"Card of Sanctity!" Youyu announced, "Both players fill up their hand to six cards. My hand is currently zero, so I draw six cards."
Sonichiro also drew two cards. However, he clearly hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation and merely snorted, "It's just drawing more cards, it doesn't mean anything."
"You'll soon find out if it means anything." Youyu continued, "Then I'll activate the 'Jar of Greed' that's set on the field, and draw two more cards from the deck."
The grinning, grotesque jar appeared, and Youyu drew another two cards.
"Next is another Set Card, Graceful Charity. Draw three cards and then discard two cards from your hand to the graveyard."
A holy angel with a halo appeared, descending with infinite radiance. Youyu drew three cards from the deck and picked out two to discard.
Meanwhile, the three indicator lights on the "Royal Magical Library" on the field had all lit up.
"The effect of the Royal Magical Library!" Youyu waved, "Every time a Magic Card is activated, an indicator is placed on it. I've activated three Magic Cards, so there are three indicators!
Now I remove all three indicators to draw one card!"
"Drawing again?" Sonichiro frowned.
"Then, the Magic Card 'Card Destruction'!" Youyu said, "Both players discard their entire hands and draw the same number of cards!"
Sonichiro silently discarded his entire hand and drew cards, meanwhile watching as Youyu's deck visibly thinned at an alarming rate, an ominous feeling growing stronger.
It felt as if something terrifying was hidden within that forty-card deck, something Youyu was releasing bit by bit.
He felt like he had fallen into a trap. Like prey caught in the center of a spider's web, the more he struggled, the tighter the threads entangled him.
When he regained his senses, he realized he was deeply caught in the opponent's layout, unable to break free, only able to watch as he was meticulously arranged.
"Here, I'm going to use my Deck Commander, 'Executioner - Makura Ashura's' effect!" Youyu waved, "Its Deck Commander ability allows, once per duel, for the player to activate a Trap Card from their hand during their turn."
"What?"
Ota Soichiro was even more confused.
Wouldn't such a powerful Deck Commander ability be better used during the opponent's turn?
For example, activating a Trap Card from the hand just when the opponent summons a monster or initiates an attack, catching them off guard?
Why use the Deck Commander effect, which is only available once per duel, during your own turn?
Does this brat think he's bluffing or actually intends to end the duel this turn?
"The Trap Card I want to activate from my hand is Jar of Greed. Draw one card from the deck!
Then, activate the Trap Card Reckless Greed from the hand, draw two cards from the deck, and skip my next two Draw Phases!
Trap Card Legacy of Yata-Garasu, draw one card from the deck.
Then there's another Reckless Greed, I draw two more...
Then Pot of Greed, I draw two more cards! The Magic Card Into the Void, draw one card, but all cards in hand must be discarded at the end of the turn.
At this moment, the effect of the Royal Magical Library can be activated again, remove three indicators, draw another card!"
Sonichiro heard his own rough breathing — it was then that he realized he was breathless and exhausted.
After a series of card draws, Youyu paused slightly, as if he had finally stopped.
He slowly drew out yet another card.
"Magic Card — Foolish Burial." He flipped over the card, the Magic Card image appeared beside him, "Send any monster from the deck to the graveyard."
Youyu drew out the card from his deck, finding the last card he needed from the second-to-last position.
"You're quite lucky, aren't you?" Youyu glanced at Sonichiro, shrugging, "The last card was at the very bottom..."
Sonichiro instinctively made a swallowing gesture, his eyes fixed intently on Youyu, eager to know what his opponent was up to.
"The monster I want to send to the graveyard is this one." Youyu flipped over the card he had just retrieved from the bottom of the deck, "The Left Leg of the Forbidden One."
Ota Soichiro: "!!??"
It was the Sealed Egyptian Envoy!? Exodia?
It was at this moment that Sonichiro finally realized his opponent's strategy, and simultaneously broke out in a cold sweat while watching Youyu's nearly depleted deck.
Youyu had already drawn most of his deck. The Dark Great Mage Exodia only requires getting all five pieces of the Forbidden One in hand to automatically declare game victory...
But Sonichiro quickly forced himself to calm down ——
—— No, I haven't lost yet!
This means the opponent doesn't have all the pieces yet, there's still a chance...
"Hmph, it seems your luck isn't that great." Sonichiro sneered, "Even after drawing most of your deck, you couldn't assemble 'Exodia' with so many cards in your hand?
The Dark Great Mage's pieces must all be in hand to declare victory for the duelist; sending them to the graveyard is meaningless..."
"This is why I've always thought, you members of The Big Five really have no talent for dueling." Youyu shook his head.
The Big Five are amusing like this: despite being a bunch of lawyer managers skilled in manipulation, they just won't stop haunting Kaiba and his friends with card games.
Not that I fear offending them, but The Big Five are genuinely rubbish at playing cards...
Sonichiro's expression changed (though it wasn't visible on the mechanical sergeant's face): "What did you say?"
"I said your card-playing skills are terrible." Youyu stated bluntly, without any mercy.
Then he swung his arm: "Magic Card activation! Dark Factory of Mass Production! Retrieve two Normal Monsters from the graveyard back to the owner's hand."
"What!?" Sonichiro's heart skipped a beat.
"Add the Left Leg of the Forbidden One from the graveyard and the Right Arm of the Forbidden One discarded by Card Destruction back into the hand."
Youyu's Duel Disk Grave Zone glowed with golden light as the two cards, sealing the Dark Great Mage's right arm and left leg, instantly sprang out.
Youyu took the two cards into his hand, smiled slightly at Sonichiro, "Are you ready?"
Sonichiro felt himself cease to breathe.
"If you're ready, then I'll proceed~ I'll add the final two pieces to my hand, unlocking the seal of the legendary Ultimate Mage!
Descend! The Sealed Egyptian Envoy —
— Exodia!"
The legend became reality.
The space of the virtual world quaked as if about to collapse, slowly etching a massive suspended seal array into the space.
A gigantic golden hand emerged from the array, wrist dragging the broken chains. Next came the colossal body, seemingly stretching the magic array to its limit.
That is the invincible Ancient Egyptian Envoy, the Ultimate Dark Mage, one of the rare "invincible" beings in Duel Monsters rules.
[Exodia, Attack Power ∞]
The attack power of the Dark Great Mage is... infinite!
Though according to the rules, assembling the five cards should declare immediate victory, the victory's specific representation in the DM anime is still summoning Exodia with infinite attack power.
After all, the anime special effects are what make it cool!
Like now, watching the enormous Exodia forming a magic sphere with its hands, Ota Soichiro was practically scared to death...
The Egyptian Envoy pushed its palms forward, releasing a tremendous surge from its palms. The golden light like an endless wave pushed across Sonichiro's entire half of the field, obliterating his monsters, and even his screams seemed to be abruptly cut off.
Ota Soichiro's whole body was swept into the golden whirlpool, while unwillingly shouting at the top of his lungs ——
—— I didn't even get a chance to play a card, this is freaking cheating!!!