Glancing at the prompt on his Duel Disk, Yusaku slowly drew his opening hand, his voice carrying clearly across the entire stadium.
"Then it's my turn. I'll go first. Standby… Main Phase!"
After a brief pause, he flicked a card forward with a crisp, decisive motion.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell—[Runick Tip]!"
The instant the card hit the field, a pale-gold magic circle rippled outward beneath his feet, starlike motes of light drifting through the air.
"[Runick Tip]'s effect."
Yusaku lifted his gaze to Shota, his tone flat and emotionless.
"Add 1 'Runick' card from my Deck to my hand, except [Runick Tip]. Then I choose one: banish the top card of your Deck, or Special Summon 1 'Runick' monster from my Extra Deck to the Extra Monster Zone."
He added, almost as an afterthought, "After this effect resolves, I skip my next Battle Phase."
The moment they saw what Yusaku had played, the players in the stands froze for half a beat—then immediately got rowdy.
"Hoooooly—banish mill!"
"What do you mean 'banish mill'? It's called RUNICK!!!"
"Heh, looks like the other guy's about to have a real bad time. I wanna see his face when his Deck starts getting shredded into the banish pile."
"So what kind of Runick is Yusaku on—Stun Runick, or Light/Dark Runick?"
"It's gotta be pure Runick! No banlist environment—running floodgates is just low IQ. Triple Field Spell, max consistency, and you just brainlessly banish them out!"
"Yeah, but isn't the other guy on a 60-card build? That's a thick deck—can you even banish it all?"
At that, in a corner of the stands, a player wearing a helmet—his ID glowing [Runick For Life]—let out a scoff and spoke slowly.
"Sixty cards? Hah. You're still underestimating Runick's true power. A mere sixty cards… to Runick, that's dust that can be wiped away with a snap of the fingers."
He folded his arms, striking the pose of a lecturer.
"Clearly, you're all ignorant of Runick's essence. Today, I'll enlighten you with the Eight Virtues of the Runick Player!"
"We Runick players never build any interruption board going first. That is humility. We never stop your Ash Blossom, Maxx 'C,' or Infinite Impermanence. That is tolerance. We watch you combo however you want without interfering. That is generosity."
"Recycling three cards from the GY every turn for infinite reuse—temperance. Willingly skipping every Battle Phase—courage. Never attacking the opponent from start to finish—modesty. Banish-milling your Deck tirelessly on either turn—diligence."
"To choose Runick is to choose taste, refinement, and cultivation! This is the fate Runick bestows upon us—this is the discipline every Runick player must undertake!"
"Choosing Runick means choosing the path of the gentleman, the road of virtue—abandoning all crude pleasures, and ultimately becoming a Duelist beyond the mortal realm!"
The surrounding players stared, slack-jawed, for a long while before finally snapping back to reality.
Now they understood exactly why this guy wore a helmet.
At center field, Shota listened to the effect explanation and blinked. He genuinely doubted his own ears, chewing on the words skip your Battle Phase again and again before he finally spoke.
"You said… you're skipping your next Battle Phase? You sure you didn't misspeak?"
Yusaku glanced at him. "Exactly what you think it is. What—are you chaining?"
"Chaining?" Shota laughed like he'd heard the funniest joke in his life. "A self-amputating garbage drawback like that? I'm praying it resolves clean."
He sized Yusaku up from head to toe, lips curled with contempt.
"Skipping your Battle Phase? I thought you'd be on some powerful deck. Turns out it's this trash. With a downside that stupid, it's probably worse than a third-rate deck."
Then he paused, smirking harder.
"Honestly, with a handicap this insane… I'm curious how you think you're going to win."
Yusaku's eyes didn't change.
"Winning a Duel isn't limited to reducing the opponent's LP to 0. Normally I don't like using this deck, but your Genius Academy freaks are just too irritating."
Shota: "?"
"[Runick Tip] resolves!" Yusaku didn't waste another word. "I add the Field Spell [Runick Fountain] from my Deck to my hand—then I banish the top card of your Deck."
He pocketed the searched card, then immediately drew another and slapped it onto his Duel Disk.
"Next, I activate [Reasoning]!"
"Effect: you declare any Level from 1 to 12. I reveal cards from the top of my Deck until I reveal a monster that can be Normal Summoned. If that monster's Level is the same as the declared Level, all revealed cards are sent to the GY. If it's different, I Special Summon that monster, and send the rest to the GY."
Yusaku raised his eyes. "Pick."
"Trying to dump your GY with Reasoning?" Shota's smile widened with confidence. "Most decks' low-level starters are Level 4. I declare—Level 4!"
"Not done yet!" The instant he declared it, Shota flashed a card from his hand. "Chain to [Reasoning]—I activate [Gizmek Orochi, the Serpentron Sky Slasher]!"
"While this card is in my hand or GY: I can banish 8 cards from the top of my Deck face-down to Special Summon it! I can do it on your turn, too!"
Before the sentence even finished, a cyclone erupted over Shota's Deck. Eight cards whipped upward, spinning into the banished zone in a tight spiral.
As the eighth card vanished, a blinding summoning flare shot upward—and a three-headed, six-armed mechanical serpent slammed down onto the field, its metal scales gleaming cold under the lights.
[Gizmek Orochi, the Serpentron Sky Slasher]
Level 8 / Machine / Effect
ATK 2450
With the mechanical serpent on the field, [Reasoning] officially began to resolve.
Yusaku's Duel Disk ran automatically, sending card after card to the GY.
Shota folded his arms, watching with amused interest.
But the more he watched, the deeper his frown grew—everything hitting the GY was Quick-Play Spells. Not a single monster.
"This Deck… doesn't run low-level monsters?"
Just as doubt started to creep in, the reveal finally stopped on the twelfth card. Yusaku pulled it free, his voice razor-clear.
"The monster revealed is [Magical Scientist]!"
"It's Level 1—different from your declared Level 4." Yusaku looked straight at Shota, whose expression had subtly shifted. "So by [Reasoning], I Special Summon it."
Light flashed, and a lab-coated researcher wearing sunglasses appeared on the field, a crackling test tube clenched in his hand.
[Magical Scientist]
Level 1 / Spellcaster / Effect
ATK 300
Without pausing, Yusaku continued.
"Next, I activate the effect of [Naturia Sacred Tree] in my GY."
"When this card is sent to the GY: add 1 'Naturia' card from my Deck to my hand, except itself. I search [Naturia Camellia]."
With the newly added card in hand, Yusaku's eyes flicked over Shota's banished pile—then to the imposing mechanical serpent.
"Gizmek Orochi and [Fairy Tail - Luna]… a Luna Kaiju Deck?"
"Luna Kaiju?" Shota smiled. "I prefer calling it R8 Kaiju. My Deck's loaded with ways to Special Summon by tributing your monsters."
He grinned, sharp and smug.
"So it doesn't matter what board you build. Even if you make a monster with full protection, I'll tribute it away—unless you happen to be running that one Continuous Trap that stops tributes."
He glanced toward Yusaku's GY.
"And I saw what you milled—almost all Quick-Play Spells. You're not running that kind of card. But even if you are, it doesn't matter. I've got plenty of ways to clear it."
He tapped the card in his hand.
"I'm holding a tribute-to-Special Summon card right now. I'm genuinely curious—what kind of board do you think you can make that'll stop me?"
Yusaku's lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile.
"That's assuming your monsters… can even be Summoned."
Shota blinked. "?"
"I activate the Field Spell—[Runick Fountain]!"
Yusaku slammed the searched Field Spell into his Duel Disk.
The stadium shook. Amid roaring vibrations, a massive circular stone basin rose behind Yusaku. At its center stood a vicious-looking demon statue. Water streamed down from its claws in a steady flow, radiating an ancient, eerie aura.
The moment the Field Spell settled, Yusaku drew again and struck another card down, his voice booming like thunder.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell—[Runick Slumber]!"
"Effect: I skip my next Battle Phase, then target 1 face-up monster on the field. This turn, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects once, and it cannot attack. Then I banish the top 3 cards of your Deck."
Yusaku raised his hand and pointed straight at his own monster.
"I target my [Magical Scientist]!"
A transparent energy barrier snapped into place around Magical Scientist. At the same time, Shota's Duel Disk automatically ejected three cards, turning into streaks of light as they shot into the banished zone.
"Chain—[Runick Fountain]'s effect!" Yusaku's voice came immediately after. "Once per turn, when I activate a 'Runick' Quick-Play Spell: I can target up to 3 'Runick' Quick-Play Spells in my GY, place them on the bottom of the Deck in any order, then draw the same number of cards."
His eyes sharpened like a blade as he stared Shota down.
"I activated [Runick Slumber], so—return [Runick Slumber], [Runick Tip], and [Runick Flashing Fire] from my GY to the bottom of my Deck, then I draw three."
Shota's brows slammed together. His voice came out strained, disbelieving.
"Recycle three, draw three… and there's no self-restriction?"
"Not just that." A trace of mockery slipped into Yusaku's tone. "This doesn't have a hard once-per-turn by card name. If I refresh the Field Spell effect and keep activating Runick Quick-Plays, I can keep looping it."
Shota's pupils tightened. "???"
"I activate [Pot of Greed]!" Yusaku gave him no room to breathe. "Draw two."
Two new cards slid into Yusaku's hand. Without stopping, he revealed another card and played it immediately.
"I activate [Terraforming]! I add another [Runick Fountain] from my Deck to my hand."
He held the second copy in his grip and didn't hesitate.
"I activate [Runick Fountain], replacing the one currently on the field!"
The new Field Spell overrode the old one. The demon statue in the basin seemed to come alive, the water surging faster, the pressure in the air thickening.
"Next, I activate the Quick-Play Spell—[Runick Destruction]!"
"By its effect, I Special Summon a 'Runick' monster from my Extra Deck to the Extra Monster Zone. I Special Summon—[Munin the Runick Wings]!"
Light shimmered, and a small boy with short gray hair and black wings appeared quietly on the field, his expression calm and empty.
[Munin the Runick Wings]
Level 3 / Fairy / Fusion / Effect
ATK 0
"At this moment," Yusaku's voice rose again, "I've activated another Runick Quick-Play, so [Runick Fountain] triggers: I return [Runick Smiting Storm], [Runick Smiting Storm], and [Runick Dispelling] from my GY to the bottom of my Deck—then draw three!"
Fresh cards entered Yusaku's hand. His motions were smooth, relentless, with no wasted beats.
"Now I activate [Magical Scientist]'s effect. I pay 1000 LP, then Special Summon 1 Level 6 or lower Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck. It can't attack directly, and it returns to the Extra Deck during the End Phase."
"I activate it."
Yusaku: LP 8000 → 7000
"I Special Summon another [Munin the Runick Wings]!"
A second Munin appeared beside the first.
"[Magical Scientist] doesn't have a once-per-turn clause." Yusaku's voice carried absolute certainty. "I activate it three more times."
Yusaku: LP 7000 → 4000
"I Special Summon the last [Munin the Runick Wings] from my Extra Deck—and two Level 3 Fusion Monsters: [Fusionist]!"
Light flashed in rapid succession. A third Munin appeared, alongside two black catlike winged creatures with red-tipped tails. In an instant, Yusaku had five monsters on the field.
[Munin the Runick Wings]
ATK 0
[Fusionist] x2
ATK 900
Seeing Yusaku burn 3000 LP to flood the field with low-ATK monsters, Shota's brows drew tight. He opened his mouth to sneer—
And Yusaku's voice cut straight through him.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]