After securing the searched card in his hand, Yusaku snapped his arm up in a sharp motion.
"Next, I activate the effect of [Toy Tank]! This card's effect is: I can Tribute this card, then Special Summon 1 Level 6 or lower monster from my hand!"
"I choose to Tribute [Toy Tank] on my field, and Special Summon the card I just searched—[Star Ryzeal]!"
The moment his words fell, a robotic, humanoid monster—woven from violet flames, violent currents, and precision machinery—tore through space and appeared in an instant. A suffocating, razor-edged pressure rolled off its body, and every rotation of its energy core came with a harsh crackle of electricity.
[Star Ryzeal]
[Level 4 / Pyro / Effect]
[ATK: 1800]
With the monster on the field, Yusaku lifted his hand again. "Next, I perform a Link Summon!"
"I use [Vampire Scarlet Scourge] and [Magicians' Souls] on my field as Link Materials!"
At the moment he finished speaking, the two monsters became two streams of dazzling light, howling upward into the Link Circuit that snapped open above the Duel Field.
[√][] The two Link Arrows lit up one after another. The glare was so intense it nearly swallowed the entire arena. Then, in the next second, a girl in a pale gray robe drifted lightly down from the circuit—silky gray hair, nimble posture, moving like a spirit of the night.
"Link Summon! Link-2—[Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy]!"
[Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy]
[LINK-2 / Spellcaster / Effect]
[ATK: 1850]
"I'm not done yet!"
Yusaku's shout cut through the stadium like a blade.
"Next, I build the Overlay Network with my Level 4 [Toy Soldier] and my Level 4—[The Man with the Mark]!"
"Xyz Summon! Rank 4—Ryzeal Duo Drive!"
In the instant his words landed, the two monsters turned into two blazing golden streaks and shot straight into the Xyz vortex forming in midair.
The next moment, a massive mech—its energy completely fused from the two—burst out of the vortex with a thunderous crash. Molten orange-red patterns flowed across its frame like lava, while golden arcs of electricity snapped and hissed from its joints.
[Ryzeal Duo Drive]
[Rank 4 / Thunder / Xyz / Effect]
[Materials: 2]
[ATK: 2500]
"I activate [Ryzeal Duo Drive]'s effect! During my Main Phase, I can detach 2 Xyz Materials from it to draw 2 cards, then add a [Ryzeal] card from my Deck to my hand!"
"I activate this effect!"
[Ryzeal Duo Drive]
[Materials: 2 → 0]
"I add the monster cards—[Ext Ryzeal] and [Sword Ryzeal]—from my Deck to my hand!"
As he gathered the searched cards into his hand again, a sharp glint flashed through Yusaku's eyes. He raised his voice, crisp and cutting:
"Next, I use [Ryzeal Duo Drive] and [Star Ryzeal] on my field as Link Materials!"
"Link Summon! Link-2—I:P Masquerena!"
The two monsters instantly became twin streams of light, surging into the Link Circuit that opened overhead. [√][] The Link Arrows lit in sequence, the brilliance almost painfully bright.
A playful-looking girl in sleek black-and-gold gear descended slowly from the radiance, her feet planted on faintly glowing powered skates—straddling a futuristic motorbike that looked like it belonged in a lab, not an arena.
[I:P Masquerena]
[LINK-2 / Cyberse / Link / Effect]
[ATK: 800]
"Next, I'll take the one I just Summoned to my field—"
"The three of them are together! After this Duel ends, I want you to hand them over. Otherwise, you'll suffer the wrath of our entire academy!"
At those words, the smile on Yusaku's face slowly vanished.
The Millennium Puzzle at his chest seemed to sense its owner's emotional shift, releasing a faint, nearly imperceptible golden shimmer. It vanished in a blink—yet the air around him quivered as if something heavy had just pressed down.
"'The wrath of the entire academy'?" He lifted his gaze, the curve of his mouth carrying a cold, mocking edge. "That's a big claim."
Yusaku raised his hand, his fingertips brushing the Millennium Puzzle. The chill of the metal spread from his skin through his limbs, and an ancient power—sleeping deep—began to stir along his bloodline. Without him moving another inch, his presence started to climb.
"Originally, I was going to end this farce with an ordinary Duel." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable pressure, ringing clearly across every corner of the arena. "But now, you've put your hands on a line you had no right to touch."
Karasu and Nishimura Yuta both felt their hearts jolt as the shift in his aura hit them head-on. A nameless fear crawled up their spines.
"Since you want my God Cards so badly…" Yusaku slowly raised an arm. The glow on the Millennium Puzzle grew more visible, and faint arcs of electricity began snapping around him. "Then let you feel it for yourselves—what it means to despair!!!"
Karasu: "???"
Yuta: "???"
The instant those words dropped, the Millennium Puzzle on Yusaku's chest exploded with blinding golden light, and a surging current burst outward.
Golden lightning danced, centered on the Puzzle, expanding in a heartbeat—swelling into a pillar of light that pierced the sky. It swallowed Yusaku completely, the column shooting straight into the heavens and vanishing into the endless expanse above.
Seeing this, Karasu and Yuta felt their hearts hammer wildly. The violent tremor rising from the depths of their souls screamed at them over and over—
Some supreme existence was about to be born right here, right now!
With a deafening boom, the brilliant pillar slowly faded, and Yusaku's figure reappeared before everyone.
And the moment they saw what he looked like now, everyone at the scene froze in place—so much so that even the duelists watching from the sidelines…
(End of Chapter)
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