On the field.
After summoning the first [Kashtira Shangri-Ira], Yusaku didn't pause for even a beat as he continued his combo.
"Now I overlay [Kashtira Fenrir] and [The Ascended of Thunder]!"
"Xyz Summon, a second one—[Kashtira Shangri-Ira]!"
"Lock-on calibration complete!"
As his words fell, the two monsters once again dissolved into streams of light and shot into the Xyz vortex. In the next instant, a second war machine wreathed in an eerie "planetary weather" aura descended from the vortex, coexisting beside the first.
[Kashtira Shangri-Ira]
[DEF 3000]
Staring at two monsters with 0 ATK on Yusaku's field, Hiroshi folded his arms, a contemptuous smile on his face.
"I thought you were going to summon something impressive. But after all that, you just… made two monsters with zero Attack?"
He flicked his gaze over the two Shangri-Ira and snorted.
"Sure, I know a monster's strength isn't determined only by ATK, but having no ATK at all is ridiculous. In the end, a Duel is decided by reducing your opponent's LP to zero."
"Fodder?" Yusaku laughed softly.
"You're right about one thing. A Duel is decided by cutting LP down to zero."
"But if you don't even have the right to summon monsters, how are you going to talk about reducing my LP?"
Hiroshi's expression shifted. He tilted his head and stared at Yusaku.
"Don't tell me that thing locks summoning?"
"Close enough." Yusaku's smile carried a teasing edge.
Hiroshi raised a card in his hand.
"Even if it does, so what? See this? [Dark Ruler No More]."
"It negates the effects of all monsters on the field, and it ignores the kind of summoning restrictions you're trying to impose."
"Unless your monster is completely immune to everything, it'll still get hit by this card's effect. And I seriously doubt—"
He paused, glanced at the two "cheaply made" Xyz monsters on Yusaku's field, and smiled like he already had the win.
"A monster you can make with just two Level 7 monsters is not going to have full immunity. Full-immune monsters don't come out that easily."
Yusaku's smile instantly twisted into a cold, mocking curve.
"Then what if I told you… you won't even be able to activate Spells or Traps?"
Hiroshi: "???"
In the same instant, Yusaku raised a card from his hand. The energy tracery on the Duel Disk hummed and lit up.
"I activate the effect of [Kashtira Riseheart] from my hand!"
"If I control a 'Kashtira' monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand. Also, for the rest of this turn, I can only Special Summon Xyz Monsters from the Extra Deck!"
"Right now, I control [Kashtira Shangri-Ira]—so I can Special Summon this card!"
With a smooth motion, Yusaku snapped the card onto his Monster Zone.
A burst of crimson light detonated. A warrior in heavy red armor leapt out of the pillar of light, a flame-red ponytail whipping behind him, his defiant eyes brimming with battle intent.
[Kashtira Riseheart]
[ATK 1500]
"I activate [Kashtira Riseheart]'s effect." Yusaku's voice sharpened, turning icy.
"In the Main Phase of the turn this card was Summoned: I can banish 1 'Kashtira' card from my Deck, then banish the top cards of your Deck face-down, and this card's Level becomes 7."
He drew a card from his Deck and held it up.
"I banish the DARK card [Six Realms Panopticon Mirror] from my Deck, then banish the top three cards of your Deck face-down!"
Before Hiroshi could respond, the top three cards of his Deck were forcibly pulled out, turning into three streaks of light that slammed into the banished zone.
[Kashtira Riseheart]
[Level 4 → 7]
"Now, at this moment!" Yusaku snapped his hand up.
"I trigger the effects of both of my [Kashtira Shangri-Ira]—and I also chain the effect of the card I just banished, [Six Realms Panopticon Mirror]!"
"First, [Six Realms Panopticon Mirror]!"
"When this card is banished: I can target 1 'Kashtira' Xyz Monster I control… add 1 of my 'Kashtira' monsters that is attached to it as material to my hand."
"Then, I can Special Summon that monster from my hand. After that, I can return [Six Realms Panopticon Mirror] from the banished zone."
"I target my [Kashtira Shangri-Ira], and add one of its Xyz Materials—[Kashtira Gorgclaw]—to my hand!"
[Kashtira Shangri-Ira]
[Materials: 2 → 1]
"Then I immediately Special Summon [Kashtira Gorgclaw] from my hand, and return [Six Realms Panopticon Mirror] from banishment!"
A new monster dropped onto Yusaku's field, its presence oddly "hollow," as if it existed to be a trigger rather than a fighter.
[Kashtira Gorgclaw]
[ATK 0]
"Now, it's time for both [Kashtira Shangri-Ira] effects to resolve." Yusaku looked straight at Hiroshi.
"Each time a card you own is banished face-down, I can choose 1 unused Main Monster Zone or Spell & Trap Zone, and you can't use it as long as this monster stays face-up on the field."
"I choose to lock your far-left and far-right Monster Zones!"
In that instant, the two Shangri-Ira behind Yusaku erupted with blinding red radiance. The blood-colored plates orbiting them condensed into tight arcs.
The next second, two blue beams tore through the air and stabbed into Hiroshi's far-left and far-right Monster Zones. The struck zones instantly crackled with scarlet electricity, and a huge blood-red exclamation mark flared into existence above each one.
At the same time, Hiroshi felt it—on his Duel Disk, those same zones were now bound by identical crimson seals.
Hiroshi glanced down at the locked zones, then looked back up.
"It's only two Monster Zones. Once [Dark Ruler No More] negates all your monster effects, this lock will disappear."
Yusaku chuckled.
"And what about your [Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon]?"
Hiroshi froze. "What?"
"You'll find out right now."
Yusaku swung his arm down decisively.
"Next, I overlay my Level 7 [Kashtira Riseheart] and the monster I just Special Summoned—[Kashtira Gorgclaw]—to construct an Overlay Network!"
"With a steel body fused into mankind's defiant flame—by the highest god's name that crushes with divine authority… descend!"
"Xyz Summon—Rank 7! [Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker]!"
A crimson "89" flashed across the air.
A massive golden vortex ripped open, and the two monsters became streams of light that were swallowed by it. Honeycomb-like grids rapidly interwove in the sky, forming a colossal red ring that expanded like an aperture.
Within the searing red glare, a monster shaped like a gigantic satellite slowly rose and hovered behind Yusaku.
[Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker]
[Rank 7 / Machine / Xyz]
[Materials: 2]
[ATK 2800]
The moment Diablosis appeared, the players in the stands exploded into cheers.
"Yes, yes, that's it—Kashtira's Xyz follow-up!"
"I missed you, Diablosis. You finally came out on your own again!"
"Diablosis? You mean [Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker]?"
"No, no. It has to be called [Number 89: Kashtira System Breaker God]. That's the only name that feels right!"
Compared to the players, the spectators who had never seen this monster before were completely confused, whispering among themselves.
"Isn't it just a Rank 7 Xyz Monster? The summon isn't even hard. What makes it special in Kashtira?"
On the field, Yusaku's voice cut through the noise.
"I activate the effect of [Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker]!"
"Once per turn: I can detach 1 material, look at your Extra Deck, then banish 1 monster from it face-down."
"I detach [Kashtira Gorgclaw] as material, check your Extra Deck, and banish one card from it face-down!"
[Materials: 2 → 1]
"Come on. Let me see what Deck you're really playing."
In an instant, Hiroshi's Extra Deck unfolded into a clear holographic projection in front of Yusaku.
"…[Infernoid Tierra]."
"So you're on Infernoid."
As Diablosis's light pulsed again, Yusaku's gaze sharpened.
"Then you're probably hiding something like [That Grass Looks Greener] in your hand, aren't you? The kind of card that ruins a Deck from the inside."
Hiroshi sneered.
"Yeah. I'm Infernoid."
He snapped a card up, showing it off without hesitation.
"I've got two monsters in hand, but the real threat isn't them."
"This card is even more compatible with Infernoid than any monster."
"So you'd better be absolutely sure you can stop me from activating it."
"Otherwise—once the abyss descends, I'll erase you in one wave."
He folded his arms again, eyes full of disdain.
"My key cards aren't single copies. Even if you banish one, I still have another."
"And [Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker] can only banish one Extra Deck card anyway. What do I have to be afraid of?"
"Go on. Which one are you banishing?"
Yusaku considered for a moment.
"Then I'll banish one of your [Infernoid Tierra]."
Hiroshi pulled [Infernoid Tierra] from the holographic Extra Deck and sent it face-down to the banished zone.
But the second he finished, Yusaku's voice snapped out again.
"Wait."
Yusaku flicked his left hand.
"At this moment—because a card was banished face-down—both of my [Kashtira Shangri-Ira] effects activate again!"
Hiroshi's brows drew tight.
"Didn't you already use that effect?"
Yusaku smiled.
"[Kashtira Shangri-Ira] doesn't have a once-per-turn limit on that zone-lock effect."
"As long as a card you own is banished face-down, it can activate."
Hiroshi gritted his teeth.
"So you lock two more zones. Big deal."
"Not two zones." Yusaku glanced at him. "One."
Hiroshi's lips tightened. "What?"
Before he could finish, Yusaku continued smoothly.
"Because a card you own was banished face-down, [Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker]'s other effect also triggers!"
"Based on the number of your face-down banished cards, you banish that many cards from the top of your Deck face-down."
"You already have four face-down banished cards. So you banish the top four cards of your Deck face-down!"
As his words landed, four cards shot out of the top of Hiroshi's Deck and turned into streaks of light that slammed into the banished zone.
"Next, both of my [Kashtira Shangri-Ira] resolve their effects." Yusaku raised his hand and pointed.
"I lock your last remaining unused Monster Zone, and your center Spell & Trap Zone!"
In a flash, the two Shangri-Ira fired crimson lasers again. The beams pinned the targeted zones, and a glaring red X seal appeared above them.
"And we're not done." Yusaku's voice carried absolute pressure.
"Because your card was banished face-down by [Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker], both of my [Kashtira Shangri-Ira] can activate again."
"This time, I lock your far-left and far-right Spell & Trap Zones!"
The red beams ripped through the air once more, sealing the final two Spell/Trap Zones completely.
Hiroshi stared at his field.
Only four zones remained usable—and two of his Monster Zones were already occupied by his own PSY monsters. A fine sheen of cold sweat beaded across his forehead, and the confidence on his face had long since vanished.
If those two zones weren't occupied, his Monster Zones would already be completely sealed.
"Shangri-Ira only triggers when my cards are banished face-down." Hiroshi swallowed hard, forcing himself to sound steady.
"And now you don't have anything left that can trigger it!"
He pointed at Yusaku's [Number 89: Diablosis the Mind Hacker].
"That effect is once per turn. You can't activate it again this turn."
"So you can't lock any more of my zones."
"It can't activate again, that's true." Yusaku slowly revealed a card in his hand.
"But I have other cards that can trigger the effect."
Hiroshi: "?"
(End of Chapter)
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