Chapter 144: King of the Divine Beasts

Master Tianma Tiamen Yexing slightly narrowed his eyes: "You summoned the Phoenix God and the Silent Magician in the first round."

"The Silent Magician's attack power increases by 500 points for each card in your hand."

Fujiki You Xuan pointed at the Silent Magician on the field.

"I have two cards left in hand—attack power increases by 1000."

【True Silent Magician, ATK 1000 → ATK 2000】

"Silent Magician, attack the 'Leader Turtle'!"

The Silent Magician stepped forward on the magic circle, her staff swirling with radiant energy—but before she could strike, Tiamen Yexing spoke to interrupt.

"I activate my face-down card: Continuous Trap—Blood Compensation!" Tiamen Yexing said. "This trap allows me to pay 500 Life Points to normally summon a monster from my hand."

Guiping, watching: "Normally summon during your opponent's turn?"

"Exactly! And the monster I'm summoning is this one!"

【Tiamen Yexing, LP 4000 → LP 3500】

Tiamen Yexing raised a card in his hand.

"Sacrifice the three 'Leader Turtles' on the field."

Guiping: "Three sacrifices? That's the same cost as summoning a god."

Correct. I now call forth my trump card—the Lord of the Earth, the Ancient Divine Beast—

"—Divine Beast King—Barbaros! Summon!"

A gale erupted across the field, dark clouds gathering as a blinding beam of light pierced the sky and struck the center of the battlefield. A deafening roar shook the ground, rattling everyone's eardrums. From the light emerged the Divine Beast King, its half-human, half-beast form riding upon lightning.

【Divine Beast King—Barbaros, ATK 3000】

"With the effect of 'Treasures of the Underworld,' when I summon using two or more monsters as tribute, I draw two cards."

Tiamen Yexing drew two cards from his deck, then continued.

"And now, the effect of 'Divine Beast King—Barbaros'! When summoned by sacrificing three monsters, all cards on your field are destroyed!"

Guiping gasped: "That effect is incredibly powerful!"

Fujiki You Xuan raised an eyebrow.

Blood Compensation enables summoning during the opponent's turn, combined with Barbaros's field-clearing effect—this combo effectively achieves a second-speed field wipe during the opponent's turn. It's quite formidable.

The Divine Beast King, as if holding thunder in its mouth, unleashed its fury as countless lightning bolts exploded across the entire field. Lightning swept everything away—the white-robed mage's circle shattered, the flaming phoenix was swallowed by thunder, both vanishing into the churning electric storm.

The watching experts held their breath.

Such a powerful formation had been dismantled instantly before it could even launch an attack.

"But the Silent Magician has a follow-up effect," Fujiki You Xuan said. "When the Silent Magician is destroyed by battle or by an opponent's effect, I can special summon one other 'Silent Magician' monster from my hand or deck, ignoring summoning conditions."

From the convergence of chaos and order, a silent light blossomed—Light Magician, descend now—

"—Silent Magician LV8!"

White light formed a magic circle; the recently vanished Silent Magician stepped onto the swirling circle, now clad in a new guise, returning to the field.

【Silent Magician LV8, ATK 3500】

"Silent Magician, counterattack!" Fujiki You Xuan ordered. "Attack 'Divine Beast King—Barbaros'—Silent Magician Explosion!"

The Silent Magician swung her staff; a sphere of magical energy, surrounded by lightning, traced a brilliant white arc. The Divine Beast King was pierced clean through the chest, a transparent hole appearing from front to back. It let out a final, furious growl before collapsing, its body crackling with residual electricity.

【Tiamen Yexing, LP 3500 → LP 3000】

Master Tianma Tiamen Yexing raised his arm to shield his face: "You managed to counterattack even after enduring the Divine Beast King's thunder."

Fujiki You Xuan smiled.

In fact, not just the Silent Magician—the recently destroyed Phoenix God can also revive, triggering its 'Great Storm' effect, which requires being destroyed by an effect and clears all spell/trap cards during the next turn's standby phase.

So in a way, the Divine Beast King destroyed nothing.

The watching experts all swallowed hard.

One side summoned such a powerful formation, only for their boss to wipe the entire field during the opponent's turn—and worse, the opponent immediately launched a devastating counterattack after being wiped, and the mighty Divine Beast King was knocked out the moment it appeared.

What kind of duel is this?

Fujiki You Xuan drew another card and inserted it into the dueling slot: "I set one card face-down. End of my turn."

Master Tianma Tiamen Yexing took a deep breath and smiled.

"I think I'm starting to understand why Seto Kaiba is interested in you."

"What?"

"Nothing. My turn, draw." Tiamen Yexing said. "Activate Spell Card 'Magician's Book in the Vase'—both players draw three cards." (Original card)

After quickly scanning his new hand, he immediately played another card.

"I summon 'Red Gear'!"

【Red Gear, ATK 1300】

"Red Gear's effect: When successfully summoned, I add 'Yellow Gear' from my deck to my hand."

Tiamen Yexing searched his deck for Yellow Gear and immediately revealed it.

"Then I activate the effect of Continuous Trap 'Blood Compensation'—pay 500 Life Points to perform an additional normal summon."

【Tiamen Yexing, LP 3000 → LP 2500】

"I normal summon 'Yellow Gear'!"

【Yellow Gear, ATK 1200】

"Yellow Gear's effect: When summoned successfully, I add 'Green Gear' from my deck to my hand."

Tiamen Yexing searched his deck and immediately revealed the card.

"I activate Continuous Trap 'Blood Compensation' again—pay 500 Life Points to normal summon 'Green Gear'!"

【Tiamen Yexing, LP 2500 → LP 2000】

【Green Gear, ATK 1400】

"I activate Continuous Trap 'Blood Compensation' once more—pay 500 Life Points for an additional normal summon."

【Tiamen Yexing, LP 2000 → LP 1500】

"Sacrifice Red, Yellow, and Green Gears—"

"—Divine Beast King—Barbaros, summon again!!!"

The three colored gears vanished in golden sacrificial light; a storm of summoning erupted from a pool of crimson, and the golden-haired Divine Beast King, wielding a spiral spear and shield, reappeared!

Fujiki You Xuan fell silent.

Hmm, so your trump card has a backup unit?

"Again, the effect of Continuous Spell 'Treasures of the Underworld,'" Tiamen Yexing said. "When an upper-level summon using two or more monsters succeeds, I draw two cards."

He drew two cards, glanced at them, added them to his hand, then continued.

"And the effect of Divine Beast King activates again—when summoned by sacrificing three monsters, all cards on your field are destroyed!"

Thunder erupted once more, sweeping across Fujiki You Xuan's side of the field like the wrath of a god.

But in that instant, Fujiki You Xuan activated his back row.

"I chain to the face-down card in my back row: 'Bottomless Trap Hole'!"

"When your opponent summons a monster, that monster is changed to face-down defense position and cannot be changed to face-up."

He pointed at the Divine Beast King, crackling with lightning.

"Flip 'Divine Beast King—Barbaros' face-down!"

The destructive storm swept the entire field; even LV8 Silent Magician was forced to retreat. But overconfident, the Divine Beast King slipped on its own feet, stumbled, and tumbled down—now also a face-down card.

"Even so, your defense is still not easily breached."

Tiamen Yexing's lips curled upward—he was growing even more excited.

"I set three more cards face-down. End of my turn."

(End of Chapter)