Chapter 1040: Accel vs. Delta Accel

A shining meteor streaked across the night sky, dragging a long tail of light as it pierced the heavens. The moment it broke through the clouds, it erupted with the brilliance of the sun, tearing the wisps of clouds into a radial vortex. As the meteor began to descend, the outer flames gradually faded, revealing the dragon-shaped silhouette wrapped within. The light was not burning fire, but a sacred radiance overflowing from the gaps in its exoskeleton armor.

The arrival of Shooting Star Dragon kicked up a pure energy storm. It folded its wings, and the moment its front claws touched the ground, a ripple of light spread out from the point of impact, illuminating the entire duel arena as if it were broad daylight.

【Shooting Star Dragon, ATK 3300】

The copy of Yusei: "It finally appeared. This is your trump card for now, right?"

"That's right, and I will use this new power to defeat you, even if you possess a realm far beyond mine."

Yusei said.

"I activate 'Shooting Star Dragon's' effect! Once per turn, I check the top five cards of my deck. This turn, this card can make attacks up to the number of Tuner monsters revealed among them, and then those five cards return to the deck and are shuffled."

The copy of Yusei immediately understood the opponent's intention: "I see. You think that since I have means in my hand or Graveyard to block attacks, you summoned Shooting Star Dragon to increase the number of attacks, thinking that even if I can block one or two, you'll win if just one goes through... is that the idea?"

Yusei didn't respond, but thought to himself that the opponent could indeed read his mind.

"First card!" Yusei drew. "Tuner monster, 'Nitro Synchron'!"

"Second card!"

Yusei drew again, but frowned slightly after the draw, as if he hadn't hit.

"Third card! Tuner monster 'Turbo Synchron'!"

"Fourth card!"

Yusei drew, then frowned slightly again. The fourth card was also a miss.

"Fifth card!"

Yusei drew the last card and revealed it directly.

"Tuner monster 'Effect Veiler'!"

A total of three Tuners were confirmed, so Shooting Star Dragon could attack three times this turn.

Yusei raised his hand and said: "Go, Shooting Star Dragon, direct attack triple strike!"

Shooting Star Dragon spread its wings, and blinding white light erupted from its body. With a clear dragon roar, its figure split in the strong light, and three phantoms—red, yellow, and blue—separated like light refracted through a prism. Each clone retained the shape of Shooting Star Dragon, but energy ripples of different colors flowed through their bodies.

The red phantom soared into the sky first, dragging a trail like flames; the yellow phantom followed closely behind, its light as dazzling as the midday sun; the blue phantom rose last, with ice-crystal-like starlight condensing on its trajectory. They hovered briefly in the air, then simultaneously turned and dove down. The three meteors drew perfect parabolas, and the three-colored lights suddenly intertwined into a spiral, erupting with a rainbow-colored flash before impact.

"Whether it's the hand or the Graveyard, you can usually only block one attack... the thinking is good, but unfortunately." The copy of Yusei said. "What I have in my hand is this card!

Discard 'Swift Scarecrow' from my hand! Negate the opponent's monster's direct attack, then forcibly end the Battle Phase."

The little scarecrow jumped onto the field, and an energy shield like a barrier expanded, blocking the impact of the three-colored meteors.

"Swift Scarecrow, huh..." Yusei let out a long breath.

If it was this hand trap, there was indeed nothing he could do; just one card could block all subsequent attacks. Yusei himself also possessed this card.

"Then I'll set two cards, and end my turn." Yusei said.

The copy of Yusei: "In the End Phase of this turn, 'Cosmic Blazar Dragon,' which was banished from the game due to its own effect, returns to the field."

Starlight gathered again on his field, and soon it transformed back into the invincible form of Blazar Dragon.

【Cosmic Blazar Dragon, ATK 4000】 Blazar Dragon returned, and Yusei felt that immense pressure once again.

But at least he had summoned Shooting Star Dragon now.

Yusei glanced at his new trump card, Shooting Star Dragon, on his field, and felt slightly reassured. He

had a chance!

Cosmic Blazar Dragon's effect was that it could negate the activation of a card's effect and destroy it, or negate a monster's Summon and destroy it. Both of these effects counted as effects that included "destroying a card."

And Shooting Star Dragon could negate effects that destroyed cards and destroy them.

Furthermore, the anime version of Shooting Star Dragon's effect didn't have a "once per turn" clause; as long as an effect that destroyed a card was activated, Shooting Star Dragon could negate it no matter how many times.

Therefore, even if Cosmic Blazar Dragon tried to attack, it would be the same.

If Blazar Dragon declared an attack, Shooting Star Dragon could activate its effect to banish itself from the game and negate the opponent's attack for that turn—and in the anime, this effect of Shooting Star Dragon's "banishing itself from the game" was a monster effect, not a cost for activation, so Shooting Star Dragon was still on the field during the chain.

Being on the field meant that if Cosmic Blazar Dragon negated Shooting Star Dragon's activation and destroyed it, Shooting Star Dragon could then turn around and "negate the effect that destroys itself and destroy it."

After a round of such offensive and defensive exchanges, Blazar would effectively be dismantled.

So, although Cosmic Blazar Dragon had higher ATK and more comprehensive abilities, and could be considered a fully upgraded high-spec version compared to Shooting Star Dragon, it really wasn't that easy for it to dismantle Shooting Star Dragon, this secondary form.

This was Yusei's greatest source of confidence.

Yusei calmly observed the copy of himself across the field.

Come on, let me see how you'll attack and break through this situation.

"My turn, draw."

The copy of Yusei said.

"I activate the Spell Card 'Burial from a Different Dimension's Treasure,' banishing three Spell Cards from my Graveyard to draw two cards from my deck."

"I banish 'Hand Destruction,' 'Tuning,' and 'Machine Duplication' from my Graveyard, and draw two cards."

The copy of Yusei drew the cards and paused.

"You seem to think that even Cosmic Blazar Dragon can't easily defeat your Shooting Star Dragon, right?"

Yusei: "..."

"Your thinking isn't bad, and even for Blazar, it's not that easy to deal with Shooting Star Dragon. But unfortunately, having reached this point, my path of evolution is no longer limited to just this one road."

He drew three cards from his hand in one breath.

"I send 'Meklord Army of Wisel,' 'Meklord Army of Skiel,' and 'Meklord Army of Granel'—three monsters—from my hand to the Graveyard!"

"Summon this strongest Meklord to descend!"

Yusei was shocked: "Strongest Meklord!?"

"This card can be Special Summoned by sending three 'Meklord' monsters from your hand to the Graveyard. Meklord Emperor, descend here—"

"—Meklord Astro Mekanikle ∞!!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1041 =====