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## Chapter 353: Binding Play
An hour passed quickly.
In the Lounge, Hayato stretched and stood up from his seat. He picked up his modified Deck and pushed open the door.
On the Duel Field, Kaiba was already ready.
"You're too slow, Kobayashi Hayato!" With a straight face, Kaiba's head was slightly raised. "As punishment for making me wait, are you ready to be crushed by me?"
"You were the one who came out too early, alright? Don't make it sound like I was late." Hayato waved his hand, took out his Deck, and looked at the sun nearing its zenith.
It was exactly 11:00 AM, the scheduled time for the Finals to begin. Although it was still some distance from noon, the gaze exchanged between Hayato and Kaiba on the Duel Field was exactly like that of cowboys dueling at high noon in the Wild West.
With the assistance of Isono and other Staff Members, both players exchanged their Decks for Shuffle, just like cowboys turning their backs to each other, ready to draw their guns.
In the Audience Seats, Joey nudged Yugi with his elbow and asked, "Hey Yugi, who do you think has a better chance of winning? I think Hayato is really strong, but Kaiba's Obelisk the Tormentor just now was really something."
As he spoke, he subconsciously clutched his chest.
In the previous Duel, although Obelisk the Tormentor's punch didn't unleash its full destructive power because Kaiba had no intention of killing, Joey still suffered some injury due to its infinite ATK.
But Joey didn't notice the strange look Ishizu gave him when he said Obelisk the Tormentor's Attack was "really something."
Among the Three Egyptian God Cards, Slifer the Sky Dragon, which has the strongest Suppression Power, symbolizes divine majesty. The Winged Dragon of Ra, claimed to be the strongest, symbolizes divine authority. And Obelisk the Tormentor symbolizes divine Power.
In terms of utility, Obelisk the Tormentor cannot compare to the other two Egyptian God Cards, but in terms of destructive power, it is undeniably the strongest.
Even if Kaiba had no intention of killing, Obelisk the Tormentor's ATK soaring to Infinity after unleashing "Soul Energy MAX" was enough to make a Duelist with an extremely strong Will directly lose Consciousness due to the pressure and Impact on their Soul. Yet Joey only felt his stamina was greatly depleted when he was attacked, and afterwards only felt a slight pain in his chest?
Ishizu believed what Hayato had mentioned to her during a casual chat before: "You can't lump everyone's physical condition together."
Yugi looked at the high-spirited Kaiba, then at Hayato, who was very confident in himself, and said uncertainly, "It's hard to say. To be honest, before your Duel with Kaiba, Joey, I thought Hayato's Strength would be greater, but in the current Kaiba, I've seen something special."
"Something special?"
"I can't really say specifically. If I had to summarize, it's probably that Kaiba seems to have learned something from his Duel with you. Beside Kaiba, who was originally walking alone on the dark path towards the Future, something seems to have been added."
Yugi's riddler-like behavior earned a playful headlock from Joey. Meanwhile, at the Judge's Stand, Isono nodded as he watched Hayato and Kaiba place their Decks into their Duel Disks, then raised his hands and announced, "The upcoming Duel is the Duel City Finals, between Player Kobayashi Hayato and Player Seto Kaiba."
"I declare, the Match begins!"
"Duel!" X2
[Hayato: 4000LP]
[Kaiba: 4000LP]
"The First Turn is mine, Draw Card!" Kaiba seized the right to go first and was the first to Draw Cards.
Looking at his Hand, a confident expression appeared on Kaiba's face. "I am determined to get the King of Games Title. To win the final Victory, I will defeat all Enemies standing in my way. Even you, Hayato."
"I can't just pretend I didn't hear that, Seto." Hayato glanced at his Hand, raised an eyebrow, and met Kaiba's gaze. "If Dueling isn't about defeating all opponents, then wouldn't it be meaningless? To be clear, to be worthy of this Duel, I specifically used a pure Dragon-Type Deck this time."
"Modified your Deck again to defeat me? It's useless. No matter how you modify your Deck, you have no hope of defeating me. If you want to know why, it's because Blue-Eyes White Dragon is the strongest Dragon-Type!" While saying that, Kaiba activated a Card from his Hand. "Let's start this Duel with this Combo!"
"Spell Card, Trade-In! I can activate this by discarding a Level 8 monster from my Hand." Kaiba showed the Card he was discarding; it was actually his Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Draw two Cards from my Deck."
"Then, I activate the Spell Card, Return of the Dragon Lords! I Special Summon a Level 7 or 8 Dragon-Type monster from my Graveyard."
Unlike the Duel with Joey, even though the Duel had just begun, Kaiba seemed to have become completely serious. He spread his palm and raised it above his head, as if to grasp the entire blue sky in his hand. "Oh, strongest Dragon, come to my side!"
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!"
The phantom of the legendary White Dragon appeared from the ground in front of Kaiba, quickly transforming from illusion to reality, soaring into the sky and letting out a clear Dragon roar:
"Roar!!"
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [ATK3000]
Looking at the pure white Giant Dragon appearing, Hayato smiled. "As expected of you, Kaiba, always starting with high-Level monsters."
"However, because you Special Summoned a monster, I discard a card from my Hand and activate this card's effect!" In response to Kaiba Special Summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Hayato also played a Card in response. Discarding a Card from his Hand and sending it to the Graveyard, Hayato showed the Card he was activating. "Chaos Hunter's effect can be activated when your opponent successfully Special Summons a monster, by discarding a Card from your Hand."
"Special Summon it from my Hand."
On Hayato's Field, a white-haired witch wearing dark red Armor appeared, holding a whip. Seeing the appearance of this monster, Kaiba was also slightly taken aback, then, uncharacteristically, retorted to Hayato, "Didn't you just say you were using a pure Dragon-Type Deck? What's with this monster?"
[Chaos Hunter] [7☆/DARK]
[Fiend Type/Effect]
[2500/1600]
"Well, Dragon-Types aren't so inflexible, you know?" Hayato just smiled.
Kaiba snorted coldly and let that slide.
"Then, I activate the effect of Trickster in my Hand. I discard a Card from my Hand and Special Summon it." Discarding a Card into the Graveyard, Kaiba Summoned a monster from his Hand that looked like a clown covered in question marks and wearing a blue cape. "Then, I use the effect of Dark Jester - Peter, which was Sent to the Graveyard, to Banish it from the Graveyard and Special Summon another Dark Jester - Peter from the Deck."
While saying that, Kaiba waited for the Duel Disk to process the monster effect he activated, but he waited and waited, and the effect of Dark Jester - Peter being Banished from his Graveyard didn't activate.
"What's this?" With sharp eyes, he suddenly noticed that Hayato's Chaos Hunter on the Field had lowered the whip in her hand at some point. One end of the whip seemed to lose its form and sank into the ground, disappearing. At the same time, Kaiba saw the Dark Jester - Peter in his Graveyard, which was trying to activate its effect to Banish itself, but was bound by a whip and unable to break free.
"That's too bad, Seto. As long as Chaos Hunter is On the Field in Face-up Position, you cannot use effects that Banish Cards."
Hayato explained, "I thought you could tell from the Name. Chaos Sorcerer, Chaos Soldier, and Chaos Emperor Dragon require the combination of LIGHT and DARK Power, and Chaos Hunter's effect is specifically designed to counter their appearance."
"That's a troublesome effect." Looking at Hayato's Chaos Hunter sealing his Banish Operations, Kaiba couldn't help but frown. "If that's the case, I just need to Destroy your Chaos Hunter."
"Activate the Spell Card, Destruction Burst Stream of Destruction! This turn, allow Blue-Eyes White Dragon to unleash its Power to the maximum, Destroy all monsters On the Field!"
With a wave of his hand forward, a cold smile appeared on Kaiba's face. "Although Blue-Eyes White Dragon cannot Attack the turn this Card is used, since it's only the first Turn, this Side Effect is completely irrelevant to me! Take this, Hayato!"
"Destruction Burst Stream!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its massive maw, and a Stream of Light was unleashed in an instant, instantly Destroying the Chaos Hunter on Hayato's Field and sending it to the Graveyard.
Regarding Chaos Hunter being Destroyed, Hayato shrugged indifferently. Compared to having a bunch of monsters Summoned and then cleared by one of Kaiba's Cards, only having one Chaos Hunter Destroyed was clearly a huge gain for Hayato, and the price paid was merely two Cards from his Hand.
Moreover, sending Cards from the Hand to the Graveyard cannot entirely be called a cost in some ways, because Hayato actually didn't lie to Kaiba; the Deck he used this time really was a Dragon-Type focused Deck. Although it couldn't be called a pure Dragon-Type Deck, the purity of Dragon-Type monsters was quite high.
Although purity is useless.
As for drawing the non-Dragon-Type Chaos Hunter on the first Turn, it can only be said that his Luck was poor.
Watching Chaos Hunter disappear from the Field, Kaiba glanced at Hayato triumphantly.
In his gaze, there was three parts triumph, three parts Confidence, three parts fighting spirit, and one part Arrogance – a classic mix.
Yugi, who first brought him the bitter taste of complete Defeat, Hayato, whose Strength is still unfathomable to this day, plus Joey, who could be eliminated at any time – these three are all the Duelists Kaiba has recognized so far. For Kaiba, what was at stake in the Duel with Hayato was not just the Honor of King of Games, but also testing his own capacity.
'Betting everything I have as a Duelist, I will use my Full Power to crush you, Kobayashi Hayato,' Kaiba thought. 'You, who defeated Yugi, are undoubtedly the strongest Duelist in this World. Only by defeating you can I prove the limits of my Strength!'
'Respond to me with your Full Power, Kobayashi Hayato!'
Feeling Kaiba's gaze, Hayato couldn't help but shiver. If he knew what Kaiba was thinking at this moment, he would probably feel so disgusted he'd just give up the Duel.
The reason isn't anything else; it's mainly because being targeted by a severe Dueling Addiction patient, a Blue-Eyes fanatic, and a Trench Coat maniac is definitely not a comfortable experience. As far as Hayato knew, even Pharaoh, after being targeted by Kaiba, was dug up from his grave more than once to Duel, and even in the end, his home was directly invaded for a face-to-face Duel. He couldn't even rest in peace after death.
"My Turn, Draw Card."
Drawing a Card, Hayato played a Card from his Hand. "During my Standby Phase, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Armed Dragon Lightning. From my Deck, I Special Summon a Level 3 Armed Dragon monster in Defense Position."
"I choose Armed Dragon Thunder LV3."
A beam of bright yellow lightning fell onto Hayato's Field. The light gradually dissipated, and the small and cute infant form of Armed Dragon appeared. But compared to its usual appearance, Armed Dragon Thunder LV3, which has mastered the Power of lightning, had its fists wrapped in lightning, and its eyes also faintly emitted yellow light.
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV3] [3☆/Wind]
[Dragon-Type/Effect]
[1200/900]
Although in Duel Monsters, monsters that possess the Power to control lightning are generally LIGHT Attribute monsters, nothing is absolute. Just like Grandsoil the Elemental Lord uses lightning as a weapon, Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 also retains its original Wind Attribute.
Because of the Power of lightning, Armed Dragon Thunder's evolution method has also changed.
"I discard a Dragon-Type monster from my Hand and activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV3's effect, Sending it to the Graveyard." Hayato ignored Armed Dragon Thunder LV3's cute expression and mercilessly Sent it to the Graveyard, looking at the expanding mass of lightning remaining On the Field. "Special Summon a Level 5 or lower Armed Dragon from my Hand or Deck!"
"Evolve, Armed Dragon Thunder LV5!"
"Then, the effect of the Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 that was in my Hand earlier: When it is Sent to the Graveyard because of the activation of a Dragon-Type monster's effect, Add a Wind Attribute, Level 5 Dragon-Type monster from my Deck to my Hand."
Adding another Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 to his Hand, Hayato showed it to Kaiba, then said with a smile, "I should remind you that Armed Dragon Thunder LV5's evolution Conditions are the same as Armed Dragon Thunder LV3, and its other effect is also an evolved version of Armed Dragon Thunder LV3's."
"What!?" Hearing Hayato's words, Kaiba was also startled. "That means—"
"That means the evolution is about to accelerate, Kaiba!" Hayato showed a smile and played the Card. "Activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV5's effect! Discard Armed Dragon Thunder LV5! Begin the glorious evolution, my Tamashii!"
"Come forth, Armed Dragon Thunder LV7! Then, Add Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 to my Hand!"
"Then, this is the final evolution! Activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV7's effect! Discard the Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 from my Hand! Final Vent! O raging Dragon of striking lightning and thunder, annihilate all Enemies before me with ten thousand bolts of lightning!"
"Armed Dragon Thunder LV10!"
On Hayato's Field, every time an Armed Dragon Thunder appeared On the Field, the lightning expanded twofold. After undergoing the third evolution, the Volume of the lightning had expanded to a degree even larger than Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
A pair of massive Dragon wings that blotted out the sky emerged from the violent lightning. The surging Energy was completely absorbed into Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's body. Lightning pulsed on its body, waiting for its Master's Command; it would annihilate all Enemies!
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10] [10☆/Wind]
[Dragon-Type/Effect]
[3000/2000]
Because it was Special Summoned by the effect of an Armed Dragon monster, several lights lit up on the emerald jewel on Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's body.
ATK 1 or more: This card's Name is treated as Armed Dragon LV10;
ATK 10 or more: Control of this card cannot change;
ATK 100 or more: Cannot be Destroyed by Battle;
ATK 1000 or more: Once per opponent's Turn, you can activate this effect by sending one Card from your Hand to the Graveyard and targeting one other Card On the Field. Destroy that Card, and this card's ATK increases by 1000.
"A Dragon-Type monster with 3000 ATK? To think it can match Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Kaiba's gaze returned to calm after a brief moment of surprise. "Hmph, I'll admit you have some skill for now."
Kaiba felt somewhat fortunate that in the previous Turn, just to vent, he had recklessly used Destruction Burst Stream of Destruction and got rid of Chaos Hunter.
In Kaiba's Graveyard, Return of the Dragon Lords still had an effect that hadn't been activated after Summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon to Kaiba's Field. If a Dragon-Type monster on Kaiba's Field is Destroyed, he can Banish Return of the Dragon Lords as a substitute.
Armed Dragon Thunder's ATK is 3000, equal to Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Coincidentally, Armed Dragon Thunder has the effect that it cannot be Destroyed by Battle when its ATK is 100 or more. That means Hayato only needs to launch a suicidal Attack with Armed Dragon Thunder to Send Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the Graveyard.
If Chaos Hunter hadn't been Destroyed and he couldn't Banish Return of the Dragon Lords, this would be the only outcome.
"Because the Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 that was in my Hand earlier was Sent to the Graveyard to activate a Dragon-Type monster's effect, I Add an Armed Dragon Card from my Deck to my Hand." Hayato continued his Operation, taking a Card from his Deck. "Then I will activate the Continuous Spell Card, Armed Dragon Lightning, which was just added to my Hand."
"Once per Turn, by targeting one Armed Dragon On the Field, activate Armed Dragon Lightning's first effect: That monster's ATK increases by that monster's Level x 100."
There is only one Armed Dragon monster on Hayato's Field. Without even thinking, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's ATK began to increase, and it was a full 1000 points in one go!
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10] [ATK3000→4000]
"Enter the Battle Phase! I Attack Trickster with Armed Dragon Thunder LV10! Thunder Dragon's Roar!"
Looking at the Armed Dragon Thunder LV10, which was Summoned on the first Turn with ATK equal to Obelisk the Tormentor, Kaiba's expression was quite calm. "Then, Chain to your Attack, I activate my Set Card!"
"Continuous Trap Card, Curse of Darkness!"
Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 on Hayato's Field had just raised its hand gripping lightning. The lightning in its hand turned into a javelin and was about to be thrown at Trickster. But just then, with the activation of Kaiba's Curse of Darkness, a large number of dark black Chains shot out from the Card, like a dense tide of snakes, wrapping around Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 in an instant.
Although its ATK was comparable to a God, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 was not a God after all. Under the Control of Curse of Darkness, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 couldn't help but release its hand, and the lightning javelin disappeared from its hand.
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10] [ATK4000→3300]
"Curse of Darkness can be activated by targeting one Attack Position monster on your opponent's Field." In the Audience Seats, Yugi, who clearly realized how shallow Joey's knowledge was from the previous Duel, gave him a lesson. "That monster's ATK decreases by 700 points as long as Curse of Darkness remains On the Field, and it cannot Attack, nor can it Change Position."
"It sounds like it's somewhat similar to your Spellbinding Circle, Yugi? And it also has the added effect of decreasing ATK?"
Yugi nodded, looking at the Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 on Hayato's Field, bound by Chains and unable to move. "That Card of Kaiba's was probably specifically prepared for the aggressive playstyle Hayato occasionally uses."
"Not many Cards left in Hand, and the monster he finally managed to Summon is also Controlled. What will you do now, Hayato?"
Looking at his Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 On the Field, which was subjected to "Binding Play," Hayato clicked his tongue, Annoyed. "I thought your Set Card was Deck Devastation Virus. You've become dirty, Seto."
Because Kaiba wanted to Summon Dark Jester - Peter, which has exactly 500 ATK, last Turn, Hayato genuinely thought the Card Kaiba Set was Deck Devastation Virus. After all, this is Kaiba's classic Combo.
"Hmph, who do you think taught me this move?" Kaiba glared at Hayato. Now that Original Yugi mostly leaves Duels to Dark Yugi and rarely takes action himself, who else besides Hayato would fill their Deck with Trap Cards?
An hour passed quickly.
In the Lounge, Hayato stretched and stood up from his seat. He picked up his modified Deck and pushed open the door.
On the Duel Field, Kaiba was already ready.
"You're too slow, Kobayashi Hayato!" With a straight face, Kaiba's head was slightly raised. "As punishment for making me wait, are you ready to be crushed by me?"
"You were the one who came out too early, alright? Don't make it sound like I was late." Hayato waved his hand, took out his Deck, and looked at the sun nearing its zenith.
It was exactly 11:00 AM, the scheduled time for the Finals to begin. Although it was still some distance from noon, the gaze exchanged between Hayato and Kaiba on the Duel Field was exactly like that of cowboys dueling at high noon in the Wild West.
With the assistance of Isono and other Staff Members, both players exchanged their Decks for Shuffle, just like cowboys turning their backs to each other, ready to draw their guns.
In the Audience Seats, Joey nudged Yugi with his elbow and asked, "Hey Yugi, who do you think has a better chance of winning? I think Hayato is really strong, but Kaiba's Obelisk the Tormentor just now was really something."
As he spoke, he subconsciously clutched his chest.
In the previous Duel, although Obelisk the Tormentor's punch didn't unleash its full destructive power because Kaiba had no intention of killing, Joey still suffered some injury due to its infinite ATK.
But Joey didn't notice the strange look Ishizu gave him when he said Obelisk the Tormentor's Attack was "really something."
Among the Three Egyptian God Cards, Slifer the Sky Dragon, which has the strongest Suppression Power, symbolizes divine majesty. The Winged Dragon of Ra, claimed to be the strongest, symbolizes divine authority. And Obelisk the Tormentor symbolizes divine Power.
In terms of utility, Obelisk the Tormentor cannot compare to the other two Egyptian God Cards, but in terms of destructive power, it is undeniably the strongest.
Even if Kaiba had no intention of killing, Obelisk the Tormentor's ATK soaring to Infinity after unleashing "Soul Energy MAX" was enough to make a Duelist with an extremely strong Will directly lose Consciousness due to the pressure and Impact on their Soul. Yet Joey only felt his stamina was greatly depleted when he was attacked, and afterwards only felt a slight pain in his chest?
Ishizu believed what Hayato had mentioned to her during a casual chat before: "You can't lump everyone's physical condition together."
Yugi looked at the high-spirited Kaiba, then at Hayato, who was very confident in himself, and said uncertainly, "It's hard to say. To be honest, before your Duel with Kaiba, Joey, I thought Hayato's Strength would be greater, but in the current Kaiba, I've seen something special."
"Something special?"
"I can't really say specifically. If I had to summarize, it's probably that Kaiba seems to have learned something from his Duel with you. Beside Kaiba, who was originally walking alone on the dark path towards the Future, something seems to have been added."
Yugi's riddler-like behavior earned a playful headlock from Joey. Meanwhile, at the Judge's Stand, Isono nodded as he watched Hayato and Kaiba place their Decks into their Duel Disks, then raised his hands and announced, "The upcoming Duel is the Duel City Finals, between Player Kobayashi Hayato and Player Seto Kaiba."
"I declare, the Match begins!"
"Duel!" X2
[Hayato: 4000LP]
[Kaiba: 4000LP]
"The First Turn is mine, Draw Card!" Kaiba seized the right to go first and was the first to Draw Cards.
Looking at his Hand, a confident expression appeared on Kaiba's face. "I am determined to get the King of Games Title. To win the final Victory, I will defeat all Enemies standing in my way. Even you, Hayato."
"I can't just pretend I didn't hear that, Seto." Hayato glanced at his Hand, raised an eyebrow, and met Kaiba's gaze. "If Dueling isn't about defeating all opponents, then wouldn't it be meaningless? To be clear, to be worthy of this Duel, I specifically used a pure Dragon-Type Deck this time."
"Modified your Deck again to defeat me? It's useless. No matter how you modify your Deck, you have no hope of defeating me. If you want to know why, it's because Blue-Eyes White Dragon is the strongest Dragon-Type!" While saying that, Kaiba activated a Card from his Hand. "Let's start this Duel with this Combo!"
"Spell Card, Trade-In! I can activate this by discarding a Level 8 monster from my Hand." Kaiba showed the Card he was discarding; it was actually his Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Draw two Cards from my Deck."
"Then, I activate the Spell Card, Return of the Dragon Lords! I Special Summon a Level 7 or 8 Dragon-Type monster from my Graveyard."
Unlike the Duel with Joey, even though the Duel had just begun, Kaiba seemed to have become completely serious. He spread his palm and raised it above his head, as if to grasp the entire blue sky in his hand. "Oh, strongest Dragon, come to my side!"
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon!!"
The phantom of the legendary White Dragon appeared from the ground in front of Kaiba, quickly transforming from illusion to reality, soaring into the sky and letting out a clear Dragon roar:
"Roar!!"
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [ATK3000]
Looking at the pure white Giant Dragon appearing, Hayato smiled. "As expected of you, Kaiba, always starting with high-Level monsters."
"However, because you Special Summoned a monster, I discard a card from my Hand and activate this card's effect!" In response to Kaiba Special Summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Hayato also played a Card in response. Discarding a Card from his Hand and sending it to the Graveyard, Hayato showed the Card he was activating. "Chaos Hunter's effect can be activated when your opponent successfully Special Summons a monster, by discarding a Card from your Hand."
"Special Summon it from my Hand."
On Hayato's Field, a white-haired witch wearing dark red Armor appeared, holding a whip. Seeing the appearance of this monster, Kaiba was also slightly taken aback, then, uncharacteristically, retorted to Hayato, "Didn't you just say you were using a pure Dragon-Type Deck? What's with this monster?"
[Chaos Hunter] [7☆/DARK]
[Fiend Type/Effect]
[2500/1600]
"Well, Dragon-Types aren't so inflexible, you know?" Hayato just smiled.
Kaiba snorted coldly and let that slide.
"Then, I activate the effect of Trickster in my Hand. I discard a Card from my Hand and Special Summon it." Discarding a Card into the Graveyard, Kaiba Summoned a monster from his Hand that looked like a clown covered in question marks and wearing a blue cape. "Then, I use the effect of Dark Jester - Peter, which was Sent to the Graveyard, to Banish it from the Graveyard and Special Summon another Dark Jester - Peter from the Deck."
While saying that, Kaiba waited for the Duel Disk to process the monster effect he activated, but he waited and waited, and the effect of Dark Jester - Peter being Banished from his Graveyard didn't activate.
"What's this?" With sharp eyes, he suddenly noticed that Hayato's Chaos Hunter on the Field had lowered the whip in her hand at some point. One end of the whip seemed to lose its form and sank into the ground, disappearing. At the same time, Kaiba saw the Dark Jester - Peter in his Graveyard, which was trying to activate its effect to Banish itself, but was bound by a whip and unable to break free.
"That's too bad, Seto. As long as Chaos Hunter is On the Field in Face-up Position, you cannot use effects that Banish Cards."
Hayato explained, "I thought you could tell from the Name. Chaos Sorcerer, Chaos Soldier, and Chaos Emperor Dragon require the combination of LIGHT and DARK Power, and Chaos Hunter's effect is specifically designed to counter their appearance."
"That's a troublesome effect." Looking at Hayato's Chaos Hunter sealing his Banish Operations, Kaiba couldn't help but frown. "If that's the case, I just need to Destroy your Chaos Hunter."
"Activate the Spell Card, Destruction Burst Stream of Destruction! This turn, allow Blue-Eyes White Dragon to unleash its Power to the maximum, Destroy all monsters On the Field!"
With a wave of his hand forward, a cold smile appeared on Kaiba's face. "Although Blue-Eyes White Dragon cannot Attack the turn this Card is used, since it's only the first Turn, this Side Effect is completely irrelevant to me! Take this, Hayato!"
"Destruction Burst Stream!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon opened its massive maw, and a Stream of Light was unleashed in an instant, instantly Destroying the Chaos Hunter on Hayato's Field and sending it to the Graveyard.
Regarding Chaos Hunter being Destroyed, Hayato shrugged indifferently. Compared to having a bunch of monsters Summoned and then cleared by one of Kaiba's Cards, only having one Chaos Hunter Destroyed was clearly a huge gain for Hayato, and the price paid was merely two Cards from his Hand.
Moreover, sending Cards from the Hand to the Graveyard cannot entirely be called a cost in some ways, because Hayato actually didn't lie to Kaiba; the Deck he used this time really was a Dragon-Type focused Deck. Although it couldn't be called a pure Dragon-Type Deck, the purity of Dragon-Type monsters was quite high.
Although purity is useless.
As for drawing the non-Dragon-Type Chaos Hunter on the first Turn, it can only be said that his Luck was poor.
Watching Chaos Hunter disappear from the Field, Kaiba glanced at Hayato triumphantly.
In his gaze, there was three parts triumph, three parts Confidence, three parts fighting spirit, and one part Arrogance – a classic mix.
Yugi, who first brought him the bitter taste of complete Defeat, Hayato, whose Strength is still unfathomable to this day, plus Joey, who could be eliminated at any time – these three are all the Duelists Kaiba has recognized so far. For Kaiba, what was at stake in the Duel with Hayato was not just the Honor of King of Games, but also testing his own capacity.
'Betting everything I have as a Duelist, I will use my Full Power to crush you, Kobayashi Hayato,' Kaiba thought. 'You, who defeated Yugi, are undoubtedly the strongest Duelist in this World. Only by defeating you can I prove the limits of my Strength!'
'Respond to me with your Full Power, Kobayashi Hayato!'
Feeling Kaiba's gaze, Hayato couldn't help but shiver. If he knew what Kaiba was thinking at this moment, he would probably feel so disgusted he'd just give up the Duel.
The reason isn't anything else; it's mainly because being targeted by a severe Dueling Addiction patient, a Blue-Eyes fanatic, and a Trench Coat maniac is definitely not a comfortable experience. As far as Hayato knew, even Pharaoh, after being targeted by Kaiba, was dug up from his grave more than once to Duel, and even in the end, his home was directly invaded for a face-to-face Duel. He couldn't even rest in peace after death.
"My Turn, Draw Card."
Drawing a Card, Hayato played a Card from his Hand. "During my Standby Phase, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Armed Dragon Lightning. From my Deck, I Special Summon a Level 3 Armed Dragon monster in Defense Position."
"I choose Armed Dragon Thunder LV3."
A beam of bright yellow lightning fell onto Hayato's Field. The light gradually dissipated, and the small and cute infant form of Armed Dragon appeared. But compared to its usual appearance, Armed Dragon Thunder LV3, which has mastered the Power of lightning, had its fists wrapped in lightning, and its eyes also faintly emitted yellow light.
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV3] [3☆/Wind]
[Dragon-Type/Effect]
[1200/900]
Although in Duel Monsters, monsters that possess the Power to control lightning are generally LIGHT Attribute monsters, nothing is absolute. Just like Grandsoil the Elemental Lord uses lightning as a weapon, Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 also retains its original Wind Attribute.
Because of the Power of lightning, Armed Dragon Thunder's evolution method has also changed.
"I discard a Dragon-Type monster from my Hand and activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV3's effect, Sending it to the Graveyard." Hayato ignored Armed Dragon Thunder LV3's cute expression and mercilessly Sent it to the Graveyard, looking at the expanding mass of lightning remaining On the Field. "Special Summon a Level 5 or lower Armed Dragon from my Hand or Deck!"
"Evolve, Armed Dragon Thunder LV5!"
"Then, the effect of the Armed Dragon Thunder LV3 that was in my Hand earlier: When it is Sent to the Graveyard because of the activation of a Dragon-Type monster's effect, Add a Wind Attribute, Level 5 Dragon-Type monster from my Deck to my Hand."
Adding another Armed Dragon Thunder LV5 to his Hand, Hayato showed it to Kaiba, then said with a smile, "I should remind you that Armed Dragon Thunder LV5's evolution Conditions are the same as Armed Dragon Thunder LV3, and its other effect is also an evolved version of Armed Dragon Thunder LV3's."
"What!?" Hearing Hayato's words, Kaiba was also startled. "That means—"
"That means the evolution is about to accelerate, Kaiba!" Hayato showed a smile and played the Card. "Activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV5's effect! Discard Armed Dragon Thunder LV5! Begin the glorious evolution, my Tamashii!"
"Come forth, Armed Dragon Thunder LV7! Then, Add Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 to my Hand!"
"Then, this is the final evolution! Activate Armed Dragon Thunder LV7's effect! Discard the Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 from my Hand! Final Vent! O raging Dragon of striking lightning and thunder, annihilate all Enemies before me with ten thousand bolts of lightning!"
"Armed Dragon Thunder LV10!"
On Hayato's Field, every time an Armed Dragon Thunder appeared On the Field, the lightning expanded twofold. After undergoing the third evolution, the Volume of the lightning had expanded to a degree even larger than Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
A pair of massive Dragon wings that blotted out the sky emerged from the violent lightning. The surging Energy was completely absorbed into Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's body. Lightning pulsed on its body, waiting for its Master's Command; it would annihilate all Enemies!
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10] [10☆/Wind]
[Dragon-Type/Effect]
[3000/2000]
Because it was Special Summoned by the effect of an Armed Dragon monster, several lights lit up on the emerald jewel on Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's body.
ATK 1 or more: This card's Name is treated as Armed Dragon LV10;
ATK 10 or more: Control of this card cannot change;
ATK 100 or more: Cannot be Destroyed by Battle;
ATK 1000 or more: Once per opponent's Turn, you can activate this effect by sending one Card from your Hand to the Graveyard and targeting one other Card On the Field. Destroy that Card, and this card's ATK increases by 1000.
"A Dragon-Type monster with 3000 ATK? To think it can match Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Kaiba's gaze returned to calm after a brief moment of surprise. "Hmph, I'll admit you have some skill for now."
Kaiba felt somewhat fortunate that in the previous Turn, just to vent, he had recklessly used Destruction Burst Stream of Destruction and got rid of Chaos Hunter.
In Kaiba's Graveyard, Return of the Dragon Lords still had an effect that hadn't been activated after Summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon to Kaiba's Field. If a Dragon-Type monster on Kaiba's Field is Destroyed, he can Banish Return of the Dragon Lords as a substitute.
Armed Dragon Thunder's ATK is 3000, equal to Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Coincidentally, Armed Dragon Thunder has the effect that it cannot be Destroyed by Battle when its ATK is 100 or more. That means Hayato only needs to launch a suicidal Attack with Armed Dragon Thunder to Send Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the Graveyard.
If Chaos Hunter hadn't been Destroyed and he couldn't Banish Return of the Dragon Lords, this would be the only outcome.
"Because the Armed Dragon Thunder LV7 that was in my Hand earlier was Sent to the Graveyard to activate a Dragon-Type monster's effect, I Add an Armed Dragon Card from my Deck to my Hand." Hayato continued his Operation, taking a Card from his Deck. "Then I will activate the Continuous Spell Card, Armed Dragon Lightning, which was just added to my Hand."
"Once per Turn, by targeting one Armed Dragon On the Field, activate Armed Dragon Lightning's first effect: That monster's ATK increases by that monster's Level x 100."
There is only one Armed Dragon monster on Hayato's Field. Without even thinking, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10's ATK began to increase, and it was a full 1000 points in one go!
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10] [ATK3000→4000]
"Enter the Battle Phase! I Attack Trickster with Armed Dragon Thunder LV10! Thunder Dragon's Roar!"
Looking at the Armed Dragon Thunder LV10, which was Summoned on the first Turn with ATK equal to Obelisk the Tormentor, Kaiba's expression was quite calm. "Then, Chain to your Attack, I activate my Set Card!"
"Continuous Trap Card, Curse of Darkness!"
Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 on Hayato's Field had just raised its hand gripping lightning. The lightning in its hand turned into a javelin and was about to be thrown at Trickster. But just then, with the activation of Kaiba's Curse of Darkness, a large number of dark black Chains shot out from the Card, like a dense tide of snakes, wrapping around Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 in an instant.
Although its ATK was comparable to a God, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 was not a God after all. Under the Control of Curse of Darkness, Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 couldn't help but release its hand, and the lightning javelin disappeared from its hand.
[Armed Dragon Thunder LV10] [ATK4000→3300]
"Curse of Darkness can be activated by targeting one Attack Position monster on your opponent's Field." In the Audience Seats, Yugi, who clearly realized how shallow Joey's knowledge was from the previous Duel, gave him a lesson. "That monster's ATK decreases by 700 points as long as Curse of Darkness remains On the Field, and it cannot Attack, nor can it Change Position."
"It sounds like it's somewhat similar to your Spellbinding Circle, Yugi? And it also has the added effect of decreasing ATK?"
Yugi nodded, looking at the Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 on Hayato's Field, bound by Chains and unable to move. "That Card of Kaiba's was probably specifically prepared for the aggressive playstyle Hayato occasionally uses."
"Not many Cards left in Hand, and the monster he finally managed to Summon is also Controlled. What will you do now, Hayato?"
Looking at his Armed Dragon Thunder LV10 On the Field, which was subjected to "Binding Play," Hayato clicked his tongue, Annoyed. "I thought your Set Card was Deck Devastation Virus. You've become dirty, Seto."
Because Kaiba wanted to Summon Dark Jester - Peter, which has exactly 500 ATK, last Turn, Hayato genuinely thought the Card Kaiba Set was Deck Devastation Virus. After all, this is Kaiba's classic Combo.
"Hmph, who do you think taught me this move?" Kaiba glared at Hayato. Now that Original Yugi mostly leaves Duels to Dark Yugi and rarely takes action himself, who else besides Hayato would fill their Deck with Trap Cards?
