"Then we move on to the main phase of my turn."
Ryuzaki's fingertips gently brushed over his freshly replenished hand cards as he sneered.
"Last turn was quite arrogant, kid. But it ends now, the duel will conclude this turn!"
He revealed three cards from his hand at once: "I activate the Magic Card 'Fusion'!
Fusing 'Swiftfoot Velociraptor' and 'Fierce Winged Dragon' from my hand!"
Magic Card emerged, the figures of the dinosaurs unleashed from his hand to the field, engulfed in a swirling black vortex. Black lightning flashed from it, striking the field glamorously, erupting into billows of black smoke.
"Master of the abyss and hell, awaken from the endless abyss of darkness. Fusion Summon—
—Level 6, Hell Horned Dragon!" (Animation Card)
[Hell Horned Dragon, Attack Power 2000]
An animation card yet to be made into a Physical Card, it's one of the new trump cards for Ryuzaki Kyoryu in DM after consecutively losing the True Red Eye and Evil Knight Dragon.
"It's not over yet!"
Ryuzaki continued.
"Next, I activate the Magic Card 'Revive the Dead'! With this card, I will revive the mighty dinosaur sleeping in my graveyard!"
The holy symbol of Revive appeared in mid-air, and a card sprang from the graveyard zone of his Duel Disc amidst golden light.
"I revive from the graveyard this card, the absolute king of dinosaurs—
—Dark Terrifying Beast!"
The black dinosaur roared forth from the vortex of the Netherworld, raising its head to shriek, its massive tail striking the ground and kicking up a dust storm into the sky.
[Dark Terrifying Beast, Attack Power 2600]
"What? Dark Terrifying Beast?" Commentator Xiaodu was shocked, "When did this kind of monster...?"
"Probably when they used Angel's Charity at the start." Commentator Sasaki said, "Turns out the setup had been prepared all the way till this point. Despite the field being broken, such a strong counterattack was immediately organized during this turn...
...It's indeed befitting a Legendary Duelist."
"I see, it's truly impressive... but why not revive 'Triangular Demon Dragon'?" Commentator Xiaodu asked curiously, "Its attack power should be higher..."
Commentator Sasaki gave a mysterious smile: "Heh, because it seems Ryuzaki already has a winning stroke... Just watch and you'll understand."
Two big monsters appeared again, and Ryuzaki laughed triumphantly once more: "So, how about it? The power of my dinosaurs! The utmost strong attack, using absolute power to crush the opponent and win, that's my duel now!
I'm different from the past, I'm stronger than I was before!"
Yet Yugen, looking at the dark Dark Terrifying Beast, had but one thought in his heart.
Ryuzaki, why are you using Judai's underling Bladehill's card...?
His only impression of this dinosaur was as Bladehill's trump card when first appearing in the animation, which once threw Judai into a bitter battle. But of course, it was eventually overturned by a divine draw, and Bladehill was subsequently made Judai's underling.
"Then I activate the Magic Card 'Attack Seal' from my hand!
This card can forcibly change an opponent's monster in Attack Position to Defense Position!"
Ryuzaki pointed to Yugen's Mecha Fortress on the field.
"I'll change 'Mecha Team - Fortress' to Defense Position!"
[Mecha Team - Fortress, Attack Power 2500 → Defense Power 1600]
"I see." Yugen understood, "Dark Terrifying Beast can directly attack the player when there are no monsters in Attack Position on the opponent's field, according to its Monster Effect. (Animation Effect)
So that's your plan."
"Oh, quite knowledgeable, aren't you, newbie?" Ryuzaki wiped his nose, chuckling softly, "Yes, that's exactly my tactic.
And the 'Hell Horned Dragon' on my field can also directly attack the opponent during the turn it's Fusion Summoned!"
The entire audience erupted into astonishment once again.
"Two consecutive direct attacks of Attack Power 2600 and Attack Power 2000! And they ignore the opponent's monsters!" Commentator Xiaodu exclaimed, "Isn't this a straight OTK (One Turn Kill)!?!"
"Exactly, that's Ryuzaki's tactic." Sasaki said, "It's indeed an absolute power domination, truly amazing strength."
Soaring dragons on the face, and it's a double shot, just ask, how can you lose?
"Go for it, first is 'Dark Terrifying Beast'! According to its Monster Effect, bypass Mecha Fortress and directly attack the player!"
The Dark Terrifying Beast roared, thundering forward, its tail stirring a thick dust trail, passing over Mecha Fortress as it lunged towards Yugen.
"Then, reveal the Cover Card, activate Trap - Earth-bound Spirit's Temptation!" Yugen raised his hand, "Activate when the opponent's monster declares an attack. You can re-select the attack target of that monster."
He pointed to his Mecha on the field.
"I designate 'Mecha Team - Fortress' as 'Dark Terrifying Beast's' attack target."
"Tch." Ryuzaki clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Using such tricks to avoid being OTKed?
But Dark Terrifying Beast still has higher Attack Power! So, Dark Terrifying Beast, first clear out that pesky Mecha!"
[Mecha Team - Fortress, Defense Power 1600]
The turned defense Fortress naturally couldn't withstand the fierce dark dinosaur. The giant beast roared, rushing forward, shredding the gigantic Fortress into pieces, parts flying and continuously exploding into black smoke, turning into scrap metal within moments with a series of loud booms.
"Huh?"
Commentator Xiaodu was at a loss.
"Strange, the Skeleton's effect didn't activate?"
Normally, Yugen's Mecha Fortress was equipped with "Mecha Team - Skeleton", which has the effect of substituting the equipped monster for destruction once.
Why didn't it activate?
Ryuzaki too felt a vague sense of unease, a premonition that was immediately proven right.
"At this moment, 'Mecha Team - Fortress', another of its effects activates."
Yugen revealed the Fortress card once more before sending it to the grave.
"When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, you can choose one card on your opponent's field to destroy. The card I want to destroy, of course, is..."
He pointed at the dragon on Ryuzaki's field that hadn't launched an attack yet.
"Hell Horned Dragon!"
The Fortress fired its main cannon one last time before exploding, with a shot akin to a barrel burst. The final firepower, the last shot before dying, hit the Hell Horned Dragon on Ryuzaki's field right on the forehead. The giant dragon let out a miserable scream and was blasted to pieces under the power of modern artillery.
"Damn it..." Ryuzaki gritted his teeth.
"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!"
Commentator Xiaodu rose from his seat, seemingly unable to stop himself from applauding Yugen.
"With just one move, not only did he defend against Ryuzaki's two-phase attack, but he also destroyed his fusion ace!
Ryuzaki's crucial two-hit face strike was handled with ease by Yugen like a casual toss. Up until now, Yugen's Life Points still remain four thousand, an intact four thousand!
The continuous fierce attacks of the Legendary Duelist haven't managed to break through his defense even a tiny bit!"
"Truly unexpected."
Commentator Sasaki also added.
"Fujiki Yugen... is truly an incredible newcomer. Even if someone were to tell me now that it's actually a seasoned pro wearing a human mask, I would believe it..."
To reach such a level against the legendary Ryuzaki, saying he's a newcomer is really unbelievable.
"Then I'll play two cover cards onto the field, and end my turn."
The attack once again failed, and Ryuzaki felt a bit frustrated. However, fortunately, he had already regained the advantage on the field.
The Dark Terrifying Beast has a formidable attack power of 2600, and although the opponent has defended the attack, the field has been cleared. Moreover, his backfield is currently very strong, so it should be stable.
"Draw a card."
After drawing the card, he squinted slightly.
"Hmm... how unfortunate. It seems like you might not have a next turn."
Ryuzaki: "!"
Not only him, but the whole commentary team and audience were also shocked by this bold declaration.
What did they just hear?
A victory declaration?
"What an astonishing turn of events!"
Commentator Xiaodu almost leaned over the table.
"Yugen declared victory against Ryuzaki, the legendary Ryuzaki!"
If he had said this at the start of the game, perhaps everyone would have been stunned and laughed, thinking this newcomer doesn't know his limits, winning a few games and getting too cocky.
But after witnessing his dominance in these past few turns, few people thought so anymore.
It didn't feel arrogant, and even when he spoke, there wasn't the slightest feeling of boasting or self-satisfaction. And that is the scariest part.
When he said those words, his emotions barely fluctuated. It was as if he was merely announcing an upcoming fact, without any taunt or mockery, merely stating the outcome he had already known would absolutely occur.
Ryuzaki also felt a shock in his heart. He thought his past experiences had forged an iron-willed mentality, yet hearing those words, his legs and feet couldn't help but tremble slightly, almost causing him to stumble.
It wasn't just because he realized that if he lost here, his journey back to being a king after years of seclusion would end ignominiously at a mere minor venue, losing to a newcomer with no track record...
But more because, at the moment he heard that sentence, he felt as if he was convinced by the opponent.
As though a part of him involuntarily believed in that declaration.
Believed that this turn would be his end.
"What... What did you say?" Ryuzaki struggled to shake off those thoughts.
Impossible.
He had a big monster on the field, and a strong backfield defense; there's no way the opponent could get through.
Yes, surely it's just a bluff.
"The effect of 'Mecha Team - Fortress' in the graveyard."
Yugen calmly took back the Monster Card from the graveyard slot of the Duel Disc.
"This card can be special summoned from the graveyard by discarding Mechanical Race monsters from the hand whose total Levels equal eight or more."
He drew out two cards from his hand.
"I'll send the Level 3 Mechanical Race 'Card Shooter' and another Level 7 'Mecha Team - Fortress' from my hand to the graveyard, to revive 'Mecha Team - Fortress' from the graveyard."
Two cards were sequentially sent to the grave, and a storm of metal whipped up on Yugen's field. The Fortress ascended again with the roaring engine, its cannons readied once more.
[Mecha Team - Fortress, Attack Power 2500]
"The ability to self-revive, is this the source of his confidence?" Ryuzaki squinted his eyes, his mind racing. "It seems he has cards in hand that can assist in battle."
The attack power of the Fortress is only 100 less than his Dark Terrifying Beast. With a simple equipment card, it could easily break through.
And due to the "Thoughtless Greed" he activated himself, he has to skip his next two draw phases. This means, even if he survives this turn, if he can't preserve his "Dark Terrifying Beast," he's essentially finished.
However...
"Activate cover card!"
Ryuzaki's backfield Trap flipped over.
"Trap Card - Yama's Judgment! You can directly destroy the opponent's Special Summoned monster!"
A black vortex opened underfoot, and the Mecha Fortress which had just returned to the field was blasted into fragments before it could stabilize.
Ryuzaki laughed heartily, "Hahaha! Using Traps isn't your exclusive skill! So, can you still assert that you'll end me in this turn!?"