Looking at how Jiang He didn't confirm or deny Bastion's assumption about the Exodia deck, Alexis, her friends, Jaden, and Syrus all wore very peculiar expressions.
This scene looked far too familiar...
Thinking back to the previous night, they looked at the pumped-up Bastion and felt a sudden wave of pity for the man.
"Oh no! I forgot to warn Bastion!"
At the edge of the field, Professor Crowler suddenly clutched his head, nearly jumping out of his skin as the realization hit him.
"Duel!"
"Duel!"
But it was too late. The duel had already begun. Both duelists shouted in unison, drawing their starting hands of five cards. Their Life Points manifested as 4000 LP each.
"I'll take the first move. Draw!"
Bastion took the lead, drawing a card from his deck and immediately playing it.
"From my hand, I activate the Spell card [Graceful Charity]! As an Exodia player, Jiang He, you should be very familiar with this card's effect!"
"I draw three cards from my deck and then discard two!"
As he spoke, Bastion drew three cards and sent two from his hand to the Graveyard.
"He used [Graceful Charity]... could it be that Bastion is also using an Exodia deck?" Syrus guessed in surprise.
His comment made Alexis and the others look at him with speechless expressions.
Why would he use the word "also"?
That guy Jiang He was definitely using that toxic Lava Golem deck from last night...
"Is he planning a Graveyard special summon? Is that why he's using [Graceful Charity] to dump specific monsters?" Jiang He thought. He didn't hear the spectators, but he caught a glimpse of one of the cards Bastion discardedit appeared to be a black, dragon-shaped monster.
"Next, I summon [Oxygeddon] in attack position!" Bastion took a card from his hand and placed it on the Duel Disk.
"Roar!!"
Amidst a surge of teal energy, a winged dragon made of blue-tinted gas materialized on the field, letting out a piercing roar.
[Oxygeddon]
[Level: 4]
[Attribute: Wind]
[ATK: 1800]
[DEF: 800]
"I'll set two cards and end my turn!" Bastion said with a confident smile.
He had his own unique calculations and strategies for dealing with an Exodia deck. Those two face-down cards were enough to disrupt any Exodia plays and destroy whatever monster Jiang He put on the field.
Combined with the rare cards he had received from Professor Crowler, he could summon a powerful monster within two turns and finish Jiang He off with an overwhelming offensive.
Bastion was certain of his victory. Even if Jiang He wasn't using Exodia, Bastion's win rate was incredibly high.
"Show me what you've got, Jiang He!"
"So, you've already laid the groundwork for the next turn, have you?" Jiang He chuckled, having guessed Bastion's plan. He reached for his deck and drew. "My turn, draw!"
Looking at the card he drew, the corners of Jiang He's mouth curled into a delighted, mischievous smile.
"That Ra Yellow boy is in for a bad time..." Alexis muttered, crossing her arms as she recognized that specific look on Jiang He's face.
Her friends and Jaden's group nodded in agreement. They were all too familiar with that expression.
"I'll set one monster in face-down defense position and set three cards in the backrow. Turn end!"
Jiang He played four cards in quick succession. On his field, one horizontal card appeared in the front, with three vertical shadows behind it.
The classic T-set. "Opening with four face-downs, please advise.jpg"
"What...?" Bastion was stunned.
What kind of monster was that face-down? And three set traps? This didn't look like an Exodia deck at all.
The crowd of students was equally confused. Opening with four face-downs? Was he trying to make them play a guessing game?
"It doesn't matter what deck it is, I'm going through it! My turn, draw!" Bastion shouted, pulling a card with force. "I summon [Hydrogeddon] in attack position!"
"Roar!!"
Beside [Oxygeddon], a surge of brown energy erupted, forming a four-legged reptilian beast that crouched low to the ground.
[Hydrogeddon]
[Level: 4]
[Attribute: Water]
[ATK: 1600]
[DEF: 1000]
"Next, from my hand, I activate the Equip Spell [Magical Hats]!" Bastion revealed one of his remaining cards. "This card allows me to select a monster in my Graveyard, reduce its attack by 1000, negate its effects, and special summon it to the field!"
"I select the other [Hydrogeddon] that I discarded last turn with [Graceful Charity]!"
"Revive, [Hydrogeddon]!"
A light shone from Bastion's Graveyard, and a second brown reptilian beast appeared on the field.
"One Oxygeddon and two Hydrogeddons... are you planning to summon that monster?" Jiang He immediately saw through Bastion's goal.
However, as he glanced at his three face-down cards, the smile on his face became even more "radiant"!
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