https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-10-Not-Even-Sparing-Those-in-the-Grave/12555036/
Chapter 11: That's the Spirit!
Chapter 11: That's the Spirit!
"My turn," muttered Manjimuto, his voice grave.
Despite the unfavorable situation and lack of immediate countermeasures, he still had ample life points and a chance to turn things around.
"Drawing a card," he announced. His eyes lit up as he beheld the newly drawn card in his hand. "Ah, the Goddess of Victory still favors me."
Manjimuto drew two cards, sending one to the graveyard and playing the other immediately.
"I activate the spell card 'Cost Down'! By discarding one card, I can lower the level of all monsters in my hand by two stars for this turn!"
'Cost Down', a strategy often employed by Seto Kaiba in the Duel Monsters world, reduced the number of tributes required to summon high-level monsters.
"Furthermore," Manjimuto continued, "the card I discarded to activate 'Cost Down' was the spell card 'Compensation Draw'. When this card is sent from my hand to the graveyard, I draw two cards from my deck." (Original Card)
You Xuan: "."
The ability to draw cards at will, as seen in the anime, was indeed monstrous. If such a mechanic existed in the physical card game, it would be utterly broken.
"I draw two cards from my deck due to the effect of 'Compensation Draw'," Manjimuto explained.
With his ammunition replenished, Manjimuto's lips curled upwards, indicating that his fortunes might be turning.
"You've caused me no small amount of trouble, and I underestimated you. But! It ends here."
Manjimuto raised his voice.
"Due to the effect of 'Cost Down', my 'Emperor Sky Hurricane Dragon', originally Level 6, is now treated as Level 4, allowing me to Normal Summon it without any tributes.
Therefore, I Normal Summon this creature. Come forth—
—Emperor Sky Hurricane Dragon!"
A golden storm swept through the field, and from the vortex emerged a majestic dragon clad in imperial gold, its body shimmering as if enveloped in golden flames.
[Emperor Sky Hurricane Dragon: ATK 2400]
"Your petty tricks end here," Manjimuto declared, raising his hand. "In an elite duel, only power determines victory! I attack 'Sea-Air, the Spirit-Destroying Monk' with Emperor Sky Hurricane Dragon!"
The golden dragon opened its maw, unleashing a spiraling blast that pierced the monk holding prayer beads. With a thunderous crash, the monk was engulfed in smoke and banished from the field.
[You Xuan: LP 1700 → LP 1100]
"I set another card and end my turn!" Manjimuto took a deep breath.
He was close, so close.
He had regained control of the duel, and with just a little more effort, he would shatter his detestable opponent's defenses and deliver the finishing blow.
Unbeknownst to Manjimuto, his mindset had subtly shifted from "I'll crush my opponent and advance" to "Only one of us will walk away from this duel."
It felt like their duel had gradually escalated into a grudge match.
Never before had he felt such intense loathing for an opponent during a duel as he did today.
The mere thought of his opponent's life points dwindling to zero, of them being overwhelmed by his all-out assault and knocked to the ground by the force of his duel, made him want to burst into raucous laughter.
"My turn, drawing a card," You Xuan said calmly. "First, I activate this spell card from my hand—'Hurricane'!"
A green storm whipped up, sending powerful gusts across the field. Manjimuto had no choice but to shield his face with his arms, and the face-down cards he had set earlier were blown back into his hand.
'Hurricane' was one of the signature cards of Katsuya Jonoichi's deck in the Duel Monsters anime, but it was also a card that had spent many years on the Forbidden List in the physical card game.
"Hurricane returns all Spell and Trap cards on the field to their owners' hands," You Xuan explained.
"Ugh," Manjimuto grunted as he glanced at the cards that had been bounced back to his hand.
His backrow setup had been dismantled, but it didn't seem like a significant issue. Emperor Sky Hurricane Dragon was a high-level monster with 2400 ATK, so it shouldn't be easily dealt with.
Moreover, Emperor Sky Hurricane Dragon possessed a powerful monster effect. If it were destroyed and sent to the graveyard, he could return any monster on the field to its owner's hand.
In other words, even if his opponent somehow managed to summon a bigger monster that surpassed Emperor Sky Hurricane Dragon in the next turn, that monster would immediately be banished by the dragon's graveyard effect after destroying it.
Manjimuto couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as he considered his options.
His opponent had only seen his backrow cards and assumed that disabling the traps would be enough. Little did they know that true elite duels involved careful planning and contingencies. He had set up a double trap as insurance, and now he had the upper hand!
"I summon 'Killer Tomato' in attack position," You Xuan continued.
[Killer Tomato: ATK 1400]
Manjimuto scoffed. "Hmph, so you can only summon a weak monster like that as a wall. Hmm?"
As he spoke, a sense of foreboding washed over him.
Wait a minute, Killer Tomato in attack position?
He had a bad feeling about this.
"Next, I activate a spell card from my hand," You Xuan said, waving his right arm to bring up the image of a spell card.
"Spell Card—Force Transfer! Both players must select one monster on their field and switch control of those monsters!"
Manjimuto: "What?!?"
Are you kidding me? Your deck is full of these ridiculous cards?
Can we just have a proper duel?
"Of course, the monster I choose is this one," You Xuan pointed to the large tomato head on his field. "Killer Tomato. Now, it's your turn to choose the monster you want to exchange."
Manjimuto: "."
Haha, like I'm going to choose your grandpa.
Obviously, Manjimuto had no choice but to select his Emperor Sky Hurricane Dragon, the only monster he had on the field.
However, the spell card required both players to make a selection, and even if there was only one option, the system wouldn't make the choice for the duelist. So, with tears in his eyes, Manjimuto reluctantly selected his 2400 ATK dragon, sorrowfully watching it leave his field and cross over to his opponent's side, only to receive a round, red tomato head in return.
Manjimuto turned his head and noticed that the tomato head even had the audacity to grin at him, as if delivering a heartless taunt.
"Battle Phase," You Xuan announced. "I attack 'Killer Tomato' with 'Emperor Sky Hurricane Dragon'."
The golden dragon opened its jaws, and a domineering blast of dragon's breath tore through the tiny tomato, showing no mercy to its owner from just a moment ago. Killer Tomato exploded into fragments, and the force of the impact sent Manjimuto staggering backward.
"Killer Tomato's effect activates!" You Xuan declared, waving his hand. "When Killer Tomato is destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon an Attack Position DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK from my deck!"
Manjimuto: "What?!?"
True to his reputation as a top student, Manjimuto quickly grasped the implications of this effect. Even if a monster's control was temporarily switched due to a card effect, when it was destroyed and sent to the graveyard, it would still be sent to its original owner's graveyard per the rules.
Since Killer Tomato's original owner was You Xuan, even though its control had been transferred to Manjimuto, it would still go to You Xuan's graveyard when destroyed.
Therefore, when Killer Tomato's effect was resolved, it was only natural that You Xuan would be the one to Special Summon from his deck, not Manjimuto.
Realizing this, Manjimuto's face darkened even further.
"So, I take the hits, and you get to search your deck?" he grumbled. "My monster gets sent to your field, and you get to search your deck while I take the hits? This combo is enough to send anyone's blood pressure through the roof!"
However, Manjimuto was still too naive to fully grasp the depths of the underworld's strategies.
You Xuan drew the monster card he had searched from his deck.
"According to Killer Tomato's effect, I Special Summon this card from my deck—
—Boss Zarug!"
[Boss Zarug: ATK 1400]
"The Battle Phase continues. Since it was Special Summoned during the Battle Phase, my Boss Zarug can also continue to attack."
You Xuan waved his hand and explained.
"I will attack Manjimuto directly."
The one-eyed boss nonchalantly drew two revolvers and fired them in quick succession, sending virtual ammunition piercing through Manjimuto once more.
"Ugh!" Manjimuto clenched his teeth and struggled to steady himself.
[Manjimuto: LP 2300 → LP 900]
"At this moment, Boss Zarug's effect activates," You Xuan stated. "When Zarug inflicts battle damage to my opponent, I can randomly select one card from their hand and discard it.
I choose the card on your right to be destroyed."
Zarug fired his revolver again, and the ammunition pierced through one of Manjimuto's hand cards.
Manjimuto looked at the 'Universal Mine - Broadsword Style' in his hand, now with a hole in it, and suddenly felt dizzy, feeling like he was about to spit blood.
Universal Mine - Broadsword Style was a powerful trap card that could destroy the opponent's monster with the highest ATK when they declared an attack. Many duelists relied on this card to turn their fortunes around when backed into a corner.
Obviously, this was the same card that had been blown back into Manjimuto's hand by "Hurricane" earlier, and it never got the chance to display its strength before being crushed in his hand.
With a somber expression, Manjimuto sent the Broadsword Style to the graveyard.
However, there was still a chance.
He still had one card left in his hand.
An equipment magic card, Premature Burial.
By paying 800 LP, he could revive a monster from his graveyard, often serving as a game-changer in many situations.
But the problem was that Manjimuto had no monsters in his graveyard. Every single one of them had been kicked to another dimension.
"Main Phase 2," You Xuan revealed another hand card. "I activate the magic card 'Forcibly Recruited Soldier.' I can look at your hand, choose one card to return to your deck, and then shuffle your deck."
Manjimuto: "."
His face twitched as he seemed to be struggling to control his emotions. Without a word, he slipped his last hand card back into his deck, his facial muscles contorting so much that he looked like he was performing some strange form of facial expression.
And so, Manjimuto's last hand card was returned to his deck.
In a real-life card game, the match would have been over by now. Drawing one card in the next turn and hoping to turn the tables from this situation would be nothing but a pipe dream. However, considering the anime's tendency for dramatic comebacks, You Xuan decided to play it safe.
"I set one card and end my turn."
This was his final insurance to seal the game.
"My turn,"
Manjimuto said through clenched teeth, his eyes fixed on the top card of his deck, his adrenaline surging.
Being eliminated by a rookie with no credentials? No way! He, Manjimuto, had participated in countless tournaments, and while he didn't always emerge as the champion, this kind of situation was unprecedented.
He couldn't accept such humiliation, and he was sure his family wouldn't either.
But it wasn't over yet! He still had one more card to play, and he would bet everything on it!
"Draw!"
As soon as he glanced at the drawn card, Manjimuto's expression became complicated.
Angel's Charity.
A magic card that allowed him to draw three cards from his deck and then discard two cards from his hand.
In this desperate situation, it was undoubtedly a godsend, allowing him to draw three cards and increase his chances of drawing a game-changer.
However, this also reminded him painfully of the "Premature Burial" card that had been returned to his deck earlier. If he still had Premature Burial in his hand, he could have used Angel's Charity to discard a high-level monster and then bring it back with Premature Burial for an impressive comeback.
Of course, all of this was made impossible by that pesky "Forcibly Recruited Soldier."
Manjimuto suddenly realized that dueling against You Xuan felt peculiar. The entire duel felt infuriating, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
But this draw gave him another chance to turn the tables. Manjimuto regrouped and raised his head, ready to activate his magic card, when he suddenly noticed that one of You Xuan's face-down cards had been activated without him noticing.
Trap Card - Drop Off. It could be activated during the opponent's draw phase, forcing them to discard the drawn card to the graveyard.
Manjimuto: "."
A deadly trap, You Xuan's final insurance, snuffing out even the slightest chance of a miracle draw.
At that moment, one of the spectators in the front row, senior Sato Koji, suddenly leaped out of his seat, slapped his thigh, and exclaimed, "I know this feeling! This is what it's all about!"
(End of Chapter)
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