Thor, Lord of the Aesir—absorbed once more!
"Aaaaaahhh! You damn bastard—!!"
Off the field, Dragan was even angrier than Broder, who was currently suffering on the field.
It was his god again! His Tamashi! Absorbed for the second time!
The absorbed Thor probably felt the same as Dragan right now—utterly hopeless. He was Thor, son of Odin, the strongest thunder god in Norse mythology. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
Broder gritted his teeth, yet still forced himself to stay calm.
Calm down. Don't panic yet.
Although it could absorb Synchro Monsters like Wisel, he estimated that Meklord Emperor Skiel could probably only swallow one per turn. Having eaten Thor, it wouldn't be able to absorb Loki this turn.
And he still had the trap Loki recovered last turn in his backrow: "Nordic Relic Megingjord." This card could double the ATK of one Aesir on his field for this turn only. If he doubled Loki, its ATK would instantly become 6600.
Even if Skiel attacked recklessly after absorbing Thor, as long as he used this trap to counter, he could immediately turn the tables and kill it.
And even if the opponent didn't attack, next turn he could use this trap to strengthen Loki and attack Skiel. The result would be the same.
Broder narrowed his eyes.
This was his true full power—a strike that carried the entire outcome of the duel.
"Come on, Meklord Emperor!" Broder declared. "No matter how many models you have, it's the same! I will defeat them all with the power of the gods!"
"Hoho, that's the spirit. This is the kind of resolve a top duelist should have," Kira smiled. "Since you're being so serious, I'll show you a little more of Skiel's power as well."
Broder's expression changed slightly.
That's right. Besides absorbing Synchro Monsters, Wisel could also negate the activation of Spell Cards. What other ability did this Skiel have?
"First, I haven't Normal Summoned this turn yet."
Kira slowly set one card from his hand face-down.
"I Set a monster in Defense Position. Then…"
Kira raised his right arm high.
"Meklord Emperor Skiel, effect activate!" Kira declared. "By sending one monster equipped to Skiel to the Graveyard, Skiel can attack your opponent directly this turn only!"
Broder's pupils shook violently. Even the person riding the Duel Runner felt his body tremble involuntarily.
Direct… direct attack!?
This thing's ability is…
"Bye-bye, strategist of the Team Ragnarok."
Kira waved with a smile, as if genuinely bidding farewell to a friend.
"Meklord Emperor Skiel, direct attack!"
The heavy cannon beneath Skiel suddenly glowed with blinding blue light. The energy vortex spinning at the muzzle emitted a high-frequency hum. With the hydraulic sound of mechanical joints, the barrel tilted slightly downward to lock onto the target. The entire cannon body turned a dangerous orange-red from overload.
A three-meter-wide plasma torrent tore through the air. The muzzle flash formed a ring-shaped shockwave from the recoil. Rocks along the trajectory instantly vaporized, and the ground was plowed into lava-like trenches.
Ignoring Loki, ignoring the backrow. With no defensive measures left, Broder was struck directly by the cannon blast. Accompanied by a mournful metallic screech, the cooling vents on both sides of the Duel Runner suddenly exploded. Scalding steam gushed out like the labored breathing of an injured beast, instantly covering half the track.
The life point monitor in the cockpit emitted a piercing alarm. The numbers flashed wildly before hitting zero. The emergency braking system activated immediately. The hydraulic brake calipers clamped down hard on the wheels, dragging four scorched black streaks of sparks across the track. The front wheels shook violently from the sudden stop. The vehicle body swayed left and right like a drunkard, coughing out more oil-mixed steam from the exhaust pipe with every jolt.
[Broder, LP 1300 → LP 0]
"V-v-v-victory!"
Even the airplane-head commentator was shocked. "I never expected it! Director Kira continues his unstoppable momentum and takes down the second runner of the Team Ragnarok!
Even the two great Lord of the Aesir were no match for Director Kira. Could it be that Director Kira is truly unstoppable now!?"
Broder, whose life points had reached zero, had an extremely ugly expression. He controlled his now-slowing Duel Runner and looked at Kira with a complicated gaze.
"What exactly are these Meklord Emperors? Why do they possess such terrifying power?"
Kira thought for a moment and said, "You can think of it as… the inevitable force that appears to suppress Synchro when Synchro Monsters—and the society built upon Synchro—reach a certain stage of development.
Their purpose is to constantly remind people who have grown accustomed to the convenience of Synchro and perpetual motion machines to maintain the right and positive mindset."
Broder looked at Kira with a strange expression, wanting to speak but holding back.
He wanted to say: No, this thing's purpose is to remind people to stay positive and correct? But after dueling you, I feel extremely gloomy and can't feel positive at all…
In the end, he stayed silent.
Whatever. He was the defeated general. What else was there to say?
You won. Your fist is bigger. Whatever you say is right.
"I lost, but the duel isn't over yet," Broder said coldly. "Although I was defeated, the gods are immortal.
My life points reached zero, so this turn is forcibly ended. But during the End Phase, the gods will revive again!"
He raised his arm.
"Come back! Thor, Lord of the Aesir!"
To enable the direct attack this turn, Skiel had sent the equipped Thor to the Graveyard. Therefore, at the End Phase, Thor could naturally revive automatically.
Once again, heavenly thunder rolled and the sea parted. The giant Thor reappeared beneath the thunderclouds. However, this time Thor's expression looked even gloomier than before, as if saying "Don't mess with me."
He seemed quite angry.
Broder: "And with Thor's revival, inflict 800 damage once again!"
[Kira, LP 4600 → LP 3800]
Even Dragan, Thor's owner, who was watching from off-field, pondered for a long time before saying, "This is the first time I've seen a god look this angry…"
"Me too."
Captain Halldor had already mounted his Duel Runner, his expression cold as he spoke.
"Fujiki Kira has successfully provoked the wrath of the gods. In that case, I will no longer hold back."
Broder returned to complete the handover. As the final runner, Halldor's Duel Runner roared to life and shot forward with a thunderous engine sound.
Watching the captain's departing back from the pit stop, Broder couldn't help but say, "Halldor is actually taking this so seriously…"
"It just means the opponent is truly worthy of such seriousness… and he has indeed angered him," Dragan said. "This person values the glory of the gods more than any of us."
Broder nodded. "Indeed. I didn't expect even Halldor to be dragged into the fray. But as long as Halldor takes the field, victory is basically guaranteed."
Under normal circumstances, that would be true.
But the two who had personally experienced the opponent's duel exchanged glances at the same time.
After a long silence, Dragan added, "…Maybe. Probably. Let's hope so."
…