Chapter 913: The King

“Tech-Type: Transparent Metal Skeleton!” Antinomy said. “Attack with ‘Cotton Candy’!”

If this attack succeeds, it will be his victory!

Again facing the decisive moment, Antinomy felt no thrill of imminent triumph—or rather, no real sense that victory was near.

Can he win?

Sure enough, the next moment, You Xuan’s D-Wheel activated another trap card.

“Activate the face-down trap: Continuous Trap ‘Soul Barrier’.”

As long as I control a monster, this card reduces all battle damage I take to zero!”

Instantly, transparent ripples erupted across the frail, tiny Cotton Candy, as if its soul burned to form an absolute defensive barrier.

“So there’s another trick.”

As he thought this, a flash of lightning struck Antinomy’s mind.

Wait—

Right, Soul Barrier reduces all battle damage to zero if I control any monster. Logically, piercing damage should be included too. Then why did my ‘Tech-Type: Blade Gunner’ deal 2700 damage to ‘Transforming Pot’? If he had activated Soul Barrier earlier, he could’ve blocked it entirely.

But he didn’t. He took the damage—and used it to summon Cotton Candy from his deck.

Even if it can’t be destroyed by battle, is such a weak monster worth sacrificing so much life points to summon?

Or is it—

“You have sharp perception. You’ve noticed something, haven’t you?”

You Xuan smiled faintly.

“If you have a sense of danger, let me be clear: your instinct is correct.”

The fleeting panic on his face vanished completely, replaced by a mischievous grin, as if he had just pulled off a clever trick.

“To activate the trap card ‘Damage Capacitor,’ I discarded one card from my hand.”

You Xuan waved the card in his hand.

“The discarded card was: ‘Executioner: Demon Shura.’”

A grotesque, sinister Executioner materialized above his D-Wheel.

Antinomy: “That card is—”

“Correct. When Executioner: Demon Shura is sent to the graveyard, its controller may activate a trap card from their hand.”

You Xuan paused here, not immediately activating the trap, but smiling lightly.

“Do you remember me saying I’m not the strongest in my dimension? There are beings even greater than me?”

Antinomy fell silent.

“What you’re about to witness is the lethal combo created by that true supreme being!”

He swiftly drew two cards from his hand.

“Activate both of these cards from my hand!”

“First, Continuous Trap ‘Dimensional Sphinx’!”

Summoned from the trap, a colossal golden statue resembling the classic Egyptian sphinx emerged—as if from an endless void beyond dimensions. Vast golden energy surged forth, forming a second barrier layered atop the Soul Barrier.

The strike from Tech-Type: Transparent Metal Skeleton slammed into the barrier. The force penetrated, but Cotton Candy’s indestructible body absorbed the impact, and the piercing damage was fully nullified by Soul Barrier.

Then, the energy from Dimensional Sphinx reversed, surging back and striking Antinomy himself.

Antinomy: “Ugh!”

【Antinomy, LP 4000 → LP 3200】

Antinomy gasped: “How? Why?”

My monster has higher attack. Even if it can’t destroy the monster and the damage is negated, why am I losing life points?

You Xuan: “Continuous Trap ‘Dimensional Sphinx’ activates by targeting one of my face-up attack-position monsters. When that monster is attacked by an opponent’s monster with higher attack, the opponent takes damage equal to the difference in attack values.”

When the monster is attacked by a monster with higher attack power, it deals damage equal to the difference in attack power between the two monsters.

Cotton Candy’s attack is 300. Metal Skeleton’s attack is 1100. Since Cotton Candy can’t be destroyed and battle damage is nullified, the only result is that I take backlash damage from ‘Dimensional Sphinx.’

Cotton Candy’s attack power is 300, and the Metal Skeleton’s attack power is 1100. Since Cotton Candy cannot be destroyed by battle and battle damage is negated, the only consequence is that Cotton Candy itself suffers backlash from the effect of “Dimension Sphinx.”

You Xuan grinned.

“Continuous Trap ‘Dimensional Mirage’!”

“Target one face-up attack-position monster on your field. If my face-up attack-position monster is not destroyed by battle with that monster, I banish one monster from my graveyard, and that monster on your field must attack again!”

Antinomy froze, then his expression twisted as he grasped the implication.

“Attack again… Ma Saka (could it be)?!”

You Xuan now revealed a card drawn from his graveyard, while a phantom image appeared above his D-Wheel.

“I banish ‘Transforming Pot’ from my graveyard to activate ‘Dimensional Mirage.’”

“Tech-Type: Transparent Metal Skeleton must attack ‘Cotton Candy’ again.”

Antinomy now understood completely.

This is… a pseudo-infinite loop!

Each time Metal Skeleton attacks Cotton Candy, he takes 800 damage. With Dimensional Mirage’s effect, as long as his attack doesn’t destroy the monster, You Xuan can keep banishing monsters from his graveyard to force repeated attacks.

You Xuan’s graveyard already contains at least three monsters: Transforming Pot, Dark Dragon Emperor: Judgment God, and Executioner: Demon Shura. Antinomy now has 3200 LP—only four repetitions of this loop will kill him.

In other words, if the card discarded from his hand via Transforming Pot’s effect included even one monster card, he’s finished.

Watching from beyond the void, Zone murmured softly: “He assembled such a terrifying combo in an instant. He’s truly terrifying.”

Zone naturally recalled You Xuan’s earlier claim—that this combo was designed by another Duel King from their dimension.

As humanity’s savior in the post-apocalyptic age, Zone had some knowledge of legendary Duel Kings across history. He quickly connected this setup to a certain legendary Duel King with a star-shaped head. The more he thought, the more the pattern matched that King’s signature style.

And Zone, as the savior of humanity’s post-apocalyptic era, had a deeper understanding of the legendary Duel Kings throughout the long river of history. He quickly recalled again the legendary Duel King with the starfish head, and the more he thought about it, the more certain he became that this deck bore strong similarities to that King’s style.

“Antinomy… will you end like this?” Zone said.

The situation had flipped in an instant—from You Xuan’s imminent defeat to Antinomy’s life-or-death crisis!

Seeing his Metal Skeleton, ensnared by the Mirage, already charging toward Cotton Candy again, Antinomy made no hesitation—he revealed his hidden card.

“Activate face-down trap: Continuous Trap ‘Forced End’!”

“By sending one card on my field to the graveyard, I can force the Battle Phase to end immediately.”

Antinomy pointed to his Metal Skeleton, which was being forced to attack.

“I send ‘Tech-Type: Transparent Metal Skeleton’ to the graveyard and force the Battle Phase to end!”

“I send ‘Techno-Attribute: Transparent Metal Skeleton’ to the graveyard, forcibly ending the Battle Phase!”

(End of Chapter)