Chapter 1196

There are two Level 6 monsters!

Dark Mist was dazed, Yuma was confused, and perhaps even Hope, who might be in the Extra Deck, was confused.

Hope: Huh? Could it be that there's no role for me today?

To be fair, since arriving in Yuma's hands, such a situation had never occurred. Excluding casual entertainment duels that didn't involve the struggle for NO. cards, in every important duel since the first episode, Hope had never been absent; he was a true workaholic.

For a workaholic of this degree, it might be hard to imagine that there would ever be a day where he didn't have to work.

"'Gagaga Magician' and 'Gagaga Kid', which have become Level 6, overlay! The two monsters build the Overlay Network, Xyz Summon!"

Fujiki You Xuan raised his arm.

"NO. 25! Force Focus, the Heavy Optical Camera!!!"

Both monsters transformed into beams of light and shot into the sky, disappearing into the Xyz vortex. Following that, energy erupted into the sky, and a steel body slowly rose from the chaotic vortex.

Energy condensed into a black camera lens, a square red metal casing, and the protruding lens looked like an elongated eye, with deep zoom lenses observing and scrutinizing everything on the field.

Yes, it was exactly a giant camera. Calling this NO. a camera that had gained sentience wouldn't feel out of place at all.

【NO. 25 Force Focus, the Heavy Optical Camera, ATK 2800】

"A... a camera?"

Yuma thought for a while.

"That's right! This card is Shuta's..."

The owner of this NO. was Shuta Hayami, a background photographer from the early ZEXAL series. Although it was just a standalone episode in the anime, the monster's appearance and backstory were quite impressive.

Force Focus, the Heavy Optical Camera, was a card in the anime that possessed the ability to "predict the future."

The owner of this card could take photos of the future, achieving the ability to predict it. Whether it was the direction of a duel, the weather, disasters, or trivial matters in life, anything could be predicted using this power.

However, after Yuma defeated the owner and reclaimed this card, this power seemed to have disappeared—at least it was never shown once while in Yuma's hands.

But even so, through these small setting details, one could see what kind of terrifying power these NO. cards possessed. Many NO. cards were like this, having the power to influence reality in a certain field, exceeding common sense.

Fujiki You Xuan: "However, 'Gagaga Kid' also has a side effect: an Xyz Monster summoned using this card cannot attack during the turn it is summoned." (Anime effect)

This effect in the anime was also stronger than the physical card. Under the physical card effect, if you Xyz Summon using Gagaga Kid, you cannot enter the Battle Phase at all this turn. The anime relaxed this condition; it only meant that this Xyz Monster could not attack.

"Turn end."

Dark Mist: "My turn, draw!"

The moment he drew the card, a surging power seemed to erupt along with the action of the draw. Barian energy, appearing and disappearing, spread with Dark Mist as the center, as if burning around him.

"Looks like you drew it," Vector, who was on the side, said.

"Hahahaha! Perfect, I'll use you to test out this new power right now!" Dark Mist shouted. "Activate the Rank-Up Magic 'Barian's Force'!"

"Using the Xyz Monster on the field as Xyz Material, perform a Chaos Xyz Evolution!"

As he said this, Dark Mist raised his arm high.

"Let me, Dark Mist, rank up into a new form!"

The power obtained from the Barians allowed Dark Mist, who stood in opposition to Astral, to achieve a further upgrade.

A void, as if leading to the Barian World, appeared in mid-air, and chaotic energy blasted down from its mouth, enveloping Dark Mist's entire body.

Dark Mist's entire body suddenly erupted with a hundred times denser churning mist, shrouding him completely. His form churned and expanded under the cover of the mist, becoming more chaotic, more manic, and more evil, as if countless sharp claws were tearing apart the air around him, with claw marks weaving a pitch-black web.

"Chaos Xyz Evolution!" Dark Mist's voice also seemed to become sharper, and transparent sound waves erupted along with it. "Appear, CNO. 96! I accept the more perfect form of Chaos power—"

"—CNO. 96 Dark Storm!!!"

【CNO. 96 Dark Storm, ATK 1000】 Not only the monster summoned on the field, but even Dark Mist himself, as a duelist, seemed to have been significantly affected.

His originally lean physique, similar to Astral's, suddenly expanded by a circle, his height was pulled up a notch, and his build became more robust. His originally slender arms now seemed to have countless muscle-like structures, and even the lines and patterns on his face became more exaggerated and bloated, which could even be called "face-acting."

"This guy..." Yuma was nervous. "He accepted the power of the Barians and evolved!"

Vector also said: "Is this the form Dark Mist transformed into after obtaining Barian power? Hehe, not bad. It looks like it might be interesting."

Dark Mist ranked up and evolved, Chaos Xyz Evolution; at this moment, everyone felt that this was a sign that the duel had reached a new stage. Next, there would surely be another fierce battle, perhaps forcing Fujiki You Xuan to reveal more trump cards... like Hope.

After all, it was Yuma's deck; without Hope appearing, whether it was the protagonist or the villain, it always felt like something was missing.

However...

"Go, CNO. 96 Dark Storm, show your power!" Dark Mist laughed loudly. "Attack 'NO. 25 Force Focus, the Heavy Optical Camera'!"

Dark Storm began to charge power, and dark, transparent storms gathered from all directions into his palms!

"Sure enough, you Xyz people are just too easy to predict." Fujiki You Xuan shrugged.

Dark Mist: "Nani?"

"Just like how you think that since I'm using Yuma's deck, I must use Hope, you Dark Mist must also use yourself as your trump card in battle, right?"

Fujiki You Xuan said unhurriedly.

"And since you're cooperating with the Barians, the fact that your trump card is ranking yourself up using Barian power was also completely within my expectations."

Dark Mist's pupils contracted, suppressing the unease in his heart: "So what?"

"Nothing much, I'm just saying that the current development and the ending that follows are inevitable." Fujiki You Xuan said calmly. "Activate the effect of NO. 25 Force Focus, the Heavy Optical Camera."

"When an opponent's monster effect is activated, remove one Xyz Material. Only for this turn, that monster's effect is negated!" (Anime effect)

Dark Mist was instantly petrified.

Na... Nani!?

The effect of this broken camera is...

"Wait, wait, wait!" Dark Mist hurriedly spoke up.

But there was no room for him to speak. Force Focus's camera lens elongated, locking onto Dark Storm like a cannon barrel, and the shutter clicked.

Click.

As if frozen by the magic of a camera, Dark Storm was fixed in place, like a tiger that had its fangs pulled out, losing all its magic power.

【NO. 25 Force Focus, the Heavy Optical Camera, ATK 2800】

【CNO. 96 Dark Storm, ATK 1000】

"How is it possible, how is it possible..."

Dark Mist was furious.

"How could such a thing happen!!!"

"Force Focus, strike back."

Fujiki You Xuan ordered, while shaking his head.

Why do you all think I would bring out Hope?

Can Hope do something like this?

【Dark Mist, LP 1800 → LP 0】