"Delta."
Yue Xuan remembered that name.
Before Alpha had been deleted, he had mentioned that Delta was the most exceptional among them.
"So, it's you," Yue Xuan said, understanding the situation.
"Indeed. You took quite good care of my brother," Delta said calmly.
"Are you here to seek revenge for him?"
"Not exactly. We may be brothers, but to say there is any deep affection between us would be an overstatement. I am only here to conduct official business."
Delta raised his Duel Disk and spoke.
"Of course, while the duels here are slightly different from the 'Shadow Games' you are familiar with, the results are quite similar. The consciousness of the loser will be deleted. If I fall, my program will turn to ash and vanish, representing the total destruction of my consciousness. If you lose, while your physical body will remain unharmed, you likely will never wake up in reality again."
Yue Xuan nodded. As he suspected, this digital space was already beginning to resemble the setting of Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS.
In the sixth series, VRAINS, all duels were conducted online, and there was no concept of the Shadow Realm or supernatural Shadow Games. However, that world featured high-stakes duels where the loser would become one of "The Lost"living in a permanent vegetative state, never to wake again.
Compared to the Shadow Games Yue Xuan had experienced before, however, this felt like entry-level stakes.
"I understand." Yue Xuan raised his arm and activated his Duel Disk.
"Duel!" they cried in unison.
[Yue Xuan, LP 4000]
[Delta, LP 4000]
"I'll take the first turn. Draw!" Yue Xuan declared. "I set one monster face-down and one card in the backrow. Turn end."
"A standard opening," Delta remarked. "Then it is my turn. Draw! First, I activate the Spell Card, Trade-In. By discarding a Level 8 monster from my hand, I draw two cards. I discard the Level 8 Tyrant Dragon and draw."
He slowly drew a card from his hand.
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Future Fusion."
Yue Xuan's eyelid twitched.
Hiss... another eternal Forbidden Card.
Banned in 2012 and only released from the Forbidden List in 2017 after its effect was heavily nerfed, it was a legendary card. In the GX anime, there were two versions of Future Fusion. The one used by the Kaiser was an Equip Spell, while the one used by Nightshroud's subordinates later in the series was a Continuous Spell, matching the original real-life card effect.
Delta was currently revealing the Continuous Spell version.
"With Future Fusion, I can choose one Fusion Monster in my Extra Deck and send the required Fusion Materials from my Deck to the Graveyard. During the second Standby Phase after activation, I will Fusion Summon that monster."
True to its name, it allowed a monster to be fused in the future. However, the reason it had been banned was not because of the Fusion Summon itself, but because it allowed for precise "deck-thinning" by dumping specific materials into the Graveyard. The Fusion Summon was practically just a bonus.
And back in the day, the monster most frequently paired with Future Fusion was...
"The Fusion Monster I choose is this one," Delta said, revealing a card. "Five-Headed Dragon!"
Yue Xuan narrowed his eyes.
Just as I thought.
Five-Headed Dragon. In the original series, it was the signature monster of The Big Five from the KaibaCorp board of directors. With 5000 ATK and DEF, its basic stats were the absolute ceiling in the entire Yu-Gi-Oh! card pool.
But that wasn't the main point. The strongest aspect of Five-Headed Dragon was its Fusion requirements: any five Dragon-Type monsters, without any other restrictions.
"The requirements for Five-Headed Dragon are five Dragons," Delta said, selecting five cards from his deck in one motion. "Therefore, I send five Dragon-Type monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard!"
Five dragons slid out of the Duel Disk and into the Graveyard slot. Sending five specific cards to the Graveyard instantlythis was the true power of Future Fusion.
Delta paused for a moment and chuckled.
"The physical bodies of all the cards I use are stored within the Abyake building," he said. "If you defeat me, you are free to take my deck, or even any of the other rare cards stored in this tower."
"Heh, how generous," Yue Xuan smiled. "Then I won't be modest."
"As you said, it is only natural that the winner takes all."
Delta shrugged, appearing completely indifferent.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity. I draw three cards and discard two from my hand. Then, I activate the Spell Card, Silent Doom, to Special Summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard in defense position."
As he spoke, a card slid out of his Graveyard.
"While the Gemini Monster Darkstorm Dragon is on the field or in the Graveyard, it is treated as a Normal Monster. Therefore, I Special Summon Darkstorm Dragon from my Graveyard in defense position!"
[Darkstorm Dragon, DEF 2500]
Yue Xuan remembered that the previous AI trio had used Darkstorm Dragon as well. Since they all came from the same source and were designed based on Seto Kaibasharing his peculiar obsession with Dragonsit wasn't surprising they used similar cards.
"Next, as a Gemini Monster, Darkstorm Dragon can be Normal Summoned again while on the field to gain its effects," Delta continued. "I Gemini Summon Darkstorm Dragon. Once per turn, by sending a face-up Spell or Trap card I control to the Graveyard, I can destroy all other Spells and Traps on the field!"
He pulled the card from his Duel Disk slot and sent it to the Graveyard.
"I send the Continuous Spell Future Fusion to the Graveyard. Now, destroy your backrow!"
The storm dragon spread its wings, whipping up a pitch-black hurricane. Yue Xuan's face-down card flipped face-up before being torn to shreds by the gale.
It was the Continuous TrapDragon Capture Jar.
"You're cautious," Yue Xuan said with a smile. "So you've cleared away the threat of the Jar?"
"You used Dragon Capture Jar when you first fought Seto Kaiba's dueling program. Since you have infiltrated the Abyake building, you must have anticipated facing us AIs. Thus, the probability of you including anti-Dragon measures in your deck was quite high."
Delta's voice remained as still as a deep well.
"I am far superior to my brothers. I am the sole survivor of countless training simulations, the ultimate individual. Simple tactics will not work on me."
He pulled another card from his hand.
"I activate the Spell Card, Card of Burial Spell. By banishing three Spell Cards from my GraveyardFuture Fusion, Graceful Charity, and Silent DoomI draw two cards."
Delta drew two more cards.
"Now, I activate the effect of Frost and Flame Dragon from my hand. This card can be Special Summoned by banishing two WATER monsters and one FIRE monster from my Graveyard. I banish the FIRE attribute Darkblaze Dragon and two WATER attribute Blizzard Dragons from the game!"
"The legendary dragon that transcends the boundaries of ice and fire"
"Frost and Flame Dragon, summon!"
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