"Battle phase!"
"Helios Trice Megistus, direct attack!"
ATK 7500, and Kira only has 2200 Life Points left—enough to wipe him out several times over.
The three burning suns seemed to ignite at once, their divine light gathering in their hands. The bandages fluttered, as if about to be set alight, transforming into a fire dragon that shot across the field toward Kira.
But the fire dragon struck an invisible barrier!
A powerful shockwave, blue light flashing brilliantly. A nearly invisible, seemingly fragile but indestructible dome-shaped barrier shone with dazzling brilliance, like the brightest star in the night sky or the purest sapphire gleaming in the deep sea.
Mirror Force—The Sacred Barrier!
"Mirror Force?"
Lyman raised his arm to shield his eyes, frowning.
"Correct," Kira said. "Mirror Force—when your opponent declares an attack, destroy all their Attack Position monsters!"
The ultimate shield, a desperate counterattack!
The searing flames swallowed all three suns, destroying their bodies in the sacred light.
But...
"A beautiful counterattack, worthy of the Duel King's defense," Lyman smiled. "But unfortunately, you're facing the sun."
"And the sun is immortal!"
As he spoke, the ashes of the burned suns rapidly reformed. The stars ignited, the three bodies reappeared, each with a blazing sun overhead, shining even brighter than before!
"Revival ability?" Kira frowned.
He vaguely remembered Helios Trice Megistus could revive, but only the TCG version.
In the TCG, Helios Trice Megistus returns from the Graveyard at the end of the turn if destroyed by battle, gaining 500 ATK/DEF.
But here, Helios Trice Megistus was destroyed by an effect, banished by Macro Cosmos, and it's still the battle phase—none of the TCG's conditions are met.
He thought the anime version would be stronger but doubted all three conditions would be bypassed.
But he underestimated the anime effect.
"Helios Trice Megistus's effect," Lyman said. "When this card is destroyed, Special Summon it with 500 extra ATK!"
[Helios Trice Megistus, ATK 7500 → ATK 8000]
"So it gets even stronger," Kira said.
"Exactly. The sun is immortal," Lyman smiled. "Every time it's defeated, it only grows stronger!
And since we're still in the battle phase, its number of attacks resets, so it can attack again!"
"Go, Helios Trice Megistus—direct attack once more!"
The three burning suns blazed again, flames gathering in their hands. Three fire dragons shot out, merging in the air into an undying phoenix!
The blazing phoenix soared across the field at Kira, its heat almost palpable even across the galaxy.
"Then I activate the Trap 'Defense Draw'," Kira said. "All battle damage this time becomes 0, and then I draw a card."
A milky, transparent shield appeared before Kira. The fire phoenix struck the shield and quickly dissipated into nothing.
Kira drew a card.
"Hahaha, even more counters? As expected of Kira—not so easy to defeat!"
Lyman laughed, then squinted.
"But now that Helios Trice Megistus is out, victory is already within my grasp.
Helios Trice Megistus has 8000 ATK and is immortal! Every time you defeat it, it only grows stronger!"
"Impressive," Kira nodded.
Back in these days, before mass removal effects became common, destruction resistance was a big deal.
The anime Helios Trice Megistus has both battle and effect destruction immunity, and its revival doesn't require going to the Graveyard. As long as it's destroyed, even if banished, it comes back.
And it gains 500 ATK every time—getting stronger the more you try.
Compared to its nerfed TCG version, this is a real boss monster, fitting its tough summoning requirements.
You can't judge a monster's strength without considering how hard it is to summon. That was true then, and it's still true even in today's fast-paced game.
If you ignore consistency and only look at end boards, even casual decks can make crazy boards stronger than meta decks.
Who doesn't have an "invincible" end board these days?
Lyman's Helios Trice Megistus looks strong, but you need Macro Cosmos, then summon Helios, and then two specific spells to evolve it. That's not easy.
"My turn is over," Lyman said. "Your move, Kira! Show me your potential..."
But then he smiled.
"No, for you, it's not potential—it's a king's bearing, isn't it?"
"An 8000 ATK immortal monster sure puts on the pressure, professor."
Kira smiled.
"Well, I am your student, after all. No matter how hard the problem, I can't let you down. My turn—draw."
Kira revealed his hand.
"Spell Card 'Card of Adversity.' If your opponent controls a Special Summoned monster and you control no monsters, draw 2 cards." (Anime card)
Kira drew two cards, then calmly played another.
"I summon 'Shutendoji' in Defense Position."
[Shutendoji, DEF 800]
"Shutendoji's effect: once per turn, return one of your banished Zombie monsters to the top of your deck."
Lyman's eyelids twitched.
A banished Zombie... could it be...
"Of course," Kira smiled, revealing a card. "I put 'Necroface' back on top of my deck."
Lyman: "..."