Yugioh [361-365] (Patreon)

Chapter 361: The Gathering Place

After a brief chat, Kira learned that Mai hadn't been here much longer than he had, and didn't know much more, either.

She'd arrived two days ago, looking for Joey. But she hadn't found him—only the warm welcome of the locals.

"You're sure Joey is here?" Kira asked.

"Pretty sure," Mai replied offhand.

"What do you want with him?"

But she didn't answer, changing the subject.

"This way—through here, you'll reach the town. Not that it's any safer there."

Exiting the forest, they soon saw buildings—a town. But the streets were just as empty, as though even the wind was afraid to disturb the silence. The streetlights glowed weakly in the gloom.

No one in sight, but every window and shadow seemed to conceal watching eyes. Kira followed Mai down the empty street, their footsteps echoing on the pavement.

"Over here."

Mai indicated a narrow alley.

It was probably a shortcut, but if she hadn't pointed it out, Kira would have missed it—the space was so tight, it barely looked like a real path.

Especially for someone of Mai's... stature. He doubted she could squeeze through.

But she did.

Mai turned sideways, her ample chest pressing against the rough brick wall as she inched her way into the narrow alley.

Kira followed after her.

On the other side, a building that looked like a train station. Behind it, an old clock tower—the clock long since stopped.

Mai led him inside. The air smelled musty. The station was empty, dust covering the benches. It felt more like a barrier than a building, as if there was no way out.

But toward the platform, there was a faint light, like a lonely star in the darkness.

Rows of train cars, a bit old—light from the windows left hazy reflections on the damp platform.

And someone came out to greet them.

"Mai, you're back?"

It was another woman—messy black hair, dress torn, face covered in dust and fatigue, but still pretty beneath it all.

"Huh?" She noticed Kira behind Mai and looked surprised. "Mai, you brought a guy back?"

"Why does it sound so weird when you say it?"

Mai brushed past her toward the train car.

"He's a duelist, and a good one. He should be able to help."

"That's great!"

The woman greeted Kira warmly.

"If he's not your man, Mai, I might just take him for myself."

She marched over and offered Kira her hand.

"I'm Mizuki."

Kira shook her hand with a blank expression out of politeness, then stepped around her to catch up with Mai.

"What is this? Some kind of survivor base?"

"Sort of. It's the only place we know of in town. All the remaining duelists, and a few protected civilians, are gathered here."

Mai led him into the train car.

Left behind, Mizuki pouted. "He ignored me!"

A chubby guy nearby chimed in: "Mizuki, he ignored you! Are you just going to take that?"

"Exactly."

Mizuki huffed, then grinned.

"Well, he's handsome and apparently strong. I'll let it slide."

"Huh?" Fatty was stunned. "You weren't like this when I arrived."

"Duh," Mizuki said with absolute confidence.

"Are you half as good-looking as he is?"

Fatty: "..."

Ouch. But he couldn't argue.

By the seats, a burly man was sitting. He stood up, raising an eyebrow at the newcomers.

"This is Iwao—basically the leader around here," Mai introduced.

"I see. Duelist, huh? Well, that's what we need right now. But..."

Iwao walked up to Kira, eyeing him suspiciously.

He was over two meters tall—a real wall of a man. Kira had to look up to meet his gaze.

"You look young. Like a student."

Iwao frowned.

"Kind of a skinny scholar type. Are you sure you can fight?"

Kira grinned.

Dueling isn't a fistfight—do you have to look like a thug to be good at it?

Before Kira could answer, Mai put her hands on her hips. "If you'd seen him duel, you wouldn't ask."

Iwao looked surprised. "He's that good?"

"It's not about good or bad. His dueling is... special. Hard to describe. But if you want, you can see for yourself."

"Oh, interesting... Fair enough."

Iwao looked at Kira.

"I'm not sending an unarmed kid to the front lines unless you prove yourself to me."

He raised his Duel Disk, inviting Kira.

"Tomorrow is the big day. If you want to join the plan, prove your strength in a duel. If you can't, you'll stay behind with the old and the weak, waiting for our news."

He paused. For a moment, his fierce face looked sad.

"I don't want to see anyone else fall in front of me."

Kira met his gaze for a moment.

Hmm, pretty classic tough-guy hero. Seemed decent enough.

So he nodded and activated his Duel Disk.

As a sign of respect for a warrior like this...

He'd let him taste the true joy of dueling.

"Duel!"

…

A few minutes later, after several turns...

"Guardian Sphinx, Flip Summon. All your monsters return to your hand."

"And with its effect, Sphinx can set itself face-down again each turn."

Kira was all politeness.

"Continuous Trap 'Ordeal of a Traveler.' When your monster attacks, you have to guess the type of a card in my hand. Wrong, and your monster bounces."

"Too bad, wrong again. Back to your hand."

"Guardian Sphinx, direct attack."

The golden Sphinx smacked Iwao silly, stars spinning before his eyes, his LP dropping to zero.

He looked down at his hand, full of cards that kept bouncing back, unable to do a thing, and fell into deep thought.

Kira walked over, politely asking, "So, did I pass the test, Mr. Iwao?"

Iwao looked at him for a long moment, then gritted his teeth.

"Pass! Absolutely pass! Now, even if you don't want to come, you're coming."

He stood, dusting himself off.

"Keep this up, and help me wipe out those damn zombies!"

Chapter 362: The Train Plan

"Boss, communications are still down."

Fatty came to Iwao, looking dejected.

"No surprise," Iwao said, waving his hand.

Kira had already checked his own comms—he'd lost all signal since arriving, as though the town was sealed off from the outside world.

"Let's go over the plan."

Iwao spread a map on the table and explained to Kira.

"We'd already decided on an operation, but now that we have a powerful duelist like you, we can adjust our teams for better odds.

Here's the goal: we're getting everyone out of here, survivors and all, using that train."

He pointed at a train on the tracks. Warm light glowed from the windows; people moved about inside, as if it were a makeshift camp.

"But to move it, we need to restore power and get the traffic control system running."

Iwao pointed at two red circles on the map.

"That's the power station. The zombies took it over—it's probably their main base, and there's likely a really tough one there."

"A dueling zombie?" Kira asked.

"Yeah. We had two strong duelists try to break through, but neither made it back."

Iwao's face darkened. He turned to Kira solemnly.

"If things go wrong, you run. Don't try to be a hero. Got it?"

"No worries. I'll be fine," Kira answered easily.

Iwao frowned.

He had a feeling Kira was answering quickly, but not taking it seriously.

"Alright. The power station will be dangerous, so I'll go myself. You're strong—you're with me.

But remember: if I say run, you run. Got it?"

"Sure," Kira said. "But is there anything else besides the power station?"

"Of course. Even with power, we need to restore the control system. Another team will handle that."

He turned to Mai: "That's your job."

Mai shrugged, arms folded.

"If there's no problem, that's the plan."

Iwao rolled up the map.

"It's all or nothing. Everyone has to make it out alive."

At dinner, everyone gathered under the dim lights, chatting and eating. The food wasn't great, but in these circumstances, it was enough.

"How about it? Think you can do it?" Mai appeared behind Kira.

"Who, me?" Kira shifted over to give her a seat.

"Who else?" Mai sat down, staring at him for a moment. "I know you're strong, but you still seem... well, young. This kind of thing..."

"No problem. I've been through worse," Kira smiled.

"Guess I was overthinking it," Mai nodded. "Still, you feel like someone who's really been tempered by battle. And you're so young...

Anyway, let's hope tomorrow's operation goes smoothly, and we all get out together."

"Actually, I'm not sure I'm leaving," Kira said.

Mai looked at him in surprise. "You're not... You want to stay in this hellhole?"

"Yeah," Kira shrugged.

If he really wanted to leave, the zombies couldn't stop him.

"I'm here to find someone and investigate. Now that I know something's wrong here, of course I want to get to the bottom of it." Kira smiled. "From experience, the root of any weird incident is almost always a card.

And the bigger the incident, the more extraordinary the card."

Mai met his gaze, thinking for a moment.

"So, you're one of those duelists who chase after power, huh?" She nodded, then smiled. "Reminds me of my old self... or maybe I'm still like that."

"So, Mai, why are you here looking for Joey?"

"Because of an email from him."

She took out her phone, unlocked it, and handed it to Kira.

He hesitated: "You're okay with me seeing this?"

"It's fine," Mai shrugged.

Kira took it. The message read:

["Whatever you do, don't come to Shimizu Town, Mai. Absolutely do not come."]

That was it.

"So, he told you not to come."

Kira handed her phone back.

Implying—are you just naturally rebellious?

"Tch, if he says that, of course I have to come." Mai pouted. "And after that message, I lost contact with him. No way I could just leave it at that."

"Fair point..."

After a moment of silence, Kira looked at her thoughtfully.

"Mind if I ask a rude question?"

"Go ahead."

"What's your relationship with Joey?"

Mai's expression froze for a moment, then she huffed angrily.

"What relationship? He's my rival—someone I've got to beat, no matter what."

She muttered, annoyed,

"He beat me so many times, and then just wants to walk away like nothing happened? No way. Not happening."

It's true—since their first duel in Duelist Kingdom, Mai had never beaten Joey, and that was probably her best chance—back then, he was a clueless rookie.

But Joey's growth was rocket-fast, and even when Mai turned to the darkness of Orichalcos, she still couldn't truly win.

But no big deal. If you can't win at cards, there's always the chance to flip things in the future...

"That's all?" Kira asked.

"What else?" Mai glared at him.

"You two never thought of, say, getting married or anything?"

"Huh?"

She gawked, utterly flustered, and leapt from her seat in a panic.

"With that guy? Are you kidding? Where'd you hear... No way, absolutely not, not in this lifetime."

She denied it three times in a row, then stomped off, fuming.

"So worked up... Really..."

Kira rested his chin on his hand.

Looks like Joey still has some work to do...

Chapter 363: Motorcycle Duel?

4 AM.

The city drowned in the darkness of night. The pitch-black streets had no lights, not a single gleam, only a few figures wandering about like the walking dead.

Then, a roar thundered.

It was the roar of motorcycle engines, exploding like thunder. Kira and Iwao, one after the other, riding their bikes, tires leaving deep marks on the pavement, shrieking as they tore through the streets toward the power station.

To be honest, Kira hadn't expected at first that Iwao's so-called plan was simply to go full throttle on their motorcycles and force their way straight into the power station.

This big guy even brought guns for the operation, handing one to Kira.

Kira was surprised then, thinking, "Why does someone with a Duelist's License need something like this?"

"Sure, you can't take down zombies with bullets, but in an emergency, you can use it to buy time,"

Iwao had said.

So Kira brought it along, even though he still didn't see what good it would do.

Their motorcycles sped down the street, each burst of speed leaving the indistinct roars of countless zombies behind. The two figures darted between them as if riding the wind.

"Hahaha, eat my dust!"

Iwao laughed heartily.

"Looks like you're getting excited a bit too early," Kira said.

"What?"

Iwao was stunned for a second, but soon realized what he meant.

A third engine roared from behind, drawing closer and louder.

Blinding headlights shot around the corner behind them, slicing through the darkness like a blade. Another motorcycle burst through the zombie horde and quickly caught up, almost riding side by side with them.

"What the hell?!" Iwao yelled at the top of his lungs,

"Zombies can ride motorcycles now?!"

High-level, high-IQ zombies?

But Kira thought, "They can play Duel Monsters, so why would riding a bike be weird?"

But looking back, he couldn't be sure if it was a zombie. The figure wore a black bodysuit, a helmet, and a pitch-black visor that hid the face entirely—no way to confirm who they were.

Then, the rider seemed to speak.

"Do you really think you can get away?"

No, it didn't sound like speech—it was more like the voice rang directly in their minds. Deep and resonant, booming in their ears like thunder.

Then, a burst of thick, ink-black darkness erupted from the rider's body.

Yes, pure darkness, but it seemed almost tangible, twisting and writhing in the air. That mass of darkness even seemed to morph into a devilish, grinning face.

"What the hell is that?!"

Iwao shouted in shock, one hand gripping the handlebars, gunning the throttle, while the other drew his gun to fire behind them.

Completely useless. The bullets went straight through the black chaos, like shooting into water—except not even a splash.

The darkness morphed into twisted claws, reaching for them at speed.

"Silent."

As Kira spoke, a white magic circle appeared, the black claws smashing into it and instantly shredding into pieces.

Silent Magician flew out from the circle, staff in hand, clashing with the mass of darkness.

"A Duelist who commands spirits..."

The black-clad rider seemed surprised, but then let out a cold laugh with that powerful voice.

"Interesting. To think I'd find such a rare prey at this stage."

The darkness in the air withdrew, morphing over his arm into the shape of a Duel Disk.

"In that case, let's settle this as Duelists. Come!"

Iwao was even more shocked:

"We're really dueling while riding motorcycles?!"

"Sounds fun. I'm in."

Kira activated his Duel Disk as well.

Riding bikes and playing Duel Monsters was a perfect match.

He could sense that the person catching up had considerable dark power, definitely a boss-level figure. Even if he wasn't the root cause of the town's zombie crisis, he was clearly a top-level player.

"Duel!" x2

[Kira, LP 4000]

[Rider, LP 4000]

Three bikes raced close together, drifting elegantly around corners, speeding down the town's main road.

"I'll go first. Draw!"

The black-clad rider drew a card.

"I activate the Continuous Spell 'Burden of the Mighty.'"

The spell card's image floated beside his speeding motorcycle.

So this was the so-called early version of Riding Duels. Truth be told, it was just dueling while riding motorcycles.

"'Burden of the Mighty' reduces the ATK of all monsters on your field by 100 times their Level."

The Rider let out a strange, low chuckle.

"The strong must bear the burdens of strength. The greater the power, the heavier the weight."

Iwao curled his lip:

"Tch, so the higher the monster's Level, the greater the ATK drop, huh?"

The black rider said no more, slapping another card on his Duel Disk.

"I Normal Summon 'King Tiger!'"

A white-furred tiger appeared from the card, its muscular body and white armor gleaming, fangs bared.

[King Tiger Wanghu, ATK 1700]

But the summoned monster had to run alongside the motorcycles at full speed, which looked rather exhausting.

"Set two cards. Turn end."

Two set cards hovered a few centimeters above the ground, one on each side of his bike.

"My turn. Draw!"

Kira glanced at his hand.

"I activate the Spell Card 'Pot of Greed' to draw two cards."

"Then I summon 'Tree Otter.'"

[Tree Otter, ATK 1200]

"Heh, got you."

Just as Kira's monster landed, the Black Rider let out a strange laugh.

"You've fallen into my trap.

Look at your monster!"

King Tiger roared, and transparent sound waves spread toward Kira's field. Tree Otter, just summoned, couldn't withstand the pressure and exploded into fragments.

"NANI?!" Iwao was stunned,

"Why did the monster just summoned get destroyed...?"

"King Tiger Wanghu's monster effect."

"As long as this card is on the field, any monster with less than 1400 ATK summoned or Special Summoned by either player is immediately destroyed!"

"I see, Tree Otter only has 1200 ATK," Iwao nodded.

"So, in this duel, only monsters with 1400 ATK or more can stay on the field."

That's not too bad. Low-ATK monsters aren't favored by top duelists anyway. Most decks probably don't even have monsters with less than 1400 ATK.

Wait, not right...

Iwao's pupils shrank. He quickly looked at the Spell Card floating next to the Rider's motorcycle.

Burden of the Mighty—every monster on the opponent's field loses ATK equal to its Level x100.

If Kira summons a 4-star monster, its ATK drops by 400, so unless it has over 1800 ATK, it can't survive.

The problem just got serious.

Chapter 364: King Tiger Lockdown

"The combination of King Tiger Wanghu and Burden of the Mighty is pretty interesting,"

Kira admitted.

A different kind of summon lock. That was surprising, since he usually played these kinds of tactics himself.

Of course, Kira knew King Tiger Wanghu's effect—after all, it was once popular, especially when the metagame relied on low-ATK monsters.

"The 'Tree Otter' destroyed just now is a Beast monster,"

Kira revealed another card.

"When your own Beast monster on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, pay 1000 LP to Special Summon 'Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest' from your hand!"

[Kira, LP 4000 → LP 3000]

[Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, ATK 2600]

Green Baboon thumped its chest and appeared at Kira's side, glaring through the wind.

"Oh? So you have a counter for King Tiger,"

The black Rider rasped,

"But even so, Green Baboon is a Level 7 monster, so it loses 700 ATK from Burden of the Mighty."

[Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, ATK 2600 → 1900]

"That's enough," Kira declared,

"Green Baboon, attack 'King Tiger Wanghu!'"

With a roar, the Baboon charged at the rider's bike, landing a punch that sent King Tiger tumbling far behind, shattering into fragments.

[Black Rider, LP 4000 → LP 3800]

"Nice!" Iwao cheered,

"That breaks the King Tiger lock!"

"Hah, you think it's that easy?"

The black Rider sneered. As he drifted around a corner, a massive black machine appeared beside him, scraping the ground and sparking as it turned.

A strange mist billowed out. When it cleared, King Tiger was back on the field.

[King Tiger Wanghu, ATK 1700]

"NANI?" Iwao gasped.

"Trap Card—'Time Machine.' When a monster is destroyed by battle, it returns to the field in the same position,"

the Rider explained.

"Nice move, but looks like you won't break through so easily."

Kira wasn't upset, just shrugged:

"Fine. Set three cards, turn end."

Both sides continued racing full speed toward the power station, weaving through zombies as they went.

Playing Duel Monsters really was good for the body—Kira realized that his spirit training and dark game powers really did enhance his stamina and reflexes.

Otherwise, normal humans could never duel at this speed.

Clearly, the opponent wasn't an ordinary human either.

"My turn. Draw."

The black Rider drew, tail-sliding to knock a zombie off the roadside.

Zombie: "???"

"I activate my set card—Trap Card, 'Sixth Sense,'"

Kira declared.

"Declare two numbers. Opponent rolls a die. If it lands on a declared number, I draw that many cards. If not, I send that many cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard."

Rider: "Oh? Which numbers do you choose?"

"Five and six, of course," Kira replied.

A virtual die appeared and rolled.

Number 4.

"Only 4, huh... that's fine."

Kira sent the top four cards of his Deck to the Graveyard.

Sixth Sense was nearly always a win, usually just a question of how much you gained.

"Among the cards sent was 'Learning Elf.' When Learning Elf is sent to the Graveyard, I draw one card."

"Only 4. Looks like luck isn't on your side,"

The black Rider chuckled, then drew another card.

"You're racing toward the abyss of despair, you just haven't realized it yet. This card will push you closer to that endpoint.

I activate another Continuous Spell—'Burden of the Mighty!'"

Iwao couldn't hold back:

"You have a second one?! Isn't that overkill?!"

The Continuous Spell appeared alongside the rider, who threw his head back, laughing.

"With two 'Burden of the Mighty,' your monsters lose ATK equal to their Level x200! Green Baboon is Level 7, so it loses 1400 ATK!"

[Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, ATK 1900 → 1200]

"A Level 7 monster with 2600 ATK, weakened to this point..."

Even Iwao, watching from the sidelines, grit his teeth.

"And with King Tiger on the field, any monster with less than 1400 ATK is destroyed on summon."

"Exactly!" the Rider laughed,

"Now, any Level 7 monster needs at least 2800 ATK to survive summoning. Even if you get one out, 3000 ATK drops to 1600, no longer a match for King Tiger."

Iwao gritted his teeth:

"What a despicable combo..."

But the black Rider seemed pleased with the compliment, and studied Kira, frowning under the helmet.

"Hmph, still acting calm in this situation?"

"Don't worry, I'll rip off that mask of yours soon enough.

I Normal Summon 'Slate Warrior.'"

[Slate Warrior, ATK 1900]

"Slate Warrior attacks Green Baboon!"

With double Burden of the Mighty, Green Baboon was powerless, taken out by a Level 4.

[Kira, LP 3000→2300]

The impact of the shadow duel sent a surge of darkness through Kira as Green Baboon was destroyed, causing his bike to wobble like a leaf in a current.

"I activate the trap 'Michizure.'"

Kira revealed another set card.

"When your monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, destroy a monster on the field. I choose 'King Tiger WAnghu.'"

The spirit of the Green Baboon grabbed King Tiger, dragging it to the underworld.

"I see, using a trap to get rid of King Tiger, breaking the summon lock and avoiding my second attack,"

the Rider observed.

"But it's useless!

Continuous Trap—'Call of the Haunted!'

Revive a monster from the Graveyard in Attack Position!

King Tiger, return!"

Chapter 365: Solve It in One Minute

Call of the Haunted—King Tiger revived!

"Too bad. Looks like my King Tiger is still here,"

The Rider gloated.

"If you want to break the lock, you'll have to try harder. Still, making it this far is better than the last few duelists."

His voice lowered, becoming cold and sinister.

"You're making me want to savor your flavor even more. The better the duelist, the richer the taste..."

Iwao suddenly realized something, pupils contracting:

"You—Haoki and Gantaro—did you..."

"Oh, you're their friend, too?"

The black Rider glanced at him, then grinned.

"Yeah, I took care of them personally. Not bad, but not quite first-class. Then again, this is a small town, so I can't expect too much."

He looked at Kira playfully.

"But those two were interesting. Even at the end, they kept saying 'can't fall here,' 'I made a promise with so-and-so' and such.

Hahaha, it's hilarious. Duelists fighting to the last second, burning their souls to the extreme—that's the best bait!"

Iwao's knuckles turned white on the handlebars, glaring at the rider as if he could spit fire.

"You bastard..."

"That's right, keep that momentum," the Rider laughed,

"It's more fun to break you when you're fired up.

But don't worry, I'll take care of the main course first. You... you're just dessert."

He turned his attention back to Kira, waving his hand.

"King Tiger, direct attack!"

King Tiger lunged at Kira.

"Then, I activate my trap,"

Kira flipped his final set card.

"Trap Card—'Pinpoint Guard.'

When your opponent declares an attack, Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from your Graveyard."

A card slid out of Kira's Graveyard.

"From the four cards sent to the Graveyard by 'Sixth Sense,' I Special Summon 'Fire Princess' in Defense Position."

A swirl of flames appeared, a silver-haired girl in fire, crouched defensively.

[Fire Princess, DEF 1500]

"Not a chance!" the black Rider shouted,

"Fire Princess's original ATK is only 1300. King Tiger's effect: Any monster with less than 1500 ATK summoned or Special Summoned is destroyed!"

King Tiger roared, sending soundwaves at Fire Princess.

But a transparent wall of flame blocked the attack.

"What?!"

The Rider frowned.

"'Pinpoint Guard'—the monster Special Summoned by this trap can't be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn,"

Kira explained.

"So, you blocked it, huh,"

The Rider smirked.

"You're definitely a first-class duelist. I can't wait to taste your flavor..."

"Don't be so eager,"

Kira said calmly,

"The duel isn't over yet."

"Hah? But King Tiger's lock is still up. You need a 2200 ATK Level 4 to survive. You can barely even summon monsters—how can you win?"

"Who knows?"

Kira weaved between swiping zombies.

"The power station's almost here!"

Iwao shouted.

"Fine, I'll finish him in one minute,"

Kira nodded.

"My turn. Draw!"

"Hah?"

The black Rider glanced at him in disbelief.

Even Iwao was shocked.

Finish in a minute?

With King Tiger and double Burden of the Mighty?

"I activate 'Foolish Burial' to send a monster from my Deck to the Graveyard,"

Kira announced.

He slid a card into the Graveyard.

"Send my second 'Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest' to the Graveyard."

"Then I activate 'Monster Reborn.'"

A green revival symbol appeared above Kira.

"I can revive a monster from the Graveyard."

"Your strongest monster in the Graveyard is Green Baboon, but even if you revive it, its ATK drops to 1200 and gets destroyed by King Tiger,"

the Rider said.

"No, I'm reviving another card milled by 'Sixth Sense.'"

Kira revealed his choice.

"Special Summon 'Ancient Crimson Ape.'"

[Ancient Crimson Ape, ATK 2600]

"But Ancient Crimson Ape is Level 7 too. Double Burden of the Mighty drops its ATK by 1400."

[Ancient Crimson Ape, ATK 2600 → 1200]

"I don't know what you're planning, but that ATK can't beat my King Tiger. Destroy it!"

King Tiger roared, sending soundwaves at Kira's field.

"Chain to King Tiger's effect, I activate Quick-Play Spell 'Concentrating Current.' Target one monster I control; it gains DEF as ATK for this turn. Other monsters can't attack this turn."

He pointed at the Ancient Crimson Ape.

"Ancient Crimson Ape gains 1800 ATK."

[Ancient Crimson Ape, ATK 1200 → 3000]

"King Tiger doesn't destroy monsters with 1400+ ATK upon effect resolution,"

the Rider said.

"So you saved your monster for now and can beat King Tiger. But next turn, its ATK drops back to 1200."

"No, there won't be a next turn,"

Kira smiled,

"I said I'd solve it in a minute, remember?"

"What?"

The Rider frowned.

Could he really wipe out 3800 LP from this position in one turn?

"Normal Summon 'Ojama Yellow.'"

[Ojama Yellow, ATK 0]

"Hah, all talk—this is the best you can summon?"

The Rider sneered, waving his hand.

"This weakling won't even see battle. King Tiger, destroy it!"

King Tiger roared, and Ojama Yellow shattered instantly.

"But 'Ojama Yellow' is a Beast," Kira said,

"When a Beast on my field is destroyed, the Green Baboon in my Graveyard's effect activates. Pay 1000 LP to Special Summon it."

[Kira, LP 2300 → 1300]

"Green Baboon, revive!"

"What are you doing? Even if you revive Baboon, it drops to 1200 ATK and gets destroyed. You're just wasting LP..."

"Not at all,"

Kira replied,

"'Ancient Crimson Ape's effect: When a monster you control is destroyed, you gain 1000 LP.'"

[Kira, LP 1300 → 2300]

"It's still net zero,"

the Rider said coldly,

"Pointless."

"Is it, though?"

Kira smiled.

"And there's this card."

"Huh?"

Kira pointed at the Fire Princess on his field.

"Fire Princess' effect: Whenever I gain LP, deal 500 damage to you."

She cast a fireball at the black Rider's bike, flames swirling over him.

[Black Rider, LP 3800 → 3300]

"All that effort for just 500 damage,"

He scoffed,

"But your Baboon will be destroyed next..."

But then he froze, as if realizing something terrifying.

[Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, ATK 2600 → 1200]

Baboon, summoned, is immediately suppressed by Burden of the Mighty, then destroyed by King Tiger.

"Of course, Baboon's ATK drops and it's destroyed on summon,"

Kira smiled.

"But remember, at the start of this turn, I sent a card to the Graveyard?"

"That Baboon... don't tell me—"

"Correct. Second Green Baboon. When a Beast you control is destroyed, pay 1000 LP to Special Summon from the Graveyard."

[Kira, LP 2300 → 1300]

"And 'Ancient Crimson Ape' again: when a monster you control is destroyed, gain 1000 LP."

[Kira, LP 1300 → 2300]

"And for every LP gain, Fire Princess deals 500 damage!"

Kira waved his hand.

Another fireball blasted the black Rider.

[Black Rider, LP 3300 → 2800]

"Urgh..."

He struggled to control his motorcycle, breaking into a cold sweat, unable to say "just 500 damage" anymore.

Even the slowest person would realize—

This was...

AN INFINITE LOOP!

Iwao realized it too, his mouth open in shock.

Kira was actually using the King Tiger lock against its owner, creating a self-sustaining loop.

He looked at Kira again, and suddenly felt that Kira's calm demeanor was saying—

"You want to play dirty with me?

You're about 20,000 years too early."

"That's right. Every time Green Baboon is destroyed, the other revives by paying 1000 LP. Every revival triggers Burden of the Mighty and King Tiger, so it gets destroyed again.

With two Baboons, this can go on infinitely.

Each cycle, 'Ancient Crimson Ape' restores 1000 LP, and Fire Princess inflicts 500 damage—endless."

"At the end of the loop, the damage you take is..."

Fire Princess raised her staff, gathering an enormous fireball.

The black Rider's visor reflected the blazing orb as he gritted his teeth:

"Infinite..."

"Correct,"

Kira smiled,

"Here's your reward: one infinite fireball."

The Fire Princess's staff came down. Like a Spirit Bomb, crashed onto the black bike.

[Black Rider, LP 0]

PS; bro, help Kira create an infinite loop lmao.