Chapter 185: Zarc's Consciousness
A small mechanical kite formed a wind barrier in front of Yugo, blocking the attack from Abyss Actor - Superstar.
"Then, Abyss Actor - Reckless Rookie, direct attack!" After that attack failed, Shingo Sawatari gritted his teeth and had his other monsters attack.
"I activate the effect of Kiteroid in my Graveyard! When an opponent declares a direct attack, I can banish this card to make the damage from that attack zero!"
The wind shield appeared again, protecting Yugo from the damage.
"That's useless! Even if you can block the damage from the two monsters with the highest ATK, the combined attack points of my remaining monsters still total 4200!" Shingo Sawatari said confidently.
"Go! Abyss Actor - Wild Hope, direct attack!"
Yugo, who was effectively being 'piloted' by another, naturally saw this coming. Gritting his teeth, he took the damage from Shingo Sawatari's monster and then accelerated toward the Action Card not far away.
Yugo LP: 3850 → 2250
"Trying to use an Action Card to survive this turn?" Seeing this, Shingo Sawatari gave no ground and chased after him. "It's not that easy! Abyss Actor - Leading Lady, direct attack!"
Yugo LP: 2250 → 750
Abyss Actor - Leading Lady's attack landed on Yugo, but he didn't even flinch. He continuously maneuvered his D-Wheel to block Shingo Sawatari's path.
"Next is the final blow! Abyss Actor - Curtain Raiser, direct attack!" Seeing that they were both getting closer to the Action Card and that he couldn't overtake Yugo, Sawatari had no choice but to speed up and hastily declare the attack.
"I activate the Action Spell, Damage Shrink! This battle damage is halved!" Perhaps because the fragment of Zarc resonating with Yugo at this moment was Yuya, Yugo was also granted the 'World Buff' of always finding an Action Card in a desperate situation. Even though Shingo Sawatari was rushing, Yugo still managed to grab this life-saving Action Card at the last moment.
Yugo LP: 750 → 200
Although he successfully survived Shingo Sawatari's assault, Yugo's body was covered in marks from the continuous monster attacks, and his riding suit was covered in black scorch marks.
"This euphoria... It's been so long since I've enjoyed it!" Yugo wiped the blood from his temple and suddenly burst into wild laughter. The madness in his voice made Shingo Sawatari frown repeatedly.
"As thanks, I shall utterly shatter your soul!" Yugo cackled, his crimson eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty light.
"Damn it... I was so close?" Shingo Sawatari gritted his teeth in frustration. For him, at this point in the duel, winning or losing no longer mattered. He just wanted his newfound little brother to return to normal.
"Since you're so skilled with Action Cards, let's settle this with them! After all, I'm a Lancer too! When it comes to Action Cards, this great Sawatari won't lose to anyone!" With a grimace, Sawatari twisted the throttle to its maximum. Seizing the opening while Yugo was laughing wildly, he pulled ahead of him for the first time in the duel.
Shingo Sawatari's gaze was fixed on the Action Card not far ahead on the track.
"How dare a lowly bug like you block my way?" Sawatari's overtake made the already berserk Yugo even more furious. He roared and accelerated his D-Wheel to its limit, chasing after him.
Their D-Wheels continuously collided, but due to the difference in D-Wheel performance and driving skill, Shingo Sawatari was forced into a difficult position.
"As the match reaches its climax, both duelists are aiming for the Action Card!" the female commentator said, giving the director beside her a knowing glance. Immediately, information on the card in front of them appeared on screen.
"The Action Card ahead of both duelists is..." the female commentator began, reading the information relayed to her. However, when she clearly saw what the card was, she exclaimed, "What a coincidence! The Action Card ahead is Meteor Shower, a card that can directly inflict 300 effect damage to the opponent. It's a card considered by duel experts in Neo Domino City to be a dud that just lowers the appearance rate of more powerful Action Cards."
"Both Sawatari's and Yugo's LP are below 300! This means the final outcome of this duel hinges on which of these two can get their hands on that card!"
...
Player Rest Area, Yuya Sakaki's room.
"Mr. Yuya, you should be preparing to enter the stadium... Are you in your room?" Outside the room, a staff member from the organizers came on time to urge him.
But at this moment, Yuya was in a strange posture, holding his deck. His crimson eyes stared at Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon on top of the deck as he continuously muttered, "From now on, we shall merge into one..."
"Mr. Yuya, I'm coming in!" Seeing that Yuya did not respond, the staff member had no choice but to take out a spare room card and open the door.
As soon as the staff member entered, the sound of the door opening made Yuya turn his head sharply. His crimson eyes glared toward the door, staring intently at the staff member. The surging ferocity made the intruder swallow his saliva and stammer:
"Mr. Yuya... Your match is about to begin... Please make your way to the stadium to wait."
After speaking, the staff member immediately turned and fled. There was nothing he could do; Yuya's gaze at that moment was too terrifying.
But in that brief moment, the resonance between them also allowed a trace of clarity to return to Yugo's eyes in the arena.
"Who are you... Are you the demon inside me that Yūga Hōzumi mentioned? Get out of my body!" Yugo's head throbbed with excruciating pain as his own consciousness fought to regain control.
In this moment of distraction, Shingo Sawatari, who had been struggling against him, finally found an opportunity. He shook off Yugo and was now only an arm's length away from the Action Card that would secure his victory.
"Just an incarnation! How dare you resist me!" Deep within Yugo's consciousness, the fragment of Zarc felt Yugo's resistance and roared in rage. However, not having undergone the final Fusion and not being in his complete form, his control over the body was naturally inferior to Yugo's.
Yugo gritted his teeth, slowly recovering from this inexplicable state as the clarity in his eyes gradually gained the upper hand.
"You're just an incarnation! By what right do you refuse me!" Zarc's consciousness fragment roared in rage before Yugo suppressed it back into slumber. At the same time, its red eyes blazing, it unleashed all the energy within its soul without reservation.
A terrifying shockwave swept out from Yugo. Just as Shingo Sawatari was about to pick up the Action Card that would secure his victory, he suddenly felt as if his brain had been struck by a heavy, blunt object. He screamed, and his D-Wheel flipped over, spinning as it crashed into the guardrail.
"Hey! Are you alright?" Yugo, who had just recovered, saw this and immediately stopped his D-Wheel beside Shingo Sawatari, no longer caring about the duel.
...
(end of chapter)