Big Saturn, revived!
The ground shattered, and that massive steel body seemed to rise again from the underworld, like a steel grim reaper.
[Big Saturn, ATK 2800]
Seeing this powder-keg of a planet revived again, Roxen frowned slightly.
"Persistent bastard," he grunted. "But 'Monster Reborn' is a Normal Spell, so you can only use it in Main Phase 2. Your Battle Phase is over; you can't attack with Saturn again."
"True." Kira nodded. "But next, I activate the Spell Card 'Tribute to The Doomed' from my hand. By discarding a card, I can destroy one monster on your field."
He picked a card from his hand and sent it to the grave.
"Destroy 'Blizzard Dragon'."
White bands shot out, wrapping tightly around Blizzard Dragon like a dragon-shaped mummy, before it exploded violently.
Roxen's monster was destroyed, but he just smirked coldly inside.
He squinted at the monster in his hand—Frost and Flame Dragon.
By banishing two WATER and one FIRE monster from the graveyard, he could summon it directly. It was one of his ace monsters, with a powerful effect to discard a card to destroy a monster on the field.
He already had the WATER-attribute fodder in the grave. As soon as he gathered the materials next turn, he could summon Frost and Flame Dragon, blow up Big Saturn, trigger Saturn's effect, and both would take 2800 damage. Then Frost and Flame Dragon would attack for game. Victory was all but assured.
Thinking of this, Roxen couldn't help but smile. There was something poetic about making your opponent die from their own area-of-effect damage.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Card of Heaven and Earth.' If I performed a Tribute Summon this turn, I draw two cards. However, I can't use them this turn, and if I can Set cards, I must Set at least one before the turn ends."
Kira drew two cards.
"Then I Set a card and end my turn," Kira said.
"My turn. Draw!"
Roxen glanced at his draw and smiled in confidence. Just what he needed.
"Spell Card, 'Dragon Shrine'!" Roxen declared. "Send a Dragon monster from my Deck to the graveyard. If it's a Normal Monster, I can send an additional one."
He reached for his deck to search.
With this effect, he could set up his graveyard and summon his ace to clinch victory.
But as soon as his fingers touched his deck, he felt a jolt of electricity, and his hand was bounced away.
Roxen's pupils contracted.
A warning for illegal operation—it meant he couldn't search his deck.
But why?
He looked up in shock, just in time to see that, at some point, one of Kira's backrow cards had been activated.
"Quick-Play Spell, 'Backfire'." Kira smiled. "When your opponent activates a Spell, Trap, or monster effect, you can chain this card. The activated effect becomes 'destroy one monster on the field' instead."
(A card used by David, Saturn's original owner, in the GX manga. The effect is clearly tailor-made for Big Saturn.)
When your opponent activates any effect, you can chain this card, effectively negating their play by changing the effect.
Of course, since the effect becomes "destroy a monster on the field," the opponent chooses which monster to destroy. At first glance, this looks like a strong effect for the opponent.
But if only Big Saturn is on the field, the opponent has no choice but to destroy Saturn.
And Saturn's effect only triggers when destroyed by an opponent's effect, so this combo is almost custom-made. In the manga, David used this combo for an OTK against Alexis, and it was quite powerful.
It's worth noting that rewriting your opponent's effect is different from the more common "negate that effect," but it's still a form of effect disruption—and a creative one.
Back then, this kind of effect seemed impossible to print, but nowadays, similar effects have become mainstream.
For example, the newly empowered Yubel can rewrite the opponent's effect to "destroy Yubel."
Of course, in this timeline, there's no super-buffed Yubel yet, so Roxen is getting a taste of next-generation malice.
He stared wide-eyed as the text on his "Dragon Shrine" card began to glow and rewrite itself: "Destroy one monster on the field."
"My Dragon Shrine… you—you actually changed it…"
"That's right, I changed it. So you have to destroy a monster on the field. And right now, there's only one."
Kira snapped his fingers.
"You have no choice. Destroy Big Saturn!"
Another detonation!
This time, with no trap to block the damage, Saturn exploded, and a fireball engulfed them both.
[Roxen, LP 4000 → LP 1200]
"Argh…"
Roxen gritted his teeth.
His opponent's LP was higher; mutual destruction was not in his favor.
Wait?
[Kira, LP 5000]
Roxen: "???"
Didn't we agree on mutual destruction? Why didn't you take any damage?
Does Saturn have IFF (friend or foe recognition) or something?
"Oh, I discarded this card."
Kira slowly revealed a card sent to the grave.
"Hanewata. Discard this card and effect damage to yourself becomes zero for the turn. Works during your opponent's turn, too."
Roxen: "…"
So not mutual destruction after all. Only he got burned.
"But now you're wide open."
A glint flashed in Roxen's eyes.
"I summon 'Blizzard Dragon #2!'"
[Blizzard Dragon, ATK 1800]
"Direct attack with Blizzard Dragon!"
Blasts of icy energy gathered in Blizzard Dragon's mouth, but Kira calmly responded.
"Continuous Trap, 'Call of the Haunted.' Revive a monster from the grave in Attack Position."
Roxen's face changed again.
"Revive from the grave… don't tell me…"
"That's right."
Kira raised his hand.
"Big Saturn, return!"
[Big Saturn, ATK 2800]
Roxen twitched.
You've got to be kidding—this thing again?
He wasn't about to let Blizzard Dragon crash into Saturn, so he pulled back.
But he checked his hand.
At least he still had "Defense Draw," which could negate battle damage and let him draw a card.
At least he could survive another turn.
"I Set a card and end my turn," Roxen said, gritting his teeth.
No matter what, he had to hold out for Frost and Flame Dragon.
"My turn. Draw."
Kira spoke calmly.
"I summon 'Exploder Dragon.'"
[Exploder Dragon, ATK 1000]
Only 1000 ATK… Roxen calmed a bit.
If Saturn attacks Blizzard Dragon, he can block with Defense Draw. If Exploder Dragon attacks directly, he'd have 200 LP left—a perfect amount for a dramatic comeback.
But Kira didn't attack.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Shien's Spy.' Until the end of the turn, I give control of one of my monsters to you."
Roxen: "???"
What?
"I give you control of 'Exploder Dragon.'" Kira smiled.
Exploder Dragon hopped over to Roxen's field, and Roxen was utterly confused.
What? Giving your opponent resources?
"Now for the Battle Phase," Kira said. "Big Saturn attacks Exploder Dragon."
Exploder Dragon only had 1000 ATK. If Saturn attacked directly, Roxen would be done for.
But—
"I activate the Trap 'Defense Draw!' All battle damage this turn becomes 0, and I draw a card."
Perfect defense.
But even so, Roxen felt uneasy.
Was it really that simple? If it was just about attacking Exploder Dragon for game, Kira could have done it much more simply.
Plus, Roxen didn't know Saturn had another effect: pay 1000 LP to increase its ATK by 1000. If Kira had done that, he could have just one-shotted Blizzard Dragon without all this fuss.
But Kira's dangerous smile said otherwise.
"Exploder Dragon's effect," Kira explained. "When Exploder Dragon is destroyed by battle and sent to the grave, the monster that destroyed it must also be destroyed."
Roxen was stunned.
The monster that destroyed Exploder Dragon…
His eyes shifted to Big Saturn.
And then, gradually, panic dawned.
No way!?
"That's right. Exploder Dragon is now under your control, so for me, it's being destroyed by an opponent's effect." Kira smiled. "When Big Saturn is destroyed by an opponent's effect, both players take damage equal to its ATK."
Roxen was speechless. He tried to shout, but no sound came out.
What kind of busted combo is this!?
"Big Saturn."
Kira snapped his fingers.
"Detonate."
The defeated Exploder Dragon turned into a spirit, crashing into Big Saturn. Saturn's steel body cracked, toppled, and exploded like a firecracker.
Blazing fire erupted, quickly forming a spinning fireball that engulfed both of them.
Kira closed his eyes, calmly accepting the storm of flames that swept past him.
In stark contrast, Roxen was left screaming in rage.
[Kira, LP 5000 → LP 2200]
[Roxen, LP 1200 → LP 0]