Chapter 351: Can You Even Create Cards and Instantly Defeat Me?
Just like at the start of this Duel, the Vortex of Fusion swallowed Kaiba's three Blue-Eyes White Dragons.
Within a single Turn, Kaiba recycled the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons from his Graveyard back into his Deck, then added them all to his Hand at once, once again gathering the fusion material needed for Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
At the same time, Hayato also knew that it was unlikely Joey Wheeler would be able to use De-Fusion again to break through this top-tier fusion monster.
Although Kaiba, when arrogant, was basically a reckless brute who ignored the enemy's Set Cards and always advocated an F2A Strategy, now that he was completely serious, he probably wouldn't let Joey Wheeler use De-Fusion again.
The figures of the three white dragons appeared within the Vortex. Looking at Joey Wheeler, who had forced it to leave the Field in frustration earlier, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's three heads opened their massive jaws, eager to eliminate Joey Wheeler, who was nothing more than a small insect in its eyes. However, limited by Kaiba having already passed the Battle Phase, and by Steel Magician Knight - Gearfried faithfully blocking in front of Joey Wheeler, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon could only roar a few times as a threat and glare a few times to intimidate Joey Wheeler for now.
"Mediocrity, engrave the shining figure of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon into your mind, and after your defeat, never forget the despair and terror I bring you," Kaiba's mouth curved into a cold sneer. "Compared to your filthy, weak black dragon, Blue-Eyes is the strongest Dragon-Type!"
"Set three cards from my Hand. My Turn ends." Placing three cards from his Hand into the Spell & Trap Zone, Kaiba, with his Hand empty, raised a finger at Joey Wheeler. "In the next Turn, you will face an undeniable defeat!"
[Kaiba: 3000 LP, Hand 0]
[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] [ATK 4500]
[Set Card] X3
The invincible Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon stood tall on the Field for Kaiba. Joey Wheeler nervously swallowed, glancing at the Steel Magician Knight - Gearfried on the Field, and subconsciously asked, "Hey, do you have a way to deal with this monster?"
In the Virtual World constructed by Noah, due to the Deck Master Rules, Joey Wheeler had inadvertently developed the habit of asking his monster questions when he wasn't sure what was happening, including but not limited to card effects, Deck Master abilities, etc.
And Steel Magician Knight - Gearfried had indeed shown independent thinking ability just now. Hearing Joey Wheeler's question, Gearfried spread his hands helplessly. "Come on, I'm just a weak chicken. It was already amazing that I could handle that Cipher Soldier just now."
"If you asked me to handle a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, maybe, but attack a top-tier monster like Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon? I can't do it, Boss!"
"This is a professional judgment made by me, a professional commentator—bah, a battle-hardened elite warrior. If I can't do it, I can't do it. Even if you killed me, I couldn't do it!"
"Don't get so worked up." Waving his hand to signal Gearfried to calm down, Joey Wheeler glanced at Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and subconsciously shifted his gaze away. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, returning on the Field for the second time, was just like its master, completely serious due to the previous encounter. Its six eyes were as wide as searchlights, and its gaze was so piercing it seemed to shoot out lightning.
Taking a deep breath, Joey Wheeler placed his finger on his Deck, calmed himself, and tried to remain composed as he drew his card. "My Turn, Draw!"
The card he drew was Graceful Charity.
"I Activate Spell Card Graceful Charity! I draw three cards from my Deck, then choose two cards from my Hand to Discard." Looking at the cards he drew, Joey Wheeler's eyes lit up. He Discarded two cards from his Hand, one of which was Magical Knight Gearfried, which he had added to Hand last Turn.
The sharp-eyed Kaiba also clearly saw the other monster he sent to Graveyard; it was Summoned Skull, which Joey Wheeler had exchanged with Yugi Mutou.
"Hmph, are you trying to summon that Fiend Dragon - Black Skull Dragon? Although I believe the power of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will absolutely not lose to that kind of monster, I hate boring struggles, especially from a lackey like you who can't recognize himself."
Saying coldly, as Joey Wheeler sent Summoned Skull to the Graveyard, Kaiba flipped his Set Card in the Backrow. "Activate Trap Card The Lost!"
"From your Graveyard, I will choose one monster and banish it from the game!"
In front of Kaiba, the phantom image of the monsters in Joey Wheeler's Graveyard appeared one by one. His gaze swept over monsters like Warrior Lady of the Wasteland and Rogue Mercenary Force without stopping. Kaiba glanced at Red-Eyes Black Dragon, then sneered, pointing a finger at Summoned Skull—next to Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
"If you were to revive this monster and then chatter about 'Bond' or something noisy, I would find it very annoying. I'll just banish this card, which Yugi Mutou exchanged with you, from this Duel."
"As for Red-Eyes Black Dragon? Hmph, a mere 2400 attack points is completely insignificant."
"Can you even create cards and instantly defeat my invincible Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon?"
On Joey Wheeler's Field, a large pit appeared with the activation of Kaiba's The Lost. Summoned Skull, which he had just sent to Graveyard, went off course and didn't enter the Graveyard at all. It was caught by the suction force emanating from the large pit and was banished from the game while struggling.
Looking at the banished Summoned Skull, and the Dragon's Mirror in his Hand, Joey Wheeler was dumbfounded. He had indeed been thinking of using Dragon's Mirror to summon Fiend Dragon - Black Skull Dragon.
But now, he only had one Dragon's Mirror in his Hand and one Onimetsu no Ma Ken - Burning Soul, which he planned to equip to Fiend Dragon - Black Skull Dragon to increase its attack. What should he do?
Just as Joey Wheeler was lost in confusion and planned to change Steel Magician Knight - Gearfried to Defense Position to minimize the damage he would take later, he suddenly remembered something.
In the previous elimination round to advance to the Top 4, after his Duel with Mai Valentine, regarding how he had seemingly out of nowhere evolved the original Black Skull Dragon into Fiend Dragon - Black Skull Dragon, Hayato seemed to have unintentionally said something back then.
It was something like...
"White Dragon brings victory, while Black Dragon can bring possibility." At that time, Hayato's expression was a bit subtle. "Compared to Blue-Eyes, Red-Eyes is more likely to produce some powerful boss monsters, although those boss monsters usually appear in other Decks."
Although he didn't quite understand what duel monsters like "Dark Steel Dragon Big Brother" or "Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon" were that Hayato mentioned back then, he thought—
"Red-Eyes Black Dragon, is it a monster that symbolizes possibility?"
Looking at the Dragon's Mirror in his Hand, Joey Wheeler gritted his teeth and resolutely slammed it onto his Duel Disk. "Although I don't know if this will work, I'm counting on you, Red-Eyes!"
"If you truly are the black dragon that brings possibility, as Hayato said, please answer me!"
"Activate Spell Card Dragon's Mirror! From my Graveyard, I banish Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Magical Knight Gearfried from the game and Fusion Summon a brand new monster!"
As Joey Wheeler activated Dragon's Mirror, from his Graveyard, Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Steel Magician Knight - Gearfried were actually sucked into the Dragon's Mirror that rose in Joey Wheeler's Backrow and were banished from the game!
A dark figure flashed across the tall mirror surface. Its scarlet eyes seemed to emit red light, drawing a red line.
"Souls of LIGHT Attribute and DARK Attribute intertwine! Clad yourself in blades, cut down and tear apart the LIGHT Attribute!"
At Joey Wheeler's call, Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon, now clad in armor and sharp blades, looking completely different from before, broke through the mirror's limitations and appeared. Facing the tall and sturdy Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, this brand new Red-Eyes monster roared back without showing weakness!
"Roar!"
[Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon] [7☆/DARK]
[Dragon-Type/fusion/effect]
[2800/2400]
"He can even summon a new monster?" Kaiba looked at the Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon that Joey Wheeler summoned with some surprise. After Steel Magician Knight - Gearfried, Joey Wheeler had actually pulled out another duel monster he had never seen before.
But looking at Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon's attack, Kaiba still didn't take it seriously.
"Even if you create cards, there's a limit. Do you think you can challenge my invincible Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with a monster of this level? Even if there are more lackeys, it's completely meaningless!"
"Hmph, Kaiba, since you look down on my monsters so much, then let me show you the power they have when they work together!" Joey Wheeler activated the last card in his Hand. "Equip Spell Card Onimetsu no Ma Ken - Burning Soul! Equip it to Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon!"
Looking at Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon on the Field for Joey Wheeler, and the Onimetsu no Ma Ken - Burning Soul equipped to the armor on Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon, Steel Magician Knight - Gearfried complained, "The name of this Equip Card is a bit too unpleasant, isn't it? Who would dare to be comrades with the guy using this card?"
While saying this, Gearfried turned his head to look at Joey Wheeler, only to find that Joey Wheeler had turned his head away, seemingly avoiding Gearfried's gaze.
Steel Magician Knight, clad in sturdy armor forged from magic steel, suddenly felt a sense of crisis and subconsciously shivered, confirming with Joey Wheeler, "Hey Boss, that Equip Spell Card, the name is just for show, right?"
"Uh, what was that saying again?" Joey Wheeler stammered, trying to placate Steel Magician Knight - Gearfried. "Ahem, it's all for the greater good, this is a necessary sacrifice, Gearfried!"
Under Steel Magician Knight's disbelieving eyes, Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon stabbed him through the chest from behind with a sword. All of his magic power was sucked into the magic sword of Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon.
Just before being sent to Graveyard, Steel Magician Knight didn't resent Joey Wheeler for selling him out, but instead glared fiercely towards the audience seats.
"That look just now, it felt like that monster had a lot of resentment," Mai Valentine sighed, saying this while looking at Hayato.
Tristan also couldn't help but sigh. "Joey Wheeler would actually do something like that."
He also looked at Hayato.
Even Yugi Mutou, although he didn't say anything, also glanced at Hayato.
Hayato was made a little strange by their gazes. "Hey, wasn't it Joey Wheeler who tributed Steel Magician Knight? Why are you all looking at me!"
"Aniki, don't you have any idea about this in your heart?! It's because you usually—" Ojama Yellow's voice came from Hayato's Deck, but just as it poked its head out, it was pushed back into the Deck by Rainbow Kuriboh.
"The effect of Onimetsu no Ma Ken - Burning Soul can be used once per Turn. By tributing one monster on the Field besides the equipped monster, the equipped monster's attack is increased by the tributed monster's original attack until the End of the Turn."
This was Joey Wheeler's first time selling out his own monster, mimicking Hayato's usual dueling habits. Feeling a certain amount of apology towards Steel Magician Knight, Joey Wheeler didn't know that his action had just been deemed by Yugi Mutou and the others as him being led astray by Hayato. He was currently explaining the effect of Onimetsu no Ma Ken - Burning Soul to Kaiba.
Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon's attack soared after it absorbed Steel Magician Knight's power, and its size also increased significantly compared to before.
[Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon] [ATK 2800 → 5500]
"Enter Battle Phase! I will use Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon to attack your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the Field! Take this attack, Kaiba!"
Joey Wheeler said something harsh, then continued, "And because of Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon's own effect, when a Red-Eyes monster declares an attack, I can equip one Warrior-Type monster from my Graveyard to Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon as an equip card that increases its attack by 200 points!"
And the monster chosen by Joey Wheeler as the equip card was none other than Steel Magician Knight - Gearfried.
"Even after death, I can't rest in peace. You're something else, Boss," the phantom image of Steel Magician Knight appeared beside Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon. "This kind of exploitation should get you hung from a lamppost!"
"But, who told you you're the Boss?"
As Steel Magician Knight chanted a chant, the power on Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon's body expanded even further!
[Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon] [ATK 5500 → 5700]
"Go, Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon! Attack Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Raising Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon's ATK to its current maximum, Joey Wheeler pointed his finger towards Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in the distance. "Black Flame Sword Slash!"
Black flames began to burn on Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon's armor. The black dragon, like a killing machine, let out a low roar and swooped down from the air towards Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!
Watching Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon's attack approach, Kaiba's expression remained calm. "Is this the extent of your so-called 'combined strength'? How regrettable. I activate my Set Card, Sakuretsu Armor!"
"When an opponent's monster declares an attack, you can activate this card by targeting that attack monster. Destroy that attack monster!" A cold sneer played on Kaiba's lips. "While your struggle for the dawn of victory is interesting, I'd much rather see your dishevelled state when your hope is dashed!"
As Kaiba activated his Set Card, just as Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon was about to make contact with Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, the armor on its body suddenly exploded, enveloping it in a cloud of smoke and dust.
Seeing that his activated Sakuretsu Armor was not negated, Kaiba let out a cold snort, dismissing the curse of Sakuretsu Armor that Hayato had mentioned to him before. Just as he was about to say something to mock Joey Wheeler, Kaiba was unexpectedly surprised. A wail came from within the smoke and dust, and it didn't sound like Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon?
"Oh, the mis~ery~"
This was clearly the voice of Infernoble Knight - Astolfo, which had been equipped to Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon earlier!
Accompanied by Infernoble Knight - Astolfo's dramatic wail, a Magic Sword burning with pitch-black flames was thrust out from the exploding smoke and dust by Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon. It pierced directly into Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's chest, giving it no opportunity to react!
"Ugh roar!!"
Not everyone can play "family tradition" like that group of white-haired guys from the Sparta family. Being stabbed through the chest by Infernoble Arms - Durendal was an absolute fatal wound for Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. All three heads let out a collective wail, and it was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.
"Blue-Eyes!"
[Kaiba: 3000→2000LP]
Watching Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon be destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, Kaiba looked quite angry, glaring fiercely at Joey Wheeler. "You bastard, what did you just do?!"
Joey Wheeler looked down for a long time before raising his head in sudden realization and saying, "When a card effect that targets a card on my field is activated, Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon can send one Equip Card on my field to the Graveyard to activate its effect, negating and destroying that activation."
"Although it looks like a ruthless killing expression, the power that Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon possesses is a power called 'Protection'!"
Just now, when Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon became the effect target of the Sakuretsu Armor Kaiba used, even though Joey Wheeler, its master, hadn't yet figured out Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon's effect, Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon proactively activated its own ability, using Infernoble Knight - Astolfo, which was just equipped to it, as a cost to negate the effect of Sakuretsu Armor.
At the cost of a mere two hundred ATK points, Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon took down Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, which had appeared twice and taken up a lot of screen time from other monsters.
This time, Joey Wheeler didn't use a trick like De-Fusion to get rid of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon like last time. Instead, he destroyed it by battle with higher ATK.
Against Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, which only had high ATK but no resistance whatsoever, the most efficient way in theory should be to use direct destruction effects like Tribute to the Doomed. However, the stubborn Joey Wheeler was fixated on clashing head-on with Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in terms of ATK, and he actually succeeded.
"I end my turn."
[Joey Wheeler: 3550LP, Hand 0]
[Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon][ATK5500→2800]
Kaiba's invincible Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon fell once again, which made him wonder if "invincible" was actually a debuff?
Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was sent to the Graveyard again, but this time, although Kaiba's face was still stern, he wasn't as furious as last time. Instead, he took a deep look at the excited Joey Wheeler.
"Power of the card's heart?"
Creating cards out of thin air that had no data records before, Kaiba had only seen this in Yugi and Hayato before Joey Wheeler. Joey Wheeler was the third Duelist to demonstrate this power in front of him, but also the only Duelist he didn't acknowledge yet possessed this ability.
Hayato's explanation to Kaiba was that "Card creation is an important part of Duel Monsters, and you have to try it." Yugi's explanation to him was that it was the power that came from believing in cards and having heart resonance with them.
"Hey, Joey Wheeler, answer me." Kaiba calmly questioned Joey Wheeler. "What do your cards mean to you?"
Joey Wheeler was clearly baffled by Kaiba's sudden question. "You bastard, why are you asking me this all of a sudden? Blue-Eyes was destroyed, why do you have that expression? Are you really Kaiba?"
In Joey Wheeler's imagination, after he destroyed Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and sent it to the Graveyard for the second time, Kaiba's face would surely be filled with frustration and uncontrollable rage, and he would definitely spray him with insults, belittling him endlessly.
Joey Wheeler had even mentally prepared his counter-argument, but he didn't expect Kaiba to calmly throw out such a nonsensical question.
"What do my cards mean to me?" He glanced at his deck. The images of cards like Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Summoned Skull, Time Wizard, and Legendary Fisherman flashed through his mind one by one.
"For this question, there's only one answer." Joey Wheeler looked up at Kaiba. Although he didn't know why Kaiba suddenly asked him such a question, Joey Wheeler didn't think too much and gave his answer.
"Battles with opponents, bonds with friends, and my growth. My cards are the proof of all of this. As long as I have faith in my deck, I believe my deck will definitely respond to me!"
"That's my answer!" Joey Wheeler said loudly. "Start your turn, Kaiba. I told you, I'll show you how strong I am! Or are you scared stiff by my Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon?"
"Hmph, don't think you can command me just because you have the advantage for a moment, mediocrity!"
Kaiba's face showed an annoyed expression again as he looked down at his deck.
'The heart of cards, huh? If it were the old me, I might scoff at it. But compared to the past, I have grown.'
'The Power of cards and the heart of cards. Only by possessing both powers can one move towards the future in the world of Duel Monsters. Then I must also master this power.'
'Even leaving aside Hayato and Yugi, if Joey Wheeler can do it, there's no reason I can't!'
"My turn, draw!"
He fiercely drew the card from the top of the deck and activated it. "Spell Card, Pot of Greed! I draw two cards from my deck!"
"Then I activate the Spell Card, Soul Release! I choose a total of five cards from both players' Graveyards to banish!"
After placing the card in his Duel Disk's Spell & Trap Zone, Kaiba grabbed the five cards that popped out of his Graveyard and dramatically threw them up. "I choose to banish all five monsters in my Graveyard!"
Hayato couldn't help but suspect that Kaiba was copying his own "I'll just throw my deck away" operation, which he had done more than once before.
Oh, I copied Kaiser, so it's fine.
Following Kaiba's "You look dishevelled when picking up cards, but you look really cool when throwing them away" operation, the five monsters in Kaiba's Graveyard, including Kaiser Glider, three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, all manifested as soul phantom images.
This card didn't exist in Kaiba's deck building until recently. It was only after leaving the Virtual World that Kaiba decided to add this card to his deck. For this, he removed Cyclops, which had accompanied him for a long time, from his deck.
The reason for adding this card was the duel between Hayato and Gozaburo in the Virtual World. Although it wasn't Kaiba dueling Gozaburo, when Kaiba put himself in Hayato's perspective, he realized that his deck had no way to defeat Exodia Necross.
After analysis, Kaiba found the most suitable method to break through—using Soul Release before Gozaburo Kaiba activated Necrovalley.
And not only Exodia Necross, Kaiba also found that Soul Release could effectively counter Yugi's Electromagnetic Turtle and Hayato's Rainbow Kuriboh and The Winged Dragon of Ra.
However, he himself didn't expect that the monsters banished when Soul Release was used for the first time would all be his own.
Seeing that Kaiba actually banished five monsters from his Graveyard, including Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Joey Wheeler didn't quite understand what Kaiba was going to do, but his sharp intuition told him that something was coming.
"I pay half of my Life Points to activate this card, Trap Card Return from the Different Dimension!"
Kaiba didn't let Joey Wheeler guess for too long. After his monsters were banished, he immediately flipped his Set Card in the backrow. "This card's effect is to summon as many of my banished monsters as possible to the field!"
[Kaiba: 2000→1000LP]
The wormhole for the banished monsters hadn't closed yet when a pair of pure white dragon claws reached out from within, pushing against the sides, and then forcefully tearing it open!
The three-headed Ultimate Dragon poked its head out from the Different Dimension Hole. Three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and the filler Kaiser Glider returned to the field from the Banished Zone, led by Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!
[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon][ATK4500]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon][ATK3000]
[Kaiser Glider][ATK1500]
Due to their size, the four giant dragons all stood behind Kaiba, with only Kaiser Glider standing in front of Kaiba, facing Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon directly.
Looking at the ferocious Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon in front of it, and then turning back to look at the four white dragons behind it, Kaiser Glider had a look of arrogance. It spoke confidently, borrowing the might of others, "A mere Black Dragon! The combined ATK of me and Blue-Eyes White Dragon is completely enough to blast☆destroy you! Advantage is mine!"
On Kaiba's field, all five monsters, except for Kaiser Glider, had the power to break through Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon. Their combined ATK was more than enough to deplete Joey Wheeler's Life Points.
Just when everyone thought Kaiba would use Blue-Eyes for a total attack to defeat Joey Wheeler, Ishizu, Yugi, and Hayato—those who had long-term contact with the Three Egyptian God Cards, or held/once held them—all felt the power emanating from Kaiba's last hand card.
"That feeling..."
Hayato nodded, confirming Yugi's guess. "Yes, it's definitely Obelisk the Tormentor."
Ishizu looked at the monsters on the field for Kaiba and said, "Although President Kaiba drew the God Card he possesses, looking at the monsters on the field, there's no need to summon the God."
"That's not it, Ishizu." However, Ishizu didn't expect Yugi to clearly disagree with her idea, but he didn't offer any explanation either.
Hayato, on the other hand, looked at Kaiba's gaze towards Joey Wheeler and smiled. "As expected of Duel Monsters, you have to go full power to show respect to an opponent you acknowledge."
"The gaze Kaiba is giving Joey Wheeler is exactly the same as the gaze he gives me and Yugi."
On the field, Kaiba looked at the nervous Joey Wheeler and smiled. Although it was the same cold sneer as at the start of the duel, the feeling it gave off was completely different.
"Watch closely, mediocrity. As a counter to your full power, I will also use my full power to crush you!" Although his feelings towards Joey Wheeler had changed, Kaiba was always sharp-tongued. "Engrave the heroic figure of this monster in your mind, and challenge me with it for the rest of your life!"
"I tribute my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons on the field! Come with the LIGHT attribute to destroy the DARK attribute! Sweep the earth with a scorching wind! Turn all things on the ground into skeletons!"
"Descend, Obelisk the Tormentor!"
[Obelisk the Tormentor][ATK4000]
The blue Giant God appeared. Looking at this monster that gave off an overwhelming sense of despair, Joey Wheeler didn't feel the slightest fear. Instead, he looked at Kaiba.
In a situation of great advantage, tributing all of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons, even the slow-witted Joey Wheeler could feel that Kaiba's attitude towards him seemed to have changed.
He couldn't articulate it specifically, but for the first time, Kaiba's gaze lacked contempt and disdain; it was serious.
Of course, the fact that Kaiba called him "mediocrity" was still very annoying.
"Obelisk the Tormentor is the God among the Three Egyptian God Cards that symbolizes LIGHT attribute and DARK attribute and controls the power of the earth. It is most fitting for it to be the last monster you will face."
Joey Wheeler looked at Kaiba's expression, sighed, and then smiled again. "Is that so? Being defeated by a God, how honored I am. I still couldn't defeat you, that's really annoying."
"Hmph, I am Seto Kaiba. A mere mediocrity, you're still twenty thousand years too early to defeat me!" Kaiba's lips curled slightly. He raised his hand above his head. "Activate Obelisk the Tormentor's Special Effect!"
"I tribute Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Kaiser Glider from my field! Until the end of the turn, Obelisk the Tormentor's ATK becomes infinity!"
"This is the final blow, Joey Wheeler! Soul Energy MAX!"
[Obelisk the Tormentor] stretched out its hands. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Kaiser Glider were held in its hands. The two monsters, which originally had a large size difference, no longer had any difference in front of Obelisk the Tormentor, because neither of them was as big as the Giant God.
The two monsters dissipated into particles, their energy completely absorbed into the gem on Obelisk the Tormentor's forehead. A massive energy began to gather in the Giant God's right fist.
[Obelisk the Tormentor][ATK4000→∞]
Watching Obelisk the Tormentor raise its fist, Joey Wheeler looked at the audience seats, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces one by one, and then looked back at his Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon on the field.
"Sorry, Yugi, Hayato, Tristan, Otogi, Serenity, Mai. I disappointed you. And Red-Eyes, it looks like my Duel City journey is really going to end here. I'm really a failure..."
"However, just sitting here and waiting to be defeated isn't my style."
Suddenly raising his head to look at Obelisk the Tormentor, whose fist was already poised, Joey Wheeler gave Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon his final command in this duel. "Let's go too, Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon!"
"Come on, Kaiba!"
Facing the attack of the God of Destruction's infinite power, the unyielding black dragon flapped its wings and soared high. It firmly gripped the Magic Sword and slashed forward. The moment the two collided, an impact wave swept across the entire field!
[Joey Wheeler: 3550LP→0]
Amidst the howling storm, although the carefree Iso kept trying to convince himself that "this is just a virtual projection," seeing that Joey Wheeler's Life Points had been reduced to zero, he wanted to declare the outcome of the duel, but the violent airflow unreasonably rushed into his open mouth, preventing him from announcing the result of the match.
Kaiba faced the impact of the storm head-on, standing straight with his arms crossed over his chest, and slowly closed his eyes. "Hmph, the expected ending. The victor is me, Seto Kaiba. That has never changed."
"Joey Wheeler, you lose!"
The storm gradually subsided. Joey Wheeler, who had been hit by the infinite attack power, staggered and knelt on one knee, gasping for air. His Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon on the field was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by the Giant God's infinite power the moment it was targeted for attack, and disappeared.
"Ah, I lost, quite thoroughly."
Raising his head, Joey Wheeler's gaze met Kaiba's. "But don't think I'll be discouraged by this, Kaiba. One day, I will defeat you."
Obelisk the Tormentor's figure slowly disappeared from the field as the duel ended. Kaiba looked at the exhausted Joey Wheeler and let out a cold sneer. "Go ahead and try, mediocrity. But you will never be able to defeat me, the strongest Duelist. You, a second-rate duelist using a third-rate deck."
"Take that back, Kaiba! My deck is strong!"
"Shut up, you mediocrity who is useless except for your willpower!"
"Who are you calling useless?!"
Amidst Joey Wheeler's sudden spirited protest, Iso lowered his hand from the edge of his sunglasses and announced, "Winner decided!"
"The second match of the Duel City Semifinals, the victor is—Player Seto Kaiba!"
"Both participants for the Finals have advanced. In one hour, the Duel City Finals will begin, with Player Hayato facing Player Seto Kaiba to compete for the supreme title of 'King of Games'!"
Joey Wheeler and Kaiba returned to the audience seats.
"Joey Wheeler!"
"Older Brother!"
Seeing everyone's worried gaze, Joey Wheeler was completely at ease and not discouraged by his defeat. He said with a smile, "Ahaha, I lost."
"I thought you might cry because you lost to Kaiba," Tristan said, putting his arm around Joey Wheeler's neck when he saw his silly grin. "Why are you smiling so heartlessly, you idiot!"
"Huh? Do you think I'm an idiot like you who cried all day because you failed to confess to Little Ribbon?"
"People who bring up old scores will be swallowed by a thousand needles!" Tristan frantically covered Joey Wheeler's mouth, and nervously glanced at Serenity's expression from the corner of his eye. Seeing that she didn't look unhappy, he breathed a sigh of relief.
While joking with Tristan, Joey Wheeler noticed Kaiba walking towards them with an arrogant look after taking a briefcase from Iso. "As noisy as ever, mediocrity."
"Smiling so happily, you haven't forgotten the rules of Duel City, have you? As the victor, I have the qualification to take one card from your deck."
"Uh—" Joey Wheeler's face couldn't help but show an awkward expression, because he really had forgotten that such a rule existed.
With a tearful face, Joey Wheeler took his deck out of his Duel Disk and spread it open. "I didn't forget, go ahead and pick."
He said this, but Joey Wheeler looked at the cards in his deck, full of reluctance. As Joey Wheeler had said before, the cards in his deck were proof of his bonds with others.
After looking at Joey Wheeler's deck, Kaiba gave a dramatic "Tsk" and ignored Joey Wheeler's reluctance. He reached for Red-Eyes Black Dragon and then opened the box in his hand, about to put the card in.
But after opening the box, Kaiba frowned and shouted back, "Hey, Iso, why do I have five Red-Eyes Black Dragons!"
"Tch, my collection only needs three of the same card. Who told you to put the extra cards in!"
"Huh? President, didn't you just say—"
"Shut up!" Kaiba impatiently shouted at Iso, who was about to reveal the truth. He glanced contemptuously at Joey Wheeler's other cards. "A third-rate deck in name and in practice. Putting them in my deck is an insult to my collection."
"Mediocrity, take Red-Eyes Black Dragon back. Consider yourself lucky!" Feigning an angry look, Kaiba stuffed the card back into Joey Wheeler's deck, closed the box, and walked away on his own.
Kaiba's acting was too exaggerated, even Mokuba understood what Kaiba was doing and covered his face helplessly.
Only Joey Wheeler actually believed Kaiba's argument. "Huh? You said that, you said you didn't want Red-Eyes!"
Happily putting his deck away, Joey Wheeler then noticed that besides the original Red-Eyes Black Dragon, there were two more Red-Eyes Black Dragons stuffed into his deck.
"Seto is such a tsundere," Hayato commented.
## Chapter 353: Binding Play
An hour passed quickly.
In the Lounge, Hayato stretched and stood up from his seat. He picked up his modified Deck and pushed open the door.
On the Duel Field, Kaiba was already ready.
"You're too slow, Kobayashi Hayato!" With a straight face, Kaiba's head was slightly raised. "As punishment for making me wait, are you ready to be crushed by me?"
"You were the one who came out too early, alright? Don't make it sound like I was late." Hayato waved his hand, took out his Deck, and looked at the sun nearing its zenith.
It was exactly 11:00 AM, the scheduled time for the Finals to begin. Although it was still some distance from noon, the gaze exchanged between Hayato and Kaiba on the Duel Field was exactly like that of cowboys dueling at high noon in the Wild West.
With the assistance of Isono and other Staff Members, both players exchanged their Decks for Shuffle, just like cowboys turning their backs to each other, ready to draw their guns.
In the Audience Seats, Joey nudged Yugi with his elbow and asked, "Hey Yugi, who do you think has a better chance of winning? I think Hayato is really strong, but Kaiba's Obelisk the Tormentor just now was really something."
As he spoke, he subconsciously clutched his chest.
In the previous Duel, although Obelisk the Tormentor's punch didn't unleash its full destructive power because Kaiba had no intention of killing, Joey still suffered some injury due to its infinite ATK.
But Joey didn't notice the strange look Ishizu gave him when he said Obelisk the Tormentor's Attack was "really something."
Among the Three Egyptian God Cards, Slifer the Sky Dragon, which has the strongest Suppression Power, symbolizes divine majesty. The Winged Dragon of Ra, claimed to be the strongest, symbolizes divine authority. And Obelisk the Tormentor symbolizes divine Power.
In terms of utility, Obelisk the Tormentor cannot compare to the other two Egyptian God Cards, but in terms of destructive power, it is undeniably the strongest.
Even if Kaiba had no intention of killing, Obelisk the Tormentor's ATK soaring to Infinity after unleashing "Soul Energy MAX" was enough to make a Duelist with an extremely strong Will directly lose Consciousness due to the pressure and Impact on their Soul. Yet Joey only felt his stamina was greatly depleted when he was attacked, and afterwards only felt a slight pain in his chest?
Ishizu believed what Hayato had mentioned to her during a casual chat before: "You can't lump everyone's physical condition together."
Yugi looked at the high-spirited Kaiba, then at Hayato, who was very confident in himself, and said uncertainly, "It's hard to say. To be honest, before your Duel with Kaiba, Joey, I thought Hayato's Strength would be greater, but in the current Kaiba, I've seen something special."
"Something special?"
"I can't really say specifically. If I had to summarize, it's probably that Kaiba seems to have learned something from his Duel with you. Beside Kaiba, who was originally walking alone on the dark path towards the Future, something seems to have been added."
Yugi's riddler-like behavior earned a playful headlock from Joey. Meanwhile, at the Judge's Stand, Isono nodded as he watched Hayato and Kaiba place their Decks into their Duel Disks, then raised his hands and announced, "The upcoming Duel is the Duel City Finals, between Player Kobayashi Hayato and Player Seto Kaiba."
"I declare, the Match begins!"
"Duel!" X2
[Hayato: 4000LP]
[Kaiba: 4000LP]
"The First Turn is mine, Draw Card!" Kaiba seized the right to go first and was the first to Draw Cards.
Looking at his Hand, a confident expression appeared on Kaiba's face. "I am determined to get the King of Games Title. To win the final Victory, I will defeat all Enemies standing in my way. Even you, Hayato."
"I can't just pretend I didn't hear that, Seto." Hayato glanced at his Hand, raised an eyebrow, and met Kaiba's gaze. "If Dueling isn't about defeating all opponents, then wouldn't it be meaningless? To be clear, to be worthy of this Duel, I specifically used a pure Dragon-Type Deck this time."
"Modified your Deck again to defeat me? It's useless. No matter how you modify your Deck, you have no hope of defeating me. If you want to know why, it's because Blue-Eyes White Dragon is the strongest Dragon-Type!" While saying that, Kaiba activated a Card from his Hand. "Let's start this Duel with this Combo!"
"Spell Card, Trade-In! I can activate this by discarding a Level 8 monster from my Hand." Kaiba showed the Card he was discarding; it was actually his Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Draw two Cards from my Deck."
"Then, I activate the Spell Card, Return of the Dragon Lords! I Special Summon a Level 7 or 8 Dragon-Type monster from my Graveyard."
Unlike the Duel with Joey, even though the Duel had just begun, Kaiba seemed to have become completely serious. He spread his palm and raised it above his head, as if to grasp the entire blue sky in his hand. "Oh, strongest Dragon, come to my side!"
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!"
The phantom of the legendary White Dragon appeared from the ground in front of Kaiba, quickly transforming from illusion to reality, soaring into the sky and letting out a clear Dragon roar:
"Roar!!"
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [ATK3000]
Looking at the pure white Giant Dragon appearing, Hayato smiled. "As expected of you, Kaiba, always starting with high-Level monsters."
"However, because you Special Summoned a monster, I discard a card from my Hand and activate this card's effect!" In response to Kaiba Special Summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Hayato also played a Card in response. Discarding a Card from his Hand and sending it to the Graveyard, Hayato showed the Card he was activating. "Chaos Hunter's effect can be activated when your opponent successfully Special Summons a monster, by discarding a Card from your Hand."
"Special Summon it from my Hand."
On Hayato's Field, a white-haired witch wearing dark red Armor appeared, holding a whip. Seeing the appearance of this monster, Kaiba was also slightly taken aback, then, uncharacteristically, retorted to Hayato, "Didn't you just say you were using a pure Dragon-Type Deck? What's with this monster?"
[Chaos Hunter] [7☆/DARK]
[Fiend Type/Effect]
[2500/1600]
"Well, Dragon-Types aren't so inflexible, you know?" Hayato just smiled.
Kaiba snorted coldly and let that slide.
"Then, I activate the effect of Trickster in my Hand. I discard a Card from my Hand and Special Summon it." Discarding a Card into the Graveyard, Kaiba Summoned a monster from his Hand that looked like a clown covered in question marks and wearing a blue cape. "Then, I use the effect of Dark Jester - Peter, which was Sent to the Graveyard, to Banish it from the Graveyard and Special Summon another Dark Jester - Peter from the Deck."
While saying that, Kaiba waited for the Duel Disk to process the monster effect he activated, but he waited and waited, and the effect of Dark Jester - Peter being Banished from his Graveyard didn't activate.
"What's this?" With sharp eyes, he suddenly noticed that Hayato's Chaos Hunter on the Field had lowered the whip in her hand at some point. One end of the whip seemed to lose its form and sank into the ground, disappearing. At the same time, Kaiba saw the Dark Jester - Peter in his Graveyard, which was trying to activate its effect to Banish itself, but was bound by a whip and unable to break free.
"That's too bad, Seto. As long as Chaos Hunter is On the Field in Face-up Position, you cannot use effects that Banish Cards."
Hayato explained, "I thought you could tell from the Name. Chaos Sorcerer, Chaos Soldier, and Chaos Emperor Dragon require the combination of LIGHT and DARK Power, and Chaos Hunter's effect is specifically designed to counter their appearance."
"That's a troublesome effect." Looking at Hayato's Chaos Hunter sealing his Banish Operations, Kaiba couldn't help but frown. "If that's the case, I just need to Destroy your Chaos Hunter."
"Activate the Spell Card, Destruction Burst Stream of Destruction! This turn, allow Blue-Eyes White Dragon to unleash its Power to the maximum, Destroy all monsters On the Field!"
With a wave of his hand forward, a cold smile appeared on Kaiba's face. "Although Blue-Eyes White Dragon cannot Attack the turn this Card is used, since it's only the first Turn, this Side Effect is completely irrelevant to me! Take this, Hayato!"
"Destruction Burst Stream!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its massive maw, and a Stream of Light was unleashed in an instant, instantly Destroying the Chaos Hunter on Hayato's Field and sending it to the Graveyard.
Regarding Chaos Hunter being Destroyed, Hayato shrugged indifferently. Compared to having a bunch of monsters Summoned and then cleared by one of Kaiba's Cards, only having one Chaos Hunter Destroyed was clearly a huge gain for Hayato, and the price paid was merely two Cards from his Hand.
Moreover, sending Cards from the Hand to the Graveyard cannot entirely be called a cost in some ways, because Hayato actually didn't lie to Kaiba; the Deck he used this time really was a Dragon-Type focused Deck. Although it couldn't be called a pure Dragon-Type Deck, the purity of Dragon-Type monsters was quite high.
Although purity is useless.
As for drawing the non-Dragon-Type Chaos Hunter on the first Turn, it can only be said that his Luck was poor.
Watching Chaos Hunter disappear from the Field, Kaiba glanced at Hayato triumphantly.
In his gaze, there was three parts triumph, three parts Confidence, three parts fighting spirit, and one part Arrogance – a classic mix.
Yugi, who first brought him the bitter taste of complete Defeat, Hayato, whose Strength is still unfathomable to this day, plus Joey, who could be eliminated at any time – these three are all the Duelists Kaiba has recognized so far. For Kaiba, what was at stake in the Duel with Hayato was not just the Honor of King of Games, but also testing his own capacity.
'Betting everything I have as a Duelist, I will use my Full Power to crush you, Kobayashi Hayato,' Kaiba thought. 'You, who defeated Yugi, are undoubtedly the strongest Duelist in this World. Only by defeating you can I prove the limits of my Strength!'
'Respond to me with your Full Power, Kobayashi Hayato!'
Feeling Kaiba's gaze, Hayato couldn't help but shiver. If he knew what Kaiba was thinking at this moment, he would probably feel so disgusted he'd just give up the Duel.
The reason isn't anything else; it's mainly because being targeted by a severe Dueling Addiction patient, a Blue-Eyes fanatic, and a Trench Coat maniac is definitely not a comfortable experience. As far as Hayato knew, even Pharaoh, after being targeted by Kaiba, was dug up from his grave more than once to Duel, and even in the end, his home was directly invaded for a face-to-face Duel. He couldn't even rest in peace after death.
"My Turn, Draw Card."
Drawing a Card, Hayato played a Card from his Hand. "During my Standby Phase, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Armed Dragon Lightning. From my Deck, I Special Summon a Level 3 Armed Dragon monster in Defense Position."
"I choose Armed Dragon Thunder LV3."
A beam of bright yellow lightning fell onto Hayato's Field. The light gradually dissipated, and the small and cute infant form of Armed Dragon appeared. But compared to its usual appearance, Armed Dragon Thunder LV3, which has mastered the Power of lightning, had its fists wrapped in lightning, and its eyes also faintly emitted yellow light.
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV3] [3☆/Wind]
[Dragon-Type/Effect]
[1200/900]
Although in Duel Monsters, monsters that possess the Power to control lightning are generally LIGHT Attribute monsters, nothing is absolute. Just like Grandsoil the Elemental Lord uses lightning as a weapon, Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 also retains its original Wind Attribute.
Because of the Power of lightning, Armed Dragon Thunder's evolution method has also changed.
"I discard a Dragon-Type monster from my Hand and activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV3's effect, Sending it to the Graveyard." Hayato ignored Armed Dragon Thunder LV3's cute expression and mercilessly Sent it to the Graveyard, looking at the expanding mass of lightning remaining On the Field. "Special Summon a Level 5 or lower Armed Dragon from my Hand or Deck!"
"Evolve, Armed Dragon Thunder LV5!"
"Then, the effect of the Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 that was in my Hand earlier: When it is Sent to the Graveyard because of the activation of a Dragon-Type monster's effect, Add a Wind Attribute, Level 5 Dragon-Type monster from my Deck to my Hand."
Adding another Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 to his Hand, Hayato showed it to Kaiba, then said with a smile, "I should remind you that Armed Dragon Thunder LV5's evolution Conditions are the same as Armed Dragon Thunder LV3, and its other effect is also an evolved version of Armed Dragon Thunder LV3's."
"What!?" Hearing Hayato's words, Kaiba was also startled. "That means—"
"That means the evolution is about to accelerate, Kaiba!" Hayato showed a smile and played the Card. "Activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV5's effect! Discard Armed Dragon Thunder LV5! Begin the glorious evolution, my Tamashii!"
"Come forth, Armed Dragon Thunder LV7! Then, Add Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 to my Hand!"
"Then, this is the final evolution! Activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV7's effect! Discard the Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 from my Hand! Final Vent! O raging Dragon of striking lightning and thunder, annihilate all Enemies before me with ten thousand bolts of lightning!"
"Armed Dragon Thunder LV10!"
On Hayato's Field, every time an Armed Dragon Thunder appeared On the Field, the lightning expanded twofold. After undergoing the third evolution, the Volume of the lightning had expanded to a degree even larger than Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
A pair of massive Dragon wings that blotted out the sky emerged from the violent lightning. The surging Energy was completely absorbed into Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's body. Lightning pulsed on its body, waiting for its Master's Command; it would annihilate all Enemies!
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10] [10☆/Wind]
[Dragon-Type/Effect]
[3000/2000]
Because it was Special Summoned by the effect of an Armed Dragon monster, several lights lit up on the emerald jewel on Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's body.
ATK 1 or more: This card's Name is treated as Armed Dragon LV10;
ATK 10 or more: Control of this card cannot change;
ATK 100 or more: Cannot be Destroyed by Battle;
ATK 1000 or more: Once per opponent's Turn, you can activate this effect by sending one Card from your Hand to the Graveyard and targeting one other Card On the Field. Destroy that Card, and this card's ATK increases by 1000.
"A Dragon-Type monster with 3000 ATK? To think it can match Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Kaiba's gaze returned to calm after a brief moment of surprise. "Hmph, I'll admit you have some skill for now."
Kaiba felt somewhat fortunate that in the previous Turn, just to vent, he had recklessly used Destruction Burst Stream of Destruction and got rid of Chaos Hunter.
In Kaiba's Graveyard, Return of the Dragon Lords still had an effect that hadn't been activated after Summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon to Kaiba's Field. If a Dragon-Type monster on Kaiba's Field is Destroyed, he can Banish Return of the Dragon Lords as a substitute.
Armed Dragon Thunder's ATK is 3000, equal to Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Coincidentally, Armed Dragon Thunder has the effect that it cannot be Destroyed by Battle when its ATK is 100 or more. That means Hayato only needs to launch a suicidal Attack with Armed Dragon Thunder to Send Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the Graveyard.
If Chaos Hunter hadn't been Destroyed and he couldn't Banish Return of the Dragon Lords, this would be the only outcome.
"Because the Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 that was in my Hand earlier was Sent to the Graveyard to activate a Dragon-Type monster's effect, I Add an Armed Dragon Card from my Deck to my Hand." Hayato continued his Operation, taking a Card from his Deck. "Then I will activate the Continuous Spell Card, Armed Dragon Lightning, which was just added to my Hand."
"Once per Turn, by targeting one Armed Dragon On the Field, activate Armed Dragon Lightning's first effect: That monster's ATK increases by that monster's Level x 100."
There is only one Armed Dragon monster on Hayato's Field. Without even thinking, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's ATK began to increase, and it was a full 1000 points in one go!
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10] [ATK3000→4000]
"Enter the Battle Phase! I Attack Trickster with Armed Dragon Thunder LV10! Thunder Dragon's Roar!"
Looking at the Armed Dragon Thunder LV10, which was Summoned on the first Turn with ATK equal to Obelisk the Tormentor, Kaiba's expression was quite calm. "Then, Chain to your Attack, I activate my Set Card!"
"Continuous Trap Card, Curse of Darkness!"
Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 on Hayato's Field had just raised its hand gripping lightning. The lightning in its hand turned into a javelin and was about to be thrown at Trickster. But just then, with the activation of Kaiba's Curse of Darkness, a large number of dark black Chains shot out from the Card, like a dense tide of snakes, wrapping around Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 in an instant.
Although its ATK was comparable to a God, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 was not a God after all. Under the Control of Curse of Darkness, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 couldn't help but release its hand, and the lightning javelin disappeared from its hand.
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10] [ATK4000→3300]
"Curse of Darkness can be activated by targeting one Attack Position monster on your opponent's Field." In the Audience Seats, Yugi, who clearly realized how shallow Joey's knowledge was from the previous Duel, gave him a lesson. "That monster's ATK decreases by 700 points as long as Curse of Darkness remains On the Field, and it cannot Attack, nor can it Change Position."
"It sounds like it's somewhat similar to your Spellbinding Circle, Yugi? And it also has the added effect of decreasing ATK?"
Yugi nodded, looking at the Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 on Hayato's Field, bound by Chains and unable to move. "That Card of Kaiba's was probably specifically prepared for the aggressive playstyle Hayato occasionally uses."
"Not many Cards left in Hand, and the monster he finally managed to Summon is also Controlled. What will you do now, Hayato?"
Looking at his Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 On the Field, which was subjected to "Binding Play," Hayato clicked his tongue, Annoyed. "I thought your Set Card was Deck Devastation Virus. You've become dirty, Seto."
Because Kaiba wanted to Summon Dark Jester - Peter, which has exactly 500 ATK, last Turn, Hayato genuinely thought the Card Kaiba Set was Deck Devastation Virus. After all, this is Kaiba's classic Combo.
"Hmph, who do you think taught me this move?" Kaiba glared at Hayato. Now that Original Yugi mostly leaves Duels to Dark Yugi and rarely takes action himself, who else besides Hayato would fill their Deck with Trap Cards?
Chapter 354: A Brand New [Blue-Eyes]
Restricted from attacking by "Curse of Darkness", "Armed Dragon Thunder LV10" was unable to move on the field. Glancing at his hand, Hayato said helplessly, "Set one card from my hand, I end my turn."
[Hayato: 4000 LP, Hand: 2]
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10] (Curse of Darkness) [ATK 3300]
[Armed Dragon Shockwave] [Set Card]
On the audience stands, Joey Wheeler tapped the railing in front of him with a regretful expression. "He finally managed to Summon 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10' with 4000 Attack. I thought Hayato could take out that guy Kaiba in one turn. What a shame."
"Even I know that's impossible just by thinking about it," Tristan retorted. "Besides, if Hayato easily defeated Kaiba, wouldn't that make you, who couldn't beat Kaiba, seem weak?"
"Huh? I guess you're right."
Joey Wheeler belatedly slapped his palm. "But it doesn't matter. Compared to Kaiba defeating Hayato and becoming King of Games, I'd still rather see Hayato take my place and give that guy Kaiba a good beating."
"What's more, didn't Hayato say he would defeat Kaiba and obtain the 'Obelisk the Tormentor' in his hand to collect the Three Egyptian God Cards? He has a reason why he must achieve victory."
Beside him, Mokuba heard Joey Wheeler's words, put down the tablet in his hand, and turned his head. "A reason for victory or something like that, my brother has one too."
"My brother told me, Joey Wheeler, you guys have already met Gozaburo in that Virtual World before, right? The reason my brother chose to hold the Duel City Finals on this Devil's Island is because he wants to use the glory of being King of Games to sever himself from Gozaburo's past."
"To achieve this goal, my brother will defeat all enemies blocking his path and charge forward all the way. Even against Hayato, he won't hold back." He lowered his head again, and Mokuba opened a report and started analyzing it. "But presumably Hayato won't hold back against my brother either, right? Perhaps this is what's called 'duelists' mutual respect'?"
On the Duel Field, Kaiba drew a card from the top of his Deck. "My turn, draw a card!"
His confident action when drawing a card seemed to dispel even the strong winds on the Tower.
"During your Main Phase, I have a card effect to activate," Hayato said. "Although its attack is sealed, 'Curse of Darkness' cannot prevent 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10' from activating its effect!"
"When 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10''s ATK is 1000 or more, once per opponent's turn, I can discard one card from my hand and choose one other card on the field to destroy."
Kaiba snorted coldly. "So which card of mine will you choose to destroy? Is it 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' or 'Curse of Darkness' which is restricting 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10'?"
"Don't always give me choices; I have trouble deciding," Hayato said, pointing with some hesitation at the 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' on the field. "Compared to recovering 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10''s ATK, annihilating their forces is the optimal choice."
"I choose to destroy 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon', and then increase 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10''s ATK by 1000!"
Bound tightly by 'Curse of Darkness', 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10' began releasing a large amount of electricity from its body as Hayato discarded a card from his hand. Following the chains of 'Curse of Darkness', the current extended to Kaiba's field and attacked the defenseless 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'!
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10] [ATK 3300→4300]
"Boom!" An explosion occurred as the electricity hit. Seeing 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10''s ATK increase with the activation of its effect, Hayato raised an eyebrow slightly. "I thought you would save the effect of 'Return of the Dragon Lords' for a crucial moment."
"Oh? You actually know this card's effect?" Kaiba said something unexpected, but the expression on his face was quite calm. "Hmph, although I can sacrifice everything for victory, even 'Blue-Eyes', I will not accept unnecessary sacrifice."
"My glorious path is the king's road to the top of the world together with my monsters. Roar, 'Blue-Eyes'!"
"Roar!!"
With a fierce dragon roar, the smoke and dust from the recent explosion were blown away by a strong current of air, and the unharmed 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' spread its wings. And behind it, a statue of a giant dragon wrapped in lightning was scattering into ash.
"The second effect of 'Return of the Dragon Lords' is, when a Dragon-Type monster on the field is destroyed by battle or effect, I can banish 'Return of the Dragon Lords' from the Graveyard as a substitute."
Just now, Kaiba used this effect to allow 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' to evade being destroyed by 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10''s effect. After explaining the effect of 'Return of the Dragon Lords', Kaiba looked down at the card he had just drawn.
A Spell Card possessing one of the most mysterious (card creation) power in Duel Monsters, "Fusion".
And the card Kaiba had in his hand last turn was another 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' from his Deck. Last turn, he originally planned to use 'Trickster' and 'Dark Jester - Peter' as Tributes to gather two 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' on the field at once.
However, because of the obstruction from Hayato's 'Chaos Hunter', his plan fell through, and he wasted the opportunity for a Normal Summon and ended his turn.
After all, he couldn't possibly use 'Trickster' and 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' as Tributes to Tribute Summon another 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon', right?
Glancing at the 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10' on Hayato's field, whose ATK had already increased to 4300, Kaiba couldn't help but frown. Although the effect of 'Curse of Darkness' temporarily prevented it from attacking, this situation wouldn't last too long.
By Kaiba's next turn, Hayato could completely use 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10''s effect on 'Curse of Darkness' to release the restraint. And by then, 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10''s ATK would increase again to a full 6000, twice the ATK of 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'.
By that time, besides 'Obelisk the Tormentor' using its "Soul Energy MAX" ability, Kaiba couldn't think of any other monster in his Deck that could defeat 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10' at that point.
And even now, Kaiba had no way to defeat 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10', which has battle destruction resistance. Even 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon', its ATK is only 200 points higher than the weakened 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10'.
While feeling conflicted, Kaiba suddenly remembered Joey Wheeler's answer to his question in the previous duel.
"Believe in the cards, and the cards will respond to you, huh?" Looking at 'Fusion' in his hand, and the 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' on the field that turned its head to look at him, Kaiba suddenly felt a sense of ease, and the corner of his mouth curved up slightly without him even noticing.
"Oh White Dragon who bears all my glory, respond to me!"
"I activate the 'Fusion' Spell Card, Fusion Summon a 'Blue-Eyes' monster!"
"'Fusion'!? Is Kaiba going to Summon 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon'?" Joey Wheeler was also startled and looked at Kaiba's hand. But besides the 'Fusion' Spell Card, he clearly only had one card in his hand.
Mai Valentine beside him was also puzzled. "The effect of 'Trickster' should only be to Special Summon by discarding a card from the hand. Or rather, is Seto Kaiba going to Summon a 'Blue-Eyes' Fusion Monster other than 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon'?"
"A 'Blue-Eyes' Fusion Monster other than 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon'? I've never heard of such a thing," Joey Wheeler muttered and asked Yugi Mutou, "Yugi, have you ever heard of such a monster?"
"No, I haven't heard of it either, after all, there are only four 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' in the world," Yugi Mutou shook his head. He wasn't Maximillion Pegasus, that card creation merchant, who knew every card released by Industrial Illusions. "But..."
Yugi Mutou's gaze moved away from the 'Fusion' vortex on Kaiba's field and looked towards Hayato, who was surprised but also revealed a look of understanding.
'Hayato-kun, he seems to recognize the monster Kaiba is about to Summon? How interesting.'
'Aibo, you've become naughty.'
And Hayato watched as Kaiba Fused the 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' from his hand with the 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' on the field, feeling both surprised and a little relieved. "A Fusion of two 'Blue-Eyes'? Did you learn card creation from Joey Wheeler, Seto?"
"Hmph, according to your saying, isn't this the Heart of the Cards?" After replying to Hayato, Kaiba raised his right arm high, a card appeared out of thin air between his fingers, and he slapped it onto his Duel Disk. "Shout, tremble!"
"Descend! Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon!"
"Roar!!"
With a dragon roar, the brand new 'Blue-Eyes' after the Fusion was completed flew out from the card. Looking at the soaring White Dragon, in a trance, Kaiba suddenly heard a faint female voice in his ear: "Se...to..."
"Hmm?" Kaiba frowned, subconsciously turned his head to look beside him, but saw nothing.
That woman's voice just now, Kaiba could guarantee he had never heard it in his memory, but his intuition gave him a feeling completely contrary to his memory. He seemed quite familiar with the owner of the voice, and vaguely felt some pain and rage, but even this feeling flashed and disappeared.
Shaking his head to cast this feeling aside, Kaiba treated it as an aftereffect of not resting well yesterday and looked back at the two-headed White Dragon on the field—Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon.
[Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon] [Level 10/LIGHT Attribute]
[Dragon/Fusion/Effect Monster]
[3000/2500]
Even though it was Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon Summoned by Fusing two 'Blue-Eyes', its ATK and DEF had no change? But Kaiba didn't feel dissatisfied at all. Just seeing the brand new form of 'Blue-Eyes' was enough to bring him satisfaction.
But of course, defeating strong enemies could also bring him satisfaction.
Following his inner intuition, although he didn't know the effect of Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon yet, Kaiba firmly swung his hand forward fiercely and said loudly, "Begin Battle! Oh Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon, attack 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10'!"
"What?!"
"Kaiba is going to use Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon with lower ATK to attack 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10'?!"
Except for Hayato, almost everyone was quite surprised by the attack command given by Kaiba, while Hayato showed a troubled expression because he knew the effect of Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon.
Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon heard Kaiba command it to attack 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10', and didn't show dissatisfaction with this command, which was no different from suicide. It folded its spread wings without hesitation and swooped down from mid-air towards 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10', which was under the control of 'Curse of Darkness'.
'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10' wasn't the type to just take a hit when provoked either. Without waiting for Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon's attack to arrive, it began releasing lightning from its body to counter.
Although some of the lightning was diverted by the chains of 'Curse of Darkness', 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10''s attack was still one step faster than Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon and countered back, hitting completely!
[Kaiba: 4000→2700 LP]
The overflowing lightning spread along Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon to Kaiba's field, and the powerful electric current attack made Kaiba take a step back.
"Alright!"
Joey Wheeler couldn't help but cheer. He didn't have any other meaning; he was just happy to see Kaiba at a disadvantage. "That guy Kaiba randomly gave an attack command, isn't he just bringing suffering upon himself?"
"Is Kaiba really just attacking randomly?" Yugi Mutou was a little doubtful.
Because in his expectation, Kaiba wasn't someone who would mindlessly activate an attack, and Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon, as a monster Fused from two 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon', would surely become stronger to some extent. Maybe it would have an ability similar to 'Metalmorph', where its ATK increases based on the ATK of the monster it battles.
However, until being countered by 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10', which caused Kaiba's Life Points to decrease, Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon's ATK also didn't change. Carrying this troubled feeling, Yugi Mutou subconsciously looked towards the location where Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon was "destroyed".
Then he widened his eyes.
"No, it's not like that, Joey Wheeler!"
"Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon wasn't destroyed by 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10' at all! It also possesses the ability to not be destroyed by battle!"
Almost at the same time Yugi Mutou said these words, everyone saw two dragon heads simultaneously emerge from within the smoke and dust created by the explosion when Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon was hit. Each held a sphere surging with pure white light, and they countered back towards 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10', which was bound by chains!
"Is not being destroyed by battle some kind of very common protection? Why does it feel so common?" Joey Wheeler commented. Then he saw that 'Armed Dragon Thunder LV10', which was hit by Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon's attack, its battle resistance seemed to disappear and was instantly swallowed and vanished!
Chapter 355: A Wake-Up Call
"Dragon-Types with Battle Destruction Resistance aren't just your Armed Dragon Thunder LV10, Hayato! Blue-Eyes is the strongest Dragon-Type, so it's only natural that Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon possesses Battle Destruction Resistance!"
Although the logic was questionable in many ways, Kaiba successfully convinced himself that Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon not being Destroyed by Battle was a perfectly normal thing. And the moment he felt Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's Counter, he suddenly understood Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon's full Effect.
"Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon has the ability to Attack a Monster twice during a single Battle Phase," Kaiba declared, "and if Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon's Attack fails to cause the Attack Target Monster to be Destroyed by Battle, at the end of the Damage Step, that Attack Target Monster is Banished!"
"Banish Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 to the World's End where it can't bother me, Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon!"
The Another Dimension entrance created by Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon's Attack vanished in an instant. Along with it disappeared Hayato's Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 On the Field, and the Curse of Darkness Card on Kaiba's Backrow.
"Now, there are no troublesome Monsters On the Field to block a Direct Attack, Hayato!" Kaiba sneered, "Take this Direct Attack, Trickster!"
The Riddler, I mean Trickster, hearing Kaiba's command, clasped its hands together, conjured a Magic Bullet, and attacked towards Hayato.
But just as Trickster's Attack was about to hit Hayato, a gray Dimensional Wall appeared in front of Hayato, completely blocking Trickster's Attack.
"Who says you can't block a Direct Attack just because there are no Monsters?" Hayato calmly pointed to the Set Card on his Backrow that had flipped open at some point. "The Trap Card Counter Gate can only be Activated when a Direct Attack is declared. It Negates that Attack, and then I draw a card from my Deck."
"If the Card drawn is a Monster Card, I can Normal Summon it in Attack Position."
As he spoke, Hayato drew a card.
"Isn't that quite a coincidence?" Hayato said, flipping the Card in his Hand to reveal its true form. "The Card I drew is the Level 5 Curse of Dragonfire, which cannot be Normal Summoned without a Tribute."
"However, considering Seto, your Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon has the ability to Attack a Monster a second time, even if I could, I wouldn't choose to Summon it."
"It doesn't matter. Whether you recklessly Summon Monsters On the Field or conserve Resources to plan a Counter, it's meaningless, Kobayashi Hayato." Kaiba tilted his head slightly, "The Blue-Eyes I possess is the strongest Dragon, and there's a gap like the heavens and the Abyss between it and other Dragon-Types."
"I end my turn. Do whatever you want, because in front of Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon, all resistance is utterly Weak!"
[Kaiba: 2700 LP, Hand 0]
[Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon] [ATK 3000]
[Trickster] [ATK 2000]
"Don't speak too soon, Kaiba. Because Duel Monsters isn't a Board Game where all the Cards are laid bare. Every card drawn creates new possibilities and hope." Hayato smiled, drawing a card from the top of the Deck. "My Turn, Draw!"
"Activate Spell Card Graceful Charity! I draw three cards from my Deck, then choose two Cards from my Hand to Discard."
Sending two Cards from his Hand to the Graveyard, Hayato looked at a Card in his Hand and smiled. "Although there's no Xyz Summon to unleash its full Power, I'll let you witness the Dragon that once reigned over Duel Monsters!"
"By banishing two Dragon-Type Monsters from my Graveyard—Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 and Armed Dragon Thunder LV5—I Special Summon this Monster from my Hand!" Hayato Played the Card in his Hand. "One of the four elements that compose the World, the extreme of cold and dry earth, lend your decaying yet mighty form to my command!"
"Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders!"
As Hayato placed the Card in his Hand onto the Duel Disk, the ground suddenly began to tremble violently.
Amidst the shaking like an eight-magnitude earthquake, strangely, the Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders Hayato Played was slow to appear. Just as everyone wondered where Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders was, they were astonished to find that, at some point, a towering, moving Mountain Range had appeared beside the Duel Tower!
This was clearly a Duel Monster! The Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders that Hayato Summoned was none other than the "Mountain Range" before them!
[Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders] [Level 7 / EARTH]
[Dragon-Type / Effect]
[1600 Attack / 3000 Defense]
"That size is way too big, isn't it?!" Joey Wheeler looked at the excessively exaggerated size of Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders and couldn't help but swallow. "Even Kaiba's Obelisk the Tormentor isn't as ridiculously sized as this Monster!"
One could only say that the era limited Joey Wheeler's imagination. Although Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders's size was indeed massive, it was still inferior compared to things like Machine Emperor God, Odin, Dyson Sphere, and Ultimate Timelord. And not to mention those far off, even within the DM era, there were Serpent Deity and Horakhty, the Creator of Light, two Monsters of similarly enormous size.
And logically speaking, Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos's size could rival a volcano, Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms's size was comparable to a sky-piercing tornado, Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls was equal in height to a Great Flood, so the fact that Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders is a moving Mountain Range is quite reasonable.
Of course, another characteristic of Duel Monsters is that the upper limit on Monster size is quite high, but if a Duel takes place indoors, the Duel Monsters' Solid Vision will automatically adjust the size ratio, preventing a dramatic scene where people are Dueling indoors and there are just a few giant feet On the Field for people to guess which foot belongs to which Monster.
"Hmph, another Dragon I've never heard of." Kaiba snorted coldly. Although Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders's size was indeed quite exaggerated, its Attack was only 1600 points, which didn't match its exaggerated size.
As for its 3000 Defense, without Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon, it might have been slightly troublesome for Kaiba, but now? Hmph, it's just going to be Banished.
"Your next line is, 'Although Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon's Attack isn't enough to break through Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders's Defense, its Effect can Destroy any Defense'!"
"Although Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon's Attack isn't enough to break through Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders's Def— Nani!" Kaiba subconsciously repeated Hayato's words, then suddenly realized that what he had said was exactly the same as what Hayato had said!
"You bastard!"
Hayato teased the overly serious Kaiba, then continued:
"Heh heh, Seto, do you know what's most terrifying about Duel Monsters? It's not the strongest Monster that shows off its Invincible Effect, but the Monster that hasn't revealed all of its Effects."
"It's like a person standing in front of you with empty hands and a person holding a pistol. The person with empty hands is more threatening than the one with the gun, because the person with the gun can only use the gun at this moment!"
As he spoke, Hayato Played another Card from his Hand. "Spell Card Dragon's Mirror! I Banish the materials needed for a Dragon-Type Fusion Monster from the Field and Graveyard, and Fusion Summon a Dragon-Type Fusion Monster!"
"By banishing two Dragon-Type Monsters from my Graveyard—Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight—and Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders On the Field, appear, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion!!"
As the towering Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders fell, the vast Energy from its body flowed into the Dragon's Mirror that appeared on Hayato's Backrow.
The reason Hayato had previously Exchanged one of his Dragon's Mirror Cards with Joey Wheeler was because, by chance, he had pulled a second Dragon's Mirror from a pack. Although Dragon's Mirror wasn't trash, it wasn't so good that he needed two in one Deck, so Hayato gave one to Joey Wheeler.
Guided by Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders's Power, Gaia, who had helped Hayato Defeat strong enemies time and again, also made an appearance in this Duel. In fact, as early as the first Turn, Hayato had drawn Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, but in order to Special Summon Chaos Hunter from his Hand, Hayato had sent it to the Graveyard, and it only now had the Opportunity to appear.
With his arms crossed, Kaiba watched coldly as Hayato Summoned Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion.
[Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion] [ATK 2600]
"Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders has an Effect that can be Activated when it's Banished, but unfortunately, all three of its Effects can only be used once per Turn." Hayato spread his hands helplessly. "However, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's Effect can be Activated normally. When Summoned Successfully, I Add to Hand one Spiral Spear Strike from my Deck or Graveyard."
"Then I Activate Spiral Spear Strike, and enter the Battle Phase."
As he spoke, Hayato looked at Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon On the Field—specifically, at the Trickster next to it.
"Although Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon has Battle Destruction Resistance, that only protects itself. Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, Attack Trickster!"
"Then Activate Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's Effect! Change Trickster's Battle Position!"
"Just so you know, Seto. If you're an enemy of Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, the one who decides the Monster's Battle Position isn't you, but me!"
"Sky Soaring Gallop Like a Dragon!"
Having become completely accustomed to his Master's whimsical and strange attack names, Gaia didn't dwell on who the user of this attack name was; in any case, this name was the most fitting among the recent ones. After the Flying Dragon beneath him accelerated for a distance, Gaia thrust the Lance in his hand towards the Trickster On the Field, whose Battle Position had been forcibly changed.
[Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion] [ATK 2600]
[Trickster] [ATK 2000 → Defense 1200]
Due to the presence of Spiral Spear Strike, a full 1400 points of Piercing Battle Damage was dealt to Kaiba.
"Gah!"
[Kaiba: 2700 LP → 1300 LP]
In just the fourth Turn of this Duel, Kaiba, who was always skilled at overwhelming opponents with powerful Attacks, had his Life Points Deducted to just over a thousand by Hayato.
Seeing that Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion had dealt Damage to Kaiba, Hayato said, "Because Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, which is treated as Gaia the Dragon Champion, dealt Damage to you using Spiral Spear Strike's Effect, I Activate Spiral Spear Strike's second Effect."
"I draw two cards from my Deck, then choose one Card from my Hand to Discard."
Looking at the Card of Demise he had drawn into his Hand, Hayato reluctantly sent Rainbow Kuriboh to the Graveyard. Although he had no intention of Activating Card of Demise during Main Phase 2, Hayato was also reluctant to send it to the Graveyard just like that. It was better to Discard Rainbow Kuriboh, which could Activate its Effect in the Graveyard.
He still had two Cards in his Hand. Leaving Card of Demise in his Hand, Hayato Set the other Trap Card. "I Set one card, and End my Turn."
[Hayato: 4000 LP, Hand 1]
[Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion] [ATK 2600]
[Armed Dragon Shockwave] [Spiral Spear Strike] [Set Card]
Seeing Hayato End his Turn just like that, Kaiba instead frowned, saying to Hayato with some dissatisfaction, "Is that how your Turn Ends, Kobayashi Hayato?"
"This is the Finals where everything is on the line. I was expecting a fierce Battle between us, but what do I see? Are you truly using your Full Power, Kobayashi Hayato?"
Looking at the serious expression on Kaiba's face, Hayato wasn't sure what he was suddenly asking this for. "Isn't that obvious?"
"If that's the case, why can't I hear anything in your Attacks?" Kaiba looked directly at Hayato and said, "The fierce Collision of Duelist Soul, the burning desire for Victory... why is even that Mediocrity more serious than you?"
"Or perhaps, after Defeating Yugi Mutou, you think I, who once lost to Yugi Mutou, don't even have the Qualification to pose a threat to you? Kobayashi Hayato!"
Under Kaiba's Rage-filled roar, Hayato wanted to retort, but only then did he realize that his mindset since the start of the Duel was exactly as Kaiba had described!
Seeing Hayato speechless, Kaiba snorted coldly. "Hmph, did I hit the mark? If I don't Defeat you at your Full Power, even if I win the Title of King of Games, it will only add to my shame. Get serious, Kobayashi Hayato."
"Or do I have to push you into a corner first before you'll show your true Strength?"
As he spoke, Kaiba placed his finger on his Deck and sharply drew a card. "My Turn, Draw!"