Chapter 46: Frozen Fusion
[Eva: Duel Recognized]
[Duelist - Amano Rei]
[Duelist - Akira Totas]
[Data Network Connected, Duel Field Generated]
[Arbitration Content - Judgment Duel]
[Proud duelists, let the duel's outcome serve as the scale weighing your souls!]
[Duel—!]
Eva's familiar synthetic voice had just announced the duel's start when Amano's ankles were suddenly locked by chains emerging from the duel field ground.
Akira's police-issue Duel Disk deployed.
Before Amano understood what "Judgment Duel" meant, he was forcibly dragged into the duel with his Duel Disk activating.
"Illegal immigrant? Impossible!" Finesse immediately ran back to security demanding answers. "I personally processed Amano's transit permit! How could he be an immigrant?"
"Miss, you're asking me, but I don't know either." The female officer looked troubled.
Those handling Transit Tower security were lowest-level auxiliary officers—they simply followed regulations.
"Inspector Akira gave orders saying if anyone today had identity information problems, bring them to him for inspection."
"Damn it!" Finesse angrily clenched her silver teeth. "We've been set up!"
Amano's current situation was undoubtedly a targeted trap.
If they'd anticipated it beforehand, fine—but now with Judgment Duel already started, Finesse couldn't stop it even if she wanted.
"That kid actually got caught by Inspector Akira. His luck's truly terrible."
"Seems like so far, no immigrant has passed judgment under Inspector Akira, right?"
Within Transit Tower, immigrants appearing wasn't rare—rather, quite a few showed up daily.
Forged documents, forged decks, forged identity information—immigration methods were varied.
But almost all were people unwilling to languish in lower districts, yearning for higher-level lives, risking this dangerous line.
And Transit Tower inspectors were the profession established specifically to counter immigrants.
After all, this was a world where card games did the talking.
Even as a lower district resident, even without a transit permit—as long as you possessed your own deck and defeated an inspector in Judgment Duel, Eva's system recognized your qualification to proceed to mid-level.
Conversely, immigrants faced imprisonment.
However, inspectors also varied in strength.
With good luck, encountering a weaker inspector, plus the opponent bricking while you god-drew—with lower district duel power, passing wasn't entirely impossible.
But Inspector Akira seemed an exception.
Transit Tower's strongest inspector—beneath his seemingly slovenly middle-aged exterior lay a cruel 0% pass rate judgment record. Not a single immigrant had escaped from this uncle's clutches.
"My turn, draw." Taking first turn, Akira placed a monster card horizontally on his Duel Disk.
"I Normal Summon Assault Dog in Defense Position and end my turn."
[Assault Dog] [4✪ EARTH]
[Beast/Effect] [ATK: 1200] [DEF: 800]
The police dog with an assault rifle mounted on its body crouched on the ground in Defense Position.
Ending his turn, Akira took another deep drag on his cigarette.
Normally his demeanor seemed utterly slovenly, as if excessively rewarded. But once dueling truly began, this uncle's slovenly eyes gained several hints of subtle sharpness.
"Specifically targeted by someone important above—let me see your strength, kid."
"My turn, draw."
Amano began his turn, surveying his hand.
"Get ready, Eve!"
"(ง•̀_•́)ง Roger!"
"I activate the Spell Card Polymerization!"
Starting with Fusion Summon—even in Transit Tower's Judgment Duels, this was relatively rare.
After all, most lower district duelists hadn't even unlocked Extra Decks.
Akira's slovenly eyes opened slightly wider: "Kid, you can actually use Fusion?"
Shio also exclaimed again: "As expected, Brother's draw luck is amazing."
Only one Polymerization in the deck, yet he could draw it starting hand nearly every game.
"I Fuse Elemental HERO Burstinatrix and Ib the World Chalice Justiciar from my hand!"
Within the fusion spiral effects, the Elemental HERO originally burning with flames underwent extreme temperature reversal upon contacting Water-Attribute Eve.
"Ascend to freezing's pinnacle, return to eternal silence!"
"Fusion Summon!"
"Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!"
[Elemental HERO Absolute Zero] [8✪ WATER]
[Warrior/Fusion/Effect]
[ATK: 2500] [DEF: 2000]
["HERO" monster + WATER Attribute monster]
The duel field's ground was instantly covered in ice. The HERO with pure white cape billowing in cold air descended in a cool half-kneeling ground-punch pose.
"Battle, Absolute Zero!"
"—'Zero Domain Burial'!"
Absolute zero's -273.15°C punch froze Assault Dog into ice the instant it made contact, shattering it into pure white fragments with one strike.
[Assault Dog] destroyed
"Oh, no no no~"
Frigid winds blew toward Akira, causing him to hastily raise his hand to shield the flame, avoiding having his cigarette blown out.
"Not bad, kid. But at the moment of destruction, Assault Dog's effect activates!"
[When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: You can Special Summon any number of "Assault Dog" from your Deck.]
"I Special Summon the remaining two Assault Dogs from my Deck in Defense Position!"
[Assault Dog] [DEF: 800] ×2
One strike actually doubled the opponent's monster count.
This demonstrated another drawback of Eden Tower's anime-style dueling.
Even if the opponent Normal Summoned in face-up Defense Position, duelists on opposite sides of the field couldn't see each other's card effects.
Like in the anime, sometimes you'd get caught by obvious traps.
"I Set two cards and end my turn."
"My turn, draw."
Turn passed to Akira's side. The uncle's slovenly eyes glanced at Absolute Zero.
"Summoning such a troublesome monster right away—better deal with it quickly. I activate the Spell Card Ground Collapse!"
[Ground Collapse] [Spell Card: Destroy the monster with the highest DEF on your opponent's field.]
Amano's field had only Absolute Zero. The frozen ground shattered into a void, causing Absolute Zero to fall into it.
[Elemental HERO Absolute Zero] destroyed
Amano picked up the card from his Duel Disk and sent it to the Graveyard while simultaneously declaring:
"At the moment it leaves the field, Elemental HERO Absolute Zero's effect also activates!"
[When this card leaves the field: Destroy all monsters your opponent controls.]
"—'Final Freeze'!!"
AOE-level wide-range destruction effect.
[Assault Dog] destroyed
[Assault Dog] destroyed
The HERO's frozen legacy seemed to lower Transit Tower's entire temperature.
Even successfully freezing the cigarette Akira had protected last turn into an ice stick dangling from his mouth.
"Ahhh, what a waste."
Regretfully tossing the half-smoked cigarette, Akira pulled out his pack and flicked out a new one.
"You know, because of work, I process quite a few immigrants daily."
However, while pulling out and lighting his cigarette, Akira ignored the duel's progression and began chatting casually with Amano as if making small talk.
"Without exception, they're all people refusing to accept fate, wanting to escape the lower districts."
"Amano Rei, though you have a legitimate transit permit, in my view you're essentially no different from those desperately trying to escape the lower levels for better lives."
"Uncle, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying—people are born unequal."
Finally managing to light his cigarette amid the cold winds, Akira's weathered fingertips drew a Spell Card from his hand.
"Upper district births mean wealth, lower districts struggle at subsistence lines. People are born unequal—this cannot change. But humanity's most exhausting way of living is refusing to accept fate."
"Unable to escape lower districts? Blame your own bad luck, kid."
"I activate the Spell Card Painful Choice!"
Amano: "???"
Uncle, chatting's fine—I'll keep you company.
But don't just casually drop banned cards mid-conversation!
This really is unequal!
***
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