(Author note: The previous chapter used There Can Be Only One, not Gozen Match. Thanks for the correction.)
"I Normal Summon Reinoheart. When Reinoheart is Summoned, its effect activates—I send one Tearlaments monster from my Deck to the GY.
Then, Perlereino's effect triggers as Chain 2, milling three cards—your monsters lose 500 ATK this turn!"
"Chain 2, Perlereino resolves successfully.
Chain 1, Reinoheart sends Tearlaments Merrli to the GY."
"I mill three with Perlereino, hitting Tearlaments Scream and Merrli—their effects form an automatic chain:
Chain 1, Scream searches.
Chain 2, Merrli Fusion Summons."
"Merrli and the Havnis milled by Perlereino Fusion Summon Tearlaments Kitkallos!
Chain 2, Scream adds Tearlaments Siren to my hand."
"Kitkallos' effect—add one Tearlaments card from the Deck to hand."
"Since Merrli and Havnis were returned to the Deck, Perlereino's second effect triggers—
I target the middle set card in your back row and destroy it."
"You're destroying my set instead of There Can Be Only One?
You're only making things more hopeless for yourself—let me show you the power Lord granted me!"
"Chain 3! I flip my set Quick-Play Spell—Super Polymerization!!!"
Li Si slammed his hand down, eyes blazing as he stared at You Ye.
"Super Poly doesn't target—"
Before he could finish, You Ye interrupted calmly:
"Don't waste time explaining. Just Fusion Summon."
"…Fine. Resolve the chain!"
Chain resolution (last in, first out):
Chain 3: Super Polymerization fuses Kitkallos and Chimera, the King of Phantom Beasts, Fusion Summoning Predaplant Dragostapelia
Chain 2: Perlereino destroys Super Polymerization
Chain 1: Kitkallos adds Tearlaments Merli to hand
After the resolution, You Ye pointed to his GY.
"Because Super Polymerization sent Kitkallos to the GY, her effect activates.
I mill five cards."
Seeing this, Li Si immediately chained, his face full of excitement.
"You mill—then I mill better!"
"Chain 2! Chimera, the King of Phantom Beasts—on the opponent's turn, I can banish it from my GY to Special Summon a Beast, Fiend, or Illusion monster from my GY.
I target Big-Winged Baphomet!"
"Then we'll see whether my mill gains more—or your Special Summon does," You Ye said with a smile.
Chain resolution:
Chain 2: Chimera revives Big-Winged Baphomet
Chain 1: Kitkallos mills five
You Ye's smile widened.
"I milled Sulliek, Reinoheart, and Shaddoll Beast—their effects chain automatically.
Chain 1, Reinoheart mills two.
Chain 2, Shaddoll Beast draws one.
Chain 3, Sulliek targets Merrli in the GY and adds her back to hand."
Li Si clenched his fists, cursing You Ye's luck internally, then declared his own effect.
"Chain 4! Big-Winged Baphomet—add one Beast monster and Chimera Fusion from the Deck to hand!"
Chain resolution:
Chain 4: Baphomet adds cards
Chain 3: Sulliek resolves
Chain 2: Shaddoll Beast draws
Chain 1: Reinoheart mills
"Hmph. Even so, with my field and hand, I'm still ahead."
Li Si snorted, unwilling to admit the difference.
You Ye merely looked at him with pity and continued.
"I activate Tearlaments Siren from hand—Special Summon her, then discard one monster and mill three.
I discard Merli, which I just searched."
"Merli's effect—Fusion Summon with Mudragon of the Swamp and Kitkallos in the GY!
I Fusion Summon Kaleido-Heart!"
"Kaleido-Heart's effect—target one card on your field and shuffle it into the Deck.
I return your last set of cards."
"Useless! Chain 2—I activate Chimera Fusion!"
Li Si smiled smugly, convinced You Ye had misplayed.
He failed to notice You Ye's grin widening.
Spectating, the three King-Path Duelists grew increasingly uneasy.
Li Si was clearly losing—yet his Chimera deck's resource generation was absurd.
Five cards in hand. Two monsters on the field.
Under There Can Be Only One, after losing one card and one bounce—
And he still hadn't even established a final board.
If he reaches the endboard…
All three silently began considering how to obtain this deck.
Chain resolution:
Chain 2: Baphomet + Beast King fuse into Chimera, the King of Phantom Beasts
Chain 1: Chimera Fusion returns to the Deck
"Chimera's effect—during the End Phase, you discard one!"
"And that fish you just recovered? You can't even use it."
"This is the power of Illusion Chimera + There Can Be Only One—
It locks you, not me!"
Li Si laughed triumphantly.
"Oh? You seem to misunderstand something," You Ye replied calmly.
"Merli is Psychic-Type, not Aqua, Warrior, or Fiend.
Summoning her is perfectly legal."
"But it doesn't matter—she won't be needed in this duel."
You, Ye, grinned.
"From the GY, Destrudo the Lost Dragon's Frisson—I pay half my LP and Special Summon it, targeting Reinoheart."
"I tune Level 3 Destrudo, Level 4 Siren, and Level 4 Reinoheart—
Synchro Summon, Level 11: Psychic End Punisher!"
"My GY Glow-Up Bulb—send the top card of my Deck to the GY to Special Summon.
The milled card is Lightsworn Archer Felis—she Special Summons herself!"
"Psychic End Punisher's effect—pay 1000 LP (4000 → 3000), banish Glow-Up Bulb and your Cornfield Coatl!"
Li Si burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! You just made the biggest mistake of this duel!"
"My Cornfield Coatl's effect—while Winged Chimera exists, when my card is targeted by an opponent's effect, I can banish it to negate and destroy!"
"Because Chimera treats it as Winged Chimera, I can negate and destroy your Psychic End Punisher!"
He pointed dramatically.
"Go! Cornfield Coatl—destroy that Level 11 Synchro!"
But then—
Psychic End Punisher struck first.
One palm strike obliterated the black smoke serpent, and the shockwave erased Cornfield Coatl from the field entirely.
Chain resolution:
Chain 2: Cornfield Coatl activates
Chain 1: Psychic End Punisher resolves
Li Si: "???"
"Why?! My effect activated successfully! Why wasn't Psychic End Punisher negated?!"
"Simple," You Ye said calmly.
"Activation success and effect application are two different things."
"When my LP is lower than yours, Psychic End Punisher is unaffected by activated effects."
He looked at Li Si with pity.
"If you weren't so arrogant—if you'd actually studied Tearlaments—
You wouldn't have thrown effects so blindly."
"And you wouldn't have lost like a clown."
"A clown? Me?!"
Li Si glared murderously.
"You're ahead, sure—but you have no follow-ups!
Your three monsters can't finish me—I haven't lost!"
"You're wrong. Every single word."
"Next life—do your homework before dueling."
"Battle Phase."
"Felis, tribute herself—destroy Chimera, the King of Phantom Beasts!"
"Psychic End Punisher activates—its ATK increases by the LP difference.
We differ by 5000 LP."
Psychic End Punisher ATK: 3500 → 8500
"I attack directly!"
Green lightning descended from the heavens.
Li Si's LP dropped from 8000 to 0 instantly.
"Now tell me," You Ye said calmly.
"Who's behind you? Where are they? And what do they want?"
Duel Ended.