"Next is the effect of Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!"
Ichiki's voice rose sharply, tinged with near-hysterical madness.
"When this card is Tribute Summoned, it must target 1 monster on the field and activate, destroying that monster! If the destroyed monster is LIGHT, both players send cards from their Extra Decks to the Graveyard equal to that monster's original Level or Rank!"
As he spoke, he threw out one arm and pointed at the Thunder Monarch on the field.
"The target I choose is itself - Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!"
The instant those words fell, the newly descended emperor of thunder dissolved into light and vanished from the field.
"This is the moment!"
Ichiki's roar nearly split the sky.
"Zaborg the Thunder Monarch is LIGHT! So its follow-up effect activates!"
He yanked eight cards from his Extra Deck and slammed them into the Graveyard, then looked at Yusaku with a mocking smile.
"By this effect, I send 8 cards from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard! And you - you also have to send the last 8 cards in your Extra Deck to the Graveyard!"
"That means your Extra Deck is completely empty now!"
At that, Yusaku's lips curved into a meaningful smile. He pulled the remaining cards from his Duel Disk's Extra Deck and sent them to the Graveyard one by one.
Once Yusaku finished, Ichiki glanced at his Duel Disk.
"Then I activate the effects of the 3 Herald of the Arc Light I just sent to the Graveyard! When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can add 1 Ritual Monster or 1 Ritual Spell from my Deck to my hand!"
"Since this effect isn't once per turn, I can activate it three times in a row! I add the Ritual Monsters Nekroz of Trishula and Nekroz of Clausolas, along with the Ritual Spell Nekroz Kaleidoscope, all to my hand!"
After adding the searched cards to his hand, he revealed them all.
"Nekroz Kaleidoscope's effect!"
"With this card, I can Ritual Summon any number of Nekroz Ritual Monsters from my hand and/or Graveyard by Tributing 1 monster from my hand or field whose total Levels equal the Ritual Monster's Level, or instead by sending 1 monster from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard!"
As he spoke, he pulled a card from his Extra Deck and sent it to the Graveyard.
"I send the Level 12 Garura, Wings of Resonant Life from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard! By the effect of Nekroz Kaleidoscope, I can Ritual Summon the Level 3 Nekroz of Clausolas and the Level 9 Nekroz of Trishula from my hand at the same time!"
With that, he slammed the two cards onto his Duel Disk.
Hummmmm-
Two Ritual Circles lit up at once. Within the dazzling glow, a nimble warrior holding a green sword and a frigid knight clad in white armor with crystalline wings spreading from his back descended onto the field.
[Nekroz of Clausolas]
[Level 3 / Warrior / Ritual / Effect]
[DEF: 2300]
[Nekroz of Trishula]
[Level 9 / Warrior / Ritual / Effect]
[ATK: 2700]
"And finally - I Set 2 cards!"
Ichiki slapped his last two cards into his Spell and Trap Zones. With two sharp clicks, the face-down cards stood firmly at his feet.
Only after finishing all that did he raise his eyes to Yusaku, arrogance and confidence overflowing from his gaze.
"So you can lose with no complaints, I'll explain just how unbeatable this field is."
"Nekroz of Trishula can negate any Spell, Trap, or monster effect that targets a Nekroz monster! Nekroz of Clausolas can negate the effect of one Extra Deck monster on your field and reduce that monster's ATK to zero - and that effect can be used during your turn, too!"
"Darkest Diabolos, Lord of the Lair and Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Primal are both Level 8! The instant it becomes your turn, I can activate the Trap I just set, Wonder Xyz, to Quick Xyz Summon one of my ace monsters - Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord!"
"I'm sure you already know what Galaxy-Eyes Photon Lord does, right?"
As he said that, he looked at the last monster on his field with burning zeal in his eyes.
"And then there's Dogmatika Alba Zoa! It has a massive 4000 DEF, so ordinary monsters can't get through it! And most importantly-"
He stepped forward, absolute confidence filling every word.
"It's unaffected by the effects of your Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Link Monsters!"
"..."
"Your Extra Deck is gone. Completely wiped out. Trying to build a field from here is practically impossible! In a position like this, there's no way I can lose!"
The Fusion Dimension members and Genius Academy lackeys behind him instantly started sucking up.
"Tch, tch, tch. His Extra Deck's completely gone. Is there even any point in struggling now?"
"Looks like Yusaku's not all that after all. I seriously don't get how the Twenty-First Squad lost to him."
"Victory! Lord Ichiki is guaranteed victory!"
"This is bad."
Kazetaro turned toward Kouki at his side, brows tightly knit, concern plain in his voice.
"This situation is really bad for Senior Yusaku!"
"Bad?"
Kouki pushed up his glasses and smiled knowingly.
"I don't see it that way."
That made Kazetaro and the other players nearby freeze in surprise.
Even Kai, standing not far away with the Xyz Dimension group, turned his attention over.
He had been curious about these oddly dressed players for a while. After all, he had personally seen one of them lose to a Fusion Dimension duelist and, instead of turning into a card, casually ask for a rematch like nothing had happened.
"Kouki, stop dragging it out! Just say it already!"
One of the players finally could not hold back and blurted it out.
Kouki chuckled.
"Didn't you see the look on Senior Yusaku's face? From start to finish, he's been watching this like it's some ridiculous farce. And just look at his Extra Deck. The Fiendsmith package is one thing, but who puts Alien Soldier, Naturia Barkion, and Ultimate Falcon in there?"
"Wait... does that mean Senior Yusaku's using Labrynth this time?" one of the players exclaimed in sudden realization. "Labrynth doesn't care about the Extra Deck at all!"
"Or maybe it's a Ritual Deck! Ritual Decks don't need Extra Deck support either!"
The instant that voice fell, Yusaku's teasing voice rang out.
"Did you notice something?"
He looked at Ichiki with a mocking curve at the corner of his mouth.
"Everything in the field you built - all the disruption, all the protection - is aimed at Extra Deck monsters."
Ichiki sneered.
"Yeah, most of my protection and negates are aimed at Extra Deck monsters. But you said it yourself. Your Extra Deck's gone, so how exactly are you supposed to win now?"
"Have you considered this possibility-"
Yusaku looked at him, the mockery on his lips deepening.
"-that the Deck I'm using doesn't need an Extra Deck at all?"
Ichiki blinked.
"What?"
Before the words had even finished leaving his mouth, Yusaku suddenly pulled a card from his hand.
"At the exact moment you Ritual Summoned Nekroz of Trishula, I activate the effect of Megalith Aratron from my hand!"
"The effect of this card is-"
He raised the card high, his voice ringing clearly through every corner of the duel arena.
"During either player's Main Phase, I can discard this card to activate its effect! I Tribute monsters from my hand or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster I want to summon, then Ritual Summon 1 Megalith Ritual Monster from my hand!"
The moment he heard that familiar kind of effect, Ichiki's pupils shrank violently, and even his voice trembled.
"D-Don't tell me... you're playing Ritual too?!"
"Exactly." Yusaku shot him a glance. "So all that work you did milling my Extra Deck meant absolutely nothing."
As he spoke, he slammed the card in his hand onto the Duel Disk, his voice carrying unquestionable authority.
"Then by the effect of Megalith Aratron! I Tribute the Level 8 Ame no Habakiri no Mitsurugi from my hand and Ritual Summon Megalith Phul from my hand!"
Ame no Habakiri no Mitsurugi turned into a streak of light and sank into the Graveyard. In the next moment, a black hexagram magic circle lit up in midair, and within the dazzling summoning glow, clusters of strangely colored crystals gathered together into the form of an angelic monster, descending slowly from the circle.
[Megalith Phul]
[Level 2 / Rock / Ritual / Effect]
[ATK: 500]
The instant the monster landed, Yusaku shouted again.
"I activate Megalith Phul's effect! At the same time, I chain the effect of Ame no Habakiri no Mitsurugi in my Graveyard!"
"First, the effect of Ame no Habakiri no Mitsurugi!"
Yusaku's voice was calm and steady, yet it carried across the entire field.
"If this card is Tributed, I can add 1 Mitsurugi card from my Deck to my hand, except Ame no Habakiri no Mitsurugi! I choose to search Ame no Murakumo no Mitsurugi from my Deck!"
The players froze for a second, then exploded all at once.
"Holy crap, Mitsurugi!"
"Senior Yusaku, you should've said you were on Mitsurugi earlier. If I'd known, I wouldn't have been this worried!"
"Wait, hold on. Why does Senior Yusaku's Mitsurugi look different from the Mitsurugi I know? Since when can Rituals move on the opponent's turn too? Can Rituals accelerate now too?!"
On the field, after adding the searched card to his hand, Yusaku continued:
"Next, I activate Megalith Phul's effect! If this card is Ritual Summoned, I can target 1 Ritual Monster in my Graveyard. This card's Level becomes the same as that monster's, then I add that target to my hand!"
"I target Ame no Habakiri no Mitsurugi in my Graveyard, make Megalith Phul Level 8, and then add Ame no Habakiri no Mitsurugi back to my hand!"
[Megalith Phul]
[Level: 2 → 8]
"I'm still not done! I activate Megalith Phul's other effect!"
Yusaku's voice rose sharply, filled with unstoppable force.
"During either player's Main Phase, I can Tribute monsters from my hand or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Ritual Monster's Level, then Ritual Summon 1 Megalith Ritual Monster from my Deck!"
"I activate that effect! I Tribute Mitsurugi no Mikoto, Saji from my hand and Ritual Summon Megalith Och from my Deck!"
The moment those words fell, Mitsurugi no Mikoto, Saji became a streak of light and vanished into the Graveyard.
Another hexagram circle flared to life. Within its summoning glow, a black-and-white paired figure, like an angelic boy sculpted from stone, descended slowly from the circle.
[Megalith Och]
[Level 4 / Rock / Ritual / Effect]
[ATK: 1000]
As more and more monsters appeared on Yusaku's field, Ichiki's expression finally changed completely. A powerful sense of dread welled up in his chest.
The instant Megalith Och appeared, Yusaku raised his voice again.
"I activate the effect of the Megalith Och I just summoned! At the same time, I chain the effect of Mitsurugi no Mikoto, Saji in my Graveyard!"
"First, the effect of Mitsurugi no Mikoto, Saji in the Graveyard!"
Yusaku's voice was steady and forceful.
"If this card is Normal or Special Summoned, or if it is Tributed, I can add 1 Mitsurugi Spell or Trap from my Deck to my hand! I choose to search the Quick-Play Spell Mitsurugi Prayers!"
After sliding the searched card into his hand, he continued his declaration.
"Next, I activate Megalith Och's effect!"
"During either player's Main Phase, I can Tribute monsters from my hand or field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Ritual Monster's Level, including this card on the field, then Ritual Summon 1 Ritual Monster from my hand!"
Yusaku held up a card glowing with faint golden light.
"Let my blood be the offering, and let the serpent god's soul be the pact! Let thunder that shakes heaven and earth be the trumpet, and the blade that cleaves through chaos be the fang-"
"Split falsehood apart. Sweep away all enemies. Appear now - Ame no Murakumo no Mitsurugi!!!"
Boom!
The dark red Ritual Circle erupted with light. Ancient incantations slithered across its surface like living serpents. In the next instant, the earth shook violently as eight black fissures tore open from the circle, and eight enormous serpent tails burst from the ground, sending dust and shattered stone flying everywhere.
Then, one by one, eight massive snake heads rose from those fissures. Their eyes glowed blood-red with savage menace, their tongues flicked with a venomous hiss, and droplets of toxic saliva fell to the ground, sizzling as they corroded the stone.
The body of the great serpent was covered in moss and cypress growth, its vast bulk seemingly large enough to fill the entire arena. It threw back its heads and loosed a deafening shriek, as if trying to tear the sky itself apart. As it emerged fully from the fissures, thick dark-purple mist coiled around it, and the terrifying pressure it gave off forced the entire audience to stop breathing.
[Ame no Murakumo no Mitsurugi]
[Level 8 / Reptile / Ritual / Effect]
[ATK: 3200]
"I activate Ame no Murakumo no Mitsurugi's effect!"
Yusaku raised one arm high, a faint smile in his voice as he looked toward Ichiki, whose brow had finally started to tighten. Then he snapped his fingers lightly.
"Watch closely. What comes next-"
Ichiki stared blankly.
"...is going to look awesome."
The instant the words fell, Ame no Murakumo no Mitsurugi let out an earth-shaking roar.
At once, a torrent of water surged up from the ground like a monstrous tidal wave and swallowed every monster on Ichiki's field in an instant.
The very moment the water receded, a string of cracking sounds rang out one after another.
All five of Ichiki's monsters were suddenly covered in fractures like shattered glass, and then they exploded apart on the field in a storm of fragments.
Seeing his field emptied in a single instant, Ichiki's pupils shrank violently. His face was full of disbelief as he staggered back two steps and let out a hoarse scream.
"That's impossible!!!"
Even the Fusion Dimension and Genius Academy members behind him stood there in a daze, unable to process what they had just seen. One blink ago there had been five monsters on the field. Now not a single one remained.
After a moment of stunned silence, the Takeuchi Dojo students were the first to react, and immediately started firing back in unison.
"Now what was it the other side said just a minute ago? Weird, I suddenly can't remember!"
"I do! I do! I think he said there was no way he could lose, but the situation looks pretty different to me now. Am I seeing things?"
"Tch, tch, tch. Getting your whole board blown up during your own turn? Looks like your captain's not much after all."
(End of Chapter)
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