"Then the first move is mine!" Bakura sneered, "Draw!"
A brand new earth-yellow stone slab appeared out of nowhere and landed heavily on the floor in front of him.
At this point, Jonouchi, who was witnessing an ancient duel for the first time, couldn't help but wonder, "This thing... Hey, hey, do Ancient Egyptians really duel with such clunky things? Seems so exhausting..."
"Heh, it seems Pharaoh your luck isn't very good." Bakura sneered, "With this hand, I can go full firepower from the start."
As he spoke, a layer of black fog had unknowingly spread around, encircling the duel area. Ghostly eyes flickered amidst the swirling mist.
Yugi looked around cautiously and said, "I have a bad feeling... Everyone, stick closer! Anything can happen in duels in this world!"
"Hmph, indeed a good instinct. The duels here are different from the childish games you usually play. This is a battle that can drag souls into an endless abyss!"
Bakura said, waving a large hand, revealing another stone slab.
"Magic Card - Trade-In, discard an eighth-level monster from my hand to the graveyard, draw two cards from the deck. I discard the eighth-level 'Despair from the Dark', and draw two cards!"
Another two slabs fell, Bakura glanced at them and then pointed at one.
"Summon 'Gozuki', in attack mode!"
The black fog churned, forming the shape of a ghost in the center of the field. The bull-headed monster stood in the middle, carrying a deathly large hammer on its shoulder. Deep blue prayer beads clashed against each other, making a clear, crisp sound.
[Gozuki, Attack Power 1700]
"Gozuki's effect activates! Upon successful summon, send one Undead-Type monster from the deck to the graveyard."
Bakura smirked and raised his hand, a transparent image of a slab appeared above.
"I send 'Mezuki' to the graveyard!"
Dark Yugi didn't speak, merely silently observing the changes in the situation.
Still consistent with Bakura's usual style using the Undead Deck, both Mezuki and Gozuki can function from the graveyard, able to specially summon other undead monsters.
Is this a preparation for a subsequent offensive?
"Set one stone slab, turn end!" A stone slab crashed down before Bakura as he oddly chuckled, "It's your turn, Pharaoh."
"My turn!"
Dark Yugi drew a card, with a flick of his arm, his cape fluttered, and the air current seemed to carve out an invisible aura, dispersing the black fog that surrounded him. The undead spirits hidden within retreated to the shadows under that force.
It was now the priests' turn to be astonished.
The Pharaoh... didn't plan to fight with stone slabs?
And what is that he's wearing on his hand? Is it an alchemy tool used for battle ceremonies?
Confused faces.JPG.
"Effect of 'Illusionist' in my hand! By discarding a card from my hand, 'Illusionist' can directly special summon!"
Yugi sent a card from his hand to the graveyard, and the magician wearing a cape with a body covered in question marks immediately appeared on the game field.
[Illusionist, Attack Power 2000]
"Magic Card 'Silent Doom' activates!" Yugi continued, "Special summon a Normal Monster in defense mode from my graveyard! I revive 'Alpha The Magnet Warrior'!"
The floor opened a black vortex, and the green metallic swordsman emerged from that vortex, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, the shield positioned in front of him.
[Alpha The Magnet Warrior, Defense Power 1700]
The priests began to marvel again, "Even though it's not an instantaneous spell, the Pharaoh can use it without incantations or Dharma Seals!?"
Have they always underestimated the accomplishments of this newly ascended young Pharaoh?
"Next is the magic card 'Ties of the Brethren'." Yugi continued, "Pay 1000 Life Points, select one monster on your field with level four or below, and special summon up to two monsters with the same race, level, and attribute from the deck." (comic effect)
[Dark Yugi, LP 4000 → LP 3000]
He drew two more Magnet Warriors from the deck.
"Come forth, Beta The Magnet Warrior, Gamma The Magnet Warrior!"
[Beta The Magnet Warrior, Attack Power 1700]
[Gamma The Magnet Warrior, Attack Power 1500]
"Amazing... so many monsters summoned at once." Even Jonouchi was a bit awed, "The other Yugi seems stronger than before."
"Monsters summoned by the effect of 'Ties of the Brethren' cannot attack, but they can combine!" Yugi shouted, "On the field, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, Magnet Warrior trio, to combine!"
Following Yugi's command, the three Magnet Warriors lifted off the ground and floated in the air. Their metallic bodies started disassembling, hands and feet and bodies breaking into numerous metallic parts. Blue currents hopped between the parts, and under invisible magnetic traction, they assembled and pieced together.
"Combine! Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!"
The three warriors assembled under magnetic guidance, and the enormous metal warrior's footfall echoed through the ancient hall. The alloy longsword slashed through the air, with thread-like electricity dancing around its blade.
[Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, Attack Power 3500]
The priests were all astonished.
It turns out the new Pharaoh is this powerful?
In just a fleeting moment, he summoned such a formidable servant, forming an oppressive force that was even more suffocating—perhaps even stronger than the previous Pharaoh Aknamkanon!
"Pharaoh..." Priest Mahad especially showed a look of delight.
No one else could be happier for the Pharaoh's strength than him.
"Going all out from the very start?" Bakura clicked his tongue, "What a troublesome fellow, as always."
But Yugi was not in a hurry to attack; instead, he focused his gaze on the set slab in front of Bakura.
That set card, it hasn't responded at all since earlier... Could it be a trap triggered by an attack declaration?
After some thought, he decided not to attack right away and instead revealed a card from his hand: "Magic Card - Card of Sanctity, until both players have six cards in their hands, draw from the deck."
"Tch, a suspicious guy."
Bakura raised his hand, and another slab descended before him, but he seemed displeased that Yugi didn't attack directly.
His eyes quickly scanned the newly drawn cards, and Yugi's eyes flicked with determination.
Good, with this card, I can further disrupt Bakura's setup.
"I haven't conducted a normal summon this turn," Yugi lifted his gaze and said, "Normal Summon 'Breaker the Magical Warrior'!"
The red-armored magical warrior descended in a half-crouch, then stood before Yugi, lightly waving its sword that emanated magic power fluctuations.
Bakura's eyelid twitched, and he gritted his teeth: "That guy's effect is..."
" 'Breaker the Magical Warrior', when successfully summoned, can place a spell counter, increasing attack power by 300."
[Breaker the Magical Warrior, Attack Power 1600 → Attack Power 1900]
Yugi decisively waved his hand: "Next comes the follow-up effect! 'Breaker the Magical Warrior' can remove the spell counter to destroy a magic or trap card on the field.
Bakura! I'm going to destroy your set card in the back!
The spell light on the sword hilt of the magical warrior extinguished, the silver-white longsword raised above the head, and the sword blade slashed down, sending a crescent-shaped light blade shooting towards the stone slab in Bakura's backfield.
As long as that set slab is destroyed, Bakura would no longer have any means to block Yugi's all-out attack. The combined assault of the Illusionist, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, and Breaker the Magical Warrior could end this duel in one turn!
"Alright! We've got it!" Jonouchi was prematurely indulging in victory.
"Hahahahaha!"
Just then, Bakura suddenly tilted his head back and began to laugh.
"Just as I expected, I already have a complete handle on your duel strategy. I've anticipated everything you intend to do!" Bakura laughed wildly.
"What?" Yugi was shocked.
As he spoke, the magical sword light of Breaker had already cut through the air, unhesitatingly shattering the set slab.
The trap engraved on that slab was...
...Waking the Dragon!
"Trap Card - Waking the Dragon!" Bakura sneered, "This trap, when it leaves the field due to an enemy's effect—through destruction, banishment or sent to the graveyard—can activate its effect!
I can special summon any monster from my deck!"
"Any monster!?" Yugi's pupils contracted.
"That's right!"
A slab now floated overhead Bakura. Though its back faced everyone and the sealed monster had yet to appear, the terrifying aura seemed to emanate from the depths of the void, engulfing the entire area.
Everything seemed to pause, and all sounds disappeared.
In that fleeting moment, Yugi felt as though he could only hear his own heart increasingly racing in his chest.
"What is this feeling? This trembling?" Yugi stared wide-eyed at the slab, "That power is..."
Bakura's lips curled into a smirk, and he raised his right fist to the sky.
"The God of Destruction that devours the world, annihilating all things and returning everything to the void—
—The Wicked Eraser!!!"