With his Spirit Eyes blazing at full, Miles took the first turn.
"My turn, draw!"
Bearing the will of the Seth siblings, Miles's draw felt infused with the souls of dragons residing in his Deck.
Aisha muttered, "Miles… have you already thought of a way to defeat that Wicked God?"
Having seen The Wicked Avatar's near-broken strength with her own eyes, even hidden within her Soul Room, Aisha's hands trembled. As an enemy, as the abyss's god, its sheer power was at the pinnacle of single-card strength. And if the black sun still hanging above the night sky descended into this duel, she couldn't imagine how to respond.
"A way to defeat it? There is a simplest method."
"What method, Miles?"
"Just don't let it be summoned at all."
No matter how strong a monster is, it's only useful once summoned. Not to mention the harsh conditions of summoning a God Card—in the case of The Wicked Avatar, there could only be one copy in the Deck. Until the Pope drew that card and successfully summoned it…
Full speed ahead!
"I activate Spell Card [Joker's Straight] from my hand! By discarding a card, I Special Summon the Court of Cards from my Deck!"
[King's Knight, ATK: 1600]
[Queen's Knight, ATK: 1500]
[Jack's Knight, ATK: 1900]
The three knights crossed their blades at the start. Miles immediately followed with another card.
"I Normal Summon in Defense Position—[Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit]!"
Since Joker's Straight's summons don't count toward the once-per-turn Normal Summon, Miles could still Normal Summon his Tuner monster.
[Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit] Level 3│LIGHT│Psychic/Tuner/Effect│0 ATK/1800 DEF
The white-haired girl with a talisman of azure fire descended before the knights, ready to lead the charge.
Miles raised his arm to the sky. "Two Level 4 monsters on the field, plus a Tuner with a non-Tuner, totaling 8 stars—let's go!"
Aisha was dumbstruck, "This setup… could it be? First turn already?! Xyz and Synchro Summoning!"
High above, the radiant glow of Xyz Overlay and the starlight of Synchro converged, shining together on Miles's field.
"I overlay King's Knight and Queen's Knight! From here begins my battle—let hope's white wings take flight! Appear, [Number 39: Utopia]!"
[Number 39: Utopia] Rank 4│LIGHT│Warrior/Xyz/Effect│2500 ATK/2000 DEF
"I Synchro Summon using Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit and Jack's Knight! Gathered prayers will become a newborn star, lighting the road ahead! Fly, [Stardust Dragon]!"
[Stardust Dragon] Level 8│WIND│Dragon/Synchro/Effect│2500 ATK/2000 DEF
Utopia, with wings of radiant hope, and Stardust Dragon, blazing with gathered starlight—both aces of Miles and Aisha's Extra Deck soared above the tower in twin summon lights.
"That's Utopia and Stardust Dragon!"
At the cathedral's peak—the highest point in town—the duel unfolded like a live broadcast to every resident. Especially the Fusion Academy students, who upon seeing those monsters, knew exactly who was fighting against the abyss.
"So it really is senpai Aisha fighting!"
Arnold and Lishia, hearing the twenty-one tolls of the Night Bell and sensing the god's power, rushed from the Academy—though intercepted by cultists along the way, they hadn't arrived yet. Now, looking to the sky, they could see: even the Ultimate Blue-Eyes had fallen. Against that black sun, even if they reached the scene, they could do nothing.
"Please win, senpai…" Lishia prayed.
On his very first turn, Miles had summoned Utopia and Stardust Dragon. Utopia could negate attacks, Stardust could counter destruction effects. His only hope was that the Pope couldn't summon The Wicked Avatar right away. Ordinary monsters couldn't break through this field—next turn, his aces could end the duel quickly.
"Synchro and Xyz Summoned on turn one… far beyond my expectations. Boy, tell me your name."
"Miles!"
"I see. Your body and soul are unsynced? So that is the Millennium Item's power. But while Millennium Items cannot sway duels directly, the abyss's god guarantees victory!"
And before Miles could finish his first turn, the Pope activated a hand effect.
"When you Special Summon, I activate [Dragon Ice] from my hand!"
[When your opponent Special Summons a monster(s): You can discard 1 card; Special Summon this card from your hand or Graveyard.]
"I discard [Cyber Jar] to Special Summon [Dragon Ice]!"
[Dragon Ice] Level 5│WATER│Dragon/Effect│1800 ATK/2200 DEF
A dragon of pure ice unfurled its wings above the tower. Summoned in Miles's very first turn.
Albeit Dragon Ice itself wasn't the threat—what chilled Miles was the discarded card: [Cyber Jar].
Everyone knew: monsters with "Jar" in their name were trouble. And Cyber Jar, once Forbidden, was the worst of all.
[Destroy all monsters on the field. Both players then reveal 5 cards from the top of their Decks, Special Summon all Level 4 or lower monsters among them in Attack Position or face-down Defense Position. Add the remaining to the hand.]
Refilling both players' hands by five, stronger than Pot of Greed, and this had just been sent to the Graveyard.
"Unbelievable…"
Miles prayed he was wrong—that the situation wasn't hell already from turn one.
"I set one card and end my turn."
"Hehahaha. Your turn ends? Then it's mine. Draw!"
The golden mask hid his face, but the Pope's laugh chilled Miles to the bone. The cold wind of the tower was nothing compared to the abyss overhead.
"—I activate Spell Card [Instant Fusion]!"
[Pay 1000 LP; Special Summon 1 Level 5 or lower Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck. It cannot attack, and is destroyed in the End Phase.]
[Pope, LP: 4000 → 3000]
No Fusion Materials required, just LP. A simple summon indeed. Yet, even knowing the monster would vanish at the End Phase, Miles's unease only grew.
"With [Instant Fusion], I Special Summon—[Elder Entity Norden]!"
[Elder Entity Norden] Level 4│WATER│Fairy/Fusion/Effect│2000 ATK/2200 DEF
[1 Synchro or Xyz Monster + 1 Synchro or Xyz Monster]
A mythic king of the deep abyss—an aged man with white hair and beard, wielding a sea-god's trident—emerged.
"When [Elder Entity Norden] is Special Summoned, its effect activates!"
[If this card is Special Summoned: Target 1 Level 4 or lower monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it, but its effects are negated. When this card leaves the field, banish that monster.]
"I Special Summon [Cyber Jar] from my Graveyard with its effects negated!"
Dragged up by Norden's watery effect, the ruined Cyber Jar became the Pope's third monster.
Three monsters on the field—and he hadn't even used his Normal Summon.
This was Miles's worst fear. If the Pope discarded Cyber Jar so easily, that meant he already had the key card in hand. To him, nothing else mattered.
With a sweep of his robed arm, the three monsters became black light, swallowed by the abyss and offered to the sun.
At once, the feared abyss descended. In only the first turn, the strongest Wicked God capable of deciding the duel appeared.
"Behold the god of the abyss! All life shall cower before its dread form! Tribute Summon—[The Wicked Avatar]!"
Yes. It was hell from turn one.
...
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