The second person's turn ended, and finally it was the short masked man's turn.
"Oh? You could still force yourself to stay calm against a formation like this. That mentality was at least commendable." The short masked man chuckled. "But no matter how much you put on an act, you cannot change the cruel fate awaiting you!
My Turn, Draw a Card!"
The short masked man first revealed a Spell Card.
"Activate the Continuous Spell, 'Ancient Gear Fortress'!"
A magical projection appeared in the short masked man's Back Row. At the same time, a massive steel fortress rose rumbling behind him—a towering dark castle whose walls were fitted with heavy cannons and countless turning gears, like a fusion of fortress and armory.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card, 'Ancient Gear Catapult'!" the short masked man said. "If there are no Monsters On the Field on my side, I can destroy any one face-up card on my Field.
I destroy the Continuous Spell, 'Ancient Gear Fortress'!"
Yato was startled. "Destroying your own card?"
He had never heard of a card effect that blew up its own card. Since learning about dueling, this kind of self-destruct tactic was completely unheard of to him.
The short masked man was quite pleased by his reaction. "Heh, what a primitive person from ancient times. You are making such a fuss over something this trivial. Open your eyes and watch carefully—this is how the elite of the future generation duel!
After 'Ancient Gear Catapult' destroys a card on my Field, I can Special Summon an 'Ancient Gear' Monster from my Deck, ignoring its summoning conditions.
I Special Summon 'Ancient Gear Gadget' from my Deck!"
What flew from the Deck to the Field was a round little gear. The gear extended its short, thin limbs and hopped