"I end my turn," Alexis said, a hint of regret in her voice.
"Impressive enough," Dox admitted. "You nearly put us in a dire crisis, but that is as far as you go! My turn, draw!"
He drew his card with a flourish, his fighting spirit burning bright. "I activate the Spell CardMonster Reborn! By targeting one monster in either Graveyard, I can Special Summon it to my field! The one I choose to revive is, naturally, my own monsterJirai Gumo!"
"Screee!!"
As the image of the Spell Card manifested, a beam of light shot from it into the Graveyard slot of Dox's Duel Disk. A silken glint flew out, transforming back into the massive, hideous brown spider that screeched across the field.
But before Jirai Gumo could even settle, Dox was already playing his next card. "And now, I activate the Spell, Tribute Doll!"
"The same trick again, huh?"
Jiang He saw the revival of the spider and immediately knew what was coming. They were going to use Jirai Gumo as a sacrifice once more to bring out another Guardian.
His prediction was spot on.
"Through the effect of Tribute Doll, I tribute the revived Jirai Gumo to Special Summon a Level 7 monster from my hand! I choose Suijin!"
A thread-like beam of dark light wrapped around the poor, repeatedly sacrificed Jirai Gumo, causing it to shatter into pixels.
"Roar!!"
Amidst the light, a creature with only two legs and a massive blue mouth emerged. It bore the character for "Water" inside a circle on its forehead, looking like a pair of standing trousers. It loomed over the field, taking the spider's place.
[Suijin]
[Level 7]
[Attribute: Water]
[ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2400]
"Mamma mia! Kazejin and Suijin are both out! Only that Sanga of the Thunder they searched for last turn is missing!" Vellian Crowler broke into a cold sweat, his face pale.
Dox had only used a Special Summon this turn; he hadn't even used his Normal Summon yet! Which meant...
"This isn't over!" Dox grinned, looking at his brother. "I'm borrowing your power this time."
"Of course, Big Brother," Para replied with an identical, twisted smirk.
"I tribute Kaiser Sea Horse to summon Sanga of the Thunder from my hand!" Dox slammed the card down.
"Huh?! Don't Level 7 and 8 monsters need two tributes for a Normal Summon?" Syrus asked, confused.
"No," Zane Truesdale's voice drifted over. He had walked over from the spectator stands to stand near Syrus and Jaden, his eyes never leaving the field. "Kaiser Sea Horse's special effect allows it to count as two tributes when summoning a LIGHT monster."
Bastion Misawa nodded, having followed Zane over.
"Brother...!" Syrus looked up at Zane, surprised.
"Graaaah!!"
On the field, the sea-horse warrior in blue-purple armor was enveloped in the dark purple glow of a tribute summon. Lightning arcs began to rain down, and from the electrical shadows emerged a reddish-brown torso-like monster with two large hands. The character for "Thunder" was etched into its forehead. It roared as it took its place on the field.
[Sanga of the Thunder]
[Level 7]
[Attribute: Light]
[ATK: 2600 / DEF: 2200]
"Heh heh heh... Finally, the set is complete," Dox, the bald older brother, chuckled triumphantly.
"Now, witness the ultimate monster!" Para added, finishing his brother's thought.
"When Sanga of the Thunder, Kazejin, and Suijin are all on the field, I tribute all three to Special Summon... Gate Guardian!"
As Dox shouted the command, the three Guardians began to glow in unison. As the light faded, a massive, hideous humanoid appeared, formed by the "Thunder, Wind, and Water" trio stacked vertically.
[Gate Guardian]
[Level 11]
[Attribute: Dark]
[ATK: 3750 / DEF: 3400]
"A three-for-one vanilla monster... I have no idea why you look so proud of that trade," Jiang He sighed, unable to hold back his sarcasm.
His comment acted like a bucket of cold water, instantly dampening the "Dragon King" smirks on the Paradox Brothers' faces.
Alexis tried her best to stifle a laugh, throwing Jiang He a playful, sidelong glance.
"..." The Paradox Brothers froze, their expressions twitching.
"You wretched brat! You dare look down on the ultimate form of the three Guardians?! We'll show you its power soon enough!" Dox snarled, his grin vanishing. He immediately activated one of his two remaining cards. "I activate the Equip Spell, Fairy Meteor Crush!"
A pink, crystalline light shot from the card and settled into the Gate Guardian's forehead.
"The monster equipped with this card deals piercing damage! If it attacks a monster in Defense Position with a lower DEF than its ATK, the difference is dealt as damage to the opponent!"
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