Sitting at the table in my apartment with me were Yugo and Serena. Yuya, Yuzu, and Yuto were joining us on video, Yuzu with Yuya, and Yuto off somewhere else. Explaining to the other Yu-boys exactly why they wouldn't be able to join in person was a pain, but we eventually got everyone on an evening Zoom call.
"Why did you call us all here?" Yuya began. "Did something happen?"
"In short, we will be invaded the day after tomorrow by Academia," I explained. "With me over here is Serena, I believe you've all met her—" there was a chorus of agreement, except from Yuya, who shook his head. "—she's Yuzu's Fusion counterpart."
"Fusion?" Yuya questioned. "Can she be trusted?"
"I am no longer allied with Academia," Serena explained. "After learning of the atrocities they committed in the Xyz dimension, I cannot stand by those dishonorable duelists anymore! However, the Professor is still planning to bring me back to Academia."
"Because you contain one-fourth of his daughter?" Yuya asked.
"I don't know," Serena answered. "But that may explain why he kept me off the front lines."
"Getting back on topic, we'll need a plan," I said. "Academia will be sending their elite soldiers, the Obelisk Force. While they may not be a challenge to any of you, or any of the top cut for that matter, you most likely will not be dueling them one-on-one."
"In other words, we'll be at a massive disadvantage," Yuzu summarized. "They'll have double the resources we will."
"Probably even more than that. I am not optimistic enough to say we will make it through without casualties."
"Casualties?" Yuya said, clenching his fists. "Academia… using duels to kill… it's unforgivable! Duels should be used to bring smiles!"
"While I agree with your sentiment, we will need to fight," I said. "Academia will seal anyone they defeat into a card. In order to minimize risk, I'd like everyone to stick with at least one other person during the invasion. My suggestions are as follows: Yuya with Yuzu, Yugo with Serena, and Yuto with Shun."
"What about yourself?" Yuto asked. "You just said that everyone should stick together."
"I'll be fine," I said with a tense smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm stronger than you think."
"You're planning on carding the Obelisk Force yourself and you don't want the rest to see it," Serena said bluntly. How did she—right, she was there when I'd requested the carding tech from Reiji. It was a simple logical conclusion. "Similarly, you're putting Yuto with Shun because you know they both have carding technology and won't hesitate to use it," she finished.
Damn, she was perceptive. "I… well, I'll do what I must to minimize the number of deaths," I explained. "It's better that they get carded than us."
"You can't possibly think of doing that!" Yuya yelled. "I won't allow you to card people! Doing that… you'll be no better than Academia!"
"There's a difference between self-defense and invasion," I said. "We can debate this after the threat passes."
"Joshua is right," Serena said. "On the battlefield, if you spare your enemy, that's just pointless risk."
"I agree," Yuto said. "You're too naive, Yuya. You haven't yet seen the horrors of war. If carding ten Academia soldiers will save just one Standard citizen, I'd gladly do it."
"Next order of business," I said, desperately trying to change the subject before this became a full-on argument. "Yugo, Serena, we'll need to upgrade your decks. Everyone else, work on creating lines that can be more effective against multiple opponents. I don't believe there's anything else we need to discuss, but if anyone has questions—"
"How can you consider carding someone as being justified?" Yuya spat. "Yuzu! You agree with me, right?"
"We can debate this later—" I attempted weakly, before being cut off.
"Yuya…" Yuzu began. "I'm not sure. While your dad may have taught you to duel to create smiles… that was before we knew of Academia's invasion. It's one thing to duel as a pro duelist, but it's another thing to be fighting for your life. But still… I don't know if I can card someone."
"You won't have to, at least for now," I said. "And on that note, there is something else I wanted to bring up. Yuya, Yuto, Yugo—there is a chance that you will see someone getting carded by Academia. If this happens, please try to maintain your calm. The fragments of the Supreme King within you can be awakened by rage. I think you can understand why we don't want that to happen."
"No questions here," Yugo said. "I don't want to go into murder-rage mode."
"Good," I said, before Yuya could start the argument up again. I understood where he was coming from, but his unflinching devotion to his ideals was going to get him into trouble. Honestly, he kind of reminded me of Vash from Trigun in that respect.
"I'll be ending this call now," I said. "Good night, guys."
"Good night, Joshua," Yuzu said. The sentiment was echoed by Yuto. I tapped the 'end call' button, and the screen flickered before returning to the call menu. I then stood up and turned to face Yugo and Serena.
"Who's ready for a lecture on proper deck building and interaction?" I asked in a tone of voice that was probably far too cheerful.
"I am," Serena said, returning none of my enthusiasm. Yugo just grumbled but said nothing.
"Then let's start with the basics," I said. "A good deck will be consistent, flexible, and powerful…"
Leo Akaba read over the Doktor's reports with increasing worry. Apparently the invasion of Standard would be much more difficult than expected, as the Standard duelists had armed themselves with absurdly powerful decks in such a short timeframe. His traitorous son, Reiji Akaba, had collaborated with a duelist of unknown origin, Joshua Cohen, to produce the cards that formed these decks.
And monstrous these decks were. The things they could do in a single turn would take an Academia student five. Not only did they have blinding speed, but they always seemed to have a way to their powerful combos, using those infernal Performapal cards to search through half their deck, and using Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, and even Fusion in tandem.
This was ridiculous. Standard should not have been able to gain such power practically overnight, not without outside help. That was where the second piece of worrying information came in. Joshua Cohen could not be from any of the known dimensions. His dueling philosophy was alien, contradicting almost all known dueling literature produced by established dueling professors. In addition, he mysteriously possessed Pendulum before Reiji had started mass-producing the cards, in addition to being a master of all summoning methods.
The Professor sighed. While unorthodox, Joshua's dueling philosophy had been proven to have results. Perhaps the invasion would be a good way to test them. Have one Obelisk Force team wield the traditional Ancient Gear structure deck, while the other would use… Shaddoll, perhaps? In his spy's memories, Shaddoll was mentioned as 'one of the best Fusion archetypes'. A control group and a test group, as dictated by the scientific principles he followed.
Of course, even that would not be enough. If the invasion force was untrained with their new decks, there was a good chance they would falter at a critical moment. There was no good solution to this predicament… none besides sending even more soldiers.
"I can help you," a voice suggested from behind him. Leo spun around to face the source and saw a hooded figure. It was not someone he recognized—and indeed, anyone within Academia would wear a uniform of some sort. Nor was it an intruder, as no alarms had sounded, nor had he heard the signs of a struggle. How had this person gotten in here?
"Who are you?" Leo asked, panic beginning to grip him. This ghastly figure, cloaked in dark robes, potentially possessed powers unknown to him. His fingers grew slick with sweat as they gripped the armrests of his chair.
"A potential ally," the robed man—it was surely a man, from the timbre of his voice—said. "I can help you with what you desire… provided you complete one simple task for me, of course."
"State your deal," the Professor said flatly. This person had not attempted to attack him yet. That was good.
"I can retrieve one of the remaining two pieces of Ray for you—Serena or Yuzu, yes? I could even retrieve both, depending on what you do for me."
"And what must I do in return?" Leo Akaba said, raising an eyebrow. Something about this deal seemed off. Nobody but him was supposed to know about Ray's existence. Could this be another survivor of the Supreme King's rampage? The Professor doubted it, but it was the only explanation that made sense.
"Kill Joshua Cohen," the hooded figure spat. "He must be eliminated, as he is too powerful to be left alive."
Leo paused to consider his options before speaking. "I have no reason to accept your deal. My enforcer, Yuri, will be able to perform that task with ease."
"Do you really believe that?" the hooded figure said mockingly. "You think that Yuri will be able to best someone from Standard in a one-on-one duel?"
The words gave the Professor pause. If he were to be honest with himself… it was dicey. There was a chance he could lose his strongest duelist in this just attempting to retrieve Serena. "And why do you believe you would do better?" he asked.
"When Joshua Cohen and I last dueled, we were evenly matched in strength," the robed man explained. "He won, but only after I had reduced him to a mere five hundred life points. From that duel, I became certain—we share the same origin."
"Interesting," Leo said, steepling his fingers. "But no. Academia is strong enough on its own."
"You may call me Ruberum," the man said with a dark chuckle, as if the name was some sort of inside joke. "It is common courtesy for you to know the name of the man who will kill you." With that, Ruberum snapped his fingers, and a mass of shadows formed within the Professor's office, snaking their way over the floor, walls, and ceiling and obscuring the room. The outside world melted away, leaving Ruberum and Leo Akaba standing in the middle of an infinite, formless void.
"What is this place?" Leo asked, glancing around fearfully. Such a thing was impossible.
"This, Leo Akaba…" Ruberum announced, gesturing for dramatic effect, "... is the Shadow Realm, a place divorced from ordinary reality. I command this space. Should you wish to leave… there are two ways out: either I allow you to leave, or you defeat me in a duel. Shall we?"
With that, Ruberum raised his duel disk and gestured to Leo Akaba, who activated his own. "Very well," he said.
"Excellent," Ruberum said, his voice dripping with sadistic pleasure. "I shall take the first move. I Normal summon Floowandreeze and Robina and activate its effect!"
From there, the hooded man performed a blindingly fast series of moves that ended with his field containing Floowandreeze and Empen, Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds, Floowandreeze and the Unexplored Winds, a set copy of Floowandreeze and the Dreaming Town, and one unknown backrow. After setting the last card with a flourish, Ruberum getured to Leo.
"Go on then, Professor," he said mockingly. "Show me what you are capable of!"
Leo Akaba surveyed his hand. Within the six cards he'd drawn, only one of them was a monster that could be Normal Summoned, and it was a puny monster, with zero attack and defense points, whose sole purpose was to Special Summon the other monsters in his hand. Alas, none of them were wind-attribute, which meant that Ruberum's Barrier Statue essentially had him locked out of the game.
"I set one monster and one other card face-down and end my turn," Leo proclaimed.
"Oh? I would've expected more from the great Professor," Ruberum said. "At the end of your main phase, I activate Floowandreeze and the Dreaming Town!"
Another dizzyingly fast series of normal summons followed, leaving Leo with no monsters on his field and the trap he'd set tributed off for Raiza the Mega Monarch and then stacked to the top of his deck by that very same monster. The trap that Ruberum had used was returned to his hand by the combination of Floowandreeze and Strix and Floowandreeze and Toccan, and the hooded man already had over four thousand points of damage on the board.
"Draw for turn," Ruberum said coldly. "How disappointing… I thought this would be more of a challenge. I suppose that Cohen is my only worthy opponent. Empen, Raiza, finish him."
As the monarch's colossal fist slammed into his body, Leo felt pain flood through him. A gust of wind from a sweep of Empen's wings was enough to knock him far across the ground of the infinite flat void that was the Shadow Realm, and he cried out as his vision started to fade.
"Unfortunately, you're far too important for me to kill," Ruberum growled. "How I wish to end your pathetic existence… but no. If you accept my offer now, I will return you to your office and allow you to live. There is still much I can gain from your continued existence."
Leo twitched on the ground, the words dancing at his lips. Though his pride told him to resist, he ignored it. He needed to survive, to survive so he may see his beloved Ray once more. "I… I accept… your terms," he said between gasps.
"Excellent," Ruberum said, snapping his fingers once more. The shadows dissolved, leaving Leo sprawled on the floor and the hooded man standing over him "Before I depart, I suppose I should give you a word of advice: do not underestimate Cohen. However many Obelisk Force members you believe is enough—double that number. I must take my leave now, Leo Akaba. I bid thee farewell."
With a swirl of his cape, Ruberum vanished, leaving Leo Akaba alone with his thoughts in his office.
I couldn't help but feel the metaphorical Sword of Damocles hanging over me during the day below the invasion. As much as I tried to relax, the atmosphere was tense. I'd met with my study group earlier that day and explained the situation. Somehow, they'd believed me right off the bat and agreed to fight against Academia in the invasion, without forcing me to defend my claims. I suppose I had built up a lot of trust with them. I had no idea how much they'd help, but they probably wouldn't get carded by a random Academia mook. It was less to worry about, at least.
I'd taken Serena and Yugo to the park for some practice duels, as my apartment had quickly proven too small for Solid Vision duels. After several hours, I was satisfied with the progress they'd made, and we were heading back to my apartment once more. It had taken quite a while to convince Yugo to switch decks to Adamancipators, but he was starting to become familiar with the combo lines. While he wasn't amazing at it, he could at least consistently turbo out Crystal Wing and Dragite, which was probably more than enough. Two unconditional negates that refreshed themselves every turn was pretty good against opponents who weren't really going to be playing more than two cards each turn.
Serena had picked up Xyz summoning surprisingly quickly after a little bit of tutoring. While hesitant at first, she quickly appreciated just how generic the cards were, cursing Academia's propaganda as she practiced her combos. Reiji had gotten Lunalight Tiger printed in just half a day, which meant that Serena had access to an extremely competent combo deck. With the Dracoslayer engine and a splash of Performage, she was able to make all kinds of strong rank-four plays by (ab)using Lunalight Tiger's pendulum effect, while still having the option to OTK multiple opponents with her fusion boss.
That left my own deck preparations. While Swordsoul was a very solid deck, it would run out of interaction quite quickly if I were to be facing more than two opponents. Quixing Longyuan was probably my best bet, but I couldn't afford to let anything through. My plan was to engage as many Obelisk Force soldiers as possible and take them out efficiently. That meant that I needed a plan to OTK multiple opponents, something that Swordsoul lacked. Come to think of it, all the decks I had lacked ways to OTK multiple opponents at once.
However, inspiration struck as I considered the techs I'd considered for Tearlaments. Shortly before the release of POTE in the TCG, I had attempted running them with an Invoked engine. While that deck was essentially a failure, lacking the powerful plays of Branded Tear or the explosivity of Casino Tear, Invoked Purgatrio was exactly what I needed. The Invoked cards were easily obtainable, and with Terraforming at three copies, the engine was trivial to access.
With my preparations complete, all I could do was wait as the time of the invasion ticked closer. This feeling of powerless waiting was something I hated, similarly to how I hated waiting for a final exam after I'd finished studying for it. Thus I did what I usually did when waiting for a final: studied more. I practiced my Tear combos relentlessly, especially the lines that worked under Shifter. I considered teching a single copy of Shifter and three Crossout into the deck, but decided against it. It could be that Floowandreeze wasn't the only deck the Herald had brought, and over-specializing to beat it was exactly what he wanted me to do.
"...food," I heard as someone tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped up in a panic, before realizing it was only Yugo. I hastily scooped up my cards and checked the time. Had I really been testing that long?
"Yep, I'll make dinner, just give me a minute," I said, carefully placing my cards into the deck box. For some reason, people didn't use sleeves here, and I died inside a tiny bit whenever I saw someone waving around unsleeved expensive cards.
"Good! I'm starving!" Yugo said happily.
"There should be leftovers in the fridge," I responded. "If you're that hungry, you can eat some of them while I cook." I did realize that this would probably lead to my leftover reserves being depleted, but that was a sacrifice I was perfectly willing to make.
I walked to the kitchen after putting away my deck and saw Yuto microwaving a bowl of rice and beans. Damn, he was fast. I briefly scanned the contents of the fridge before pulling out the ingredients for a stir-fry and set out to make dinner.
Dinner was a peaceful affair that night, with the three of us eating in relative silence. Few words were exchanged, yet an air of unease pervaded the room. The anticipation was beginning to wear on all of us.
A night of restless sleep left me not refreshed but full of nervous energy for the upcoming battle.
I tuned out most of Nico Smiley's speech explaining the rules of the Battle Royale. Instead of dueling over Reiji's awful first attempts at mass-producing Pendulums, we would instead be wagering special cards that I had no doubt contained numerous monitoring devices. I knew the general setup of the duel field, so that information was irrelevant. What I needed to do now was plan my route.
Dennis Macfield would have to be eliminated, as he was simply too much of a security risk to keep around. If I could arrange for Sora to be carded as well… I'd do it, as much as I hated the idea. While he did have potential to be a good person, he was still effectively a war criminal. The difficult part with all this, of course, was doing it without getting the blood on my hands. I couldn't exactly card another finalist on live TV for the whole world to watch.
Finally, the battle royale began, and I raced off into the city with the rest of the Junior Youth top cut. I kept an eye on the direction that Dennis ran, and mentally charted a course that would meet his while still taking me through enough empty territory to find a couple of 'wager cards'. Much of the rest of the top 32 was from my study group, which meant that I most likely wouldn't get challenged to a duel.
I grinned slightly as I found a card hidden among the rocks in the volcanic area. Step one completed. The pieces were all falling into place, and there was nothing that could disrupt my plans at this point.
Nothing except…
The Herald of the Supreme King. Would he make his second appearance here? Had he allied with Academia? A disturbing realization struck me. All four pieces of Z-ARC would be gathered during the Battle Royale, assuming that Yugo intervened as I expected. Yuzu and Serena were there to hopefully prevent them from making contact, but there was a chance that Yuri and Yuto could fuse, or the Herald could eliminate one of the bracelet girls.
I cursed my lack of foresight. I'd remembered that unknown variable far too late. All I could do now was hope that he'd have better stuff to do right now.
"Ah, Reiji Akaba," Ruberum said as he appeared in Reiji's office. "Quite an impressive little plan you have there. Putting your Lancers candidates against the Academia invasion force to see how they do. It doesn't matter how many get carded, as long as you get good Lancers, right?"
"Leave," Reiji said firmly, before turning around. Standing in front of the doorway was a hooded man in a dark cloak, face masked in shadow. The terrifying realization hit like a shower of ice, causing the young CEO to involuntarily gasp. "The Herald of the Supreme King," he said breathlessly.
"I'm glad I'm famous," Ruberum said. "I suppose I should tell you my name, as my title is quite wordy. I am Ruberum, and I shall be the last opponent you have."
"Is that meant to be a threat?" Reiji said, adjusting his eyebrows. He reached out across his deck, fingers searching for the button that would alert Nakajima and the building security, but there was nothing there. Shadows crept across the room, obscuring the furniture and various computer screens, before only the room's two inhabitants remained.
"I must admit, you're taking this a lot better than your father," Ruberum said, chuckling to himself. "That man was a pathetic worm. I do hope you'll put up a better fight than he did."
"You met my father?" Reiji questioned. "So you do have the power to travel across dimensions at will… as I suspected. Are you allied with Academia?"
"For the time being," Ruberum said with a shrug. "Let me explain what exactly is going on here. The only way to leave this place is by my will or by defeating me in a duel. You cannot influence the outside world while within the Shadow Realm… which means, of course, that if you don't leave quickly enough, the public will see the invasion of Academia in all its wonderful glory."
"Then let us duel," Reiji said. If this took too long, the public relations disaster after the battle royale would be a nightmare. He had planned to reveal the invasion after the fact and cover up the details. Letting the world see children carded would cause mass outrage.
"Realized the urgency, have you?" Ruberum taunted. Reiji said nothing, instead drawing his opening five cards and beginning his plays. The Herald was more bark than bite, according to Joshua.
"I activate Dark Contract with the Gate and activate its effect!" Reiji declared. "I'll add D/D Swirl Slime from my deck to my hand. D/D Swirl Slime's effect! Once per turn, I can Fusion Summon a D/D/D monster from my Extra Deck using it and other monsters in my hand as fusion materials! I fuse D/D Swirl Slime with D/D Lamia. Be born! D/D/D Flame King Genghis!"
"A standard D/D/D play," Ruberum commented. "I presume you now wish to activate Swirl Slime's graveyard effect to bring out another D/D monster from your hand, which would allow Flame King Genghis to revive Lamia in order to begin your synchro climb into Cursed King Sigfried?"
He's reading me like a book, Reiji thought. The way he knows my lines of play perfectly… there's only one other person who's been able to predict my D/D/D combos like this.
"I activate D/D Swirl Slime's effect! I banish it from my graveyard in order to Special Summon D/D Savant Copernicus from my hand! Chain link one Copernicus, chain link two Genghis target Lamia!"
"Predictable," Ruberum sneered. "I activate the effect of my Bysstial Magnamhut in hand. Since you control a monster, this is a quick effect. I target one light or dark-attribute monster in either graveyard and banish it, then Special Summon Magnamhut from my hand!"
The dark dragon roared as it consumed D/D Lamia. The chains that covered its body rattled as Magnamhut spread its wings and roared once more.
"D/D Savant Copernicus will send D/D Necro Slime from my Deck to my graveyard," Reiji declared.
"If Bysstial Magnamhut is Special Summoned, I can add one light or dark-attribute dragon-type monster from my deck to my hand during the end phase of this turn!" Ruberum declared.
"A chaos-style deck?" Reiji questioned. Such a deck focused on using light and dark-attribute monsters that could be Special Summoned by banishing other light and dark monsters from the graveyard, with the payoff typically being the infamous Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning. Yet chaos decks didn't have monsters like these, with the ability to create a field presence even during the opponent's turn.
"Perhaps," the Herald said. "You're quite observant, I'll give you that."
"I activate D/D/D Oblivion Abyss King Ragnarok in my Pendulum Scale," Reiji said. The dark king lounged on his throne, glowering at Ruberum's dragon. "I activate the effect of D/D Gryphon in hand. Since I control a D/D monster, I can Special Summon it."
"So you did manage to get the BACH support," Ruberum commented. "I presume Joshua gave you those cards?"
A mysterious four-letter code, similar to the "CYAC" and "PHHY" that Joshua had mentioned. There was no doubt that the two shared the same origin.
"You two come from the same place, I presume," Reiji said. "With D/D Gryphon and D/D Savant Kepler, I build the Overlay Network! [Caesar Summon Chant]! Xyz Summon! Rank four! D/D/D Wave King Caesar."
"I believe so," Ruberum said. "Though I doubt that information will be useful to you… seeing as you'll soon be dead and all."
"D/D/D Oblivion Abyss King Ragnarok's Pendulum Effect activates!" Reiji declared, pointedly ignoring his opponent's taunts. "Since a D/D monster was Special Summoned to my field, I can bring back one D/D monster from my graveyard! Be reborn, D/D Lamia!"
"Bysstial Saronir's effect activates," Ruberum declared. "Its hand effect is the same as Magnamhut's. Your Lamia is banished, causing Ragnarok's effect to fizzle."
Reiji gritted his teeth. These targeted handtraps that also seemingly formed an archetype, given their shared names, appeared to be specifically designed to beat his deck. "With D/D/D Wave King Caesar, I rebuild the Overlay Network! [King Tell Summon Chant]! Xyz Summon! Rank five! D/D/D Marksman King Tell! King Tell's effect. By detaching one Xyz material from this card, I can target one monster on the field, reduce its attack by 1000, and inflict 1000 damage to you!"
[Ruberum: 4000 - 3000]
The Herald of the Supreme King gritted his teeth in pain as King Tell's arrow pierced through his shoulder. Blood flew from the wound and the arrow stuck into the man's flesh. Ruberum growled in pain and grabbed the shaft of the arrow. With a singular smooth motion, he yanked out the arrow and tossed the projectile aside, where it was absorbed by the shadows.
"With D/D/D Marksman King Tell, I rebuild the Overlay Network once more! [Machinex Summon Chant]! Rank ten! D/D/D Deviser King Deus Machinex!"
"Machinex pass, how original," Ruberum sneered. When Reiji said nothing, the hooded man pressed on. "Am I simply too far below the grand CEO of Leo Corporation to be worth a word?"
"I activate the effect of D/D Necro Slime," Reiji declared. "I banish it and D/D Savant Copernicus from my graveyard in order to Fusion Summon D/D/D Flame King Genghis. With my two copies of Genghis, I build the Overlay Network! [Big Caesar Summon Chant]! Xyz Summon! Rank six! D/D/D Wave High King Caesar! Turn end."
"Such insolence," Ruberum hissed. "During your end phase, Magnamhut's effect resolves, allowing me to add The Bysstial Lubellion from my deck to my hand. Draw for turn, standby, main. I activate the effect of The Bysstial Lubellion, discarding it to add Bysstial Druiswurm from my deck to my hand and activate its effect targeting D/D Gryphon."
"I chain D/D/D Wave High King Caesar's effect!" Reiji yelled. "By detaching one Xyz material from this card, I can negate an effect that would Special Summon a monster and destroy that card, then both it and one other D/D/D monster I control gain 1200 attack points!"
"Very well," Ruberum said. "I'll use The Bysstial Lubellion's inherent summon from grave, tributing Bysstial Saronir to special it back to the field. As this is an inherent summon, Caesar cannot negate it. Saronir's effect triggers in grave, allowing me to send a second Lubellion from deck to grave. Lubellion on-field effect, activate Branded Beast from deck."
"I activate D/D/D Deviser King Deus Machinex's effect! By detaching two Xyz materials, I can attach your Bysstial Lubellion to it as Xyz material!"
"You fool. I activate Branded Beast, tributing Magnamhut to destroy your Caesar. Now, I activate the spell card Branded Fusion! This is what you should have been saving your negation for! I'll send Albaz and Eclipse Wyvern to make Albion! Chain link one Albion, chain link two Eclipse Wyvern! If Joshua can play banned cards, then so can I!"
"Banned cards?" Reiji repeated. "Eclipse Wyvern is registered as legal in the database."
"Of course they're legal here!" Ruberum spat. "Where Joshua and I originate from, they are banned for a very good reason! Eclipse Wyvern banishes Chaos Dragon Levianeer from deck and Albion fuses Albaz with itself to make Mirrorjade! With the effect of Magnamhut in hand, I can banish Eclipse Wyvern to special itself, which triggers Eclipse Wyvern, allowing me to add Levianeer back to hand."
"I see…" Reiji said. "With the power of chaos decks in your world, Eclipse Wyvern had to be banned."
"Indeed!" Ruberum said. "By banishing Lubellion, Saronir, and Magnamhut from my graveyard, I can special Levianeer and activate its effect to destroy two cards on your field! Say good-bye to Machinex!"
Machinex and Ragnarok were enveloped by a dark orb fired by the chaos dragon, and when the darkness dissipated, the two monsters were gone.
"Battle phase. Magnamhut attacks you directly."
[Reiji: 3000 - 1500]
"Finish this, Mirrorjade," Ruberum commanded, gesturing for the dragon to attack. Mirrorjade roared as it summoned a number of blades of ice, all floating directly over Reiji. They hung there, suspended in the air, for not more than three seconds before plummeting to the ground, crushing the young CEO.
"Disappointing," Ruberum said as he snapped his fingers. "Well, at least you put up a bit more of a fight. I do think you'll live, if only barely. It might be good to have you alive as insurance, in case my other plans fail."
The shadows receded as the hooded man gave his speech, leaving Reiji on the floor of his office, slowly bleeding from multiple wounds and with several broken bones. Chuckling at the sight of the other man crumpled on the floor, Ruberum vanished with a swirl of his cloak.
In the middle of the Temple Ruins field, two students of the order of Knight of Duels walked in heavy armor. They were the only two of their order that had qualified for the top thirty-two, with the rest having been swiftly eliminated by the Performapal decks that were so oddly common in their division. Neither of them fancied their chances at placing high, but perhaps if they stuck together, they could exploit the battle royale rules and place well with good teamwork.
Their hopes were quickly dashed as six figures, all dressed in some sort of uniform of blue coat and silver mask, appeared in front of them. The mysterious people wordlessly activated their duel disks and split into two groups of three.
"Do you intend to duel us, knaves?" one of the Knights called. One of the uniformed figures laughed in response.
"Why else would we be here?" he said. His comrades laughed, as if he had told the funniest joke they'd heard. "Let's see if the control group or the test group finishes first. Duel!"
The duel that ensued could scarcely be called a duel. A more accurate term would be "slaughter", as the masked men easily overwhelmed the two Knights of Duels, the first group of three relying on a strategy involving Ancient Gear monsters that dealt direct damage, while the other group all used Shaddoll decks that endlessly created resources from their monsters' graveyard effects. While the Ancient Gear cards whittled down their life points, the Shaddolls provided an impenetrable defense. Soon, the two knights fell to the floor of the temple that they were dueling within, their armor clanking as it made contact with the hard stone.
"Pathetic," one of the blue-garbed men spat. "Our sources told us that Standard duelists would be much stronger than this."
"Perhaps these ones were just abnormally weak," one of his comrades supplied. "Let's just card them. If everyone else is as weak as they are, then we shouldn't have any trouble taking down that Cohen guy."
"Right," the first one said, tapping a button on his duel disk. The two Knights screamed in pain as their bodies were warped by an otherworldly force, folding and contorting, before two cards fluttered down to the floor of the temple.
"And it looks like the two members of Knight of Duels were just transformed… into… cards?" Nico Smiley summarized, clearly as horrified by the situation as his audience was. Murmurs suffused the crowd, and the expert commentator knew that it was only a matter of time before panic began.
"It appears that the tournament is being interrupted by an unknown group of duelists!" he called, attempting to distract the crowd. "But there are still many exciting duels going on! In the volcanic area, two duelists have just met and started a duel! On one side, we have…"
Yugo tuned out Nico's voice. "Serena," he said, nudging the girl. "We have to do something. People are getting hurt."
"I agree. I can't believe that the Obelisk Force would act so dishonorably. What happened to Academia's elite?
"Then let's get going!" Yugo said excitedly. "We'll go on my D-Wheel, walking's too slow. We need to get there quick, look!"
Serena followed Yugo's gaze and gasped at the sight. Over fifty Obelisk Force duelists had appeared within the jungle area, close to where Joshua stood.
"Fifty against one? How cowardly. I can't wait to paste them into the dirt," Serena agreed, racing through the stands after Yugo.
I surveyed the large group of Obelisk Force members that had just teleported in. It seemed that the invasion was starting, and I hadn't managed to find Dennis. I had, however, ran into some punk from Ryozanpaku, the only one who'd made it out of Swiss, in fact, and swiftly learned why—he beat up his opponents as they comboed off instead of just when they were going for Action Cards.
Thus I stood in the middle of the jungle area, battered and bruised, and completely surrounded by a massive group of Academia soldiers.
"I suppose I must be famous, given the large crowd I've gathered," I deadpanned. "I didn't realize I was that great an entertainer; that's more Yuya's thing."
The only response was the sound of hundreds of duel disks activating simultaneously.
"You guys really aren't that talkative, huh. I suppose I'll take the first move. I'll activate Keldo pitching Kelbek, add Agido. Kelbek effect, mill the top five of all our decks."
My mills were absolutely excellent. One full Ishizu Tear combo later, and I had set up a board of Redoer, Perlereino, Rulkallos, Sulliek, Schieren, and Kitkalos. There was no chance that Ancient Gear Hunting Hound spam was going to get through all this.
"I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" one Obelisk Force soldier declared. "Since you control a monster, I can—"
"Sulliek effect, negate effects permanently, send Kitkalos. Kitkalos effect, mill five. Merrli grave effect, fusion summon Dragostapellia. Next?"
"I end my turn," the Academia soldier concluded.
"Redoer effect in standby, take top card," I said as the Time Thief stretched out a hand and teleported the card off the next duelist's deck, transforming it into a ball of light that orbited the dapper thief.
Another blue-garbed person raised their duel disk and slapped a card down. "I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!"
"Dragostapelia effect, perma-negate," I interjected. "Next?"
"I end my turn."
I sighed. This was going to take a while, and it wasn't even going to be fun. At least Redoer could become the biggest Zeus ever created in the history of Yu-Gi-Oh if I failed to OTK all of them.
Gongenzaka trekked across the volcanic area at a steady pace. He'd had an easy duel against a foreign duelist from the far north earlier that day, but so far no opponent he'd faced had been truly challenging.
It was almost disappointing after four grueling duels against Performapal decks during the Swiss rounds. There, he had been pushed to his limits, and had been forced to understand the ins and outs of his deck, breaking apart seemingly impenetrable defenses without using a single spell or trap card.
The sound of two people conversing piqued his interest. Carefully making his way across the treacherous terrain, he found a tall man in a dark cloak, face covered in shadow, and a short boy with the same face as Yuya, but wearing a blue coat and sporting a sadistic smirk.
"…still don't get why I have to work with you," the Yuya-lookalike said. "You've been nothing but an annoyance the whole time. 'Use my cards, Yuri!' 'Don't go fight that guy, Yuri!' You're like an overprotective mother. I came here to have some fun!"
"You're still weak," the hooded man said condescendingly. "I've proven it to you. The only way you'll stand a chance against the duelists of Standard is with Branded."
"Oh?" Yuri said. "It looks like there's a Standard duelist over there, Red. Shall we test the effectiveness of your cards?"
"You shall address me by my title or my name," the hooded figure—Red?—scolded. "I was merciful earlier, but I do not take to insolence kindly. As for that duelist… Noburo Gongenzaka? He should not be a challenge. By all means, enjoy yourself."
"Thank you, oh wise master," Yuri said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oi, you there. Let's have a duel."
"This man Gonenzaka accepts your challenge!" Gongenzaka yelled, assuming a fighting stance. These two must be from Academia as Yuya had described it, which meant that they would be attempting to card people in duels. "I will not allow you to harm innocent duelists. So long as this man Gongenzaka stands, you shall not cross this bridge!"
The hooded figure motioned for Yuri to go ahead, before walking away.
"I'll take the first move," Yuri said. "I activate Instant Fusion! By paying 1000 of my life points, I can Fusion Summon one level five or lower Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck! However, it cannot attack and is destroyed in the end phase."
[Yuri: 8000 - 7000]
"Come forth, sweet-smelling flower that invites the abyss! Fusion Summon! Level five! Predaplant Ambulomelides!"
The draconic plant screeched as it emerged from the instant noodle cup, clearly disliking the intense heat of its surroundings. Vines sprouted below it, covering the thin bridge.
"When Predaplant Ambulomelides is successfully Fusion Summoned, I can add a Predaplant monster or Predap- spell or trap card from my deck to my hand! I'll add Predapractice."
From the vines beneath the fusion monster emerged a singular card that flew into Yuri's waiting hand.
"This is a rather sorry garden, isn't it?" Yuri said. Ignoring Gongenzaka's lack of response, he continued. "It's only a few stray vines. I'll fix that with the spell card Predapractice, which allows me to Special Summon one Predaplant monster from my hand, then add one Predap- card from my deck to my hand! However, I'm locked into summoning only Fusion Monsters from the Extra Deck for this turn… not that it matters, since I wouldn't play non-Fusion trash."
Once again, Gongenzaka refused to respond to his opponent's bait, standing in stony silence as a small green insect-like pitcher plant emerged from the vines that covered the bridge.
"You're the silent type, huh?" Yuri commented. "Well, I'm sure you'll be begging for mercy soon. I Special Summon Predaplant Sarraceniant and add Predaplanning from my deck to my hand, and then I'll activate the effect of Predaplant Ambulomelides, tributing Sarraceniant in order to Special Summon one Predaplant monster from my deck!"
The vines in the ground enveloped Sarraceniant, forming a cocoon that a snake-like flower shortly burst through.
"Come, Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra!" Yuri called. "When Darlingtonia Cobra is Special Summoned by the effect of a Predaplant card, I can add one Fusion card from my deck to my hand, and since Sarraceniant was sent to the graveyard, I can search for a Predap card as well!"
"So many searches," Gongenzaka commented. In terms of the mechanics, it was similar to how Yuya dueled, searching through the deck to find the pieces for a big explosive combo that would bring out multiple boss monsters at once. Yet the style was completely different. While Yuya dueled to entertain and put on a show for the audience, this doppelgänger dueled for his own sadistic pleasure. "Just what are you bringing out?"
"He speaks! It's a miracle!" Yuri said joyously. "Well, you'll see. I add… tch, this was going to be my test run of the new cards that Red guy gave me, wasn't it? Let's see how effective Branded Fusion and this Pendulum Card is."
"Pendulum Card?" Gongenzaka parroted. "How did you obtain that?"
"Neat, isn't it? It's both a monster and a continuous spell, though I'm not sure what the whole 'scale' thing is about. I'll place Predaplant Bufolicula in the Pendulum Scale, but I'll hold off on using its effect."
The frog-like plant appeared in a pillar of light on Yuri's left, glaring with its many red 'eyes'.
"I activate Branded Fusion!" Yuri declared, placing down a spell that depicted two dragons locked in battle. "This card allows me to Fusion Summon one Fusion Monster that uses Fallen of Albaz as material! Fallen dragon with the power of the brands! Guiding sailor of rosemary! Become one and show your true form! Fusion Summon! Level eight! Albion the Branded Dragon!"
The orange dragon flapped its wings as torrents of energy swirled around it.
"Albion and Romarin's effects trigger in sequence! Albion allows me to Fusion Summon by banishing monsters from hand, field, or graveyard as material, while Romarin allows me to send one plant monster from my deck to the graveyard! I send Predaplant Byblisp and fuse Albaz with Sarracenia. Fallen dragon with the power of the brands! Beautiful flower with an insect-alluring fragrance! Become one and take the power of a new form! Fusion Summon! Level eight! Lubellion the Searing Dragon!"
This dragon was demonic in appearance, with dark red horns protruding from its head and body. It was wreathed in flames as it descended over Yuri's garden of horrors, yet the flames did not burn the plants.
"Lubellion's effect activates! When it's Fusion Summoned, by discarding one card, I can Fusion Summon once more, by shuffling back fusion materials from my field, graveyard, or face-up banished cards. In addition, I use Predaplant Byblisp's effect when it is sent to the graveyard, which allows me to add one Predaplant monster, Predaplant Triantis, from my deck to my hand. Fallen dragon with the power of the brands! Demonic dragon with brands of red! Become one and take the power of a new form! Fusion Summon! Level eight! Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon!"
"How many fusion summons are you going to perform…" Gongenzaka muttered. Despite his familiarity with this style of all-gas play, and the fact that he had begun to practice it himself, the sheer amount of time someone could take on their turn still annoyed him.
"Just a few more," Yuri said with a mocking smile. "I activate the effect of the Edge Imp Chain I discarded, which allows me to add one Frightfur card from my deck to my hand. I'll activate the card I just added, Frightfur Patchwork, in order to add Edge Imp Chain and Polymerization from my deck to my hand. Lastly, I'll activate the Pendulum effect of Predaplant Bufolicula, which allows me to perform a Fusion Summon using monsters I control! Blazing Dragon with brands of white! Beautiful flower with an insect-alluring fragrance! Join together to create the ultimate dragon! Fusion Summon! Level ten! Starving Venom Predapower Fusion Dragon!"
The only way to describe the dragon that emerged would be "an abomination". Its body and limbs were covered in sickly yellow orbs, and its long green tail formed a sharp scythe-like point at its tip. Its jaw was shaped like the mandibles of an insect, and its four leathery green wings looked like the leaves of a plant.
"I set one card and proceed to my end phase, where Albion's effect in my graveyard triggers, allowing me to set Branded Banishment from my deck. Turn end."
"Draw," Gongenzaka declared. "By tributing your Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon, I can Special Summon Jizukiru, the Star Destroying Kaiju to your side of the field."
"Mirrorjade's effect triggers!" Yuri declared. "Since you removed it from my field, during the end phase, all monsters you control will be destroyed!"
"This man Gongenzaka chains the effect of the tuner monster Psy-Framegear Gamma to special summon both it and Psy-Frame Driver from deck to negate the activation."
"A tuner, eh?" Yuri said, grinning sadistically. "I activate Predaplanning, sending Predaplant Byblisp to the graveyard in order to place one Predator Counter on every monster on the field, making their levels become one!"
"How irritating," Gongenzaka grunted. "I activate the effect of Superheavy Samurai Monk Big Benkei! By sending Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei from the deck to the graveyard, this man Gongenzaka can Special Summon this card from my hand, and I will equip him with Superheavy Samurai Soulpiercer. Psy-Framegear Gamma tunes Psy-Frame Driver and Superheavy Samurai Monk Big Benkei! Come forth, noble knight who defends her land! Synchro Summon! Level ten! Baronne de Fleur!"
Yuri slow-clapped as the lady-knight appeared on the field. "Congratulations! You managed to Synchro Summon even with the Predator Counters on your monsters! Still, what's one lone knight going to do against all this?"
"When Superheavy Samurai Soulpiercer is sent to the graveyard, it allows me to add one Superheavy Samurai card from my deck to my hand. I add Superheavy Samurai Spy!"
"I activate my trap card, Branded Banishment!" Yuri said. "This card allows me to Special Summon one level eight or higher Fusion Monster from my graveyard! It does some other stuff, too, but that's the most important part."
"This man Gongenzaka will now allow that! I activate the effect of Baronne de Fleur, to negate the activation and destroy Branded Banishment!"
"I chain Starving Venom Predapower Fusion Dragon. By tributing one monster with a Predator Counter on it, I can negate the activation! Come back, Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon. And after you went to so much trouble to get it off the field, too."
"Since my graveyard contains no spell or trap cards, I can discard Superheavy Samurai Bike to add Prodigy Wakaushi from my deck to my hand. Normal Summon Superheavy Samurai Scales," Gongenzaka declared. "Scales' effect activates, returning Superheavy Samurai Bike to my field!"
"Mirrorjade's effect! I'll send Alba-Lenatus from my Extra Deck to my Graveyard to banish your pesky tuner monster!"
Gongenzaka gritted his teeth. "Since my graveyard contains no spell or trap cards, I place Superheavy Samurai Prodigy Wakushi in the Pendulum Scale and activate its effect to Special Summon itself from my Pendulum Zone and place one other Superheavy Samurai monster in the other Pendulum Zone. Come, Superheavy Samurai Monk Big Benkei!"
From there, Gongenzaka was able to combo, having played through all of Yuri's interruptions, clearing Yuri's field with Castel the Skyblaster Musketeer for Mirrorjade and Superheavy Samurai Battleball using Predapower as Synchro material to make Overlord Masurao, through Predapower's floating effect reanimated Albion. With Gear Gigant X as a bridge, he was able to get Infinitrack Tunneler into rotation, and he entered the battle phase with a field full of monsters.
"Castel attacks Darlingtonia Cobra!" Gongenzaka declared. The musketeer shot the snake-like plant, causing it to explode into pixels.
"Overlord Masurao attacks Albion!"
With a single slash from his oversized sword, the mechanical samurai cut the blazing dragon apart."
"Gear Gigant X, Infinintrack Tunneler, Swordmaster Musashi, direct attack!"
The combined assault sent Yuri flying across the volcanic ground, and the soldier landed roughly on the heated rock.
[Yuri: 8000 - 1200]
"Finish this! Baronne de Fleur! Direct attack!"
"When you declare a direct attack, while I control no monsters…" Yuri grunted, pulling himself back to his feet. "…I can Special Summon Predaplant Sarraceniant from hand!"
"Baronne will continue the attack," Gongenzaka said.
As the knight cut apart the ant-like flower, pieces of pollen stuck to the monster, and not more than a second later, Baronne burst apart in a shower of petals.
"What?!" Gongenzaka yelled.
"Sarraceniant… destroys the monster it battles," Yuri stated. "And when it goes to the graveyard… I can add Predapractice from deck to hand.
"I end my turn," Gongenzaka said.
"In end phase… Alba-Lentus adds Ultra Polymerization from deck to hand, while Albion searches for Branded Fusion. My turn, draw!"
Yuri's face contorted into a sadistic smirk. "You went to so much effort to fill your field with all those nice monsters… how pathetic. This turn, I'll win. I activate Predaplanning to Special Summon Orphys Scorpio and add Predapruning from my deck to my hand. Orphys Scorpio's effect activates!"
"Chain Overlord Masurao," Gongenzaka said. "Since you activated a spell card, I can draw three cards!"
"I discard Edge Imp Chain to fuel Orphys Scorpio's effect," Yuri continued. "This allows me to Special Summon Predaplant Chlamydosundew from my deck! As with my previous turn, Edge Imp Chain adds Frightfur Patchwork which in turn adds another Edge Imp Chain and Polymerization!"
I cleared his field last turn, but he's still able to do so much now?! Gongenzaka thought. He's tougher than any other opponent I've faced. But that card I just drew… if he keeps summoning, I win.
"I place Predaplant Triantis in my Pendulum Scale and activate Polymerization! Predaplant Triantis' effect allows me to use monsters in my Pendulum Zones as material. Sweet-smelling flower that beckons the abyss! Demonic chain from the depths of hell! Converge within the vortex of fusion! Fusion Summon! Level nine! Guardian Chimera!"
The three-headed beast roared, its heads moving in unison. The chain around its legs rattled as it clawed at Gongenzaka's monsters.
"Guardian Chimera destroys cards on the field equal to the number of materials on the field used for its Fusion Summon and draws cards equal to the number of materials used in my hand, and when Predaplant Triantis is used as Fusion Material, it places one Predator Counter on each monster you control."
This isn't good, Gongenzaka thought. Since all my monsters now have Predator Counters, if he somehow revives Starving Venom Predapower Fusion Dragon, he can use my monsters to fuel his negation effects!
This isn't good, I thought grimly, surveying the Obelisk Force members who had yet to take their turn. The duel had gone smoothly for around thirty of then, but then I realized that half these guys were playing Shaddoll instead of the expected Ancient Gears. Now, I was cycling between Tear names to fuel Rullkalos to keep them off of resolving Shaddoll Fusion, and while I was lucky enough that none of them had drawn two Shaddoll Fusions yet, it was only a matter of time.
"I activate Shaddoll Fusion!" one Obelisk Force grunt yelled.
"Chain Rullkalos, negate, sent Havnis from hand to grave. Havnis effect, fusing itself with Kitkalos to make a second Kitkalos. Kitkalos effect, search Havnis."
"I activate the second Shaddoll Fusion!" Case in point. "Beast puppeted by strings of darkness! Spellcaster of negation! Join in the corrupted vortex! Fusion Summon! Level eight! El Shaddoll Construct!"
I sighed. I'd need to Sulliek the Construct and hope they didn't find anything too good off of their Beast draw.
"I activate El Shaddoll Construct and Shaddoll Beast's effects in sequence!" Son of a bitch, he'd unknowingly played around Havnis.
"Chain Sulliek to Construct, perma-negate and send Kitkalos. Kitkalos effect, mill five. Schieren effect in grave, fusion summon Kaleidoheart."
The most annoying part of all of this was that I needed to keep a monster on their board for Purgatrio to walk over. As the Obelisk Force grunt ended his turn, I decided to look for a nice rock to sit down on and get comfortable. I'd be here for quite a while, it seemed.
"…Fusion Summon! Level eight! Predaplant Dragostapellia!" Yuri concluded, having performed his fourth fusion summon and sixth summon of the turn. Yuri's hand now contained only a two cards, and while Gongenzaka didn't know what either of them might be, he was confident that now was the time.
"Your own greed has lost you this duel," he said. "When you used your Starving Venom Predapower Fusion Dragon to force your Branded Fusion past my Ash Blossom and Joyous Spring, that was the moment you lost."
"What are you talking about?" Yuri laughed. "Look at this field! Guardian Chimera! Dragostapellia! Preapower Fusion Dragon! Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon! You only have two useless Xyz monsters on your field!"
"I activate the effect of Nibiru the Primal Being in my hand!" Gongenzaka declared. "Since you have summoned five or more times this turn, it tributes all monsters on the field to Special Summon itself from my hand, and gives you a token whose attack and defense points equal the total attack and defense points of all monsters tributed!"
"No!" Yuri yelled. "No, no, no, no! My garden! This can't be happening!"
Gongenzaka grinned. "You overcommitted. That is why you lost against this man Gongenzaka's Immovable Dueling style!"
"You still haven't won yet," Yuri pointed out. "After all, my token has over ten thousand attack points! You only have one card in hand. I set one card and end my turn."
"Draw," Gongenzaka said. "Infinitrack Tunneler's graveyard effect. By shuffling back five machine monsters from my graveyard into my deck, I draw two cards! With the Pendulum Scales already set, this man Gongenzaka can Pendulum Summon monsters with levels between two and seven simultaneously. Pendulum Summon! Superheavy Samurai Wagon! Superheavy Samurai Soulpiercer! And returning from the Extra Deck, Superheavy Samurai Prodigy Wakaushi!"
In an instant, a trio of mechanical samurai and weapons appeared on Gongenzaka's field.
"Superheavy Samurai Wagon's effect changes it to defense position when it is Summoned. By changing it back to attack position, I can add one Superheavy Samurai Soul card from my deck to my hand. I add Superheavy Samurai Soulgaia Booster. Superheavy Samurai Prodigy Wakaushi tunes Superheavy Samurai Soulpiercer and Superheavy Samurai Wagon! Steadfast oni god, clench your fists in resolution, and now become the fiend of iron and run across the battlefield! Synchro Summon! Now, depart for the front! Appear! Level 12! Synchro Summon! Level Twelve! Superheavy Samurai Steam Train King!"
The strange train with an oni mask whistled, letting loose a discordant note that made Yuri cover his ears.
"Superheavy Samurai Soulpiercer triggers in my graveyard and adds Superheavy Samurai Wagon to my hand! Now, this man Gongenzaka will finish this duel! By banishing all spell and trap cards from each graveyards, Superheavy Samurai Steam Train King inflicts 200 damage to you for each!"
[Yuri: 1200 - 0]
[Gongenzaka: WIN]
"Impossible!" Yuri yelled, falling to his knees. "I was promised that this deck was invincible! That I would have no difficulty at all! You betrayed me! RUBERUM!"
Yuri screamed at the sky, and as he did so, his eyes began to glow a bright white. With an eerie calm, he stood up and started walking in a seemingly random direction.
Author's Note: Thus concludes part 1 of the Battle Royale arc! The Yuri vs Gongenzaka duel was miserable to write out, because both players are running lengthy combo decks. I decided to cut the parts where they just combo off and nothing really interesting happens. Special thanks to Kisaraizthebestwaifu for helping with the duel scripting in this chapter!
In other news, Cyberstorm Access releases worldwide today! This set contains support for the Puerrly and Superheavy Samurai archetypes, and elevated them both to meta-defining status in the OCG. In the TCG? We'll have to see, as I don't think a pendulum archetype isn't going to do much without its pendulum zones. (Please Konami, ban Diabolosis, thank you. Zone-locking is stupid.) They're still extremely strong; scaling Wakaushi is the new "Normal Summon Neo-Space Connector" in terms of just how much the archetype can do. Despite how hype the set is, remember to always buy singles, folks. Don't waste your money on gambling.
Since I feel bad for how much this chapter was delayed by schoolwork and such, here's a bonus omake.
Omake
Beyond the Pendulum
"Have you seen it, Yuya?" Reiji asked. "Have you found yet what lies beyond Pendulum?"
"I can see it, Reiji Akaba!" Yuya proclaimed. "Even though you've stopped my combo at every turn… I can still go further! The conditions are met! Two monsters, including a Pendulum Monster! I place the monsters in the link arrows! Link Summon! Link-2! Beyond the Pendulum!"
"I didn't mean it that literally…" Reiji muttered, his head in his hands.
Yuzu blinked. "Did Yuya just invent another summoning method?"
And then they had nothing but FTKs, handloops, and Extra Link Turbo for the next two years.