"My turn, draw!"
Youyu glanced at the card he drew, and his lips curled slightly.
As expected.
There was no need for a "Destiny Draw" now; the cards he drew were inevitable.
You don't understand the duels of truly strong players.
"I set two cards on the field." Youyu waved his hand, and two Set Cards appeared in front of him, "Next, Magic Card - Card of Demise! Draw cards from the deck until my hand is full with five cards.
However, as a risk, during the Standby Phase five turns later, all cards in my hand must be discarded."
Of course, generally speaking, the text after the "risk" can be directly ignored...
Watching Youyu replenish his hand to five cards, Marik gulped.
Mr. Youyu... how are you planning to counterattack?
And the answer soon revealed itself.
Youyu drew a card from his hand, and the moment he revealed it, the card's surface seemed to emit a sacred blue radiance!
"Magic Card - The Eye of Timaeus!"
Ishizu's finely lined lips parted slightly in surprise.
Marik was equally surprised: "Is that... the Legendary Dragon!"
Since the Duel City Arc, the two of them had been unrelated to the main plotline of DM, and having missed several episodes, they naturally didn't know Youyu had this card.
Although they had never seen it firsthand, they had heard of the legendary dragon through some annals preserved by the Gravekeeper Race.
Unexpectedly, one of these cards was in Youyu's possession!
Marik's glance towards Youyu became more complex.
How much stronger had he become compared to when we dueled back then?
"Targeting the 'Dark Magician Girl' on the field, activate the Magic Card 'The Eye of Timaeus'." Youyu declared, "Send the Dark Magician Girl to the Graveyard, and special summon the Fusion Monster using her as Fusion Material!
The great Magician's disciple dons knight armor, summoning infinite possibilities through the combination of the Legendary Dragon's and Black Magic's power!
Fusion Summon! Appearing in a brand new form—
——Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight!"
It wasn't the first time changing identity, and even though not too smart, the Dark Magician Girl was already quite familiar by now.
The phantom of the dragon appeared, flapping its transparent wings and rising, spiraling in mid-air, forming a massive vortex. The Magic Girl, transformed into a beam of purple light, shot into it, merging with the Legendary Dragon's power, exploding in divine radiance like a volcanic eruption!
The dragon that gained a corporeal form dropped to the ground, kicking up a splash of dust. The maiden, adorned in knight armor, rode atop the dragon, wielding a silver long sword, the blade shimmering with dazzling metallic luster.
[Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight, ATK 2600]
This was the first time seeing the Magic Girl in this knightly form, and even Ishizu was somewhat awed by its domineering aura. But she soon regained her composure: "However, based on the Continuous Trap 'Necrovalley Temple' effect, her attack points will also decrease."
[Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight, ATK 2600 → ATK 2100]
Indeed, the weakened Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight was no match for the powerful Tomb Guardian. And her once overwhelmingly successful effect—discarding a card to destroy a face-up card on the field, was now unusable.
The Necrovalley and Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist had a mutually protective relationship, and as long as both existed simultaneously, neither could be destroyed by card effects.
This time, even as strong as Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight, she was unable to break open this situation.
But Youyu was unperturbed: "Then I activate the Set Card on the field. The card I set is the Magic Card - Foolish Burial. It can send a monster from the deck to the Graveyard."
Ishizu said, "But as long as 'Necrovalley' exists, any effect targeting cards in the Graveyard is negated, and cards in the Graveyard cannot be banished. Sending monsters to the Graveyard is meaningless."
"Not necessarily so." Youyu smiled, already having drawn the chosen card from his deck, "The card I'm sending to the Graveyard is 'Executioner - Makiura'."
The moment Youyu revealed this card, Marik, watching from the sidelines, flickered his eyelids.
This card he knew well.
Because once upon a time, this 'Executioner - Makiura' used to belong to someone with the same surname as Marik...
"The turn 'Executioner - Makiura' is sent to the Graveyard, I can activate a Trap Card from my hand."
Youyu sent this card to the Graveyard, while the sinister phantom of the Executioner had already appeared behind him.
He smiled slightly: "It's neither an effect 'targeting cards in the Graveyard' nor an effect 'banishing cards from the Graveyard,' thus won't be negated by 'Necrovalley'."
Ishizu nodded: "Indeed. The Valley of Eternal Rest prohibits anyone from disturbing the slumber of the dead, but cannot completely block the effects of monsters slumbering in the Graveyard."
Back in the "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX" animation, it was Yuki Judai who discovered this loophole in 'Necrovalley,' using the effect of 'Elemental Hero Necroshade' in the Graveyard to summon Blade Edge from his hand without cost, claiming victory.
For a student like Judai, whose theoretical knowledge was poor and had never passed an exam, it was miraculous to seize upon the vulnerabilities in the opponent's card effects so acutely during actual battles...
"Amazing!" Marik sincerely praised, "As expected of Mr. Youyu, to find the Valley's weak point just like that!"
In his admiration, Marik even temporarily overlooked the fact that Youyu had taken this "Executioner - Makiura" card from him...
"Therefore, I activate the Trap Card - Dust Tornado from my hand!" Youyu waved his hand, "Simultaneously select one Magic Trap Card on my field and one on the opponent's, and return the selected card to the owner's hand!
I choose this Set Card on my field... and Ishizu, your 'Necrovalley'!"
The Trap Card emerged, stirring up a storm of yellow sand across the field! A towering storm rose, obscuring the entire valley in an ominous atmosphere, as shattered stones cascaded down, with the earth quivering as if about to collapse.
In the midst of the swirling sands, that sacred resting place finally dissipated once more into an apparition. The towering cliffs, the lone beam of sunlight beyond the valley, the suffocating atmosphere, all dissolved into transience under the sandstorm.
"With the 'Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist' present, 'Necrovalley' cannot be destroyed by effects... but it can be returned to the hand! What a brilliant move!" Marik continued to appreciate Youyu's skill.
"A clever tactic." Ishizu smiled, "But surely you haven't forgotten my Continuous Trap - Necrovalley Temple?"
Youyu said nothing.
"Activate the Temple's effect." Ishizu raised her hand, "Once per turn, during either player's Main Phase, activate 'Necrovalley' from the hand!"
The ten braziers on the golden Temple ignited simultaneously, with flames so pure and golden they leaped with fervor! The firelight cast a blurry image on the walls, with the Temple radiating regal divine power!
"Ah, I know." Youyu chuckled softly, "But your Temple doesn't have the 'cannot be destroyed by effects' resistance. So at this moment, activate the Quick-Play Magic - Mystical Space Typhoon from the hand! Destroy the 'Necrovalley Temple'!"
The pitch-black whirlwind, crackling with thunder and lightning, roared like a beast baring its fangs and claws, tearing through with the irresistible might of nature to cleave that sacred golden temple in half!
The solemn structure collapsed with a crash, substantial pillars snapping under the storm's ravages, the golden ceiling pierced by lightning, rubble cascading down.
"...Then the follow-up effect of 'Necrovalley Temple'," Ishizu stated, "When destroyed, set a 'Necrovalley' card from the deck on the field."
She opened her Deck, finding the third 'Necrovalley' from it.
"I set the Field Magic 'Necrovalley' on the field!"
Although another Necrovalley was found, it was in face-down state, and its effects couldn't be activated until her next turn.
But to be honest... Ishizu wasn't sure if she'd even have a next turn.