"Then, I shall begin the battle."
Priest Simon's small frame stood firm at the lone entrance. As he opened his hand, the slate obediently descended at his command.
"Magic 'Graceful Charity'!"
The magic from the slate released, and a halo-crowned angel in white robes flew out with fluttering white wings, their feathers drifting like snowflakes.
Graceful Charity, draw three cards, then select two cards from your hand to discard to the graveyard.
Quickly changing his hand, Priest Simon glanced around lightly. His deep, unfathomable purple eyes swept over the scene. He flourished his long sleeve, tapping two of the slates before him, turning them to dust.
"Changing your hand right from the start?" Bakura smirked, "Seems like your opening hand wasn't that great, huh?"
But Priest Simon remained unfazed, continuing in a deep voice, "Magic 'Pot of Greed'! Draw two new slates."
Two new slates fell, and Bakura's eyebrows twitched slightly, paying more attention now.
Another card for drawing more cards?
It wasn't particularly unusual, since Pot of Greed and Graceful Charity were some of the most common magic cards. Using these two cards wasn't surprising in itself.
But the issue was that this crazy draw and hand-exchange strategy reminded Bakura of a certain Duel King who made him restless...
Damn Youyu!
Ever since the idea that "this person might be an avatar of Horakhty" crossed his mind, Bakura felt a bit out of sorts.
He even dreamed at night, of that singularly handsome yet irritating face.
But now, what special strategy was this old Priest preparing—accurately, the former Priest?
"Come forth, the creature I summon is the Magician's Spirit, Featherizer!"
A green-robed magician gently landed before Bakura, the long green ribbons fluttering around him.
[Featherizer, Defense 1100]
"Plus, I'll set two slates face down on the field, ending this turn!" Simon declared.
"That's all you're doing?" Bakura licked the corner of his mouth, "Is that all you can muster, Priest? At this rate, darkness will overtake you soon enough."
Simon remained steadfast, his face lined with deep, chiseled wrinkles.
"Ha, this old man looks like Yugi's grandpa. He must be someone significant. If we capture him as a hostage, we'll certainly disrupt Yugi afterward."
Thinking of this, Bakura's smile grew even more sinister. He raised his arm, "It's my turn. Draw!"
A slate landed, his gaze sweeping over it, eyes glinting slightly.
Whatever strategy or deck he's playing doesn't matter to me. He's just an NPC, anyway, what threat could he pose?
No one can defeat me, the great Sok!
... Well, except perhaps Horakhty.
But that doesn't matter!
"First, the Magic Card - Pot of Greed, to draw two more slates."
Two new slates fell, and then he opened his hand, the slates before him flipping over.
"I summon 'Zombino'!"
A gentle zombie boy walked out slowly, his eyes hollow and empty, small round-toed shoes on his feet, his body covered in patches and stitches, with a startling axe embedded in his head.
[Zombino, Attack 2000]
A Level 4 monster with 2000 attack points, enough for this gentle zombie boy to stand out among lower-tier monsters. Yet, what attracts most players is not his attack power or utility, but his unique card description.
"Two people who were especially close, accompanied each other in life and in death, never leaving one another's side,
So, they shall never meet again."
Certainly a monster with a story.
Of course, the great Evil God is uninterested in such things.
"Equip Magic - Fairy Meteor Crush!"
A slate before Bakura slid forward heavily, flipping over to equip onto the boy. A faint luminescent glow covered his entire body, amplifying the undead zombie's power.
"Time to battle!" Bakura sneered, "Zombino, attack 'Featherizer'!"
The boy leapt forward, his small round shoes clacking crisply against the ground. He raised his hand, pulling the axe from his head, swinging it viciously down on the Magician Spirit.
[Simon, LP 4000 → LP 3100]
The black shockwave rippled through, hitting Priest Simon, making him slightly stagger backward.
"Ha, you alright, old man? This was just a greeting gift." Bakura sneered, "Fairy Meteor Crush's effect allows the equipped monster to deal damage exceeding defense points to a defending monster."
The old man staggered back two steps, face unchanged, speaking to himself, "Featherizer's special ability activates when it's destroyed!"
Featherizer, when destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, allows sending a "Gemini Monster" from the deck to the graveyard and drawing a card afterward.
Gemini Monsters are a special type of monster that appeared early in Yu-Gi-Oh!, used as Regular Monsters upon summoning, requiring another normal summon to activate their monster effects.
Simon sent the Gemini Monster "Lucky Pied Piper" to the graveyard, drawing another slate.
"The old man is quite tenacious." Bakura smirked, "I'll also set two face-down cards and end my turn."
"My turn again!"
A new slate descended, the old man glanced once and, without thinking, summoned the creature within.
"Summon 'Witch of the Black Forest'!"
A black-robed witch stood on the field, her eyes closed, long lashes lowered, seemingly in prayer.
[Witch of the Black Forest, Attack 1100]
"Next, I'll use the spell - Card Destruction!"
Card Destruction, both players discard their entire hands, then draw the same number of cards.
Bakura raised an eyebrow.
Another hand-exchange card... what exactly is this old man trying to accomplish?
It feels like looking for a needle in a haystack. Is he trying to retrieve something specific from his deck?
Bakura puzzled, furrowing his brow, flicking his wrist as the slates before him shattered into golden light, soon replaced by new slates.
The old man moved uninterrupted, reciting a complex incantation, activating another slate covered on the field.
His pupils contracted as he raised his arm high.
"Activate the slate!" he cried, "Magic - Dwimmered Path!"
Dwimmered Path, targets one Spellcaster-Type Effect Monster in the graveyard to add it to the hand.
Priest Simon quickly displayed the slate he wanted to retrieve.
The slate's mirage appeared mid-air, and a sacred hexagram magic array emerged. A head peeked out from within the sealed array, grimacing with fierce crimson eyes. Though only a head, its dignified gaze was intimidating.
That is...
... Exodia the Forbidden One!
Bakura: "!?"
This old man... using Exodia against me!?