'Great Angel Zerato', ATK 2800
"'Great Angel Zerato' cannot be Normal Summoned. But while 'Sky Sanctuary' is on the field, he can be Special Summoned by tributing 'Warrior of Zera'.
And he has an even stronger effect. By discarding one LIGHT monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Destroy all monsters you control!" (ANIME EFFECT)
The members of the Moe Card Research Club cheered loudly.
"As expected of the president! He summoned his strongest ace at once!"
"Attack and show him our obsession with the Spirit maidens!"
Yugen stayed silent.
Even so, their president's ace was still a burly man.
"Effect Activation of 'Great Angel Zerato'!" President Shimizu declared. "I discard the LIGHT monster 'White Magician Pikeru' to the Graveyard and Destroy all monsters you control!" (ANIME EFFECT)
Another girl card was discarded as cost, this time a small mage.
Zerato spread his wings and swung his blade, sending a fierce storm toward Yugen's field. At the same time, President Shimizu continued his play.
"Not finished yet. At this moment!"
He pressed a button on his Duel Disk, and a card in his Back Row flipped up.
"Trap Card 'Reversal Quiz'!
When the number of cards on your field is greater than the total number of cards in my hand and on my field, I draw cards from my Deck equal to the difference!"
He pointed at Yugen's field.
"I chain it to 'Great Angel Zerato's' Effect Activation. Even though I discarded a card as cost, Zerato's effect has not resolved yet.
Right now, you have five monsters and two set cards, seven cards total. I only have 'Great Angel Zerato', 'Reversal Quiz', and 'Sky Sanctuary', three cards total.
So I draw the difference."
He swiftly drew from his Deck.
"I draw four cards!"
'Great Angel Zerato', Effect Activation!
It had to be said that this combination was strong on the field. Before 'Great Angel Zerato' cleared the board, he chained "Judgment of the Scale," using Yugen's field to draw cards and quickly refill his resources. Then after drawing, the storm swept across the entire field.
The four Sheep were shattered one by one, and the set monster card was also broken through the Rift. For a brief moment, the eerie image of a red dog-like creature appeared, only to have its body pierced and collapse.
"The monster you Destroyed was 'Demon Dog - Eight Ghost Hound'," Yugen Do said. "When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, you can add a Level 8 Fiend monster from your Deck to your hand." (ANIME EFFECT)
It was a friendly gift from the kind Spirit Masked Sorcerer he had met on his first trip to the Spirit World.
President Shimizu frowned. A Level 8 Fiend? What was that supposed to be?
"I add a Level 8 Fiend from my Deck." Yugen revealed the Card he searched. "'Lava Golem' to my hand."
President Shimizu: "Nani?!!?"
He had personally watched Seika Kohinata suffer under that eight star monster before, and he had laughed quite happily at the time. Naturally, he remembered this card very clearly.
Since when did your big guy come with a search effect?
Cold sweat began to form on his forehead, but he quickly forced himself to calm down. 'Lava Golem' required two monsters on the opponent's field to be offered before it could be Summoned. As long as he kept only one monster on his field, it would be stuck in the hand and unable to be Summoned.
Right now he only had Zerato. 'Lava Golem' should not be able to hit the field.
And with the opponent's field wiped clean, this was the perfect chance to attack.
"'Great Angel Zerato', direct attack!"
The angel spread his wings and rose into the air, his blade slashing straight down.
"Then I activate my set card," Yugen Do said. "Trap Card 'Magic Cylinder'! The battle damage is taken by my opponent instead!" (ANIME EFFECT)
The space in front of him twisted as if a reflective wall from another Dimension had appeared. The angel's blade struck into it and the slash rebounded along its original path.
"A damage reflection card!"
President Shimizu was startled, but just as the returning slash was about to hit him, holy light burst from the temple in the clouds. The sacred glow formed a shield around him and blocked the reflected attack.
"The Field Spell 'Sanctuary in the Sky'," he said. "As long as it remains on the field, battle damage I would take from Fairy monsters becomes 0. 'Great Angel Zerato' is a Fairy, and the reflected damage is still treated as battle damage, so I take no damage."
The club members watching let out a breath of relief. As expected of their president, he had even guarded against such a tricky move.
"My Turn! is over!" President Shimizu declared. "See this? This is our burning resolve. This clubroom is our sanctuary of Spirit. No one is taking it away!"
No, I just saw you tribute one girl and discard another in a single turn.
Genshin Yu complained silently as his turn began.
"My Turn! Draw," Yugen Do said. "Since your angel cleared my field last turn, I have no monsters. So from my hand, I activate a Spell Card! 'Treasure of Adversity.' If your opponent controls a Special Summoned monster and you control no monsters, draw two cards." (ANIME EFFECT)
Yugen calmly drew from his Deck.
President Shimizu narrowed his eyes. The opponent had one known card in hand, 'Lava Golem', but it needed to consume two monsters at once. For now, he should be safe.
"From my hand, I activate a Spell Card! 'The Shallow Grave.' Both players select one monster from their Graveyard and Special Summon it in Defense Position."
President Shimizu's expression twisted instantly. "Nani?!!?"
You are even helping me Summon a monster?
Helpless, he selected a card from his Graveyard. "I Special Summon 'Fiend Tamer' in Defense Position."
'Fiend Tamer', DEF 700.
"I Special Summon the 'Crossbowman' I discarded last turn from my Graveyard in Defense Position," Yugen said.
'Crossbowman', DEF 1000.
The round mechanical head with its single glaring eye and metal crossbow looked unsettling. From the art style alone, it was clear it had once been used by Rokusei Aoi and Marik Ishtar.
President Shimizu already knew what was coming, yet he could only watch as his beloved monsters were treated as fuel.
"I offer 'Great Angel Zerato' and 'Fiend Tamer' on President Shimizu's field as Tributes! I Special Summon this powerful monster to President Shimizu's field!"
Yugen revealed the card.
"Awaken from the lava of the abyss, power of destruction and rebirth. Level 8, 'Lava Golem'!"
The angel and the tamer melted into lava as a burning fiend rose up. Smoke curled from its body, and its hollow eyes stared blankly as the iron cage of molten metal trapped President Shimizu inside.
'Lava Golem', DEF 2500.
"My monsters..."
He clenched his fists and looked up, only to meet the blank gaze of the lava creature. For a strange moment, he felt like the abstract face was smiling at him.
Like it was greeting him. Or mocking him.
"Next, I activate a Spell Card! 'Treasure of Buried Spells'," Yugen Do said. "By banishing three Spell Cards from my Graveyard, I draw two cards." (ANIME EFFECT)
"I banish 'The Shallow Grave', 'Scapegoat', and 'Graceful Charity' and draw two."
After drawing, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Seeing that smile, President Shimizu felt his heart skip. Nothing good ever followed that expression.
"Since I Summoned 'Lava Golem' this turn, I cannot Normal Summon," Yugen shrugged. "I set three cards to the Back Row and end my turn."
Three more set cards.
President Shimizu took a deep breath. He had no idea what else was waiting for him, but for the sake of the club, he had to continue.
"My Turn! Draw!"
"At this moment, 'Lava Golem's' Effect Activation activates," Yugen Do said. "During the Standby Phase, it inflicts 1000 damage to its controller."
"Ugh!"
Scalding lava poured down from above. Trapped in the cage, he had nowhere to escape as the molten heat drenched him.