Yushiro is standing in the large garden, right in the middle, with Kazoki, the man he's facing, standing two stories above him pointing his blade down at the boy, Yushiro having gotten weakened a fair bit after his duel with Kenjuro, Saki and after getting faced by Kazoki's rather impressive brawn. "Prepare yourself, wood-man! SHOWDOWN!" (Yushiro: hand: 4 / LP: 3000 | Kazoki: hand: 5 / LP: 4000) "I begin with the summoning of a monster! My metal Bushi: Tetsu!" In front of him appears a large man of similar size to Kazoki himself in full-clad iron armor and a giant katana made of pure iron over his shoulder. He jumps down from the roof landing in front of Yushiro. (LIGHT / level: 4 / warrior / effect / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 500) "You will not destroy my family wood-man! My turn ends!" (Kazoki hand: 4)

Yushiro pants as he draws his card. "I have no intentions of destroying you nor your family. I merely wish for you to cease this needless violence… surely you can recognize a threat when you see it. Wood-man or not! I place a monster in facedown defense position and then place two cards facedown. This concludes my turn as well…" (Yushiro hand: 2)

Kazoki scoffs. "You are setting up your defenses instead of facing me head-on? I did not take you for a coward! I DRAW!" He swings his sword with such strength Yushiro can hear the swing even from down where he is. (Kazoki hand: 5)

"Do not mistake patience and restraint with cowardice,"

"I think a person who needs to prepare a defense before going on the offensive is inherently a coward by nature! I tribute my dual-wielding swordsman for metal Bushi: Kin!" Another large man this one looking quite similar to the first only its armor is much bulkier as well as golden, holding not only a giant golden sword but also a smaller one in his other hand. (LIGHT / level: 6 / warrior / effect / ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1000) "When metal Bushi: Tetsu is tributed to summon another metal Bushi that monster gains 500 attack power!" The large man raises his sword and it seems to mix with iron becoming two metals. (ATK: 3000)

"It would seem you use force to get what you want," Yushiro says looking at his facedown monster.

"Indeed! Let us see if YOUR monster stands a chance against it! Metal bushi: Kin! Destroy his pitiful defenses!" The golden man raises his blade and jumps into the air preparing to strike. He slams his sword down on the card, slicing it in half, leading to a cloud of smoke.

"Too slow. Your attack was seen from miles away! Karakuri ninja mdl 339 "Sazank"! When he is flipped face up, I can send a monster on the field to the cemetery!" In the air above the large golden-armored samurai, Yushiro's wooden ninja appears and its body warps as a large blade extends from its back and it spins down behind the samurai slicing it down, before jumping back to Yushiro's side taking a defensive stance with its telescope to its eye. (EARTH / level: 3 / machine / effect / ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1200)

Kazoki takes a step back. "A contingency plan then? Interesting. Well when a tribute summoned metal Bushi monster is sent to the cemetery, I can recall all its tributes from within the cemetery! So come forth, metal Bushi: Tetsu!" As the man's armor falls apart the slightly smaller iron samurai is left inside. (LIGHT / level: 4 / warrior / effect / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 500) "Now let me try this once more! Metal bushi: Tetsu! Attack his monster! Metal Bushi: Tetsu can only attack once while it is on the field but it is plenty!" The giant samurai is already close to Yushiro so he simply spins around for a hard swing at Yushiro's monster, slicing Sazank in half with ease.

"My reverse card opens! Hidden karakuri! With this, when a karakuri monster is destroyed by battle I can summon a lower-level karakuri monster from my hand in the same battle position. I summon karakuri barrel mdl 96 "Shinkuro"!" As Sazank falls its legs remain standing and a little spring-loaded board shoots out a tiny barrel, which rolls onto the field. The bottom of it suddenly begins moving and two small boards on the bottom move out, flailing around, and more open in the sides sliding up allowing passage for tiny arms which it uses to clumsily stand up, and finally, the top bit moves up revealing two glowing green eyes. (EARTH / level: 2 / machine / effect / ATK: 400 / DEF: 400) as soon as it's shown itself it jumps and transforms back into a barrel given its defensive position.

"How… pathetic," Kazoki says almost confused at this tiny monster he's faced with. "But you cannot make me weary just with a weak monster! I will place a card in reverse and end my turn," (Kazoki hand: 3)

"Then it is my turn once more!" Yushiro draws his card. (Yushiro hand: 3) "It seems I do not need to worry about that monster anymore… so it seems. But you are planning on using that reversed card when I attempt to destroy it," He concludes looking his cards over. "Thus I need to destroy that card."

Kazoki grits his teeth. "Wishful thinking. You will be CRUSHED under me!"

"I think not! For I already have a solution!"

"Well, your solution is too slow! I activate my reverse card! Metallic mixing! With this lightning magic card, I am allowed to bond metal Bushi monsters on my field or within my hand to call forth another! Any monsters on the field are treated as being tributed for the tribute summon of this monster! I tribute metal Bushi: Tetsu on my field along with another from my hand!" A copy of his first monster appears and kanji begins wrapping around their bodies, dragging them together and they wrap around each other enveloped in a paper sphere. "The power of the most defined metal! The true pride of a warrior lies within the metal he forges his weaponry with! BONDING SUMMON! Metal Bushi: shogun Hagane!" The sphere is shredded to pieces as a giant man steps out wearing very fancy-looking armor, a large hat with horns all in pristine steel colored beautifully all encompassed as the man holds out his sword which is way larger than he is. (LIGHT / level: 7 / warrior / effect / ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1200) "And naturally he gains 500 attack due to Tetsu's effect!" (ATK: 3200)

Yushiro grits his teeth taking a step back. "That too… is quite strong…" He says looking at his little barrel. "I switch Shinkuro into offense position!" the little barrel springs to life once again. "And when the battle position of a karakuri monster changes I can activate karakuri trick house! With it, I can destroy a card on the field! I will destroy your monster!" the large house rises around the monster trapping it inside.

"I think not! For Hagane cannot be destroyed by measly effects! And now your little barrel is exposed for the weakling it is!"

"You underestimate my monsters for not having the immense attack power that yours do… but I have found a flaw in your monsters! I summon karakuri merchant mdl 177 "Inashichi"!" His already well-used merchant once more rises on the field. (EARTH / level: 2 / machine / effect / ATK: 500 / DEF: 1500) "And when it is normal summoned I am allowed to add a karakuri card from my deck to my hand. I will add karakuri combination. I place a card facedown. That concludes my turn," (Yushiro hand: 2) He says rather calmly despite having accomplished almost nothing on this turn and holding in quite a bit of pain.

Kazoki of course can't help but laugh loudly. "I do not understand why I was so afraid of you! Clearly, you are no threat to me at all!" He says looking over his shoulder as the little woman, his mother, has finally reached the windowsill to look out.

"Oh, my boy… I am certain that it is him. The wood-man that will destroy us. I saw that eye of his in my vision. Do not go easy on him," She says and Kazoki laughs his booming voice echoing over the garden.

"The thought never crossed my mind!" He says jumping down from the roof, raising his giant blade, and landing firmly with a powerful slash to draw his card. (Kazoki hand: 4) "I summon metal Bushi: Seido!" Another, smaller samurai rises on the field holding out a long and short blade, his armor simpler than his shogun Hagane and made of bronze. (LIGHT / level: 3 / warrior / effect / ATK: 1700 / DEF: 200) "While this is on the field my other metal Bushi monsters will gain 1000 additional attack power when they attack but if I use this effect he cannot attack himself! Now I will finish this! GO! Shogun Hagane! Decimate that tiny barrel of his!" The giant man firmly grips his steel blade raising it over its head. The smaller man holds up his blade and the giant steel sword turns somewhat bronze, in a swirling mix. (ATK: 4200)

Yushiro grits his teeth as the attack approaches his tiny barrel, gripping his wounded side.

TO BE CONTINUED!