Turn 4 — Exterminator
Draw.
The card edges felt hot.
"My Field Spell," he said. "Lair of Darkness."
Domino vanished.
The hangar, the lamps, the glass—the world drowned in ink. A black forest of twisted pillars erupted upward, each one crowned with the suggestion of a face that decided not to resolve. A red moon rose within the blimp, wrong and quiet. All monsters on the field seemed to flatten, shadows elongating beneath them like leashes.
"While Lair is active, your monsters are treated as DARK," he explained. It cost him breath. "Once per turn, I can tribute one of your monsters to activate a card effect."
Turn 5 — Pharaoh
"Draw."
The Pharaoh's eyes were not gentle. They were steady, ancient rocks in a fast river.
"I activate Pot of Greed." Two cards slid into his hand.
"I tribute Breaker and skilled dark magician," the Pharaoh said, voice level as a plumb line. Breaker looked at him—only a flicker—and nodded, dissolving into a fountain of red petals that never touched the ground.
"Come—Dark Magician (ATK 2500)."
He appeared like a verdict. Cloak folding, staff braced, eyes narrowed at the Eraser with an expression one could only call contempt. The circle at his feet flared, driving shadows back into corners they didn't have.
The Exterminator's heart kicked. For a moment, the edges of his vision fizzed.
.The Pharaoh's gaze sharpened as he drew, his fingers moving with practiced precision across his Duel Disk.
"I activate my facedown Polymerization!"
Eraser's ATK dropped to 3000
A swirling vortex of energy erupted between his monsters, arcs of blue lightning dancing across the field. Dark Magician and Buster Blader were pulled into the maelstrom, their forms twisting and merging in a blaze of magic and steel.
From the storm emerged a towering warrior—Dark Paladin—clad in obsidian armor with emerald highlights, his blade a fusion of sorcery and dragon-slaying steel. ATK: 2900.
The Pharaoh's eyes narrowed, the golden glow of determination flickering behind them as he raised his arm over his Duel Disk. The crowd on the blimp leaned in—every motion of his hand felt deliberate, measured, inevitable.
"I reveal my face-down card—Forbidden Chalice!"
The hologram shimmered, revealing an ornate silver goblet etched with ancient runes. A stream of glowing liquid spilled forth, cascading over Dark Paladin in a radiant torrent.
The Pharaoh's voice carried like a command from the depths of history.
"This sacred chalice grants my Paladin 400 additional attack points, but in return… his effect is negated for the turn."
The stat display on the side of the arena flickered—Dark Paladin ATK: 2900 → 3300. The Paladin's armor glinted brighter, the runes along his blade igniting in a pale silver light.
The Duelist Exterminator's jaw tightened slightly, his eyes narrowing. He understood the trade—power for effect—and knew it was a calculated gamble.
The Pharaoh's lips pressed into a thin, knowing smile.
"Even without his ability… his strength alone will be enough."
Dark Paladin took a battle stance, the silver aura swirling around him like a living storm.
Joey leaned forward from the sideline, eyes wide.
Eraser's ATK dropped to 2000
The Pharaoh's voice rang with finality:
"Dark Paladin—attack The Wicked Eraser!"
The Paladin leapt forward, sword raised high, its blade glowing with anti-dragon magic.
But the Duelist Exterminator's lips curled into a thin smirk.
"I don't think so. I activate my Trap Card—Magic Cylinder!"
Two shimmering, cylindrical portals appeared—one swallowing the Paladin's strike, the other redirecting the attack's energy straight back toward the Pharaoh.
The crowd tensed—until the Pharaoh's eyes glinted with resolve.
"I chain my Quick-Play Spell—De-Fusion! I separate Dark Paladin back into Dark Magician and Buster Blader, canceling the attack entirely!"
The Paladin's form split into two, each monster reappearing on the Pharaoh's field, unharmed. The attack fizzled into harmless sparks.
The Exterminator's grin faltered for the first time.
A low, grinding rumble filled the arena. The Wicked Eraser reared back, its serpentine body coiling higher. The life points and monsters on the field shifted, and its display surged—ATK: 3000.
Turn 4 — Exterminator
Draw.
He laid another card. "Card of Demise. Draw until I have five. In five turns, I discard my hand."
Cards fanned into his palm. His pupils shrank. A slow grin crawled up his face, then died there, half-born.
"I set one monster face down and one face down card." The set cards thudded onto the disk. His chest throbbed now, not a pain so much as a tight hand closing around the ribs. "End."
Turn 5 — Pharaoh
"Draw."
"Swords—second turn," the Pharaoh said. "You still cannot attack."
He set a card and let the silence say the rest.Once sword is gone,i will have everything I will need to win this duel
Turn 6 — Exterminator
Draw.
It felt like trying to pull cards out of water.
He stared at the top one a heartbeat too long. A laugh scratched his throat and came out a cough.
"I activate Supply Squad," he said. "If a monster I control is destroyed, I draw."
"End."
Turn 6 — Pharaoh
"Draw."
The Pharaoh's face did not change, but his voice gentled half a shade. "Why the Orichalcos?" he asked without looking away from the board. "Why did you blackmail me to play that seal?"
The Exterminator's mouth opened. Closed. The smell again—hot metal, burnt bread. He blinked hard to clear the spike of light at the edge of his vision.
"Because," he said, and the word sounded like sand, "The seal was the fastest way to end the fight,I had to corrupt you, it was the only way to beat you quickly."
Joey's voice boiled over. "You blackmailed him?!"
A weight dropped through the hangar. Even the engines, for a moment, seemed to pause.
The Pharaoh's eyes hardened.
He pointed forward. "Third counter."
The Swords of Revealing Light thunked once more, then dissolved like frost. The room breathed again.
"I activate the Spell Card—Mystic Box," the Pharaoh declared, his voice firm and resonant. "It allows me to destroy one monster you control—I choose your face-down card. And in return, I offer you one of mine. Take him—Buster Blader."
A slow, low vibration rippled through the arena—the Wicked Eraser's humor, if such a thing could exist. The crimson moon of Lair of Darkness seemed to creep an inch closer, its glow deepening to blood.
Exterminator lips curled into a thin smile. "Now—Eradicator Epidemic Virus." He slammed his trap card open, the force of it echoing across the glass platform. "I tribute Dark Magician with Lair of Darkness to declare Traps. For the next three turns, all Traps you control—or draw—are destroyed."
The Dark Magician turned toward the Pharaoh. There was no fear in his eyes—only a blade of fury, honed over millennia. Without flinching, he dissolved into a burst of glowing hieroglyphs, symbols that the red moon hungrily devoured.
The Wicked Eraser's ATK display sputtered, recalculating before settling: ATK 0.
The Pharaoh's eyes narrowed, the golden glow from the Millennium Puzzle faintly tracing along his cheekbones as his voice rang low but unwavering.
"I activate the Spell Card—Change of Heart—to reclaim my Buster Blader!"
The card flared to life in a whirl of radiant energy. The Buster Blader, once under his opponent's control, staggered back to the Pharaoh's field, his broad sword gleaming as though it too had remembered its true master. The warrior gave a short, defiant roar — a sound that was almost human, filled with pride and loyalty.
"Now," the Pharaoh continued, his tone sharpening, "I tribute Buster Blader to summon Berfomet!"
The offering vanished into a cascade of light. A surge of dark energy spiraled from the Pharaoh's Duel Disk, twisting into the form of a horned, winged beast, its leathery wings unfurling with a guttural snarl. The chamber filled with the sound of air splitting as Berfomet (ATK 1400) descended onto the field, eyes blazing with savage intelligence.
The Duelist Exterminator's monster — The Eraser — rumbled in agitation, its form pulsing like a storm cloud, energy crackling across its enormous frame. The numbers beside it flickered upward once more, climbing to ATK 1000, its power increasing in response to every card on the field.
The Pharaoh's jaw set, the corners of his mouth tightening into a line of fierce concentration. He raised his hand, voice deepening, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"Berfomet's effect activates! When Berfomet is summoned, I can add Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts from my Deck to my hand!"
His deck glowed softly, a single card sliding out as though answering a command. The Pharaoh caught it between two fingers with practiced precision, his expression momentarily softening with strategic satisfaction before hardening again.
"Every monster has a weakness… even the gods. The Eraser is strong when the field is full, but if you control only one card, he's vulnerable."
The Pharaoh's fingers tightened on his Duel Disk as that realization pulsed through him. His eyes flicked toward The Eraser, its storm-like body roiling and expanding, feeding off the energy of everything surrounding it.
"Yes," he murmured under his breath, a dangerous calm in his tone. "Every monster has a weakness. And I've found yours."
He looked up sharply, his cloak swaying as he raised his arm. The golden light from the Puzzle intensified, the faint glint of something divine burning behind his pupils.
"I activate Berserker Soul!"
The crowd leaned forward, the Duelist Exterminator's eyes widening as the Pharaoh's voice rose in righteous command.
"Because my Berfomet's ATK is below 1500, I can choose him to attack again and again — for every Monster Card I draw, he attacks until I reveal a non-monster card!"
The holographic field flared crimson. Berfomet's claws flexed, and his fanged grin stretched wide as though he too felt the thrill of battle. The creature crouched, muscles rippling beneath his black hide. His wings spread with a thunderous snap, sparks of shadowed energy trailing off them.
The Pharaoh's hair whipped around him, his face illuminated by the shifting glow of the Duel Disk. His gaze burned with the intensity of a thousand duels fought and won — and his opponent could see that this was no ordinary turn.
He drew his next card.
"Attack, Berfomet! Berserker Soul, begin!"
The monster lunged forward, claws slashing through the air in a series of brutal strikes. The first card revealed was a monster — another surge of energy tore through the field as Berfomet struck again.
From the observation deck, Joey leaned forward, gripping the railing. "Man, look at him go! The Pharaoh's not holdin' anything back!"
The Duelist Exterminator's monster let out a distorted shriek, its form flickering, the storm within it beginning to fracture. The ATK counter dipped, fluctuating erratically — 800… 600… 400…
The Pharaoh drew again. The card he turned revealed another monster. His eyes flashed.
"Berfomet, continue your assault!"
Berfomet lunged forward, its claws tearing across the Eraser's jagged form, sending a shockwave of white sparks through the air. The impact rattled the glass floor beneath the duelists, reflections of the red moon and black pillars shivering into shards across the surface.
The Pharaoh's hand shot to his deck—draw.
Monster.
"Berfomet, attack again!"
The horned beast roared, wings snapping wide as it delivered another savage slash. The Eraser reeled, geometry screaming, fragments of its impossible form spinning away like glass shrapnel.
Another draw—monster.
"Again!"
Berfomet hit harder this time, the projection field's emitters straining under the repeated bursts of combat light. The crowd on the sidelines—Joey, Mai, Rebecca, even Marik—leaned forward, eyes reflecting the flares like they were watching lightning strike the same place twice.
The Pharaoh's eyes blazed as he drew a third—monster.
"Again!"
Berfomet's claws moved faster than the eye could follow, each strike carving another wound through the god's chalkwork hide. The Eraser shrieked in a voice that was more earthquake than sound. Its ATK display trembled at the edges, numbers flickering.
Another draw—monster.
"AGAIN!"
The crowd actually flinched this time. Joey's knuckles went white where they gripped the rail. Mai's eyes narrowed—not in disapproval, but in that sharp, hawk-like way she had when she thought someone was crossing a line.
Exterminator chest seized, a fist closing around the heart and squeezing. Pain spidered up his jaw and into the hinge of his skull. His left hand fell uselessly to his side, fingers splayed. He staggered, boots skidding an inch on glass.
The smell hit next. Burnt bread. Overwhelming. It drowned out the ozone tang of the duel, the hiss of the emitters, the glare of the lights. Beneath it, a colder stink bloomed—sharp, metallic—the smell of his own fear.
Bastion… His grandson's face was there on the porch again, pencil paused mid-scribble, head tilted with that innocent, needling question: "Do monsters feel fear?"
If I don't make it back—
"Call it!" Mai barked at Kaiba, her voice a whipcrack. "Shut the duel down!"
Kaiba's mouth was already a knife. His hand lifted to cut the system feeds when the Pharaoh's voice rolled across the ring, calm and impossible to ignore.
"Exterminator," he said, "look at me."
Exterminator's head turned like it was being drawn on a string. His vision tunneled until there was only the Pharaoh's face—steady, ancient, immovable.
"How do I get his soul back?"
The words weren't shouted. They didn't need to be. They landed between them like a blade placed point-down in the table.
Exterminator's lips tried to form a shape. Failed. His throat clicked as he swallowed. The pain pressed harder, grinding him down. His knees loosened a fraction, and the duel disk wobbled dangerously on his arm.
"I—" His voice was a broken hinge. "I… don't know."
The Pharaoh's gaze sharpened, but his face did not move.
"Yes," the Exterminator whispered—not to the Pharaoh alone, but to Bastion, to the beast he had commanded, to the duel itself—"they're afraid. They feel it… when we do."
His knees buckled. The Duel Disk clattered to the glass floor.
The last thing he saw before the darkness swallowed him was the Pharaoh standing unmoved in the center of the arena, city lights glittering through the glass beneath his feet, the weight of the duel still hanging in the air like smoke.
Kaiba's hand chopped down. The ring's lights flashed red.
Two KaibaCorp med techs were already sprinting, cases clattering.
The Pharaoh stepped forward, but not across the line the system had drawn. He stopped a pace away and spoke low enough that only the Exterminator heard.
As the medics eased him to a gurney, They wheeled the Exterminator away.
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