Sartorius: "?"
Cannot Special Summon monsters?
What kind of troll nonsense is this?
Isn't this a trap for its controller?
He woke up instantly. No wonder the opponent had handed it over so generously.
He suddenly suspected Kira had already known The Chariot's head effect and deliberately summoned this just to give it to him.
For some decks that rely extremely on Special Summoning, sticking this onto the opponent is basically a death sentence. Especially since the Synchro era, everyone's Main Deck is full of low-ATK, low-Level small fry, and the bosses are all in the Extra Deck.
Then the opponent gives you this thing, and the strongest monster you can Summon from your deck has ATK under 1000. You die on the spot.
And there was even another line of fine print:
"This card cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon, except for 'Slifer the Sky Dragon', 'Obelisk the Tormentor', or 'The Winged Dragon of Ra.'"
Wow, it name-drops the three Egyptian Gods. So cool. So much swagger.
Fuck off!
Sartorius laughed in anger.
So this piece of crap sits on your field like a stinking lump, seals your Special Summons, and you can't even Tribute it away—because it says the noble Ra's Disciple only accepts being Tributed for a God; lesser trash can't even dream of it.
"Tch. You lock me, I lock you, is that it? Fine, fine..."
Sartorius barked.
"Let's see who laughs last! Battle Phase continues!
Arcana Force IV - The Emperor, direct attack!"
His Emperor hadn't attacked yet, and the Ra's Disciple he'd stolen could also attack. So although Kira's Special Summon seal had been a minor annoyance, Sartorius still held the initiative.
Kira snapped his fingers.
"Activate the Continuous Trap 'Gravity Bind.'"
The trap flipped up—overbearing gravity waves rippled out, binding the whole field. All monsters buckled under the pressure, unable to lift their heads or advance.
"While Gravity Bind is on the field, all Level 4 or higher monsters on both sides cannot attack," Kira said. "Your two Arcana Forces and the 'Ra's Disciple' you just stole are all Level 4, so they're all affected."
Sartorius: "Uh..."
A summon lock followed by an attack lock?
"Tsk. Fine. I end my turn."
Sarina was at a loss for words.
Her brother's methods were astonishing—he'd locked Kira down hard. But the Duel King wasn't easy prey either. After that combo, now Sartorius couldn't do much either.
She had never seen such a bizarre duel, perhaps the first of its kind since Duel Monsters awakened in modern times—maybe even worldwide.
Mutually locking, mutually sealing—what are they even competing in?
Who can resist the urge to punch the other duelist first?
"My turn. Draw," Kira said.
"At the start of the Standby Phase, the Continuous Trap 'Tour of Doom' must rotate again to determine head or tail."
Sartorius spoke.
"But my destiny is already decided—so of course, it's still head!"
Sure enough, the trap stopped rotating—head again.
In a normal duel, by now you'd suspect your opponent of cheating. But given that the opponent was Sartorius, this was just his special ability—like how protagonists topdeck or "print" cards. Nothing surprising.
"Head effect: This turn, you still cannot perform any Summon, Special Summon, or Flip Summon," Sartorius snorted.
Come on, let's hurt each other.
See who suffocates first.
"Alright, then I'll set a monster in face-down Defense Position," Kira said unhurriedly. "Then I'll set a card. Turn end."
Sarina: "..."
So you two really plan to stare each other down while mutually locked until the end of time?
But Sartorius lacked that patience.
Facing the Duel King, he wasn't as confident as he acted. Especially since even in such a disadvantage where Kira couldn't Summon at all, the man remained unruffled.
Even with his cheat-like head results every time, Kira acted as if he'd expected it.
Wouldn't most people be angrily accusing him of cheating by now?
Kira's calm made Sartorius uneasy. If possible, he didn't want to sit and stare like this.
Then the opportunity came.
"My turn—draw!"
Sartorius drew, his eyes flickering.
Heavy Storm, which destroys all Spell/Trap Cards on the field. That would lift the attack lock... but the price was that his powerful "Tour of Doom" would also be destroyed.
Blow the table now and launch a general attack?
Or keep the Tour of Doom lock and wait for a better chance...
He glanced at Kira. For some reason, that calm smile looked more and more irritating, pricking his nerves with a hint of dread.
No. Can't drag this out.
I have absolute advantage now. I must seize it.
"Activate Spell Card 'Heavy Storm'!" Sartorius raised the card. "Destroy all Spell/Trap Cards on the field!"
The strongest table-flip—a black storm roared, threatening to overturn the entire arena. The gale tore his own back row into the air, the dead fog was blown apart, and the scythe-wielding reaper dissipated into dust.
Kira's back row was likewise shredded midair, Gravity Bind exploding into golden motes.
"You'd even sacrifice the Tour of Doom to go on the offensive, huh," Kira smiled. "But the other set you just blew up was the Trap 'Dummy Marker.'
When the face-down card this was set on is destroyed, draw 1 card from your Deck. If it was destroyed by an opponent's Spell effect, draw 1 additional card." (Anime card)
Kira drew from his Deck.
"So I draw two cards."
"But that lifts the attack lock!"
White light flashed in Sartorius's eyes.
"This turn, it ends here!
Battle! First, Arcana Force IV - The Emperor, attack the face-down monster!"
The set monster flipped under the Emperor's strike—it was a small frog with a halo above its head.
[Treeborn Frog, DEF 100]
"Hmph, just a piece of trash."
Kira's final unknown card on the field also shattered under the Emperor's blow, and only then did Sartorius truly relax.
"Then, Arcana Force VII - The Chariot—direct attack!!!"
...
2 Bonus chapters at 1000 PS