The two Ritual Materials detached from beneath the Xyz Drytron card resonated in brilliance within the Draco meteor cluster, combining into a brand-new form—the steel-bodied meteor dragon.
"Shine like a meteor—Ritual Summon! Descend, [Drytron Meteonis Draconids]!"
[Drytron Meteonis Draconids] Level 12│LIGHT│Machine│4000 ATK
["Meteonis Drytron"]
Completely different from the QUA form, at the center of the converging meteor radiance stood the highest-level, Level 12 MAX, 4000 Attack Drytron Meteonis Draconids, its azure mechanical body brandishing twin starlit blades from its arms.
"This is the battle style that awakens the stars after D/D/D, Quaedes."
"A Level 12 Ritual Monster with 4000 Attack."
Though her tone barely shifted, Miles could tell Quaedes had grown slightly more serious than before.
"Fusion, Synchro, Xyz—and now Ritual Summon. Miles, you are a Duelist far beyond my initial expectations. It seems what you possess is more than merely the genes to wield a god."
This might have been the first time the frost-cold empress had praised Miles's dueling.
Simply because he had displayed every summoning method before her.
"To receive recognition from the Empire's strongest emperor is my honor. But Quaedes, right now—you stand on the brink of defeat."
Bathed in the radiance of Draco's stars, Miles seemed like a Duelist guiding the trajectories of starlight itself against the raging sea ahead.
"Battle!"
Declaring entry into the Battle Phase, the falling stars gathered upon the sea's surface and erupted in unison.
"[Drytron Meteonis Draconids] attacks! With the blade of meteor light, cleave the sea! Target—[Number 94: Crystalzero]!"
[Number 94: Crystalzero] had 2200 Attack.
[Drytron Meteonis Draconids] had 4000 Attack.
"And this card as well!" As he declared the attack, Miles flipped over his Set card.
"—Quick-Play Spell [Ego Boost]!"
[When a monster declares an attack: Target 1 face-up monster on the field; it gains 1000 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase.]
A golden colossal silhouette enveloped the steel body of the meteor dragon at the moment of attack declaration, boosting Draconids' Attack to 5000.
After the increase, the Attack difference reached 2800—that was the battle damage dealt by this stellar blade.
[Quaedes, LP: 2800 → 0]
Miles's Drytron counterattack precisely locked the emperor's remaining Life Points within the lethal threshold of starlight.
Naturally, she would not sit idly by. Facing the starlight cleaving across the sea, Quaedes raised her hand and declared an effect.
"The effect of [Number 94: Crystalzero] can also be activated during the opponent's turn. By detaching 1 material, I can target 1 monster you control; its Attack is halved until the end of the turn."
Crystalzero's Quick Effect to halve Attack once again froze the sea, dense ice spikes surging toward the radiant mechanical dragon.
If Draconids' Attack were halved, its 4000 would drop to 2000, and the battle against Crystalzero would not result in a finishing blow.
But Miles would never ignore a known effect.
The reason he dared to power up the meteor dragon and charge forward, fully aware of the halving effect on Quaedes's field, was because [Drytron Meteonis Draconids] could not be frozen by [Number 94: Crystalzero] at all.
"This is the resistance effect of [Drytron Meteonis Draconids]!"
[This card on the field cannot be targeted by your opponent's monster effects.]
It could not be targeted by an opponent's monster effect—and Crystalzero's effect required a target to activate.
The starlit blade cleaved furiously across the sea, deflecting the trajectory of the freezing ice spikes.
Since Quaedes could not halve Draconids' Attack, she could only choose another monster on Miles's field instead.
[Drytron Mu Beta Fafnir, ATK: 2000 → 1000]
In the end, the Xyz-form Drytron bore the brunt of it, while the battle between Draconids and Crystalzero proceeded at their original Attack values.
Emperor Quaedes still had not escaped the execution line of starlight.
"How about this strike, Quaedes!"
Victory lay a single step away.
Yet Miles saw no trace of panic on the ice-beauty emperor's face.
"The effect of [Number 73: Abyss Splash] activates!"
Quaedes merely declared the effect of her other Xyz Monster.
[Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; its Attack becomes double its current Attack until the end of your opponent's turn. This turn, any battle damage it inflicts is halved. This effect can also be activated during your opponent's turn.]
Last turn, Abyss Splash had already activated its doubling effect once, and because the duration lasted until the end of the opponent's turn, its Attack was still doubled to 4800.
Under these circumstances, if Quaedes activated Abyss Splash's effect again—
[Number 73: Abyss Splash, ATK: 4800 → 9600]
Double upon double—the tidal spear's towering waves evolved into a roaring oceanic maelstrom.
"Next, Trap Card—[Destruct Potion]!"
[Target 1 monster you control; destroy that monster, and gain Life Points equal to its Attack.]
"I destroy [Number 73: Abyss Splash] and recover Life Points equal to its 9600 Attack!"
In an instant, the tsunami maelstrom transformed into an immense torrent of life, swirling around Quaedes.
[Quaedes, LP: 2800 → 12400]
"Whoa, that's how you're playing it?!" Miles exclaimed.
Since the Set card was [Destruct Potion], Quaedes could have chosen to destroy [Number 94: Crystalzero] instead to recover Life Points.
Had she chosen that, Miles would have lost his attack target, and [Number 73: Abyss Splash] would have remained.
Yet rather than preserving her monster—rather than protecting [Number 73: Abyss Splash], which had already used up its Xyz Materials—Quaedes chose a different approach.
She restored an absurd amount of Life Points, then used that massive total to tank this turn's damage head-on.
"—Meteor Radiant Dragon Blade!!"
The empowered starlight shattered the ice. What should have been lethal battle damage now barely registered against Quaedes's surging Life Points.
[Quaedes, LP: 12400 → 9600]
The opponent's Life Points were immense—but her monsters were few. Both Rank 5 Xyz Monsters that had stood on her field were now gone.
"Follow-up—direct attack! [Drytron Mu Beta Fafnir]! —Meteor Cluster Suppression!"
The cosmic high-radiance weapon unleashed covering fire. Even with its Attack halved by freezing, the Xyz Drytron's artillery still poured down upon Quaedes.
[Quaedes, LP: 9600 → 8600]
"I Set one card. End turn!"
[Drytron Meteonis Draconids, ATK: 5000 → 4000]
After the full-force output of the Draco armaments, Draconids' Attack returned to normal as the turn ended.
Standing amid the flourishing brilliance of the stars, Miles knew that even though Quaedes's Life Points were overwhelming, as long as Draconids' firepower kept her suppressed, victory remained possible.
"My turn. Draw."
The cold empress drew to begin her turn.
"I activate the Spell Card [Pot of Avarice]. I return 5 monsters from my Graveyard to the Deck, then draw 2 cards."
The monsters Quaedes returned were [Bahamut Shark], [Full Armored Black Ray Lancer], [Number 47: Nightmare Shark], [Number 94: Crystalzero], and [Number 73: Abyss Splash].
"All five Xyz Monsters recycled, huh," Miles muttered.
As she examined the two newly drawn cards with her ice-blue eyes, Quaedes's expression revealed nothing—no hint whether the draw was good or bad.
Even a slight frown or faint smile would have eased Miles more than this absolute composure.
"Next, I activate the effect of [Lantern Shark] in my Graveyard."
[You can banish this card from your Graveyard; target 2 Level 5 WATER monsters in your Graveyard, except "Lantern Shark"; Special Summon them with their effects negated, and immediately Xyz Summon 1 WATER Xyz Monster using only those two monsters as material.]
An effect that allowed a Rank 5 Xyz Summon directly from the Graveyard. As [Lantern Shark] was banished, the remaining two Level 5 monsters in Quaedes's Graveyard, [Panther Shark] and [Eagle Shark], transformed into another surge of water for a new Xyz Summon.
"Once more, brandish the divine spear and shatter the colossal waves! Rank 5 Xyz that guides chaotic evolution—Number 73: Abyss Splash!"
[Number 73: Abyss Splash] Rank 5│WATER│Warrior│2400 ATK
The recycled Abyss Splash was Xyz Summoned for the second time, and its doubling effect was immediately activated.
[Number 73: Abyss Splash, ATK: 2400 → 4800]
"This turn, the one to be slain is you, Miles."
Quaedes declared her counterattack. The tidal surge of Abyss Splash rose once again.
"Crush the halved [Drytron Mu Beta Fafnir] beneath the raging waves, and pave the road to victory."
The Attack-halving effect of [Number 94: Crystalzero] would last until the end of Quaedes's turn. That meant Mu Beta Fafnir's Attack remained at 1000.
With [Number 73: Abyss Splash] at 4800 Attack, the difference was 3800.
Even with the halved battle damage drawback after doubling, it would still deal 1900 damage.
Across turns, the doubling and halving effects aligned once more at this moment.
"You cannot win this Duel, Miles. —Raging Tidal God Spear!"
The tsunami raised by the spear surged toward Miles's frozen field.
"No. This time, I suppress you!"
The stars clashed once more against the tsunami, the blue ocean seemingly dyed by starlight.
"Draconids—full firepower suppression! Effect activate!"
[During your opponent's turn: You can banish monsters from your Graveyard whose total Attack equals 2000 or 4000; then target face-up cards your opponent controls, up to the number of 2000 Attack used; send them to the Graveyard.]
A suppression effect that could only be activated during the opponent's turn—Draconids' stellar barrage.
"I banish [Dretron Alpha Thuban] with 2000 Attack from my Graveyard. Feel the bombardment of the Draco meteor cluster!"
A brilliant storm of stardust rained down, the sea of stars from the cosmos clashing against the roaring ocean below.
"Send [Number 73: Abyss Splash] to the Graveyard! —Meteor Exclamation!"
Starlight erupted. Even during the opponent's turn, Draconids' armaments could execute full-spectrum suppression.
---
If you want to support, please consider Patreon and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going! [Patreon.com/RedZTL]