As the two cards hit the Graveyard, a storm of metal surged across Yugen's field. Machina Fortress rose again with roaring engines, its cannons locking back into place. Machina Fortress returned with 2500 attack.
"So that self-revival is the source of his confidence," Rex Raptor thought, narrowing his eyes. "That means he must have support cards in hand."
Its attack was only 100 lower than Ultimate Tyranno. With any boost, it could break through easily. And because of the effect of Reckless Greed, Rex Raptor would skip his next two Draw Phases. If he lost Ultimate Tyranno now, it would be over.
But then.
"Flip the face-down card!"
Rex Raptor activated his back row. "Counter Trap, Black Horn of Heaven! When your opponent would Special Summon a monster: negate the Special Summon, and if you do, destroy it."
A black vortex opened beneath the machine. Before Machina Fortress could steady itself, it exploded into fragments with a thunderous blast.
Rex Raptor laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Traps aren't your monopoly! Now what? Can you still say you'll finish me this turn?"
Trap Card chained to Black Horn of Heaven, and the revival of Machina Fortress was negated.
"Rex Raptor actually kept something like that in reserve!"
Wataru Komatsu spoke fast and loud, words flying with his breath.
"It seems even the revival of Machina Fortress was within his calculations. Because it was a counter trap, Yugen Fujiki has almost no room to recover, and the tempo is forced to a stop. If so, continuing a counterattack will be very hard. Can he still stand by his claim to finish the duel this turn?"
Facing this situation, the only thought in Yugen's mind was simple.
All right, Kenzan I can accept, but why do you even have Misawa's card?
That "Black Horn of Heaven" was a card used by the well-known background duelist Daichi Misawa in the GX series. It was originally a Counter Trap that negated a Special Summon and destroyed that monster. Of course, Rex Raptor played Dinosaurs and clearly had no synergy requirements for it, but in an anime-style environment it could still work as a rough substitute for Trap Hole.
After all, Duelists in this world did not have much freedom in deck building. They often used whatever they had on hand, and if someone happened to pull this card from a pack, even a non-Zombie-Type player might consider running it.
Machina Fortress returned to the Graveyard again, but Yugen did not mind. Another card in the Graveyard exited in a flash of golden light.
"The effect of 'Machina Gearframe' in the Graveyard."
Yugen revealed the card being removed from the Graveyard.
"When this card is in the Graveyard, and 'Machina Fortress' you control is sent to the Graveyard, you can banish that 'Machina Fortress' to Special Summon this card. (ANIME EFFECT)"
The destroyed Machina Fortress returned to the field as a translucent phantom, then the drifting golden light faded away.
"Therefore, I banish Machina Fortress from the Graveyard and Special Summon 'Machina Gearframe'!"
The scattered light of Machina Fortress gathered again into solid form. Heavy armor shifted as massive metal feet struck the floor, treads unfolded to the sides, and a main cannon rose onto its shoulder. The alloy frame slowly transformed into a heavily armored robot.
Machina Gearframe, Attack 2600.
"Unbelievable, Yugen Fujiki still had another setup!"
Wataru Komatsu's face was red, his excitement even higher than the duelists on the field.
"That was the discard cost when Machina Fortress was Special Summoned earlier. From that moment, Yugen Fujiki was already planning this far ahead. Are we really about to witness the rise of a new star today?"
Takeshi Sasaki quietly took out a handkerchief and wiped the spit from his face, then shifted his chair a little farther away.
But just as the transformation of Machina Fortress was about to finish, the huge mech suddenly staggered. With a loud crash, it dropped to one knee, its body flickering in and out before turning hazy. In the end, it dispersed like smoke.
Wataru Komatsu stared, speechless.
"Wh-what is going on?" the commentator exclaimed. "Where did Machina Gearframe go?"
"Hahahaha!" Rex Raptor laughed loudly. "I already accounted for you hiding a backup in the Graveyard. Maybe you thought two or three steps ahead of others, but my duel goes even further. The moment you activated the effect of 'Machina Gearframe', I chained this card!"
All eyes turned to the flipped trap in his back row.
Counter Trap - Debunk.
"Debunk can be activated when a monster effect is activated in the Graveyard. It negates that effect, and if it does, banishes that monster. Before your mech could revive, I banished your 'Machina Gearframe'!"
Rex Raptor's smile grew wider.
"Well? Can you still say this is my last turn now? Your machine is broken, every move you prepared has been countered, and I still have my invincible Ultimate Tyranno!"
Takeshi Sasaki nodded. "That's true. Yugen Fujiki prepared plenty of backups, but Rex Raptor is not someone easy to deal with. It's unfortunate, but no matter what strategy he planned, he should be out of options now."
Rex Raptor clearly thought the same.
You fell into two traps in a row and still think you can kill me. You think you can push through Ultimate Tyranno and finish me face to face.
"Go on, try to end me right now. If you can do it, do it. I'll wait."
Yugen paused for a moment.
That was a strange request. Since the other side insisted, he would comply.
"Flip my set card."
He pointed to his back row, and a Trap Card card flipped face up.
"Continuous Trap, 'Limited Revival'. I can Special Summon one monster with 1000 or less Attack from my Graveyard in Attack Position. When that monster is changed to Defense Position, both that monster and this card are destroyed."
"Hmm?" Rex Raptor raised an eyebrow.
Only monsters with under 1000 Attack, and they could not switch to Defense. That was all weak stuff.
"This is the card I revive."
Yugen took the card that popped out of the Graveyard.
"Card Trooper!"
Card Trooper, Attack 400.
Card Trooper was one of the monsters commonly used by Judai Yuki later on. By sending the top three cards of the Deck to the Graveyard, it could gain up to 1900 Attack for the turn, and when it was destroyed, its controller could draw a card. It combined milling, attack power, and draw, and was once a staple in top decks before being limited due to overuse.
But Rex Raptor did not see anything special. "Heh, just trash after all."
"Whether it's trash or not, you'll know soon. Next, I activate a Spell Card from my hand."
Yugen waved his arm, and a green Spell Card appeared before him.
"Spell Card, Machine Duplication. I select one Machine monster I control with 500 or less Attack, and Special Summon up to two copies with the same name from my Deck. Of course, I choose the 400 Attack 'Card Trooper'!"
He pulled two more copies from the Deck.
"Special Summon two more 'Card Trooper'!"
Card Trooper, Attack 400 x3.
"Three monsters at once?"
Rex Raptor forced down the unease in his chest.
"But trash is still trash, no matter how many."
"The effect of Card Trooper." Yugen continued calmly. "Once per turn, I send the top three cards of my Deck to the Graveyard. For each card sent, this card gains 500 Attack until the End Phase. I activate the effects of all three 'Card Trooper', sending nine cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard!"
A large stack of cards spilled from the Deck and slid into the Graveyard area of the Duel Disk.
"Each Card Trooper gains 1500 Attack."
Card Trooper, Attack 400 to Attack 1900 x3.
"Finally, the last card I play is this."
Yugen played the finishing card of the duel.
"Quick-Play Spell, Limiter Removal. All Machine monsters I control have their Attack doubled until the end of the turn!"
"W-what!?"
Rex Raptor shouted in shock, as did both commentators. The crowd's roar surged like a wave, nearly lifting the arena.
All Machine monsters doubled their Attack, which meant all three Card Trooper.