Boom!
The sacrificial blast of the Giant Eater exploded exaggeratedly upon the Ultimate Dragon, turning into a massive fireball.
Yet, as the smoke cleared, the enormous and noble silhouette of the dragon re-emerged, still proudly standing on the field.
"What?"
Loren was taken aback.
"Why...!?"
[Kaiba, LP 400]
"The Speed Attack Magic 'I am the Shield' nullifies the effect of destroying the cards on the field by paying 1500 Life Points," Kaiba calmly stated, "thus nullifying the destruction effect of 'Survival Realm.'
'Giant Eater X' and 'True Ultimate Blue-Eyes Dragon' destruction both become nullified."
"Tch," Loren gritted his teeth, "to think you'd use yourself as a shield for the Ultimate Dragon..."
"Battle!" Kaiba shouted, "'True Ultimate Blue-Eyes Dragon,' attack 'Giant Eater X!
The Bursting Gale Bullet of the Ultimate!"
The Ultimate Dragon simultaneously swung its three heads, and the dazzling white light from its mouths surged out like a scorching torrent!
Though enhanced by the barrier, Giant Eater was powerless before the annihilating energy, and with a piercing scream, it was torn to shreds in the white light.
"Ughhh!"
A tremendous energy impact, like a visible white storm, lifted Loren into the air, sending him tumbling dramatically until he crashed heavily against the green light barrier behind him.
[Loren, LP 2400→LP 400]
"The effect of 'True Ultimate Blue-Eyes Dragon,'" Kaiba continued, "Once per Duel, this card can attack three times in one round!" (Original effect)
He paused, squinting at the remaining 'Super Hammerhead Dragon' on Loren's field.
"This monster seems to have the troublesome ability to return the opponent's monster to the hand after battle... However, that's something to deal with after the damage calculation!"
Kaiba raised his voice and shouted.
"Before that, just use absolute power to defeat it!
Continue the battle, 'True Ultimate Blue-Eyes Dragon's second attack! Attack 'Super Hammerhead Dragon!'
The Bursting Gale Bullet of the Ultimate, two consecutive strikes!"
Anyway, in the animation, the 'True Ultimate Blue-Eyes Dragon' has one chance to perform three consecutive attacks, but as a side effect of this ability, it would explode at the end of the battle phase after using this power.
So it's a sacrificial OTK-type ability, either to achieve a one-hit kill or to self-destruct. Even if Super Hammerhead Dragon didn't bounce it back, if it didn't finish the opponent, it would blow itself up.
"Shatter! Smash! Cheer loudly!" Kaiba shouted at the top of his lungs, "The future belongs only to those who look forward. The weak should drown in their pointless memories!"
Another brilliance as if engulfing the world, the three mouths of the White Dragon with blazing white light illuminated down almost swallowing Loren.
Loren looked up at that white light, a moment of distraction in his expression.
"..."
The flashback of memory returned to that day.
The darkest day in his memory and a day he could never erase for a lifetime.
A purgatorial village, flames and black smoke everywhere, along with monstrous groaning. The man who crawled toward him was once his father, now resembling a monster, no longer having that gentle and doting look in his eyes, but only a hunger like instinct.
The child sat down, almost paralyzed, with icy limbs unable to move, only tears flowing uncontrollably.
The man crawled in front of him, slowly reaching out with that terrifying, eye-catching claw.
And then softly.
Placed a card in front of him.
Then that hand dropped, resting lifelessly just a step away from the child, lying silent on the ground.
The child stayed there, blank, as if dumbfounded, unmoving.
Until a zombie-like creature discovered him, screeching and lunging at him like a hungry tiger.
At that moment, the card in front of him suddenly burst with golden light. A ghostly image flew from that card, and with a power that shot to the sky, knocked the zombie far away, rolling it into the foot of a wall where it lay silent.
Only then did the child come to his senses, staring in shock at the apparition from the card, asking with a trembling voice, unable to believe.
"Dad... Daddy?"
"..."
...
...
"What a joke..."
Loren's eyes had turned blood red.
"To say it is a pointless memory..." He looked up at that destructive white light, with a twisted expression, "Kaiba... Seto!"
Boom—
With the second strike, the bursting beam obliterated everything. Super Hammerhead Dragon was also shattered under the onslaught of the White Dragon, and Loren once again was blown away.
"Has it finally ended?" Keihei murmured.
Yet...
Having been knocked down by two consecutive strikes, the figure twitched and then, still smoking all over, supported by both hands on the ground, slowly stood up again.
His entire body was still smoking, and he was still staggering as if barely able to stand. In the Orichalcos Barrier, the true damage of the Dark Duel, coupled with enduring two consecutive strikes from a spirit like the True Ultimate Dragon, would have overwhelmed the body and mind of an ordinary person.
But he stood up again, as if too stubborn to die.
[Loren, LP 1900]
"Huh?" Keihei was surprised, "How... why?"
"At that instant, I activated the Cover Card... Trap Card 'Super Z Strength Enhancer.'" Loren said in a deep voice, "When receiving over 2000 damage this turn, before the damage calculation... you can recover 4000 Life Points."
So before the strike of the White Dragon hit, his Life Points had returned to 4400, and after Super Hammerhead Dragon was destroyed in battle, he suffered 2500 damage, so his current Life Points are 1900.
"What a tenacious guy." Keihei frowned, "But the Ultimate Dragon still has one more attack, the result hasn't changed..."
"No." Yugen patted his shoulder, reminding, "The effect of Super Hammerhead Dragon."
"Ah!" Keihei then realized.
"Right, if Super Hammerhead Dragon, after a battle without destroying the opponent's monster, damage calculation after... returns the monster to the hand!"
The powerful death-rattle effect activated when the OTK failed. The spectral image of Super Hammerhead Dragon appeared, roaring as if a wraith, crashing into the Ultimate Dragon.
True Ultimate Dragon instantly transformed into a beam of white light, flying back to Kaiba's deck.
"True Ultimate Dragon is a Fusion Monster and cannot return to the hand, so it naturally returns to the Fusion Card Deck," Loren said grimly, "I won't fall easily, Seto Kaiba.
If I fall here... then where will all the hatred and anger I've harbored until now go!?"