"This is your final lesson!"
Clearly, Lyman's new cards offered hope—a counter to Necroface.
"But you haven't forgotten, have you, professor?" Kira smiled. "I still have the Continuous Trap 'Appropriate' on my field. Whenever you draw cards by a card effect outside your Draw Phase, I also draw two cards.
And you just drew two from 'Advance Draw'."
Kira drew his cards.
"So I also get to draw two!"
"I know," Lyman chuckled. "Don't underestimate your professor.
And naturally, the top card of your deck is the 'Necroface' you put there last turn with Shutendoji."
Kira: "Oh?"
Lyman's tone implied he'd calculated even the two-card draw from Appropriate.
That meant one of the cards Lyman drew was probably…
"I activate the Spell Card 'Card Destruction!'" Lyman declared. "Both players discard their entire hands, then draw the same number of cards!"
"As I thought."
Kira wasn't surprised. He discarded his hand and drew two.
"Which means the 'Necroface' you just drew must also be discarded," Lyman said. "And Necroface can only activate its effect when normally summoned—returning cards to the deck.
So even if you use 'Monster Reborn' or similar to revive it, you can't use that effect."
"Nice move. You even accounted for my Appropriate draw." Kira smiled. "But you didn't forget, did you? 'Card Destruction' lets both players discard their hands and draw an equal number. That's another instance of 'drawing outside the Draw Phase.'"
"Of course."
Lyman nodded, discarding and drawing again.
"So, thanks to 'Appropriate,' you get to draw two more cards."
Kira drew.
"But if you think my deck only has Golden Homunculus and Helios as its threats, you're underestimating me!
From my hand, I activate the Quick-Play Spell 'A Deal with Dark Ruler'!
This card can only be activated when a Level 8 or higher monster you control is sent from the field to the Graveyard—Special Summon this card from your deck—"
"Appear! Berserk Dragon!"
A pitch-black storm—death itself coalesced into a dark whirlwind! The black dragon roared, radiating the stench of decay.
[Berserk Dragon, ATK 3500]
"Then I equip it with 'Lucky Iron Axe.' The equipped monster gains 500 ATK!"
[Berserk Dragon, ATK 3500 → 4000]
"Attack 'Shutendoji'!"
A breath of death, capable of corroding all. Shutendoji was instantly shattered, vanishing in a cloud of death.
Kira raised his arm to shield himself, smiling slightly.
"Summoning a powerful monster to retaliate right away—you're impressive, professor."
"Hehe, naturally."
Lyman chuckled, but kept his thoughts to himself.
Still, this shouldn't be too tough for Kira to overcome, right?
He looked at his final card—Mirror Force.
To finish with the same card as Kira, as a final play, seemed fitting.
"I set a card," Lyman said. "But Berserk Dragon has a drawback—its ATK decreases by 500 at the end of each turn."
[Berserk Dragon, ATK 4000 → 3500]
"My turn is over."
"My turn, draw," Kira said. "I summon 'Jinzo - Jector.'"
[Jinzo - Jector, ATK 800]
"Jinzo?"
Lyman frowned, sensing trouble.
"Jinzo - Jector's effect," Kira said. "By tributing itself, I can add a Jinzo monster from my deck to my hand.
I add 'Jinzo' to my hand."
He pointed to Lyman's backrow.
"Then, I can look at all face-down Spell/Trap Cards you control."
A scanning beam from Jinzo revealed Lyman's face-down card: Mirror Force.
"Oh, so you saw it all?" Lyman smiled. "Yes, my last set card is Mirror Force, the so-called ultimate shield.
Now that you know, how will you respond?"
"Jector's next effect—For each Trap card revealed in your opponent's backrow, Special Summon that many Jinzo monsters from your hand."
Kira displayed the card he'd just searched.
"Special Summon 'Jinzo!'"
[Jinzo, ATK 2400]
Surrounded by surging electricity, Jinzo appeared, a psychic forcefield radiating from him.
Trap Lock!
"I see, Jinzo is indeed a trap nemesis. My Mirror Force can't be activated." Lyman coughed, then laughed.
"But even so, Jinzo can't match my Berserk Dragon in power."
"I know. But this is where your 'Card Destruction' helped me," Kira smiled.
"Oh?"
"I activate the Ritual Spell 'Super Soldier Ritual' from my graveyard!"
Lyman frowned. "You can activate a Ritual Spell from the graveyard?"
"Super Soldier Ritual—by banishing a LIGHT and a DARK monster from your graveyard, Special Summon a Black Luster Soldier Ritual monster from your hand, ignoring summoning conditions.
I banish the DARK 'Kuriboh' and the LIGHT 'Magician of Faith' discarded by Card Destruction.
One soul guides the light, one soul guides the darkness. The gates of chaos open—
—Legendary warrior, Black Luster Soldier, summon!"
[Black Luster Soldier, ATK 3000]
"Summoning Black Luster Soldier at the end, huh?" Lyman smiled. "One of your original ace monsters, and also a signature card of the previous Duel King. Fitting for this duel's finish.
But Berserk Dragon still has 3500 ATK—Black Luster Soldier can't defeat it."
"How do you know if you don't try?" Kira smiled.
"Hm?" Lyman frowned.
"Battle." Kira waved. "Black Luster Soldier attacks Berserk Dragon!"
"Nani?" Lyman was shocked. "Attacking even with lower ATK?"
But monsters never question their master. Black Luster Soldier charged, sword raised, straight at the giant dragon!
"Interesting," Lyman said. "Then I will also respond with full force.
Berserk Dragon, counterattack!"
Berserk Dragon roared, unleashing a wave of chaotic death to clash with Black Luster Soldier's sword.
"'Mirror Force' activates upon your opponent's attack declaration, destroying all their attack position monsters," Kira said.
"But with Jinzo on my field, you can't activate Trap Cards."
Lyman nodded. "True."
"So next is damage calculation." Kira revealed another card. "Quick-Play Spell—'Forbidden Chalice.'
Target a monster on the field; it gains 400 ATK, but its effects are negated."
"400 ATK up?" Lyman frowned. "Even so, Black Luster Soldier would still have less ATK—"
"No, I'm targeting Jinzo!"
Lyman: "!"
[Jinzo, ATK 2400 → 2800]
The 400 ATK boost to Jinzo was meaningless—but Lyman immediately understood: the point was not the ATK, but negating Jinzo's effect!
"You're negating Jinzo's effect!?" Lyman gasped.
"Exactly. With Jinzo's effect negated, Traps can be activated. But the attack declaration window has passed, so Mirror Force can't be activated anymore."
Lyman's pupils shrank.
He… blocked Mirror Force's window…
"So I activate my set card—Trap Card 'Ambush Shield!'" Kira raised his hand. "Tribute a monster on your field; add its DEF to another monster's ATK." (Anime card)
A trap even used by Atem in the anime.
"I tribute Jinzo, add its 1500 DEF to Black Luster Soldier's ATK!"
[Black Luster Soldier, ATK 3000 → 4500]
Lyman looked up at the surging Black Luster Soldier, sword blazing with kingly power, briefly dazed.
"He blocked Mirror Force, and then used a trap to power up for the finishing blow?"
"Holding the ultimate shield, yet forced to watch as this sword descends… I see."
"This is the king."
He closed his eyes at last, smiling in relief.
"Ha… In the end, I still lost."
[Lyman, LP 200 → LP 0]