Seeing the cards drawn, a complete strategy swiftly formed in Youyu's mind.
The setup is complete, it's time to prepare for the counterattack!
"I summon 'Berry Magician Girl', in attack position!"
A transparent magic array appeared, and the pacifier-sucking magician girl flapped her little wings and flew out, spinning lightly like a tiny butterfly.
[Berry Magician Girl, Attack Power 400]
"Berry Magician Girl's effect!" said Youyu. "When successfully summoned, add 'Magician Girl' from the deck to the hand!"
"That won't do!"
Yugi waved his arm, immediately revealing a set card in front of him.
"Open the set card, Trap Card - Curse of Illusion!" Yugi said. "Decrease 'Berry Magician Girl's attack power by 500, and negate its effect!"
"However, the moment you target 'Berry Magician Girl', her other effect is triggered!" Youyu said. "When Berry Magician Girl becomes the target of a card effect, she switches to defense position and special summons another 'Magician Girl' from the deck.
Come forth! I special summon, Dark Magician Girl!"
Another magic array opened in front of the Berry Magician Girl. The golden-haired girl, with her figure accentuated by tight, cool magic garb, floated out with long, white legs, landing lightly onto the field.
[Dark Magician Girl, Attack Power 2000]
"After Berry Girl's second effect is processed, next comes the effect of 'Curse of Illusion'." Yugi stated. "The effect 'add Magician Girl from the deck to the hand' is negated."
"I know." Youyu followed by showing a card from his hand. "Then I'll activate from my hand, Magic Card - Black Magician Burst!"
"Ah!" Yugi responded. "The strongest magic wielded by Dark Magician Girl!"
Dark Magician Girl is also one of the signature monsters of Muto Yugi as the Duel King, a power Yugi naturally knows well.
"That's right." The emblem of the magic card appeared before Youyu, "While 'Dark Magician Girl' is on your field, destroy all face-up monsters on your opponent's field!"
From the projected magic card, a surge of magic power poured into Dark Magician Girl's Magic Staff like an unstoppable river.
Dark Magician Girl swung the staff, unleashing a dark wave that, like an apocalypse flood, swallowed all of Yugi's monsters.
The indestructible Marshmallon, the powerful mechanized weapon Machina Fortress, the Spell Striker bolstered to almost Obelisk-level attack power...
All these troublesome monsters on Yugi's field were swept clean by Dark Magician Girl's all-out strike.
Moreover, Machina Fortress can only trigger the effect of destroying an opponent's card when "destroyed by battle", but now it's destroyed by a card effect, hence this powerful aftermath effect could not be triggered.
"Oh no." The crowd member Anzu appeared concerned for her friend, "This way, Yugi's field is cleared..."
Yet Yugi's defenses aren't that easily broken. He raised an arm to shield himself from the impact, then revealed another set card by waving his hand: "Continuous Trap - Mirage Ruler!
Activate when all your monsters are destroyed during the opponent's turn. Special summon all destroyed monsters back onto the field this turn, and then I lose 1000 Life Points!" (Anime card)
He pointed to the ground before him.
"Return, my monsters!"
Four dark vortices opened up simultaneously - Marshmallon, Green Gadget, Machina Fortress, Spell Striker, all monsters returned to the field at once.
It was as if the earlier scene of monster annihilation was merely a mirage.
No, Yugi took advantage of this opportunity to change Green Gadget from attack to defense position. This way, Youyu can't deal massive damage to Yugi using the low attack power of Green Gadget.
[Yugi, LP 4000 → LP 3000]
"However, when the equipped monster is destroyed, my Equip Magic 'United We Stand' is also destroyed." Yugi explained. "Therefore, Spell Striker's attack power reverted to its original state."
[Spell Striker, Attack Power 600]
"However, Spell Striker has a third effect. Any battle damage dealt to my side during this monster's battle is 0." Yugi smiled a teasing smile. "So if you try to use him as a breakthrough, it might not work."
Youyu nodded to show understanding.
He was aware of this effect, though he didn't expect Yugi to voluntarily explain it before the battle phase.
In this world, duelists generally don't disclose card effects to each other, nor are they obliged to divulge all effects at once.
Yugi could have waited until Youyu attacked, wasted an attack opportunity, and then revealed Spell Striker's third effect.
"Then I'll activate from my hand the magic card... Arms Regeneration!" (Manga card)
"Arms Regeneration!?" Yugi was surprised.
He owned that card too—in fact, it was a card used by both Yugi and Jonouchi in the manga; a fairly universal type, with which he was quite familiar.
"Arms Regeneration lets you choose an Equip Magic card either in your or your opponent's grave, and equip it to a monster on your field meeting the equip conditions."
Youyu pointed beside him at the Chocolate Magician Girl: "Using this effect, I'll equip your 'United We Stand' from your grave to Chocolate Magician Girl!"
The magic was activated, and an image of the card seemed to fly out of Yugi's Duel Disc Grave Zone uncontrollably, projecting onto Youyu's side of the field.
The power of three magician girls combined, forming visible magic flowing into Chocolate Magician Girl.
"United We Stand's effect increases the equipped monster's attack by 800 for each monster on its side of the field." Youyu stated. "On my field are Chocolate Magician Girl, Berry Magician Girl, and Dark Magician Girl, so Chocolate Magician Girl's attack power increases by 2400!"
[Chocolate Magician Girl, Attack Power 1600 → Attack Power 4000]
"Attack power four thousand..." Yugi reacted. "Then open the set card, Quick-Play Magic - Forbidden Lance! Target a monster on the field, reducing its attack by 800, but in exchange, that monster is unaffected by any magic/trap effects this turn other than this card!"
He pointed to the magician girl on Youyu's field.
"The one I choose is... Chocolate Magician Girl!"
In the Duel Monsters Card Game, "unaffected by any effect" is usually considered a strong resistance, but sometimes it can be a double-edged sword.
Just like now—under the protection of "Forbidden Lance", the Chocolate Girl who gained absolute resistance couldn't be enhanced by the Equip Magic "United We Stand", her attack power plummeted drastically.
[Chocolate Magician Girl, Attack Power 4000 → Attack Power 800]
Skillful use of the "Forbidden Lance" gave the monster heightened resistance, blocking the effect of "United We Stand"; it was indeed a clever maneuver.
But at this moment, Yugi suddenly considered a question—
—Why did Youyu use "Arms Regeneration" to take "United We Stand" from his grave and then equip it to Chocolate Magician Girl instead of the higher attack power Dark Magician Girl?
Could it be that he already calculated that Yugi's set cards included "Forbidden Lance" or similar cards?
Or perhaps... he has some other special intention?