Artificial Human - Telekinesis Intimidator, summon again!
Appearing again in the same Duel, Soga's robe fluttered as his lanky figure towered on the field. Chin lifted, chest puffed, arms crossed, he looked downright arrogant.
Today is this grandpa's home game!
In contrast, Lixid's expression turned quite ugly.
Again, it's this thing again.
You could practically call it a lingering ghost that won't go away.
Do you seriously not want me to use Traps that badly?
"Battle," Yugen said. "Even though you have 'Apib's Transformation God' on your field, that Monster is essentially a Trap Card, not a Monster. Artificial Human Soga is the nemesis of all Traps—while Soga is on the field, all Trap Monsters' Trap Effects are negated, and they can no longer be treated as Monsters.
Therefore, Artificial Human - Telekinesis Intimidator, attack Lixid directly."
Soga grew even more smug, as if trying to knead out a massive Telekinesis Ball that matched his status in this Duel. A glowing sphere of thought spun in his palms, formed amidst entangling lightning, then was suddenly hurled forth.
With Soga's Trap Lock in place, even Lixid had no means of counterattack and could only tank that blast. The light sphere exploded in his face, Lixid staggered backward, black smoke billowing from his body, his footing unsteady.
[Lixid, LP2600 → LP200]
Yugen said, "My turn is over."
Lixid let out a long, turbid breath.
He was now quite certain in his heart: though he didn't know how, the opponent really seemed to know what Card Deck and tactical style he was using. Be it Soga or the announcements, the opponent's build was clearly tailored to counter him.
There's a saying: those who ambush others will themselves be ambushed. Lixid, a hardcore pitfall player who'd spent his whole life making sure his opponent couldn't even play cards, always took preventing the opponent from making moves as the primary goal of a Duel. Who'd have thought that karma would spin around, and one day there'd be a time when Lixid himself couldn't play cards...
"Looks like I'll have to rely on 'that' once more."
Lixid murmured to himself, lowering his head to look at the Card in his hand.
Then he drew a deep breath, straightened his back, and spoke loudly: "My turn, draw!"
Then he slammed two cards from his hand down at once.
"Magic Card 'Soul-Sealing Holy Grail'!"
"And the Magic Card 'Emblem of Serket'!" (Original Card)
"I play these two Magic Cards onto the field together!"
A golden Holy Grail appeared, followed by a weird-looking emblem being engraved into existence. Then this glorious Royal Divine Hall began to tremble violently; from beneath the hall came a faint rumbling sound, as though some terrifying existence was about to be summoned forth from the seal within this Divine Hall.
"Back in Duel City, Joey Wheeler's Artificial Human once had me in dire straits as well. And the one that helped me break through and turn the situation around back then was this Holy Beast sealed within the Divine Hall."
Lixid solemnly drew out a card and said slowly.
"When 'Royal Divine Hall', 'Emblem of Serket', and 'Soul-Sealing Holy Grail' are all on the field, this card is Special Summoned directly from the Card Deck!
Sealed in the Royal Divine Hall, the guardian Divine Beast——
——Holy Beast Selket, summon!!"
Responding to Lixid's call and landing on the field was a massive crimson scorpion. Its twin pincers were sharp like cruel instruments of torture, its red armor-plated back bristled with jagged barbs, and when it opened its maw, it revealed dagger-like fangs.
[Holy Beast Selket, Attack Power 2500]
This was Lixid's true ace, the exclusive Guardian Divine Beast of the "Royal Divine Hall"!
"Holy Beast Selket, attack 'Artificial Human - Telekinesis Intimidator'!"
Soga, who had been calmly standing with arms crossed, suddenly changed expression and looked pleadingly at his master.
As if asking, "Don't tell me I'm this pathetic—just came back and I'm gonna die again?"
But his kind master only flashed him a dazzling smile.
"Safe travels."
Soga: "..."
The Holy Beast's massive pincers lunged in, clamping down on Soga's left and right arms at blinding speed, then hoisted him toward its mouth. Half of Soga's body was shoved into that huge maw, his legs still flailing desperately outside, but his alloy body was already being chewed to bits by those fangs, quickly turning into golden fragments and being swallowed down.
[Yugen, LP4000 → LP3900]
"Holy Beast Selket can absorb the power of Monsters it destroys in battle," Lixid said. "It gains half of the destroyed Monster's Attack Power!" (Original Effect)
In the Physical Card, this was changed to only gaining 500 Attack Power when it destroys a Monster in battle, but to make up for it, the Physical Selket can banish the opponent's Monster from the Game when it destroys it in battle—a skill that the original anime version didn't have.
[Holy Beast Selket, Attack Power 2500 → Attack Power 3700]
Excellent, with that the Trap Lock has been lifted again. His powerful Traps could once more shine. Lixid thought to himself.
He looked again at a card in his hand.
Trap Card - Bottomless Trap Hole. When a Monster with 1500 or more Attack Power is Normal or Special Summoned, it can be immediately destroyed and banished from the Game—a very powerful summon-response Trap.
With no Soga around, Holy Beast Selket, growing stronger as it fights, combined with the endless stream of powerful Red Pits in his Card Deck, was more than enough to suppress any opponent to death.
Lixid said, "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
"After absorbing Soga, its Attack Power jumped straight to 3700. This won't be easy to handle."
Yugen muttered as if talking to himself.
"My turn, draw."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two cards in the opponent's back row.
"Hmm, it's not just this Holy Beast. Mr. Lixid's Card Deck was a Trap Deck to begin with, so his back row really can't be taken lightly."
He sighed as he spoke, putting on a helpless expression.
"Alright, looks like I still have to rely on an old friend's power. Sorry to trouble you, but I'm gonna have to ask you to work some overtime again..."
With that, he slapped down another Monster.
"Summon 'Artificial Human - Telekinesis Plugger'."
[Artificial Human - Telekinesis Plugger, Defense Power 2000]
Lixid frowned.
Another Artificial Human series monster he'd never seen before. Now, the moment he saw the three characters "Artificial Human," he already started to get a bad feeling.
"Telekinesis Plug-in's effect: I tribute this card, and add an 'Artificial Human' Monster Card other than Plug-in from my Card Deck to my hand.
After that, I check the opponent's Magic Trap Area. If there are Trap Cards there, I can Special Summon from my hand up to that number of Artificial Human monsters!"
Lixid: "!"
Search from the deck, check my traps, and can even Special Summon...
"Do you still have Artificial Human Soga in your deck?" Lixid said in a low voice.
"Haha, that I don't. But monsters with 'Artificial Human' in their name aren't limited to Soga alone."
Yugen chuckled.
"I add my second 'Threatening Android - Telekinesis Stunner' from the deck to my hand."
Yugen revealed the monster he had searched.
"Then I confirm your back-row Cover Cards.
Trap Scan!"
Telekinesis Plug-in's telekinesis swept out, and both of Lixid's back-row Cover Cards were pierced through and identified.
Trap Card - Bottomless Trap Hole. Trap Card - Dharma Eye's Telekinesis.
Bottomless went without saying. Dharma Eye's Telekinesis was the Original Card Lixid used in his duel with Joey Wheeler, described as activating when the opponent declares an attack, allowing free control of the opponent's attacking monster.
The text is extremely abstract, but judging from how it looked in the anime, it should be similar to President Kaiba's "Attack-Inducing Armor," which has since been printed as a Physical Card. You can freely decide the target of the opponent's monster's attack, and can even make that monster turn its fangs on its own side.
"Hoh, they really are dangerous traps." Yugen said. "But that means I can Special Summon up to two Artificial Human monsters from my hand.
I Special Summon 'Threatening Android - Telekinesis Stunner'."
[Threatening Android - Telekinesis Stunner, Attack Power 2400]
Lixid was shocked.
He knows I have Bottomless and still summons?
Telekinesis Plug-in just now only had 800 Attack Power, and Bottomless requires a monster with at least 1500 Attack Power to trigger. This Artificial Human now meets the threshold.
Lixid didn't hesitate: "I activate my Cover Card. Trap Card 'Bottomless Trap Hole'—destroy the Threatening Android and remove it from play!"
Yugen snapped his fingers.
"Then I chain 'Threatening Android - Telekinesis Stunner''s effect. By tributing itself, I can Special Summon a Telekinesis Stunner from my hand or Graveyard!"
Lixid was greatly taken aback: "Its monster effect can actually be chained to a Trap Card's activation...so it's a Spell Speed 2 monster effect?"
"Correct." Yugen said. "Threatening Android - Telekinesis Stunner's effect can be activated during either player's Main Phase, just like a normal Trap Card's Spell speed. So it can chain to Trap Card activations.
So I tribute Threatening Android and once more resurrect from the Graveyard——
——Artificial Human - Telekinesis Intimidator!"
Back from the grave yet again for who knows the how-many-th time, Artificial Human Soga still wore a proud expression.
I, Soga, possess an immortal body!
[Artificial Human - Telekinesis Intimidator, Attack Power 2400]
"You'd go this far just to bring Soga back to the field again..." Lixid said. "Indeed, this way my back-row Traps are sealed once more.
But so what? Holy Beast Selket's Attack Power has already reached 3700. Even without Traps, that's not something an Artificial Human can match..."
"At first glance, it does look that way."
Yugen replied.
"But you might not know this: since Duel City, it's not just that your Trap Card Deck has progressed with lots of anti-countermeasure research. On the Artificial Human Soga side, evolution has long since happened as well."
Soga grew even prouder, lifting his head high as if to say "Exactly."
Lixid was startled: "The Artificial Humans have evolved as well?"
"That's right. Let me show you now." Yugen said. "I send Artificial Human - Telekinesis Intimidator to the Graveyard, and Special Summon from my hand Soga's evolved form, the Telekinesis Lockdown King who has taken Trap Lock to the extreme——
——Artificial Human - Telekinesis King, Summon!!"
Yugen slapped down the Monster Card, and Soga once again evolved and powered up amidst a storm of telekinesis!
From the lightning and energy emerged a brand-new form. It still had Soga's face, but its figure was clearly a head taller, and the design of its clothing and exterior had undergone dramatic change. Its aura and the oppressive telekinetic pressure radiating from within were on a completely different level from before.
[Artificial Human - Telekinesis King, Attack Power 2600]
"Telekinesis King...I see, it does look like it's evolved quite a bit." Lixid said. "But even so, its Attack Power has only increased by a mere 200 points.
In front of the Holy Beast..."
"That's not the point." Yugen smiled. "First, Telekinesis King inherits Soga's effect: as long as it's on the field, neither player can activate Trap effects, and the effects of all Trap Cards on the field are negated.
And, once per turn, you can reveal all the cards in your opponent's hand and on their field. If there are Trap Cards among them, those Traps are destroyed, and for each card destroyed by this effect, your opponent takes 300 damage."
Lixid blinked.
Each Trap deals...how much damage?
Huh?
"Now then, Lixid, I don't know what you have in your hand, but you still have one back-row Cover Card, which we already checked earlier. That one...should be a Trap Card, right?"
Lixid: "..."
"In a duel, it's never mandatory to defeat the opponent's ace monster. No matter what method you use, as long as you take the opposing Duelist down, it's your victory. I believe this is a truth you, Mr. Lixid—no, you Tomb Guardian Duelists—understand better than anyone, isn't it?"
Lixid: "......"
"Then, Telekinesis King's effect." Yugen declared. "Destroy all the Trap Cards in Mr. Lixid's back-row and hand, and inflict damage!"
[Lixid, LP200 → LP0]