Shuuichi staggered slightly from the impact of the holograms, then quickly steadied himself, trying to maintain the calm air of a seasoned expert. "This level of damage is nothing."
"Effect of Don Zaloog. When it inflicts battle damage, your opponent randomly discards one card from their hand."
"Nani?!?" Shuuichi was startled and immediately tensed up again.
He had two cards in hand, both searched by 'Verdant Sanctuary'. One was Pinch Hopper, and the other was Doom Dozer, which was also the Tamashii of his Deck. That meant there was a one in two chance that his very Tamashii would be taken out by this shot.
"That will not do!" Shuuichi shouted. "Flip my face-down card, Trap Card-Sixth Sense! Declare two numbers between one and six, and have my opponent roll a die. If the result matches either declared number, I draw that many cards from my Deck. If it does not match, I send that many cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard!"
Just hearing the effect made it obvious this was an old forbidden card. If it hit, it was pure Card Draw from the Deck, and if it missed, it still dumped cards without discrimination, a violent trap with no real downside. Compared to the anime-only Card Draw engines that would never be printed without heavy nerfs, this card almost felt tame.
Yugen realized he might be getting used to this world. Seeing cards once worshiped on forbidden lists no longer inspired the awe they once did.
"I declare numbers five and six," Shuuichi said. Those were the usual choices, since the odds were the same no matter what, but the payoff was highest if they hit. With two numbers counting as success, the chance was one in three.
The die rolled and stopped on five. "Very good, then I draw five cards!"
Five cards were added to his hand in an instant, something Yugen was already used to seeing. His Tamashii was now mixed among them, turning the odds into one in seven.
The gun fired, and Don Zaloog's shot punched a hole through one of the cards. "Hahahaha, it missed!" Shuuichi threw his head back and laughed, casually sending the pierced card to the Graveyard. "What a shame. Looks like luck is on my side today. Next turn, I will call forth my Tamashii, demon."
By then, Yugen had already ended the Battle Phase. He calmly drew another card and cut off the chant.
"Spell Card 'Confiscation'. Pay 1000 Life Points to look at your opponent's hand and choose one card to discard."
The senior's hearty laughter stopped cold.
[Yugen, LP 4000 to LP 3000]
"Come on, senior, show me your hand," Yugen said politely. Shuichi Watanabe clenched his teeth, his facial muscles twitching, before finally revealing his hand with a grim expression. It was the look of someone whose Tamashii had been completely exposed.
"Then please discard your Tamashii, senior," Yugen requested with courtesy. Shuuichi painfully pulled out his beloved ace and threw it into the Graveyard, his slow movements and expression looking almost constipated.
"But My Turn! is not over yet." Yugen unhurriedly produced another card from his hand.
"I will continue by activating this card from my hand. Continuous Spell, Insect Barrier. As long as this card remains on the field, all Insect-Type monsters on my opponent's field cannot declare an attack."
Shuichi Watanabe nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Even many spectators in the stands sucked in a sharp breath.
You really never planned to let the opponent Duel at all, did you?
"Are you serious," Shuichi Watanabe muttered. At this moment, he finally began to understand why this person had chosen him without hesitation as a challenge target. It was not courage, nor the will to challenge a peak.
He had picked him simply because he thought he was the easiest to bully.
"I set two more cards and end my turn." Yugen declared, waited a moment, and when there was no response, tilted his head and kindly reminded him, "It is your turn now, senior."
Senior, why are you not using Card Draw? Do you not want to draw?
Shuuichi clenched his teeth. "My Turn!." He was already thinking that the Duel Department would need to add a new rule in the future. Not only students from Osiris Red were forbidden from applying, even dogs would not be allowed.
With an insect barrier on the opponent's field, his entire Deck offense was locked down. On top of that, there were now three face-down cards in the opponent's back row, counting the one set on the first turn. After what he had just seen, he did not even dare imagine what those face-down cards might be.
At a moment like this, the one card in his Deck that could save him from despair was finally drawn. "Card Draw!"
Pouring all his rage and every reckless Duel impulse into this single, decisive draw, he created a miracle. "Spell Card-Heavy Storm!"
The instant Shuichi Watanabe raised the card, a violent storm swept across the entire field. "Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field!"
"Heavy Storm! Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field!"
The violent wind swept across the arena in an instant. The defensive line of "Insect Barrier" on Yugen's field collapsed, and the three set cards in his back row were all torn up by the storm together. The field was left bare under the howling gusts.
"Then at the moment of destruction, I chain and activate one Trap Card card, 'No Entry!!'. Change all attack position monsters on the field to defense position," Shuichi Watanabe said loudly. "I use this effect to switch 'Don Zaloog' to defense position."
[Don Zaloog, ATK 1400 → DEF 1500]
Among the other traps that were swept away, one lingering afterimage before it shattered clearly showed a red pit. Even a brief glimpse of that departing Bottomless Trap Hole made the spectators shiver, and it strengthened the thought that they definitely did not want to sit across the table from someone like this.
"The other set card you destroyed just now was the Spell Card 'Spell Calling'," Yugen said calmly. "When this card is destroyed by an opponent's effect and sent to the Graveyard, I can choose two Spell Card from my Deck and set them on my field. (ANIME EFFECT)"
This was the same Spell Card that Judai Yuki had used in the anime. After being printed as a real card, it was weakened to only search one Quick-Play Spell, instead of freely choosing two spells. Even so, while the condition of being destroyed by the opponent was a bit troublesome, selecting two Spell Card was still a very strong effect.
"I add these two cards from my Deck."
Yugen drew out the two cards that popped from his Deck. He placed them face-down with steady movements, showing no sign of hesitation.
"I set the Spell Card 'Reinforcement of the Army' and the Spell Card 'Monster Reborn' on the field."
"But that means you have no Enemy Controller and no traps left!" Shuichi Watanabe shouted. "I activate the effect of 'Hell Centipede' in my hand. If my opponent controls a monster and I control none, I can halve its original ATK and Summon it without tributes. I Summon 'Hell Centipede'! (ANIME EFFECT)"
[Hell Centipede, ATK 1300]
"Then I use the Equip Spell 'Axe of Fools'!" Shuichi Watanabe continued. "The equipped monster gains 1000 ATK and its effects are negated. With Hell Centipede's effect negated, the drawback of its special summoning is removed, so its ATK returns to 2600. After the boost from Axe of Fools, it rises to 3600!"
[Hell Centipede, ATK 1300 → ATK 3600]
"Next, I activate another Equip Spell, 'Nitro Unit'," Shuuichi said. "This card can only equip to an opponent's monster. When that equipped monster is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, it inflicts damage equal to its ATK to its controller. (ANIME EFFECT) I equip 'Nitro Unit' to 'Don Zaloog'!"
The defending Don Zaloog was instantly bound with an explosive canister, its rough face looking utterly hopeless. The setup was clear and brutal, leaving little room to breathe.
"Hell Centipede, attack 'Don Zaloog'!"
[Don Zaloog, DEF 1500]