The night sky suddenly darkened again, and the stars trembled. The sky split with a deep, dazzling rift, like a cosmic gate opening. An indescribable force surged out.
The gentle night breeze turned into a raging howl, carrying world-ending power. The chaotic demon lord tore through space, arriving in darkness. Its massive blue body seemed surrounded by warped, wild energy. Each step shook the ground.
Raviel, Lord of Phantasms, descends!
[Raviel, ATK 4000]
"So fast, another Sacred Beast already..." Tragoedia looked at Kira as if he wanted to kill him. "Fujiki Kira, you really are someone who can't be allowed to survive..."
"Battle," Kira commanded the Sacred Beast. "First, Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, attack 'Endless Decay'!
Paradise Lightning!"
Hamon summoned thunder again. With the Sacred Beast's roar, it descended like divine judgment, utterly destroying the monstrous mummy.
[Tragoedia, LP 3500→ LP 3400]
"Hamon's effect: when this card destroys a monster by battle, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent."
Kira waved his hand again.
"Hell's Redemption!"
Hamon roared again, shockwaves sweeping toward Tragoedia. Principal Mackenzie staggered back two steps, his coat fluttering.
[Tragoedia, LP 3400→ LP 2400]
"But the effect of 'Ebon Sun' also activates, don't forget!" Tragoedia said darkly.
"Ebon Sun: when my monster is destroyed, I recover LP equal to its attack. Endless Decay had 3900 ATK, so I recover that much!"
[Tragoedia, LP 2400→ LP 6300]
"The more you hit, the more LP he gains!" Jaden frowned.
"What a troublesome guy," Chazz muttered, quietly wondering if he could win against this opponent.
"And another set card is activated." Tragoedia said, "Trap Card — 'Descendants of the Dead'. When a Level 5 or higher monster is destroyed by battle, Special Summon two Level 3 or lower monsters from the deck." (Manga Card)
He raised his duel disk, and two beams shot from his deck, forming two dragon-shaped monsters.
"Special Summon two 'Twin-Headed Behemoth'!"
[Twin-Headed Behemoth, DEF 1200]x2
"A monster with a self-reviving last will effect," Kira understood.
Twin-Headed Behemoth's effect: when sent to the graveyard, at the end of the turn, it can Special Summon itself. This triggers whether by battle or effect, and its "end phase revival" makes it hard for the opponent to remove it during Main Phase 2.
Early last-will monsters rarely had this advantage, making it a reliable tribute resource next turn.
"So attacking with Raviel would just give you 1500 LP for free. I'll pass." Kira shrugged, "However, when you summon monsters, Raviel's effect activates."
Tragoedia narrowed his eyes: "Raviel's effect?"
"When the opponent summons monsters, I Special Summon the same number of 'Phantasm Token'."
A blue light flashed from Raviel, splitting into two beams that became demon-like figures crouching on either side.
[Phantasm Token, DEF 1000]x2
"Phantasm Token can't declare attacks, but can be used for effects or as tribute."
Kira waved his hand.
"Finally, I set a card and end my turn."
Tragoedia glared at Raviel.
"I see. You can quickly pile up tokens and increase monster count, with almost no restrictions. Rapid resource gain — this is Raviel's ability..."
But he could sense there was more. Both Hamon and Raviel surely had hidden powers.
Tragoedia was once arrogant, never bowing to anyone, not even when sealed in a stone slab. But now, against this modern duelist, he felt the greatest pressure of his life.
Meanwhile, Jaden and Chazz were absorbed in the duel, when a voice came from behind: "Wow, so these are the Sacred Beasts?"
They turned to see their classmate Misawa from Yellow Dorm, staring at the two Sacred Beasts on Kira's field in awe.
"So the rumors are true. Kira really did—"
"Misawa? When did you get here?" Jaden asked in surprise.
"I've been here a while." Misawa crossed his arms, "It's not every day you see the Duel King use the Sacred Beasts himself. As a duelist, how could I miss this?"
"No, I mean—how did you even know—?"
Misawa sighed: "When the Sacred Beasts appeared, the whole island could hear the thunder. I could see the giant figure from my dorm window — you'd have to be blind to miss it."
"Oh, that makes sense," Jaden nodded.
Chazz thought of something: "Wait, if you noticed, then doesn't that mean—"
They looked around and finally realized: at some point, the area had filled with people — students and teachers, all pointing and watching.
Unknowingly, what started as a fateful duel had become a kind of public demonstration, half the academy awakened in the middle of the night just to watch.
Tragoedia's face darkened further.
Damn that Duel King. He'd planned a perfect stealth mission — sneak in, defeat the spirit, steal back the heart, and slip away.
Now, instead of stealth, he was surrounded like a circus act, practically on live broadcast.
"Heh, fine. If that's what you want, then I'll show this whole academy — let all modern duelists see—"
Tragoedia declared:
"How their king, and his Sacred Beasts, are mercilessly crushed by me!"