"Damn it, how dare he look down on me?!"
The moment Melody heard the contempt dripping from Sousuke Kanzaki's voice, she puffed out her cheeks in outrage behind Yusaku.
Reina and Saya nodded hard as well, their eyes burning with stubborn fire.
"One look and you can tell he's a bad guy, Master! Teach him a good lesson and show him how strong we are!"
Hearing the girls cheer him on, Yusaku felt a quiet warmth ripple through his chest. Without even realizing it, he answered them softly from the bottom of his heart.
"It's fine. In a moment, I'll crush that guy in the game."
After reassuring Melody inwardly, Yusaku raised his eyes toward the arrogant Kanzaki across from him and said in an even tone, "My chain is complete. Your response?"
Sousuke glanced at both Graveyards and let a wild, disdainful smirk curl across his lips. "I have no response."
"I see." A faint smile tugged at Yusaku's lips, though none of it reached his eyes. "Then I resolve my chain."
Chain Link 1: Tearlaments Merrli
Chain Link 2: Tearlaments Kashtira
Chain Link 3: Tearlaments Sulliek
Chain Link 4: Agido the Ancient Sentinel
"First, I activate the effect of Agido the Ancient Sentinel! If this card is sent from the hand or Deck to the Graveyard, I can activate its effect. Both players send the top 5 cards of their Decks to the Graveyard!"
As his words fell, streams of pale golden light rose from the tops of both Decks. Ten cards, as if swept up by an invisible current, fluttered across the air with a rapid rustling sound before dropping neatly into their respective Graveyards. In the silent duel arena, even the soft snaps of the cards flipping over sounded unusually clear.
"Next, because Exchange of the Spirit is in my Graveyard, Agido the Ancient Sentinel gains an additional effect. If Exchange of the Spirit is in my Graveyard, I can send the top 5 cards of either my Deck or my opponent's Deck to the Graveyard!"
"I choose to send the top 5 cards of my own Deck to the Graveyard!"
Another five streaks of light flashed by as five more cards dropped into Yusaku's Graveyard. Watching him, Sousuke's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
Once the milling was complete, Yusaku's voice rang out again.
"With that, the fully confirmed chain has finished resolving."
"Next is the effect of the Continuous Trap Card Tearlaments Sulliek! If this card is sent to the Graveyard by card effect, I can activate it and add 1 Tearlaments monster from my Deck to my hand!"
"I choose to add Tearlaments Kashtira from my Deck to my hand!"
The searched card popped out from his Deck and landed firmly in his grasp. In the next second, his voice rose sharply, filled with absolute certainty.
"Then I activate the effect of Tearlaments Kashtira! If this card is sent to the Graveyard by card effect, I can send the top 2 cards of my Deck to the Graveyard!"
Before the last word was even out, Yusaku pulled the top two cards from his Deck and smoothly slotted them into the Graveyard tray on his Duel Disk.
After sending them, he leaned forward slightly, his gaze as sharp as a blade as it landed on Sousuke's faintly trembling face.
"And finally, the effect of the Tearlaments monster I just milled!"
"If this card is sent to the Graveyard by card effect, I can Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck by placing Fusion Materials listed on it, including this card in my Graveyard, from my hand, field, or Graveyard on the bottom of the Deck in any order!"
"...What?!"
Sousuke's brows drew together hard, a flicker of shock flashing through his eyes.
"You can Fusion Summon just by sending it to the Graveyard? And while Fusion Summoning, you can also return the materials to the Deck?"
"That's right."
Yusaku shot him a glance, and a faint trace of mockery colored his voice.
"A summon accomplished by the materials themselves alone. That is real power."
Then he raised his arm high, his voice echoing through the arena.
"According to the effect of Tearlaments Merrli, I return it and Tearlaments Kashtira in my Graveyard to the bottom of my Deck as Fusion Material!"
"Fusion Summon - Tearlaments Kitkallos!"
"And I place it in my Extra Monster Zone!"
As the impassioned summon call rang out, a giant blue vortex burst open in front of Yusaku. Merrli and the crimson-armored Tearlaments Kashtira in his Graveyard instantly turned into two brilliant blue streams of light and spiraled into the vortex together.
A beam of silver-white hair, pure as moonlight, spilled out first. Then a mermaid form adorned with pearls and glittering jewel-like ornaments tore through the void, descending in a crashing curtain of dew-laden water.
Bathed in swirling mist and shimmering currents, Kitkallos slowly appeared in full. Her skin was pale as polished jade, her eyes deep and fathomless like the ocean floor, and a soft veil of water vapor drifted around her, as if she were a goddess stepping forth from the primordial sea.
[Tearlaments Kitkallos]
[Level 5 / Aqua / Fusion / Effect]
[ATK: 2300]
"I thought you were about to summon something incredible."
Sousuke glanced at Kitkallos on the field and let out a scoffing laugh, with no attempt at hiding his contempt.
"After all that effort, all you've managed to bring out is a pathetic little Level 5 monster with less than 2500 ATK."
With that, he folded his arms across his chest and struck the pose of someone who had already won.
"Your effects are done resolving now, right? Then it's my turn."
Before the words had fully left his mouth, he had already impatiently pulled a card from his hand, ready to play it.
At that moment, Yusaku's calm voice drifted over, carrying a hint of amusement.
"Hold on. I still have effects left to activate. You didn't seriously think I sent all those cards to the Graveyard just to mill for no reason, did you?"
Sousuke froze mid-motion, a trace of bafflement appearing on his face.
"...What?"
Yusaku ignored his reaction and called out again.
"I activate the effect of Tearlaments Kitkallos! I chain the effect of Tearlaments Havnis in my Graveyard! Then I chain the effect of Tri-Brigade Kitt! Then I chain the effect of Kelbek the Ancient Vanguard! And finally, I chain the effect of Tearlaments Kashtira in my hand!"
Chain Link 1: Tearlaments Kitkallos
Chain Link 2: Tearlaments Havnis
Chain Link 3: Tri-Brigade Kitt
Chain Link 4: Kelbek the Ancient Vanguard
Chain Link 5: Tearlaments Kashtira
"First, the effect of Tearlaments Kashtira!"
Yusaku's voice hit the ground like a hammer.
"During either player's Main Phase, I can activate this effect. I Special Summon this card from my hand, then banish 1 Kashtira card from my hand or Graveyard!"
"I Special Summon this card to the field, then banish the other Tearlaments Kashtira that you sent to my Graveyard with Hand Destruction at the start of the duel!"
The instant he said it, a mermaid warrior clad in crimson armor and gripping a massive axe leapt out from the surging water and landed heavily at Kitkallos's side. Moonlight gleamed off the red armor as icy battle intent poured from her entire body.
[Tearlaments Kashtira]
[Level 7 / Psychic / Effect]
[ATK: 2300]
"Next, the effect of Kelbek the Ancient Vanguard!"
"If this card is sent from the hand or Deck to the Graveyard, I can activate it. Both players send the top 5 cards of their Decks to the Graveyard! After that, if Exchange of the Spirit is in my Graveyard, I can Set 1 Trap from my Graveyard to my field!"
"So I activate that effect - both of us send the top 5 cards of our Decks to the Graveyard!"
Once again, a flurry of cards rustled through the air as the cards from the tops of both Decks flowed into the Graveyard like running water. This time, Sousuke's face finally changed.
He flicked a glance at the cards in his own Graveyard, then at Yusaku's increasingly swollen one, calculations racing through his head.
"So this is some kind of milling Deck? He wants to dump the opponent's cards into the Graveyard to gain some abnormal advantage... No, that's not it..."
He rejected the idea almost immediately.
"He's sent even more of his own cards there than mine. So it's obviously not just a mill Deck."
He cast another glance at Yusaku's Graveyard, and a trace of disdain flickered in his eyes.
"He's burned through this many resources, and all he's got are two weak monsters. There's no way he can still win in the next three turns."
While Sousuke was still thinking, Yusaku's voice rang out again, cutting straight through his thoughts.
"Next, because Exchange of the Spirit is in my Graveyard, Kelbek the Ancient Vanguard's additional effect lets me Set Tearlaments Sulliek from my Graveyard back to my field!"
"And I'm still not done!"
After setting the card, Yusaku's voice surged upward, carrying unstoppable momentum.
"I activate the effect of Tri-Brigade Kitt! If this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon from my Graveyard, in Defense Position, 1 Tri-Brigade monster, Springans monster, Fallen of Albaz, or monster that mentions them, except Tri-Brigade Kitt!"
"By that effect, I Special Summon Guiding Quem, the Virtuous from my Graveyard in Defense Position!"
[Guiding Quem, the Virtuous]
[Level 4 / Spellcaster / Effect]
[DEF: 1500]
"And finally, the effect of Tearlaments Kitkallos!"
Yusaku's voice carried an unshakable force.
"If this card is Special Summoned, I can add 1 Tearlaments card from my Deck to my hand, or send it to the Graveyard! I choose to add Tearlaments Havnis from my Deck to my hand!"
"This time your effects are finally-"
Sousuke had barely started speaking before Yusaku cut him off without mercy.
"Sorry. I'm still not done resolving my effects."
Sousuke glanced at both Graveyards and snorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Is that so? Then keep going. Let's see just how many effects you've got left. And let me tell you something. I've already memorized every last one of them."
Hearing that, Yusaku swept a look across Sousuke's Graveyard. The instant he spotted several monster cards bearing the name "Maliss," the curve at his lips deepened.
"A Maliss Deck?"
"Exactly!" Sousuke sneered proudly, a flash of fervor rising in his eyes. "While you were milling your own cards, you also helped me dump quite a few key cards! One of my ace monsters, Nether Lily - Maliss, Spirit of the Dead Lands, has an incredibly simple summoning condition. Return 5 different Maliss monsters in your hand and Graveyard, except itself, to the Deck, and you can Special Summon it from your hand or Graveyard!"
"And it has a massive 5000 ATK! It can also attack every monster your opponent controls once each! Most importantly, this isn't an effect-based summon, so there's no limit on the number of times I can do it! As long as the conditions are met, I can summon it infinitely! That's the true power of my Deck!"
"You dumped all these cards for me. You really did me a huge favor."
Yusaku only smiled faintly.
"That depends on whether you ever get the chance to summon it."
Sousuke's face stiffened instantly, a flash of shock crossing his eyes.
"...What?"
Yusaku didn't give him a second to think. He called out again at once.
"I activate the effect of Tearlaments Kashtira on the field! I chain the effect of the Trap Card Tearlaments Cryme in my Graveyard! Then I chain the effect of Tearlaments Reinoheart! Then I chain the effect of Shaddoll Hedgehog! Then I chain the Quick-Play Spell Tearlaments Grief! And finally, I chain the effect of Swordsoul of Mo Ye!"
Chain Link 1: Tearlaments Kashtira
Chain Link 2: Tearlaments Cryme
Chain Link 3: Tearlaments Reinoheart
Chain Link 4: Shaddoll Hedgehog
Chain Link 5: Tearlaments Grief
Chain Link 6: Swordsoul of Mo Ye
Yusaku's voice echoed across the entire stadium as that dense web of chain links formed in an instant, like an invisible net descending over Sousuke.
"Hissss-!"
Watching the battlefield change by the second, the spectators all sucked in a sharp breath, and discussion instantly erupted.
"Fusion Summoning on the opponent's turn was already absurd enough, but now he's built a six-link chain too?!"
"This is completely insane!"
Even the Fusion Dimension members who had been dueling other players stopped what they were doing. One after another, they frowned, and when they looked at Yusaku again, their eyes were full of alarm and disbelief.
"Isn't this our captain's turn? So why is that guy the only one activating effects? And why does he have more and more monsters on his field now?!"
At that, Kazetaro, who was standing opposite one of them, folded his arms and pulled his mouth into a mocking smile.
"Our captain's turn? From the second he played Hand Destruction, this duel was already over."
The Fusion Dimension duelist across from him froze for a moment, then snorted dismissively.
"That's just because you don't understand how strong our captain is!"
"You're right. I don't understand your captain." Kazetaro strategically pushed up his glasses, a knowing glint flashing in his eyes. "But I do understand Tearlaments."
His opponent scoffed.
"Tearlaments? Never heard of it. Sounds like some third-rate Deck that came out of nowhere."
He glanced at the prompt on his Duel Disk and impatiently urged him on.
"It's your first turn. Quit wasting time. Aren't you playing a White Forest Deck? Figures. Just another native using some third-rate cards."
With that, he waved a hand, his face full of disdain.
"Hurry up. Don't waste my time."
Kazetaro glanced at the cards in his hand, and a meaningful smile slowly appeared on his face.
"As you wish. Then I Normal Summon 'White Forest,' and activate its effect to search the Field Spell Sangen Summoning!"
(End of Chapter)
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