"My turn. I draw."
Kira drew a card, glanced at it, then casually switched the monster on his Duel Disk from attack to defense.
"I switch Stone Statue of the Aztecs from attack to defense."
[Stone Statue of the Aztecs, ATK 300 → DEF 2000]
"Next, I set a monster in face-down defense," Kira said. "Then I set one card and end my turn."
Seeing this sequence, Guardian Baou threw his head back and laughed.
"Turtling up already—so you're completely out of options, huh? Well, if you're facing Baou, one of the Duelists of Death, I suppose you really don't have any other choice."
Kira stared at him without expression, letting him laugh.
"Fine," Guardian Baou smirked. "Then I'll help you end this suffering this turn.
My turn. I draw!"
He glanced at the continuous trap in his back row.
"In the Standby Phase, the continuous trap Gravity Gain requires tributing a monster to remain. But we don't need it anymore at this point.
I choose not to pay the cost and let it destroy itself."
With a boom, the Gravity Gain shattered, and the black energy sphere hanging in midair vanished.
"Now the Level 4 attack restriction is gone, but it doesn't matter. I'll end this duel this turn!" Guardian Baou barked. "I summon Gene-Warped Warwolf in attack!"
A genetically modified white werewolf—born for battle, a powerful physique, a vicious visage, and four destruction-laden arms—known as the strongest Level 4 with no side effects.
[Gene-Warped Warwolf, ATK 2000]
"Go. Archfiend Giant, attack Stone Statue of the Aztecs!"
The massive fiend god swung its ponderous arm again, a palm like a falling sky crashing down on the stone statue on Kira's field.
But this was exactly the moment Kira had been waiting for.
"Activate set card," Kira snapped his fingers. "Trap: Wall of Disruption."
The trap triggered; yawning fissures partitioned the field like a sliced cake. Segments of the arena sank with a roar, and an invisible force—like unseen gravity—pressed down on Baou's field.
"Wall of Disruption: when the opponent declares an attack, all attack-position monsters they control lose ATK equal to 800 times the number of monsters they control."
"ATK minus monsters × 800… I have three monsters," Baou frowned. "So Archfiend Giant, Twinheaded Beast, and Gene-Warped Warwolf each lose 2400 ATK?"
His strongest, Archfiend Giant, only had 2400 ATK to begin with; taking this hit, all three of his big monsters would drop to zero at once!
"Correct. And the Stone Statue of the Aztecs you chose to attack has another effect," Kira smiled. "When it's attacked, any battle damage dealt to the opponent that results from that battle is doubled!"
Guardian Baou: "!"
Doubled—doesn't that mean—!?
[Stone Statue of the Aztecs, DEF 2000]
If Wall of Disruption dropped all three of his monsters to 0 ATK, then if any one of them connected and the battle resolved, the damage would reflect for 2000—and then double to 4000.
An OTK on the opponent's turn!
"You little bastard… This was your plan from the start!?" Guardian Baou roared.
In their dimension, under the Supreme King's rule, where power was worshipped above all, this path was nearly unthinkable.
Baou's duel told the story clearly. His continuous trap Gravity Gain oozed disdain for low-level monsters; under it, only high-level monsters deserved to battle.
But now, it seemed his lockdown meant nothing to this man.
Because the bastard never planned to attack from the start!
Winning without ever needing to attack—unimaginable to the natives here. This man didn't plan to attack, didn't plan to summon big monsters, didn't intend to break Baou's lock or destroy his lineup.
He planned to win by a single OTK-grade "bump" and reflect the opponent to death!
Though the audacity shocked Baou, he—
"Counter Trap!" Guardian Baou barked, flipping his back row. "Seven Tools of the Bandit!
When a Trap Card is activated, pay 1000 LP; negate its activation and destroy it!"
[Guardian Baou, LP 3000 → LP 2000]
"By paying 1000 LP, I negate and destroy Wall of Disruption!"
The trap shattered; the crisscrossing cracks in the ground sealed, and the arena returned to normal. Archfiend Giant strode forward; the attack continued.
Counter Traps cannot be chained to by other cards; Archfiend Giant's palm connected, smashing Stone Statue of the Aztecs to dust.
"What a devious outlander. Is this how you duel in your world—by cheating and trickery?" Guardian Baou wiped cold sweat inwardly. "That was close. If not for Seven Tools, I'd have fallen for it."
But now he was cautious of Kira.
This kid is poison. End it quickly before anything else goes wrong.
"This time it really ends!" Guardian Baou shouted. "Next, Gene-Warped Warwolf, attack the face-down monster!"
[Gene-Warped Warwolf, ATK 2000]
Once he cleared the set monster, he'd still have Twinheaded Beast to attack. Twinheaded Beast could attack twice per turn, and the opponent only had 2400 LP left.
Baou narrowed his eyes, a triumphant curl at his lips.
It's done.
"Activate set card," Kira said lazily, flipping another back row. "Trap: Ghosts From the Past."
"Another trap?" Baou frowned.
"Ghosts From the Past's effect: banish two monsters from your Graveyard; then target one face-up attack-position monster on the field."
Kira revealed two Giant Rat in his Graveyard and explained:
"I banish two Giant Rat from my Graveyard and target your face-up attack-position Gene-Warped Warwolf.
The chosen monster's ATK becomes 0 until the end of the turn."
Guardian Baou: "…"
"…"
"…"
[Gene-Warped Warwolf, ATK 2000 → ATK 0]
The so-called strongest Level 4 got trapped and instantly wilted like a punctured balloon.
"Also, since you've already declared an attack and the number of monsters on the field hasn't changed, you can't rewind your attack. The attack command can't be retracted."
Kira narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"Stone Statue of the Aztecs's effect: when battle resolves, inflict to the opponent double battle damage—so that's 4000."
He paused, kindly reminding:
"If you have any last words, now would be your final chance."
Guardian Baou: "Your mom—"
Gene-Warped Warwolf's claw slapped the statue, but the force rebounded; it tumbled head over heels. The recoil became a transparent vortex—like an air cannon—slamming straight into Baou's face, blasting the rest of his sentence back down his throat.
[Guardian Baou, LP 2000 → LP 0]