When the monster appeared, Yusaku raised his hand and said in a low voice:
"Then, according to the effect of 'Sky Strider Bunny Flight Squad'!"
"I tune it together with the Level 8 Effect Monster on my field, 'Dogmatika Fleurdelis, the Knighted'!"
"Crimson purgatory scatters within the rose garden! Let purifying flames burn all things to ash and herald a new dawn!!"
"SYNCHRO SUMMON! Level 10! Crimson Rose Dragon!!!"
As his words fell, the two monsters turned into a shower of radiance and shot toward the sky.
The next moment, a Synchro pillar of light crashed down like a waterfall. A giant dragon clad in blood-red scales emerged from the beam with its head held high, letting out a roar that shook heaven and earth.
[Crimson Rose Dragon]
[Level 10 / Dragon / Synchro / Effect]
[ATK 3200]
Yusaku swung his arm sharply.
"I activate Crimson Rose Dragon's effect, and chain to it the Trap Card 'Dogmatika Encounter'!"
"'Dogmatika Encounter' was Set by the effect of 'Dogmatika Fleurdelis, the Knighted.' The latter half of this card's effect clearly states: as long as there is at least 1 Fusion, Synchro, or Link Monster with 2500 or more ATK on the field, this card that was Set by that effect can be activated during the turn it was Set!"
Yusaku's gaze locked onto Mizuki's field.
"You have a Fusion Monster with over 2500 ATK on your field, 'Eldlich the Mad Golden Lord,' so this activation is perfectly legal!"
"The effect of 'Dogmatika Encounter' lets me Special Summon 1 'Dogmatika' monster or 'Fallen of Albaz' from my hand!"
Yusaku Special Summoned [Fallen of Albaz] from his hand.
[Fallen of Albaz]
[Level 4 / Dragon / Effect]
[ATK 1800]
"Next, I continue resolving Crimson Rose Dragon's effect!"
"When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can activate its effect to banish all cards in both players' GYs!"
Hearing this, Mizuki's pupils contracted sharply. Because all the 'Albaz' support in the surroundings…???
Before he finished the thought, the rose-scaled dragon beat its wings with a thunderous cry. A violent shock wave swept toward both Graveyards.
In the next second, the cards in both GYs surged toward the banished zone like a tidal wave and were completely cleared out.
Seeing this, the students and players behind Yusaku froze for a moment, then burst into barely suppressed laughter.
"Yusaku-senpai is too ruthless! He deliberately lured the other side into activating 'That Grass Looks Greener,' then immediately chained an Accel Synchro to summon Crimson Rose Dragon and banish every card in the GY!"
"This is giving them hope only to crush it with his own hands, making them fall straight from heaven to hell!"
On Mizuki's side, his fellow students were flushed with anger, teeth clenched.
"So despicable! He actually summoned a monster like Crimson Rose Dragon right when Mizuki-senpai used Grass Looks Greener!"
"Despicable? That's called tactics! And it's not like Yusaku-senpai ever said he wouldn't fight back if the other side used Grass Looks Greener. He only suggested they activate it, he never promised not to chain anything!"
Yusaku's dojo's students fired back immediately, their tone full of confidence.
On the duel field.
Staring at his now-empty Graveyard, Mizuki's expression was so dark it looked like ink was about to drip from his face. "You knew from the very beginning that I had 'That Grass Looks Greener' in my hand, and you waited from the opening turn until now just for me to play that card, didn't you?"
"Not quite." Yusaku looked at Mizuki, the corners of his lips lifting in a faint smile. "I drew 'Sky Strider Bunny Flight Squad' off the effect of 'Maxx 'C''."
He paused for a heartbeat, his voice tinged with amusement.
"Out of all those cards, and you just happened to draw exactly that one?" Mizuki looked completely stunned.
"Everything a duelist does is inevitable."
"Bullshit inevitability!" Mizuki snorted coldly, eyes sharp as he stared at Yusaku. "You really think that just because you banished my cards, I'm out of options?"
"Among Zombie-Type monsters, there's a group that can only reveal their true power once they are banished!"
Mizuki raised his hand in a sweeping motion, his voice suddenly rising.
"I activate the effect of 'Shiranui Samurai' and chain to it the effect of 'Shiranui Spiritmaster'! That just so happens to help me trigger their effects!"
"And this chain order is something I arranged with great care. The real core effect I want to use is one that monsters on the field can't negate!"
With that, he lifted his hand again and shouted:
"Then, I activate the effect of 'Shiranui Samurai'…"
Before he could finish, Yusaku cut him off.
"Hold it. My monster's effect hasn't finished resolving yet."
Mizuki stared at him, baffled. "???"
"I chain to your effect by activating the effect of the 'Fallen of Albaz' I just Special Summoned! When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can discard 1 card from my hand to activate its effect. Then I Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster that lists 'Fallen of Albaz' as material, using this card and other monsters from either field as Fusion Material!"
Yusaku sent a card from his hand to the GY. The dark Fusion vortex expanded several times over, stirring a fierce gale.
"The newborn dragon and the chill of ancient frost converge as one! The fury of sub-zero condenses into a blade of absolute ice! Let the cold cut down every foe, shattering all in its path! Fusion Summon! Icejade Dragon – Mirrorjade!!!"
ROAR!!!
A deafening howl, laden with bone-piercing cold, swept across the entire field. A giant dragon that looked as if it had been carved from millennia-old ice crystals tore out of the Fusion vortex. When its claws struck the ground, they kicked up layers upon layers of freezing mist. The temperature of the duel field plummeted instantly and even fine shards of ice formed in the air.
[Icejade Dragon – Mirrorjade]
[Level 8 / Wyrm / Fusion]
[ATK 3000]
After summoning Mirrorjade, Yusaku looked at Mizuki and spoke calmly:
"If I'm not mistaken, the effect of 'Shiranui Samurai' is: when this card is banished, you can target 1 Zombie-Type monster you control; that monster gains 600 ATK until the end of this turn."
"You originally wanted to boost the ATK of 'Eldlich the Mad Golden Lord' that was on your field just now, but since it has already been sent to the GY as Fusion Material, you can only choose the remaining 'Shiranui Squire' on your field to gain the ATK."
"But at this point, that hardly matters."
Yusaku swept his gaze over both banished zones.
"I have 20 cards in my banished zone, and you have 39, so the ATK of 'Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign – Chengying' becomes 8900."
[Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign – Chengying]
[ATK 3000 → 8900]
"In other words, every monster on your field loses 5900 ATK and DEF."
Hearing this, Mizuki snorted, a hint of disdain in his tone.
"Your monster has to survive the turn first. You made a fatal mistake: you banished all of your own cards too, and 'Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign – Chengying' needs a card in your GY to replace its destruction. Right now you can't even trigger that effect!"
He thrust his hand forward and shouted:
"Then I activate the effect of 'Shiranui Samurai,' targeting 'Shiranui Squire' on my field so its ATK increases by 600!"
A glow of effect activation flared around him, but the ATK of [Shiranui Squire] on the field did not change at all. Under Chengying's effect, its ATK remained 0.
"Next, I activate the effect of 'Shiranui Solitaire'! When this card is banished, I can target 1 of my 'Shiranui' monsters in my banished zone other than this card and Special Summon it!"
"I Special Summon 'Shiranui Spectralsword' from my banished zone!"
[Shiranui Spectralsword]
[Level 3 / Zombie / Effect]
[ATK 800 → 0]
"Lastly, I activate the effect of 'Shiranui Spiritmaster'!" Mizuki's gaze sharpened as he glared at Yusaku. "When this card is banished, I can target 1 face-up card on your field and destroy it!"
He swung his hand down and shouted:
"I choose to destroy your 'Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign – Chengying'!"
A reddish-brown, eerie light shot out from the banished zone, striking directly at [Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign – Chengying] on Yusaku's field. But the instant the light touched the monster, it vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, leaving the monster completely unharmed.
Seeing this, Mizuki's pupils shrank and he cried out:
"Impossible! Why wasn't your monster destroyed?"
"Leaving aside the fact that after I used the Trap Card to Special Summon 'Fallen of Albaz' and Fusion Summoned Mirrorjade, there are now Fusion Material cards in my GY… even if my GY were empty, I still wouldn't need to use Chengying's destruction replacement effect, because your effect can't affect it in the first place."
Yusaku's tone remained even as he explained.
"That's impossible! 'Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign – Chengying' doesn't have any inherent protection!" Mizuki's face twisted in disbelief.
"It's true it doesn't." Yusaku flipped a card face-up from his banished zone. "But the effect of 'Stardust Dragon / Assault Mode' is still active: monsters Synchro Summoned using its effect are unaffected by any effects your opponent activates this turn."
"Now you understand, right?"
Hearing this, Mizuki's face went from pale to livid, but he clearly still hadn't given up. He glared at the cards on the field, then thrust his hand up and shouted:
"Then I activate the effect of 'Shiranui Spectralsword'!"
"By tributing this card, I can Special Summon from my banished zone 1 Zombie-Type 'Shiranui' monster other than this card and 1 Zombie-Type monster: 'Glow-Up Bloom'!"
As his declaration fell, [Shiranui Spectralsword] turned into a streak of light and returned to the banished zone, preparing to summon new monsters.
"You really won't cry until you see the coffin, huh." Yusaku shook his head. "In that case, I'll finally use the flower effect you've been dreading."
He raised his hand and called out:
"I chain to your 'Shiranui Spectralsword' effect by activating 'Baronne de Fleur's' effect, and chain again with 'Icejade Dragon – Mirrorjade's' effect!"
"First, I activate Mirrorjade's effect!"
Yusaku's eyes sharpened, his voice low and steady.
"Once per turn, during either player's turn, I can send 1 Fusion Monster that lists 'Fallen of Albaz' as material from my Extra Deck to the GY to activate this effect, then banish 1 monster on the field!"
He revealed a card from his Extra Deck, faint red light shimmering off its surface.
"I send 'Albion the Branded Dragon' from my Extra Deck to the GY and banish your 'Shiranui Squire'!"
Before he finished, countless ice crystals shot out from Mirrorjade's body. They detonated midair into a storm of razor-sharp ice shards that pierced straight through [Shiranui Squire] in front of Mizuki. The monster's form warped, then dissolved into a cloud of crystalline fragments and vanished from the field completely.
"Next, I activate the effect of 'Baronne de Fleur'!" Yusaku continued. "Once while this card is face-up on the field, when a Spell/Trap or monster effect is activated, I can negate that activation and destroy that card!"
"I choose to negate and destroy your 'Shiranui Spectralsword's' activated effect!"
As he spoke, [Baronne de Fleur] suddenly swung her mount around, raising her sword high. Rose-colored light gathered along the blade, mixed with drifting petals and sharp thorns.
With a sweeping slash, a crescent-shaped wave of sword aura wreathed in petals and barbs sliced through the air with a piercing hum, leaving ripples of scorching pressure in its wake. It streaked directly toward Mizuki's banished zone, cutting apart the effect of [Shiranui Spectralsword] and erasing it completely.
"I still have several card effects on my field that I haven't used, and 'Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess' still has 1600 ATK." Yusaku looked at Mizuki, his tone calm but heavy with pressure. "You have no monsters on your field, your hand is completely empty. Are you still going to struggle?"
Hearing this, Mizuki fell silent, his face so dark it was almost frightening.
Around them, the watching students and players all held their breath, eyes wide as they stared at the monsters on Yusaku's field, their faces full of shock and disbelief.
They still could not believe that someone had managed to complete such an ornate board on the opponent's turn, and that he had Fusion, Synchro, and Link Monsters all on the field at the same time!
(End of Chapter)
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