Yugioh [558-563] (Patreon)

Chapter 558: Tracking

Titan dropped to his knees, both hands on the floor. His hulking body trembled uncontrollably.

"So strong..."

He forced his head up and looked at the vague silhouette on the giant screen, its true face indistinct.

Only now did he realize how laughably naive his earlier thoughts had been when he made his move—why the person behind the screen was the true master of the Shadow Riders, and how vast the gap was between him and mere executives like them.

He had lost. He had recognized the unbridgeable chasm in power, and so he accepted his defeat. But acceptance didn't mean resignation.

Because...

 He damn well wasn't the mole!

Yet he couldn't figure it out, not even at death's door.

Why were all his teammates so certain—so unanimous—that he was the mole?

He didn't recall offending any of them, as far as he could tell...

 But he had no time left. He feared he'd go to his grave never understanding.

The light faded from Titan's eyes, like a puppet with its soul extracted. He toppled forward with a thud.

The conference room fell into brief silence.

Then Don Zaloog was the first to break it, letting out two dry, awkward laughs.

"Boss is mighty," he said pleasantly. "As expected of the boss—your dueling prowess is truly impressive."

"Yeah, yeah."

Chick hurried to chime in with flattery.

"Boss, you're amazing!"

"And this way, the mole's finally been purged. Hah, I suddenly feel clear-headed—so much lighter."

Yet as they spoke, they were all thinking the same thing.

Well, at least everyone left in the room is on the same page. In a sense, you could say the insider's been purged.

But Kagemaru wasn't so optimistic.

On the other side of the screen, the old man fell silent for a moment, hawk-like gaze slowly sweeping across the people remaining.

He lingered especially long on Lyman.

"Is that so? Let's hope so," Kagemaru said coolly. "Now let's get to the main topic.

The Seven Spirit Keys—we haven't secured a single one. I'm very displeased with this progress."

"..."

They moved on to the normal meeting agenda.

Kagemaru didn't revisit the previous topic, nor did he answer the request that he appear in person. The old fox was cautious; though he didn't say it aloud, it was clear he still didn't trust those who remained very much.

He had shown a glimpse of his strength with that duel to intimidate the others and reinforce his authority, while his subsequent actions signaled his refusal to appear.

But that was fine.

This possibility had been within Kira's expectations from the start. Best case, pressure from the moles would bait the old man out; if he refused, that was fine too.

That's why Kira had said they needed technical support from KaibaCorp.

"Keep the meeting going. Make him talk longer; don't end too soon."

He issued orders to all the infiltrators through the earpiece. As he spoke, Kira was aboard a jet with the KC emblem, engines roaring, knifing through coiling clouds.

The moles in this meeting weren't just his eyes and ears. Each carried KaibaCorp devices for signal localization and tracking.

They would trace Kagemaru's location by tracking the live video signal of his feed.

The old man was cautious; the signal bounced through multiple relays, using various techniques to obscure and shake off pursuit.

Fortunately, Kira's logistics team was top-tier as well.

"Position locked."

The technical consultant Mokuba hired reported to Kira.

"In an office building in L City. The building appears to belong to a baby products company. Uploading live satellite imagery now."

Kira swiped open a projection in the jet and saw the building's image.

"Coordinates received. Adjusting course."

The jet pilot spoke.

Trailing a dazzling plume, the KC jet reached the outskirts of L City in mere minutes. It decelerated sharply, dropping altitude, angling toward the tower.

Incredibly, what looked like a normal office building sprouted turrets on its roof, spewing bright tongues of fire at the jet from afar!

But the KaibaCorp pilot was seasoned. He yanked the stick, pulling the plane up at an almost impossible angle, slipping past the fiery barrage.

"Baby products company?"

The pilot swore.

"Since when do baby products need anti-aircraft guns?"

Kira patted his shoulder and smiled. "Thanks. We're good here—you can head back."

He was already strapping on a metal glider—the same model Kaiba used for his flashy superhero landings in the KC arc.

"You're not planning to—"

The pilot shook his head repeatedly.

"No way, that's insane. You'll get shredded."

"Haha, it's fine. I have a special posture."

Kira waved and smiled, already opening the hatch.

He leapt into the open air. Metal wings unfurled with a clatter, the thruster on his back spitting a cerulean plume. Like a meteor, he streaked toward the office tower at full speed.

"What a lunatic," the pilot muttered, banking the jet away from danger.

The flak switched targets, torrents of fire surging at him. Kira plummeted straight through the storm, heedless. Occasionally, shrapnel flared toward him, but everything stopped a half meter from his body, colliding with invisible walls that bloomed into rings of translucent white magic circles.

The signal source was around the fortieth floor. He locked onto that level and pushed the glider to full power.

The wind goggles he wore had a built-in scanner that surveyed the building as he flew, mapping out the floors.

Multiple targets; several armed... Guns can be ignored. No threat.

Three targets carrying Duel Disks—those would be the main obstacles.

The outer facade scanned as reinforced, specialized ballistic glass. Networked with KaibaCorp servers, the scanner instantly identified the make, model, and specs, including its rated impact resistance.

Theoretically robust enough to withstand a single soldier-portable rocket. Crashing into it would reduce him to paste.

Some baby products company.

But still fine.

Range: 500 meters.

A translucent white light peeled off from Kira's body. The Silent Magician flickered into being, staff already charged, and struck through the air.

A blazing bolt carved a resplendent path, splitting the sky. The ballistic glass shattered with a crash.

At the right distance, Kira jettisoned the glider. Under AI control, it banked away. He kept his trajectory by inertia, angling straight for the broken window and plunging through.

He rolled, dropped into a half squat—a perfect superhero landing.

No wonder the president loved doing this. It was cool. And fun.

He stood, glanced around at the room full of shouting men drawing guns and aiming at him.

He smiled slightly.

Perfect infiltration.

Chapter 559: Kagemaru

Bang bang bang!

 Gunfire, shouting, then a string of blast-like sounds.

Thirty seconds later, Kira strolled leisurely across the room. Behind him, the goons lay sprawled everywhere.

In this world, goons with guns end up like this.

The door was blasted open. Kira stepped into the corridor outside. He moved along the hall; after only a few paces, someone slipped out from around a corner.

Black suit, sunglasses—a look straight out of The Matrix. Unlike the rabble who'd all been armed with guns, this guy wore a Duel Disk.

"Kid, you've got nerve barging in here. Do you know what this place is?"

"Mm... a baby products company?"

"Very funny." The man sneered and raised his Duel Disk. "Too bad you won't be laughing in your grave."

Kira unfolded his Duel Disk as well.

Moments later—

"Submarineroid, direct attack."

"Submarineroid No. 2, direct attack."

"Quick-Play Spell 'Flash Fusion'—fuse the two submarines on the field to Fusion Summon Pair Cycroid, direct attack again!"

"Quick-Play Spell 'De-Fusion'—split the bike back into two submarines."

"Submarineroid, direct attack."

"..."

Kira retracted his Duel Disk and stepped over the black-suited man, continuing forward.

The man's face was blank; his stylish shades were crooked, his body twitching now and then. His mouth hung open, emitting meaningless murmurs.

Two more duelists appeared along the way, each swaggering in and vowing to teach the intruder a lesson. They'd no doubt been local hotshots, proud of their skills.

Of course, after Kira shared a brisk, clarifying lesson in dueling, they seemed to change their minds.

The innermost room—that should be where Kagemaru was.

A heavy, reinforced metal door was secured with both password and fingerprints. Naturally, Kira let silence lead the way again—magic blew it open.

Inside, no lights—pitch-black, like you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

He stepped in. Almost the instant he crossed the threshold, mechanisms in the walls on both sides triggered.

Sounded like a pair of machine guns.

Automated guns that activated upon sensing an intruder. Barrels locked onto Kira's position and roared in staccato bursts.

Muzzles belched fire, bullets pouring downrange. As before, everything struck the invisible barrier about half a meter from Kira's body.

White magic circles rippled around him like raindrops pelting a river. Warped slugs spun away and clinked across the floor.

He didn't so much as flinch, walking through the hail of bullets like a man of steel.

A swordsman's silhouette flickered behind him—blade drawn. Two arcs of invisible sword energy slashed left and right. The steel guns were cleaved in half and exploded into fireballs.

A few more steps. His foot sank slightly—the telltale give of another trigger.

A thunderous crash from above—like the ceiling collapsing. A solid metal slab had been hidden overhead, designed to drop with crushing force when someone passed beneath.

If it landed, any human would be pulp.

But Kira moved as if unaware. Another flicker—sword energy slashed up. The massive alloy block split in two with a single, domineering cut, the halves whooshing past him to either side and slamming into the floor.

The Silent Magician waved her staff, casting light. A mote of mana rose, bursting into white radiance and turning the room bright as day.

It was an eerie chamber. Even under the bright spell, it felt shrouded in an intangible gloom.

Row upon row of tall shelves nearly reached the ceiling, crammed with instruments that glinted coldly. Beyond them were devices—some electronic, some alchemical.

He even saw something resembling Lyman's card "Chaos Distill": a gigantic alchemical cauldron.

If those still counted as research, what followed was downright chilling.

Transparent pods. The ones closest held animals—specimens. Some spread wings as if to fly; others curled in corners. Different poses, lifelike, capturing the moment their once-vibrant lives were frozen in glass, their postures telling the stories of their final moments.

A few steps further—humans in the tanks.

All kinds of people, fixed like specimens, as if their last instant had been preserved.

Some looked like mummies—like the dried corpse Kira found when he tracked down Lyman—dead for a long time, or drained of their last drop of essence.

Kira stopped before a particular tank.

Inside was a girl.

Unlike most of the other specimens, her expression was frozen in a moment of joy, as if she'd encountered something worth celebrating—perhaps never expecting death even at the very end.

A murky, aged voice sounded in the dark.

"Her name is Canon."

Kira turned. An old man's life-support pod, held aloft by mechanical arms, glided forward to meet him. Together they gazed at the girl in the tank.

"Three months ago, she was taken."

"By a dark duelist—someone using shadow powers to abduct. His methods were extraordinary; ordinary security forces could do nothing.

She was sealed into a card and carried off. Her fate would likely have been to be trafficked to some unknown corner of the world, condemned to a slave's life for the rest of her days—like the other victims taken with her."

"But they were lucky. They met me."

"I tracked the culprit down. I defeated him, dealt him his due punishment, and made sure he suffered before he died."

"I rescued them all."

"And now, excluding Canon, the other twenty-nine have received substantial funds. I helped them start new lives, solved their material difficulties, and gave them perfect lives they could never have dreamed of before."

"I saved them. I gave them new life."

The old man's voice was thick and rough, his gaze like a torch.

Kira said mildly, "You're not about to say that because you saved a life, that makes taking another one acceptable, are you?"

"No."

The old man answered calmly.

"I'm telling you that my being alive is more valuable than her life—or any of theirs."

Chapter 560: To Stay Alive

Hearing that, Kira laughed.

Kagemaru sat in his fluid-filled life-support pod, watching him in silence, saying nothing for a moment.

"I see."

Kira chuckled.

"You think saving one life entitles you to take another."

"Not one—many. And if I live, I'll save more, do more, far exceeding anything the person I took from would have accomplished in their mediocre life."

Kagemaru said.

"That how you convince yourself? Must make it easier to sleep," Kira said.

"I regret every life I've had to take," Kagemaru replied evenly.

He wanted to live, at any cost. Forbidden alchemy was the method he had pursued all along, even if it demanded living sacrifices.

Even his most trusted friend, the alchemical prodigy Lyman, no longer agreed with his path.

Lyman told him it was a dead end—that alchemy could no longer solve his problem—and promised to obtain the Sacred Beasts. Once he had them, he could save Kagemaru's life.

Kagemaru knew even Lyman was unwilling to accompany him farther down this bloody road. But he thought if he could obtain the Sacred Beasts, his problem would be solved—so he let him try.

"You're just afraid of death," Kira said.

"Yes. I'm afraid of death."

Kagemaru admitted frankly.

"I fear aging, fear being trapped in this hateful body—decaying, and forced to die."

"I have done so much; I have saved so many. I have defeated dark overlords and evil spirits, used dueling to punish villains..."

"And now, I simply refuse to die."

"I'm truly sorry about your condition. I mean that. I also believe you were once a righteous duelist who used all your strength and resources to do the right thing—otherwise Kaiba Seto and the others wouldn't have agreed to let you serve as the duel academy's chairman."

As Kira spoke, his Duel Disk unfolded. Ghostly blue light flared, like will-o'-the-wisps in the gloom.

"As I expected. The Duel King won't be persuaded so easily."

Kagemaru sighed softly.

"I suspected as much. If I want longevity—if I want to live—I must pass your trial."

"Good that you know."

"Very well. Come, then."

Though an old man on his last legs, his eyes shone like a lion's. It was as if a stubborn warrior still lived within that decrepit body.

"My life has been a duelist's life."

"Let this duel with the King prove the pinnacle of my existence."

The mechanical arms of his pod had already fitted a Duel Disk to him. A domineering dark vortex burst from him, enveloping them both.

A Shadow Game.

He hadn't used one even against Jaden in the anime.

As the master of the Shadow Riders, able to gather mummies, vampires, and otherworldly spirits under his command, Kagemaru was no stranger to Shadow Games—and his rank was surely high.

In the anime, he already had the Sacred Beasts and bore no grudge against Jaden, so he didn't intend to take his life. His goal was to absorb the life-force of duel spirits with the Beasts and regain his prime.

So, after Jaden defeated him, he merely reverted to a dying old man—he didn't die outright.

But now he had invoked a Shadow Game, and clearly at high stakes.

The message was clear.

This battle, he would not hold back. He would give it everything.

It would decide not just victory, but life and death.

"Duel!" x2

 [Kira, LP 4000]

[Kagemaru, LP 4000]

Kira glanced at the indicator on his Duel Disk and, without politeness, took the first turn.

"I'll go first. Draw."

He scanned his hand, then flicked his wrist.

"I set two cards. Turn end."

Kagemaru narrowed his eyes.

Just set cards? Is he underestimating me because I look like this...?

 No. He'd investigated—this Duel King favors disruption, "forbidding the opponent from dueling" to win without fighting.

A trap-heavy opener wasn't surprising.

"My turn. Draw."

A metal arm played a card.

"Spell Card: Graceful Charity.

Draw three, then discard two."

After drawing, the slender metal arm placed two cards in the graveyard.

Kagemaru had rarely dueled since his illness, but his bout with Titan was just a warm-up. Even after years away, he trusted his own strength. No matter how rusty, he would not be troubled by the likes of Titan.

He had once been a top-tier ruler in the supernatural world, once stood at the summit.

If only he were younger—if only he had his prime body and mind...

 He shook off the thought.

There would be a chance.

The Sacred Beasts—that was his future, his only future. With their power, he would regain youth with ease and stay at his peak forever.

All those who thought him finished—plotting his assets and sneering at his weakness—would pay the price.

But before the Beasts, the strongest wall stood before him now.

Hence why he opened with the Shadow Game at maximum intensity.

If he lost this, his hope of survival was gone.

"I Normal Summon 'Synthesize Sphere'!"

[Synthesize Sphere, ATK 1000]

Before it appeared, a gale rose—air coiling into a transparent vortex. The bird rode the wind and alighted before Kagemaru.

A manga-original "Sphere" card Kira had just seen in the previous duel.

"When Synthesize Sphere is Summoned, Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Sphere' from the GY."

One of the two cards just sent to the graveyard slid out with a flash from the Duel Disk. The mechanical arm caught it and placed it onto the monster zone.

"I Special Summon 'Air Sphere' from the GY!"

The petite 2-star bird Kira had seen used against Titan.

[Air Sphere, ATK 400]

"As you said, I fear death. I refuse to die. Even if living means taking from others—even if it means crushing any obstacle."

The old man's murky voice rang like a steel blade.

"If the obstacle before me is you, Duel King, Fujiki Kira..."

"Then I will cleave this mountain in two!"

Chapter 561: Nothing but traps?

"I set one card face-down."

Kagemaru operated the mechanical arm; the deft arm slid a card into the Duel Disk and set it to the back row.

"Then I activate a Spell from my hand."

With a sweeping motion, a Spell Card shot out.

"Spell Card: Forced Activation!" (manga card)

 "Forced Activation?"

Kira raised an eyebrow.

"Correct. As the name implies, it's a card that forces a set card on the field to activate!" Kagemaru said. "It can ignore conditions and force a set card's effect to trigger!"

Kira recognized this one. It's the card David used in GX—when he fought Alexis, he used it to force Alexis's set "Doble Passe."

He didn't remember it because he recalled the exact manga chapter, but because he'd recently stripped David's entire deck—so he had the card himself.

In the manga, its text was basically "force a set card on the field to open," which is pretty nonsensical, but it's similar to the real card "Bait Doll" that forces traps.

Except Bait Doll adds: if the forced trap's timing is incorrect, its effect is negated and it's destroyed. The manga card has no such restriction.

In other words, if David had used the real "Bait Doll" to force Alexis's "Doble Passe," Doble Passe can only activate when a monster declares an attack; since the timing would be wrong, it should be negated and destroyed.

Without that restriction, this card becomes absurdly powerful.

It doesn't just force set traps to activate; it can also bypass harsh activation conditions and force powerful traps to go off.

Thus the saying, "Anime has been printing broken cards since forever," isn't wrong.

Many such cards have since been power-crept to a point the environment could handle, and some have seen real print—though some others, without heavy nerfs, will probably never see daylight.

"By Forced Activation's effect, I force the trap set this turn to activate," Kagemaru said. "Continuous Trap: Ultimate Offering! By paying 500 Life Points, I can gain an additional Normal Summon."

He revealed another card from his hand.

"I pay 500 Life Points, tribute the 'Air Sphere' on my field, and Tribute Summon! Level 5—

—Virtual Sphere!"

[Kagemaru LP 4000 → 3500]

Blood oozed in the artwork, pooling on the ground. Air Sphere sank into that pool and vanished; then a new avian beast whirled up out of the blood.

Virtual Sphere, summoned!

[Virtual Sphere ATK 2200]

"Pretty strong for turn one," Kira said with a smile.

"When facing a King, one must go all out," Kagemaru replied coldly. "Whether it's confidence or arrogance, I'll verify right now.

Battle! Virtual Sphere attacks directly!"

The ring-bird beat its wings and blitzed forward, cyclones like a thousand blades slicing toward Kira's face.

"As you wish, Chairman."

Kira snapped his fingers.

"I activate my set card, the Trap 'Attack Guidance Armor'! I can equip Guidance Armor to any monster on the field!"

Kaiba's staple from the anime, now fully realized in cardboard with its once-nonsensical effect rewritten in proper rules text.

A demon-faced armor materialized from thin air and, without asking permission, clamped onto Kagemaru's Synthesize Sphere. The bird shrieked, thrashing, but couldn't shake it off.

"Attack Guidance Armor can equip to any monster on the field. The equipped monster is forced to attract attacks—taunt effect," Kira said with a smile. "Attack targets are redirected to the equipped monster for forced damage calculation."

Kagemaru: "!"

The Guidance Armor went onto his own Synthesize Sphere—

"Right. So Virtual Sphere's attack is redirected," Kira smiled. "Its target is now its own teammate."

Virtual Sphere, seeing red, screeched and dove at its ally. Synthesize Sphere cried out—probably "ally, calm down!"—but it was hopeless. A gust-blade from those talons cleaved it in two.

[Kagemaru LP 3500 → 2300]

"Grrk—"

Kagemaru gritted his teeth in the life-support pod. The system shuddered from the energy shock; even the liquid inside turned a bit murky.

"So there was a trap after all."

He grunted low. He wasn't surprised; the pit had to be stepped on. With no "Wind" in hand, just waiting wouldn't help.

"Turn end."

"My turn. Draw."

Kira glanced at his draw, then casually waved his hand.

"I set one card. Turn end."

Kagemaru: "?"

Huh?

 Another set and nothing else.

 "You…" Kagemaru narrowed his eyes.

King or not, this was getting arrogant.

How much did he plan to look down on him?

 "My turn. Draw!"

He barked.

As if spurred by his anger, even the mechanical arm seemed to draw more forcefully.

"I activate the Spell 'Akashic Record.' Draw two cards. If any drawn card has been used in this duel already, it must be banished." (manga card)

 He drew, then snorted.

"So you think traps alone can handle me?"

"Very good, then in that case—"

The mechanical arm held a card high.

"Spell Card: Heavy Storm!"

"Destroy all Spells and Traps on the field!"

A jet-black storm rose, myriad wind-blades scouring Kira's back row.

Break the back row and the opponent is basically naked; a push this turn could end it.

Kagemaru's gaze sharpened again.

The Duel King would pay for his hubris!

 "Right when you have the perfect back-row killer—troublesome," Kira said, flicking his hand.

"Then Counter Trap: Judgment of Anubis. Discard one card; negate and destroy an opponent's Spell that includes destroying Spell/Trap cards on the field."

Kagemaru: "!?"

Come again?

 The black whirlwind gathered and took the shape of a jackal. The visage of Anubis bared fangs and snapped back at Kagemaru's field!

Not only did it unravel the Storm, it leapt further at his Virtual Sphere.

"And then, I can destroy one face-up monster your opponent controls and inflict damage equal to its ATK," Kira said coolly.

Kagemaru's pupils shrank.

A face-up monster—meaning...

 [Virtual Sphere ATK 2200]

"Therefore, Virtual Sphere is destroyed!"

Virtual Sphere exploded into fragments on the spot!

 "Urgh!"

[Kagemaru LP 2300 → 100]

Chapter 562: Everything's a pitfall

 [Kagemaru LP 100]

"Damn it…"

The old man couldn't help cursing.

The guy hadn't summoned a single monster. He hadn't even felt any real back-and-forth—and somehow his LP was already a candle in the wind!

What kind of duel is this!?

Kira snapped his fingers again.

"Your LP is low, Chairman," he said pleasantly. "You'd better tread carefully from here."

The gentler the tone, the more infuriating it sounded.

All the more reason for Kagemaru to steady himself.

At 100 LP, his margin for error was gone. All the more reason not to tilt, not to be led by the nose.

"Virtual Sphere's monster effect," Kagemaru said in a low voice. "If Virtual Sphere is sent from field to GY, Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Sphere' from the GY."

The arm retrieved a monster from the GY.

"I Special Summon 'Synthesize Sphere'!"

[Synthesize Sphere ATK 1000]

Kira: "Oh? This one's effect is—"

"Correct. Synthesize Sphere has a summon effect," Kagemaru said. "When Summoned or Special Summoned, Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Sphere' from your GY."

Another card slipped from the GY and was deftly slapped onto the Disk.

"I Special Summon 'Air Sphere'!"

[Air Sphere ATK 400]

"Heh, two back at once," Kira nodded, impressed. "Your Sphere engine's not bad."

In Kira's view, for a GX-era deck this ran quite fast—already tasting of the next generation.

It had search, GY recursion, and quick swarming. And judging from the Titan duel, it could also lock and "NTR"—no wonder only three Sphere cards ever got printed.

He also hadn't used his Normal Summon yet.

"Then I tribute 'Synthesize Sphere'!"

A transparent whirlwind wrapped the bird, dissolving it into motes.

"Level 6—

—Troposphere, Summon!!!"

An even fiercer vortex rose; blue wings spread; an armored Sphere Bird rode the storm into view!

[Troposphere ATK 2400]

Troposphere—one of the only three Spheres ever printed.

"This time you tributed Synthetic Sphere and kept Air Sphere," Kira mused. "Because of Air Sphere's attack restriction?"

When another Sphere is on the field, Air Sphere prevents the opponent from declaring attacks. That had been revealed in the Titan fight.

With only 100 LP, Kagemaru had to think about defense; even a scratch could be lethal.

"Troposphere, direct attack!"

The new bird charged like a general at the vanguard of an army!

"I activate a Trap," Kira said. "Trap Card: Mirror Force! When your opponent declares an attack: destroy all Attack Position monsters they control!"

Kagemaru narrowed his eyes.

Of course there's another pitfall!

 Traps, traps, traps—endless traps.

But this bird preys on traps!

"Troposphere's effect!" Kagemaru shouted. "Troposphere is unaffected by Trap effects!"

Pierce the shield!

Mirror Force cracked like glass under the bird's spread wings. Armored avian slammed a claw straight into Kira.

[Kira LP 4000 → 1600]

He took damage!

 He actually took damage!

 In all his years of battle, Kagemaru had never felt it so hard just to scrape the opponent's LP.

 "A trap-immune Sphere—bad matchup for me," Kira said, dusting himself off with a rueful shrug.

Kagemaru calmed quickly after landing the hit.

No—don't get lulled by his tone.

Even after that, he was in trouble. Mirror Force still destroyed Air Sphere.

So his planned defense line—attack lockdown—was gone. If Troposphere got attacked next turn, even a mere 2500 ATK Tribute monster touching it would end him.

"Damn Duel King…"

He gritted his teeth and slid out a card.

"I set one and end."

He spoke low.

"My turn. Draw."

Kira figured that, with Air Sphere gone, that new set was probably his hoped-for defense.

But he wasn't in a rush.

"I Normal Summon 'Chaos Core' in Defense."

Darkness pooled, deep as hell. It writhed and rose, forming a monster.

A twisted fiend slowly unfurled its wings, eyes mocking.

[Chaos Core DEF 0]

Kagemaru blinked.

A monster with 0/0?

What the hell? He'd never seen this one.

 "I set three and end."

Kira waved and covered three more back-row.

Kagemaru's brows knit.

More sets. Three more.

If anything differed from the last two turns, it was summoning a 0-stat monster.

Even stranger.

He pondered. Kira cut in with a chuckle: "Huh? Not drawing, Chairman? Or want to surrender?"

"Tch, don't get cocky, kid."

He spat coldly.

"My turn. Draw!"

The arm drew.

"I activate the Spell 'Pot of Greed,'" Kagemaru said. "I draw two cards."

He glanced at his hand, then at the Chaos Core, frowning slightly as a chill crept over him.

He couldn't say why, but that 0 ATK monster felt ominous.

He looked at the three new sets.

More back-row. But Kira already knew traps mostly didn't work on Troposphere.

So the key likely wasn't in the sets. It was—

His eyes returned to that eerie 0-ATK fiend.

A 0-ATK monster? That's suspicious!

 "Heh. I don't know what that thing is, but—"

Kagemaru barked:

"I flip my set Quick-Play 'Forbidden Chalice'! Target one monster; it gains 400 ATK, and its effects are negated!"

Chapter 563: The Sacred Beast descend

"Forbidden Chalice negates 'Chaos Core's' effect!" Kagemaru declared.

"At this moment, Chaos Core's effect activates," Kira said.

Kagemaru: "!"

An effect that triggers even when negated?

 "Right. When Chaos Core is targeted by a card effect, or chosen as an attack target, it can activate," Kira said.

"When targeted, Chaos Core can send up to one each of 'Uria, Lord of Searing Flames,' 'Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder,' and 'Raviel, Lord of Phantasms' from hand or Deck to the GY."

Kira drew out three auto-ejected cards from his Deck and fanned them.

"So I send Uria, Hamon, and Raviel—three total—from my Deck to the GY."

He displayed them openly, and Kagemaru's eyes went wide.

The Three Sacred Beasts!

 "Y-you—"

His eyes reddened.

He had rallied the Shadow Riders, poured in resources, had everyone fighting tooth and nail—for what?

For the sealed cards, the three legendary Sacred Beast!

 And this guy just casually flips them out?

He sputtered before managing: "You—my—why are my Sacred Beasts in your hands?"

"I don't recall the Beasts ever being yours," Kira smiled.

"Simple. I gathered enough Duel Energy to break the seal, then borrowed the three from the Academy. Compared to the seven keys, with the Shadow Riders attacking, keeping them on me was safer than in the seal. The Chancellor and the staff agreed."

Kagemaru opened his mouth, speechless.

Wait—

 When I asked them to hand me the Beasts—Kaiba, the Board, the Academy—no one agreed. But they just gave them to you?

"I'm not like you," Kira said. "I won't use the Beasts to steal lives or drain spirits for selfish desires.

And I proved I can control them—restrain that power and wield all three."

He paused, smiling.

"Funny enough, I have you and your Shadow Riders to thank. Without your threat, the Beasts wouldn't have landed in my hands so smoothly.

For three cards that can only be taken via dueling, there's no place safer than the Duel King's hands, right?"

A vein bulged on Kagemaru's forehead.

His life's pursuit—his last hope—was right there in front of him, in the opponent's hands.

And he was being taunted that all his efforts stitched the bride's dress for someone else.

Worse, the bastard was probably right—

 Bubbles gurgled in the pod as the old man panted.

"Tch, so you only dumped them to the GY," Kagemaru sneered. "If their seal is broken and you brought them to me, then it's easier.

I just have to beat you and take them!

I activate the Spell 'Card of Burial Magic,' banishing 'Graceful Charity,' 'Forced Activation,' and 'Forbidden Chalice' from my GY to draw two."

He drew two more.

"Then I Summon 'Gene-Warped Warwolf'!"

[Gene-Warped Warwolf ATK 2000]

"Battle!" he roared. "Warwolf attacks!"

The werewolf leapt with a roar, claw slashing toward Kira.

"I activate a set card," Kira said. "Continuous Trap: Gravity Bind! Neither player's Level 4 or higher monsters can attack!"

"Another attack lock?"

Kagemaru snarled.

"MUUDA!

Troposphere is unaffected by Traps! Troposphere, attack Chaos Core!"

The bird tore through Gravity Bind's shackles; a cyclone ripped the fiend to pieces.

Chaos Core, after sending the three Beasts, could place three counters and remove one to prevent battle destruction—but with its effects negated, it couldn't.

No matter; its mission was done.

"Then I activate Continuous Spell 'Mirage of Nightmare.' During your opponent's next Standby Phase, draw until you have four cards in hand."

He set it.

"I set two and turn end."

"End Phase, I flip my set Quick-Play 'Fires of Doomsday'." Kira said. "Special Summon two 'Doomsday Token' to my field."

Two black flames ignited, taking token form.

[Doomsday Token DEF 0] x2

 Kagemaru frowned.

End Phase activation—right. The turn you use Fires of Doomsday, you can't Summon monsters by any other effect—he'd neatly sidestepped the drawback. Planning to tribute the tokens for a Tribute Summon?

But if he remembered right, Fires of Doomsday's tokens can only be used to Tribute Summon DARK monsters.

Kira: "My turn. Draw."

"At this moment, Mirage of Nightmare activates!" Kagemaru said. "I draw until I have four cards!"

Classic GX draw engine. At least one of those two sets was now obvious.

He narrowed his eyes.

Two tokens were ready—clearly for tributes. But Tribute Summon would have to be DARK...

 Kira: "Then I'll also use Pot of Greed—draw two."

"Next, I activate my set Trap 'Immortal Class.' I tribute two monsters I control to Special Summon, from the GY, a Level 7 or higher monster, ignoring its Summoning conditions and restrictions!" (anime card)

 The very trap Yubel used in the anime to bring out the Beasts—ignores even summoning and revival limits.

Kagemaru's pupils tightened.

Not a Tribute Summon, but a tribute as cost?

Level 7+ in the GY—

 No—don't tell me—

 "Correct. I can revive a Sacred Beast from the GY."

As Kira raised his hand, black clouds congealed over the arena.

A leaden pall smothered everything—nature's wrath condensed. The air grew heavy, every breath crackling with charge.

Suddenly, the roiling clouds tore, as if stirred by an unseen hand, coalescing into a vast sea of thunderheads. Lightning writhed within like dragons in a trench, each flash booming like the end of days.

And from that storm, wreathed in serpents of lightning and clad in glaring yellow, descended a colossal form of sovereign might.

"Let heaven's thunder mete out timeless judgment—now descend—

—Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!!!"