"Gladiator Beast Laquari, direct attack!"
The ferocious Gladiator Beast warrior roared, wreathed in blazing flames, pouncing toward Kira's empty field like a starving tiger!
But Kira remained calm.
"Then I activate my set card, the Continuous Trap 'Firewall'," Kira said. "Its effect can be used when the opponent declares a direct attack. By banishing 1 Pyro monster from my GY, I negate that monster's attack."
Kira picked up a Pyro monster card leaving the GY.
"Last turn, 2 Pyro monsters were sent to the GY by the Continuous Spell 'Volcanic Wall.' I banish one of them, 'Volcanic Shell,' from play to negate 'Gladiator Beast Laquari's' attack."
Flames erupted from the ground, forming a blazing barricade before Kira. The Gladiator Beast's full-force strike slammed into the wall of fire; it let out a dull, pained cry and staggered back.
Mello's expression grew even darker.
Because although Kira didn't say it, he strongly suspected this Continuous Trap also had no "once per turn" restriction. As long as the GY still had Pyro fuel, no matter how many times he attacked, the flaming barrier would stop him.
And that Continuous Spell "Firewall" kept feeding Pyros to the GY every turn while also burning his LP. The Blaze Accelerator was blowing up his monsters, and the ammo it spent turned into fuel to power "Firewall."
Gladiator Beasts do have ways to deal with back row. Their ace "Gladiator Beast Gyzarus" pops any two cards on summon, and its key material "Gladiator Beast Bestiari" also pops a back row card when Special Summoned by a GB effect.
The problem is…
You still have to be able to summon them.
If he couldn't even resolve a single battle, his GBs were all just vanillas, with no way to tag in Bestiari or summon Gyzarus. Even drawing Bestiari didn't help, because it only pops back row when Special Summoned by a GB effect—Normal Summon does nothing.
Without back row removal, this setup was a nightmare.
Mello curled his lip.
"Quite a hassle… tch, I'll leave it at that. I set a card and end my turn."
"My turn. Draw," Kira said. "The Continuous Trap 'Firewall' requires upkeep. During my Standby Phase, if I don't pay 500 LP, it's destroyed. I'll pay the LP to maintain it."
A blast of searing flame burst from the trap, wrapped around Kira, and shaved off some LP.
[Kira, LP 3500 → 3000]
"Careful playing with fire," Mello said meaningfully. "Flames can ravage the enemy line, but if you slip, they'll burn you too."
Kira smiled. "Thanks for the tip. I'll be careful. But now it's your turn to worry."
He swept his arm.
"I activate the effect of the Continuous Spell 'Volcanic Wall.' Once per turn, send the top 3 cards of my Deck to the GY, then inflict damage to the opponent equal to the number of Pyro monsters among them x 500."
Kira milled three, then whistled.
"Ha, not bad."
He revealed the three.
"Two Pyros—1000 total."
Mello snorted.
Against Volcanics, every LP point becomes precious. He couldn't allow the opponent to burn at will.
"I activate my set card!" Mello said. "Trap Card 'Damage Translation'! The turn this card is activated, all effect damage I take becomes half! And during the End Phase of this turn, for each instance of effect damage I took this turn, I Special Summon that many 'Ghost Tokens' to my field in Defense Position!"
Two Pyro silhouettes appeared, turning into fire-serpents and spiraling into Kira's back-row spell. The Continuous Spell spewed flames in a sweeping wave, blowing across Mello's field like a storm.
"Damage halved by Damage Translation!"
As Mello shouted, the fire-serpents already washed over him.
[Mello, LP 3000 → 2500]
"Mmm, all burn this turn is halved, and I'd even be gifting you token resources—doesn't seem worth pressing further. I'll hold."
Kira shrugged, unconcerned, and smiled.
"Next, the Continuous Spell 'Blaze Accelerator'—its effect. By discarding a Pyro monster with 500 ATK or less from my hand, destroy a monster on your field."
He showed the shell he'd searched last turn.
"I discard 'Volcanic Shell' from my hand as ammunition for Blaze Accelerator. Fire!"
Blazing energy flooded the cannon; it thundered as it fired. Laquari couldn't resist—its chest was blown open and it shattered.
"And again, 'Volcanic Shell' in the GY," Kira continued. "Once per turn, if it's in the GY, pay 500 LP to add 1 'Volcanic Shell' from Deck to hand."
[Kira, LP 3000 → 2500]
Kira revealed the last Shell he searched and added it to hand.
Mello watched, expression neutral, mind racing.
That turtling fortress was annoying, but it also seemed to cost LP to keep running. If he could win the LP tug-of-war, there was a path.
"I set 1 and end my turn," Kira said.
"End Phase, Damage Translation's effect!" Mello said. "Since I took effect damage once this turn, I Special Summon 1 Ghost Token!"
[Ghost Token, DEF 0]
"My turn. Draw!"
Mello's voice rang out.
"You seem to have studied the power of Gladiator Beasts. You probably think if you seal battle, I'm helpless. I admit it—you've got ideas, Duel King.
"This tactic is troublesome, but not insurmountable. I'll show you that even without battle, I can unleash true Gladiator power! I tribute the 'Ghost Token' on my field to Tribute Summon! Appear—
—Level 5, Elemental HERO Prisma!"
Kira: "?"
Seeing an Elemental HERO pop out of a GB deck was jarring, but that wasn't what shocked Kira most. It was—
Huh?
Why does your Prisma need a tribute?
Isn't Prisma Level 4?
[Elemental HERO Prisma, ATK 1700]
When the crystal-bright HERO appeared, Kira remembered.
Right—Prisma did show up in the anime in Jaden's hands. And in the anime it was indeed Level 5 and needed a tribute, but its stats and effect were the same as the card in real life…
With that, he couldn't help making a face at the Prisma.
He hated to say it, but this was the weakest Prisma he'd ever seen in two lifetimes…
But in Mello's eyes, that look meant something else entirely.
Rage flared.
That disdain was an insult, wasn't it?