"Spell Card—'Fusion Birth!'"
A magical vortex appeared beside the racing horse, triggered by the Skeleton Knight's card.
Skeleton Knight explained, "Draw the top five cards from my deck and send them all to the graveyard!
If those cards contain the correct Fusion Materials, I can Fusion Summon that Fusion Monster!"
"He's using Fusion to go on the offensive?..." Kira was a bit surprised, but not shocked. Even in a Synchro-focused dimension, Fusions weren't rare. Both Yusei and Jack from the main cast use Fusion Monsters, and Speed World even has Speed Spell—Fusion for Riding Duels.
The Skeleton Knight drew five cards, his pale eyes flashing with a cold light from beneath the skull mask.
"From the top of my deck, here are two key cards.
'Zombie Master' and 'Plaguespreader Zombie'!"
Two monsters appeared projected on either side of the horse, drawn into the swirling fusion vortex.
"Fusion requirement: two Zombie-Type monsters!
With the souls of the dead, I call forth the Lord of the Underworld! Shatter the gates of the netherworld and descend—
—Underworld Dragon—Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon!!!"
Both monsters were sucked into the vortex, and a pillar of fusion light shot skyward. Countless ghostly wails echoed from below, and thick blue-gray mist spewed over the raceway.
First, a dragon's claw wrapped in mist slashed through the air. Between the dark silver bones, black shadows oozed like liquid. Its long, bony tails lashed out, pounding the ground—shaking the whole altar as if the very foundation would sink.
[Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon, ATK 3000]
Stones flew in all directions, swept up by a dark whirlwind that shot at Kira's Duel Runner. But before the debris hit, it seemed to shatter against an invisible barrier.
"You can even use the summoned monster's shockwave to attack your opponent?" Kira kept his speed, calmly observing.
"Of course," the Skeleton Knight snarled. "In this ceremony of riding battle, whether you lose all your Life Points or just control of your ride, death is waiting.
This is the fate of those who race!"
This dragon was clearly not an ordinary monster—likely possessing special spiritual powers. Its body radiated death so strongly, it really felt like it crawled from the underworld, an aggregate of countless dead souls.
As the Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon descended, the Skeleton Knight's aura swelled even further.
"Battle!" The Skeleton Knight ordered, "Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon, attack 'Mobius the Frost Monarch'!"
At his command, the Skeleton Knight cracked his reins, and his steed leapt high.
A transparent black vortex burst from both knight and mount, sending a surge of power into the dragon.
The dragon, riding the whirlwind, lunged forward and bit deep into Mobius the Frost Monarch. The sound of ice shattering rang across the field.
[Kira, LP 4100 → LP 3500]
Kira steadied his Duel Runner amid the rushing vortex of darkness, sensing the fierce collision at breakneck speed.
"So that's how it is—you inject the speed of the ride into the tactile sensation of the Shadow Duel to strengthen the impact..."
He smiled slightly.
"That's quite a technique."
Skeleton Knight: "..."
What's with this guy?!
He just took my full-power Shadow touch without flinching—and now he's…interested in discussing riding technique?
The Skeleton Knight's mind blanked for a second.
"Hmph. Don't think for a moment that Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon's attack is that simple."
As he spoke, the Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragonwith drew from Kira's field, yet its jaws remained tightly clenched.
Mobius the Frost Monarch, who should have been destroyed, staggered and hung onto the field. From his body, a swirling soul of icy mist was brutally torn out and dragged back to the Skeleton Knight's field in the dragon's mouth.
Black mist spewed from the dragon's jaws, corrupting the torn-out soul, which quickly reshaped into a dark, twisted reflection of Mobius the Frost Monarch—all jet-black where Mobius was once pure white.
"This is the dragon's true power!" the Skeleton Knight intoned. "The Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon does not merely destroy—
—it extracts the very soul of its victims, corrupting it and forcing it into darkness!
The empty shell left behind, denied even death, becomes a helpless puppet—unable to battle, worse than death!"
Sure enough, the Mobius shell left on Kira's field sagged limply, drifting in the wind like a torn rag.
The Skeleton Knight's explanation was obscure, but Kira remembered this effect.
Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon: monsters that battle with it aren't destroyed by battle, but their ATK drops to 0.
Afterward, the dragon's controller can Special Summon a "Dark Soul Token" with the same Level and ATK as the defeated monster.
[Dark Soul Token, ATK 2400]
[Mobius the Frost Monarch, ATK 0]
"Fallen soul of Mobius, attack that empty shell!" the Skeleton Knight ordered.
The black steed surged forward again, empowered by the swirling shadow, the dark soul Mobius accelerating alongside to slam into Kira's soulless Mobius.
The empty shell, powerless, was shattered into shards of ice and scattered by the blow.
[Kira, LP 3500 → LP 1100]
This impact was even more violent. The Skeleton Knight, pouring all his might into the charge, merged completely with the surging vortex. Shadow and cold air howled in unison—Kira's Duel Runner was nearly swallowed whole, disappearing for an instant in the spray.
The Skeleton Knight galloped on, watching for Kira amid the smoke and debris.
A blow like that, fueled by both dueling and speed, should send nearly any duelist crashing out. He watched, intent.
Yet, only moments later—
With a roar, Kira's Duel Runner burst through the smoke like a missile, continuing the race—Kira right behind him, actually wearing an amused smile.
"Tsk tsk, nice move! So you sync the speed of the ride with the dueling impact to upgrade the sensation, right?
No, it's more than that... seems you have to sync up with your own monster's attack, too. That must take skill."
The Skeleton Knight opened his mouth, but for a moment could not make a sound.
This guy took his full-power attack, and instead of struggling, he sounded...interested in the technique?