"Next, I perform an Xyz Summon!"
Yusaku raised a hand and barked the declaration.
"I take the four Level 3 monsters on my field—Speedroid Taketomborg, Speedroid Terrortop, Goblin Biker Dugg Charger, and Goblin Biker Clatter Sploder—and build the Overlay Network!"
"Xyz Summon, Rank 3—Number 75: Bamboozling Gossip Shadow!"
Four pillars of light shot into the sky and poured into the Xyz vortex. From within it, a Spellcaster draped in a black robe emerged slowly, a scroll of rumors clutched in its hand, eerie black miasma coiling around its body.
[Number 75: Bamboozling Gossip Shadow]
[Rank 3 / Spellcaster / Xyz / Effect]
[Xyz Materials: 4]
[ATK: 1000]
The instant the Summon completed, Yusaku revealed the card in his hand, Dodododo Warrior, his eyes flashing with a razor edge.
"I activate the effect of Dodododo Warrior in my hand!"
"I send 1 'Dododo' monster from my Deck to the GY; then I can Special Summon this card from my hand! And if it's Special Summoned by this effect, its Level becomes 4, and its ATK becomes 1800!"
"I send Utopic Onomatopoeia—whose name includes 'Dododo'—from my Deck to the GY. Special Summon—Dodododo Warrior!"
A burst of dazzling red light exploded across the field. A heavily armored warrior stomped onto the battlefield, a round shield in one hand and a massive axe in the other. Metal sheen glinted across its armor beneath the arena lights, radiating a crushing pressure.
[Dodododo Warrior]
[Warrior / Effect]
[Level: 6 → 4]
[ATK: 2300 → 1800]
The moment the monster appeared, Yusaku shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Next, I overlay the Dodododo Warrior I just Summoned with Gogogo Goblindbergh as Xyz Materials!"
A white cyclone roared up, swallowing both monsters. Golden light erupted from within, scattering into a skyful of starlight as it flew into the golden vortex that opened overhead.
"Warrior from the silent galaxy beyond—hope's star that guided humanity five thousand years ago!"
Yusaku's voice surged like a tidal wave, and the summoning storm behind him screamed as it whipped up his coat hem.
"Show the world your true power! This is the moment—when memories sleeping among the stars awaken—descend now, apex of Xyz Summoning!"
He raised an Extra Deck card high above his head, and the golden summoning light blazed like a scorching sun.
"Xyz Summon! Rank 4—Number 86: Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad!!!"
The golden vortex snapped tight, compressing into a radiant pillar of light that pierced heaven and earth. Inside it, countless star-like shards burst apart, knitting together into armor patterns and the razor edge of a sacred lance.
A warrior clad in gilded, jewel-inlaid battle armor stepped through the broken light. Star charts flowed across the engravings of its pauldrons. The gem set into its breastplate flared with sunlike brilliance. A crimson cape snapped behind it in the summoning storm, whipping like a sheet of flame that tore through the air.
The warrior lifted its head. From beneath its helm, two streaks of golden light lanced from its eyes. The pressure around it thickened the air itself, a tangible oppression blanketing the entire Duel field.
[Number 86: Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad]
[Warrior / Effect / Xyz]
[Rank: 4]
[Xyz Materials: 2]
[ATK: 3000]
Staring at the monster now on the field, Ichiro Kuki frowned slightly. He did not know why, but the moment it appeared, an ominous premonition crawled up his spine.
It was not as if he had never faced "Heroic" Duelists before. He even had a Heroic card in his own collection. But this Rhongomyniad—he had never even heard of it.
What confused him even more was the sheer oppressive presence it radiated. It was only a Rank 4 Xyz Monster, yet the pressure felt comparable to a high-tier endboard. It was as if the air had been frozen by its edge, making every breath heavy and sluggish.
And it was not just him. The onlooking Duelists wore the same baffled expressions. Even from a distance, they could still feel an invisible weight pressing down on them.
"What is that? Since when did the 'Heroic' theme have something like this?"
A Duelist in a red jacket rubbed his eyes hard.
"Rank 4—so why does it have that kind of presence? Just standing there makes it hard to breathe!"
"Something's off. That pressure is not something a normal Rank 4 should have!"
A bespectacled Duelist pushed up his glasses, his tone full of disbelief.
Compared to them, the players were practically vibrating with excitement.
The moment they recognized the monster, their eyes went wide, mouths falling open on instinct.
"Holy crap! Rhongo!"
"Holy crap—I finally get why he summoned Number 75: Bamboozling Gossip Shadow earlier! It was to load materials onto Rhongo!"
"Holy crap, a 7-material Rhongo. Does the other side even need to duel anymore?"
"Waaah, I missed you, Prison Lance! I wonder when you'll finally get out again!"
Hearing the chorus of "holy crap" exploding around him, Yusaku could only shake his head helplessly.
He had discovered that the players following him were not only questionable in sportsmanship—apparently their vocabulary was questionable too. No matter what happened, all they ever seemed capable of saying was one phrase.
Yusaku laughed and spoke clearly.
"Number 75: Bamboozling Gossip Shadow's effect: I can target 1 'Number' Xyz Monster I control, except this card, then attach this card to it as material—and transfer all of this card's Xyz Materials to that monster as well."
"I target my Number 86: Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad, and I attach Number 75—along with its 4 materials—beneath it!"
Light flickered across the field. Number 75 dissolved into five streaks of radiance that poured precisely into Number 86.
[Number 86: Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad]
[Xyz Materials: 2 → 7]
As the materials stacked, the silver armor on Rhongo blazed with even more dazzling gold. The patterns carved into its lance seemed to come alive, rivers of searing energy flowing through them.
Yusaku followed up by drawing a Spell and slamming it onto his Duel Disk. The crisp snap echoed across the venue.
"Next, I activate the Continuous Spell—Zoodiac Barrage!"
"This card's effect: I target 1 face-up card I control; destroy it, then Special Summon 1 'Zoodiac' monster from my Deck!"
He ran his fingertip over the Deck zone on the Duel Disk.
"I choose to destroy my Continuous Spell Fire Formation - Tenki. From my Deck, I Special Summon Zoodiac Ratpier!"
A mouse-like monster in compact armor scurried out of the Deck's portal and landed neatly onto the field, its eyes bright and agile.
[Zoodiac Ratpier]
[Level 4 / Beast-Warrior / Effect]
[ATK: 0]
A low murmur rose from the crowd. Someone asked, puzzled:
"Zero ATK? What's the point of summoning that?"
Hearing that, the nearby players only chuckled to themselves.
What's the point? You'll find out in a second.
In the next moment, Yusaku pulled out six Extra Deck monster cards that had been covered beneath other cards.
"Next, I activate the shared effect of the six 'Zoodiac' monsters in my Extra Deck!"
"Zoodiac Broadbull, Zoodiac Chakanine, Zoodiac Tigermortar, Zoodiac Hammerkong, Zoodiac Drident, and Zoodiac Boarbow—once per turn, each can be Xyz Summoned by stacking it on top of a 'Zoodiac' Xyz Monster I control with a different name!"
"I stack all six on top of Zoodiac Ratpier!"
Before his words even finished, the six cards shot down like meteors onto the Duel Disk. A massive golden vortex appeared instantly above the field, and beastly roars thundered from within it, shaking the ground ever so slightly.
One after another, six differently shaped Zoodiac monsters manifested.
A bull with towering horns, a canine with a metal collar around its neck, a tiger carrying a heavy cannon on its back… each became a streak of golden light and dove into the vortex.
The lights collided and intertwined, and in the end, they condensed into a single towering silhouette—a Beast-Warrior Xyz in crimson armor, a blood-red blade gripped in its hand, leaping down from the vortex.
[Zoodiac Boarbow]
[Rank 4 / Beast-Warrior / Xyz / Effect]
[Xyz Materials: 6]
[ATK: 0]
"Not done yet!" Yusaku immediately revealed another card from his hand. "I activate the effect of Zoodiac Whiptail! I target 1 Beast-Warrior Xyz Monster I control, then I can attach this card from my hand or field to it as material!"
"I target Zoodiac Boarbow, and I attach Zoodiac Whiptail beneath it!"
As the material stacked, dark-gold patterns surfaced across Boarbow's armor, and the blood color on its blade deepened.
[Zoodiac Boarbow]
[Xyz Materials: 6 → 7]
"Zoodiac Boarbow's effect," Yusaku said, looking straight at Ichiro. "Its ATK and DEF increase by the corresponding values of the 'Zoodiac' monsters attached to it as materials."
"Except for Zoodiac Whiptail's 1200 ATK, every other material has 0 ATK—so its ATK becomes 1200!"
[Zoodiac Boarbow]
[ATK: 0 → 1200]
Ichiro crossed his arms and sneered with open disdain.
"1200 ATK? Even if you attack directly, that's not a threat worth mentioning. And besides…"
He raised his hand and pointed at the faint barrier-like glow hovering over the field.
"Did you forget the effect of Dark Ruler No More? I won't take any battle damage."
"You know I can't take damage, and yet you still bother with an attack like this. I genuinely do not understand what you're trying to accomplish."
Ichiro swept his gaze across the two monsters on Yusaku's field, his tone dripping with contempt.
"You only have two monsters right now. Zoodiac Boarbow has already attacked. And even if Number 86: Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad has 3000 ATK, it can only deal with one monster on my field. Next turn, I won't even need a complicated setup—this Duel ends."
Listening to Ichiro's words, Yusaku's lips curled into a faint, enigmatic arc.
"Why I attacked… you'll understand very soon."
"As for your monsters…"
He paused deliberately, meeting Ichiro's eyes head-on, his smile laced with a teasing edge.
"Sorry, but in a moment, you won't have a single card left on your field."
Ichiro's smile froze in place.
"What did you say?"
Yusaku did not waste another word. He drew a card from his Extra Deck that seemed to throb with terrifying power and lifted it high above his head.
In the next instant, the card erupted with blinding blue radiance. Countless arcs of blue lightning snapped and crackled out of it, and an invisible, shocking force expanded outward from the card, surging straight into the sky.
The clear sky was swallowed in an instant by rolling black storm clouds. Thunder roared loud enough to hurt the ears. Purple lightning writhed through the cloud cover, flashing again and again, illuminating the stunned faces of everyone in the Duel arena.
A golden vortex even larger than before formed above the center of the field. The pressure pouring from it made every person present instinctively hold their breath.
Seeing that spectacle, Ichiro's pupils shrank. He took half a step back without realizing it, his heart pounding out of control.
The onlookers were stunned as well, and one after another they blurted out:
"This… what is he summoning?!"
But compared to them, the surrounding players realized it instantly. They became frenzied with excitement, shouting "holy crap" nonstop while yelling things like "It's here! It's here!" and "the apex of Xyz Summoning!"—words outsiders could not understand at all.
On the field, Yusaku's long coat flapped violently in the wind kicked up by the vortex. He lifted his arm high, his voice resounding across the entire arena.
"I activate the effect of this monster in my hand—by stacking it on top of my Zoodiac Boarbow that has already declared an attack, I perform a Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!"
Bang!
The card slammed onto the Duel Disk, exploding into a storm of blue lightning that raced along the disk's circuitry and spread outward.
In that moment, a pillar of light rose behind him, dragging a cyclone into being that snapped his coat wildly in every direction.
At the sight of it, the players in the crowd raised their arms, shouting in unison as if reciting something engraved into their DNA—voices uniform, fervent, and almost devotional.
"The twelfth divine lance forged to declare rebellion—tear apart the sky's black clouds with heaven's descending thunder, and strangle every false god to death!"
"Let its thunder scorch the heavens, shatter the stars, and slaughter the divine!"
"Humanity's final and strongest weapon—load in and descend upon my field in the form of the endpoint of Xyz!"
"God's despair is humanity's hope!!!"
As the last line rang out, Yusaku swept his hand forward. Zoodiac Boarbow became a streak of golden light and shot into the enormous vortex overhead.
"Xyz Rank-Up Evolution, Rank 12—Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder!"
The vortex spun faster and faster. Amid lightning and thunder, a colossal machine with a sharply futuristic silhouette began to emerge from within it.
Its chassis—woven from silver-white and deep azure—was covered in intricate patterns. Enormous mechanical wings unfurled like cloud cover that could blot out the sky. Blue lightning arced and crackled around it, and simply floating there was enough to crush the spirit of anyone looking up at it.
Like a god descending into the mortal world—daring anyone to meet its gaze.
[Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder]
[Machine / Xyz / Effect]
[Rank: 12]
[Xyz Materials: 8]
[ATK: 3000]
The moment the machine landed, the entire Duel arena shuddered violently. Rubble and dust burst up into the air.
Yusaku's eyes were as sharp as a blade. He swung his arm down and shouted.
"I activate Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder's effect! I detach 2 materials, and send every monster on the field except this card to the GY!"
[Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder]
[Xyz Materials: 8 → 6]
Ichiro's pupils shrank to needle points.
"All of them?!"
"Yes," Yusaku replied coldly. "You heard me. All of them."
As the words fell, ZEUS's mechanical wings folded and transformed, forming two massive energy cannons. Dense purple energy gathered at the muzzles, bright enough to make it impossible to look directly at.
The machine clenched both fists and drove them downward. Blue lightning erupted simultaneously from its arms, shoulders, legs, and chest ports, as if the entire chassis had become a war engine swollen to bursting with power.
In the next instant, countless purple energy pillars roared out of the cannons, carrying a world-ending momentum as they pierced straight through every monster on Ichiro's field.
Those monsters—once imposing, once boasting of being unbreakable—had no resistance at all before ZEUS's assault. They wailed as they shattered into particles of light, swallowed up by a tearing dimensional rift as they were sent to the Graveyard one after another.
(End of Chapter)
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