Golden radiance surged at the center of the exam arena.
The Little Red Riding Hood examiner stared at the Zombie king with 3500 Attack, his hand holding a card frozen midair. This kind of non-targeting send-to-Graveyard removal was simply ruthless.
Raku glanced at the empty field across from him.
"It's not over yet. The third effect of Cursed Eldland. If this card is sent from the Spell & Trap Zone to the Graveyard, you can activate it: send 1 'Eldlich the Golden Lord' monster or 1 'Golden Land' Spell/Trap from your Deck to the Graveyard."
He tapped the Duel Disk panel.
"I send Huaquero of the Golden Land from my Deck to the Graveyard."
Examiner watched as the Spell Card's projection turned into particles of light and disappeared into the opponent's Graveyard slot, an inexplicable pressure building in his chest.
Graveyard setup? After losing field presence, not only had he brought out his ace, but he could still stockpile resources in the Graveyard.
"Next, Battle Phase," Raku declared calmly.
The massive projection of Eldlich the Golden Lord raised the scepter in its hand, dark golden magic gathering at its tip.
"Eldlich the Golden Lord, attack directly."
The beam crashed down.
Examiner staggered backward, the arm he raised to shield himself unable to block the very real wind pressure generated by the hologram. His red duckbill cap was nearly blown away.
Beep. Beep.
Huge red numbers flickered above the arena.
[Examiner, LP: 8000 → 4500]
In a single strike, before even a full turn had passed, the full-Life advantage had been smashed open with a massive hole.
"After that, Main Phase 2. Then, End Phase," Raku proceeded methodically. "At the timing of the End Phase, I activate the second effect of Huaquero of the Golden Land in the Graveyard."
The examiner suddenly looked up.
"During either player's End Phase, you can banish this card from the Graveyard; Set 1 'Eldlixir' Spell/Trap from your Deck."
"A Trap that can activate from the Graveyard?" the examiner couldn't help but blurt out. This completely exceeded his understanding of traditional Trap Cards.
A face-down card projection appeared in Raku's back row.
"I Set Eldlixir of Scarlet Sanguine to my back row. End turn." Raku withdrew his hand.
Floating in midair, Phila stared blankly at the person below who had performed such plays using her body.
So… so cool.
Those smooth, flowing movements, that fearless gaze, the oppressive force that made even the usually stern examiner reveal a shocked expression.
Her body, which always seemed timid, could actually produce such confident plays?
But…
Phila's gaze fell onto the Graveyard slot below. There lay the cards that had just been voluntarily sent there as costs.
The monster had still been sent to the Graveyard.
That shining golden one had been sent there, too.
Phila gently floated over to Raku's side, her soft voice carrying her usual confusion and a trace of sadness.
"That Eldlich… is your partner, right? Then why can you send him to the Graveyard so easily?"
Raku paused.
That question was… a bit too childish.
He raised his head. Though others couldn't see it, he could sense that soul with crimson eyes floating beside him.
"Because if he chose to follow me, then he trusts me; he believes I can lead him to victory."
Raku's voice was calm, as if stating an extremely ordinary fact.
"If that's the case, then why not? Responding to his expectations is the highest form of trust, isn't it?"
Phila froze.
So that's how it was? The sacrifices made for victory weren't simply abandonment. Responding to expectations… was the highest form of trust?
What kind of feeling was that?
Since she could remember, she had always been afraid of others leaving.
Those Skull Servants, those vampires… she treated them as family. She was afraid to send them into that dark, cold Graveyard, thinking she was protecting them.
But she had never won. Every time she lost, the sight of the Skull Servants shattering was even more tragic. Because of that, she had suffered endless cold looks from her classmates.
Everyone only mocked her, saying she didn't understand the true essence of Zombie monsters. Why had no one told her before that sacrifice was meant to better embrace victory?
If they also wanted to win with me, then had I been suppressing their will all along?
Phila's crimson eyes widened slightly.
"Um… other me."
Raku's mouth twitched.
This silly girl… she really thought he was some "other her" sleeping inside her, didn't she?
Regardless, he didn't correct her.
After all, if this socially anxious girl found out that the one messing around in her body right now was a man, the situation would become quite awkward again; Better to deal with this exam first.
Just then, the examiner across from them straightened up and lowered the brim of his cap.
"I see. This pressure… I think I've figured you out, freshman."
Examiner placed his hand on top of his Deck. It was too standard, almost textbook, drawing motion. The muscles in his arm tensed before he sharply pulled upward.
"My turn—Draw!"
He stared fixedly at the single card in his hand, a confident curve pulling across his otherwise stern face.
"I activate the first effect of Ancient Gear Statue from my hand! If the number of monsters your opponent controls is greater than the number you control, this card can be Special Summoned from the hand."
A small, verdigris-covered mechanical statue landed on the field with a dull metallic thud. It was nothing more than a stepping stone.
"After that, I Tribute it to activate its second effect!" The examiner waved his hand, and the small statue shattered into fragments. "You can Tribute this card; Special Summon 1 'Ancient Gear Golem' or 1 monster that mentions it, except 'Ancient Gear Statue', from your hand or Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions!"
A card popped out from the examiner's Deck slot on his Duel Disk.
"I Special Summon the second Ancient Gear Dark Golem from my Deck."
With a thunderous boom, another massive dark-colored gear monster slammed onto the field. The holographic projection beneath its feet simulated the ground cracking apart, and that cold mechanical oppression once again filled the entire arena.
Through Phila's vision, Raku watched the scene.
Damn… this Deck's consistency was insane.
"Next, Dark Golem's second effect!"
The examiner's speaking speed began to accelerate. This was the true tempo of a Kaiba Corporation employee once entering a duel. "When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: add up to 2 'Ancient Gear' cards or 'Geartown' from your Deck to your hand, except 'Ancient Gear Dark Golem'. Then discard 1 card. After this effect resolves, you cannot Set cards for the rest of this turn."
"I add Ancient Gear Fusion and Ancient Gear Golem to my hand, then discard Ancient Gear Golem."
What happened next made Raku feel like this examiner had no intention of leaving him alive.
"Then I activate the Spell Card—Ancient Gear Fusion!"
The examiner inserted the Spell Card he had just searched into the slot, and a glow lit up beneath the Dark Golem's feet.
"First effect: use monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Materials to Fusion Summon 1 'Ancient Gear' Fusion Monster. If you use 'Ancient Gear Golem' or 'Ancient Gear Golem – Ultimate Pound' you control as material, you can also use monsters from your Deck as Fusion Materials!"
Raku felt Phila's soul tremble violently in midair.
Using materials from the Deck… this was an absurdly powerful resource advantage no matter the situation.
"Since the Ancient Gear Dark Golem on the field is treated as 'Ancient Gear Golem', I can select Fusion Materials from the Deck!"
In one fluid motion, the examiner drew out the cards ejected from the Deck, sending them together with the monster on the field into the virtual Fusion vortex.
"I use Ancient Gear Golem – Ultimate Pound, Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon, and Ancient Gear Wyvern from my Deck, along with the Ancient Gear Dark Golem on the field as Fusion Materials! The Fusion condition is four 'Ancient Gear' monsters!"
The sound of machinery turning in the arena grew deafening. A red-black current gathered in midair as the four powerful mechanical monsters were compressed and assembled together.
"Descend! Chaos Ancient Gear Giant!"
With a mechanical roar that seemed to tear through eardrums, a towering black-armored giant several stories tall broke through the Fusion light. Its massive arms loomed, a crimson indicator flickering on its chest, its Attack soaring directly to a suffocating 4500.
Raku stood in place, the corner of his mouth twitching. He nearly coughed up blood internally.
What the hell was this?!
If you had a nuclear-level card like this, why didn't you use it earlier?
Oh, because you saw Phila as a timid girl who didn't even dare send cards to the Graveyard, so you used combos to probe her; but now that it's someone else, you think you're facing a tough opponent, so you just drop a four-material Fusion boss monster straight onto the field?!
Is this Kaiba Corporation's exam system dynamically adjusting difficulty? Tailoring strategy is one thing, but this is ridiculous!
Floating in midair, Phila looked at the monster, larger and more terrifying than the previous Ultimate Giant… and hugged her head in fear.
"Th-this huge monster… how could anyone possibly win against it…"
The examiner pressed down the brim of his red cap and pointed forward at the gothic-dressed girl.
"As long as Chaos Ancient Gear Giant exists in the Monster Zone, it is unaffected by Spell and Trap effects, and during the Battle Phase, your opponent cannot activate monster effects.
"Now, let me see how you plan to overcome this absolute gap of despair!"
...
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