"Maybe you're trying to stall with traps, but that won't work on me. I activate the Spell Card Night Shot!"
Golden light rippled as the card appeared before him, then shot forward like a blade aimed at one of the face-down cards. The beam locked onto the middle card in Yugen's back row.
"Night Shot lets me target and destroy one of your set Spell or Trap Card Cards," he said. "And once it's targeted, that card cannot be activated."
"Destroy the middle one!"
Yugen waved a hand calmly. "Then at this moment, I activate a set card."
"It's useless," Genichiro said with confidence. "I already told you, the targeted card can't respond to Night Shot."
"You're right," Yugen replied. "But I'm not activating the targeted card. I'm activating the one next to it."
Another back row card flipped open. "Trap Card, Magic Jammer. When you activate a Spell Card, I can pay 1000 LP to randomly discard one card from your hand. (ANIME EFFECT)"
Yugen's LP dropped from 4000 to 3000. The instant it fell, his heart seemed to miss a beat, and a sharp pain stabbed through his chest.
It felt as if something inside him had been pierced, draining away strength through an invisible wound. His body swayed slightly, and he let out a short gasp.
Silent Magician appeared beside him, her quiet eyes filled with concern. He shook his head and forced a breath.
"I'm fine," he said softly. "It's just the first time."
The pain faded enough for him to steady himself. The cost of LP in a Shadow Duel truly felt like losing life itself.
"Hahaha, you felt it, didn't you?" Genichiro laughed loudly. "That pain is the joy of Shadow Duel. Keep suffering, let the darkness eat away at you little by little!"
Yugen said nothing.
There was no doubt that Shadow Duel awakened twisted urges in certain people. Some did not seek power or gain at all, but simply enjoyed watching others hurt.
Yugen quickly adjusted and continued. "Magic Jammer's effect. Discard a random card from your hand, the one on the far left."
"Do whatever you want."
Genichiro casually sent the chosen card to the Graveyard. He then pointed back at the beam of light.
"But according to Night Shot's effect, the card you set is still destroyed."
"It won't be," Yugen said, snapping his fingers. "At this moment, I activate the card you targeted."
"Trap Card, Raigeki Break."
Genichiro stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "Are you stupid? I told you, a card targeted by Night Shot can't be activated. Do you not understand human language? Nani?!?"
Yet the targeted card flipped open anyway. Genichiro's green eyes went wide, filled with disbelief and confusion.
"Read your own card again," Yugen said evenly. "Night Shot only says the targeted card can't be activated in response to Night Shot. My Raigeki Break didn't chain to your Night Shot. It chained to my own Magic Jammer."
For a moment, Genichiro looked utterly lost. His face clearly said he was not sure if he had just been tricked.
"…Is that so?" he muttered, doubt written all over him.
"You don't understand this and you're betting lives?" Yugen said, eyes half-lidded.
"I understand it," Genichiro replied quickly. "I was just testing you. Yes, that's it."
Even if he did not fully get it, the field had already resolved that way. He could only accept it.
"Now for Raigeki Break's effect," Yugen continued. "I discard one card to destroy any card on the field."
He sent a card from his hand to the Graveyard. "I destroy your Kaiser Glider."
Dark clouds churned above as a massive hand formed from the shadows, lightning crackling at its fingertips. The bolt struck the Kaiser Glider, shattering it into pieces.
"Also, the card I discarded was Broww, Huntsman of Dark World. When it's sent from hand to the Graveyard, I draw two cards. (ANIME EFFECT)"
The draw felt smooth and satisfying, the Card Draw engine flowing without pause.
"Tch. Even Night Shot couldn't save my dragon."
Watching his boss monster vanish before it ever attacked made Genichiro click his tongue. Still, he did not look truly worried.
He set one card from his hand. "I set another card, then I activate the Spell Card, Card of Demise."
Yugen's eyes widened.
Card of Demise was the same extreme draw engine favored by Seto Kaiba. Drawing until five cards at the cost of discarding everything five turns later was absurd, and in a duel, five turns was an eternity.
Later versions had been heavily restricted, yet even then they were playable. Seeing the original here made it hard to look away.
Yugen had searched for this card before and never found one. He never expected to see it now.
But that was fine.
If he won this Shadow Duel duel, Genichiro would lose everything, including his soul. A deck without an owner was fair game, and letting such cards rot would be a waste.
As Genichiro prepared to draw, his hand paused. A strange unease crept over him.
For some reason, the look in Yugen's eyes had suddenly become hungry.
"By the effect of Card of Demise, I draw from my deck with Card Draw! (ANIME EFFECT)"
Genichiro drew a card and immediately revealed one from his hand.
"I tribute the two tokens summoned by Fires of Doomsday on my field and perform a Tribute Summon!"
A storm of sacrificed energy rose, and a massive shape flickered within it. Genichiro paused for a brief moment, then spread his mouth into a smug grin.
"Hah, that idiot Rex Raptor once owned this card, but he lost it in Duel City! I will never allow it to leave my deck. Watch closely. From the crossing of light and shadow, a dragon that dwells in the heart of an evil knight. Level seven, Serpent Night Dragon, I summon!"
Serpent Night Dragon appeared with an attack power of 2350.
Genshin Yu thought to himself that of course it would not leave the deck, because he planned to take everything anyway. Still, he gave his opponent some face and put on a look of surprise.
"That's Serpent Night Dragon! Rex Raptor's former ace, a Rare Card second only to Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Its attack was exactly fifty points lower than Red-Eyes Black Dragon, so calling it second place made sense. Genichiro grew even more pleased and put his hands on his hips.
"This is only the beginning. Fear it, tremble, and then submit before true power!"
"So strong. Way too strong," Yugen said calmly. "That's why I activate my set card."
He flipped over a card in his back row.
"Trap Card Bottomless Trap Hole. When a monster with 1500 or more attack is summoned, destroy it and remove it from play."
A vortex opened on Genichiro's field. Before Serpent Night Dragon's entrance effect could even finish, the dragon pitched forward and fell into the endless abyss, vanishing into another dimension.
Genichiro froze in silence.
He was still holding his hands-on-hips pose, which now looked painfully foolish against the empty field. Even putting it politely, he looked like someone who should be reconsidering his career and maybe heading to Gotan City to act opposite Kurokoga Batto instead.
The grin that had never left Genichiro's face since the duel began finally faltered. Losing two boss monsters to traps in a single turn was enough to irritate even him.
Still, he forced himself onward.
"Hmph, you've got some skill," he said. "But don't get cocky. Next you'll see real despair and darkness!"
Even as he spoke, he did not notice that his smile had already vanished.
"I activate my set card, the Spell Card, Foolish Burial. This lets me send one monster from my deck to the graveyard. I send Balloon Lizard from my deck to the graveyard."
He searched his deck and placed the monster card into the graveyard.
"Then I activate another set card, the Continuous Trap Limit Reverse. I can special summon a monster with 1000 or less attack from my graveyard in attack position. I revive Balloon Lizard!"
Balloon Lizard appeared with 500 attack.