After Fusion Summoning the monster to his field, Yusaku immediately pulled out another card and played it.
"I activate Harpie's Feather Duster! Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on your field!"
Before his words even finished, magic erupted from the card like boiling magma. A condensed green beam tore through the air with a shrill whistle, shooting straight toward Teppei's set back row.
Staring at the onrushing beam, Teppei's gaze lingered on his set cards for a split second. His brow furrowed, hesitation flashing across his eyes—then it was replaced by resolve.
"Hmph. You think you can blow up my back row? Not that easily!"
He snapped his hand up and shouted.
"I chain to your card! I activate the monster effect of Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss. During either player's turn, I can target 1 face-up card on your field—its effects are forcibly negated until the end of the turn!"
Teppei barked, thrusting a finger forward.
"I negate the effect of the Harpie's Feather Duster you just activated until the end of the turn!"
The crimson infernal dragon roared in response. Its massive wings swept up a scorching heatwave, the flames around its body surging three feet higher in an instant. It threw open its fanged maw and fired a blazing fireball wrapped in hell-black flame.
The fireball carved a dark-red trail through the sky, punching straight through the spell's shining aura with pinpoint precision.
"Boom!"
Harpie's Feather Duster was reduced to ash in the flames. The green beam collapsed on the spot, its effect completely negated and destroyed.
Yusaku glanced at the Feather Duster lying quietly in his GY, then looked back at Teppei.
"You didn't even consider flipping your set cards. Is it because you didn't meet the activation condition, or because that card is important to you?"
Teppei snorted. "Whether I activate them or not is my business. As for you…"
He looked at the cards in Yusaku's hand, a mocking curve flashing in his eyes.
"You're down to two cards. You shouldn't be able to combo anymore."
"Really?" Yusaku lowered his eyes to his hand, still smiling calmly. His fingertips tapped his cards lightly. "That's not necessarily true."
Teppei: "?"
Yusaku pulled out a card and revealed it.
"I activate Monster Reborn, and revive Kashtira Fenrir from my GY!"
"Come on out, Kashtira Fenrir!"
A blood-red radiance exploded outward, surging across the field like a tide. A ferocious warrior clad in heavy red armor—wielding a massive axe and wearing a wolf-shaped mask—stepped out of the light.
Kashtira Fenrir
Level 7 / Psychic / Effect
ATK: 2400
The moment he saw it, Teppei's pupils constricted and his breathing hitched. In the intel he'd collected, Yusaku had used this monster before—back then, he'd paired it with other cards from the same theme and sealed off the opponent's zones completely.
At the same time, Ichiro's expression darkened as well. He knew this monster too.
Kazetaro rubbed his chin, a flicker of excitement flashing through his eyes as he thought to himself.
"Last turn, Yusaku-senpai won with the effect of that 'Dream' god… so this turn, is he going to lock down the opponent's entire field again? If so, when it gets to my turn, I'll get to build for free—no, wait, I could probably just attack and end it!"
Meanwhile, the spectators erupted the instant they saw Fenrir.
"Holy—Fenrir! Is Yusaku about to lock every zone again!?"
"Not necessarily! Kashtira can rip your hand too. Maybe he's going to shred their hand to zero!"
"Speaking of shredding hands—I just thought of something. In Tag Duels, if one side gets their hand emptied, do they just lose on the spot?"
"Hard to say. The rules don't explicitly say… but if your hand gets wiped, you're basically dead next turn!"
On the field, Teppei forcibly suppressed his shock, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"When did you even send that to the GY?"
In his memory, Yusaku hadn't milled that card at the start.
Yusaku smiled faintly. "Remember the Super Polymerization I used? That's when I sent it to the GY."
Teppei immediately recalled it, his face turning unpleasant.
"Then in my Main Phase!"
Yusaku's voice rang out again.
"I activate Kashtira Fenrir's effect!"
"During my Main Phase, I can add 1 'Kashtira' monster from my Deck to my hand! I add Kashtira Riseheart from my Deck to my hand."
The Duel Disk's internal shuffling system whirred rapidly with a soft mechanical hum. The searched card popped out with perfect precision, and Yusaku caught it steadily, the crimson patterns on the card gleaming under the light.
After adding it to his hand, Yusaku continued without pause, his movements clean and decisive.
"Next, I conduct a Normal Summon!"
He slapped the card he'd just searched onto the Duel Disk.
"Normal Summon, Kashtira Riseheart!"
"Come on out, Kashtira Riseheart!"
A brilliant red light burst forth—even more intense than Fenrir's. A warrior in crimson heavy armor, with a flaming-red ponytail, leapt out of the radiance.
Kashtira Riseheart
Level 4 / Warrior / Effect
ATK: 1500
The instant the monster hit the field, Teppei's eyes flashed. He shouted without hesitation.
"Right as you Summon that monster, I flip my set card!"
"I activate the Trap Card—Waboku!"
In the same instant, the last set card beneath his feet snapped face-up. Three soft white rays poured out of the card, forming three feminine silhouettes with gentle,慈-like smiles.
They slowly spread their arms, shielding Teppei and Ichiro behind them. Eyes closed, they murmured prayers as their holy power linked together, weaving into a translucent spherical barrier that completely enveloped their half of the field.
Standing beneath the barrier, Teppei crossed his arms and wore a smug, cutting sneer.
"During the turn Waboku is activated, my monsters can't be destroyed by battle, and any battle damage I would take becomes 0!"
After explaining the effect, he looked at Yusaku confidently.
"I know exactly how disgusting your 'Kashtira' zone-locking is, but your weakness is obvious—your high-ATK monsters are actually pretty limited! Now my monsters are protected from battle destruction. You can't remove my monsters, which means you can't lock my zones either!"
"You're right," Ichiro cut in. "And we won't take battle damage either. That means no matter what, he can't end the Battle Phase this turn. Next turn, leave the guy next to him to me—don't worry."
Yusaku gave the two of them an odd look.
"By 'guy,' you mean yourselves?"
"And who said that just because I'm using Kashtira, I have to lock your zones? These two monsters are just combo pieces. Also—my turn already started. Do you really think you'll even get to play next turn?"
Teppei: "???"
Ichiro: "???"
Yusaku raised his voice.
"I activate Kashtira Riseheart's effect."
His tone sharpened.
"During the Main Phase of the turn this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can banish 1 'Kashtira' card from my Deck, except Kashtira Riseheart. Then I banish the top 3 cards of your Deck face-down, and this card becomes Level 7."
He pulled a card from his Deck and held it up.
"I banish Kashtira Unicorn from my Deck, then I banish the top three cards of your Deck face-down!"
Before his words even finished, Teppei's Duel Disk blared a mechanical notification. The top three cards of his Deck flew out uncontrollably, becoming three dim streaks of light that dropped straight into the banished zone and vanished.
Kashtira Riseheart
Level: 4 → 7
"At this moment!"
Yusaku snapped his hand up and shouted.
"I overlay my Level 7 Kashtira Riseheart and Kashtira Fenrir to construct the Overlay Network!"
"Xyz Summon, Rank 7—Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon!"
In an instant, both monsters transformed into two blazing red beams that shot into the sky, intertwining into a massive Xyz vortex overhead.
A heartbeat later, a gigantic mechanized falcon—covered in heavy armor plating and loaded with multiple energy cannons—burst from the vortex. When it spread its wings, it blotted out the sky, cold metallic aura radiating across the field.
Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon
Winged Beast / Xyz / Effect
ATK: 2500
Teppei froze for a beat, then let out a scornful laugh.
"I thought you were going to use some scary Deck—so it's just 'Raidraptor'? That's been obsolete at our academy for ages!"
He crossed his arms, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Their combo resilience is atrocious. One random hand trap and the whole chain snaps. Only newbies pick a flashy-but-hollow Deck like that!"
He paused, then sneered at Yusaku.
"I remember what you just said about us not being able to move. Don't tell me you mean Ultimate Falcon. Sure, it has solid protection and its effect is oppressive, but it's Spell Speed 1. It can't activate on the opponent's turn. How exactly are you 'locking' us?"
Yusaku shot him a glance. "You talk too much. If I said I'm locking you, then I'm locking you."
"Then I'd love to see how!" Teppei snorted, finally shutting up.
"You're about to," Yusaku said coolly. "Just hope your mouth stays as tough as it is right now."
Yusaku shouted.
"I activate Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon's effect! Once per turn, I can detach 1 material from this card; Special Summon 1 Level 4 Winged Beast monster from my Deck!"
"I activate it—detach 1 Xyz Material!"
Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon
Materials: 2 → 1
"I Special Summon Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius from my Deck!"
Summoning light flared again. A golden beam fired out from the Deck, and a shrike-like machine—built with precision mechanics and shaped like a fighter jet—emerged from the light.
Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius
Winged Beast / Effect
ATK: 1800
"I activate Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius's effect!"
The moment it appeared, Yusaku shouted.
"During the turn this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send 1 'Raidraptor' card from my Deck to the GY."
He revealed a card from his Deck.
"I send Raider's Wing to the GY."
After sending it, he immediately drew it out and showed it again.
"Now I use Raider's Wing's effect. If this card is in my GY, I can detach 1 material from a DARK Xyz Monster I control; Special Summon this card."
"I detach the last Xyz Material from my Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon, and Special Summon Raider's Wing!"
A blue radiance shot up from the GY.
A mechanical monster—shaped like a hawk, built from metal plating and gears—materialized on the field.
Raider's Wing
Winged Beast / Effect
ATK: 0
"Next, I overlay my Raider's Wing and my Level 4 Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius—construct the Overlay Network!"
"Xyz Summon, Rank 4—Raider's Knight!"
A dazzling golden vortex detonated in the center of the field. The two monsters became streaks of light and flew into it, as the sound of a warhorse's neigh and clashing armor echoed from within.
A moment later, a knight in blue-black armor emerged from the vortex, riding a hellish warhorse wreathed in blue ghostfire. In his hand, a lance gleamed with bone-chilling cold.
Raider's Knight
Rank 4 / Warrior / Xyz / Effect
Materials: 2
ATK: 2000
"I activate Raider's Knight's effect!" Yusaku shouted. "I can detach 1 material from this card. Then I Special Summon from my Extra Deck, by using this card as material, an Xyz Monster that is 1 Rank higher or 1 Rank lower, from among 'The Phantom Knights,' 'Raidraptor,' or 'Xyz Dragon' monsters—this is treated as an Xyz Summon!"
Yusaku swung his arm.
"I detach Raidraptor - Tribute Lanius as material to activate this effect!"
Raider's Knight
Materials: 2 → 1
"I overlay the Extra Deck monster that's 1 Rank higher—Raidraptor - Brave Strix—on top of it."
"Come on out, Raidraptor - Brave Strix!"
Raider's Knight turned into a burst of brilliance and flew into the golden vortex above.
The next second, a massive mechanized owl-like raptor descended slowly from the vortex, its wingspan covering most of the field.
Raidraptor - Brave Strix
Rank 5 / Winged Beast / Xyz / Effect
Materials: 2
ATK: 2000
Teppei frowned. He didn't remember Raidraptors having a monster called Brave Strix.
He instinctively glanced at Ichiro beside him—only to find Ichiro frowning too, his expression heavy. Clearly, he didn't recognize it either.
On the field, Yusaku didn't give them time to think.
"I activate Raidraptor - Brave Strix's effect! I can detach 1 material from this card; Set 1 'Raidraptor' Spell/Trap from my Deck!"
"I detach Raider's Knight as material!"
Raidraptor - Brave Strix
Materials: 2 → 1
"I add Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force to my hand."
After adding the searched card to his hand, Yusaku played it immediately.
"I activate Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force."
"This card's effect lets me target 1 'Raidraptor' Xyz Monster I control, then Special Summon from my Extra Deck a 'Raidraptor' monster that is 2 Ranks higher, by using that target as material—this is treated as an Xyz Summon."
"I overlay the monster that's two Ranks higher than Raidraptor - Brave Strix—Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon!"
Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon
Materials: 2
ATK: 2500
"Since Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon's effect isn't restricted by a 'once per turn' clause tied to its name, I can activate that effect again—detach 1 material!"
Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon
Materials: 2 → 1
"I Special Summon Raidraptor - Noir Lanius from my Deck!"
As his words fell, a pitch-black shrike—mechanically constructed like a fighter jet—appeared on the field.
Raidraptor - Noir Lanius
Level 4 / Winged Beast / Effect
ATK: 1600
(End of Chapter)
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