"Relinquished's effect!" Pegasus called out, laughing. "Absorb Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Anime Relinquished has no limit on total absorbed monsters, only once per turn, and it stacks the ATK of all absorbed monsters. Each time it would be destroyed by battle, it can use an equipped monster as a shield instead.
Truly offense and defense in one—Pegasus's proudest self-printed ace.
Once it gained Red-Eyes's power, his Relinquished would be unstoppable!
"Not so fast!" Joey cut in. "I activate my set card!
Continuous Trap 'Dimension Gate'!"
His backrow flipped. The moment the Trap activated, a massive blue dimensional vortex appeared on his field. Its powerful pull caught Red-Eyes, attempting to draw it in. The deep blue tide looked like it led to some unknown beyond.
"Dimension Gate's effect: When it activates, I can choose one face-up monster I control and banish it!" Joey said. "I choose Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
"Oh?" Pegasus narrowed his eye with interest. "So you're giving up your ace to dodge me—are you that afraid of Relinquished?"
He knew exactly what Joey was doing. The monster banished by Dimension Gate wasn't completely gone; when the Continuous Trap left the field, the monster would return.
And when the opponent declares a direct attack, a face-up Dimension Gate can send itself to the Graveyard to revive the banished monster.
Relinquished's effect can only activate in the Main Phase, not in the Battle Phase. So Pegasus would have to attack into Joey's empty field, and Joey would resummon Red-Eyes as a shield.
Then either Pegasus would attack into Red-Eyes and destroy it, or go to Main Phase 2 to absorb it, either way Joey survives the turn.
"Heh, as a defensive tactic, not bad. But…"
Pegasus's smile turned cold.
"You're still too green!"
He swept his arm; his backrow responded.
"Quick-Play Spell 'Mystical Space Typhoon'!" Pegasus revealed it. "Destroy one Spell/Trap on the field.
I'll destroy the Continuous Trap 'Dimension Gate'!"
A black squall engulfed the vortex, pitch lightning crashing down. The Gate was obliterated.
"While Dimension Gate can revive the banished monster when it goes to the Graveyard, as a Continuous Trap, if I destroy it before its effect resolves, it won't bring anything back."
Pegasus sneered.
"So its effect won't resolve. It's simply destroyed."
"NANI?" Joey flinched.
Damn Pegasus—so troublesome he even shut down the banish-escape route…
"Hahahahaha—"
Pegasus laughed triumphantly.
"Nice struggle, Joey-boy, but accept reality! Red-Eyes is mine!"
Joey's defense was broken; Red-Eyes was absorbed into Relinquished. After one unwilling roar, Red-Eyes was swallowed by the churning black mist, its cry cut off. Like a marionette with strings severed, it became part of Relinquished's power.
"This is truly the end… But to die by your soul's Red-Eyes and your camaraderie's Black Skull Dragon together—there's honor in that.
Rest in peace, Joey-boy."
Pegasus closed his eye, paused mysteriously, then smiled coldly.
"And then, be reborn as an emissary of Light."
"What?" Joey frowned.
But Pegasus didn't elaborate. He shouted, "Relinquished—finish Joey-boy!"
Relinquished's single eye opened, a strange green light blooming. Bound by chains of darkness, Red-Eyes and Archfiend Black Skull Dragon flew out together; black flame and hellfire converged, as if to melt Joey entirely.
Flames blazed sky-high, shockwaves spread. Flickering light cast grim, twisted shadows on wall and ceiling like demons laughing.
But just before the inferno touched Joey—
"Then I activate my set card!" Joey cried. "Continuous Trap 'Fairy Boxs'!"
A huge box appeared on his field, pocked with holes like a whack-a-mole game.
"Fairy Boxs: Each time an opponent's monster declares an attack, you must call a coin toss! If you call it right, the attacking monster's ATK becomes 0!"
One of Joey's classic life-saver traps from his early days, part of the Coin-and-Dice bundle.
Honestly, if he didn't have to, Joey didn't really want to rely on this card.
Because he'd resolved to prove himself.
And yet, here he was relying on a coin again…
He realized it had always been like this. Every time he faced a sufficiently strong opponent, he'd exhaust every trick and outplay, and in the final moment he'd have to pull out dice and coins. Like a curse.
Maybe this was the legendary Gambler.
Whatever. Coin it is. He'd do it.
"Come on then, damn you, Pegasus!" Joey said. "Got the guts to face me in a coin toss?"
"At last, the legendary coin," Pegasus chuckled. "But alas, I'm not in the mood. I won't play coin games with you today."
"Nani?"
"Counter Trap 'Trap Jammer,'" Pegasus said. "When your opponent activates a Trap Card during the Battle Phase: negate its activation, and destroy it!"
Joey: "!"
His last line of defense—beneath the giant box, a magic circle flared. The box dissolved away without a trace.
"This time, it really ends," Pegasus declared. "Vanish, Joey Wheeler!"
Boom!
A burning storm swept through like a fiery tornado. Joey and half his field were swallowed, black flames lancing up to the ceiling.
"My, not a bad showing. But unfortunate," Pegasus smiled. "My duel is perfect. As I said, the power gap hasn't changed since Duelist Kingdom…
Hm?"
Pegasus's expression shifted.
As the flames and smoke cleared, Joey Wheeler… was still standing.
"What?" Pegasus gaped. "Why? I should have broken through all your defenses…"
"Not all."
Joey smiled and motioned to another Trap.
"What I sent to the Graveyard last turn wasn't just Red-Eyes—there was also this card.
'Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light.'"
Joey held up the Trap.
"During your opponent's turn, I can banish this from the Graveyard. For the rest of this turn, your opponent cannot attack directly!"