Red beams shot from his eyes like blades. Yugen's set card in the Back Row shattered through a Rift, and the red light cut across him as well.
Yugen, LP 3200 to 2900.
"For each Trap Destroyed, you take 300 damage."
Jinzo pointed again, and one of the floating cards in his hand flipped up. "Then I activate a Spell Card! 'One Day of Peace'. Both players draw one card. Until the end of your next turn, all battle and effect damage becomes 0."
Yugen drew, and a new Card appeared in Jinzo's hand in a ripple of golden light. "Turn end."
My Turn! Draw, said Yugen Do. During the Standby Phase, 'Sinister Serpent' in the Graveyard returned to his hand.
'Sinister Serpent' was recovered once more. Jinzo snorted as he looked at the familiar card. "That thing again. But your 'Abyss Soldier' has already been Break Strike. Even if 'Sinister Serpent' returns, it is just a weak low level monster."
Yugen smiled. "Then I activate a Spell Card! 'Graceful Charity'. I draw three cards from the Deck, then discard two."
After drawing, he revealed another card. "Spell Card 'Grimoire of Burial'. I banish 'Foolish Burial', 'Monster Reborn', and 'Graceful Charity' from the Graveyard, then draw two cards." (ANIME EFFECT)
New cards entered his hand. He immediately played another. "Equip Spell 'Premature Burial'. I pay 800 Life Points to Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position."
Yugen, LP 2900 to 2100.
Jinzo was startled. "From the Graveyard? Do not tell me it is that again."
"Correct. I pay the Life Points and revive 'Abyss Soldier' from my Graveyard."
A vortex of water shot upward like a dragon. 'Abyss Soldier' emerged through the spray, trident in hand.
'Abyss Soldier', ATK 1800.
"Again?" Jinzo gritted his teeth.
"With 'Abyss Soldier's' effect, I discard the WATER 'Sinister Serpent' and return one card on the field to the hand."
Yugen sent the card to the Graveyard. "I return my Equip Spell 'Premature Burial'."
Everyone stared in shock.
'Abyss Soldier's' trident stirred the water curtain. The Equip Spell turned into golden light and flew back to Yugen's hand, but 'Abyss Soldier' remained on the field.
"Wait," Jinzo said. "Your Equip Spell is gone. The revived 'Abyss Soldier' should also be destroyed."
"It will not be Destroyed."
Yugen revealed the card. "Read the text of 'Premature Burial'. It says when this card is Destroyed, the equipped monster is Destroyed. It does not say the monster is destroyed if the card leaves the field in another way."
Jinzo froze, unable to argue.
"Therefore, even if it returns to the hand, the 'Abyss Soldier' equipped by Release does not return to the Graveyard," Yugen Do continued. "I pay 800 Life Points again and activate 'Premature Burial' once more. I revive the second 'Abyss Soldier' I just discarded."
Yugen, LP 2100 to 1300.
Water surged again as a second 'Abyss Soldier' descended.
'Abyss Soldier', ATK 1800.
"Two of them at once?" Jinzo felt worse.
"Effect of the second 'Abyss Soldier'. I discard WATER 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman' to return 'Jinzo - Psychic King' to the hand." (ANIME EFFECT)
The trident lifted, and a pillar of water blasted up beneath 'Psychic King'. With an unwilling shout, he vanished.
Half a second later, Jinzo drifted back to the Duelist zone in his ghostly state, glaring at Yugen. In this short Duel, he had jumped between the Underworld and the living world more than once, only to be sent back again.
Resurrection was truly difficult.
"I still have not performed my Normal Summon this turn," Yugen Do said. "I Normal Summon 'Necro Knight'."
A knight in black armor rode onto the field, sword radiating a cold aura.
'Necro Knight', ATK 1900.
"Even with such a setup," Jinzo said darkly, "because of 'One Day of Peace', all damage this turn is 0."
"Correct. Attacking is meaningless." Yugen set a card. "Turn end."
Jinzo scanned the field. He could not give up. He had to show his obsession with revival.
My Turn! Draw.
Seeing his draw, red light flashed in his eyes. "I activate a Spell Card! 'Double Trap'! Destroy one card on the field that negates Trap effects. I Destroy your 'Jinzo - Psychic Intimidator'." (ANIME EFFECT)
Yugen blinked in confusion.
"Activate my set card," Yugen Do responded. "Quick-Play Spell 'Quick Summon'. I can Normal Summon a monster from my hand." (ANIME EFFECT)
He tributed one 'Abyss Soldier'. "I Summon 'Spell Canceller'."
'Spell Canceller', ATK 1800.
"As long as this card is on the field, no Spell Cards can be activated. All Spell Card effects on the field are negated." (ANIME EFFECT)
Jinzo lost his composure. His Spell was crushed into light.
'Spell Canceller' and Jinzo stood together. Traps sealed. Spells sealed.
"I Summon 'Jinzo - Psychic Returner'!" Jinzo shouted. "Then I tribute it to activate its effect and add 'Jinzo' from my Deck to my hand." (ANIME EFFECT)
"No."
Yugen snapped his fingers. "'Necro Knight'."
The knight turned into black mist and slashed through 'Jinzo - Psychic Returner' before its effect could resolve.
"When a monster activates its effect, I tribute 'Necro Knight' to negate that activation and Destroy it," Yugen said calmly. (ANIME EFFECT)
Jinzo went still. Monster effects sealed as well.
"Then, my turn.."
Yugen drew and gave the order. "Jinzo, attack Jinzo directly."
Electric waves of psychic power surged forward. Jinzo looked at the world and the Duelist before him with despair.
Jinzo, LP 1700 to 0.
Jinzo felt as if he had just had a terrible nightmare.
In the dream, he had been only one step away from full revival. Yet at that final moment, a Fiend suddenly appeared before him. An overwhelmingly powerful Duelist whose Duel made Jinzo understand the gap in strength and the cruelty of the world.
When a Spirit goes out into the world, it really has to learn to protect itself. Otherwise, you can end up being stolen to the opponent's side mid-Duel and then disgusted by your own locking effect. That was nothing short of a disaster.
The nightmare ended with his defeat, and he had died to his own proud finishing move. Life Points Zero struck, and intense pain ran through his entire body as if he were sinking into the deep sea, drifting inside a black whirlpool. It felt like icy seawater from the Underworld swallowed him and dragged him into a bottomless abyss.
He struggled with all his strength, but it was useless. His half-restored consciousness was swallowed by darkness once more.
Then he jolted awake.
Close one. Thankfully, it was just a dream.
Jinzo Spirit let out a long breath and slowly calmed down.
Even for a nightmare, that had been too much. It took him a while to fully regain his awareness, and only then did he start looking around.
Hm? Where was this?
Jinzo froze and realized he seemed to be inside a special space.
As a Spirit of Duel Monsters, he could recognize it. This was a kind of Subspace, a domain where a Duelist's Spirit could reside, a camp for warriors waiting to be sent into battle.
In simple terms, it was called a "Deck."
But he, Jinzo, was just a half-dead Spirit who had been Summoned by a bunch of reckless fools. A wandering ghost without a master. Where would he get a Deck Space?
Confused, Jinzo tried to slip out of the space and poke his head outside to take a look.
The moment he did, he shuddered as if plunged into ice.
It was him.
That Fiend from the dream.
"You're awake."
Yugen, who had been studying a new build based on the cards he had just obtained, noticed the sneaking Jinzo. He set aside his work, turned around, and smiled.
He thought it was a warm and friendly smile, the kind a good leader would have. Yet the Spirit reacted as if he had seen a ghost and shrank back sharply.
"W-What did you do to me?!"
"Why say it like that? If someone heard you, they'd think I did something inappropriate to you."
Yugen muttered.
"Did you forget the contract of the Shadow Duel?"
Jinzo froze.
Fragments of the conversation before that Duel surfaced in his mind.
"If you lose, you become my card."
He did not remember the exact wording, but in his imagination, Yugen looked like a grinning Fiend, shaking the 'Jinzo - Psychic Intimidator' Card in his hand as he spoke.