"So what? Whether you see through it or not doesn't really matter to me," Yufeng said nonchalantly, a trace of mockery dancing in his golden pupils. "What I enjoy is the feeling of having another's soul completely in the palm of my hand."
Kagemaru's eyes narrowed to slits at those words.
"Because a Spell Card was activated, I can place one Spell Counter on my Magical Citadel of Endymion."
"As for Slifer the Sky Dragon, its attack power depends on the number of cards in my hand. Therefore, its current ATK is 6000!" Yufeng declared.
"Next! The Winged Dragon of Ra, attack him directly!" Yufeng's eyes shimmered with light. He knew, of course, that this turn alone wouldn't be enough to finish his opponent.
"Impressive, truly worthy of a legendary duelist. But don't get ahead of yourself. Open face-down card: Threatening Roar! My opponent cannot declare an attack this turn!" Kagemaru sneered. "I know your Egyptian Gods are unaffected by Spells and Traps, but this card doesn't target your Godsit prevents you from declaring an attack in the first place!"
"Damn it, he actually had that card!" Chazz gritted his teeth.
"I thought he was going to end it this turn. Looks like this guy came prepared," Jaden said, a frown deepening on his brow.
"Hmph... If he didn't have something up his sleeve, this wouldn't be very fun anyway. I end my turn," Yufeng said with airy indifference.
"My turn! Draw!" Kagemaru drew a card and suddenly burst into laughter.
"First, I activate the Continuous Spell from my hand: Card of Safe Return!"
"Then, I discard one Trap Card from my hand to resurrect Uria, Lord of Searing Flames from the Graveyard! Come forth in Defense Position! I'll show you that my Sacred Beasts aren't the slightest bit inferior to Gods!" Kagemaru roared. A moment later, the Lord of Searing Flames returned to the field.
"With five Traps in my Graveyard, Uria's ATK and DEF are both 5000! Furthermore, thanks to the effect of Card of Safe Return, every time I Special Summon a monster from the Graveyard, I can draw one card from my Deck." Kagemaru sneered, pulling another card.
Since Uria's stat-modifying effect was a continuous trigger, it had to resolve before Slifer's Lightning Blast could be activated by Yufeng.
"Activate Slifer the Sky Dragon's effect," Yufeng said calmly. "When my opponent Summons or Special Summons a monster, that monster loses 2000 ATK or DEF depending on its position. Your Uria loses 2000 DEF, leaving it with 3000."
"Heh, I already expected this moment." Kagemaru laughed coldly. If he hadn't, why would he have summoned it in Defense Position? "I activate the Field Spell, Ancient Forest! This will replace your Field Spell!"
"Then, I activate the effect of Ancient Forest. Any monster in Defense Position will be changed to Attack Position! Therefore, my Uria switches to Attack Position with 5000 ATK!" Kagemaru's eyes were full of mirth.
"This is bad. Even Yufeng's Field Spell has been overridden," Zane said, his expression souring.
"These Sacred Beasts are truly a nuisance," Chazz growled through clenched teeth.
"It's okay, Yufeng's Slifer still has a chance to counter!" Syrus said, trying to offer some comfort.
"I'm not finished yet. From my hand, I activate another Continuous Spell: Card Trader! By returning one card from my hand to the Deck, I can draw a new one." Kagemaru's gaze sharpened as he added the new card to his hand.
"Hmph. Now that these three Spells have served their purpose, I will extract their final value. I Tribute these three Spells from my field to Special Summon Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder from my hand in Defense Position!"
As Kagemaru's voice fell, dark clouds swarmed across another section of the sky. Thunder shook the air, and blinding light flickered.
...
A monster resembling The Winged Dragon of Ra descended from the heavens, its golden body gleaming as its massive wings unfurled.
Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder
Light Attribute / Level 10 / Thunder Type
ATK 4000 / DEF 4000
"This guy squeezed the effects out of his Spells and then used them as Tributes to Special Summon another Sacred Beast... Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!" Jaden felt an unprecedented pressure weigh down on him.
"Yufeng..." Alexis's heart hammered against her ribs. She couldn't remain calm in the face of such an epic confrontation.
"So, the second Sacred Beast makes its debut?" Yufeng smiled faintly, seemingly unfazed. "Even so, does your Uria actually dare to attack?" Yufeng asked with a chuckle.
Yufeng had a card on the field designed specifically to shut down Uria. The moment the 5000 ATK Uria attempted to strike, he would activate Forbidden Chalice, and the opponent would be the one taken out instead.
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