It was a fairly standard opening. Behind him, the goblin underlings had already started beating drums and shouting.
"The sorcerer master is unmatched in power!"
"You dare challenge our sorcerer lord, you are finished!"
Yugen ignored the noise. "My Turn!, Card Draw."
He sent one card from his hand to the graveyard and revealed another. "The effect of The Tricky in my hand. Although this is a level five monster, it can be special summoned by discarding one card."
"Therefore, I discard one card to special summon The Tricky."
[The Tricky, ATK 2000]
"The card I just discarded to the graveyard was the Quick-Play Spell Silent Burning."
The card that had just entered the graveyard shone with golden light and automatically rose out from the graveyard zone of the Duel Disk. "By banishing this card from the graveyard, I can add one Silent Magician monster from my Deck to my hand. (ANIME EFFECT)"
"So I banish Silent Burning and add Silent Magician from my Deck to my hand."
Yugen searched his Deck and then played another card. "Normal summon Breaker the Magical Warrior."
[Breaker the Magical Warrior, ATK 1600]
"When Breaker the Magical Warrior is successfully summoned, it gains one spell counter, increasing its ATK by 300. However, I will activate his other effect."
"By removing that spell counter, I destroy your face-down card."
Breaker swung his sword, and a wave of magical energy flew toward the sorcerer's back row. The sorcerer raised a hand in response.
"Then I activate my set card, the Quick-Play Spell Scapegoat. I special summon four Sheep Tokens on my field."
Four lazily bouncing sheep of different colors appeared on the sorcerer's field.
[Sheep Token, ATK 0 / DEF 0] x4
"In the turn Scapegoat is activated, I cannot summon other monsters, and these sheep cannot be used as tributes." He paused and gave a light laugh. "Of course, this is not my My Turn!, and I could not summon anyway."
Genshin Yu found that reasonable. In this era, things were still simple, and you could not summon on the opponent's turn. In modern Yu-Gi-Oh!, people could talk and chain effects for minutes during the other player's turn.
"Then I tribute Breaker the Magical Warrior, whose spell counter has already been used."
Breaker's body turned into golden light and sank into a magic circle on the ground. A soft white glow burst forth, and from the center stepped a slender figure in flowing white robes, silver hair gleaming faintly in the light.
"Silent Magician, summon."
[Silent Magician, ATK 1000]
"Silent Magician cannot be normal summoned, but can be special summoned by tributing any Spellcaster Type monster on my field," Yugen said. "Also, Silent Magician's ATK increases by 500 for each card in my hand."
"I currently have three cards in hand, so her ATK increases by 1500."
[Silent Magician, ATK 1000 to ATK 2500]
The goblins watching from behind immediately burst into chatter. "Two monsters with over 2000 ATK summoned on the first turn!"
The sorcerer remained calm and only said coldly, "Silence." The underlings instantly fell quiet.
"Entering the battle phase," Yugen ordered. "Silent Magician and The Tricky, attack two Sheep Tokens."
The half-asleep sheep could not withstand the combined assault of the two spellcasters, and two of the tokens shattered one after another. Afterward, Yugen set one card face down.
"Turn ends."
[Silent Magician, ATK 2500 to ATK 2000]
"So that is how it is. You have some skill after all."
The gaze of the Masked Sorcerer swept left and right across the two magicians standing like guardians on Yugen's field, and he gave a cold snort. His posture carried confidence, as if the outcome had already been decided.
"But after receiving the evolution power bestowed by my god, I am now invincible.
My Turn!, Card Draw!"
After drawing a new card, the sorcerer immediately revealed it in his hand. His voice rose with excitement as the magic gathered.
"First, the Quick-Play Spell 'Mystical Space Typhoon'! Destroy your set card in the back row!"
Black Whirlwind surged up, lightning wrapped inside the whirlwind as it rushed toward the face-down card. The attack was fast and direct, aimed to clear the field.
"Silent Magician's effect," Yugen interrupted calmly. "Once per turn, the activation of a Spell Card is negated."
The storm stopped in midair, and the lightning dispersed together with it under the protection of a white magic circle. The field returned to silence as if nothing had happened.
"Tch, so it even has that ability. Then I activate the Spell Card 'Pot of Greed' and draw two cards from my Deck."
The sorcerer drew his cards, then smoothly pulled two more into his hand. His movements showed no hesitation, as if every step was planned.
"Spell Card 'Tribute Doll'. Tribute one monster on my field to Special Summon a monster from my hand that can be Normal Summoned. (ANIME EFFECT)
I send my set monster to the graveyard, then Special Summon this card!"
The face-down monster flipped over, revealing a red, sinister demon hound. Its body dissolved within a storm of dark shadows, forming the image of a summoning circle.
"Level seven, Seiyaryu, summon!"
A storm of holy flames burst out from the circle, and a massive dragon spread its wings and spiraled onto the field. Its presence immediately dominated the battlefield.
Seiyaryu, ATK 2500.
The goblin lackeys in the back began shouting again. Their cheers were loud and full of blind admiration.
"The Sorcery Master is amazing!"
"He summoned such a powerful monster in an instant. That kid does not stand a chance at all!"
The Masked Sorcerer also let out a satisfied snort. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Yugen.
"You were cautious. Last turn you did not attack my set monster. Were you wary of a flip effect?
But it was useless. The monster I set was 'Mad Dog of Darkness'. When this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, I can add one Level eight Fiend-Type monster from my Deck to my hand. (ANIME EFFECT)
Even though you did not attack it, sending it to the graveyard as a tribute with 'Tribute Doll' still triggers the effect."
The Masked Sorcerer searched his Deck and pulled out the demon he wanted, then smiled coldly. His confidence was now complete.
"The demon I searched is this card. After receiving my god's blessing and evolving myself into my most brutal and evil form.
The Masked Beast!"
Yugen said nothing.
So this thing counts as your evolution form. It was also a monster that appeared in DM, used by Lumis and Umbra and Marik Ishtar. A Level eight Fiend with ATK 3300, it must be Special Summoned by tributing two monsters on your field, including at least one of Masked Sorcerer or Melchid the Four-Face Beast.
"Also, I have not used my Normal Summon this turn," the sorcerer said with a cold laugh, raising his voice. "Therefore next, I Normal Summon myself!
Masked Sorcerer, summon!"
As expected, when the card in his hand was slapped onto the Duel Disk, a shadowy duplicate separated from his body and appeared in the open space on the field.
Masked Sorcerer, ATK 900.
The sight was strange, but Yugen remained calm. He knew this was something one had to accept as part of Yu-Gi-Oh! tradition, and that the truly bizarre part was still to come.
"The Sheep Tokens summoned by 'Scapegoat' cannot be tributed for a Tribute Summon, but they can be used as tributes for other effects."
The sorcerer clasped his hands together as if chanting a spell, then shouted clearly.
"Therefore, I tribute one Sheep Token and myself!"
Both the sorcerer's duplicate and a Sheep Token vanished at the same time, as if swallowed by rapidly expanding darkness. A chaotic vortex erupted, claws tore through the blackness, and a grotesque demon with three masks emerged.
The Masked Beast, ATK 3200.
The goblin lackeys became restless again. Their voices were filled with awe and excitement.
"It appeared, the Sorcery Master's strongest evolved form!"