Chapter 324: A No.100 Copied by Eva [2-in-1]
Kaiba Chiha's face had gone nearly green from holding it in, but there was no way around the rules. She had no choice but to hand Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, found and pulled from her own deck, straight over into Amano Rei's hands.
"I really misjudged you, Amano Rei!" Chiha forced the words out through gritted teeth as she handed the card over.
"Saying that now just proves you still haven't judged me right, Chiha." Taking the card, Amano Rei flung out a second Spell Card, this one costing him Life Points.
"Spell Card, Magic Fitting Room, activate! Pay 800 Life Points, flip the top 4 cards of my Deck, and Special Summon any Level 3 or lower Normal Monsters among them!"
Amano Rei LP: 3000 to 2200
On the very first turn, going first, Amano Rei had already sacrificed nearly half his own Life Points, flipping four cards in a row.
[Yuyu]
[Priestess Who Receives the Star Chalice]
[Giant Soldier of Stone]
[Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring]
"Alright, I Special Summon Yuyu, Priestess Who Receives the Star Chalice, and Giant Soldier of Stone to my field in Defense Position!"
Feeling his own bond with his deck growing steadily deeper, what used to reliably net Amano Rei two hits out of four flips had now evolved into an efficient three-out-of-four Special Summon.
[Yuyu] [DEF: 100]
[Priestess Who Receives the Star Chalice] [DEF: 2100]
[Giant Soldier of Stone] [DEF: 2000]
Eve: "(oDo) That rock's DEF is actually higher than mine? Am I really that stiff?"
Even Konami knew the difference between the hardness of rock and sheet metal.
"I'll also activate the Spell Card Price of the Bone Horse, sending the Normal Monster Eve to the Graveyard to draw two more cards from my Deck!"
Before Eve could even finish being shocked, a horse skeleton dropped from above and knocked her clean out, sending her to the graveyard. The unremarkable priestess turned straight into a nice, fragrant draw for Amano Rei.
"And now I release Yuyu and Giant Soldier of Stone as tributes for an Advance Summon in Attack Position!"
"Galaxy shining in the darkness, become a light of hope and dwell within me! Embodiment of light, descend here now!"
"Show yourself! Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"
[Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon] [Level 8 LIGHT]
[Dragon/Effect]
[ATK: 3000] [DEF: 2500]
"Roar!"
Slamming Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, poached straight out of Kaiba Chiha's own deck, down onto his Duel Disk through an Advance Summon, the radiant light of the galaxy, a symbol of everything Xyz stood for, roared to life first on Amano Rei's side of the field, right there at Synchro Academy.
"Damn it, that's my Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"
"Watch your wording, Chiha. It's mine now."
At the very end of his turn, Amano Rei placed two more cards face down on his Duel Disk.
"I set two cards. Turn end!"
Just as Amano Rei was opening his hand, a stir rippled through the crowd of students gathered at the central plaza.
Yuma Tsukumo, Xyz Academy's No. 1, currently ranked first in the entire academy standings, had made a rare, unexpected public appearance.
Even most of Xyz Academy's own students almost never crossed paths with this fifth-year senior, but Yuma Tsukumo's legendary reputation had long since echoed across every corner of Academy City.
The crowd of gathered students naturally parted a path for Yuma, letting him walk straight up to the very front row to watch.
"Yuma Tsukumo?"
Standing in that same front row, Kaiba Chiaki also noticed the elusive, legendary figure from Xyz Academy.
"A busy man usually locked entirely onto Chronicle strategy. What brings you out into a scene like this today?"
Yuma smiled evenly. "However busy I might be, there's no way I could outdo President Kaiba. If you took the time to come watch, shouldn't I care at least a little about my own kohai's revenge match?"
"If it isn't senior Yuma! Long time no see!" Catching the scent of money in the air, Rin Seiya immediately swooped in. "Since you're here to watch, why not place a bet? Who are you betting on, and how much?"
A duel like this, lacking any official academy oversight and mostly drawing a self-organized crowd of spectators, was naturally never complete without Rin Seiya's own personal little "betting pool" running on the side.
"Oh, interesting. I'll bet 5000, then."
"As expected of senior Yuma, way more generous than the other students. 5000 on Kaiba Chiha winning, got it, I'll mark that down. Scan here to pay."
"No. I'm betting all in on Amano Rei winning."
"Wait, shouldn't you be betting on your own academy?" Rin Seiya's smile froze on the spot.
These students' money really was getting harder and harder to swindle lately.
Back during the Class E versus Class A challenge, since everyone had bet on Class A winning and it turned into a massive upset instead, Rin Seiya, having quietly bet everything on Class E alone, had cleaned up.
But this time, with most people betting on Amano Rei to win, Rin Seiya was only looking at a thin, hard-earned cut.
"Of course I want our own Xyz Academy to win. But if she doesn't, at least I can still make a little money out of it, can't I?"
"Were you always this level-headed, senior Yuma?"
"Hahaha, people change, you know."
Yuma smiled and scanned 5000 Eva points straight into Rin Seiya's payment code.
"My turn, draw!"
The turn changed hands, with Kaiba Chiha opening her own second-move turn.
"Amano Rei, back during that team duel in District 32, I actually thought you weren't such a bad guy. I could just about draw a card and kill myself over how wrong I was back then!"
"Chiha, don't be so hard on yourself."
"To protect big sister, I have to be hard on myself!"
"Protect me?" Standing in the front row, Kaiba Chiaki naturally caught every word of their exchange.
She heard it, but she didn't understand it. What did a duel between Chiha and Amano Rei have to do with protecting her?
Or did that "big sister" actually mean Yui?
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card Galaxy Hundred!"
Kaiba Chiha placed the Continuous Spell in the back row of her Duel Disk.
[Galaxy Hundred] [Continuous Spell Card: As a resolution of this card's own activation, you can send 1 "Photon" or "Galaxy" card from your Deck to the Graveyard.]
"By Galaxy Hundred's activation effect, I send Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard!"
Even though Amano Rei had already poached one Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon straight out of her deck, judging by how the entrance exam duel had gone, Kaiba Chiha's deck held a full three copies of Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card Monster Reborn, reviving the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon I just sent to the Graveyard!"
"The instant you activate Monster Reborn, I chain the effect of a monster card in my hand!"
Amano Rei sent one of the Hand Trap Six Sisters, which had shown up right in his opening hand, to the Graveyard, activating its effect.
"Go, Fleeting Dogwood's effect, activate!"
[Activate during either player's turn by discarding this card from your hand. The following effect applies for the rest of this turn:
Each time your opponent Special Summons an Effect Monster during their Main Phase or Battle Phase, you recover Life Points equal to that monster's ATK.]
"By Fleeting Dogwood's effect, every time you Special Summon, I recover Life Points, including this Monster Reborn Special Summon right now!"
The adorable little white-haired nun flew into Amano Rei's graveyard, scattering the light of life across the field.
Functionally similar to Maxx "C," another hand trap tied to the opponent's Special Summons, though nowhere near as strong, recovering Life Points instead of drawing cards.
But Amano Rei's own verdict was simple: still better than nothing at all.
Bathed in Monster Reborn's holy cross of resurrection light, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon revived from Kaiba Chiha's graveyard, blazing back to life on the field.
[Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon] [ATK: 3000]
Amano Rei LP: 2200 to 5200
"You've actually got such an annoying monster effect tucked away, Amano Rei."
"If it's too annoying, feel free to surrender." Amano Rei kept up his diligent villain act, cranking the taunting up another notch.
"Don't make me laugh! What's coming next is Galaxy Hundred's real effect! Amano Rei, I know exactly what kind of power you're sitting on!"
[Galaxy Hundred] [Continuous Spell Card: Activate only if you control a Special Summoned "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon." Check your opponent's Extra Deck. Then apply 1 of the following effects:
Banish 1 monster from among them.
Special Summon 1 "No." monster from among them to your field.]
Kaiba Chiha still remembered clearly, from that team duel back in District 32 against Ivaliss, exactly which "No." monster Amano Rei had Summoned.
If she wanted to beat someone who'd even bested her own sister, she'd need to think outside the box, and turn Amano Rei's own power right back against him.
You like poaching my cards so much? Fine, now it's my turn to poach yours!
"Oh? Chiha, you're saying you know exactly what power I'm sitting on? You don't know a thing. Open your eyes wide and take a good look!"
Amano Rei flung his Extra Deck out forcefully, and through the Duel Disk's own projection, every single Dragon-type "No." card in it lined up, arrayed in full view right in front of Kaiba Chiha.
Even having braced herself for it, Kaiba Chiha was still floored by that entire "wall" of monster cards.
"How could there be, so many No. monsters?" Kaiba Chiha wasn't the only one caught off guard. Yuma Tsukumo, watching from the front row, was too.
"You've got to be kidding. There's even a No. 100 in there." Yuma's brow furrowed. "Eva's own copy of it? Based on the data left over in the historical record, has the mainframe actually gone and recreated a No. 100 too? Eva really doesn't hold back, does she."
Right now, Kaiba Chiha was getting a taste of the same shock Jinguuji Ryoushuu had felt back during the academy challenge tournament, seeing Amano Rei's Extra Deck for the first time.
But unlike Ryoushuu, who'd helped stack Amano Rei's graveyard in what amounted to a self-destructive gambit, Kaiba Chiha's own Galaxy Hundred worked by Special Summoning a monster straight out of Amano Rei's Extra Deck onto her own field instead.
Which meant it didn't matter how huge his Extra Deck actually was!
Kaiba Chiha swept a finger across the wall of "No." monsters in front of her, resolutely picking her target.
The strongest "No." Amano Rei had Summoned in their own team duel together.
Shattering time and space, shattering the galaxy itself, the chaotic code of a data dimension torn apart, this time, it would serve her instead!
"Pierce through and reverse the galaxy, awaken before the birth of time, dragon of stars that transcends eternity itself!"
"Appear now, tyrant who suppresses time!"
"Rank 9! Chaos No. 107 Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon!"
[Chaos No. 107 Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon] [Level 9 LIGHT]
[Dragon/Xyz/Effect]
[ATK: 4500] [DEF: 3000]
[3 Level 9 monsters]
The golden radiance of the tyrant of time and space lit up the entire arena, and the ultimate triple dragon head representing chaos itself shattered its way out of Amano Rei's own Extra Deck, descending onto Kaiba Chiha's field instead.
"Of all things, she had to pick Chaos No. 107?" Amano Rei shook his head.
He had plenty of other genuinely useful Dragon-type "No." cards sitting in that same Extra Deck.
And while Chaos No. 107's effect was undeniably strong, it required detaching an Xyz Material to actually activate it.
Galaxy Hundred's Continuous Spell effect Special Summoned a "No." monster straight from the Extra Deck to the field, but it didn't attach any Xyz Material underneath it in the process.
Without any Xyz Material at all, Chaos No. 107 Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon was, at best, a vanilla body sitting at roughly Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's ATK level.
Well, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was basically vanilla to begin with too, so, fair enough.
"By Fleeting Dogwood's effect, when you Special Summon Chaos 107, I recover 4500 Life Points!"
Amano Rei LP: 5200 to 9700
"Whatever Life Points you keep recovering, I'm going to pour every last one of them straight back into you, Amano Rei! I activate the Spell Card Overlay Reborn!"
[Overlay Reborn] [Spell Card: Target 1 Xyz Monster on the field. Attach this card to the targeted monster as an Xyz Material.]
"I target Chaos No. 107 Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon, attaching Overlay Reborn underneath it as an Xyz Material! That means I can finally activate its effect!"
Kaiba Chiha raised her arm high, pointing straight up at the Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon towering in the sky above, and beneath the tyrant of time and space's golden radiance, even the little brat's own stature seemed to swell a little grander.
"Suppress time and space itself, Chaos No. 107!"
"Time Tyrant!!"
[Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to activate this effect. Negate the effects of all other face-up cards on the field until the End Phase. After this effect resolves, until the End Phase, activating any card on the field requires this card's controller's permission.]
As if someone had hit pause on the entire duel, in this sealed-off pocket of frozen space and time, only Kaiba Chiha would hold total control over every card effect for the rest of this turn.
"I chain the effect of Chaos No. 107 Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon!"
But right in that narrow gap before the tyrant's suppression could fully take hold, Amano Rei flipped up one of his set cards.
If Chaos No. 107's effect went through unopposed, every single card effect on his own field this turn would be locked out entirely. His only option was to exploit the chain rule's last-in-first-out timing, sneaking one more card effect through before time itself got suppressed.
"Trap Card, Damage Diet, activate! It halves all damage I take this turn!"
Paired with Fleeting Dogwood's healing, with Amano Rei currently sitting at 9700 Life Points, Kaiba Chiha would need to deal nearly twenty thousand points of damage just to break through.
For a moment, Amano Rei felt like he'd transformed into some ridiculous, oversized final boss with an absurdly long health bar.
"Damn it, I'll activate Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon's effect from my hand too! When a Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon is on the field, this card can Special Summon itself straight from my hand!"
With Chaos No. 107's effect now fully in play, every card effect on Amano Rei's own field locked away, all he could do was sit back and watch Kaiba Chiha's development play out.
[Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon] [ATK: 3000]
Not that watching meant he'd give up a single point of Life he was owed, though.
Fleeting Dogwood's healing wasn't a field effect, so Chaos No. 107 couldn't suppress it.
Amano Rei LP: 9700 to 12700
"I overlay the Level 8 Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon and Galaxy-Eyes Afterglow Dragon on my field to build an overlay network!"
"Appear! Light and dark wandering across the universe, dragons sleeping within the gap between them! Gather your power and open the gate of truth!"
"Xyz Summon! Rank 8! No. 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon!!"
[No. 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon] [Level 8 LIGHT]
[Dragon/Xyz/Effect]
[ATK: 4000] [DEF: 3000]
[2 Level 8 monsters]
Kaiba Chiha's own strongest Xyz Dragon, unleashed at full power, spread shimmering light wings and soared across the galaxy of the universe, finally standing shoulder to shoulder with the golden radiance of the tyrant of time and space.
"Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon and Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon on the same side of the field at once?" Watching the scene unfold, Yuma couldn't help but marvel. "Times really have changed, huh, Kite."
Amano Rei LP: 12700 to 16700
"Come on, hit me with everything you've got, Kaiba Chiha!"
And with the combined support of Damage Diet and Fleeting Dogwood, Amano Rei was effectively sitting on the equivalent of 33,400 Life Points right now.
Rin Seiya: "Kohai's's health bar is getting so long it's practically poking me in the face at this point."
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