On the field, Senjo folded his arms across his chest, his gaze fixed on Yusaku as a smile of absolute confidence curled at his lips.
"Oh, and one more thing I almost forgot to tell you. The Sacred Beasts share the same kind of protection as the Egyptian Gods - they aren't affected by Trap Cards, and Spell effects only apply to them during the turn they're activated."
When he finished, he raised a hand in a mocking gesture of courtesy, challenge practically dripping from every movement.
"Your turn, then. Let's see how you plan to break this board."
"Break your board?"
Yusaku's eyes drifted over the three ominous Sacred Beasts looming behind Senjo, and the corner of his mouth suddenly lifted.
"That's the easy part."
Slowly, he raised a single finger. His voice was calm, but every word cut cleanly through the roar of the arena.
"This turn, I'm clearing away your Sacred Beasts. Every last monster on your field. Then I end the duel."
Senjo: "???"
Yusaku's words hit the stands like a thunderclap, leaving the spectators staring at one another.
"Why does that sound so familiar? Didn't he say something like that yesterday too?"
"No, you're remembering it wrong. Yesterday he said he'd break Nightshade's board in three moves."
"Yeah, but that was because of Super Polymerization! That card needs specific materials. Nobody's even heard of these Sacred Beasts before, so what Fusion monster would even use them?"
"Exactly. With a board this airtight, how could he possibly turn it around in a single turn?"
"Why overthink it? If he's saying it this confidently, he's obviously got something in mind. Just sit back and watch."
Unlike the ordinary audience, the students of Genius Academy reacted with open contempt.
"Our senpai's field has protection, Spell and Trap negation, monster effect negation, and even continuous banishing instead of sending cards to the Graveyard. Every one of those Sacred Beasts has at least 4000 ATK. How the hell is he supposed to break this?"
"I'm betting he's completely out of options. If he can really clear that field in one turn, I'll twist my own head off and use it as a chamber pot."
"Hah. He's just a clown trying to put on a show."
The players, however, were thinking a few steps ahead.
One of them suddenly smacked his thigh.
"Kouki! Yusaku-senpai said he's going to break the whole board and end the duel in one turn. Does that mean he's summoning that monster?! I remember its Fusion Materials are the three Sacred Beasts!"
Kouki frowned and thought it over, then shook his head.
"Probably not. Setting aside the fact that the Sacred Beasts are Genius Academy's newly excavated trump card, senpai might not even have the right card. And even if he does, that monster still needs its dedicated Spell Card for the Fusion Summon."
"You're all making this way too complicated," Kazetaro said with a laugh. "Just Tribute them. The Sacred Beasts don't have the Gods' anti-Tribute protection, so you can just Tribute them away."
The players around him froze for a moment, then instantly lit up in realization.
"Damn, you're right! I completely forgot Tribute outs were a thing!"
At that moment, one player dressed like Senjo from Duel Links hesitantly raised a hand.
"B-but... Senjo's back row has that Continuous Spell. The one that makes all damage he takes this turn become 0 if one of the Sacred Beasts leaves the field..."
"Uh..."
The discussion on the players' side died instantly. Silence fell over them all at once.
And into that silence, Yusaku's cool voice rang out across the entire stadium again.
"I Tribute your Link-2 Barricadeborg Blocker and Special Summon the monster in my hand to your field!"
"Gathered prayers become a newborn shining star, granting eternal release to all fools shackled by selfish desire."
"Appear - Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju!"
The moment the words fell, a pale blue vortex ripped open above the arena. The roar of rushing water came pouring from the other side of the dimensional tear, mixed with the faint bellow of a colossal beast breaching the surface.
Then, in the next instant, a monstrous creature burst out of the vortex. Its back was covered by a massive turtle shell, its body bore savage wings, and its silhouette resembled some primeval dinosaur. It opened its jaws wide and, before anyone could react, swallowed Senjo's Barricadeborg Blocker in a single bite, then let out a thoroughly satisfied burp.
Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju
Level 8 / Aqua / Effect
ATK 2200
"Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju's effect," Yusaku said evenly. "This card can be Special Summoned to the opponent's field by Tributing 1 monster they control."
He looked up at Senjo, whose face had already gone dark, and smiled faintly.
"And with that, the monster-based protection on your back row is gone."
"It's only one monster!"
Senjo snorted coldly.
"Then the instant Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju is Special Summoned to my field, the first effect of my Continuous Trap Awakening of the Sacred Beasts activates. I recover Life Points equal to that monster's ATK, which means 2200!"
Senjo, LP 8000 -> 10200
He folded his arms again.
"As long as Awakening of the Sacred Beasts stays on my field, my LP will only keep climbing. My advantage will keep growing."
"Your advantage keeps growing, huh?"
Yusaku looked at him calmly.
"Then have you noticed the real problem? Your field is layered - banishing, negation, protection - but all of it revolves around the Sacred Beasts. The moment the Sacred Beasts are gone, every single one of those cards stops functioning. And the Sacred Beasts have no protection against being Tributed."
Senjo's heart sank for the briefest moment, but he forced himself back into composure and let out a mocking laugh.
"You're right. The Sacred Beasts are the core of my field, and yes, they don't resist being Tributed."
His eyes shifted toward Yusaku's hand.
"But even if you have Lava Golem, the most it can do is Tribute two of my Sacred Beasts. And the instant you Tribute them, the effect of Opening of the Spirit Gates will trigger, which means I take no damage this turn."
He crossed his arms again, confidence spilling from his expression.
"If you want to break this setup, you have to get rid of Opening of the Spirit Gates first. But as long as Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder is on the field, I can negate the next Spell or Trap you activate."
"And if you want to remove Opening of the Spirit Gates, you'll have to start extending your field. But as long as Awakening of the Sacred Beasts remains active, any monster you summon will have its effect negated, and any card that should go to the Graveyard gets banished instead."
By now, the smug pride on his face was almost overflowing.
"So in other words - my board is unbreakable!"
"Unbreakable?" Yusaku glanced at him. "Not necessarily."
Senjo paused, then seemed to remember something. A cold, ugly smile crossed his face.
"I've reviewed every recording of your duels. You've got a card called Dinowrestler Pankratops that can Tribute itself to destroy one of the opponent's cards, right?"
He let out a sneer.
"But you should understand something. My Awakening of the Sacred Beasts isn't like Skill Drain. Skill Drain only negates effects of monsters on the field, so it can't stop effects that activate after the monster leaves. My Trap negates effects activated by monsters on the field. Even if the monster goes to the Graveyard afterward, the effect still gets negated."
"I'm fully aware of that," Yusaku said calmly. "So why do you think I said what I just did?"
Before the words had fully settled, he slapped a card onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Spell Card Pot of Greed!"
As the card lit up, Yusaku looked at Senjo.
"Any response?"
Senjo snorted and kept his arms folded.
"You're trying to bait out my negation. I'm not falling for that."
"No chain, then."
Yusaku brushed his fingers over his Deck.
"By the effect of Pot of Greed, I draw 2 cards."
Two cards slid into his hand. He glanced over them quickly, then immediately played another.
"Next, because of Pot of Greed, I activate Radiant Typhoon Vision!"
"This card's effect is simple: I draw 2 cards. After that, if I have a Radiant Typhoon card or a Quick-Play Spell in my hand, I discard 1 of them. If I don't, I discard my entire hand."
Yusaku's eyes settled on Senjo's face, waiting.
Senjo remained unmoved, arms still folded, a cold smile on his face.
"Go ahead and activate it. Until it actually threatens me, I'm not wasting my negation."
"Is that so?"
Yusaku's smile deepened slightly.
"Then I resolve the effect and draw 2 cards."
The two new cards entered his hand. He checked them, then sent one of the Quick-Play Spells to the Graveyard.
"Then I discard the Quick-Play Spell Called by the Grave from my hand."
Right after that, he pulled out yet another card, the edge of it flashing across the Duel Disk in a streak of light.
"Next, I activate Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage!"
"This card's effect: if I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zone, I can add 1 Sky Striker card from my Deck to my hand, except Sky Striker Mobilize - Engage! Then, if I have 3 or more Spells in my Graveyard, I draw 1 card."
"I add the Quick-Play Spell Sky Striker Mecha - Widow Anchor from my Deck to my hand."
With a flick of his fingers, the key card landed neatly in his grasp.
"And in my Graveyard, I already have Pot of Greed, Called by the Grave, and Radiant Typhoon Vision - three Spell Cards total. The draw condition is met."
Widow Anchor?
The instant the players saw what Yusaku had searched, something clicked in all of their minds at once.
(End of Chapter)[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"][Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop][Thanks for Reading!]