"He achieved this without even using a Normal Summon?" Serena, watching the duel, exclaimed wide-eyed. "Is this your true power?"
Strictly speaking, this was the first time Serena had seen Yūga Hōzumi unleash his full might. Gazing at Yūga Hōzumi's shining, golden-armored back, Serena couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"I need to get stronger," Serena vowed to herself. "At the very least, I have to be strong enough to help him."
Yūga Hōzumi, however, wasn't finished. He revealed the card he had just searched for with Onomatopaira.
"I Summon Utopic Onomatopeia in Attack Position!"
"I activate the effect of Zubabantyo - Gagagacoat in my hand! Since I control another 'Gagaga' monster, I can Special Summon this card!"
"Next, I activate the effect of Astral Kuriboh in my hand! By revealing one 'Number' Xyz Monster in my Extra Deck, I can Special Summon this card, and its Level becomes the same as the revealed monster's Rank."
"I reveal Number 16 from my Extra Deck, making Astral Kuriboh's Level 4!"
Astral Kuriboh Level: 1 → 4
"I overlay the three monsters on my field: Astral Kuriboh, Utopic Onomatopeia, and Utopia Astral Hope!"
Yūga Hōzumi raised his right hand again, this time calling forth thunder. Dark golden electricity flared from the number '16' that appeared on the back of his hand, constructing a lightning-wreathed Xyz network vortex before him. The three monsters he named transformed into streams of light and surged into it.
"The ultimate weapon that dominates the world now descends! Return all past despair and fear unto the enemy! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Number 16: Shock Master!"
A dark red mechanical fortress slowly rose from the vortex. At the center of its facade, a strange, expressionless face glinted coldly.
Number 16: Shock Master ATK: 2300
"I activate the Spell Card, Xyz Treasure! For each Xyz Monster on the field, I draw one card."
"I activate the effect of Number 16: Shock Master! Once per turn, by detaching one Overlay Unit from this card, I can declare a card type. Until the end of the next turn, neither player can use cards of that type. The type I declare is—Spell Cards!"
"Next, I activate the effect of Zubabantyo - Gagagacoat! Once per turn, I can target one 'Gogogo' or 'Dododo' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it!"
"Be revived! Utopic Onomatopeia!"
"I overlay Utopic Onomatopeia and Zubabantyo - Gagagacoat!"
"Great sage cloaked in light, descend now and pave the way for the light of hope! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! ZS - Utopic Sage!"
A holy light flashed, and a great sage clad in golden robes descended behind the two monsters already on the field.
ZS - Utopic Sage DEF: 2500
"I activate the effect of ZS - Utopic Sage!"
"By detaching two Overlay Units from this card, I can Special Summon one 'ZW -' monster or 'ZS -' monster from my Deck."
"Appear! ZW - Wind God Cloud Dragon Sword!"
"I activate the effect of ZW - Wind God Cloud Dragon Sword! I equip this card to a 'Utopia' monster on my field, and it gains 1300 ATK!"
Beast-Armored Leo Utopia Ray ATK: 5700 → 6000
"I set two cards and end my turn." Having used all the cards in his hand, Yūga Hōzumi ended his turn.
"A 6000 ATK monster and a lock on Spell Cards?" Yuya stared at the monsters before Yūga Hōzumi, feeling an overwhelming pressure wash over him like a relentless tide.
"But even so, I'll use my dueling to make you let go of the hatred in your heart," Yuya thought, placing his hand on his deck. "My..."
But just then, Aster Phoenix stopped him.
"Let me handle this. With Spell Cards locked, you can't Pendulum Summon."
"But..." Yuya turned to look at Aster Phoenix. "If Spell Cards are locked, you can't use Fusion Summoning either!"
"But I can at least buy you this turn and get rid of that troublesome monster," Aster Phoenix said.
"And besides," Aster Phoenix took a deep breath, "this is my grudge against them. I should be the one to handle this."
After speaking, Aster Phoenix pulled Yuya behind him and looked directly at Yūga Hōzumi and Kaito.
"I was wrong about what I did before. I don't expect your forgiveness. Do what you will with me, but please, let Yuya pass. Let him go stop the riots happening in this city. I'm begging you," Aster Phoenix said with a sincere expression.
"Are you kidding me? We finally gave the oppressed commoners of this city the courage to rise up, and now you want to come and ruin everything?" Yūga Hōzumi said with a cold, unmoving laugh.
"What?!" Yuya was startled by Yūga Hōzumi's words. "You started this riot?"
"This is a revolution!" Yūga Hōzumi declared. "A revolution where people who have been oppressed for so long have finally gathered the courage to raise their weapons against the oppressors who have always trampled on them!"
"But, does it really have to be solved with violence?" Yuya asked urgently. "Can't people just understand each other and sit down to talk?"
"Foolish!" Serena, who had been watching from the side, could no longer stomach it and couldn't help but rebuke him on Yūga Hōzumi's behalf. "Not everything can be solved by sitting down and talking!"
Serena had seen three people with that face. Yuto, while quiet, was a perfectly normal person. Yugo, though a bit of a goofball with minor quirks like being a chatterbox and having a chuunibyo streak, was at least mentally sound.
But this one? He looked normal enough, so why did he talk like a complete idiot?
"Mutual understanding?" Yūga Hōzumi was so angered by Yuya's words that he laughed.
"The commoners of this city work themselves to the bone every day, yet their income is less than half the value their labor creates. Meanwhile, The Top Echelons, perched high above, complacently enjoy the wealth created by the commoners' labor, all while racking their brains for ways to make those 'wretches,' as they call them, create even more value for even less pay."
"Tell me, how can they possibly understand each other?" Yūga Hōzumi retorted.
"That's why this city can only be saved by hanging all these capitalists from the lampposts! You understand nothing! You're just a joke, like a clown. No, you're not even a good clown!" Yūga Hōzumi said bluntly.
"I..." Yuya was speechless, frozen on the spot.
"Pull yourself together, Yuya. So what if what they say is true? I believe the dueling you learned from your teacher can create miracles!" Aster Phoenix said, seeing Yuya's dejected state.
With that, Aster Phoenix stepped in front of Yuya, facing both Yūga Hōzumi and Kaito. "The sins I've committed, I will atone for after this duel. But right now, I must get Yuya to Jack Atlas! My turn! I draw!"
...
(end of chapter)