No one could have predicted this outcome: in the second turn of the Turbo Duel's final battle, Odin, Father of the Aesir—who had only just appeared through the rift in the pitch‑black sky and barely stood firm—was sliced apart by the massive sword of Number 39: Utopia, its light breaking through the clouds.
Sliced apart in the physical sense, destroyed in battle in the most straightforward meaning.
A Utopia with 10000 Attack destroyed an Odin with 4000 Attack in battle.
This wasn't merely a matter of instantly killing a Polar God; in the context of the entire Turbo Duel, dealing 6000 points of battle damage meant a clean one‑strike finish.
Takehiko: "An unbelievable opening attack! Duelist Aisha Carlos caught everyone off guard—striking directly with ten thousand Attack for an instant kill!"
Aside from Takehiko, who forced himself to remain clear‑headed through professional discipline, nearly everyone else present from Synchron Academy was stunned on the spot.
After all, she was the legendary duelist who once saved Axet; everyone expected Aisha Carlos to be incredibly strong.
Albeit this exceeded almost everyone's imagination. Even if they assumed Aisha was powerful, no one guessed she would be this strong.
Strong enough to one‑turn slash apart a Polar God and its duelist without a hitch.
Through the shattering form of Odin, the starlight blade of Utopia's strike came crashing forward, symbolizing the 6000 points of lethal battle damage.
If he took this attack, Nid's defeat was guaranteed.
"The horn of Ragnarök has only just sounded. The battle is only beginning!"
Nid Hogg flipped a face‑down card, the defensive power of a Trap clashing against the force of the starlight blade.
"—Trap Card: 'Defense Draw'!"
[Activate only during the damage calculation of your opponent's turn. The battle damage you would take from that battle becomes 0, then draw 1 card from your Deck.]
"After reducing the battle damage to 0, I draw 1 card!"
Having narrowly survived the lethal blow—and with Odin, Father of the Aesir, destroyed and sent away—Nid's true hidden trump card was revealed.
It was the true nature behind the horn of Ragnarök that had sounded alongside Odin's arrival.
Aisha looked toward the opponent's back row, surprised. "Mr. Miles… when did that card get there?"
Even Aisha, viewing the duel from the primary perspective, hadn't noticed. Likely, only Miles in the entire arena had.
"It was placed last turn… when the god descended."
This was also why Miles sought to win quickly using a doubled‑Attack Utopia.
Trap Card: "Gjallarhorn".
Nid smiled. "As expected of you to notice, Aisha Carlos."
While everyone else was mesmerized by the blinding spectacle of Odin's instant Synchro Summon on turn one, only Miles noticed the card hidden behind Odin's grand entrance—a card that didn't even need to be activated.
[When an Aesir monster is successfully Special Summoned, place this card from your Graveyard to your Spell/Trap Zone face‑up.]
"'Gjallarhorn' was a Trap sent to the Graveyard by 'Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant', and last turn—when 'Odin, Father of the Aesir' was Synchro Summoned—it was placed into my Spell/Trap Zone. And this card… is the countdown to the war of the gods!"
Heimdallr, the guardian deity of Asgard, wielded his horn to warn the gods at the invasion of giants.
And now, this Continuous Trap sitting in Nid's back row bore the number "1" upon its surface.
[During the End Phase of your third turn after this card is placed, banish all monsters you control and this card, then inflict damage to your opponent equal to the total Attack of the banished monsters.]
Once three turns passed, Ragnarök would descend. Nid Hogg's monsters would all be banished, and Miles would take massive Life Point damage.
The current number "1" meant that one turn had already passed; only two remained.
"I Set two cards and end my turn!"
Having destroyed "Odin, Father of the Aesir" with Utopia's 10000 Attack, Miles did not continue fighting.
With the defender "Jack's Knight" Special Summoned in Defense Position, his strategy was clear: if Utopia couldn't end the duel, he wouldn't risk attacking with Jack's Knight for a bit of damage.
After all, his opponent was a duelist who used the Three Polar Gods—and each one possessed power on the level of being superior to Blue‑Eyes White Dragon.
Attacking with a low‑level monster now would only make himself vulnerable.
For the moment, relying on Utopia's 5000 Attack to maintain the field was enough.
In the Fusion Academy preparation area, Ren whispered, "'Gjallarhorn'… there's even a card like that."
Despite using a Nordic deck of the Three Polar Gods, he was deploying a tactic symbolizing the end of Norse myth—Ragnarök.
Just like the name Nid Hogg bore: the black dragon that gnaws at the World Tree, heralding Ragnarök.
"But! If two turns later, the opponent has no monsters to banish, then 'Gleipnir' won't deal damage at all!"
Ren felt particularly smart at this moment.
"As long as Miles uses Utopia with its newly doubled Attack to suppress the gods, it'll be fine!"
"Ren… consider this possibility." Kevin looked up at the sky—at the thunderclouds that had been parted by Utopia's blade, now gathering once more. "Polar Gods aren't that easy to suppress."
The overwhelming pressure of the Celestial Polar God erupted again across the Turbo Duel circuit.
"I told you, the battle of the gods has only just begun! At the end of the turn, the effect of 'Odin, Father of the Aesir' in my Graveyard activates!"
[If this face‑up card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon it during the End Phase. When this Special Summon is successful, draw 1 card.]
The Odin that Utopia had just cleaved apart this very turn was now Special Summoned from the Graveyard, its divine majesty returning once more.
"The shared effect of the Three Polar Gods—even when destroyed, they revive during the End Phase! And when Odin revives, I draw 1 more card from my Deck!"
Immunity to Spells and Traps, ever‑accessible summoning methods, Attack surpassing even the Blue‑Eyes White Dragon—none of these were the true core of the Polar Gods' tactics.
What made them truly difficult to fight was this: even after being destroyed, they could automatically revive from the Graveyard—and trigger additional effects upon revival.
[Odin, Father of the Aesir ATK: 4000]
"My turn—draw!"
Riders switched positions on the circuit as Nid Hogg, having successfully revived Odin unconditionally, drew the opening card of his turn.
[Nid, SPC: 3→4]
[Aisha, SPC: 3→4]
"Spell Card: 'Pot of Greed'—I draw two more cards from my Deck!"
Having already replenished his hand with Odin's revival effect, Nid further expanded his hand size, then flicked a monster card forward onto the track for a Normal Summon.
"I Normal Summon in Attack Position—'Nordic Beast Gullinbursti'!"
[Nordic Beast Gullinbursti] Level 3│LIGHT│Beast│300 ATK
A Tuner monster—a golden boar thundered onto the track, the divine beast that drew the chariot of the Allfather in Norse myth.
"When 'Nordic Beast Gullinbursti' is successfully Summoned, its effect activates, Special Summoning 1 'Nordic' monster from my hand. Keep charging—'Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts'!"
[Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts] Level 3│EARTH│Beast│1200 ATK
Following the golden boar, a massive goat stormed in—another divine beast from Norse legend, one that drew the chariot of the Thunder God, Thor.
"Next, I activate the effect of 'Nordic Smith Ivaldi' in my hand!"
[If you control an 'Aesir' or 'Nordic' monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand.]
[Nordic Smith Ivaldi] Level 4│EARTH│Warrior│1500 ATK
The Nordic craftsman descended, hammer in hand—one of the dwarven ancestors of Norse myth—serving as the final piece for the ten‑star Synchro.
But Nid Hogg didn't rush into a second Synchro Summon.
"When 'Nordic Smith Ivaldi' is Special Summoned, I can add 1 'Nordic Relic' card from my Deck to my hand! And once per turn, 'Nordic Beast Gullinbursti' can return 'Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant' from my Graveyard to my hand!"
After gathering additional resources through these effects, Nid Hogg—now speeding fiercely through the circuit—finally summoned the Synchro storm clouds of the Aesir for the second time above the Turbo Duel field.
"Level 3 Tuner 'Nordic Beast Gullinbursti'! Level 3 'Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts'! Level 4 'Nordic Smith Ivaldi'—Synchro!"
Golden light burst from the boar, forming the Synchro sigil. It tore through the figures of goat and dwarf alike as the astral gate of the Aesir opened once again.
3★! + 3★! + 4★! = 10★!
"When the astral gate opens, the ancient war‑god raises his thunder hammer! Shake the heavens and earth with your roaring thunder! Synchro Summon! Descend—'Thor, Lord of the Aesir'!"
[Thor, Lord of the Aesir] Level 10│DARK│Divine-Beast│3500 ATK
[Tuner + 2 or more non‑Tuner monsters]
The second Aesir descended.
Wielding a colossal thunder hammer that shook the earth itself, Thor, Lord of the Aesir—Norse mythology's pinnacle of brute strength—now stood opposite the doubled‑Attack Utopia, hammer meeting sword in a clash of divine force.
"It's not over yet! Spell Card: 'Graceful Charity'—I draw three cards, then discard the 'Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant' I retrieved, along with the 'Nordic Relic Gungnir' I searched!"
Using the angelic power of card draw, Nid converted his earlier recovers into fresh options.
"—I activate 'Speed Spell – Power Acceleration'! Both players gain 1 Speed Counter!"
[Nid, SPC: 4→5]
[Aisha, SPC: 4→5]
They accelerated once more—by only the third turn, both duelists had already climbed to five Speed Counters.
Two turns remained before 'Gjallarhorn' would trigger. And then, Nid raced as though Ragnarök would truly arrive in two turns—pushing his speed to the extreme.
For Miles, 'Gjallarhorn' was a countdown to lethal damage.
But to Nid Hogg, the self‑banishing effect of Ragnarök was a double‑edged sword—a final trump card.
Winning before the countdown ended was the safest path.
The duel had to end within two turns—otherwise, Ragnarök would fall.
"When you have 5 or more Speed Counters, you can activate this! 'Speed Spell – Synchro Revival'! I banish monsters from my Graveyard used as Synchro Material to perform a Synchro Summon!"
Three cards shot out from Nid Hogg's Graveyard—these were the monsters he had used this very turn to Synchro Summon 'Thor, Lord of the Aesir'.
"With a Speed Spell, I pry open the final astral gate! Total Level 10—Revival Synchro!"
The final Aesir descended.
In a spectacle of rumbling skies and churning storm clouds, on the third turn of the Turbo Duel, Nid Hogg of Synchron Academy gathered all Three Polar Gods onto his field with unmatched speed.
"O wilful god born from the Astral Plane—display your absolute might and mock the world! Synchro Summon! Descend—'Loki, Lord of the Aesir'!"
[Loki, Lord of the Aesir] Level 10│DARK│Divine-Beast│3300 ATK
[Tuner + 2 or more non‑Tuner monsters]
Loki, the Norse god of trickery and lies, bore the form of a massive jester—an eerie grin carved across his face, as though mocking everything insignificant before him.
"Next—Quick-Play Spell: 'March Towards Ragnarok'! For this turn, all Divine-Beast monsters on the field become unaffected by card effects other than this one!"
With full effect immunity granted to every Divine-Beast on his field, Loki, Lord of the Aesir, would no longer be banished by the drawback of 'Speed Spell - Synchro Revival' during the End Phase.
"These are the Three Polar Gods in full." Irene's expression twisted with emotion, the pale blue of her eyes trembling violently.
Back when she dueled Nid, she couldn't defeat even a single 'Odin, Father of the Aesir'.
And Miles was now facing all three Aesir monsters at once.
The crushing presence of three astral giants towering in the sky was far more than a simple 1 + 1 + 1 = 3.
After all, Odin—the supreme Norse deity and king who commanded all gods—bestowed Spell/Trap immunity to every Divine-Beast monster under his banner.
"You are worthy of witnessing the full might of all three gods! Prepare for the judgment of the Three Polar Gods, Aisha Carlos!"
Racing at high speed, Nid Hogg raised his arm toward the sky, calling down lightning.
"I activate the effect of 'Thor, Lord of the Aesir'!"
[Once per turn: Negate the effects of 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. Then, this card gains all the effects of that monster.]
"I negate the effect of your [Number 39: Utopia]!"
Below Utopia, one more Xyz Material remained, which could normally negate an attack.
Although Thor gained Utopia's effect, he could not use it since he was not an Xyz Monster—but he could prevent Utopia from activating it.
Miles spoke sternly: "Even if you negate Utopia's effects, its 5000 Attack still surpasses all Three Polar Gods!"
Utopia's 5000 Attack came from the doubling effect of Utopia Double, so negation didn't remove the boost.
"I'll break through regardless! Battle—Three Polar Gods!"
As the Duel plunged into the Battle Phase, the oppressive force of three Aesir descending together exploded outward.
"Thor, Lord of the Aesir—attack [Number 39: Utopia]!"
The colossal thunder hammer wrapped in lightning came crashing down from the heavens, colliding head-on with the radiant blade of starlight.
"Utopia's Attack is still higher!" Ren exclaimed.
"No… look closely! The hammer is burning!" Lost shouted in excitement.
As Nid flipped his final Set card, Thor's thunderous hammer ignited with flames, overwhelming Utopia even with its doubled Attack.
"—Trap Card activate: 'Divine Evolution'!"
[If you control a face-up Divine-Beast monster, select 1 monster your opponent controls. Until the End Phase, that monster loses 2000 Attack and Defense. In addition, that monster becomes unaffected by your opponent's Spell/Trap effects.]
"When you control a Divine-Beast, you can reduce an opponent's monster's Attack by 2000!"
A massive 2000-point drop—more than enough to overturn the battle's result.
[Number 39: Utopia, ATK: 5000 → 3000]
"Thor's Attack is higher now!" Nid Hogg roared. "Crush him—Thunder Hammer Strike!"
The Three Polar Gods broke through the 5000 Attack barrier, shattering Utopia beneath a single thunderous blow.
[Number 39: Utopia] destroyed
[Miles, LP: 4000 → 3500]
"Follow-up attack! Loki, Lord of the Aesir—destroy [Jack's Knight]! And Loki's effect activates!"
[When this card declares an attack: Negate the activation of your opponent's Spell/Trap and destroy it.]
"—Void Bullet!"
A bullet formed of condensed magic fired from Loki's fingertips. Against such a god, the gap was insurmountable—there was no suspense.
[Jack's Knight] destroyed
If Miles hadn't cautiously Special Summoned Jack's Knight in Defense Position, then if Nid had used 'Divine Evolution' to weaken Jack's Knight and initiate battle, Miles would have been reduced to a corpse on the spot.
"It's not over yet, Aisha Carlos!"
The Three Polar Gods launched wave after wave of relentless attacks, like a storm with no pause, leaving Miles absolutely no chance to breathe.
"Direct attack—Odin, Father of the Aesir!"
Takehiko: "A finishing blow… 4000 points of direct damage! With all Three Polar Gods on the field, Nid unleashes a world-ending divine barrage! This is terrifying!"
The fierce back-and-forth of this decisive battle had everyone present holding their breath without realizing it.
Last turn, Utopia nearly OTK'd Nid with a 10000 Attack strike that devastated Odin.
This turn, Nid gathered all Three Polar Gods and launched a counterattack powerful enough to shake heaven and earth.
"—Odin! Heavenly Judgment!"
Kevin Seth frowned deeply as he looked toward Miles's back row. "Normal Spells and Traps can't stop the gods! Miles, what will you do?"
"I'll try this card!" Miles raised his Spirit Eyes—light flashing as Clear Kuriboh flew from the Graveyard.
"When the opponent declares a direct attack, I banish [Clear Kuriboh] from my Graveyard! I draw 1 card—if it's a monster, I Special Summon it and redirect the attack to that monster!"
Miles's classic Joker's Straight + Clear Kuriboh combo—comparable to Yusei's Speed Warrior + Screw Hedgehog setup.
"This draw!"
Aisha pressed her pale fingertip to the top card of the Deck. For a true duelist, drawing a monster off Clear Kuriboh was already nothing worth mentioning.
But this time—Miles felt it before the card even left the Deck.
A surge of hatred and darkness rising from deep within the earth.
"Even a false god—in this moment—it can stand against the Three Polar Gods! Draw!"
A monster card overflowing with black energy landed in Miles's hand. Clear Kuriboh's Special Summon effect ignited a burning Nazca Line of violet flame across the Turbo Duel track.
"That flame…?"
Anyone who witnessed that duel would never forget those scenes symbolizing descent into ruin.
After defeating Demolish—the fusion of all Earthbound Immortals—Miles naturally inherited every Earthbound Immortal card that had slept beneath the land.
Now, awakened by Odin's attack, the massive Nazca Line of the Earthbound Lizard lit up.
"Across five thousand years—open, gate to the underworld! Special Summon—[Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua]!"
[Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua] Level 10│DARK│Reptile│2800 ATK
The giant lizard raised its head—an Earthbound Immortal of darkness descending to take the blow from the god-king Odin.
"Since it was Special Summoned by Clear Kuriboh, the attack is redirected to [Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua]!"
"A false god thinks it can block a true god?! Be erased by the light of the Allfather!"
The overwhelming gap between Defense and Attack meant the Earthbound Lizard was obliterated in an instant by Odin's Heavenly Judgment.
But the wrath of the dark god left one final message.
"When it is destroyed—[Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua]'s effect activates!"
[If this card is destroyed by a method other than its own effect, destroy all cards on the field.]
The forced field wipe of the Earthbound Immortal condensed into a pitch-black core—ready to detonate.
"Foolish!" Nid Hogg barked.
"During the turn I activated the Quick-Play Spell 'March Towards Ragnarok', all Divine-Beast monsters are unaffected by other card effects! So the only thing destroyed will be your two Set cards!"
Even if—hypothetically—the Earthbound Immortal's wipe destroyed all Three Polar Gods, each would revive unconditionally at the End Phase, making things even worse.
"No, Nid Hogg! The foolish one is you!"
Miles smiled confidently. He reached forward as if pinching the forming explosion between his fingers.
"It's exactly because it destroys my two Set cards—that this works!"
Using the Earthbound Immortal's coming detonation as a foothold, Miles flipped a face-down Trap—connecting starlight to carve a shining road for his D-Wheel.
"Let stardust's light illuminate the road ahead—until the moment victory is seized! Trap Card—'Starlight Road' activate!"
[Starlight Road Trap Effect: When a card or effect would destroy 2 or more cards you control: Negate the effect, and if you do, destroy that card. Then, you can Special Summon 1 'Stardust Dragon' from your Extra Deck.]
"I negate [Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua]'s destruction effect with Starlight Road! Then—Special Summon!"
The Trap Card 'Starlight Road'—the manifestation of Stardust's protective will. Miles used the Earthbound Immortal's annihilating fury as the perfect gateway for Stardust's arrival.
"The gathered prayers become a newborn shining star—forming a radiant path of light! Synchro Summon! Fly—Stardust Dragon!"
Stardust: "Time for my long-awaited stylish entrance again!"
...
TL: It seems like Nordics/Aesirs had Divine-Beast type monsters for some reason in the anime version.
...
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