Sartorius snorted. That ever-smiling face across from him made him increasingly irritable.
The urge to rip that detestable grin to shreds only grew.
"You may have dodged The World's wrath this time, but it's only for this turn."
Sartorius's voice was cold.
"I'll allow you to live one more turn, temporarily. I end my turn."
Sarina exhaled slightly.
Good. A king is a king. Even an assault like a skipped turn was defended.
Still, it looked like Sartorius had the advantage. In this duel, he showed a completely different style and strength than her brother had before, exerting terrifying pressure from the outset.
It made her even more certain that her years of patience had been the right choice. Had she not been so patient and instead chosen to fight this evil persona to the death, it now seemed that even if she'd gambled her life, she would hardly have troubled him.
The difference in power was too great.
"My turn. Draw," Kira said, glancing at his card. "Looks like my time has resumed moving this turn.
In the Standby Phase, the effect of 'Treeborn Frog' in my Graveyard activates.
If I control no Spells/Traps, Treeborn Frog can Special Summon itself from the Graveyard during the Standby Phase."
A golden light shot from his Graveyard to the field. The little frog, a halo over its head, flapped angelic white wings and landed.
"Special Summon 'Treeborn Frog.'"
[Treeborn Frog, DEF 100]
"Then I Tribute Treeborn Frog for a Tribute Summon!"
Kira raised a card. Thunder cracked from the sky, black clouds swirling as explosive lightning struck center field.
"The emperor who commands light and thunder—"
"—Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, Summon!"
Like a thunderbolt, the Emperor of Lightning descended, wreathed in electricity, awe-inspiring like a general leading ten thousand troops.
[Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, ATK 2400]
"When Zaborg is Tribute Summoned: Destroy one monster on the field," Kira said. "Targeting, of course, 'Arcana Force XXI - The World.'"
Zaborg crossed his palms, white-hot lightning coiling into a spear that shot forth. The World was pierced through, a gaping hole blown in its metallic torso. Endless electric serpents spread from the wound, cracks spiderwebbing outward until the body shattered and clattered to the ground.
"Bastard—you dare destroy my World..." Sartorius muttered.
"Zaborg the Thunder Monarch—direct attack."
Zaborg thrust his palms forward; boundless lightning roared at Sartorius, white bolts splitting the sky, thunder shaking the heavens.
But Sartorius revealed a card from his hand.
"I discard 'Arcana Force XIV - Temperance'; effect activates," Sartorius said. "By discarding this card from the hand, the battle damage I take once becomes 0."
Much like Kiteroid, Temperance's spectral image manifested, arms wide before Sartorius. Zaborg's vast thunder struck it and was completely negated—no damage.
Arcana Force's personal Kuriboh—the same card Sartorius "printed" in the anime to block a 4000-ATK Satellite Cannon shot in turn one during Prince Ojin's FTK attempt.
Thus Sartorius is one of the rare bosses with his own hand trap.
"Blocked, huh," Kira said. "Then I set two cards. Turn end."
"My turn—draw!"
Sartorius drew, glanced down, then revealed a Spell.
"Activate 'Cup of Ace.' Toss a coin—heads I draw two; tails my opponent draws two.
Of course, we'll use card rotation for head/tail instead of coin faces."
Kira shrugged—no objection.
Card rotation or coin flip, the result would be the same. Manipulating all coin-toss outcomes this duel—that was Sartorius's superpower.
Naturally, the result was no surprise.
The card stopped—head.
"I draw two cards," Sartorius said.
For someone like him, Cup of Ace is just Pot of Greed—no difference.
"Then 'Graceful Charity'—draw three, discard two."
He drew three, then discarded two.
"Next, activate 'Necro Sacrifice'—Select one or two monsters in your Graveyard and Special Summon them to your opponent's field, to reduce the number of Tributes required for my Tribute Summon." (Anime card)
He raised his Duel Disk. Two beams shot from his Graveyard, landing left and right on Kira's field.
"I Special Summon to your side: 'Arcana Force IV - The Emperor' and 'Arcana Force XII - The Hangman'!"
He smirked.
"Their battle positions can be chosen by you, of course."
"Defense Position," Kira said.
"Oh? Setting the gifts I give you straight to Defense—so afraid of my absolute destiny you won't even approach?"
Sartorius sneered.
"Suit yourself. But Arcana Force monsters must rotate on arrival to determine head or tail."
This "Necro Sacrifice" Spell was used by Sartorius against Aster in the anime. At the time, Aster naively thought the head effect was finally his. But of course...
"The Emperor is tail, and The Hangman is head," Sartorius smiled.
Just as he foretold. The two Arcana on Kira's field stopped—one head, one tail.
Sarina bit her lip. "He really can toy with fate at will..."
"Maybe not," Kira shrugged with a smile.
"If he truly could, why has he been so careful to avoid me? Why did I have to go to such lengths to find him, only fishing him out thanks to you, Sarina?"
Sartorius snorted heavily.
"The only reason I didn't deal with you earlier was that the time wasn't right. Don't get cocky, Duel King.
Now I'll make you understand."
Sartorius drew another card.
"By using Necro Sacrifice to Special Summon two monsters to your field to substitute for two Tributes, I can perform a Tribute Summon! Appear, the Ruin Arcana—"
"—Arcana Force XV - The Fiend!!!"
...
2 Bonus chapters at 1000 PS