"Netherworld King Dragon - God of Judgment!"
Yugen slapped the card onto his Duel Disc, and the light around them was instantly devoured by some invisible force. The ground seemed to crack open; pitch-black fissures oozed ghostly purple Nether Fire, like countless lost souls wailing in the abyss.
A dark purple pillar of light shot into the sky, and a gigantic dragon silhouette slowly emerged within it. Black scales gleamed with a cold metallic sheen; when its twin wings spread, their shadow covered the entire arena, as if night itself had fallen.
Netherworld King Dragon - God of Judgment, summoned!
[Netherworld King Dragon - God of Judgment, Attack Power 2800]
"Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely did not see this coming!" the flat-top commentator shouted. "Lina's beautiful double Synchro Summon, and yet she only dug herself deeper with each turn in the face of the opponent's continuous counterattack!
On Yugen's side, he kept interrupting her Synchros, kept drawing cards, and now he's even managed to use that to summon a powerful Upper-Level Monster!
At this rate, it's actually the relentlessly attacking Lina who's in danger!"
"Damn it!"
Down below, Victor from the Superpower Team hammered his fist on the table, cursing.
"Is that bastard commander planning to fight entirely with Trap Cards or what?"
The team captain Blake said in a low voice, "Calm down, don't lose your cool. Use this time to observe his Duel and gather intel. Later..."
He didn't finish that sentence, but Victor already understood what the captain meant.
The captain probably felt Lina might not be able to pull this off; she could very well be taken out soon. The fight today would still likely need the two of them to go up to settle it.
Yugen was still going: "Effect of Netherworld King Dragon - God of Judgment. When this card is successfully Special Summoned by its own effect, depending on the type of card that your Counterattack Traps negated, you can activate different effects.
Just now I used 'Celestial Punishment' to negate your 'Telekinesis Demon's' effect, which is a Monster Effect.
When a Counterattack Trap negates a Monster Effect, the corresponding effect of Netherworld King Dragon is: you can Special Summon 1 Monster from your own Graveyard to the Field."
Lina's heart stirred. Up until now in this Duel, she hadn't even managed to lay a finger on the opponent's Monsters. If he had a Monster in his Graveyard, then it could only be...
"Correct, the Monster you just kindly sent to my Graveyard by using 'Handwriting Erasure.'" Yugen smiled. "Revive 'Celestial Saint Motius' from the Graveyard!"
The vortex of the Graveyard beside his D-Wheel suddenly spun open, and a column of pitch-black light burst out of it. Holy feathers scattered across the sky; a red Angel bathed in divine radiance, wreathed in rings of light, took flight on the other side of Yugen's D-Wheel.
[Celestial Saint Motius, Attack Power 1600]
Lina gritted her teeth.
Rapid deployment and swift offense had originally been the pride of her telekinesis Card Deck. Who would've thought she'd make all these wild plays, only to look up and see nothing on her Field, while the Monsters on her opponent's hand and Field just kept multiplying...
Lina was getting increasingly anxious.
But then she glanced at a card in her hand.
There was still a chance.
"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Lina said.
Yugen said, "My turn. Draw."
He drew, glanced at the card, and immediately revealed it.
"Activate Field Spell 'Celestial Sanctuary'!"
A gentle white radiance spread outward with Yugen's D-Wheel as the center, countless specks of light drifting like feathers. A distant holy hymn seemed to echo through the air, as if Angels were whispering softly by their ears.
The track felt as if it were slowly rising; the Field seemed to be borne up by a pure sea of clouds. The scenery around them blurred, replaced by endless azure heavens. Clouds flowed like gauzy veils, and white palaces gradually appeared, their lines graceful and sacred, crystal inlaid upon domes refracting rainbow light.
"Angels should have a stage fit for Angel battles." Yugen smiled. "In Celestial Sanctuary, all battle damage dealt to me by Angel Race Monsters becomes 0."
Lina clicked her tongue.
But there was more Yugen didn't bother to say: although the Celestial Sanctuary card text only recorded that one line, it actually hid a whole bunch of additional effects. For example, many of his Counterattack Angels gained extra effects specifically when on the 'Celestial Sanctuary' Field.
Of course, that was something he was perfectly happy to let his opponent slowly discover on her own.
Yugen swept his arm down. "I set two cards to my back row.
Then I enter the Battle Phase!"
Lina's heart jolted.
Set cards first, then declare Battle...
Lina ground her teeth. "This bastard... really thinks he's finishing me off this turn, huh?"
In a normal Duel, players generally attack first, then use Main Phase 2 to set cards in the back row in preparation for defense and counterattacks next turn. But in a team relay match, it was different: once Yugen directly entered the Battle Phase, if he managed to finish Lina off this turn, the Duel would be forced straight into the End Phase from the Battle Phase. There'd be no Main Phase 2, and Yugen wouldn't be able to set any more cards for the next turn.
In other words, Yugen's choice to set his cards first already telegraphed his "going for the kill" intention.
"'Artemis of Bountiful Harvest,' direct attack on Miss Lina."
The white Angel leapt out from Yugen's side of the D-Wheel, sprinting along the track and charging straight towards the rear of Lina's bike.
Lina's eyes flashed sharp. "This is exactly what I was waiting for!
Activate face-down card, Trap Card 'Ripple Shield: Wave Power'!"
The roar of the D-Wheel engines was drowned out by a gentle tide-like sound; countless tiny droplets condensed out of the void, drawn together as if by an invisible gravity.
A clear watery barrier suddenly unfolded, forming a perfect hemispherical shield in midair. Countless flowing ripples intertwined to create the barrier, like auroras refracted from the deep sea undulating in waves. The airflow driven by the high-speed D-Wheels slammed into the shield, stirring ring after ring of ripples.
"It's Ripple Shield!" The flat-top commentator grew even more excited. "When the opponent declares a direct attack, Ripple Shield returns all Attack Position Monsters on the opponent's Field to their owner's Card Deck!
If this goes through, Yugen's three Monsters on the Field will all have to go back into his Card Deck, leaving him in a completely blank state! Will this one Trap rewrite the situation yet again!?"
The audience's shouts reached a fever pitch at that very moment!
Yugen cried out in frustration, "Damn! You had a Water Shield hidden even at the last moment... My Angels, my God of Judgment, this board state I've worked so hard to build..."
"You're not the only one who knows how to use Traps!" Lina shouted. "Now send them all back to your Card Deck!"
But in the next instant, Yugen's annoyance vanished, replaced by his usual cheeky grin. "Just kidding."
Lina: "Huh?"
"Counterattack Trap 'Thief's Seven Tools'!"
Another Counterattack Trap beside Yugen flipped face-up.
"I pay 1000 Life Points to negate the activation of your Trap Card and destroy it!"
Lina: "!"
He had a counter to her Trap hidden as well!?