Since I can summon monsters for real just like the anime, I have to be as dramatic as possible!"Burn! Spell Card—H - Heated Heart, activate!"
The H-Spell he had picked from Finis materialized as a giant, flaming letter "H" behind Burstinatrix.
"Through its effect, Burstinatrix gains 500 Attack Points and piercing damage!"
Piercing damage meant that when attacking a Defense Position monster, if the attacker's ATK was higher than the defender's DEF, the difference would be inflicted as battle damage.
Elemental HERO Burstinatrix [ATK: 1200 + 500 → 1700]
With the boost from the Spell card, Burstinatrix's 1700 ATK made her quite formidable among Lower-Level monsters that didn't require a Tribute.
"Burstinatrix, attack his Set monster!"
"Hmph. It's over." Rutz let out a wicked smirk as he slammed a button on his Duel Disk. His face-down Trap card flipped up.
"Trap Card—Staunch Defender, activate! According to its effect, when you declare an attack, you must select my Sanga of the Thunder as the target, and you must proceed with the attack!"
Burstinatrix's target was forcibly changed. Amano Zero, who had felt that constant defense was just a slow death, had fallen straight into Rutz's trap. Even with the boost from H - Heated Heart, the Thunder God's Attack was still 900 points higher than Burstinatrix's.
In a monster-on-monster battle, not only would the HERO be destroyed, but Zero would also take 900 points of damage. In an underground duel with high physical feedback, 900 points of electrical damage would be pure torture for the duelist.
Rutz barked, "If you thought it was only 900 damage, you're too naive, slum brat! Sanga of the Thunder's effect, activate!"
Lightning erupted from the demon god, perfectly nullifying Burstinatrix's offensive power.
"When Sanga is attacked, I can change the attacking monster's Attack to 0! You're finished, Amano Zero!"
Elemental HERO Burstinatrix [ATK: 1700 → 0]
The Sharia Group spectators erupted in a frenzy.
"There it is! Rutz's lethal combo!" "No matter how high a monster's Attack is, it meets its end here!" "Even the duelist won't escape unscathed!"
With Attack reduced to 0 followed by a forced battle, Amano Zero was looking at 2,600 points of battle damage. It was no different from taking a direct attack from Sanga of the Thunder. In an underground duel with 80% physical feedback, it was like being struck by actual heavenly lightning.
I didn't come here to be a human lightning rod!
"Die! Face the lightning of the gods!" Standing in the iron cage, the self-proclaimed god Rutz raised a massive finger. He had ended many duelists with this exact move.
"Crap!" Zero's mind raced, desperately wondering what posture would best help him survive a bolt of lightning. This wasn't like the anime where you could just roll on the ground to buffer the shock. This was way beyond the syllabus!
"Amano Zero, get behind me!"
Like a lifeline thrown into a deep abyss, "Eve's" voice rang in his ear. Simultaneously, the spirit of Priestess of the World Chalice emerged from his hand. The blue-haired girl gripped her staff, seemingly guiding the incoming thunder.
I guess you really can't survive in the Dueling world without some spirit connections!
[Elemental HERO Burstinatrix] destroyed. [Amano Zero LP: 4000 - 2600 → 1400]
In the VIP box, Karl's displeasure vanished instantly. "I guess it ends in four turns. I win the bet."
As the lightning dissipated, Finis squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to look at the aftermath. She felt an unavoidable wave of guilt; even though Zero had agreed to it, she was the one who had brought him to this underground cage.
"Eh?" A chorus of gasps rose from the crowd.
"That kid... he's fine?" "No way. Taking a hit like that and coming out... unscathed?"
Finis finally dared to peek. In the ring, Zero hadn't fallen. In fact, there wasn't even a scorch mark on him. Even in a normal duel, taking that much damage usually sent a duelist tumbling across the floor with a scream.
"W-What did you do?" Rutz stammered.
"What did I do?" Zero asked, equally shocked, as he looked at "Eve."
"I... I didn't do anything?" Eve replied, looking at her staff in disbelief. As a Duel Spirit, she could have absorbed some damage, but the lightning had simply vanished before it hit, as if swallowed by a black hole.
While everyone's attention was on Zero, Wangchuan You's left red eye slowly faded back to blue.
Yubel: "Actually, even if you hadn't interfered, Eve would have kept him alive." Wangchuan You: "I couldn't help it. If Zero gets hurt, my heart breaks." Yubel: "You spoil him too much."
Zero, of course, had no idea his 100-favorability bro had just saved his skin. He chalked it up to luck. After a lifetime of dueling in his previous world, one thought was deeply rooted in his mind: Who dies from playing a card game?
"What did you do, Amano Zero!" Rutz shouted, unable to accept the result. "What cowardly trick did you use to dodge divine punishment!"
"You're about as much of a god as a pile of scrap!" Zero retorted. High-quality trash talk was a Duelist's bread and butter, and he wasn't about to miss the chance to rattle his opponent. "By my count, you missed because you're a fraud. And don't think you're getting away clean!"
Zero flipped his face-down card. "Trap Card—Desperate Tag, activate! When I take battle damage, I inflict 700 damage back to you!"
Zero's hand move was like a blade. A whistling wind cut through the air, slicing across Rutz's massive upper arm and leaving a visible gash.
Rutz LP: 4000 → 3300
Even though he only lost 700 Life Points, Rutz's physical body actually bled. Compared to the unscathed Zero, the irony of the bloody wound was palpable.
Zero smirked provocatively. "Clearly, the gods are on my side. Only those favored by Lady Luck win in the end!"
Yubel: "Hoho, he called you a goddess?" Wangchuan You: "(//o/ω/o//) Oh stop, Zero... your mouth is so sweet."
Even though he had lost his monster and his attack was thwarted, a strange new confidence bubbled up in Zero. Maybe I really am the Chosen One.
"I Set two cards and end my turn."
"You think you'll win?" The veins on Rutz's bald head throbbed. "Amano Zero, you Sector 32 vermin, you penniless piece of trash... you think you can beat me?!"
While Zero had avoided the physical feedback, the Life Points were still gone. With an empty field and only 1400 LP, he couldn't survive another hit from the Thunder God.
"I won't let you die easily. I'll make you regret not falling just now!" Rutz drew his card and immediately flipped his face-down monster. "Flip Summon—Morphing Jar!"
The jar monster, lurking in the shadows with a creepy grin, stuck out its tongue and confiscated both players' hands.
Morphing Jar [Effect: If this card is flipped: Both players discard their entire hands, then draw 5 cards.]
This was a massive gain for Rutz, who only had one card. But Zero didn't lose out either, as he also had only one card left. The only victim was a certain blue-haired girl in his hand.
Eve: "QwQ I didn't even get to the field before going to the Graveyard!"
"Draw!" Rutz drew five cards, his expression becoming increasingly feral.
Yubel: "Something is wrong with this guy." Wangchuan You: "He's been weird from the start. Who killed his family to make him this cranky?"
The duel entered the fifth turn—Karl's last chance to win his bet. From Karl's perspective, an empty-field Zero had no way of surviving.
"Spell Card—Tribute Doll, activate!" "[Effect: Tribute 1 monster you control; Special Summon 1 Level 7 monster from your hand that can be Normal Summoned.]"
"I Tribute Morphing Jar to Special Summon from my hand—Suijin!"
Suijin [Level 7 / Water] [Aqua / Effect] [ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2400]
"Then I use the Spell card Star Blast! For every 500 LP I pay, I can reduce a monster's Level in my hand by 1. I pay 1500 LP to reduce its Level by 3!"
[Rutz LP: 3300 → 1800]
"AAAAAAAAAGH!" In a howl of agony caused by the physical feedback of the self-inflicted 1500 damage, Rutz's eyes turned blood-red with killing intent. "For my Normal Summon this turn, I summon the now Level 4 Kazejin in Attack Position!"
Kazejin [Level 4 (Orig. 7) / Wind] [Spellcaster / Effect] [ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2200]
In just three turns, Rutz had successfully gathered the three elemental gods on his field. With Attack Points of 2400, 2500, and 2600, the pressure was suffocating even by mid-sector tournament standards.
"That 1.2 million was well spent~" The head of the Sharia Group puffed on his cigar, a satisfied smirk on his face. "You get what you pay for. That Wynn girl found a piece of cheap junk. It's an insult to us."
With the three gods present, no one believed Zero had a chance.
"I guess it's over," Finis sighed. From initial hope to the surprise HERO summon, she was now faced with a reality that offered no light. Fighting with weak junk monsters against overwhelming power... the world was never that kind to those born into poverty.
"That's enough, Amano!" Finis shouted toward the stage. "You can surrender! I'll still give you the reward!"
[Finis Favorability: -10]
Wait, why did it drop so much?! After gaining 4 points and losing 10, she was at 49—dropping below the baseline. Zero needed those system rewards!
"I'm not surrendering."
"Don't be stubborn, you'll die! You can't get lucky every time!"
"It's not about dying, Miss Finis~" Zero glanced at his hand and gave her a confident gesture, pointing at the dejected girl. "I am here to take this victory for you!"
"Victory?" Finis's mouth hung open. "That's impossible..."
Heh. I can't bring myself to deceive a woman. The pieces of the puzzle had unexpectedly come together in Zero's hand.
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