"Activate the effect of (Royal Tomb of Necrovalley)! Negate the activation of an Effect Monster, Spell, or Trap Card, and destroy it!"
As Ishizu activated her Set Card, a coffin rose from her back row, activating what could be called a [Gravekeeper] version of (Divine Judgment) that requires no discard cost. The lance thrown by (Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia) abruptly halted its advance.
Hayato faintly saw a white-bearded old man rise from the coffin in Ishizu's back row, waving his hand towards him and saying, "You mustn't."
"Nani, it's the invincible 'You mustn't'! Not only does it negate (Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia)'s effect, but it also destroys it? It even tries to break my spirit? How terrifying!" Hayato feigned a scared expression, then immediately revealed a confident smile. "Just kidding, your counterattack was completely within my expectations, Ishizu!"
"I activate my Set Card, the invincible (Red Reboot)!"
The (Royal Tomb of Necrovalley) that Ishizu activated was quite similar in effect to the (Toon Narrator) that Pegasus once used. Both require specific special cards to be present – (Necrovalley) and (Toon World) – as well as specific [Archetype] Monsters – [Gravekeeper] and [Toon] – to be activated. Both are also Counter Traps that can counter all types of effects.
However, as a certain great spellcaster who owned an antique shop once said, only magic can defeat magic, and only Counter Traps can defeat Counter Traps. The card Hayato just activated is precisely the invincible (Red Reboot)!
"When your opponent activates a Trap Card, I can activate (Red Reboot). It negates the activated Trap Card's effect and sets it face-down again. Then, you can Set one Trap Card from your Deck in your Spell & Trap Zone."
Ishizu raised an eyebrow upon hearing Hayato explain (Red Reboot)'s effect. "You want me to Set a card from my Deck? Then I assume (Red Reboot) has a further effect, doesn't it?"
As she spoke, she searched a card from her Deck and Set it. The (Royal Tomb of Necrovalley) that had been flipped open was Set back into Ishizu's back row. The coffin that had risen from the ground sank back down, and was then shattered along with the surrounding ground by the lance thrown by (Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia).
Hayato nodded. "Yes, (Red Reboot)'s final effect is that after this card's activation, until the End Phase of this turn, you cannot activate Trap Cards. Originally, I actually wanted to use (Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia)'s effect to destroy that troublesome (Necrovalley), but your Set Card in the back row gave me a bad feeling. Luckily, I trusted my duelist's intuition."
(Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight) on the field couldn't help but turn his head upon hearing Hayato's words. "But, didn't I just remind you—"
"Stare—"
Under Hayato's death stare, (Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight) obediently shut his mouth. He wasn't as oblivious as the three [Ojama] brothers.
"But Hayato-kun, even though you destroyed and sealed my Set card in the back row, as a cost, (Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia)'s Attack Points have been reduced to 0, haven't they?" Ishizu looked at Hayato's field, at (Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia) riding a dragon in the air, yet with nothing in its hand.
Having activated two effects consecutively, with its Attack Points reduced to 0, it could be said that it had no battle power whatsoever; even calling it a "mere ornament" would be an exaggeration.
However, Hayato smiled and said, "Although its Attack Points have been reduced to 0, that doesn't mean (Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia) is without value. I should remind you that (Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia) is a Dragon-Type Monster, and my other monster on the field is (Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight)."
"I activate the Spell Card (Polymerization), sending (Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia) and (Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight) from my field to the Graveyard as Fusion Material. The materials are a [Dark Knight - Gaia] monster plus a Dragon-Type monster! Come forth, (Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion)!"
As the fusion vortex appeared on Hayato's field, the (Curse of Dragon) mounted by (Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia) was drawn into it, reverting to its original form, (Curse of Dragonfire).
Meanwhile, (Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight) on the ground discarded its mount, and linked outstretched fingers with (Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia) descending from the air, just like Kakarot and Vegeta, shouting, "HenShin!"
After a burst of light, what appeared on Hayato's field was the unified (Gaia) riding (Curse of Dragonfire)—(Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion)!
(Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion) [ATK2600]
"Using (Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion)'s effect, when it is Special Summoned successfully, I add one (Spiral Spear Strike) from my Deck to my Hand, then I activate it immediately."
On the tip of (Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion)'s lance, air currents rapidly spun, kicking up sand and stones from the valley, forming visible helical patterns.
"Enter Battle Phase! I use (Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion) to attack your (Gravekeeper's Spiritualist) in Defense Position on the field!" Hayato commanded. "(Spiral Spear Strike)'s effect allows (Dragon Knight - Gaia) to inflict Piercing Battle Damage when attacking a Defense Position monster, and while (Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion) is on the field, it can be treated as (Dragon Knight - Gaia)."
"And then, my Set Card from last turn, (Vanity's Giant Shadow), targets (Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion), increasing its ATK by 1000 until the end of the Battle Phase!"
(Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion) [ATK2600→3600]
(Gravekeeper's Spiritualist) [DEF2000]
"Here we go, (Gaia)! Lesson 5 was for this—Perfect Golden Cavalry Spin!"
Following Hayato's command, (Curse of Dragonfire) in the air began to rotate its body in coordination with the (Gaia) riding it. The spiral power passed from (Curse of Dragonfire) to (Gaia), and the spinning power on (Gaia)'s body, as he leaped from (Curse of Dragonfire), perfectly transferred to the lance in his hand!
"Oorah!"
With a roar, (Vanity's Giant Shadow) materialized behind (Gaia), crashing into (Gravekeeper's Spiritualist) along with the lance in his hand. Under the full-force strike, (Gravekeeper's Spiritualist), despite raising a magical barrier, was ripped apart by the adorable (Vanity's Giant Shadow) that let out a "chumimi" sound. The long lance pierced through (Gravekeeper's Spiritualist).
[Ishizu: 3400→1800 LP]
(Ignoring author's notes, this is the 300th chapter of this book. Based on my previous average of three chapters a day, with occasional extra chapters, I've already been writing for nearly 100 days!)
(end of chapter)
Also, you can join my Discord here or can copy it from my profile.
Discord: https://discord.gg/XXJY4zU7sF