Perfect. Now the boss's last playable card was gone.
The Four-eyed Demon's eyes turned a baleful crimson.
"Roar!"
The demon threw his head back and howled, a sound so thunderous it felt as if the entire arena was trembling. His subordinates shivered, backing away in fear of being caught in their leader's fury.
"There's no need to get so worked up over a duel," You Xuan said, remains perfectly calm despite the demon's wrath. He chuckled and raised his hand.
"Due to the effect of Cold Wave, the remaining four cards in your hand cannot be activated or set this turn. I'll assume that means your turn is over?"
The Four-eyed Demon remained silent, his breath hitching.
"I'll take that as a yes," You Xuan said. "My turn, draw! First, I activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity. I draw three cards from my deck and then discard two from my hand."
You Xuan drew three and discarded two, but one of the discarded cards immediately slid back out of his Graveyard slot.
"One of the cards I discarded was the Spell Card, Cards of Compensation. When this card is sent from the hand to the Graveyard, I draw two more cards."
He then pulled another card from his hand.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card, Delinquent Duo. By paying 1000 Life Points, I randomly discard one card from your hand. Then, you must choose and discard another."
[You Xuan: LP 4000 → LP 3000]
You Xuan pointed at one of the opponent's cards at random. Gritting his teeth so hard they nearly shattered, the demon boss slowly picked another card to let go.
Two small imps, one red and one blue with the numbers 1 and 2 on their heads, flew out. They snickered as they snatched the two cards and vanished.
The demon's hand was reduced by two in an instant, leaving him with only two cards. His four eyes bulged with rage.
Damn it! He stopped me from setting cards last turn just so he could destroy my hand this turn?!
"Next, I flip my face-down monster," You Xuan announced.
You Xuan flipped the card on his Duel Disk to Attack Position. A red-skinned blacksmith wielding a heavy iron hammer appeared on the field.
"Iron Smith Kotetsu. When this card is flipped, I can add one Equip Spell from my deck to my hand. I choose this one..."
You Xuan pulled the searched card from his deck.
"The Equip Spell, Smoke Grenade of the Thief."
The Four-eyed Demon had never heard of such a thing. However, judging by You Xuan's performance so far, he had a gut feeling it wouldn't be anything good.
"I Normal Summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!"
[Gearfried the Iron Knight: ATK 1800]
"Then, I activate the Equip Spell, Smoke Grenade of the Thief, and equip it to Gearfried," You Xuan continued. "However, Gearfried has a unique effect. Whenever an Equip Card is equipped to him, that card is immediately destroyed. Therefore, Smoke Grenade of the Thief is destroyed."
The gathered demons looked on in confusion. "Huh?"
They couldn't understand. Why would he equip a card knowing his own monster would just break it?
Had this been the start of the duel, the Four-eyed Demon might have mocked You Xuan for a "misplay" or forgetting his own effects. But after the torment of the previous turn, the boss didn't dare underestimate him. Every "meaningless" action felt like a hidden trap.
"Effect of Smoke Grenade of the Thief activates," You Xuan said with a smile. "When this card is destroyed while equipped to a monster, I can look at your hand and choose one card to discard."
The Four-eyed Demon gasped. "!!!"
Again?!
Please, you've already seen everything! Why keep doing this?!
The combination of Gearfried and Smoke Grenade was a classic combo used to peek at the opponent's hand and precisely snip away their resources. In the past, this combo was naturally absorbed into the Gearfried-Elma Loop decks as an alternative win condition when the infinite loop failed.
Being able to discard a specific card was an incredibly powerful form of disruption, often paving the way for an OTK.
Compared to the Elma loop, the Gearfried-Smoke Grenade combo didn't have as much of a competitive impact back then, so the card had remained obscure for nearly twenty years. It wasn't until the arrival of the Infernoble Knight archetype that this forgotten veteran was forced back into service, eventually resulting in it being banned.
As another card was blown away, the demon stared at the single card remaining in his hand, his eyes practically welling with tears.
He felt as if he hadn't even done anything yet. The duel had barely started, and he was already down to his last card in a state of total confusion.
"I activate the Spell Card, Armed Rebirth," You Xuan said. "It allows me to take an Equip Spell from either player's Graveyard and equip it to a monster on my field."
This was another card that originated from the Yu-Gi-Oh! DM side stories, only getting a real card release nearly twenty years later. While the original was a Normal Spell, the real version had been changed to a Quick-Play Spell.
The demon boss's eyelids twitched, his breathing becoming shallow. "An Equip Spell from the Graveyard? Could it be...?"
"Exactly. I re-equip Smoke Grenade of the Thief to Gearfried the Iron Knight."
You Xuan drew the card as it ejected from the Graveyard and smiled.
"And once again, Gearfried's effect destroys the Smoke Grenade. I look at your hand once more and choose a card to discard... though honestly, I've seen your hand three times now. There's nothing left to see. Discard your last card."
The Four-eyed Demon stood paralyzed. "."
Perfect. Now he didn't have a single card left.
"Gearfried, Iron Smith Kotetsu, direct attack!" You Xuan commanded.
Gearfried charged forward with his blade while Kotetsu followed up with a heavy hammer blow to the demon's skull.
[Four-eyed Demon: LP 4000 → LP 1700]
The demon saw stars as the two monsters pummeled him. Tears of humiliation nearly escaped his eyes. It wasn't just the physical pain; it was the mental toll.
He had never felt such a desperate craving for a sense of participation in a duel.
Please... just let me play one card...
"I set one card and end my turn," You Xuan said.
The Four-eyed Demon took a deep breath and forced himself back up. It wasn't over. He still had Life Points left. The duel wasn't finished.
If nothing else, he had to at least try to play one card.
"My turn! Draw!"
The demon's four eyes lit up instantly.
Yes!
"I activate the Spell Card, Pot of Greed!" the demon shouted. "I draw two cards from my deck!"
If he could just get two more cards, maybe he could find a way to counter-attack...
"I activate my face-down card," You Xuan interrupted. "The Trap Card, Trap of Darkness. When my Life Points are below 3000, I can pay 1000 Life Points to copy the effect of a Trap Card in my Graveyard, then banish that trap."
[You Xuan: LP 3000 → LP 2000]
The Four-eyed Demon froze. "?"
At this exact moment? Copying a trap from the Graveyard? What is he trying to get?
"I choose to have Trap of Darkness gain the effect of the Mystical Refpanel in my Graveyard," You Xuan said with a grin.
The set card transformed in a burst of golden light, revealing the image of Mystical Refpanel. A spirit emerged, clutching a circular mirror that reflected the image of Pot of Greed.
The demon's eyes twitched.
This development... could it be? No, it couldn't...
His throat went dry, and the shock on his face slowly morphed into pure despair.
"That's right. Mystical Refpanel can transfer a Spell effect that targets a single player to the other player," You Xuan explained. "Therefore, I transfer the effect of your Pot of Greed to myself. I draw two cards."
You Xuan drew his cards and offered a polite, mocking "after you" gesture.
"Come now, it's still your turn. Please continue."
The Four-eyed Demon screamed, "Aaaaaagh!!!!"
He still had no cards in hand and nothing on the field, and now his opponent had drawn even more cards.
How was he supposed to play?!
Stupid Mystical Refpanel! I had to swallow his Cold Wave, and now he gets to swallow my Pot of Greed?! What kind of demon could come up with such hellish tactics?!
"Not going to continue? Then it's my turn again. Draw."
You Xuan gave a casual wave of his hand.
"Gearfried, finish this with a direct attack."
The Iron Knight's blade swung down, ending the Four-eyed Demon's impotent rage as he was cut down and sent crashing to the ground.
[Four-eyed Demon: LP 1700 → LP 0]
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