Alpha, having ended his turn, looked up at Yugen, remaining silent for quite a while.
Then suddenly asked, "You... with this level of strength, you're a top-tier Duelist even in today's world, aren't you? Why..."
He paused, lowering his voice.
"...why are you helping that Seto Kaiba?"
Yugen looked at him expressionlessly.
"It seems you've misunderstood something." Yugen said calmly, "I am not 'helping' Seto Kaiba. As I've told many others, I'm not very familiar with him.
But do I necessarily have to join you either?"
Alpha was silent for a moment before continuing, "Seto Kaiba isn't exactly as many of you think."
"Oh? How is he?"
"A great Duelist, a pathfinder... maybe these are true, but that's not all he is." Alpha said coldly, "Seto Kaiba is a criminal with blood-stained hands, the most fierce and vicious in history.
He didn't even deserve the name 'Kaiba' originally, he was worth nothing.
He was pulled up from the depths of Hell, from a forgotten world. He was given a noble name, identity, everything people dream of.
But how did he repay the person who gave him all of this, who taught him to read, who provided him with these resources? He took everything away from that person, drove him to a dead end, left him to die in despair and pain, then seized and occupied the entire Kaiba Group.
And during his climb to the pinnacle of power, he stepped over countless corpses..."
"Yeah, I know." Yugen nodded.
Alpha's unfinished words were choked back immediately.
"You know?"
"Of course, isn't this common knowledge?" Yugen shrugged.
A child from the orphanage who climbed to today's status on his own, no one would believe he did it without using any shady means, without getting any filth on his hands.
Only Seto Kaiba himself knows the scheming and darkness he went through in his ascent.
"You know?" Alpha asked, "You know all this, and it doesn't bother you?"
"Yes." Yugen said calmly, "But what does it have to do with me? Or rather, to me, at least Seto Kaiba made the world a better place."
Originally, both Seto Kaiba and Gozaburo had their own agendas when they first met, it's just that Gozaburo lost in the end, that's all. The president who stops at nothing to reach the top may no longer be a purely good person, but he's at least better than Gozaburo.
"Seto Kaiba had made a promise with his brother at the orphanage, to build a paradise that brings happiness to everyone worldwide.
Though he may stop at nothing, doing many things he might not be proud of, at least seeing Seto Kaiba, who has become a top figure today, I can see he hasn't forgotten his beginnings.
Even today, even after going through Hell, that dream still hasn't changed."
Yugen said calmly.
"I only see someone trying to make the world a better place."
Alpha gritted his teeth, "You..."
"My turn, draw." Yugen interrupted him, "Set a card face-down on the field.
Then activate the Magic Card 'Life-Reducing Treasure Scroll.' Until my hand consists of five cards, draw cards from the deck." (Original effect)
"Seto Kaiba's card." Alpha said coldly, "But this card has a side effect."
Ah, yes, there's a side effect...
Yugen feigned a look of pain, "But in five turns I must discard all my hand cards..."
He thought to himself, You wouldn't have reminded me, I almost forgot such a major risk.
Alpha scrutinized the card Yugen had placed face down.
That set card should be the "Butterfly Short Sword - Echo," the core of the Iron Knight combo used by the opponent.
But it doesn't matter, he also has countermeasures on this side.
Yugen: "I Normal Summon 'Blast Flame Maiden.'"
[Blast Flame Maiden, Attack Power 1500]
"Then I activate the Continuous Magic 'High Spirits.'" Yugen said, "As long as this card is on the field, each time an Equipment Magic is equipped to a monster, the controller of the Equipment gains 1000 Life Points.
Also, whenever an Equipment Magic leaves the field, the controller takes 1000 damage."
Alpha said, "Activating Equipment Magic can... Masaka (Could it be)!?"
"Precisely, I activate the Equipment Magic 'Butterfly Short Sword - Echo,' equipping it to 'Iron Knight - Jia Fried.' At this moment, due to the effect of 'High Spirits,' I recover 1000 Life Points."
[Yugen, LP 2800→LP 3800]
"Then at this moment, the effect of 'Blast Flame Maiden' activates." Yugen said, "While 'Blast Flame Maiden' is on the field, each time I recover Life Points, the opponent takes 500 damage."
The maiden swung her magic staff, launching a blast flame fireball, splattering across Alpha's face.
"Ugh..."
[Alpha, LP 5000→LP 4500]
"Then due to the effect of the Iron Knight, the Butterfly Short Sword equipped to it is destroyed." Yugen said, "Because the equipment is destroyed, due to the effect of 'High Spirits,' I take 1000 damage."
[Yugen, LP 3800→LP 2800]
"However, when 'Butterfly Short Sword - Echo' is destroyed, it returns to the hand." Yugen calmly re-exhibited the card, "Then Butterfly Short Sword activates again."
"Again with the infinite loop..." Alpha gritted his teeth.
Indeed, as he expected.
Each time the Butterfly Short Sword activates, the effect of High Spirits allows Yugen to recover LP, triggering the effect of Blast Flame Maiden to deal Alpha 500 damage. Then Butterfly Short Sword retrieves itself...
This is an infinite blood-draining loop!
Alpha could only feel chills down his spine. What kind of self-constricting combo is this, perpetually looping like this, even if the 'Absorption Shield' from the last turn goes through, infinite Life Points would still be drained to death by this move.
However...
"The infinite combo stops here with me!" Alpha shouted, "Activate the set card, Speed Attack Magic 'Cosmic Tornado!'
Pay 1000 Life Points, remove one Magic or Trap card on the field from the game!"
[Alpha, LP 4500→LP 3500]
He pointed to Yugen's field's Butterfly Short Sword.
"Chain to your 'Butterfly Short Sword - Echo' activation, remove this card from the game!"
Butterfly Short Sword can only retrieve itself when destroyed and sent to the graveyard, it's powerless if removed.
Reaching this point, Alpha already saw through it, the combo of Iron Knight and Butterfly Short Sword, these two cards are the absolute core of that deck.
Infinite attack Magical Beast, infinite attack Magic Manipulated Puppet, and now the current infinite life reduction...
The foundation of all infinite loops is built on this disgusting equipment. If this thing isn't removed, who knows what strange things the opponent will bring out next to utilize this loop combination.
So, as long as this crucial card is removed, the loop cannot continue, and any combination cannot unfold.
Yugen shrugged nonchalantly: "However, although you removed the Butterfly Short, it has already activated again. According to the effect of High Spirits, I first regain 1000 life points, and then when the equipment leaves the field, I take 1000 damage again.
My life points remain unchanged, but during this process, due to the effect of the 'Blast Flame Maiden,' you need to take 500 more damage."
[Alpha, LP 3500→LP 3000]
A mere 500 points of damage, Alpha took it without care.
Seeing the card of Butterfly Short flying into the pitch-black vortex along with the cyclone, Alpha's anxious heart calmed down slightly, and he sneered as he spoke.
"Your combo has been broken. It sure was a surprisingly powerful combo, but it ends here."
He paused, then said mockingly.
"You spoke so highly of yourself, saying I'm just a third-rate, fourth-rate imitator. How do you feel now?"
Yugen ignored him and drew another card from his hand: "Then, I'll activate the Magic Card 'Forced Transfer.'
Both players choose a monster on their field, and those monsters' control is switched."
Alpha: "?"
Forced Transfer? What's the point of activating this at this time...
"I see, with the loop broken, you're now targeting the suppression of my dragons' powerful strength? Hmph."
Alpha thought for a moment.
Gravity Strike Dragon has the ability to send its Continuous Magic to the graveyard and destroy a monster on the opponent's field. If Gravity Strike Dragon is given to the opponent and the opponent currently has a Continuous Magic on the field, the situation will be very unfavorable...
"I choose 'Dark Flame Dragon,'" Alpha said.
"Then, I'll choose 'ron Knight - Jia Fried.'
The Iron Knight leapt to the opponent's field, while the Dark Flame Dragon flapped its wings and came to Yugen's side.
"Gave up on the Iron Knight..." Alpha sneered, "I see, knowing the loop has been dissolved, you even gave up another crucial component?"
"Is it really like that?" Yugen smiled.
Alpha's heart trembled.
This devilish smile gave him another ominous feeling...
"Activate the Equipment Magic 'Equipment of Calamity.'
Yugen revealed another card from his hand.
"The attack power of the monster equipped with this card decreases by 600 points for each monster on its field."
Alpha: "!"
I see.
If he equips this card to his Gravity Strike Dragon, then Gravity Strike Dragon's attack power will decrease by 1200. The Dark Flame Dragon will deliver 1200 battle damage when it destroys Gravity Strike Dragon.
Then, the Dark Flame Dragon's effect deals damage equal to the original attack power of the destroyed monster, and with the original attack power of Gravity Strike Dragon being 2400, this strike would cause 3600 damage, directly resulting in his loss.
What a cunning kid!
But...
Alpha glanced at the remaining Set card in his backfield, a sneer lurking in his heart.
His last Set card was the 'Peaceful Envoy,' ensuring that any battle damage he takes this turn is 0, and monsters won't be destroyed by battle. It was absolute defense.
The opponent's move was brilliant, but it was unfortunate it would still fall short...
"I'll equip 'Equipment of Calamity' to your field's 'ron Knight - Jia Fried.'"
Alpha: "???"
What's going on? Equipping it to the Iron Knight that was transferred over?
But the Iron Knight's effect is...
"That's right, the Iron Knight's effect, any Equipment Card equipped to him will be destroyed," Yugen smiled, "However, before that, because another Equipment Card was activated, the Continuous Magic 'High Spirits' effect activates again.
The controller of the Equipment Magic—meaning me—recovers 1000 life points.
At that moment, due to the 'Blast Flame Maiden' effect, you take 500 damage."
[Alpha, LP 3000→LP 2500]
"Then, the Iron Knight's effect destroys the 'Equipment of Calamity' equipped on him. Of course, due to the effect of 'High Spirits,' I take another 1000 damage," Yugen waved, "But 'Equipment of Calamity' has another effect.
When this card is sent to the graveyard from the field, it can choose a monster on the opponent's field and equip it with this card."
Alpha widened his eyes: "Wh... wha... what did you say!?"
When sent to the graveyard, it can equip a monster on the opponent's field?
The opponent's field's monster, isn't it...
He looked at his field helplessly, only to see Iron Knight - Jia standing there, chest puffed out, as though it somehow calmly had a few hints of "I'm a mole" in its demeanor.
"You... you damn..."
"The 'Equipment of Calamity,' according to its effect, is equipped once again to Iron Knight - Jia.
Then due to the 'High Spirits' effect, I recover 1000 life points. Blast Flame Maiden's effect, you take 500 damage..."
Alpha's expression was incredibly ugly.
Once again, another infinite loop?
Even blowing away the Butterfly Short Sword couldn't stop this loop?
He looked at Yugen with difficulty, only to feel that the young man's figure became increasingly blurred under the moonlight.
This guy...
...just who is he?
"...Infinite loop judgment passed. After infinite loops, the damage to you is infinite," Yugen said, "Therefore, suffer the effect of Blast Flame Maiden... the damage of the infinite fireball."
The Blast Flame Maiden raised her magic staff, and the rolling flames gathered, forming perhaps the largest, most incredible burning sphere she had ever created.
Alpha: "Uwaaahhh!!!"
[Alpha, LP 2500→LP 0]