You Ye (8000 LP) vs. Mù Níng (8000 LP)
The Duel Rules chose Mù Níng to take the first turn. Both players drew five cards. The duel began.
There were no responses during You Ye's standby phase — the turn passed immediately to Mù Níng's Main Phase 1.
"I activate the Continuous Spell Runick Dispelling!
From now on, whenever either of us activates a Quick-Play Spell, the top card of your Deck will be banished."
Mù Níng opened with her field's signature Continuous Spell.
Watching from the side, Sheng Ning instantly felt her heart sink. She knew that card all too well. Having fought Mù Níng before, she knew exactly how disgusting that effect could be.
A headache formed in her mind as she glanced anxiously at You Ye.
If he got tilted by Mù Níng's tricks, how was she supposed to recruit him afterward?
But Mù Níng didn't care about any of that — she was already making her next move.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Runick of Flashing Fire!
Its effect lets me Special Summon one Runick monster from my Extra Deck to the Extra Monster Zone. I choose—"
Before she could finish, the chain suddenly shifted — the response timing passed to You Ye's side.
He had something in his hand.
He had a hand trap!
Mù Níng's eyes lit up. Facing a live hand trap in an in-person duel — that was something she'd never experienced before.
You Ye calmly raised his hand.
"Chain 2 — I discard Dimension Shifter!
Since I have no cards in my Graveyard, I can send this card to the GY — until the end of the next turn, any card that would be sent to the GY is banished instead!"
"A… banish-based hand trap?"
Mù Níng froze.
She had played over a thousand duels in Master Duel, yet she had never once seen this card before.
And its effect hit both players!
Wasn't he worried that this would hurt his own deck?
Even Sheng Ning's brain seemed to short-circuit.
Anyone who had dueled Mù Níng dreaded being banished — yet now this man had casually dropped a card that forced both duelists to be banished instead of sent to the Graveyard.
But… it worked.
Runick decks depended on recycling their Quick-Play Spells from the Graveyard to draw and gain resources.
Without that loop, the entire engine would crumble.
"Any further chains?" You Ye asked with a calm smile.
The timing passed back to Mù Níng. She still had cards that could respond, but she shook her head — no point wasting them.
The chain resolved.
Chain 2: Dimension Shifter resolved successfully — all cards would now be banished instead of sent to the Graveyard.
Chain 1: Runick of Flashing Fire resolved — she Special Summoned Runick Wings – Fugin in face-up Defense Position. (Runick of Flashing Fire was banished.)
"Since I activated a Quick-Play Spell, my Continuous Spell Runick Dispelling triggers — the top card of your Deck is banished!"
"Then Chain 2 — Fugin's effect! Since it was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can discard one card to add a Runick Field Spell from my Deck to my hand.
I discard Runick of Curses!" (Runick of Curses is banished.)
"Chain 2 resolves — I add the Field Spell Runick Fountain to my hand.
Chain 1 — Runick Dispelling resolves, and the top card of your Deck is banished."
Looking at the outcome, Mù Níng found herself speechless.
She had banished two of her own cards, while You Ye had only lost one.
For the first time in her life, she felt helpless.
Normally, she was the one banishing others. Now, the duel had barely started, and somehow she was the one losing cards.
And this was only Turn 1 — next turn, she'd still have to deal with the Dimension Shifter's lingering effect!
She hesitated, torn between options.
If she activated her Field Spell, it could be banished before it even hit the field — a huge waste.
But if she didn't activate it, she'd have nothing but a lone Fugin to defend with — an open invitation for You Ye to OTK her.
After a moment's thought, she decided to set her second copy of Runick of Flashing Fire face down for defense and end her setup there.
She reasoned: surely he couldn't OTK her through both the Shifter effect and her defensive monster, right?
"My turn ends— wait a second. That banished card of yours… 'Scareclaw Beast-Type Kshatri-La'? How does a card have two archetypes?"
Mù Níng frowned, opening You Ye's banished pile. Normally, every card belonged to just one archetype — but this card clearly bore two field tags!
Sheng Ning also glanced at the card through the viewing device. Her expression shifted to confusion, then deep seriousness.
He really was a monster. You could never predict what he'd pull out next.
"Secret," You Ye said with a faint smile.
He wasn't planning to reveal everything yet.
Not in this duel — not until he had fully secured the Tearlament field.
The Scareclaw archetype didn't matter much, but Kshatri-La did. If others got hold of that tech, it could threaten his Tearlament line. He was confident, but not arrogant enough to invite trouble.
"Fine, your turn then," Mù Níng muttered, deciding to watch his plays carefully instead of pressing further.
You turn, Ye's Turn.
He drew for a turn. Mù Níng had no responses, so he entered his Main Phase 1.
"I activate the Field Spell World of the Six Wicked Realms!
When it's activated, I can add one Kshatri-La card from my Deck to my hand.
I add Tearlament Crying-Type Kshatri-La!"
"Also, keep in mind," he continued, smiling faintly,
"My monsters on the field gain ATK and DEF equal to 100 × the number of different Attributes among monsters on the field. It's a continuous effect."
"Another dual-archetype card!?"
As You Ye completed his search, Mù Níng's expression grew tense. For the first time in her life, she felt a visceral threat.
A deadly one.
Every instinct screamed at her: Get away. This man is dangerous.
Compared to her panic, Sheng Ning was more curious.
Tearlament Crying-Type Kshatri-La?
That sounded connected to You Ye's own field — was this a fusion between his old field and a new one?
You Ye smirked.
"This must be your first time seeing a Kshatri-La of both human and spirit origin. I'll give you a little preview — take a look at this card's effect."
"Come forth — Kshatri-La Unicorn!"
Kshatri-La Unicorn
Psychic / Effect / WIND / Level 7
ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100
As he declared its name, a red-black aura filled the space.
A monstrous figure materialized — its body armored in crimson and obsidian, twin horns spiraling from its head, a long red lance gripped in its claws.
Even though they were only connected through a dual interface, Sheng Ning and Mù Níng both felt their bodies freeze.
Their vision blurred for a moment, as if facing a primordial beast — a creature that could crush them with a thought.
Cold sweat trickled down their faces and hands.
When they finally managed to check the card's details, they were speechless.
First effect — Special Summons itself if you control no monsters. No timing restriction. A self-summoning 2500 ATK beater — basically Cyber Dragon Plus!
Second effect — Once per turn, add one "Kshatri-La" Spell from your Deck to your hand.
Strong, but manageable.
Then they saw the third effect.
*When your opponent activates a monster effect, or declares an attack — once per turn, look at one random card in their Extra Deck and banish it face-down.
Face-down banish.
Sheng Ning was stunned. She couldn't even think of a reliable way to recover face-down banished cards.
Even Mù Níng could only recall one or two fringe methods that might work.
"Are you serious?" she finally muttered.
"The Duel Rules allow a card like this to exist?
Three effects, each more absurd than the last — and no restrictions at all? How is any duelist supposed to survive this!?"
Her face was deadly serious now.
(Note: In this story's setting, Mù Níng is female — her appearance, dialogue, and effects match the actual Runick card lore.)