"——Spirit Origin switch! Blow that pile of scrap metal to pieces, Jeanne Alter!"
Hoshino Alter waved her hand, signaling another assault. Jeanne Alter, her feet engulfed in crimson flames, drew her sword from her waist and pointed it straight at the unleashed Cyberdark Keel on the opposite side of the field.
[Jeanne Alter ATK 3800]
Commentator: "A new monster from Vivian. It may just look like a color swap, but that boost in attack power is very real!"
Clara nervously hugged Akasha's head, her face filled with confusion.
"Even if she switched to another Jeanne, Vivi's side still has the lower ATK. Why insist on attacking?"
Feeling as if fate had grabbed her by the head, Akasha sighed and guessed, "Since she already summoned the monster, maybe Nee-chan just doesn't want to lose momentum."
"What's the point of winning momentum if you lose the duel?! I'm winning both—momentum and the duel! Jeanne Alter's special effect activates!"
[Vivian LP 3950 → 1975]
"Pay half of your current Life Points, and until the end of the turn, Jeanne Alter's ATK increases by that amount!"
As her Life Points dropped, the device around Hoshino Alter's neck sparked violently, crackling with visible electric currents.
It seemed Da Vinci, knowing Hoshino couldn't convincingly act out the pain of losing LP, had simply cranked up the special effects so she'd look like she was being hit with a huge electric shock.
The terrifying visuals stunned the audience once again.
"I've never seen such strong electric currents before… that's gotta be like 100,000 volts, right? Is that even survivable for a human?"
"Da Vinci, darling, don't you think you're going a bit overboard...?"
[Jeanne Alter ATK 3800 → 5775]
With the boost from nearly 2000 Life Points, Jeanne Alter's attack power instantly surpassed that of Cyberdark Keel.
King smiled slightly. "In a duel to the death, you'd stake your life to push forward... I think I understand how you beat Leon now. However…"
He flipped up another face-down card. Clearly, King had prepared defensive measures to avoid taking damage.
"But you're still a rookie. Continuous Trap Card activate—[Spellbinding Circle]! Your attack is sealed!"
From the flipped card, a glowing hexagram emerged and locked around Jeanne Alter's waist.
Commentator: "As expected of King. Once again, he flawlessly counters Vivian's assault! Looks like her LP payment was for nothing."
"You're calling me a rookie? Don't think being bald makes you some kind of veteran. In the name of vengeance, I'll burn your fancy little hexagram to ashes!"
Hoshino Alter pointed toward Jeanne Alter, who was bound by the seal.
"Jeanne Alter's effect: after boosting her ATK by paying LP, she can't be targeted by opponent card effects until the end of the turn!"
Crack—!
The glowing seal shattered. Flames of vengeance erupted beneath Jeanne Alter's feet, spreading across her black armor. She raised her sword, eyes blazing with fury.
"—Gather all evil here. Let it become the wrath of my soul, forged by hatred… Roar! My Rage: Le Grondement de la Haine!!"
A cursed flag burst from the ground. In the name of vengeance, it converted surrounding resentment into scorching magical power. Jeanne Alter, now free from the hexagram's bind, incinerated both the possessed Cyberdark Cannon and the Cyberdark Keel.
[King LP 4000 → 3025]
That full-force strike didn't just break through King's defenses—it shattered his flawless record of never having taken damage.
Commentator: "What a fantastic blow! Vivian's desperate gambit, betting half her LP, finally pays off! This is the first time King has taken damage in a duel!"
Clara had evolved from hugging Akasha's head to squishing her cheeks, exclaiming excitedly, "Amazing! Vivi did it! I always believed in her!"
Even with her cheeks being pulled, Akasha couldn't help but snark: "All she did was lower the opponent's LP. You'd think she already won or something."
Clara beamed with confidence. "She bypassed the trap and landed a solid hit. And she's still got a super high-ATK monster on the field. Vivi's practically won."
Though Jeanne Alter had damaged King, the Cyberdark Keel, as it burned, detached from the possessed monster and fled the field.
"Cyberdark Dragonbone's special effect activates: When this card is destroyed in battle, I can send its equipped card to the Graveyard instead. And when the equipped Cyberdark Cannon is sent to the Graveyard, I can draw one card."
Thanks to the Cannon's effect, King refilled his hand to two cards. But what puzzled Hoshino Alter was that despite losing LP, the bald man showed no signs of pain.
[I think I get why he's so obsessed with winning without taking damage.]
Hoshino Alter nodded to herself. "Right? If he's too focused on no-damage victories, it messes up his rhythm and wastes resources. The only reason he'd still insist... must be to hide the fact that his electric feedback system is broken."
Looks like this bald man had more secrets than he let on. But that wasn't Hoshino Alter's concern right now—what mattered was winning this duel.
Having used Spirit Core Shift, Hoshino Alter had no cards left in her hand. And after Jeanne Alter's attack, she had no more moves to make.
"Battle Phase ends. I'll end my turn as well. Due to the side effect of Limiter Removal, even if Cyberdark Keel is immune to battle destruction, it'll still self-destruct during the End Phase."
Its thin, overcharged body short-circuited. As the price for its doubled ATK, Keel finally exploded from overload.
[Cyberdark Keel destroyed]
[Vivian: 0 Hand Cards | 1 Set Card]
"You really are full of potential, kid. I'm impressed. Summoning such a strong monster… you're a real threat."
Hoshino Alter smiled playfully. "Baldy, if you surrender now, there's still time…"
"You're joking. This level isn't nearly enough to make me admit defeat. I activate the monster [Cyberdark Claw]'s special effect from my hand. By discarding this card, I can add 1 'Cyberdark' Spell Card from my Deck to my hand!"
Similar to Cyberdark Cannon's search effect—except this time, it retrieved a Spell Card instead of a monster. Drawing the selected Spell Card, King immediately activated the Field Zone of his Duel Disk.
"The Spell Card I added to my hand is this—the Field Spell Card [Cyberdark Inferno]!"
The burning flames ignited around the metal fence surrounding the dueling arena, enclosing the two duelists at its center.
"As long as this Cyberdark Inferno Field Spell remains on the field, 'Cyberdark' monsters cannot be destroyed by effects! Then I Normal Summon Cyberdark Edge from my hand!"
[Cyberdark Edge★★★★ (Level 4)] [DARK] [Machine/Effect] [ATK 800/DEF 800]
"When Cyberdark Edge is successfully summoned, I can equip it with a Level 3 or lower Dragon-type monster from my Graveyard! I'll equip it with the Cyberdark Claw I just discarded!"
[Cyberdark Edge ATK 800 → 2400]
Hoshino Alter shrugged disdainfully. "Another 2400 ATK monster? Even if the Field Spell grants it resistance, if that's the peak of your 'Cyberdark' power, it might barely scrape by against something like Red-Eyes Black Dragon."
"No, I'm not done yet!" King inserted his final Spell Card into the Duel Disk, leaving his hand empty.
[Card of Sanctity – Spell Card Effect: Both players draw until they each have 6 cards in hand.]
By emptying his hand, King made full use of Card of Sanctity's effect, drawing six cards from his deck in one go.
Hoshino Alter was equally satisfied. Her hand was also empty, maximizing the benefit of the card—though the only downside was that her opponent would act first with a fully replenished hand.
"Now I have everything I need for victory! I activate the Spell Card Extra-Foolish Burial! I pay half my Life Points to send one monster from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard. I'll send the Fusion Monster Cyber End Dragon!"
[King LP 3025 → 1512]
Despite the steep cost, King didn't hesitate to send his Cyber monster to the Graveyard. The message was clear—this turn would be his full-force assault.
"Next comes the ultimate trump card of Cyberdark—the fusion impact that leads to victory! I activate the Spell Card—Cyberdark Impact!"
[Cyberdark Impact! – Spell Card Effect: Fusion Summon 1 "Cyberdark Dragon" from your Extra Deck, by shuffling 1 each of "Cyberdark Horn," "Cyberdark Edge," and "Cyberdark Keel" from your hand, field, and/or GY into the Deck, as Fusion Material.]
"According to the effect, I return Cyberdark Edge from the field, Cyberdark Keel from the Graveyard, and Cyberdark Horn from my hand to the Deck! I Fusion Summon the ultimate Cyberdark Dragon!"
The three differently-shaped Cyberdark monsters were drawn together by the power of the Fusion Spell and merged into the massive Cyberdark Dragon.
[Cyberdark Dragon ★★★★★★★★ (Level 8)] [DARK] [Machine/Fusion/Effect] [ATK 1000/DEF 1000]
[Materials: "Cyberdark Horn" + "Cyberdark Edge" + "Cyberdark Keel"]
"Cyberdark Dragon's special effect: When Fusion Summoned, I can equip one Dragon-type monster from my Graveyard to it. Its ATK increases by the ATK of the equipped monster."
Hoshino Alter, eyes fixed on the towering Cyberdark Dragon, analyzed calmly. "No level restriction on the Dragon you equip this time, huh? But I don't see any powerful Dragons in your Graveyard."
"Hmph! The monster I'm going to equip… is none other than the strongest Cyber monster I just sent to the Graveyard—Cyber End Dragon! And to do that, I'll activate this face-down Trap Card—Ruthless Reincarnation!"
[Rebirth Judgment – Continuous Trap Card Effect: Declare 1 monster type. While this card is on the field, all monsters in both players' Graveyards are treated as that type.] (Anime)
"I declare Dragon-Type. Now, even the Machine-type Cyber End Dragon counts as a Dragon, and Cyberdark Dragon can equip it!"
[Cyber End Dragon ATK: 4000]
The massive Cyber End Dragon was dragged from the Graveyard and forcibly merged with the even larger Cyberdark Dragon. The white dragon fused with black armor, nearly filling the entire dueling arena with overwhelming cybernetic energy.
"ROOOAAARRR—!"
[Cyberdark Dragon ATK 1000 → 5000]
Commentator: "5000 Attack Points! King's ultimate move is finally revealed on stage!"
With the grand appearance of the Cyberdark Dragon equipped with Cyber End Dragon, the arena reached a fever pitch.
"That's insane, King! Even Seto Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Forcing King to bring out his final card… Vivian can die with no regrets."
"Crush her! That monster looks flat-out invincible!"
King didn't rush to attack. He knew that even a 5000 ATK Cyberdark Dragon couldn't wipe out Hoshino Alter's Life Points in one turn—not while Jeanne d'Arc Alter still stood on the field.
"Because Cyberdark Edge was used as Fusion Material and left the field, the equipped Cyberdark Claw is sent to the Graveyard and its effect activates. I add Cyberdark Cannon from my Graveyard to my hand. Then I discard Cyberdark Cannon to activate its effect and search my Deck for Cyberdark Horn."
After a series of effect chains and recoveries, King inserted his final Spell Card into the Duel Disk. "Spell Card—Double Summon! I gain an additional Normal Summon! I summon Cyberdark Horn and equip it with Cyberdark Cannon from the Graveyard!"
[Cyberdark Horn ATK: 800 → 2400]
Another Cyberdark monster stood on the field. While not as towering as Cyberdark Dragon, its strength was more than enough to deal a finishing blow.
"Battle! Cyberdark Dragon gains an additional 100 ATK for every monster in my Graveyard. The strongest cyber blast born from darkness—Dark Cyber Ultimate Impact!"
The massive Cyberdark Dragon, alongside the parasitic Cyber End Dragon, unleashed a devastating attack. Black and white electric light clashed and exploded on Hoshino Alter's field.
[Jeanne Alter destroyed]
[Vivian LP 1975 → 675]
Commentator: "A major crisis for Vivian! Facing King's powerful comeback, can she still find a ray of hope against the ultimate Cyberdark deck?!"
King swung his arm forward to declare the final blow. "Duel's over. Cyberdark Horn, attack directly!"
"Although Jeanne Alter is a Fiend-type monster, she can be treated as a Fairy-type! And when a Fairy-type monster I control is destroyed, the effect of the monster in my hand—Gilles de Rais—activates!"
Hoshino Alter tossed the monster card from her hand into the Graveyard. Instantly, the roar of a Marshal echoed across the entire field.
"—Jeanne…"
[Gilles de Rais Effect: If a Fairy monster you control leaves the field: You can discard this card; or, if this card is on the field, Tribute it; Special Summon 1 "Heroic Spirit - Gilles de Rais" from your hand, Deck, or GY.]
She drew the card and slammed it onto the Duel Disk. A wave of intense malice surged across Hoshino Alter's field.
"Emotions tainted black by rage… the strongest reverse current of electrons—let's counter your power with ultimate darkness. Don't underestimate the 'Evil' I command!"
(*****)
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