Poisonous Snake King Vinomirion, descend!
"Is this Professor Kobra's ace card? Impressive, impressive."
Yugen didn't hold back his admiration.
"Indeed, it seems to be a monster with extraordinary power."
Kobra snorted.
"You'll soon understand Vinomirion's might. Battle!
Poisonous Snake King Vinomirion, attack 'Leader - Zargul'!"
The Poisonous Snake King let out a sinister chuckle, its five fingers suddenly shooting out like springs. On closer inspection, they weren't fingers, but five small curved snakes, each bearing a similar sly smile as the Poisonous Snake King, flicking tiny tongues.
Yugen remained expressionless: "Zarug, counterattack."
Zarug looked at him with a face full of despair.
Huh? I'm supposed to fight the Poisonous Snake King? Seriously?
Orders are orders, and Zarug, forced to work overtime, could only grit his teeth and draw his revolver to fight. Of course, the result was foreseeable; his revolver fired several shots, yet the opponent didn't bother to defend or dodge. The bullets bounced off the sturdy scales of the Poisonous Snake King, powerless.
The small snakes of the Poisonous Snake King immediately coiled around Zarug, biting into his dark muscles. The latter howled in agony, the bitten areas quickly soaked in venom, turning the skin a purplish-black before exploding.
"But at this moment, I activate the trap 'Guardian Defense Wall'." Yugen said, "It turns the battle damage I receive into 0, and I draw a card from the deck."
The defensive barrier shielded against the damage impact, and Yugen drew a card.
Zarug, now a ghost, reluctantly exited the scene, with his Black Scorpion comrades immediately rushing to support him.
"Boss? Are you okay?"
"Tch, I'm fine. I was just careless for a moment." Zarug gritted his teeth, "Otherwise, I'd make that damn snake suffer."
The gang eyed him skeptically, thinking how their boss's skills didn't match his big mouth.
"I activate the Continuous Magic 'Damage Closure Interval'." Kobra said, "As long as this card exists on the field, all battle damage incurred by both sides is halved." (Original Card)
He finally drew two cards from his hand.
"Then I'll set two cards face down, and end my turn."
The Poisonous Snake King crossed its arms, flicking its tongue with a mocking and taunting expression.
Ammon, watching from the sidelines, also frowned slightly.
"The Poisonous Snake King must have some eerie hidden aspect. It seems like a monster with concealed terrifying power." Ammon murmured, then looked at Yugen, "Facing such an unknown threat, how will the King respond?"
Yet to Yugen, it wasn't exactly an "unknown threat." He knew clearly what the Poisonous Snake King was capable of.
Kobra smiled sinisterly in his heart.
If a monstrous creature with merely three thousand attack power could cause trouble, then the Duel King would be unworthy of his title. He had no doubts that his opponent had the ability to defeat the Poisonous Snake King.
But Kobra didn't mind, or rather, he even looked forward to it.
The Poisonous Snake King's hidden ability. When this card is destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, by banishing Reptile Race monsters from the graveyard, it can be resurrected infinitely. In other words, for every reptile in the graveyard, it has another life.
But that wasn't the main point.
The reason the Poisonous Snake King was Kobra's prized ace was because it served as the medium for the descent of an even more terrifying existence. When the Poisonous Snake King is destroyed, through the Trap Card "Descent of the Serpent God," it can summon the truly invincible Demon God, the "Poisonous Snake God Vino Minaka."
That was his real trump card; once summoned, it was almost a guaranteed victory, an invincible monster with god-like power!
Kobra squinted his eyes.
"Come on, destroy my Poisonous Snake King. Be it with a powerful monster or destruction effect. No matter the method, the moment you defeat it, it signifies your defeat!"
Of course, this was his inner monologue. The professor's mental fortitude was solid, maintaining a poker face without revealing any inner turbulence.
"My turn, draw."
Yugen drew a card, then revealed the card he drew.
"Equipment Magic 'Magical Wand', equipping it to the 'Black Forest Witch' on the field.
This card can only be equipped to Mage Race monsters, increasing the equipped monster's Attack Power by 500."
[Black Forest Witch, Attack Power 1100→Attack Power 1600]
"Then I activate the second effect of the Magical Wand. By sending both the equipped monster and this card to the graveyard, I can draw two cards from the deck."
The witch and the wand disappeared from the field, allowing Yugen to draw cards from the deck.
"Then the effect of Black Forest Witch. When this card is sent to the graveyard, I can add a monster with Defense Power of 1500 or less from the deck to my hand."
Kobra clicked his tongue.
The last turn, considering the witch's search ability would trigger upon destruction, he chose to attack Leader - Zargul first, not wanting to grant his opponent a free search.
Now it seems the opponent not only used the search effect but also drew two additional cards. Looking at the result, maybe he should have dealt with that troublesome witch first last turn.
"From the deck, I'll take a monster with Defense Power of 1500 or less..."
Yugen smiled mysteriously, pulling out a card that automatically popped out from the deck.
"Adding 'Abyss Soldiers' to my hand."
He displayed the searched card, and his deck automatically shuffled in the Duel Disc. He then swiftly placed the drawn Monster Card onto the Duel Disc.
"Then, I normally summon 'Abyss Soldiers'!"
A clear stream of water burst forth, manifesting the body of a Water Tribe Warrior in the liquid. Resembling a deep-sea species standing upright, he wielded a golden trident, the long spear's swing commanding the water to swirl under his command.
[Abyss Soldiers, Attack Power 1800]
"The effect of Abyss Soldiers, by discarding a Water Attribute Monster from the hand to the graveyard, I can choose any card on the field to forcefully return to its owner's hand."
Yugen displayed a Monster Card from his hand.
"I discard the Water Attribute Monster 'Assassin Snake' from my hand to send your ace card, 'Poisonous Snake King Vinomirion', back to your hand!"
Kobra: "!"
The professor's pupils slightly contracted, gritting his teeth unconsciously.
It's not a battle or destruction effect, but a bounce to the hand...
What the heck.
The Descent of the Serpent God can only trigger when the Poisonous Snake King is destroyed, and the king's self-revival effect only works when knocked down. But if it's bounced to the hand...
Abyss Soldiers swung its trident, the water transforming into a water dragon, instantly engulfing the Poisonous Snake King, seemingly washing away even the venom.
The Poisonous Snake King roared furiously, yet powerlessly turned into a beam of light, returning to its owner's hand.
"Battle." Yugen waved, "Use 'Abyss Soldiers' to attack Professor Kobra directly."
Abyss Soldiers stepped forward, as if walking on water. The liquid spun around its trident, like an enchanted object, thrusting straight at Kobra's heart.
"Urgh..."
Kobra staggered, stepping back half a step.
"Tch... The effect of Damage Closure Interval, the battle damage I receive is halved!"
[Kobra, LP3800→ LP2900]
"Then I activate a face-down card, the Continuous Trap 'Damage = Reptiles'!"
Despite taking a heavy blow, Kobra instantly took action.
"Once per turn, if a battle involving a Reptile Race monster results in damage to oneself, I can Special Summon a Reptile Race monster from the deck with Attack Power lower than that battle damage!"