"First turn is me..."
Yuma took two deep breaths.
"Yuma, this is a duel we cannot lose." Astral floated beside him, tone serious.
"Ah, I know. And it's always been this way!" Yuma nodded.
Recalling the past half-plus year, he'd happened to meet Astral. With Astral's help, he'd relearned dueling from zero, then obtained Utopia, then dueled with numerous Number card duelists.
Number duels were duels that couldn't be lost. Losing any duel might mean permanent parting.
Under the help of many companions, in countless close-call duels, he'd gradually surpassed himself, surpassed that reckless, clueless self.
He looked at his hand.
"Do your best, Yuma!"
"Do your best, Yuma."
Tori Meadows and Kite, seeing Yuma had delayed starting his turn, cheered him on.
Not only them. Though Jack and Crow weren't close with Yuma, they still spoke up cheering him on. Only the two of them weren't very familiar with Yuma and thought he was nervous, so they were counseling him not to be tense.
Trusted companions, and older brothers he'd only recently met.
Not only their world. The spirits' world, other humans' worlds, were also this beautiful.
He looked at the seemingly endless tombstones surrounding them. Those reflections transformed into pitch-black power, flowing into the Goddess of Despair's body.
Absolutely couldn't let everyone, let the world, be destroyed like this by E-Ra!
"My turn!"
Yuma shouted loudly.
His voice was deafening, as if it could pierce the sky.
"Here we go, Astral! Full power!"
"Right!"
"Spell Card, Dodododraw. Send 1 monster with Gogogo in its name from my hand or face-up on my field to the Graveyard to activate. Draw 2 cards from my Deck. Only 1 copy of this card can be activated per turn!"
"I discard Dodododwarf Gogogoglove from my hand!"
"Draw two cards!"
Swoosh!
Accompanying Yuma's draw, golden radiance streaked across the sky, illuminating this pitch-black world.
"Oh!?" Jack and Crow were quite surprised.
This kid looked completely different from the recording Kite had brought back.
Seemed he'd truly been undernourished back then.
Yuma finished drawing, looked at the cards he'd drawn, exchanged glances with Astral, and nodded.
"If I control no cards, this card can be Special Summoned from my hand.
Special Summon, Level 4, ZS - Ascended Sage!"
A purple warrior flew out from radiance, like a star illuminating this pitch-black shadow world.
"If I control only 1 Level 4 monster other than this card, I can directly Special Summon this card. Special Summon, ZS - Armed Sage!"
A crimson-red warrior flew out from radiance. Together with the purple star, they shone in unison, spreading light across.
"Two Level 4 monsters..." E-Ra narrowed her eyes. She knew what Yuma was about to do next.
"That's right! Using the two Level 4 monsters, conduct an Xyz Summon!" Yuma clenched his fist and shouted. "Xyz Summon!"
The two monsters transformed into orbs of different colors, merging into the air. An enormous vortex lit up behind Yuma. Then that shining figure slowly emerged from within.
"Number 39: Utopia!"
An enormous shield emerged from the vortex, then slowly transformed, finally becoming a massive, shining warrior.
Number 39: Utopia. Rank 4, LIGHT Attribute, Warrior-Type. ATK 2500. Xyz Materials: 2.
"Utopia's monster effect activates!"
"Huh?" Quattro was slightly puzzled.
Utopia's monster effect?
Didn't that thing only have the ability to block attacks?
"Utopia Xyz Summoned with Armed Sage gains a special effect, activated when Summoned. Add 1 ZW weapon from my Deck to my hand."
Materials granting effects!?
That kid had already grown this strong without anyone noticing...
"Not over yet. Utopia Xyz Summoned with Ascended Sage also gains a special effect, activatable when Xyz Summoned. Add 1 Rank-Up-Magic Spell Card from my Deck to my hand!"
Directly adding Rank-Up-Magic to hand!
"I add Rank-Up-Magic Zexal Force to my hand, and add ZW - Lightning Blade from my Deck to my hand!"
Rank-Up-Magic.
Yusei looked at Yuma's hand.
Seeing this, was it coming? Rank-Up!
Yuma looked at his hand and silently nodded.
"Rank-Up-Magic Zexal Force!"
"Target 1 Xyz Monster on my field to activate. Special Summon 1 Number 39: Utopia monster or ZW Weapon monster whose Rank is 1 higher than that own monster, by overlaying onto the targeted monster and treating it as an Xyz Summon from the Extra Deck. From my Deck, place 1 ZW Weapon monster or ZW monster on top of my Deck.
Overlay onto Utopia!"
"Chaos Xyz Rank-Up!"
"Watch this, E-Ra! I'll use hope to completely defeat you!"
"Rank 5!"
"Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray!"
Utopia first contracted, transformed, returning to shield form. Then its body grew massive. Crimson-red radiance flowed across its body. The next second, it instantly transformed, once again displaying that heroic form.
Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray. Rank 5, LIGHT Attribute, Warrior-Type. ATK 2500.
"Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray is also treated as CXyz Number 39: Utopia by rules."
"Normal Summon, Level 4, Gogogo Golem."
"Dodododwarf Gogogoglove's effect in the Graveyard. If I control a Gogogo or Dododo monster other than Dodododwarf Gogogoglove, activate. Special Summon this card. This card Special Summoned by this effect is banished when it leaves the field."
"Using Level 4 Gogogo Golem and Level 4 Dodododwarf, overlay!"
Accompanying Yuma's call, a monster similar in design to Utopia but looking more slender appeared on his field.
"Xyz Summon, Rank 4, ZS - Utopic Sage."
ZS - Utopic Sage. Rank 4, LIGHT Attribute, Warrior-Type. DEF 2500. Xyz Materials: 2.
"Activate Utopic Sage's special effect. Detach 2 Xyz Materials, Special Summon 1 ZW Weapon monster or ZW monster from my Deck. After this effect's activation, until the end of the turn, I can only Special Summon Xyz Monsters from my Extra Deck.
"I detach its two materials, from my Deck Special Summon, ZW - Pegasus Twin Saber!"
Utopic Sage, Xyz Materials: 2 → 0.
Neigh!
A silver-white pegasus, under Yuma's call, flapped its wings and soared across the sky.
"Also, because Dodododwarf wasn't sent to the Graveyard from the field, it can still return to the Graveyard without needing to be banished."
"Activate Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray's effect. Once per turn, detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to activate. Choose 1 ZW Weapon monster from my Deck or Extra Deck, and treat it as an Equip Spell Card equipping this card.
I equip ZW - Leo Arms from my Extra Deck!"
Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray, Xyz Materials: 3 → 2.
Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray leapt up. A strange fierce beast flew out from the Extra Deck, bearing Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray. Truly like adding wings to a tiger.
Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray, ATK: 2500 → 5500.
"Not over yet. Pegasus Twin Saber can transform into an equip on my field. Equipping to Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray, raising its ATK by 1000!"
The pegasus leapt skyward, its body transformed, becoming a long sword flashing with silver light, grasped by Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray.
Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray, ATK: 5500 → 6500.
"6500?" Jack was somewhat surprised.
That ATK wasn't low at all.
"Grown this impressive, that Yuma." Quattro barely managed a slight smile.
If it was like this, it was already quite good. Felt like it would work!
"Not done yet!" Yuma raised a card in his hand. "Lightning Blade can directly equip from my hand to Utopia! So long as it's equipped, ZW Weapon cards on my field cannot be destroyed by opponent's effects!"
A fierce tiger leapt from Yuma's hand, streaked through the air, then became a silver-white long sword and flew before Utopia. Utopia already held Pegasus Twin Saber in its left hand. It picked up Lightning Blade with its right, dual-wielding, presence commanding.
Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray, ATK: 6500 → 7700.
"7700!"
"So powerful!" Tori Meadows couldn't help clasping her hands.
He didn't even need to conduct fusion to directly complete Utopia Ray's arming!
As expected of Yuma.
"Yuma, don't let your guard down. That thing is a more powerful enemy than any we've encountered before." Though the weapons and mount were equipped, Astral still reminded Yuma.
Yuma nodded his head. "Set one card. End turn!"
A remarkable first turn.
Among those present, the vast majority were quite excellent duelists. Even Tierra, who didn't often duel, had extremely precise grasp of dueling rules and details.
Yuma's first turn had precisely utilized all his monster's characteristics. Not only completing Rank-Up and equipping, avoiding monster side effects, but also not becoming smug. He responded carefully to the coming turn.
Very impressive.
"So this is your first turn? Yuma Tsukumo." E-Ra looked at the massive Utopia on Yuma's field and lightly spoke.
"Ah, what's it to you!"
"Heheh..." E-Ra spread her hands. "If it's only this, then as expected, hope is just illusion. Despair is the true ending."
"What did you say!?" Yuma grew angry.
E-Ra laughed heheh, looking at Yuma's field: "Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray, while equipped with a ZW Weapon, has the special ability during my or the opponent's turn to negate the effect of 1 monster on the opponent's field and make its ATK become half.
Pegasus Twin Saber has the powerful ability, when a monster effect activated on the opponent's field resolves, to directly negate that monster effect.
And even Lightning Blade, which looks plain at first glance, has the ability to protect ZW Weapons on my field from being destroyed by opponent monster effects."
"Finally, even Utopic Sage has the ability on the field or in the Graveyard to substitute for the destruction of Utopia Xyz Monsters. This means even if the opponent solves your weapons, they still can't easily defeat Utopia."
"But..."
"Naive. Too naive, Yuma Tsukumo."
"Eh?"
"Spell Card, Ancient Leaf.
If my basic score is 9000 or more, pay 2000 basic score to activate. Draw 2 cards from my Deck."
The Goddess of Despair played a card that to many looked plain.
E-Ra, LP: 12000 → 10000.
"Second one."
Another Ancient Leaf. E-Ra directly lost 4000 Life Points.
E-Ra, LP: 10000 → 8000.
"Isn't this directly losing one duel's worth of Life Points?"
"But with 12000 Life Points, this level of damage isn't really a loss."
The onlookers' faces were somewhat grim.
In their view, if she only lost a third of her Life Points to draw 4 cards, it was completely worth it.
"Then let me show you exactly how vast the gap between so-called hope and despair is."
"Using... cards you know."
"Normal Summon, Goblindbergh..."
"What!?" Yuma, Astral, all the Xyz Dimension people, the instant they saw this card, were greatly shocked, instinctively crying out.
"That card is Yuma's card?" Yusei also recognized this card.
Hikaru furrowed his brow, but wasn't particularly surprised.
In the original work, the deck E-Ra used was called "Anti." This series' characteristic was being identical to the opposite side while having 500 more ATK.
Simple analogy: it was the Xyz version of "Malefic."
"Goblindbergh, when Summoned, can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from my hand. How about it, Yuma Tsukumo, Astral, will you activate your effect?"
Yuma's face was somewhat grim.
At this time... what to do.
"Things have come to this. No way to hesitate, Yuma."
Yuma nodded. He knew he couldn't delay: "Then activate Ultimate Leo Utopia Ray's effect. Negate Goblindbergh's effect and make its ATK become half!"
The black goblin's small plane flew through the sky, about to open the airdrop, but shockingly found the button malfunctioned. So it had no way to Special Summon a monster.
"Heheh... nice. You did stop my Summon, but..."
"Set one card."
"Then, activate!"
"What? Directly activating the Set Trap Card?"
"Too absurd. This is cheating..."
"No. This card can be activated on the turn it's Set, if there's no Trap Card in my Graveyard."
"That description!?" Yuma's eyes widened.
"The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine!"
"This card directly becomes a Level 4, DARK Attribute, ATK 0, DEF 300 Normal Monster, Special Summoned to the Monster Zone in Defense Position!"
"Phantom Knights!" Yuma's eyes widened.
Hikaru, seeing this, was also stunned.
Wait a moment.
Wasn't this Yuto's card?
"You bastard, could it be..." Hikaru interjected during another's turn to ask.
If it was about Yuto, he had to ask.
"As expected of you, Hikaru. Sharp reaction.
That's right. Among you present, I did only curse Hart Tenjo."
But beyond that! There were more!
Kite was stunned.
This damned E-Ra...
"You bastard! E-Ra, I absolutely won't forgive you!" Yuma flew into rage beyond containment.
The people present weren't even all the victims!
At this moment, E-Ra still had unused schemes and tricks!
Too bastardly, E-Ra!
"However you speak, it's useless, Yuma Tsukumo..."
"Using two Level 4 monsters, conduct an Xyz Summon!"
"Hope is only a fleeting trace. All things ultimately extinguish, returning to void and despair!"
"Xyz Summon!"
"Number 98: Antitopia!"
Darkness spread. Despair's turbid current flew out from the vortex. A figure identical to Utopia but pitch-black, gradually inverted its body, emerging.
Number 98: Antitopia. Rank 4, DARK Attribute, Warrior-Type. ATK 2000. Xyz Materials: 2.
In Yuma's eyes, the pitch-black figure hung inverted, making him show a trace of alarm through his rage.
That monster which in his heart symbolized hope had actually appeared on the opposite side!
The reverse of hope!
Despair's first face debuts!