"My turn, draw!"
Yunagi's right hand swept across the top of his Deck, carrying a sharp gust of wind.
He glanced at the card in his hand.
"I activate the second effect of [Gunkan Suship Shari Red] in my hand: by revealing another [Gunkan Suship Shari Red] in my hand, I Special Summon this card."
The crimson vinegared rice once again appeared, crashing down onto the field alongside a rich aroma.
Augustus put away the silk cloth in his hand.
His opponent currently had four cards in hand. Shari Red revealing another Shari Red. Based on the information he had gathered earlier, the different Gunkan Extra Deck monsters likely all shared a common draw effect. Revealing Shari Red with another Shari Red probably meant his opponent had no other starter left.
If he didn't crush him here, then once the later Xyz Monster drew into a key card through its materials...
"Negate!"
Augustus suddenly raised his hand, pointing at the crimson rice ball descending onto the field.
"I activate the second effect of [Megalith Notrah Plura]: when the opponent activates a card effect, negate that activation and destroy it!"
The crystal serpent in the sky released a mournful roar.
The crimson rice ball, only halfway through its descent, was instantly pierced through by dense rainbow-colored beams, disintegrating into countless grains of rice in midair before finally turning to ash.
"Hah..."
Augustus let out a slight sigh of relief.
"It seems your will to survive ends here after all."
"Augustus."
Yunagi's voice held none of the panic he had expected.
Standing beneath the enormous shadow of Plura, his bangs slightly obscured those deep aqua-blue eyes.
"You're an exceptionally skilled Duelist. Your resource management, disruption, and circulation are nearly flawless."
He slowly raised a Spell Card.
"Faced with that overwhelming pressure, I truly witnessed the archaeological achievement you spoke of. But because you're too obsessed with battling through monster effects... you forgot the most basic principle instead."
Yunagi suddenly slammed the card into his Spell/Trap Zone.
"If it's a Megalith... then get buried back into the ground where it belongs!"
"I activate the Spell Card, [Smashing Ground]!"
Boom!
The earth of the arena released a teeth-grinding crack in an instant.
A giant yellow fist formed from soil and stone burst from underground. Carrying overwhelming physical destructive force, it surged upward against the current.
"What? A meaningless Spell Card like that...?!" Augustus's expression finally changed.
The giant fist precisely grabbed the purple tail of the serpent before violently slamming it toward the ground.
Amid the shocked cries of the audience, the once-lofty serpent crashed onto the Duel Arena floor like fragile glass.
Bang!
Countless colorful crystals scattered in all directions.
When the dust settled, the darkness covering Yunagi's field had been completely swept away.
"Then I Normal Summon [Gunkan Suship Shari Red]. Next, I activate the first effect of [Gunkan Suship Ikura] in my hand: if 'Gunkan Suship Shari' is on my field, I can Special Summon this card from my hand."
"Second effect of [Gunkan Suship Ikura]: excavate the top three cards of the Deck."
He revealed three cards in succession.
No Shari.
A slight wave of disappointment rose from the audience below.
"I overlay [Gunkan Suship Shari Red] and [Gunkan Suship Ikura] on the field!"
Yunagi raised his fist once again.
"Come forth, my second ship–[Gunkan Suship Ikura-class Dreadnought]!"
The sound of steel grinding against seaweed rang out once more.
"Activate material effect. Draw 1 card. And enter the Battle Phase."
Augustus looked at his remaining 7500 Life Points. In his hand, only [Megalith Phul] remained.
As long as he could survive this turn... he could restart everything next turn.
"[Gunkan Suship Ikura-class Dreadnought], attack directly."
Yunagi issued the command.
The two battleships loaded with ikura simultaneously adjusted their cannons.
Boom! Boom!
Massive shockwaves exploded beneath Augustus's feet.
[Augustus, LP: 7500 → 5300 → 3100]
"Cough... is it over?" Augustus steadied himself. "Both monsters have already attacked. As long as my turn comes around, the Megaliths in my Graveyard–"
"I'm not so sure about that!"
Yunagi's fingers brushed across the hulls of the two warships.
"First effect of [Gunkan Suship Ikura-class Dreadnought]: if this card is Xyz Summoned, apply the following effects based on the monsters used as its Xyz Materials. ● [Gunkan Suship Shari]: draw 1 card from your Deck. ● [Gunkan Suship Ikura]: this card can attack twice during the same Battle Phase."
"What..."
"At our establishment, every Ikura-class Dreadnought is made with genuine ikura. There's not a shred of fraud involved."
Yunagi suddenly swung his hand downward.
"Both warships, attack again!"
A sky-filling barrage of orange-red ikura shells completely blanketed the entire arena.
Watching the gigantic light projectiles screaming toward him, Augustus's pupils contracted violently.
[Augustus, LP: 3100 → 900 → 0]
Yunagi wins!
The entire stadium fell silent for a full second.
Then the stands belonging to Xyz Academy erupted into deafening cheers that nearly blew the roof off.
"Yunagi! Yunagi! Yunagi!"
Seated in the director's section, Mozu curled his lips into a faint smile.
...
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