Unconsciously, Greiger's grip on the Duel Runner's handle tightened.
Total Annihilation.
Dark Flattop and SKY FIRE—his proudest ace combo—were wiped out so casually.
A trap activated from the hand—one pit nested inside another in an endless chain of pits.
Even if he couldn't analyze it as clearly as Yusei, Greiger now realized his every move had been anticipated, leaving him thoroughly played by his opponent.
If this had been before he became a Dark Signer, facing such a duelist, Greiger would have truly admired them, admitting defeat to superior skill—the strongest he'd ever met.
But this was not a friendly match. This was a duel for life and vengeance!
"I must win. No matter what—I must win, even if it means selling my soul!"
Greiger roared.
"Activate set card!
Trap Card, 'Contaminated Earth'!" (Anime card)
"Contaminated Earth can only be activated in a turn where two or more of your own Level 5+ monsters were destroyed." Greiger raised his arm. "From hand, deck, or grave, you can Special Summon a monster with 'Earthbound Immortal' in its name!"
(For clarification: Greiger specified "Level 5+ monsters" in his explanation. Technically, the Dark Synchro Flattop is Level -8, not 5+, but in the anime, Contaminated Earth triggers if both SKY FIRE and Flattop are destroyed. Since it's a custom Dark Signer card, its rulings clearly allow the combo.)
"Earthbound Immortal?!"
Yusei and Jack, hearing this for the first time, were both shocked. The next moment, they clutched their arms—the Red Dragon Mark burning with pain.
Their anxiety also peaked in that instant.
The Nazca Lines appeared in the duel zone's air, and a pair of purple-black whale fins split the darkness. In that instant, the sky seemed to twist into a dark purple cornea; as Earthbound Immortal's body broke free, it looked less like a creature, more like a moving mountain.
Like a gigantic whale from myth, even reality seemed to wrinkle as it swayed its tail. Its wail pierced space and time, with materialized shockwaves rattling heaven and earth.
[Earthbound Immortal Chacu Challhua, ATK 2900]
The god-like pressure—cosmic darkness—shook Yusei and Jack to their cores. They had never seen such a terrifying monster.
Are there really such terrifying beasts in this world?
"Wait, there's…something inside that monster."
Frowning, Yusei scrutinized the Earthbound Immortal.
Though it was only a flash, he seemed to glimpse a human face inside the immense body of the Earthbound.
The face of a child.
"The Earthbound Immortal are the true aces of the Dark Signers. Be honored to meet your end at the hands of a god, Goodwin!" Greiger howled.
"Go, Earthbound Immortal Chacu Challhua! Attack Goodwin directly!!"
Every Earthbound Immortal ignores your defenses, attacking directly no matter what monsters you control. With ATK typically near 3000, in a 4000-LP format, direct attacks from these titans are devastating.
Notably, in the anime, Earthbound Immortal also had universal immunity: unaffected by any spell/trap effects, making them far stronger than TCG versions.
Their one fatal weakness is the field. True to their name, Earthbound Immortal are bound spirits—if a field spell isn't present, they self-destruct.
But in anime Turbo Duels, that weakness is nullified, as from the outset, the continuous field spell "Speed World" is always in play and indestructible, as per the rules. So Earthbound Immortal' greatest weakness simply does not exist in these duels.
[Kira, LP 4000 → LP 1100]
Greiger declared, "With my Earthbound Immortal out, you've no chance left!"
He pressed a fist to his chest, mumbling almost prayer-like: "Just a little longer…almost time…just a little more and I'll send my enemies down to avenge you…"
Kira replied calmly, "Your enemy, you say? In the end, you're just another selfish fool lost in pursuit of strength."
"What did you say?!" Greiger raged. "I've lived my whole life without shame—all I have done was for my hometown, to build a better place for the kids' futures! It's people like you who stole all hope from us!"
"Oh?" Kira said. "Then why are you working with the very ones who slaughtered your village?"
"Me? Work with them? Don't slander me, Goodwin! You bastard—"
But he suddenly froze, a strange feeling creeping through, his face changing as instinct forced him to look up.
And with that look, his soul all but left his body.
He saw them: faces.
Face after face: elders, children, all familiar from his hometown—inside the Earthbound Immortal he had summoned.
"Why—?!"
Shock gripped Greiger's heart.
The children he once swore to protect, his very reason for living—now appearing, so tragically, inside the Earthbound Immortal.
"Why are my people…why are the villagers inside the Earthbound Immortal…"
"Why? You know the truth—it's staring right at you, even if you still can't accept it. How pitiful," said Kira. "Every summoning of an Earthbound Immortal requires countless souls as sacrifice.
Guess where the souls powering your Earthbound Immortal came from?"
Greiger: "!!!"
Suddenly, he struggled to breathe, going numb.
Yes, the truth was before him. To deny it now would be self-deception.
"The Earthbound Immortal…took my kin…no, does that mean the god I'm using…it…it…"
His village's destruction, all those tragic deaths, had nothing to do with Goodwin. The real force ruined his future—exactly the group he'd joined: the Dark Signers.
He'd become an accomplice and hadn't even known it; he was now using a god powered by the souls of his own people.
"Why am I even fighting? What is this all for…ahhhh—!!"
Greiger screamed in torment.
At this, all the purple-black marks on his body shone bright, his already-dark eyes growing even deeper and blacker. An evil energy erupted, and a powerful, booming voice whispered in his ear.
"You fight because it is your destiny. You are fated to be a Dark Signer.
If you refuse to fight, then I shall fight in your place!"
…