"He actually hit it exactly like he declared," Syrus murmured. "Is this also the power blessed by the Grim Reaper? Even a 'Name' declaration can be that accurate?"
Jaden shook his head. "No. Calling four-star monsters is just the highest probability. Not surprising."
Kira: "Then I set one monster in face-down Defense Position, set one card, and end my turn."
Lucien: "?"
Still no intention to attack.
In fact, the Invincible Demise Lord on his field did have a hidden ability. If this card is destroyed by battle, it immediately revives on the field transformed, with 3000 ATK. Given it only has 1300 ATK, this should be easy to trigger.
But the opponent just won't attack.
What kind of tactic is this?
Either way, it's his turn again.
"My turn, draw!
I activate the Spell Card Pot of Greed to draw two cards."
If one strike fails, try again. He now holds the Grim Reaper's absolute-kill power!
"I activate the Spell Card: A Feather of the Phoenix—discard a card to return a card in the Graveyard to the top of the Deck!
I discard a card to return the Spell 'Slash Draw' to the top of my Deck!"
Lucien sends a card from hand to the Grave.
"Back to the top of the Deck!" Syrus couldn't help blurting out. "So if he just activates another Slash Draw…"
"No," Chazz shook his head. "When Slash Draw activates, you first have to send cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard equal to the number of cards on the field."
"R-right."
Syrus suddenly understood.
Since it mills from the top on activation, even top-stacking usually can't guarantee you draw Slash Draw next. Unless you can control a large block of top cards at once and ensure that, after Slash Draw's cost mills those cards, the very next top card is another Slash Draw.
That's basically beyond human capability.
Which is why the card is seen as a performance piece—hard to use in real matches.
"But the card I discarded was the Spell 'Card of Compensation,'" Lucien said. "Draw two cards from the top of the Deck."
This way, Slash Draw was drawn back to his hand.
Syrus held his breath. "He's going for it again?"
There was no need to ask—of course he would.
"I activate the Spell 'Slash Draw' once more!" Lucien roared. "Grim Reaper, lend me your power again!"
The Reaper's specter appeared once more, scythe swung down. Thunder seemed to crackle in midair, waves surging.
"You have a set monster and a set card—two cards total," Lucien cried. "So I send the top two cards of my Deck to the Graveyard, then draw one card!
Draw!"
They hardly needed to check. With the Reaper's power invoked, everyone knew what that card would be.
"My third 'Slash Draw' activates!" Lucien shouted. "Destroy all cards and deal you 4000 damage! It's over!"
But Kira calmly revealed a card in hand. "When your Slash Draw activated, I discarded 'Hanewata.' This turn, all effect damage I take is 0."
Lucien: "…"
The second Iai cut. His invincible iai slash cleaved dominantly toward Kira, yet it seemed to strike an invisible barrier and was stopped cold.
Lucien looked to the heavens.
Two straight Iai slashes; his draws had reached divine heights, yet he still couldn't finish it.
He finally began to understand why his beloved Slash Draw is called a showpiece entertainment card. It's not only about whether you can draw it.
Even with the Reaper's blessing—even with perfect accuracy—facing a true master, he still felt powerless.
"What's wrong?"
Kira spoke.
"Missed your one-hit kill—so you're giving up?"
"Who said I'm giving up?"
Lucien grit his teeth and steadied himself.
"The set card that was destroyed was the Trap 'Dummy Marker.' When this card is destroyed, I can draw one card from my Deck." (Anime card)
Lucien drew and frowned in thought.
"I set a monster face-down and set a card, then end my turn."
That was all he had left.
But no need to panic. Even if Slash Draw failed, he still had the Reaper's power—the absolute topdeck. Next turn he still had a chance to turn it around—
"End Phase. The Trap 'Backup Team' that was sent to the Graveyard by 'Reasoning' last turn activates."
Kira continued.
"During the End Phase, if this card is in the Graveyard and your opponent controls more cards than you, you can Set this card from your Graveyard."
With a wave, a new set card appeared in his back row.
"Then it's my turn, draw," Kira said. "I activate the Spell 'Akashic Record' to draw two cards. But if any drawn card was already used this duel, banish it." (Anime card)
Kira drew two.
"Next, I activate the Spell 'Spider Web' to add a card that was sent to the opponent's Graveyard one turn ago from their Graveyard to my hand." (Anime card)
Lucien blinked. "From my Graveyard?"
"Correct. The card I'll take is this."
The spider web snagged a card and delivered it to Kira's hand.
"Slash Draw."
Lucien: "???"
Onlookers: "????"
You're… taking what from your opponent's Graveyard?
Lucien was stunned.
Sure, Slash Draw was his soul card—but it needs other copies in the Deck and consistent access to matter.
You have neither Slash Draws in your Deck nor the Reaper's boon—what use is that?
Wait—don't tell me the Duel King's Deck also has…!?
The others clearly had the same thought and were shocked.
Slash Draw isn't rare. Lucien was just a run-of-the-mill North Academy student, with a Deck mocked for being weak; his cards were never premium.
But Slash Draw is generally seen as a performance card—fun in staged duels, lacking competitive value.
As Chazz analyzed: even with normal top-control, putting Slash Draw on top won't work. As a "trick," it's too unwieldy—even a showman like Kira had never used it before.
"I activate my set Trap, 'Backup Team.'
Draw from the Deck equal to the number of cards your opponent controls, then return that many cards from your hand to the bottom of the Deck."
Lucien: "I have two cards on my field…"
"Right. So I draw two, then return two cards from my hand to the bottom of my Deck in any order."
A thought flashed through Lucien's mind.
Were those two cards Slash Draws?
No, probably not.
What good is shoving Slash Draw to the bottom?
To consistently draw Slash Draw, you must control the number of cards on the top—
"Quick-Play Spell 'Mystical Space Typhoon'—I destroy your set back row," Kira said.
Lucien's set Trap blew away—revealing "Sakuretsu Armor."
Lucien grit his teeth. "Damn it, there goes my strongest line of defense…"
"'Sakuretsu,' huh? Honestly it doesn't matter what I hit, but that one is a bit unlucky for you."
Kira chuckled, then continued.
"Next I activate—
—Continuous Spell 'Convulsion of Nature'! As long as this card remains on the field, both players must turn their Decks upside down to duel."
Everyone: "?????????"
The whole crowd was stunned.
Huh?
What's the point of that?
It's an old card—if you ranked the most "what even is this" cards in Yu-Gi-Oh!, it's a contender.
Just as written, the Continuous Spell forces both players to flip their Decks upside down—bottom side up, top side down. Everyone can see each Deck's "top card" after the flip.
Historically, no one found much use beyond showing the top card—
Hold on!
Lucien's pupils shrank as realization struck.
"Y-you just…"
"Yep. With Backup Team, I just returned two cards from my hand to the bottom of my Deck in an order I chose," Kira said. "Now that the Deck is flipped, the former bottom becomes the top."
As a soul player who'd studied Slash Draw for years, Lucien felt lightning strike his brain—suddenly it all clicked.
Backup Team draws based on the opponent's field count, then puts that many cards to the bottom in any order.
Slash Draw mills from the top based on the opponent's field count, then draws. If the drawn card is Slash Draw, you win with a board wipe and burn.
Convulsion of Nature inverts the Deck…
No matter whether the opponent has two, three, or ten cards, the combo works. If they have ten, Kira can return ten specific cards to the bottom, in any order.
Then flipping the Deck ensures that after the top nine cards are milled, the tenth drawn will be exactly Slash Draw.
"I activate the Spell 'Slash Draw,'" Kira revealed the card. "You currently have only one set monster.
So I send the top one card of my Deck to the Graveyard."
He sent the visible "top" card after the flip.
"Then I draw from the top. If it's 'Slash Draw,' destroy all cards on the field and deal you 1000 damage for each."
In truth, there was no need to draw.
Because of the flipped Deck, after he milled one, everyone could see the card now at the top.
Slash Draw.
Casually, almost lazily, Kira drew it and showed Lucien.
"See? Drew it. Slash Draw. So destroy all cards on the field—your set monster and my 'Convulsion of Nature'—and you take 2000 damage."
[Lucien, LP 1000 → LP 0]
...
2 Bonus chapters at 1000 PS