That suffocating pressure continued to linger within the ruined hall.
Beneath the broken marble pillar, Raku moved slowly.
He clawed at the cold floor tiles with his right hand, struggling to stand up in an extremely disheveled state. The tattered hem of his coat swayed as he rose. That impact just now had definitely broken several of his ribs; every breath carried a strong taste of blood.
Yet he still held up the Duel Disk on his left arm.
"My turn… draw!"
Raku sharply drew the top card of his Deck.
The monster at the center of the hall let out a low growl, the hollow red glow fixed firmly on him.
"I will definitely save you, Eldlich!"
Without hesitation, Raku's gaze swept across the Duel Disk.
"I flip [Shaddoll Falco] from face-down Defense Position to face-up Attack Position!" Raku declared loudly. "Then I activate its first effect: when this card is flipped, you can target 1 "Shaddoll" monster in your Graveyard, except "Shaddoll Falco"; Special Summon it in face-down Defense Position."
A faint glow emerged from the Graveyard Zone of the Duel Disk.
"The one I Special Summon in face-down Defense Position is–[Shaddoll Hedgehog]."
At that very moment–
The massive Mad Golden Lord in front suddenly moved. Driven by a kind of beastly instinct, or perhaps lingering muscle memory of duel rules, it flipped open one of the set cards.
"ROAR!"
[Huaquero of the Golden Land].
First effect: Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster (Zombie/LIGHT/Level 5/ATK 1800/DEF 1500) (this card is also still a Trap), then, if you control "Eldlich the Golden Lord", you can banish 1 card from either GY.
And the Mad Golden Lord is treated as "Eldlich the Golden Lord."
The ground of the hall suddenly cracked open. A skeleton soldier resembling a pirate sailor crawled out stiffly, standing on the field in Attack Position.
In a blink, a beam of dark golden light struck Raku's Graveyard Zone without any regard.
The phantom of [Shaddoll Hedgehog], which should have been revived, was instantly shattered under the beam and completely banished.
Raku clearly saw this scene, yet the corner of his mouth twisted instead.
"Next, I Normal Summon my second Aleister!"
Raku slammed a card from his hand onto the field.
Aleister, holding his massive staff, appeared once again.
"I activate its effect to search [Invocation]!"
The moment Aleister raised his staff, the Mad Golden Lord let out another furious roar.
It violently swung its claw, flipping open the second set card.
[Conquistador of the Golden Land]!
The Mad Golden Lord's massive body erupted with dazzling golden light. It grabbed the just-summoned [Huaquero of the Golden Land] and crushed it brutally. That power transformed into a bolt of golden lightning, charging straight toward Aleister.
Boom!
Aleister's phantom did not even have time to react before it was completely shattered by the golden lightning.
Raku let out a heavy breath mixed with blood. The pain in his chest made him want to collapse immediately, yet his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
This was completely irrational, blindly using negations! Purely relying on instinct to mechanically stop any possible play!
Which meant…
"So that means you have no interruptions left, right?"
Raku looked at the now-empty Spell/Trap Zone.
"So how about this?!"
He swiftly drew out another card from his hand.
"I activate a second [Shaddoll Fusion] from my hand!"
Aleister, who had been watching from the side, finally dropped his spectator-like attitude.
"Hey, partner!" Aleister's tone carried a rare trace of seriousness. "The Shaddoll monsters haven't acknowledged you! Without Destiny Power and Spirit recognition, if you keep forcibly Special Summoning this dark power, your body and soul might not be able to endure it!"
"Shut up!"
Raku snapped back without hesitation.
"A promise is a promise. I said it… I will win again!"
The moment Raku shouted these words.
The card case hanging at his waist suddenly burst with a blinding white light.
Raku lowered his head in surprise. Those were his blank cards. The cards that originally had no patterns–just pure white surfaces–now, the top one began to reveal clear markings.
That purple-black tone, that form entwined with countless threads.
It was Winda's outline.
No, not quite!
It was a presence far larger and far more oppressive than Winda!
The card art solidified.
A pure, non-hostile dark magical power flowed into Raku's Duel Disk.
"Shaddoll Fusion first effect: use monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Materials to Fusion Summon 1 "Shaddoll" Fusion Monster. If your opponent controls a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, you can also use monsters from your Deck as Fusion Materials!"
The Deck popped open.
"The Fusion Materials are a "Shaddoll" monster, a DARK monster, and an EARTH monster!"
Raku loudly declared the destinations of the materials.
"I send Winda on the field, [Tohushaddoll Grysta] from the Deck, and [Shaddoll Squamata] to the Graveyard! Then Fusion Summon–"
Winda on the field sank into the purple-black vortex beneath her feet.
"Its body is a forbidden transgression. Let the power of Shaddoll gather once more, shroud the golden light for me, and guide this duel to victory–"
Raku slammed the newly formed card into the Duel Disk.
"[El Shaddoll Meshahrail]!!!"
An enormous mechanical structure rose from the purple-black mire. It was a terrifying construct like a mobile fortress, massive gears and cannon barrels wrapped in Shaddoll's purple threads, violently occupying most of the field.
But the price of this grand appearance was an even heavier backlash.
"Then auto chain! Chain Link 1 Grysta, Chain Link 2 Winda, Chain Link 3 Shaddoll Squamata!"
"Shaddoll Squamata's effect…" Raku's face had turned deathly pale.
"Pff!"
Another mouthful of thick blood burst out. He clenched his teeth tightly, a leaking, rasping growl escaping his throat.
"Second effect: if this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect! Send 1 "Shaddoll" card from the Deck to the Graveyard, except "Shaddoll Squamata". I send [Shaddoll Core] to the Graveyard!"
He endured the dizziness on the verge of blacking out, mechanically continuing his Deck setup.
"Then Winda's third effect: if this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can target 1 "Shaddoll" Spell/Trap in your Graveyard; add it to your hand. I add [Shaddoll Fusion] from my Graveyard to my hand!"
"Then Grysta's second effect: If this card is sent to the GY by card effect: You can Fusion Summon 1 "Shaddoll" Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, by banishing its materials from your hand, field, and/or GY!"
The complex sequence flowed smoothly in Raku's hands.
"I banish Shaddoll Falco and Shaddoll Beast from my Graveyard, and Fusion Summon again–[El Shaddoll Winda]!"
The green-haired girl riding the shadow dragon descended once more from the distorted void.
"Shaddoll Core retrieves another Shaddoll Fusion."
"Then I activate El Shaddoll Meshahrail's second effect: once per turn, pay 800 Life Points; add 1 "Shaddoll" card or 1 "Void" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand!"
Raku issued the command atop that massive machine.
His Duel Disk emitted a sharp Life Point warning.
[Raku, LP: 7700 → 6900]
"Pay 800 Life Points, add [Shaddoll Schism] to my hand!"
The moment the card was retrieved, Raku's steps faltered uncontrollably. His entire body nearly lost balance, almost dropping to his knees.
He breathed heavily.
"And I set one card and end my turn."
As Raku's weak voice fell.
The Mad Golden Lord began its move.
That massive and violent golden monster extended its claw filled with spikes and grasped into the void.
A Spell Card radiating dark red light appeared before it.
The name of that card was [Eldlixir of Black Awakening].
There was no trace of rationality in the hollow red eyes of the Mad Golden Lord. It was merely executing some instinct engraved deep within the card.
"ROAR!"
First effect: Special Summon 1 Zombie monster from your hand or Deck in Defense Position. If you do not control "Eldlich the Golden Lord", you cannot Special Summon monsters except "Eldlich the Golden Lord". After this card resolves, you cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of the turn, except Zombie monsters.
The hall trembled violently. The Duel Disk's interface flickered as the beast forcibly drew out the last bit of power from the Deck.
The final [Eldlich the Golden Lord] was unwillingly dragged out from the dark red light, crouching in Defense Position beside the Mad Golden Lord.
The oppressive presence of the Golden Land surged once more.
Raku stood beside the broken stone pillar, breathing with extreme difficulty. The sharp pain in his chest made even opening his eyes require immense effort.
But he saw that timing.
That crucial moment when the Golden Land monster hit the field!
"Right now!"
Raku gritted his teeth and swung his right hand, which had barely any strength left, pointing toward the set card on his field.
"At the moment your monster is Special Summoned, I activate [Shaddoll Schism]!"
The set Trap Card flipped open within the ruined hall.
Purple light spread like a tangible mire.
"First effect: during either player's Main Phase, you can banish monsters from your field or Graveyard as Fusion Materials, then Fusion Summon 1 "Shaddoll" Fusion Monster. After that, you can send 1 monster your opponent controls with the same Attribute as that Special Summoned monster to the Graveyard. The monster Special Summoned by this effect cannot attack directly!"
Raku's trembling fingers pressed against the Graveyard Zone of the Duel Disk.
"I banish [Shaddoll Beast] and the LIGHT monster [Qadshaddoll Keios] from my Graveyard!"
The phantoms of the two cards shattered midair.
"Fusion Summon–"
Raku used the last of his strength, shouting the name with all his might.
"El Shaddoll Meshahrail!"
The fusion vortex exploded beneath the dome of the hall.
An enormous figure, like a god descending, slowly took shape within the purple-black radiance. It was a colossal female form with her eyes closed, her size so exaggerated that it surpassed even the broken semi-open dome of the hall.
Countless dark purple threads hung from her fingertips.
That pressure, both sacred and eerily unsettling, instantly overwhelmed the violent aura emitted by the Mad Golden Lord.
However, forcibly summoning such a massive dark entity completely drained the last remnants of Soul Power from Raku's already broken body.
Thud.
The light on the Duel Disk dimmed. Raku's knees gave out, and his entire body collapsed forward uncontrollably, crashing heavily onto the cold marble floor.
Aleister stood at the edge of the field, watching the fallen Raku. A strange glint flashed beneath his hood.
"So he's finally reached his limit."
He quickly raised his staff, about to step forward and pull his nearly shut-down master back up.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Those dark purple threads hanging from the enormous figure, seemingly alive, gave Aleister no chance to intervene.
Like vines seeking a long-desired host, they swiftly wrapped around Raku's motionless body.
Wrists.
Ankles.
Torso.
The threads gently yet firmly lifted Raku from the ground, suspending him stiffly in midair.
Raku's head hung low, his chest rising only faintly.
This feeling was strange.
Clearly, there wasn't a single drop of strength left in his body. The pain made even his skull feel numb, yet now, suspended in midair, he didn't need to exert any effort to support this body on the verge of collapse.
As if… some extremely familiar presence had taken over this broken life.
Raku slowly raised his head.
His originally black eyes were now overtaken by a deep purple-black hue. The violet pupils flickered with an eerie glow.
Raku turned his head with effort, glancing over his shoulder.
That massive monster–[El Shaddoll Meshahrail]–hovered there. From its cold and mechanical frame extended a thick purple cable, connected to the back of Raku's neck. It nodded at him.
"So that's how it is…"
Raku looked at this absurd scene, a faint, exhausted smile tugging at his lips.
"So it's my old monster?"
This was his [El Shaddoll Meshahrail] from his original world responding to him.
"Looks like my Duel Spirit hasn't given up on me."
Raku's purple-black eyes locked once more onto the Mad Golden Lord ahead.
"Meshahrail, I'm counting on you."
Meshahrail swiftly moved above Raku's head, the purple threads tightening further.
With the support of those threads, Raku no longer needed to expend his limited strength to move his arms. His will traveled directly along those dark purple nerve-like cords into the mind of the monster on the field.
"Shaddoll Schism's follow-up effect!"
Raku's voice rang clearly through the silent hall.
"Since El Shaddoll Meshahrail is LIGHT Attribute!"
The massive divine figure spread her arms.
"So–your [Eldlich the Mad Golden Lord]… is sent to the Graveyard!"
Raku declared coldly.
"Even though the Mad Golden Lord cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, it can still be sent to the Graveyard!"
Purple radiance surged like a tidal wave, crashing forward violently.
At the center of the hall.
The domineering [Eldlich the Mad Golden Lord] did not even have time to scream before being really locked by this unreasonable rule-based force.
Its massive golden body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Golden fragments peeled away piece by piece, accompanied by dark red light.
"Then, when El Shaddoll Meshahrail is Special Summoned, I can send 1 Shaddoll card from my Deck to the Graveyard. I send Shaddoll Squamata, and Squamata's effect sends Naelshaddoll Ariel to the Graveyard."
"Ariel's second effect activates: if this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, you can target up to 3 cards in either Graveyard; banish them. I banish your two Golden Lords and the Mad Golden Lord!"
The Mad Golden Lord wildly swung its claws, attempting to tear apart the purple light, dragging it downward, but it was ultimately futile. The light pierced straight through its mask without mercy.
Crack Crack Crack…
The grating sound of breaking continued without end. This mindless monster ultimately could not resist the overwhelming pull.
Amid the marble ruins, its struggle for that turn finally came to an end.
...
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