"Regenerating Rose, attack D.D. Survivor!"
The demon rose whipped its vines. Its bright flower opened and closed like a starving mouth longing to devour prey.
"At this moment, Regenerating Rose's effect," Yubel said. "It copies the ATK of the attack target."
[Regenerating Rose, ATK 0 → 1800]
Two vines bound D.D. Survivor's arms from left and right like tentacles, while two more speared forward like lances. The Survivor was impaled through the chest and exploded off the field.
"Of course, protected by Kishido Spirit, Regenerating Rose itself won't be destroyed by battle against a monster with the same ATK."
Yubel chuckled smugly, then slowly drew out another card between two fingers.
"Next, I activate Spell Card Card of Heaven and Earth. In a turn in which I performed a Tribute Summon, I can draw two cards. However, the drawn cards can't be used this turn; and if I can Set cards, I must Set at least one of them."
Yubel drew two cards, glanced at them, added them to her hand, then chose three cards from her hand.
"I Set three cards. My turn ends."
"Three backrow Sets, huh—scary," Kira said calmly.
"But in this End Phase—"
From the dimensional rift on Kira's field, black lightning crackled and burst forth, slamming down like thunder onto the field. The lightning exploded across the ground, then reformed into a tattered cloak. The cloaked warrior returned.
[D.D. Survivor, ATK 1800]
"What?" Yubel frowned. "D.D. Survivor? That thing should've been defeated!"
"He's called a 'Survivor' for a reason," Kira said. "During the End Phase of the turn this face-up card you control is banished, Special Summon this banished card to your field."
"Banished…"
Yubel looked up at the rift and immediately understood.
"Dimensional Fissure, huh?"
Under Dimensional Fissure, all monsters that would be sent to the Graveyard are banished instead. So when D.D. Survivor was destroyed by battle, it was naturally banished—then its own effect revived it back to the field.
So now both sides had monsters whose battle was essentially meaningless: one that always copied the opponent's ATK and couldn't be destroyed by battle, and one that would endlessly crawl back from another dimension if destroyed.
"A monster built specifically to combo with Dimensional Fissure," Yubel snorted. "Then I have to deal with that annoying rift first."
"My turn—draw," Kira said.
"At this moment," Yubel swept her arm.
"I activate a face-down card: Trap Card Dust Tornado! Destroy 1 Spell/Trap on the field!"
Her target was obvious.
"Destroy the Continuous Spell Dimensional Fissure!"
The Spell that had been the biggest thorn in her side finally dissipated into nothing within the tornado.
Kira didn't seem bothered, and moved into his Main Phase.
"I Tribute D.D. Survivor to Tribute Summon! The monarch who commands light and thunder—
—Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, Summon!"
D.D. Survivor vanished in a storm of tribute energy. Blazing electricity and thunder converged into a rolling heavenly bolt that slammed into the ground.
Where the lightning burst, the Monarch's cloak billowed in the wind. The white Monarch hovered in midair, surging electricity like an army awaiting command.
[Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, ATK 2400]
"You Tributed the Survivor… I see," Yubel said. "If I hadn't destroyed Dimensional Fissure, the tributed Survivor would've been banished and could've returned in the End Phase, letting you use it as tribute again and again."
"When Zaborg the Thunder Monarch is Tribute Summoned, destroy 1 monster on the field," Kira said, pointing.
"Destroy Regenerating Rose."
Thunder gathered in Zaborg's raised right hand, forming a roaring sphere of lightning. It blasted forward toward the demon rose.
"The rose is only 'invincible' in battle," Kira said. "It can't do anything against effect destruction."
Yubel: "I activate a face-down card: Trap Card Dark Sacrifice!
When your opponent activates a Spell/Trap/monster effect that would destroy a card on the field, negate that activation, and send 1 DARK monster with Level 3 or lower from my Deck to the Graveyard."
A mass of black fog burst from her Trap, forming a hazy barrier in front of the demon rose. Zaborg's lightning plunged into the swirling cloud like a stone into the sea, leaving no trace.
"Using Zaborg to break through a battle-immune Regenerating Rose was a nice idea," Yubel chuckled. "Too bad—it seems I'm still one step ahead."
"Then I activate the Equip Spell Rainbow Veil."
Kira revealed the Equip Spell from his hand.
"Equip it to Zaborg the Thunder Monarch."
Seven-colored rainbow light wrapped around Zaborg like a gorgeous suit of prismatic energy armor.
"When a monster equipped with Rainbow Veil battles, during the Battle Phase only, the effects of the opponent's monster it battles are negated."
Yubel: "!"
In other words, if Zaborg battled the Rose, the Rose's effect would be negated—making it just a 0 ATK vanilla.
But what truly horrified Yubel was that this Equip would work on her true form as well.
Yubel had evolved through the Light of Destruction in space and now had three forms. But regardless of the form, her base ATK was 0. Her main combat method was that she couldn't be destroyed by battle and could reflect battle damage back at the opponent.
Yet this single Equip Spell was enough to turn the very body she took pride in into a 0 ATK blank.
A banish-based Graveyard denial deck centered on Dimensional Fissure… and now Rainbow Veil aimed right at her throat.
Was this a coincidence?
Could sheer coincidence really counter her this hard?
"Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, attack Regenerating Rose," Kira said. "And during the Battle Phase, by Rainbow Veil's effect, the rose's effect is negated during the Damage Step."
Yubel: "Tch."
Still, the rose's other effect—leaving two Tokens if destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard—would normally give her strong follow-up. And now that Dimensional Fissure was gone, even if the rose fell, next turn—
"During the Attack Declaration, I activate Quick-Play Spell Celestial Transformation," Kira said. "Special Summon 1 Fairy monster from my hand. That monster's ATK is halved, and it is destroyed during the End Phase."
Yubel: "?"
A Fairy Special Summon at this moment?
What was that supposed to be?
Kira: "I Special Summon this Fairy from my hand.
Banisher of Radiance!"
[Banisher of Radiance, ATK 1600 → 800]
"Banisher of Radiance's effect," Kira said with a smile. "While this card is face-up on the field, any card that would be sent to either player's Graveyard is banished instead."
Yubel: "…"
…