Now it was Ryunosuke's turn, but his hand was completely empty.
Because he had previously performed a Fusion Summon, he had exhausted three cards, set two facedown, and discarded Winged Kuriboh. Ryunosuke's hand was a void. If he didn't draw a card that could replenish his hand or a single card capable of flipping the board this turn, he was finished...
Cold sweat matted Ryunosuke's brow from the sheer tension. This was the first time he had felt a pressure this suffocating! His opponent truly lived up to the title of Yu-Gi-Oh Champion—she was formidable.
Ryunosuke remained unaware that his opponent was playing dirty. Had he known, with his temperament, he would have likely rolled up his sleeves for a "physical duel" in the real world.
The moment of truth arrived. Ryunosuke placed his fingers on the top of his deck.
"Draw!"
Ryunosuke looked at the card in his hand and let out a smirk. "It seems the heavens aren't ready to let me lose just yet."
Across the field, Masuzu arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "You have exactly one card. Unless it's Card of Sanctity, nothing you pull can turn this around."
Ryunosuke flashed the card to Masuzu with a confident grin. "A pity. It's not Card of Sanctity, but it's the next best thing."
Masuzu's eyes widened in shock. "It's Card of Demise!!!"
"Exactly!" Ryunosuke immediately activated the spell. "Its effect allows me to fill my hand to five cards instantly, though I must discard my entire hand to the graveyard after five turns."
Ryunosuke's hand was replenished with five new cards. This was the turning point, but it wasn't victory yet; he still needed the definitive strike.
"I activate Card Destruction from my hand! Both players discard their entire hands and draw the same number of cards!"
Ryunosuke sent his five fresh cards to the graveyard and drew five more, effectively cycling his deck to find his target. Since Masuzu's hand was empty, she drew five cards for free—among them, Obelisk the Tormentor.
As established, Masuzu had rigged the deck in her favor, including the God card. If Ryunosuke couldn't stop her this turn, Masuzu would sacrifice her monsters on the next turn to summon Obelisk and trigger its instant destruction effect for 4000 points of direct damage.
For Ryunosuke, there would be no "next turn" if he failed now.
On the other side of the field, Ryunosuke finally grasped his key card and began his play.
"I summon Skilled White Magician in attack position!"
(Skilled White Magician – ATK: 1900)
"Then, from my hand, I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!"
As Ryunosuke drew, a jewel on the magician's shoulder began to glow.
"Next, I activate the spell card Emblem of Dragon Destroyer! I add the Buster Blader I just discarded to the graveyard back to my hand!"
Both jewels on the magician's shoulders were now shining brightly, signaling its effect was nearly primed.
Masuzu began to feel a knot of unease in her stomach. As a champion, she knew exactly what that monster was capable of.
Ryunosuke recited the effect. "Every time a spell card is activated, this card gains one Spell Counter. I've already activated Pot of Greed and Emblem of Dragon Destroyer."
He swept his hand forward with conviction. "I activate my third spell: Monster Reborn! Rise from the grave, Buster Blader!"
A warrior clad in purple armor wielding a massive blade materialized. The dragon-slayer had arrived: Buster Blader (ATK: 2600). Since Ryunosuke had triggered three spells, his magician's effect ignited.
"When Skilled White Magician has three Spell Counters, I can tribute it to Special Summon Dark Magician from my hand, deck, or graveyard!"
Ryunosuke pulled Dark Magician from his deck and slammed it onto the field.
(Dark Magician – ATK: 2500)
Ryunosuke then activated Polymerization from his hand, fusing Dark Magician and Buster Blader.
"Arise! Super War-Lion Master · Dark Paladin!!!"
(Dark Paladin – ATK: 2900)
"Dark Paladin's effect: For every Dragon-type monster on the field or in either player's graveyard, it gains an additional 500 ATK!"
"On your field, you have four Blue-Eyes White Dragons and one Lord of D. (treated as a dragon by support effects). That's five dragons, meaning his attack power increases by 2500 points!"
Super War-Lion Master · Dark Paladin – ATK: 5400!!!
"Crap!" Masuzu felt herself backed into a corner, especially as she realized Ryunosuke wasn't finished.
Ryunosuke activated the final spell in his hand. "I activate Diffusion Wave-Motion!"
"By paying 1000 LP, Dark Paladin can attack every single monster on your field!"
(Ryunosuke LP: 1100 – 1000 = 100)
He had squeezed his life force to the absolute brink. "The game is over, Natsukawa Masuzu!"
"No way... how can something this absurd happen?!!!" Masuzu trembled, staggering backward until she collapsed onto the floor, the light fading from her eyes. She couldn't fathom how she had lost even after cheating. It defied all logic!
Ryunosuke wasted no time and ordered Dark Paladin to strike. The magic knight swung his gargantuan blade, unleashing a devastating wave of energy. A massive explosion swept across the arena, shattering the four white dragons and the dragon lord into digital shards.
Masuzu's Life Points plummeted instantly to zero.
Masuzu realized one bitter truth in that moment: If Ryunosuke ever entered the world tournament, she wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance. A heavy, suffocating sense of defeat clouded her heart.