He retrieved Sinister Serpents and revealed another card. "Then I activate a Spell Card! 'Pot of Greed.' Draw two cards from the Deck. And I Normal Summon 'Abyss Soldier'."
Abyss Soldier, ATK 1800
Jinzo examined the soldier rising from a swirl of water, trident in hand. Its attack was lower than his Mad Dog of Darkness, and with Royal Oppression still affecting both sides, Special Summons were risky for either player.
But Yugen spoke again. "'Abyss Soldier's' effect. Once Per Turn. By discarding a WATER monster from my hand, I return one card on the field to its owner's hand."
Jinzo's eyes narrowed. A bounce effect.
If his Mad Dog were returned, he would take a direct hit and lose a large amount of Life Points. Still, he had a set Trap ready to counterattack next turn.
"By discarding the WATER 'Sinister Serpent,' I return my own Continuous Trap 'Royal Oppression' to my hand."
"You're bouncing your own card!?"
In an instant, Jinzo understood. When needed, Yugen could use Royal Oppression to suppress him. When it got in his own way, he simply removed it.
Which meant only one side would be locked out at a time.
Before he could react further, Yugen played another card.
"Spell Card 'Monster Reborn.' I can revive a monster from either player's Graveyard to my field."
From either Graveyard.
"Don't tell me..."
"I think you already know," Yugen said with a faint smile. "I Special Summon 'Jinzo - Psychic Intimidator' from your Graveyard."
"YOU BASTARD!"
Jinzo - Psychic Intimidator, Summon!
On Jinzo's side, his Spirit body was still half transparent. He could only watch as the full projected version of himself jumped to the opposite field through Monster Reborn and crossed its arms while looking at him. What angered him more was that the duplicate seemed to carry a trace of contempt.
Royal Oppression was one of the main gains Yugen brought back from Kaiba Corporation. As mentioned before, in the early Yu-Gi-Oh! environment its evaluation had been average. In slower formats many Decks were not afraid of its suppression, and when the opponent could use its effect, it easily became a liability.
But the Deck in Yugen's hands happened to work perfectly with it.
That Deck was the Abyss Control he had used before. Back in the day there were many builds of Abyss Control, and later some Duelists even called the version that included Royal Oppression "Abyss Oppression" to distinguish it from the original. The core idea remained the same, a one sided lock that did not let the opponent play like Yugi Muto, and the intensity of the opponent's reaction showed how effective it was.
For example, the current Jinzo Spirit flickered faster and faster after seeing his duplicate Summon. His spirit body blinked in and out as if gasping for air. He was likely appreciating the brilliance of this tactic in his own way.
Jinzo: "@#*%!"
"Battle Phase," Yugen Do said. "First, Jinzo - Psychic Intimidator attacks Mad Dog of Darkness."
Jinzo crossed his palms, forming a sphere of psychic energy wrapped in crackling electricity. The roaring current tore through the Mad Dog in an instant, shredding it apart.
Jinzo, LP 4000 to LP 3500.
The impact made Jinzo's spirit body flicker violently. Being struck by his own signature attack hurt more than just physically. With his duplicate on the field, even his powerful Back Row defensive traps were reduced to blank paper, perhaps the first time he found his own effect disgusting.
"Abyss Soldier attacks directly," Yugen continued.
Water spiraled around Abyss Soldier's trident as it thrust forward, piercing straight through Jinzo. A strained groan escaped him as his form wavered.
Jinzo, LP 3500 to LP 1700.
"You dare make me suffer such humiliation," Jinzo growled. "Unforgivable!"
"Set one card to the Back Row. End Phase," Yugen said calmly.
Jinzo's voice grew thick, like someone breathing hard. "My Turn! Draw."
Another Card appeared in his hand. Last turn he had been completely suppressed, losing most of his Life Points and even having himself stolen to the opponent's field. But with his own duplicate present, he did not need to worry about the opponent's Back Row for now.
As long as Jinzo - Psychic Intimidator was on the field, neither player could activate Trap Cards, including Royal Oppression. That restriction gave him a chance to counterattack.
"Summon Jinzo - Psychic Returner!"
Jinzo - Psychic Returner, ATK 600.
"Jinzo - Psychic Returner's effect. By tributing itself, I add a Jinzo monster from my Deck to my hand," Jinzo declared. "Become the sacrifice that guides my return!"
Jinzo's body dissolved from the field and transformed into a new Card image that flipped briefly before landing in his hand. It was Jinzo - Psychic Intimidator Unit-02.
"Then, after that, I can confirm your set card in the Back Row. If it is a Trap Card, I can Special Summon up to that many Jinzo monsters from my hand. Show me your set card!"
Yugen flipped the card in his Back Row. As expected, it was the reclaimed Royal Oppression.
"Good. I will borrow the power of your trap," Jinzo said. "Since I confirmed one trap, I can Special Summon one Jinzo monster from my hand. I Special Summon myself, Jinzo - Psychic Intimidator, again!"
His spirit form flickered and vanished from the Duelist's side. Lightning burst across the field like a thunderbolt striking the Front Row, and within the storm stood the tall steel body.
Jinzo - Psychic Intimidator, descending.
Jinzo - Psychic Intimidator, ATK 2400.
"Finally. The feeling of being alive again."
He clenched his fists as his body shifted from translucent to solid. If he were not a machine, he might have cried. No matter what, he would not lose this Duel.
"I attack Abyss Soldier!"
Electric light gathered in his palm, forming a massive sphere of energy. "And at this moment, I activate a Quick-Play Spell from my hand. Limiter Removal! Double the ATK of my Machine-Type monster, myself!"
Jinzo - Psychic Intimidator, ATK 2400 to 4800.
The shockwave blasted through Abyss Soldier. Smoke and force swept toward Yugen, who raised an arm to shield himself as the field shook.
"Ah, Yugen!" Judai Yuki stepped forward instinctively.
"Relax, I'm fine."
When the smoke cleared, Yugen still stood calmly, gesturing for Judai Yuki to stay back.
Yugen, LP 3200.
"Why did you take no damage?" Jinzo demanded.
"I discarded Kuriboh from my hand. It makes battle damage zero once," Yugen replied with a faint smile. "It seems your all out attack achieved nothing. What a pity."
"Tch. Relying on that low level trash again."
Yugen glanced at him. In the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, calling Kuriboh trash was almost a forbidden phrase. Those who mocked it rarely ended well.
"During the End Phase of Limiter Removal, I will self destruct because my ATK was doubled," Jinzo said in a low voice. "But before that, in Main Phase 2, I will tribute myself!"
Yugen narrowed his eyes.
Lightning wrapped around Jinzo's body as energy surged. His frame seemed to evolve within the storm, metal expanding and reforging into a new shape.
"From beyond Macro Cosmos, accept this mysterious power and witness the king's form!"
Jinzo spread his arms as his body grew larger, alloy plating covering him anew.
"Jinzo - Psychic King, Summon!"
Jinzo - Psychic King, Summon!
Jinzo - Psychic King, ATK 2600.
This was the same Jinzo Armor that had appeared back in GX, though not in the hands of the Jinzo Spirit, but with the later successor of Psychic Dojo, Makoto Inotsume. Since it was already an established evolution, it was not strange for a Spirit to possess this advanced form.
"That is how it works," Daidouji-sensei explained. "The original Jinzo boosted by Limiter Removal would self destruct during the End Phase. But by sending itself to the Graveyard to evolve, it avoids that destruction."
He hugged the cat in his arms even tighter. "The Spirit is really terrifying, meow."
Pharaoh Atem let out a soft sound in agreement.
"After evolving, my suppression over Traps is even stronger," Jinzo declared. "Jinzo - Psychic King, Effect Activation! Once Per Turn, Destroy all Trap Cards in your hand and on your field." (ANIME EFFECT)
When the card was printed in real life, it was weakened to only Destroy face up Traps on the field. The anime version was much stronger.
"Royal Oppression will be Destroyed here. Trap Stun!"