Seeing Youyu display the card he found in his deck and added to his hand, Aaron couldn't help but grit his teeth.
Mask Change, after two rounds of dueling with Youyu, Doma was no longer unfamiliar with the characteristics of this new deck.
Aaron knew clearly that this "Mask Change" was the core of that deck. That card contained considerable power, allowing Heroes to instantly transform into Masked Heroes of various attributes during battle. It could rely on transformations to evade traps, avoid attacks, and increase the number of attacks, making it a card with broad utility and terrifying performance.
But now, he had two emperors with an attack power of 2900 on the field. Monsters that could exceed that attack power should be few and far between, and it shouldn't be that easy to take them down...
"Activate the Magic Card from the hand," Youyu drew a card from his hand, "Fusion!"
Aaron's eyelid twitched.
Not transformation?
"Fuse the 'Elemental Hero Liquidman' on the field with the 'Elemental Hero Featherman' in hand! The fusion conditions are an Elemental Hero plus any Wind Attribute Monster!
Fusion Summon! Elemental Hero Great Tornado!"
The two heroes transformed into cerulean water flow and a green whirlwind, merging into the vortex of fusion. The space was filled with a raging gust, a tornado soaring skyward like an inverted funnel, with a cape billowing behind the wind-riding hero, descending slowly in mid-air.
[Elemental Hero Great Tornado, Attack Power 2800]
"An Elemental Hero with an attack power of 2800, but even with this, the attack power is still against my emperor..." Aaron seemed to suddenly recall something, his pupils constricting, "Damn it, this guy's special effect..."
"That's right, Great Tornado's effect," Youyu stated, "Upon summoning, all monsters on the opponent's field have their attack and defense halved!"
The howling storm swept toward the opposing field, causing the enormous bodies of both emperors to sway unsteadily in the wind.
[Mobius the Frost Monarch, Attack Power 2900 → Attack Power 1450]
[Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, Attack Power 2900 → Attack Power 1450]
Aaron gritted his teeth: "Daring to halve the attack power of my emperors..."
"Battle!" Youyu ordered, "Great Tornado, attack Mobius the Frost Monarch!"
The storm-controlling hero soared into the air under an invisible force, a whirlwind forming between his palms. The pitch-black storm roared and charged like a dragon, with fangs and claws, at the Monarch of Frost.
"Not that easy! Continuous Trap - Spirit Barrier, activate!"
The Trap Card in front of Aaron flipped open. Meanwhile, transparent barriers unfolded around both the Frost Monarch and the Thunder Monarch, shielding him from behind.
"As long as Continuous Trap - Soul Barrier is on the field, as long as a monster exists on one's field, the controller takes no battle damage!"
"Then I just have to clear all the monsters." Youyu said calmly, "First, the Frost Monarch, Great Tornado continues the attack!"
The storm engulfed the body of the Frost Monarch, effortlessly tearing his form apart. The white emperor vanished into the void under the swirling winds, taking the icy domain with him.
The storm, like a tide carrying countless sharp blades, continued to surge towards Aaron but all crashed against the transparent barrier before him, causing no substantial damage.
"Because of the Soul Barrier's effect, the damage I take is 0!" Aaron grit his teeth.
"It's not over yet, Quick-Play Magic - Mask Change!" Youyu played the Magic Card in his hand, "Send the Hero Monster on the field to the graveyard to transform into a 'Masked Hero' of the same attribute!
I'll transform 'Elemental Hero Shadow Mist'!
Masked Hero Anki, summon!"
A shroud of black mist enveloped Shadow Mist, the fog morphing into tangible dark armor that clad her. The female hero transformed in an instant, taking on the stance of a Masked Hero.
[Masked Hero Anki, Attack Power 2800]
"Continue the battle!" Youyu declared, "Masked Hero Anki, attack Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!"
The black-armored hero made a running start, leaped into the air, curled into a spin, then descended with a crushing flying kick aimed squarely at the massive head of the Thunder Monarch.
The latter bore the force of the powerful kick, his body sliding backward like a runaway train for a considerable distance. He bellowed furiously, but his frame crumbled under the hero's kick, shattering into countless fragments.
Of course, the sweeping impact was again blocked by the transparent barrier in front of Aaron.
"Once more, due to the effect of the Continuous Trap 'Soul Barrier', the battle damage I take is 0."
Although he said it like that, Aaron knew clearly in his heart that this was merely doing what he could.
This was already the limit of what he could do, his full strength. But at this moment he knew he had lost, completely lost.
"Sorry, Lord Dartz." Aaron put down his Duel Disc and muttered to himself as he looked at the hero on the opponent's field, "It's my incompetence. I couldn't protect the branch entrusted to me by you, nor could I defeat the strongest enemy...
... My sins are endless, but at least let me offer my soul with reverence in the end... to become part of Orichalcos' grand blueprint for the future."
"The effect of Masked Hero Anki!" Youyu opened his card deck at this moment, "Once per turn, when a monster is destroyed in battle, add one 'Change' Quick-Play Magic Card from the deck to the hand.
I add the second 'Mask Change' to my hand.
Then I activate Quick-Play Magic - Mask Change! Send Anki on the field to the graveyard, Masked Transformation!
Once again, appear, Masked Hero Anki, the second one!"
The transformation special effect of the black mist once again enveloped this black hero, transforming him into another set of Anki's armor. He swung his arm, domineeringly sweeping away the black mist surrounding him, and reappeared transformed into a brand new Masked Hero Anki.
"Masked Hero Anki," Youyu pointed at Aaron, "direct attack on the player!"
Anki jumped up, very high. He curled in the air, spinning and accelerating, then with a flying kick, like a cannonball, he blasted towards Aaron with unstoppable momentum.
The hero's flying kick solidly hit the chest of this believer. The latter grunted, kicked away like a broken rag, and slammed hard against the invisible wall of the barrier, then fell back to the ground.
[Aaron, LP 1500 → LP 0]
A decision of victory was made, and the Seal of Orichalcos also reacted simultaneously. The circular magic array slowly rotated and shrank toward Aaron's feet.
At this moment, somewhere deep in the firmament outside the building, a deafening roar erupted, thunderous and spreading across the city.
Everyone was drawn to that sound. People looked out through the windows and saw that somehow there was a colorful aurora hanging in the sky, like a dazzling curtain.
A giant eye opened in the pitch-black sky, as if a maliciously intended demon from another dimension was coveting this world.
"Hahahaha!!!" Aaron, whose soul was about to be extracted, started laughing instead, "It's too late, it's all too late! The mighty deity has awakened, this erroneous world is finally going to be guided into the right future by Orichalcos!
Great omnipotent god! Take my humble soul, bestow divine punishment upon this world!"
Youyu gave him a sidelong glance.
What's the excitement for, being excited? Your great god has only just opened one eye, why be scared?
Youyu was planning to unleash the Sky Dragon, to send his Sky Dragon up to splash a face full of "Superconducting Wave" on that big eye, but didn't expect someone to be faster.
Suddenly in the night sky, a dragon soared high into the sky, flew above the city, and without a word fired a golden shockwave at that big eye on the horizon.
Youyu recognized it immediately, it was "Legendary Dragon" Timaeus!
It seems that as in the anime, Muto Yugi has already gone to the Spirit World, released the seal of Timaeus, and summoned this legendary dragon to confront the awakening Evil God.
The invincible "Evil God" seemed to be in pain, howling miserably, quickly closed its eye and retracted.
The aurora edge and various anomalies in the sky vanished instantly, as if nothing had happened.
It feels like the Evil God, which had slept for ten thousand years had just awakened, sleepily checking the situation, only to be bombarded messily by the legendary dragon, scared back to sleep immediately.
God of Orichalcos: I'm outta here.
Whoa, Legendary Dragon again! Timaeus the Knight of Destiny! Who can handle this?
Although if God of Orichalcos fully revives, a mere Legendary Dragon would be nothing to it, yet clearly now it has only just opened one eye.
So as the saying goes, running away may be disgraceful, but it's effective...
Aaron, who was just laughing madly halfway, froze instantly, his smile gradually disappearing.
Holy crap, where's our Evil God?
Such a big Evil God, how come it's gone just like that?
But he didn't have a chance to figure it out.
The Seal of Orichalcos finally closed in, his soul was extracted along with the green light rushing skyward, flying into the sky. This loyal believer got his wish, crossing oceans to the temple of Doma Headquarters, engraved on the stone slab becoming one of countless sacrifices.