"Yay, Master was the first to clear the turn!" Serena cheered.
Trudge, however, felt a cold sweat trickle down his forehead. "No, that's not right. Crow deliberately gave up the first turn."
It was easy enough to figure out.
That terrifying Earthbound Immortal, that "God" with only 1 ATK but an outrageous effect, could only activate its ability by skipping the Battle Phase. And on the first turn, there was no Battle Phase, so that effect couldn't be used.
Given Crow's Turbo Duel skills, even if Hikaru's Duel Runner wasn't a standard model, it would have been difficult for him to surpass Crow in just a few days of practice. So it was highly likely that Crow had deliberately conceded the first turn.
For a more stable victory.
He wasn't the only one who realized this. Anyone with a clear head could more or less understand Crow's intentions.
A Duel must ultimately have a winner and a loser. Crow, possessing more stable means of victory, had no need to give the opponent a Battle Phase and the possibility of winning that came with it.
"He's underestimating you, Hikaru. Show him what you've got." Tierra floated beside Hikaru, sitting on a puppet dragon, speaking leisurely.
Hikaru chuckled and gave an imperceptible nod.
"My turn! Draw!" Hikaru placed the drawn card into the card slot on his left.
He looked at the cards in his hand.
The Blackwing Deck and his own Deck were simply not on the same level. As long as the Blackwing Deck could unfold normally, with the strength of his own cards, he would basically be stuck on the back foot.
Not only that, Crow himself was smart, and now with the power of the Earthbound Immortal boosting him, his hand would likely be incredibly consistent. No possibility of bricking at all.
It was very possible that on the next turn, Crow would summon Black-Winged Assault Dragon and the ultimate Earthbound Immortal.
Furthermore, the Duel with Shinji had allowed Crow to complete one-third of the Geoglyph, and after some time and distance covered, it was already halfway done.
Although the Geoglyph for Wiraqocha Rasca, as the ultimate Earthbound Immortal, was also enormously vast, covering nearly the entire Satellite, the progress was undeniable. If Hikaru couldn't finish the Duel quickly, he might run out of time to defeat Crow.
In that case...
He glanced at his hand.
Then he would do it this way.
"I activate the Equip Spell, Future Fusion!" Hikaru played a card. "This card allows me to send Fusion Materials from my Deck to the Graveyard and Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster, equipping this card to it.
The monster Special Summoned by this effect cannot battle during that turn. Also, when this card leaves the field, the equipped monster is destroyed."
Hikaru, driving his Duel Runner, pointed to the sky. "The Fusion condition is a Shaddoll monster and a DARK Attribute monster!
I Fusion Summon using Shaddoll Beast from my Deck and The Dark - Hex-Sealed Fusion from my Deck as materials!"
"Hear it! The voice of God! The word of God! The command of God!
Fusion Summon!
Descend!
Level 5!
El Shaddoll Winda!"
With a doll-like, exquisite face, blocky mechanical hair, and the bearing of a Spellcaster riding a puppet dragon, she ascended to the stage expressionlessly, floating on Hikaru's field and flying alongside him.
El Shaddoll Winda, Level 5, DARK Attribute, Spellcaster, ATK 2200.
"Ooh, it's Master's Winda! And this time he's even using The Dark - Hex-Sealed Fusion for the materials!" Among the Sector Security officers, Serena watched the scene, unable to suppress her excitement.
As the ace of Hikaru's aces, the spirit of spirits, Serena knew what the Winda card symbolized in the eyes of people from the Fusion Dimension. Using this monster right from the start also clearly showed Hikaru's seriousness about the Duel.
And The Dark - Hex-Sealed Fusion was a card she had pulled for Hikaru from a card pack. He had only used it once before, and she had always thought he had forgotten about it. She didn't expect him to use it again now.
"Winda, huh? Hmph. Although I don't know what power that evil god truly hides, blocking Special Summons is indeed a formidable ability." Leo Akaba, observing the Duel, commented.
The others didn't know Winda's ability yet, so they weren't particularly surprised.
"As for the effect of Shaddoll Beast, which was sent as Fusion Material: if this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I draw one card."
Hikaru finished drawing, glanced at the card, and nodded slightly.
That's right.
"I Set one card and end my turn!"
"You're ending your turn just like that, Hikaru?" Crow, driving his Duel Runner alongside him, sounded puzzled. "That's not nearly enough."
"My turn! Draw!"
He glanced at his hand. "I activate the effect of Blackwing - Simoon the Poison Wind from my hand!
If there are no monsters on my field, I can activate this card by banishing a Blackwing monster other than itself from my hand. I place one Black Whirlwind from my Deck face-up in my Spell & Trap Zone.
After that, this card can be Normal Summoned without Tributing, or sent to the Graveyard."
A whirlwind once again picked up around Crow's Duel Runner. He seemed to be enveloped in a dark vortex, moving forward while stirring up countless raging flames.
"Ah! Here it comes!"
"It's that invincible Black Whirlwind!"
The exclamations of the Sector Security officers rose and fell.
A crow, its body entwined with plague-ridden wind, spread its black wings and flew out.
Blackwing - Simoon the Poison Wind, Level 6, DARK Attribute, Winged Beast, ATK 1600.
"The effect of Black Whirlwind activates! When a Blackwing monster is Normal Summoned to my field, I can add one Blackwing monster with lower ATK than that monster from my Deck to my hand."
Crow reached for his Deck.
"Wait! At this instant, I activate the effect of a monster in my hand."
"From your hand?" Crow looked at Hikaru in confusion.
"The effect of Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit. When a monster on the field, or a face-up Spell or Trap Card on the field, activates its effect, I can send this card from my hand or field to the Graveyard. That card on the field is destroyed."
"Ooh! Using that to get around the Continuous Spell's effect!"
"Smart! By the way, isn't that card from our world? Hikaru has one too?"
Crow watched a small ghost appear beside him, circle him once, and then, after the whirlwind imperceptibly dissipated, he shook his head with a smile. "Well played, Hikaru. Where did you get that card?"
"I got it after Dueling a crazed experimenter in your Dimension."
"I see." Crow nodded. "But that won't stop me, because it's already in my hand."
"I Normal Summon Blackwing - Sudri the Phantom Glimmer!"
Blackwing - Sudri the Phantom Glimmer, Level 4, DARK Attribute, Winged Beast, ATK 1400.
"Ah!"
"Oh no, that card was already in his hand!"
"This way, Crow can just get Vata and Synchro Summon straight from the Deck!"
Trudge also had cold sweat on his face.
However, unlike the others, he suddenly remembered Winda's effect.
Unlike those rank-and-file Sector Security officers, or the nobles just there for the spectacle, Trudge was a captain and a well-known officer. He had specifically studied Hikaru's Duels since his arrival in their world.
Hikaru's El Shaddoll Winda had the effect of restricting Special Summons!
If Crow fetched Vata and tried to Special Summon now, he would walk right into a trap!
Hikaru was deliberately luring him in!
"I add Blackwing - Chinook the Snow Blast from my Deck to my hand."
However, Crow didn't play the way anyone expected. Instead, he searched for a card he had never used in his previous Duel with Shinji.
"The effect of Blackwing - Sudri the Phantom Glimmer! I Tribute Simoon the Poison Wind on the field to Special Summon one Phantom Glimmer Token, a Level 2 Tuner. After that, I take 700 effect damage."
The plague wind around Simoon gradually dissipated, and silver starlight began to shine, then transformed into a silvery-white feather floating beside him.
Crow LP: 4000 → 3300.
It was at this moment that he noticed countless purple puppet strings wrapped around his Duel Runner. These strings didn't slow him down, but they tightly bound the areas on his Duel Disk.
"I tune Level 2 Phantom Glimmer Token with Level 4 Sudri!"
"Sorry. As long as Winda is on the field, both players can only Special Summon once per turn."
Winda flew through the air, expressionless, yet declaring her power.
"What?!"
"Such a powerful monster?!"
"Doesn't that mean our Synchro Summons are practically impossible against Winda?!"
A group of nobles watching the Duel couldn't help but exclaim.
Ruri, observing the scene, also gasped, attracting Yugo and Rin's attention and curiosity.
For them, Duelists who needed to Special Summon continuously to bring out their ace monsters, this card practically sealed off their entire Deck and strategy!
"As expected, huh?" Surprisingly, Crow, in the middle of a Turbo Duel, wasn't caught off guard. He smiled. "As expected of a Duelist praised by Yusei. Summoning only one monster with 2200 ATK on the first turn surely wasn't just waiting to die. So that monster has such an effect.
But, Hikaru, I planned for this too!"
"I activate the effect of Blackwing - Chinook the Snow Blast from my hand!"
"What? Another hand effect?"
"So that's why! He didn't go for Vata earlier, all for the sake of this card!"
"Too clever!"
"How can he adapt like this even facing an unknown monster?"
Yugo couldn't help but say to Ruri, "Pretty impressive, right? That's our bro Crow!"
Ruri looked helpless, while Rin elbowed him directly. "Idiot! What if Hikaru loses!"
"The effect of Blackwing - Chinook the Snow Blast! Send this card from my hand or field to the Graveyard, then target one face-up monster my opponent controls. Send one Blackwing Synchro Monster or Black-Winged Dragon from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard, and the targeted monster loses 700 ATK, and its effects are negated!"
"This way, Winda's effect is negated!"
"Amazing!"
Among the nobles, some couldn't help but applaud Crow.
Light snow fell, and Winda was covered in flecks of frost. Her figure appeared weakened and drained of color.
El Shaddoll Winda ATK: 2200 → 1500.
"Now I can Synchro Summon normally! But first, I activate the Field Spell, Earthbound Geoglyph!"
Is it here already?
Hikaru sighed.
Indeed, with the ultimate Earthbound Immortal's blessing, it was basically impossible for Crow to have a dead card in his hand.
"I tune Level 2 Phantom Glimmer Token with Level 4 Blackwing - Sudri the Phantom Glimmer!"
"Black wind, pass through the shining path and stir up a demonic gale!"
"Synchro Summon! Level 6! Synchro Tuner! Blackwing - Boreastorm the Wicked Wind!"
A giant birdman warrior, armed to every feather, wielding scythes in both hands, appeared on Crow's field.
Blackwing - Boreastorm the Wicked Wind, Level 6, DARK Attribute, Winged Beast, ATK 2400.
"The effect of Blackwing - Boreastorm the Wicked Wind! If this card is Synchro Summoned, I send one Blackwing monster from my Deck to the Graveyard. This monster's Level becomes the same as that monster's.
Then, the effect of Earthbound Geoglyph! When I successfully Synchro Summon, I add one Spell or Trap Card with 'Earthbound Immortal' in its name from my Deck to my hand!"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"His power seems to have grown?" Tierra, having watched so many Duels, understood the significance of these card changes. "In the previous Duel, he didn't search with Earthbound Geoglyph, but he did this time."
Hikaru nodded.
That's right.
Crow's power had become even stronger than during his Duel with Shinji.
"I add the Continuous Trap Card, Ultimate Earthbound Immortal, from my Deck to my hand!"
"Then, I send Blackwing - Aurora the Northern Lights from my Deck to the Graveyard, making Boreastorm's Level 10!"
Blackwing - Boreastorm the Wicked Wind, Level: 6 → 10.
Crow looked at the card he had searched.
Ultimate Earthbound Immortal was a card that could only be useful if a properly summoned Earthbound Immortal was on the field.
"I activate the Spell Card, Angel Baton . I draw two cards, then discard one." He drew two cards from his Deck. "I discard Ultimate Earthbound Immortal."
Although the Ultimate Earthbound Immortal card symbolized Wiraqocha Rasca's power, as a Duelist, one had to think about the flow of the Duel. A rational and intelligent Duelist like Crow wouldn't make such a mistake.
"Finally, Hikaru! Quick-Play Spell, Swallow's Nest!"
"Crow actually managed all of that?!"
"How terrifying!"
"Is that Earthbound Immortal about to appear again?!"
"Quick-Play Spell, Swallow's Nest! I Tribute Boreastorm on the field and Special Summon from my Deck!
The rotation of sun and moon, the life of all things.
The creator who governs all existence!
The ultimate Earthbound Immortal!
Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca!"
BOOM!
The giant Earthbound Immortal soaring through the air spread its wings even wider. It had been present all along, lingering after its earlier appearance rather than dissipating like other holograms, watching the Duel, watching Crow. Now, as Crow summoned it once more, it fully unfurled its wings, calling out to all beings, to the rising and setting of the sun and moon.
Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca, Level 10, DARK Attribute, Winged Beast, ATK 1.
"It's here! That invincible Earthbound Immortal!"
"A terrifying monster with 1 ATK!"
The nobles exclaimed and rose to their feet.
"That Earthbound Immortal..." The three youngsters couldn't help but flinch back at the sight of it.
"Master..." Serena, who was closer, could feel the terrifying divine power of the Earthbound Immortal. A power that, while "mighty," was purely destructive.
"Then, Black-Winged Assault Dragon can be Special Summoned from the Extra Deck by means other than Synchro Summon!
That is, by banishing Black-Winged Dragon and a Synchro Tuner from the field or Graveyard!
Hikaru, your Winda is indeed powerful, but that also gave me an opening! I banish Black-Winged Dragon and Boreastorm from the Graveyard!"
"Descend! Level 10! Black-Winged Assault Dragon!"
"GRAAAH!"
Beneath the giant Earthbound Immortal, a massive black dragon spread its wings, several meters tall, guarding the Earthbound Immortal's side.
Just as it should be.
Crow, as a chosen one, was trying to awaken the ultimate Earthbound Immortal. Trying to change this world that he believed was wrong.
Black-Winged Assault Dragon, Level 10, DARK Attribute, Dragon, ATK 3200.
Impressive.
Even Leo Akaba had to admit it.
Although he had already anticipated that Crow would find a way to Special Summon around Winda's restriction, he hadn't expected Crow to utilize every single card so perfectly, making each effect and cost slot together seamlessly, building an unbreakable lockdown.
Indeed, just as he had thought. How could Hikaru possibly win against this?!
"This way, my victory is certain!"
On the track, Crow raised his voice. "I Set one card! Skip the Battle Phase! The divine power of Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca!
Reduce my opponent's Life Points to 1!
Death Singularity!"
The giant Earthbound Immortal drew a deep breath.
The next second.
The world changed color.
Everything seemed to instantly drain into black and white, leaving only two tones.
Then, in this starkly divided world, a strange purple dot ignited.
In the sky, a scorching purple beam of light fell directly from above! As if to split the world in two!
Tierra flew in front of Hikaru, spreading her arms to shield him from the light and flames.
A moment later...
Tierra's hands dropped to her sides, her entire body smoking from the burns. Both arms had lost all sensation.
"Tsk..." She snorted coldly.
Hikaru, LP: 1.
...
Stones???
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