Hearing all that, the players got more and more fired up, as if they were the ones dueling on the field.
"Do you even understand what it means to be the absolute peak of lockdown?!"
"Hahaha! That one effect is worth three copies of Dominus Purge! Our cult leader is insane!"
"That guy missed one detail just now! The text says 'your opponent cannot activate effects,' not 'cannot activate card effects'! That means it hits player-side effects too!"
"Waaah, cult leader, lead us to victory one more time!!!"
Amid the thunder of cheers and shocked cries, Nightshroud's face had already turned ugly beyond words.
He never could have imagined that this 0 ATK Xyz Monster, Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL, was hiding such a monstrous lockdown effect.
He instinctively tightened his grip on the Quick-Play Spell in his hand. That card could negate a monster effect, but now neither Yusaku's face-down Counter Trap nor Toadally Awesome's effect had been used. If he played it now, all it would do was hand the opponent another plus in resources.
"Since you have no response, Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL's effect resolves!"
The instant Yusaku's words fell, the red-haired warrior on the field raised that rainbow-shining holy sword and slashed down with full force.
An invisible field of suppression exploded outward from its body and swept across the entire arena. Even the air around them seemed to warp and twist under the heat of that overwhelming power.
Nightshroud felt the cards in his hand go dim all at once. Their once-radiant surfaces turned dull and gray, as though every effect had been stripped away, leaving behind nothing but worthless scraps of paper.
Looking at Nightshroud's miserable expression, Yusaku's lips curved slightly.
"My effect has finished resolving. Your move. Right now, you cannot activate card effects."
He made a polite little gesture with one hand, his tone openly mocking.
"Go ahead."
"We still don't know who's going to win!" Nightshroud gritted out stubbornly.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he raised a hand and pointed at Yusaku's field.
"I'm entering the Battle Phase! Garura, Wings of Resonant Life, attack Toadally Awesome!"
"As long as I take that monster out, you lose one layer of omni-negate!"
At Nightshroud's command, the two-headed bird let out a piercing scream, then beat its wings hard. A violent gale howled forward like a tornado, sweeping toward Yusaku's field.
Looking at that sky-covering storm, the smile on Yusaku's lips only turned more playful.
"Not a bad idea. Too bad it won't work."
Nightshroud froze.
"?"
"The moment you declared that attack, I activate the effect of Full-Armored Xyz in my Graveyard!"
Yusaku flicked two fingers, and a card flew out from the Graveyard zone into his hand.
"This card's effect lets me banish it from the Graveyard, then target 1 Xyz Monster I control. I equip 1 other face-up Xyz Monster from my field or Graveyard to that target as an Equip Spell!"
He paused, then clearly recited the equipped effect.
"The equipped monster gains ATK equal to the equipped card's ATK. Also, if the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle or card effect, that Equip Card is destroyed instead."
With that, Yusaku slotted Full-Armored Xyz into his Duel Disk.
"So I activate this effect and banish it!"
"I choose to equip the 2600 ATK Bahamut Shark in my Graveyard to the Xyz Monster on my field - Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer!"
At Yusaku's command, a clear blue light rose from the Graveyard and transformed into a savage-looking suit of armor that locked perfectly over Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer's body.
Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer
ATK 3400 -> 6000
"Right now!" Yusaku's voice suddenly rose. "Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer's effect activates!"
"Once per turn, if a monster on my field becomes equipped with an Equip Spell, I can attach 1 monster my opponent controls to this card as material!"
"I just equipped Bahamut Shark to it as an Equip Card, so the activation condition is fulfilled!"
As he said that, Yusaku thrust his arm toward Nightshroud's field, his voice echoing through the arena.
"I choose your Garura, Wings of Resonant Life and attach it to Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer as Xyz Material!"
The moment that command fell, the lance in Dark Knight Lancer's hand burst with brilliant blue light and shot forward like lightning.
Garura let out one last unwilling shriek, then turned into countless points of light and was sucked into the lance, finally settling beneath Dark Knight Lancer as fresh material.
Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer
ATK 6000 -> 6300
Yusaku folded his arms again and looked calmly at Nightshroud.
"My effect has finished resolving. You still have three cards left in hand, and I still have plenty of interruption on the field. From here on, we can take it slow."
"Hmph!" Nightshroud snorted, glancing at the cards in his hand before speaking loudly. "Battle Phase over! Main Phase 2!"
Then he pulled out the last three cards in his hand and slammed them onto the Duel Disk.
"I Set 1 monster, and I Set 2 back row cards. End turn!"
Hummm!
With three crisp sounds, one Set monster appeared in Nightshroud's Monster Zone, and two new face-down cards appeared in his back row.
But at the exact instant Nightshroud declared the end of his turn, Yusaku spoke again.
"Then, at the moment your End Phase begins, I flip my face-down card and activate the Trap Card Virtue Stream!"
"This card's effect targets 1 Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua monster I control and 2 cards my opponent controls, then destroys all of them!"
Yusaku's eyes shifted to Nightshroud's back row.
"My chosen targets are my Aqua monster Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer, and your 2 face-down cards!"
Then his tone changed.
"However, Full-Armored Xyz has the effect that if Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer would be destroyed by battle or card effect, the Equip Card can be destroyed instead."
As he spoke, Yusaku removed Bahamut Shark from Dark Knight Lancer and sent it to the Graveyard through the Duel Disk.
"So in the end, the only things getting destroyed are your two face-down cards."
Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer
ATK 6300 -> 3700
At Yusaku's command, Virtue Stream released two blazing red beams. They sliced across the field like blades and pierced straight through Nightshroud's back row, blowing both Set cards into fragments.
"Now it's my turn."
Yusaku spoke slowly.
"Because of Number 60: Dugares the Timeless, I skip my Draw Phase."
He looked at Nightshroud and gave him a mocking smile.
"My Counter Trap in the back row still hasn't been used. The monsters on my field haven't even really started showing what they can do yet. Are you still not planning to keep struggling?"
"Struggling?" Nightshroud sneered. "The monster I Set is Ancient Gear Commander! It has 2000 DEF!"
"You only have four monsters on the field. Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL has 0 ATK. Toadally Awesome only has 1100. Even if Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer and Number F0: Utopic Draco Future both have over 3000 ATK, together that's still only 7800!"
"And more importantly, you don't even have a single card in your hand right now! So what if you destroy my Ancient Gear Commander? It still has a Graveyard effect! Combined with the resources I sent there this turn and the cards you destroyed and sent there too, once it comes back to my turn, it's still too early to say who'll win!"
"Your turn?" A coldly mocking smile appeared on Yusaku's lips. "You really won't give up until the coffin lid is shut."
The instant those words fell, the lance in Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer's hand burst with blue light again, the spear point tearing straight toward Nightshroud's Set Ancient Gear Commander.
"I activate Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer's effect! Once per turn, I can target 1 'Xyz' card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand!"
"My target is the Spell Card Armored Xyz in my Graveyard!"
The instant Armored Xyz returned to his hand, Yusaku slapped it straight onto the Duel Disk.
"I activate the Spell Card Armored Xyz!"
"This card's effect targets 1 face-up monster I control and 1 Xyz Monster in my Graveyard, then equips that Graveyard monster to that field monster as an Equip Spell!"
He clearly recited the powerful effect it would grant.
"The equipped monster's ATK becomes equal to the equipped card's ATK. Its Attribute also becomes the same as the equipped card's Attribute. And after the Damage Step, if the equipped monster attacked, I can send the Equip Card to the Graveyard and that attacking monster can attack once again!"
"My choice is to equip the 2600 ATK Bahamut Shark in my Graveyard to Number F0: Utopic Draco Future!"
Number F0: Utopic Draco Future
ATK 3000 -> 2600
"And this is the moment!" Yusaku shouted again. "Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer's effect activates again! I attach your Set monster to this card as material!"
Nightshroud's pupils shrank violently.
"Even Set cards can become Xyz Material?!"
"What do you think?" Yusaku shot him a glance.
The moment his words fell, Dark Knight Lancer's spear shone blue once more and stabbed straight into Nightshroud's Set Ancient Gear Commander.
That face-down card never even got a chance to flip face-up before it turned into a stream of light and was sucked into the spear, becoming new Xyz Material.
Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer
Xyz Materials: 3 -> 4
ATK 3700 -> 4000
"And now?" Yusaku asked evenly. "Do you still think I can't clear your field?"
Nightshroud's pupils trembled.
"I... I surrender right now!"
This duel was using a full real-sensory system. The higher a monster's ATK, the more intense the pain when its attack connected.
"Too late." Yusaku's voice was cold enough to freeze the air.
Before Nightshroud could say another word, Yusaku directly issued the attack command, his voice reverberating through the arena.
"First, Toadally Awesome attacks!"
[Nightshroud, LP 8000 -> 6900]
"Next, Number F0: Utopic Draco Future! Attack!"
[Nightshroud, LP 6900 -> 4300]
"I send the Equip Card Bahamut Shark to the Graveyard and activate the second attack effect!"
As the Equip Card was removed, Utopic Draco Future returned to its original ATK.
[Nightshroud, LP 4300 -> 1300]
"And finally, Full Armored Dark Knight Lancer! Direct attack!"
At Yusaku's final command, the lance in Dark Knight Lancer's hand gathered an immense mass of energy before being hurled forward with overwhelming force. It tore across the field and smashed straight into Nightshroud's body.
The impact launched Nightshroud violently into the air.
"Uaaaaaaghhhh!!!"
As his scream echoed through the arena, the Duel Disk's alert sound rang out.
[Nightshroud, LP 1300 -> 0]
(End of Chapter)
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