Since we know the opposing camp is Light of Destruction, there's naturally nothing more to say. Without further ado, Darkness Game began.
Play cards first, talk later.
"Duel!" x2
[Youyu, LP 4000]
[Alice, LP 4000]
"I'm going first, draw card."
Alice took the first turn with smooth and swift actions.
"Set a Monster face-down, then Set three more cards face-down, turn end!"
This made Youyu, who was still trying to recall what card deck the opponent was using, raise an eyebrow.
Youyu remembered he should have watched Alice's match through the live broadcast this morning. Although he wasn't watching very attentively and wasn't particularly sure of her strategy, he was at least sure it didn't start with four Set cards.
Could it be that she was holding back during the match and wasn't using her real deck?
Youyu cast aside his doubts for now, anyway, his task hadn't changed.
"My turn, activate Magic Card 'Graceful Charity', draw three cards, then discard two cards from the hand.
Next, activate Magic Card 'A Hero Lives' from the hand! When there are no monsters on my field in the face-up position, pay half of my Life Points to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Elemental Hero' from the deck."
Alice held her breath with concentration.
Starting off with an attack using the favorite Hero combination?
For that, even willing to pay as much as 2000 Life Points...
[Youyu, LP 4000 → LP 2000]
"I summon 'Elemental Hero Prisma'!"
The prisma reflected the brilliance of the Crystal Stone, and the Elemental Hero with a body like a diamond shot out from the deck accompanied by a golden light.
[Elemental Hero Prisma, ATK 1700]
"Prisma's effect, once per turn, show the opponent a Fusion Monster Card, send one Fusion Material required for that Fusion from the deck to the Graveyard, until the end phase, Prisma can be treated as that material."
Youyu revealed a card, and another card synchronously ejected from the deck.
"I reveal 'Gladiator Beast Gyzarus', and send 'Gladiator Beast Bestiari', used as Fusion Material, from the deck to the Graveyard. Until the end phase, Prisma can be treated as 'Gladiator Beast Bestiari'.
Reflect Change!"
Prisma's body glowed, with dazzling streamers flowing over the surface of the Crystal Stone, reflecting the image of a Gladiator Beast on the diamond-clear body.
Alice frowned slightly, "Gladiator Beast?"
"Normal Summon 'Gladiator Beast Dimacari'!"
[Gladiator Beast Dimacari, ATK 1600]
"I return 'Gladiator Beast Gyzarus' used as 'Gladiator Beast Bestiari' on the field, and 'Gladiator Beast Dimacari' to the deck!
Fusion requirements are 'Gladiator Beast Bestiari' plus any Gladiator Beast monster! Fusion Summon!
The ancient ruler of the Roman Empire, summoned by the howling gale—
— Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, summon!!!"
The fusion of Prisma and Dimacari, with two beams of light sinking into a vortex in mid-air, and a powerful energy burst out, mingled with a green tornado. King Gyzarus descended in the storm!
[Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, ATK 2400]
"Gyzarus' effect," Youyu said, "when Special Summoned, destroy up to two cards on the field! Destroy the set monster and the middle Set card at the back row."
Gyzarus' green metallic wings stirred a storm, and dense red spikes stabbed through the two Set cards at the front and rear fields, turning them into sieves.
"Battle!" Youyu continued with a big wave of his hand, "Use 'Gladiator Beast Gyzarus' to attack directly!"
The cyclone hit Alice's body, who groaned, crossed her arms in front of her, and staggered back two steps.
[Alice, LP 4000 → LP 1600]
Gyzarus' attack passed without hindrance, which slightly surprised Youyu.
Could the remaining Set cards merely be for show? Was it really so easy?
But he continued: "At the end of the Battle Phase, 'Gladiator Beast Gyzarus' effect activates. Gyzarus, which battled, returns to the deck to Special Summon two Gladiator Beasts."
Two cards popped out from the Card Deck with a "kaka", and he pulled them out into his hand.
"I Special Summon 'Gladiator Beast Hoplomus' and 'Gladiator Beast Secutor'!"
[Gladiator Beast Hoplomus, DEF 2100]
[Gladiator Beast Secutor, DEF 300]
"Hoplomus's effect." Youyu continued, "Hoplomus, Special Summoned by the effect of 'Gladiator Beast', its original DEF becomes 2400."
The golden beast warrior growled softly, with its muscles swelling like inflating, flames leaping up from the feet.
[Gladiator Beast Hoplomus, ATK 2100 → ATK 2400]
"Set another card, turn end."
"At this moment, Flip Cover Card!" Alice raised her hand, "Trap Card - Back to the Front! Special Summon a monster from your Graveyard in Defense Position!"
The card just destroyed by Gyzarus immediately popped out into her hand.
"With this effect, I Special Summon the monster from my graveyard... 'Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4'!"
The pitch-black vortex opened, black flames erupted, and a firebird engulfed in black flames jumped onto the field, with flames leaping under its feet.
[Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4, DEF 1000]
"Oh, it's actually the Black Flame Dragon?" Youyu narrowed his eyes slightly.
It's a monster full of period flavor that evokes nostalgia.
From the name, it can be seen that, like Manjome's Armed Dragon series, and Yugi's Silent series, it is an LV Monster.
The characteristic of LV Monsters is that they can grow continuously with the increase of turns, growing from a low level to a higher level, the longer the time, the stronger it becomes.
The weaknesses are also obvious; it's just too slow.
This series, which requires several turns to grow a powerful monster—often not enough powerful—seems inadequate in the face of the increasingly sped-up duel environment.
Especially in the later "rock-paper-scissors to win" era, where Card Decks that take two turns to gain momentum seemed too extravagant, such inherently slow series naturally became obsolete.
"My turn, draw card!" Alice said, "Activate Magic Card 'Pot of Greed', draw two more cards from the deck!"
Had she used 'Back to the Front' earlier, Alice could have revived Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 a step earlier and blocked Gyzarus' direct attack. But she didn't do that, clearly intending to preserve this monster.
It's equivalent to using her Life Points as a shield to keep the monster on the field.
But it doesn't matter. Youyu clearly remembers that Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 has to "destroy an opponent's monster in battle" to evolve into a higher form, meaning she must let her monster attack.
That way, she couldn't possibly summon the upgraded form of the Black Flame Dragon...
"Magic Card 'Graceful Charity', draw three cards, then discard two cards from the hand."
She raised her arm.
"Then open Set card, Trap Card 'Level Soul'! Sacrifice one monster on your field, then banish one 'LV' monster from the graveyard, a card listed on the banished card can be Special Summoned from the deck ignoring summoning conditions!" (Anime card)
She pointed to her field.
"I sacrifice 'Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4' on the field!"
The next moment, a card popped out from her Graveyard.
"Banish Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 from the game!"
A dark whirlwind burst, an array opened on the ground, the golden Eye of Horus opened in the air, and black flames filled the space.
"The judge of Horus, the black flame dragon that burns everything into ash—
— Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8, summon!!!"
Youyu: "..."