"Come forth!!! Obelisk the Tormentor!!!"
The instant the words left his mouth, twisted spatial rifts tore open behind Chigami. Pillars of deep, ghostly blue light rose from within, surging upward like a churning galaxy and spearing the heavens. The blinding radiance ripped apart the heavy cloud cover, carving a single world-piercing beam across the sky, as if even the gods had been forced to look on.
Boom—!!!
A titan that held dominion over destruction ascended from the altar beneath the light, as though riding a thunder chariot. Howling gales wrapped around its colossal frame, and the earth trembled under its rise. The pressure it exuded made the air itself feel frozen.
[Obelisk the Tormentor]
[Level 10 / DIVINE / Divine-Beast / Effect]
[ATK: 4000]
"Then I activate the Spell Card [Card of Sanctity]!" Chigami declared with steady, assured control, fingers flying over his Duel Disk. "Its effect is: both players draw until they each have 6 cards in hand! I currently have 3 cards, so I draw 3 cards!"
Yusaku immediately drew as well, sliding the new card into his hand without hesitation.
Chigami swept his gaze over the cards he drew, then lifted his chin. "Now I activate Obelisk the Tormentor's effect!"
"Its ATK and DEF become my hand size × 1000! I have 6 cards right now, so Obelisk's ATK rises to 6000!"
[Obelisk the Tormentor]
[ATK: 0 → 6000]
"End of turn. Your move." Chigami looked at Yusaku with arms folded, a cold smile tugging at his lips. "Too bad I didn't draw a second [Double Summon]. Otherwise, you'd witness the supreme glory of the God Cards!"
Yusaku stared at the two divine monsters standing side by side on Chigami's field, his brow tightening. "So you really are worthy of the Gravekeeper line's successor… 'Heavy Armor Obelisk,' King Arthur — Celtic Sword."
"High praise," Chigami replied with a faint smile. "Your turn. Let's see how you plan to break through my invincible twin-god defense!"
"Invincible?" Yusaku's mouth curved into something sharper. "That's not guaranteed."
"Oh?" Chigami raised an eyebrow. "Then you clearly don't understand how absolute a god's power is. Fine. If you want to learn what it means to submit, I'll tell you."
"Slifer the Sky Dragon's effect! Every time you Normal Summon or Special Summon 1 monster in Attack Position, it activates without fail. That monster loses 2000 ATK and DEF! If it gets reduced to 0 by this effect, that monster is destroyed!" (Anime effect)
"Before you ever climbed this high, I studied every one of your 'out-of-this-world killer beasts.' You rely on Synchro Summons and Link Summons, but monsters from those methods can't even begin to develop under Slifer's thunder. As for Fusion Summoning Obelisk the Tormentor, that's even further outside the scope of what you can pull off."
He paused, confidence saturating every syllable.
"In the face of pure power, you don't even have the right to unfold your strategy. That is the authority of the God Cards!"
Yusaku answered with a calm smile. "Slifer's thunder effect is strong, sure. But if I just Summon monsters with more than 2000 ATK, I can avoid getting destroyed, can't I?"
Chigami: "..."
Before he could respond, Yusaku pressed his hand to the Duel Disk, his voice rising. "My turn. Submit!"
He flicked his eyes to the card he drew, then placed two cards forward. "[Imsety, Glory of Horus]! I send this card and 1 other card from my hand to the GY. Then I add 1 [King's Sarcophagus] from my Deck to my hand, and after that, I draw 1 card!"
Chigami's expression tightened. "King's Sarcophagus?"
He vaguely remembered it. As long as it was on the field, it could let certain monsters Special Summon from the GY without chaining.
"I send [Imsety, Glory of Horus] and the card I just drew—[Reinforcement Offering]—to the GY!" Yusaku continued smoothly. "I add [King's Sarcophagus] from my Deck to my hand, then draw 1 card!"
The moment the searched card hit his hand, he slammed it down without hesitation.
"I activate the Continuous Spell [King's Sarcophagus]!"
Behind him, a colossal solar sarcophagus rose slowly into view, spanning the temple-like arena as if it had been sleeping there for millennia. The lid cracked open slightly, exhaling a solemn, ancient aura—like a seal loosening around a power that should never wake.
"[King's Sarcophagus] effect!" Yusaku called. "I send 1 card from my hand to the GY, then send 1 'Horus' monster from my Deck to the GY!"
He lifted a card.
"I send [Cursed Sigil of the Thornfiend Array] to the GY, and send [Horus the Black Flame Deity] and [Duamutef, Blessing of Horus] from my Deck to the GY!"
He didn't stop.
"[King's Sarcophagus] effect again! I send the Quick-Play Spell [Forbidden Droplet] to the GY, and send [Hapi, Guidance of Horus] from my Deck to the GY!"
"Now, because [King's Sarcophagus] is on the field, the 'Horus' monsters in my GY—[Imsety, Glory of Horus], [Duamutef, Blessing of Horus], and [Hapi, Guidance of Horus]—can be Special Summoned from the GY without starting a Chain!"
The instant he finished, three pillars of radiant gold erupted skyward from the graveyard. Three distinct Horus beasts descended in sequence.
Imsety, bearing a golden scepter with rings of sacred light crowning its form. Duamutef, tall and imposing, wings spread like a hawk's, gaze keen as a blade. Hapi, cloaked in softer radiance, feathered light spilling from its wings. The golden Horus pressure rolling off the trio made the entire arena feel like it was trembling.
Chigami's voice dropped, heavy and cold. "The moment you Special Summon those monsters… Slifer's effect activates."
Slifer the Sky Dragon threw its jaws wide. Blue lightning howled as it condensed into a crackling orb—an electric sphere saturated with divine malice.
With a shriek of thunder, the bolt slammed into the newly arrived Horus trio. Currents wrapped around them, and their attack values plunged instantly.
[Imsety, Glory of Horus, ATK: 3000 → 1000]
[Duamutef, Blessing of Horus, ATK: 2500 → 500]
[Hapi, Guidance of Horus, ATK: 2000 → 0]
"Unfortunately," Yusaku said, looking straight at Chigami, the corner of his mouth lifting, "the three monsters I Special Summoned all had 2000 or more ATK at the moment they hit the field. So Slifer can only reduce their ATK. It can't destroy them."
Chigami laughed lightly, confidence unshaken. "And you still can't break through, can you? Besides, I'm holding six cards—Slifer's ATK is 6000!"
"6000, huh?" Yusaku glanced once at Slifer looming behind Chigami, then spoke evenly. "I have a question. If you had access to the God Cards, why did you choose Slifer and Obelisk? Compared to them, isn't The Winged Dragon of Ra better?"
Chigami snorted, contempt plain in his tone. "So you want me to let your [King's Sarcophagus] tricks hide under Ra's flames? Don't be ridiculous."
"I see." Yusaku's smile sharpened. "For a second, I thought you couldn't Summon it."
Chigami's eyes widened as something clicked. "You… You're insane. You're actually planning to Summon Ra?! Someone unrecognized who forces a god into the world gets punished! Are you trying to die?!"
"If I'm not crazy," Yusaku replied, "then how do I win this Duel?"
He slammed his hand down onto the Duel Platform.
Boom!!!
In an instant, golden brilliance poured up from the graveyard like molten sunlight, swallowing Yusaku whole. The heat and glare were so intense the audience reflexively raised their hands to shield their eyes—yet they still peeked through their fingers, terrified of missing something historic.
"Duel!!!"
Yusaku's chant pierced the golden wall with metallic clarity. Imsety, Duamutef, and Hapi dissolved into three crossing streaks of light, surging like moths into the blinding beam.
Black clouds roiled overhead. Thunder boomed. The golden pillar stabbed through the sky like countless blades, shredding the storm as though unseen hands were ripping the heavens apart.
Then, from within the torn clouds, a sphere of pure gold began to descend—like a miniature sun, radiating suffocating pressure.
The spectators erupted in shock as the immense presence formed behind Yusaku, fourfold wings unfurling in the storm-light.
"A divine dragon…!"
"No way. Yusaku's Summoning a god, and he's choosing the strongest one?!"
"Then why is it a ball? Isn't it supposed to be a god-bird?"
On the field, Chigami stared at the golden sphere, then sneered. "Only those of the watchline who can correctly recite the divine words have the right to command a god! Forcing it out like this is pointless!"
Yusaku didn't turn. Between him and the golden sphere, it felt as if something unseen had locked into place—an ancient resonance. The Millennium Puzzle on his chest began to glow, pulsing insistently, again and again.
From the beginning of the Duel, the Puzzle had trembled faintly at irregular intervals. Now, under the summoning radiance pouring out of the graveyard, that tremor became a clear, unmistakable guidance. Almost unconsciously, Yusaku reached toward the mysterious relic at his chest.
The moment his hand closed around it, the Millennium Puzzle erupted with dazzling golden electricity. Sigils spread outward from the Puzzle, exploding into a vertical column of light that swallowed Yusaku and shot straight into the sky.
The entire arena froze, every eye locked onto the silhouette within the pillar.
Someone whispered, voice shaking. "Does anyone know what's happening? Why is there a pillar of light that big?"
No one answered. Under the divine spectacle, the crowd had forgotten how to breathe.
Chigami's heart slammed against his ribs. Every instinct in his soul screamed that something supreme was being born.
With a thunderous crack, the pillar of light slowly faded, revealing Yusaku again.
The instant the audience saw him clearly, the stadium went rigid. Even seasoned Duelists went slack-jawed.
"Yusaku… a god-form… like the Pharaoh…!"
In the aftermath of the transformation—where lightning and radiance had woven together—his frame seemed taller, more commanding. His black hair turned gold from tip to root, lifting like flames, each strand sharpened by sanctified power.
On his forehead, a winged emblem akin to Horus—of the same origin as the Millennium Puzzle—seemed to open like an awakened eye. His golden pupils carried an authority that did not belong to mortals, as if an ancient will had finally stirred.
Yusaku crossed his arms, solemn, eyes closed, murmuring a long-forgotten incantation.
Then he spread his arms wide, raising his hand. Golden light flashed in his gaze.
"Spirits, sing your hymn. Let the power of the ancients govern all things. Its decree, its majesty—unto the absolute. When heaven and earth converge, open the rite that summons the Sun God!"
"Come forth—The Winged Dragon of Ra!!!"
Above the arena, storm clouds churned and roared like a furious primordial beast. Cataclysmic power brewed within them; every peal of thunder shook the earth's very soul. The entire ruin quaked as if making way for a god.
Blazing gold pierced the oppressive darkness like drawn steel. Countless rays intertwined and converged, flooding into the suspended golden sphere.
At last, the sphere began to change.
First, vast wings unfolded. Then a sacred head emerged. Finally, a body forged of radiant gold took shape, feathered with sunlight itself—like the first fire of creation, burning without end.
[The Winged Dragon of Ra]
[Level 10 / DIVINE-Beast / Effect]
[ATK: 0]
Chigami stumbled back, disbelief cracking his voice. "Impossible…! You actually… controlled Ra?!"
Yusaku didn't answer his shock. His expression remained cold, almost indifferent.
"The Winged Dragon of Ra's effect—when it is Tribute Summoned, its ATK becomes the total ATK of the monsters Tributed for its Summon!"
"My Tributes were [Imsety, Glory of Horus], [Duamutef, Blessing of Horus], and [Hapi, Guidance of Horus]. Their ATK values were 3000, 2500, and 2000. So Ra's ATK becomes 7500!"
[The Winged Dragon of Ra]
[ATK: 0 → 7500]
"And now Ra's other effect!" Yusaku's voice rang like steel. "I pay my LP until I have 1 left. Ra gains ATK and DEF equal to the amount I paid!"
In an instant, Yusaku's LP plummeted. The light around Ra turned incandescent, its power surging violently upward.
[Yusaku, LP 8000 → 1]
[The Winged Dragon of Ra, ATK: 7500 → 15499] (Rounded from 15499.)
"Fifteen thousand…" Chigami's pupils shrank to pinpoints. "The moment you Summon Ra—Slifer's effect activates! Thunderforce Attack!"
Another crackling orb erupted from Slifer's mouth, dragging a trail of lightning as it slammed toward Ra. But the instant it touched Ra's body, the bolt vanished like it had been swallowed by a bottomless abyss.
Chigami's face twitched. "What…?"
Yusaku glanced at him, voice flat with contempt. "Ra is on a higher order than Slifer. Slifer's effect doesn't work on it."
"Then this Duel is over."
He raised his hand and pointed straight at Slifer.
"The Winged Dragon of Ra, attack! Target Slifer the Sky Dragon—God Blaze Cannon!!!"
Ra spread its colossal golden wings. Holy flames erupted around it, a divine inferno that devoured the air itself. Like an immortal phoenix diving from the sun, it surged forward, and the God Blaze Cannon swept across the field with unstoppable force. The very atmosphere ignited in its wake.
Chigami snapped a card from his hand. "I activate [Kuriboh]'s effect! I send it to the GY—this battle damage becomes 0! Didn't expect that, did you, Yusaku? You only have 1 LP left. If I use any damage-dealing Spell, you lose on the spot!"
"Pathetic struggle." Yusaku's tone carried a thin, cutting ridicule.
Chigami froze. "What?"
Yusaku revealed a card from his hand. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell [Called by the Grave]! I banish the [Kuriboh] you just sent to the GY, and its effect is negated until the end of next turn!"
Before Chigami could even inhale, the ground split open with a black fissure. A green, skeletal hand clawed upward, seized Kuriboh from the graveyard, and dragged it screaming into the banished void.
Chigami's eyes went empty. His voice collapsed into a whisper.
"No… I don't believe it… Why did the Millennium Puzzle choose you, and not us… the Gravekeepers who protected it for thousands of years…"
His words dissolved into the heat-haze of the arena.
The holy flames had already swallowed Slifer whole, and the remaining firelight surged onward—engulfing Chigami completely.
[Chigami, LP 8000 → 0]
(End of Chapter)
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