"Shield & Sword—swap the ATK of all monsters on the field!"
["Labyrinth Wall" ATK 0 → ATK 3000]
["Zaborg the Thunder Monarch" ATK 2400 → ATK 1000]
As everyone knows, the Monarch family bucket all share the same weakness: low DEF.
Every Monarch is 2400 ATK and 1000 DEF across the board. Once you swap their ATK/DEF, they instantly drop in tier from Red-Eyes Black Dragon-class beaters to Avian-class small fry.
But Jim's "Labyrinth Wall" is the exact opposite. After the swap it shoots straight up to Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class big boss.
Right now Kira's Life Points are at 1800. This battle will directly decide Jim's victory!
"'Labyrinth Wall', attack 'Zaborg the Thunder Monarch'!"
Jim shouted the order, holding his breath.
On the surface, it looked like an absolutely perfect chance—a potential one-hit kill.
But would a chance like that really be taken down so easily?
Of course Jim himself had more or less guessed the answer: obviously not.
BOOM!
The moving labyrinth roared as it pulverized the white Monarch on Kira's field. The Monarch exploded, its body bursting into crackling lightning that continued rushing toward Kira—but all of it slammed into a transparent barrier that completely blocked the blast.
Jim sighed helplessly. "Knew it… wasn't gonna be that easy."
"During the damage calculation step, I discarded this card from my hand and activated its effect."
Kira revealed a card from his hand.
"'Kuriboh'. By discarding it from my hand, I can make that battle damage become 0."
Kira then pointed to a Trap in his back row that was just fading away.
"And the moment you declared the attack, I also activated this card.
Trap Card 'Card of Sacrifice.' When the total ATK of the monsters on your field is lower than the ATK of the lowest-ATK monster on your opponent's field, draw two cards from your Deck.
But as a cost, I can't perform any kind of Summon of monsters this turn." (Anime effect)
Jim understood at once. "When your Trap was activated, because of the ATK/DEF swap, I only had 'Labyrinth Wall' on my field with 3000 ATK, while you only had the 1000 ATK 'Zaborg' on your field."
Jim slid another card from his hand.
"I set one card face-down and end my turn."
"My turn. Draw."
Kira flicked his hand.
"I activate my face-down card, Trap Card 'Rite of Spirit'!
Choose a 'Gravekeeper's' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field."
"Hold on."
Jim raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't you say that in this Necrovalley, any act that defiles the dead is a taboo?"
You said any effect that interacts with the Graveyard would be negated, didn't you?
"Oh, that." Kira smiled. "That applies to outsiders. Only when an outsider dares offend this resting ground will they be punished.
But the Gravekeeper clan are the chosen guardians of the royal family, entrusted with holy authority. They have special privileges—they are not bound by the rules of the resting ground."
Jim: "…"
This is a rigged game. Pure, blatant rigging.
So I digging up graves is blasphemy and desecration, but you making corpses sit up is sacred privilege and justice, huh?
But Kira isn't just talking nonsense; it's literally printed on the card. The effect of 'Rite of Spirit' states: the activation of this card will not be negated by 'Necrovalley.'
"I revive 'Gravekeeper's Commandant' from the Graveyard."
['Gravekeeper's Commandant', ATK 1600]
"Then I tribute 'Gravekeeper's Commandant' for a Tribute Summon."
Kira raised his hand. The Commandant was wrapped up in a vortex of sacrificial wind, his body turning pitch-black as he spun. In that darkness, a pair of dark red eyes flared open.
"Darkness and evil's Emperor, awaken from the nether abyss—
—'Caius the Shadow Monarch', Summon!"
A black storm swept across the field, black cape billowing. The wicked Monarch rose slowly from the depths, exuding a crushing malice.
The Shadow Monarch spread his arms. A wave of darkness shot straight into the sky, wordlessly laughing—
—Finally, it's my turn to be on stage!
['Caius the Shadow Monarch', ATK 2400]
When Caius is successfully Tribute Summoned, he banishes any one card on the field from the game. The dark storm swept, the vortex gathering over Jim's field, converging on his back row and lifting one face-down card from the ground.
Trap Card – 'Sakuretsu Armor'!
Kira: "…"
…Right, he suddenly remembered. In the anime Jim also used this card when he fought the Supreme King. Back then he tried to use 'Sakuretsu Armor' to counter the Supreme King's Evil HERO, but Evil HERO had destruction protection, so Sakuretsu Armor continued the tragic fate it's had throughout Yu-Gi-Oh history.
Jim gritted his teeth. "My 'Sakuretsu Armor'…"
"'Sakuretsu Armor' is a powerful Trap that can destroy an attacking monster. What a shame."
Kira chuckled, then waved his hand.
"Next, 'Caius the Shadow Monarch' attacks 'Labyrinth Wall'."
Given how rare it was for him to get a chance to appear, Caius puffed out his chest and got completely pumped up, determined not to let that Jinzo bastard look down on him this time no matter what.
Power gathered in his palms, condensing into a churning sphere of energy. As it grew, that light orb darkened into a pitch-black energy blast. The walls of the labyrinth were pierced and shattered with ease. The instant Jim was hit by that ball of darkness he felt for a moment as if he had fallen into hell. It was clearly just a solid hologram, yet his hands and feet went ice cold.
[Jim, LP 4000 → LP 1600]
Jim staggered back two steps, wiped the corner of his mouth, then gave a slightly ragged smile.
"You really don't give a man any room to breathe."
The ATK/DEF swap from "Shield & Sword" only lasts for one turn. At the end of the turn, 'Labyrinth Wall's ATK reverts to its original 0.
Jim's original plan had been to swap Labyrinth Wall's ATK/DEF, push some damage, then let its ATK drop back to 0 to bait Kira into attacking it and stepping on 'Sakuretsu Armor.' It was a good idea, but he'd overlooked the curse placed on 'Sakuretsu Armor' by the will of Duel World. If it'd been something like 'Mirror Force' instead, it might actually have worked…
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
Jim took a deep breath.
With 'Fossil Fusion' sealed, a single 'Necrovalley' had locked away most of his Deck's power. Up to now in this Duel, he hadn't even managed to display one-tenth of his usual strength.
He truly hadn't expected it. He had no grudge with the Duel King, and yet this man hit him with something like this…
Jim glanced at his Deck.
This turn's draw had to change something. If it didn't, this was almost certainly his last turn.
"My turn. Draw!"
Jim felt a spark in his heart and immediately slammed the card he drew into his Duel Disk.
"Spell Card, 'Spell Books from the Pot'! Both players draw three cards from their Decks!"
After drawing, Jim's eyes lit up.
"Thank you, my Deck!"
He muttered with a smile, then swept his hand and played the key card that was like a miracle resurrection.
"Field Spell—
—'Sacred Defense Barrier'!!!"
…
2 Bonus chapter at 500 PS