Chapter 18: Declaration of Victory

"Then, we proceed to the Main Phase of my turn."

Ryuuzaki's fingertips lightly brushed over his freshly replenished hand as he sneered.

"You were quite arrogant in the previous turns, kid. But it ends here; this duel concludes this turn!"

He flashed three cards from his hand at once: "I activate the Spell Card 'Polymerization'!"

"I fuse 'Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo' and 'Vampire Dragon' from my hand!"

The Spell Card materialized, releasing the forms of dinosaurs from his hand onto the field, where they were swallowed by a pitch-black fusion vortex. Dark lightning erupted from within, striking the field with brilliant force and raising plumes of black smoke.

"Ruler of the abyss and hell, awaken from the endless depths of darkness. Fusion Summon—"

"—Level 6, Hell Horn Dragon!" (Anime Card)

[Hell Horn Dragon, ATK 2000]

This un-released anime card was one of Ryuuzaki's new ace monsters in DM after having his Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Evil Knight Dragon seized one after another.

"It's not over yet!"

Ryuuzaki continued.

"Next, I activate the Spell Card 'Monster Reborn'! With this card, I shall revive the powerful dinosaur slumbering in my Graveyard!"

The holy mark of Monster Reborn appeared in midair, and a card shot out from the Graveyard zone of his Duel Disk accompanied by a golden light.

"I revive this card from the Graveyard, the absolute king among dinosaurs—"

"—Dark Dinosaur!"

The pitch-black dinosaur burst forth from a whirlpool of the underworld with a roar, lifting its head to shriek as its massive tail whipped the ground, exploding a curtain of dust into the sky.

[Dark Dinosaur, ATK 2600]

"Huh? Dark Dinosaur?" Commentator Wataru exclaimed in surprise, "When did such a monster..."

"Probably back when he first used 'Graceful Charity'," Commentator Sasaki replied, "It seems he had planned everything out to this point from the very beginning. Even after his formation was broken in such a situation, he immediately organized such a powerful counterattack this turn..."

"Truly worthy of a legendary duelist."

"I see, indeed admirable. But speaking of which, why didn't he revive 'Tri-Horned Dragon'?" Commentator Wataru asked strangely, "Shouldn't Tri-Horned Dragon have higher attack points?"

Commentator Sasaki smiled mysteriously: "Hehe, because it looks like Ryuuzaki already has a means to secure victory. Just watch and see."

With two more large monsters on the field, Ryuuzaki laughed triumphantly again: "How's that? Behold the power of my dinosaurs! Ultimate aggressive offense, crushing the opponent with the suppression of absolute power—that is my duel style now!"

"I am not the same as I was in the past; the me of now is stronger than before!"

However, as You Xuan looked at that dark-colored Dark Dinosaur, only one thought occupied his mind.

Ryuuzaki, why are you using Sho's ace card from the anime?

His only impression of this dinosaur was that it was Sho's ace monster upon his first appearance in the anime, which once put Jaden in a tough spot. Of course, in the end, Jaden still managed a miraculous comeback with a god-draw, and subsequently, Sho became Jaden's underling.

"Next, I activate the Spell Card 'Attack Prohibition' from my hand!"

"This card can forcibly change one Attack Position monster on your field to Defense Position!"

Ryuuzaki pointed his finger at the Mech Fortress on You Xuan's field.

"I change 'Machina Fortress' to Defense Position!"

[Machina Fortress, ATK 2500 → DEF 1600]

"I see." You Xuan understood, "Dark Dinosaur is a card that can attack the player directly if there are no Attack Position monsters on the opponent's field. (Anime Effect)"

"So that's the strategy."

"Ho, you've seen quite a bit for a rookie." Ryuuzaki wiped his nose and chuckled, "Correct, that is my tactic."

"Furthermore, my 'Hell Horn Dragon' on the field can also attack you directly, but only during the turn it was Fusion Summoned!"

The entire audience erupted in an uproar once more.

"A double direct attack with 2600 and 2000 attack points! And it ignores the opponent's monsters!" Commentator Wataru cried out, "Isn't this a direct OTK (One Turn Kill)!?"

"Indeed, this is Ryuuzaki's tactic," Sasaki said, "It is truly absolute power suppression; this strength is genuinely astonishing."

Flying dragons right in your face, and a double strike at that—how could you possibly lose?

"Go! First, 'Dark Dinosaur'! According to its monster effect, bypass the Machina Fortress and attack the player directly!"

Dark Dinosaur let out a roar and charged forward with a rumble, its swinging tail kicking up a thick curtain of dust as it leaped over the Machina Fortress, ready to tear into You Xuan.

"Then I flip my face-down card and activate the Trap—'Earthbound Spirit's Temptation'!" You Xuan raised his hand, "Activated when an opponent's monster declares an attack. I can reselect the attack target for that attack."

He pointed at the Mech on his own field.

"I designate 'Machina Fortress' as the attack target for 'Dark Dinosaur'."

"Tch." Ryuuzaki clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Using such petty tricks to avoid an OTK, huh?"

"But Dark Dinosaur still has higher attack points! In that case, Dark Dinosaur, clear away that eyesore of a mech first!"

[Machina Fortress, DEF 1600]

The Fortress, having been switched to defense, naturally could not withstand the ferocious dark dinosaur. The giant beast roared as it charged, tearing the massive fortress into pieces within moments; parts flew everywhere, continuously exploding with black smoke, until it quickly turned into scrap metal amidst a series of booming explosions.

"Eh?"

Commentator Wataru froze.

"Strange, didn't the effect of 'Machina Frame' activate?"

Logically, You Xuan's Machina Fortress should be equipped with "Machina Frame," which has an effect allowing it to take destruction in place of the equipped monster once.

Why didn't it activate?

Ryuuzaki also vaguely felt something was amiss, and that premonition was immediately confirmed.

"At this moment, another effect of 'Machina Fortress' activates."

You Xuan revealed the Fortress card once more before sending it to the Graveyard.

"When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can select one card on your field and destroy it. The card I choose to destroy is, of course..."

He pointed at the dragon on Ryuuzaki's field that had not yet attacked.

"Hell Horn Dragon!"

Just before exploding, the Fortress fired its main cannon one last time, blasting off like a misfired gun. Its final volley, a dying shot, struck Hell Horn Dragon squarely on the forehead. The giant dragon let out a miserable shriek and exploded into fragments under the power of modern artillery.

"Damn it..." Ryuuzaki gritted his teeth.

"B-b-beautiful!"

Commentator Wataru rose from his seat, unconsciously starting to give You Xuan a thumbs-up.

"With just a single exchange of offense and defense, he not only blocked Ryuuzaki's double attack but also destroyed his Fusion ace monster!"

"Ryuuzaki's sure-kill face-smashing double strike was effortlessly neutralized by You Xuan! To this point, You Xuan's Life Points remain at 4000, completely untouched 4000 points!"

"The legendary duelist's consecutive fierce attacks have failed to breach his defenses by even a fraction!"

"Truly completely unexpected."

Commentator Sasaki added.

"Fujiki You Xuan... truly an incredible rookie. Even if someone told me right now that this is actually a pro circuit duelist wearing a human skin mask, I would believe it..."

To fight the legendary Ryuuzaki to such a standstill; calling him a rookie is simply inconceivable.

"Then I set two cards on the field and end my turn."

With his offense thwarted once again, Ryuuzaki felt somewhat depressed. However, fortunately, he had regained the advantage on the field.

Dark Dinosaur possessed a formidable 2600 attack points, and while the opponent had blocked the attack, their field was now cleared. Moreover, he still had a very powerful backrow this turn, so it should be secure.

"Draw."

After drawing, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Hmm... what a pity. It seems you might not have a next turn."

Ryuuzaki: "!"

Not just him; this shocking statement left all the commentators and the audience stunned.

What had they just heard?

A declaration of victory?

"W-w-what an astonishing development!"

Commentator Wataru leaned so far forward his upper body was nearly protruding from the desk.

"Player You Xuan has issued a declaration of victory against Ryuuzaki, the legendary Ryuuzaki!"

If he had said this at the very start of the match, the entire arena, besides being shocked, might have mocked this rookie for not knowing his place, getting swollen-headed after winning just a few matches.

But after witnessing his dominance on the duel field over the past few turns, very few people felt that way anymore.

They felt no arrogance; even as he made his proclamation, they detected no trace of swelling pride or smugness. And that was the most terrifying part.

When he spoke those words, his emotions barely fluctuated. It was as if he were merely stating a fact that was about to happen, containing neither provocation nor mockery, but simply casually uttering a result he already knew was absolutely certain to occur.

Ryuuzaki's heart was equally shaken. He had believed his past experiences had forged an iron-clad mentality, yet he never expected that the instant he heard that sentence, his legs would uncontrollably tremble, nearly causing him to stumble.

That was not only because, in that instant, he realized that if he lost here, his journey of returning as a king after years of seclusion would end right here in a mere secondary tournament, defeated by a rookie with a blank record.

It was not just that.

It was also because, the moment he heard those words, he felt as though he had been convinced by the other party.

It was as if some part of his own heart involuntarily believed this declaration.

Believing that he was about to be eliminated this turn.

"W-w-what did you say?" Ryuuzaki struggled to shake off those thoughts.

Impossible.

He had a large monster on the field and defensive cards in his backrow; the opponent couldn't possibly get through.

Yes, it must be nothing but a bluff.

"The effect of 'Machina Fortress' in the Graveyard."

You Xuan calmly accepted the Monster Card that had been sent from the Graveyard zone of his Duel Disk.

"This card can be Special Summoned from the Graveyard by discarding Machine-Type Monsters from the hand whose total Levels equal eight or more."

He drew two cards from his hand.

"I send the Level 3 Machine-Type 'Card Trooper' and another Level 7 'Armor Armored Army - Fortress' from my hand to the Graveyard to revive the 'Armor Armored Army - Fortress' in my Graveyard."

As two cards were consecutively sent to the Graveyard, a metallic storm whipped across You Xuan's field. With the roar of engines, the Fortress rose into the air once more, its long spears and short cannons re-aimed.

[Armor Armored Army - Fortress, ATK 2500]

"So its self-revival effect is the source of his confidence?" Ryuzaki narrowed his eyes, thinking rapidly. "It seems he holds cards capable of supporting his offense."

The Fortress's attack power trailed his own Dark Dinosaur by only 100 points; any equip card would easily allow it to break through.

Furthermore, due to the effect of "Reckless Greed" that he himself activated, Ryuzaki must skip his next two Draw Phases. In other words, even if he survived this turn, failing to protect his "Dark Dinosaur" would mean his defeat regardless.

However.

"Activate my face-down card!"

The trap card in Ryuzaki's back row flipped up.

"Trap Card - Enma's Judgment! This card can directly destroy a Monster Special Summoned by your opponent!"

A black vortex opened beneath their feet; the Armor Fortress, having just returned to the field and not yet found its footing, was instantly blasted into fragments with a thunderous boom.

Ryuzaki laughed aloud: "Hahaha! Using trap cards isn't your exclusive privilege! How about that? Can you still assert that you'll defeat me in a single turn!?"

(End of Chapter)