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# Chapter 444: Upheaval
"【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】?" Yugi, sitting in the Spectator Area, frowned, looking at the raptor that appeared on the Duel Field. "Hayato actually summoned this monster?"
"That monster looks so familiar... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before?" Joey Wheeler couldn't recall for a moment where he had seen 【Wiraqocha Rasca】, but Tristan's memory was quite good.
"Idiot, it was during Battle City! Before Shizuka's surgery, weren't we stopped by the Rare Hunters?" Because that day was the day of Shizuka's surgery and also the day Joey Wheeler received his Duel Disk from Manjoume Shouji, Tristan had a deep impression of the 【Wiraqocha Rasca】 Hayato summoned that day.
It wasn't just because the event deepened the memory; another reason was that it was the monster that instilled the most 'fear' in him since he started playing Duel Monsters, even up to now.
The 【Relinquished】 Pegasus used at most just disgusted the onlookers. The first impression the 【Three Egyptian Gods】 gave bystanders was merely awe-inspiring; only the Duelists who faced them directly could fully experience the fear they brought.
But the 【Earthbound Immortals】 were different. They conveyed a clear sense of 'threat' that even onlookers could feel, as if the Duel Monsters had broken free from the card's restrictions and could inflict actual damage at any moment, resisting the duel's rules.
To describe it more specifically, it was probably the feeling of a rabbit being targeted by a hawk—a fear that originated from the bloodline.
"That monster... it feels so terrifying." Rebecca swallowed nervously, looking at Rayne von Schroeder, who was facing the 【Earthbound Immortal】, and frowned. "It's clearly just a small fry monster with only 1 ATK and DEF, so why does it give off this feeling?"
Even Marik put down his French fries, looking at the 【Earthbound Immortal】 that appeared on the Duel Field, his finger trembling slightly.
He was also one of the Duelists who had faced an 【Earthbound Immortal】 directly. In fact, it seemed he was the only Duelist who had faced 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 directly up to now. This was because Hayato had only used this card against the Rare Hunters during Battle City.
And coincidentally, almost all the Rare Hunters members, except Rishid, had a part of their heart remotely controlled by Marik at that time. This allowed Marik to remotely access their thoughts and knowledge, but he also endured the pressure from the 【Earthbound Immortal】 many times.
Also, on the night before the official opening of Battle City, Marik, who had just arrived in Domino City, specifically sought out Hayato for a Duel. The result was a spectacular defeat. Although the final blow was delivered by 【The Winged Dragon of Ra】, what left the deepest impression on Marik was undoubtedly—
"When a Field Spell Card is present, 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 can use its effect."
Hayato pointed his finger at Rayne von Schroeder: "Once per turn, by skipping my Battle Phase, I can unleash 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】's most powerful strength."
"Directly change the opponent Duelist's Life Points to 1!"
"Polar Star Obedience!"
The giant vulture, coming out for air after a long time, opened its mouth. Having not tasted delicious souls for a long time, it noticed the aura from the countless audience members around and was almost overjoyed, wanting to feast freely. However, remembering the guy who had freed it from its seal standing behind it, 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 could only obediently release its authority, suppressed to the minimum.
Hayato had instructed it beforehand when adding it to his Deck. Although it would appear in the upcoming Duel, it had to be obedient when taking action and absolutely must not directly devour the opponent's soul like it used to against the Rare Hunters. It had to achieve the level of 'running over an ant without injuring it.'
In other words, knock Rayne von Schroeder unconscious.
In the Player Waiting Room, Professor Banner had told Hayato that he had detected certain things placed within the Kaiba Dome during this time. Although Professor Banner's expertise was alchemy, by analogy, he also knew a little about magic circles and similar things. He learned that the items within the Venue could be used to activate a magic circle with a certain function.
Furthermore, unlike conventional magic circles, this technique was controlled by some kind of computer program. This was also why Professor Banner couldn't figure out what the magic circle was for, but he knew it was definitely nothing good.
However, Professor Banner did manage to extract some of the placed items for research using his own methods without being detected by the placer. Hayato recognized the true form of the green stone Professor Banner held—wasn't it the Orichalcos Fragment that the Doma Swordsmen carried with them?!
Combined with what Bakura had said before, Hayato had sufficient reason to suspect that the ones who set up that magic circle were from Doma, and since they were collaborating with the Schroeder Corporation, the prerequisite for activating the magic circle was very likely that truly fake card held by Zigfried von Schroeder's younger brother, Rayne von Schroeder—【Golden Castle of Stromberg】.
After all, in the original plot, Zigfried von Schroeder used that card to activate a Trojan program placed within KaibaCorp, almost succeeding in destroying KaibaCorp's internal data.
Hayato didn't have concrete evidence or absolute certainty about whether the key to activating the magic circle was 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】. Furthermore, Professor Banner said that while he could find the placed magic circle, extracting some of the placed items was already his limit, and dissolving the formation was beyond his limit.
In that case, although it wasn't entirely fair to Rayne von Schroeder, Hayato only had one option: defeat Rayne von Schroeder in one turn, preventing him from using that 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】.
As a hawk cry echoed in his ears, Rayne von Schroeder felt a buzzing in his head, as if something was resonating with his trembling soul.
Rayne, enduring the sensation, extended his finger and pressed the Activate Set Card button on his Duel Disk: "B-Before that, because of the Effect Monster's effect activation, I activate my Set Card!"
"【Divine Wrath】! By discarding one card from my Hand, I negate the effect activation of 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 and destroy it!"
【Divine Wrath】 successfully activated. As Rayne von Schroeder sent a card to the Graveyard, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and a thick bolt of lightning struck the body of the giant 【Earthbound Immortal】!
However, before Rayne could show an expression of relief, he found that the 【Earthbound Immortal】 struck by the lightning was completely unaffected, as if the lightning bolt just now was merely an illusion.
"H-How is that possible?!" Rayne looked at the 【Divine Wrath】 on his Field, which had successfully activated but wasn't destroyed, and Hayato's Spell/Trap Zone, which had no other cards. The opponent clearly didn't activate any countermeasures, so why did his activated card fail? "Your monster should have been destroyed by 【Divine Wrath】!"
"Idiot, this isn't a monster, it's Kami-da!"
"When a Field Spell Card is present, 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 is unaffected by the opponent's Spell/Trap Card effects!"
"Bow down to this divine talent!"
The stripes on the giant vulture lit up with Hayato's voice. After a brief moment of dizziness, Rayne von Schroeder's Life Points plummeted!
【Rayne: 4000 → 1 LP】
A Life Point change of a full 3999 points. Even in a normal Duel, this would be enough to put a certain burden on the body. Moreover, what Rayne was currently enduring was the strongest ability from an 【Earthbound Immortal】 that was like a wicked god. The environment that felt like his soul was being ripped from his body left Rayne just a hair's breadth away from fainting.
"Hmm?" Hayato frowned, looking at Rayne von Schroeder, who was standing on the Field hunched over and swaying, visibly struggling but not falling down.
Although he used the 【Earthbound Immortal】 that he originally planned to keep sealed and only use against Dark Duelists, Hayato had no intention of harming anyone. While instructing 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 to hold back, he specifically emphasized that it was better to hold back too much strength and fail to achieve the desired effect than to cause actual damage to the opponent.
After all, it was already embarrassing enough to be serious against a child to resolve this conspiracy targeting KaibaCorp.
And now, it seemed the desired goal was not achieved.
"Ha, ha, ha..." Gasping for breath, Rayne's pinkish-purple short hair was soaked with the large amount of sweat he was secreting, falling onto his forehead and covering half of his face.
The fear, which existed for only an instant but felt as if it had been etched into his memory and was constantly present, lingered in Rayne's heart. Looking up from under the shadow of the 【Earthbound Immortal】 in the sky, Rayne von Schroeder's voice trembled slightly, but he still said firmly: "I, I won't... lose just like this!"
Hayato looked at Rayne, glancing at his Hand: "You didn't faint just like that? Impressive willpower. But it would have been better if you had fainted just now."
Although 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 only had 1 ATK, Rayne von Schroeder now only had 1 Life Point. However, due to the stakes of activating the 【Earthbound Immortal】's effect, Hayato couldn't attack Rayne von Schroeder this turn, at least.
However, defeating the opponent by depleting their Life Points wasn't the only way to achieve victory.
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card 【Psychic Feel Zone】." After activating the card in his Hand, Hayato Set his last Hand Card as well, announcing, "I Set my last Hand Card, and then I End my Turn."
"However, at the End Phase of my Turn, I can use the effect of 【Psychic Feel Zone】 on my Field."
【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】, out for a breath of fresh air after a long time, couldn't harm others' souls due to Hayato's instructions, but even just smelling them was quite enjoyable for it. Like an old chain smoker, 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 was greedily inhaling the fragrant souls emanating from the countless people in the Kaiba Dome when it was somewhat surprised to find its body beginning to disperse.
"Once per End Phase of each Duelist's Turn, Tribute one face-up position monster on your Field to inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the Tributed Monster's value."
As Hayato spoke, he pointed at Rayne's mere 1 Life Point: "In Duel Monsters, half of 1 ATK is also 1 damage. It would be good for everyone if your KC Cup journey ends here."
"Sacrifice yourself for the greater good!"
【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 was like garbage discarded after its usefulness was squeezed out. Despite having resistance to the opponent's Spell and Trap Cards, it was tricked by its own side's Spell Card. With an expression of unwillingness, it was sent to the Graveyard.
And on Hayato's Field, a transparent giant hawk, manifested by 【Psychic Feel Zone】 after extracting the last of 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】's usefulness, swooped towards Rayne von Schroeder.
If this attack hit, his Life Points would be completely cleared.
Facing the swooping giant hawk, Rayne von Schroeder's heart recalled his goal in Dueling up to this point.
Unlike his Brother, Zigfried von Schroeder, who was solely focused on defeating Kaiba Seto, making the Schroeder Corporation bigger and stronger, and viewing Duel Monsters as useful tools, Rayne von Schroeder had always regarded Duel Monsters as his partners. While loving Duel Monsters, he also firmly believed that perhaps in some world, there existed real Duel Monsters.
And his passion was rewarded by Pegasus. The Father of Duel Monsters custom designed a set of 【Fairy Tale】 cards specifically for Rayne von Schroeder because of his passion. From that moment on, a small 'ambition' formed in the heart of Rayne von Schroeder, who aspired to Duel Monsters—he wanted to take his partners to meet more Duel Monsters and see the view from the highest point.
And after watching the Battle City replay and witnessing Hayato Kobayashi become the Duel King, Rayne confirmed how he could reach the highest point—he didn't need to defeat Hayato Kobayashi; as long as he dueled him, he would definitely gain something.
To achieve this goal, he had to become the Champion of the KC Cup to gain the qualification to Duel Hayato Kobayashi. This also aligned with his Brother's wish. Rayne von Schroeder felt he had to do it.
With only 1 Life Point remaining, deducting this effect damage would reduce it completely to zero. Rayne von Schroeder's answer to that was a firm refusal!
"Boom!"
The phantom vulture crashed into Rayne von Schroeder's body. The impact, which should have been full of destructive power, seemed to be blocked by something just before reaching Rayne.
Just then, in front of Rayne von Schroeder, a Toon-style tomato wearing a football helmet appeared out of nowhere. Facing the phantom of 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 with a determined expression, it completely absorbed the damage intended for Rayne von Schroeder.
As the power carried by the phantom of 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 completely disappeared, the armor on the Toon tomato also shattered and turned into ash, dispersing from Rayne von Schroeder's Field.
"You saved my life, partner." Catching a card that popped out of the Graveyard, a gentle smile appeared on Rayne von Schroeder's face. Putting the card into his pocket, he regained his determined expression, seemingly re-energized with fighting spirit by the monster just now.
"During the opponent's Turn, the effect of 【Tomato in Zuit】 can be activated."
"By banishing this card from my Graveyard, the effect damage I take this Turn becomes 0."
Although his limbs were trembling just moments ago from the pressure of 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】, in this desperate situation, Rayne von Schroeder instead tapped into his potential, looking at Hayato with a determined gaze.
"Although I'm not a strong-willed person, I will absolutely not easily give up on my understanding of Duel Monsters."
"Even if my Life Points are down to the last 1, I will fight until the end! Did you hear that, Dan Kuroto!"
【Dan Kuroto: 2000 LP, Hand 0】
【Set Card】【Psychic Feel Zone】
Field: 【Shrine of the Mind's Eye】
Listening to Rayne von Schroeder's words, Hayato's expression was a little strange.
I know the monster I just summoned is a standard villain boss module, and its aura doesn't look like a good guy, but I should be a protagonist, right?
From the sound of this guy, it's like I've become the antagonist standing opposite the protagonist? And the kind of mob villain in a hot-blooded anime who beats the protagonist to near death, gives the opponent a power-up opportunity, and then gets instantly defeated by the powered-up protagonist?
Hayato's rant in his heart didn't come out of his mouth, and since his Turn had already ended, he couldn't do anything more, as it was now Rayne von Schroeder's Turn.
The two Set Cards on the Field were 【Dimensional Prison】 and 【Sakuretsu Armor】 for defense against attacks. If it were just summoning a monster and engaging in battle, they could be considered double safety measures. However, his Life Points were already down to the last 1, like shattered porcelain that would break with a touch; he couldn't withstand even 1 point of damage.
That 【Psychic Feel Zone】 on the opponent's Field meant that in the next Turn, as long as the opponent could summon even one monster with 0 or more ATK, his Life Points would be cleared. In that case, he had to defeat the opponent this Turn.
Rayne von Schroeder's thoughts were incredibly clear at this moment. He glanced at the Spell Card 【Revival Water】 in his Hand. This card had the effect of Special Summoning one monster from the Graveyard in Attack Position when there were no monsters on his Field. It could be used to revive the 【Iron Knight】 he summoned last Turn to attack the opponent Duelist.
However, due to the effect of 【Shrine of the Mind's Eye】, no matter how powerful the monster he summoned was, the Battle Damage it could inflict would only be 1000 Points. This meant that even with 【Iron Knight】 on the Field, he would need another monster to assist in the attack to achieve the goal of ending the Duel this Turn.
As for that 【Psychic Feel Zone】 whose effect both players could use? That card was not within Rayne von Schroeder's consideration from the start. Let him Tribute his own monster to achieve victory? Don't even think about it.
Rayne took a deep breath, held his breath, and tried to calm his rapid heartbeat slightly, concentrating his mind to the best of his ability.
Whether he could win this Duel depended on his draw this Turn. As long as he could draw a card capable of changing the tide of the battle, he could advance to the next round of the Duel and then step by step reach the Duel King.
'They say Duel Monsters have hearts. I firmly believe this.'
'And cards with hearts can respond to a Duelist's call and create a future.'
'Although to this day I still haven't heard the voice of the cards, nor can I feel the heart within the cards.'
'But please, respond to me, my Deck!'
"My Turn, Draw!"
His two fingers on the Deck slid horizontally, drawing the card from the top of the Deck. At the same time, Rayne von Schroeder also heard a peculiar voice: "Oh, these fools, idiots, and simpletons, flocking to such a dangerous place like moths."
"Bad luck, truly bad luck. The smell here is really unpleasant, and coincidentally, the fool Rayne can't hear me talking."
"Hey, wait, what is the fool Rayne looking at?"
To Rayne's surprised gaze, on the card he had just drawn, a strange bird with beautiful reddish-brown feathers was sitting on the card like a person, looking at the surroundings of the Kaiba Dome with a contemptuous expression, while also constantly complaining about something.
However, upon noticing Rayne's gaze towards him, the *Gryphon Winged Beast* from the card art, known as the 'All-Knowing,' looked at Rayne with a surprised expression: "Thank that damned bastard God, fool Rayne, you can see me?"
"The card... is talking?" Rayne von Schroeder looked at the phantom-like 【Gryphon Winged Beast】 on the card with a dumbfounded expression.
"Hey, fool Rayne, celebrate that you're not a hateful Christian, and then feel free to surrender and run for your life," the card in Rayne's Hand, 【Gryphon Winged Beast】, chattered on, "This is Lord Gryphon's advice to you!"
Listening to the voice that sounded like an illusion coming from the card, Rayne fell silent for a moment.
Was what he was seeing real?
Or was it the excessive stimulation just now that caused him to have an illusion?
He had fantasized countless times about seeing the heart residing within Duel Monster cards, but he never expected to actually see 【Gryphon Winged Beast】. It was like a dream.
However...
"But, I refuse!"
Looking up at Dan Kuroto opposite him, Rayne von Schroeder completely ignored 【Gryphon Winged Beast】's words and directly revealed the card: "Surrendering? I said I can't do it, and I can't, even if you kill me!"
"I will definitely keep winning, with my cards!"
【Gryphon Winged Beast】 looked at Rayne, who had clearly heard him but went ahead and sent his card to the Graveyard, with a dumbfounded expression: "You, you idiot, you don't mean to!!"
"I activate the effect of 【Gryphon Winged Beast】 from my Hand, discarding it from my Hand to search 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】 from my Deck and add it to my Hand."
"Then I activate the Field Spell Card, 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】!"
Rayne von Schroeder's plan was quite thorough—as long as he activated the effect of 【Gryphon Winged Beast】 to search 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】 from his Deck and activate it, the Field Spell Card would become beneficial to him, and the damage his monsters could inflict would no longer be affected by 【Shrine of the Mind's Eye】.
Furthermore, 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】 also had the ability to Special Summon one monster directly from the Deck to the Field in Attack Position once per Main Phase. By using the effect of 【Revival Water】 to revive 【Iron Knight】 and then using 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】 to summon any other monster, his Field would have the monster combination needed to defeat the opponent!
The plan was so perfect, but at the very moment Rayne von Schroeder placed the 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】 he searched from his Deck onto the Field Zone of his Duel Disk...
Inside the Kaiba Dome, there was a sudden blackout.
"【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】?" Yugi, sitting in the Spectator Area, frowned, looking at the raptor that appeared on the Duel Field. "Hayato actually summoned this monster?"
"That monster looks so familiar... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before?" Joey Wheeler couldn't recall for a moment where he had seen 【Wiraqocha Rasca】, but Tristan's memory was quite good.
"Idiot, it was during Battle City! Before Shizuka's surgery, weren't we stopped by the Rare Hunters?" Because that day was the day of Shizuka's surgery and also the day Joey Wheeler received his Duel Disk from Manjoume Shouji, Tristan had a deep impression of the 【Wiraqocha Rasca】 Hayato summoned that day.
It wasn't just because the event deepened the memory; another reason was that it was the monster that instilled the most 'fear' in him since he started playing Duel Monsters, even up to now.
The 【Relinquished】 Pegasus used at most just disgusted the onlookers. The first impression the 【Three Egyptian Gods】 gave bystanders was merely awe-inspiring; only the Duelists who faced them directly could fully experience the fear they brought.
But the 【Earthbound Immortals】 were different. They conveyed a clear sense of 'threat' that even onlookers could feel, as if the Duel Monsters had broken free from the card's restrictions and could inflict actual damage at any moment, resisting the duel's rules.
To describe it more specifically, it was probably the feeling of a rabbit being targeted by a hawk—a fear that originated from the bloodline.
"That monster... it feels so terrifying." Rebecca swallowed nervously, looking at Rayne von Schroeder, who was facing the 【Earthbound Immortal】, and frowned. "It's clearly just a small fry monster with only 1 ATK and DEF, so why does it give off this feeling?"
Even Marik put down his French fries, looking at the 【Earthbound Immortal】 that appeared on the Duel Field, his finger trembling slightly.
He was also one of the Duelists who had faced an 【Earthbound Immortal】 directly. In fact, it seemed he was the only Duelist who had faced 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 directly up to now. This was because Hayato had only used this card against the Rare Hunters during Battle City.
And coincidentally, almost all the Rare Hunters members, except Rishid, had a part of their heart remotely controlled by Marik at that time. This allowed Marik to remotely access their thoughts and knowledge, but he also endured the pressure from the 【Earthbound Immortal】 many times.
Also, on the night before the official opening of Battle City, Marik, who had just arrived in Domino City, specifically sought out Hayato for a Duel. The result was a spectacular defeat. Although the final blow was delivered by 【The Winged Dragon of Ra】, what left the deepest impression on Marik was undoubtedly—
"When a Field Spell Card is present, 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 can use its effect."
Hayato pointed his finger at Rayne von Schroeder: "Once per turn, by skipping my Battle Phase, I can unleash 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】's most powerful strength."
"Directly change the opponent Duelist's Life Points to 1!"
"Polar Star Obedience!"
The giant vulture, coming out for air after a long time, opened its mouth. Having not tasted delicious souls for a long time, it noticed the aura from the countless audience members around and was almost overjoyed, wanting to feast freely. However, remembering the guy who had freed it from its seal standing behind it, 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 could only obediently release its authority, suppressed to the minimum.
Hayato had instructed it beforehand when adding it to his Deck. Although it would appear in the upcoming Duel, it had to be obedient when taking action and absolutely must not directly devour the opponent's soul like it used to against the Rare Hunters. It had to achieve the level of 'running over an ant without injuring it.'
In other words, knock Rayne von Schroeder unconscious.
In the Player Waiting Room, Professor Banner had told Hayato that he had detected certain things placed within the Kaiba Dome during this time. Although Professor Banner's expertise was alchemy, by analogy, he also knew a little about magic circles and similar things. He learned that the items within the Venue could be used to activate a magic circle with a certain function.
Furthermore, unlike conventional magic circles, this technique was controlled by some kind of computer program. This was also why Professor Banner couldn't figure out what the magic circle was for, but he knew it was definitely nothing good.
However, Professor Banner did manage to extract some of the placed items for research using his own methods without being detected by the placer. Hayato recognized the true form of the green stone Professor Banner held—wasn't it the Orichalcos Fragment that the Doma Swordsmen carried with them?!
Combined with what Bakura had said before, Hayato had sufficient reason to suspect that the ones who set up that magic circle were from Doma, and since they were collaborating with the Schroeder Corporation, the prerequisite for activating the magic circle was very likely that truly fake card held by Zigfried von Schroeder's younger brother, Rayne von Schroeder—【Golden Castle of Stromberg】.
After all, in the original plot, Zigfried von Schroeder used that card to activate a Trojan program placed within KaibaCorp, almost succeeding in destroying KaibaCorp's internal data.
Hayato didn't have concrete evidence or absolute certainty about whether the key to activating the magic circle was 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】. Furthermore, Professor Banner said that while he could find the placed magic circle, extracting some of the placed items was already his limit, and dissolving the formation was beyond his limit.
In that case, although it wasn't entirely fair to Rayne von Schroeder, Hayato only had one option: defeat Rayne von Schroeder in one turn, preventing him from using that 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】.
As a hawk cry echoed in his ears, Rayne von Schroeder felt a buzzing in his head, as if something was resonating with his trembling soul.
Rayne, enduring the sensation, extended his finger and pressed the Activate Set Card button on his Duel Disk: "B-Before that, because of the Effect Monster's effect activation, I activate my Set Card!"
"【Divine Wrath】! By discarding one card from my Hand, I negate the effect activation of 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 and destroy it!"
【Divine Wrath】 successfully activated. As Rayne von Schroeder sent a card to the Graveyard, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and a thick bolt of lightning struck the body of the giant 【Earthbound Immortal】!
However, before Rayne could show an expression of relief, he found that the 【Earthbound Immortal】 struck by the lightning was completely unaffected, as if the lightning bolt just now was merely an illusion.
"H-How is that possible?!" Rayne looked at the 【Divine Wrath】 on his Field, which had successfully activated but wasn't destroyed, and Hayato's Spell/Trap Zone, which had no other cards. The opponent clearly didn't activate any countermeasures, so why did his activated card fail? "Your monster should have been destroyed by 【Divine Wrath】!"
"Idiot, this isn't a monster, it's Kami-da!"
"When a Field Spell Card is present, 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 is unaffected by the opponent's Spell/Trap Card effects!"
"Bow down to this divine talent!"
The stripes on the giant vulture lit up with Hayato's voice. After a brief moment of dizziness, Rayne von Schroeder's Life Points plummeted!
【Rayne: 4000 → 1 LP】
A Life Point change of a full 3999 points. Even in a normal Duel, this would be enough to put a certain burden on the body. Moreover, what Rayne was currently enduring was the strongest ability from an 【Earthbound Immortal】 that was like a wicked god. The environment that felt like his soul was being ripped from his body left Rayne just a hair's breadth away from fainting.
"Hmm?" Hayato frowned, looking at Rayne von Schroeder, who was standing on the Field hunched over and swaying, visibly struggling but not falling down.
Although he used the 【Earthbound Immortal】 that he originally planned to keep sealed and only use against Dark Duelists, Hayato had no intention of harming anyone. While instructing 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 to hold back, he specifically emphasized that it was better to hold back too much strength and fail to achieve the desired effect than to cause actual damage to the opponent.
After all, it was already embarrassing enough to be serious against a child to resolve this conspiracy targeting KaibaCorp.
And now, it seemed the desired goal was not achieved.
"Ha, ha, ha..." Gasping for breath, Rayne's pinkish-purple short hair was soaked with the large amount of sweat he was secreting, falling onto his forehead and covering half of his face.
The fear, which existed for only an instant but felt as if it had been etched into his memory and was constantly present, lingered in Rayne's heart. Looking up from under the shadow of the 【Earthbound Immortal】 in the sky, Rayne von Schroeder's voice trembled slightly, but he still said firmly: "I, I won't... lose just like this!"
Hayato looked at Rayne, glancing at his Hand: "You didn't faint just like that? Impressive willpower. But it would have been better if you had fainted just now."
Although 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 only had 1 ATK, Rayne von Schroeder now only had 1 Life Point. However, due to the stakes of activating the 【Earthbound Immortal】's effect, Hayato couldn't attack Rayne von Schroeder this turn, at least.
However, defeating the opponent by depleting their Life Points wasn't the only way to achieve victory.
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card 【Psychic Feel Zone】." After activating the card in his Hand, Hayato Set his last Hand Card as well, announcing, "I Set my last Hand Card, and then I End my Turn."
"However, at the End Phase of my Turn, I can use the effect of 【Psychic Feel Zone】 on my Field."
【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】, out for a breath of fresh air after a long time, couldn't harm others' souls due to Hayato's instructions, but even just smelling them was quite enjoyable for it. Like an old chain smoker, 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 was greedily inhaling the fragrant souls emanating from the countless people in the Kaiba Dome when it was somewhat surprised to find its body beginning to disperse.
"Once per End Phase of each Duelist's Turn, Tribute one face-up position monster on your Field to inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the Tributed Monster's value."
As Hayato spoke, he pointed at Rayne's mere 1 Life Point: "In Duel Monsters, half of 1 ATK is also 1 damage. It would be good for everyone if your KC Cup journey ends here."
"Sacrifice yourself for the greater good!"
【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 was like garbage discarded after its usefulness was squeezed out. Despite having resistance to the opponent's Spell and Trap Cards, it was tricked by its own side's Spell Card. With an expression of unwillingness, it was sent to the Graveyard.
And on Hayato's Field, a transparent giant hawk, manifested by 【Psychic Feel Zone】 after extracting the last of 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】's usefulness, swooped towards Rayne von Schroeder.
If this attack hit, his Life Points would be completely cleared.
Facing the swooping giant hawk, Rayne von Schroeder's heart recalled his goal in Dueling up to this point.
Unlike his Brother, Zigfried von Schroeder, who was solely focused on defeating Kaiba Seto, making the Schroeder Corporation bigger and stronger, and viewing Duel Monsters as useful tools, Rayne von Schroeder had always regarded Duel Monsters as his partners. While loving Duel Monsters, he also firmly believed that perhaps in some world, there existed real Duel Monsters.
And his passion was rewarded by Pegasus. The Father of Duel Monsters custom designed a set of 【Fairy Tale】 cards specifically for Rayne von Schroeder because of his passion. From that moment on, a small 'ambition' formed in the heart of Rayne von Schroeder, who aspired to Duel Monsters—he wanted to take his partners to meet more Duel Monsters and see the view from the highest point.
And after watching the Battle City replay and witnessing Hayato Kobayashi become the Duel King, Rayne confirmed how he could reach the highest point—he didn't need to defeat Hayato Kobayashi; as long as he dueled him, he would definitely gain something.
To achieve this goal, he had to become the Champion of the KC Cup to gain the qualification to Duel Hayato Kobayashi. This also aligned with his Brother's wish. Rayne von Schroeder felt he had to do it.
With only 1 Life Point remaining, deducting this effect damage would reduce it completely to zero. Rayne von Schroeder's answer to that was a firm refusal!
"Boom!"
The phantom vulture crashed into Rayne von Schroeder's body. The impact, which should have been full of destructive power, seemed to be blocked by something just before reaching Rayne.
Just then, in front of Rayne von Schroeder, a Toon-style tomato wearing a football helmet appeared out of nowhere. Facing the phantom of 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 with a determined expression, it completely absorbed the damage intended for Rayne von Schroeder.
As the power carried by the phantom of 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】 completely disappeared, the armor on the Toon tomato also shattered and turned into ash, dispersing from Rayne von Schroeder's Field.
"You saved my life, partner." Catching a card that popped out of the Graveyard, a gentle smile appeared on Rayne von Schroeder's face. Putting the card into his pocket, he regained his determined expression, seemingly re-energized with fighting spirit by the monster just now.
"During the opponent's Turn, the effect of 【Tomato in Zuit】 can be activated."
"By banishing this card from my Graveyard, the effect damage I take this Turn becomes 0."
Although his limbs were trembling just moments ago from the pressure of 【Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca】, in this desperate situation, Rayne von Schroeder instead tapped into his potential, looking at Hayato with a determined gaze.
"Although I'm not a strong-willed person, I will absolutely not easily give up on my understanding of Duel Monsters."
"Even if my Life Points are down to the last 1, I will fight until the end! Did you hear that, Dan Kuroto!"
【Dan Kuroto: 2000 LP, Hand 0】
【Set Card】【Psychic Feel Zone】
Field: 【Shrine of the Mind's Eye】
Listening to Rayne von Schroeder's words, Hayato's expression was a little strange.
I know the monster I just summoned is a standard villain boss module, and its aura doesn't look like a good guy, but I should be a protagonist, right?
From the sound of this guy, it's like I've become the antagonist standing opposite the protagonist? And the kind of mob villain in a hot-blooded anime who beats the protagonist to near death, gives the opponent a power-up opportunity, and then gets instantly defeated by the powered-up protagonist?
Hayato's rant in his heart didn't come out of his mouth, and since his Turn had already ended, he couldn't do anything more, as it was now Rayne von Schroeder's Turn.
The two Set Cards on the Field were 【Dimensional Prison】 and 【Sakuretsu Armor】 for defense against attacks. If it were just summoning a monster and engaging in battle, they could be considered double safety measures. However, his Life Points were already down to the last 1, like shattered porcelain that would break with a touch; he couldn't withstand even 1 point of damage.
That 【Psychic Feel Zone】 on the opponent's Field meant that in the next Turn, as long as the opponent could summon even one monster with 0 or more ATK, his Life Points would be cleared. In that case, he had to defeat the opponent this Turn.
Rayne von Schroeder's thoughts were incredibly clear at this moment. He glanced at the Spell Card 【Revival Water】 in his Hand. This card had the effect of Special Summoning one monster from the Graveyard in Attack Position when there were no monsters on his Field. It could be used to revive the 【Iron Knight】 he summoned last Turn to attack the opponent Duelist.
However, due to the effect of 【Shrine of the Mind's Eye】, no matter how powerful the monster he summoned was, the Battle Damage it could inflict would only be 1000 Points. This meant that even with 【Iron Knight】 on the Field, he would need another monster to assist in the attack to achieve the goal of ending the Duel this Turn.
As for that 【Psychic Feel Zone】 whose effect both players could use? That card was not within Rayne von Schroeder's consideration from the start. Let him Tribute his own monster to achieve victory? Don't even think about it.
Rayne took a deep breath, held his breath, and tried to calm his rapid heartbeat slightly, concentrating his mind to the best of his ability.
Whether he could win this Duel depended on his draw this Turn. As long as he could draw a card capable of changing the tide of the battle, he could advance to the next round of the Duel and then step by step reach the Duel King.
'They say Duel Monsters have hearts. I firmly believe this.'
'And cards with hearts can respond to a Duelist's call and create a future.'
'Although to this day I still haven't heard the voice of the cards, nor can I feel the heart within the cards.'
'But please, respond to me, my Deck!'
"My Turn, Draw!"
His two fingers on the Deck slid horizontally, drawing the card from the top of the Deck. At the same time, Rayne von Schroeder also heard a peculiar voice: "Oh, these fools, idiots, and simpletons, flocking to such a dangerous place like moths."
"Bad luck, truly bad luck. The smell here is really unpleasant, and coincidentally, the fool Rayne can't hear me talking."
"Hey, wait, what is the fool Rayne looking at?"
To Rayne's surprised gaze, on the card he had just drawn, a strange bird with beautiful reddish-brown feathers was sitting on the card like a person, looking at the surroundings of the Kaiba Dome with a contemptuous expression, while also constantly complaining about something.
However, upon noticing Rayne's gaze towards him, the *Gryphon Winged Beast* from the card art, known as the 'All-Knowing,' looked at Rayne with a surprised expression: "Thank that damned bastard God, fool Rayne, you can see me?"
"The card... is talking?" Rayne von Schroeder looked at the phantom-like 【Gryphon Winged Beast】 on the card with a dumbfounded expression.
"Hey, fool Rayne, celebrate that you're not a hateful Christian, and then feel free to surrender and run for your life," the card in Rayne's Hand, 【Gryphon Winged Beast】, chattered on, "This is Lord Gryphon's advice to you!"
Listening to the voice that sounded like an illusion coming from the card, Rayne fell silent for a moment.
Was what he was seeing real?
Or was it the excessive stimulation just now that caused him to have an illusion?
He had fantasized countless times about seeing the heart residing within Duel Monster cards, but he never expected to actually see 【Gryphon Winged Beast】. It was like a dream.
However...
"But, I refuse!"
Looking up at Dan Kuroto opposite him, Rayne von Schroeder completely ignored 【Gryphon Winged Beast】's words and directly revealed the card: "Surrendering? I said I can't do it, and I can't, even if you kill me!"
"I will definitely keep winning, with my cards!"
【Gryphon Winged Beast】 looked at Rayne, who had clearly heard him but went ahead and sent his card to the Graveyard, with a dumbfounded expression: "You, you idiot, you don't mean to!!"
"I activate the effect of 【Gryphon Winged Beast】 from my Hand, discarding it from my Hand to search 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】 from my Deck and add it to my Hand."
"Then I activate the Field Spell Card, 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】!"
Rayne von Schroeder's plan was quite thorough—as long as he activated the effect of 【Gryphon Winged Beast】 to search 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】 from his Deck and activate it, the Field Spell Card would become beneficial to him, and the damage his monsters could inflict would no longer be affected by 【Shrine of the Mind's Eye】.
Furthermore, 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】 also had the ability to Special Summon one monster directly from the Deck to the Field in Attack Position once per Main Phase. By using the effect of 【Revival Water】 to revive 【Iron Knight】 and then using 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】 to summon any other monster, his Field would have the monster combination needed to defeat the opponent!
The plan was so perfect, but at the very moment Rayne von Schroeder placed the 【Golden Castle of Stromberg】 he searched from his Deck onto the Field Zone of his Duel Disk...
Inside the Kaiba Dome, there was a sudden blackout.
