David wasn't fearless.
Yes, he was a psychopath. He reveled in Shadow Duels. Meeting Tragoedia felt like unleashing his true self. That's why he thought himself far superior to Reggie—he considered himself the professor's strongest right hand.
Pain only excited him more; he didn't fear his soul being devoured by death. Or rather, the duel's agony was what made it thrilling, the feeling of a true fight to the death.
He was addicted to such duels. He enjoyed being hurt—and even more, hurting others by dueling, watching despair bloom on their faces. That's why he loved Shadow Duels.
Conversely, he didn't fear death—but he feared having that enjoyment stripped away.
Like now.
Three obnoxiously ugly little gremlins squatted on his field, and with "Rivalry of Warlords" locking his Summons, half his dueling rights were effectively revoked.
David now bitterly regretted it. He'd had "Dark Hole" to blow this open, but he'd already used it, planning to clear the opponent's board while setting up his own. In the end, his board didn't get set up, and he got clowned...
"Tch. You just wait."
He snorted heavily.
"I'll set two and end."
"Huh, ending your turn without doing anything on your own turn? How polite of you."
Kira chuckled.
"Then it's my turn. Draw.
"Activate Spell 'Card of Adversity.' If the opponent controls Special Summoned monsters and I control none, draw two." (anime-original)
David: "..."
By Special Summoned monsters he means those three Ojama Tokens, right?
He shot a hateful glance at the tokens. The yellow one met his eyes and shyly covered his face.
"Oh gosh, sounds like you're talking about me—I'm blushing..."
David: "..."
Glancing at the draws, Kira casually set one.
"I set a card.
"Then once again, activate Megaroid City's effect. Destroy one of my cards to add a 'roid' from Deck.
"I destroy the card I just set, and of course, I'll add..."
Kira smiled slightly and pulled the searched card that popped out.
"A second 'Submarineroid.'"
David: "..."
"Then I summon 'Submarineroid' Unit No. 2."
[Submarineroid, ATK 800]
Clearly, two more invincible sub hits and he'd be carted off.
"You've got to be kidding me," David growled.
He hadn't even let the opponent taste his proud touch of darkness, hadn't seen his struggle and despair...
If this continued, he'd be the one to despair first.
Not fear of losing the duel and having his soul erased—but the despair of being in a Shadow Duel, dying without even getting to play cards.
Unacceptable.
"Submarineroid," Kira said, "direct attack. At Damage Calculation, activate City's effect again.
"Once per turn, send a 'roid' from Deck to GY: during this battle, swap the battling monster's original ATK/DEF."
[Submarineroid, ATK 800 → ATK 1800]
"Uwah!"
The sub's face-sitting bombardment made it hard to keep his eyes open. David staggered back, half-kneeling in pain, bloodshot eyes wide.
[David, LP 2200 → 400]
His LP was a flickering candle, while the opponent remained untouched. A tenfold gap, and an invincible sub remained—any draw next turn could finish him.
"Calm down, David," Tragoedia said in his ear. "That set card—you still have a chance..."
"I know."
David clenched his fist darkly.
"Oh? Still got fight in you," Kira said. "So you've got a hidden trick, huh?"
"Of course," David said, grim and cold.
"Before I make you feel the despair of darkness, I won't fall so easily. I'll use my strongest darkness to tear you to pieces, Duel King!"
The darkness around him surged, like a visualization of will.
"Alright, I'll look forward to your surprise," Kira said. "I set two and end."
"Tch, that infuriating attitude. Is this a king's composure...
"Then I'll rip that composure off your face!
"My turn, draw!
"Activate Spell 'Card of Burial Magic.' Banish 'Graceful Charity,' 'Heavy Storm,' and 'Dark Hole' from my GY; draw two."
Tragoedia's low voice: "Now. Use that card."
"I know. Activate Continuous Trap 'DNA Surgery'!"
"So that's it," Kira nodded. "No wonder you're so confident."
"DNA Surgery—declare a Type, and all monsters on the field become that Type!
"I declare Machine!"
"Including the Ojama Tokens, they all become Machine-Type, matching your deck's monsters," Kira smiled approvingly. "Nice, a clean answer.
"That lifts your Summon lock."
David frowned.
That tone—like lecturing a junior—was infuriating...
"I'm not done. Now I'll summon my strongest monster! Activate Continuous Trap—Call of the Haunted!
"Revive the other monster I discarded to 'Graceful Charity' at the start! And that monster is—"
Cards slid from the GY, the earth shook even before the Summon. Tragoedia's aura thickened to the utmost, as if all power was bestowed upon David.
"Planet series—
"—The Big Saturn!!!"
With a quaking roar, the steel king returned from the underworld vortex, towering like a metal mountain!
[The Big Saturn, ATK 2800]
"So it appears—the Planet series."
"Big Saturn, attack!" David barked. "Attack 'Submarineroid'!"
Saturn's heavy fist thundered toward the sub.
"Then I activate the Trap 'Supercharge,'" Kira said. "When a Machine-Type monster you control is attacked, draw two." (anime effect)
A card used by Syrus in the anime—printed later, but nerfed to Roid-only in the real card game.
"Quick-Play Spell 'Aftershock!'" David shouted. "When a Machine attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing damage!" (anime-original)
[Kira, LP 4000 → 3000]
"I set a card and end."
Only a thousand, but at least he'd dealt damage. More importantly, he'd removed the sub, so at least he wouldn't get face-sat to death next turn.
But to David's frustration, the opponent hardly reacted.
"Tch. That level of pain isn't enough?"
David curled his lip.
Not enough. Not enough.
He wanted more darkness, more pain, more despair—
"My turn. Draw," Kira said. "Megaroid City, effect again.
"Once per turn, destroy one of my cards to search a Roid.
"I'll destroy my Continuous Trap 'Rivalry of Warlords' and search...
"Of course, the third 'Submarineroid.'"
David's mouth twitched.
You've got to be freaking kidding me.
Sub, sub, sub—do you have no other monsters?
Naturally, Kira couldn't read minds to hear that thought, or he might've suggested the opponent witness the invincible bicycle again, lest anyone think his Roid family only eats off the sub...
"You think I didn't foresee that?" David snapped. "Activate my set Trap 'Typhoon'! Destroy a face-up Spell/Trap.
"Destroy 'Megaroid City'!"
A cyclone tore through; the steel city collapsed with a roar, turned to ruins, then shimmered and vanished.
David laughed.
"Once a Field Spell leaves the field, its effect won't continue. Sorry, but that's it for your sub!"
"I see... fair enough.
"Then I'll summon 'Cycroid.'"
[Cycroid, ATK 800]
David frowned.
What is this thing?
A vanillla, only 800 ATK—and in Attack Position...
Yet despite its low stats and small frame, it showed no fear before the towering Saturn. Its handlebar fists seemed to beckon Saturn to come throw down.
"Battle," Kira said. "Cycroid attacks 'The Big Saturn.'"
David: "!?"
Insane?
"Activate Continuous Trap 'Spirit Barrier,'" Kira said. "As long as I control a monster, I take no battle damage."
Cycroid charged bravely at Big Saturn, and was obliterated with a single casual punch.
David frowned. "But such an attack is meaningless..."
"Not necessarily," Kira's eyes flashed with a smile.
Within that smile, as if a glint of green.
Sacred, eerie, unsettling—as though something mighty was descending through a medium.
The next instant, David's pupils shrank.
He saw it fall onto Kira's field—a towering, mountain-like giant, suffused with a sacred aura, an indescribable majesty, green and inexorable.
Even Tragoedia behind him couldn't help but cry out.
"Impossible!"
"That's..."
"That is..."
"How could it be? How did you..."
His eyes reflected the mighty giant.
[Orichalcos Shunoros, ATK ?]
Level 10, the embodiment of Orichalcos's power, the legendary idol.
It should belong to the Serpent God's power.
Why was it under a mortal's command?
No—before that, how did this thing even come out!? Its Summoning condition is insanely complicated!
"Orichalcos Shunoros cannot be Normal Summoned. But when your Normal Monster is destroyed by battle, you can Special Summon this card from your hand," Kira said blandly.
Tragoedia: "?"
I've watched the footage—don't lie to me. That thing has that effect?
"Oh, the old version was too clunky. I made a few tweaks," Kira smiled. "So my Shunoros works a bit differently."
Make it a real card, kid.
Never seen it, have you?
Tragoedia: "???"
What the hell?
The embodiment of Orichalcos, the Serpent God's signature boss—and you just "made a few tweaks"?
Just like that?
Through the thick black fog, the little crayfish stared at Kira with growing uncertainty.
This guy... there's no way he's an ordinary human.
The Arbiter was right. He must have a background.
But what is he?
What kind of being wields this ability?
"Of course, the new version differs from the old. My Orichalcos Shunoros's ATK no longer depends on absorbed battle damage, but increases by 1000 for each monster on your opponent's field.
"You have three Ojama Tokens and Big Saturn, so Shunoros's ATK becomes..."
[Orichalcos Shunoros, ATK ? → 4000]
"Four thousand..."
David's face went ashen in a blink.
"Orichalcos Shunoros," Kira said. "Attack 'The Big Saturn.'"
A green ring of judgment rose from the idol's feet, up past its head, then shot forth like a spinning discus.
Saturn's steel shell was sliced like paper, and a torrent of energy exploded out, mingling with the Orichalcos's green glow, swallowing David's scream and Tragoedia's final roar alike.
"Impossible! How could something so absurd—"
Even as the black fog was torn by green light, Tragoedia glared at Kira.
"Just what are you—!"
[David, LP 400 → 0]