"It's my turn, draw."
As Yugen drew his card, a blinding flame erupted from the graveyard area of the Duel Disc, and a burning firebird soared into the sky.
Like the peaceful sky being torn apart, countless scorching particles converged into a physical form, swirling and dancing in the air as if flames were given life.
The rising flames released immense energy, gradually revealing a majestic outline. A golden divine bird, its feathers shimmering with dazzling light, its eyes like burning stars, noble yet not losing its majesty.
"When Nephthys Phoenix God is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the graveyard, during the next Standby Phase, it can be resurrected from the graveyard. Therefore, Nephthys' Phoenix God is revived!" Yugen declared.
[Nephthys Phoenix God, Attack Power 2400]
"And when successfully Special Summoned by this effect, all Magic and Trap Cards on both players' fields are destroyed!"
The onlookers: "The resurrection can even clear the backfield!?"
"The combination of Silent and Nephthys has minimized the explosive potential of Lord Pegasus' Divine Beast King."
The speaker was a woman with a black hairpin, known in the side story for having dueled against the game, Professor Card Pirannha, one of Pegasus Nightwalker's elite, using a Vampire card deck.
"Lord Pegasus has already pushed the destructive power of the Divine Beast King to its limits, yet it was effortlessly resolved... No, not only that, this young man even finds opportunities to counterattack while defending..."
The experts nodded in agreement.
Indeed. Although it seemed like Nightwalker had been aggressively attacking, he had already exhausted most of his life points for the attack, while the opponent's life points remained untouched.
"Is he truly a student of Duel Academy?"
Pirannha frowned.
"To be honest, he is already stronger than many of us Professor Cards."
Kak Dixon: "..."
"Is the Phoenix God's clearing of the field a prelude to a subsequent attack?" Nightwalker spoke in a deep voice, "But it won't be that easy.
Activate Cover Card, Continuous Trap - Demon Race's Chain!
Bind a monster on the field with the demon's chains; that monster cannot attack, and its effects are negated!"
Malicious green chains shot out from the Trap Card, wrapping around the Phoenix God's body. The golden divine bird struggled desperately, but the flames on its body eventually dimmed, and the scene turned into some kind of bizarre bondage play.
"The Phoenix God's effect is negated, and my backfield remains intact," Nightwalker said.
"Now, entering the main phase." Yugen revealed another card from his hand, "Activate Magic Card 'Black Hole'!
Destroy all monsters on both sides of the field!"
A black celestial body appeared, as if releasing boundless gravitation from the fissures of the galaxy, aiming to annihilate everything indiscriminately.
Nightwalker frowned: "By destroying my defenses, you're also freeing the 'Nephthys Phoenix God' from the demon's chains, allowing you to clear my backfield in preparation for an attack next turn?
Nice calculation, but..."
He raised his hand, flipping over another Covered card.
"Activate Cover Card, Counterattack Trap - Magic Absorption!
When the opponent's magic is activated, negate and destroy that Magic Card. However, the opponent can discard a Magic Card from their hand to negate this card."
Yugen: "I won't discard a Magic Card."
"Then the activation of 'Black Hole' is negated!"
The black vortex vanished instantly, the storm and gravity dissipated together, and silence returned to the field.
Yugen: "Then I proceed with a Normal Summon of 'Killer Tomato' in attack position."
[Killer Tomato, Attack Power 1400]
"'Killer Tomato' attacks the covered 'Divine Beast King Barbaros'!"
Witnessing that cheekily grinning little tomato bouncing towards the opponent's field, preparing to headbutt the covered monster, the crowd couldn't help but hold their breath.
It's crazy, the tomato is striking!
Though the Divine Beast King Barbaros boasts an attack power of 3000, its defense power is embarrassingly only 1200, now to suffer the humiliation of being headbutted by a tomato.
But Pegasus Nightwalker wouldn't allow the attack to follow through: "Activate Cover Card! Counterattack Trap - Attack Powerlessness!
Negate the opponent's attack and forcibly end the battle phase!"
The counteracting vortex opened, and the little tomato headed straight into the eye of the storm, ending up dazed. Rarely did it actively engage but still couldn't score a takedown, retreating in dismay.
"Then, set a card face-down, and end the turn."
"My turn, draw."
Nightwalker played the card he drew.
"Activate 'Pot of Greed', drawing two more cards."
After drawing, he immediately played one of the cards he had drawn.
"Activate Magic Card 'Magic Flowerpot'. Send a Continuous Magic Card on the field to the graveyard to draw two cards from the Deck." (anime effect)
Despite the card being named "Magic Flowerpot," after being made into a physical card, it was modified to require sending a Continuous Trap from the field to the grave to activate. However, since Nightwalker had both Continuous Magic and Continuous Trap on the field, it made no difference.
"I send the Continuous Magic 'Netherworld's Treasure Scroll' to the graveyard, drawing two more cards from the Deck."
Nightwalker drew from his Deck again.
After drawing, Nightwalker paused, smiling slightly: "My intuition was right, Seto Kaiba acknowledging you isn't without reason. Indeed, you are a true Duelist worthy of my full effort.
So I will also hold nothing back in this duel, summoning my ultimate evolved monster..."
The Cards Professors seemed to understand something, their expressions changing.
"Is Lord Nightwalker planning to... play 'that'?"
Pirannha embraced her arms, "Things seem to be getting more interesting."
Pegasus Nightwalker revealed a card in his hand.
"Activate Magic Card 'Fusion'!
Fusion the 'Divine Beast King Barbaros' on the field with 'Divine Machine King - Uru' from my hand!"
The Divine Machine King Uru appeared on the field, merging with the Divine Beast King into a beam of gold entering the fusion vortex. A dazzling light emerged, manifesting the entity of a divine beast, a spiral spear, and red armor shimmering with metallic coldness.
The Divine Beast King clad in fiery red metal armor descended with an even more unstoppable form!
Beast God Machine King - Barbaros Uul, Fusion Summon!
It was also the ultimate ace that Pegasus Nightwalker summoned in the original work during the final showdown after freeing himself from the Evil God's control with the game's help. In the original work, it was a Fusion Monster, but after being made into a physical card, it was modified to an Effect Monster with altered effects.
[Beast God Machine King - Barbaros Uul, Attack Power 3800]
"It's true, Lord Pegasus' strongest monster."
The Cards Professors were in an uproar.
Even they hadn't seen Pegasus Nightwalker duel with full force in years.
"Then, from my hand, Normal Summon 'Blazing Angel Cavalry'!" (Original Card)
[Blazing Angel Cavalry, Attack Power 1600]
It was also one of the monsters Nightwalker used in the original work. But just a Four-star Angel Race, with an effect that increases the Attack Power of other Angel Races on the field by 300, nothing special.
"Continuous Trap 'Blood Compensation' effect, activate!" Nightwalker announced, "I'll pay 500 Life Points to perform an additional Normal Summon!"
[Nightwalker, LP 1500→LP 1000]
"Pay 500 Life Points, sacrificing 'Blazing Angel Cavalry'—
—Level six, Two-headed Beast, summon!"
[Two-headed Beast, Attack Power 1700]
"This turn, I will launch the decisive all-out attack!" Nightwalker shouted, "If you can take it, then try and see!"