Yamazaki glanced at the prompt on his Duel Disk, the corner of his mouth lifting into a confident grin.
"Then I'll be taking first turn."
"I Normal Summon—Live☆Twin Ki-sikil!"
The moment his words fell, a girl in a deep crimson short jacket and a high-tied red ponytail appeared on the field. Her lively eyes and playful pose looked like she'd stepped straight out of an anime screen. Sparkling motes of light swirled beneath her feet as she landed neatly on one side of the arena.
[Live☆Twin Ki-sikil]
[Level 2 / Cyberse / Effect]
[ATK 500]
"I activate Live☆Twin Ki-sikil's effect," Yamazaki declared. "If this card is Normal or Special Summoned, and you control no other monsters: you can Special Summon 1 'Lil-la' monster from your hand or Deck!"
"Right now I control no other monsters besides her, so I Special Summon Live☆Twin Lil-la from my Deck!"
A soft summoning glow lit the field again. A girl in a white beret and pale-blue pleated skirt appeared lightly beside Ki-sikil, hugging a shark plush close to her chest.
[Live☆Twin Lil-la]
[Level 2 / Cyberse / Effect]
[ATK 500]
"In the instant you Special Summon that monster!" Yusaku snapped his hand up and slapped a card into his Spell & Trap Zone. "I chain—Dragon Ice's effect from my hand!"
"When your opponent Special Summons a monster: you can discard 1 card; Special Summon this card from your hand or GY!"
A pillar of ice-blue light shot skyward. A streamlined dragon unfurled crystal-clear wings in the radiance, and a low, resonant roar rolled across the arena with a wash of cold air.
[Dragon Ice]
[Level 5 / Dragon / Effect]
[ATK 1800]
"I'm not done. I activate Hop Ear Squadron's effect from my hand!"
"During your opponent's Main Phase: I can target 1 face-up monster I control, Special Summon this card, then immediately Synchro Summon using only that monster and this card!"
A fluffy, lop-eared rabbit with tiny flight-wings fluttered into view, hovering beside the icy dragon as its fur shimmered softly under the lights.
[Hop Ear Squadron]
[Level 2 / Beast / Tuner / Effect]
[ATK 300]
The rabbit appeared, and Yusaku swept his arm down with a sharp command.
"By Hop Ear Squadron's effect—"
"I Synchro Summon using it and my Level 5 Dragon Ice!"
Starlight converged into a radiant Synchro pillar. A dragon clad in meteor-like brilliance dove out of the blaze, its roar shaking the entire Duel field and whipping spectators' clothes in the gust.
[Shooting Riser Dragon]
[Level 7 / Dragon / Synchro / Tuner / Effect]
[ATK 2100 → 1050]
"I activate Shooting Riser Dragon's effect," Yusaku's voice followed immediately. "If this card is Synchro Summoned: I can send 1 monster from my Deck to the GY whose Level is lower than this card, and reduce this card's Level by that monster's Level!"
[Shooting Riser Dragon]
[Level 7 → 3]
"My effect has resolved. Now you can continue your turn."
Yamazaki stared, eyes wide. This was supposed to be his turn.
"Fine. Then I'll continue my turn!"
He thrust his hand toward the Monster Zones. "I use Live☆Twin Lil-la and Live☆Twin Ki-sikil as Link Materials!"
"Link Summon, Link-2—Evil★Twin Ki-sikil!"
The two girls became twin streams of light and shot into the Link Circuit overhead. Two Link Arrows flared to life in sequence, forming a complex lattice of energy.
A moment later, a voluptuous figure in a massive black hood emerged slowly from the circuit's core, dark-red wings unfolding behind her as faint shadowy aura coiled around her body.
[Evil★Twin Ki-sikil]
[Link-2 / Fiend / Effect]
[ATK 1100]
"The instant Evil★Twin Ki-sikil is Special Summoned," Yusaku cut in again, "I activate Dragon Ice's effect in my GY!"
"...?" Yamazaki lurched forward. "Didn't you already use that effect once?"
"I did," Yusaku answered with a small, knowing smile. "But it doesn't have a 'once per turn' limit, and it can be activated from the GY as well."
Yamazaki froze.
"And the moment Dragon Ice hits the field successfully—" Yusaku's tempo snapped even faster. "I activate Shooting Riser Dragon's effect on the field!"
"During your opponent's Main Phase, I can Synchro Summon using monsters I control, including this card!"
"I tune my Level 3 Shooting Riser Dragon with my Level 5 Dragon Ice!"
The two dragons became sparkling stardust, surging up into the air and forming a straight, brilliant beam that slammed back down like a waterfall, sending ripples of energy across the arena floor.
"ROAR—!"
A colossal claw sheathed in black scales burst out of the pillar, its talons glinting with a cold, razor-edged sheen—like it could tear open the very fabric of space.
[Ecclesia of the Black Dragon]
[Level 8 / Spellcaster / Synchro / Effect]
[ATK 2500]
"Not done yet," Yusaku pressed. "I activate Ecclesia of the Black Dragon's effect!"
"During either player's Main Phase: banish this card until the End Phase, then Special Summon from my Deck 1 'Fallen of Albaz,' or 1 Level 4 or lower monster that mentions 'Fallen of Albaz'!"
"I banish Ecclesia of the Black Dragon until the End Phase, and Special Summon from my Deck a monster that mentions Fallen of Albaz—White Dragon's Scion!"
A soft summoning glow flared again. A dark-skinned少年 in a pristine white uniform stepped forward, long white hair drifting behind him as faint dragon-pressure radiated from his frame.
[White Dragon's Scion]
[Level 4 / Dragon / Effect]
[ATK 1800]
At the edge of the field, a spectator watching the duel murmured in a daze, "...This is still Yamazaki's turn, right?"
"Looks like it," the duelist beside him answered after a moment of checking, voice turning certain. "It's Yamazaki's first-turn Main Phase."
"Then why is Yusaku the one summoning everything, and not even on his own turn?"
"...Don't ask me."
The crowd stood stunned. Making a board wasn't rare—but doing it on the opponent's turn, to this extent, felt like the duel had been hijacked outright. Yamazaki had barely completed three actions, and the field already looked like Yusaku's private playground.
Yusaku's movements did not slow.
"White Dragon's Scion's effect activates!"
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: I can Special Summon 1 'Ecclesia' monster from my hand, Deck, or GY!"
"By that effect, I Special Summon Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous from my Deck!"
A bun-cheeked少女 with golden hair appeared in a gentle wash of light, holding a dragon-headed staff whose ornament glimmered with soft white radiance.
[Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous]
[Level 4 / Spellcaster / Tuner / Effect]
[ATK 1500]
"Still not done," Yusaku continued, seamless and merciless.
Yamazaki looked down at the cards in his hand—cards he hadn't even gotten to play—then looked back at Yusaku's steadily swelling board. In the end, he simply tucked his hand closer to his chest. He wanted to see just how far Yusaku intended to go on Yamazaki's turn.
"I activate Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous's effect!"
"I Tribute Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous to Special Summon Fallen of Albaz from my Deck!"
The golden-haired girl dissolved into countless motes of light. A dark-skinned少年 in a black coat strode forward, dragon-might curling around him like heat haze.
[Fallen of Albaz]
[Level 4 / Dragon / Effect]
[ATK 1800]
The players in the crowd immediately put it together.
"Now I get it. The opponent has a Link monster—he's probably making the Iceblade Dragon next!"
"I don't think so. You don't need this much just to reach Iceblade."
Yusaku's voice rang out again, crisp and unmistakable.
"Fallen of Albaz's effect activates!"
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: I can discard 1 card; Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster, using monsters from either field as material, including this card!"
"I discard 1 card, and use your LIGHT Evil★Twin Ki-sikil and my Fallen of Albaz as Fusion Materials!"
Yamazaki's mind blanked.
"Fusion Summon, Level 8—Albion the Branded Dragon!"
A roar that felt like it could split the sky shook the stadium. A red巨龙 wreathed in blazing Branded fire burst from the Fusion vortex, wings beating out a wave of scorching air that painted the spectators' faces in flickering crimson.
[Albion the Branded Dragon]
[Level 8 / Dragon / Fusion]
[ATK 2500]
"Albion the Branded Dragon's effect activates!" Yusaku's voice burned with the same heat as the flames. "When this card is Fusion Summoned: I can Fusion Summon another Level 8 or lower Fusion Monster, except itself!"
"I banish Fallen of Albaz and Incredible Ecclesia, the Virtuous from my GY!"
"Fusion Summon, Level 8—Albion the Sanctifire Dragon!"
Two souls became streams of light and spun into the Fusion vortex. A moment later, a white dragon bathed in sacred radiance descended with a grand sweep of its wings, its scales refracting dazzling brilliance.
[Albion the Sanctifire Dragon]
[Level 8 / Dragon / Fusion / Effect]
[ATK 2500]
"Albion the Sanctifire Dragon's effect activates!"
"On the opponent's turn: I can target 2 monsters in the GYs; Special Summon 1 to my field, and Special Summon 1 to your field!"
Yusaku revealed two cards in his GY.
"I target Hop Ear Squadron and Fossil Dyno Pachycephalo!"
"I Special Summon Fossil Dyno Pachycephalo to my field, and Special Summon Hop Ear Squadron to your field!"
Two summoning lights ignited at once—one on each side. The lop-eared rabbit blinked ruby-red eyes as it appeared on Yamazaki's field.
On Yusaku's side, a squat dinosaur stomped down heavily, settling into a solid, oppressive stance.
[Hop Ear Squadron]
[ATK 300]
[Fossil Dyno Pachycephalo]
[ATK 1200]
"Holy—Fossil Dyno Pachycephalo?!"
The entire audience went slack-jawed. Some people even rubbed their eyes, as if they couldn't accept what they were seeing.
This wasn't just "building a board." This was locking Special Summons in the opponent's first turn—and doing it with a dinosaur the opponent had indirectly helped put on the field.
On Yamazaki's side, there was only a single Hop Ear Squadron.
On Yusaku's side, the Special Summon lock was already standing tall.
And most absurdly, it was all still Turn 1.
"People said his duel style was inhuman," someone muttered hoarsely. "I didn't realize it was inhuman to this degree."
"Yeah. He's setting up a Special Summon lockdown on the opponent's turn. And the craziest part is, the opponent's monster contributed to it."
"So the opponent's locked down… with their own field helping make it happen…"
"Turn 1 despair. Anyone would break from this."
Yamazaki's mouth hung slightly open, his expression drifting into a kind of numb disbelief.
This is my first turn.
How did it become his turn?
Yusaku folded his arms, looking at Yamazaki with a faint, satisfied curve to his lips.
"My effect resolution is complete. Now it's your turn."
Yamazaki: "..."
P.S.: Next, we're officially entering the Upper City, so some Tier 1 decks can finally take the stage—Kashtira, Spright, M∀LICE, K9VS, and Aji-Meowkyu.
(End of Chapter)
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