"From there, I activate the Spell Card from my hand! Monster Reborn!"
The projection of that ancient Ankh cross emblem lit up at the center of the Duel Arena.
"I Special Summon Scrap Golem from my Graveyard in Attack Position to my field!"
Accompanied by a grating, heavy metallic grinding sound, a massive construct pieced together from enormous rocks and scrap steel beams slowly rose within the radiance of the cross. [Scrap Golem] Level 5│EARTH│Rock│2300 ATK
"Next, I activate Scrap Golem's effect–"
Niobe pointed at the towering figure, the smile at the corner of her lips turning extremely dangerous.
"Once per turn, I can target 1 Level 4 or lower 'Scrap' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to either player's field."
"I choose to Special Summon Scrap Searcher to your field!"
A tiny mechanical bird made of twisted wires, worn-out gears, and a reflective shard flapped its leaking wings, wobbling as it flew across half the Duel Arena before landing in Bakutaro's Monster Zone.
[Scrap Searcher] Level 1│EARTH│Machine│300 DEF
"Summoned to my field?" Bakutaro pointed at himself, his spiky hair bobbing as his face filled with confusion.
"Mm." Niobe nodded firmly and flicked her hand forward. "And now, Scrap Searcher's effect activates! When this card is Special Summoned, destroy all face-up monsters you control, except "Scrap" monsters!"
She paused, looking at Bakutaro's stunned expression.
"So! Your monsters will all be destroyed!"
Beeeep!
A piercing alarm sounded from within Scrap Searcher. This seemingly harmless mechanical bird suddenly emitted a blinding red glow from its eyes. Immediately afterward, a powerful, visible electromagnetic pulse spread outward from it, sweeping across the entire field.
In an instant, the red Magnaliger and the blue Grampulse, under this indiscriminate pulse, had no chance to resist. Their cores short-circuited, and they exploded violently into countless particles of light.
The entire half of the field was left empty; only the lone Scrap Searcher remained, still flapping its wire wings as if unaware of its own fate.
Silence.
A deathly silence filled the arena.
This kind of play–forcing an "inside agent" onto the opponent's field and then blowing up their entire board–even in the eyes of Obelisk Blue elites, felt bizarre and… downright sinister.
Yet the one who broke this silence was Bakutaro's unrestrained laughter.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" He clapped vigorously, his eyes not showing anger but instead shining even brighter. "To think you could break through the mecha's defenses like this!"
"Heh, Battle Phase!"
Niobe had no intention of stopping just because of her opponent's praise.
"Scrap Golem, direct attack! Crush that stupid bird!"
The massive crane arm roared as it came crashing down.
"Come back, my partner!" Niobe shouted.
Boom!
Scrap Searcher was flattened into a sheet of scrap metal.
[Scrap Golem, ATK: 2300 → 2200 damage dealt]
A powerful virtual shockwave swept past Bakutaro's face, forcing him to slide half a step backward. His red jacket fluttered violently in the wind.
[Bakutaro, LP: 4000 → 1800]
"So strong…" Phila stared in shock from below the stage. Was this Niobe's true strength?
Raku crossed his arms.
This combo–Special Summoning Scrap Searcher to the opponent's field to blow up their board–felt simple, crude, yet quite effective, no matter how many times he saw it.
On the Duel Arena, the gray smoke had yet to disperse.
"Then it's my turn–draw!"
Bakutaro sharply drew a card. He looked at the new card in his hand, then glanced at another card he had already been holding.
Super Quantum Blue Layer.
Super Quantal Fairy Alphan.
The corner of his mouth stretched into an exaggerated grin.
"Looks like this will be the final turn!" Bakutaro slapped one of the cards onto the Duel Disk. "I Normal Summon Super Quantal Fairy Alphan!"
A cute creature wearing a round white mech suit with long rabbit ears bounced onto the field. It held a short staff that looked like a transformation wand, completely different in style from the imposing mechas before.
"Alphan is the team's mascot, and also an extremely important partner!" Bakutaro's voice was filled with pride, as if introducing a family member. "Then I activate its effect!"
"Second effect: You can Tribute this card; reveal 3 'Super Quantum' monsters with different names from your Deck, your opponent randomly chooses 1, Special Summon that monster, and send the rest to the Graveyard!"
The white rabbit mech turned into a beam of light and vanished. Immediately after, Bakutaro drew three cards from his Deck.
What he did next stunned everyone.
He didn't display the cards via Duel Disk projection. Instead, he pulled them out directly, strode across the virtual boundary of the Duel Arena, and walked up to Niobe.
He fanned the three cards out face-down in front of her like a hand of cards.
"I reveal Red Layer, Blue Layer, and Green Layer from my Deck!" Bakutaro grinned. "Now, pick one at random!"
This was an action with absolutely no guard or caution.
Niobe looked at Bakutaro standing so close, her electric-blue eyes blinking once.
Even in the most rundown underground casinos of the Satellite area, no one would hand over decision-making power to their opponent so openly. It was like a child sharing his favorite toys.
"Interesting…"
Without hesitation, Niobe casually tapped the middle card.
Bakutaro flipped it over.
"Green Layer, huh!" Bakutaro stepped back and returned to his field. "Looks like my partners have answered me!"
He raised his head, looking at the girl with the red-and-green hair ties on her ponytail.
"Niobe! I've had fun dueling you! But– I Special Summon Green Layer! Then Blue Layer and Red Layer are sent to the Graveyard!"
The green mage descended once more amid a gust of wind, while the other two cards turned into particles of light and flew into the Graveyard.
"After that, since they all meet their trigger conditions at the same time–"
Bakutaro's fingers tapped rapidly over the Graveyard area.
"Chain Link 1! Green Layer's effect! Chain Link 2! Red Layer's effect in the Graveyard! Chain Link 3! Blue Layer's effect in the Graveyard!"
Red and green lights intertwined within the Graveyard area.
"Resolve backward! Blue Layer's effect returns the three Super Quantum monsters in the Graveyard to the Deck! Then Red Layer's effect revives Green Layer from the Graveyard!"
The green mage that had just been sent to the Graveyard jumped back out. Now, two Green Layers stood on Bakutaro's field.
"And the Green Layer you just drew, and properly Special Summoned, triggers its effect! I Special Summon Blue Layer from my hand!"
The deep-blue female warrior appeared within a stream of water.
The air across the entire plaza seemed to thin from the sudden surge of resource flow.
Bakutaro's offensive continued like a raging storm.
"Blue Layer's effect activates–"
He precisely drew a card from his Deck and raised it high.
"I add Super Quantum White Layer from my Deck to my hand!"
"I activate White Layer's effect…"
Bakutaro raised the pure white monster card, just about to insert it into the Duel Disk slot–when his movement suddenly froze. "Uh."
A thin layer of sweat instantly formed on his forehead. The arm holding the card even began trembling uncontrollably. The holographic light flow, which should have been smooth, now warped into static-like distortions around his Duel Disk.
"What's wrong?" Niobe keenly noticed the unnatural halt in Bakutaro's movements, her stance slightly relaxing from its readiness to respond.
Bakutaro gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. His previously straight back hunched slightly under strain, but his amber-gold eyes did not waver.
"White Layer… is the additional warrior of the Super Quantum team."
His voice trembled slightly, yet its volume did not drop.
"Right now, she hasn't fully acknowledged me yet. So forcibly calling her puts quite a burden on my body. But my Soul Power is 2500, so there's nothing to worry about!"
It was unclear whether he was saying this to Niobe or to encourage himself.
A monster with low Spirit acknowledgment was no joke. It would increase the burden on Soul Power. But White Layer's Attack is 2400, and Bakutaro has 2500–he could still suppress it.
"I was planning to avoid using her if possible…" Bakutaro's voice echoed across the empty plaza.
"But facing a duel like this, facing an opponent like you, how could I possibly hold back my fighting spirit?!"
Bakutaro slammed White Layer into the Spell/Trap Zone.
"White Layer's first effect! Send 1 non-LIGHT "Super Quantum" monster from my hand or face-up field to the Graveyard to activate! Special Summon this card from my hand!"
Distorted white light tore open space itself.
"I send 1 Blue Layer on my field to the Graveyard! White Layer, Special Summon!"
The deep-blue warrior from before dissolved into light. In her place descended a warrior clad in magnificent silver-white armor, like an angel descending–though the halo around her flickered unstably.
Bakutaro breathed heavily, but his actions did not stop.
"Next, White Layer's second effect: When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can activate it! Send 1 "Super Quantum" monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, and this card's Attribute and Level become the same as that monster. I send the second White Layer from my Deck to the Graveyard!"
A card popped out from the top of the Deck, and Bakutaro immediately placed it into the Graveyard slot.
"The White Layer sent to the Graveyard activates its third effect! When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can select 1 'Super Quantum Fairy Alphan' from my Deck or Graveyard and add it to my hand!"
Bakutaro's fingers moved rapidly across the Duel Disk.
"I add Alphan to my hand. After that, I activate a Field Spell! Discard Alphan from my hand!"
The red-haired boy swung his arm forward, pointing at the green-robed warrior on the field.
"Target Green Layer on my field, and Special Summon 1 'Super Quantal Mech Beast' Xyz Monster with the same Attribute as that monster from my Extra Deck, by placing it on top of that monster as Xyz Summon material!"
The ground of the Duel Arena cracked open as violent winds howled forth, sweeping everything in their path.
"Raging winds, roaring storm–"
Bakutaro's voice had begun to distort from the heavy drain on his Soul Power, but he forced his arm upward despite the strain.
"Super Quantal Mech Beast Aeroboros!"
The green wind mage leapt into the center of the raging cyclone. As the storm subsided, a massive serpentine mech beast coiled on the field, its enormous green mechanical wings vibrating at high speed, stirring the surrounding air.
The field had been completely seized by Bakutaro's mech squad.
"Hah… next is the Battle Phase!" Bakutaro wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"White Layer, attack the Golem!"
The white warrior raised her beam sword and shot forward like a meteor. Though the blade flickered slightly, its power was still formidable.
Bang!
Scrap Golem's massive body was cleaved in half at the waist by the beam sword, collapsing with a thunderous crash.
The massive projection shockwave struck Niobe directly.
[Niobe, LP: 4000 → 3900]
"Next, the other Green Layer and Aeroboros attack directly!" Bakutaro swung both arms downward.
Green Layer waved her staff, releasing wind blades, while Aeroboros flapped its mechanical wings, unleashing two violent tornadoes that swept across Niobe's empty field one after another.
[Super Quantum Green Layer, ATK: 1600 + Super Quantal Mech Beast Aeroboros, ATK: 2200 = 3800 damage]
The storm pierced straight through Niobe's body.
"Ugh…!"
Niobe was blown backward several meters until she slammed against the edge of the Duel Arena, barely stopping.
Her messy Obelisk Blue jacket was nearly torn off by the wind.
[Niobe, LP: 3900 → 100]
"Now this…" Phila instinctively grabbed onto a nearby pillar.
"This is my fighting spirit!" Bakutaro panted heavily, staring at the girl across from him.
The storm finally subsided.
Niobe slowly lowered the oil-stained arm she had used to shield herself and glanced at the glaring "100" displayed on her Duel Disk.
"Heh…"
A low chuckle escaped her lips.
"Hahahahaha!" Niobe suddenly raised her head. Her already bright electric-blue eyes now shone brilliantly in the night. Gripping her Duel Disk, she shouted, "Bakutaro, I'm satisfied! Now let's leave it to fate–draw the next card!"
"My turn–draw!"
Niobe pressed her slender fingers against the top of her Deck and sharply drew a card. The sound of it slicing through the air was especially clear in the now-quiet Duel Arena.
She flipped the card over, glanced at it, and the fire reignited in her electric-blue eyes.
"Looks like my partner still wants to keep fighting." Niobe slammed the card onto her Duel Disk. "The card I drew is Scrapyard. I activate Scrapyard!"
"First effect: Add 1 'Scrap' Tuner from my Deck to my hand!" Niobe swiftly pulled a card from her Deck. "I add Scrap Raptor to my hand."
The moment she got Scrap Raptor, she didn't hesitate for even an instant and immediately slapped it into the Monster Zone.
"Next, I Normal Summon Scrap Raptor and destroy it!"
The mechanical dinosaur had barely landed before it self-destructed on the spot under its owner's command.
"Chain Link 1: Scrap Raptor. Chain Link 2: Scrap Searcher!"
Niobe pointed toward the Graveyard.
"Scrap Searcher's effect in the Graveyard activates! While this card is in the Graveyard, if a Scrap monster other than Scrap Searcher you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, this card can Special Summon itself from the Graveyard." The small mechanical bird that had once been used as a 'spy agent' flapped its leaky wings as it returned. "I Special Summon it in Defense Position."
"As the effect resolves, Raptor adds Scrap Chimera to my hand. After that, due to Scrap Raptor's additional Normal Summon, I summon Scrap Chimera from my hand!"
The beast-type monster clad in machinery landed on the field.
"Then I activate Scrap Chimera's effect and revive the Scrap Raptor that was just destroyed!"
Scrap parts reassembled, and the familiar mechanical dinosaur once again stood at the front.
Though the field was empty moments ago, through this smooth sequence of plays, Niobe's field was instantly filled with both a Tuner and a non-Tuner monster. As long as she Synchro Summoned Scrap Dragon or a higher-level Synchro Monster, she had a chance to break through Bakutaro's massive board.
Niobe wiped the sweat from her forehead and was just about to point at the two monsters in the air to perform a Synchro Summon.
At that exact moment–
Bakutaro, who had been tense the entire time, suddenly let out a long breath, as if releasing a tremendous burden.
"Hah… finally, it's over…"
He raised his head, a flash of wild instinct glinting in his eyes beneath his red hair, and sharply pointed at the green mechanical serpent in midair.
"The moment your Scrap Chimera hit the field, I activate Super Quantal Mech Beast Aeroboros's effect!"
Bakutaro shouted, his voice drowning out the hum of the Duel Disk.
"Second effect: Once per turn, detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and target 1 face-up monster on the field, except this card; change it to face-down Defense Position!"
A green storm gathered violently within the serpent's mouth.
"If this card has Super Quantum Green Layer as Xyz Material, this effect can also be activated during the opponent's turn!"
Bakutaro's finger pointed straight at the Scrap Raptor that had just returned from the Graveyard.
"I turn your Scrap Raptor face-down! That way, you can't Synchro Summon because you're missing a Tuner monster!"
The raging wind surged forward, flipping Scrap Raptor onto the ground. A giant card back covered the mechanical dinosaur.
Raku watched Bakutaro, a hint of approval flashing through his jet-black eyes.
This guy had been holding back ever since Niobe started her combo. He held through the search, held through the Special Summons, and chose this exact moment–when Scrap Chimera had just appeared, all the Scrap monsters were on the field, and the Tuner had to be face-up for a Synchro Summon–to activate his effect. Moreover, Scrap Chimera's effect could only be activated upon its Normal Summon. Now it could only stand there awkwardly in Attack Position.
This was textbook-level precision disruption.
"And not just that." Bakutaro clenched his fist, staring at his opponent. "Since your Scrap Chimera had to activate its effect on Normal Summon, it was Summoned in Attack Position–and that's already set in stone."
A 1700 Attack Chimera, in front of Bakutaro's large monsters, was nothing more than a sitting target.
Not to mention, Niobe only had a pitiful 100 LP remaining.
Niobe looked at the face-down Scrap Raptor, then glanced at her hand.
There was no anger, no frustration.
"You're not bad at all." She grinned, calmly lowering the arm resting on her Duel Disk. "My turn is over."
"My turn–draw!"
Bakutaro drew a card without even looking at it.
"Then I enter the Battle Phase!" He pointed at the silver-white warrior. "White Layer, attack Scrap Chimera!"
The beam sword shone once more.
Boom!
Scrap Chimera was cut apart in a single strike, and the shockwave from the explosion slammed directly into Niobe.
"Wah!"
Niobe was blown backward by the blast, landing on the ground.
[Niobe, LP: 100 → 0]
The duel was decided.
The holographic projections vanished instantly, and the night wind once again swept through the open plaza.
"Hah…" Niobe casually brushed the dust off her skirt and stood up. She nonchalantly took off the Obelisk Blue jacket she was wearing and held it in her hand. "A bet's a bet. This Obelisk Blue uniform is yours."
She handed the jacket toward Bakutaro.
According to the rules of this rank-stealing match, the winner had the right to take the Blue Dorm's slot and the uniform symbolizing that status.
Bakutaro froze for a moment, then hurriedly waved his hands and stepped back.
"No, no, no! I don't want something like that!"
He pointed at his red sports jacket.
"I told you, I like red! I duel…" Bakutaro's amber-gold eyes shone with pure light, "just to become friends with everyone!"
Niobe's hand holding the uniform stopped midair.
She stared blankly at the red-haired boy in front of her. Her electric-blue eyes blinked, and then she burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahahaha!" Niobe stepped forward, tossing the jacket back over her shoulder. "You really are an idiot!"
"Losing to someone like you, I can quite accept it." She casually extended a fist still marked with a bit of grease. "Alright, I'm willing to be friends with you."
Bakutaro grinned and stepped forward. Their fists collided heavily.
"Yeah! Nice to meet you!"
Below the Duel Arena.
Phila stood in the shadows, her hands tightly gripping the lace at her collar. Her ruby-like eyes were fixed on the two people on the stage.
Red light and gunmetal-gray light.
Both of them were smiling so happily.
There was no gloom of defeat, no arrogance of victory. Just through a single duel, by trusting in each other's cards, they had become friends so simply.
Phila felt her heart beating a little faster.
So this was… a duel? Just by playing a match, you can make such friends? Is this the bond she has always… always longed for?
This is… friendship.
Then… could she also make friends through dueling?
She stared upward blankly, her eyes filled with longing.
...
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