"Damn it!"
Alexis Rhodes suddenly had a premonition. The deck this despicable guy was currently using... it didn't seem like a "good" deck at all! It was the exact same type of subhuman deck as that Exodia OTK build that had driven Chazz Princeton absolutely ballistic last night!
Sure enough, she quickly noticed Jiang He's lips curl slightly after he glanced at the card he had just drawn. It was the same expression he wore last night when he pulled a piece of Exodia and mischievously declared Chazz's death sentence one step at a time!
"Alexis, let me gift you a powerful Level 8 monster."
"By Tributing two monsters on the opponent's field, I Special Summon Lava Golem to the opponent's side in Attack Position!"
Jiang He revealed the card he had just drawn!
"Lava Golem? That monster is...?!"
Alexis and her two tag-along friends behind her all wore expressions of shock and resistance. They clearly didn't want that thing!
However, a burst of light erupted from Cyber Star and the bound Blade Skater on Alexis's side of the lake field. They vanished as Tributes, looking utterly bewildered.
Immediately after, a massive shadow of a humanoid lava monster rose from beneath the surface of the lake behind their boat!
"Aaah!!"
Mindy and Jasmine, watching the duel from behind Alexis, shrieked and hugged each other in terror.
In the next second, a large cage connected to chains dropped from the front of the house-sized lava body, instantly encasing the boat holding the three girls! Though the boat remained on the water, it was now trapped inside a cage. Behind them stood the gargantuan Lava Golem, its molten body sprouting black chains that connected to the top of their prison!
*Lava Golem*
*Level: 8*
*Attribute: Fire*
*Attack: 3000*
*Defense: 2500*
"Eh!? Why did Jiang He give Alexis a powerful monster with 3000 Attack? And Alexis looks like she absolutely hates it!?" Syrus Truesdale asked in astonishment. He voiced the same confusion felt by Jaden Yuki, who was equally lacking in theoretical knowledge.
They couldn't understand why a 3000 Attack monster in Jiang He's hand could use Alexis's monsters as Tributes to be summoned to her side of the field. Even weirder, one person was "gifting" a powerhouse while the other looked grim and utterly repulsed.
"Because Lava Golem's effect allows it to be Special Summoned to the opponent's field by Tributing two of their monsters. However, during each of the controller's Standby Phases, it deals 1000 LP damage to whoever currently has it on their field. It's a monster with a massive drawback," Chumley Huffington, who had been silent until now, explained to the two.
"Th-that's the kind of effect it has?" Cold sweat broke out on Jaden and Syrus.
That meant the moment Alexis's turn began, she would immediately take 1000 points of damage.
What... what a toxic effect.
Jaden and Syrus suddenly recalled the word Jiang He had mentioned earlier that day. They were starting to grasp its meaning. Not only did she lose two monsters, but she also had to take 1000 damage every turn. Even the duelist herself was locked inside the monster's cage...
It was exactly like being in prison.
"Even though Lava Golem brings a negative effect, this monster is a double-edged sword. I can control Lava Golem to attack you next turn!" Alexis said, grit her teeth. She forced a strained smile, trying to reclaim some ground. "Jiang He, surely you haven't forgotten that."
"I am quite aware. That's why I have a monster on my field that can easily withstand Lava Golem!" Jiang He replied with a calm smile.
"Obnoxious Celtic Guard!" Alexis and her companions were stunned.
They noticed the figure on Jiang He's field a blonde elven swordsman crouching in a defensive stance. Though the silhouette of the Celtic Guard seemed fragile with only 1200 Defense compared to the Lava Golem, they remembered its special effect.
This monster could not be destroyed by battle with a monster that had 1900 or more Attack! Against a behemoth like Lava Golem with 3000 Attack, it was practically the ultimate shield! Whether it was 3000 Attack or infinite Attack, it made no difference!
All Alexis could do was watch she was effectively stuck in prison!
Jiang He thought to himself that this Obnoxious Celtic Guard wasn't called "The Swordsman No One Can Get Past" in his previous world for nothing.
"So he considered that from the start? Summoning the Celtic Guard first to create an 'Absolute Defense' against Lava Golem!?" Jaden's eyes lit up. "Jiang He, you're amazing!"
He suddenly felt the urge to duel Jiang He himself!
"Hmph, if you're too confident, you'll pay for it!" Alexis let out a light hum after her brief surprise. Instead of worrying about the elven swordsman's effect, she began to laugh. She placed her hand on her Duel Disk's deck.
"My turn, draw!"
"In this instant, Lava Golem's effect activates! It deals 1000 LP damage to the current controller!"
As Jiang He spoke, several shards of glowing red lava fell from the cage trapping the three girls. They flew around Alexis, giving her a sensation of intense heat and pain. She instinctively raised her hand to shield herself, feeling the scorching temperature. Her Life Points dropped steadily from 3500 LP to 2500 LP.
Fortunately, it was only holographic damage; it wouldn't actually hurt her. More importantly, Alexis's expression didn't look like that of someone worried for themselves. Instead, she looked like she had victory in her grasp!
"If you're relying solely on that swordsman for defense, then I'll use the Lava Golem you gave me to win this duel!"
Alexis pointed toward the figure in front of Jiang He. "Lava Golem, attack Obnoxious Celtic Guard! Lava Blast!"
"Roar!!"
The massive Lava Golem let out a thunderous howl and spat a fireball of molten rock toward the crouching elven swordsman on Jiang He's side of the lake.
"Huh!? Why is Alexis attacking when she knows the guard's effect?" Syrus and the others cried out in shock.
As the monster effect triggered, a blue protective barrier immediately appeared around the Celtic Guard.
Seeing this, Alexis smirked and pointed to one of her three Set cards. "At this moment, I activate my face-down card! I activate the Counter Trap, Solemn Strike!"
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