"Set two cards, and the turn ends," Yugen said.
"But you shouldn't have forgotten about the end of this turn, right?"
Saio proclaimed loudly.
"At the end of the turn, Trap Card 'Memories of a Good Opponent' effect activates! At the end of the opponent's next turn, the monster excluded by this effect will be special summoned to your own field - that is, this turn!"
Saio raised his arm high.
"Come back to me once more -
- Secret Ceremony Power 21 - World!!!"
An exaggerated hurricane, a massive form emerged, like a Steel Giant.
[Secret Ceremony Power 21 - World, Attack Power 3100]
"It's my turn, draw a card!"
Saio drew a card, then looked up and spoke grimly. This time, not only did his face twist in a facial art, even his voice began to distort, as if another strange voice overlapped with him.
"Those who defy destiny will face the harshest punishment. Light is destiny! Now, let me make you understand this - "
He pressed the button on the Duel Disc.
"Activate the Set Card, Trap Card 'Material Path'!"
The backfield trap flipped over, but the trap activation did not produce any effect. The background of the flipped card was a sea full of drowning beings, and the card turned into a pillar of light, shooting straight into the sky.
Without explaining the effect, he waved to activate another set card on the other side.
"Activate another Set Card, Trap Card 'Spiritual Path'!"
This time, the set card turned into an image of a barren desert, and once again, strangely, no effect was activated, as it transformed into a beam of light shooting into the sky, seemingly resonating with the previous trap.
Spiritual, Material. These two cards are non-physical animation cards, but they are exclusively featured in Yu-Gi-Oh! Classic card games and the Duel Links mobile game, with newly created effects for these two cards.
However, in the animation, these two traps themselves have no effects, and are only necessary prerequisites for the ultimate secret ceremony to arrive.
"Finally, from the hand, activate the Magic Card -
- Celestial Kingdom Path!"
The Magic Card appeared, nestled between the two traps. The three cards transformed into three pillars of light, shooting into the sky together, merging into one.
"Offer these three pillars of light to the heavens, oh ultimate light, illuminate the earth with infinite power, purify this filthy world -
- Secret Ceremony Power EX - The Light Ruler, descend!!!"
A massive form emerged in the light, though called the Master of Light, its body was black. Two mechanical dragon heads, a cold and solid shell, with eyes seeming to hold a cold contempt for all.
[Secret Ceremony Power EX - The Light Ruler, Attack Power 4000]
"The Light... Master."
Mizuchi gazed at the gigantic monster that had descended, momentarily stunned.
This entity was the embodiment of the evil force that possessed her brother. With her ability, she could feel it, even sense the surging power beneath the exterior of the Steel Giant, a power that made her heart race, even fearful.
It was something that absolutely should not exist in this world.
Of course, as the ultimate secret ceremony power, its summoning naturally involved a card rotation ritual like other secret ceremonies.
"Secret Ceremony Power EX - The Light Ruler, face-up position!"
By words, Saio declared it a face-up position, and so it was.
"In face-up position, the effect of The Light Ruler is when it destroys an opponent's monster in battle and sends it to the graveyard, you can choose any card from your graveyard and add it to your hand... though, that card cannot be used this turn."
This limitation makes it weaker compared to its physical card. The physical card of The Light Ruler removed this limitation, allowing the added card to be used in that turn.
Moreover, the summoning condition for the physical card should be easier than in the animation. The physical card The Light Ruler only requires you to send three tributes on the field to the graveyard for a special summon.
Although it occupies only one less slot than the summoning condition of a Phantom God, compared to the animation where you need to gather three pieces of trash to meet the condition, it is significantly easier. It must be said that in the animation, the strength of this single card does not justify its complex summoning condition, when excluding its attributes such as being an embodiment of the Light of Destruction and supported by Destiny Power.
Saio chuckled softly.
"Battle. First, 'Secret Ceremony Power 21 - World', crush Yellow Springs Frog!"
The defensively positioned little frog bore a weight it shouldn't have had to endure, directly smashed and retired from the field.
"With that, it's over!"
Saio shouted, raising his voice.
"Feel the power of the light, the baptism of light, be purified and become part of us!
Secret Ceremony Power EX - The Light Ruler, direct attack!"
As his words fell, a blazing pillar of light erupted from the ultimate secret ceremony, expanding rapidly with it as the center, as if extending a domain to engulf everything into the light.
"Activate Trap 'Battlefront Return'."
Yugen's backfield activated.
"Battlefront Return allows you to special summon monsters from your graveyard in defense position."
Saio sneered: "Resurrecting small fry from the graveyard to block?"
"Small fry? Not necessarily."
Yugen chuckled lightly.
"From the graveyard, revive the card sent there by 'Angel's Charity' earlier, 'Chaos Core'."
Saio frowned.
Chaos Core?
And then he saw that bizarre demon appear on Yugen's field, and although it could only be considered small in form compared to his ultimate secret ceremony, standing before the secret ceremony power only like an ant.
[Chaos Core, Defense Power 0]
"A meaningless monster..." Saio said, "this kind of thing will be crushed under the power of The Light Ruler!"
"When Chaos Core is targeted for an attack, you can send 'Divine Flame Emperor Uriah', 'Thunder Emperor Harmon', 'Phantom Demon Emperor Rabiel', up to one each from your hand or deck to the graveyard."
Yugen leisurely showed three cards, sending them to the graveyard one by one.
Saio: "!"
That was...
The Three Phantom Demons!?
Although the Light of Destruction came from the cosmos, it has been on Earth for some time. There are plenty of tales about Phantom Gods, Evil Gods, and Phantom Demons on this planet that he has heard.
Though as an outsider he didn't take the locals' myths seriously, these things had such a big reputation, they must have something to be wary about.
However, he quickly recovered.
"At this point, what can sending Phantom Demons to the graveyard do?"
Saio said.
"It's all over. The attack resumes, The Light Ruler, destroy 'Chaos Core'!"
But that formidable light, akin to world-ending, surged over the demon, yet the demon with 0 defense power tenaciously stood its ground.
"What?" Saio grew more uneasy, "Why?"
"After Chaos Core uses its effect to send Phantom Demons to the graveyard, it places the same number of 'Phantom Demon Indicators' on itself,"
Yugen explained.
"During this turn, all battle damage to Chaos Core is 0. Additionally, every time it would be destroyed by battle or effects, a Phantom Demon Indicator can be removed to substitute."