"Psychic Feel Zone's effect—Synchro Summon a Psychic-Type monster using banished monsters!"
Victor declared.
"I tune the Level 2 Tuner monster 'Krebons' that I just banished! With the banished Level 6 'Overdrive Teleporter'! Tuning!"
[2 + 6 = 8]
"Our final hope, the Psychic-moving demon——Thought Ruler Archfiend, come forth!"
The same ace monster as Sayer's signature card, the Level 8 Psychic Nightmare boss, descended bearing the Psychic Team's last chance.
[Thought Ruler Archfiend, DEF 2300]
"Monsters Summoned by the effect of Psychic Feel Zone can only be placed in Defense Position," Victor said. "However, I now activate the effect of 'AD Changer' from my Graveyard!
By banishing 'AD Changer' from the Graveyard from play, I can change the battle position of one monster on the field.
I banish AD Changer from the Graveyard and change Thought Ruler Archfiend to Attack Position!"
[Thought Ruler Archfiend, DEF 2300 → ATK 2700]
"Hoh, so this is the monster you entrusted with your final strike," Kira smiled. "But its ATK is still no match for 'Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord'. It will be destroyed by the Dark Dragon Lord next turn."
Victor snorted, "Not yet!
Next, I activate the Continuous Spell 'Future Glow'! Banish one Psychic monster from my Graveyard from play. As long as this card remains on the field, all Psychic monsters on my field gain ATK equal to the banished monster's Level × 200!
I banish 'Overdrive Teleporter', which was just returned to the Graveyard as Synchro material, from play once again!"
Kira: "Overdrive Teleporter's Level is 6…"
"Correct!" Victor said. "Therefore, Thought Ruler Archfiend gains 1200 ATK!"
[Thought Ruler Archfiend, ATK 2700 → ATK 3900]
"Go, Thought Ruler Archfiend!" Victor roared. "Carry the fury of all three of us and blast the enemy into ashes!"
It was clear he had been holding back a lot of frustration. It seemed as if all the anger the Psychic Team had accumulated so far was unleashed with this one strike from Thought Ruler Archfiend.
The Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord was pierced through the chest. Black flames gushed from the wound like burning blood, and the Dark Dragon Lord was blasted into pieces.
[Kira, LP 7000 → LP 5900]
"The Psychic Team's counterattack!" the airplane-haired commentator shouted. "At the very last moment, the final runner of the Psychic Team took on the entrustment of his two teammates, Summoned their strongest ace, and for the first time in this Duel, successfully dealt a heavy blow to Kira!
Could this be the signal for a comeback!?"
Victor: "Thought Ruler Archfiend's effect—when it destroys a monster by battle, I can gain Life Points equal to that monster's original ATK!
Therefore, I absorb the ATK of 'Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord' and convert it into Life Points!"
[Victor, LP 4000 → LP 6800]
Not only had he Summoned a powerful boss monster and successfully counterattacked, but he had even taken the lead in Life Points. At this moment, Victor and his two teammates outside the field couldn't help but feel their emotions surge.
There was a chance.
If they could seize this momentum, they might really…
Victor took a deep breath. While speeding along, he glanced at the other card in his hand.
The Trap Card "Psychic Reactor."
This card could be activated when a Psychic-Type monster was on his field. When a Psychic monster battled an opponent's monster, both monsters would be banished from play.
That way, even if the opponent Summoned a monster with higher ATK than Thought Ruler Archfiend, this card could remove it. And since their Psychic deck had many ways to bring back banished cards, it would be a net gain.
Additionally, Thought Ruler Archfiend itself had the ability to "pay 1000 Life Points to negate and destroy a Spell/Trap effect that targets this card." This gave Thought Ruler Archfiend some resistance against both effects and battle.
Moreover, his own LP had returned to 6800. It wouldn't be easy for the opponent to finish him off with that much life.
"I set one card. Turn end," Victor said.
An iron-wall formation!
Victor felt this opportunity was very promising.
Kira: "My turn, draw."
Kira drew a card, then lazily played one from his hand.
"I activate the Continuous Spell 'Temple of the Kings'."
Within the cloud-shrouded Sky Sanctuary, a golden temple rose from the ground, also standing tall among the clouds.
"While Temple of the Kings is on the field, my Trap Cards can be activated the same turn they are Set." As Kira spoke, he already waved his hand and Set two cards. "I Set two cards to my backrow."
Then Kira flipped over one of the Set cards in his backrow: "I activate the Trap Card 'Ring of Destruction'. Destroy one monster on the field. Both players take damage equal to that monster's ATK!"
Victor: "!"
Destroy a monster on the field…
But he immediately reacted: "However! When Thought Ruler Archfiend becomes the target of an opponent's card effect, I can pay Life Points to negate that effect.
Even if you want to destroy my Thought Ruler Archfiend—"
"Ahahaha, that's true. Your ace is pretty strong too," Kira laughed. "Then Ring of Destruction will not target your monster. Instead, it will destroy my own 'Minerva, Scholar of the Sky'!"
Boom!
Minerva exploded into fragments with a loud bang.
The flames of the explosion spread toward both players.
"But then you'll take damage too!" Victor shouted. "My Life Points are higher than yours…"
But before he could finish speaking, his pupils contracted. In an instant, he seemed to realize something.
That's right. Last turn, when the opponent activated a Counter Trap, he used 'Minerva, Scholar of the Sky's effect to recycle a Counter Trap from the Graveyard. That card was…
"At this moment, I activate the Counter Trap 'Barrel Behind the Door'!"
As expected, Kira snapped his fingers and smiled.
"When effect damage other than battle damage is inflicted, Barrel Behind the Door can redirect the damage I would have taken to the opponent instead.
Therefore, the 2200 damage each of us would have taken from Minerva, Scholar of the Sky's current ATK becomes 4400 damage to you."
Victor: "Uwaaaah!"
[Victor, LP 6800 → LP 2400]
Victor's Duel Runner sped out from the flames. Gritting his teeth, he said,
"But even so, it's just this much damage…"
Before he could finish, his teammate Lina outside the field couldn't help but speak up: "No, his target wasn't the damage itself…"
Kira narrowed his eyes.
"This is the final turn of the Duel. Let the audience see the true ace of this 'Counter Angel' deck."
Victor's heart skipped a beat.
The ace?
Did that mean a power that surpassed everything that had appeared so far?
"First, because a Counter Trap was just activated, according to the effects of Artemis and Meltiel respectively, I draw one card and gain 1000 Life Points."
Kira said.
"Next, when a Counter Trap I control is successfully activated, by Tributing all monsters on my field, this card can be Special Summoned.
Descend——Voltanis the Adjudicator!!!"
[Voltanis the Adjudicator, ATK 2800]
"And when Special Summoned this way, I can destroy cards on the opponent's field up to the number of Fairy monsters Tributed."
Victor: "!!!"
The number of Fairies Tributed… Bountiful Artemis and Meltiel, Sage of the Sky—a total of two Fairies.
"Correct," Kira said calmly. "Therefore, destroy your 'Thought Ruler Archfiend' and the Set card in your backrow!"
Thought Ruler Archfiend could only negate Spell/Trap effects that targeted Psychic monsters. It was powerless against monster effects. Not to mention that Voltanis the Adjudicator's effect did not target at all.
Complete annihilation!
Everything on the field turned to nothing. Victor stared blankly at his now-empty field, falling into a daze.
Victor: "…"
"Go."
Kira said.
"Bountiful Artemis, Voltanis the Adjudicator, direct attack."
[Victor, LP 2400 → LP 0]