Heaven and earth seemed to suddenly change color, with a jet-black energy shooting straight up into the sky. Ancient power awakened deep within the earth's crust, and a massive hand burst forth from the ground.
The earth split open with an enormous fissure, and a colossal being slowly rose up from the depths below. Its skin resembled aged bronze, each muscle like forged metal honed over a thousand trials. The giant's huge body swayed, as if it were still half-asleep.
This giant, almost large enough to cover the sun with its bulk, cast immense shadows over the dueling ground. Each step made the earth tremble, and as its eyes slowly opened, golden pupils reflected the entire dueling arena within.
Zushin the Sleeping Giant, summoned!
"It—it—it really got summoned!" cried Leo, his words jumbling in disbelief.
Even the bespectacled honor student beside him was stunned speechless for a moment, then murmured, "Zu—Z-Zushin… The real Zushin…!"
It wasn't some rare card—Zushin was a monster known by all in this age and dimension. Almost everyone had seen its appearance, but rarely in an official duel; usually, people only saw its summoning effect and animation using holographic projection.
Nearly everyone had fantasized about actually summoning this monster during a duel and rampaging across the field.
Of course, anyone who'd ever dreamed of it also knew just how wildly unrealistic that fantasy was.
It was just too difficult!
Zushin was widely acknowledged as nearly impossible to summon. Its incredible power made summoning it almost equivalent to winning the duel outright, yet its extremely demanding design meant it pretty much never wanted to be summoned at all.
A Level 1 Normal Monster, it needed to stay on the field for ten turns in your own turns, or twenty turns if you counted both players' turns. If you could use a Level 1 Effect Monster instead, it would at least be a little easier.
But Level 1 Normals were basically the weakest of the weak!
That's why even just summoning Zushin itself was considered an outright miracle among duelists.
And now, that miracle was being openly displayed in this closed arena, right before these two kids. Not only a successful summon, but even accomplished within a single turn!
If anyone told them before today that Zushin, the Sleeping Giant, could be summoned in a single turn, even a lower-year student from Duel Academy would have thought the person was nuts.
But now...
They began to wonder if maybe they were the crazy ones.
[Zushin the Sleeping Giant, ATK?]
"Battle," said Kira. "Zushin the Sleeping Giant attacks 'Power Tool Dragon.'"
As Kira commanded, the black giant swung its fist.
The instant the dark fist lashed out, even time and space seemed to freeze. A shockwave erupted from the punch, carving a trench several meters deep wherever it passed.
"His attack is a question mark... Ah, what was Zushin's effect again? I think I read it once, but I can't remember," groaned Leo, clutching his head.
He was truly growing more and more like Jaden—totally a "head-empty" duelist. Whether studying or dueling, he preferred not to think too much—just pick up his deck and play, and leave it to the heart of the cards to decide if he'd win or lose.
The honor student with glasses reminded, "When Zushin the Sleeping Giant battles, its attack always becomes 1000 points higher than the opponent's monster's attack!"
Leo smacked his forehead. "Oh! Now I remember!"
[Power Tool Dragon, ATK 2700]
Zushin the Sleeping Giant, ATK? → ATK 3700]
Last turn, Power Tool Dragon had gotten a 1000 ATK boost from the "Double Tool C&D" Equip Spell, but that Equip card only gave the stat boost during its controller's own turn. Now, it only benefited from the 400 ATK bonus of "Big Bang Shot" Equip Spell, so its current ATK was 2700.
Zushin's punch landed straight on Power Tool Dragon, shattering its chainsaw and drill in a frontal blow. Power Tool Dragon's body was crushed and twisted, parts flying everywhere as the mechanical frame exploded under the pressure.
Leo: "Uwaaaah!"
Leo, LP 3000 → LP 2000]
"This is Zushin's power."
Kira raised his hand. "It's not over yet. 'Treasure Panda' attacks directly!"
The little panda charged, its round body tumbling through the air, before giving Leo a sharp kick right on the top of his head.
[Treasure Panda, ATK 1100]
Leo was sent staggering by the flying kick and landed gently on his bottom.
[Leo, LP 2000 → LP 900]
Kira: "Turn end."
"Darn it... he really summoned Zushin, and in just a single turn… Uncle, just who are you?!"
Leo rubbed his sore butt and stared at Kira in awe.
"This is... just too amazing…"
"It's nothing special. As long as you believe, the cards will respond to you," Kira put on a serious face. "Just as I've always said—there are infinite possibilities in the world of dueling. There's nothing you can't do."
"Oooh!"
Leo looked at him with starry-eyed admiration.
As expected from someone close to the King—
Wait, he's watched all of the King's duels, but this guy felt even stronger than the King!
"The duel's still going, you know," Kira gently reminded.
"Oh! Right," Leo shook his head. "If Zushin's ATK is always 1000 more than any opponent's monster, then there's no point summoning monsters to battle it... So I have to use effects somehow!"
The honor student with glasses facepalmed. "You really don't remember anything, do you Leo? Magic, traps, monster effects—none of them work on Zushin."
"Huh!?"
Leo was stunned.
"Isn't that just invincible?"
"Calm down, Leo, you still have a chance," the honor student reassured. "Even if Zushin can't be defeated, look at your opponent's deck—he's nearly out of cards!"
Leo blinked and glanced at his opponent's nearly empty deck.
Of course!
"That's it! To summon Zushin, he had to blow through his entire deck. So I don't even have to beat him—all I have to do is defend until he draws out his deck—"
"Exactly!" said the honor student. "When he can't draw, that's when you win!"
"Right!"
Leo's fighting spirit was rekindled.
"So, my turn! Draw!"
He quickly glanced over his cards and came up with a plan.
Right, this guy will do perfectly!
"I summon 'Morphtronic Magnen' in Defense Position!"
[Morphtronic Magnen, DEF 800]
"And then, I activate the effect of the Trap card 'Morphtronic Impact Return' that was sent to the graveyard earlier by your 'Card Destruction'! By banishing this card from my graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Morphtronic' monster from my graveyard in Defense Position.
The one I'm reviving is—
—a second 'Morphtronic Magnen'!"
[Morphtronic Magnen, DEF 800]
"When Magnen is in Defense Position, your opponent cannot choose any other monster as an attack target as long as this card is face-up on the field! And now, I have two Magnens!"
Leo's eyes twinkled with pride as he pointed to the one on the left.
"If you attack the right Magnen, the left one won't agree—he'll say, no, no, you can only attack me!"
Then he pointed to the right Magnet.
"And if you attack the left one, the right Magnet won't agree, and insists you can only attack me! In other words..."
The honor student clapped his palm. "I see! That way, you can't attack either one! Nicely done, Leo—you do have some clever tricks up your sleeve at crucial moments!"
"Ahaha, well, it's just what I do!"
Leo beamed.
"Turn end!"
Perfect! Just as his friend said, even Zushin can't attack this way—he can only stall out the turns. With his opponent running out of cards, Kira couldn't outlast him anymore!
"My turn. Draw."
Kira calmly played a card.
"I activate the Spell Card 'The Mask of Remnants.' This card lets me shuffle a card from my hand back into my deck."
Kira slid the card he revealed into the deck, which automatically reshuffled.
Leo and the honor student's smiles froze.
Huh?
Wait a second.
That Spell Card can voluntarily return cards to the deck and shuffle.
So even if there's only one card left in the deck, he can draw it every turn, activate it, and shuffle it back in.
Hmm...
They were silent for a few seconds.
Then Leo suddenly exploded.
"Doesn't that mean his deck can never run out!?"
If this continued, his opponent could keep drawing cards forever—even if Leo's deck was exhausted, Kira's would never run out.
Even the honor student looked exasperated. "Who brings that kind of card to a duel..."
But then he turned again, even more awestruck at Kira.
"But that means this guy even considered the risk of drawing out his deck!"
Amazing!
"Well, even if I can keep drawing cards forever, I think it's time to conclude the game. I had a lot of fun."
Kira chuckled.
"Earlier, when 'Into the Void' resolved at the end of last turn, I discarded my entire hand. Among them was this card.
A/D Changer's effect: by banishing 'A/D Changer' from my graveyard, I can change the battle position of a monster on the field.
I'll change your 'Morphtronic Magnen' from Defense Position to Attack Position."
On Leo's field, one Magnet suddenly transformed into its humanoid robot mode, standing upright.
[Morphtronic Magnen, ATK 800]
Leo: "Ah! My Magnen..."
He grabbed his head in worry.
"Oh no, now my attack lock is gone!"
Magnen's effect only worked in Defense Position—your opponent couldn't attack any other monsters. In Attack Position, Magnen could only select the highest-ATK monster on their opponent's field as its attack target.
"Battle. Treasure Panda attacks the remaining Defense Position Magnen," Kira said.
Treasure Panda lunged, easily breaking through the 800 DEF of the remaining Magnet.
"Next, Zushin the Sleeping Giant attacks your Attack Position 'Morphtronic Magnen.'"
[Zushin the Sleeping Giant, ATK? → ATK 1800]
Zushin swung his fist once more. The tiny Magnet was immediately crushed beneath the dark iron fist, and the resulting shockwave barreled toward Leo.
"Uwaaaah!"
[Leo, LP 900 → LP 0]
…
…
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