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Chapter 377: There's Nothing Wrong with a Cyber Dragon Deck Winning Through Fusion
"Invincible? You shouldn't say that." Hayato knew better than anyone what a debuff "invincible" was. Even the invincible Jotaro would fall, and the invincible Golden Head Scum Dad wasn't without his moments of frustration.
However, the card [Soul Barrier] was indeed tricky. As long as there was a monster acting as a barrier, it could protect Amon from battle damage. It was a perfect match for the [Cloudian] monsters, which had weak attack but generally possessed battle destruction resistance, perfectly compensating for the [Cloudian]'s biggest weakness.
And yet, Hayato was using a [Cyber Dragon] deck that relied mainly on aggro for victory. It wasn't that the [Cyber Dragon] deck had no means of backrow destruction; Chimeratech Rampage Dragon had the effect to destroy spell/trap cards on the field equal to the number of its fusion materials when Fusion Summoned.
But the problem was, Hayato didn't have Chimeratech Rampage Dragon. The [Cyber Dragon] deck he obtained only had two Fusion Monsters in total: Cyber End Dragon and Cyber Twin Dragon.
To strengthen the power of his boss monsters, Hayato had spent DP points to draw and buy cards, but in the end, he only managed to get Chimeratech Overdragon and the invincible Two-Seater Bicycle Robot. However, even these two monsters were helpless against [Soul Barrier].
Of course, Hayato's deck also included three copies of Mystical Space Typhoon, but without drawing it, everything was useless.
Although Cyber Twin Dragon could still attack once more, it couldn't destroy the [Cloudian] monsters on the field or inflict damage to him. Hayato could only helplessly play the card in his hand:
"Activate Continuous Spell Card Nightmare's Mirage! My turn ends."
["Dan Kuroto": 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[Cyber Twin Dragon] [ATK 2800]
[Nightmare's Mirage]
"Phew, although you're not old, you've certainly made God feel tricky. It's hard to imagine you're the child of that short-tempered guy, Ptah. Though you're not his biological child, of course."
Hearing "Dan Kuroto"'s words, Amon Garlem's expression showed a rare, noticeable change: "You, you know my father?"
"Not really know, because strictly speaking, we've only met each other, and haven't even spoken more than five sentences," Hayato shrugged. "I just witnessed that guy's exasperated look after losing a duel."
During Duelist Kingdom, Ptah Garlem was one of the players who qualified for the Top 8. His opponent at the time was the legendary duelist, the man favored by the Goddess of Fortune, the lucky one, the Will of the Commoner, the Black Dragon Wielder, Joey Wheeler. A victory within reach was turned into a comeback victory by Joey Wheeler using a Graceful Dice. Ptah was so angry that he left Maximillion Pegasus's castle immediately.
Although later, when Hayato and Yugi Mutou dueled Maximillion Pegasus, he returned to the castle to watch the duel due to the need for cooperation with Industrial Illusions.
Thinking about it now, two years have passed since Hayato came to this world without him realizing it. Ptah seems to have inherited his father's position and become the president of the Garlem Corporation, and he also adopted the young boy named Amon before him.
Compared to the easily agitated Ptah due to duel losses, Amon Garlem was calm, as if watching someone else's duel. It wasn't the kind of indifference that showed no desire for the outcome of the duel; this young boy seemed to always have his gaze set on something further away.
"I see. However, I don't think your talent is particularly outstanding. To be called a god, you must first defeat me," Amon said calmly. As he spoke, his finger rested on the Duel Disk, preparing to draw a card. "My turn, draw—"
Hayato glanced at Amon's expression and suddenly laughed: "To consider me a trial to test your divine talent, how arrogant. Oh, no, that's not right. You're actually feeling inferior, aren't you?"
Amon's hand paused. He looked up at "Dan Kuroto"'s face, which held an inexplicable smile, and said expressionlessly, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Huh? Is that so?" Hayato waved his hand casually. "God's talent is never wrong. Whether it is or isn't, let your duel tell me, Amon Garlem~"
Frowning, Amon's hand paused on his deck, thinking about something. After a few seconds, he chose to forget the meaningless words from "Dan Kuroto"'s mouth: "My turn, draw."
"Then, during your Standby Phase, I activate the effect of Nightmare's Mirage on the field." Hayato placed his free hand on his deck and sharply drew four cards. "During the opponent's Standby Phase, I draw cards from my deck until my hand size is restored to four. During my next Standby Phase, I discard cards equal to the number I drew."
"A meaningless card," Amon frowned, not understanding why Hayato would activate such a card. "You have no cards on the field that can use your hand. You'll have to discard all four cards in your hand at the start of your Standby Phase."
"Even if you drew some powerful cards, you can't use them during my turn."
Although he said this, Amon actually remembered the Red Reboot card from "Dan Kuroto"'s information. However, for Amon, who had no set cards on the field, even Red Reboot posed no threat.
Looking at the cards he drew, Amon played one to activate: "Spell Card Pot of Greed! I draw two cards from my deck."
"Then I activate the effect of Cloudian - Storm Dragon. Once per turn, I place one Fog Counter on one face-up monster on the field. My target is Cloudian - Turbulence. Then, I remove one Fog Counter, and the effect of Cloudian - Turbulence activates! Special Summon Cloudian - Smoke Ball from the graveyard."
As Cloudian - Smoke Ball was revived on the field, Amon looked down at a card in his hand.
"Dan Kuroto"'s words were not wrong, because no one knew better than Amon himself the inferiority in his heart.
Before being adopted by Ptah Garlem and given the "Garlem" surname, Amon was just an orphan from a poor area. His early experiences of struggling for survival were deeply etched in his mind and difficult to forget. Because of this, Amon was filled with gratitude towards Ptah Garlem, who adopted him and raised him as his own son and heir.
Although Ptah's personality was not very stable, he was a very competent adoptive father. He was very dedicated to Amon's education and told him that to become the president of the Garlem Corporation, the most important thing was not talent but capacity. He must have the ambition to become the world's number one, to become a king, to become a god, in order to lead the Garlem Corporation to greater heights.
And Amon did indeed try to cultivate a "Heart of a King" for himself, just as Ptah had taught him.
But plans couldn't keep up with changes. Not long ago, Amon learned something—Ptah's wife, who had been married for a long time without children, was finally pregnant, and it was estimated to be a boy. In other words, the person with the legitimate qualification for the position of "Garlem Corporation Heir" that Amon had filled was returning.
Although Ptah continued to care for Amon as always, Amon himself was stirred by feelings of inferiority. In his struggle, he proactively found Ptah, explained that he would not accept the heir status, and vowed to assist his unborn younger brother—Sid.
'I am indeed feeling inferior. Inferior that I, just an orphan, had the great luck to be adopted by the Garlem Corporation. Inferior that everything I have comes from external bestowal.'
'However, Duel Monsters is different. This [Cloudian] deck was not purchased with the power of the Garlem Corporation; I collected it card by card myself.'
'Only in Duel Monsters can I use my own power, not the power of the Garlem Corporation, and do things that even my father cannot do!'
Looking up, Amon's gaze met Hayato's. It was the first time Hayato had seen such a thirst for victory in the eyes of this young boy with a great haircut for dueling: "That gaze, interesting."
"Dan Kuroto, I will take the victory in this duel. Because my target is the King of Games, I will become the champion of the KC Cup and then defeat Kobayashi Hayato!"
Amon Garlem, who didn't know that "Dan Kuroto" was Kobayashi Hayato, raised the card in his hand: "I tribute Cloudian - Smoke Ball and Cloudian - Turbulence on the field for a Tribute Summon!"
"The light leading to the future can stir up a storm even in this windless place! Come forth, my deck's ace monster, Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon!!"
Cloudian - Turbulence and Cloudian - Smoke Ball were tributed at Amon's command. The smoke cloud and air current, no longer bound by the power of Duel Monsters, began to spread and were continuously expanded under the guidance of Cloudian - Storm Dragon nearby.
In just a few breaths, the smoke cloud of [Smoke Ball] was completely blown away by [Turbulence] into a vast cloud, but then pulled towards the center by the centripetal force of the high-speed air current. The storm continuously expanded, and [Storm Dragon] even began to circle around the huge tornado.
Suddenly, a giant single eye appeared within the storm, followed by a pair of giant fists that extended from the storm and smashed onto the ground!
[Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon] [Level 8/Wind]
[Aqua-Type/Effect]
[3000/1000]
Looking at the enormous volume of Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon, like a giant, Hayato not only felt no fear but instead showed a look of interest: "That's how it should be. Compared to those lackeys who swarmed me just now, this level is a qualified game."
Amon looked up at Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon. Although its appearance was much uglier than cute Duel Monsters like [Smoke Ball], watching [Eye of the Typhoon]'s appearance made him feel incredibly secure.
"Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon is the strongest [Cloudian] monster in my deck." Adjusting his glasses, Amon looked at the Cyber Twin Dragon on the field and waved his hand, giving the command, "Now, enter my Battle Phase!"
"Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon, attack Cyber Twin Dragon! Ultimate Storm Fist!"
Following Amon's spirited command, Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon raised its thick arm and punched out fiercely. Although it should have been insubstantial cloud, [Eye of the Typhoon]'s fist instantly scattered the light beam sprayed out by Cyber Twin Dragon when it countered, and then heavily struck and destroyed it, sending it to the graveyard!
["Dan Kuroto": 4000→3800 LP]
"Then, Cloudian - Storm Dragon's direct attack!"
Amon pressed his advantage. [Storm Dragon] opened its mouth and spat out a blast of cold air. In the cold weather, this kind of attack made Hayato shiver, and his Life Points decreased again.
["Dan Kuroto": 3800→2800 LP]
"Even if your talent is truly like a god, I will not lose to you, Dan Kuroto. Because this is my duel, Amon Garlem's duel." Amon set the last card in his hand. "Set a card! My turn ends!"
[Amon: 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon] [ATK 3000]
[Cloudian - Storm Dragon] [ATK 1000]
[Soul Barrier] [Set Card]
"What a spirited declaration, but just talking is far from enough. Fighting spirit alone cannot change the gap in talent between you and me." Although he was at a disadvantage, Hayato's words were quite arrogant. If you ask why—
"My turn, draw! Then I activate Emergency Provisions from my hand! I send Nightmare's Mirage on the field to the graveyard and recover 1000 Life Points." Sending [Nightmare's Steelcage] to the graveyard and then getting free cards, Hayato was getting smoother and smoother with this combo.
And he could swear to God that he absolutely did not put glue between Emergency Provisions and [Nightmare's Steelcage].
["Dan Kuroto": 2800→3800 LP]
"Then, Spell Card Pot of Greed! I replenish two more cards from my deck."
After activating [Pot of Greed], Hayato still had five cards in his hand. It didn't seem like much, but it was completely enough to win this duel.
Although I'm sorry to Kaiser, who made Cyber Dragon a classic monster in the hearts of countless people, just as Kaiser said, for victory, I am willing to give up my old friend Cyber Dragon!
Besides, [Cyber Dragon] is a deck that focuses on [Fusion]. There is absolutely no problem with the combo I'm about to make!
"As a game administrator, I know better than anyone that no matter how difficult a game is, there must be an opportunity to clear it. However, as a game administrator, before starting this ultimate game, I must cut off your last hope, Amon."
As he spoke, Hayato showed a healthy smile and played a card: "Activate Spell Card Mystical Space Typhoon! Unconditionally destroy any one spell/trap card on the field."
"Are you going to destroy my [Soul Barrier]?" Amon subconsciously looked at the [Soul Barrier] protecting him. With this card on the field, no matter how much "Dan Kuroto" attacked the [Cloudian] monsters on the field that couldn't be destroyed by battle, he wouldn't take damage. Putting himself in "Dan Kuroto"'s shoes, Amon thought he would definitely prioritize destroying [Soul Barrier].
But to Amon's slight unexpectedness, "Dan Kuroto" shook his finger: "If the designer's thoughts are so easily guessed, how can it highlight the greatness of God's talent? What is powerful is never the power that has been fully displayed; the power held back is the most dangerous!"
"Destroy it! The card I choose to destroy is that set card in your backrow!"
Mystical Space Typhoon blew, failing to budge the bodies of [Storm Dragon] and [Eye of the Typhoon] even an inch, heading straight for Amon's set card in the backrow. The strong wind tore the set card apart. Before it was destroyed, Hayato saw that Amon's set card was Aggressive Cloudian.
Hayato remembered this card was a support card specifically for [Cloudian] monsters. Because [Cloudian] monsters' characteristic was that they couldn't be destroyed by battle in Attack Position, and would self-destruct in Defense Position, dealing with [Cloudian] monsters could actually be easily done by using cards that change monster position like [Nightmare's Labyrinth] or [Enemy Controller].
And Aggressive Cloudian was a counter-card to this kind of method. It was a defense card that, when a [Cloudian] monster was destroyed and sent to the graveyard due to its own effect, would revive the self-destructed monster, place Fog Counters on it, and also grant it resistance to changing position.
In short, it was a card that wouldn't have any influence on Hayato's subsequent combo whether he destroyed it or not. But living is for peace of mind. Destroying Amon's set card gave Hayato immense peace of mind, allowing him to proceed with his combo calmly.
"I activate Spell Card Graceful Charity! I draw three cards from my deck, then choose two cards from my hand to discard." Drawing three cards, Hayato didn't hesitate to send two cards from his hand to the graveyard. However, before one of the cards was sent to the graveyard, he specifically revealed it. "One of the cards sent to my graveyard is Executioner Makyura."
"A true god can even control the power of the dead! During the turn Executioner Makyura is sent to the graveyard, I can activate trap cards directly from my hand!"
"With this, my divine talent completely surpasses the rules of Duel Monsters!"
Amon also frowned.
The biggest characteristic of trap cards was that they needed to be set on the field and wait one turn before they could be activated. Although some traps had effects that allowed them to be activated from the hand under certain conditions, "setting" was always the biggest feature of trap cards.
Because of this, Maximillion Pegasus generously gave many trap cards powerful effects as compensation for needing to be set. But what would happen if trap cards no longer needed to be set and could be activated directly from the hand like spell cards?
The answer is—
"From my hand, I directly activate Continuous Trap Card DNA Surgery, and declare [Psychic-Type]!" Hayato still had three cards in his hand. As he placed DNA Surgery in the Spell & Trap Zone of his Duel Disk, he held up three fingers. "To my victory, there are only three steps left."
"The effect of DNA Surgery, I remember is..." Amon looked at the card Hayato played. "As long as it is on the field, it changes the type of all face-up monsters on the field to the declared type?"
"Bingo!" Hayato snapped his fingers. "The surgery is ready. Next is this card, Zero-Force Magic Crusher!"
"This card's effect is, I can discard one spell card from my hand to inflict 500 points of damage to you. This effect is effect damage, so it won't be blocked by [Soul Barrier]."
"Then there's Field Spell Card Brain Research Lab. It's a Field Spell Card with the effect that when a Psychic-Type monster activates an effect by paying Life Points as a cost, I can place a Psychic Counter on [Brain Development Institute] instead."
"And the final step, I Normal Summon Monster Eye!"
"Come, witness what divine talent is!"
Hayato's hand was completely depleted, and on the field, a research institute rose from the ground. A rather unsettling eyeball floated in a life support pod in the center of the institute.
[Monster Eye] [Level 1/DARK]
[Fiend Type/Effect → Psychic-Type/Effect]
[250/350]
Speaking of this Brain Research Lab, Hayato obtained it when he defeated Psychic Ryujin, who cheated in a duel during Duel City. If you had to say, it could even be considered proof of bond?
Hayato was lost in self-admiration, but Amon still didn't understand where "Dan Kuroto"'s so-called "divine talent" ultimately manifested.
Was it the simple magic machine in his backrow, the Field Spell Card that appeared on the duel field, or the eyeball monster soaked in nutrient solution?
"Confused? Yes, well, not everyone can understand my talent, you know." Hayato sighed dramatically, pointing a hand at Amon. "After all, I am God Dan Kuroto! Even the era couldn't keep up with my talent!"
"The effect of Monster Eye is, I can pay 1000 Life Points to add one Fusion spell card from my graveyard to my hand! I activate it!"
As Hayato raised his hand, the eye of Monster Eye, soaked in nutrient solution, lit up. The Fusion that Hayato used to summon Cyber Twin Dragon earlier was added back to Hayato's hand out of thin air. At the same time, an electronic screen lit up beside Hayato, displaying: "Remaining Uses: 3"
Hayato's current Life Points were 3800, meaning he could use [Monster Eye]'s effect three times.
However, what puzzled Amon was that even though "Dan Kuroto" had used [Monster Eye]'s effect to add Fusion back to his hand, why did the "Remaining Uses" number on the electronic screen beside him still show 3?
Of course, it wasn't because Senior Tachibana could only say 3. The answer was—
"DNA Surgery changes the type of Monster Eye to the Psychic-Type I declared. And when a Psychic-Type monster activates an effect by paying Life Points, I can place a Psychic Counter on Brain Research Lab instead! This means I can add Fusion from the graveyard back to my hand infinitely and send it to the graveyard using Zero-Force Magic Crusher!"
Hayato proudly held up Fusion with both hands, showing it off. The number on the electronic screen beside him jumped wildly, changing to the maximum value of 99. "Now, extend life until I clear the game!"
"Invincible? You shouldn't say that." Hayato knew better than anyone what a debuff "invincible" was. Even the invincible Jotaro would fall, and the invincible Golden Head Scum Dad wasn't without his moments of frustration.
However, the card [Soul Barrier] was indeed tricky. As long as there was a monster acting as a barrier, it could protect Amon from battle damage. It was a perfect match for the [Cloudian] monsters, which had weak attack but generally possessed battle destruction resistance, perfectly compensating for the [Cloudian]'s biggest weakness.
And yet, Hayato was using a [Cyber Dragon] deck that relied mainly on aggro for victory. It wasn't that the [Cyber Dragon] deck had no means of backrow destruction; Chimeratech Rampage Dragon had the effect to destroy spell/trap cards on the field equal to the number of its fusion materials when Fusion Summoned.
But the problem was, Hayato didn't have Chimeratech Rampage Dragon. The [Cyber Dragon] deck he obtained only had two Fusion Monsters in total: Cyber End Dragon and Cyber Twin Dragon.
To strengthen the power of his boss monsters, Hayato had spent DP points to draw and buy cards, but in the end, he only managed to get Chimeratech Overdragon and the invincible Two-Seater Bicycle Robot. However, even these two monsters were helpless against [Soul Barrier].
Of course, Hayato's deck also included three copies of Mystical Space Typhoon, but without drawing it, everything was useless.
Although Cyber Twin Dragon could still attack once more, it couldn't destroy the [Cloudian] monsters on the field or inflict damage to him. Hayato could only helplessly play the card in his hand:
"Activate Continuous Spell Card Nightmare's Mirage! My turn ends."
["Dan Kuroto": 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[Cyber Twin Dragon] [ATK 2800]
[Nightmare's Mirage]
"Phew, although you're not old, you've certainly made God feel tricky. It's hard to imagine you're the child of that short-tempered guy, Ptah. Though you're not his biological child, of course."
Hearing "Dan Kuroto"'s words, Amon Garlem's expression showed a rare, noticeable change: "You, you know my father?"
"Not really know, because strictly speaking, we've only met each other, and haven't even spoken more than five sentences," Hayato shrugged. "I just witnessed that guy's exasperated look after losing a duel."
During Duelist Kingdom, Ptah Garlem was one of the players who qualified for the Top 8. His opponent at the time was the legendary duelist, the man favored by the Goddess of Fortune, the lucky one, the Will of the Commoner, the Black Dragon Wielder, Joey Wheeler. A victory within reach was turned into a comeback victory by Joey Wheeler using a Graceful Dice. Ptah was so angry that he left Maximillion Pegasus's castle immediately.
Although later, when Hayato and Yugi Mutou dueled Maximillion Pegasus, he returned to the castle to watch the duel due to the need for cooperation with Industrial Illusions.
Thinking about it now, two years have passed since Hayato came to this world without him realizing it. Ptah seems to have inherited his father's position and become the president of the Garlem Corporation, and he also adopted the young boy named Amon before him.
Compared to the easily agitated Ptah due to duel losses, Amon Garlem was calm, as if watching someone else's duel. It wasn't the kind of indifference that showed no desire for the outcome of the duel; this young boy seemed to always have his gaze set on something further away.
"I see. However, I don't think your talent is particularly outstanding. To be called a god, you must first defeat me," Amon said calmly. As he spoke, his finger rested on the Duel Disk, preparing to draw a card. "My turn, draw—"
Hayato glanced at Amon's expression and suddenly laughed: "To consider me a trial to test your divine talent, how arrogant. Oh, no, that's not right. You're actually feeling inferior, aren't you?"
Amon's hand paused. He looked up at "Dan Kuroto"'s face, which held an inexplicable smile, and said expressionlessly, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Huh? Is that so?" Hayato waved his hand casually. "God's talent is never wrong. Whether it is or isn't, let your duel tell me, Amon Garlem~"
Frowning, Amon's hand paused on his deck, thinking about something. After a few seconds, he chose to forget the meaningless words from "Dan Kuroto"'s mouth: "My turn, draw."
"Then, during your Standby Phase, I activate the effect of Nightmare's Mirage on the field." Hayato placed his free hand on his deck and sharply drew four cards. "During the opponent's Standby Phase, I draw cards from my deck until my hand size is restored to four. During my next Standby Phase, I discard cards equal to the number I drew."
"A meaningless card," Amon frowned, not understanding why Hayato would activate such a card. "You have no cards on the field that can use your hand. You'll have to discard all four cards in your hand at the start of your Standby Phase."
"Even if you drew some powerful cards, you can't use them during my turn."
Although he said this, Amon actually remembered the Red Reboot card from "Dan Kuroto"'s information. However, for Amon, who had no set cards on the field, even Red Reboot posed no threat.
Looking at the cards he drew, Amon played one to activate: "Spell Card Pot of Greed! I draw two cards from my deck."
"Then I activate the effect of Cloudian - Storm Dragon. Once per turn, I place one Fog Counter on one face-up monster on the field. My target is Cloudian - Turbulence. Then, I remove one Fog Counter, and the effect of Cloudian - Turbulence activates! Special Summon Cloudian - Smoke Ball from the graveyard."
As Cloudian - Smoke Ball was revived on the field, Amon looked down at a card in his hand.
"Dan Kuroto"'s words were not wrong, because no one knew better than Amon himself the inferiority in his heart.
Before being adopted by Ptah Garlem and given the "Garlem" surname, Amon was just an orphan from a poor area. His early experiences of struggling for survival were deeply etched in his mind and difficult to forget. Because of this, Amon was filled with gratitude towards Ptah Garlem, who adopted him and raised him as his own son and heir.
Although Ptah's personality was not very stable, he was a very competent adoptive father. He was very dedicated to Amon's education and told him that to become the president of the Garlem Corporation, the most important thing was not talent but capacity. He must have the ambition to become the world's number one, to become a king, to become a god, in order to lead the Garlem Corporation to greater heights.
And Amon did indeed try to cultivate a "Heart of a King" for himself, just as Ptah had taught him.
But plans couldn't keep up with changes. Not long ago, Amon learned something—Ptah's wife, who had been married for a long time without children, was finally pregnant, and it was estimated to be a boy. In other words, the person with the legitimate qualification for the position of "Garlem Corporation Heir" that Amon had filled was returning.
Although Ptah continued to care for Amon as always, Amon himself was stirred by feelings of inferiority. In his struggle, he proactively found Ptah, explained that he would not accept the heir status, and vowed to assist his unborn younger brother—Sid.
'I am indeed feeling inferior. Inferior that I, just an orphan, had the great luck to be adopted by the Garlem Corporation. Inferior that everything I have comes from external bestowal.'
'However, Duel Monsters is different. This [Cloudian] deck was not purchased with the power of the Garlem Corporation; I collected it card by card myself.'
'Only in Duel Monsters can I use my own power, not the power of the Garlem Corporation, and do things that even my father cannot do!'
Looking up, Amon's gaze met Hayato's. It was the first time Hayato had seen such a thirst for victory in the eyes of this young boy with a great haircut for dueling: "That gaze, interesting."
"Dan Kuroto, I will take the victory in this duel. Because my target is the King of Games, I will become the champion of the KC Cup and then defeat Kobayashi Hayato!"
Amon Garlem, who didn't know that "Dan Kuroto" was Kobayashi Hayato, raised the card in his hand: "I tribute Cloudian - Smoke Ball and Cloudian - Turbulence on the field for a Tribute Summon!"
"The light leading to the future can stir up a storm even in this windless place! Come forth, my deck's ace monster, Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon!!"
Cloudian - Turbulence and Cloudian - Smoke Ball were tributed at Amon's command. The smoke cloud and air current, no longer bound by the power of Duel Monsters, began to spread and were continuously expanded under the guidance of Cloudian - Storm Dragon nearby.
In just a few breaths, the smoke cloud of [Smoke Ball] was completely blown away by [Turbulence] into a vast cloud, but then pulled towards the center by the centripetal force of the high-speed air current. The storm continuously expanded, and [Storm Dragon] even began to circle around the huge tornado.
Suddenly, a giant single eye appeared within the storm, followed by a pair of giant fists that extended from the storm and smashed onto the ground!
[Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon] [Level 8/Wind]
[Aqua-Type/Effect]
[3000/1000]
Looking at the enormous volume of Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon, like a giant, Hayato not only felt no fear but instead showed a look of interest: "That's how it should be. Compared to those lackeys who swarmed me just now, this level is a qualified game."
Amon looked up at Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon. Although its appearance was much uglier than cute Duel Monsters like [Smoke Ball], watching [Eye of the Typhoon]'s appearance made him feel incredibly secure.
"Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon is the strongest [Cloudian] monster in my deck." Adjusting his glasses, Amon looked at the Cyber Twin Dragon on the field and waved his hand, giving the command, "Now, enter my Battle Phase!"
"Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon, attack Cyber Twin Dragon! Ultimate Storm Fist!"
Following Amon's spirited command, Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon raised its thick arm and punched out fiercely. Although it should have been insubstantial cloud, [Eye of the Typhoon]'s fist instantly scattered the light beam sprayed out by Cyber Twin Dragon when it countered, and then heavily struck and destroyed it, sending it to the graveyard!
["Dan Kuroto": 4000→3800 LP]
"Then, Cloudian - Storm Dragon's direct attack!"
Amon pressed his advantage. [Storm Dragon] opened its mouth and spat out a blast of cold air. In the cold weather, this kind of attack made Hayato shiver, and his Life Points decreased again.
["Dan Kuroto": 3800→2800 LP]
"Even if your talent is truly like a god, I will not lose to you, Dan Kuroto. Because this is my duel, Amon Garlem's duel." Amon set the last card in his hand. "Set a card! My turn ends!"
[Amon: 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon] [ATK 3000]
[Cloudian - Storm Dragon] [ATK 1000]
[Soul Barrier] [Set Card]
"What a spirited declaration, but just talking is far from enough. Fighting spirit alone cannot change the gap in talent between you and me." Although he was at a disadvantage, Hayato's words were quite arrogant. If you ask why—
"My turn, draw! Then I activate Emergency Provisions from my hand! I send Nightmare's Mirage on the field to the graveyard and recover 1000 Life Points." Sending [Nightmare's Steelcage] to the graveyard and then getting free cards, Hayato was getting smoother and smoother with this combo.
And he could swear to God that he absolutely did not put glue between Emergency Provisions and [Nightmare's Steelcage].
["Dan Kuroto": 2800→3800 LP]
"Then, Spell Card Pot of Greed! I replenish two more cards from my deck."
After activating [Pot of Greed], Hayato still had five cards in his hand. It didn't seem like much, but it was completely enough to win this duel.
Although I'm sorry to Kaiser, who made Cyber Dragon a classic monster in the hearts of countless people, just as Kaiser said, for victory, I am willing to give up my old friend Cyber Dragon!
Besides, [Cyber Dragon] is a deck that focuses on [Fusion]. There is absolutely no problem with the combo I'm about to make!
"As a game administrator, I know better than anyone that no matter how difficult a game is, there must be an opportunity to clear it. However, as a game administrator, before starting this ultimate game, I must cut off your last hope, Amon."
As he spoke, Hayato showed a healthy smile and played a card: "Activate Spell Card Mystical Space Typhoon! Unconditionally destroy any one spell/trap card on the field."
"Are you going to destroy my [Soul Barrier]?" Amon subconsciously looked at the [Soul Barrier] protecting him. With this card on the field, no matter how much "Dan Kuroto" attacked the [Cloudian] monsters on the field that couldn't be destroyed by battle, he wouldn't take damage. Putting himself in "Dan Kuroto"'s shoes, Amon thought he would definitely prioritize destroying [Soul Barrier].
But to Amon's slight unexpectedness, "Dan Kuroto" shook his finger: "If the designer's thoughts are so easily guessed, how can it highlight the greatness of God's talent? What is powerful is never the power that has been fully displayed; the power held back is the most dangerous!"
"Destroy it! The card I choose to destroy is that set card in your backrow!"
Mystical Space Typhoon blew, failing to budge the bodies of [Storm Dragon] and [Eye of the Typhoon] even an inch, heading straight for Amon's set card in the backrow. The strong wind tore the set card apart. Before it was destroyed, Hayato saw that Amon's set card was Aggressive Cloudian.
Hayato remembered this card was a support card specifically for [Cloudian] monsters. Because [Cloudian] monsters' characteristic was that they couldn't be destroyed by battle in Attack Position, and would self-destruct in Defense Position, dealing with [Cloudian] monsters could actually be easily done by using cards that change monster position like [Nightmare's Labyrinth] or [Enemy Controller].
And Aggressive Cloudian was a counter-card to this kind of method. It was a defense card that, when a [Cloudian] monster was destroyed and sent to the graveyard due to its own effect, would revive the self-destructed monster, place Fog Counters on it, and also grant it resistance to changing position.
In short, it was a card that wouldn't have any influence on Hayato's subsequent combo whether he destroyed it or not. But living is for peace of mind. Destroying Amon's set card gave Hayato immense peace of mind, allowing him to proceed with his combo calmly.
"I activate Spell Card Graceful Charity! I draw three cards from my deck, then choose two cards from my hand to discard." Drawing three cards, Hayato didn't hesitate to send two cards from his hand to the graveyard. However, before one of the cards was sent to the graveyard, he specifically revealed it. "One of the cards sent to my graveyard is Executioner Makyura."
"A true god can even control the power of the dead! During the turn Executioner Makyura is sent to the graveyard, I can activate trap cards directly from my hand!"
"With this, my divine talent completely surpasses the rules of Duel Monsters!"
Amon also frowned.
The biggest characteristic of trap cards was that they needed to be set on the field and wait one turn before they could be activated. Although some traps had effects that allowed them to be activated from the hand under certain conditions, "setting" was always the biggest feature of trap cards.
Because of this, Maximillion Pegasus generously gave many trap cards powerful effects as compensation for needing to be set. But what would happen if trap cards no longer needed to be set and could be activated directly from the hand like spell cards?
The answer is—
"From my hand, I directly activate Continuous Trap Card DNA Surgery, and declare [Psychic-Type]!" Hayato still had three cards in his hand. As he placed DNA Surgery in the Spell & Trap Zone of his Duel Disk, he held up three fingers. "To my victory, there are only three steps left."
"The effect of DNA Surgery, I remember is..." Amon looked at the card Hayato played. "As long as it is on the field, it changes the type of all face-up monsters on the field to the declared type?"
"Bingo!" Hayato snapped his fingers. "The surgery is ready. Next is this card, Zero-Force Magic Crusher!"
"This card's effect is, I can discard one spell card from my hand to inflict 500 points of damage to you. This effect is effect damage, so it won't be blocked by [Soul Barrier]."
"Then there's Field Spell Card Brain Research Lab. It's a Field Spell Card with the effect that when a Psychic-Type monster activates an effect by paying Life Points as a cost, I can place a Psychic Counter on [Brain Development Institute] instead."
"And the final step, I Normal Summon Monster Eye!"
"Come, witness what divine talent is!"
Hayato's hand was completely depleted, and on the field, a research institute rose from the ground. A rather unsettling eyeball floated in a life support pod in the center of the institute.
[Monster Eye] [Level 1/DARK]
[Fiend Type/Effect → Psychic-Type/Effect]
[250/350]
Speaking of this Brain Research Lab, Hayato obtained it when he defeated Psychic Ryujin, who cheated in a duel during Duel City. If you had to say, it could even be considered proof of bond?
Hayato was lost in self-admiration, but Amon still didn't understand where "Dan Kuroto"'s so-called "divine talent" ultimately manifested.
Was it the simple magic machine in his backrow, the Field Spell Card that appeared on the duel field, or the eyeball monster soaked in nutrient solution?
"Confused? Yes, well, not everyone can understand my talent, you know." Hayato sighed dramatically, pointing a hand at Amon. "After all, I am God Dan Kuroto! Even the era couldn't keep up with my talent!"
"The effect of Monster Eye is, I can pay 1000 Life Points to add one Fusion spell card from my graveyard to my hand! I activate it!"
As Hayato raised his hand, the eye of Monster Eye, soaked in nutrient solution, lit up. The Fusion that Hayato used to summon Cyber Twin Dragon earlier was added back to Hayato's hand out of thin air. At the same time, an electronic screen lit up beside Hayato, displaying: "Remaining Uses: 3"
Hayato's current Life Points were 3800, meaning he could use [Monster Eye]'s effect three times.
However, what puzzled Amon was that even though "Dan Kuroto" had used [Monster Eye]'s effect to add Fusion back to his hand, why did the "Remaining Uses" number on the electronic screen beside him still show 3?
Of course, it wasn't because Senior Tachibana could only say 3. The answer was—
"DNA Surgery changes the type of Monster Eye to the Psychic-Type I declared. And when a Psychic-Type monster activates an effect by paying Life Points, I can place a Psychic Counter on Brain Research Lab instead! This means I can add Fusion from the graveyard back to my hand infinitely and send it to the graveyard using Zero-Force Magic Crusher!"
Hayato proudly held up Fusion with both hands, showing it off. The number on the electronic screen beside him jumped wildly, changing to the maximum value of 99. "Now, extend life until I clear the game!"
