Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Chapter 10: The Forbidden Deck
"Draw your cards and begin the duel." Shin said to his opponent.
Shin: 8000
Nagisa: 8000
'It will be difficult to defeat the traitor.' Nagisa thought to himself. 'Shin and I have dueled many times in the past. Though I've won the majority of these duels, I can tell that he was always holding back, not using his forbidden deck. Even so, with his weaker direct damage deck, he was a very tough opponent to beat. But I will prevail tonight, even if he uses his strongest cards. No one can beat me, I'll prove that tonight.'
"Nagisa-sama. . ." The masked boy whispered as he took his place behind his comrade. "The outcome of this duel—"
"I will be fine." Nagisa interrupted. He then turned his attention to his rival as he drew. "I am excited to duel against your forbidden deck. As for my opening move, I set a card face down in my magic/trap slot. I also summon one monster face down in defense mode and end my turn."
'Shin thinks he has the advantage because he knows my deck whereas I do not know his.' Nagisa continued his thoughts. 'But to make the playing field more even, I've altered my strategy as well as the cards in my deck.'
"I too shall set a monster in defense." Shin said as he placed his monster card onto his duel disk. "Furthermore, I play the magic card: Gravekeeper's Servant. Every time you attack now, you must send the top card of your deck to the graveyard. That ends my turn."
"The Gravekeeper's Servant, a bothersome card." Nagisa commented. "I begin my turn by summoning the creature known as the Giant Red Seasnake (1800/800) in attack mode. I also switch my face down monster to attack mode." Two monsters appeared before Nagisa. "My face down monster was the Slate Warrior (1900/400). Once flipped, it activates its special effect, raising its own attack points by 500 for a total of 2400. Now, at the cost of one card because of your Gravekeeper's Servant, I attack your face down card with Giant Red Seansnake!" The powerful level 4 monster quickly slithered to the face down holographic card in front of Shin, attacking and destroying it. However, upon destruction, the face down monster revealed itself to be a large rodent creature.
"You've destroyed my Giant Rat (1400/1450)." Shin informed. "Its special ability allows me to summon another rock type monster with an attack of 1500 or less. And I choose to summon another Giant Rat." Another large rodent materialized in place of the first one.
"True." Nagisa said. "But the special effect forces you to summon your monster in attack mode, thus making your life points vulnerable to my attacks. So at the risk of sacrificing another card from my deck, I attack your Giant Rat with my Slate Warrior!" The powerful monster with an attack of 2400 rammed its fist onto the Giant Rat's hide, eliminating it from the field and lowering Shin's life points.
"Once again I am allowed to summon a rock type monster in attack mode." Shin stated. "And I choose to summon the Millennium Shield (0/3000). Though it is summoned in attack mode, it is safe, seeing as how you have no more monsters to attack me with."
"I see." Nagisa said with a wicked grin, getting even more excited as the duel progressed. "An effective strategy for an early defense against powerful monsters. In addition, you have managed to force me to discard two cards from my deck with your magic card. Very nicely played. I end my turn by placing one more card face down on my magic/trap slots."
Shin: 7000
Nagisa: 8000
"I set one monster face down in defense and also change my Millennium Shield to defense mode." Shin said as another holographic card appeared in front of him. "This ends my turn."
"I draw." Nagisa declared as he took a card into his hand. Seeing what he had just drawn, the loyal servant of the Dark Monarchs formed a maniacal smile on his face. "It looks like luck favors me at this time. I sacrifice both my monsters for the monster I just drew, Suijin (2500/2400)! I also play the magic card Fairy Meteor Strike on my powerful monster. Finally, I flip my face down trap cards: Robbin' Goblin and Magic Thorns. Being an experienced duelist, you should already be familiar with their effects."
'The Robbin' Goblin and Magic Thorns combination is a common but effective strategy.' Shin thought to himself, being quite familiar with both trap cards. 'I've never seen him use it. He must have changed the cards in his deck to keep me off balance. With his new strategy, once he damages my life points, the Robbin' Goblin will allow him to choose a card from my hand and discard it. And because of the Magic Thorns, I lose 500 life points every time I discard something from my hand. I must quickly find a way to counter his traps. Fortunately, I have a card in my hand that can protect my life points from harm for this turn.'
"Now, my Suijin, god of the water." Nagisa exclaimed. "Attack his face down monster!" Powerful waves generated from the water based monster's mouth and struck the face down holographic card, which revealed itself to be the Hiro's Shadow Scout.
"Kuriboh, protect my life points from his Fairy Meteor Strike!" Shin ordered as he quickly inserted the weak but crucial monster card into his duel disk. As the water current attack flooded over the Hiro's Shadow Scout and towards Shin, the Kuriboh appeared in front of it, taking the attack in Shin's place. "And because you've attacked Hiro's Shadow Scout, you must draw three cards and discard any magic cards that you've drawn."
"I am well aware of the Hiro's Shadow Scout's effect." Nagisa muttered as he drew three cards. He gritted his teeth as he saw two of them were magic cards which he must then discard to the graveyard. "I now end my turn."
'His Suijin makes it difficult for me to summon my flip effect monsters without losing great amounts of life points.' Shin thought to himself as he drew his next card. 'But the cards in my current hand will not help me in any way, save this one.'
"First, I play the magic card: Mystical Space Typhoon on your Magic Thorns trap card." Shin declared. Instantly, the holographic trap card was swallowed up by a giant typhoon. "Next, I play the magic card, Card Destruction." Both duelists were now forced to discard their hand and draw new cards. Shin reviewed his newly drawn cards, satisfied with what his deck had just provided him with. "I now summon a monster face down in defense mode. Lastly, I play another one of my Gravekeeper's Servants and end my turn." Another holographic magic card displaying the Gravekeeper's Servant materialized, giving Shin a total of two.
'I've managed to destroy his Magic Thorns, thus allowing me to play my Card Destruction without costing me life points. But Robbin' Goblin, the more dangerous of his traps, is still on the field, as is his Fairy Meteor Strike magic card. However, I have no more cards in my hand, so I need not worry about the effects of Robbin' Goblin for now.'
"More of that bothersome card." Nagisa whispered to himself. "But no matter. With my Suijin already on the field, I already have all that I need to win. I set one monster face down in defense mode. Now, Suijin, attack his face down card and do further damage to his life points!" As Nagisa discarded two cards from his deck, the powerful water god released another tidal wave at the face down card, destroying it with ease.
"Morphing Jar (700/600), activate your effect!" Shin shouted. The one eyed monster housed in a dark jar appeared and struck both Shin and Nagisa's hands before it destructed. Both duelists discard what was left of their hands and drew five cards from their decks.
Shin: 5100
Nagisa: 8000
"My hand was a small price to pay for such damage unto your life points." Nagisa stated. "My turn ends."
"And mine begins." Shin said as he drew. Had anyone been able to see through the collar of his trench coat, they might have noticed a sense of disappointment on his face of his hand. "I set one card face down on my magic/trap slot and end my turn."
"A trap?" Nagisa asked with a chuckle. "That will not save you, Shin. Not when I have a card in my hand to dismantle it. I play the magic card, Remove Trap on your face down card." Instantly, the face down card that Shin had just placed on the field disappeared, leaving Shin with only his Millennium Shield to defend him, but even that would not protect him for long. "I flip my face down monster, Penguin Soldier (750/500)! It allows me to return my opponents monsters back into their hand. And I choose to use that effect on your Millennium Shield."
Though his face did not show it, Shin was very doubtful that he could walk from this duel alive, now that he had nothing to defend him from Nagisa's attacks. He let out a small grunt of disappointment as he retrieved his Millennium Shield from his duel disk.
"Now, I sacrifice my weaker Penguin Soldier for the Deepsea Warrior (1600/1800) in attack mode." Nagisa continued. An amphibious warrior with a shielded face mask materialized by Suijin's side. "I also play the magic card: Umi, to cover the field with water, increasing the Attack Points of Suijin." As the magic card activated, water flooded over the rooftops, making it seem as if the duel was held on top of a giant swimming pool.
'Umi, Suijin, Deepsea Warrior, Penguin Soldier, and Giant Red Seasnake.' Shin reviewed his opponent's cards. 'A water based deck. Usually, water based decks are created to deal great amounts of damage early in the game, seeing as how their higher leveled monsters include the more powerful creatures of all duel monster cards, some of which have immunities to magic cards. Combining them with Fairy Meteor Strike and Robbin' Goblin makes them all the more dangerous.'
"Suijin and Deepsea Warrior, attack his life points directly!" The water duelist ordered as he discarded four cards from his deck, obeying the rules of Gravekeeper's Servant. Both monsters launched their attacks successfully, directly hitting Shin and greatly reducing his life points. In addition to the damage, Shin discarded two cards from his hand due to Nagisa's trap card.
Shin: 800
Nagisa: 8000
"Is this all that your forbidden deck can muster?" Nagisa asked, hungry for more battle. "This duel has gone by too quickly. I'm saddened that I could not prolong your agony."
"Allow me to assist your bloodlust." Shin said as he took his turn. "I activate Swords of Revealing Light to stop your monsters for three turns. I'll also end my turn by summoning a monster face down in defense."
"Excellent." Nagisa shouted, excited that the duel would last longer. "The more you stall, the more you will feel the suffering of defeat. I can do nothing against your swords so I'll summon a monster face down in defense and end my turn."
"I summon another face down monster in defense." Shin said. "That will be all."
"I sacrifice my monster in defense to summon the great Amphibious Beast (2400/200) in attack mode." Nagisa announced. "Two turns left."
"I summon another monster face down." Shin declared. "I also set a card face down on my magic and trap slots. That ends my turn.
Nagisa drew his next card and developed a frown on his face. "I can still do nothing against your swords, so I pass this turn. But this is your last move before I can attack again." As Nagisa ended his turn, the Swords of Revealing Light dissipated from the field, allowing his monsters to attack freely.
"This move will be enough to place myself at an advantage." Shin said as he drew his card. "First, I flip two of my face down monsters: Magician of Faith (300/400) and Needle Worm (750/600). Magician of Faith allows me to return a magic card to my hand, and I choose Card Destruction. Needle Worm forces you to discard five cards from your deck to the graveyard."
"No matter." Nagisa stated as he placed five cards from his deck to the graveyard. "My most power water creatures are already on the field, safe from your discarding effects."
"Not for long." Shin whispered as he flipped his last monster on the field. "I also flip my Cyber Jar (900/900)!"
Nagisa gritted his teeth in anger. "Cyber Jar's effect destroys all monsters on the field and forces me to draw five cards, summoning whatever monster I can. Very well, I draw my five cards and summon the 7 Colored Fish (1800/800) and my Aqua Mador (1200/2000) face down in defense."
"And I summon a Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000) in defense mode, a Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in defense mode, and a Cannon Soldier (1400/1300) in attack mode." Shin said as he placed his three monsters on the field. "Now, I play Card Destruction. Both duelists must once again discard their hand and draw new cards."
Nagisa did as he was told. As he looked at his hand, a small grin appeared on his face. "This will be the end of you." He muttered under his breath.
"Next, I activate my Cannon Soldier's special effect, allowing me to sacrifice my monsters to deal 500 damage to your life points. And I sacrifice all my monsters!" Shin continued. The three monsters in front of shin started to disintegrate into nothing. Right before the Cannon Soldier fully vanished, it released a giant flow of energy which bypassed Nagisa's monsters and hit him directly.
Shin: 800
Nagisa: 6500
"My turn isn't over yet." Shin informed as he placed a magic card in his duel disk. "First I play the magic card, Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards and discard two. Next, I'll play the Cheerful Coffin, which allows me to discard three monsters from my hand to the graveyard."
"Why would you do that?" Nagisa asked.
"You'll see." Shin taunted. "I use yet another the magic card, Change of Heart, on your Aqua Mador. Now that it is mine to use, I sacrifice it for the most powerful monster in this deck, one of unparalleled power."
"Your most powerful monster?" Nagisa asked. "For a single monster tribute? What level five or six monster can be so powerful?"
"This one." Shin said, placing his prized card onto his duel disk. "I summon. . . Shadow Ghoul (1600/1300)!" As the turned water monster disappeared, a monstrous creature of the dead rose in its place, howling as it made its appearance onto the field. Instantly, as the Shadow Ghoul fully materialized, its size began to grow rapidly.
"The Shadow Ghoul?" Nagisa gasped, quite familiar with its effect. "It gains a 100 attack point bonus for each monster in his graveyard, but that gives him—"
"A total of 4100 attack points, but that's not all." Shin said as he pressed a button on his duel disk to trigger his face down card. "I now activate my face down trap: Deal of Phantom."
"What does that do?" Nagisa asked. His eyes widened as the Shadow Ghoul grew even larger. "Your Shadow Ghoul. . ."
"The Deal of Phantom's effect is similar to the one Shadow Ghoul possesses." Shin explained. The Shadow Ghoul's size had increased so much that it seemed to tower over the entire field now. "For every monster in the graveyard, the equipped monster gains an additional 100 attack points for this turn, giving my Shadow Ghoul an impressive attack strength of 6600."
"6600?" Nagisa wheezed in shock. "That's impossible!"
"Shadow Ghoul, attack his 7 Colored Fish." Shin ordered. The monstrous green creature released its ghastly wave of death, shattering the holographic fish with overpowering strength.
Shin: 800
Nagisa: 1700
As the attack faded, Shin looked at his rival, expecting a defeated face. But Nagisa showed no signs of discouragement. Instead, he let out a maniacal laugh. "Your monster may be strong, but it has little power over this!" Nagisa roared as he inserted a card onto his duel disk. "I activate Monster Reborn on my Suijin! Suijin too has a special effect: when a monster attacks it, I can automatically reduce that monster's attack points to zero once per duel. It is the perfect defense against your overpowered monster!"
Shin didn't even twitch as the water god reappeared on the field. Instead, he stood confidently by his Shadow Ghoul, who had reduced back onto its regular, but still increased, size.
"I set a card down and end my turn." Nagisa said. "I wonder how your forbidden deck will deal with Suijin's absolute defense against high powered monsters."
"I do not have to do anything." Shin informed. "Apparently, you didn't notice something when you drew your card last turn."
"Notice what?" Nagisa asked as he looked at his duel disk. As he looked at where his deck was placed, he gasped. "My cards!" Instead of finding his deck, he found an empty space.
"Correct." Shin rasped. "Your previous move was your last turn, seeing as how you had just drawn the last card in your deck."
"So that is the strategy of the forbidden deck." Nagisa stated. "It was your plan all along to discard not only your monsters to power up Shadow Ghoul, but my cards as well. Hiro's Shadow Scout, Morphing Jar, Cyber Jar, Gravekeeper's Servant, Card Destruction, Needle Worm, and even Swords of Revealing Light to prolong the duel and pass by additional draw phases. All of them used to deplete my deck of cards, winning the duel for you."
"Indeed." Shin nodded as he started his draw phase. "All I have to do now is draw, and end my turn. Which I do now—"
"Not so fast!" Nagisa shouted, still full of vigor. "During your draw phase, I'm allowed to activate my face down card!"
"Your face down card?" Shin asked. "A trap?"
Nagisa let out another savage roar. "If I can't win this duel, then I might as well drag you down with me! I activate Bell of Destruction!"
"No!" Shin gasped. "That'll deal direct damage to both of us!"
"Bell of Destruction, attach onto the Shadow Ghoul and wipe us both out!" The bloodthirsty duelist ordered. As he shouted his command, the trap card let out a holographic ring of bells which surrounded the Shadow Ghoul's neck, exploding and destroying the monster. Shin widened his eyes as his life points counter reached zero along with the Nagisa's counter.
"The explosives on our duel disks. . ." Shin gasped. "They're triggered!"
With those words, Shin quickly took off the straps to his duel disk, but it was too late. Two explosions rung off in front of their respective duelists, blowing both of them off of their feet.
Chapter 10: The Forbidden Deck
"Draw your cards and begin the duel." Shin said to his opponent.
Shin: 8000
Nagisa: 8000
'It will be difficult to defeat the traitor.' Nagisa thought to himself. 'Shin and I have dueled many times in the past. Though I've won the majority of these duels, I can tell that he was always holding back, not using his forbidden deck. Even so, with his weaker direct damage deck, he was a very tough opponent to beat. But I will prevail tonight, even if he uses his strongest cards. No one can beat me, I'll prove that tonight.'
"Nagisa-sama. . ." The masked boy whispered as he took his place behind his comrade. "The outcome of this duel—"
"I will be fine." Nagisa interrupted. He then turned his attention to his rival as he drew. "I am excited to duel against your forbidden deck. As for my opening move, I set a card face down in my magic/trap slot. I also summon one monster face down in defense mode and end my turn."
'Shin thinks he has the advantage because he knows my deck whereas I do not know his.' Nagisa continued his thoughts. 'But to make the playing field more even, I've altered my strategy as well as the cards in my deck.'
"I too shall set a monster in defense." Shin said as he placed his monster card onto his duel disk. "Furthermore, I play the magic card: Gravekeeper's Servant. Every time you attack now, you must send the top card of your deck to the graveyard. That ends my turn."
"The Gravekeeper's Servant, a bothersome card." Nagisa commented. "I begin my turn by summoning the creature known as the Giant Red Seasnake (1800/800) in attack mode. I also switch my face down monster to attack mode." Two monsters appeared before Nagisa. "My face down monster was the Slate Warrior (1900/400). Once flipped, it activates its special effect, raising its own attack points by 500 for a total of 2400. Now, at the cost of one card because of your Gravekeeper's Servant, I attack your face down card with Giant Red Seansnake!" The powerful level 4 monster quickly slithered to the face down holographic card in front of Shin, attacking and destroying it. However, upon destruction, the face down monster revealed itself to be a large rodent creature.
"You've destroyed my Giant Rat (1400/1450)." Shin informed. "Its special ability allows me to summon another rock type monster with an attack of 1500 or less. And I choose to summon another Giant Rat." Another large rodent materialized in place of the first one.
"True." Nagisa said. "But the special effect forces you to summon your monster in attack mode, thus making your life points vulnerable to my attacks. So at the risk of sacrificing another card from my deck, I attack your Giant Rat with my Slate Warrior!" The powerful monster with an attack of 2400 rammed its fist onto the Giant Rat's hide, eliminating it from the field and lowering Shin's life points.
"Once again I am allowed to summon a rock type monster in attack mode." Shin stated. "And I choose to summon the Millennium Shield (0/3000). Though it is summoned in attack mode, it is safe, seeing as how you have no more monsters to attack me with."
"I see." Nagisa said with a wicked grin, getting even more excited as the duel progressed. "An effective strategy for an early defense against powerful monsters. In addition, you have managed to force me to discard two cards from my deck with your magic card. Very nicely played. I end my turn by placing one more card face down on my magic/trap slots."
Shin: 7000
Nagisa: 8000
"I set one monster face down in defense and also change my Millennium Shield to defense mode." Shin said as another holographic card appeared in front of him. "This ends my turn."
"I draw." Nagisa declared as he took a card into his hand. Seeing what he had just drawn, the loyal servant of the Dark Monarchs formed a maniacal smile on his face. "It looks like luck favors me at this time. I sacrifice both my monsters for the monster I just drew, Suijin (2500/2400)! I also play the magic card Fairy Meteor Strike on my powerful monster. Finally, I flip my face down trap cards: Robbin' Goblin and Magic Thorns. Being an experienced duelist, you should already be familiar with their effects."
'The Robbin' Goblin and Magic Thorns combination is a common but effective strategy.' Shin thought to himself, being quite familiar with both trap cards. 'I've never seen him use it. He must have changed the cards in his deck to keep me off balance. With his new strategy, once he damages my life points, the Robbin' Goblin will allow him to choose a card from my hand and discard it. And because of the Magic Thorns, I lose 500 life points every time I discard something from my hand. I must quickly find a way to counter his traps. Fortunately, I have a card in my hand that can protect my life points from harm for this turn.'
"Now, my Suijin, god of the water." Nagisa exclaimed. "Attack his face down monster!" Powerful waves generated from the water based monster's mouth and struck the face down holographic card, which revealed itself to be the Hiro's Shadow Scout.
"Kuriboh, protect my life points from his Fairy Meteor Strike!" Shin ordered as he quickly inserted the weak but crucial monster card into his duel disk. As the water current attack flooded over the Hiro's Shadow Scout and towards Shin, the Kuriboh appeared in front of it, taking the attack in Shin's place. "And because you've attacked Hiro's Shadow Scout, you must draw three cards and discard any magic cards that you've drawn."
"I am well aware of the Hiro's Shadow Scout's effect." Nagisa muttered as he drew three cards. He gritted his teeth as he saw two of them were magic cards which he must then discard to the graveyard. "I now end my turn."
'His Suijin makes it difficult for me to summon my flip effect monsters without losing great amounts of life points.' Shin thought to himself as he drew his next card. 'But the cards in my current hand will not help me in any way, save this one.'
"First, I play the magic card: Mystical Space Typhoon on your Magic Thorns trap card." Shin declared. Instantly, the holographic trap card was swallowed up by a giant typhoon. "Next, I play the magic card, Card Destruction." Both duelists were now forced to discard their hand and draw new cards. Shin reviewed his newly drawn cards, satisfied with what his deck had just provided him with. "I now summon a monster face down in defense mode. Lastly, I play another one of my Gravekeeper's Servants and end my turn." Another holographic magic card displaying the Gravekeeper's Servant materialized, giving Shin a total of two.
'I've managed to destroy his Magic Thorns, thus allowing me to play my Card Destruction without costing me life points. But Robbin' Goblin, the more dangerous of his traps, is still on the field, as is his Fairy Meteor Strike magic card. However, I have no more cards in my hand, so I need not worry about the effects of Robbin' Goblin for now.'
"More of that bothersome card." Nagisa whispered to himself. "But no matter. With my Suijin already on the field, I already have all that I need to win. I set one monster face down in defense mode. Now, Suijin, attack his face down card and do further damage to his life points!" As Nagisa discarded two cards from his deck, the powerful water god released another tidal wave at the face down card, destroying it with ease.
"Morphing Jar (700/600), activate your effect!" Shin shouted. The one eyed monster housed in a dark jar appeared and struck both Shin and Nagisa's hands before it destructed. Both duelists discard what was left of their hands and drew five cards from their decks.
Shin: 5100
Nagisa: 8000
"My hand was a small price to pay for such damage unto your life points." Nagisa stated. "My turn ends."
"And mine begins." Shin said as he drew. Had anyone been able to see through the collar of his trench coat, they might have noticed a sense of disappointment on his face of his hand. "I set one card face down on my magic/trap slot and end my turn."
"A trap?" Nagisa asked with a chuckle. "That will not save you, Shin. Not when I have a card in my hand to dismantle it. I play the magic card, Remove Trap on your face down card." Instantly, the face down card that Shin had just placed on the field disappeared, leaving Shin with only his Millennium Shield to defend him, but even that would not protect him for long. "I flip my face down monster, Penguin Soldier (750/500)! It allows me to return my opponents monsters back into their hand. And I choose to use that effect on your Millennium Shield."
Though his face did not show it, Shin was very doubtful that he could walk from this duel alive, now that he had nothing to defend him from Nagisa's attacks. He let out a small grunt of disappointment as he retrieved his Millennium Shield from his duel disk.
"Now, I sacrifice my weaker Penguin Soldier for the Deepsea Warrior (1600/1800) in attack mode." Nagisa continued. An amphibious warrior with a shielded face mask materialized by Suijin's side. "I also play the magic card: Umi, to cover the field with water, increasing the Attack Points of Suijin." As the magic card activated, water flooded over the rooftops, making it seem as if the duel was held on top of a giant swimming pool.
'Umi, Suijin, Deepsea Warrior, Penguin Soldier, and Giant Red Seasnake.' Shin reviewed his opponent's cards. 'A water based deck. Usually, water based decks are created to deal great amounts of damage early in the game, seeing as how their higher leveled monsters include the more powerful creatures of all duel monster cards, some of which have immunities to magic cards. Combining them with Fairy Meteor Strike and Robbin' Goblin makes them all the more dangerous.'
"Suijin and Deepsea Warrior, attack his life points directly!" The water duelist ordered as he discarded four cards from his deck, obeying the rules of Gravekeeper's Servant. Both monsters launched their attacks successfully, directly hitting Shin and greatly reducing his life points. In addition to the damage, Shin discarded two cards from his hand due to Nagisa's trap card.
Shin: 800
Nagisa: 8000
"Is this all that your forbidden deck can muster?" Nagisa asked, hungry for more battle. "This duel has gone by too quickly. I'm saddened that I could not prolong your agony."
"Allow me to assist your bloodlust." Shin said as he took his turn. "I activate Swords of Revealing Light to stop your monsters for three turns. I'll also end my turn by summoning a monster face down in defense."
"Excellent." Nagisa shouted, excited that the duel would last longer. "The more you stall, the more you will feel the suffering of defeat. I can do nothing against your swords so I'll summon a monster face down in defense and end my turn."
"I summon another face down monster in defense." Shin said. "That will be all."
"I sacrifice my monster in defense to summon the great Amphibious Beast (2400/200) in attack mode." Nagisa announced. "Two turns left."
"I summon another monster face down." Shin declared. "I also set a card face down on my magic and trap slots. That ends my turn.
Nagisa drew his next card and developed a frown on his face. "I can still do nothing against your swords, so I pass this turn. But this is your last move before I can attack again." As Nagisa ended his turn, the Swords of Revealing Light dissipated from the field, allowing his monsters to attack freely.
"This move will be enough to place myself at an advantage." Shin said as he drew his card. "First, I flip two of my face down monsters: Magician of Faith (300/400) and Needle Worm (750/600). Magician of Faith allows me to return a magic card to my hand, and I choose Card Destruction. Needle Worm forces you to discard five cards from your deck to the graveyard."
"No matter." Nagisa stated as he placed five cards from his deck to the graveyard. "My most power water creatures are already on the field, safe from your discarding effects."
"Not for long." Shin whispered as he flipped his last monster on the field. "I also flip my Cyber Jar (900/900)!"
Nagisa gritted his teeth in anger. "Cyber Jar's effect destroys all monsters on the field and forces me to draw five cards, summoning whatever monster I can. Very well, I draw my five cards and summon the 7 Colored Fish (1800/800) and my Aqua Mador (1200/2000) face down in defense."
"And I summon a Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000) in defense mode, a Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in defense mode, and a Cannon Soldier (1400/1300) in attack mode." Shin said as he placed his three monsters on the field. "Now, I play Card Destruction. Both duelists must once again discard their hand and draw new cards."
Nagisa did as he was told. As he looked at his hand, a small grin appeared on his face. "This will be the end of you." He muttered under his breath.
"Next, I activate my Cannon Soldier's special effect, allowing me to sacrifice my monsters to deal 500 damage to your life points. And I sacrifice all my monsters!" Shin continued. The three monsters in front of shin started to disintegrate into nothing. Right before the Cannon Soldier fully vanished, it released a giant flow of energy which bypassed Nagisa's monsters and hit him directly.
Shin: 800
Nagisa: 6500
"My turn isn't over yet." Shin informed as he placed a magic card in his duel disk. "First I play the magic card, Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards and discard two. Next, I'll play the Cheerful Coffin, which allows me to discard three monsters from my hand to the graveyard."
"Why would you do that?" Nagisa asked.
"You'll see." Shin taunted. "I use yet another the magic card, Change of Heart, on your Aqua Mador. Now that it is mine to use, I sacrifice it for the most powerful monster in this deck, one of unparalleled power."
"Your most powerful monster?" Nagisa asked. "For a single monster tribute? What level five or six monster can be so powerful?"
"This one." Shin said, placing his prized card onto his duel disk. "I summon. . . Shadow Ghoul (1600/1300)!" As the turned water monster disappeared, a monstrous creature of the dead rose in its place, howling as it made its appearance onto the field. Instantly, as the Shadow Ghoul fully materialized, its size began to grow rapidly.
"The Shadow Ghoul?" Nagisa gasped, quite familiar with its effect. "It gains a 100 attack point bonus for each monster in his graveyard, but that gives him—"
"A total of 4100 attack points, but that's not all." Shin said as he pressed a button on his duel disk to trigger his face down card. "I now activate my face down trap: Deal of Phantom."
"What does that do?" Nagisa asked. His eyes widened as the Shadow Ghoul grew even larger. "Your Shadow Ghoul. . ."
"The Deal of Phantom's effect is similar to the one Shadow Ghoul possesses." Shin explained. The Shadow Ghoul's size had increased so much that it seemed to tower over the entire field now. "For every monster in the graveyard, the equipped monster gains an additional 100 attack points for this turn, giving my Shadow Ghoul an impressive attack strength of 6600."
"6600?" Nagisa wheezed in shock. "That's impossible!"
"Shadow Ghoul, attack his 7 Colored Fish." Shin ordered. The monstrous green creature released its ghastly wave of death, shattering the holographic fish with overpowering strength.
Shin: 800
Nagisa: 1700
As the attack faded, Shin looked at his rival, expecting a defeated face. But Nagisa showed no signs of discouragement. Instead, he let out a maniacal laugh. "Your monster may be strong, but it has little power over this!" Nagisa roared as he inserted a card onto his duel disk. "I activate Monster Reborn on my Suijin! Suijin too has a special effect: when a monster attacks it, I can automatically reduce that monster's attack points to zero once per duel. It is the perfect defense against your overpowered monster!"
Shin didn't even twitch as the water god reappeared on the field. Instead, he stood confidently by his Shadow Ghoul, who had reduced back onto its regular, but still increased, size.
"I set a card down and end my turn." Nagisa said. "I wonder how your forbidden deck will deal with Suijin's absolute defense against high powered monsters."
"I do not have to do anything." Shin informed. "Apparently, you didn't notice something when you drew your card last turn."
"Notice what?" Nagisa asked as he looked at his duel disk. As he looked at where his deck was placed, he gasped. "My cards!" Instead of finding his deck, he found an empty space.
"Correct." Shin rasped. "Your previous move was your last turn, seeing as how you had just drawn the last card in your deck."
"So that is the strategy of the forbidden deck." Nagisa stated. "It was your plan all along to discard not only your monsters to power up Shadow Ghoul, but my cards as well. Hiro's Shadow Scout, Morphing Jar, Cyber Jar, Gravekeeper's Servant, Card Destruction, Needle Worm, and even Swords of Revealing Light to prolong the duel and pass by additional draw phases. All of them used to deplete my deck of cards, winning the duel for you."
"Indeed." Shin nodded as he started his draw phase. "All I have to do now is draw, and end my turn. Which I do now—"
"Not so fast!" Nagisa shouted, still full of vigor. "During your draw phase, I'm allowed to activate my face down card!"
"Your face down card?" Shin asked. "A trap?"
Nagisa let out another savage roar. "If I can't win this duel, then I might as well drag you down with me! I activate Bell of Destruction!"
"No!" Shin gasped. "That'll deal direct damage to both of us!"
"Bell of Destruction, attach onto the Shadow Ghoul and wipe us both out!" The bloodthirsty duelist ordered. As he shouted his command, the trap card let out a holographic ring of bells which surrounded the Shadow Ghoul's neck, exploding and destroying the monster. Shin widened his eyes as his life points counter reached zero along with the Nagisa's counter.
"The explosives on our duel disks. . ." Shin gasped. "They're triggered!"
With those words, Shin quickly took off the straps to his duel disk, but it was too late. Two explosions rung off in front of their respective duelists, blowing both of them off of their feet.