The Envoy frowned.
What was wrong with this person? Was he not panicked at all upon seeing the Seal of Orichalcos?
Normally, even just feeling the energy surging when the Seal was activated should be enough to make one's soul tremble with terror.
The Envoy observed You Xuan with suspicion but quickly suppressed his emotions.
Regardless, now that the Seal was active, his power had been enhanced to its limit. No matter where this guy came from, he would simply serve as fodder for the Great Leviathan once this duel was over.
"I activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity!" the Envoy continued. "I draw three cards from my Deck, then select two cards from my hand to discard."
He drew his cards and sent two from his hand to the Graveyard, looking as if they were being swallowed by that blood-colored Duel Disk.
"Then, I set one monster and one card face-down. I end my turn."
You Xuan replied, "Then it is my turn. Draw!"
He pulled a monster card from his hand.
"I Normal Summon Asura Priest!"
[Asura Priest, ATK 1700]
Asura Priest, a Level 4 Spirit monster, possessed a multi-attack effect that allowed it to attack all monsters on the opponent's side of the field. In the early days of competitive OCG, it was a recognized and excellent low-level beatstick.
"Asura Priest, attack the face-down monster!"
Asura Priest's six arms brandished short swords simultaneously, hurling them forward. The set monster on the field was instantly riddled with holes.
"The monster you attacked was Nimble Momonga," the Envoy stated. "When this card is destroyed by battle, I recover 1000 LP. Then, I can Special Summon any number of Nimble Momongas from my Deck in face-down Defense Position. I Special Summon my other two copies!"
[Envoy, LP 4000 → LP 5000]
Two new face-down monsters materialized on his field.
Nimble Momonga was also a prominent floating monster from those years. Attacking it would grant the opponent life points, but if one chose not to attack, the opponent would immediately have the Tributes ready for a Tribute Summon. They could easily bring out a powerful high-level monster and, if all went well, seize control of the entire duel's momentum.
"Asura Priest's effect allows it to attack every monster the opponent controls once," You Xuan said with a gentle wave of his hand. "Attack the remaining two Nimble Momongas!"
Asura Priest hurled its flying swords again. The two remaining set monsters were pierced by a myriad of blades and exploded.
"Then, for every Nimble Momonga destroyed, I recover another 1000 LP!"
[Envoy, LP 5000 → LP 7000]
"And it's not over yet!"
The brute's mouth curled into a sinister, cold sneer.
"The moment you destroyed the last mole, the effect of this fellow in my Graveyard also activated!" the Envoy roared, raising his hand. "Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest! When a Beast-Type monster I control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can pay 1000 LP to Special Summon this card from my hand or Graveyard!" (Old Version Effect)
Hearing this, You Xuan instinctively raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself: Are you making things up? Isn't that thing only supposed to trigger when a Beast is destroyed by an effect?
But he immediately rememberedright, this was the GX Era...
This wasn't an anime-only effect; it was the original, un-errataed effect of Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest in the OCG.
No player who had experienced the competitive scene during the GX era could ever forget this card. Upon its release, Green Baboon was immediately recognized as a powerhouse, leading to the creation of the Baboon Beat archetype centered around Beast-Types.
In reality, Konami later issued specific database rulings and text erratas to nerf this card. Combined with the accelerating speed of the game environment, modern players might find it difficult to comprehend just how terrifying it once was. However, You Xuan was fortunate enough to have lived through that early version and still retained some memories of it.
The modern effect of Green Baboon specifies that it can only be Special Summoned when a Beast-Type monster on the field is destroyed by a card effect. But the earliest version had no such restriction; it simply stated "when a Beast-Type is destroyed."
Furthermore, during the GX Era, the official ruling was that this effect "applies during the Damage Step." This meant that even when a Beast was destroyed by battle, it could still leap out of the Graveyard.
This implied that as long as Green Baboon was in a Duelist's hand or Graveyard, every Beast-Type monster they possessed was essentially granted a layer of destruction resistance. An opponent dealing with any Beast-Type on the field had to account for the fact that destroying any single monster could trigger a chain reaction.
This ruling wasn't changed until 2009, well into the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's era, when it was adjusted so that it "could not trigger during the Damage Step." Effectively, it meant Green Baboon could no longer be summoned when a Beast was destroyed by battle. So, while the card text hadn't been modified initially, the practical application became "destroyed by effect."
Such a ruling change drastically weakened Baboon Decks, essentially stripping them of the "immortality" they were so proud of.
Naturally, what You Xuan was facing now was undoubtedly the version from before the ruling change.
And if his opponent was using a Beast-specialized deck centered around Green Baboon, You Xuan might very well be facing a variant of the top-tier Baboon Beat deck from the height of the GX era.
"I see. No wonder they say the Envoys sent by the organization are extraordinary," You Xuan realized.
In the environment of the Duel Spirit World, wouldn't a top-tier deck from the GX era be enough to slaughter everyone?
However...
You Xuan narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning upward. He seemed to be growing more interested in this duel.
This trip to the Duel Spirit World was truly proving to be worth the effort.
"I pay 1000 LP to revive the Green Baboon in my Graveyard!"
[Envoy, LP 7000 → LP 6000]
A massive green baboon leaped onto the field, beating its chest in a show of force, glaring fiercely at Asura Priest.
[Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, ATK 2600]
"Then, I activate my face-down card, Super Rush Recklessly!" the Envoy shouted. "I destroy one face-up Beast-Type monster I control, then select one monster my opponent controls to return to the Deck!"
He paused, a cruel smile spreading across his hideous face.
"I destroy my Green Baboon and return your Asura Priest to your Deck!"
The Green Baboon let out a roar and charged like a human cannonball. Upon impact, Asura Priest turned into a beam of golden light and flew back into You Xuan's Deck, but the Green Baboon immediately exploded into fragments.
"But in this instant, the effect of the other Green Baboon I discarded to the Graveyard activates!" the Envoy leered. "When a Beast-Type I control is destroyed, I can pay 1000 LP to Special Summon this card. Green Baboon itself is also a Beast-Type. Therefore, when the Green Baboon on the field is destroyed, the one in the Graveyard is reborn!"
[Envoy, LP 6000 → LP 5000]
After the first Green Baboon was shattered, a vortex leading to the Graveyard opened on the ground. A second Green Baboon leaped onto the field, beating its chest and roaring.
[Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, ATK 2600]
"Furthermore, Green Baboon receives the power of the Seal of Orichalcos, increasing its ATK!"
The Green Baboon pounded its chest once more, letting out a low growl. A hexagram mark appeared on its forehead, and its entire body seemed to ignite with eerie green flames.
[Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, ATK 2600 → ATK 3100]
"Hahaha! Do you see? This is the ultimate power bestowed upon me by God!"
You Xuan remained contemplative.
Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest was indeed a powerful card in this era. However, You Xuan was thinking that Asura Priest was a Spirit monster, which would have returned to his hand at the end of the turn anyway. Was using that Trap card a bit too hasty?
Though, forcing it back into the Deck did technically cost him one more card's worth of resources...
But then he remembered that the Archfiend Bishop from before didn't even recognize Jinzo.
It seemed that the acquisition and general knowledge of cards in the Duel Spirit World were generally lower than those of duelists in the outside world. It wasn't surprising that they didn't recognize the characteristics of Spirit monsters.
In fact, You Xuan's extensive knowledge of the card pool was already a significant advantage in the anime world, and this advantage seemed even more pronounced here in the Spirit World.
The Envoy stood with his hands on his hips, still chuckling to himself.
"I don't know who you are, but you will regret your foolish challenge. Before the immortal Green Baboon, you don't stand a ghost of a chance!"
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