Overdragon—eliminated!
"With that, your field is empty!"
Battle Beast's momentum surged.
"I'll Normal Summon 'Koa'ki Meiru Doom' in Attack Position!"
A blue-faced demon with massive bone wings and black horns appeared, its towering frame wreathed in smoldering heat within its palms.
[Koa'ki Meiru Doom – ATK 1700]
Now his combined output exceeded 4000.
"Prepare yourself, King! Koa'ki Meiru Valafar—direct attack first!"
Valafar roared, hellfire gathering into a blazing cannon aimed at Kira.
But the avalanche of flame abruptly halted mid-flight—as if it hit a wall. No, not a wall; it was cut off at the source. The stream of fire stopped, Valafar shuddered, as though wrestling with an unseen force.
"What?"
Battle Beast was startled and shouted, "Valafar? What's wrong? Why aren't you attacking?"
"Because I activated a Trap," Kira said, pointing to a flipped card. "Trap Card: No Entry!!.
Change all Attack Position monsters on the field to Defense Position."
He gestured toward Battle Beast's field.
"Your Valafar and Koa'ki Meiru Doom—both switch to Defense."
[Koa'ki Meiru Valafar – ATK 3000 → DEF 2100]
[Koa'ki Meiru Doom – ATK 1700 → DEF 600]
"Tch—another cheap trick."
Battle Beast clicked his tongue in annoyance.
But then he squinted at Koa'ki Meiru Doom and quietly smirked.
The strongest piece was now set; the scales of victory were tipping. The opponent just hadn't realized it yet.
Using Cyber Dragon against him—this was the King's greatest mistake today, and the reason he would fall.
Here and now, the legend of the King would end.
"I set one card and end my turn," Battle Beast said. "During the End Phase, Valafar and Koa'ki Meiru Doom's effects activate.
Koa'ki Meiru Doom: at the end of the turn, you must discard 'Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru' from your hand or reveal a Fiend-type monster in your hand, otherwise destroy this card."
He revealed a card.
"I reveal a second 'Koa'ki Meiru Doom' in my hand, so Doom remains."
"And then Valafar's effect—during the End Phase, send 'Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru' from your hand to the Graveyard to keep Valafar on the field."
"My turn," Kira said. "Draw."
He snapped his fingers.
"Continuous Trap: Cyber Summon Blaster."
His back row flipped; a tank-like machine rolled out onto his field, topped by a horn-shaped cannon.
"Cyber Summon Blaster: each time a Machine-Type monster is Special Summoned, inflict 300 damage to your opponent."
A card used by Syrus Truesdale in GX.
"Also, if your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this from your hand."
Kira slapped down a card.
"Special Summon 'Cyber Dragon.'"
[Cyber Dragon – ATK 2100]
"Cyber Dragon is a Machine, and it was Special Summoned—Cyber Summon Blaster inflicts 300 damage."
[Battle Beast: LP 1400 → 1100]
Of course, that damage alone isn't much.
"The origin of Cyber-Style—Cyber Dragon," Battle Beast chuckled. "But at this point, what can it do? Even in Defense Position, Valafar's DEF is 2100—Cyber Dragon can't beat it."
Kira merely smiled and glanced at Tenma behind him.
"Mr. Tenma, if you don't mind, I'd like to test a new card your company has in development."
"?"
At Mokuba's request, they had indeed prepared some new cards for Kira. But as far as Tenma recalled, none of them were for Cyber-Style.
What was he about to test?
"I told you I'd show you the proper way to play Cyber-Style," Kira said calmly.
"I keep my word.
I activate the effect of 'Genex Ally Birdman' in my hand. Return one face-up monster you control to the hand; Special Summon this card from your hand."
"Genex Ally?" Battle Beast frowned.
Never heard of that archetype…
Which made sense—it wasn't yet a real archetype. It was just a few prototype cards developed by the Industrial Illusion, incomplete and still in-lab, not in circulation.
"However," Battle Beast sneered, "that monster is DARK, isn't it?"
"Yes," Kira said.
"Hahahaha… you've stepped right into a deathtrap, King," Battle Beast barked. "Let me tell you the ability of Koa'ki Meiru Doom!
While Koa'ki Meiru Doom is face-up on the field, during the Main Phase, the effects of all LIGHT and DARK monsters activated by either player become negated!"
The spectators froze—then gasped.
LIGHT and DARK… what!?
They immediately realized that Kira's Cyber-Style was composed precisely of LIGHT and DARK cards.
Well-known to all: Cyber-Style is all Machine-Type, with LIGHT- and DARK-focused lines. This Doom's blanket AOE shutdown hit both attributes at once—a natural enemy to such decks.
Yet just as the audience felt their hearts leap into their throats, Kira smiled, the corner of his mouth quirking up.
Battle Beast: "?"
In such a disadvantageous situation—he could still smile?
"I know," Kira nodded.
"You know?"
"Yes. I know Koa'ki Meiru Doom's effect," Kira said evenly. "But Birdman's effect Special Summons itself by returning a monster to your hand.
While the 'Special Summon itself' part gets negated by Koa'ki Meiru Doom, preventing Birdman from being Summoned, 'returning a monster to your hand' is the cost to activate the effect. Even if the effect is negated, the cost is still paid."
Battle Beast nodded. "Correct. So your 'Cyber Dragon' must return to your hand."
Cyber Dragon turned into a stream of light and returned to Kira's hand.
Kira didn't even add it to his hand—he immediately slammed it down again.
"If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, Special Summon 'Cyber Dragon.'"
[Cyber Dragon – ATK 2100]
Battle Beast blinked, then realized.
Right, Cyber Dragon doesn't say 'once per turn.' As long as the condition 'opponent has a monster and you have none' is met, it can Special Summon. So naturally—
Wait.
Something was very, very wrong.
This means—
"Cyber Summon Blaster's effect—upon Special Summon of a Machine, inflict 300 damage," Kira said.
The tank fired again; Battle Beast grunted, sliding half a step back.
[Battle Beast: LP 1100 → 800]
"'Genex Ally Birdman' in hand—return Cyber Dragon to hand to Special Summon itself," Kira said. "Of course, the Special Summon is negated by your Koa'ki Meiru Doom, so it fails.
Cyber Dragon returns to hand as the cost."
Battle Beast went rigid; his limbs felt cold in the summer heat.
This… this is—
"If your opponent controls a monster and you control none—Special Summon Cyber Dragon," Kira said with a smile. "Cyber Summon Blaster—300 damage."
"Uwaah!"
[Battle Beast: LP 800 → 500]
He turned pale, like a patient watching Death approach step by step, scythe in hand, unable to resist.
The crowd's jaws dropped; no one could speak.
An infinite loop!
Everyone saw it.
Each time Cyber Dragon Special Summons, Cyber Summon Blaster burns for 300. Then Birdman's effect returns Cyber Dragon to hand; Birdman's Special Summon is negated by Koa'ki Meiru Doom; then Cyber Dragon Special Summons again…
At this rate, even 1000 LP, 10,000 LP, or a million LP would be burned away.
And it used the opponent's supposed "lockdown" effect to create the loop—ironically gifted by the opponent!
As the crowd processed it, Battle Beast ate another 300 damage; LP 200 remained.
"Y-you…" Battle Beast's lips trembled.
"I told you I'd show you the proper way to play Cyber-Style," Kira said with a smile, revealing Cyber Dragon one last time.
"Special Summon—Cyber Dragon.
Cyber Summon Blaster—final shot."
[Battle Beast: LP 200 → 0]
...
2 Bonus chapters at 500 PS