As his words fell, Yusaku's D-Wheel exploded with unimaginable, terrifying speed.
The engine howled with a shrill roar that seemed to tear the air apart, and he shot forward like an arrow loosed from the string, closing the distance to Kazuki in an instant!
The speed was so great that a long afterimage was left trailing along the track, as if space itself had been ripped open and the human eye could no longer keep up, creating a "delayed image" that lagged behind reality.
The oncoming wind and pressure wave, under such extreme speed, were scorched red-hot. The temperature was high enough to melt metal, as though even space itself was being ignited and torn apart. Everything around the track warped and blurred.
The extreme acceleration caused a milky-white, hemispherical barrier to manifest in front of the D-Wheel. Starlight particles flowed across its surface, completely isolating the raging airflow and searing heat.
On the field, the two monsters turned into twelve dazzling motes of starlight.
Each one shone like a star of its own, gathering in midair and linking together into a gigantic circular ring.
That ring wrapped around Yusaku and his D-Wheel!
As the ring rotated, it whipped up an energy storm that twisted and shook the air itself; even the arena's lights began to flicker unsteadily!
Yusaku twisted the throttle again, and in that brief, fleeting instant, he pushed the D-Wheel's speed past the very limit of light itself!
It was a speed that violated common sense and shattered dimensional boundaries. The D-Wheel's body could no longer be captured by the naked eye. All anyone could see was a hazy trail of light stretching along the circuit.
"Accel Synchro!!"
In that moment, heaven and earth changed color.
Scalding air, ultra-high-speed winds, the pillar of Synchro light connecting heaven and earth, and the D-Wheel racing through it all… everything fused into one, erupting into a world-ending torrent of power. The entire arena was drowned in light, and no one could even keep their eyes open.
This was a speed that surpassed light itself, a force that could pierce space and tear through dimensions. Even "time" seemed to lose all meaning.
In the void, scattered fragments of stars gathered and collided, paving a glittering road of stardust.
That stardust road stretched into infinity, as if it connected to another dimension entirely.
Yusaku's D-Wheel accelerated yet again.
A pair of massive wings, wrought from steel and starlight, unfurled from its sides. With each beat of those wings, countless stars scattered like feathers. Like a steel bird bathed in starlight, it vanished in a flash over the horizon.
The D-Wheel rushed into that stardust road… and then disappeared without a trace.
It vanished completely from the circuit, as though it had never existed at all, leaving behind only a faint light-trail to prove that it had once been there.
"Ah???"
Watching Yusaku vanish, Kazuki was completely stunned, his jaw dropping wide enough to fit a fist.
The students in the stands reacted no differently. One after another, they shot to their feet and stared dumbfounded at the track, where only Kazuki remained riding alone.
What was going on?
What kind of play was this?
How do you get to the point where a duel on D-Wheels makes one of the duelists literally disappear?
This was beyond the scope of anything they understood about Turbo Duels.
Not only did Yusaku's image vanish from the giant screen in the arena, but even the icon representing him on the duel field overlay disappeared in that brief instant, as if he had evaporated from the world without leaving so much as a trace behind.
Kazuki stared, unblinking, at the direction where Yusaku had vanished.
The next second, someone suddenly cried out in shock, their voice brimming with disbelief.
"Behind him! Yusaku's behind him!"
Kazuki's entire body jolted as if hit by a surge of electricity. He whipped his head around violently.
In the instant he turned, a beam of blinding light erupted from behind him, like the very first dawn of the newborn universe.
Wreathed in radiant starlight, Yusaku's D-Wheel roared out of that beam, rushing past Kazuki at a speed that blatantly mocked the laws of physics.
The tires screamed as they tore against the track, leaving a burning trail on the asphalt as he shot back in front.
Charging alongside him was an impossibly magnificent red dragon, like a falling meteor streaking across the sky. The sheen reflected off its crimson scales was enough to steal a man's breath, and every beat of its wings stirred up a tempest.
"Be born, Red Dragon!!!"
Like a shooting star ripping open the heavens, the red dragon unleashed a roar that shook the entire sky.
Its massive body blotted out the sun as it swept across the arena, throwing the whole world beneath into shadow.
[Red Dragon]
[Level 12 / Dragon / Synchro / Effect]
[ATK: 0]
"Red Dragon's effect, activate! I target the Level 12 [Red Supernova Dragon] on my field, return it to the Deck, and Special Summon another Level 12 Dragon from my Extra Deck!!"
Yusaku thrust his arm upward. Flames seemed to burn at the corners of his eyes, his entire being engulfed in a surging sea of fire. His voice was molten, like magma.
"Burning Soul!!!"
The moment his shout fell, walls of flame erupted from the surface of the track, leaping several meters high.
The tongues of flame writhed like ancient serpents awakened from their slumber, sweeping across the track and turning the circuit into a boiling crimson inferno.
"O peerless god of absolute destruction, sovereign above all! Step forth from the divine realm, treading upon the world-scorching blaze, and descend upon this field to inscribe the mark of the end upon this duel!"
"Synchro Summon——Hot Red Dragon Archfiend King Calamity!!!"
The deafening cry tore through the roar of the engines.
Red Dragon's body shattered into twelve star-rings, each one wrapped in explosive flame. The twelve rings spun within a vortex of fire, then melded into a single crimson beam that pierced the heavens, as if knocking upon the sealed gate of an ancient ultimate demon.
"Rrrrroooaaarrr——!!!"
The ground split open with a world-rending detonation.
Scalding magma and shattered rock surged upward like a volcanic geyser. From that inferno, a colossal dragon wrapped in the aura of pure destruction burst forth and descended upon the raging battlefield with the weight of a collapsing mountain.
[Hot Red Dragon Archfiend King Calamity]
[Dragon / Synchro / Effect]
[ATK: 4000]
Yusaku twisted the throttle hard, letting the D-Wheel trace out a perfect drift arc on the asphalt.
The sparks spraying from the tires fused with the surrounding sea of flames into a rain of light as he came to a precise stop in front of Kazuki.
He lifted his arm with a sharp snap.
"Hot Red Dragon Archfiend King Calamity's effect, activate!"
"When this card is Synchro Summoned, its effect activates! For the rest of this turn, you cannot activate any effects that trigger on the field! And…"
Yusaku's voice suddenly spiked.
"You cannot activate any card effects in response to this effect's activation!!!!"
As those words hammered into the air, King Calamity unleashed a roar that seemed to shake the world itself.
An invisible domain of flame blasted out from its body and washed across the field. The air warped under the heat, and even breathing felt like inhaling fire.
Akai's pupils shrank to pinpoints, his face full of shock. "What???"
The audience, too, aside from the players who were already shrieking themselves hoarse, all stood there like statues, brains wiped blank.
Another lock.
And not just another, but one even more brutal than Destiny HERO - Plasma's field lock.
On the dueling lane, Kazuki's face was chalk-pale, his voice cracking as he screamed.
"Impossible! I don't believe it! As a Red Dragon Archfiend player, I know better than anyone that there is no such monster in the Red archetype! And definitely nothing with such a broken effect!"
Yusaku's lips curled into an easy smile.
"Just because you don't have it doesn't mean others don't. If you don't believe me, you can test it yourself. Try to see whether the monsters you summon to the field, or that Spell Card in your hand, can still activate properly."
Kazuki yanked a card from his hand and slammed it down.
"I activate the Spell Card[Call of the Resonator]! Its effect lets me add 1 'Resonator' monster from my Deck to my hand!"
But the moment he slotted the card into his Duel Disk, an ear-piercing buzzing warning sounded.
A red error indicator flashed wildly on the display, and the card could only be force-set face-down.
"No way! I don't believe it!"
Bloodshot-eyed, Kazuki drew another card and thrust it out.
"[Crimson Resonator]'s effect! If I control no monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!"
"My field is completely empty! I meet the conditions! So come on out, Crimson Resonator!"
The next moment, Crimson Resonator appeared on the field in a burst of light, the tools on its mechanical arms still whirring softly.
[Crimson Resonator]
[Level 2 / Fiend / Tuner / Effect]
[ATK: 800]
"Next I activate the effect of [Wandering King Wildwind] in my hand! If I control a Fiend Tuner with 1500 or less ATK, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!"
Kazuki's voice trembled slightly, but he still refused to give up.
"My Crimson Resonator perfectly fulfills the condition, so I can Special Summon him!"
A gust of wind ripped across the track as the cloaked wolf-king leapt out of the card, landing beside Crimson Resonator in a swirl of black cloak and howling gales.
[Wandering King Wildwind]
[Level 4 / Fiend / Effect]
[ATK: 1700]
Seeing the two monsters finally appear on his own field, Kazuki grabbed onto them like a drowning man clutching at a straw. He slashed his arm forward and shouted:
"I tune Level 4 [Wandering King Wildwind] with Level 2 [Crimson Resonator]!"
"Synchro Summon! Level 6——Red Rising Dragon!!!"
With his roar, the two beams of light twisted together into a spiral column of flames.
Red Rising Dragon tore out of the blazing vortex, red-hot light blazing off its body. The heat from its beating wings sent the surrounding flames into a frenzy, dragon's might rolling across the field.
[Red Rising Dragon]
[Level 6 / Dragon / Synchro / Effect]
[ATK: 2100]
The moment the dragon landed, Kazuki couldn't wait another second.
"I activate Red Rising Dragon's effect! I Special Summon the Crimson Resonator in my GY back to the field!"
But after he spoke, nothing happened.
No crimson light, no revival, nothing.
On the Duel Disk's screen, a clear system prompt popped up: "This monster's effect cannot be activated."
Yusaku looked at Kazuki calmly.
"Now do you believe it?"
Kazuki let out a low chuckle.
"So what if I do? Your Hot Red Dragon Archfiend King Calamity can only lock down effects that activate on the field. You can't touch effects in the Graveyard!"
"I can still activate Crimson Resonator's GY effect and Special Summon two more 'Resonator' monsters from the Deck!"
"Once those two hit the field, I can tune them with Red Rising Dragon to bring out Red Dragon Archfiend again! Even if I lose, I'll at least take some of your LP with me!"
He sucked in a deep breath and shouted:
"I activate the effect of[Crimson Resonator]in my Graveyard. I choose—"
"Don't bother choosing."
Yusaku cut in mid-sentence.
"You really don't give up until you hit the coffin lid. Did you think the rest of my monsters were just for show?"
He raised his arm, voice suddenly cracking like thunder.
"I activate[Bystial Dis Pater]'s effect! And chain to that, I activate[Red Supernova Dragon]'s effect!"
"First, Red Supernova Dragon's effect! Once per turn, when your opponent activates a monster effect, or when their monster declares an attack, I can activate it: banish this card, along with all cards you control!!"
"Since you just activated a monster effect in your Graveyard, I can trigger Red Supernova Dragon and banish your only monster, Red Rising Dragon!"
Red Supernova Dragon on Yusaku's field let out a sky-shattering roar, its massive jaws spewing out a torrent of red hellfire that devoured Red Rising Dragon in an instant.
As Red Rising Dragon vanished, Red Supernova Dragon itself turned into a streak of light and disappeared from the field.
"Next is Bystial Dis Pater's effect."
Yusaku's voice followed immediately.
"When your opponent activates a monster effect, I can target 1 of either player's banished cards. That card is shuffled back into the Deck. Then, if it belonged to me, I destroy that monster; if it belonged to you, I negate the effect that was activated!"
Yusaku's gaze sharpened.
"I target the[Effect Veiler]in my banished zone, shuffle it back into my Deck, and negate your Graveyard Crimson Resonator's effect!"
Bystial Dis Pater unleashed a deafening roar.
Streams of light converged around its body and then shot toward the Graveyard zone on Kazuki's Duel Disk like guided missiles, erasing the ripple of Crimson Resonator's effect in an instant.
"Now, you have absolutely no monsters left on your field."
Yusaku looked at Kazuki's ashen face.
"And I very much doubt you have anything useful left in your hand. Even if you somehow manage to Summon another monster, as a Red Dragon Archfiend player, you should know exactly what[Red Zone]does."
"This card can target 1 of your banished DARK Dragon Synchro monsters, and Special Summon it."
He paused, then said slowly:
"In other words, even if you manage to Summon something new, I can immediately bring my banished[Red Supernova Dragon]back and banish your field all over again."
Yusaku twisted the throttle; the D-Wheel surged through the curve as he glanced back over his shoulder.
"So no, you're not touching my LP. I still have other cards I haven't even used yet, and more plays left in my hand. Do yourself a favor, hand over your Deck already. Don't forget, it's two Decks."
Hearing the words "two Decks," Kazuki's blood surged violently.
He clutched his chest as if his heart had been pierced, his body trembling uncontrollably. The D-Wheel he was riding began to wobble wildly.
In the next instant, he lost control. With a heavy crash, his D-Wheel flipped, sending him tumbling across the track for several meters before he finally came to a stop and blacked out.
The moment Kazuki crashed, the duel timer froze.
According to Turbo Duel rules, a rider who wipes out is treated as having automatically forfeited.
This duel was now officially Yusaku's victory.
Yusaku eased his D-Wheel to a halt, removed his helmet, and walked over to the unconscious Kazuki.
He reached down and removed both the Deck in Kazuki's Duel Disk and the spare Deck in his pocket.
"It's just a duel. Was there really any need to get this worked up? To the point you can't even keep your D-Wheel upright."
He said it lightly as he pocketed both Decks.
Then Yusaku lifted his head and looked up sharply toward the Upper City seating area.
"Next challenger," he called, voice carrying clearly through the arena. "You're up."
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]