Chapter 441: The Undefeated Snake God
Chapter 441: The Undefeated Snake God
"To summon the Snake God, Yi, one must discard their entire hand. This way, I discard the Magic Card 'Treasure of Compensation' from my hand."
The Judge drew from his deck.
"By sending this card from my hand to the graveyard, I can draw two cards from my deck."
His voice now took on a sharper edge, a stark contrast to his previously indifferent and calm tone.
"Now, your only chance of victory is to defeat the Snake God, Yi. Of course, that's impossible.
With the Snake God's appearance, the duel is as good as over!"
The Judge took a step forward, his eyes gleaming with a green light.
"Whoever you are, perish alongside the Pharaoh's spirit and that ancient Illusion God who should have been buried long ago!
Attack of the Snake God!"
As he spoke, he swiftly drew a large handful of cards from his deck and, with a stylish "Hell Caesar" pose, flung them out, sending cards flying everywhere.
"Each time the Snake God attacks, I must send the top ten cards of my deck to the graveyard. But it doesn't matter; you won't have another turn anyway.
Attack 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'!"
The giant snake, unable to hold back any longer, opened its massive jaws, and a black vortex swirled within, transforming into a spiral blast that exploded towards the Winged Dragon!
"Effect of the Divine Phoenix activated once more," said You Xuan. "Pay 1000 Life Points to destroy all opponent's monsters on the field!"
[You Xuan: LP 1800 → LP 800]
Everyone was shocked.
"Don't Illusion Gods also have a once-per-turn restriction on their abilities?!"
To be able to destroy all opposing monsters during your opponent's turn, and without any restriction to boot—what an overpowered ability! No wonder duelists of that time said that possessing just one of the three Illusion Gods would make one invincible. Faced with such terrifying power, not just ten years ago but even with the advancements in dueling up to this day, most duelists and their decks would be utterly overwhelmed and left with little recourse to resist.
Even You Xuan had to admit that the animated effect of the Winged Dragon was truly impressive, and it reminded him of an old acquaintance named "Thunderous Roar." The feeling of using them was somewhat similar.
Once again, the Phoenix charged with unstoppable divine might.
The fiery blaze of divine wrath swept across the field, igniting the sky and scorching the earth, as if even the clouds were engulfed in a sea of fire.
The Judge gritted his teeth.
Within the triple barrier of Orichalcos, the Snake God possessed immunity to magic and trap cards, with its lone weakness being monster effects. However, the Snake God also had Effect Destruction Immunity, which should, to some extent, compensate for this shortcoming.
Although the Snake God had been reduced to a lowly Reptile-type in its physical card form, in the anime, it was a bona fide Illusion God.
In the anime universe, the God types were strictly ranked, and this hierarchy directly influenced whether a god's resistance and destructive effects could be effective against an opponent.
For example, in the Duelist Kingdom arc, Atem's Sky Dragon's effect resistance meant nothing against Marik's Winged Dragon, yet all the effects of the Sky Dragon and the Giant Soldier were useless against the Winged Dragon. In the manga, Atem's Sky Dragon and Giant Soldier's effects were also useless against the highest-ranked "Evil God: Incarnation of Apophis" of the three Evil Gods, and only the Winged Dragon, which shared the highest rank, could harm the Incarnation of Apophis.
In the manga, there was also a God-type exclusive magic card that could elevate a god's rank: "Evolution of the Gods." In the manga, Atem used this card to temporarily elevate the Giant Soldier to the same rank as the Sun God, allowing the Giant Soldier to ignore the resistance of the Evil God: Incarnation of Apophis, which was originally of a higher rank.
As the Snake God was also a God-type, it was naturally subject to the influence of this God-type hierarchy. If faced with the effect of a higher-ranked god, its destruction immunity would be useless.
In truth, You Xuan wasn't entirely sure if this attack would work on the Snake God, as there had been no direct comparisons between Illusion Gods and the Snake God in the anime. However, the Winged Dragon's rank in Divine Phoenix form should be among the top of the God-types, and it was worth a try.
"Annoying Illusion God," the Judge said in a low voice. "Then, I activate the Quick-Play Spell 'Forbidden Sacred Garments' to decrease the attack of one monster on the field by 600 points until the end of this turn. Additionally, that monster cannot be targeted by card effects or be destroyed by card effects.
I choose to protect 'Snake God, Yi' with this card's effect!"
It was unclear if the Judge knew that the Snake God couldn't withstand the Divine Phoenix's flames, or if he was simply being cautious—at this point, he couldn't afford to take any risks. His victory or defeat was entirely tied to the Snake God, and if it were destroyed by the Divine Phoenix, he would lose instantly.
"Due to the triple barrier of Orichalcos, my monsters are unaffected by my opponent's magic and trap card effects, but my own effects are still valid. And since the Snake God's attack is infinite, a decrease of 600 points is meaningless.
This notion was later refuted in the GX era when the rules became more refined, and the text descriptions became more consistent. During Franz's duel, when he used the effect of "Winged Dragon of Ra," it was clearly stated as "destroy all opponent's monsters."
The Phoenix's flames were rendered useless, and the Snake God Yi let out a triumphant hiss, as if mocking its opponent.
"Snake God Yi is invincible!" the Judge exclaimed. "With that, it's over! Crumble, Winged Dragon of Ra!"
Snake God Yi unleashed a chaotic vortex from its mouth, counterattacking the Winged Dragon. But the Divine Phoenix crossed its wings in front of it, creating a flowing barrier of flames!
The overpowering vortex exploded against the barrier, sending a shockwave rippling outward. The sky trembled as if the thunderclouds were shaking, and the sea outside the island churned with violent waves. Even the entire island seemed to be shaking under the impact of the dual gods, as if it were about to be flipped over by their divine power.
Equally stubborn!
As the flames dissipated, the Phoenix still stood tall, its fiery coat of arms withstanding the Snake God's infinite attack, only to burn even brighter. The flames remained unwavering, and the divine bird let out a high-pitched cry. You Xuan stood protected by the immortal firebird, unscathed.
[You Xuan: LP 800]
"What?!" exclaimed the Judge, "My Snake God Yi's infinite attack is also ineffective?!"
I've achieved infinity, why can't I hit you?!
"It's a pity," You Xuan replied calmly. "The Winged Dragon of Ra, after being Special Summoned, transforms into the 'God Phoenix' state during this turn, unaffected by any card effects, cannot be destroyed in battle, and inflicts zero battle damage to the player."
"Tch, troublesome Illusion God," the Judge sneered. "Never mind. But the Phoenix's effect only lasts for one turn, and a Special Summoned God cannot remain on the field indefinitely."
"I know," You Xuan acknowledged.
You Xuan nodded.
"The Special Summoned 'Winged Dragon of Ra' must be sent to the graveyard at the end of this turn. Rest for now, Winged Dragon of Ra."
The Phoenix glared at the Snake God one last time, but as the effect wore off, its divine power faded away. The fiery armor disappeared, and the divine bird's flames gradually dimmed, sinking back into You Xuan's Duel Disk, silent and motionless.
With the Winged Dragon's departure, it felt like the sun had set. Where light and darkness once clashed, darkness now held the upper hand.
Snake God Yi released endless darkness from its body, engulfing the heavens and the earth in the deepest night imaginable, obscuring all the stars, leaving not a glimmer of starlight.
As the Sun God departed, the evil god remained standing. The hearts of the onlookers sank with the disappearance of the Winged Dragon, and they felt that the future was as dark as the night, devoid of hope.
"An infinite attack power evil god... even watching from off the field feels suffocating," Marufuji Ryou muttered.
He didn't need to finish his sentence; everyone understood his meaning.
Facing this opponent on the field and having to fight it... what kind of pressure was You Xuan under?
". During the End Phase, although the Winged Dragon of Ra left the field, the effect of 'Subspace Matter Transmission' also ended."
You Xuan revealed a card in his hand.
A ripple appeared in the air, and within a transparent vortex, a steel twin-headed dragon emerged, riding the surging electricity back onto the field. The metal parts emitted a crisp friction sound as the steel dragon raised its head and roared.
"Cyber Twin Dragon returns to my field."
[Cyber Twin Dragon: ATK 2800]
"Twin Dragon," Marufuji Ryou whispered, watching his once-proud monster return. However, in front of Snake God Yi, even the Twin Dragon looked feeble and inadequate.
No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that all conventional monsters were powerless against this formidable foe.
Even the extraordinary "Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon" that Kaiba had showcased earlier, which defied common sense, was helpless in this situation and couldn't stand against the Snake God.
"My turn, draw," You Xuan announced, drawing a card.
His voice was devoid of emotion, calm, and steady. Unlike Judai, who would get fired up when facing a formidable foe, You Xuan showed no signs of fear.
Although Marufuji Ryou's dueling style didn't align with the Yellow-Clothed Lord's, he couldn't help but admire his composure in the face of such an opponent and dire situation.
Even in the face of such a formidable foe and grim odds, You Xuan showed no signs of retreat or wavering.
"I activate the magic card 'Spider Web' to add a card that was sent to the graveyard within one turn by the opponent to my hand," You Xuan declared.
"The card I want to add from your graveyard is this one—
"—Magic Card 'Monster Reborn'!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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