Gate Guardian, Summon!
"This is the crystallization of our brothers' power, Ultimate Guardian United from the Three Demon Gods!" Paradox Brother (Elder) shouted.
"That's right," Paradox Brother (Younger) said. "Now that Gate Guardian has appeared, you don't have even the slightest chance!"
The giant figure towered over the field, its massive body and silent pressure making it hard to look away. Yugen knew that in this era it was mostly a huge beater with its potential still undeveloped. Even so, it had once been the highest ATK Warrior in the Card Pool, and before Yubel appeared it was the only Level 11 monster in Yu-Gi-Oh!, surpassing even the ten star Egyptian God Cards of the Sacred Beasts.
"I set one card and end my turn," Paradox Brother (Elder) declared.
Judai Yuki stared at the towering guardian for a moment, then grinned at Yugen. He looked excited instead of afraid, as if a stronger opponent only made him happier.
"That's something incredible," he said. "We can't lose either, Yugen."
"Of course. My Turn!, Card Draw." Yugen Do revealed a card. "I activate the Spell Card 'Treasure of Adversity.' If my opponent controls a Special Summon monster and I control none, I draw two cards."
After drawing, Yugen immediately showed another card from his hand.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Ojama Ride.' I send one each of Ojama Green, Ojama Yellow, and Ojama Black from my hand to the Graveyard, then Special Summon three Level 4 or lower Machine Union monsters from my Deck in Defense Position."
He searched his Deck and revealed the targets in one motion.
"Special Summon X-X-Head Cannon, Y-Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Z-Metal Tank!"
The three machines appeared in defensive stances, their metal bodies locking into place. Though they could not change position this turn, their frames were already shifting.
"Through this effect they can't change battle position, but they can combine," Yugen Do said. "X-X-Head Cannon, Y-Y-Dragon Head, Z-Z-Metal Tank combine!"
The three units transformed and merged midair, assembling into the fully armed XYZ-Dragon Cannon riding atop its components as it slammed onto the field.
"XYZ-Divine Dragon Cannon, Summon!"
With 2800 ATK, the mechanical dragon faced down the guardian. Paradox Brother (Younger) frowned as he remembered its effect to discard a card and Destroy any card on the field.
"If it locks onto Gate Guardian, that's trouble," Paradox Brother (Elder) said. "I activate my set Trap Card, Raigeki Break! By discarding one card, I Destroy one card on the field!"
He threw a card into the Graveyard. Dark clouds gathered overhead, and a bolt of lightning struck Divine Dragon Cannon, blasting the machine apart.
"Too bad," Judai Yuki said. "We finally Summoned something that strong."
"It's fine," Yugen replied calmly. "I activate the Spell Card 'Ojamandala.' I pay 1000 Life Points to Special Summon Ojama Green, Ojama Black, and Ojama Yellow from the Graveyard."
Their shared Life Points dropped from 8000 to 7000. The three Ojamas reappeared in Defense Position, striking their usual odd poses.
"Useless monsters again?" Paradox Brother (Younger) scoffed.
"Call out as many walls as you like," Paradox Brother (Elder) added. "It only delays the inevitable."
"Not necessarily," Yugen said with a small smile. "Don't underestimate the potential of so called weak monsters. I activate the Spell Card 'Ojama Delta Hurricane!' If Ojama Green, Ojama Yellow, and Ojama Black are on my field, Destroy all cards on your field!"
The three Ojamas leapt together and spun in a wild circle, creating a tricolor tornado that swept across the field. Gate Guardian was caught in the storm and torn apart along with every other card the brothers controlled.
The Meikyu Brothers stared in disbelief as their ultimate monster was wiped out by three ridiculous creatures. Their eyes were wide, and neither of them spoke for a moment.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Cost Down with Horse Bone,'" Yugen Do continued. "I send one non Effect Monster I control to the Graveyard to draw two cards. I send Ojama Black and Card Draw."
He glanced at one of the drawn cards and smiled faintly before setting two cards. The turn ended with a quiet exchange of looks between him and Judai Yuki, as if they had confirmed the next step without words.
"My My Turn!, Card Draw," Paradox Brother (Younger) began.
"At this moment," Yugen said, flipping a card from the Back Row, "I activate the Trap Card Ojama Trio! Special Summon three Ojama Tokens to your field in Defense Position!"
Three Ojama Tokens popped onto the brothers' field, each with 1000 DEF. One lay snoring, one sipped tea, and one read a newspaper.
Before they could react, Yugen flipped his second set card. "I also activate the Trap Card Ojama Duo! Special Summon two more Ojama Tokens to your field!"
Two additional tokens appeared, filling their zones. Yugen Do explained that the tokens could not be Tributed for an Advance Summon, and each would inflict 300 damage to its controller if Destroyed.
"So it's a field lockdown," Paradox Brother (Elder) said with a laugh. "In a normal Duel, five occupied Monster Zones would stop us from Summoning anything. But this is Tag Duel. We share ten Monster Zones in total."
"Not necessarily," Yugen replied. "Because this is a team Duel, we can rely on each other to create a stronger lock than usual."
"Exactly!" Judai Yuki said as he flipped his set card. "Continuous Trap, Spatial Constriction! It can only be activated when both sides have five or fewer cards on the field. As long as it remains, neither side can have more than five cards on the field!"
With five Ojama Tokens clogging the brothers' side and the restriction in place, the field fell into a tight, inescapable formation.
The smiles on Meikyu Brothers's faces froze in an instant.
It took them several seconds to process what had just happened. Their expressions shifted from blank stares to shock, then twisted into exaggerated disbelief.
"Nani?!"
Spatial Constriction?!
What did that even mean?
The other side had filled their field with five disgusting tokens, then declared that neither side could have more than five cards on the field. That meant they could not play anything at all.
It was not just about being unable to Summon monsters. Spell and Trap Cards also counted as cards placed on the field.
Whether it was a Spell Card like Dark Hole to clear the field, or Spell Card like Mystical Space Typhoon or Heavy Storm to wipe the Back Row, those cards had to be placed on the field before they could resolve.
If they could not exceed five cards, they could not Summon, could not activate Spells, and could not set Traps. All they could do was stare at the five ugly tokens on their field as they snored, ate snacks, and read newspapers.
Worse, each of those tokens had the restriction that they could not be used as Tributes. That meant they could not reduce their monster count through high level Summon either.
There was no solution.
The spectators gasped when they saw this. Even the students who were already familiar with Yugen's style were stunned.
Even by his usual standards, this Lockdown Array had reached a new level.
The two from Meikyu Brothers stood there stiffly, as if their minds had shut down. They almost wanted to tell Yugen that this was not how a Duel was supposed to be played.
Then the Ojama Token actually triggered an animation effect.
The yellow token sipped tea and let out a satisfied breath. "It really is more comfortable over here."