"You dared to deal me such a blow last turn. Get ready for payback!"
Lester shouted,
"Go, Meklord Emperor Skiel, attack directly!"
At this point, Kira's field was empty—his only monster had been banished by his own trap. Nothing stood between Skiel and Kira. Blue orbs of energy spun into a plasma cannon blast straight toward him.
"At this moment, my 'Dimension Gate' trap's other effect activates," Kira said calmly. "When my opponent declares an attack, I can send this card to the graveyard."
Lester was shocked: "You're sending your own card to the graveyard?"
Jakob muttered, "No, his purpose is probably—"
But before he could finish, Kira continued: "When Dimension Gate is sent from the field to the graveyard, the monster it banished is special summoned back to the field."
The trap turned to golden light, and from the dimensional rift a pillar of light descended. Surging energy and electricity poured out, and the armored electronic dragon returned.
This time, it came back in defense position.
[Chimeratech Rampage Dragon, DEF 1600]
Because Rampage Dragon left the field, its previous Equip Spell "Big Bang Shot" was destroyed, returning its ATK to 2100—no match for Skiel now.
"Trying to block the damage with a defense monster?" Lester sneered. "I refuse to let my humiliation from last turn end so easily!
I'll use the effect of 'Skiel Attack 5'! It lets my Meklord Emperor Skiel attack the opponent directly!"
Kira said, "Oh?"
With the Emperor's power, a direct attack is deadly in a 4000 LP format. But compared to the tricky summoning conditions of Skiel Attack 5, the effect is minor.
Actually, Kira had another Set Card: "Cybernetic Overflow," a powerful trap that lets him banish "Cyber Dragons" for destruction. In theory, he could use it to blow up Skiel and stop the attack.
But he didn't.
Because, after what he learned from ZONE, he knew Jakob revived Granel Carrier as insurance for Skiel.
With a Carrier on the field, once per turn it can negate the destruction of any monster you control. So even if Overflow is activated, Carrier will just absorb the effect.
Boom!
Skiel's blast pierced straight through the defense position Rampage Dragon and struck the back row.
[Kira, LP 8000 → LP 4700]
"How's that!" Lester bragged.
Kira dusted himself off. "You'd rather give up destroying my Rampage Dragon just to get some damage in. Do you hate me that much?"
"Shut up." Lester snorted. "I set one card and end my turn."
Now Rampage Dragon's ATK has returned to normal. Even with multiple attacks, it poses little threat compared to Skiel.
"My turn—draw."
Kira glanced at his card and played it instantly.
"Spell Card, 'Card of Burial Magic.' I banish three spells—'Polymerization', 'Anti-Magic Arrows', and 'Big Bang Shot'—from my graveyard to draw two cards from my deck."
He calmly drew two.
"Then I activate my Set Card: Trap Card 'Cybernetic Overflow'! I banish 'Cyber Dragon' cards of different levels from my hand or graveyard to destroy the same number of cards on the opponent's field."
Kira revealed a Cyber Dragon in his graveyard and pointed at the Set Card in the opponent's back row—the one Jakob had set since the first turn and that survived everything so far.
"I banish 'Cyber Dragon' from my graveyard to destroy your Set Card!"
Lester: "Not a chance!
I activate my Set Card—Trap Card 'Infinity Wall'!
The turn this card is activated, all effects that would destroy cards are negated!" (Anime card.)
The Infinity archetype is basically a standard for the Meklords. The infinity ring forms an energy shield that blocks Overflow's effect.
"Hehehe, such a shame! Looks like you were all ready to counter Jakob's trap, weren't you?" Lester taunted. "But in the end, you had to step into the trap yourself."
"It's a bit troublesome that I can't destroy it."
Kira smiled.
"But destruction isn't the only way to clear traps, you know."
Lester: "Nani?"
Kira: "I activate the Spell Card 'Bait Doll'! Force the activation of any Set Trap on the field. If its activation timing is incorrect, its effect is negated and it's destroyed!"
Lester and Jakob: "Nani!?"
Can't destroy it? Just force it to activate.
What kind of operation is that!?
"Your precious Set Trap that you've been guarding all this time—come, let me see what it is."
Jakob's trap was forcibly activated, revealing its true face at last.
Trap Card—"Sakuretsu Armor." When your opponent declares an attack, destroy all your opponent's Attack Position monsters.
Kira: "..."
That's it?
All this setup, just for Sakuretsu Armor?
He almost thought it was some empowering ace. But no—it was just Sakuretsu Armor.
Seriously?
Regardless, Kira coughed. "Sakuretsu Armor can only be activated when an opponent declares an attack, so its timing is incorrect. Its effect is negated and it's sent to the graveyard.
Of course, because of Infinity Wall, none of your cards can be destroyed this turn. But Sakuretsu Armor was forced to activate, its effect was invalid, and it goes to the graveyard."
Lester: "..."
Jakob: "..."
With absolute defense from Infinity Wall, nothing can be destroyed by effects. But even that couldn't save Sakuretsu Armor from being tossed prematurely.
The two of them could now feel the curse hanging over this card—a trap influenced by the will of the cosmos, forever doomed to a fate of never activating at the right time...
Lester gritted his teeth.
Still, it didn't matter.
Even without Sakuretsu Armor, their defense was still solid.
Skiel's ATK was higher than Kira's Rampage Dragon. Even if Kira tried attacking other Meklord parts, Rampage, now unequipped, had no piercing.
All the Meklord components were in defense, which meant no damage.
Moreover, Skiel's Guard had a once-per-turn effect to negate an opponent's attack, and the Carrier from Granel could negate the destruction of a monster once per turn. Skiel was now an impenetrable wall, not easily taken down.
Kira: "Quick-Play Spell—'De-Fusion.' I release Chimeratech Rampage Dragon to revert back to its pre-fusion form."
[Proto-Cyber Dragon, ATK 1100]
[Cyber Dragon Core, DEF 1500]
Lester and Jakob: "?"
Dissolving a powerful Rampage Dragon back into these two weaklings?
What's the meaning of this?
Kira glanced at them, smiled and said, "Meklord Emperors are infamous Syncro killers. They turn your opponent's Synchro Monsters against them for a one-turn kill.
But when facing a non-Synchro user who doesn't have any monsters to steal, isn't that pretty limiting?"
The duo said nothing.
Kira continued smoothly, "And perhaps you never thought—one day, the Meklord Emperors, always known as the hunter, would become the hunted."
Both: "...Hunted? What do you mean?"
Kira didn't elaborate and waved his hand.
"Why did I choose Cyber Dragons as your opponent? Watch and see!
I send 'Proto-Cyber Dragon,' 'Cyber Dragon Core,' 'Meklord Emperor Skiel,' Skiel Top, Carrier, Skiel Attack, Skiel Guard, and the support component 'Granel Carrier'—a total of eight monsters— from both sides of the field to the graveyard, to perform the ultimate Cyber combination!"
Jakob: "?????????"
Lester: "?????????"
Both faces held the same dumbfounded shock, a long row of question marks practically rolling across their foreheads.
What is this?
You can just fuse anything on the field, even your opponent's monsters?
"The fusion requirement is Cyber Dragon plus one or more Machine-Type monsters! Fusion Summon!"
"Cyber Style's ultimate move—
—Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!!!"
[Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, ATK 0]
The duo's jaws dropped as they watched— their invincible Meklord Emperor, the proud Synchro-slayer of legends who'd torn through so many duels, main body and all attachments, swallowed in one shot by the opposing Cyber Dragon, transformed by a storm of metal.
When the whirlwind died down, all the parts fused perfectly, becoming the mighty Fortress Dragon before their eyes.
They were utterly stunned.
What the—
"Sorry," Kira grinned, "If your Meklords are Synchro-killers, then my Cyber Dragons... are Machine-Killers."
And they really do outclass the Meklord Emperor's "Synchro-killer" title.
Meklords require effort to summon, and can only absorb one Synchro per turn. It activates as an effect, targets, can be chained to or dodged or negated.
Cyber Dragons aren't like that.
With so many alternate forms, and easy summoning, they can Fusion at will. The fusion "eats" opponent's monsters as materials—no effect, no chain, no target, no response, no negation, and there's no limit to how many they can take—eight, ten, as many as there are Machines.
"Then, for every fusion material used for Fortress Dragon, it gains 1000 ATK," Kira declared. "It just ate eight cards, so its attack is 8000!"
[Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, ATK 8000]
Lester and Jakob: "..."
"Go, Fortress Dragon! Attack Jakob and Lester directly!"
[Lester and Jakob: LP 1200 → LP 0]
…