"Ecclesia of the Black Dragon's effect activates!"
Yusaku's gaze sharpened as he called out in a low voice.
"Until the End Phase, this card banishes itself. Then I can Special Summon 1 'Fallen of Albaz' or a monster that lists it in its text from my Deck or GY. I activate this effect, banish Ecclesia of the Black Dragon, and Special Summon another copy of Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous from my Deck!"
"Yeah, I can't just let that go through. If that thing banishes itself, it's coming back next turn."
Sato immediately snapped a card out from his hand and thrust it forward.
"I activate the effect of Effect Veiler from my hand! This card can only be activated during your opponent's Main Phase. I target 1 monster on your field, and its effects are negated until the end of this turn!"
He slammed the card into his Duel Disk, circuit lines flaring to life.
"I target your Ecclesia of the Black Dragon—its effect is negated!"
The moment his words fell, a transparent barrier tinged with pale blue light manifested out of thin air, wrapping tightly around the golden-haired girl atop the black dragon. The shimmering field sealed around her, locking her power down completely.
"Then my turn ends."
Yusaku calmly lowered his hand, his tone flat and devoid of any ripples.
Hearing that, Sato frowned, the corner of his mouth quirking into a subtle, puzzled smirk.
"My plan was just to jump out a Blazing Cartesia and pass, anyway. Since you can't do that now, I figured you'd just stop there—and with a board like this, it's already more than enough."
Sato: "?"
Just as他的话落下, Yusaku swept his hand across the Graveyard zone of his Duel Disk. The graveyard panel lit with a faint glow.
"Then, in my End Phase, I activate the effect of Granguignol the Dusk Dragon, which I sent to the GY at the start of the turn! During the End Phase of the turn this card was sent to the GY, I can add to my hand or Special Summon 1 'Dogmatika' monster or 'Fallen of Albaz' from my Deck."
"I Special Summon Guiding Quem, the Virtuous in Defense Position!"
A slender figure descended in a pillar of soft light, landing on the field with a muted chime.
[Guiding Quem, the Virtuous]
[Level 4 / Spellcaster / Tuner / Effect]
[DEF: 1500]
"Guiding Quem, the Virtuous's effect triggers."
Yusaku's voice rang out again.
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send 1 'Fallen of Albaz' or 1 card that lists its name from my Deck to the GY."
"I send Tri-Brigade Kit, which lists 'Fallen of Albaz' in its text, from my Deck to the GY."
The moment the card slid into the Graveyard slot, Yusaku immediately chained its effect, the indicator lights on the Duel Disk flashing rapidly.
"Tri-Brigade Kit's effect activates."
"If this card is sent to the GY, I can target 1 'Fallen of Albaz' or a monster that lists its name, except itself, in my GY, and Special Summon it in Defense Position."
"I Special Summon Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous from my GY in Defense Position once more!"
A gentle white radiance bloomed on the field. The golden-haired, dumpling-cheeked girl hugged her staff to her chest as she stepped out of the light, reappearing on Yusaku's field.
[Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous]
[DEF: 1500]
"My effect resolution is finished." Yusaku lifted his gaze to Sato. "It's your turn now. You've drawn a total of three cards off your effects, and you've already used two of them. Strictly speaking, this turn you've only gone up three cards in hand."
"Being able to draw is profit, isn't it?"
Sato's lips curled into a confident smile.
He pressed his hand on top of his Deck, fingertips brushing along the edges of the cards.
"Then it's my turn. Draw!"
As he drew, Sato's eyes swept across the three monsters on Yusaku's field, his brows tightening slightly.
He'd seen this Albaz deck before. Every time Yusaku piloted it, he'd always ended up putting out several Fusion or Synchro monsters to dominate the board. Yet this time, there was only a single Synchro on the table, and the other two were just ordinary Level 4s.
This field did not scream "lockdown" at all. It barely counted as pressure, much less a board that could support "I don't even need to play my turn."
Where was this unfazed confidence coming from?
"I don't know what you're plotting, but it doesn't matter! With the hand I've got, ending this duel is easy."
Sato flipped the card he'd drawn at the start.
"The card I drew earlier was Pot of Greed."
Before his words even finished, he'd already slid the card into his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Spell Card: Pot of Greed!"
"Then I'll chain to your activation."
Yusaku lifted his hand, eyes flashing.
"I activate Ecclesia of the Black Dragon's effect, and chain the effect of Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous as well! Ecclesia resolves first!"
The golden-haired girl dissolved into scattered motes of light, her form disintegrating into a glittering spray. Almost at the same time, a black-haired, amber-eyed dragon youth clad in white appeared, dropping lightly onto the field.
[Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous]
[Level 4 / Spellcaster / Tuner / Effect]
[ATK: 1500]
Sato added two cards to his hand, then glanced at the two new monsters that had just appeared on Yusaku's field.
"I remember that Fallen of Albaz of yours can fuse using one of my Extra Deck monsters. I haven't even put anything in my Extra Deck Zone yet—he's useless right now!"
"There's no need to wait for that."
"The moment those cards touched your hand, I activate Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous's effect!"
Yusaku plucked two cards from his Monster Zone.
"I use the Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous on my field and Fallen of Albaz as Fusion Material—"
"Fusion Summon! Level 8—Albion the Branded Dragon!!"
A thunderous roar shook the sky, making the entire arena tremble. A crimson dragon wreathed in roaring brand-flames tore free of the Fusion vortex, its mighty wings whipping up waves of scorching heat as it screeched into the distance.
[Albion the Branded Dragon]
[Level 8 / Dragon / Fusion / Effect]
[ATK: 2500]
"Albion the Branded Dragon's effect activates!"
"When this card is Fusion Summoned, I can banish monsters from my hand or field as Fusion Material, and Fusion Summon 1 Level 8 or lower Fusion Monster other than itself."
"I banish Fallen of Albaz and Granguignol the Dusk Dragon from my GY!"
Yusaku raised his arm high, pointing his fingertip toward the sky as the Fusion vortex swelled to several times its original size.
"Let the new age dragon and the chill of old intertwine as one! Let the polar fury of the frozen abyss condense into a blade of absolute zero! With its razor edge, cleave all foes—
—Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon!!"
ROAR!!
A sky-splitting howl rolled out, carrying a killing frost that seemed to pierce bone and marrow. A colossal dragon, as if carved entirely from millennia-old ice crystal, burst from the Fusion maelstrom. Its claws slammed down, kicking up misty curtains of frost and snow as the temperature across the entire arena plummeted in an instant.
[Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon]
[Level 8 / Wyrm / Fusion / Effect]
[ATK: 3000]
"My resolution is finished. Continue."
Sato stared at the newly descended ice-blade dragon on Yusaku's field.
"So this is your ace, Mirrorjade, huh? At most it can banish one monster. If you think that's enough to stop me, you're dreaming."
He then swept three cards from his hand in one fluid motion.
"First, I set 2 cards face-down!"
With a clear, ringing hum, three face-down cards bathed in a dim purple glow appeared on his field, crescent-shaped rims gleaming with a faint, ominous aura.
Seeing this, Cheese Crit up in the stands frowned, scratching his head.
"Didn't he just start his turn? Why's he setting backrow already?"
"It's to dodge his own restriction."
Kazetaro pushed his tactic-glasses up the bridge of his nose, eyes flashing with analytic light.
"He's using an Ancient Gear deck. Some Ancient Gear monsters slap on a 'you can't Set cards this turn' clause after you use their effects. If he sets everything first, he won't get locked out later."
"So that's how it is. You really do know your stuff."
Cheese Crit nodded along as if enlightened, though his expression clearly said he only half understood.
Down on the field—
After setting his cards, Sato bared a sliver of a feral grin.
"I activate the effect of Ancient Gear Statue! If my opponent controls more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon this card from my hand. I've got nothing on my field right now, so I obviously meet the condition!"
He slapped the card onto his Duel Disk. The grinding of ancient engines echoed across the arena.
"Come forth—Ancient Gear Statue!"
A half-body statue of bronze gears and heavy mechanical arms rumbled up from beneath the ground.
[Ancient Gear Statue]
[Level 2 / Machine / Effect]
[ATK: 500]
"Ancient Gear Statue's effect triggers!"
Sato shouted above the clatter.
"I tribute this card, and Special Summon 1 'Ancient Gear Golem' or 1 monster that lists its name, other than 'Ancient Gear Statue', from my hand or Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions!"
"Since you just used a ton of hand traps on me, it's about time I show you what my own hand trap can do."
Yusaku slowly drew a card out from his hand.
"Holy crap, holy crap—that's Maxx 'C'!"
"He even has Maxx 'C'?! Why have I never seen that card in the in-game shop?!"
"With Maxx 'C' in the list as well, tell me again this isn't a protagonist build!"
Most of the other students in the viewing area had no idea what this card did or how terrifying it truly was. Watching Kazetaro and Kouki react like they'd just seen a ghost, they could not help showing confused expressions.
Yusaku gently slotted the card into his Graveyard, the energy indicators on the Duel Disk all lighting up at once.
"Maxx 'C'. Its effect: during your opponent's turn, I can send this card from my hand to the GY. For the rest of this turn, each time your opponent Special Summons a monster, I draw 1 card."
Sato's brows twisted into a knot.
The Mulcharmy Fuwalos in his hand was a rare card salvaged and restored by the Academy from an ancient stone tablet. He usually treated it like a trump card, something to be treasured. He'd thought its effect was already broken enough—but now there was another card with a similar ability and even fewer restrictions.
He could not stop himself from asking, "That card of yours doesn't have any drawbacks at all? Like, you can't activate it if you already control monsters, or you have to discard back down if you draw too much?"
Yusaku shook his head lightly, his tone calm but carrying a crushing pressure.
"No restrictions whatsoever. From this moment on, every time you Special Summon a monster, I draw 1 card."
The stands erupted instantly. Some students even wondered if they had misheard.
What… what the hell? Drawing a card every time your opponent Special Summons, with no strings attached?
Kazetaro and Kouki had already started reliving their Maxx "C" traumas.
Going first or second did not matter. Once "G" resolved, your options were always the same: either choke your combo and pass, or continue playing and pray they did not draw into something worse.
But if you pushed through it, your opponent might just draw into the exact pieces they needed. You had no idea when a metaphorical meteor would drop on your board.
The worst part was those maniacs who would sit there with five mystery cards in hand. Halfway through your combo, they'd suddenly "assemble Exodia" on you, and you would not even have time to react.
… … …
On the field—
Sato tightened his grip on the cards in his hand, took a deep breath, and looked Yusaku straight in the eye.
"Your card is strong, no doubt. But it's not unanswerable. All I need to do is end this Duel on this very turn."
He pulled another card free and thrust it high into the air.
"By the effect of Ancient Gear Statue, I Special Summon an Ancient Gear monster from my Deck!"
He slammed the card down with force.
"Awaken from the depths of my Deck, medieval titan of ultimate might! Arise—Ancient Gear Dark Golem!!"
Steam roared from the gaps of an ancient steel shell. Massive gears spun with booming clanks as a dark giant, its chest embedded with a spinning wheel like a colossal cog, rose from the ground.
[Ancient Gear Dark Golem]
[Level 8 / Machine / Effect]
[ATK: 3000]
"Ancient Gear Dark Golem's effect activates!"
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add up to 2 'Ancient Gear' cards and/or 'Geartown' from my Deck to my hand, except 'Ancient Gear Dark Golem', then discard 1 card."
"I add Ancient Gear Golem and Ancient Gear Box from my Deck to my hand, and then discard Ancient Gear Commander from my hand!"
After adding the two cards, Sato immediately drew out the freshly added Ancient Gear Box.
"Ancient Gear Box's effect activates! If this card is added from the Deck or GY to the hand by a card effect, except by drawing, I can add 1 EARTH Machine monster with 500 ATK and/or DEF from my Deck to my hand, except 'Ancient Gear Box'."
"I add Ancient Gear Knight, whose DEF is 500, from my Deck to my hand!"
As soon as the card touched his hand, Sato did not pause for even a heartbeat. He snapped a new card forward and slammed it onto his Duel Disk.
"Then I Normal Summon—Ancient Gear Tanker!"
[Ancient Gear Tanker]
[Level 4 / Machine / Effect]
[ATK: 1300]
"Ancient Gear Tanker's effect triggers!"
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 'Ancient Gear' monster, other than 'Ancient Gear Tanker', from my hand, ignoring its Summoning conditions. If you control a monster, I can instead Special Summon it from my GY as a replacement!"
"Since you have monsters on your field—"
Sato tapped the Graveyard zone of his Duel Disk. A card popped out.
"I Special Summon the Ancient Gear Commander I just sent to the GY!"
The sound of interlocking gears roared to life again as a mechanical warrior, its body a composite of precise gearworks and heavy armor, burst out from a swirl of metallic light.
[Ancient Gear Commander]
[Level 4 / Machine / Effect]
[ATK: 500]
"And I'm still not done!" Sato shouted.
"Ancient Gear Commander's effect activates! I can send 1 'Ancient Gear Golem' from my hand, Deck, or face-up field to the GY, then conduct a Normal Summon of 1 'Ancient Gear' monster!"
He drew a card that had just popped from his Deck.
"I send 1 copy of Ancient Gear Golem from my Deck to the GY, and Normal Summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound from my hand!"
With a howl of grinding steel, a hound formed from interlocked cogs and jagged fangs pounced out of the light, landing on Sato's field.
[Ancient Gear Hunting Hound]
[Level 3 / Machine / Effect]
[ATK: 1000]
(End of Chapter)
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