"It's Cyber End Dragon, my brother's ace monster!"
[Cyber End Dragon] Level 10│LIGHT│Machine│4000 ATK
It was a colossal mechanical dragon with three heads, each glowing with bright electricity. On top of its usually sleek body, wings had emerged, giving it a more balanced and powerful appearance.
"Only 4000 ATK?" Vamp scoffed, spreading her arms with a smirk. "With the Mistress on the field, 4000 is nothing."
"Is that so? Hmph, Quick-Play Spell, Limiter Removal!"
Zane immediately revealed the card in his hand. "This Spell doubles the ATK of all Machine monsters I control!"
"Nice one!" Bastion immediately said from the stands. "Cyber End Dragon will now have 8000 ATK! Even if Vampire Fraulein boosts her DEF by 3000, that'll only be 5000; she can't withstand the attack and won't be able to absorb LP like vampires usually do."
"Plus, Cyber End Dragon inflicts piercing damage! Even in Defense Position, she'll take the hit!"
"If she loses 6000 LP, even if Vampire Fraulein revives, she won't have the upper hand anymore!"
"So you're saying my brother and Amagi can win!?" Syrus asked excitedly.
Bastion shook his head. "Powerful cards come with risks. After Limiter Removal's effect ends, Cyber End Dragon will be destroyed."
"Battle! Cyber End Dragon, Attack Vampire Fraulein!"
"I won't let you hurt the Mistress!" Vamp snapped, activating her face-down card. "Trap Card- Waboku! This turn, our monsters can't be destroyed by battle, and we take no battle damage!"
She flew out, emitting a sinister black aura, shielding Vampire Fraulein from the dragon's white-hot breath.
"Ahhhh!!"
"No way, gah!" Syrus shut his eyes.
"It's over! Zane's monster will be destroyed now."
"Even Cyber End Dragon can't break through? How strong is this Vampire Fraulein!?"
"Looks like we're up next, Jaden," Chazz muttered with a sigh.
"No!" Jaden stared intently at the field, shaking his head. "Zane and Hikaru haven't given up!"
"Even if they haven't, this field situation."
"Heh..." Zane chuckled, completely unfazed by the failed attack, as if everything was going exactly as planned. "I Set one card and end my turn."
"Now, your monster will be destroyed!" Vamp shouted.
"It's fine. That destruction is only the prelude to reunion," Zane replied calmly.
"Ahh, nooo! My brother's field is empty now!"
"My turn." Vampire Fraulein drew a card.
She frowned. Something felt off.
"I Flip Summon, Vampire Vamp!" Vamp finally got to stand beside the Mistress and quickly flew to her side.
"Then, Gozuki's effect, once per turn during the Main Phase, I send a Zombie monster from the Deck to the GY. I send Vampire Grace. Next, Spell Card- Book of Life. I banish your Cyber End Dragon from the GY and Special Summon Vampire Grace!"
She followed her instincts.
[Vampire Grace] Level 6│DARK│Zombie-Type│2000 ATK
"Vampire Grace's effect activates once per turn; I declare a card type. Your Deck sends one of that type to the GY. I declare, Spell."
"Polymerization," Zane declared, sending a Spell card from his Deck.
"Weird, why not a monster this time?" Bastion murmured.
"Now, Vampire Kingdom's effect activates!" Vampire Fraulein raised her hand. A thick mist enveloped the area as her crimson eyes glowed eerily.
"I activate my Trap, Threatening Roar!" Zane flipped his face-down card. "You can't declare attacks this turn!"
"Then I send Vampire Baby from my Deck to the GY and destroy your last face-down card."
With a cracking noise, a red glow shattered Zane's face-down, another Polymerization Spell.
"One Monster Reborn, one Polymerization, Zane really had his teammate in mind," Bastion nodded. "But the combo of Vampire Kingdom, Vampire's Domain, and Vampire Fraulein is too terrifying."
Camula cackled, her tongue unfurling. "You're finished! How can you win now?"
Vampire Fraulein, however, seemed uneasy.
She could feel it, she'd been tricked. She just didn't know how.
Fraulein glanced at the smugly grinning Camula and sighed inwardly.
'Maybe the decision to duel tag-team, was a mistake.'
"Turn end."
"This is it," Bastion whispered, swallowing.
Everyone knew. If they couldn't turn the game around now, Zane and Amagi would lose.
"Five Zombies on their field." Even Alexis looked uneasy at the sight, and they were real vampires!
"You might as well surrender, my lovelies~" Camula said sweetly.
"If we surrender, does that count as only half a loss?" Syrus asked.
"Syrus!" Jaden snapped.
"Syrus," Zane sighed. "Watch carefully, this Duel between Hikaru and me."
"?!"
"This turn, we end this Hikaru, just like we planned!"
"Yeah, leave it to me!"
Hikaru drew his card.
Zane, perfect in every way. As a senior, he guided Jaden; as a friend, he searched for Atticus for a year; as a student, he fulfilled his teachers' hopes; as a Duelist, he was the Academy's best. And yet, despite all that glory...
He had a little brother.
The only flaw in Zane's perfection was Syrus.
Hikaru looked at his hand and revealed the card he drew. "I Activate the Spell, Fusion Deployment. I Reveal Labyrinth Tank from the Extra Deck and Special Summon Cannon Soldier from my Deck."
"Then, I activate Cannon Soldier's effect, I tribute itself to inflict 500 damage!"
Vampire Fraulein blocked with her left arm, her expression unchanged.
[Vampire Team, LP: 6750 → 6250]
"Meh, that did nothing. What's the point of that?" Camula said.
"Heh..." Zane chuckled. "You've got a lot to learn about real Duelists."
"Huh?"
"Ah! Don't tell me." Jaden's eyes lit up. "From Turn 2, Hikaru, Zane, you planned this!?"
Zane nodded.
Ever since that Ancient Gear Golem, he saw it coming. That's why he built this moment for Hikaru. Hikaru wasn't a Duelist who made moves for no reason, and he even Set Cybernetic Revolution!
"Exactly!" Hikaru revealed his card. "Spell Card, Overload Fusion!"
"Overload Fusion!?"
"This lets me banish Fusion Materials from my field and GY to Fusion Summon a DARK Machine Fusion Monster!
I banish Proto-Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Vier, Cyber Dragon, Ancient Gear Golem, and Cannon Soldier.
Fusion Summon!
Chimeratech Overdragon!"
A whirlwind of metal erupted from the GY, rapidly assembling into a massive mecha-dragon with seven heads!
[Chimeratech Overdragon] Level 9│DARK│Machine│? ATK
"When summoned, I must send all other cards I control to the GY." Hikaru sent Brilliant Fusion to the GY.
"It gains 800 Attack and Defense for each Fusion Material used!"
[ATK: 4000]
"Same as Cyber End Dragon!"
"Battle, Chimeratech Overdragon, Attack Vampire Fraulein!"
"What!?" they gasped.
"Even if its Attack is 4000, it can't beat Vampire Fraulein!" Syrus cried out.
"I activate my effect, pay 3000 LP!"
[Vampire Team, LP: 6250 → 3250]
[Vampire Fraulein, DEF: 2000 → 5000]
The mechanical dragon's blazing metal breath was casually deflected by Fraulein's dress.
Hikaru took battle damage, staggering as he lost LP.
[Blue-Purple Team, LP: 5550 → 4550]
[Vampire Team, LP: 3250 → 4250]
"It's useless!"
"Heh, Chimeratech Overdragon can attack as many times as the number of Fusion Materials used!" Hikaru said, despite bleeding. "Second attack on Vampire Fraulein!"
"I pay 3000 LP again."
"What's the point!?" Syrus yelled.
"No, Syrus, they've won!" Jaden exclaimed.
"Huh?!"
Bastion said, "To protect herself, Fraulein pays 3000 LP and recovers 1000, losing at least 2000 LP each time. They started with 6250 LP; at most, they can do it three times. After that, they'll only have 250 LP left!"
"Actually, if Fraulein hadn't banished Cyber End Dragon earlier, Hikaru and Zane might've won even easier," Bastion added, shaking his head.
"They could still try sacrificing Fraulein to survive, but it looks like they won't."
Fraulein seemed to realize this too, but she didn't regret it. She raised her chin slightly, finally understanding what had felt off before.
"What a fun Duel. I underestimated you."
"Triple attack, go, Chimeratech Overdragon!"
"I pay 2100 LP!" This time, Fraulein couldn't easily brush it off. She gritted her teeth and held her ground.
That was her pride.
"Fourth attack!"
Fraulein was finally blown back, landing on the second-floor dueling platform of the castle.
"Fifth attack!!"
"Final strike, Chimeratech Overdragon, Attack Vampire Vamp! End this!!"
Vamp jumped in front of Fraulein, shielding her from the final blast. The battlefield faded, leaving only their silhouettes.
Ding.
[Vampire Team, LP: 0]
Winners: Zane & Hikaru Team.