"I activate [Destiny HERO - Diamond Dude]'s effect. Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can reveal the top card of your Deck. If it's a Normal Spell Card, send it to the Graveyard; if not, place it on the bottom of your Deck. If a Normal Spell is sent this way, during your next Main Phase you can activate that Spell's effect as though you had activated the card itself."
Diamond Dude's effect allowed Diluc to reveal the top card of his Deck and, if it was a Spell, use it next turn.
Then—
Diluc revealed the top card.
[Misfortune] (Spell Card)
A dark silhouette stood upon a calm sea, dressed in formal black attire, as if heralding misfortune itself...
Diluc sent [Misfortune] to the Graveyard.
Although Diamond Dude had successfully activated its effect…
to the crowd, Diluc's [Destiny HERO - Diamond Dude], with only 1400 ATK, stood no chance of defeating Luya's 2100-ATK [Elemental HERO - Flame Wingman].
Most people there had never played Yu-Gi-Oh!; however, being familiar with the Genius Invokation TCG, they had at least some grasp of battle resolution. From watching Luya and Diluc's duel so far, they had picked up the basics.
At that moment…
Among the crowd, Klee was growing eager, itching to join the duel herself!
As Mondstadters, nearly everyone present hoped to see Diluc turn the tables and take the lead.
Next, Diluc took another card from his hand and placed it into the Field Spell Zone.
Suddenly—!
The plaza of Mondstadt City darkened, and the ground trembled.
"AAH!"
"What's happening now?!"
"By the Archons!"
"Why did it suddenly go dark?! Run!"
"Could it be the Dragon of the East?!"
Startled and confused, the citizens of Mondstadt panicked.
"Everyone, don't worry!"
"Stay calm!"
"This is just the effect of Diluc's card—it's not Stormterror attacking!"
Eula, Amber, and Jean quickly moved to restore order.
Stormterror—Dvalin—had recently been causing chaos near Mondstadt. Although he hadn't attacked the city directly, the people had been living in fear. Whenever the sky darkened, they immediately assumed the dragon had returned.
Once, Dvalin had been a powerful yet innocent elemental being. After meeting Barbatos, he learned human speech and became Mondstadt's guardian—one of the Four Winds.
A thousand years ago, after the fall of the old aristocracy, Dvalin answered Barbatos's summons, helping blow away snow, flatten mountains, and reshape the land, allowing warm sea breezes from the east to flow freely into Mondstadt.
Five hundred years ago, during the Cataclysm of Khaenri'ah, the poisonous dragon Durin attacked Mondstadt. With the Knights of Favonius few in number and the Lionfang Knight line silent, Barbatos's will called upon Dvalin once more. Dvalin slew Durin atop Dragonspine, but in doing so swallowed Durin's toxic blood, falling into a tortured slumber.
When he awoke, he found a Mondstadt that no longer knew his name. Disillusioned and heartbroken, he was ensnared and corrupted by the Abyss Order's curse—thus began the Stormterror crisis.
Still, even if Dvalin appeared now, Luya could easily restore him—it would be no more difficult than casting [Spell Purification].
...
With the Knights maintaining order, calm soon returned to the plaza. The citizens shifted their attention back to the duel.
As Diluc activated the Field Spell [Dark City], the Mondstadt plaza transformed into a nocturnal metropolis. Towering skyscrapers surrounded them, and Diluc stood alongside his [Destiny HERO - Diamond Dude] like a vigilante in the night.
The sudden transformation left the citizens stunned.
"That's unbelievable!"
"Just a single card can change the entire environment?!"
"The Steambird wasn't exaggerating!"
"I read Charlotte's report yesterday and thought it was fake—but now I'm seeing it with my own eyes!"
"I'm curious what effect this card has!"
"An entire city appearing from one card—this is magic!"
While the crowd marveled, Diluc moved once more.
"Battle Phase!"
"[Destiny HERO - Diamond Dude], attack [Elemental HERO - Flame Wingman]!"
With only 1400 ATK, [Diamond Dude] leapt forward, charging toward Luya's 2100-ATK [Flame Wingman]!
"What's going on?!"
"Why would he attack a stronger monster?!"
"I don't get it—what kind of play is this?"
"Why would Master Diluc make such a mistake? Isn't that suicide?!"
The crowd erupted in confusion.
Abruptly, as Diamond Dude closed in—
a dazzling white light burst from its body!
Its aura surged dramatically—
[Diamond Dude, ATK: 1400 → 2400]
Now stronger than Flame Wingman, Diamond Dude unleashed a blast of radiant energy that pierced straight through the Hero, shattering it.
[Luya, LP: 4000 → 3700]
The diamond shards passed through Flame Wingman and struck Luya, dealing 300 points of battle damage.
The spectators were stunned.
"Why?!"
"How did a weaker monster defeat Flame Wingman?!"
"I really don't get it..."
"What just happened?!"
Diluc smiled and explained, "It's the effect of my Field Spell, [Dark City]! When a [Destiny HERO] monster attacks a monster with higher ATK, during damage calculation its ATK increases by 1000 points!"
...
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