Pandora, unaware of the seriousness of the situation, confidently started his turn.
"My turn, draw card!"
Pandora squinted as he glanced over Youyu's empty field (elegantly ignoring the three set cards): His field is completely empty now, guessing he thinks I can't deal over four thousand damage in one turn.
Hmph, you're underestimating me, Pandora, Duel King.
You'll see, all those who look down on me will see!
"Magic Card - Pot of Greed, draw two cards from the deck.
Then, activate Ritual Magic 'Advanced Ritual Art' from the hand! Send Normal Monsters from the deck to the graveyard until their levels equal the Ritual Monster's level, and perform a Ritual Summon with the Ritual Monster from the hand!"
Pandora drew out the deck from the Duel Disc, spread it out, and began choosing cards one by one...
...No choice, making a living is tough enough as it is, can't afford a new Duel Disc. It's such a hassle.
But this situation is about to change soon!
Once he defeats the Duel King and returns to the Duel World, he'll soon be back at the top!
"I send the level 8 'Cosmo Queen' from the deck to the graveyard, Ritual Summon!"
Pandora sent a card from the deck to the graveyard—of course, didn't forget to shuffle the deck and put it back into the Duel Disc—only then did he fiercely slap down the card in hand.
"As the offering nourished by the Black Magic Ritual appears in the dark chaos—
——Magician of Black Chaos!!!"
A pillar of pitch-black light erupted, and Magician of Black Chaos stepped out onto the surging airflow. His Magic Staff pointed diagonally at the ground, his gaze solemn and cold, eyes sharp enough to make one unable to meet them directly.
[Magician of Black Chaos, ATK 2800]
Onlookers—both NPCs and players—gasped again.
NPC: The legendary ruler of chaos, the Super Rare Card "Magician of Black Chaos"! So powerful!
Player: A Ritual with three times the value of Normal Monsters! Truly powerful!
However, Pandora being so poor, yet having so many Rare Cards of Black Magic, is quite surprising.
This reminded Youyu of the protagonist group from "Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's"—they all live in slums, yet somehow have a few impressive Rare Cards in hand.
The explanation given in the show is that the spirits of the cards choose their own masters, and the dragon signer's dragon always finds a way to be by its master's side.
Maybe Pandora does have some connection with the Magician of Black Magic?
"Hey, you have no defense on the field." Pandora waved his hand broadly, "Magician of Black Chaos, direct attack! Chaos Magic - Ultimate Death Curse!"
The magician raised the Magic Staff, magic power transformed into surging darkness, erupting from the tip like a violent whirlpool.
Youyu calmly drew a card from hand and placed it into the graveyard.
"Activate the effect of 'Ankuriboh' from my hand," he said, "when the opponent declares an attack, discard 'Ankuriboh' from hand to the graveyard, allowing a monster from the graveyard to be Special Summoned on the field."
A card popped out from the graveyard and returned to hand.
"I Special Summon 'Winged Kuriboh' from the graveyard onto the field."
"Kuriboh Kuriboh!"
The adorable spherical creature jumped out from the graveyard, with a pair of angel-like pure white wings on its back.
[Winged Kuriboh, DEF 200]
"Winged Kuriboh?" Pandora was startled, "I see, the card discarded to the graveyard at the start, huh? You even hid this trick... Then Battle Recall, attack continues!
Magician of Black Chaos, continue attacking 'Winged Kuriboh'!"
The magician brandished the Magic Staff, unleashing the power of the chaos ruler's magic. The storm of pitch-black magic seemed to swallow Kuriboh whole, the little one frightenedly covering its eyes with its wings, murmuring "Kuriboh" softly.
Youyu smirked: "Just now, you said 'attack', didn't you?"
Pandora felt his heart skip a beat, every cell in his body warning him of "danger".
At the moment of battle recall, when he abandoned the opportunity to terminate the attack and issued the attack declaration again, he already missed the last chance to save himself.
Pandora widened his eyes, looking at the little creature scared stiff and huddling defensively.
——Could this thing actually counterattack and take me out?
"Flip Cover Card!" Youyu snapped his fingers, "Quick-Play Magic - Berserker Crush!"
Berserker Crush, just the name evokes the image of a forceful, high-powered card. Hearing the card name instantly conjures up visions of a pitch-black, giant mountain-like figure, constantly roaring and swinging a Wolf Fang Club, hammering foes... However, that's not it at all.
This "Berserker Crush" card image depicts a fiercely focused Winged Kuriboh swinging its little paws, punching.
"Berserker Crush allows you to banish a Monster Card from your graveyard," Youyu explained, "until the end of the turn, the ATK and DEF of 'Winged Kuriboh' on the field become the same value as that monster's."
Indeed! This is a Magic exclusively for 'Winged Kuriboh'!
Pandora was stunned for a moment but quickly chuckled: "Don't scare me, Mr. Youyu. You only have 'Ankuriboh' and 'Kuriboh' in the graveyard right now..."
They're all just weaklings!
Changing the stats of weaklings on the field to be the same as those weaklings in the graveyard is completely meaningless...
...NANI!!??
When Pandora saw Youyu leisurely reveal a "Valkyrion the Magna Warrior," he nearly cried out.
When did such a thing end up in your graveyard?
Then he swiftly realized: "From the very start, 'Graceful Charity'..."
Already sent to the graveyard at that time?
Which means the Duel King... had already set the strategy since the duel began!?
[Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, ATK 3500 / DEF 3850]
[Winged Kuriboh, ATK 300 / DEF 200 → ATK 3500 / DEF 3850]
Pandora squinted his eyes.
Three thousand defenses, just barely enduring the attack of Magician of Black Chaos. The "Berserker Crush" enhancement only lasts for one turn, doing so is merely clinging on to life...
"Flip Cover Card." Another card flipped open in front of Youyu, "Trap Card - Spikeshield with Chain. Equip this Trap to 'Winged Kuriboh' as an Equip Card, raising its attack power by 500."
[Winged Kuriboh, Attack Power 3500 → Attack Power 4000]
Pandora: "?"
Kuriboh is in defense position, what's the point of increasing its attack power?
"'Spikeshield with Chain', follow-up effect," Youyu added, "When the equipped monster battles in defense position, its defense power increases by its attack power during damage calculation only."
[Winged Kuriboh, Defense Power 3850 → Defense Power 7850]
The tiny Kuriboh rapidly expanded at an astonishing speed, its massive form nearly filling Youyu's side of the field entirely. It proudly puffed out its chest, and its small white wings stirred up a suffocating whirlwind.
"Kuriboh, Kuriboh!"
"Wha-wha-what!?"
Pandora seemed to hear the sound of his jaw hitting the floor.
He couldn't help but rub his eyes.
Defense power... Seven thousand and eight for Kuriboh!?
The crowd was even more excited, exploding in amazement.
"Holy crap, a Kuriboh with defense power almost eight thousand!"
"Even the Obelisk isn't worth crap now!"
"Kuriboh bro has finally shown his true power!"
"Kuriboh: Are you kidding me? If I don't act, you all really think I'm just a mascot?"
"..."
Pandora quickly snapped out of his shock.
He was flabbergasted. His attack command could no longer be undone, and if the Magician of Black Chaos continued this collision, he would directly rebound a battle damage of 5050 to himself and be instantly KO'd!
Getting KO'd by Kuriboh, can you believe it?
The damage was precisely 50 points more than his Life Points!
And it was Kuriboh's rear pointing at him!
Winged Kuriboh: Kuriboh? (I haven't even exerted myself, and you're down?)
This can't happen.
But crashing into Kuriboh and dying would be a disgrace to any Duelist!
"Quick-Play Magic - Rockin'-Outlet!" Pandora played his last card, "One of your monsters on the field, for this turn only, increases its attack power by its own defense power!"
[Magician of Black Chaos, Attack Power 2800 → Attack Power 5400]
Pandora had originally intended to keep this card in his hand for a finishing blow against Youyu, but to save his own life, he had to play it now.
With an attack power of 5400, it could offset a lot of damage, so it wouldn't be directly lethal.
The Magician of Black Chaos unleashed its death spell directly at Kuriboh, but the little creature's fierce flapping of its wings swung it back. Pandora was knocked over by the realistic impact, landing in a heap.
[Pandora, LP 5000 → LP 2550]
Though he was in a sorry state, Pandora managed to hang on. He panted heavily, feeling like an old ox.
But this should hold. Just wait until the next turn...
Youyu snapped his fingers again.
The final Set Card flipped open.
"Continuous Trap - Dimensional Mirage!" Youyu declared, "When an opponent's monster attacks and fails to destroy my monster on the field, banish a monster from my graveyard from the game... The opponent's monster must forcibly attack again!"
Pandora: "!!??"
What the heck?
The players exploded with excitement again.
"Holy crap, isn't this AIBO's card? Youyu-san, did you finally use it against AIBO?"
"Is the mortal world really not producing cards from the underworld?"
In the meantime, another card was ejected from Youyu's graveyard.
"I banish 'Kuriboh' from the game from my graveyard," he said, "'Dimensional Mirage', effect activated! 'Magician of Black Chaos' must forcibly attack 'Winged Kuriboh' again!"
The Magician of Black Chaos clenched its teeth, trembling all over, but its muscles seemed uncontrollable, raising its staff once more. The dark current of chaos magic gathered at the tip of the staff, surging relentlessly towards Winged Kuriboh.
Winged Kuriboh bravely faced the death spell, catching it with its fluffy body.
Rebound!
The chaos magic backfired once more, and Pandora was knocked head over heels again.
[Pandora, LP 2550 → LP 100]
"Since this battle also failed to destroy my Kuriboh, the 'Dimensional Mirage' effect activates again." Youyu smiled, shaking a card from the graveyard, "I banish 'Ankuriboh' from the game from my graveyard, 'Magician of Black Chaos' must attack 'Winged Kuriboh' again."
Pandora widened his eyes in horror as he watched his magician raise its staff again, aiming at the Kuriboh on Youyu's side.
The creature he had just dismissed as a minor nuisance, with wings that only managed to act cute, was now a terrifying ultimate monster in his eyes!
He couldn't help but shout hoarsely from the depths of his heart to his magician—
——Yamero!
Don't go there!!!
But at this point, the battle was beyond his commands as the master. The Continuous Trap was triggered once more, and the Magician of Black Chaos raised its staff again. The chaos magic surged for the third time, striking Winged Kuriboh's body, then rebounding back once more.
Pandora was knocked down again, this time motionless, without a struggle.
Like a salted fish that had lost its dreams.
[Pandora, LP 100 → LP 0]