Youyu went through so much effort, with so many Spirit Cards in his pocket, just to barely reach level 7. Yet, a random passerby could trigger "The Seal of Orichalcos" and instantly soar to the same or even higher levels effortlessly; no wonder so many people were willing to join Doma.
Of course, no matter how impressive this seal might be, Youyu himself was not interested in it at all.
After all, whoever uses it loses...
"Hahaha! With this power, I am now invincible! From this moment on, this duel will be a battle for our very souls!" Bourbon exclaimed as he started to feel inflated with power, "I summon 'Marauding Captain'!"
A third armored captain appeared on the field, standing tall and proud with a heroic aura.
However, right after his appearance, this captain was immediately ensnared by the evil power of Orichalcos. He let out a pained grunt, and his eyes turned blood-red as if possessed, with the six-pointed star mark of Orichalcos appearing on his forehead.
"The effect of The Seal of Orichalcos!" Bourbon proclaimed, "All monsters in my field gain 500 Attack Points!"
[Marauding Captain, ATK 1200 → ATK 1700]
Raising the attack power of all monsters by 500 points is quite potent. To give a typical example, if you add 500 Attack Points to a Black Magician, its power would equate to a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, demonstrating its significance...
"Marauding Captain, activate effect! When summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type monster from my hand!"
Bourbon revealed another card from his hand.
"Come forth, Command Knight!"
A female knight with a large cloak descended onto his field, her waist adorned with a golden scabbard, emanating a valiant presence. However, soon after her appearance, she also fell under the control of Orichalcos, her expression turning sinister and evil.
[Command Knight, ATK 1200 → ATK 1700]
"It's not over yet! Command Knight's effect!" Bourbon shouted, "As long as Command Knight is present, all my Warrior-Type monsters gain 400 Attack Points!"
[Marauding Captain, ATK 1700 → ATK 2100]
[Command Knight, ATK 1700 → ATK 2100]
"But I'm not finished yet!" Bourbon drew another card from his hand, "Magic Card - Monster Reborn! Revive the 'Marauding Captain' from the graveyard!"
The Rune of Life from Ancient Egypt appeared, opening a chaotic vortex on the ground. The captain who had exited the field last turn was immediately revived from the vortex, breathing heavily as he returned to the field.
[Marauding Captain, ATK 1200 → ATK 1700 → ATK 2100]
"And then this card," Bourbon chuckled, "Continuous Magic Card - The A. Forces! For every Warrior-Type or Spellcaster-Type monster on the field, all Warrior-Type monsters gain 200 Attack Points!
Since I have three Warrior-Type monsters on the field, their attack increases by another 600 points!"
[Marauding Captain, ATK 2100 → ATK 2700] x2
[Command Knight, ATK 2100 → ATK 2700]
"First, Marauding Captain, attack 'Elemental Hero Thunder Giant'!"
The first captain leaped forward, sword raised high, and with a mighty strike, cleaved the golden giant apart, resulting in a loud explosion.
[Youyu, LP 4000 → LP 3850]
Yet, after the explosion, Thunder Giant remained on the field.
"What?!" Bourbon was shocked, "Why?"
"Trap Card, 'Half Unbreak'," Youyu pointed to the trap that had flipped beside his feet.
A transparent spherical barrier shielded Thunder Giant, completely impervious to that layer of defense.
"During this turn, monsters protected by Half Unbreak won't be destroyed by battle, and battle damage is halved."
"Tsk, then let's see the second round!" Bourbon shouted, "Marauding Captain, attack Keeper of Dragon Magic!"
The second captain charged and slashed with his sword. The knight struggled to raise his lance in defense, but the gap in attack power was too great. He was cleaved in half along with his lance.
[Youyu, LP 3850 → LP 2950]
"Continue the battle!" Bourbon commanded, "Command Knight, attack Thunder Giant again!"
The female knight, bound by the power of Orichalcos, shot forward, sword drawn, slashing past the barrier enveloping Thunder Giant.
Though the damage was minor, it was better than nothing.
[Youyu, LP 2950→ LP 2700]
Youyu raised his arm, taking half a step back from the impact, but then stood calmly, seemingly indifferent to the reduction of his Life Points.
"Hahaha, now the tables have turned!" The reversal of the situation further inflated Bourbon, "But it doesn't end here; behold the next level of Orichalcos's power!
Quick-Play Magic - Shield Wall activates! This card allows me to summon four Shield Wall Tokens in Defense Position on my field!" (anime card)
The Magic Card appeared, and four wall-shaped monsters emerged in the Monster Zone, standing in front of Bourbon's two captains and Command Knight.
This brought the total number of monsters on Bourbon's field to seven!
"This is the ultimate capability of Orichalcos! As long as The Seal of Orichalcos is on the field, the player's Monster Zone and Magic Trap Zone can interchange their functions, allowing monsters to be summoned in the Magic Trap Zone positions!
Moreover! As long as there are monsters in the Monster Zone, the opponent cannot attack the monsters in the Magic Trap Zone!"
This is the main reason why The Seal of Orichalcos is referred to as a fake card by players.
Compared to "all monsters gain 500 attack power," the latter ability is even more overwhelming.
With such an ability, it means any deck can place disruptive, protective cards in the Magic Trap Zone as rearguards, while the Monster Zone can be filled with meat shields to take the hits.
Take the Hero Deck, for example. With The Seal of Orichalcos, you could place an "Elemental Hero - Absolute Zero" as the front shield while having a "Masked Hero - Dark Claw" at the rear.
As long as Dark Claw is on the field, all cards sent to the opponent's graveyard are banished, and it can interfere with deck searches and accelerated draws to some extent.
If the opponent wants to deal with the annoying Dark Claw, they must first take down the Absolute Zero guarding it.
But here's the problem: no matter how Absolute Zero leaves the field, all opponent's monsters will be destroyed...
This is just one simple example, but it enough demonstrates the domineering nature of The Seal of Orichalcos's effect.
Now, Bourbon's three Warrior-Type monsters are stationed in the rearguard position. To defeat these three monsters, Youyu must break through the defense of four "Shield Wall Tokens" first.
"And there's still this card!" Bourbon flipped yet another Magic Card, "Quick-Play Magic - Poison of the Old Man! This card allows me to either deal 800 damage to the opponent or recover 1200 LP myself. I choose..."
Here, Bourbon hesitated slightly and assessed the situation on the field.
His LP were at 1000, while the opponent still had 2700...
"...I choose to recover 1200 LP."
[Bourbon, LP 1000→ LP 2200]
Though he didn't say it aloud, the pressure from Youyu was quite significant. Instead of dealing damage to Youyu, recovering some life points gave him a greater sense of security.
With 1200 LP, it's enough to withstand another big hit.
"My turn ends." Bourbon sneered arrogantly, "Enjoy your final turn, Duel King."
Watching high up, one of the Doma Three Musketeers, Valon, couldn't help but commend, "Hey, your underling is doing quite well."
"This is the power of Orichalcos." Amelda said expressionlessly, "It grants any ordinary Duelist the forbidden strength to overturn the strong. Only such power can lead this filthy world to the right direction."
"Well, it certainly is impressive." Rafael, with his arms crossed, remarked in a calm tone, "For Bourbon, this was pushing his limits... But it's about done."
After a pause, he said softly, "Bourbon has lost."