"Lava Golem, return to my hand!"
"Tsk, that thing again..."
Alister frowned. As the duel progressed, his mental state was clearly beginning to fray.
"I set one card and end my turn."
"By the way, Sky Fortress Ziggurat has another effect, doesn't it?" Yue Xuan smiled. "I've done my homework on cards belonging to legendary duelists like you, Senior."
The implication was clear: Don't try to pull a fast one on me.
Alister fell silent for a few seconds before speaking with a sigh of resignation.
"During the End Phase, Sky Fortress Ziggurat must Special Summon one Robot Token in Defense Position to my field. The Token cannot attack, but while it exists, the opponent can only target Robot Tokens for attacks."
[Robot Token, DEF 0]
"Ah, I remember that defensive effect. Even my brother found it troublesome back then..." Mokuba's voice trailed off as distant memories were awakened.
By summoning a Token to act as a shield every turn, Alister ensured that even if an opponent managed to summon a monster with higher attack points than the Sky Fortress, they would have to destroy the Token first. Combined with the fortress's own resistance to Spells and Traps, it was an incredibly difficult wall to breach in this slow-paced era of the game.
But now, that excellent ability had become a burden.
As everyone knew, Lava Golem couldn't devour a field with only one monster. Sky Fortress Ziggurat's effect of automatically "refilling" a second monster during the End Phase was practically doing Yue Xuan a favor.
"Then, it's my turn. I draw!" Yue Xuan smiled. "First, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Hand Destruction! Both players discard two cards and draw two."
Yue Xuan drew his cards, paused for a beat, and then slowly revealed a card from his hand.
"Now, I think you know what's coming next, Senior... I tribute the Robot Token and Sky Fortress Ziggurat on your field to rise once more from the abyss"
"I summon Lava Golem!"
The invincible Sky Fortress was instantly melted down, and the Robot Token dissolved into the molten heat. A burning giant loomed over the field, radiating an aura of pure destruction.
[Lava Golem, ATK 3000]
The giant turned its head and gave Alister that same silly, simple-minded grin. It was as if it were saying, What a coincidence, buddy. We meet again.
Alister: "..."
For some reason, he suddenly felt a strong urge to punch someone.
"Next, I activate the Continuous Trap, Remove Brainwashing!" Yue Xuan declared. "As long as this card remains on the field, control of all monsters returns to their original owners. Therefore, Lava Golem returns to its original owner... to my side of the field!"
The Lava Golem picked itself up and strolled back to Yue Xuan's side with an arrogant swagger. Before it left Alister's field, it even seemed to give a polite bow.
It was likely saying, "Thanks for the meal."
Alister: "..."
After a long silence, Alister finally muttered, "Yeah, I see it now. This thing really is your soul..."
The combo of Lava Golem and Remove Brainwashing allowed Yue Xuan to clear the opponent's board and then immediately bring the powerhouse monster back to his side. He even had a dedicated support combo for it.
"On the turn Lava Golem is Special Summoned, I cannot Normal Summon any other monsters," Yue Xuan noted. "So, Lava Golem, direct attack!"
Lava Golem roared as it unleashed a "Yue Xuan Flame," a finishing blow aimed straight for Alister.
"Not so fast," Alister said in a low voice. "I activate my face-down card! The Trap Card, Dimensional Prison! The attacking monster is removed from play!"
Only after the big, silly giant was sucked into a dimensional rift did Alister's heart rate begin to settle. He took a deep breath, reflecting on the fact that he had sounded a bit too agitated just now. But then again, it was hard for anyone to maintain their composure when facing a deck like this.
"I set one card and end my turn," Yue Xuan concluded.
"My turn, I draw!" Alister shouted. "I activate the Spell Card, Card of Burying Incantation! By banishing Sky Union, Toy Robot Box, and Junk Dealer from my graveyard, I draw two cards!"
After replenishing his hand, Alister continued, "Next is the Spell, Hidden Armory! By sending the top card of my deck to the graveyard, I can add one Equip Spell from my deck or graveyard to my hand."
He milled a card, and then a card ejected from his graveyard slot.
"I return the Equip Spell, Premature Burial, to my hand! And I activate it immediately! I pay 800 Life Points to Special Summon a monster from my graveyard in Attack Position!"
[Alister, LP 2400 → LP 1600]
He pulled the card from the graveyard and held it high.
"Descend once more, Sky Fortress Ziggurat!!!"
A massive steel shadow blotted out the sun as the Sky Fortress, which had just been melted by lava, soared into the sky once again.
[Sky Fortress Ziggurat, ATK 2500]
Yue Xuan raised an eyebrow. "You brought it back that quickly, huh..."
"Sky Fortress, direct attack!" Alister bellowed. "The Fortress is unaffected by any Trap effects! It's over!"
"Not quite," Yue Xuan smiled. "Quick-Play Spell, Command Silencer. It negates an opponent's attack and allows me to draw one card."
A wave of sonic energy rippled out, washing over the massive fortress. The cannons that the Fortress had just leveled suddenly sagged, seemingly jammed by the sound waves.
"Another one of Kaiba's cards..."
Alister frowned, shooting a disgruntled glance at Kaiba, who was standing nearby.
Mokuba, however, looked delighted. "Yue Xuan has already mastered our cards, hasn't he?"
"I set two more cards and end my turn," Alister said crossly. "And during the End Phase, the Fortress's effect activates. Special Summon, Robot Token!"
[Robot Token, DEF 0]
"Then it's my turn. Draw!"
Yue Xuan drew his card. He paused for a moment, looking up at the gargantuan Sky Fortress floating above.
"Ziggurat truly is an incredible monster. As a show of gratitude for letting me see a monster of this level, Alister, I suppose I should show you some of my real strength..."
Alister braced himself. Does this mean he's finally revealing his real trump card?
"I activate the Spell Card, Super Soldier Synthesis," Yue Xuan announced. "By sending one Light and one Dark attribute monster from my hand and deck to the graveyard whose total Levels equal eight, I Ritual Summon a Black Luster Soldier monster!"
"I thought so." Alister narrowed his eyes. "My intel suggested that you worked with the KaibaCorp team to develop the ultimate form of Black Luster Soldier, one that possesses both the powers of Beginning and Twilight. It would be a headache if you managed to bring that thing out..."
His expression sharpened into a smirk.
"But do you really think it'll be that easy? I activate my set cardthe Counter Trap, Dark Bribe! It negates the activation of your Spell or Trap and destroys it, then you draw one card!"
The activation of Super Soldier Synthesis was negated, and the swirling vortex of chaos vanished instantly.
"Ah!" Mokuba cried out in disappointment. "The summon failed!"
"In that case, I activate the effect of this card, which was discarded last turn by Hand Destruction," Yue Xuan continued calmly. "The Ritual Spell, Super Soldier Ritual!"
This was completely outside Alister's field of knowledge. "A Ritual Spell that activates from the graveyard!?"
Selecting materials from the deck? Ritual Summoning a monster from the graveyard? And now Ritual Spells that work from the grave? He wondered just how many "convenience" components the cutting-edge research into Black Luster Soldier had produced.
"Super Soldier Ritual! By banishing this card from the graveyard along with one Light and one Dark attribute monster, I can Special Summon a Black Luster Soldier Ritual Monster from my hand, ignoring its summoning conditions!"
Yue Xuan removed two cards that had ejected from his graveyard.
"I banish the Light Attribute Magical Merchant and the Dark Attribute Jinzo - Returner from my graveyard! One soul guides the light, another soul guides the darkness! The gates of chaos open here"
"Black Luster Soldier, summon!"
The Light and Dark souls spiraled into a vortex, and a flash of sword light cut through the chaos as the legendary warrior descended!
[Black Luster Soldier, ATK 3000]
"I told you, it's not that easy!" Alister roared. "Counter TrapSolemn Judgment!"
Yue Xuan's eyelid twitched. He even brought out the Old Man?
"I pay half my Life Points to negate the activation of a Spell or Trap, or the summon of a monster, and destroy it!"
[Alister, LP 1600 → LP 800]
"I negate the activation of Super Soldier Ritual! Therefore, the summon of Black Luster Soldier is also negated!" Alister smiled triumphantly. "You'd better keep that warrior in your hand where he belongs."
A holy light descended, and the phantom of an elderly deity appeared on the field, solemnly extending a hand as if saying, "Not on my watch."
The image of Black Luster Soldier flickered and vanished before it could even fully materialize on the ground.
"To think you could even block that... impressive," Yue Xuan said with a faint smile. He then reached out and took two more cards that had ejected from his graveyard.
"Then, I shall banish the Light Attribute Angel O7 and the Dark Attribute Jinzo from my graveyard!"
Alister's eyes went wide. "What, again!?"
"The souls of Light and Dark are sacrificed upon the field of chaos! I call forth the legendary warrior once more!"
Yue Xuan raised his arm high.
"Creation of Heaven and Earth! Level 8Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, summon!"
Once more, the souls were offered, and the storm of chaos rose again. A blade of light and shadow sliced through the void as the warrior descended as if from the very edge of the stars!
[Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, ATK 3000]
Bet you didn't expect me to come back in a different outfit, did you?
"Ugh," Alister grunted. "Even that couldn't stop the arrival of Black Luster Soldier..."
However, he quickly added, "But Envoy of the Beginning must choose between attacking twice or banishing one monster. I have the Sky Fortress and a Token as a shield. Not even the Envoy can break through this turn!"
Yue Xuan smiled and revealed a card from his hand.
"Spell Card, Primal Seed. This can only be activated while Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning is on the field. It allows me to add two cards that are currently banished to my hand."
Alister's heart skipped a beat.
The Envoy's exclusive Spell... it recovers banished cards?
Wait...
"I choose these two banished cards." Yue Xuan revealed the cards. "Jinzo... and Lava Golem! Return to my hand!"
Alister's face instantly became a mask of agony.
Aaargh! I knew it!
It's that bastard again!
He immediately realized what was about to happen. But even knowing it, what could he do? There was nothing left in his hand or on his field to stop it. He felt like a puppet watching his own strings being pulled, helplessly swept away by the torrent of this duel into a deep abyss of despair.
"I haven't performed a Normal Summon this turn," Yue Xuan said with a polite smile. "Therefore, I tribute Alister's soul, Sky Fortress Ziggurat, and his Robot Token as sacrifices to Special Summon this powerful monster to your field! Rise once more from the abyss, power of destruction and rebirthLevel 8, Lava Golem!"
The "invincible" Sky Fortress, with its shield token and its immunity to all Spell and Trap effects, was as helpless as a lamb before the absolute authority of the Lava Golem.
It was a clean sweep. For the third time, the Lava Golem appeared on Alister's field, offering him that same stupid, vacant smile.
Hello. Goodbye.
Having eaten its fill and said its greetings, the Lava Golem turned around and strolled right back to Yue Xuan's side of the field.
[Lava Golem, ATK 3000]
"Of course, the Continuous Trap, Remove Brainwashing, is still active," Yue Xuan explained. "So as soon as the summon is successful, control of Lava Golem returns to the original ownerme."
Alister: "..."
"Now, Lava Golem," Yue Xuan said politely, "direct attack on Alister."
The giant roared.
"Yue Xuan Flame!"
In the final moments before he was consumed by the golem's blazing fire, Alister looked up at the sky, a look of profound doubt in his eyes.
He had told Yue Xuan earlier not to worrythat this was just a friendly match and not a Shadow Duel, so there was no need to feel pressured.
But now, he was starting to doubt himself.
Is this really not a Shadow Duel?
Then why does playing this game feel so incredibly painful?
[Alister, LP 800 → LP 0]
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