Illusion Gate, activate!
One of the most taboo magics of the early anime era—the heavy door of the Sacred Beast creaked open, and a violent energy stormed out.
Like the roar of a demon, evil power spewed forth. Abyssal darkness, cold as ice and hot as fire, wove endless chaos and destruction.
Before such force, 8000 ATK might as well have been paper. The Sacred Beast power coalesced into black claws wrapped in warped arcs and dark flames. It seized the End Dragon—steel body dissolving in the dark—electricity bleeding out as the form was crushed to scraps.
Then the darkness carried the fragments to Camula's field, where they reformed—steel body reassembling. Three heads roared in unison, electric serpents bursting—yet now the Cyber Dragon's eyes glowed an evil crimson.
[Cyber End Dragon, ATK 4000]
"Your Cyber End Dragon belongs to me!"
Camula laughed aloud.
Zane said nothing, face grim.
"Next, Vampire Genesis's effect," Camula continued. "Once per turn, by discarding a Zombie from my hand, I can Special Summon from the Graveyard one Zombie with a Level lower than the discarded monster."
She revealed another card.
"I send the Zombie 'Despair from the Dark' from my hand to the Graveyard.
"Despair from the Dark is Level 8, so I can revive any Zombie of Level 8 or lower."
A card slid from the Graveyard into her hand. She raised it high.
"I revive the second 'Vampire Lord' I discarded when I activated 'Red Ghost Moon' last turn!"
A blood-red vortex spun up, and the vampire baron swept his cape and landed. His face was corpse-pale, mouth curled in a cruel smile—faint fangs glinting.
"Your field is empty, your hand is 0! Your Life Points flicker like a dying candle; mine are a full 8700!
"Your ace was captured by me, and I command both 'Vampire Genesis' and 'Vampire Lord'!"
Camula spread her arms, tongue flicking out as she mugged, laughing wildly.
"Why not surrender yourself to me? Become my doll—at least you'll suffer less pain.
"You might lose your freedom, but I promise you'll feel good forever."
She licked her lips, eyes like a predator's on prey.
"I refuse," Zane said flatly.
He stood straight, stared down his treacherous old friend—and the terrifying lineup on her field.
"You've told me this duel is not just about me, but a battle between humans and vampires. Then what I bear here is no longer my own win or loss. I must not be defeated."
He paused, lowered his head, looking at his hands—lost in thought.
"And I've decided."
Camula: "Decided what?"
"To fight, from here on out, with victory as my only goal."
The instant he said it, Zane felt a breath trapped in his chest finally escape. The knot that had plagued him for days loosened; his thoughts fell into place.
Yes. This is the true meaning of dueling.
Victory. Victory is everything. He'd never thought so before—because he'd never grown up, never faced cruel reality.
Whatever it takes—only a life that wins has meaning. No—only if you win do you even have a life to speak of.
"How un-cute," Camula said, indifferent. "Well, no matter what resolve you've found now—it's too late.
"Because of One Day of Peace I can't finish you this turn, but with your Life Points hanging by a thread..."
She giggled.
"Cyber End Dragon—a mighty 4000-ATK monster. Ohoho... sending you off by using the power of your most trusted old friend—how poetic..."
"My turn. Draw."
Zane drew, stared at Cyber End Dragon for a moment, then said quietly:
"It's true—I've relied too much on it all this time. I clung to having it by my side, to it being the one to accompany me to victory.
"But that luxury has no place in the cruel world of dueling.
"And for victory—my old friend... please become my stepping stone."
His arm swept out, voice ringing.
"I activate my set Continuous Trap—
—DNA Surgery!
"Declare one Type; all monsters on the field become that Type!"
Camula frowned. "A card that changes Types?"
"I declare Machine!" Zane snapped. "Your Cyber End Dragon is already a Machine. In addition—your Vampire Genesis and Vampire Lord now become Machines!"
Camula watched as every vampire on the field quietly became Machine-Type.
Oh? And then?
"Then I activate the Trap, Return from the Different Dimension!" Zane said. "I pay half my Life Points to Special Summon, as many as possible, my banished monsters."
[Zane, LP 500 → LP 250]
Camula: "Book of Life banished one Cyber Dragon, and 'Cybernetic Fusion Support' banished two more Cyber Dragons and a Proto-Cyber Dragon..."
"Correct. So three 'Cyber Dragon's and one 'Proto-Cyber Dragon' return to my field!"
[Cyber Dragon, ATK 2100] x3
[Proto-Cyber Dragon, ATK 1100]
Camula chuckled. "So what? At best, a Cyber Dragon can beat my weakest Vampire Lord. And I have 8700 Life Points.
"And monsters summoned by Return from the Different Dimension are banished again at the end of the turn—you can't even keep them as walls for next turn..."
Zane glanced at Kira.
"Thank you, Kira. You showed me a new path when I hit a wall—the road a mature duelist should walk.
"And this is the perfect card to say farewell to my former self!"
Zane raised his hand, palm sweeping over each of the seven monsters on the field as if to scoop them all up.
"Counting the 'Proto-Cyber Dragon' treated as 'Cyber Dragon,' I fuse all seven monsters on the field!
"Fusion Materials: 'Cyber Dragon' plus any number of Machine-Type monsters on the field!"
Camula's eyes went wide; she practically jumped, chest heaving.
"You—you—what are you fusing!?"
But a moment later, there was no mistake.
On Zane's field, the Cyber Dragon was like a bottomless maw—swallowing all of his own Cyber Dragons in an instant—then, appetite unabated, sweeping toward her side.
One bite for Cyber End Dragon. One bite for the forcibly mechanized Vampire Lord. One bite for Genesis—
Camula was stunned.
N-n-n-nani!?
What the hell is this thing? A field-wide, no-discrimination fusion that swallows seven monsters in one go?
Aren't you using forbidden cards too!?
"Farewell, my willfulness."
Zane raised a clenched fist.
"And this is the proof of my rebirth—born for victory alone—the new Cyber Dragon—
—Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, summon!!!"
A dragon so massive it looked like interlocked rings of metal fortresses, its serpentine steel body descended in majesty. It roared—a cry of rebirth through fire and steel!
[Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, ATK 0]
"Chimeratech Fortress Dragon can be Fusion Summoned using, including 'Cyber Dragon,' any number of Machine monsters on either side of the field as material.
"And its ATK becomes 1000 times the number of Fusion Materials!"
"Materials... one thousand..."
Camula's face blanched. Thunderstruck, she stood frozen.
He just used seven monsters as Fusion Materials...
[Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, ATK 0 → ATK 7000]
"Seven thousand ATK..."
Camula's mind reeled.
Wait—
This guy's Cyber Dragons were all flashy OTKs up to a moment ago—pure brute force, straight-ahead pressure—just what his deck and duelist style should be.
So what is this!?
It eats everything on the field and pops out at seven thousand ATK?
You sure you don't have to sacrifice a soul to summon this thing?
Suddenly, the soul she'd offered up for Sacred Beast power didn't feel so special...
"Quick-Play Spell, Limiter Removal," Zane said coldly. "Double the ATK of all Machine monsters I control."
[Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, ATK 7000 → ATK 14000]
"Fourteen... fourteen thousand!?"
Camula's legs went weak. She stumbled back, trembling.
So massive, so overwhelming a blow—she'd be broken—
No. She'd die. Horribly.
Zane drew a deep breath. Facing such a monstrous Fortress Dragon, he felt clarity. No more confusion, no more doubt—his earlier hang-ups felt almost laughable.
"Chimeratech Fortress Dragon—direct attack!
Evolution End Cannon!!!"
The steel giant's core surged, the whole fortress quaking. The world turned kaleidoscopic under its light; time itself seemed to freeze in the moment of its charge.
Then it fired.
A sun-devouring blast. Arcs of lightning danced like ten thousand sprites, swallowing the vampire's final scream.
[Camula, LP 8700 → LP 0]
PS: Bonus chapters at 1000 PS