"Next I activate the effect of [Gateway of the Six], remove 4 Bushido Counters, and add [Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan] from my Graveyard to my hand."
[Gateway of the Six, Counters: 6→2]
After adding the searched card to his hand, he continued.
"Then I activate the effect of [Gateway of the Six] again, remove all the Counters from [Battle Shogun of the Six Samurai], and add another copy of [Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan] from my Graveyard to my hand!"
[Battle Shogun of the Six Samurai, Counters: 4→0]
With both copies of Kizan in hand, he didn't hesitate and immediately brought them onto the field.
[Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan] x2
[ATK 1800]
[Gateway of the Six, Counters: 2→6]
Once all the monsters were out, Fujiwara locked his gaze on Yusaku, madness flickering in his eyes.
"Next, I'll let you witness the strongest monster in my Deck!"
With that, he swept his arm out and shouted in a voice like a dragon's roar:
"I use the Link-2 [Battle Shogun of the Six Samurai], one [Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan], and [Legendary Lord Six Samurai - Kizan] on my field as Link Material!"
The moment his words fell, an enormous Link Circuit slowly unfolded high above the field, radiating an aura that made people's hearts tremble.
"Link Summon, Link-5 — [Borrelend Dragon]!!!"
As the declaration echoed, the four monsters turned into four blazing beams of light and shot into the Link Circuit in the sky.
[→][→][→][→][→]
Five Link Arrows lit up one after another with dazzling brilliance. The booming clash of energy was deafening, making the entire dojo tremble faintly.
A moment later, a colossal mechanical dragon, bristling with dozens of heavy weapons and clad in composite alloy armor, crashed down from the circuit. The shockwave of its landing blasted the onlookers back several steps, and the floor split open in a deep crack where it struck.
[Borrelend Dragon]
[Link-5 / Dragon / Link / Effect]
[ATK 3500]
Seeing the mechanical dragon now on the field, Yusaku raised an eyebrow, curious.
"So this is that 'powerful monster' your senior lent you?"
At that, Fujiwara let out a cold laugh, his tone full of smugness.
"That's right! This is one of the trump cards my senior lent me. Its effect is way beyond your imagination!"
"This monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, it cannot be targeted by card effects, and once per turn, each card can declare an attack on every one of your monsters once!"
Hearing that, the Flame Wolf Dojo students couldn't help but gasp in shock.
Can't be destroyed by battle or effects, can't be targeted at all!? What kind of broken protection is that?
And on top of that, it can attack all of the opponent's monsters once each per turn. Was this effect actually serious?
They mentally put themselves in Yusaku's place, and all came to the same conclusion: if they were the ones on the field right now, they would have no way to deal with this thing.
But Yusaku's reaction baffled them even more.
The moment Fujiwara announced the monster's effects, Yusaku not only didn't panic, he actually stroked his chin and examined the mechanical dragon with interest, as if this so-called broken effect was nothing special to him.
Fujiwara also noticed how calm Yusaku was, and his brows immediately knotted.
"Did you not hear a word of the effect I just read out?"
Yusaku glanced at him, amused.
"I heard you. So what?"
Fujiwara: "?"
Fujiwara snorted, forcing down the unease rising in his chest, and ground out,
"[Borrelend Dragon] has a massive 3500 ATK and near-immortal protection. Ordinary monsters can't touch it! I really want to see what you'll do about it once it's your turn!"
"Once it's my turn, you'll naturally find out."
Yusaku's tone stayed mild.
"And more than this monster, what I'm really curious about is this: why didn't your senior come himself?"
"To deal with a scrub from the lower districts like you, there's no need for him to lift a finger!" Fujiwara sneered, his voice dripping disdain. "My senior is ranked in the top twenty of the Academy. His stage is in the Central District. He doesn't have time to waste on trash like you!"
"As for you, I alone am more than enough."
With that, he drew out a card from his hand and slapped it hard onto his Duel Disk.
"I activate the Spell Card [Pot of Desires]! Its effect: I return 5 monsters from my Graveyard to the Deck, then draw 2 cards!"
Fujiwara revealed the five cards in his Graveyard, sending them back into the Deck.
"I return the three copies of [Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan], [Tactical Trainer of the Six Samurai], and [Anarchist Monk of the Six Samurai] from my Graveyard to the Deck, then draw 2 cards from my Deck!"
After drawing, he flipped up another card in his Graveyard.
"The effect of [Legendary Lord Six Samurai - Kizan] can be activated if I control 2 or more 'Six Samurai' monsters on my field. I can Special Summon this card from my Graveyard."
"I currently control [Legendary Lord Six Samurai - Shi En] and [Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En], so the condition is fulfilled. I can Special Summon this from the Graveyard!"
"Come forth, [Legendary Lord Six Samurai - Kizan]!"
[Legendary Lord Six Samurai - Kizan]
[ATK 1800]
"Next I activate the Spell Card [Monster Reborn], and revive the Level 2 Tuner monster [Tactical Trainer of the Six Samurai] from my Graveyard!"
[Tactical Trainer of the Six Samurai]
[ATK 200]
[Gateway of the Six, Counters: 6→10]
The instant the monster appeared, Fujiwara barked an order.
"I tune the [Tactical Trainer of the Six Samurai] I just Summoned with [Legendary Lord Six Samurai - Kizan]!"
"Synchro Summon! Level 8 — [Borreload Savage Dragon]!!!"
Synchro light poured down like a waterfall. A dragon covered in dense arrays of gun-barrels burst through the radiance, its body exuding the aura of sheer destruction.
[Borreload Savage Dragon]
[Level 8 / Dragon / Synchro / Effect]
[ATK 3000]
The moment Borreload Savage Dragon appeared, Fujiwara immediately triggered its effect.
"When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can target 1 Link Monster in my Graveyard, equip it to this card as an Equip Spell, then place a number of Borrel Counters on this card equal to that monster's Link Rating, and this card gains half that monster's ATK!"
"I target [Battle Shogun of the Six Samurai] with 1000 ATK in my Graveyard and equip it!"
The Shogun's spectral form shattered into pieces of armor and attached themselves to the savage dragon's body, its ATK shooting up by 500 points.
[Borreload Savage Dragon]
[Counters: 0→2]
[ATK 3000→3500]
Scarlet mist surged across the field in an instant, and a crimson hurricane whipped up around them.
From within the blood-red fog stepped a figure clad in red armor, each movement radiating killing intent. In his scarlet eyes gleamed a biting, razor-sharp will, like a blade forged a thousand times over but still waiting to be drawn.
[Great Shogun Shien]
[Level 7 / Warrior / Effect]
[ATK 2500]
After bringing the monster out, Fujiwara drew another card and slapped it face-down into his Spell & Trap Zone.
"I Set one card and end my turn!"
Once he finished Setting, he crossed his arms and looked at Yusaku with absolute confidence.
"Now, let me introduce the effects of the monsters on my field."
"[Borrelend Dragon], like I said, can't be destroyed by battle or card effects, it can't be targeted, and it can attack all of your monsters once each."
"[Borreload Savage Dragon] can negate monster, Spell, or Trap effects."
"[Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En] can negate Spell or Trap effects and then destroy them."
"[Legendary Lord Six Samurai - Shi En] can negate monster effects."
"And [Great Shogun Shien], as long as it remains face-up on the field, your Spell/Trap activations are limited to once per turn."
Fujiwara's lips curled in a sneer.
"I have full lock and full disruption. Let's see how you plan to break this board."
Yusaku just smiled lightly.
"Then watch closely."
"My turn. Draw!"
He drew his card, glanced at it, and froze for a moment, then immediately turned it to show Fujiwara.
"Looks like this card really likes me."
Fujiwara frowned.
"What do you mean by that…"
Before he could finish asking, his pupils suddenly constricted, and he cried out without thinking:
"[Lava Golem]!?"
"That's right. Just now you were asking how I intended to remove your [Borrelend Dragon], weren't you? I'll show you right now."
Yusaku slammed the card from his hand forward.
"I Tribute your [Borrelend Dragon] and [Great Shogun Shien] on your field, and Special Summon the Level 8 powerhouse [Lava Golem] to your field!!!"
"???"
The students behind Fujiwara were all stunned.
The scene unfolding in front of them triggered a powerful sense of déjà vu.
Blazing flames erupted from nowhere, surging like a tidal wave of magma that engulfed the two monsters on Fujiwara's field.
With the shriek of twisted metal, the monsters melted away inside the swirling crimson pillar of fire. The tide of flame rolled skyward, scattering into a rain of brilliant, lethal fire.
A giant's silhouette, wreathed in roaring flames, crashed down behind Fujiwara. Every step it took fractured the virtual ground into glowing magma cracks. The iron cage fused to its chest glowed a dark, hellish red, locking the titan in place.
Because it was a holographic projection, the giant looked as though it had walked straight through the solid wall, the heat distortion around it warping the surrounding air, the floor itself glowing red from the reflected light.
[Lava Golem]
[Level 8 / Fiend / Effect]
[ATK 3000]
Seeing this monster hit the field, the students behind Yusaku also froze for a moment, then broke into barely contained laughter.
"I don't know why, but I feel like I've seen this exact scene somewhere before!"
"To the brother who asked earlier whether this really happened: no need to doubt it. This absolutely did happen. It's just that the Deck Fujiwara used last time is now in Yusaku-senpai's hands."
"I'm dying here. No matter how much he changes his Deck, Fujiwara still can't escape getting punished by this thing!"
Fujiwara glared at the Lava Golem on his field, his face as dark as ink. He clenched his fists, then stared at Yusaku.
"So you're still using the same Deck you used when you Dueled me before?"
Yusaku flicked a glance at his face-down card.
"What, trying to scout information? I don't mind telling you. This Deck is incredibly strong whether it goes first or second."
Fujiwara snorted.
"So it's still that Deck. But things won't play out the way they did last time. Back then, once you tributed my monsters, I didn't have a single negation left on the field. But now I've still got three disruptions. This time, you're not touching me."
"That's not necessarily true."
Yusaku raised the card in his hand.
"I activate the Trap Card [Infinite Impermanence]!"
"I can activate this card from my hand if I control no cards. I target 1 face-up monster you control; its effects are negated until the end of this turn."
He pointed straight ahead.
"I target your [Legendary Lord Six Samurai - Shi En]. Its effects are negated until the end of the turn."
"A hand-activated negation Trap?" Fujiwara frowned slightly, then snapped his arm out.
"Then I chain to your effect and activate the effect of [Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En]!"
"Once per turn, when your opponent activates a Spell/Trap, I can negate that activation and destroy it."
"That's exactly what I was waiting for you to do." Yusaku suddenly cut in, his voice snapping like a whip.
Fujiwara: "??"
(End of Chapter)
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