"Next, a thousand years will pass within this arena!"
As [Time Wizard] swung his staff, a torrent of time-warping magic swept across the Duel Arena! A millennium flashed by in an instant!
Boom! Crash—!
On the field, [Two-Headed King Rex] didn't even have time to roar before its massive body crumbled under the onslaught of time, withering into dust and scattering as bone powder!
Meanwhile, Joey's [Baby Dragon] underwent a miraculous transformation under the wash of a thousand years!
Bathed in a radiant light of evolution, its tiny frame stretched, bones lengthened, scales hardened, body swelling to enormous proportions!
When the glow faded, a majestic, ancient dragon stood tall—[Thousand Dragon]!
2400 Attack!
The sheer size of its body cast an invisible pressure across the field. Rex Raptor's face went pale, his legs trembling uncontrollably!
"D-damn it…" Rex's voice quivered with hidden fear and regret. "I-I underestimated you!"
He hadn't expected Joey to wield a rare card like [Time Wizard]…
Shock gave way to greed. He had to find a way to seize it.
"Alright, I end my turn!" Joey declared. Though [Thousand Dragon] stood mighty, Duelist Kingdom's "no direct attacks without monsters" rule kept him from striking.
"Hmph, a narrow escape? My turn, draw!" Rex forced down his nerves, eyes fixed on the 2400 Attack looming over him.
2400… that was equal to his prized [Red-Eyes Black Dragon]! But with the field bonus… His eyes darted around. The arena was Plains!
Right! Plains didn't boost Dragons—but for me…
His gaze fell on the card he'd drawn. A cruel smile spread across his face.
"Joey! Ready to meet my Deck's ultimate trump card?!"
Rex's voice rang with arrogance as he slammed a dark-red gleaming card onto the Duel Disk.
"I Summon in Attack Position—descend! [Red-Eyes Black Dragon]!!!"
ROAARRR—!!!
A soul-shaking roar tore the sky!
The dragon's midnight-black scales gleamed, its crimson eyes blazing with ominous fire as it ripped through space and appeared on the field!
Its 2400 base Attack skyrocketed under the Mountain terrain bonus—rising to a terrifying 3120!
"And it's not over!" Rex pressed on, slapping down a Spell Card.
"I activate Equip Spell—[Dragon Nails]! It raises my Dragon's Attack by another 600 points! Behold true power!"
3720 Attack!
The crushing number slammed into Joey's chest like a hammer.
His pupils shrank, blood draining from his face as cold despair swept through him.
"Th-three… 3720?!" His voice trembled in disbelief.
Rex sneered, pointing like a blade at Joey's guardian.
"[Red-Eyes Black Dragon]! Pulverize that fake dragon! Black Flame Bullet!!!"
BOOM—!!!
The dragon opened its jaws, spewing a massive fireball of annihilation!
The black flames devoured all light, engulfing [Thousand Dragon] in their fury!
Crash! Boom!
With a final cry, the ancient beast shattered into fragments of light!
[Joey, LP: 2000 → 680]
"Turn end!" Rex crossed his arms, grinning triumphantly at Joey's battered state.
Now it was Joey's turn.
The air felt frozen, crushing pressure bearing down on him with only 680 Life Points left.
What now… how do I break through this…?
Sweat beaded his forehead, his mind racing for answers.
"My turn… draw." His voice carried a faint tremor.
His eyes flicked toward his friends' worried faces in the crowd—but he forced himself to focus on his hand: [Masaki the Legendary Swordsman], [Gearfried the Iron Knight], [Skull Dice]…
No monster strong enough to stand against Red-Eyes… He had to defend!
But he couldn't give up! As long as his Life Points weren't zero, there was hope!
"I… I Set one monster face-down!" He placed [Masaki the Legendary Swordsman] onto the field.
"Then, I Set one card!" He gritted his teeth, covering [Skull Dice].
"Turn… end!"
"Hmph! My turn!" Rex eyed Joey's sweat-drenched face with greedy malice.
He licked his lips, voice dripping with mockery. "Hey Joey, how about I give you a 'chance'? If you surrender now—or lose this duel—you can trade me that precious [Time Wizard] instead of your two Star Chips! A sweet deal, right? Hahaha!"
"Not a chance!!!" Joey roared like a lion, eyes blazing red.
He jabbed a finger at Rex. "[Time Wizard] is a gift from my friend—an irreplaceable treasure! You filthy bastard, you'll never get it!!!"
"Fine, have it your way!" Rex snapped, anger boiling. "Then despair! [Red-Eyes Black Dragon]! Attack his face-down monster! Black Flame Bullet!!!"
Once again, a black fireball surged forth!
At that instant, Joey's Set card flipped up!
"Now!" Joey bellowed. "I activate [Masaki the Legendary Swordsman]'s effect! I add one Equip Spell from my Deck to my hand!"
He quickly drew the card he needed.
Crash!
[Masaki the Legendary Swordsman] and his zone were obliterated in black fire.
"Tch, just stalling! Turn end!" Rex sneered at Joey's empty field and meager LP.
"Struggle all you want, Joey! Let's see how long you last!"
"Tch…" Joey ground his teeth, ignoring the taunts, placing all his faith in his Deck.
"My turn—draw! Please, Deck, answer me!"
The moment his fingers slid across the card, a strange shiver ran through him.
Seeing the card, Joey's eyes widened, then blazed with joy!
"I got it!!!" he roared, slamming it onto the Duel Disk with all his might.
"The card of turnaround—my trump card!"
...
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