"Speaking of which, this thing really does look like me."
"Really does look like me."
"It's just that mimicking my speech is annoying."
"Is annoying."
Standing beside his "other self," Hayato tentatively reached out to touch the "Hayato," but his palm passed straight through, leaving only some red light trails on his hand.
Mokuba glanced at the "Hayato" that was mimicking Hayato's actions and also reaching its hand into Hayato's body, passing right through. He said helplessly, "The prototype for this thing is actually the Virtual Projection System used by Duel Monsters, along with a duel robot that my brother used in the past but has since been discarded."
"Duel robot?" Hayato recalled. "Ah, is it that one that Kaiba blew up with one punch from [Obelisk the Tormentor] back then?"
"The one blown up with one punch?" the virtual projection's "Hayato" repeated.
"That's the one. Even though it had data from all famous Duelists recorded, my brother used it to simulate potential duels against Yugi and you, Hayato. But when he discovered the duel robot couldn't even contend with [Obelisk the Tormentor], he simply abandoned it."
"It's such a shame to waste this duel robot, which simulated a Duelist's thought process, at such a high cost," Mokuba said with regret, glancing at the red ring above them. Hayato followed his gaze, looking up, and could vaguely discern some similarity between the red ring and the duel robot he had seen before.
"So, I thought I'd give this modified duel robot a try here at Kaiba Land in America."
As he spoke, Mokuba walked over to a screen embedded in the wall nearby and tapped continuously on it with his finger. "Users can challenge Legendary Duelists whose data is stored in this machine, based on their own skill level and dueling style."
"This is how it should have been."
"How it should have been? Did something happen?"
"Did something happen?"
Mokuba turned back, looking somewhat helplessly at Hayato, who had deliberately positioned himself to overlap with the virtual projection. "Just now, the duel robot went out of control. The Duelist it was supposed to select was Joey Wheeler, at the lowest difficulty, but it projected you instead, Hayato."
"In the original process, regardless of whether the duel was won or lost, the duel robot's projection should have been canceled. However, your projection, Hayato, cannot be canceled at all; it seems it will only disperse if defeated in a Duel."
"What's worse, the duel robot's processing power is linked to Kaiba Land's main host. If this isn't resolved quickly, not only will this area be unable to function normally, but even other Kaiba Land facilities, and even the Kaiba Dome where the competition is currently taking place, will be affected."
Mokuba's words only made Hayato more confused. "Then wouldn't it be simpler? It's just a robot, just defeat it."
"Just defeat it."
"Easier said than done, but it's actually not that simple," Mokuba said somewhat helplessly. "Why do you think Pegasus is here, Hayato?"
"Yes, Hayato-boy," Pegasus nodded with a helpless expression. "Even though it's just a robot, it's indeed very powerful. It even made me a loser~"
"A duel robot that even you, Pegasus, can't defeat? That makes sense. Not to mention you no longer have the [Millennium Eye]; even if you did, you wouldn't be able to see through the robot's thoughts." Hearing this, Hayato moved from his original spot and looked at his virtual projection again.
"But even so, it feels like an interesting opponent. The experience of dueling oneself isn't something that happens all the time."
"Can always be had!"
Hearing Hayato's words, Mokuba was somewhat surprised. "Are you going to step in, Hayato? I was thinking that reconstructing the code would take too long, so it would be great if you could defeat the robot."
"However, you need to be careful, Hayato. Although it couldn't simulate the power of certain cards you possess, neither [Earthbound Immortals] nor the 'Egyptian God Cards' were included,"
"but the Deck used is the [Gaia The Fierce Knight] Deck that you used in the Battle City semi-finals against Yugi, including both [Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion] and [Dragon Master Knight]."
This genuinely surprised Hayato. He had thought that Kaiba, being such a Dragon Enthusiast, would stubbornly insist that the "pure Dragon-Type" Deck he used in the Battle City finals was the strongest. He hadn't expected his [Gaia] Deck to be listed as the highest difficulty.
"Because the duel robot didn't just record your Decks, Hayato, it even recorded when you would draw which cards," Mokuba explained, seeing Hayato's surprise. "It's the same for your [Rainbow Kuriboh], so be careful with everything."
"You can rest assured about that. To be upfront, I'm very strong." Learning that the duel robot was using the [Gaia] Deck somewhat ignited Hayato's competitive spirit. He retrieved his Deck from the System and inserted it into the Deck area of his wrist-mounted Duel Disk, which then deployed.
"This time, I'm using a 'pure Gaia' Deck."
Uncharacteristically, the duel robot did not mimic Hayato's words. Detecting that the opponent had deployed their Duel Disk, the virtual "Hayato" entered combat mode and expressionlessly deployed the Duel Disk on his wrist.
And in its Deck area, Duel Monster cards appeared out of thin air.
"Duelist detected, Duel Mode activated, confirming Duel Rank..."
"Error! Error!"
"Hazard on!"
"Duel Rank Error, Hazard Mode Activated, Rank Fixed LV10!"
"Duel, Start!"
Several abnormal glitch blocks flashed across the virtual Hayato's body. His facial expression shifted, revealing a smile full of fighting spirit, exactly like Hayato's. "To be upfront, I'm very strong!"
"Seriously, mimicking people is so annoying," Hayato pouted unhappily, feeling extremely displeased watching an identical "self" provoke him. He turned back to glance at Mokuba. "Hey Mokuba, even if I go too hard and break this thing, it should be fine, right?"
Before Mokuba could answer, Hayato drew five cards and held them up in front of him. "Then, let's begin the duel robot's Error Excision Surgery. Surgery difficulty: Lv100."
"My level is 1000% yours!"
The duel robot also drew cards. The two nearly identical Hayatos exchanged a look and said in unison:
"Duel!" x2
[Hayato: 4000 Life Points]
[Virtual Hayato: 4000 Life Points]
(end of chapter)
"I'll take the first turn, Draw!" After checking his hand, Hayato decisively claimed the first turn and drew a card from his Deck.
Although Mokuba said the Duel Robot had his Duel data recorded, and its Deck wasn't much different from his own, Hayato had no way of knowing its actual performance. Rather than being countered when initiating an attack on the second turn, he might as well claim the first turn and set up a defense to see how strong the Duel Robot's offensive truly was.
"I Summon a monster in face-down Defense Position, then I activate the Continuous Spell Card Mirage of Nightmare." After placing a monster card horizontally on the field, Hayato inserted Mirage of Nightmare into his Duel Disk's Spell & Trap Zone. "Even though you're a robot and should know this card's effect, I think it's best to explain it."
"During your Standby Phase, Mirage of Nightmare allows me to draw until I have 4 cards in my hand. However, during my Standby Phase, I must discard a number of cards from my hand equal to the number of cards drawn by Mirage of Nightmare's effect."
"Then, I will Set all four remaining cards in my hand."
Under Pegasus's peculiar gaze from the sidelines, Hayato triumphantly Set all of his cards in hand, filling his backrow completely, a perfectly standard T-set-up of five Set cards in the backrow and one monster in the monster zone.
It was fortunate that Hayato's opponent was the Virtual Hayato projected by the Duel Robot; if it were a real person, their blood pressure would have soared long ago.
"With that, I end my turn." Hayato, having completed his T-set-up, successfully emptied his hand and declared the end of his turn. "Now it's your turn. Let's see how strong you are, 'Hayato'."
[Hayato: 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[Face-down Defense Position]
[Mirage of Nightmare] [Set Card] x4
"My Turn, Draw." Although it possessed Hayato's Duel data, Virtual Hayato was ultimately just an AI used for Duel Monsters, so it was naturally impossible for it to respond to Hayato's words.
Its hand swept over the Deck, and a card was added to its hand. At the same time, Hayato quickly said, "When entering your Main Phase, Mirage of Nightmare's effect activates."
Following Virtual Hayato's action, Hayato drew four cards. "My hand count is replenished to four."
[Hayato: Hand 0→4]
"Entering my Main Phase." On Virtual Hayato's face, no jealousy or indifference towards Hayato's draw could be seen; there was only a mask-like smile. "'I activate the Spell Card Pot of Greed, and draw two cards from my Deck'."
"Then, I activate the Spell Card Polymerization, using Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Fierce Knight from my hand as Fusion Material."
"Here it comes?" Hayato couldn't help but become a little serious, watching his 'self' projected by the Virtual Projection activate the card.
On Virtual Hayato's field, the images of Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Fierce Knight appeared and were drawn into the Fusion Vortex. When they reappeared, Gaia was already mounted on the back of the evolved Curse of Dragonfire.
[Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion: ATK 2600]
"'When Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion is successfully Special Summoned, it has an effect that can be activated,' Virtual Hayato declared. As he spoke, his hand reached for his Deck.
But at that very moment, countless streaks of fire suddenly erupted from underground, enveloping the defenseless Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion.
"'Summoning Gaia the Dragon Champion on the first turn? Heh heh, I expected this.'" The one who made this move was, naturally, Hayato.
Glancing at his 'self', whose actions had stopped and wore a calm expression, Hayato snapped his fingers and said casually, "'Gaia Decks excel at Warrior and Dragon-Type mounted combat strategy, and are proficient in piercing Defense Points.'"
"'Others might not know, but as the user of this Deck, how could I Set a monster without any concern? Indeed, a machine is just a machine.'"
On Hayato's backrow, a card quietly activated. Hayato calmly explained, "'Hell Polymerization is a card that can only be activated when your opponent successfully Fusion Summons a Fusion Monster. Its effect is to Tribute one monster on my field to take control of that Fusion Monster.'"
"'Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, truly a good card, but as expected, the ace card still ends up in my hand.'"
"'Come to me, my Gaia!'"
"Boom!"
As Hayato spoke, the flames enveloping Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion suddenly broke free of their grasp. The now-free Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion shook its head, evidently much more agile than its previous mere projection.
It looked at Virtual Hayato behind it, then at Hayato himself across the field. The Curse of Dragonfire beneath Gaia the Dragon Champion's saddle flapped its wings, moving from 'Hayato's' field to Hayato's field.
"'Amazing, Hayato-bro!' Mokuba, watching from the sidelines, was very excited to see Hayato NTR Virtual Hayato's monster. 'He easily restricted the Duel Robot's board development.'"
But Pegasus, standing nearby, shook his head. "'No, no, no, Mokuba-boy, Hayato-boy is certainly impressive, but it's too early to say he's completely suppressed them.'"
His right eye, not hidden by his long silver hair, looked at Virtual Hayato, who stood calmly opposite Hayato. Pegasus, with rare seriousness, said, "'The most dangerous thing in Duel Monsters isn't an invincible entity that has already revealed its full power, but the fear of the unknown. Those are Hayato-boy's own words.'"
"'As a Duel Robot that has recorded his Duel logic, how could Virtual Hayato not know this principle?'"
On the Duel Field, because of the Hell Polymerization activated by Hayato, the Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion Summoned by Virtual Hayato was transferred to Hayato's Field. Only then was Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's effect processed: he added Spiral Spear Strike from his Deck to his hand.
However, with no Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion on the Field, what good was adding Spiral Spear Strike to hand?
Virtual Hayato's expression remained unchanged, not affected in the slightest by the interference to its board development. "'I activate the Spell Card Dragon's Mirror.'"
The calm-faced Virtual Hayato played a card that was far from ordinary.
"'Dragon's Mirror? Don't tell me!'" Mokuba recalled the two Fusion Material monsters Virtual Hayato had just sent to the Graveyard. Pegasus, meanwhile, showed an "as expected" expression. "'He already anticipated the first Fusion would be interfered with, so he intentionally used Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, a monster that wouldn't matter if it was destroyed or taken control of?'"
"'Even Virtual Hayato is just as meticulous.'"
Within the tall Dragon's Mirror that stood in Virtual Hayato's backrow, the forms of Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Fierce Knight flashed one after another. As a lance shattered the mirror, a knight riding a Demonic Dragon appeared with a different countenance!
(end of chapter)
## Chapter 393: He who NTRs shall forever be NTR'd
"The effect of Dragon's Mirror is that I can Banish materials from the Field or Graveyard to Fusion Summon one Dragon-Type Fusion Monster." Virtual Chumley explained the card's effect, even though everyone present was already well aware of the card's effect he activated. "I Banish Curse of Dragon and Dark Knight Gaia from my Graveyard, to Fusion Summon Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia."
[Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia] [Level 7/WIND]
[Dragon/Fusion/Effect]
[ATK/2600 DEF/2100]
"Amazing, have they even recorded the data for this card? I've only used it a few times, you know."
Chumley clapped along cooperatively, and didn't activate his Set Card, apparently having no useful cards.
"Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia has an effect that allows it to gain a whopping 2600 ATK after destroying a monster by battle, and it can also destroy one card on the Field by decreasing its ATK by 2600 points." Mokuba was clearly very worried. "If used for attacks, it's practically an invincible monster."
"Hmm, but, because of Chumley-boy's Infernal Assembly, he gained a Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion with the same ATK as Dragon Magician Knight. If Virtual Chumley-boy were to attack, they would only result in mutual destruction."
No sooner had Pegasus finished speaking than he saw Virtual Chumley activate a card: "I activate the Spell Card Owner's Seal from my Hand, returning control of all monsters on the Field to their original owners!"
"Return to my Field, Gaia!"
As Owner's Seal was activated, an invisible force swept across the entire Field. After passing over Chumley's Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion on the Field, its body moved on its own.
Despite its unwilling expression, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion rode the Wyvern beneath it and returned to Virtual Chumley's Field. For a moment, Chumley inexplicably felt like he was being NTR'd.
If I NTR myself, but then I NTR myself again, who is truly the NTRer? For a moment, Chumley was plagued by this philosophical dilemma.
Now, Virtual Chumley's Field simultaneously held two monsters, and their combined ATK reached a staggering 5200 points, enough to wipe out Chumley's Life Points in a single Turn!
Although Mokuba off the Field was extremely anxious for Chumley, Chumley on the Field maintained a relaxed attitude.
"Next, I enter the Battle Phase." As soon as he entered the Battle Phase, Virtual Chumley drew another card and inserted it into his Duel Disk. "Only at the start of both players' Battle Phase can I activate this card, the Quick-Play Spell Card Anti-Magic Arrows."
"After Anti-Magic Arrows is activated, until the End Phase, neither player can activate the effects of Spell/Trap Cards, and the activated Anti-Magic Arrows cannot be responded to by Spell, Trap, or Monster effects!"
As the card in Virtual Chumley's Hand was played, dense arrows appeared out of thin air above the Field and rained down, firmly pinning all three remaining Set Cards on Chumley's Back Row to the ground.
A shimmer of magical energy flowed over the arrows; it seemed that until the Spell's effect dissipated, Chumley couldn't hope to activate those cards.
"During the Battle Phase, I will first use Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion to direct attack the opponent Duelist! Sky Galloping Lance Strike!"
Under Virtual Chumley's command, the Curse of Dragon beneath Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion flapped its wings and took flight. Gaia firmly gripped its sharp lance, diving from high in the sky to pierce Chumley.
Chumley, whose Spell/Trap Cards were completely sealed, felt at that moment ———
"Seriously, the recreation is really terrible, isn't it? How could I possibly use such a move name?" As the sharp lance was about to strike him, taking a large amount of his Life Points, Chumley revealed a scornful smile. "Besides, you're twenty thousand years too early to hit me!"
"I activate a monster's effect from my Hand!"
"Kuriboh, save me!"
Following Chumley's declaration, just as Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's lance was about to strike, a seven-colored rainbow light suddenly leapt from his Hand and forcefully knocked Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion away!
It was none other than the eternal God ——— Rainbow Kuriboh!
"It appeared, it's Rainbow Kuriboh!"
"What an excellent strategy!" Pegasus also praised. "Although the Spell and Trap Cards were sealed by Anti-Magic Arrows, seemingly putting him in an unavoidable death trap, he managed to find a vulnerability in the monster effects. Genius!"
"The effect of Rainbow Kuriboh is that when an opponent's monster activates an attack declaration, I can Equip Rainbow Kuriboh from my Hand to that attacking monster." Chumley inserted the Rainbow Kuriboh card into his Duel Disk. "A monster equipped with Rainbow Kuriboh cannot attack."
The strike that would have almost secured victory was thus sealed, yet Virtual Chumley's expression remained devoid of joy or sorrow: "In that case, I use Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia to attack again."
For a Duel Robot with no emotions, only the thinking patterns of a Duel Monster, neither success nor failure in strategy could cause any ripple in its already empty mind.
After receiving the command, Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia launched an attack on Chumley. This time, Chumley had no monster in his Hand to block the attack. The sharp lance directly struck Chumley. Although there was no physical form, the impact of 2600 ATK still made Chumley involuntarily take two steps back.
[Chumley: 4000 → 1400 LP]
"Ouch, that hurt a bit. Hey, Mokuba, is this thing really a Duel device meant for kids visiting Kaiba Land?" Rubbing his chest, Chumley seemed completely unfazed by the current situation, even turning to speak to Mokuba.
After the attack concluded, Virtual Chumley calmly stated: "My Battle Phase ends, then I enter Main Phase 2."
"I Set a card from my Hand on the Field, I end my turn."
[Virtual Chumley: 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion] [ATK/2600]
[Dragon Magician Knight - Gaia] [ATK/2600]
[Set Card] x2
Hearing Virtual Chumley end his turn, Chumley couldn't help but yawn, complaining helplessly: "Is that all? Just this much?"
"I was originally thinking that a Duel Robot, programmed with the dueling strategies of various Duelists, would be a bit more interesting. And here I even deliberately took the First Turn to gauge your offensive capabilities. If this is all you've got, it's no wonder that Kaiba discarded these machines; after all, it's truly pointless."
Stretching his limbs, Chumley's finger tapped his Duel Disk, and he revealed a smile: "Then, in this one Turn, I'll OTK you!"
"My Turn, Draw!"
(end of chapter)
"My turn! Draw!"
I draw a card! Hayato's fingers quickly pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "The effect of your activated [Anti-Magic Arrows] only lasts until the end of the previous turn. Now, during my Standby Phase, I activate this card: the Quick-Play Spell Card, [Emergency Provisions]!"
"I will send [Mirage of Nightmare] from my field to the Graveyard and recover 1000 Life Points!"
[Hayato: 1400 → 2400 LP]
Because Hayato sent [Mirage of Nightmare] to the Graveyard, he was able to keep the cards in his hand. Drawing one of them, Hayato wore a triumphant smile. "I'll let you witness the evolved, strongest Gaia!"
"I Normal Summon [Gaia the Fierce Knight] in Attack Position!"
Its name differing by only one character from [Dragon Master Gaia], and its general appearance distinct only by riding a warhorse instead of a wyvern, [Gaia the Fierce Knight] appeared on Hayato's field, its ATK surprising Mokuba.
[Gaia the Fierce Knight] [Level 7 / LIGHT]
[Warrior/Effect]
[2300 ATK / 2100 DEF]
"A monster with 2300 ATK, Normal Summoned directly without any Tributes?!"
Hayato heard this and explained, "After all, cavalry's main advantage is speed, far exceeding other troop types. A slow appearance isn't a knight's style."
"If there are no monsters on my field, [Gaia the Fierce Knight] can be Normal Summoned without Tributes." While speaking, Hayato snapped his fingers. "Furthermore, when [Gaia the Fierce Knight] is Normal or Special Summoned, its other effect can be activated."
On Hayato's field, the newly appeared [Gaia the Fierce Knight] first glanced somewhat strangely at the [Dragon Master Gaia] standing opposite him, the [Gaia the Dragon Champion] entangled by [Rainbow Kuriboh]'s rainbow barrier, and the eerily calm Virtual Hayato. Shaking its head, it temporarily cast aside the myriad questions in its mind and drew a magic circle on the ground with its lance.
Compared to the regular long lances used by other Gaia monsters, [Dragon Master Gaia] and [Gaia the Fierce Knight] use dual short lances. While this might slightly diminish their presence in attacks, it allows them to more conveniently support combat with magic.
Within the magic circle drawn by [Gaia the Fierce Knight], a loud dragon roar echoed. A swift yellow shadow flew out and appeared on Hayato's field. Although its appearance was somewhat different, it was still recognizable as the yellow flying dragon, [Curse of Dragon]!
[Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon] [Level 5 / DARK]
[Dragon/Effect]
[2000 ATK / 1500 DEF]
"The effect of [Gaia the Fierce Knight] allows me to Special Summon one Level 5 Dragon monster from my hand or Graveyard. Naturally, I'm Special Summoning [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon] from my hand."
Hayato said, pointing at the [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon] with its significantly different appearance, "Because of its synergy with Gaia, [Curse of Dragon] has evolved into a new form thanks to the power of magic."
"When [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon] is Normal or Special Summoned, its effect can also be activated."
"From my Deck, I will add one Spell/Trap Card that mentions [Gaia the Dragon Champion] in its text to my hand."
"The card I'll add to my hand is [Spiral Fusion]."
A card was added to Hayato's hand. With just one Normal Summon, Hayato had gathered both the 'Gaia' and 'Dragon' elements on his field, completing the preliminary preparations for Fusion Summoning a Fusion Monster from the [Gaia the Dragon Champion] series.
Next, it seemed only a single [Polymerization] card was needed for Hayato to summon [Gaia the Dragon Champion].
[Spiral Fusion], the card [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon] had just added to Hayato's hand, hadn't been seen much before. However, with the common 'Spiral' keyword from the Gaia series and 'Fusion' in its name, its effect couldn't possibly be just drawing two cards, could it?
Everything was ready, just waiting for the east wind? That idiom felt a bit inappropriate, because theoretically, Hayato was now ready to unleash that 'east wind' at any moment.
"Great, Hayato is about to summon his [Gaia the Dragon Champion]!" Mokuba seemed very happy. However, his smile quickly faded.
Just as Hayato added the [Spiral Fusion] card to his hand, Virtual Hayato interrupted his next move, saying, "During your Main Phase, I will activate the effect of [Dragon Master Gaia] on my field."
"Once per turn, I can reduce its ATK by 2600, and then target and destroy one other card on the field."
Virtual Hayato's hand pointed directly at the [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon] on Hayato's field, which was baring its fangs at [Dragon Master Gaia]. "I choose to destroy [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon]."
The targeted [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon] looked utterly bewildered.
It had originally thought that since Hayato had already drawn [Spiral Fusion] with its own effect, its next role would be to become Fusion Material for [Gaia the Dragon Champion] and participate in battle as its mount.
[Spiral Fusion] could be considered the Hand/Field version of [Dragon's Mirror]. While the monsters it can Fusion Summon are similarly restricted to Dragon-Type Fusion Monsters, its Fusion Materials are limited to cards in the hand and on the field, just like a normal [Polymerization] Spell Card.
However, with such a restriction comes compensation. If the Dragon-Type Fusion Monster Fusion Summoned by [Spiral Fusion] is [Gaia the Dragon Champion], its ATK can be increased by a whopping 2600 points, and it is also granted the effect to attack monsters twice per turn.
For the [Gaia the Dragon Champion] series, whose ATK is universally 2600, [Spiral Fusion]'s effect is like giving them a critical hit with consecutive attacks. It's not just strong; it's incredibly powerful.
Because of this, [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon] had already provoked [Dragon Master Gaia]—more precisely, the [Curse of Dragon] mounted beneath it. Although others couldn't quite understand the content of the provocation, the general translation was:
"You little brat, I'll kill you within three minutes and scatter your dragon bones to the winds!"
[Dragon Master Gaia]'s short lance tip ignited with raging flames. At this moment, [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon]'s internal thought was:
"If only I had known that provoking would also get me beaten..."
[Dragon Master Gaia] [ATK 2600 → 0]
The compressed stream of flame instantly pierced through [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon]'s body, destroying it and sending it to the Graveyard.
"The [Curse of Dragon] has been destroyed!"
Mokuba looked utterly surprised, as if he had been eagerly anticipating a Hatsune Miku concert scheduled for the next day, having already taken time off and completed all his tasks early just to attend, only to be notified that Hatsune Miku had been arrested for drug use.
"What's going on?!"
"That Duel Robot is quite impressive," Pegasus praised. "If [Gaia the Fierce Knight] were destroyed, Hayato-boy might have had other 'Gaia' monsters that could be Special Summoned individually, and still combine them to Fusion Summon [Gaia the Dragon Champion]."
"But the one destroyed was [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon]."
Pegasus praised again, "Remarkable dueling intuition."
He wouldn't admit that he was actually recalling the time in Duelist Kingdom when Yugi made him guess a Set card, and he had guessed incorrectly. Losing the duel was one thing, but admitting his intuition was inferior to a robot's would be far too embarrassing.
The situation was indeed as Pegasus described. After [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon] was destroyed by [Dragon Master Gaia] at the cost of its own Life Points, Hayato's hand indeed no longer contained any other Dragon monsters that could be used for Fusion Summoning [Gaia the Dragon Champion].
This made Hayato's earlier action of adding [Spiral Fusion] to his hand via [Curse of Dragon, the Cursed Dragon]'s effect seem rather foolish.
"Seriously, I just looked down on the robot a moment ago, only to be outmaneuvered in the blink of an eye. How embarrassing," Hayato said, patting his nose awkwardly with a helpless expression. He sighed, "Ah, this is terrible. Now I don't have any Dragon monsters to use for Fusion!"
While speaking, Hayato looked at Virtual Hayato's field: [Dragon Master Gaia], whose ATK had been reduced to 0, and [Gaia the Dragon Champion].
"Huh, what a coincidence. How did I not realize that [Gaia the Dragon Champion] is also a Dragon monster?" Hayato said, displaying a card from his hand. Although it hadn't been activated yet, an inexplicable power manifested on the Duel Field, causing Virtual Hayato's body to exhibit extremely abnormal fluctuations, with white garbled text floating all over his skin, much like a TV screen with a poor signal.
"Since you are also Hayato, I assume you wouldn't mind if I borrowed your card to use for a bit?" Hayato didn't even look at the Duel Disk, casually flicking the card held between his fingers downwards, right into the Spell & Trap Zone. "I discard one card from my hand, and then activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, [Super Polymerization]!"
"Using [Spiral Fusion] from my hand as the cost, I will use your [Dragon Master Gaia] from the field and my [Gaia the Fierce Knight] from the field as Fusion Materials to Fusion Summon a monster!"
"Witness this ultimate power!"
(end of chapter)
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Super Polymerization!"
As Hayato sent Spiral Fusion to the Graveyard, an unmatched power instantly locked onto Gaia the Fierce Knight and Gaia the Dragon Champion on the field.
"The effect of Super Polymerization is: after discarding one card from my hand, I send the required Fusion Material Monsters from my field and your field to the Graveyard, then I Special Summon one Fusion Monster as a Fusion Summon."
"Moreover, Super Polymerization also has the ability to prevent Spell/Trap/Monster Effects from being activated in response to its activation!"
Just then, Gaia the Fierce Knight on Hayato's field pulled the reins, and his warhorse suddenly began to gallop wildly, charging towards Gaia the Dragon Champion on Virtual Hayato's field. Gaia the Dragon Champion wanted to dodge, but under the suppression of Super Polymerization, he couldn't move at all!
The distance between the two finally closed in. As Gaia the Fierce Knight approached, he stood straight up from his horse's back, leaped high, and using the momentum of his mount, delivered a "Knight Flying Kick" directly onto the immobile Gaia the Dragon Champion!
Gaia the Dragon Champion on the dragon's back was directly kicked away, falling to the ground, and was further stomped by the warhorse, which couldn't stop its momentum, with its powerful horseshoe. It was sent directly to the Graveyard. Meanwhile, the original Gaia the Fierce Knight took the opportunity to take control of the Curse of Dragon beneath him, pulled the reins, and returned to Hayato's field.
However, upon returning to Hayato's field, the knight, who had been forced to abandon his weapon due to the earlier flying kick, reluctantly pulled out his spare lance. And Curse of Dragon also evolved into Curse of Dragonfire due to the knight's power.
Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion [ATK 2600]
"Although I also wanted to Fusion Summon Gaia the Dragon Champion, its Fusion Material requirements are a 'Dark Knight Gaia' monster and a Level 5 Dragon-Type monster. However, the Gaia the Dragon Champion I had available as material was a Level 7 Dragon-Type."
Hayato, feigning dissatisfaction despite gaining an advantage, said, "So, I could only Summon Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion."
"And you should know his effect, right? When he is successfully Special Summoned, I can add one Spiral Spear Strike from my Deck to my Hand."
Catching Spiral Spear Strike as it popped out of his Deck, Hayato had no intention of keeping it in his hand, but activated it immediately. "I activate Spiral Spear Strike, which was just added to my hand."
As Hayato placed Spiral Spear Strike into his Duel Disk, swirling currents of spiral energy began to coil and rotate on the spear tip of Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion on his field, imbuing it with the ability to inflict piercing Battle Damage.
At this moment, Hayato and Virtual Hayato each had one Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion on their fields. Coupled with their identical appearances, it was as if a mirror had been placed in the exact center of their Duel field.
As one of the few differences, Rainbow Kuriboh obediently sat on top of Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's head, opened its mouth, and yawned.
Mokuba, looking at both fields, was somewhat confused. Because Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion on Virtual Hayato's field, although its attack ability was sealed due to being equipped with Rainbow Kuriboh, its 2600 ATK were still there.
If Hayato's Super Polymerization had targeted Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion just now, Hayato would now only need to face Gaia the Dragon Champion whose ATK had been reduced to 0.
Pegasus, who was also watching, slightly narrowed his only exposed right eye, looking at the Set Card in Hayato's hand. Somehow, he suddenly remembered a card Hayato often used during the Duelist Kingdom period. With that card, Hayato would often take control of other Duelists' cards right in front of them.
Moreover, every time he used it, Hayato would always add a sentence—
"Come witness the bonds between me and my comrades," Hayato declared loudly, drawing a card from his hand. "I activate this card that symbolizes 'bonds', the Spell Card, Change of Heart!"
So tell me, what exactly does that have to do with bonds?!
As Hayato placed the card into his Duel Disk, a figure, half angel and half demon, emerged from the activated Change of Heart card on his Back Row. From a distance, facing Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion on Virtual Hayato's field, it made a heart-shaped gesture. From the gesture, a phantom pink heart flew out.
"The effect of Change of Heart is: target one monster on the opponent's field; until the End Phase, I can gain control of that opponent's monster." While saying this, Hayato extended his finger, mimicking a handgun, aiming through the phantom heart at Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion. "Then, I'll be taking your monster; it might tickle a bit~"
"Captive Arrow!"
As Hayato made a gun gesture with his hand, dense arrows flew out from the phantom heart, shooting towards Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion on the opposing side. The shower of arrows struck him, but all passed through his body and landed in the empty space.
However, just after the arrows passed through Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's body, the heart floating before Hayato turned black, and Virtual Hayato's Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion also arrived on his field in a dazed state.
With this, the situation on the field changed again. On Hayato's field, just like Virtual Hayato's field in the previous turn, there were now two monsters with 2600 ATK, with a combined ATK of 5200 points, possessing the ability to clear Virtual Hayato's still full 4000 Life Points in one turn.
As for Virtual Hayato, there were only two Set Cards on his Backrow. And one thing that could be confirmed was that one of them was not a Trap Card that could be used for defense or counterattack, but Spiral Spear Strike, which Virtual Hayato had added to hand in the previous turn using Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's effect, and was now merely acting as a smokescreen.
On Hayato's side, his resources were much more abundant: he still had one card unused in his hand, and two Set Cards on his Backrow.
The only flaw, perhaps, was—
"This is bad, Hayato made a huge mistake!"
Mokuba, watching from the sidelines, noticed something, pointing directly at Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion that had just been moved to Hayato's field, or more precisely, its head.
"What's on that spot is—"
"Rainbow Kuriboh is still equipped to Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion!"
"Although its control has been changed, the Equip Card has not changed, and Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion is still sealed from attacking!"
"What?!" Pegasus looked over upon hearing this and also saw Rainbow Kuriboh, which was clearly much more energetic than its bored yawning state from earlier now that it was back on Hayato's field, currently jumping around on the dazed Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's head and waving to Hayato.
For a moment, it was unclear if Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion was dazed because of Change of Heart or had a concussion from Rainbow Kuriboh jumping on its head.
Virtual Hayato also spoke up: "Equip Cards do not target a specific person's monster, but rather the monster itself. Unless it's the monster's own state that changes, such as changing from Face-up Position to Face-down Position or leaving the field, a mere change of control will not cause an Equip Card to leave the monster."
"Even though you used Change of Heart to control Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, he still cannot attack due to Rainbow Kuriboh's effect."
Hayato heard this but shrugged indifferently. "Just a mere machine, how could simple calculations ever calculate the possibilities of Duel Monsters?! It's just that its attack ability is limited, nothing more. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean I can't!"
"Who said that lacking attack ability means you can't kill someone?"
Hayato played the last card in his hand. "Then, I activate the Spell Card, Power of Succession!"
"A single Gaia might have individual limits; after all, an individual's spiral has an endpoint. But, as long as someone can inherit the unfinished spiral that Gaia possesses, the never-ending spiral can lead to an infinite future!"
"Send one monster on my field to the Graveyard, then I target one monster on my field. The targeted monster's ATK increases by the ATK of the monster card sent to the Graveyard, until the End Phase!" Hayato waved his hand and commanded, "Believe in the spiral, Gaia, then step into the next stage of the spiral!"
On Hayato's field, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, which had been controlled by the effect of Change of Heart, responded to a grand light that enveloped Hayato's field and raised its lance. Upon its lance, the spiral granted by Spiral Spear Strike coiled and rotated.
Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's lance was touched; the one that touched it was the other Gaia monster. Upon the two identical lances, perfectly synchronized spiral power was transmitted to the same spot, onto Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, which Hayato had Summoned, where golden holy flames ignited.
And the radiance that enveloped it silently dissipated, along with the Gaia that had been controlled by Change of Heart. And the Rainbow Kuriboh on its head was also sent to the Graveyard, waving goodbye to Hayato before leaving.
Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion [ATK 2600 → 5200]
"Have you inherited this perfectly identical spiral power, Gaia?"
Although it was a question, Hayato used a confident tone.
Looking at Virtual Hayato standing before him, who was indifferent to his monster's departure, Hayato simply issued his final command firmly:
"Then, with a spiral as perfect as the golden ratio, let's deliver the final blow to this duel!"
"Enter Battle Phase! I use Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion to direct attack the opponent!"
"Golden Spiral Power!"
At Hayato's command, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, powered by the strength of the other Gaia, without the slightest hesitation and without him pulling the reins, the Curse of Dragonfire beneath him instinctively flapped its wings and flew high into the sky, its body spiraling like a drill.
"It's this spiral! Go, Gaia!"
At the same time, Hayato also activated a Set Card on his Backrow. "Then, I also need to provide support! I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Spiral Barrage!"
"As long as a Dragon Knight Gaia exists in my Monster Zone, my opponent can only target Dragon Knight Gaia as an attack target."
"And once per turn, when my Dragon Knight Gaia declares an attack during battle, I can target one card on the field and destroy it!"
Hayato pointed his finger at a card on Virtual Hayato's Backrow. "The one I target is the card on your left side. Be defeated before Gaia, who has achieved the perfect cavalry charge!"
Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, whose card name can be treated as Dragon Knight Gaia, swooped down from the sky. The spiraling Curse of Dragonfire, acting as a second layer of support after the other Gaia, enhanced the spiral power of Gaia's lance tip. It also used its overflowing power to directly tear apart a card on Virtual Hayato's Backrow!
The green card shattered under everyone's gaze.
What was destroyed was Spiral Spear Strike?!
"Then, I chain to Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's attack and activate my other Set Card on the field that was not destroyed." Virtual Hayato said with his usual calm tone, but his words felt like a taunt. "The card I Set is this card."
"Trap Card, Magic Cylinder!"
"Nani?!" Hayato was quite surprised. "How do you have such a card?! Where is this card in my Gaia Deck?!"
Mokuba also had a surprised expression, even somewhat disbelieving. "The cards stored in the database, have their data been modified?"
"Oh no, doesn't that mean—!!"
Mokuba had a very grim expression and anxiously called out to Hayato on the Duel field to warn him: "Hayato, the Duel robot should have been using your original cards without a doubt. That Magic Cylinder shouldn't have existed. The robot should have Set a different card before!"
"But now the data used by the robot has been completely modified. To avoid being defeated, he's started Card Printing!"
"Whatever, who doesn't know how to do card printing these days?" Hayato retorted, intently watching Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, which was about to hit Virtual Hayato.
The spiral power, accelerated to its limit and now shining golden, coiled around Gaia's lance tip. Just as it was about to pierce Virtual Hayato's body, a curtain of light unfolded before him, completely blocking his attack.
Beneath Virtual Hayato's feet, a deep cylinder, covered in mysterious patterns, appeared. It looked quite small, but looking inside, it was pitch black and bottomless. A similar device also abruptly appeared by Hayato's feet.
In that instant, a curtain of light emerged from this cylinder, blocking Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's attack. And now, a suction force also appeared within the cylinder, as if to transfer Gaia's attack into the cylinder and then release it in front of Hayato!
The Magic Cylinder cards on the market, like The Force, exist in two versions. The version of Magic Cylinder used by Yugi requires a Spellcaster-Type monster on the field for its activation. It's naturally impossible for Virtual Hayato, with nothing on his field, to be using that version, but rather the other kind.
Its effect is—
"The effect of Magic Cylinder is: When an opponent's monster declares an attack, target that attacking monster and activate; negate the attacking monster's attack and inflict damage to the opponent equal to its ATK." Virtual Hayato said calmly, "Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's ATK is 5200 points, and your Life Points are only 2400 points."
"The result of this duel has already been revealed."
Even Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, whose ATK had exceeded 5000 points, after struggling for a long time, ultimately failed to resist the effect interference of Magic Cylinder. Its lance, along with all the spiral power coiling around its body, was completely sealed into the Magic Cylinder in front of Virtual Hayato.
And in front of Hayato, the curtain of light that had just blocked Gaia's attack unfolded before him, and the lance, coiling with spiral power, appeared before his eyes.
As the curtain of light suddenly disappeared, the sharp lance rotated and pierced———
"Thud!"
"Click!"
Two strange sounds rang out one after another. Mokuba, with a worried expression, was surprised to find that Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's lance, which should have hit Hayato at point-blank range, mysteriously veered off course due to its own rotation, landing by Hayato's feet, barely missing Hayato and taking his remaining 2400 Life Points.
The spinning lance detached from Gaia, its spiral power suddenly dissipated. Although it still pierced the ground, it didn't stab too deeply, thus making a "Thud!" sound.
And the "Click!" was...
Pegasus's single eye looked at a gunman wearing a Skeleton Mask, who had suddenly appeared beside Virtual Hayato, whose outstretched arm held a revolver pressed firmly against Virtual Hayato's head, revealing an amused smile. "Interesting! Hayato, boy, what new Duel Monster is this? And when did it appear?"
"Can't be helped, since my opponent has started shamelessly forcing card printing, I had no choice but to resort to this strategy."
Hayato, who had just been flustered and seemed helpless and at a loss against Virtual Hayato's counterattack, now looked completely calm, shrugging and spreading his hands helplessly. "As for this monster? His name is Infernity Death Gunman."
"As early as the first turn, I already Summoned him to the field."
"I see, a monster sent to the Graveyard by Infernal Polymerization? And, Infernity? That sounds like a magnificent name." Pegasus exclaimed, smilingly saying, "Just by looking at it once, I feel countless Duel Monster inspirations emerging in my mind."
Mokuba's reaction was a beat slower, and he asked in surprise, "Just now, what exactly happened?"
Virtual Hayato remained silent. On one hand, he also wanted to hear Hayato explain the card's effect; on the other hand—with a gun pointed at his head, was he "touched" or "unable to move"?
"Magic Cylinder is indeed a very strong card! It returns damage equal to a monster's ATK, making it perfect for dealing with Aggro Decks, especially reckless decks like Kaiba and Joey Wheeler's." Hayato patiently explained, "However, its only flaw is that what it returns is not damage itself, but 'Effect Damage' caused by a Trap Card."
"Just after I activated Power of Succession, my hand became 0 cards. And when my hand is 0, and the opponent activates a Spell/Trap/Monster Effect that would inflict damage to me, the effect of Infernity Death Gunman in my Graveyard can activate."
"By banishing Infernity Death Gunman from my Graveyard, the Effect Damage I take becomes 0." While saying this, Hayato glanced at Virtual Hayato with a handgun pressed against his head. "However, although you escaped certain death, the God of Death is quite fair."
"After Infernity Death Gunman negates Effect Damage, the opponent can choose whether to activate its subsequent ability."
Pegasus's face showed an amused smile. "Oh, so the opponent chooses whether to activate it? Amazing~"
"Just like Western cowboys!"
Hayato smiled. "Actually, it does have some relation to Western cowboys, because the next ability is similar to Russian roulette."
"Reveal the top card of my Deck to confirm it. If that card is a Monster Card, inflict damage to the opponent's Life Points equal to the total Effect Damage I took this turn and the Effect Damage that was negated. Conversely, if the drawn card is a Spell or Trap Card, I take the Effect Damage that was negated."
"Of course, the prerequisite for this effect to apply is that you must be willing to activate it. If the opponent chooses not to activate the subsequent effect, the opponent cannot inflict Effect Damage to me this turn."
Hayato, with a relaxed posture, said, "Should I say dancing on a knife's edge, or putting the barrel of a gun in your mouth? In any case, the effect of this Infernity Death Gunman card can be said to be an interpretation of the 'God of Death's way of living."
"So, what will it be? What is your choice?"
Placing his finger on his Deck, feeling the texture of the card, Hayato smiled, looking at Virtual Hayato's calm expression. "Honestly, although I clearly remember that the total number of cards in the Deck I'm currently using is forty, it's regrettable, because cards are often added or removed,"
"even I myself have forgotten how many Monster Cards I actually have in my Deck."
"So, what will it be?"
Synchronizing with Hayato's movements, Infernity Death Gunman, standing beside Virtual Hayato with a gun pointed at him, placed its finger on the revolver's trigger. It seemed that as soon as Virtual Hayato made his decision, Hayato and Infernity Death Gunman would draw a card and pull the trigger like Western cowboys dueling at high noon.
Virtual Hayato's logic unit was currently calculating all sorts of possibilities at full load.
If the effect of Infernity Death Gunman is activated, the outcome of this duel would be entirely dependent on the card on top of Hayato's Deck. If the effect of Infernity Death Gunman is not activated, the effect of Magic Cylinder would be completely wasted, and the ensuing duel would once again descend into an intense struggle.
In the Duel robot's calculations, the probability of it drawing a key card sufficient to clear the field in the next draw was less than 5%. This meant that if it didn't use Magic Cylinder to deal with Hayato here, the Duel robot would most likely lose next.
On the other hand, the Duel robot also completed the calculation for the most probable composition of the Gaia Deck theoretically used by Hayato, resulting in a ratio of 15 Monster Cards, 15 Spell Cards, and 10 Trap Cards.
In this duel of Hayato's, he had already used 4 Monster Cards from his Deck, excluding Fusion Monsters. 7 Spell Cards and 1 Trap Card had been used. Meaning theoretically there were 11 Monster Cards, 8 Spell Cards, and 9 Trap Cards left in the Deck. The probability of drawing a card other than a Monster Card was 60%, with a success rate of over fifty percent.
So, the result was clear.
Virtual Hayato spoke: "I choose to activate the effect of Infernity Death Gunman."
"Pull the trigger."
"Swish!"
Just as Virtual Hayato's words fell, Hayato lightly pressed his finger on the top of his Deck, and like a swordsman focusing his will in an instant to draw a long-sheathed blade, drew the top card from his Deck.
A faint golden light and shadow streaked across mid-air, but then dissipated in the blink of an eye, as if it were merely an illusion.
"So, I already said it, mere machines are truly uninteresting." Hayato, who had drawn the card, didn't even check what card he had drawn, but merely sighed helplessly. "Although I don't think a mere machine can learn anything from this, let me teach you a little."
"Lesson 1: The number of cards in a Duelist's Deck is finite, but the possibilities of each draw are infinite."
"Lesson 2: A Duelist must trust their Deck, and the Deck will naturally respond to that trust."
"Lesson 3: As long as you don't give up on the future, the future can advance infinitely."
"Lesson 4: What's most important for a Duelist is not powerful cards, but intuition."
"And, Lesson 5."
While saying this, Hayato raised the card from his hand. "For a True Duelist, everything is inevitable; even the draw itself is created by the Duelist!"
"You, a mere computer program, calculating every card completely, yet harboring no trust; giving up on future possibilities merely due to simple probabilities; even relying solely on powerful cards without any intuition to speak of. Such a duelist, you were destined to fail from the start of this duel!"
"The card on top of my Deck is a Monster Card, Dark Knight—"
"Gai———a———!!!"
"Bang!!"
As Infernity Death Gunman bent its finger and pulled the trigger, a gunshot echoed through Kaiba Land. However, in America, a mere gunshot was nothing.
The virtual projection of Virtual Hayato, with a hole blown in his temple, dissipated like dust in the wind. At the same time, seemingly due to overload, the red Millennium Ring above the Duel Field burst with a "bang," like a salute cannon for the Duel robot's defeat, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Hayato high-fived Infernity Death Gunman, whose form was gradually dissipating as it approached him, and glanced at the opponent's field, now covered by the crashed Virtual Projection device. "Hmm, at times like these, I still have to say…"
"…that's satisfying."
(The group was created on Dec 1st, but after ten days, still not many people have joined.)
(Updated 6K words plus yesterday's missing 1K, for a total of 7K. Done.)
(P.S. As everyone knows, the author is a white-hair enthusiast. Kalin Kessler is indeed incredibly cool!)
(end of chapter)