novelAlta Chapter 701 - 701
Chapter 701 - 701
"!!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ Huh?! You ate the wrong thing—spit it back out!"Akasha froze in complete confusion. Before she could even understand what had happened, the glow of the Zoodiac Drident card on her Duel Disk mercilessly faded away.
[Zoodiac Drident] Destroyed
Activating the effect of Proof of the King, Naglfar declared:
"Effect of Proof of the King—if Naglfar, Generaider Boss of Fire would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can choose a Beast-Warrior monster on your opponent's field to be destroyed instead!"
Uria stared in disbelief.
"You're saying… Akasha's Zoodiac Drident was destroyed by its own effect?!"
"And after the monster used as the destruction substitute is sent to the Graveyard," Naglfar continued, "both players draw 2 cards from their Decks."
At first glance, it sounded like decent compensation. But if both sides replenished their resources equally, then Akasha—who had been forced to sacrifice her monster against her will—was obviously the one taking the greater loss.
"If Beast-Warrior monsters on Akasha's field are forcibly used as destruction substitutes," Alexis frowned, "then as long as she controls Zoodiacs, doesn't that mean she can never destroy Naglfar?"
The Proof of the King granted absolute dominance over battles involving the same race. Even the Beast-Warrior-type Zoodiacs were no exception.
"Then can't she just use the same strategy as last turn?" Minazuki suggested. "If she does the dragon-and-serpent combo again, shouldn't she still be able to banish the Flame King?"
"No, the chances are low." Bastion shook his head.
"Leaving aside the fact that Whiptail and Drident are already in the Graveyard, the revived Naglfar now has way too much ATK thanks to Proof of the King."
Just as everyone was struggling to find a way around the effect of Proof of the King, Naglfar flipped up the Spell Card he had searched last turn.
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card Fire Formation – Tenki! As part of its activation effect, I add Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear from my Deck to my hand, and then Normal Summon it in Attack Position!"
Within the blazing duel field, another Beast-Warrior monster representing the Fire Fist stepped forth.
[Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear ★★★★ (Level 4)][FIRE][Beast-Warrior/Effect][ATK 1600/DEF 1200]
"Fire Fist - Bear, reporting for battle!"
Drawing the flaming blade from his waist, the manifested Fire Fist - Bear eagerly prepared for combat.
At the same time, because the number of Beast-Warrior monsters on the field and in the Graveyard increased, Naglfar, Generaider Boss of Fire's ATK rose by another 1000 points.
[Naglfar, Generaider Boss of Fire ATK 5100 → 6100]
"So it really is another Water Margin monster…" Bastion muttered with a deep frown. "The combination of Proof of the King and the Fire Fist is seriously troublesome…"
More than anything, the fact that he couldn't think of any way to counter Proof of the King made him increasingly anxious.
"Effect of Fire Fist - Bear—!"
[Once per turn: You can send 1 face-up "Fire Formation" Spell/Trap you control to the Graveyard, then target 1 monster on the field; destroy it.]
"After sending Fire Formation – Tenki to the Graveyard, I destroy your Number 39: Utopia!"
With a blazing quick-draw slash too fast for the naked eye to follow, Fire Fist - Bear infused the power of the Fire Formation into his blade, shattering the ground itself as he unleashed a cleaving strike.
"I activate my Set Continuous Trap—Xyz Tribalrivals!"
Akasha flipped her Set card, using the Xyz light emitted from Utopia's blade to directly intercept the flaming slash.
[Xyz Tribalrivals Continuous Trap Effect: While this card remains on the field, Xyz Monsters with 2 or more Xyz Materials cannot be destroyed by card effects.]
"Since Number 39: Utopia still has two Zoodiac Ratpier attached as Xyz Materials, it cannot be destroyed by card effects!"
The radiant light and flaming blade collided and canceled each other out, leaving Utopia standing firm on the battlefield.
"So the human female used a Trap to stop it…" Naglfar growled. "But before my natural disaster, such resistance is far too weak!"
At the same time the Continuous Trap was revealed, berserk power surged through the two Beast-Warrior monsters on Naglfar's field.
"—Continuous Trap Card Fire Formation - Kaiyo!"
[Continuous Trap Effect: During the turn this card is activated, if a Beast-Warrior-Type monster you control attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent. All Beast-Warrior-Type monsters you control gain 300 ATK.]
[Naglfar, Generaider Boss of Fire ATK 6100 → 6400]
[Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear ATK 1600 → 1900]
"And finally—Equip Spell Card Infernoble Arms - Hauteclere!!"
The intensely blazing holy sword materialized as an Equip Spell in the gigantic claw of Naglfar.
[Equip Spell Effect: Target 1 face-up monster you control. This turn, only that monster can declare attacks, and it can attack twice during each Battle Phase. Then destroy this card.]
"This is bad…" Blair panicked instantly. "A Continuous Trap that grants piercing damage, combined with an Equip Card that gives two attacks…!"
"With 6400 ATK, if it attacks Utopia and the Zoodiacs with 0 DEF…" Jaden grimly completed the sentence.
"The entire duel will turn around instantly. Akasha's Life Points will be wiped out in one go."
And yet, the strange feeling lingering in Jaden's heart only grew stronger.
Even though Akasha's chain of Zoodiac Xyz Summons and Utopia's finishing slash had looked flashy and spectacular…
Jaden still felt like something was missing.
Something absolutely essential.
"Before the calamity of the Flame King's world-burning holy sword… be completely annihilated!!!"
Swinging the blazing holy sword in its gigantic flaming claw, Naglfar targeted Akasha's Zoodiac monsters with their 0 DEF using its piercing attack.
"—This isn't right, Akasha!"
Finally realizing the true source of the unease, Jaden shouted toward the fiery duel field.
"This shouldn't be your duel, Akasha!"
"J-Jaden-sama?" Blair blinked in confusion.
"What Zoodiac combo lines, nonstop Xyz stacking, or that unbelievably cool ace monster—none of that is what matters here!"
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Even Minazuki couldn't understand what Jaden was trying to say at a moment like this.
"What I mean is… what I mean is…"
Perhaps because he was too desperate, Jaden struggled for a moment before finally managing to put his true feelings into words.
"—This isn't supposed to be your duel style, Akasha! No matter how flashy or cool the combo is, the Akasha I know should be even stronger than this! You're supposed to bury the opponent under endless traps and beat them into total senselessness!"
"Jaden…"
Looking toward Jaden shouting from beyond the wavering wall of flames, Akasha suddenly felt the urge to laugh.
Not out of mockery. More like… the kind of smile that appears when, for some inexplicable reason, an idiot actually understands you.
Or perhaps… having someone who truly understood you didn't feel so bad after all.
"You idiot. I'm not at the point where I need you lecturing me yet!" Akasha shot back as she flipped over a face-down card. "Since that's how it is, then watch carefully and learn! Today I'll show you exactly how traps break through this hellfire of natural disaster!"
"—Continuous Trap activated: Hyper Blaze!"
"OOOHHHH!" Uria cried out excitedly. This was clearly the card she had slipped into Akasha's Deck before the duel began. "Is it finally my turn to shine?!"
"No, it's my turn!" Raviel clenched her fists excitedly as demonic energy surged from her body.
[Trap Card Effect: Once per turn: You can discard 1 card; add to your hand or Special Summon 1 "Uria, Lord of Searing Flames", "Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder", or "Raviel, Lord of Phantasms" from your GY, ignoring its Summoning conditions.]
"I discard one card, then Special Summon Raviel, Lord of Phantasms from my Graveyard, ignoring its Summoning conditions!"
Raviel: "Bow before the strongest Phantom Demon!"
Her cute girl form instantly transformed into the gigantic, terrifying Phantom Demon Emperor, towering on the field at a size rivaling Naglfar itself.
[Raviel, Lord of Phantasms ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][DARK][Fiend/Effect][ATK 4000/DEF 4000]
"So this is humanity's so-called strongest Phantom Demon? Pathetically weak," Naglfar mocked.
"Yeah, it totally can't win at all!" Hamon pointed out. "Raviel's ATK is completely overwhelmed."
Akasha smiled mysteriously.
"Summoning the Phantom Demons isn't the real goal. My true objective… is sending Makyura the Destructor to the Graveyard through the Trap effect!"
[Effect: During the turn this card is sent to the Graveyard, its owner can activate Trap Cards from the hand.]
"Because of Makyura the Destructor's effect, I can activate the Trap Card in my hand—[Mirror Force]!"
"Huh?!" Syrus couldn't understand. "If Akasha had that Trap in her hand, why didn't she Set it last turn instead of keeping it there?"
"No," Bastion analyzed calmly. "She didn't have it in her hand last turn. She drew it during the opponent's turn—one of the two cards added by Proof of the King."
"She activated a Trap Card she drew during the opponent's turn…! Now that's Akasha's duel style!" Jaden shouted excitedly.
Thanks to Makyura the Destructor's effect, the successfully activated Mirror Force caused Naglfar's blazing greatsword—just before it could strike the Zoodiacs—to be blocked by holy light.
"A useless barrier cannot stop natural disaster! As destruction replacement by effect, I destroy Fire Fist - Bear on my field!"
Rather than using Akasha's last remaining Zoodiac monster as the destruction replacement, Naglfar instead devoured the Fire Fist - Bear engulfed in Mirror Force's holy radiance.
Alexis frowned.
"Well, his own monster would've been destroyed by Mirror Force anyway… so he chose to sacrifice it immediately."
The shattered barrier proved Naglfar's words true. The shield hadn't completely stopped the slash capable of rivaling a catastrophic disaster.
Pulling out one of the Overlay Units beneath Number 39: Utopia, Akasha activated its Xyz effect.
"Then I'll use Utopia's power to sever this disaster itself!!"
[When either player's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate that attack.]
Behind the holy barrier, another shield formed—this one woven from Utopia's radiant light. At the very last instant, Utopia drew its blade and collided head-on with the massive Flame Holy Sword, negating the nearly fatal strike.
"Don't forget—Infernoble Arms – Hauteclere lets the equipped monster attack twice!"
Naglfar swung the flaming greatsword once more, clashing violently against Utopia. The resulting shockwaves spread across the entire Duel Academy island.
It was a collision born from two opposing powers—catastrophe and hope.
"Magnificent!"
Infernoble Arms – Hauteclere shattered apart in Naglfar's hand. Having fully enjoyed the clash, the giant finally spoke words of genuine praise.
"Only battles like this deserve to be utterly incinerated! I set all remaining cards and end my turn. Your move, human!"
[Naglfar: 0 Hand Cards | 3 Set Cards]
"My turn, draw!"
Without intending to show any restraint either, Akasha replenished her hand to three cards at the start of her turn and immediately activated a Spell Card.
"I activate Monster Reincarnation from my hand!"
"Muda! I chain to Monster Reincarnation and activate the Continuous Trap—Imperial Order!"
[Continuous Trap Effect: Negate all Spell effects on the field. Once per turn, during the Standby Phase, you must pay 700 LP (this is not optional), or this card is destroyed.]
"Then I chain to your Continuous Trap with another Continuous Trap—Unending Nightmare!"
Refusing to back down, Akasha flipped over the third Continuous Trap in her back row and immediately paid 1000 Life Points.
[Unending Nightmare Continuous Trap Effect: Pay 1000 LP, then target 1 face-up Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy it.]
[Akasha LP 8000 → 7000]
"By chaining and destroying your Imperial Order, the effect of Monster Reincarnation resolves successfully!"
[Monster Reincarnation Spell Effect: Discard 1 card, then target 1 monster in your Graveyard; add it to your hand.]
"I discard Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder from my hand to add Executioner Makyura back to my hand! Then I activate Hyper Blaze again—discard Makyura and revive Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder from the Graveyard!"
Through that entire sequence, Akasha not only discarded and revived Hamon, but also discarded Executioner Makyura again to trigger its effect once more, allowing her to activate Trap Cards from her hand this turn.
Hamon: "I-Is it finally my turn…? O-Okay!"
Taking a deep breath to encourage herself, Hamon instantly transformed into her thunder-roaring Sacred Beast form.
[Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][LIGHT][Thunder/Effect][ATK 4000/DEF 4000]
"And now for the last one!"
Raising her final card amidst the swirling flames, Akasha immediately chose the three Continuous Traps in her back row and sent them to the Graveyard.
"I offer the Continuous Traps Hyper Blaze, Xyz Tribalrivals, and Unending Nightmare as Tributes! Let the divine flames of the Phantom Demons erupt amidst this catastrophe! Special Summon—Uria, Lord of Searing Flames!"
[Uria, Lord of Searing Flames ★★★★★★★★★★ (Level 10)][FIRE][Pyro/Effect][ATK 0/DEF 0]
Sacred flames erupted amidst the inferno, and with Uria's successful Summon, all three Phantom Demons gathered on Akasha's field at once.
"Uria, Lord of Searing Flames gains ATK equal to the number of Trap Cards in my Graveyard ×1000!"
Pulling out every Trap Card in her Graveyard, Akasha transformed them all into power for the Divine Flame Emperor.
"I have seven Traps in my Graveyard!"
[Uria, Lord of Searing Flames ATK: 0 → 7000]
"And now… my ATK is higher!"