Towa slid the card precisely into his Duel Disk, his gaze sharp as lightning. (Changed the name to Towa, fits better)
"I send this card to the GY, then search another copy of [Thunder Dragondark] from my Deck to my hand!"
Adding the searched card, he spoke in a low voice.
"Next, I activate the effect of [Chaos Space] in my hand! Its effect lets me send 1 LIGHT or DARK monster from my hand to the GY, then add 1 LIGHT or DARK monster from my Deck, with a different Attribute, Level 4 to 8, that cannot be Normal Summoned or Set!"
He revealed a card from his hand.
"I send the LIGHT monster [Thunder Dragonmatrix] from my hand to the GY, and add the DARK [Thunder Dragondark] from my Deck to my hand!"
A new card entered his hand, and Towa immediately raised it high.
"The summoning condition of [The Chaos Creator]: this card cannot be Normal Summoned. It must first be Special Summoned by banishing 1 LIGHT monster and 1 DARK monster from your own GY!"
He plucked two cards from his GY, eyes locking onto Yusaku.
"I banish the LIGHT [Thunder Dragonmatrix] and the DARK [Thunder Dragondark] in my GY to Special Summon this card to the field!"
Before his words had even finished, a gigantic thunder dragon shot up toward the sky.
"Come forth, The Chaos Creator!"
The arena dimmed in an instant. Purple-gold lightning exploded outward as The Chaos Creator, clad in faceted mechanical scales and crowned with a thunder-wreathed diadem, strode out atop roaring thunder.
[The Chaos Creator]
Level 8 / Thunder / Effect
ATK 2300
"I activate the effect of the [Thunder Dragonmatrix] that was just banished! When this card is banished, or sent from the field to the GY, I can add 1 [Thunder Dragonmatrix] from my Deck to my hand!"
"I add another [Thunder Dragonmatrix] from my Deck to my hand!"
With the new card in hand, Towa pointed at the monster on his field, his voice rising.
"Next, I activate the effect of [The Chaos Creator]!"
"The effect: while this card that was Special Summoned from the hand is on the field, I can target 3 banished monsters between both players; I Special Summon 1 of them to my field, and return the rest to the bottom of their owners' Decks in any order!"
He selected three cards from the banished zone, the glint in his eyes full of absolute confidence.
"I target [Thunder Dragonmatrix], [Thunder Dragonroar], and [Thunder Dragondark] that were banished, Special Summon [Thunder Dragonroar], and return [Thunder Dragonmatrix] and [Thunder Dragondark] to the bottom of the Deck!"
At his declaration, a massive wolf wreathed in raging lightning, its mane a storm of cyan bolts, leapt into being with a thunderous roar.
[Thunder Dragonroar]
Level 6 / Thunder / Effect
ATK 2400
With his monsters deployed, Towa arched a brow at Yusaku.
"My Main Monster Zones are full now."
Yusaku crossed his arms with a relaxed smile.
"Too bad I didn't draw the meteor. Otherwise I'd 'fix' your board a little."
At the word "meteor," Towa's brows knitted. He quickly ran through the card database in his head, but couldn't recall anything matching. He glanced at Yusaku.
"What meteor?"
"You don't need to know." Yusaku's smile deepened. "You're not getting that chance this time."
Towa snorted.
"Quit acting mysterious! I'll show you my ace lock!"
He suddenly flipped three cards out of his Extra Deck.
"[Thunder Dragon Colossus] can be Special Summoned, not just by Fusion Summon. During a turn in which the effect of a Thunder monster was activated in the hand, you can Tribute 1 Thunder Effect Monster you control, except a Fusion Monster, to Special Summon it from the Extra Deck!"
"This turn, I've activated Thunder monsters' effects in my hand more times than I can count, so I can bring them all out!"
As soon as he finished, he removed his three monsters from the field and stared straight at Yusaku.
"I Tribute [Thunder Dragonroar], [The Chaos Creator], and [Thunder Dragonhawk] on my field to Special Summon three copies of [Thunder Dragon Colossus] from my Extra Deck! All of them in Defense Position!"
Towa raised his arm high, his voice booming like thunder.
"Immortal kings who guard the honor of Thunder, heed my call and cut down all obstacles before me!"
"Manifest, Thunder Dragon Colossus!!"
The instant his words landed, three pillars of white light shrank to singular points, then exploded outward. Three enormous dragons, each with bat-like membrane wings, bodies wrapped in web-like lightning, and maws spitting golden bolts, shot up into the sky, their massive silhouettes nearly covering the entire arena.
[Thunder Dragon Colossus] x3
Level 8 / Thunder / Fusion / Effect
DEF 2400
"Next, I activate the effect of [Thunder Dragonhawk] that I Tributed and sent to the GY! When this card is banished, or sent from the field to the GY, I can return any number of cards from my hand to the Deck, then draw the same number of cards!"
Towa counted the cards in his hand, then glanced at Yusaku.
"I return two cards from my hand to the Deck, and then draw two cards!"
After drawing his new hand, he revealed another Extra Deck card.
"[Thunder Dragon Titan], just like [Thunder Dragon Colossus], can also be brought out by other means than Fusion Summon!"
Towa's gaze locked onto Yusaku.
"Its summoning condition: by banishing 1 Thunder monster from your hand and 1 Thunder Fusion Monster you control, except [Thunder Dragon Titan], you can Special Summon this card from the Extra Deck!"
He flipped a card from his hand.
"I banish the Thunder monster [Thunder Dragonduo] in my hand and one [Thunder Dragon Colossus] from my field to Special Summon my monster!"
He slapped the card onto his Duel Disk.
"Come forth, Thunder Dragon Titan!"
A flash of light brighter than the sun tore into the sky, staining the clouds a deep blue-green. A three-headed dragon with twin pairs of gigantic wings, its entire body a flowing cyan glow, descended slowly. Each head crackled with red, yellow, and green lightning respectively, golden bolts spilling from its jaws.
[Thunder Dragon Titan]
Thunder / Effect
DEF 3200
"Next, I use [Solar Batteryman] and a [Batteryman Token] on my field as Link Material!"
"Link Summon! Link-2 – [Union Carrier]!"
A blue Link circuit unfolded. The two Machine monsters turned into streams of light and shot into the circuit as a heavy armored vehicle rumbled out onto the field with a thunderous roar.
[Union Carrier]
Machine / Link / Effect
ATK 1000
"I'm not done yet!"
Towa's shout carried overwhelming momentum.
"I activate the effect of [Nemeses Corridor] in my hand! I can target 1 of my own banished monsters, other than this card, then Special Summon this card from my hand and return that target to the Deck!"
"I return the [Thunder Dragon Colossus] I just banished to my Extra Deck, and Special Summon [Nemeses Corridor]!"
In a flash of emerald light, a monster with a fully mechanical body and massive wings, its whole form rendered in sleek green plating, descended onto the field.
[Nemeses Corridor]
Level 4 / Thunder / Effect
ATK 1900
With [Nemeses Corridor] on the field, Towa immediately drew another card and slapped it down.
"I Tribute the [Nemeses Corridor] I just Summoned, and Special Summon that [Thunder Dragon Colossus] I returned to the Extra Deck in Defense Position!"
[Thunder Dragon Colossus]
DEF 2400
"I activate the effect of [Union Carrier]!"
Towa's voice sank, full of pressure.
"[Union Carrier] can 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 the DARK [Thunder Dragon Colossus] on my field and equip it from my Deck with the DARK [Dragon Buster Destruction Sword], treating it as an Equip Spell that boosts its ATK by 1000!"
[Thunder Dragon Colossus]
ATK 2600 → 3600
"Then I activate the GY effect of the Spell Card [Chaos Space]!"
"By banishing [Chaos Space] from my GY, I can target 1 of my banished LIGHT or DARK monsters that cannot be Normal Summoned or Set, return it to the bottom of the Deck, then draw 1 card!"
"I banish [Chaos Space], return the banished [Thunder Dragonduo] to the bottom of my Deck, and then draw 1 card!"
After drawing, he slapped two cards into his back row and flicked his coat hem back.
"I Set two cards and end my turn!"
He leaned back, arms folded.
"Come on then, let's see how you break my absolute lock."
Staring at Towa's ironclad board, Mizuki and Fujiwara were the first to start applauding from the stands.
Spurred on by them, the Genius Academy students in the audience erupted as if someone had lit a fuse, applause surging over the stadium like a tidal wave.
Most of the spectators, other than the players who had come with Yusaku, were Duelists from major Upper City Dojos invited by Genius Academy.
The point of this exhibition Duel was precisely to flaunt the Academy's overwhelming strength.
Mizuki watched the field with genuine admiration in his voice.
"As expected of Towa-kun and his lock-style builds. He's taken Thunder Dragon to a whole new level."
Fujiwara let out a low, confident sneer.
"Three [Thunder Dragon Colossus] all in Defense Position, each with a search-lock effect, and all of them can banish Thunder monsters from the GY to prevent their own destruction, whether by battle or by card effect. There's no way he's pushing through this defense."
"Not to mention [Thunder Dragon Titan] has a destruction effect. And on top of that..."
He paused, glancing toward Yusaku's side of the field, a hint of mockery in his tone.
"He's still holding [Thunder Dragonmatrix] and [Thunder Dragondark]. Both can activate their effects on the opponent's turn. The moment Yusaku tries to Summon anything, he can trigger [Thunder Dragon Titan] and blow it all up."
"Plus [Union Carrier] has equipped [Dragon Buster Destruction Sword] to Colossus, locking him out of Special Summons from the Extra Deck. I'd really like to see how he plans to deal with this board."
Their comments were overheard by a few nearby players. Recognizing Mizuki and Fujiwara, one player immediately chimed in with a teasing grin.
"Well, if it isn't Mizuki and Fujiwara. Long time no see. What, too scared to get on stage yourselves, so you sent your junior instead?"
The bespectacled player beside him pushed up his glasses and followed up.
"Can you blame them? One of them gets farmed by his senpai, and the other's been OTK'd twice by the same guy."
Kazetaro added lazily, twisting the knife.
"Aren't you forgetting the main point? Both of them are chumps who got OTK'd in a single turn by their 'big bro.'"
Recognizing the voices, Yusaku glanced back at the crowd.
"So that's where you two are. Playing cheer squad now? I thought you called me here to Duel."
He paused, the corner of his mouth curling into a playful smirk.
"Or don't you even have the guts to get on stage anymore?"
Fujiwara shot to his feet at once, only to be yanked back down by Mizuki. All he could do was grit his teeth and snort.
"Talk after you make it past my junior, then you can brag all you want!"
Yusaku chuckled and stopped prodding them, his fingertip tapping lightly on his Duel Disk as his gaze returned to the cluster of monsters on Towa's field.
"Then it's my turn. Draw!"
He slid the drawn card into his hand and took in Towa's board at a glance.
Three [Thunder Dragon Colossus], one of them equipped with [Dragon Buster Destruction Sword].
One [Thunder Dragon Titan].
One [Union Carrier].
Plus two face-down back row.
In Towa's hand, there were likely two more Thunder Dragon names, ready to activate on Yusaku's turn and trigger Titan's destruction effect at any moment.
Seeing Yusaku stare at his hand without making a move, Towa folded his arms, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.
"What's wrong? Bricked already? Out of options?"
He paused, his voice thick with ridicule.
"Not that I can blame you. I've got three [Thunder Dragon Colossus] locking your searches, all in Defense Position. Whether you try to beat over them or pop them, they can banish Thunder monsters in my GY instead to stop their own destruction. You can't even scratch them!"
"And [Thunder Dragon Titan] is packing a destruction effect too. More importantly..."
He snapped a card up from his hand, voice oozing with confidence.
"I'm holding [Thunder Dragonmatrix] and [Thunder Dragondark]. Both can activate in your turn. The moment you dare Summon a monster, I'll chain their effects, trigger [Thunder Dragon Titan], and wipe out everything you bring out!"
"With [Dragon Buster Destruction Sword] locking your Extra Deck Special Summons, ninety-nine percent of Duelists would never make it past this board."
"Ninety-nine percent?" Yusaku twirled a card between his fingers, smiling.
"This field of yours looks impressive at a glance, but the actual pressure isn't that high."
Towa's face darkened.
"Big words. Then break it for me."
Yusaku's fingers stilled. He lifted the card in his hand to eye level.
"Thunder Dragon has one fatal weakness. It doesn't have any hard negates."
He thrust the card into his Spell & Trap Zone.
"I activate the Spell Card [Harpie's Feather Duster]! Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on your field!"
Magic surged as a green beam fired from the phantom of Harpie's Feather Duster straight toward Towa's back row.
Watching the beam streak in, Towa let out a cold laugh.
Then he snapped his wrist and shouted.
"I flip my set card and activate the Counter Trap [Solemn Judgment]!"
"I pay half my LP as the cost!"
[Towa, LP 8000 → 4000]
"I negate the activation of [Harpie's Feather Duster] and destroy it!"
A white-bearded old man in priestly robes rose slowly from the ground, the jewel on his staff bursting into radiant holy light. The barrier of light crushed the incoming green beam, then exploded, shattering the image of Harpie's Feather Duster into fragments.
"Spending half your LP just to stop [Harpie's Feather Duster], that's bold." Yusaku raised an eyebrow.
Towa chuckled, absolutely confident.
"What's there to be afraid of? All my monsters are in Defense Position. You can't deal me any battle damage. Losing 4000 LP is nothing."
"That last set card of yours," Yusaku said with a faint smile as he drew another card from his hand and spun it between his fingers, "don't tell me that's another [Solemn Judgment]?"
Towa's pupils shrank.
"You still have another Feather..."
(End of Chapter)
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