On the field.
Yusaku stood with his arms folded, his gaze fixed on Shota's ashen face.
"Outer Entity Azathot's effect lasts for the entire turn—even if it leaves the field, it still doesn't wear off. And right now, with Azathot's lock in place, you also slammed down Droll & Lock Bird yourself…"
He deliberately paused, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"Compared to my Maxx 'C', doesn't it look like your Drytron deck is the one that's more terrified of that restriction?"
Shota's face darkened again. He gritted his teeth, then yanked a card from his hand and held it up.
"So what if I'm down two negates? You built your board on my turn—you burned a ton of hand resources. You've only got two cards left. I can still win!"
Before the last word even fell, he slapped the card onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Ritual Spell—Meteonis Drytron!"
"This card's effect is: Tribute Machine monsters from my hand or field whose total ATK is at least equal to the Ritual Monster's ATK, then Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from my hand or GY!"
Shota thrust up another card.
"I Tribute the 2000 ATK Drytron Alpha Thuban I searched at the start, and I Ritual Summon Herald of Ultimateness from my hand!"
He finished declaring the effect… and waited.
Three seconds passed.
Yusaku didn't move. He didn't even blink.
Shota's heart sank. He blurted, uncertain and rattled, "Y-You're not chaining to stop my Ritual Summon?"
Yusaku's lips curled into a razor-thin sneer. "Do you think everyone's as stupid as you?"
His eyes flicked lazily over the starry arena under their feet.
"The Field Spell Drytron Nova's effect—Ritual Spells' activations and their effects can't be negated."
He kept his arms folded, looking down on Shota.
"Trying to bait out my interaction? Save it. Even if I let you resolve it, so what? You've got three cards in hand. Even if they're all Fairies, that's what—three negates."
He waved him on.
"So stop wasting time. Summon it already."
Shota's expression sank. He snorted, then slapped the card again as if to force reality to obey.
"Then I Ritual Summon Herald of Ultimateness in Defense Position!"
A golden Ritual circle exploded across the ground, streams of light whipping upward in a perfect ring.
Within the blaze, a pair of gilded wings slowly unfurled, shedding diamond-like motes of radiance.
Clad in a pure white holy robe, Herald of Ultimateness descended on a pillar of sanctified light—cold, immaculate, and untouchable.
Herald of Ultimateness
Level 12 / Fairy / Effect
DEF 3000
"Not done yet! I activate Meteonis Drytron's other effect in the GY!"
Shota's voice jumped an octave.
"While this card is in the GY, I can target 1 'Drytron' monster on my field! That monster's ATK becomes 1000 lower until the end of my opponent's turn, and I add this card back to my hand!"
"My target is Herald of Ultimateness!"
A heartbeat of dimness pulsed through the haloed light around Herald, and its displayed values flickered rapidly.
Herald of Ultimateness
ATK 2000 → 1000
After retrieving Meteonis Drytron, Shota quickly scanned his hand and set his last card. Then he slapped one more card face-down.
"I set one card. End my turn!"
With a soft hum, a face-down card landed neatly at the edge of his field.
"Two cards in hand and one set, huh?" Yusaku's mouth ticked upward. He placed his hand on his Deck. "My turn—draw!"
The moment the draw completed, Shota's voice cut in sharply.
"Right after your Draw Phase ends—I flip my set card!"
The set card snapped open, spilling a thin red glow across the field. Shota roared with manic certainty:
"I activate Trap Card—Threatening Roar! This turn, you can't declare an attack!"
"So it was Threatening Roar." Yusaku glanced at it, then snapped his fingers. "Then I chain—Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect! Once per turn, when a set card's effect is activated, I can negate that activation and destroy it."
He pointed straight at Shota's field, voice like ice.
"I negate your Threatening Roar!"
The crystal dragon threw back its head and howled. Its wings beat up a violent storm, and a thunder-wrapped sphere of light formed in its maw—then fired like a meteor toward Shota's back row!
But Shota suddenly laughed.
"Just like I predicted! This is your core interaction monster!" He bared his teeth. "And I still have two Fairy monsters in hand! On your field, only Baronne de Fleur has a negate left. My Threatening Roar is going through!"
As he spoke, he flashed his hand with a vicious flourish.
"I send the Fairy monster Vanity's Ruler from my hand to the GY—activating Herald of Ultimateness's effect! I negate and destroy your Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect!"
Holy light detonated around Herald. Its pure white palm lifted slightly—
—and the lightning sphere rebounded, returning at several times the speed.
At the same time, Shota revealed his last card, grin widening.
"And I've still got Eva in hand! After I send it to the GY, it'll trigger and search more Fairies!"
He stared Yusaku down, openly provoking him.
"Now you've only got Baronne de Fleur left. You gonna fire it… or not?"
Shota folded his arms, laughter echoing across the arena.
"If you activate Baronne, I chain immediately. Then both Baronne de Fleur and Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon get broken. If you don't, sure—you can blow up my Herald later, but Threatening Roar will already have resolved! Choose, Yusaku!"
His voice dripped with arrogance.
"No matter what you do, the advantage is mine!"
"You really think you've got me cornered?" Yusaku shot him a sideways look and let out a cold laugh.
Shota raised a brow, smug. "Don't I?"
He glanced at Outer Entity Azathot on Yusaku's field and snorted.
"Don't tell me that card has a negate too. With a lock this strong, it can't possibly also have interruption. Even Number 86: Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad doesn't negate. I don't believe Azathot does."
"Outer Entity Azathot really doesn't have a negate effect." Yusaku replied evenly.
Shota's smile instantly widened—
—but Yusaku's next line froze it solid, turning it into something pale and sick.
"But with so many Level 10 Dragon Synchros out there… I chose Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. You didn't seriously think it only has one effect, did you?"
Shota's pupils contracted. "It has another effect?!"
"Of course."
Yusaku raised his arm sharply, his voice crisp and final.
"I chain to your activation—Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's other effect! Once per turn, when my opponent activates a monster effect, I can make this card gain ATK equal to that monster's original ATK until the end of the turn—and it becomes unaffected by your monsters' effects!"
"ATK gain… and unaffected by monster effects?!" Shota's breath hitched, face tightening.
Yusaku stepped forward, eyes clear and merciless as he looked into Shota's paling face.
"You were saying something about me 'choosing,' right? Telling me to pick?"
His tone dropped, packed with cutting ridicule.
"Now it's your turn. Your last piece of interaction—are you using it… or not?"
He paused, then added, calm and lethal:
"Doesn't matter either way. In a moment, Baronne de Fleur's destruction effect will sit at the front of the Chain. No matter what you do, Herald of Ultimateness is guaranteed to be destroyed."
Shota's laughter, still fresh on his lips seconds ago, congealed into silence.
He ran the lines in his head—and realized it was true.
Activate and get chained by Baronne. Don't activate, and Baronne blows it up anyway.
There was no meaningful escape.
On the field.
Shota clenched Eva so hard his knuckles went white.
He grit his teeth, eyes flashing with stubborn resolve, and slammed the card onto the Duel Disk.
"I activate Herald of Ultimateness's effect! I send Eva from my hand to the GY to negate your Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect!"
"Still doing it anyway." Yusaku lifted a hand, expression unchanged. "Then I chain—Baronne de Fleur's effect. I negate and destroy your Herald of Ultimateness!"
Chain:
C1 Threatening Roar → C2 Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon → C3 Herald of Ultimateness → C4 Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon → C5 Herald of Ultimateness → C6 Baronne de Fleur
The moment the Chain locked, resolution began.
On Yusaku's field, Baronne de Fleur raised her rose-patterned blade high. A brilliant, rose-colored radiance bloomed along the edge, petals and thorns spiraling together in a lethal storm.
With a single slash, a crescent-shaped sword wave screamed across the field, tearing the air itself—
—and struck Herald of Ultimateness dead-on.
The sacred form cracked under the thorned execution, splintering into countless shards of light that scattered and vanished.
"Because your Herald's effect was negated, Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect applies normally." Yusaku's voice rang clearly. "It gains ATK equal to Herald's original ATK—2000!"
Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon
ATK 3000 → 5000
"Next—Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect!"
The silver-white dragon roared again. The thunder sphere detonated—
—and Threatening Roar was blown into fragments.
Shota, refusing to die quietly, snarled through clenched teeth.
"I activate Eva's effect in the GY!"
"When this card is sent to the GY, I can banish up to two other LIGHT Fairy monsters from my field or GY. Then I add that many Level 2 or lower LIGHT Fairy monsters from my Deck to my hand!"
"I banish Herald of Ultimateness and Vanity's Ruler from my GY! I add Diviner of the Herald and Herald of Orange Light!"
Hearing those search targets, Yusaku raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Oh? Herald of Orange Light?"
Shota let out a harsh snort, eyes burning. "Yeah. With this in my hand, don't think you can just combo freely!"
"Combo?" Yusaku laughed softly, like Shota had told him a joke. He looked at Shota with open mockery. "Do you really think I still need to combo?"
Shota froze, then finally remembered—
He whipped his head toward Yusaku's field.
And when he saw a 5000 ATK Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon standing beside Baronne's imposing silhouette…
His face drained white. It felt like all the strength left his body at once.
"Then… goodbye." Yusaku's voice held no warmth at all. "No—let's be accurate. Never see you again."
Before Shota could even claw his way out of despair, Yusaku issued the attack command, his voice echoing across the arena.
"First—Baronne de Fleur, attack! Attack Relinquished Anima!"
Baronne swung her roseblade again. Rose-colored light split into countless razor petals, weaving into a dazzling torrent that carved straight through Relinquished Anima.
The monster disintegrated—but the impact didn't slow. The remaining force slammed directly into Shota like a guillotine of light.
Shota staggered back, chest seizing in pain. His Duel Disk flashed violently.
Shota, LP 8000 → 5000
"Now the game's over." Yusaku raised his arm. "Crystal Clear Wing Synchro Dragon—direct attack!"
The crystal dragon surged into the sky, wings spreading wide as it climbed.
A scorching breath erupted from its jaws. The flames hit like a tidal wave, swallowing the entire field in an instant.
Staring into the all-consuming blaze, Shota's eyes filled with rage, helplessness, and despair.
He'd thought going first—on his best deck—meant this would be easy.
Only now did he realize the truth:
From start to finish, he hadn't even scraped a single point off Yusaku.
"I WON'T ACCEPT THIS—!!!"
His scream vanished inside the inferno. The next instant, the shockwave blasted him off his feet and slammed him hard to the ground.
His Life Points hit zero.
Shota, LP 5000 → 0
As the Duel ended, a long-silent system voice rang out inside Yusaku's mind.
[Hidden mission triggered. Accept?]
[Limited-Time Mission 1: Fusion Is the Noblest Summoning Method]
[Mission Description: For unknown reasons, the Seafront Ruins' seal has loosened, and the ruins' gate can now be accessed through a Link.]
[Mission Objective: Enter the ruins and defeat the Narcissus mermaid.]
[Reward: 1 Tearlaments core package.]
[Limited-Time Mission 2: Become the King of Games, Repel a Dimensional Invasion]
[Mission Description: For unknown reasons, the ruins' seal has loosened. Other dimensions can use the ruins' passage to invade Domino City.]
[Mission Objective: Win the tournament and repel the dimensional invaders.]
[Reward: Every Yu-Gi-Oh! deck.]
The two missions hit like a wave.
Yusaku blinked, momentarily stunned—too much information flooding in at once.
Other dimensions… invading?
What did that mean?
Was this… like ARC-V, where dimensional invaders came pouring in?
(End of Chapter)
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