With an insect barrier on the opponent's field, his entire Deck offense was locked down. On top of that, there were now three face-down cards in the opponent's back row, counting the one set on the first turn. After what he had just seen, he did not even dare imagine what those face-down cards might be.
At a moment like this, the one card in his Deck that could save him from despair was finally drawn. "Card Draw!"
Pouring all his rage and every reckless Duel impulse into this single, decisive draw, he created a miracle. "Spell Card-Heavy Storm!"
The instant Shuichi Watanabe raised the card, a violent storm swept across the entire field. "Destroy all Spell and Trap Card cards on both sides!"
"Heavy Storm! Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field!"
The violent wind swept across the arena in an instant. The defensive line of "Insect Barrier" on Yugen's field collapsed, and the three set cards in his back row were all torn up by the storm together. The field was left bare under the howling gusts.
"Then at the moment of destruction, I chain and activate one Trap Card card, 'No Entry!!'. Change all attack position monsters on the field to defense position," Shuichi Watanabe said loudly. "I use this effect to switch 'Boss Don Zaloog' to defense position."
[Boss Don Zaloog, ATK 1400 → DEF 1500]
Among the other traps that were swept away, one lingering afterimage before it shattered clearly showed a red pit. Even a brief glimpse of that departing Bottomless Trap Hole made the spectators shiver, and it strengthened the thought that they definitely did not want to sit across the table from someone like this.
"The other set card you destroyed just now was the Spell Card 'Spell Calling'," Yugen said calmly. "When this card is destroyed by an opponent's effect and sent to the Graveyard, I can choose two Spell Card from my Deck and set them on my field."
This was the same Spell Card that Judai Yuki had used in the anime. After being printed as a real card, it was weakened to only search one Quick-Play Spell, instead of freely choosing two spells. Even so, while the condition of being destroyed by the opponent was a bit troublesome, selecting two Spell Card was still a very strong effect.
"I add these two cards from my Deck."
Yugen drew out the two cards that popped from his Deck. He placed them face-down with steady movements, showing no sign of hesitation.
"I set the Spell Card 'Reinforcement of the Army' and the Spell Card 'Monster Reborn' on the field."
"But that means you have no attack lock and no traps left!" Shuichi Watanabe shouted. "I activate the effect of 'Hell Centipede' in my hand. If my opponent controls a monster and I control none, I can halve its original ATK and Summon it without tributes. I Summon 'Hell Centipede'!"
[Hell Centipede, ATK 1300]
"Then I use the Equip Spell 'Axe of Fools'!" Shuichi Watanabe continued. "The equipped monster gains 1000 ATK and its effects are negated. With Hell Centipede's effect negated, the drawback of its special summoning is removed, so its ATK returns to 2600. After the boost from Axe of Fools, it rises to 3600!"
[Hell Centipede, ATK 1300 → ATK 3600]
"Next, I activate another Equip Spell, 'Nitro Unit'," Shuuichi said. "This card can only equip to an opponent's monster. When that equipped monster is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, it inflicts damage equal to its ATK to its controller. I equip 'Nitro Unit' to 'Boss Don Zaloog'!"
The defending Don Zaloog was instantly bound with an explosive canister, its rough face looking utterly hopeless. The setup was clear and brutal, leaving little room to breathe.
"Hell Centipede, attack 'Don Zaloog'!"
[Don Zaloog, DEF 1500]
The giant insect crushed the unlucky boss with ease, triggering the chained explosion of Nitro Unit bound to its body. A thunderous blast followed, flames sweeping across half of Yugen's field as the shockwave washed over him.
[Yugen, LP 3000 → LP 1600]
"Then I set two cards and end my turn!" Shuichi Watanabe shouted.
"…"
"Impressive, Watanabe," the well-endowed upperclasswoman in the stands commented. "Even in a situation like that, he broke through in one push and regained control." Beside her, a student from the Duel Department nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, and judging by that setup, his back row should be solid too," the student said. "That freshman used some, uh, special methods to gain the upper hand, but it looks like this is as far as he goes. Still, his performance has been outstanding, and the judges should approve him."
Shuichi Watanabe thought the same way himself. He had a Hell Centipede with a massive 3600 ATK on the field, and one of his set cards was the Trap Card "Security Orb," which could switch an attacking monster to defense or destroy a monster if it was removed by a Spell and Trap Cards. It served both defense and counterattack purposes.
The other set card was the Trap Card "Holy Javelin," which could restore Life Points equal to the attacking monster's ATK. His defense looked nearly flawless, and he felt firmly in control of the situation.
What Shuuichi did not realize was that the Duel had already been decided. The moment he destroyed that 'Spell Calling' and allowed Yugen to search from the Deck, the end was effectively set.
Yugen said, "My Turn!, Card Draw."
The equation for victory was complete.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Giant Trunade'. All spells and Trap Card on both sides of the field return to their owners' hands!"
The storm rose again, and the set 'Monster Reborn' on Yugen's field and the two set cards on the opponent's side were all swept back into their hands. The back row vanished in an instant, leaving the field wide open.
Shuichi Watanabe looked at the two traps that returned to his hand and clicked his tongue. Losing the back row was annoying, but it did not seem fatal. Even without Axe of Fools, Hell Centipede would still have 2600 ATK, and his Life Points was also at 2600.
Could you really defeat me in a single turn?
Yugen drew another card that had been returned by the storm. "I activate the Spell Card 'Reinforcement of the Army' that I searched last turn. I add a level four or lower Warrior monster from my Deck to my hand. I add 'Gearfried the Iron Knight'."
Gearfried the Iron Knight had once been one of Joey Wheeler's signature low-level monsters in the DM era. By the GX era, it had become a common generic monster, something even Sho Marufuji remembered seeing used by random elementary school kids he dueled. Its appearance here, however, carried a very different meaning.
"Normal Summon 'Gearfried the Iron Knight'!" Yugen declared.
[Gearfried the Iron Knight, ATK 1800]
"Next, I activate the Spell Card 'Monster Reborn' that returned to my hand!" Yugen said. "I revive this card that was discarded to the Graveyard earlier by 'Graceful Charity'. Come back, Magical Beast Cerberus!"
[Magical Beast Cerberus, ATK 1400]
With Gearfried and Magical Beast Cerberus appearing together, any experienced duelist could already guess what was coming. Seeing these two side by side meant only one thing. One of the earliest and most infamous combinations in Yu-Gi-Oh! history.
Shuichi Watanabe frowned. "You summoned all these weak monsters. What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Don't rush," Yugen replied. "The last card I'm going to use is this."
Yugen waved his hand.
"Equip Spell, Butterfly Dagger - Elma!"