"My turn, draw a card!" Youyu glanced at the card he drew, "Magic Card - Spellbook Inside the Pot, allowing both players to draw three cards from their decks."
"Hmph, trying to increase your chances of defeating my monster?" Anubis sneered, "But it's useless. You are destined to be crushed by the judgment's creature and become nourishment for the Secret Pyramid."
Youyu ignored him: "Come forth, Elemental Hero Sparkman!"
A dazzling electric current flashed, and a hero clad in a blue bodysuit and golden armor appeared with a clear shout, strands of electricity bursting from within the armor.
[Elemental Hero Sparkman, Attack 1600]
Though seemingly an unimpressive monster with no special effect and average attack, Sparkman had fought alongside his master for so long that his presence now seemed different from before.
After all, he was a hero who had faced many intense battles, and such a minor scene could no longer intimidate him.
"Quick-Play Magic - Mask Change." Youyu continued, "Send the Light Attribute 'Elemental Hero Sparkman' to the graveyard, Mask Transformation!
Using the blades of brilliance to cut through the darkness and bring forth light—
——Masked Hero Koga!"
Sparkman was enveloped in golden rays under the magic effect. The golden light transformed into armor, quickly attaching to his body, materializing into platinum-colored armor. The radiant gleam outlined sharp blades, with his blue visor shimmering with a gem-like glow.
[Masked Hero Koga, Attack 2500]
"Hmm, quite an imposing warrior indeed," Anubis remarked.
"Koga's effect!" Youyu declared, "Masked Hero Koga's attack power increases by 500 points for every monster your opponent controls!
You currently have 'Andro Sphinx' and 'Sphinx Teleia' on your field, so the attack power increases by 1000!"
[Masked Hero Koga, Attack 2500 → Attack 3500]
Anubis murmured, "Attack power surpasses my judgment's monster, huh?"
"Battle!" Youyu exclaimed, "Masked Hero Koga, attack Sphinx Teleia!"
"The power is indeed strong... but!" Anubis's pupils contracted as he raised his arm, "You've triggered a trap at this moment — Anubis's Curse!"
The Set Card flipped over, revealing a red trap card. The card image depicted an eerie jackal sitting atop a golden sarcophagus, with dense black mist emanating from the card, engulfing the entire field.
"Under Anubis's Curse, all servants must forcibly switch to defense mode," Anubis clenched his massive fist, sneering, "And within this round, their original defense power becomes 0, unable to change form!"
Koga, who had just received the attack command, stumbled and was forcibly switched to defense mode under the curse power of the black jackal.
Mist Water struggled to resist for a while but ultimately succumbed to the black mist's power, switching to defense mode as well.
Even Anubis's own two monsters, under his released pressure, obediently fell over, assuming a meek form as if offering themselves for slaughter, completely relinquishing their battle state.
[Masked Hero Koga, Defense 1800 → Defense 0]
[Masked Hero Mist Water, Defense 2000 → Defense 0]
"A rather powerful warrior indeed, but still far from reaching me," Anubis hummed.
Unperturbed, Youyu replied, "Then I'll Set three cards, ending my turn."
At that moment, the effect of Anubis's curse faded, restoring the monsters' defense power to normal.
"Now it's my turn... Let's proceed directly! First, switch my monsters back to attack position. Then Sphinx Teleia, attack the blue warrior!" Anubis commanded, "Teleia's special ability! When attacking a defense position servant, it can destroy the opponent directly without a battle!" (Animation effect)
"Mist Water's effect," Youyu replied, "Masked Hero Mist Water cannot be destroyed by card effects."
"Hmph, no matter, the attack continues, destroy by battle directly."
Teleia's attack power was inherently higher than Mist Water's defense power. With destruction effects negated, combat continued, and Mist Water could not escape its destined retreat.
Anubis paused for a moment, simultaneously sweeping his stout arm sideways.
"At this moment, activate Trap - Meteorain! Within this round, attacks on defense position servants can still deal damage!"
Trap Card - Meteorain. During the activation turn, if your monster attacks a defense position monster, and its attack exceeds the defense, deal piercing damage for the excess amount.
Teleia targeted Mist Water. The human-faced monster pounced again, pinning Mist Water to the ground once more, but this time there was no trap card to protect it. The monster's sharp claws easily tore open the Masked Hero's armor, bursting forth a cascade of sparks from the hero's chest, the latter dissipating into virtual shadow subsequently.
[Youyu, LP 1600 → LP 1100]
"Hmph, it's over now," Anubis sneered, "For a first battle after three thousand years of slumber, you've been a commendable opponent.
Go, Andro Sphinx, end the adversary!"
The lion-faced figure roared, lunging furiously towards the half-crouched Koga.
[Andro Sphinx, Attack 3000]
[Masked Hero Koga, Defense 1800]
"This ends now!"
"Open the Set Card, Trap Card - Half Unbreak!" Youyu declared, "Choose a monster, and that monster won't be destroyed by battle this turn, and the battle damage is halved.
I choose Masked Hero Koga!"
The lion-faced Andro fiercely charged, crazily slamming down a devastating blow, yet the transparent protective layer absorbed his fatal strike. The radiant explosion shook Koga, staggering him back two steps, yet failing to topple him.
[Youyu, LP 1100 → LP 500]
"Oh? Still standing, are you now." Anubis remarked, "You're starting to surprise me."
Despite outwardly speaking so, the destroyer king, an ancient adversary of Pharaoh, instinctively sensed something amiss.
Though seemingly holding the upper hand with the duel's flow under his control, an inexplicable sense of unease gnawed at him.
Perhaps, under the pressure of the on-field situation and suppression from the Pyramid of Light's divine power, the warrior before him seemed rather... too composed?
Could it be he's scheming something?
Or merely his own imagination running wild?
Glancing at his hand cards, Anubis pondered briefly, deciding to play it a tad safer.
He raised his arm, gently sweeping it as three more Set Cards appeared before him in an instant.
"I end my turn here," he declared.
"Then, my turn, draw a card!" After drawing a card, Youyu drew another from his hand, "I Set one card on the field, then activate Magic Card - Pot of Greed!
Both players draw from their decks until they have six cards in their hands!"
Anubis spread his hand open, the cards floating before him glowing with golden light until reaching six cards. He chuckled lightly, "Hmph, you seem fond of such odds-increasing spells. But before true power, they are meaningless."
Youyu raised his hand, "Masked Hero Koga, switch back to attack position!"
[Masked Hero Koga, Defense 1800 → Attack 3500]
As the opponent had two monsters on the field, Masked Hero Koga's attack power was 3500. Moreover, Koga could remove a hero monster from the graveyard from play, thereby reducing an opponent's monster's attack power until the end of the turn.
Sphinx Teleia had an attack of 2500, and Elemental Hero Absolute Zero in the graveyard also had an attack of 2500. By utilizing Koga's effect to remove Absolute Zero from play, Teleia's attack would be reduced to 0, dealing a massive 3500 damage.
Anubis's remaining Life Points were precisely 3500.
A decisive, final strike!
"Battle!" Youyu gestured, "Masked Hero Koga, attack Sphinx Teleia once more!"
The Masked Hero radiated dazzling golden light, sliding back a half step, seeming to gather momentum, the blade-like fangs on his wrist glowing brilliantly, with spectacular special effects swirling around it as if ready to unleash its might at any moment.
"Naïve." Anubis raised his palm, "At this moment, once again you trigger a trap! Activate, Quaking Mirror Force!
At the moment the opponent activates an attack, all attacking position servants enter stealth mode, and the servants influenced by this power... cannot change form!"