Joey Wheeler remembers most vividly is the [Quintet Magician] that Hayato used.
Just as [Five-Headed Dragon] uses five Dragon Type monsters as Fusion Material, [Quintet Magician] also uses five Spellcaster-Type monsters as Fusion Material. When Fusion Summoned using five different Spellcaster Type monsters, it has the powerful power to destroy and clear all of the opponent's cards at once.
Of course, the main reason Joey Wheeler had a deep impression of [Quintet Magician] wasn't its powerful field-clearing ability, its highest Level of 12☆, or its 4500 ATK comparable to [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], but rather its resistance.
It cannot be destroyed by effects, cannot be used as Fusion Material, and cannot even be Tributed. This directly led to Hayato, who usually had a special preference for Tributing monsters to achieve the final victory, not using [Spiritual Energy Siphon] to abandon his "old friend" in the Duel where he used [Quintet Magician].
How could a monster that survived Hayato's Hand not leave a deep impression on Joey Wheeler ?
Yugi smiled and replied to Joey Wheeler : "This card is indeed Hayato's. But he said something like, 'Even though the effect is similar, one is R and one is SR, it's all your fault I couldn't pull Light Creation', and other hard-to-understand things, then stuffed several copies of [Fusion Conscription] into my Hand."
"I originally wanted to refuse, but after giving me three copies, Hayato actually took out three more." Speaking of this, Yugi's face also showed a helpless expression.
Such a powerful card was casually given to him by Hayato as if clearing inventory. If he hadn't insisted on forcing Hayato to take cards that Hayato didn't have, like [Mirror Force] and [Super-Electromagnetic Turtle], Hayato wouldn't have even accepted them.
Joey Wheeler 's confusion was resolved, but Rafael also had a question: "When was that card sent to your Graveyard?"
"It was [Graceful Charity]," Yugi replied. "Draw three cards then discard two cards. Although the number of cards in Hand seems unchanged, both of these effects are actually positive abilities. After all, the Graveyard is, to some extent, a suitable position for Duel Monsters to exert their power."
"[Graceful Charity] is truly a powerful card," Yugi sighed.
But he didn't know that Hayato had actually considered proposing to ban [Last Will], [Snatch Steal], [Change of Heart], and cards like [Pot of Greed] and [Graceful Charity] from his previous life's Forbidden & Limited List when discussing the list before, because if used skillfully, these cards could easily destroy the Duel Monsters environment.
But Hayato changed his mind and gave up, because he found that not many people knew how to use them. Many people who saw the invincible [Last Will] even thought that this kind of meaningless card was simply useless. Aren't monsters with 1500 ATK or less just small fry?
Instead of banning cards that these people wouldn't even care about, it's better to keep them. Maybe they could be used when dueling against some Dark Forces someday.
Anyway, it definitely wasn't because Hayato wanted to have fun with magic tricks when he wanted to bully weaker opponents.
"I see, it was a card sent to the Graveyard when you used [Graceful Charity] before..." Rafael nodded. "But, even if you use [Fusion Conscription], what kind of monster can you Summon?"
"Even [Quintet Magician], used by Duel King Hayato Kobayashi, only has 4500 ATK. Even if you have this monster and Summon it, attacking [Guardian Eatos] will only increase its ATK, and the battle between two monsters with 4500 ATK will only result in my victory."
"The most powerful effect of [Quintet Magician] is to clear all cards on my Field, but it cannot be applied because you have two duplicate [Dark Magician]s among the Spellcaster-Type monsters in your Graveyard that can be used for Fusion."
"Therefore, even if you activate [Fusion Conscription], it's not worth fearing."
Listening to Rafael's analysis, Yugi said confidently: "Sore wa dou kana?"
"As you thought, I will indeed activate [Fusion Conscription], but the Fusion Monster I will Fusion Summon is not Hayato's [Quintet Magician]. I naturally have my own Fusion Monster to Summon."
Saying this, Yugi inserted the [Fusion Conscription] he had just recycled into his Duel Disk: "I activate the Magic Card [Fusion Conscription]! I banish [Chaos Magician] and [Dark Magician] from my Graveyard as Fusion Material! Fusion Summon a Spellcaster-Type Fusion Monster!"
"[Dark Magician] and a Spellcaster-Type monster's Fusion? Is he Summoning [Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight]?" Joey Wheeler watched the vortex appear on Yugi's Field, but the commotion was completely different from what he expected.
Through the ritual, [Chaos Magician], who had mastered the power of "Chaos", and the pure black magic power of the original [Dark Magician] converged in mid-air. A sword of pure magical power was created out of nothing, gripped in the hand of the unified [Dark Magician].
The dark red Chaos power and the primal black magic power intertwined, transforming and sublimating into resplendent golden armor attached to [Dark Magician]'s body. [Dark Magician], a Spellcaster, finally stopped hiding his desire for close combat, standing in mid-air, clad in armor and wielding a sword and shield!
"A hundred kinds of magic, all heavens' chaos, learned and then mastered."
"Grasp infinite great power in your hand, create the power of creation and opening!"
"Fusion Summon! [Chaos Sempai]!!"
[Chaos Sempai] [8☆/Dark]
[Spellcaster-Type/Fusion/Effect]
[3000/2500]
(End of Chapter)