Chapter 428: A Breach in the Lockdown
Chapter 428: A Breach in the Lockdown
"My turn, drawing a card."
The Judge drew a card.
But before he could make a move, You Xuan snapped his fingers and flipped a card in his back row.
"I activate my face-down Trap Card, 'Three Troublemaking Trio'! Special Summon three 'Troublemaking Tokens' to your opponent's field!"
Three tokens—yellow, green, and black—quickly jumped onto the Judge's field, each finding a spot and casually starting to eat snacks, read newspapers, and doze off.
"Sorry to intrude!"
"Oh dear, it's quite embarrassing to borrow your yard like this."
"Snore~ Snore~"
The Judge frowned slightly.
"Sending these worthless tokens to my field won't help you. I activate my face-down Continuous Trap Card—"
You Xuan waved his hand, activating another card from his back row.
"—'Cosmic Shrinkage'!"
Judai was the first to react. "Ah, it's this tactic!"
Of course, he remembered it well. It was the trap they had used in their duel against the Labyrinth Brothers, a tactic that had brought endless joy to those legendary brothers.
The perfect lockdown with the Troublemaking cards!
"While 'Cosmic Shrinkage' is on the field, both players can only control up to five cards," You Xuan explained. "If either player controls more than five cards, they must send cards they control to the graveyard until they only have five remaining. Furthermore, once five cards are on the field, neither player can summon or activate any new cards."
Kyuubei spoke up, "Ah, so with the three Troublemaking Tokens, Orichalcos Circle, and a card in the back row, the Judge has exactly five cards on his field."
"Hmph, what a bizarre tactic," Kaiba remarked, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he watched the Judge.
With this move, the Judge was now unable to summon new monsters or activate Trap Cards on the field. Of course, there was still the Magic Disruptor to contend with, and Magic Cards couldn't be activated anyway.
The Judge's expression turned peculiar.
"Cosmic Shrinkage," he said flatly. "Combined with the lockdown created by the Troublemaking cards, you've effectively sealed my ability to play cards. It's a terrifying tactic, and it suits your style, I must admit."
His eyes gleamed as he appraised You Xuan.
"Doma knows everything that has happened in this world, and I've taken the time to learn about you, Fujiki You Xuan. You weren't always a duelist who favored these kinds of tactics. No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that in your previous life, you showed no extraordinary talents at all. You were just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill amateur duelist in a typical dueling arena."
He let out a cold laugh.
"And yet, in just half a year, you climbed out of that pitiful state to stand at the very top of this world's duelists. Quite an inspiring story."
You Xuan furrowed his brows but remained silent.
Unfazed by You Xuan's continued silence, the Judge lowered his voice and continued, "I only have one question. The one who has reached this stage, standing here on this stage, is it truly Fujiki You Xuan, or someone else entirely?"
You Xuan's heart skipped a beat.
Could this guy have seen through his secret as a time-traveler? But his surprise was short-lived, and he quickly regained his composure.
Even if Lai Pi Snake knew, what difference would it make to the outcome of the duel?
All he needed to do now was focus his mind and concentrate on the duel.
"So, you remain unmoved," the Judge said quietly. "You must think that with the lockdown of Cosmic Shrinkage, I'm as good as dead, unable to play even a single card, right?"
A mysterious smile played on his lips.
"The tokens summoned by the Three Troublemaking Trio can't be used for Tribute Summons, and as long as their numbers can't be reduced, there's no breaking free of the shrinkage lockdown. It's indeed a terrifying tactic."
Kyubei was taken aback. "A Trap Card activated from the graveyard!"
"That's right," Kaiba said, "He found the loophole in our strategy."
"The effect of 'Skill Break' temporarily negates the effects of 'Magic Disruptor' on the field," the Judge explained.
A restraining aura enveloped the white machine, causing the Magic Disruptor to halt its rumbling and dim in color.
"With the magic restriction lifted, I can now activate this card."
The Judge slowly raised his hand, and the face-down card on his back row flipped open.
"I activate the Magic Card, 'Magical Space Fusion'! By tributing the three 'Troublemaking Tokens' on the field, I Special Summon this card from my deck—
—'Magical Space Fortress: Giegurat'!!!"
The three Troublemaking Tokens vanished, replaced by a pillar of light that pierced the sky. A black steel behemoth, like a floating mountain, cast a heart-pounding shadow. Complex gears and intricate pipes intertwined, extending into a skeletal structure akin to a beast, its body bristling with cannon tubes that seemed to gather destructive power.
[Magical Space Fortress: Giegurat, ATK 2500 -> ATK 3000] (Orichalcos amplification)
"Magical Space Fortress?!" Kyubei exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't that also one of Amelda's cards?"
"Amelda's Magical Space Fortress was also designed by Doma," Kaiba said grimly.
"Oh, right." Kyubei remembered.
He couldn't help but admire the strength of Doma's printing press; they had indeed printed quite a few powerful cards.
"The Troublemaking Tokens cannot be used as Tributes for a Tribute Summon, but there are no restrictions on other forms of Tributes. Therefore, they can be used as Tributes for the Special Summon of 'Magical Space Fortress.'"
The Judge spoke coldly.
"Of course, by doing so, I've quickly reduced the number of cards on my field to only two, effectively breaking the 'Cosmic Shrinkage' lockdown."
Kyubei swallowed hard.
"In one move, he found the loopholes to activate a Trap Card from the graveyard and to utilize the Troublemaking Tokens in a way other than an Advanced Summon."
This guy is truly formidable.
Kyubei couldn't help but glance at You Xuan and his brother again. However, seeing their unchanged expressions, as if they had expected this powerful seal to be broken, he felt slightly relieved.
"Magical Space Fortress: Giegurat, attack 'Magic Disruptor'!"
Countless cannon tubes locked onto their target. In the instant they fired, the sky seemed to ignite, and the cannonfire roared, spreading light and flames. Lightning, energy waves, and explosions intertwined, forming a deadly web that covered everything beneath it. The Magic Disruptor was blown to smithereens in an instant.
[You Xuan, LP 4000 -> LP 2800]
"The Battle Phase ends."
The Judge slowly and solemnly drew another card, then smiled faintly.
"This card can only be activated when 'Orichalcos Barrier' is on the field, and with it, this duel will enter a new stage."
His Duel Disk's field area lit up once more, and currents of electricity surged and spread like countless azure lightning bolts.
"By sending 'Orichalcos Barrier' to the graveyard, I activate the second barrier of Orichalcos! Activate—
—'Orichalcos Aura'!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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