He paused, a trace of cruel satisfaction in his voice.
"I activate Relinquished Anima's effect! I target 1 face-up monster this card's Link Arrow points to—treat that monster as an Equip Spell Card and equip it to this card!"
"Right now, the monster Relinquished Anima is pointing to… is your Formula Synchron!"
Hearing that, Yusaku finally looked up at him, faint mockery in his eyes. "You really think you can just suck my monster over with that card and use it as your equipment?"
Shota blinked, reflexively firing back, "Can't I?"
"Of course not." Yusaku's grin slowly widened. "You think I knew you were on Drytron and still put Formula Synchron in that spot because I misplayed?"
"From the very beginning, I set the trap—and waited for you to walk, step by step, into this abyss of despair!"
"Thanks to Small Scuffle, the moment you dared to Special Summon, not only could I draw off Maxx 'C'… I could also trigger Dragon Ice in my hand to jump in by itself!"
"And the reason I deliberately placed Formula Synchron under the Extra Monster Zone was to bait you into summoning Relinquished Anima… so I could trigger Naturia Mole Cricket's effect in my GY!"
Shota's pupils shrank. "What?!"
The instant his words fell, a card in Yusaku's Monster Zone flipped and the Duel Disk chimed.
"Naturia Mole Cricket's effect activates!"
"While this card is in the GY, if my opponent Special Summons a monster from the Extra Deck, I can Special Summon this card from the GY!"
"You just Special Summoned Relinquished Anima, so I Special Summon Naturia Mole Cricket from my GY!"
A faint glimmer flashed in the Graveyard. A bright green mole-cricket monster fluttered its wings and appeared in Yusaku's Main Monster Zone.
Naturia Mole Cricket
Level 1 / Insect / Effect
ATK 0
"Not done yet! I activate Naturia Mole Cricket's effect!" Yusaku's voice rang out again. "During either player's Main Phase, I can Tribute this card—Special Summon 1 'Naturia' monster from my Deck!"
"I Special Summon Naturia Stag Beetle from my Deck!"
A soft pink glow swept across the field. A stag beetle clad in a hard carapace slammed down with a buzzing beat of wings, its massive pincers opening and closing with razor-cold glints.
Naturia Stag Beetle
Level 6 / Insect / Effect
ATK 2200
Staring at the two sudden bodies on Yusaku's board, Shota furrowed his brow, forcing himself to stay calm.
"Even if you put those on the field, so what? As long as your Formula Synchron is still in Relinquished Anima's Link Arrow, it's guaranteed I'll turn it into a 'collar' and pin it down!"
Yusaku smiled faintly. "It won't be there much longer."
Shota: "?"
"I activate Formula Synchron's monster effect!" Yusaku's voice surged, sharp and unstoppable. "Its effect—during the opponent's Main Phase, I can Synchro Summon using monsters I control, including this card!"
"I use my Formula Synchron and the Naturia Stag Beetle I just Summoned as Synchro Material!"
He raised his arm high.
"Synchro Summon! Level 8—Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon!"
Two beams of light shot into the sky. Formula Synchron and Naturia Stag Beetle intertwined, fused, and became a blazing streak of starlight that pierced the heavens.
The next moment, a pair of broad, radiant wings unfurled behind Yusaku. A massive silver-white dragon tore through the light and descended.
Its body was covered in sleek, lustrous scales. Its long tail fin trailed sparkling stardust as it threw its head back with an earthshaking roar, making the starfield arena tremble.
Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon
Level 8 / Dragon / Synchro / Effect
ATK 2500
"I activate Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon's effect!" Yusaku shouted. "When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower Tuner from my GY! I choose—Formula Synchron!"
Formula Synchron returned to the field.
ATK 200
"And I keep going—Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon's other effect…!"
"In either player's Main Phase, I can Tribute this card—Special Summon 1 'Stardust Dragon' monster from my Extra Deck as if it were Synchro Summoned! And after that Summon succeeds, I can perform 1 additional Synchro Summon!"
"Come forth—Stardust Dragon!"
Holy light erupted again, even brighter than before, flooding the entire Duel Field. A dragon almost identical to Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon, yet more solemn and majestic, descended onto the field.
Stardust Dragon
Level 8 / Dragon / Synchro / Effect
ATK 2500
"Still not finished!" Yusaku's presence swelled, his voice thunderous across the arena.
"I use Stardust Dragon and my Level 2 Tuner Formula Synchron as Synchro Material—tune them!"
"Synchro Summon! Level 10—Baronne de Fleur!!"
Two lights spiraled into a soaring star-track and shot into the sky. Stardust scattered across the heavens, forming a straight ten-star chain, and a dazzling rose-colored beam crashed down like a waterfall of the Milky Way.
Hoofbeats rang out, crisp and bright—an armored female warrior in silver, wielding a rose-etched blade, rode a pure white steed straight out of the beam.
Gems set into her armor refracted blinding light. Her gaze was sharp as steel, her presence regal and untouchable.
Baronne de Fleur
Level 10 / Warrior / Synchro / Effect
ATK 3000
Shota's pupils constricted. "Baronne…!"
"Don't rush me. This isn't over." Yusaku drew a card from his hand and slammed it onto the Duel Disk without hesitation. "I activate the effect of Shining Star Dragon from my hand!"
"This card's effect: while it's in my hand, during the opponent's Main Phase, I can target 1 Dragon Synchro Monster in my GY—Special Summon this card, then Special Summon that target with its effects negated! After that, I can Synchro Summon a Dragon Synchro Monster using monsters I control, including this card!"
"I target Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon in my GY!"
Two lights flared at once. Shining Star Dragon and Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon appeared on Yusaku's field, one after the other.
Shining Star Dragon
Level 4 / Dragon / Tuner / Effect
ATK 0
Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon
Level 8 / Dragon / Synchro / Effect
ATK 2500
"Now I use my Level 4 Tuner Shining Star Dragon and my Level 8 non-Tuner Accel Synchro Stardust Dragon for the final tuning!"
Yusaku's voice echoed through the stadium as he pointed high into the sky.
"Be born—Red Dragon!!!"
A crimson meteor, like it was punching through the firmament itself, ripped across the heavens. The red light swallowed the entire starfield arena in an instant.
A colossal scarlet dragon took shape within the glare, its body coiling and winding. Its magma-hot scales looked like molten rock, and when it spread its wings, it felt like it could whip up a firestorm that burned everything to ash.
Red Dragon
Level 12 / Dragon / Synchro / Effect
ATK 0
"I activate Red Dragon's effect!" Yusaku barked. "When this card is Special Summoned, I can add 1 Spell/Trap that mentions 'Red Dragon' from my Deck to my hand! I choose the Spell Card—Synchro Rumble!"
Watching Yusaku's board keep ballooning—and on his own turn, no less—Shota finally snapped. He clenched the Droll & Lock Bird in his hand, grit his teeth, and threw it down anyway.
"The moment you add Synchro Rumble to your hand, I activate the effect of Droll & Lock Bird from my hand!"
"I can send this card from my hand to the GY when my opponent adds a card from the Deck to the hand outside of the Draw Phase! For the rest of this turn, neither player can add cards from the Deck to the hand!"
"I send it to the GY! This turn, nobody's searching anything!"
Yusaku raised an eyebrow, amused. "You finally decided to use it?"
"Don't get cocky!" Shota snapped, eyes locked on Yusaku's field. "Now the choice isn't mine—it's yours! If you want Maxx 'C' to keep paying off, you have to use Baronne de Fleur's effect!"
Yusaku suddenly laughed out loud, dripping with scorn. "And why would I? It's not even my turn. Being locked doesn't matter to me—why would I activate Baronne de Fleur?"
He paused, his stare sharpening, his tone turning cold.
"The one who's locked down harder is you. And—because you activated Droll & Lock Bird—you're about to fall into the deeper layer of despair I prepared for you."
Shota frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"You'll see. Right now."
Yusaku revealed a card in his hand. "I chain to your effect—activating Red Dragon's other effect. And I also chain the effects of the card in my hand and K9-17 Izuna!"
"First—K9-17 Izuna's effect!"
"As long as you've activated a monster effect from your hand or GY this turn, I can Special Summon this card from my hand during the Main Phase!"
"You just activated Droll & Lock Bird from your hand. The condition is satisfied!"
A faint violet light flashed. A girl in a black tactical uniform, holding a high-tech pistol, landed steadily on Yusaku's field.
K9-17 Izuna
Level 5 / Warrior / Effect
ATK 2100
"Next—Red Dragon's effect!"
"I target the Level 10 Baronne de Fleur on my field—shuffle it into the Deck, then Special Summon a different Level 10 Dragon from my Extra Deck!"
"Come forth—Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"
A Synchro pillar pierced heaven and earth.
The next instant, a vertical column of starlight slammed down. Within it, a massive dragon of pure transparency slowly unfolded its wings.
Its scales were flawless crystal, refracting the stars themselves. Its wings were like twin blades—one casual sweep, and it cut straight through the field's shimmering veil.
Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon
Level 10 / Dragon / Synchro / Effect
ATK 3000
"And now we resolve K9-17 Izuna's on-summon effect!" Yusaku shouted.
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send 1 'K9' card from my Deck to the GY, except itself! I send K9-ØØ Lupus from my Deck to the GY!"
The moment it hit the Graveyard, Yusaku snapped the next line out like a trigger pull.
"K9-ØØ Lupus's effect: if my opponent has activated a monster effect from the hand or GY, during either player's Main Phase, I can Special Summon this card from my hand or GY!"
"You activated Droll & Lock Bird. That condition is satisfied too!"
Silver-white light flashed. A tall man in a black uniform appeared on the field, steady as a blade.
K9-ØØ Lupus
Level 5 / Beast-Warrior / Effect
ATK 2300
The instant the monster appeared, the crowd snapped from confusion to realization—then erupted.
"Holy—doesn't that one accelerate into Rank-Up Xyz?!"
"Three Level 5s on the field… what the hell is he summoning?!"
On the field, the moment those bodies were in place, Yusaku's voice hit like a hammer.
"Now I have three Level 5 monsters on my field!"
Shota stumbled back two steps, disbelief all over his face.
"Don't tell me you're going to Xyz Summon—on my turn—?!"
"That's right." Yusaku's smile widened. "An Xyz Summon."
"There's no way…!" Shota's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
"There's nothing impossible about it."
A gigantic black vortex suddenly opened above the Duel Field. Countless stars whirled inside it, the violent gale whipping Yusaku's coat hem into a sharp snap.
Looking at Shota's paper-white face, Yusaku calmly reached into his Extra Deck and held a card up in the air.
"I overlay my three Level 5 monsters—Dragon Ice, K9-ØØ Lupus, and K9-17 Izuna—to construct an Overlay Network! And I activate K9-ØØ Lupus's effect!"
Yusaku's voice dropped, heavy and suffocating with pressure.
"Rank-Up Xyz Summon! Rank 5—Outer Entity Azathot!!"
Three pillars of light shot skyward. The three monsters dissolved into streaks and plunged into the black vortex overhead.
A moment later, an indescribable, twisted entity crawled out of the vortex.
It had no fixed form. Chaos-blackness wrapped its body, and countless tentacles lashed within the dark, accompanied by whispers that made the skin crawl. A terror born of the abyss swept across the stadium in an instant.
Outer Entity Azathot
Rank 5 / Fiend / Xyz / Effect
ATK 2400
"Outer Entity Azathot's effect!" Yusaku's voice cut straight through the oppressive dread. "The turn this card is Xyz Summoned, my opponent cannot activate monster effects!"
Outer Entity Azathot let out a roar that seemed to shake the universe itself. An invisible domain of darkness expanded from it and swallowed the entire field.
Shota's eyes went wide with horror. "What…?!"
And just like him, the entire stadium froze—blank, stunned, minds empty.
This was real?
Building a board on the opponent's turn… and then locking the opponent out.
And while doing it, casually dropping two Rank/Level 10 Synchro bosses on top of everything else.
How disgusting did you want to be?!
Staring at the boy in the center of the arena—surrounded by monsters and drenched in overlapping light—every duelist who hadn't played yet fell silent.
They'd thought that going second meant Yusaku was "not much different" from an ordinary duelist.
But now—
Even going second, this guy could flip the table on your turn and tear your entire field apart.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]