Chapter 513: Damn You, Pegasus

"Through the effect of Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon, Red-Eyes Black Dragon is revived!"

Jonouchi shouted loudly, and a pillar of flame swirled into the sky, transforming into the form of the burning black dragon. The armor that looked like flame and lava slowly faded away, returning to the classic Red-Eyes Black Dragon!

【Red-Eyes Black Dragon, ATK 2400】

"Sorry, sorry, old friend." Jonouchi smiled at Red-Eyes. "But I have to trouble you to keep lending me your strength."

Red-Eyes actually seemed to understand, letting out an overbearing dragon roar in response.

"The Red-Eyes revived by the effect of Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon has its ATK doubled!"

【Red-Eyes Black Dragon, ATK 2400 → ATK 4800】

"Oh my god, the ATK is actually 4800!" Pegasus acted terrified. "It's simply unbelievable, Jonouchi-boy!"

Jonouchi narrowed his eyes: "Your acting is too exaggerated, Pegasus."

"Is it?"

Pegasus's terrified expression vanished in a second, and he elegantly brushed his long hair that covered half his face, smiling lightly.

"Well, I thought Jonouchi-boy was the simple-minded type, but it seems you aren't that easy to fool."

Jonouchi gave a heavy hum.

He hadn't forgotten the hidden ability of Pegasus's underworld Relinquished; Yugi had been heavily tricked by it back then.

When Relinquished has an opponent's monster equipped to it, if it is attacked, it can choose one of its equipped monsters to take the attack instead.

The equipped monster is destroyed instead of Relinquished, and the battle damage is taken by the original owner of that destroyed monster.

This effect was even more "underworld" than the physical card version, though the physical version was only weakened, not completely removed.

When the physical Relinquished is attacked while equipped with a monster, although the controller also takes damage, they can reflect effect damage equal to the battle damage they took back to the opponent.

Additionally, in the anime, although Relinquished could only absorb one monster per turn, there was no limit to the number of monsters it could be equipped with. In the physical version, it can only be equipped with one, and cannot absorb new monsters while already equipped.

So if Jonouchi had really been so reckless as to attack with the 4800 ATK Red-Eyes Black Dragon, the result would have been Relinquished using the equipped "Dark Flare Dragon - Black Demon Dragon" as a shield.

Black Demon Dragon would be destroyed instead of Relinquished, and the 1600 battle damage would be reflected back to Jonouchi, who was the original owner of Black Demon Dragon.

Relinquished itself would be unharmed, and then on the next turn, it would naturally absorb Jonouchi's 4800 ATK Red-Eyes, and at that point, Jonouchi would truly have no chance of a comeback.

"Well, it's a pity I was seen through." Pegasus smiled lightly. "But in this way, Jonouchi-boy, even though you've summoned a 4800 ATK Red-Eyes, it cannot attack. No matter how many you bring, they'll just be fodder for Relinquished..."

"Is that so?" Jonouchi hummed. "I admit, Relinquished is a troublesome monster, but you as a duelist are not invincible. Don't forget that, Pegasus. I'll activate this card from my hand..."

Jonouchi waved his hand and slapped a Spell Card onto his Duel Disk. Electricity traveled along the disk, as if power was truly surging into Red-Eyes' body, and the black dragon roared, looking up.

"Spell Card 'Inferno Fire Blast'!"

"When I have 'Red-Eyes Black Dragon' on my field, I target one Red-Eyes Black Dragon on my field and inflict damage to the opponent equal to that Red-Eyes' original ATK!"

Pegasus's smile vanished.

"Original ATK!?"

"Correct, the doubling effect of Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon applies to Red-Eyes' 'original ATK'!" Jonouchi said. "Therefore, Red-Eyes Black Dragon's current original ATK is..."

【Red-Eyes Black Dragon, ATK 4800】

"... 4800."

Pegasus's face twitched. A 4800-point Inferno Fire Blast—if he took a hit like that, even his own son wouldn't be able to recognize his corpse, right?

"Take this, Pegasus!" Jonouchi shouted. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Inferno Fire Blast!"

Red-Eyes opened its mouth, and the hellfire that seemed to emerge from the depths of the abyss continuously filled its mouth, gathering into a spiraling black fireball that it spat toward Pegasus!

"I activate my face-down card, the Trap Card 'Graverobber'!"

Pegasus activated the trap without hesitation.

"I gain one card from the opponent's graveyard and can use Graverobber as that card immediately." (Original effect)

Jonouchi's expression twitched.

"You guy, you're actually using my card!"

The original version of the versatile trap Graverobber was one of Jonouchi's signature cards back in the day and had been the key to victory in many of his battles.

"I don't understand what you mean; this is a card issued by our Industrial Illusions after all."

Pegasus smiled.

"Then I believe you are most familiar with the effect of Graverobber yourself.

!. Read

The card I want to gain from your graveyard is, of course, this one... the Counter Trap 'Trap Eraser'! When an effect that inflicts damage other than battle damage is activated, I negate the effect damage I would take, and then I can choose one card in the opponent's hand to discard."

Pegasus smiled lightly.

"Then let me see your hand."

Jonouchi was speechless and revealed the cards in his hand.

"Oh, it's actually 'Red-Eyes Spirit', a trap that can revive any Red-Eyes monster from the graveyard. This is not good." Pegasus flicked his finger. "Then, this card shall vanish, Jonouchi-boy."

The trap in Jonouchi's hand turned to ash and dissipated.

"Tsk, damn you, Pegasus." Jonouchi muttered.

"Hahaha, I'll take that as your affirmation of my strength." Pegasus laughed. "It's a pity your Inferno Fire Blast combo didn't work. But it's still your turn. Come on, Jonouchi-boy, what are you going to do now?"

Jonouchi hummed gloomily.

"The turn 'Inferno Fire Blast' is activated, Red-Eyes Black Dragon cannot attack. My turn ends."

"Oh? It ends just like that?"

Pegasus laughed.

"Is that really okay, Jonouchi-boy? Could it be that summoning a perfect Red-Eyes, only to enter the next turn and have it become fodder for Relinquished again?"

Jonouchi: "..."

"Oh! I forgot, sorry. Even if it could attack, the damage to Relinquished would only be reflected back to yourself, accelerating your demise. This is what they call 'helplessness', right?"

Jonouchi: "..."

Pegasus laughed heartily.

"In that case, I'll accept it without hesitation, Jonouchi-boy! My turn, draw! Go, Relinquished, absorb Jonouchi-boy's soul and Red-Eyes Black Dragon as well!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 514 =====

Pegasus laughed heartily.

"In that case, I will accept it without hesitation, Jonouchi-boy!

My turn, draw!

Go, Relinquished, absorb Jonouchi-boy's soul and his Red-Eyes Black Dragon too!"

(End of chapter)