Chapter 1215: Ruinous Photon Stream

Kaito's face was dark.

He was truly a little angry now.

From the very first card of the duel, the opponent had been naming his Galaxy-Eyes, and following that, his Galaxy-Eyes had been continuously subjected to being stolen, fused, and repeatedly bounced back and forth. Now that he had finally managed to see a chance for a counterattack, he was told that the Dragon-Type had been completely BANNED.

It could neither attack nor activate effects; besides providing the opponent with 1000 ATK, it was utterly useless—it was, through and through, as if it had been BANNED.

"Isn't this too ruthless?" Even Yuma couldn't help but click his tongue. "In that case, facing this Destruction Swordsman, all Dragon-Type decks are effectively stripped of their combat power, aren't they?"

"Indeed, a terrifying monster." Astral also nodded, but soon added, "However, Kaito is not the kind of duelist who would surrender at this level."

Sure enough, Kaito then roared: "Aaaah—I said it before, don't underestimate people! My soul, my Galaxy-Eyes, that power is far beyond this level!"

"Activate Quick-Play Spell 'Ruinous Photon Stream'! If there is a Galaxy-Eyes on my field, I can target one card on the field and banish it from the game!"

As he spoke, he waved his large hand, pointing directly at the Destruction Swordsman on the opponent's field.

"Dragon Destruction Swordsman, disappear!"

Although its attacks were sealed and its effects were sealed, a monster like Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, much like the famous Dark Magician, had spirit power that did not reside solely in the card itself. Through Magic and Trap support cards, the spirit's original abilities could be released to a certain extent.

This spell was the signature card of Galaxy-Eyes' finishing attack. Photon energy surged into its mouth, transforming into a ruinous torrent that blasted out. Where the Dragon Destruction Sword was struck, space itself twisted, as if it were being sucked into a black hole, disappearing from the field without a trace.

Yuma: "As expected of Kaito! He actually neutralized even such a restrictive monster!"

"Hmph." Kaito gave a proud snort, as if to say this was only natural. "Set two cards, turn end!"

Two more cards appeared in his backrow, ending his turn.

"Not bad, so-so," Fujiki You Xuan laughed. "So you see, you keep saying you can't pick up the deck anymore, can't fight anymore, but your enthusiasm right now is still quite there."

Kaito: "."

Fujiki You Xuan: "Or rather, can you really do it? To just give up like this, to never touch a duel again, to never pick up Galaxy-Eyes again, and to never fight side-by-side with your soul and your pride."

"Are you sure you've made such preparations?"

Kaito was silent.

Yes, he had thought he had let go in his heart. But just now, when the opponent took away Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, seeing his pride-and-joy monster appear on the opponent's field, seeing his most important partner taken away, he still couldn't suppress the anger rising in his heart, and the will to fight had followed, springing up spontaneously.

"In the end, I really..." Kaito looked at his hands, murmuring, "... still can't give up dueling?"

"My turn, draw," Fujiki You Xuan said. "Activate Spell Card 'Adversity Treasure'.

If the opponent has a Special Summoned monster on their field and I have no monsters on my field, I draw two cards from the deck."

Fujiki You Xuan drew two cards.

"Then, activate Spell Card 'Polymerization'!"

Fujiki You Xuan played another Polymerization, though this time it was the classic version. "From my hand, I fuse the Dragon-Type 'Destruction Swordsman's Companion Dragon' and the second 'Destruction Swordsman'!"

"The fusion condition is any Dragon-Type monster plus a Destruction Swordsman! Fusion Summon! Gain the power of the dragon, and once again dance with the ultimate sword that slays dragons—"

"—Dragon Destruction Swordsman, Destruction Swordsman!!"

Fusing once more, the small dragon and the Destruction Swordsman both poured into the fusion vortex and vanished. The Dragon Destruction Swordsman donned the dragon's armor, brandished the dragon's blade, and returned once more!

【Dragon Destruction Swordsman, Destruction Swordsman, ATK 2800 → ATK 3800】

Kaito: "Again!?"

With the arrival of the Destruction Swordsman, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon once again became a blank slate at the mercy of others.

"Dragon Destruction Swordsman, Destruction Swordsman, attack 'Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon'!" Fujiki You Xuan said. "And when this monster attacks a Defense Position monster, if its ATK exceeds the DEF, it deals piercing damage equal to the difference!"

Forcing the Dragon-Type into defense and adding piercing—in short, he was shoving the counter-strategy right into his face.

"Activate set card!" Kaito said. "Trap Card 'Photon Escape'!

When a 'Galaxy-Eyes' or 'Photon' monster on my field becomes an attack target, banish the attacked monster from the game and force the Battle Phase to end!" (Anime card)

Kaito: "I banish 'Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon' from the game and force the Battle Phase to end!"

Galaxy-Eyes dissipated into starlight, and the Destruction Swordsman's heavy, powerful sword strike ended up hitting nothing but air. The starlight formed by the disappearing Galaxy-Eyes formed a barrier in front of Kaito, blocking the possibility of subsequent attacks.

"Then set two cards, turn end."

Fujiki You Xuan set two more cards and shrugged.

"Because 'Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon' was banished from the game, the number of Dragon-Type monsters has decreased, and the Dragon Destruction Swordsman's ATK has also decreased accordingly."

【Dragon Destruction Swordsman - Destruction Swordsman, ATK 3800 → ATK 2800】

"Well, although you blocked it, is it really okay to banish your own Galaxy-Eyes like that?" Fujiki You Xuan laughed. "Have you finally decided to abandon your last pride as a duelist?"

Kaito made no move and said nothing, only looking at the ground, as if in deep thought, or perhaps lost in confusion.

Yes, he was still lost.

His dueling, from the very beginning, had been nothing more than a tool to harm others. He only wanted to save Haruto; he never gave a second thought to who he harmed or who he affected along the way.

If he just gave up like this, maybe it wouldn't be so bad...

"If you really think so, then give up if you want; living a retired life isn't bad either," Fujiki You Xuan said calmly. "In my world, a great duelist once said that those who only have the past in their eyes are not fit to stand on the dueling field."

Kaito instinctively looked up: "!"

The moment he looked at the Fusion Dimension's Demon King opposite him, it felt like, for the first time, he found that figure a bit dazzling.

"Whether the past was glorious or sinful, it is merely the 'past'," Fujiki You Xuan said. "A duelist cannot sever their past, but they also cannot live only in the past."

"If your past only holds sin and regret, then isn't your abandonment of dueling—despite possessing the power to fight and the ability to stand up for others—merely an act of evading responsibility?"

Kaito's pupils contracted, and after a few seconds of silence, he murmured: "Evading responsibility?"

"Me?"

"Am I evading?" ===== CHAPTER 1216 =====