Chapter 96. Borreload Savage Dragon and Borreload Dragon! Double-Link Pyro Phoenix Triggers the "K-Language"!
All the Duel Worlds looked at the Salamangreat player with sympathy.
The first time he tried to blow up a card, he didn't know any better, and the opponent read him like a book and used it to fuel an explosive combo.
The second activation?
Terrible luck.
He ended up helping the opponent fetch yet another Mirror Force.
The third time, he genuinely aimed to destroy Mirror Force Launcher.
He gambled that the opponent wasn't actually on three Mirror Force.
But who could have expected it?
The opponent really did pack three Mirror Force in the Deck.
He pulled all three to the back row in one go.
That play cranked his sense of safety to the max.
Salamangreat player: "All right, fine.
Then I'll keep using Accesscode's effect."
Salamangreat player: "I banish with Accesscode to destroy your left set back row!"
"One of your Mirror Forces is gone."
"Okay, turn end."
Stunned.
What was that?
Banish Accesscode as the cost?
Duelists across the worlds were totally baffled.
He destroyed the Transcode Talker he'd worked so hard to Link Summon?
Was he crazy?
Did he misclick?
Or did seeing three Mirror Forces break his brain?
He actually blew up his own Transcode.
That's an ace card.
In the group chat, discussion exploded instantly.
Joey Wheeler: "He's nuts, I'm tellin' ya!
Banishin' his own Accesscode Talker?
Even I can't wrap my head around that!"
Professor Chronos: "Mamma mia!
I don't get why he paid with Accesscode!
Misplay?
Miss-click?"
Yusei Fudo: "Strange.
Judging from their turns, I'm sure they're not the kind of duelists who make mistakes.
So why this?"
Leader Zuo: "Hahaha!
You just don't know enough about Rokket/Borrel.
Look at my Link-2, Striker Dragon!"
While everyone was confused by the 'mystery play,' Leader Zuo knew exactly why he did it.
Striker Dragon can destroy a monster you control and then, based on that monster's Link Rating, recover a "Rokket" from the Graveyard.
If you leave a Link-4 Accesscode Talker on the field and it gets popped, your opponent's follow-up resources can skyrocket.
Hearing that, the old-guard duelists all drew a sharp breath.
So this is the gap between them and high-tier duelists.
You think they misplayed.
They've already thought three moves ahead.
That's duel thinking.
Move one, see three.
In the short video, the turn passed to the Rokket–Borrel player.
Rokket–Borrel player: "My turn—draw."
Rokket–Borrel player: "I activate Destiny HERO – Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer, destroying itself and your Will of the Salamangreat."
Salamangreat player: "I chain Salamangreat Circle to add Salamangreat Meer from the Deck."
Salamangreat player: "Meer reveals itself and Special Summons in Defense."
Rokket–Borrel player: "Then I activate the Field Spell Boot Sector Launch."
Rokket–Borrel player: "I revive Magnarokket Dragon from the Graveyard."
"With a Rokket on the field, I Special Summon Absorouter Dragon from my hand."
"I use Magnarokket alone to Link Summon Striker Dragon and search a second Boot Sector Launch."
"Striker Dragon and Absorouter Dragon—Link Summon Dragunity Knight – Romulus."
"Romulus on Summon adds Dragon Ravine."
"Absorouter's GY effect adds Rokket Synchron."
"I activate Destiny HERO – Denier in the GY to Special Summon itself."
"Denier's effect returns Destiny HERO – Malicious to the Deck."
"I activate Mirror Force Launcher."
"I discard Malicious to return Mirror Force from the GY to my hand."
"I banish Malicious to Special Summon another Malicious from the Deck."
"Romulus, Malicious, and Denier—Link!"
"Light the path before me—future circuit!
Link-4!"
"Arrows confirmed!"
"Borreload Dragon!"
"Next, I Special Summon Rokket Synchron."
"I use it to revive Absorouter from the GY."
"Seven plus one makes Level 8."
"Valiant dragon—become a bullet and Synchro!"
"Borreload Savage Dragon!"
"Borreload Savage Dragon equips Dragunity Knight – Romulus from the GY."
"It gains two counters."
"I send Boot Sector Launch from the field to the GY."
"I activate Dragon Ravine."
"Ravine's effect—discard the Mirror Force I recovered."
"I send Rokket Tracer from the Deck to the GY."
"Hahaha.
How about it?
Feeling the pressure?"
Whether the Salamangreat player felt pressured or not was unknown.
But the six Duel Worlds, seeing that terrifying explosion of plays, suddenly felt the pressure piling up.
They weren't even the ones dueling that monster of a Deck.
Yet an invisible weight pressed down so hard they could barely breathe.
Duel Monsters World.
"This Special Summon fiesta doesn't lose to Salamangreat or Code Talker at all."
"Wait—are Link World duelists' Decks all this ridiculous?"
Seto Kaiba swallowed and stared at the duel feed.
If he didn't know the Link World duelists, that would be one thing.
But he'd actually spoken to Leader Zuo face-to-face.
Watching Leader Zuo's Deck explode onto the field, then comparing it to Blue-Eyes White Dragon, left a sour taste in Kaiba's mouth.
Mokuba Kaiba: "Big bro, there's no helping it.
This is the new era of Decks."
"Our Decks are starting to fall behind."
The times have changed… again.
Rokket–Borrel player: "All right, Battle Phase."
Rokket–Borrel player: "I attack with Borreload Dragon and use its effect to move your Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess to your side."
"Then I use your Apollousa to attack your Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf."
"By Borreload Dragon's effect, your Sunlight Wolf loses 500 ATK."
"Battle connects—take 3000 Life Points."
"I use Borreload Savage Dragon to destroy your Salamangreat Meer."
"Turn end.
Come on."
"Can you break my field?"
A Quick-Effect ATK-reducing Borreload Dragon.
An Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess stolen mid-battle.
Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer reviving on his turn to blow something up again.
A negate-stacking Borreload Savage Dragon.
And two set Mirror Force in the back row—declare an attack and your field shatters.
How do you break this?
Numb.
Absolutely numb.
The Salamangreat player stared at the field before him, on the verge of collapse.
Salamangreat player: "My turn—draw."
Rokket–Borrel player: "At this moment, Phoenix Enforcer returns from the GY."
Salamangreat player: "Anyone else would have scooped by now."
"But I'm not anyone else."
"I activate Salamangreat Mole in my GY."
"Banish the Mole to return five 'Salamangreat' cards from my GY to the Deck."
"Then I draw two cards."
Rokket–Borrel player: "Mudada, mudada, mudada!"
"Borreload Savage Dragon activates—negate your Mole."
Salamangreat player: "Then I Special Summon Salamangreat Bison from my hand."
Rokket–Borrel player: "Mudada, mudada, mudada!"
"Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer activates—I destroy Mirror Force Launcher and your Bison."
Two interrupts, back-to-back.
Perhaps because the Rokket–Borrel player felt the win was in the bag, he used them early to choke the line, not to stop a later ace.
And that just so happened to open a window.
Salamangreat player: "At this timing, Salamangreat Gazelle meets its condition.
I Special Summon it and send Salamangreat Jack Jaguar to the GY."
"I Normal Summon Salamangreat Foxy."
"I Link Foxy and Gazelle to Summon Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf."
"I activate Jack Jaguar to return Salamangreat Lynx to the Deck and Special Summon Jack Jaguar."
"Then Sunlight Wolf adds Gazelle back from the GY."
"Sunlight Wolf and Jack Jaguar—Link Summon a second Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf."
"Sunlight Wolf returns Salamangreat Circle to my hand."
"I activate Salamangreat Circle to add a second Salamangreat Mole."
"I Special Summon Mole to the zone Sunlight Wolf points to."
"I activate Foxy in the GY, discard Gazelle to Special Summon it."
"Foxy destroys your face-up Dragunity Knight – Romulus equip."
"I use Sunlight Wolf, Foxy, and Mole for a Reincarnation Link."
"Burn bright—spirit of flame!"
"Link Summon the Link-4 Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix!"
"Pyro Phoenix effect—Special Summon your Romulus from your GY to your field."
"Then its third effect triggers—you take 1200 damage."
Right now, the VRAINS chat exploded with hype.
Backed into a corner, Salamangreat got interrupted twice and still managed to recover resources and loop advantage.
He clawed his way into a Link-4 Pyro Phoenix on the field.
It's still a phoenix either way.
Even if it isn't as oppressive as Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer, this counterattack shocked quite a few duelists.
"Nice—nice!
That's how you play it!"
"This is Salamangreat!"
"Don't you dare lose!
Don't lose to Rokket/Borrel!"
"Salamangreat is unbeatable!"
Soulburner practically burned with excitement.
He felt like flames were rising off his body.
At the same time, he was even more impressed by the high-tier duelist's thought process.
If it were him, he wasn't sure he could mount such a counteroffensive here.
Leader Zuo: "Heh.
Just a clown clinging to life."
"Can't you see it?"
"A single Pyro Phoenix isn't breaking through Rokket/Borrel's twin aces."
"It's a flash in the pan."
Leader Zuo knew exactly how strong Rokket/Borrel was.
With the field already built like this, how could Salamangreat truly overturn it?
His words cooled the heated duelists who'd just watched Salamangreat's flurry.
Indeed.
As is, it still can't break through.
But very soon, everyone was stunned again.
Salamangreat player: "Don't forget, I still haven't used Salamangreat Sanctuary."
"I Reincarnation Link Pyro Phoenix by using Pyro Phoenix as material."
"I activate Pyro Phoenix."
"This effect activates only when it's Link Summoned using Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix as material.
Destroy all cards your opponent controls."
"Come—burn it all!"
Question marks.
Everywhere.
All six Duel Worlds—and even the Rokket–Borrel player basking in his advantage—were staring with question marks all over their faces.
What?
Pyro Phoenix can do that too?
Link it out, then, with Sanctuary, Reincarnation Link it again—and it blows up every single card the opponent controls?
Wait.
The Rokket–Borrel player's field is empty now?
All that hard-earned advantage… gone?
Duel Monsters World.
Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler took a deep breath.
Both were in disbelief.
GX World.
Jaden Yuki's eyes stayed glued to the blazing flames for a long time.
He never would've thought it possible.
The Rokket–Borrel player, who had such a massive advantage, just got wiped.
5D's World.
Yusei Fudo, Crow Hogan, and Bruno stared at each other with wide, stunned eyes.
They couldn't believe what they were seeing either.
So now the advantage is swinging back?
In the short video, the Rokket–Borrel player suddenly realized something, and his face changed instantly.
Rokket–Borrel player: "Impossible."
"The Apollousa made with I:P Masquerena got destroyed?"
"No.
Didn't that card say it can't be destroyed by your opponent's card effects?
What about I:P's protection?
Why didn't it save it?"
The next second, the Salamangreat player smiled playfully.
Salamangreat player: "Knew you'd ask.
Put simply, an Apollousa made with I:P can't be destroyed by your opponent's effects."
"In that text, 'your opponent' is from Apollousa's controller's perspective at the time."
"In other words—you."
"Not from the perspective of whoever's piloting it after control changes."
"So Apollousa's I:P destruction protection still applies to me."
"You only got control of it.
You didn't get Apollousa's I:P protection."
That explanation alone was enough to overheat everyone's CPUs.
What the heck?
What does that even mean?
Why can't we understand a single word?
Is this some kind of "K-language" nonsense?
Did he talk Apollousa into exploding with text quirks?
Otherwise, they'd said earlier it had destruction protection thanks to I:P.
How could Pyro Phoenix blow it up?
Yugi Muto: "I don't get it.
Why did it blow up?"
Yuma Tsukumo: "I'm numb—I don't get it either.
Any pros wanna explain?"
Yusei Fudo: "Don't rush me.
Let me parse this.
It should be…"
Yuya Sakaki: "You're kidding me!
Across all these Worlds and not one of us gets it?
What's going on?!"
The chat boiled over again.
The more they discussed it, the more tilted the veterans got.
A whole court of experts, yet not a single one could untangle this ruling nuance.
Back in the short video, the Rokket–Borrel player, who actually understood what had happened, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Damn it.
What kind of K-language is that?
You get the monster but not the protection?
These text nuances are ridiculous.
Can we not make the K-language this convoluted?
Now it came back to bite him.
Rokket–Borrel player: "Looks like I need to study the K-language more."
"But unfortunately for you, the path to defeat is still yours."
"I activate Rokket Recharger from my hand."
"When a face-up DARK monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck is destroyed by battle or card effect, I can send this card from my hand or field to the GY, then target one of those destroyed monsters and Special Summon a DARK monster with a different original name from my GY."
"Come.
I choose Borreload Savage Dragon."
"I revive the Link-4 Borreload Dragon from my GY."
"Sorry—but the advantage is still mine."
Draw.
Another clutch piece.
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