"Shine! Accept the boundless power of hope that stretches across all horizons! Open the heavens and earth for a brand-new era! Soar to the skies! [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL]!"
Upon the card of Utopia Roots that had been revived from another dimension, an Xyz Monster evolved through shining evolution at the cost of discarding a Rank-Up-Magic.
Although its Number was 0, its prefix was no longer "Future," but the entirely new form "Shining"—SNo.0!
[Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL] Rank —│LIGHT│Warrior│? ATK
[3 "Number" Xyz Monsters with the same Rank]
[This card can also be Xyz Summoned by discarding 1 "Rank-Up-Magic" Normal Spell from your hand, using a "Utopia" monster you control as the material.]
[The Xyz Summon of this card cannot be negated.]
[When this card is Xyz Summoned, your opponent cannot activate effects.]
Possessing a summoning resistance comparable to a God Card, the Xyz Summon of Shining Number 0 could absolutely not be stopped.
At this moment, the radiance of the Xyz clashed directly with the indescribable darkness of the starry sky. [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL] pointed its sword toward the swirling stardust above.
"This monster—there's no doubt about it!" Alester reaffirmed his conviction.
"I truly didn't misjudge you, Miles, Aisha. The both of you are Duelists who possess the potential to reach the truth of Duel Monsters!"
"You've elevated hope into a shining form. Is this your counterattack?"
Even though the radiance of Utopic ZEXAL illuminated half of the chaotic starry sky, Zepha remained calm.
After all, this turn Zepha had already activated the Trap Card [Threatening Roar]. No matter how powerful the monster his opponent summoned, it would not be able to declare an attack.
Miles waved his hand and declared, "The effect of [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL]. This card's Attack and Defense increase by this card's Xyz Materials ×1000."
Quaedes was shocked. "The same effect as [Chaos X: Barian Hope]!"
For each material stacked beneath the card, its Attack increases by 1000.
However, unlike Quaedes, who once stacked seven materials to Xyz Summon Chaos X: Barian Hope, Miles had overlaid this monster on top of Number 39: Utopia Roots.
Last turn, Utopia Roots had been banished by the effect of Number C1: Numeron Chaos Gate Sunya, and then brought back by Miles with the effect of Different Dimension Reincarnation. Because of that, it had no materials of its own.
That meant beneath the card of Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL, the only material was Utopia Roots itself—the single monster used as the stepping stone for the overlay.
[Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL, ATK: ? → 1000]
"Hahahahahaha!"
Seeing the truth within the light, Zepha burst into arrogant laughter again.
"Only a monster with 1000 Attack? Hahaha! Activating Threatening Roar was practically a waste!"
Aisha: "(￣ー￣) He's laughing wildly again."
"You're celebrating too early!" Miles still had one final card left in his hand this turn.
Miles had been waiting for the most profitable timing to activate it—currently the only treasure card in his Deck.
"—Spell Card [Card of Demise]!"
[Draw until you have 5 cards in your hand. During your fifth Standby Phase after this card's activation, send all cards in your hand to the Graveyard.]
An effect that could replenish up to five cards at the cost of a massive 'side effect.'
Originally inherited by Miles from Luca Slint—or more precisely, inherited from the Millennium Ring—this was the strongest treasure card.
Elra: "Damn it, that's my card!"
"Draw! Draw! Draw! Draw! Draw!"
Drawing five cards in succession from the deck glowing within the Spirit Eyes, Miles felt a thrilling numbness run down his spine.
"Got it!" Sweeping his eyes across the five new cards in his hand, Miles threw out the monster he would Normal Summon this turn.
"I Normal Summon in Attack Position—shine forth! [Utopic Onomatopoeia]!"
[Utopic Onomatopoeia] Level 4│LIGHT│Warrior│1500 ATK
From the deck awakened through fusion, Miles directly Normal Summoned a Utopia monster.
Of course, this monster was only "Utopic," not "Utopia."
Dark Aisha: "What a cute Utopic!"
With proportions resembling a chibi design, its appearance was indeed far cuter than the normal Utopia.
But this card was not just cute. This Utopic monster was connected to the entire Onomat archetype, which is why it was called "Utopic Onomatopoeia."
[This card's name is also treated as "Zubaba," "Gagaga," "Gogogo," and "Dododo" while on the field or in the Graveyard.]
"I activate the effect of [Utopic Onomatopoeia]! From my hand, I Special Summon one "Dododo" monster in Defense Position!"
The peculiar Onomat sound echoed beneath the starry sky. The phrase Dark Aisha once used so often—"dododo"—could now finally be summoned as an archetype.
"Special Summon [Dododo Driver]!"
[Dododo Driver] Level 4│EARTH│Warrior│1800 ATK
"Next, the effect of [Dododo Driver]! If this card was Special Summoned by the effect of a "Dododo" monster, its effect can be activated twice this turn!"
[Choose 1 "Dododo" monster you control and apply one of the following effects. This effect can be used up to twice per turn.
● Increase the chosen monster's Level by 1.
● Decrease the chosen monster's Level by 1.]
Since [Utopic Onomatopoeia] is also treated as a "Dododo" monster by rule, it perfectly synchronizes with Driver's Level-adjusting effect.
"I decrease the Levels of both Dododo Driver and Utopic Onomatopoeia by 1!"
Originally, both Level 4 monsters, after activating the Level-adjusting effect twice, they both became Level 3 monsters.
"I overlay the Level 3 Driver and Utopic Onomatopoeia to construct the Overlay Network—Xyz Summon!"
A dense Overlay Network burst open directly before Miles, forming the shadow of a WIND-attribute Xyz Monster.
"O bewildering shadow within the wind, let the whispering gale amplify the Xyz! Xyz Summon! Rank 3—[Number 75: Bamboozling Gossip Shadow]!"
[Number 75: Bamboozling Gossip Shadow] Rank 3│WIND│Fiend│1000 ATK
[2+ Level 3 monsters]
The WIND-attribute shadow Xyz Monster manifested physically for only a moment before vanishing from the field.
The storm stirred by the intertwining shadows swept beneath the starry sky, and at that moment it all blew toward another monster on Miles's field—[Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL].
"Offering itself in the form of a shadow, reversing the poles—turn the shadow into the wings of shining hope! I activate the effect of [Number 75: Bamboozling Gossip Shadow]!"
[Target 1 "Number" Xyz Monster you control, except this card; attach this card to it as material (if this card has materials, attach those as well).]
"I attach Number 75: Bamboozling Gossip Shadow itself, along with all its Xyz Materials, beneath Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL!"
Gaining a total of three Xyz Materials as reinforcement, the raging wind of shadows surged around the shining blade in Utopic ZEXAL's hand, inheriting the will of Number 75.
[Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL, ATK: 1000 → 4000]
Because Utopic ZEXAL increases its Attack according to its Xyz Materials, after gaining the three materials from Number 75: Bamboozling Gossip Shadow, its Attack soared to 4000.
"Not bad," Zepha said with exaggerated praise that was full of disdain. "But even if its Attack has increased, it means nothing if you cannot declare an attack."
"You'll realize your mistake soon enough!"
To counter the damage effect that would occur once Zepha's [Number C1: Numeron Chaos Gate Sunya] returned from the incomprehensible depths of the starry sky, the power of [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL] was essential.
Xyz Monsters that had reached the Gate of Truth were undoubtedly all formidable.
"I Set one card and end my turn!"
Because [Threatening Roar] had been activated this turn, Miles could not declare any attacks, so he simply Set a card and ended his turn.
"End your turn? You just said end your turn, didn't you!"
Zepha's expression was filled with barely restrained ecstasy.
Miles declaring the end of his turn meant the countdown to the final turn had reached zero.
"This is bad." Sylvia showed an uneasy expression. "Isn't this completely… just waiting to die?"
"You're not wrong."
His eyes fixed on the battlefield beneath the starry sky, Alester did not want to miss a single moment of the battle that had reached the truth.
"But the one things are bad for, the one waiting to die, is Zepha."
"Huh?" Sylvia turned her head in surprise, question marks practically floating above her head as she looked at the serious Alester. "You're serious?"
"You'll understand soon enough."
As the turn changed, the duel within the domain of the gods finally returned to Zepha.
"Hahahahaha! My turn, draw!"
Zepha laughed wildly as he drew, as if the moment he pulled his card, victory was already his.
"When I draw and enter the Standby Phase, the [Number C1: Numeron Chaos Gate Sunya] that was banished last turn will activate!"
[If this card is banished: During your next Standby Phase, you can activate this effect; Special Summon this banished card. If "Numeron Network" is in your Field Zone, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the combined Attack of all Xyz Monsters that were banished (yours and your opponent's).]
It would Special Summon itself and inflict damage equal to the total Attack of the banished Xyz Monsters. With the Numeron Gates currently in the Banished Zone, their combined Attack was more than enough to reduce Miles and Aisha's Life Points to zero.
"Sore wa dō kana?"
"Nani!"
"Keep drowning in your empty fantasy, Zepha. Right now, it's not your Standby Phase yet!"
After drawing a card, if the duel had not yet entered the Standby Phase, there could only be one reason.
Miles had activated a card effect during the Draw Phase—just like how Zepha had activated the Trap Card [Threatening Roar] during Miles's Draw Phase in the previous turn.
"The reason it's just an empty fantasy is because you will never reach the reality of activating the effect of [Number C1: Numeron Chaos Gate Sunya]!"
On Miles and Aisha's field, the card whose effect had activated was the shining [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL], which stood beneath the indescribably swirling stardust, its storm-wreathed blade cutting through the chaotic starry sky.
Miles shouted loudly, "This is the effect of [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL], which can only be activated during the opponent's turn!"
[Once per opponent's turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; your opponent cannot activate effects this turn.]
Miles seized the instant after Zepha drew his card—before the Standby Phase began—to activate the sealing effect of [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL].
"—Shining ZEXAL Field!"
In that instant, the network of the field unfolded, and the radiance of hope completely covered the darkness of the chaotic starry sky.
Because the effect of [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL] was activated during the Draw Phase, it meant that for the entire turn that followed, Zepha could not activate any card effects.
"Go on. Try to continue your summons, Zepha!"
After the effect of Utopic ZEXAL finished resolving, even once the Standby Phase arrived, the Chaos Numeron Gate hidden within the starry sky showed no reaction.
After all, under the restriction of "cannot activate card effects," the returning effect of [Number C1: Numeron Chaos Gate Sunya] naturally could not activate.
And it was not only the effect of [Number C1: Numeron Chaos Gate Sunya]—no effects at all could be activated this turn.
At this moment, Zepha suddenly felt a deep sense of helplessness, as if standing within blinding light yet unable to move even a single step.
His entire turn had been sealed by [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL]; Zepha could do nothing during his own turn.
And the most terrifying part of this sealing effect was that because Zepha could do nothing this turn, he also had no way to destroy [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL].
Which meant that when the next turn came, the result would be exactly the same. [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL] could simply activate its effect again and continue sealing Zepha.
This outcome perfectly matched the words Miles had spoken at the beginning of the turn.
"You will never reach the reality of activating your effect!"
The highest realm of dueling is making sure your opponent cannot play at all.
The [Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL] from the Gate of Truth showed everyone what the forbidden power of another world truly meant.
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