Touya, are those '3456' things also cards from the Mathmech archetype that haven't been released yet?
Tian Nan frowned in confusion. After thinking a bit but coming up empty, he simply asked Touya directly.
Why not ask Tian Yingye?
Very simple — he knew Yingye's entire deck by heart. Her understanding of the game couldn't compare to Touya's, so he went straight to the source.
"No. Among the '3–4', those two aren't rare. And as for '5–6'… I think you've definitely seen them before," Touya replied casually.
"Wait—those are two Mathmech monsters?"
Tian Nan's mental CPU nearly ignited.
Wasn't "3456" supposed to be one big Mathmech boss monster?
How did this suddenly turn into "3 is something else," "4 is something else," "five and six you've seen before"…?
He had never heard of any of this!
"You're misunderstanding."
Seeing Tian Nan's completely derailed conclusion, Touya sighed and explained:
"3456 refers to four Cyberse monsters of Link Rating 3, 4, 5, and 6."
"Link-3 is Decode Talker Heatsoul;
Link-4 is Firewall Dragon.
Link-5 is Firewall Dragon Darkfluid – Neo Tempest;
Link-6 is Firewall Dragon Singularity."
Tian Nan: "…???"
Tian Yingye: "What???"
Mathmech?
What did any of that have to do with Mathmech?!
Aside from all being Cyberse monsters, there wasn't even a microscopic relationship!
"…Hold on. So your whole plan revolves around Link Summoning?"
After freezing for a few seconds, Tian Nan finally located the key.
Not one of the monsters Touya listed was Xyz, Synchro, or Fusion.
All of them were Link monsters.
Touya nodded.
Then he glanced at Tian Yingye.
"Mathmechs only have two self-restrictions:Circular allows only one monster to attack during the Battle Phase,Most Mathmechs restrict special summons to Cyberse monsters only, correct?""Yes…"
Yingye finally understood.
All the monsters Touya mentioned were Cyberse.
Meaning — none of the Mathmech self-locks would interfere with his plan at all.
If there were no restrictions… then Touya's entire "3456" sequence…
Really, it was feasible.
As for the power level?
Forget Link-3.
A chain of Link-4, 5, and 6 — all being boss monsters — was terrifying.
Even if someone knew ahead of time what he planned to summon, anything below Heavenly Rank would be helpless.
Even Heavenly Rank duelists would need to stand on the King's Path level to deal with it.
In short—
Touya was a rising star capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them.
"All makes sense now… so you're discarding the archetype boss and running pure Link strategies!"
Tian Nan stared at Touya with admiration.
Not summoning your own archetype's flagship boss, but instead using other Cyberse bosses?
How many duelists in the world would ever think of that?
And with an information gap, a full 3456 chain would absolutely crush opponents.
Even if the opponent knew ahead of time?
Below Heavenly Rank — instant annihilation.
Even Heavenly-level duelists had to take it seriously.
"Alright, it's my turn now. The timer is flashing at me."
Touya smiled as both of them finished processing the idea and drew his card.
"Please, senior," Tian Yingye said respectfully.
"I Normal Summon Naturia Mole Cricket. I tribute it for its effect—since your monster has the highest ATK on the field, I can Special Summon two Level 4 or lower Naturia monsters from my Deck."
The moment Touya spoke, Yingye's expression hardened.
Yesterday, Tian Nan had already briefed her on Touya's decks.
Among them, Naturia was Touya's second-most troublesome engine.
Especially Mole Cricket —
One card turning into two negates was absurd.
Worse — she knew Touya intended to trade this for her Superfactorial.
She didn't want to activate it early, but…
She had no choice.
If she tried to destroy Mole Cricket first, the Naturia engine would immediately revive through Sunflower + Camellia combos anyway.
Even if she timed it perfectly, the Naturia engine would always recover.
Which meant the best she could do…
was taking the trade.
"I chain my Trap — Mathmech Superfactorial!
I target Circular, Diameter, and Sigma in my GY!
Negate their effects, Special Summon them, and use them as materials for an Xyz Summon!"
Chain resolves:
C2 Superfactorial: Circular, Diameter, Sigma Special Summoned → Xyz Summon Primathmech Laplacian.
C1 Mole Cricket: Special Summon Naturia Camellia and Naturia Sunflower.
Touya continued:
"Camellia's on-summon effect sends a Naturia card from deck to GY;
Chain 2 — Mole Cricket revives itself because you Special Summoned it from the Extra Deck."
"I chain Laplacian! I detach two materials!
Send one monster you control to the GY and randomly discard one card!"
"I chain Sunflower to negate Laplacian!" Touya followed.
"I chain the effect Diameter granted to Laplacian —
one Spell/Trap/Monster effect activation negation!"
Yingye responded immediately.
"I chain Sunflower again! Tribute Camellia — negate Laplacian and destroy it!"
The chain resolves:
✔ Sunflower's negation succeeds
✘ Laplacian's negation is negated
✔ Laplacian's effect is negated AND destroyed
✔ Mole Cricket revives
✔ Camellia sends Sacred Tree
✔ Sacred Tree searches Blessing
"Wait—why was my Laplacian destroyed twice?
Shouldn't the first material detachment count as replacement?"
Yingye was confused.
Tian Nan frowned as well.
Touya sighed.
"That's because Laplacian's replacement effect says:
If a Mathmech card is destroyed, you may detach a material instead.
Pay attention to the words would be."
Yingye blinked.
Tian Nan suddenly understood:
"He detached one to block the first destruction—but he had no material left to block the second destruction. So it died."
"Exactly," Touya nodded.
Yingye wanted to cry.
Her plan assumed Laplacian would survive with one material… but because she misread the timing, she accidentally detached two and lost them.
"…Wait!" She suddenly realized something.
"If I had detached one material instead of two—
You wouldn't have chained Sunflower, right!?"
Touya nodded.
"Correct.
If you'd detached only one material, I would have let Laplacian resolve.
You would've sent one monster and discarded one card."
Meaning—
Her impulsive decision actually saved her from an instant loss.
Yingye: "…"
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But Touya chuckled.
"Don't relax yet. I haven't finished my chain."
He continued:
"Sacred Tree searches Blessing.
Then I activate my Continuous Spell — The Sacred Spirit Vessel."
"I chain my Trap — Mathmech Induction!
Since I control a Mathmech monster, I can send this face-up card to the GY to destroy one card you control.
I target your Spirit Vessel!"
She used it without hesitation.
The Horus engine revolved entirely around the Vessel.
Destroying it meant Touya's entire Horus line would collapse.
Chain resolves —
Induction destroys the Sacred Spirit Vessel.
Touya only snickered.
"Smart… but not smart enough."
He raised a card from his hand.
"I activate the effect of Horus the Black Flame Scion – Imsety!
I discard Doomdragon Thymare from hand, search another Spirit Vessel, then draw 1."
Yingye's face froze.
She already knew—
She was dead.
Touya would revive Naturia monsters, make Verte Anaconda, summon Dragoon, pop Final Sigma, and then attack for the game.
But at that moment, Touya suddenly spoke again—
"Final Sigma."
He looked directly at the towering Mathmech boss.
"If I defeat you head-on,
—with your Equip Spell active,
—with all your GY effects included—
Will you allow me to inherit the Mathmech archetype?"
Yingye: "???"
She couldn't believe her ears.
They weren't even finished dueling yet, and Touya was already negotiating with her ace monster?!
Tian Nan's eyes flickered…
And then he smiled.
It made perfect sense.
If Touya's "3456" truly was as strong as he claimed…
Then Mathmech would become a devastating weapon in his hands.
And as someone long stuck using the same archetype, Tian Nan had every reason to want a new blade.
Final Sigma's mechanical eyes glowed.
"Very well.
If you defeat me head-on,
I will grant you Mathmech."
After all—
In a world ruled by dueling, the only thing that mattered was strength.
Touya nodded.
"Then allow me to demonstrate."
Touya began assembling the kill:
He revived Camellia, revived Doomdragon, re-established Spirit Vessel, summoned Qebehsenuef, used them as material—
"Synchro Summon—Level 11—Psychic End Punisher!"
A towering green humanoid-dragon wrapped in gold-white armor manifested.
The temperature of the entire duel room dropped sharply.
Not from the system—
But from the monster itself.
Psychic End Punisher.
ATK/DEF: 3500/3500.
Even Final Sigma's eyes widened.
A monster whose presence warped the battlefield…?
Only duelists with overwhelming trust from their spirits could make such things happen.
Touya continued his plays—
Link summoning Verte Anaconda, generating more Horus monsters, loading his graveyard—
until his field was full.
Final Sigma spoke first:
"Duelist. You're strong. But without negates… You cannot defeat me."
"You know my Equip Spell loads Multiplication, raising my attack to 7000.
Your strongest monster is only half of that."
Touya smirked.
"Who said I need negates?"
He pointed at Psychic End Punisher.
"When I summoned him—
He already had the power to take you down with him."
Final Sigma froze.
Touya continued:
And look at my LP.
Touya LP: 1000
Yingye LP: 8000
In battle, Psychic End Punisher gains ATK equal to the LP difference.
Which means—
He gains 7000 ATK.
Psychic End Punisher ATK: 3500 → 10500.
A suffocating psychic force exploded from the monster.
The duel room dropped to near freezing.
Yingye trembled.
"He… he cut his own LP just to maximize Punisher's ATK…?!"
Final Sigma was silent.
He understood clearly.
Touya had beaten him…
using the most direct, most masculine method possible—
pure combat.
I yield, Final Sigma declared.
Touya, the machine warrior said,
When this duel ends, come to me.
What I promised — I will honor.
Dragoon attacked next—
And the duel ended instantly.
Afterward, Yingye sighed.
"Senior… I never thought my Final Sigma would ever lose like that. This is the first time he's ever been beaten through battle destruction."
Touya waved casually.
"Don't think too much. Even a five-material Accesscode Talker can be beaten. Battle destruction is only one method."
"Five-material… Accesscode…?"
Yingye was confused.
Tian Nan coughed.
He refused to admit he'd been soloed by a five-material Accesscode and had literally paid hush money to keep it quiet.
Touya looked back at him.
"You want Mathmech too?"
Tian Nan didn't hide it.
"Of course. If the archetype is as strong as you say, why wouldn't I?"
Touya grinned.
Just so you know—the full deck name is actually Cyberse Goodstuff.
Mainly Code Talkers and Mathmechs.
Plus some Cyberse tech cards.
Tian Nan: ???
Yingye: WHAT??
Not just Mathmech??But Code Talker + Mathmech + Cyberse toolbox?!