"Cyber Tutu's direct attack!"
The petite dancer in a tutu stepped lightly forward, toes tapping, body spinning rapidly. In her spin, her right leg lashed out like a whip, cracking across the crouching, guard-up Lorenzo.
[Lorenzo, LP 1900 → 900]
"Ugh—"
Lorenzo grimaced, swaying, almost unable to stand.
In fact, even if he still had a monster on the field, this would've gone through. Cyber Tutu can attack directly if the opponent controls a monster with higher ATK than hers.
Yes—direct attacks: avoid head-on battles and go straight for the duelist's face, even tanking damage yourself to make the opening. That's Alexis's strategy.
She'd always liked such tactics; but over the past year, provoked by someone or something, she'd developed them further.
She dug deeper into her key cards and evolved them, adjusted her tactics, and her face-rushing is fiercer than before.
Lorenzo had already learned that the hard way. In just two turns at the start, he'd eaten 5600 damage, and neither side's monsters had actually clashed once—terrifying.
Alexis: "Then I set 1 card and end my turn."
"But Boss Rush also activates!"
Lorenzo barked.
"The Continuous Spell 'Boss Rush' effect," he said. "When a face-up 'B.E.S.' monster I control is destroyed and sent to the GY, during the End Phase I Special Summon a 'B.E.S.' from my Deck."
The Spell glowed. He raised his duel disk, and a beam of light shot out.
"Show yourself! B.E.S. Tetran!"
A brand-new warship flew out of the Deck. A massive metal body, swinging alloy arms like an octopus in the sky.
[B.E.S. Tetran, ATK 1800]
"B.E.S. do not die," Lorenzo said smugly. "All B.E.S. monsters cannot be destroyed by battle!
And even if they're destroyed by effects, no matter how many you knock down, more will replace them. That's a true BOSS!"
"They may not be destroyed by battle, but 'invincible' is far from it."
Alexis looked at the glaring blue core in the airborne warship.
"The warship's energy core is its greatest weakness. Once the core is attacked, it's destroyed immediately."
This wasn't fluff—it was intentional deck design. B.E.S. have a protective shield over their energy core. If the core is attacked without protection, the warship explodes.
Generally, when a B.E.S. is Summoned, it gets two or three Counters representing the protective layers over the core.
While a B.E.S. can't be destroyed by battle, it must remove one Counter each time it battles. If it battles while it has no Counters, after damage calculation it's destroyed.
"My turn. Draw!"
Lorenzo glanced at the card and lifted his lids.
"B.E.S. Tetran only places three Counters when Normal Summoned. Since it was Special Summoned by 'Boss Rush,' Tetran currently has no Counters.
But I'm activating this card!"
He slammed a card from his hand.
"The Spell 'Shield Recovery'!" Lorenzo declared. "This card places three Counters on a 'B.E.S.' monster on the field!" (Anime card)
He raised his arm high, pointing at the massive core above.
"I place three Counters on 'B.E.S. Tetran'!"
Three layers of armor clamped over the energy core, protecting its most fragile point.
"When a B.E.S. has Counters, it removes one after each battle and won't be destroyed by battle," Lorenzo said. "And Tetran has its own effect!
Once per turn, remove 1 Counter to destroy a Spell/Trap on the field."
Lorenzo pointed at Alexis's backrow.
"That troublesome Equip Spell—begone!"
Naturally he targeted "United We Stand." That big ATK boost was tough for his warships to push through.
One layer of Tetran's protection vanished, converting into a beam that blasted down. Alexis's Spell was pierced and shattered.
Lorenzo: "Heh, Etoile Cyber's ATK is back to normal."
[Etoile Cyber, ATK 2800 → 1200]
"Next I activate the Spell 'Monster Reborn' to revive a monster from the GY."
The sigil of revival appeared overhead. Then a colossal alien warship tore through, hovering high.
"Revive 'B.E.S. Blaster Cannon Core'!"
[B.E.S. Blaster Cannon Core, ATK 2500]
"When Blaster Cannon Core is Summoned or Special Summoned, it gains three Counters," Lorenzo said. "Defense layers, online!"
[B.E.S. Blaster Cannon Core, Counters 3]
That meant Blaster Cannon Core could endure up to three battles and not be destroyed by battle during them.
"Your direct-attack tactic is interesting, but this is the end," Lorenzo smiled. "Under the BOSS-level warships' Boss Rush, few can last several turns.
First, Blaster Cannon Core attacks 'Etoile Cyber'!"
Energy surged, swirling into the massive core. Light condensed and erupted as a blazing beam from the sky!
Without her Equip, Etoile Cyber was outmatched, yet unafraid. She nimbly slipped through the barrage, darted to the core shrouded in layers of protection, and snapped a kick.
A blast sounded as one protective layer detonated. The backlash knocked Etoile away, and she was pierced midair by the beam, fading to nothing.
"Activate the trap 'Defense Draw'," Alexis said. "Make that battle damage 0, then I draw 1 card."
A transparent barrier rose before her, blocking the explosion's shock. Alexis drew, then added:
"And through that battle, Etoile Cyber broke a layer of protection. Blaster Cannon Core loses 1 Counter."
[B.E.S. Blaster Cannon Core, Counters 3 → 2]
"That's more than enough."
Lorenzo's tone went cold.
"Battle continues. B.E.S. Tetran, attack Cyber Tutu!"