"I set one card face-down."
Kagemaru operated the mechanical arm; the deft arm slid a card into the Duel Disk and set it to the back row.
"Then I activate a Spell from my hand."
With a sweeping motion, a Spell Card shot out.
"Spell Card: Forced Activation!" (manga card)
"Forced Activation?"
Kira raised an eyebrow.
"Correct. As the name implies, it's a card that forces a set card on the field to activate!" Kagemaru said. "It can ignore conditions and force a set card's effect to trigger!"
Kira recognized this one. It's the card David used in GX—when he fought Alexis, he used it to force Alexis's set "Doble Passe."
He didn't remember it because he recalled the exact manga chapter, but because he'd recently stripped David's entire deck—so he had the card himself.
In the manga, its text was basically "force a set card on the field to open," which is pretty nonsensical, but it's similar to the real card "Bait Doll" that forces traps.
Except Bait Doll adds: if the forced trap's timing is incorrect, its effect is negated and it's destroyed. The manga card has no such restriction.
In other words, if David had used the real "Bait Doll" to force Alexis's "Doble Passe," Doble Passe can only activate when a monster declares an attack; since the timing would be wrong, it should be negated and destroyed.
Without that restriction, this card becomes absurdly powerful.
It doesn't just force set traps to activate; it can also bypass harsh activation conditions and force powerful traps to go off.
Thus the saying, "Anime has been printing broken cards since forever," isn't wrong.
Many such cards have since been power-crept to a point the environment could handle, and some have seen real print—though some others, without heavy nerfs, will probably never see daylight.
"By Forced Activation's effect, I force the trap set this turn to activate," Kagemaru said. "Continuous Trap: Ultimate Offering! By paying 500 Life Points, I can gain an additional Normal Summon."
He revealed another card from his hand.
"I pay 500 Life Points, tribute the 'Air Sphere' on my field, and Tribute Summon! Level 5—
—Virtual Sphere!"
[Kagemaru LP 4000 → 3500]
Blood oozed in the artwork, pooling on the ground. Air Sphere sank into that pool and vanished; then a new avian beast whirled up out of the blood.
Virtual Sphere, summoned!
[Virtual Sphere ATK 2200]
"Pretty strong for turn one," Kira said with a smile.
"When facing a King, one must go all out," Kagemaru replied coldly. "Whether it's confidence or arrogance, I'll verify right now.
Battle! Virtual Sphere attacks directly!"
The ring-bird beat its wings and blitzed forward, cyclones like a thousand blades slicing toward Kira's face.
"As you wish, Chairman."
Kira snapped his fingers.
"I activate my set card, the Trap 'Attack Guidance Armor'! I can equip Guidance Armor to any monster on the field!"
Kaiba's staple from the anime, now fully realized in cardboard with its once-nonsensical effect rewritten in proper rules text.
A demon-faced armor materialized from thin air and, without asking permission, clamped onto Kagemaru's Synthesize Sphere. The bird shrieked, thrashing, but couldn't shake it off.
"Attack Guidance Armor can equip to any monster on the field. The equipped monster is forced to attract attacks—taunt effect," Kira said with a smile. "Attack targets are redirected to the equipped monster for forced damage calculation."
Kagemaru: "!"
The Guidance Armor went onto his own Synthesize Sphere—
"Right. So Virtual Sphere's attack is redirected," Kira smiled. "Its target is now its own teammate."
Virtual Sphere, seeing red, screeched and dove at its ally. Synthesize Sphere cried out—probably "ally, calm down!"—but it was hopeless. A gust-blade from those talons cleaved it in two.
[Kagemaru LP 3500 → 2300]
"Grrk—"
Kagemaru gritted his teeth in the life-support pod. The system shuddered from the energy shock; even the liquid inside turned a bit murky.
"So there was a trap after all."
He grunted low. He wasn't surprised; the pit had to be stepped on. With no "Wind" in hand, just waiting wouldn't help.
"Turn end."
"My turn. Draw."
Kira glanced at his draw, then casually waved his hand.
"I set one card. Turn end."
Kagemaru: "?"
Huh?
Another set and nothing else.
"You…" Kagemaru narrowed his eyes.
King or not, this was getting arrogant.
How much did he plan to look down on him?
"My turn. Draw!"
He barked.
As if spurred by his anger, even the mechanical arm seemed to draw more forcefully.
"I activate the Spell 'Akashic Record.' Draw two cards. If any drawn card has been used in this duel already, it must be banished." (manga card)
He drew, then snorted.
"So you think traps alone can handle me?"
"Very good, then in that case—"
The mechanical arm held a card high.
"Spell Card: Heavy Storm!"
"Destroy all Spells and Traps on the field!"
A jet-black storm rose, myriad wind-blades scouring Kira's back row.
Break the back row and the opponent is basically naked; a push this turn could end it.
Kagemaru's gaze sharpened again.
The Duel King would pay for his hubris!
"Right when you have the perfect back-row killer—troublesome," Kira said, flicking his hand.
"Then Counter Trap: Judgment of Anubis. Discard one card; negate and destroy an opponent's Spell that includes destroying Spell/Trap cards on the field."
Kagemaru: "!?"
Come again?
The black whirlwind gathered and took the shape of a jackal. The visage of Anubis bared fangs and snapped back at Kagemaru's field!
Not only did it unravel the Storm, it leapt further at his Virtual Sphere.
"And then, I can destroy one face-up monster your opponent controls and inflict damage equal to its ATK," Kira said coolly.
Kagemaru's pupils shrank.
A face-up monster—meaning...
[Virtual Sphere ATK 2200]
"Therefore, Virtual Sphere is destroyed!"
Virtual Sphere exploded into fragments on the spot!
"Urgh!"
[Kagemaru LP 2300 → 100]