Perhaps that was why Duelists had to decide things with cards. Unless one side controlled overwhelmingly powerful Spirits like the Egyptian God Cards, it was almost impossible to determine a winner when monsters could be used without cost or limit.
"I see. Then you must be the Duelist who defeated Bone King. Whoever you are, those who enter the domain of the god must become sacrifices."
The Insect Knight raised his Duel Disk.
"Enough talk. Come!"
"Duel!"
Beside them, Judai Yuki was still stunned, barely understanding what was happening. But one thing was clear. Yugen was about to play cards with the enemy.
Judai Yuki muttered softly, "I kind of wanted to Duel with a Spirit too."
For the protagonist of Yu-Gi-Oh! who had played more matches across the entire Level Series than anyone else, this was probably the first time in his life that a Duel delivered to his door had been taken by someone else.
"Using this Deck against you should be more appropriate."
Yugen casually pulled a Deck from the card case behind him and slotted it into his Duel Disk. The Insect Knight agent gave a cold laugh and said it did not matter what Deck he used. Before the power granted by the Dark God, every Deck was equally weak, and this Duel would become a ritual offering.
"Duel!" both declared at once.
"My turn. Card Draw." Yugen Do activated Spell Card Pot of Greed and drew two cards from his Deck. He set one monster face down, then revealed another spell. "Spell Card Foolish Burial. Send one monster from my Deck to the Graveyard. I send Sinister Serpent to the Graveyard."
He set two more cards and ended his turn.
"My Turn. Card Draw." Insect Knight immediately played Spell Card Card Destruction, forcing both sides to discard their hands to the Graveyard and draw the same number of cards. After drawing again, he revealed a monster. "Giant Drillworm can Special Summon itself by banishing an Insect-Type from my Graveyard."
He banished the discarded Dragonfly and Special Summon Giant Drillworm. The ground split open and a massive worm burst out, its jaws slick with mucus.
Giant Drillworm, ATK 1900.
"Next, Spell Card Monster Reborn. I revive a monster from the Graveyard. Come back, Resonance Insect."
Resonance Insect, ATK 1000.
Yugen raised an eyebrow. He knew the value of Resonance Insect. When sent from the field to the Graveyard, it searched a Level 5 or higher Insect-Type monster, and when banished, it could send another Insect-Type from the Deck to the Graveyard. Combined with Doom Dozer, it could quickly produce a 2800 ATK attacker and fuel the graveyard again. He had no interest in building an insect Deck, but free resources were always worth keeping in mind.
"Battle. Giant Drillworm attacks the set monster."
The worm drilled underground and burst out on Yugen's side. The set card flipped up, revealing a small penguin soldier with a sword.
"Penguin Soldier's effect," Yugen said calmly. "When flipped, return up to two monsters on your field to the hand. I choose Giant Drillworm and Resonance Insect."
Both monsters vanished in light and returned to Insect Knight's hand. His field was suddenly empty.
He clicked his tongue. He had wanted Resonance Insect destroyed so he could search Doom Dozer and launch a counterattack. Still, he had not used his normal Summon yet. He set a monster and another card, then ended his turn, secretly pleased to have set Resonance Insect again.
"My Turn. Card Draw." Yugen Do activated the effect of Sinister Serpent in the Graveyard. During his Standby Phase, it returned to his hand. He then played Spell Card Graceful Charity, drew three cards, and discarded two.
"The discarded Witch of the Black Forest lets me add a monster with 1500 or less DEF from my Deck to my hand. I add Abyss Soldier."
He revealed another card. "Continuous Spell. When I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower WATER monster from my hand. I Special Summon Abyss Soldier."
Abyss Soldier, ATK 1800.
Insect Knight kept his face steady, waiting for the attack.
"Abyss Soldier's effect. Once per turn, discard a WATER monster to return one card on the field to the hand. I discard Sinister Serpent and return your set monster."
Insect Knight froze as Resonance Insect was bounced back to his hand again.
"Then I normal Summon another Abyss Soldier."
A second 1800 ATK monster hit the field.
"Activate my set Trap Card Trap Hole. When a monster with 1000 or more ATK is Summoned, destroy it."
"No."
Yugen flipped his own card. "Continuous Trap Card Royal Decree. All Trap Cards on the field are negated."
Insect Knight stared as his Trap Hole shattered under the effect. Even Judai Yuki watching nearby looked surprised. It was rare for Yugen to run something that restricted Traps entirely.
"Battle. Both Abyss Soldiers attack directly."
The twin soldiers lunged forward, tridents cutting across the Insect Knight agent. He screamed as the blows landed.
LP 4000 to 400.
In one turn, he had been reduced to almost nothing.
He struggled back to his feet, blood flowing from the deep gashes. Yugen calmly revealed another card from his hand.
"My Battle Phase isn't over. I use the second Abyss Soldier's effect. I discard another Sinister Serpent to return one card on the field to the hand."
Both Judai Yuki and Insect Knight blinked. There were no cards left on the Insect Knight's field.
"Abyss Soldier can return my own cards as well. I return my Continuous Trap Card Royal Decree to my hand."
The oppressive aura in the back row disappeared as Royal Decree returned to Yugen's hand. Understanding dawned on Insect Knight's face. When he wanted to use Traps, Yugen would activate Royal Decree to shut them down. When Yugen wanted to use Traps, he would simply bounce it back first.
"Set three cards. End turn."
With three unknown back row cards set, Yugen smiled faintly and gestured politely.
Go on. The stage is yours.
Abyss Soldier was a monster card that shook the meta when it first appeared. By discarding one card, it could return any card on the field to the hand, serving as both removal and a way to recycle your own cards. The cost required a WATER monster, and since WATER was unpopular at the time and the effect traded cards, it could not fit easily into other mainstream Decks.
So players built a strategy entirely around it, known as Abyss Control. As the name suggested, the whole Deck revolved around Abyss Soldier. Its best partner was Sinister Serpent, which could return from the Graveyard to the Duelist's hand every turn and happened to be WATER, giving Abyss Soldier endless ammunition.
Although Abyss Control once placed well in tournaments, history still labeled it a Non-Chaos Deck because Chaos Deck strategies were simply too strong at the time. Even so, Yugen felt the build was still powerful. Compared to the direct pressure of Dimensional Slash in a Chaos Deck, he found this style far more enjoyable.
For example, right now. The beetle on the other side looked like it was about to scream.
Insect Knight: "You @*%@#"
The slow reacting beetle had finally realized how terrifying the combination was. On the surface, Abyss Soldier looked like a simple monster that traded cards for removal, but in practice it worked with many other effects. Cards like Royal Decree that annoyed both sides could, if used well, turn into one sided suppression and even crush the opponent's morale.
That was exactly how Insect Knight felt at this moment. At first he had dismissed Abyss Soldier as a weak low level monster. Now, looking at the two copies on the field, they felt like reapers from the abyss that would not stop until they dragged someone into the Underworld.
"It can clear the field and recycle itself to avoid being locked by Royal Decree. What a fun combo!" Judai Yuki said, eyes shining.
He always found Yugen's Duel exciting. The creativity made him want to jump in and try one himself.
"Don't underestimate me! My Turn, Card Draw!"