Chapter 288: Not a Monster
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [Level 8 / LIGHT]
[Dragon-Type / Normal]
[3000 ATK / 2500 DEF]
After Summoning one Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kaiba's actions were not finished: "Next, I activate the Set Card in my Backrow, the Continuous Trap [Birthright]! I target one Normal Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it in Attack Position!"
"Return, [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]!"
From the Field, from the Graveyard, from his Hand, Kaiba finally gathered all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons that were slumbering in his Deck this Turn and Summoned them all to his Field. For a moment, even the ominous Black Mist covering the S.S. Anne Airship seemed to be dispelled, and everyone's eyes were filled only with the Radiant Holy Light of the three White Dragons!
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [3000 ATK]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] (Dragon Shield) [3000 ATK]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] (Birthright) [3000 ATK]
"Crush! Destroy! Great cheers!" Kaiba, who had Summoned his three wives—I mean, his three Ace Monsters—seemed exceptionally excited.
"So, so strong!" Although he usually didn't care much for Kaiba, Joey Wheeler couldn't help but show a shocked expression seeing the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons appear together. "Their ATK is 600 points higher than [Red-Eyes Black Dragon]'s, and the key is there are three of them!"
"As expected of Kaiba, easily doing what we couldn't. It truly makes one's heart surge and inspires Adore!"
Hayato also exclaimed. However, Ishizu Ishtar, standing beside him, didn't have much Confidence in Kaiba: "But President Seto Kaiba is still walking down his original path. Even if he has Summoned all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, the Future Destiny where 'all three White Dragons disappear' already surrounds him..."
"Enter my Battle Phase!" Kaiba ordered, "Triple, Burst Stream of Destruction!"
Seeing the three Blue-Eyes open their giant mouths simultaneously, about to unleash Dragon Breath capable of destroying all obstacles, Bakura Ryo interrupted: "To be so reckless as to let all your Monsters participate in the Attack, since you're in such a hurry to die, I'll grant your wish!"
"Because of [Dark Sanctuary]'s Effect, when a Monster Possessed by a Grudge Spirit declares an Attack, the Attack is Negated, and you take Damage equal to half its ATK, while I Recover that amount of Life Points."
"What!?" Kaiba looked in disbelief as one of the three Blue-Eyes White Dragon on his Field suddenly stopped its Attack, and like the [Assault Wyvern] before, a grey ball of Light Particles flew out from within it.
[Kaiba: 3900 → 2400 LP]
[Bakura: 1000 → 2500 LP]
"How could the Grudge Spirit...? Shouldn't it be on [Assault Wyvern]?"
Facing Kaiba's confusion, Bakura said smugly: "You didn't think Sending [Assault Wyvern] to the Graveyard would free the Grudge Spirit, did you, President Kaiba? As long as [Dark Sanctuary] remains on the Field, the Grudge Spirit will wander forever."
"Before your Battle Phase begins each Turn, I can have the Grudge Spirit possess one of your Monsters. This Effect doesn't even need to be Activated, and you can't confirm which Monster is Attacking."
"How can there be such a Cheating Card!" Even Joey Wheeler couldn't stand it anymore. "What's the difference between this Card that unilaterally holds favorable Conditions and that Bastard Maximillion Pegasus!"
In a hospital room somewhere, Maximillion Pegasus, enjoying a delicious dinner with a Manga book in his hand, suddenly sneezed.
"Hmph, you only Controlled one Blue-Eyes White Dragon, yet you seem to look down on me?" Kaiba ordered with a cold face, "Don't forget, I have three Blue-Eyes White Dragons! I'd like to see how you block the remaining two?"
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Direct Attack Bakura Ryo!"
Two beams of white aurora struck one after another. Bakura opened his Set Card quite calmly: "Open Set Card, [Wall of Disruption]!"
"You can only Activate this Card when your Monster declares an Attack. It decreases the ATK of all Monsters on your Field by the Number of Monsters on your Field x 800!" Bakura sneered, "Although the number has increased, unfortunately, that has become your biggest stumbling block, President Kaiba?"
"Because you have three Blue-Eyes White Dragons on your Field, the Attack Points of all Monsters on your Field decrease by 3 x 800, which is 2400 points!"
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [3000 ATK → 600]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] (Dragon Shield) [3000 ATK → 600]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] (Birthright) [3000 ATK → 600]
The Dragon Breath, which originally seemed capable of destroying the heavens and earth, landed on Bakura but failed to cause the expected Effect. Under the baptism of light and wind, it merely blew Bakura's hair, his two rabbit-ear-like tufts of hair on his head swaying in the wind: "Oh my, oh my, is this President Kaiba's rage? It feels just like a gentle breeze."
[Bakura: 2500 → 1900 LP]
[Bakura: 1900 → 1300 LP]
"Damn it!" The Attack of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which was supposed to be a sure thing, was weakened to this extent, making Kaiba furious. But all his Monsters on the Field had already Attacked, and even he was temporarily helpless.
"Set two Cards from my Hand, End Turn." With reluctance, Kaiba ended his Turn helplessly.
At the same time, Bakura also spoke: "Because President Kaiba's Turn ended, the Effect of [Spirit Board] Activates again."
Next to the letters "D" and "E" on Bakura's Backrow, the letter "A" condensed from mist appeared.
"In that case, you only have two Turns left~" Kaiba's cold snort was the reply to Bakura: "Hmph!"
[Kaiba: 2400 LP, Hand 2]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [600 ATK] X3
[Set Card] X2
"It's my Turn again, Draw Card."
Bakura looked at the Card in his Hand and played it: "Summon [The Painting's Lurker] in Defense Position, then End my Turn."
"Because of [Dark Sanctuary]'s Effect, I Tribute [The Painting's Lurker] during the End Phase."
[Bakura: 1300 LP, Hand 0]
[Spirit Board] [E] [A] [Set Card]
Field: [Dark Sanctuary]
Compared to Kaiba, who was trying to defeat Bakura as quickly as possible due to the complicated Operations each Turn caused by [Spirit Board]'s Effect, Bakura ended his Turn just as decisively.
After all, for him, there was no pressure of "losing in a few Turns." That was something Kaiba had to bear; he only needed to keep his Life Points from dropping to 0 and then wait two Turns to easily achieve Victory.
"My Turn!" Kaiba drew a Card, it was [Pot of Avarice]. This Card has the Effect of Recycling Cards from the Graveyard back to the Deck and then Drawing Cards. However, since it's a Trap Card, even if he drew it this Turn, Kaiba couldn't use it, so he Set it casually.
"Set one Card from my Hand, then I Activate the Spell Card, [Magical Planter]." Kaiba played a Card from his Hand, "I Send the Continuous Trap Card [Birthright] on my Field to the Graveyard, and Draw two more Cards from my Deck."
As [Birthright] entered the Graveyard, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon Revived by this Card also returned to the Graveyard. After Drawing two Cards, Kaiba opened a Card he had Set last Turn: "Next, I Activate the Effect of the Set Card, [Call of the Haunted], to Revive Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the Graveyard!"
"Come back, [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]!"
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] (Call of the Haunted) [3000 ATK]
Looking at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon repeatedly jumping between the Graveyard and the Field, Bakura chuckled: "Oh, you removed the Influence of [Wall of Disruption] this way? But I can also use [Dark Sanctuary] to have the Grudge Spirit Possess that Blue-Eyes White Dragon~"
The ATK Decrease Effect of [Wall of Disruption] is permanent. As long as Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon remains Face-up Position on the Field, it cannot escape the Influence. However, if it leaves the Field and returns, like Kaiba just did, it can remove the Effect of [Wall of Disruption] and restore its ATK.
"Heh heh, try it if you can." Kaiba snorted coldly, "Activate the Spell Card [Book of Moon], change the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on my Field to Face-Down Defense Position, then I'll Flip Summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
On Kaiba's Field, another Blue-Eyes White Dragon had its normal ATK restored. Now only the Blue-Eyes White Dragon equipped with [Dragon Shield] still had 600 ATK. However, since [Dragon Shield] itself has the Effect of preventing the Monster's Attack from causing Damage to either player, Kaiba had no intention of restoring its ATK.
"Now, enter my Battle Phase! You can command your Grudge Spirit." Kaiba said with a cold smile, "Choose, Bakura Ryo, which Blue-Eyes White Dragon will you have the Grudge Spirit Possess?"
"Here we go, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
The two Blue-Eyes White Dragons whose ATK was restored to 3000 simultaneously opened their mouths, and just as Kaiba expected, a grey ball of Light Particles indeed emerged from one of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons!
[Kaiba: 2400 → 900 LP]
[Bakura: 1300 → 2800 LP]
"Cough cough, even if you block one Blue-Eyes White Dragon's Attack, what can you do?" Kaiba accepted the impact of the Light Particles without changing his expression, merely taking a step back. However, his poor complexion showed that he was actually putting on a brave face. "This Attack, with 3000 ATK, can you take it?"
"Burst Stream of Destruction!"
Because of [Dragon Shield]'s Effect, one of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons could not be used for a Direct Attack; because of [Dark Sanctuary], one of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons' Attack was Negated. But even with only one Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kaiba was confident it was completely sufficient to Deplete Bakura's remaining Life Points!
However, just as the Stream of Light was about to erupt, Bakura once again opened his Set Card: "The moment your Blue-Eyes White Dragon inflicts Damage to me, I Activate this Card, the Trap Card, [Nutrient Z]!"
The Attack of the Invincible Blue-Eyes White Dragon descended upon Bakura. Compared to the weakened version from [Wall of Disruption] before, this Attack from Blue-Eyes White Dragon was at full power. However, this Attack from Blue-Eyes White Dragon had even less effect than the previous one. Although the Attack clearly hit, Bakura's Life Points presented before Kaiba not only didn't decrease at all but instead increased to a quite absurd amount?!
[Bakura: 3800 LP]
"You were just a little bit away from defeating me, that's quite a shame, President Kaiba." Bakura said smugly, "Because of [Nutrient Z]'s Effect, when I am about to take 2000 or more Battle Damage, I can use this Card. During Damage Calculation, I Recover 4000 Life Points."
[Bakura: 2800 → 6800 → 3800 LP]
"It wasn't Attack Negation, but rather, compared to the increased Life Points, Blue-Eyes White Dragon's Attack wasn't enough?" Joey Wheeler frowned, "Is that Kaiba guy going to lose?"
Mai Valentine exclaimed: "Even Seto Kaiba, Controlling three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, can't Defeat that guy named Bakura. He looked like such a frail guy."
"Before you two pass judgment on Kaiba," Hayato, who was nearby, glanced at Joey Wheeler and Mai Valentine, "Why don't you two consider letting go first? [Dark Sanctuary] has been Active for so long."
The two were stunned by his words and only then noticed that ever since Kaiba destroyed [Dark Necrofear] and Bakura Activated [Dark Sanctuary], Mai Valentine, who had slight Trypophobia, had instinctively thrown herself into Joey Wheeler's arms and held him tightly. As a result, they had been hugging each other until now.
Panicked, Mai Valentine and Joey Wheeler separated, their faces flushed, arguing "accidentally," "couldn't help it," "didn't mean to," and other hard-to-understand phrases.
Meanwhile, Kaiba on the Field didn't pay attention to what was happening in the Audience Seats. For him, Dueling was more important.
It was supposed to be a Finishing Blow, but it was dodged by Bakura again, making him quite annoyed.
The last two Cards left in his Hand were [Enemy Controller] and [Block Attack], which were originally very suitable for the Aggro Control Deck Kaiba used. However, Bakura's Deck didn't follow the usual Strategy, and these two Cards remained in Kaiba's Hand without any Opportunity to be Activated.
"My Turn, End." Helplessly, Kaiba ended this Turn. At the same time, without needing Bakura to remind him again, Kaiba saw the appearance of the letter "T" on Bakura's Backrow.
This was the fourth Turn after Kaiba Activated [Card of Demise], and the second to last Turn before Bakura would win using [Spirit Board]'s Effect.
Starting next Turn, Kaiba would have to Discard all Cards in his Hand, and if he couldn't Deplete Bakura's Life Points before the End Phase, he would lose because [Spirit Board] would gather all the [Spirit Message] cards.
[Kaiba: 900 LP, Hand 2]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] (Dragon Shield) [600 ATK]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [3000 ATK]
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] (Call of the Haunted) [3000 ATK]
[Set Card]
"Then, it's my Turn." Bakura picked up the drawn Card, examined it before his eyes, and showed an extremely exaggerated, fake smile, seemingly surprised by the Card he drew: "My luck is really good, President Kaiba."
"Activate the Spell Card, [Pot of Greed], Draw two Cards from my Deck."
"Then, I Set a Card, Summon [The Painting's Lurker] in Defense Position, then End my Turn."
After simple Operations, [The Painting's Lurker] that just appeared on Bakura's Field became a Tribute for [Dark Sanctuary] like its predecessors, leaving only one Set Card placed on the front Field due to [Dark Sanctuary]'s Effect, and the four letters "D," "E," "A," "T" on Bakura's Backrow.
"My Turn, Draw Card." Kaiba drew a Card, it was the Spell Card [Heavy Storm]. This Card has the Effect of Destroying all Spell/Trap Cards on the Field. Originally, it should have been a quite good Card, especially since Bakura's Deck was centered around Traps.
But...
"Because of [Card of Demise]'s Effect, this Turn is the Standby Phase of the fifth Turn after I Activated it." Kaiba, without changing his expression, Sent the [Heavy Storm] he had just added to his Hand, as well as the [Block Attack] and [Enemy Controller] that were already in his Hand, to the Graveyard together. "I Send all Cards in my Hand to the Graveyard."
"Hohoho, what a shame, I seem to have seen [Heavy Storm]." Bakura looked at the Cards Kaiba Sent to the Graveyard, the top one being the [Heavy Storm] he had just drawn. "If you had drawn it one Turn earlier, the [Spirit Message] cards, [Spirit Board], and [Dark Sanctuary] that I painstakingly gathered on my Field would all have been Destroyed. In that case, I would have definitely lost."
"But now it seems, you are ultimately One Step Behind, President Kaiba."
Bakura, confidently believing that Kaiba was out of options, smugly drew the Set Card on his Duel Disk and showed it to Kaiba: "I can tell you, the Set Card in my Backrow is [Mirror Force - Launch!]! If you Direct Attack me, all Attack Position Monsters on your Field will return to your Deck."
"Furthermore, my Life Points are 3800, and you can only use one Blue-Eyes White Dragon to Attack me. There's no possibility of Depleting my Life Points at all!"
"In other words, at this very moment, you have no possibility of Victory. I've won!"
At this moment, Kaiba's Hand was empty. The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons on his Field had not broken through the Power of [Dark Sanctuary] and [Mirror Force - Launch!]. In fact, if he guessed wrong about which Blue-Eyes White Dragon the Grudge Spirit Possessed, Bakura's Life Points would even increase. All he could use was one [Jar of Avarice].
Facing Bakura's Boasting, facing the seemingly unavoidable Defeat, Kaiba suddenly became Calm. The sound of the wind constantly swirling around his ears due to the Airship's flight also seemed to calm down somewhat.
"Ishizu." Looking at the silent Kaiba, Hayato suddenly called out to Ishizu beside him, "Why don't you try looking into the Future again now?"
Ishizu's finger rested on her [Millennium Necklace]: "I tried, Hayato-kun. 'All three Blue-Eyes White Dragons disappear from Seto Kaiba's Field.' Clearly, he Attacked Bakura Ryo, and all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons were bounced back to the Deck by the Effect of [Mirror Force - Launch!]. The Future still hasn't changed."
"The Future, honestly, why not just look at that kind of thing?" Hayato said with a smile, while shouting towards Kaiba on the Field, "Hey Seto, did you hear Ishizu's Prophecy about you?"
"I can't hear such boring things!" Kaiba replied coldly, but the fact that he responded proved that he had actually heard everything.
"I Activate the Effect of [Jar of Avarice], which I Set last Turn. I Recycle five Cards from my Graveyard back into my Deck, then Draw one Card." On Kaiba's Field, an ugly-looking Great Jar appeared. From Kaiba's Graveyard, it sucked in five Cards and began shaking.
"Putting your Hope on this Card? Useless, useless!" Bakura sneered, just about to say something, when Kaiba interrupted him with a cold face, "You're really noisy, you Lackey."
"What did you say?"
"I said, you Lackey, be quiet. You've been making noise since the Duel started." Kaiba said, closing his eyes and placing his finger on the Deck on his Duel Disk. "My Future will not be decided by boring things like 'Prophecy' or 'Fortune-telling'. The one who can decide the path ahead for me is only myself!"
As Kaiba spoke, he drew the top Card from his Deck. Almost simultaneously, a Crack suddenly appeared in the [Dark Sanctuary] covering the Sky Duel Arena and began to spread continuously.
Feeling the sensation coming from the Crack, Bakura also looked surprised: "This, this feeling is...!"
"I Tribute all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons on the Field!" Holding the Card in his Hand high, the [Jar of Avarice] in front of Kaiba cracked open, revealing a Blue-Bordered Card. "When it descends and appears, a scorching gale sweeps the land, and all living things become corpses!"
"Descend, [Obelisk the Tormentor]!"
The moment Kaiba placed the Card on the Duel Disk, accompanied by a stirring symphony, the [Dark Sanctuary] that had covered this place for a long time was instantly torn apart by a towering figure. The [Obelisk the Tormentor], whose figure seemed capable of supporting the sky, revealed its true form amidst the Light Particles from the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons being Tributed, declaring to the World what "God" truly is!
[Obelisk the Tormentor] [Level 10 / DIVINE]
[Divine-Beast Type / Effect]
[4000 ATK / 4000 DEF]
"Just its appearance makes me feel like I can't breathe." Joey Wheeler looked up at the tall deity, "Is that a 'God Card'?"
"That is, [Obelisk]!" Yugi Mutou was also full of shock. After learning about the existence of the Three Egyptian God Cards from Ishizu Ishtar, this was the first time he had seen a true God descend. "Compared to beings like [Uria, Lord of Searing Flames], this is truly a 'God'!"
"[Obelisk], Attack Bakura Ryo!" Kaiba waved his hand and ordered, "This is a God's Strike,"
"Fist of Fate!"
"D-damn it, it's a God Card!" Bakura also didn't expect Kaiba to draw a God Card at such a critical moment. "I Activate my Set Card, [Mirror Force - Launch!]! All your Attack Position Monsters will be bounced back to the Deck!"
"And the Effect of [Dark Sanctuary], the Attack of the Monster Possessed by the Grudge Spirit is Negated!"
Facing Bakura's double insurance, Kaiba sneered: "You Lackey seem to have misunderstood something? Using these Effects against [Obelisk]?"
"This isn't a Monster, it's a God!"
The Grudge Spirit of [Dark Sanctuary], the Reflecting Power of [Mirror Force - Launch!], facing all obstacles in its path, [Obelisk] responded with its Invincible iron fist!
A terrifying shockwave instantly Destroyed everything, and Bakura couldn't help but let out a scream:
"Unh! Arghhhhh!!!"
[Bakura: 3800 LP → 0]
After the Divine Power, confirming that Bakura's Life Points were completely Reduced to Zero, while the people in the Audience Seats were still immersed in the Power of the God, the big-hearted Iso calmly said: "The winner has been decided. Player Bakura Ryo's Life Points are Reduced to Zero, so the winner of this Duel is—"
"Seto Kaiba!"