"Negate Attack!"
Greiger curled his lip.
He could forcefully end the Battle Phase, and it was a precious Counter Trap, not easy to counter itself.
Damn it, the enemy is right in front of my face, taunting me up close, but somehow, I just can't land a punch.
"Next, I'll activate another set card," Kira declared. "Trap card: 'Card of Sacrifice.'"
"If the total ATK of my monsters is less than the ATK of your weakest monster, I can draw two cards from my deck." (Anime effect)
Kira drew two cards.
"But until the end of this turn, I can't summon monsters in any way."
Greiger replied coldly, "Then, due to the effect of my Continuous Trap 'Appropriate', I draw two cards from my deck as well."
After glancing at his new cards, Greiger set another one.
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
Even though he was simmering in anger from swinging and missing several times, Greiger didn't feel there was anything wrong with Kira's habit of constantly setting cards in his back row.
If you really compare it to other generations of Yu-Gi-Oh!, 5D's was already one of the darker eras. The main reason was that Riding Duels placed huge restrictions on Spell Cards, while monsters' effects weren't yet as versatile as in modern times, so Trap Cards naturally became the heart of every duel.
Thus, the usage rate of Trap Cards in 5D's was the highest across every Yu-Gi-Oh! generation, and the anime traps came one after another. Almost all strategies and field setups revolved around traps. Even Jack Atlas, known for his emphasis on raw power and direct confrontation, routinely set three back-row cards.
Of course, not all traps are strictly "traps." Many also accelerate plays or assist during battles between big monsters. But the fundamental nature of Trap Cards—being able to disrupt actions on the opponent's turn or lock down moves—means the more lethal traps there are, the more oppressive the environment feels.
So, Kira thought, this dimension is likely not as "bright" as GX; duelists here probably have a stronger psychological resistance to underhanded strategies.
Well, even if they do, there's always a limit.
Kira smirked.
A real challenge is what makes things fun.
While the duel continued, another Duel Runner stopped outside the arena, and a person entered.
"Jack?"
Jack turned to the voice. "Yusei?"
It was none other than Yusei Fudo.
The two spotted the glowing Dragon Marks on each other's arms and frowned slightly.
"What's going on here?" Yusei approached the edge of the track.
Jack replied flatly, "Goodwin is dueling against someone I don't know."
"Director Goodwin?" Yusei sounded surprised.
In the original timeline, Yusei had no affection for Goodwin at this point, even feeling a bit of hostility. But right now, his impression wasn't bad, so he even used the respectful title "Director."
Pressing on his aching Dragon Mark, Yusei said, "Goodwin told me that Signers were chosen to resist ancient evils. Is this...?"
He was uncertain in tone, but mostly convinced in his heart. After all, the Dragon Mark was telling him that their true fated enemy was the one on the enormous Duel Runner facing Goodwin.
…
"My turn. Draw."
Kira announced.
"During this turn's Standby Phase, I'll re-activate the effect of 'Sinister Serpent' from the graveyard.
When Sinister Serpent is in the graveyard during the Standby Phase, it can return to my hand."
A ghostly green snake flashed above the Duel Runner and was soon recaptured by Kira.
Greiger snorted through his nose; clearly, Sinister Serpent reminded him of bad memories. But with his Abyss Soldier already taken care of, retrieving this "ammo" was nearly meaningless.
Are you going to bounce my SKY FIRE back to my hand again?
Kira: "Earlier, thanks to the effect of Speed Spell 'Angel Baton,' I discarded 'Fishborg Blaster' to the graveyard. Now, I activate Blaster's effect!
If I have a Level 3 or lower WATER monster on my field while this card is in my graveyard, I can discard one card to Special Summon the Blaster from my graveyard."
Kira pitched a card from his hand.
"Special Summon 'Fishborg Blaster' from my grave!"
A whirlpool appeared in the graveyard, and the Blaster mecha floated out, spraying jets of water while its fish-headed pilot spun dizzily inside the tank-like cockpit.
[Fishborg Blaster, ATK 100]
"Of course, whenever I summon a monster, you may activate 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE'—destroy the summoned monster and deal 800 damage to me."
Kira smiled.
"So, do you want to destroy it? The choice is yours."
On the sidelines, both Jack and Yusei were astonished.
Being able to destroy an opponent's monster the moment it's summoned… what a domineering effect!
Jack also understood that this SKY FIRE, capable of revival each turn thanks to its "Dark Flattop" effect, and equipped with an ability to actively destroy an opponent's cards, was disturbingly powerful.
The two now regarded the duelist facing Goodwin with even greater respect.
Greiger grunted, "I don't activate 'Flying Fortress SKY FIRE!'"
Are you kidding? You think I'm stupid?
The SKY FIRE can only be used once per turn, so why waste it on a 100-ATK weakling?
And while Blaster is a Tuner and keeping it on the field risks a powerful Synchro, as long as he can revive it from the grave again and again, using my precious SKY FIRE is a waste if all it costs him is another discard.
"Not interrupting? Then I'll keep going."
Kira's tone was relaxed.
"Now, I activate from hand: 'Aqua Spirit!'"
"This card cannot be Normal Summoned, but can be Special Summoned by banishing any WATER monster from my graveyard."
"I'll banish 'Abyss Soldier' from my grave to Special Summon 'Aqua Spirit!'"
Another whirlpool formed. Waters spun up, and a blue aquatic elf strode into the field atop crashing waves, wise eyes shining.
[Aqua Spirit, ATK 1600]
"Another new monster! Now then..."
Kira narrowed his eyes with a smile.
"Will you blow it up?"
….