Yugen Fujiki's Life Points dropped from 4000 to 3000. "The effect of the Equip Spell Cyber Shield," Asuka Tenjoin continued. "When battle damage is dealt, inflict an extra 300 points of damage." (ANIME EFFECT)
Yugen Fujiki's Life Points fell again, from 3000 to 2700. He raised his Duel Disk to block the virtual impact, his body swaying before he steadied himself. "I set three cards and end my turn," he said. "End Phase. Because of the side effect of Limiter Removal, the Machine monster affected by it is destroyed at the end of the turn."
Card Trooper exploded into fragments and vanished into ash. "And by its effect, when this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I draw one card from my Deck." He drew a card calmly.
Only then did the spectators finally breathe out. Some muttered about how intense the first turn had been, while others pointed out that Asuka Tenjoin's Life Points were now dangerously low.
Yugen Fujiki fell silent for a moment. Locking Life Points was usually a curse in the original stories, and somehow she had been pushed straight into counterattack range first. He frowned slightly, then moved on.
"My Turn!, Card Draw," he declared.
Asuka Tenjoin steadied her breathing. He had seen through her plan and punished it hard, but the side effect of Limiter Removal meant his field was empty now. The problem was the facedown cards behind him.
"Hesitation won't solve anything," she said firmly. "I'll carry out my Duel. Battle. Cyber Tutu attacks directly!"
The cyber ballerina spun forward again, her rotating kick rushing straight toward him. Yugen Fujiki narrowed his eyes. "Just as bold as expected. I activate my Trap Card, Trap Card Dimension Wall. When you declare an attack, the battle damage is taken by you instead."
The crowd erupted in shock. Using such a trap at this moment completely flipped the situation, turning a winning strike into instant defeat for Asuka Tenjoin instead.
"So you had an answer," she said, quickly sliding a card into play. "Quick-Play Spell, Enemy Controller!"
She sent Cyber Tutu from her Duel Disk to the Graveyard and revealed another card from her hand. "Enemy Controller lets me send my Cyber Tutu to the Graveyard to Special Summon a Chaos Sorcerer from my hand." (ANIME EFFECT) "I offer my monster. Appear now, Level 6 Chaos Sorcerer!"
The idol vanished into scattered points of light that swirled into a shining vortex. A beam shot upward, and a silver-haired cyber star descended gracefully onto the field.
Chaos Sorcerer appeared with ATK 2300. A member of the Duel Academy Student Council could not help but speak up, pointing out that since the attacking monster had left the field, the battle no longer applied and no damage would be dealt. Another student added that because the summon happened during the Battle Phase, Chaos Sorcerer could still attack.
Asuka Tenjoin smiled with confidence. "I'm not that easy to beat." Her eyes shifted as she noticed another facedown card on Yugen Fujiki's field being revealed.
He pointed to it calmly. "Quick-Play Spell Book of Moon. I turn Chaos Sorcerer face down in Defense Position."
Asuka Tenjoin fell silent, and so did the crowd. The powerful monster that had just landed was instantly forced down by pale moonlight and became a facedown card.
Seika Kohinata burst into laughter, clearly enjoying herself more than anyone else in the arena. Asuka Tenjoin took a deep breath. "The other effect of Cyber Shield. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I draw one card from my Deck. (ANIME EFFECT) Then I set two cards and end my turn."
"My Turn!, Card Draw," Yugen Fujiki said. "I activate the Continuous Spell Union Hangar from my hand."
The Spell Card card appeared, and three cards popped out of his Deck. He drew them and showed them to his opponent. "When this card is activated, I can banish three Level 4 or lower Union Monster from my Graveyard. I banish Y-Dragon Head, Z-Metal Tank, and W-Wing Catapult!" (ANIME EFFECT)
Red metal dragon parts, a tank-like tread unit, and blue wings appeared and were pulled into a dark vortex above his field. Asuka Tenjoin's expression grew serious, and the crowd stirred at the sight of cards once used by Seto Kaiba, known as a Rare Card.
"Then I Normal Summon X-Head Cannon!" The Machine hit the field with ATK 1800.
"At that moment, the other effect of Union Hangar activates," Yugen Fujiki continued. "When a monster is summoned, if its name is listed on the banished Union Monster cards, I can Special Summon them from the banished zone." (ANIME EFFECT)
He revealed two of the banished cards. "Both Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank list X-Head Cannon, so I Special Summon them!"
The dark vortex opened again, and two flashes of light dropped the dragon head and heavy treads onto the field. Their ATK were both 1500.
"These monsters cannot be used as tribute and cannot attack," he said, sweeping his arm. (ANIME EFFECT) "But I use X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank to combine!"
The three machines transformed, electricity linking them as they assembled into a towering combined Machina. "XYZ-Dragon Cannon, fusion summon!"
The massive Machine roared into place with ATK 2800, casting a long shadow over the field as the turn came to its dramatic close.
XYZ-Dragon Cannon, Summon!
Seika Kohinata watched from outside the field, her eyes flickering as she took it in. Thinking back, she had taken a brutal beating earlier and stayed angry after it, yet the opponent's field had mostly bounced around with a submarine at only 800 ATK, and the single Level 8 monster had appeared on her own side. At no point had she faced a monster with pressure like this.
Did that mean the opponent had not been serious at all before?
"XYZ-Dragon Cannon, effect activated!" Yugen Do said. "Discard one card, then destroy one card on the opponent's field." He sent a card from his hand to the Graveyard. "I discard one card to destroy the face-down 'Hero Barrier.'"
Ammo Reload, Energy Charge, Target Lock activated as the cannons on both sides of Dragon Cannon fired in unison, flashing with light. The students held their breath again as another decisive turn unfolded. That face-down Hero Barrier was the only line of defense on Asuka Tenjoin's field, and if it was wiped away here, the result would be decided by Dragon Cannon's direct attack.
"Not so easy," Asuka Tenjoin shouted. "I activate my set card, Trap Card-Divine Wrath! When a Spell, Trap, or monster effect that includes destroying monsters on the field is activated, negate that effect and destroy it!" (ANIME EFFECT) She smiled faintly, convinced the trap would turn the table. If Dragon Cannon fell here, the opponent's field would be empty next turn.
"Then I chain my set card," Yugen said calmly as he flipped the last card in his back row. "Continuous Trap, Safe Zone! After activation, this card can be equipped to any monster in the VWXYZ LV Series. The equipped monster gains 500 ATK and is unaffected by all Spell, Trap, and monster effects from the opponent." (ANIME EFFECT)
It was the same VWXYZ LV Series equipment used by Manjoume in the anime, a shell of protection that granted total immunity. It could still be beaten through battle, or by clearing the back row first to Release the protection. The power surge was immediate.
[XYZ-Dragon Cannon ATK 2800 to ATK 3300]
Asuka Tenjoin froze as murmurs broke out in the crowd. "That's higher than Blue-Eyes White Dragon's ATK, and it has near-perfect resistance," someone exclaimed. The sense of pressure deepened as eyes turned back to the field.
"Therefore, the resolution of Dragon Cannon's effect continues," Yugen Do said. "The face-down 'Hero Barrier' is destroyed." The barrage went through, blasting the set card to pieces as the monster left the field. "And the card I discarded was the Card 'Brow, Huntsman of Dark World.' When this card is sent from the hand to the Graveyard, I draw two cards from my Deck." (ANIME EFFECT)
Asuka Tenjoin clenched her teeth. Her reversal, the card meant to win from the brink, had been neutralized again.