[Senjo, LP: 10200 → 0]
The duel ended so fast that the entire crowd fell into dead silence.
Only when Senjo crashed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut did that dull thud finally shatter the frozen air.
"Holy crap, is that for real? From clearing the board to ending the duel, it took less than two minutes!"
"He broke a field like that without any trouble? Is there seriously nobody who can beat him?"
At the center of the arena, even Judge Isano stood there blankly for a full three seconds before finally snapping back to himself and throwing one arm into the air with a roar.
"Duel over! Senjo's LP has hit zero. Yusaku wins the first duel!"
Cheers crashed through the stadium like a tidal wave.
But to Senjo, that deafening thunder of applause sounded harsher than any curse. He pushed himself off the floor in a miserable sprawl, his eyes boiling red with resentment.
Joy and sorrow were never shared equally. Right now, all Senjo could hear was noise that scraped at his nerves.
Looking at Senjo as he got back to his feet, Yusaku folded his arms across his chest, lightly tapping his Duel Disk with one finger as he let out a cold snort.
"There's no need."
Senjo jerked his head up, then pulled a Deck wreathed in faint black mist from his coat and slammed it into his Duel Disk.
"Cut the crap. Again!"
"This has nothing to do with you!" Senjo snapped as he spread his Duel Disk open, his eyes flashing with vicious light. "Cut the crap. Again!"
Yusaku turned toward Isano in the distance and gave him a slight nod.
"Then Judge Isano, if you would."
Isano immediately nodded, though his expression twitched with visible unease.
The next second, the commentator's voice exploded across the arena, so excited it nearly cracked.
"Ladies and gentlemen, an earth-shaking update! Duelist Yusaku and Duelist Senjo have both agreed to skip the intermission and begin the second duel immediately! Yusaku already has match point and stands only one step away from the highest honor in the duel world! Will Senjo fight back from the brink and even the score, or will Yusaku crush straight through to the top? Stay tuned!"
The roar from the crowd nearly blew the roof off the stadium.
Seeing that both duelists were already in position, Isano suddenly swung his arm through the air and bellowed in a voice like a bell.
"I hereby declare the second duel... begin!"
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
The two shouts rang out at the same time. The screens on their Duel Disks lit up at once, pale blue data streams racing across them before finally freezing on the turn order.
[Yusaku, LP 8000]
[Senjo, LP 8000]
[First Turn: Senjo]
Yusaku's fingers slid briskly over his Deck as he drew his opening five cards in one clean motion. He glanced at his hand, then back at the display and clicked his tongue.
Going second again.
Seeing that, Senjo let out a mocking sneer.
"Heh. Looks like luck's still on my side. I've got the first turn again!"
Yusaku waved a hand dismissively.
"Less talk. Just start."
"In such a hurry?" Senjo's grin twisted wider. "My turn. Ready... Main Phase!"
Before the words had fully fallen, Senjo's eyes swept over his hand. After a brief moment of thought, the corner of his mouth rose, and he slapped a card onto his Duel Disk.
Dragged by chains, a massive wheel engulfed in ghostly blue fire burst from the earth. Its pitch-black body was covered in twisted dark-red markings like cursed runes, and every movement came with a shriek of grinding metal.
[Earthbound Prisoner Ground Keeper]
Level 1 / Fiend / Tuner / Effect
ATK 300
"Earthbound?" Yusaku's brow rose slightly, amusement in his voice. "Your so-called genius academy really does have plenty of resources. First the Sacred Beasts, and now you're pulling out an Earthbound Immortal trump card."
"The Earthbound Immortals have never appeared before." Senjo frowned slightly as he looked at Yusaku. "You know about that too?"
Yusaku smirked.
"How do I know? You tell me."
Then his tone turned teasing.
"This time, which ruin did your academy dig that Earthbound Immortal out of?"
Senjo let out a cold snort.
"I'm under no obligation to tell you."
"You don't have to. I already know." Yusaku folded his arms across his chest. "You looted it from Fusion Dimension and they loaned it to you for the time being. Am I right?"
Senjo's pupils suddenly contracted.
"How do you know that much?!"
Yusaku chuckled.
"So I was right."
"You tricked me!" Senjo's face instantly turned livid. He gritted his teeth, then stopped trying to hide it. Madness blazed in his eyes. "Since you already know, there's no point keeping it secret anymore! Yusaku, in this duel, I'll let you witness the true power of the Earthbound Immortals!"
He raised his arm high and declared in a sharp voice,
"I activate the effect of Earthbound Prisoner Ground Keeper! When this card is successfully Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 'Earthbound' monster from my Deck or GY, except itself, as long as it's Level 5 or lower!"
"After this effect resolves, until the end of the turn, I can only Special Summon Fusion or Synchro Monsters from the Extra Deck!"
"I choose to Special Summon the Level 3 Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker from my Deck!"
A heavy stone puppet rose from the ground. Its body was pitch-black, marked with the same ominous patterns as Ground Keeper, and a cold red light flickered inside its hollow eyes as it floated in midair.
[Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker]
Level 3 / Fiend / Tuner
ATK 800
"I'm not done yet!"
Senjo's voice carried a feverish edge.
"I activate the effect of Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker! When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add 1 'Earthbound Prison' or 'Harmonic Synchro Fusion' from my Deck or GY to my hand!"
"I choose to add the Spell Card Harmonic Synchro Fusion from my Deck!"
The instant the card was added to his hand, Senjo pulled out another card.
"Now the effect of Garbage Lord in my hand! By paying 2000 LP, I can Special Summon it from my hand!"
"I pay 2000 LP! Special Summon Garbage Lord!"
[Senjo, LP 8000 → 6000]
A one-armed monk-like monster slowly appeared, gripping a tin staff. Its gaunt body was draped in tattered robes, and its blood-red eyes were fixed on the center of the field, a rotting aura hanging around it.
[Garbage Lord]
Level 5 / Fiend / Effect
ATK 0
The moment the monster hit the field, Senjo yanked out the Spell Card he had just searched and slammed it onto his Duel Disk with the force of someone staking everything on one move.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card Harmonic Synchro Fusion!"
"This card lets me send 1 face-up Tuner and 1 non-Tuner I control to the Graveyard, then perform two Special Summons at once - one Synchro Summon using those monsters as material, and one Fusion Summon using those same monsters as material!"
Senjo's voice rang across the arena, overflowing with arrogant confidence.
"See that, Yusaku? This is what makes an Earthbound deck so terrifying! A single card lets me perform both a Synchro Summon and a Fusion Summon at the same time!"
Yusaku only raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.
"So?"
Senjo snorted at that reaction.
"Keep smiling while you can. Once my field is set up, you won't be smiling anymore!"
With that, he slapped his hand down on the Duel Disk and shouted,
"By the effect of Harmonic Synchro Fusion, I can perform a Fusion Summon and a Synchro Summon at the same time! The monsters I'm summoning require an 'Earthbound' monster plus a DARK monster!"
"So I send my Level 3 Tuner Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker and my Level 5 DARK monster Garbage Lord from the field to the Graveyard as Fusion and Synchro Materials!"
"Fusion Summon! Level 6 - Earthbound Servant Geo Grasha!"
"Synchro Summon! Level 8 - Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon!"
A dark violet vortex of Fusion energy and a burst of silver-white Synchro light detonated on the field at the same time. The two radiances twisted together, swallowing the material monsters completely.
The next second, a giant lion-like beast covered in golden sigils leapt out of the vortex, while a massive gryphon with sky-covering wings descended atop falling starlight. One lion, one gryphon - like monsters striding out of an ancient mural, radiating a pressure so immense it was almost suffocating.
[Earthbound Servant Geo Grasha]
Level 6 / Fiend / Fusion / Effect
ATK 2000
[Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon]
Level 8 / Fiend / Synchro / Effect
ATK 2500
(End of Chapter)[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"][Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop][Thanks for Reading!]