Boom!
The blow from Yun pierced straight through Soga's chest, leaving a huge, crackling, electrified hole. Soga turned his head toward Yugen in frustration, as if saying "I really tried," and then his body exploded into pieces.
[Yugen, LP4000 → LP2400]
Turning back into a ghost again, Soga floated to the rear with a dark expression.
His good bro Evil Emperor immediately popped up at the perfect time, looking at him with a grin.
"Yo, back so soon?"
Soga: "Shut up."
"..."
Ammon: "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"
"So that's the power of your Cloud Monsters, not bad at all." Yugen patted the dust off himself. "Looks like I can't afford to be too casual on my side either..."
"My turn, draw."
Yugen glanced at the card he drew and directly summoned it onto the Duel Disc.
"I Normal Summon 'Black Forest Witch'."
The black-robed Witch appeared on the field, fingers interlaced before her chest, eyes closed as if in prayer.
[Black Forest Witch, Attack Power 1100]
"Then I activate the Equipment Magic 'Magical Wand'." Yugen said, "This card can be equipped to a Monster of the Mage Race, increasing its Attack Power by 500 points.
I equip the Magic Wand to 'Black Forest Witch'."
A Magic Staff inlaid with a green gem appeared in the hand of the black-robed Witch, and a pale green stream of Magic Power surged into her body.
[Black Forest Witch, Attack Power 1100 → Attack Power 1600]
"Then I activate the second effect of the Magic Wand." Yugen said. "By sending both the equipped Monster and this Equipment Card to the Graveyard, I can draw two cards from my Card Deck.
I send 'Black Forest Witch' to the Graveyard and draw two cards."
Yugen drew two cards. The Witch's phantom then floated up behind him, suspended in the air like a ghost. Her eyes were still tightly shut, yet her lips seemed to be chanting some kind of Spell.
"Effect of Black Forest Witch." Yugen said. "When the Witch is sent to the Graveyard, I can search my Card Deck for a Monster with 1500 or less Defense Power and add it to my hand."
Yugen's Duel Disc executed an automatic search. He pulled out the card that popped up from the Card Deck. After the card was withdrawn, the Card Deck inside the Duel Disc automatically shuffled with a swift shuffling sound.
Yugen paused, glanced at Ammon's Duel Disc, then gave a faint chuckle.
"As the Young Master of the Galem Financial Group, Young Master Galem seems to still be using a traditional Duel Disc model."
Yugen gestured at the Duel Disc on his own arm.
"Look, this is the latest model. The top model from Kaiba Group now comes with automatic search and automatic shuffle functions—freeing your hands and making the Duel more relaxed and pure.
Have you thought about getting one?"
Ammon was taken aback.
Why did this suddenly turn into a sales pitch?
But he soon let out a cold chuckle.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass. After all, a Duelist's strength isn't determined by their Duel Disc. No matter how many functions it has, how flashy it is, it won't help you win the Duel."
He crossed his arms coldly.
"My current Duel Disc is just fine."
"Is that so?" Yugen shrugged. "That's a pity. But in actual combat, there's quite a difference between Duel Discs. You probably just haven't noticed yet.
But that's okay."
He paused, smiled with a hint of malice, and said in a low voice,
"...I'll help you realize it."
Ammon: "..."
He didn't respond. But at that moment, facing the Duel King's chilling smile, he suddenly had a premonition that something truly terrifying was going to happen in this Duel.
"I add a True Silent Magician with 1000 Defense Power or less from my Card Deck to my hand."
Yugen drew Silent out into his hand and revealed it.
"Then there's the effect of 'Deceitful Mage' in my hand." Yugen said. "By discarding one card from my hand, Deceitful Mage can be Special Summoned directly."
Yugen discarded a card from his hand to the Graveyard.
"I Special Summon 'Deceitful Mage'!"
A Magician with a question mark on his chest, draped in a cloak, appeared on the field. That full-body question mark motif made him look like the new skin of some riddle-spewing weirdo.
[Deceitful Mage, Attack Power 2000]
Ammon said, "Even so, this guy still isn't a match for Cloud Rain People."
"I know." Yugen smiled. "Also, the 'True Silent Magician' in my hand cannot be Normal Summoned, but can be Special Summoned by tributing a Mage Race Monster on the field.
So I tribute 'Deceitful Mage'!
Silent wings that carry hope, Light Magician, reveal yourself here and now—
—True Silent Magician, Summon!"
Deceitful Mage immediately dissolved into motes of light, spreading a white Magic Array across the ground. Within that holy, dazzling radiance, a white-robed Mage spun forth. The Arrays rippling out beneath her feet in the air were like ripples on the surface of the sky itself, as if she were walking on air.
[True Silent Magician, Attack Power 1000]
"True Silent's Attack Power increases by 500 points for each card in my hand." Yugen said. "I have three cards left in my hand, so her Attack Power increases by 1500!"
[True Silent Magician, Attack Power 1000 → Attack Power 2500]
Ammon: "So her Attack Power is now equal to Cloud Rain People's?"
Well, even so, most Cloud Monster-type Monsters have the ability 'cannot be destroyed by battle.'
Ammon sneered in his heart.
If the opponent wants to trade blows, he'll find out that even with equal Attack Power, the only one dying will be Silent Magician.
If you watch clouds yourself, you'll see that while their shapes constantly change, it's extremely difficult to wipe them out; they have a tenacity second to none. Ammon was that kind of person. From those ever-shifting mists and clouds, it was as if he could see his own reflection.
"Battle." Yugen commanded. "Silent Magician, attack 'Cloud Monster - Cloud Rain Man'."
Silent never hesitated in the face of her master's orders; she wouldn't waver even if it meant death. She flew forward, white light building to its peak on her Magic Staff, and unleashed a strike straight at the human-shaped mass of gathered cloud on the opposite side.
The corners of Ammon's mouth lifted in triumph.
He really went for it.
"Then, Cloud Rain Man," Ammon shouted, "counterattack! Hit back!"
But just as the two were about to clash, Yugen suddenly flashed another card from his hand.
"Speed Attack Magic 'Silent Magic Burst'!
This can only be activated in the Battle Phase if Silent Magician is on my field and I have more cards in my hand than my opponent.
Both players draw from their Card Decks until they each have six cards in hand!"
Ammon: "!"
In an instant, both sides refilled their hands to six cards. Silent Magician's ability was…
"That's right, Silent Magician gains Attack Power depending on the number of cards in my hand. So with six cards drawn, True Silent's Attack Power rises to..."
[True Silent Magician, Attack Power 1000 → Attack Power 4000]
Four thousand Attack Power!
Ammon made a snap decision: "Then I activate my Set Card!
Trap Card 'Storm'!"
The face-down card in his back row flipped up. From the blue Katu on it, a raging torrent was released, engulfing his Cloud Monster - Cloud Rain Man and turning it into a sky-darkening tsunami!
"Storm must target a Monster with 'Cloud Monster' in its name on your own field to activate!"
Ammon shouted.
"By lowering that Monster's Attack Power by 1000 points each time, I can destroy one card on my opponent's field!" (Original card effect)
Ammon pointed straight at the Silent Magician who was surging in with frightening momentum.
"I lower Cloud Rain Man's Attack Power by 1000 points and destroy Silent Magician!"