Yugen snapped his fingers. "I activate Trap Card Trap Dustshoot. It can only be activated when the opponent has four or more cards in hand. I can confirm your hand and choose one Monster card to return to its owner's Deck."
The four-eyed boss frowned. "Look at my hand?"
Images of the six cards in his hand appeared one after another before Yugen. Yugen gave them a quick glance and confirmed that, fitting the man's appearance, it seemed to be a Fiend-type Deck, though at first sight its overall power looked average. So he casually pointed at one Monster.
"Return Reflect Bounder to the Deck."
Reflect Bounder was a Level 4 monster with ATK 1700. It had an effect that could reflect battle damage back at the attacker.
"Tch, annoying brat."
The four-eyed Fiend clicked his tongue in irritation. The chosen Card turned into a dark stream and flew back into his Deck.
"But do you think a cheap trick like that can save your life? Useless. From my hand, I activate..."
"Hold on. The Standby Phase still isn't over."
Yugen cut him off again. "I activate another set card, Spell Card Cold Wave. For this turn, neither player can activate or Set any Spell or Trap Cards." (ANIME EFFECT)
As soon as he spoke, the Spell took effect. A violent storm of freezing air swept across Yugen's field, and the Spell and Trap Zone in the Back Row was instantly covered in thick frost, as if it had been completely sealed and could no longer be used. The four-eyed Fiend froze where he stood.
Not just the boss, but all the underlings around him were stunned as well. What kind of meaningless card was that? Was he crippling himself and cutting off his own moves? Wasn't that just suicide?
The four-eyed Fiend frowned. "Brat, are you looking down on me?"
"Not at all."
Yugen smiled. "I'm being completely cautious on my side too. Once you get your attacking dueling momentum going, things could get troublesome. So just to be safe..."
He chained the next set card.
"Trap Card Fairy's Hand Mirror!"
A female enchantress Spirit flew onto the field, holding a mirror in both hands. The image of Cold Wave was reflected on its surface, as if it had been sealed inside.
"Fairy's Hand Mirror can redirect the effect of a Spell Card that only involves one player to the other player." (ANIME EFFECT)
The four-eyed Fiend paused to think. It was a little complicated, so he tried to sort it out. Cold Wave meant that the player who activated it could not use Spell and Trap Cards in any form this turn and also could not set anything on the field, while Fairy's Hand Mirror redirected a Spell effect used on one player to someone else.
There were only two people in this Duel, so the "other player" could only be... He blinked all four eyes and clearly saw his own dumbfounded face in the floating mirror. It was like looking at a clown.
Nani?!!?
That kind of combo existed too?
"With Fairy's Hand Mirror, I transfer the target of Cold Wave to you. So this turn, you cannot activate Spells or Trap Cards, and you also cannot set any Cards."
Yugen said it with a cheerful smile, then paused before adding, "No need to thank me."
A sudden urge surged up in the boss's chest to tear that smiling face apart with his bare hands. Thank you, my ass.
The other Fiend underlings finally understood what had happened and slowly opened their mouths in disbelief. Their boss had started with six cards, but before the duel had even properly begun, one Monster had already been sent back to the Deck, and the remaining four Spell and Trap Cards were now dead in his hand, completely unusable. This was still only the Standby Phase of his very first turn. His turn had not even truly begun yet.
The Fiends looked at each other. Even they felt this man's way of Dueling was a little too much.
"Damn it, but I still have one last card I can use..."
With four Spell and Trap Cards completely sealed in his hand, the four-eyed Fiend gritted his teeth and pulled out the only remaining playable card. "I Normal Summon Archfiend Soldier!"
Archfiend Soldier, ATK 1900.
A Level 4 monster with 1900 attack was already a very solid standalone card. Trap Dustshoot had not picked this one earlier, probably because this was Bonz, while the other card had a special effect that could directly burn life points when the opponent attacked. Even so, Archfiend Soldier's raw strength should have been enough.
"I open my set card, Bottomless Trap Hole." Yugen calmly flipped a card in the Back Row. "When the opponent Summons a Monster with 1500 or more ATK, it is immediately Destroyed and banished."
Archfiend Soldier dropped straight into the hole the moment it hit the field. Its body tilted, then fell into the void of Trap Hole, vanishing beyond Different Dimension.
The four-eyed Fiend fell silent.
Good. Now the boss did not even have the one card he could still play.
The four eyes of the Fiend turned red. He threw back his head and roared, and the sound shook the entire hall. The underlings trembled and hurried backward, afraid of getting caught in the boss's rage.
"I would not get so angry over a Duel."
Even in the face of the boss Fiend's fury, Yugen remained as calm as ever and simply raised a hand with a smile. Because of Cold Wave, the four cards left in your hand this turn cannot be activated or Set. So I will assume your turn is over, all right?
The four-eyed Fiend said nothing. Yugen smiled and took that as agreement. "My Turn! Draw."
"First, I I activate a Spell Card! Graceful Charity. I draw three cards from the Deck, then discard two cards from my hand."
Yugen discarded two cards, but one of them immediately turned into a follow-up play. One of the discarded cards was the Spell Card Pot of Greed, and when this card is sent from the hand to the Graveyard, I can Draw one card from the Deck. (ANIME EFFECT) He then drew one more card.
"Then I I activate a Spell Card! Delinquent Duo. I pay 1000 Life Points to discard one random card from your hand, and then you choose one more card to discard."
Yugen, LP 4000 -> LP 3000
Yugen casually pointed at one of the opponent's cards. Grinding his teeth so hard they nearly cracked, the four-eyed boss finally picked one card from his hand. Two little Fiend, one red and one blue, flew out with the numbers 1 and 2 above their heads, then snatched away the two cards with smug grins.
In an instant, he lost two resources, and only two cards remained in his hand. The four-eyed Fiend looked as if his eyes were about to split apart. Damn it, so he stopped me from Setting cards last turn just so he could Destroy my hand this turn.
"Then I flip my Set monster on the Back Row."
Yugen flipped over the face-down monster on his Duel Disk and changed it to attack position. It was a blacksmith with crimson skin and a hammer in his hand. "Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu. When it is flipped, I add one Equip Spell Card from my Deck to my hand."
"The card I add is this one."
Yugen pulled out the card he had searched from the Deck. "The Equip Spell Smoke Grenade of the Thief."