"You bastard... do you plan to keep winning through these petty methods?" Archfiend Bishop was growing increasingly irritable.
"Not at all." Yugen smiled and gestured toward his Duel Disk. "I have plenty of other interesting tricks up my sleeve. But the fun of a duel lies in discovering them for yourself as we go, doesn't it?"
Archfiend Bishop remained silent, his face cold as he pulled a card from his hand.
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Mirage of Nightmare! During the opponent's Standby Phase, I draw from my Deck until I have four cards in my hand. However, during my next Standby Phase, I must discard the same number of cards I drew."
Yugen wasn't surprised. This was a common combo during the GX era; in the physical competitive scene of that time, this card was as ubiquitous as Pot of Greed. The only difference between the real-life environment and the anime was that, in the show, anyone who played this card was guaranteed to have a copy of Emergency Provisions to follow it up.
"I Set one card and end my turn."
"Then it's my turn. Draw!" Yugen drew his card.
"At this moment, during the Standby Phase, the effect of Mirage of Nightmare activates! I draw cards until I have four!" Archfiend Bishop said in a heavy voice.
"Then, according to the effect of Appropriate," Yugen countered, "when you draw cards outside of your Draw Phase, I get to draw two cards as well."
Drawing along with his opponent, Yugen swept his eyes over the Bishop's backrow. There were three Set cards. Yugen already knew that at least one of them was Sakuretsu Armor.
Bishop narrowed his eyes. Come on, summon your monsters and attack. Heh, you aren't the only one who knows how to set traps...
"I activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity," Yugen announced. "I draw three cards, then discard two."
Yugen drew his cards and selected two to send to the Graveyard. Immediately, a golden light erupted from his Graveyard slot, and a monster card he had just discarded shot back out.
"One of the cards I sent to the Graveyard was this: Jinzo - Returner," Yugen explained. "And at this moment, its effect triggers. When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard..."
Yugen raised his hand high.
"Behold the King of Psychics who locks down all traps! Jinzo, summon!"
A vortex of electricity erupted from the Graveyard. Shocker appeared, his body wreathed in lightning, arms folded across his chest. His mechanical eyes flashed with a dangerous red light.
[Jinzo, ATK 2400]
Finally, he had made his official debut!
Jinzo's morale was sky-high. The last time his new master had given him a chance to appear, he had barely touched the field before being sacrificed to become Cyber Blader. That had left the spirit of Jinzo feeling depressed for quite a while. Now that he finally had a real chance to shine, he was determined to put on a show.
"Jinzo?!"
Both Archfiend Bishop and Earl of Demise were struck with shock. They could tell at a glance that this wasn't just a regular high-level monster card. It was inhabited by a genuine spirit a spirit far more powerful and higher-ranked than either of them.
A duelist capable of wielding a spirit of this level...
They both looked at Yugen with growing suspicion and uncertainty. Was this guy really just a prisoner in a bunker? Where did a duelist of this caliber come from in a place like this?
"Bishop, be careful," Earl of Demise warned in a low voice. "There is definitely something wrong with this kid!"
"Tch, I know..." Archfiend Bishop was starting to sweat, but he was already committed. He couldn't afford a single moment of negligence. "Then I activate my face-down card! The Trap, Floodgate Trap Hole! When the opponent successfully summons a monster, it is flipped into face-down Defense Position"
"Wow, you really don't recognize Jinzo? In my world, nobody would be that stupid," Yugen said, shrugging.
Bishop gasped. "What?! Why didn't my Trap activate?"
"While Jinzo is on the field, Trap cards cannot be activated, and the effects of all face-up Traps are negated," Yugen explained.
As he spoke, Jinzo folded his arms and leaned back with a confident, tactical posture.
What did it mean to be a "Trap Buster"? Archfiend Bishop was about to find out.
He was horrified. Nani? Doesn't that mean my Floodgate and Sakuretsu Armor are both useless? Wait, weren't you the one who started with three traps and made me question my life? Why would you carry a card like this in your own Deck? Aren't you afraid of killing your own Traps too?
The Bishop found his opponent more and more incomprehensible. He realized Earl of Demise was right—this duelist was definitely dangerous.
"Next, I Set one card in my backrow."
A face-down appeared in front of Yugen, and then he played another card from his hand.
"Then, I activate the Spell Card, Card of Burial Spell. By banishing three Spells from my Graveyard—Hand Destruction, Graceful Charity, and the Foolish Burial I discarded earlier—I draw two cards."
The image of the card manifested before him, but before the effect resolved, he revealed another card in his hand.
"Quick-Play Spell, Serial Spell! This card can only be chained to the activation of my own Normal Spell. By discarding my entire hand, this card's effect becomes the same as that Normal Spell!"
Yugen sent his remaining cards to the Graveyard with a faint smile.
"Since I am only copying the effect, I don't need to pay the cost of banishing three Spells again. I draw another two cards. Therefore, I draw a total of four."
Yugen drew four cards in one go.
"Next, I'll summon Jetroid."
[Jetroid, ATK 1200]
"Battle! Jinzo, attack him directly!" Yugen commanded.
Jinzo focused every ounce of his spirit. This was his first real attack under his new master, and he was determined to manifest the most impressive psychic blast of his life to prove his worth to the team. Lightning churned in his palms, condensing into a massive sphere of psychic energy. With a thrust of his hands, the shockwave howled toward Archfiend Bishop's face.
Bishop gritted his teeth. "In that case, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Emergency Provisions! I send my Continuous Spell, Mirage of Nightmare, and the two other face-down cards in my backrow to the Graveyard. For each card sent, I recover 1000 Life Points!"
The three cards dissolved into golden specks of light, flowing into his body as he regained a massive amount of health.
Boom!
[Archfiend Bishop, LP 2150 → 5150 → 2750]
The blast sent Bishop rolling across the ground, black smoke rising from his body in a miserable state.
"Then, Jetroid continues the attack," Yugen said.
The anthropomorphic jet took off, firing a volley of missiles that streaked through the air. A series of explosions followed, sending Bishop rolling onto his back again, his body scorched black.
[Archfiend Bishop, LP 2750 → 1550]
His shrill, pained scream made the demons in the surrounding cells tremble with fear. It looked excruciating.
He struggled to his feet, trembling, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at Yugen. He was beginning to realize that he had accidentally provoked a terrifying existence.
But I still have a chance, Bishop thought, trying to steady his emotions. At least I survived this turn. Even though it hurts to lose those two powerful traps, with that Jinzo on the field, neither of us can use Traps. If he can't use them either, I can turn this around next turn—
"I activate the Equip Spell, Amplifier, and equip it to Jinzo."
Yugen slotted a card into his Duel Disk. A device resembling a helmet manifested in front of Jinzo. The spirit obediently took it and placed it on his head.
"Amplifier is an exclusive equipment for Jinzo. While equipped, his effect is enhanced. Instead of 'neither player can activate Traps,' it becomes 'only the opponent cannot activate Traps.' As his controller, I am no longer affected by Jinzo's trap-locking ability as long as this card is on the field."
Archfiend Bishop went stiff.
"...Ha?"
"What did you say?"
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