"Well, although I stopped Descent of the Serpent God, my formation still got wrecked by 'Snake Offering.'"
Yugen said lazily.
"As expected of you, Professor, you cracked the Abyss Lock combo. This way I not only lose Super Gravity Net's attack protection, I also temporarily have no Monsters on my field that can fight, so next turn is going to be really bad for me.
Let me see here..."
He looked like he was picking through his hand for a while, then finally picked out one card.
"Let's go with this for now.
I set this guy in Face-down Defense Position on the field, then end my turn."
A Monster Card appeared face-down on his front row, serving as a temporary defensive line.
For some reason, just watching this guy's movements and attitude made Professor Kobra feel like he really deserved a beating.
No, get it together, I'm getting thrown off again...
Kobra shook his head over and over, forcing himself not to look at the other side. He felt like there was some kind of unbelievable Magic Power on this person—doing nothing, just looking at that face was enough to piss people off, easily disrupting a Duelist's performance in a Duel.
Could this also be part of the secret of the Duel King's strength?
"My turn, draw!"
Kobra forcibly pulled his attention back to the Duel itself. He glanced at the card he drew, then immediately revealed it.
"Magic Card 'Pot of Magic Book.' Both players draw three cards from their Card Decks." (Original Card)
"Ha, how generous." Yugen smiled and expressed his thanks while drawing, "Then I'll gladly accept."
Kobra ignored the constant trash talk from the other side and silently drew three cards himself.
Then he raised his head and said in a deep voice.
"You think that leaves me helpless?"
"Bouncing the Poisonous Snake King over and over, blocking the Descent of the Serpent God again and again—that's your strategy?"
"You think that way the Snake God gets strangled in its cradle, and you don't have to face her divine might?"
Kobra raised his voice.
"No. The Poisonous Snake God is not just my trump card, she is my obsession, the burden I must bear as a Duelist! The last meaning left in my life, the goal I must achieve no matter what—there's no way something that heavy stops here!
I activate the Magic Card 'Revive the Dead'! Revive a Monster from my Graveyard to the field!"
"A Monster in the Graveyard..." Yugen said calmly, "'Descent of the Serpent God' was negated, so the Poisonous Snake God never appeared. So what you're reviving is..."
"Exactly!"
Kobra roared.
"Poisonous Snake King Vinomirion, return to my field!"
Black Fog surged up once more, condensing again. Countless small serpents fluttered, twisted snake bodies coiling together, and the Poisonous Snake King with dangerous red eyes descended on this Duel yet again, for the umpteenth time.
It was just that all this repeated overtime work made this royal Snake King look like he'd picked up a trace of fatigue...
"I see, so this is Kobra's obsession." Ammon muttered, "Although I don't know exactly what this guy's goal is... being so fixated on making that Snake God descend to this extent really is one hell of an obsession."
[Poisonous Snake King Vinomirion, Attack Power 0]
"Right now I've got seven Reptile Race monsters in my Graveyard, and each one increases the Poisonous Snake King's Attack Power by 500!" Kobra shouted, "So the Poisonous Snake King's Attack Power rises to 3500!"
[Poisonous Snake King Vinomirion, Attack Power 0 → Attack Power 3500]
"Next I Normal Summon 'Snake Venom Demon Double Snake' from my hand!"
A poisonous serpent covered in green scales, its long body winding; near the neck the body split into two, forming two snake heads, each one hissing with its tongue flicking out.
[Snake Venom Demon Double Snake, Attack Power 1000]
"I can't lose, and I absolutely will not lose!" Kobra roared, "Poisonous Snake King Vinomirion, attack the face-down Monster!"
The Poisonous Snake King let out a furious roar; though tired, its aura was still ferocious, as if venting its frustration at having been sent off the field so many times in this Duel so far without dealing even a single point of damage.
Then the attacked Monster flipped face-up.
A small penguin that actually looked kind of cute—short arms, short legs, holding a sword that was a bit too big for it, sticking out its round belly, putting on a super fierce expression.
[Penguin Soldiers, Defense Power 500]
"Oh no, you've disturbed 'Penguin Soldiers.'" Yugen smiled, "Penguin Soldiers' effect is: when this card is flipped, you can choose up to two Monsters on the field..."
He gave a malicious look at the Poisonous Snake King that had just returned to Kobra's field and hadn't even found its footing, then glanced at the double-headed serpent that had also only just been summoned.
"...and return the chosen Monsters to their owners' hands."
Kobra: "........."
He no longer knew what he was supposed to say.
Even Ammon pushed up his glasses and couldn't help coughing twice.
Um, Lord Yugen...
...you really are not human.
"Sorry, Professor Kobra. It's rare for you to bring the Poisonous Snake King back again, but..."
Yugen smiled, putting on a face of apology.
"I'm going to have to ask you to return the Poisonous Snake King, and the just-summoned 'Snake Venom Demon Double Snake,' back to your hand."
The Poisonous Snake King roared unwillingly, but could do nothing. Its Immortal body only protects it from destruction, not from being bounced, so it could only return to Kobra's hand once again in utter humiliation.
"Aaaaarghhh—"
Kobra roared.
He himself was about to explode.
His invincible Poisonous Snake King, his Immortal Poisonous Snake King—throughout this Duel it had been taken out so many times, and that Immortal body hadn't been used even once, can you believe that?
Some Poisonous Snake God sleeping in the Card Deck: I get the feeling today's not my scene at all...
"Of course, a Flip Effect that triggers during battle still counts, and the battle already went through." Yugen said calmly, "So my 'Penguin Soldiers' will still be destroyed by battle."
But the little penguin had already fulfilled its glorious mission. Trading its small body for a two-for-one, and even taking out a Poisonous Snake King, that was an incredible overperformance.
Kobra said sullenly, "I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Even Ammon couldn't help giving the Professor a somewhat sympathetic look.
He could already feel it—though he didn't know what the Professor's objective was, the man seemed to have an extremely strong conviction, as if the only meaning of his life was to achieve that goal.
Holding that mindset and then suffering this kind of torture in a Duel... it wouldn't be surprising if he went insane afterward.
No wonder the rumors outside say the King is so terrifying. Some say the King's Duels not only seize victory from opponents, sometimes they also crush their spirits.
"My turn, draw."
Yugen said.
"In the Standby Phase, I activate the effect of 'Assassin Snake' in my Graveyard again.
When this card is in my Graveyard during my Standby Phase, it can return to my hand."
Yugen retrieved Assassin Snake back into his hand.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Right now neither of us has any Monsters on the field. For me to just start summoning Monsters to attack one-sidedly from here would feel a bit unfair...
So how about this—I'll give you a powerful Monster first, then we'll fight again."
With that, he revealed a card in his hand.
"I Special Summon this guy to your field, Professor Kobra.
Level 8, Torture Giant in Attack Position!"
Kobra: "???"