Jinzo, summoned again!
Appearing for the second time in the same duel, Jinzo's coat tails fluttered. Its lanky body stood tall on the field, head held high, arms folded, looking thoroughly proud.
Today is my home turf!
In contrast, Odion's expression turned ugly.
Again. It's this thing again.
You could call it downright haunting.
Do you really not want me to use traps?
"Battle," Kira said. "You have 'Embodiment of Apophis' on the field, but that monster is essentially a Trap Card, not a true monster. Jinzo is the nemesis of all traps. While Jinzo is on the field, all Trap Monster trap effects are invalid and they can no longer be treated as monsters.
Therefore, Jinzo, direct attack on Odion!"
Jinzo grew even prouder, as if determined to form a massive psychic blast worthy of its status in this duel. A glowing orb churned in its palm, wrapped in endless electricity—then it fired.
Under Jinzo's trap-seal, even Odion had no counterplay. He could only take the shot. The orb detonated on his face; he staggered backward, smoke rolling off him, barely able to keep his footing.
[Odion, LP 2600 → LP 200]
Kira said, "Turn end."
Odion exhaled heavily.
He was now fully convinced: for some reason, the opponent seemed to know what deck and style he used. Jinzo, Royal Decree—this build was obviously crafted to target him.
They say, "Those who darken others will be darkened in turn."
Odion, a heavy-trap player who'd spent a lifetime preventing opponents from playing cards, never imagined that one day he would be the one unable to play.
"I'll have to borrow 'that' again," Odion muttered, looking down at the card in his hand.
He took a deep breath, straightened up, and said loudly: "My turn—draw!"
Then he played two cards at once.
"Spell Card 'Cup of the Sealed Soul'!"
"And Spell Card 'Seal of Serket'!" (Anime card)
"I play both spells at once!"
A golden chalice appeared—then a strange emblem was carved into existence. The brilliant royal hall shook violently; a faint tremor seemed to rise from beneath it, as if some terrifying presence was being called out of the temple's seal.
"Back in Battle City, Joey Wheeler's Jinzo once made me desperate as well. And what helped me break through and turn the tables then… was the sacred beast sealed within this temple."
Odion drew a card solemnly and spoke slowly:
"When 'Temple of the Kings,' 'Seal of Serket,' and 'Cup of the Sealed Soul' are all on the field, this card is Special Summoned directly from the deck!
Sealed within the Temple of the Kings, guardian divine beast—
—Mystical Beast of Serket, summon!!"
Answering his call, a massive crimson scorpion descended. Its pincers were razor-sharp like instruments of cruelty; its red armored back bristled with spikes; when it opened its jaws, dagger-like teeth were visible.
[Mystical Beast of Serket, ATK 2500]
This was Odion's true ace—the exclusive guardian beast of the "Temple of the Kings"!
"Mystical Beast of Serket—attack 'Jinzo'!"
Jinzo's calm, arms-crossed expression instantly changed; it looked pleadingly at its master.
As if asking: No way… I just came back and I'm already dying again?
But its "good master" only beamed at it.
"Rest in peace."
Jinzo: "…"
The beast's pincers struck with incredible speed, clamping onto Jinzo's arms and feeding it into its mouth. Half of Jinzo's body was shoved inside; its legs kicked frantically outside, but its alloy frame was already being chewed into scraps by those sharp teeth—soon it became golden fragments that were swallowed down.
[Kira, LP 4000 → LP 3900]
"Mystical Beast of Serket can absorb the power of monsters it destroys in battle," Odion said. "It gains half the destroyed monster's ATK!" (Anime effect)
In the real card game the effect was changed to only gain 500 ATK, but to compensate the real card can banish the monster it destroys by battle—an ability the anime version didn't have.
[Mystical Beast of Serket, ATK 2500 → ATK 3700]
Good—now the trap lock was lifted again. His powerful traps were usable once more, Odion thought.
He looked at another card in hand.
Trap Card—Bottomless Trap Hole. When a monster with 1500+ ATK is Summoned or Special Summoned, it can be destroyed and banished—an extremely strong summon-response trap.
Without Jinzo, the ever-growing Serket beast plus the endless stream of heavy "red pit" traps in his deck would be enough to crush any opponent.
Odion said, "I set two cards. Turn end."
"After absorbing Jinzo, its ATK is suddenly 3700… that's hard to deal with," Kira murmured.
"My turn—draw."
He paused, eyes sweeping the opponent's two back-row cards.
"Hm. Not only that beast, but Mr. Odion's deck is fundamentally trap-based. I can't ignore his back row."
He sighed as if helpless.
"Fine. Looks like I still have to borrow an old friend's power. Sorry—guess I'll need you to work overtime again…"
Then he slapped down a monster.
"I summon 'Jinzo - Jector.'"
[Jinzo - Jector, DEF 2000]
Odion frowned.
Another Jinzo-series monster he'd never seen. At this point, just seeing the word "Jinzo" made him feel uneasy.
"Jector's effect: Tribute this card; add 1 'Jinzo' monster other than Jector from my deck to my hand.
Then check the opponent's Spell/Trap Zone—if there are Trap Cards there, I can Special Summon up to that many Jinzo monsters from my hand!"
Odion: "!"
Search from the deck, look at my traps, and then Special Summon—
"Do you still have Jinzo itself in your deck?" Odion asked grimly.
"Haha, no. But monsters with 'Jinzo' in their names don't have to be only Jinzo itself."
Kira smiled.
"I add my second copy of 'Jinzo the Machine Menace' from my deck to my hand."
He revealed the searched monster.
"Now I confirm your set back row.
Trap scan!"
Jector's psychic scan swept over; both of Odion's set cards were exposed.
Trap Card—Bottomless Trap Hole. Trap Card—Eye of Ujat.
Bottomless needed no explanation. "Eye of Ujat" was an Anime card Odion had used against Joey; its text said that when the opponent declares an attack, you can freely control the monster that declared the attack.
That description was abstract, but judging from the anime's portrayal, it functioned similarly to Kaiba's now-real-card "Attack Guidance Armor": you could freely choose the attack target, and even make the monster turn on its own side.
"Oh, they really are dangerous traps," Kira said. "In that case, I can Special Summon up to two Jinzo monsters from my hand.
I Special Summon 'Jinzo the Machine Menace.'"
[Jinzo the Machine Menace, ATK 2400]
Odion was shocked.
He knows I have Bottomless Trap Hole—yet he's summoning anyway?
Just now, Jector's ATK was only 800, so Bottomless Trap Hole couldn't trigger. But this Jinzo meets the 1500+ threshold.
Odion didn't hesitate. "Activate my set card! Trap 'Bottomless Trap Hole'—destroy that Jinzo the Machine Menace and banish it!"
Kira snapped his fingers.
"Then I chain 'Jinzo the Machine Menace's' effect: tribute itself to Special Summon 'Jinzo' from my hand or Graveyard!"
Odion was stunned. "A monster effect can chain to a trap…? So it's a Spell Speed 2 monster effect?"
"Correct," Kira said. "Its effect can be activated during either player's Main Phase, so it has Spell Speed 2 like a normal trap, and can chain to a trap's activation.
So I tribute Jinzo the Machine Menace and revive from the Graveyard once again—
—Jinzo!"
For what felt like the nth time, Jinzo "resurrected" onto the field—still proudly smug.
I, Jinzo, am immortal!
[Jinzo, ATK 2400]
"You're going that far just to revive Jinzo again…" Odion said. "Indeed—now my back-row traps are sealed again.
But so what? Mystical Beast of Serket is at 3700 ATK. Even without traps, Jinzo can't match—"
"It looks that way," Kira said.
"But you might not know this: after Battle City, it wasn't only your trap deck that evolved and developed counter-countermeasures. Jinzo has evolved too."
Jinzo looked even prouder, as if to confirm it.
Odion: "Jinzo… evolved?"
"Right. I'll show you now," Kira said. "I send Jinzo to the Graveyard to Special Summon from my hand Jinzo's evolved form—the king of trap suppression whose psychic power has reached its pinnacle—
—Jinzo - Lord, summon!!"
Kira slapped down the card. Jinzo evolved again amid a storm of psychic energy and lightning. A new form emerged from the light—still Jinzo's face, but taller, with drastically changed attire. Its aura and oppressive psychic pressure were on a completely different level.
[Jinzo - Lord, ATK 2600]
"Jinzo - Lord… I see. It does look like it evolved quite a bit," Odion said. "But even so, its ATK only increased by 200.
Before Serket—"
"That's not the point," Kira smiled. "First, Jinzo - Lord inherits Jinzo's effect: while it's on the field, neither player can activate trap effects, and all trap card effects on the field are invalid.
Also, once per turn, I can confirm all cards in your hand and on your field. If there are Trap Cards among them, destroy those traps—and for each card destroyed by this effect, you take 300 damage."
Odion blinked.
A trap gives… how much damage?
Huh?
"Now, Mr. Odion, I don't know your hand, but you still have one set card in the back row—we already confirmed it earlier. That… should be a trap, right?"
Odion: "…"
"Duels aren't about beating an opponent's ace monster head-on. No matter the method, as long as you take down the duelist, it's victory. I think Mr. Odion—no, you Tomb Keeper duelists—understand that principle better than anyone."
Odion: "…"
"Then Jinzo - Lord's effect," Kira said. "Destroy all trap cards in Mr. Odion's hand and back row—and deal damage!"
[Odion, LP 200 → LP 0]
…