At the start of the duel, Yusaku's field had been filled with six low-level "fodder" monsters.
By the time the outcome was decided, those "fodder" had already been upgraded into a luxury lineup of: [Baronne de Fleur] + [Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess] + [Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign - Chengying] + [Ruddy Rose Dragon] + [Bystial Dis Pater] + [Icejade Chimera Dragon].
Even with victory already sealed, Yusaku still had several monster effects on his field that he hadn't used, while Mizuki's side was already at the end of his rope with nothing left.
On the duel field.
Staring at his completely empty field, Mizuki was full of unwillingness, yet had no choice but to admit that he had completely lost.
Even if the duel went to the next turn, just [Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign - Chengying] alone, with 8900 ATK, was already enough to punch straight through Tohato.
He took a deep breath, looked at Yusaku, and said in a stubborn tone: "You win. This time it's mainly because I took things too lightly. Zombies are only my backup deck. I'll be waiting for you at the Duel Tower. Next time we fight, I will never lose again!"
Having said that, he raised his hand, ready to turn and leave with the students behind him.
Seeing this, Yusaku raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of amusement. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
At his words, Mizuki let out a cold snort, pulled a fragment of the Millennium Puzzle out of his pocket, and casually tossed it toward Yusaku.
Catching the shard steadily, Yusaku lifted his gaze toward Miki in the crowd and called out loudly: "Senpai, are you really willing to just walk away like this? If I remember correctly, before your senior left, he handed over the strategy for clearing this mission to you two, didn't he?"
"If you just leave now, doesn't that mean the mission failed completely? And besides, don't you want to win back this shard I'm holding?"
At those words, Miki's steps suddenly stopped. His body trembled slightly. Just as he was about to turn around, Mizuki hurriedly tried to persuade him.
"Miki-senpai, he's provoking you! Me losing at most just means getting some resources docked, but if you lose too, the punishment definitely won't be as simple as docked resources!"
Hearing that, Miki frowned, his expression tangled. It was obvious he was struggling internally.
At this moment, Mizuki continued: "And Senpai, your deck is specialized for going first. Sure, it's not weak going second, but it's nowhere near the same level. If he happens to win the die roll and goes first, you won't even get a chance to set up!"
"A going-first specialist deck?" Yusaku raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with a trace of provocation. "What a coincidence, I just happen to have a going-second deck. How about this: I'll give you the first turn. If you win, I'll hand this shard back to you. If you lose, you hand your deck over to me. How's that?"
Mizuki and the students behind him all froze, clearly not expecting Yusaku to be so bold as to voluntarily give up the advantage of going first.
Yusaku looked at Miki, eyes sharp as a blade. "Do you dare to accept the challenge?"
Miki took a deep breath, stopped hesitating, turned around and unfolded his Duel Disk, slotting his deck in as he stared firmly at Yusaku. "I admire your courage. You're the first person who's ever dared to say that to me. At the Academy, my win rate going first is as high as 80%!"
"As long as there's still 20% left, that means there's a chance you lose."
Yusaku also unfolded his Duel Disk, took out a completely different deck, shuffled and cut it three times, then slid it into the tray. "Enough talk. Come on, I want to see what's so impressive about your going-first deck."
"As you wish."
The instant those words fell, the two of them raised their hands at the same time and shouted loudly:
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
Two impassioned voices rang out together over the arena. The Duel Disks buzzed as pale blue light-screens unfolded, streams of data racing across them as both players' starting Life Points appeared clearly.
[Yusaku, LP 8000]
[Miki, LP 8000]
According to the rules agreed on before the duel, it was Miki who would go first.
"Then, my turn!"
Miki's fingertip slid lightly across the Duel Disk as he cleanly drew his starting hand.
He drew one card and revealed it.
"First, I activate the effect of [Drytron Alpha Thuban] in my hand! I can Tribute 1 'Drytron' monster or Ritual Monster from my hand or field, other than this card, to Special Summon this card from my hand or GY in Defense Position. Then, I can add 1 Ritual Monster from my Deck to my hand."
After explaining, he glanced at Yusaku. "Got any interruptions?"
Yusaku folded his arms, his fingers tapping casually against his bicep. "No hand traps. Go ahead."
"No hand traps, huh?"
Miki took a look at the cards in his hand, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly. "With this hand, I can build a very big board. Yusaku, you're going to regret that choice."
With that, he drew out another card from his hand and revealed it.
"I Tribute [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah] from my hand to Special Summon [Drytron Alpha Thuban]! Then I add the Ritual Monster [Cyber Angel Benten] from my Deck to my hand."
As his words fell, summoning light surged like crackling blue electricity. The fully mechanical body of Alpha Thuban, composed of interlocking silver gears, descended onto the field. The thrusters along its frame glowed with tiny blue lights as it landed.
[Drytron Alpha Thuban]
[Level 1 / Machine / Effect]
[ATK 2000]
Seeing the monster on the field, the players behind Yusaku curled their lips.
"No wonder his going-first is so strong. He's on Drytron. You tell me, what Drytron deck can't still function even if the opponent goes first and sets up a board?"
"Exactly, exactly. This is shameless!"
Hearing that, the students behind Miki didn't feel the least bit guilty.
"That's not his fault. You're the ones who chose to go second."
"Miki-senpai's Drytron deck can easily put up a five-negate board. Once he's done, Yusaku will pay the price for his arrogance."
"…"
On the field.
After summoning his monster, Miki revealed the card he had just sent to the GY.
"I activate the effect of [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah] in the GY. Its effect is the same as [Drytron Alpha Thuban], except it searches a Ritual Spell instead."
Miki revealed a card from his hand.
"So I Tribute the Ritual Monster [Cyber Angel Benten] from my hand to Special Summon [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah] in Defense Position from my GY, then add the Ritual Spell [Meteonis Drytron] from my Deck to my hand."
As the card was Tributed, faint purple mist rose from the GY. Zeta Aldhibah's mechanical body reassembled, the sound of its gears rotating echoing clearly through the silent arena.
[Drytron Zeta Aldhibah]
[Level 1 / Machine / Effect]
[ATK 2000]
"Next is the effect of [Cyber Angel Benten]!" Miki declared.
"When this card is Tributed, I can activate its effect to add 1 LIGHT Fairy monster from my Deck to my hand."
"I add the Fairy monster [Herald of Orange Light] from my Deck to my hand."
"Then I overlay [Drytron Alpha Thuban] and [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah]!"
"Xyz Summon! Rank 1 – [Drytron Mu Beta Fafnir]!"
The two mechanical bodies shot into the air as twin beams of light. Within a dazzling Xyz halo, they fused together. The silver-gray Mu Beta Fafnir unfurled six compact thruster-wings, hovering in midair with a low mechanical hum.
[Drytron Mu Beta Fafnir]
[Rank 1 / Machine / Xyz]
[ATK 2000]
"Effect of [Drytron Mu Beta Fafnir]!" Miki said. "If this card is Xyz Summoned, I can send 1 'Drytron' card from my Deck to the GY."
"I send [Drytron Gamma Eltanin] from my Deck to the GY."
After sending the card, Miki drew out another card and revealed it.
"Next, I activate the Ritual Spell [Meteonis Drytron]!"
"Its effect: I Tribute Machine monsters from my hand or field whose total ATK is equal to or greater than the ATK of the Ritual Monster I'm Ritual Summoning, then Ritual Summon 1 Ritual Monster from my hand or GY in Attack Position.
"And at this moment, the effect of my Xyz Monster [Drytron Mu Beta Fafnir] can activate."
Yusaku spoke up. "When you Ritual Summon, the monsters you Tribute for the Ritual can also be detached from this card as material."
"I detach 1 material from this card and use it as Ritual material!"
[Drytron Mu Beta Fafnir]
[Materials: 2 → 1]
"I Ritual Summon [Cyber Angel Benten] from my GY in Attack Position!"
As his words fell, a pink Ritual sigil bloomed with gentle light. Benten, dressed in a sakura-colored kimono, stepped up from the GY on paths of light, folding fan raised before her lips, surrounded by drifting petal-like motes of radiance.
[Cyber Angel Benten]
[Level 6 / Fairy / Effect]
[ATK 1800]
After bringing Benten back to the field, Miki declared:
"Next I activate the other effect of [Meteonis Drytron] in my GY!"
"If this card is in the GY, I can target 1 'Drytron' monster I control. That monster loses 1000 ATK until the end of your next turn, and if it does, I can add this card from my GY to my hand."
"I target [Drytron Mu Beta Fafnir] on my field, lowering its ATK by 1000 and returning [Meteonis Drytron] to my hand."
[Drytron Mu Beta Fafnir]
[ATK 2000 → 1000]
"Now that I've assembled my monsters!"
Miki revealed a card in his hand that glowed faintly. "Next, I'll show you one of the ace monsters in my deck!"
He slapped the card onto his Duel Disk.
"I Tribute [Drytron Mu Beta Fafnir] and [Cyber Angel Benten] on my field to Tribute Summon [Vanity's Ruler]!"
At his shout, a monster robed in white and wreathed in oppressive holy light slowly appeared. The aura radiating from its body seemed capable of swallowing every ounce of summoning energy; even the air itself felt as if it were being devoured.
[Vanity's Ruler]
[Level 8 / Fairy / Effect]
[ATK 2500]
"Damn! Vanity's Ruler? He even brought this thing? Seriously?"
"Playing Drytron is already bad enough, and he's still packing this kind of 'degenerate' card? Fits my impression of the Upper City players perfectly."
"All he knows is locking people down with going-first and floodgates. If he's so great, why doesn't he play something fair and fight head-on?"
The players behind Yusaku were cursing openly, but Miki took no notice at all and continued his plays.
"I activate the effect of [Cyber Angel Benten] that was Tributed and sent to the GY just now. Its effect is not once per turn, so I can add another Fairy monster from my Deck to my hand: I choose [Eva]!"
After adding the card to his hand, Miki immediately declared:
"Next I activate the effect of [Drytron Gamma Eltanin] in my GY.
"I Tribute 1 'Drytron' monster or Ritual Monster from my hand or field, other than this card, to Special Summon this card from my hand or GY in Defense Position. Then, I can Special Summon 1 'Drytron' monster with 2000 ATK from my GY, except another [Drytron Gamma Eltanin]."
"I Tribute the [Cyber Angel Benten] in my hand, and Special Summon this monster and [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah] from my GY in Defense Position!"
Two streams of light shot out from the GY. The crimson mechanical body of Gamma Eltanin and the silver frame of Zeta Aldhibah appeared side by side, their thrusters spitting one red and one blue flame, the visual contrast striking.
[Drytron Zeta Aldhibah]
[ATK 2000]
[Drytron Gamma Eltanin]
[ATK 2000]
"Then I once again activate the effect of [Cyber Angel Benten] that was just Tributed and sent to the GY, banishing the [Eva] in my GY!"
…
After adding the searched cards to his hand, he waved his hand and shouted:
"Next, I use [Drytron Zeta Aldhibah] and [Drytron Gamma Eltanin] I just Special Summoned as Link Material!"
"Link Summon! Link-2 – [Union Carrier]!!"
A blue Link circuit spread across the sky like an electric net. The two mechanical monsters turned into streams of light and flowed into it. The [Union Carrier] emerged with a heavy rumbling of treads grinding against the ground as it drove onto the field.
[Union Carrier]
[Machine / Link / Effect]
[ATK 1000]
"Effect of [Union Carrier]! I target 1 face-up monster I control, then take 1 monster from my hand or Deck with the same original Type or Attribute as that monster, and equip it to the target as an Equip Spell that gives it 1000 ATK."
"I target my LIGHT Attribute [Union Carrier] and equip [Eva] from my Deck to it, boosting its ATK by 1000!"
[Union Carrier]
[ATK 1000 → 2000]
"Then I activate [Meteonis Drytron] once more, using the 2000 ATK [Union Carrier] on my field as the Tribute for a Ritual Summon, and Ritual Summon a monster from my hand in Defense Position!"
Having finished, Miki slammed the card in his hand onto the Duel Disk. "Come forth, the strongest ace in my deck! The miracle of Drytron! [Herald of Ultimateness]!!!"
The Ritual sigil on the ground suddenly expanded. A fountain of prismatic light shot toward the sky, dyeing the heavens in splendid crimson.
A pair of gigantic gilded wings slowly unfurled from within the flames. Crystal-like motes of light drifted from their tips. Draped in pure white holy robes, Herald of Ultimateness stepped down along the light, bathed in a halo of sanctity. With a simple wave of its hand, it felt as though it could pass judgment on all things. The overwhelming divine pressure made the entire arena fall into a momentary silence.
[Herald of Ultimateness]
[Level 12 / Fairy / Effect]
[DEF 3000]
After finishing the summon, Miki looked toward Yusaku.
He had expected that once Yusaku saw this monster, his expression would change.
But when his gaze met those calm, rippleless eyes, his heart suddenly sank, and he unconsciously furrowed his brow.
Stop trying to act unfazed… I'll just wait and see how you plan to crack my board.
He let out a cold snort inwardly, then raised his hand and declared:
"At this moment, the effect of [Eva] in my GY can activate."
"If this card is sent to the GY, I can banish up to 2 other LIGHT Fairy monsters from my field or GY; for each monster banished, I add 1 Level 2 or lower LIGHT Fairy monster with a different name from my Deck to my hand, except [Eva]."
"I banish the two [Cyber Angel Benten] in my GY, and add the Level 2 or lower Fairy monsters [Herald of Orange Light] and [Herald of Green Light] from my Deck to my hand!"
After adding the searched cards to his hand, Miki crossed his arms and looked at Yusaku. "Your move."
(End of Chapter)
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