The three consecutive strikes of the Chimeratech Rampage Dragon were effortlessly neutralized by a single Kuriboh, and Marufuji Ryo could only end his turn helplessly.
After all, even though Rampage Dragon has a powerful OTK ability of clearing trap cards plus triple strikes, it's limited to traps on the field. The shameless Hand Pit is simply beyond its capability.
And not only that, the mighty Rampage Dragon was even turned into defense position by the strong Kuriboh. Everyone could see its weak rear with only 1600 points, almost like it could be pierced with a poke.
Then it's Judai's turn to draw. Judai first set a card on the field, and then he announced that they were also going to use the Fusion Gate to fuse!
That's right, the Fusion Gate as a Field Magic, can be used not only by the one who activates it for fusion but also by the opponent, just like a bus you can hop on and off at will.
So Judai, of course, didn't stand on ceremony, and immediately revealed his favorite couple - Avian and Burstinatrix, to Fusion Summon Flame Wingman!
Wingman flapping its feathers and the fiery female hero mixed into the storm of fusion, a new power accompanied by a pillar of spiral ascending flame, as the pure white wings scattered the storm, and the dragon mouth on its arm breathed like a cannon.
[Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, Attack 2100]
Then Judai played a card that made the onlookers' jaws drop, "Card of Demise," at the cost of risking the "discard all hands after five turns" that made President Haima exclaim at his boldness, replenishing his hand to five cards in one go.
Someone covered their face: "So this is why Youyu-san allowed Judai to fuse even at a card disadvantage?"
Indeed, if you can always pull cards out of thin air like this, perhaps hand card fusion at a three-for-one or four-for-one isn't so unacceptable...
Poker player envy.JPG.
Not done yet, after replenishing his hand, Judai then made the Flame Wingman on the field and Sparkman in his hand fuse, Fusion Summoning The Shining!
[Elemental Hero The Shining, Attack 2600]
"The Shining's attack power increases by 300 for each 'Elemental Hero' in the banished zone!"
Now Judai has four Elemental Heroes banished from the game, so it increases by 1200 in one go!
[Elemental Hero The Shining, Attack 2600 → Attack 3800]
"Judai is launching an all-out attack!" Professional commentator Mitsuzawa continued his commentary, "Flame Wingman can deal damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack, plus The Shining's attack..."
"Brother!" Marufuji Shou also began to worry.
"Battle!" Judai waved his hand, "Flame Wingman, attack 'Chimeratech Rampage Dragon'!"
Flame Wingman flew like a cannonball, its burning body piercing through the black core of the Cyber Dragon, as the twisting dragon heads broke apart and were swept away in the ensuing explosion, turning into metal fragments.
"Since it's in defense position, there won't be battle damage, but Flame Wingman can inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack!" Judai said.
[Marufuji Ryo, LP 4000 → LP 1900]
Judai laughed, rubbing his nose: "So, this duel is still mine! Elemental Hero The Shining, direct attack!"
The Shining rushed forward, golden light gleaming behind him, as the intense, dazzling white light swept towards the front...
But Marufuji Ryo's gaze was resolute, facing The Shining's charge without fear, his expression as if forged from steel.
"No, I don't want to lose, and I won't lose. My duel... won't end in a place like this!"
Marufuji Ryo's eyes were sharp, as he revealed a card from his hand—
— I activate my brother's card!
Discarding "Kiteroid" from my hand, the battle damage from a direct attack becomes 0!
Seeing The Shining's finisher being blocked by the phantom form of "Kiteroid," the whole venue was in an uproar!
The spectators, especially, were bustling—
—Wow, Caesar, why are you using your brother's card?
Where's the glory of your Cyber Dragons? What about the pure Cyber Dragon deck you promised?
Why do you have such an incongruous card!?
Marufuji Shou was also taken aback: "Brother used the same card as me!?"
"Oh oh Caesar, you actually carry such a card too!"
Judai scratched his head.
Strange, why does it feel like Caesar's duel is becoming more and more like mine? Could it be that he's also taught by Youyu-sensei?
With the attack neutralized by the powerful Kiteroid, Judai had no choice but to end his turn by setting two more cards.
To be fair, The Shining's attack of 3800 is still quite formidable. Although it seems to fall short by 200 compared to the high-end combat power unit "Obelisk the Tormentor," to over ninety-nine percent of the academy's students, it's an unreachable number.
But unluckily, Marufuji Ryo happens to be that remaining one percent!
We Cyber Dragons love high attack!
"Draw!"
Judai waved his hand: "Trap Card 'Battle Mania'! This card can only be activated during the opponent's standby phase, all opposing monsters on the field switch to attack position, and they all must attack this turn!"
"Do you want to decide the winner this turn? That's just what I want!" Marufuji Ryo said, "Magic Card 'Pot of Greed', draw two more cards from the Card Deck!"
Marufuji Ryo launched a counterattack, directly playing a "Future Fusion"!
Future Fusion, as the name suggests, allows your Monsters to fuse in the future.
Now you might ask, then why the heck don't you just fuse now... (crossed out)
Well, Future Fusion is an age-old Forbidden Card, only released after being edited and nerfed by the K Consortium. So Marufuji Ryo is naturally using the old effect: "Select a Fusion Monster, send the Fusion Materials from the Card Deck to the Graveyard, and two turns later that Monster can Fusion Summon in the Standby Phase."
Here, Marufuji Ryo chose "Chimeratech Overdragon". The Fusion conditions for Chimeratech Overdragon are "Cyber Dragon" plus one or more Machine-Type Monsters.
This is interesting. Because clearly, this "Chimeratech Overdragon" has no upper limit on the number of Fusion Materials, as long as it meets the "Machine-Type Monsters" condition, you can fuse as many Monsters as you want.
So we see Marufuji Ryo's Duel Disc automatically retrieving and ejecting all the Monster Cards he needs. He simply pulled out the whole thick stack of cards in one go and elegantly tossed them—
—I freaking threw out my entire Card Deck!
"I'm sending seventeen Machine-Type Monsters from the Card Deck to the Graveyard!!!"
Many spectators gasped, and some students couldn't contain themselves, jumping out of their seats, leaning forward, and widening their eyes, fearing they'd miss even a moment of the upcoming scene.
As a result, two turns later, a seventeen-material fusion "Chimeratech Overdragon" would descend—but obviously, Marufuji Ryo thought that was still too slow.
In two turns, he might not even have ashes left; he needs to fuse immediately!
Marufuji Ryo revealed another card from his hand: "Quick-Play Magic 'Cybernetic Fusion Support'! Pay half your Life Points, and this turn, you can perform a Fusion Summon on Machine-Type Monsters by banishing Fusion Materials from the Graveyard outside the game only once!
So I'm activating the effect of 'Power Bond' to fuse the three 'Cyber Dragon' in my Graveyard!!!"
[Marufuji Ryo, LP 1900 → LP 950]
The three Cyber Dragons were banished from the Graveyard, metal parts clashing and assembling, a steel giant silhouette towering like a mountain, forming into a colossal triple-headed dragon, its overwhelming presence dominating the entire field, even affecting the audience!
[Cyber End Dragon, ATK 4000]
"Battle!" Caesar shouted, "'Cyber End Dragon's' attack! Eternal Evolution Burst!!!"
"Oh oh oh, it's finally out, Cyber End Dragon!" But Judai smiled slightly, "Sure enough, you're using Cyber End Dragon for the final blow after all."
He pressed the button on his Duel Disc, and the Set Card in front of him flipped over.
"Trap Card 'Speed Chanting'! Discard one Magic Card from your hand to activate its effect!" (Anime Card)
Marufuji Ryo's eyelids twitched.
Discard a Magic Card from hand...
...Masaka!?
Please don't be a crash, don't be a crash...
"The card I'm discarding is, Magic Card 'System Down'!" Judai exclaimed, "Pay 1000 Life Points, and all Machine-Type Monsters on the opponent's field and in their Graveyard...
...are banished from the game!!!"
The entire Dueling Arena erupted.
"Whoa, seriously!?"
"Isn't that Ryo's entire Card Deck being banished!?"
"This is murder... and mental destruction!"
System Down, commonly known as "Tower Collapse", a nemesis of Machine-Types, possessing the power to paralyze a whole mechanical system in an instant, banishing all Machine resources from the opponent's field and Graveyard to the Other Dimension.
And unfortunately, Marufuji Ryo just activated "Future Fusion", spreading his entire Card Deck out.
So now his Card Deck all went to the Other Dimension...
The invincible "Eternal Evolution Burst" ultimately couldn't complete its launch, and even the formidable Cyber End Dragon couldn't escape the judgment of "System Down", its body exploding with crackles before disappearing into thin air.
Together, even the Cyber Monsters in Marufuji Ryo's Graveyard couldn't escape and turned to illusions under the crash's power.
It's over.
Marufuji Ryo's Card Deck didn't have a single Monster left, his combat strength completely paralyzed. Unless he could somehow conjure a card from thin air—a single-card game-changer, otherwise, the outcome was already clear.
No one spoke for a moment, the entire venue was eerily silent.
...No, it was not absolutely silent.
Because Marufuji Ryo was... laughing?
"Hum, hum, hum... Hahaha!!!"
Judai: "?"