In the dueling field of the dim alleyway, only Destiny HERO - Doom Lord remained standing before Finis.
"Because I used Doom Lord's banishing effect, I cannot conduct my Battle Phase this turn."
Using her monster's effect, Finis sent Kazejin into a future two turns away. She then Set a card in her backrow. "I Set one card and end my turn."
The turn shifted. Rutz drew his card and scanned it, his face twisting into a scowl. "I've had enough of 'junk' stalling tactics for one night. I summon Cannon Soldier in Attack Position!"
Cannon Soldier [Level 4 / Dark] [Machine / Effect] [ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1300]
The mechanical monster carrying a steel cannon materialized on Rutz's field. Zero remembered this monster as one of the "classic" fusion materials from Rutz's five-for-one combo. However, in this duel against Finis, Rutz didn't seem to be having as "smooth" a time; he seemed to be bricking.
Or perhaps it was because Zero had won the key Polymerization card, effectively banning Rutz's five-for-one strategy. Whatever the reason, Rutz was unable to summon a demon god this turn.
In Zero's distant memories, Cannon Soldier was a heavyweight card that had spent a long time on the Forbidden list. But by Eden's dueling standards, Rutz was just using it as a standard Level 4 beatstick.
"Blast that piece of junk into scrap! Cannon Soldier, attack!"
Rutz went straight into the Battle Phase. The cannon charged and fired, the steel shell arching through the night toward the 600-ATK Doom Lord.
"Trap card, activate!" Facing the incoming fire, Finis flipped her Set card. "Counter Trap—Negate Attack! Your attack is nullified!"
A swirling barrier effect absorbed all three incoming shells. Finis added, "Furthermore, the activation of Negate Attack forcibly ends your Battle Phase!"
It was a plain and simple trap, but in a "Beatdown" meta where monsters just hit each other, it was highly effective. Finis made it through the turn unscathed.
"Tch!" Rutz clicked his tongue. "I Set one card and end my turn!"
"My turn, DRAW! I summon Destiny HERO - Tenacious in Attack Position!"
Destiny HERO - Tenacious [Level 3 / Dark] [Warrior / Effect] [ATK: 800 / DEF: 800]
Finis's second HERO appeared in the night, with an Attack power exactly 200 points higher than Doom Lord.
Rutz: "I really did hit a nest of junk tonight." The combined Attack of the two Destiny HEROes barely equaled Rutz's weakest monster, Cannon Soldier.
"Is that so? Then how about this~"
Beneath her hero mask, Finis's lips curled into a smirk. "Let the stage for the battle of the Night Hero be built! Field Spell—Dark City, activate!"
As Finis slotted the card into her Duel Disk, the dim, quiet alleyway of Sector 11 transformed into a dark metropolis of towering skyscrapers.
If Dark City sounded unfamiliar to some, its counterpart would likely ring a bell for most: Skyscraper. Dark City was effectively the Destiny HERO version of Skyscraper.
Dark City [Field Spell: If a 'Destiny HERO' monster attacks a monster with higher ATK, the attacking monster gains 1000 ATK during damage calculation only.]
Finis pointed forward. "Cloak yourself in this righteous darkness! Doom Lord, attack Cannon Soldier!"
The slender figure broke through the night, his sharp claws striking toward the steel frame that possessed higher Attack than himself.
Finis: "Since Cannon Soldier's ATK is higher than Doom Lord's, Doom Lord gains 1000 ATK from the field effect!"
[Doom Lord ATK: 600 → 1600] "—Dimensional Talon!"
[Cannon Soldier] destroyed. [Rutz LP: 4000 - 200 → 3800]
Finis: "And now, a direct attack from Destiny HERO - Tenacious! Crushing Impact!"
[Rutz LP: 3800 - 800 → 3000]
The hero's left hook sent Rutz's hulking body flying, slamming him into a wall. "I end my turn."
Having finished her assault, Finis waited for Rutz's reaction. In a Shadow Game, the physical feedback was real, but the mental trauma was even more dangerous. Zero remembered from the anime that even if you survived a Shadow Game, you could end up brain-dead or insane.
However, these negative effects didn't seem to bother "Rutz." Despite the injuries from Zero's duel and being knocked away by Finis, he pulled himself up as if nothing had happened. That was because he wasn't really "Bounty Hunter Rutz."
"You're quite the coward, Puppeteer," Finis noted. "Hiding in a safe place while controlling a puppet to fight... do you have no dignity as a duelist?"
"Hahahaha! Dignity is the cheapest thing in Eden." As soon as the words left his mouth, Rutz's body stumbled, and he dropped to one knee. Through the dim light of Dark City, one could see his hulking left leg twisted at an unnatural angle. It was clearly broken.
"It seems this body is reaching its limit. Fine then. Let this soon-to-be-scrapped puppet serve its final purpose in this duel!" Rutz slammed his left leg, forcibly snapping the bone back into place. The move looked agonizing, but Rutz just stood back up and drew his card.
"I Set one monster in face-down Defense Position and end my turn!"
With only two cards left in his hand, Rutz could no longer afford to summon the remaining demon gods like he had in Zero's duel. He performed a simple play and passed.
Finis: "My turn, DRAW!"
At the start of her turn, Kazejin—which had been banished to the future—returned to Rutz's field. But did it really?
"Destiny HERO - Doom Lord's effect! I banish Kazejin again!"
The moment the god returned, Finis sent it away again, not allowing it to stay for even a second. As she'd planned from the start, as long as one god was missing, Rutz couldn't form the Gate Guardian.
"And don't think you can hide from me!" Finis played another card. Since she used Doom Lord's effect, she couldn't attack, but Rutz still had a Set monster. "The monster you Set... it's that one, isn't it? Spell Card—Shield Crush!"
Shield Crush [Normal Spell: Target 1 Defense Position monster on the field; destroy that target.]
A beam of green light pierced the card like a sword, shattering the grinning jar into digital fragments.
[Morphing Jar] destroyed.
This was Rutz's only way to replenish his hand. Whether Morphing Jar was flipped by the player or by an attack, it would trigger a 5-card draw. But by destroying it with a Spell, the Flip effect never activated. Rutz's final source of resources was cut off.
Zero realized it then: Finis was able to predict Rutz's moves exactly because she had watched Zero's duel. This was a direct counter-strategy.
Wait... this Chunibyo lady used me as a scout?
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Yu-ki-oh:King of the Scraps (86 Chapters – Ongoing)
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