[Ding! Bastion Misawa's Emotion Points +500!]
Although he had told Jiang He to attack with full force and not hold back, he hadn't expected this kind of toxic, physiological torture!
Bastion's original thought was that even if his Water Dragon and face-down Hyozanryu couldn't attack, they were still powerful shields that would prevent Jiang He from launching an easy offensive.
Furthermore, they weren't bound by something like Nightmare Wheel anymore, which dealt continuous damage. He had planned to stall until he drew a card that could break the stalemate.
Instead, Jiang He had directly handed him an eight-star "treasure"an incredibly toxic, rare "powerhouse" monster. With his current 1500 Life Points, the moment he drew a card next turn, Lava Golem's effect would burn away 1000 LP.
"But this is your mistake, Jiang He! You pursued this effect too aggressively!" Bastion shouted from within the cage, clenching his fists as he saw a glimmer of hope for a comeback.
"When Water Dragon is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, its special effect activates! I can Special Summon two Hydrogeddons and one Oxygeddon from my Graveyard in Attack Position!"
"Awaken once more! My two Hydrogeddons and Oxygeddon!"
As Bastion spoke, two brown currents and one teal current erupted onto his field, transforming back into the familiar four-legged beasts and the blue-winged dragon.
Counting the "traitor" Lava Golem, Bastion now had four monsters on his field. In stark contrast, Jiang He had only one face-down monster and no remaining face-down cards. The tables had turned completely!
"Oh no!" Alexis and the other students watching were shocked by the sudden, dramatic shift in the game.
Even the golden-haired, mushroom-headed professor perked up, his hope restored. Did the Slifer boy play himself? Crowler chuckled inwardly. Ohoho! If this keeps up, I might still see Bastion defeat this dropout! My savings didn't go to waste on those rare cards after all!
"No, this isn't called a mistake. It's called ending the duel quickly," Jiang He said, flashing that sunny smile once again. He revealed the last card in his hand to Bastion.
"There is an old saying: courtesy demands reciprocity. Since I gave you a gift, it's only right that you return the favor."
"From my hand, I activate the Spell Card, Owner's Seal!"
"Owner's Seal?!" Bastion and the spectators widened their eyes in disbelief. Those with decent theoretical knowledge immediately recalled the card's effect and were stunned.
Only the "slacker" group, including Jaden and Syrus, looked on in confusion. They didn't understand why Bastion's face had suddenly turned green again. Who am I? Where am I? What does that card do?
"The effect of that card," Alexis explained with a small smile, "is to return control of all monsters on the field to their original owners."
"Meaning... the Lava Golem that was just summoned using Bastion's two powerful monsters as Tributes will return directly to Jiang He's side?!" Jaden, Syrus, and the nearby slackers were thunderstruck.
Lines of black frustration appeared on their foreheads. What a... what a toxic play! Tributing the opponent's monsters to summon a monster, then taking it back to attack them directly... is that even a move a human would think of?
"I'll accept your 'return gift,' Bastion. Come back to me, my ace monster, Lava Golem!"
As Jiang He spoke, a hexagram magic circle glowed on the Lava Golem's forehead under the effect of Owner's Seal. Control of the monster shifted instantly back to Jiang He.
Bastion's face was now a vibrant shade of green. He wanted to scream. Reciprocity? Are you kidding me? You used my monsters as Tributes to summon it, and now you're taking the fruits for yourself? That's just straight-up freeloading! I've read a lot of books, don't try to lie to me!
[Ding! Bastion Misawa's Emotion Points +500.]
"But wait... Bastion still has two Hydrogeddons with 1600 ATK and one Oxygeddon with 1800 ATK in Attack Position," Professor Crowler muttered to himself, calculating the numbers. It was as if he were trying to reassure himself. "Even if the 3000 ATK Lava Golem is taken back and destroys the weakest Hydrogeddon, it will only deal 1400 points of battle damage. Bastion will still have 100 LP left."
Crowler's voice drifted across the field. "In that case, Bastion still has a chance to fight on and wait for Lava Golem's negative effect to win the game!"
"Who said I was going to attack one of the weaker Hydrogeddons? Lava Golem, attack Oxygeddon! Great Eruption!"
Jiang He chuckled, coming up with a move name on a whim and completely overturning Crowler's calculations. He gestured for Lava Golem to target the higher-ATK Oxygeddon.
Wail!!
With a ghostly howl, Lava Golem's molten fist surged forward, hurtling toward the teal-colored dragon formed from oxygen.
"Nani? He's choosing to attack the stronger monster?!" Professor Crowler and many of the spectators were baffled by the choice, including the slackers.
"No! He's trying to use that effect...!" Only Bastion and a few others, like Zane, realized the truth. Their eyes snapped open in realization.
Boom!!
As Lava Golem's magma fist slammed into Oxygeddon, the teal dragon let out a scream and exploded into a massive ball of fire that swept across the entire dueling field.
By the time the flames dissipated, Bastion was kneeling on the ground, drained of strength. His 1500 Life Points had long since ticked down to zero.
Only Jiang He remained standing.
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