Chapter 191: Targeted to the Max! (5k!)

For many Yu-Gi-Oh! players, going first is almost everything.

Although there are specific decks designed to go second, in reality, even when going second, some decks still cannot fully break through—and going second might even become the root of defeat.

Of course, in this world, the rarity, collection status, and inherent power of the cards must all be considered, so Tiancheng Guang cannot, as he could before his transmigration, play five or six negations and resistances on his first turn and wait for his opponent to surrender.

Nevertheless, even so, Tiancheng Guang can still achieve certain things through specific techniques and methods.

For example, refreshing resources and rapidly replacing cards in hand.

Right now, Tiancheng Guang's hand allows him to do things he could not do before.

"Activate the Spell Card: Fusion! Fuse the two Lei Long cards in my hand—Fusion Summon—Super Lei Long—Lei Long!"

The jet-black dragon reappears on the field—and still remains in Attack Position!

Super Lei Long—Lei Long, Level 8, Dark Attribute, Thunder-Type, ATK 2600.

"Still in Attack Position?" Seeing this, the Skeleton Knight couldn't help shaking his head, his bones creaking.

Tiancheng Guang smiled confidently.

Although he has been using Fusion consistently, that doesn't mean he hasn't prepared "countermeasures." When he first arrived in this world, he prepared two strategies, each targeting people in this world from opposite directions.

Last time he didn't draw it; this time is different.

"Next, activate the Spell Card—Divine Yingyi Fusion!"

"A new Fusion?" The Skeleton Knight, seeing the card and sensing its power, chuckled, "Is this a Dark-type Fusion?"

"When your opponent's field has a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, this card allows you to send Fusion Materials from your Deck to the Graveyard to perform a Fusion Summon!"

"I send Divine Yingyi Falcon and Elemental Hero Wingman from my Deck to the Graveyard—Fusion Summon!"

Wind God Divine Yingyi—

Divine Divine Yingyi—Vendigo!"

Divine Divine Yingyi—Vendigo, Level 6, Wind Attribute, Psychic-Type, DEF 2800.

"Two thousand eight hundred DEF as a wall? That's certainly useful—but this level is far from enough to defeat my Netherworld Dragon!"

"Heh, the Fusion has only just begun!"

"Activate the effect of Divine Yingyi Falcon sent to the Graveyard: When this card is sent to the Graveyard by an effect, it can be Special Summoned in face-down Defense Position." Tiancheng Guang snapped his fingers; a strand of puppet strings bound the monster in the Graveyard and flipped it onto the field.

"Activate Vendigo's effect: Once per turn, you can make one monster on the field immune to battle destruction by Special Summoned monsters. I apply this effect to Super Lei Long—then use it to attack Super Lei Long Dark Soul!"

"Go! Shatter the fake!"

Super Lei Long gathered lightning and slammed into the phantom on the field, smashing it instantly.

The Skeleton Knight didn't move a muscle, utterly unfazed by the scene.

"Just one wraith shattered. No big deal. If you can't find a way to deal with Long Wang, I'll just devour your monster's soul again next turn."

"Your current defense is completely meaningless to me!"

"Is that so?" Tiancheng Guang smiled. "Then I'll cover one more card and end my turn—"

At this moment, the effect of Fusion Regeneration Mechanism activates: At the end of the turn, it can return one Fusion Material from the Graveyard to the hand.

"I return one Lei Long from the Graveyard to my hand."

He revealed a card from his hand, gave it a light shake, then placed it back into his hand.

The Skeleton Knight watched Tiancheng Guang's actions, momentarily confused.

What's so special about this?

One monster with 2800 DEF, one with 2600 ATK, one covered monster with barely any DEF—combined, it's nothing remarkable. What's the big deal?

What gives him such confidence?

He couldn't understand—but he felt a surge of excitement.

It was a joy he had often felt in life.

His name was: Rudiger Goldwin.

Now, the Chief of the City Security Bureau, the elder brother of Goldwin—he is a man resurrected from death—

No, perhaps that's not quite right.

He is not truly "Rudiger Goldwin," but merely his "shell," a fragment preserved by Goldwin of his elder brother.

Rudiger Goldwin was a "chosen one," simultaneously favored by both sides of this world's good and evil, selected as an agent by both, and awaited by two powerful forces. He himself, through his own will, chose the path of the "Earthbound Immortal," then severed the arm housing the Red Dragon's power and gave it to his younger brother.

He hoped his brother would gather the Dragon Seal bearers to defeat him.

In this way, justice would still prevail, the world would continue to function normally—though not everyone would be happy, at least no one would be enslaved by the Demon God.

But his younger brother had grown disillusioned with this world.

Thousands of years of cyclical struggle between Earthbound Immortals and Red Dragons, humanity's filthy schemes, the absurd bullying of the upper class over the lower class—this man had lost faith in the human world.

He didn't want to gather Red Dragon Seal bearers to defeat his brother; he even wanted to simply discard the Red Dragon's power, letting the interdimensional beings take it—so his plan could proceed smoothly.

Under these circumstances, Goldwin summoned him—the legendary figure of old: the Skeleton Knight.

But although he was not the original, and although he obeyed the "younger brother's" orders, he still refused to casually give away his former power. Thus, for this period, he had observed Tiancheng Guang for a long time in the shadows.

His interactions with companions, his understanding of Fusion—all perfectly met his standards. Even more, the darkness in the duels brought him joy.

But—

If this is all he has!

Then he might as well die too, and avoid being noticed by the Red Dragon!!

"My turn, draw!" The Skeleton Knight sharply drew a card.

"At this moment, I reveal a trap card—" Tiancheng Guang suddenly flipped a Trap Card, then narrowed his eyes and smiled at the Skeleton Knight, "Divine Yingyi's Core!"

A massive white crystal skull appeared on the field, accompanied by the mournful wails of countless souls.

Since Bai Jing absorbed the suffering of countless spirits, the sorrow on this card had truly become tangible.

Seeing a card saturated with the same dark power, the Skeleton Knight's ghostly flames flared slightly.

"This card can transform into a monster and be Special Summoned to the field. At that time, it becomes a Level 9, Dark Attribute, Spellcaster-Type monster with ATK 1450 and DEF 1950, existing on the field!"

"At that time, when performing a Fusion Summon with Divine Yingyi Fusion monsters, it can substitute as a material matching the attribute specified on that card!"

At this very moment!

Tiancheng Guang's victory was already secured!

The Skeleton Knight stared at Tiancheng Guang's actions, baffled. He glanced at his hand, chuckled twice, then revealed a monster: "I Normal Summon—Flame of Ruin, Phantom Wing Dragon!"

Phantom Wing Dragon, Dark Attribute, Level 4, Zombie-Type, ATK 1700.

"This card's effect activates only when it is Normal or Special Summoned: I can add one 'Phantom Fusion' card from my Deck to my hand… Huh?"

He realized his Deck showed no reaction whatsoever.

What was going on?

He wasn't using a mechanical Duel Disk—he was using the ancient Duel Disk of the priests. It couldn't possibly malfunction!

"Sorry, when Super Lei Long—Lei Long is on the field, your opponent cannot add cards from their Deck to their hand except by drawing!"

"A sealing effect? What an astonishing power." Only now did he reassess this monster called Super Lei Long. No wonder Tiancheng Guang protected it so fiercely—even after its destruction, he immediately revived it.

"But it doesn't matter… As long as Netherworld Dragon attacks, your life points—like a candle in the wind—will instantly vanish—"

Its jaws moved up and down, cackling, then it revealed another card: "I activate the Spell Card: Book of the Living—Forbidden Ritual—This card allows you to banish one monster card from your opponent's Graveyard to revive one Zombie monster from my Graveyard."

"I banish one Lei Long from your Graveyard and revive my Graveyard's Phantom Spear Soldier!" With this, even if Tiancheng Guang had strange Trap Cards on the field, the Phantom Spear Soldier's piercing effect could deal piercing damage—enough to win this turn!

"At this moment, reveal the face-down card!"

"Continuous Trap Card!"

"Divine Yingyi's False Scripture!"

"This card, another Divine Yingyi-exclusive Fusion card, can banish from the field and Graveyard the Fusion Materials determined by Divine Yingyi Fusion monsters to perform one Divine Yingyi monster Fusion Summon!"

"Graveyard and field…"

But at this moment, Tiancheng Guang only had Divine Yingyi Fusion Materials on the field.

"I banish Divine Yingyi's Core and Divine Yingyi Falcon from the game—"

In the void, countless puppet strings surged wildly, weaving a path for that presence.

"Listen!" Tiancheng Guang slowly placed a monster card from his Extra Deck onto the field. "The voice of the gods, the words of the gods—understand and decipher this divine command!"

"Fusion Summon!"

"Descend!"

"Divine Divine Yingyi—Midrash!"

The green-haired puppet drove everything, thundering onto the field.

All ten of her fingers were connected by puppet strings, controlling not only the phantom dragon beside her, but also gripping the golden-haired girl and the dolphin nearby.

Divine Divine Yingyi—Midrash, Level 5, Dark Attribute, Spellcaster-Type, ATK 2200.

Meanwhile, on the Skeleton Knight's field, the undead also revived.

Flame of Ruin, Phantom Spear Soldier, Level 5, Dark Attribute, Zombie-Type, ATK 2000.

"Divine Divine Yingyi—Midrash? That's the monster's name?" Feeling the terrifying darkness within Midrash, the Skeleton Knight slowly nodded.

Although its Level is low, the darkness within this monster is no less than that of the Netherworld Dragon!

But only 2200 ATK…

"At this moment, the effect of Divine Yingyi's False Scripture continues!"

"After the Fusion Summon, you can select one monster on your opponent's field with the same attribute as this Effect-Summoned monster and send it to the Graveyard. Return to the Netherworld—Netherworld Dragon!"

"Aooooo!!!"

The Netherworld Dragon roared, struggling—but its body was violently dragged by countless puppet strings, pulled back to where it belonged.

Soon enough, the Netherworld Dragon, unwilling to return, was sent back to the Graveyard.

"So that's how this effect works?" The Skull Knight glanced at the card sent to the graveyard, then turned back to Tiancheng Guang, the ghostly flames in his eyes flickering faintly. "But even this alone cannot stop the Netherworld Dragon's return—"

"As long as I revive the Netherworld Dragon, I can keep fighting and win!"

"Activate a magic card… Huh?" He stared blankly at his hand.

He tried to use a card—but discovered that every single card in his hand was unusable!

No matter what he tried to place on the Duel Disk, it was useless!

Every card in his hand—none of them could be used!

What's going on!?

What's happening!?

The Skull Knight stared at his hand, then suddenly realized—he looked at Lei Lei Yuanlong, then at Midelash.

"The effect of Divine Shadow·Midelash: as long as this card is on the field, each player can perform only one Special Summon per turn!"

The goddess said she hated storytellers.

For Synchro Summoning, Midelash's suppression was deadly!

The Skull Knight stared blankly at the monster.

For Dimensional Duelists, after understanding this world's Dueling, using such cards was only natural.

But to the Skull Knight, the meaning of this card was not so simple.

Restricting Revival, restricting Special Summons, restricting Search…

The power of darkness, the power of puppets, the mechanical aura befitting the dead.

This man before him was indeed a perfect vessel to inherit his "former" power—he was the one who used Fusion in this Synchro Summoning world!

But even that was not enough!

He looked at his face-down cards—his Set card was the trap 【Truth of No Resistance】, which activates when the opponent's direct attack inflicts damage: by showing one 1-Star monster from his hand to the opponent, he could Special Summon a card with the same name from his deck.

He still had two monsters on his field; breaking through this lockdown was no easy task. If he greedily attacked directly with his monsters and failed to defeat his opponent, next turn he could use a magic card to revive the Netherworld Dragon. At that point, Tiancheng Guang—already unable to use Shadow·'s Pseudo-Canon—would face the Netherworld Dragon's wrath once more. No matter how high the ATK of his newly summoned Fusion monster, he would be doomed!

So, what will you do now, Tiancheng Guang?

"My turn, draw—"

The Skull Knight gripped the reins tightly.

He stared fixedly at Tiancheng Guang's actions.

He was nervous—and also anticipating.

Nervous, because as a Duelist, he wanted to hold on until his next turn; anticipating, because he wanted to see whether this dark Duelist, who also wielded the powers of "death" and "puppets," would make a rational move now.

"I didn't expect…" Tiancheng Guang glanced at the card he drew. What did this mean?

Dueling reveals the psyche of this world's people.

What did it mean that he drew this same card in the first turn—and now again?

"Normal Summon, Elemental Hero Prism Man!"

Elemental Hero Prism Man, Level 4, Light Attribute, Warrior Type, ATK 1700.

The Skull Knight's towering frame sagged slightly.

In the end, was he just greedy for a fleeting victory?

"I activate Prism Man's effect: reveal Flame Wingman from my deck, and send Burner Lady from my deck to the graveyard." Tiancheng Guang stared at his hand, calculated quickly, and found the optimal kill route.

The body of Prism Man began to glow; the silhouette of a female hero emerged upon it. The Skull Knight stared at the monster, and in his eyes, he seemed to see something else.

The light of the prism shone upon him. He gazed at his own reflection on the monster's surface—the hollow shell of his body—and unconsciously raised his bony hand to touch his empty eye sockets.

He had long been dead. He was not even "Rudiger Goldwin"—merely the hollow shell of a dream. Yet in this moment, he felt as if he saw his true self.

"Activate magic card: Miracle Fusion! Banish Winged Dragon and Burner Lady from the graveyard to Fusion Summon!"

Again—once more—he used cards from the graveyard as materials for Fusion!

Tiancheng Guang…

Though they had barely exchanged words, he felt it—he felt Tiancheng Guang's "doing what he says."

Every single move he made was solely for Fusion!

"Fusion Summon, Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"

Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, Level 6, Wind Attribute, Warrior Type, ATK 2100.

Flame Wingman—the Skull Knight knew it. In this world, it was an utterly unpopular card: requiring specific Fusion materials, usable only for Fusion Summoning, and with low ATK. Yet he recognized it.

Its effect—dealing damage equal to the ATK of a destroyed monster—was strikingly similar to the Netherworld Dragon's!

"Battle: Flame Wingman attacks Phantom Dragon!"

Skull Knight, LP 4000 → 3600

"When Flame Wingman destroys an opponent's monster in battle, inflict damage equal to its ATK!"

Flames roared, making the Skull Knight nearly lose his balance on his steed.

Skull Knight, LP: 3600 → 1900

"Midelash attacks Phantom Spearman!"

Skull Knight, LP: 1900 → 1800

"Finally, Lei Lei Yuanlong—direct attack!"

Tiancheng Guang didn't understand what the face-down card was—but there was no reason not to attack when the opponent had no direct defense!

Lei Lei Yuanlong gathered lightning, soared high into the sky, then unleashed a torrent of thunder downward!

The attack succeeded!

Tiancheng Guang paused in astonishment.

The next moment, tiny sparks of light flickered across the Skull Knight's body—his form seemed to be dissolving.

Skull Knight, LP: 1800 → 0

Bonus update: I tried splitting this chapter, but it didn't work well—so here it is as one. Please vote for monthly tickets, please!

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(End of Chapter)