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"Then, I'll proceed to the main phase of my turn."
Ryuzaki's fingertips lightly brushed over his newly replenished hand, a cold smirk spreading across his face.
"You've been quite cocky in the previous turns, kid. But it ends here—this duel will be over this turn!"
He revealed three cards from his hand at once. "I activate the magic card 'Fusion'!
By fusing the 'Swift-Footed Velociraptor' and 'Savage Winged Dragon' from my hand!"
The magic card shimmered as the dinosaur forms were released from his hand onto the field, engulfed in a swirling vortex of darkness. Black lightning crackled within, striking the field with dazzling brilliance and exploding into thick plumes of smoke.
"The master of the abyss and hell awakens from the endless depths of darkness. Fusion summon—
—Level 6, Hellhorn Dragon!" (Anime-exclusive card)
[Hellhorn Dragon, ATK 2000]
An uncarded anime-exclusive monster, one of Ryuzaki's new ace cards after losing both his Red-Eyes and Evil Hero Inferno Wing earlier in the duel.
"But that's not all!"
Ryuzaki continued.
"Next, I activate the magic card 'Monster Reborn'! With this card, I'll revive a powerful dinosaur sleeping in my graveyard!"
The sacred symbol of Monster Reborn appeared in midair, and a card emerged from the duel disk's graveyard zone with a golden glow.
"I revive this card from my graveyard—the absolute king of dinosaurs—
—Dark Driceratops!"
A pitch-black dinosaur roared as it burst forth from a vortex of the underworld, its massive tail slamming into the ground and kicking up a towering cloud of dust.
[Dark Driceratops, ATK 2600]
"Huh? Dark Driceratops?" Commentator Watanabe exclaimed. "When did such a monster appear...?"
"It was during the initial use of 'Graceful Charity'," Sasaki explained. "So he had this planned from the very beginning. After suffering such a devastating loss earlier, he's already managed to mount such a powerful counterattack this turn...
...This is truly impressive for a legendary duelist."
"Ah, I see. It's indeed admirable..." Watanabe remarked, then added curiously, "But why didn't he revive 'Tri-Horned Dragon'? Shouldn't its attack power be higher...?"
Sasaki chuckled mysteriously. "Hehe, because it seems Ryuzaki already has a decisive strategy in mind... Just watch."
With two more powerful monsters summoned, Ryuzaki laughed triumphantly again. "How about that, the power of my dinosaurs! Overwhelming offense, crushing victory through sheer force—this is my dueling style now!
I'm no longer the same as before. I'm stronger than ever!"
However, as You Xuan gazed at the blackened form of Dark Driceratops, he only had one thought in mind.
Ryuzaki, why are you using Jyumonji's card...?
His only memory of this dinosaur was as Jyumonji's ace card during his debut in the anime, which had once pushed Judai into a tough battle. Of course, in the end, Judai turned the tables with a miraculous draw, and Jyumonji became Judai's loyal follower.
"Next, I activate the magic card 'Attack Stopper' from my hand!
This card can forcibly change one attack-position monster on the opponent's field to defense position!"
Ryuzaki pointed at You Xuan's Mecha Fortress on the field.
"I'll change 'Mecha Unit Fortress' to defense position!"
[Mecha Unit Fortress, ATK 2500 → DEF 1600]
"Ah, I see," You Xuan nodded. "Dark Driceratops can bypass monsters and directly attack the player if there are only defense-position monsters on the opponent's field.
That's the idea, huh?"
"Ho ho, you're pretty knowledgeable for a rookie," Ryuzaki chuckled, wiping his nose. "That's right, this is my strategy.
And my 'Hellhorn Dragon' can also directly attack the opponent this turn since it was fusion-summoned!"
The entire audience erupted in shock.
"A direct attack combo with 2600 ATK and 2000 ATK! And they can even bypass the opponent's monsters!" Watanabe gasped. "Isn't this a one-turn kill (OTK)?!"
"That's correct," Sasaki confirmed. "It's an absolute show of overwhelming force, and this level of strength is indeed astonishing."
Two consecutive dragon attacks—how could anyone lose against this?
"Go! First, 'Dark Driceratops'! Using its effect, bypass the Mecha Fortress and directly attack the player!"
Dark Driceratops let out a roar, charging forward with a thunderous stomp. Its massive tail kicked up clouds of dust as it leapt over the Mecha Fortress, aiming straight for You Xuan.
"Then I activate my face-down trap—Earthbound Spirit's Temptation!" You Xuan raised his hand. "When an opponent declares an attack, I can redirect the target of that attack."
He pointed to his own Mecha Fortress.
"I designate 'Mecha Unit Fortress' as the target for 'Dark Driceratops' attack."
"Tch." Ryuzaki frowned in irritation. "Trying to avoid the OTK with clever tricks, huh?
But Dark Driceratops still has the higher attack power! So go ahead, Dark Driceratops—wipe out that annoying fortress!"
[Mecha Unit Fortress, DEF 1600]
The fortress, now in defense mode, was no match for the ferocious dark dinosaur. The colossal beast charged forward, tearing the fortress apart in seconds. Debris exploded into the air, and within moments, the fortress collapsed into scrap metal with a series of deafening booms.
"Huh?"
Watanabe blinked in surprise.
"Strange, why didn't the effect of 'Mechanical Frame' activate?"
After all, You Xuan's Mecha Fortress was equipped with 'Mecha Unit - Mechanical Frame,' which should have been able to take the hit instead of the fortress itself.
Why didn't it activate?
Ryuzaki also felt a faint sense of unease, and that premonition quickly came true.
"At this moment, the other effect of 'Mecha Unit Fortress' activates."
You Xuan revealed the fortress card just before it was sent to the graveyard.
"When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, I can destroy one card on the opponent's field. And the card I choose to destroy is, of course..."
He pointed to the Hellhorn Dragon on Ryuzaki's field, which hadn't attacked yet.
"Hellhorn Dragon!"
In its final moments, the crumbling fortress fired one last shot from its main cannon, detonating like a dying breath. The explosive blast struck the forehead of Ryuzaki's Hellhorn Dragon, shattering it into pieces under the force of modern firepower.
"Damn it..." Ryuzaki gritted his teeth.
"Splendid! Absolutely splendid!"
Commentator Watanabe stood up from his seat, unconsciously giving You Xuan a thumbs-up.
"With just one move, You Xuan not only defended against Ryuzaki's double attack but also destroyed his fusion ace!
Ryuzaki's guaranteed back-to-back attacks were effortlessly deflected by You Xuan. Even now, You Xuan's life points remain untouched at 4000!
The legendary duelist's relentless assault hasn't even scratched his defenses!"
"It's completely unexpected," Sasaki admitted.
"Fuji You Xuan... What an enigmatic rookie. If someone told me right now that he's actually a pro player wearing a disguise, I'd believe it..."
To hold his own against the legendary Ryuzaki like this—it was unbelievable for a supposed rookie.
"So I set two cards face-down on the field. My turn ends."
Once again, Ryuzaki's attack had achieved nothing, leaving him somewhat frustrated. Still, he had regained control of the field.
Dark Driceratops boasted a formidable 2600 ATK, while You Xuan's field had been cleared despite defending against the attack. Moreover, Ryuzaki still had a strong back-row defense this turn—it should be enough to secure his position.
"Draw."
After drawing, You Xuan slightly narrowed his eyes.
"Hmm... What a pity. It seems you might not have another turn after this."
Ryuzaki: "!"
Not just him—the entire audience and commentators were stunned.
What had they just heard?
A victory declaration?
"What an absolutely shocking development!"
Commentator Watanabe leaned so far forward that he nearly fell off the table.
"You Xuan has declared victory against Ryuzaki—the legendary Ryuzaki!"
If he had said this at the start of the duel, the audience might have been shocked and some would have mocked the rookie for being overconfident, thinking he was invincible after winning a few matches.
But after witnessing You Xuan's dominance on the field in the previous turns, very few people thought that way anymore.
There was no arrogance or hubris—not even a hint of smugness in his tone. And that was the most terrifying part.
When he spoke, his emotions barely wavered. It was as if he were simply stating an inevitable fact, neither provoking nor mocking. He spoke as though he already knew the outcome with absolute certainty.
Ryuzaki was deeply shaken. He had always believed his past experiences had hardened his resolve, but hearing those words made his legs tremble uncontrollably. For a moment, he almost lost his balance.
It wasn't just the thought of losing here after years of seclusion and returning as a legend, only to be defeated by a rookie with no prior achievements...
No, it was more than that.
The instant he heard those words, he felt convinced.
Deep down, a part of him believed this declaration.
Believed that his turn was over.
"W-what... What did you say?" Ryuzaki tried to shake off those thoughts.
It's impossible.
He had a powerful monster on the field and a strong back-row defense. There was no way the opponent could get through.
Yes, it must just be a bluff.
"From the graveyard, the effect of 'Mecha Unit Fortress.'"
You Xuan calmly retrieved the monster card from the duel disk's graveyard zone.
"This card can be special summoned from the graveyard by discarding mechanical-type monsters from your hand whose total levels equal 8 or more."
He drew two cards from his hand.
"I discard 'Card Gunner' (Level 3) and another 'Mecha Unit Fortress' (Level 7) from my hand to revive 'Mecha Unit Fortress' from the graveyard."
Two cards were sent to the graveyard in quick succession, and a storm of metal swirled on You Xuan's field. With the roar of engines, the fortress rose again, its cannons and weapons reassembled.
[Mecha Unit Fortress, ATK 2500]
"So this self-revival effect is the source of his confidence?" Ryuzaki narrowed his eyes, his mind racing. "In that case, it seems he has cards in his hand that can assist in battle."
The fortress's attack power was only 100 less than his Dark Driceratops. A simple equip card could easily bridge that gap.
And because of the effect of "Reckless Greed," Ryuzaki would have to skip his next two draw phases. Even if he survived this turn, failing to protect his "Dark Driceratops" would mean certain defeat.
But...
"Activate face-down card!"
Ryuzaki flipped over a trap card from his back row.
"Trap Card—Yama's Judgment! This card can destroy any monster that was special summoned by the opponent!"
A black vortex erupted beneath the newly revived Mecha Fortress. Before it could stabilize, the fortress was obliterated in a deafening explosion, reduced to scrap metal once again.
Ryuzaki burst into triumphant laughter. "Hahaha! Using traps isn't your exclusive domain! How about this? Can you still claim victory this turn after THAT?!"