[Assassin, LP: 4000 → 2000]
"Final Countdown!?"
"No way, it's that card!"
Many students panicked at the sight of it.
Celina recognized it as well. The moment she saw the card, her trust in Amaki Hikaru instantly turned to worry.
That card was far too dangerous.
"Pay 2000 Life Points to activate," the assassin grinned, explaining the well-known effect. "After 20 turns from this card's activation, I win the Duel!"
As he shouted, a massive, dark grin appeared in the sky above the tracks. Twenty colorless flames slowly ignited in the air.
Twenty turns.
Under normal circumstances, a Duel wouldn't even last that long.
Even so…
That was under "normal circumstances."
Anyone with basic knowledge of the card knew… Decks that used this card were not easily defeated within twenty turns.
"Next, I set one monster and one card. End my turn."
"Ugh, called it!"
"So cheap! Activating a card like that on the first turn before anyone can react!"
"Seriously!"
The assassin couldn't care less.
He wasn't after pride. He wanted Amaki Hikaru dead.
"At this very moment, the countdown begins!"
"Turn One!"
Boom
One black flame turned crimson.
Nineteen turns left.
"My turn. Draw." Hikaru was unfazed and immediately drew.
He glanced at his hand.
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Scatter Fusion."
"Ha, Fusion, huh..." The assassin seemed uninterested.
"This card can only be activated if my opponent controls a monster," Hikaru declared, picking from his Extra Deck. "Send the Fusion Materials listed on a non-Rock-Type 'Gem-Knight' Fusion Monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, and Fusion Summon that monster from the Extra Deck."
"If this card leaves the field, destroy that monster. After this effect resolves, until the end of the turn, I can't Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck, except 'Gem-Knight' monsters."
Hikaru scanned his Deck. "I send Gem-Knight Garnet and Gem-Knight Crystal from my Deck to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon, Valiant Red Knight, Gem-Knight Ruby!"
A knight in gleaming red armor, distinct from Crystal, appeared on Hikaru's field.
[Gem-Knight Ruby] Level 6│EARTH│Pyro│2500 ATK
"Ah! It's Ruby!" Celina clapped. "Right! Since Final Countdown costs 2000 LP to activate, that leaves him with only 2000 LP. If Ruby pierces through a set monster with DEF below 500, it's game over in one shot!"
"Piercing damage?"
"That's Hikaru for you, always thinking ahead."
Ruby swung its scythe and cleaved through the set monster. It turned out to be a huge blue-furred rat.
"Squeeee!!!"
"Giant Rat! DEF: 1450!"
"Nice! That deals 1050 damage!"
[Assassin, LP: 2000 → 950]
"When Giant Rat is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a monster with 1500 or less ATK from my Deck. I Special Summon another Giant Rat."
A second blue rat appeared.
[Giant Rat] Level 4❘EARTH❘Beast❘1400 ATK
That was... pretty old-school.
Several students looked confused.
If that was his plan, surviving 20 turns seemed ridiculous.
"I set one card. End my turn."
Another flame in the sky ignited.
"Heh heh heh, Amaki Hikaru, you're probably thinking it's impossible to last 20 turns at this rate, right?"
The assassin drew a card, sneering at it.
Truthfully, not just the students, but even he said it aloud.
Paying 2000 LP on Turn One, then going passive... and hoping to survive 20 turns?
How could that possibly work?
Still…
He was confident.
"My turn! Now I'll show you the source of that confidence. Think you can beat me with piercing damage? A thousand or so points won't cut it!
"I activate the Trap Card:
"Tri-and-Guess!"
'Huh?'
Hikaru blinked in surprise.
The card art showed three Gaia knights facing off.
"Tri-and-Guess? I've never heard of that card."
"Same here..."
Students exchanged confused glances.
Indeed, none of them had ever seen or even heard of this card.
"Tri-and-Guess's effect: Declare a monster card type from the Extra Deck to activate. Both players reveal their Extra Decks. The player with more cards of the declared type gains 3000 Life Points."
"Oh, right. Hikaru-senpai just used a Fusion Monster, so he probably has fewer."
"Not necessarily. Few people pack their Extra Decks as full as Hikaru-senpai."
In this world, Extra Deck monsters were quite rare.
"I declare... Xyz Monster!"
"What!?"
"Huh!?"
"Did he say Xyz Monster?!"
Hikaru was surprised, but only slightly. "I have zero Xyz Monsters."
"Heh... I have one." The assassin revealed a black card.
"One?!"
"No way!"
"He has an Xyz Monster just like Kaiser-senpai!?"
"And it's one he can actually use!?"
[Assassin, LP: 950 → 3950]
"Alright, now I don't have to worry about my Life Points," he smirked. "Next, I Normal Summon a third Giant Rat!"
"Then..."
Hikaru noticed a red glow suddenly appearing on his opponent's forehead. A strange symbol materialized on his hand.
"What is that!?"
A student cried out.
They couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it was clear: this assassin was about to unleash some kind of powerful energy no ordinary Spirit could use!
"Oh?" Tierra watched with interest.
"Aaaaaaah!"
The glowing symbol on his hand intensified, growing larger until it engulfed his body.
Hikaru squinted.
'Oh… 85, huh?'
"Overlay two monsters to construct the Overlay Network!!"
The two Giant Rats turned into black orbs. A massive swirling black vortex formed before the assassin.
Boom...boom...
The black spheres crashed into the vortex. After some floating and shifting, a colossal cube slowly rose from it. On the surface was engraved a huge otherworldly number, 85!
As the number glowed red, the cube split open and rotated, revealing a glaring eyeball peering darkly at the world.
"Appear now!
Rank 4
Number 85: Crazy Box!
...
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