"Normal Trap—[Magic Cylinder]." Yusaku's lips curled. "You know what this card does, right? Weren't you about to enter Battle Phase just now? Go on—continue your turn."
Ushio's face darkened. He'd heard [Magical Cylinders] loud and clear earlier—if it Sets [Magic Cylinder] from the Deck, that Trap can be activated this turn.
And wouldn't you know it—the set card was Magic Cylinder.
Magic Cylinder not only negates an attack, it also inflicts damage equal to the attacker's ATK.
But if he doesn't deal with [The Last Warrior from Another Planet], he can't even Summon.
Ushio glanced at Yusaku's set card, then at his own monsters.
"Battle!" Ushio gritted out after thinking it through. "Zaborg the Thunder Monarch—attack! The Last Warrior from Another Planet!"
At once, thunder detonated around the Monarch who ruled lightning. Golden bolts erupted from his body and surged toward Yusaku.
"Bold. Even knowing I set Magic Cylinder you still swing? Then let me sweeten the gift."
Yusaku snapped his fingers and his set card flipped.
"Activate Trap—[Magic Cylinder]! Chain it: from my GY, [Magical Cylinders]!"
"Magic Cylinder is simple—negate the attack, then inflict damage to you equal to that monster's ATK."
Ushio: "A measly 2400 damage…"
"Two thousand four hundred? No. Not just 2400."
Ushio: "?"
"[Magical Cylinders]: when I activate Magic Cylinder, I can banish it from the GY to double that damage."
"Since I activated Magic Cylinder, I can use it now—so I'll banish it…" Yusaku's smile tilted up. "You take damage equal to twice your monster's ATK—4800."
Ushio: "???"
A crimson cylinder materialized before Yusaku, warping space as it swallowed the incoming lightning and spat it back—the wave smashed into Ushio head-on and hurled him off his feet.
[Ushio, LP 8000 → 3200]
"Huh?"
"So LP damage is felt here?" Yusaku arched a brow.
"You're out of traps now, right?" Ushio dusted himself off and stared at Yusaku. "Then it's my turn!"
He slashed his arm down.
"Say goodbye to that damned monster! Mobius the Frost Monarch—attack! The Last Warrior from Another Planet!"
The Monarch of ice roared. A blizzard blasted from his palms, the snow hardening into a thousand blades that carved through the alien warrior and shattered it where it stood.
[Yusaku, LP 8000 → 7950]
"Nice. Finally got rid of that eyesore!"
"That means the Summon lock is gone!"
"Knew it! A measly lock can't stop Ushio-senpai!"
Watching the monster disperse, Ushio smirked. "All that effort, and you still couldn't keep it alive."
"Oh?" Yusaku folded his arms. "So what? You think you've won? The advantage's on my side. Monarchs rely on Normal Summons—you've already used yours. To Summon again you need Spells, and did you forget about my [Naturia Exterio]? Also…"
Yusaku paused, eyeing Ushio. "I let you clear it on purpose. Makes ending this next turn a lot faster."
"Let me clear it, huh?" Ushio scoffed, flicking a glance at Yusaku. "You've got no sets. As if—"
He broke off as Yusaku flashed a card from his GY.
"Trap—[Staunch Defender]. While this is in my GY, I can banish it and target 1 monster I control; this turn, your attacks can only target that monster."
Yusaku slid the card back into his GY and looked up. "So when you attacked, if I'd forced your target swap, could you have even cleared [The Last Warrior from Another Planet]?"
"Whoa, I thought once Last Warrior went down, Yusaku would be in danger—but he planned to let it die!"
"Are we even from the same dojo? His duels feel like a higher league. He fights like he's already won."
Across the way, faces soured. They'd thought their senior cleared Last Warrior by skill alone—turns out the other guy had been holding the leash the whole time.
And seeing the card Yusaku revealed annoyed Ushio. That card wasn't there at first—it got milled by Exterio's effect because he had activated a Spell—and worse, Yusaku hadn't even used it.
That grated.
"Tch. Save the big talk." Ushio bristled. "That monster also clogs your zones. You've got one card in hand. I don't believe you and one draw end the game. I end my turn."
"My turn… Draw." Yusaku glanced at the card. "I was going to show you Code Talkers, but I don't need to. Against this board, this is cleaner."
Ushio: "?"
Magma roared up from the depths, a tide of molten fury like the earth's primal howl.
The crowd's pupils shrank.
"He's… Summoning what?!"
The ritual of tribute whipped Yusaku's coat as he raised his arm and slammed his card down.
"I tribute my [Naturia Exterio] and [Knightmare Gryphon]!"
"O obsidian tyrant—shatter the clamps of our sealed interstice and bring annihilation to my foe—
Come forth! Gandora-X the Dragon of Demolition!!!"
Scalding currents writhed in the air, then crashed down; blazing shards burst outward; churning lava gathered and hardened into draconic talons; basalt plates forged jet-black scales; a sinuous tail uncoiled; and ebon bone-wings unfurled through the molten veil.
The black dragon tore free of the earth. Its iron-black body bristled like it wore a thousand opened eyes—and each eye spilled a beam of searing red.
"[Gandora-X the Dragon of Demolition]—effect!" Yusaku's voice rang. "Destroy all other monsters on the field! Then inflict damage to you equal to the highest original ATK among those destroyed monsters! And! Gandora-X's ATK becomes that value!"
Ushio's pupils pinpricked. "What—?!"
"Rending Ray Burst!!!"
Lances of light ripped in every direction, reducing all they touched to atoms.
The scarlet death-beam swept the field, striking Ushio's Frost and Thunder Monarchs head-on—their towering forms unraveled into glittering dust and blew away.
[Ushio, LP 3200 → 800]
"Per Gandora-X, its ATK increases by 2400."
[Gandora-X the Dragon of Demolition]
[ATK: 0 → 2400]
"Now your field is empty. No sets. Twenty-four hundred's not huge—but it's more than enough to end this."
"Battle!" Yusaku pointed forward. "Gandora-X—direct attack!"
The dragon's maw yawned—scarlet radiance condensed—then the torrent exploded forth and swallowed Ushio whole.
[Ushio, LP 800 → 0]
(End of Chapter)
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