Poma unconsciously tightened his grip on the handles of the D-Wheel.
Total annihilation...
The Dark Carrier and the Giant Bomber, the ace combination he prided himself on, were so easily wiped out.
The trap activated from his hand, a chain trap layering pit over pit...
He didn't analyze it as clearly as Yusei did, but now he vaguely understood that his actions were completely under the opponent's control, utterly manipulated.
If this were before he became one of the Dark Markers, encountering such a Duelist in the past, Poma would most likely respect them from the heart, admitting that he was inferior, and that the opponent was the strongest Duelist he'd ever faced.
But now it's not a competitive spar, it's a life-and-death revenge battle!
"I must win, no matter what, I must win, even if I have to offer this body, this soul to a Demon!"
Poma shouted.
"Activate the Cover Card!
Trap Card 'Polluted Land'!" (Original Card)
Used by Poma in the animation, a Dark Marker exclusive trap, also a card printed by the Dark Marker group themselves.
"Polluted Land can only be activated in the turn when two or more Five-Star or above monsters on your field are destroyed." Poma raised his hand, "Special Summon a monster with 'Earth-Bound God' in its name from your hand, Card Deck, or Graveyard from any of these places!"
When explaining this card, Poma indeed mentioned "monsters of Five-Star or above." In principle, the Dark Synchro Carrier's Level is negative eight, which shouldn't count as "Five-Star or above." However, when both the Bomber and the Carrier were destroyed together in the animation, this trap successfully triggered as well.
As a card specifically printed by the Dark Markers themselves, it should be designed for use when the Carrier and Bomber are both defeated. Thus, it's possible that the negative eight Level of the Dark Carrier being destroyed also satisfies the activation condition according to its judgment.
"Earth-Bound God!?"
Hearing this concept for the first time, both Yusei and Jack were astonished in their hearts. The next moment, they couldn't help but cover their arms, as the stinging pain of the Red Dragon Seal escalated to the extreme.
The uneasiness they felt in their hearts also reached its peak.
The Nazca lines appeared in the air over the duel field, a purplish-black whale fin piercing out from the darkness. In that moment, the sky seemed to twist into a dark purple cornea, and as the body of the Earth-Bound God broke free and rushed out, those watching from below witnessed something that hardly seemed like a living being, but rather a moving mountain.
Resembling a colossal whale from mythology, as its tail whipped, the very space of reality seemed to fold. The Earth-Bound God let out a shriek that pierced through time and space, its materialized soundwave penetrating heaven and earth.
[Earth-Bound God - Chaku Chaluya, Attack Power 2900]
The divine pressure, the darkness that shook the heavens and earth, both Yusei and Jack who witnessed such an existence for the first time couldn't help but reveal looks of shock.
Do such terrifying monsters really exist in this world?
"Wait, inside that monster... there seems to be something in there."
Yusei frowned, looking at the gigantic Earth-Bound God.
Though only for an instant, it seemed he saw... a human face flash within the massive body of the Earth-Bound God.
It seemed to be the face of a young child.
"The Earth-Bound God is the true ace of the Dark Markers. Feel honored to be buried by the hand of a god, Godwin!"
Poma roared angrily.
"Go, Earth-Bound God Chaku Chaluya, direct attack on Godwin bastards!!!"
The Earth-Bound Gods each have the ability to directly attack, bypassing the opponent's defenses, regardless of the monsters present on the opponent's field. Additionally, Earth-Bound Gods generally have an attack power of around three thousand, and in a four thousand Life Points environment, such a massive creature capable of attacking directly exerts considerable dominance.
Furthermore, in the animation, the Earth-Bound Gods have universal resistance. The Earth-Bound Gods are unaffected by the effects of any Magic, Trap Cards. This resistance is significantly stronger than that of the Physical Card.
Additionally, the Earth-Bound God's greatest weakness is the Field. As its name suggests, the Earth-Bound God is a deity bound to the land, and without a Field Spell present on the field, the Earth-Bound God will self-destruct.
This major weakness was also compensated for in the animation, due to the special rules of "Riding Duel."
From the beginning of the Riding Duel, the "High-speed World" Field Spell automatically exists on the field. Moreover, this field cannot be replaced or destroyed; it is required by rule to remain permanently on the field. In other words, the Earth-Bound God's need to depend on the field for existence is quite neutralized, giving it a significant advantage in Riding Duels.
[Yugen, LP4000 → LP1100]
Poma said, "Now that the Earth-Bound God has appeared, you have absolutely no chance!"
Saying this, he clenched his fist against his chest, muttering to himself, "Just a little longer, wait just a little longer, soon I will send the enemy down to avenge you..."
Yugen calmly said, "An enemy, huh... Saying it so nicely, in the end, you are just another selfish individual lost in the pursuit of power."
"What did you say!?" Poma raged, "I have no regrets in my life, anything I've done is for the construction of my hometown, for the kids in the village to have a better future than mine!
And you... people like you took away our future..."
"Is that so?" Yugen said, "Then if that's the case, why would you collude with the accomplice who slaughtered your village?"
"Me? Collude?" Poma shouted, "Don't slander me, Godwin! Vile like you..."
But as he said this, he suddenly felt something amiss. His expression changed slightly, as if out of instinct, he abruptly looked up.
This gaze instantly terrified him.
He too saw it, a face.
One after another, old men and children, all familiar faces, yet they were inside the Earth-Bound God he'd summoned.
"This... why!?"
Poma was shocked in his heart.
The children he swore to protect, the pillars of his spirit. Those remembered so vividly in his memories, now appeared in such a tragic form before him.
"Why are the people from my hometown inside the Earth-Bound God..."
"Why? The truth is right in front of you, but are you still unwilling to believe it? How pitiful," Yugen said, "Every arrival of the Earth-Bound God needs countless souls as a blood sacrifice.
Can you guess where the blood sacrifice for the Earth-Bound God you're using right now came from?"
Poma: "!!!"
He suddenly felt suffocated, his limbs numb and almost unable to move.
Yes, the truth was laid bare before him. If he still refused to accept it at this point, it was nothing but self-deception.
"The Earth-Bound God took my siblings'... No, does this mean that the Earth-Bound God I'm using is... is..."
The destruction of his village, the tragic death of everyone, had nothing to do with Godwin at all. The real force that took away his future was the very power he sided with, the Dark Markers.
He was unknowingly complicit and was even using the Earth-Bound God summoned by sacrificing the souls of his hometown's people.
"Then what am I fighting for, what on earth am I... ugh aaaah!"
Poma let out a scream.
Instantly, all the dark purple patterns on his body lit up, and even his eyes, already filled with darkness, seemed to become deeper and more profound. A sinister energy erupted from his body, and a deep, majestic voice echoed in his ears.
"You fight because it is your destiny. You were meant to be a Dark Marker..."
"If you refuse to fight, then I'll take over myself!"