"Entering Main Phase 1, I set a card. Then, I activate the Spell Card—Card Destruction!" Julie inserted the Spell Card into her Duel Disk. "Its effect makes every player with cards in hand discard all of them. After that, each player draws the same number of cards they discarded. I send the three cards in my hand to the Graveyard and draw three cards from my Deck!"
"Since I had five cards in hand, I draw five cards." Hara Shichi sent his five cards to the Graveyard and drew five new ones.
"Here it comes!" Julie's breathing suddenly quickened as she looked at the cards she had drawn.
"I Normal Summon Gorgonic Guardian! I activate Gorgonic Guardian's effect and send Mezuki from my Deck to the Graveyard!"
The muscular Gorgonic Guardian appeared on the field, swinging a massive hammer. His excellent effect and 1700 ATK had earned him a modest reputation among duelists, but Julie had no intention of letting him stay active for long. She banished Mezuki from her Graveyard and continued, "Next, I banish Mezuki from my Graveyard to Special Summon Gozu-Meizu from my Graveyard!"
"Then, I activate my Set Card—the Spell Card, Polymerization!" Julie flipped up the card she had just set and shouted, "I send the Gorgonic Guardian and Gozu-Meizu on my field to the Graveyard! Come forth, Dragon of the Underworld!"
The enormous dragon appeared on the dueling field once more, fixing Hara Shichi with its scarlet eyes as it let out an enraged roar.
"Don't rush, Dragon's Demise. We'll soon wash away the humiliation from last time." Julie stroked Dragon's Demise's back and said in a low voice, "I activate Gorgonic Guardian's effect. I banish Borreload Dragon from my Graveyard to Special Summon Borreload Dragon from my hand!"
"Lastly, I activate Gozu-Meizu's effect. I banish this card from my Graveyard to activate Zombie World from my Deck!"
Shadows blanketed the stadium, and skulls and rotten wood once again covered the ground.
"I set a card and end my turn!"
"I didn't expect her to use up her whole hand in a single turn." Hara Shichi looked at Julie. "She definitely didn't brick."
"All right, all right, it's our turn now, Hara Shichi. Draw!" Ai urged.
"My turn, draw!" Hara Shichi looked at the card he had drawn and instantly formed a plan. "I enter Main Phase 1 and Normal Summon Madolche Madeleine."
The adorable witch appeared on the field once again, seated on a silver fork. This time, though, she was nowhere near as lively as before. Her glasslike heterochromatic eyes were filled with confusion, as if asking Hara Shichi: Why am I here again?
"That's what happens when you run three copies." Hara Shichi waved a hand. "I activate Madolche Madeleine's effect and add a Madolche monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Madolche Puddingcess from my Deck to my hand."
"Next, I activate the Spell Card Monster Reborn to Special Summon Owl from my Graveyard." Card Destruction had helped Julie fill her Graveyard, but it had also conveniently stocked Hara Shichi's Graveyard with resources.
"Not a chance! I chain Borreload Dragon's effect! Once per turn, during the opponent's Main Phase, I can target 1 Zombie monster in either player's Graveyard and activate this effect. Special Summon that monster to my field, then banish this face-up card until the End Phase! I choose the Owl in your Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field!"
"That way, your Monster Reborn loses its target and is negated!" Julie pointed at Hara Shichi.
"I chain to your chain." Unhurried, Hara Shichi inserted a Spell Card into his Duel Disk. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card—Forbidden Chalice. Do I need to explain its effect again?"
"Tch, that card again." Julie naturally hadn't forgotten Forbidden Chalice's effect. If not for that Quick-Play Spell Card, she might have had a chance to turn things around back then.
"Fine. I choose your Jack-o-Bolan. Do you have another chain?" Hara Shichi asked.
"No. Go ahead."
"Since Jack-o-Bolan's effect was negated, Owl was Special Summoned to my field."
"Next, I activate Owl's effect. I banish Rescue Cat from my Graveyard to Special Summon Madolche Madeleine from my Deck in Defense Position."
"Two Level 4 monsters." Julie's lips suddenly curled upward, and a smile appeared on her pretty face.
"Ai, come on." Hara Shichi reached into his card case and took out Tiramisu of the Tiara.
"Mm." Ai nodded and placed her hand on Hara Shichi again. Just as the two were about to Xyz Summon, a quiet voice suddenly rang out.
"I say, when Madolche Madeleine was Special Summoned, there was an activation window, wasn't there?"
Hara Shichi stopped and looked at Julie's Set Card. "That's right, there was. Are you going to flip it?"
"Hahahaha! Of course! This is the gift I carefully prepared just for you. Enjoy it, Hara Shichi!" As she spoke, Julie abruptly flipped up her Set Card.
"I activate the Trap Card—Paleoflora Prison! This can only be activated if I control a face-up monster that was Tribute Summoned, Ritual Summoned, or Fusion Summoned. Until the end of your next turn, neither player can Synchro Summon or Xyz Summon. The effects of Synchro and Xyz monsters on the field are negated, and they cannot attack!"
"You want to Xyz Summon?"
"Keep dreaming!"
A Tiny Charge
"Hey, that was way too targeted." Hara Shichi looked at the Trap Card Julie had activated and had no choice but to put Tiramisu of the Tiara back into his card case.
"Hmph! Running counter cards is a perfectly reasonable strategy!" Julie said, slightly raising her smooth chin.
"Come on, let me see how you'll deal with my Dragon's Demise without Tiramisu!"
"Then... watch closely!"
Hara Shichi wanted to say that, but in truth, he couldn't come up with a response right away.
"I activate the Spell Card—Madolche Ticket." Hara Shichi inserted the Spell Card into his Duel Disk.
"Then I enter the Battle Phase and attack your Jack-o-Bolan with Owl."
"Since both have 1500 ATK, my Owl is destroyed by battle. And because of Owl's effect, it returns directly to my Deck. Then Madolche Ticket's effect activates, letting me add a Madolche monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose Owl."
"I send Jack-o-Bolan to the Graveyard." Julie didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
"I set a card and end my turn."
Hara Shichi said.
"My turn, draw!" Julie drew a card from her Deck, then immediately shouted, "I enter the Battle Phase! Dragon of the Underworld attacks Madolche Madeleine!"
A violent shockwave hit him, and Hara Shichi frowned slightly. Even after spending so many days on this continent, he still wasn't quite used to getting hurt while playing cards.
Hara Shichi: 4000 LP → 2400 LP
"Because of Dragon's Demise's effect, your Madolche Madeleine won't be destroyed by battle. However, at the end of the Damage Step, Madolche Madeleine's ATK becomes 0, and I can summon 1 Dark Soul Token with the same Level and ATK as your Madolche Madeleine's original Level and ATK! Then I attack your Madolche Madeleine with the Dark Soul Token!"
Hara Shichi: 2600 → 1000 LP
"Madolche Madeleine was destroyed and returned to my Deck, triggering Madolche Ticket's effect. I add Mille-Feu Cat from my Deck to my hand." Hara Shichi added Mille-Feu Cat to his hand.
"I set a card and end my turn. Your move."
"My turn, draw." Hara Shichi glanced at the card he had drawn, set it on the field, then said, "I enter my Main Phase and Normal Summon Madolche Puddingcess."
"Then I activate Madolche Puddingcess's effect. I Tribute Madolche Puddingcess to Special Summon Owl from my Deck in Defense Position. Next, I activate Owl's effect, banish Madolche Puddingcess from my Graveyard, and Special Summon Marincess Pudding Princess from my Deck in Defense Position."
"Tch, you figured it out that quickly?" Julie narrowed her eyes at the Defense Position monsters on Hara Shichi's field.
That was right. Dragon's Demise's effect allowed Julie to quickly inflict 3000 LP of damage to her opponent, but that was also its weakness—if the opponent switched their monsters to Defense Position and their DEF exceeded their ATK, Dragon's Demise would be placed in an awkward position.
"I'll end my turn like this. Your move."
"My turn, draw!" Julie's eyes lit up when she saw the card she had drawn. She hadn't expected to draw this card too. It seemed that the scales of victory had tilted in her favor.
"Owl has 1500 ATK and 1100 DEF. Madolche Madeleine has 1400 ATK and 1200 DEF. As for Pudding Princess... 1800 ATK and 1800 DEF?" Julie looked doubtfully at the adorable monster on the field. "She's a Level 5 that requires a Tribute Summon and even has 'Princess' in her name, yet she only has 1800 ATK?"
"Something's off. Tiramisu of the Tiara needs Level 4 monsters as Xyz Materials. If Hara Shichi wanted to stall until Paleoflora Prison wore off, there was no reason for him to Special Summon a Level 5 monster."
Julie lowered her gaze. After a brief moment of thought, a combo gradually formed in her mind.
"I enter my Main Phase and Tribute Dragon's Demise to Tribute Summon—Varon Gaus!" Without hesitation, Julie sent Dragon's Demise on her field to the Graveyard, then slapped the monster she had just drawn onto her Duel Disk.
A humanoid monster wrapped in black armor appeared on the field, with huge horns protruding from his head. A purple sphere of energy gathered in his hand, ready to fire at his enemy at any moment.
"When this card is Tribute Summoned, I can target 1 card on the field and banish it!"
"I choose Marincess Pudding Princess on your field!" Julie pointed at Pudding Princess on Hara Shichi's field.
"Did you find out? Good thing I came prepared." Hara Shichi flipped up the Set Card he had placed during the first turn. "I chain Mage of the Madolche Night and negate Varon Gaus's effect."
"So there was a trick!" Julie frowned. "Then I activate Mezuki's effect in my Graveyard. I banish this card to Special Summon Borreload Dragon."
Why were Zombies called Zombies? Of course, because they could keep hopping back and forth from the Graveyard.
Thus, Jack-o-Bolan, who had clearly been destroyed by battle earlier, returned to the field to fight once more.
"I enter the Battle Phase. I attack the Owl on your field with Varon Gaus."
"Monsters Special Summoned by Madolche Puddingcess's effect cannot be destroyed by battle," Hara Shichi said calmly.
"Then I attack Madolche Madeleine with Jack-o-Bolan."
"Madolche Madeleine returns to my Deck after being destroyed, but that also triggers Madolche Ticket's effect. I add Madolche Puddingcess from my Deck to my hand."
"Tch. I'll end my turn like this." Julie clicked her tongue.
Hara Shichi would be able to Xyz Summon after one more turn, so... she had to end this quickly!
"My turn, draw."
"I enter my Main Phase and switch Pudding Princess to Attack Position."
"Attack Position? Are you trying to destroy my Jack-o-Bolan?" Julie hurriedly activated Jack-o-Bolan's effect. "I activate Jack-o-Bolan's effect to Special Summon—Dragon of the Underworld from my Graveyard! Then Jack-o-Bolan is banished face-up!"
"So annoying, he jumped out of the Graveyard again." Ai furrowed her cute brows. "If only we had a D.D. Crow right now. We could just banish her Graveyard monster!"
"Yeah, why don't we?" Hara Shichi looked at Ai.
"Cough, cough. I believe someone as skilled as you can resolve this predicament even without a card like D.D. Crow. Go, A-Qi! Show her what you've got!" Ai said with a serious expression.
"Knew you'd say that." Hara Shichi wore an expression of just as I expected as he continued, "I enter the Battle Phase."
"Huh? Are you mistaken? Both my Varon Gaus and Dragon's Demise have far higher ATK than your Pudding Princess!"
"So what? I attack Varon Gaus with Pudding Princess!"
"Using an egg against a rock! Varon Gaus, knock her back!" Julie shouted.
The adorable Pudding Princess bravely charged at Varon Gaus, but Varon Gaus's powerful energy sphere blew her away, leaving her covered in soot and dirt.
"See? This is what happens when you overestimate yourself!" Julie laughed, pointing at Pudding Princess's bedraggled state.
"It's not over yet! I activate Pudding Princess's effect!" Hara Shichi gritted his teeth. After that impact, he only had 400 LP left.
"After this card battles an opponent's monster and damage calculation is performed, I can target 1 card on my opponent's field and destroy it! I choose Dragon of the Underworld on your field!"
This Duel Couldn't Bring Anyone Joy
"Damn it, so it had a card-destruction effect?!" Julie unwillingly moved Dragon's Demise from her Duel Disk to the Banish Zone. Like Dragon of the Underworld, Jack-o-Bolan came with a powerful revival effect, but also a drawback—when a monster revived by it left the field, that monster was banished directly.
That meant she could no longer use Dragon's Demise in this duel.
"Then my Pudding Princess returns to my Deck after being destroyed by battle, triggering Madolche Ticket again. I add Madolche Puddingcess to my hand, then I Normal Summon Madolche Puddingcess." Hara Shichi Normal Summoned Madolche Puddingcess once again.
"You know what I'm going to do, right?" Hara Shichi only had 400 LP left, yet there wasn't a trace of tension on his face. In contrast, Julie's entire face had darkened as though water could drip from it.
"Puddingcess brings out Owl, Owl brings out Pudding Princess, and during the End Phase, the previous Owl returns to the Deck because of Puddingcess's effect." Hara Shichi replicated his previous play once again, naturally putting everything in Defense Position.
"During the End Phase, Jack-o-Bolan returns to my field." Julie placed Jack-o-Bolan back on her Duel Disk. Looking at the two monsters on Hara Shichi's field, irritation began to rise in her heart.
She had originally thought that once she locked down Hara Shichi's Xyz Summoning, he would become fish on the chopping block, ready for her to carve up at will. But things were nothing like that. As time passed, she had instead fallen into a disadvantage.
Not only had she lost her ace, Dragon's Demise, but the resources in her hand were dwindling as well.
"No, something's wrong!" Julie suddenly realized it. Scenes from the duel replayed in her mind like a film, and she quickly found the problem.
It wasn't my resources that were decreasing. His resources were increasing!
Recalling Hara Shichi's plays, Julie turned her dark-red gaze toward the place she had continuously overlooked—Madolche Ticket.
That was right. Without Madolche Ticket's repeated, precise searches for Madolche Puddingcess, Hara Shichi could at most have survived one turn with the Puddingcess Madolche Madeleine had added to his hand at the beginning. After that, he should have been helpless once he ran out of monsters!
But what could she do even if she understood it now? Not only was it already too late, but even if she had realized it from the start, she had no way to stop Hara Shichi's resource loop.
"I can't get past this card..."
Julie bit her lower lip and stared blankly at Pudding Princess on Hara Shichi's field. Ever since Sakuretsu Armor had been bounced back into her Deck last time, she had removed it from her Deck. Moreover, she had never included any negation cards in her Deck. Rapid Special Summons and attacks were her Deck's style; she had never considered playing a long game.
"She only ran one field-clearing card, Varon Gaus?" Ai seemed to understand Julie's predicament. "A-Qi, we're going to win!"
"Yeah, unless something unexpected happens." Hara Shichi nodded.
"My turn... draw." This was a hopeless draw, and it truly brought no hope.
Julie looked at the card she had drawn and fell into despair—Growing Flower. When this card was sent to the Graveyard, she could banish it from the Graveyard to add 1 Level 5 or higher Zombie monster from her Deck to her hand. If Zombie World was in the Field Zone, she could Special Summon it instead. After activating this effect, she could not Special Summon non-Zombie monsters until the end of the turn.
"Useless... A weak monster like this is completely useless!" Sweat dripped from Julie's cheeks to the ground. Hara Shichi before her suddenly blurred, and ugly faces began to emerge one after another—mocking, sneering, arrogant, hateful. Like cold, sharp blades, they stabbed into her insides.
"No... I won't lose... Get... out of here!" Julie roared, then slammed the monster in her hand onto her Duel Disk. "I enter my Main Phase and Normal Summon Growing Flower!"
That was right. There was still a chance. She still had hope of winning. Julie looked at the vivid little flower on her field and pulled a silver Duel Card from her card case.
Julie usually treated Growing Flower as a Graveyard resource for Special Summoning high-Level monsters, but she had never forgotten one thing—Growing Flower was a Tuner Monster!
Paleoflora Prison had disappeared during the previous turn's End Phase. That meant she could now use Synchro Summoning!
"It'll be fine. I've practiced Synchro Summoning with the teacher many times. I know what kind of card I need to draw at a time like this to win." Julie's breathing quickened as she desperately searched her mind for a path to victory.
And then, she found the answer.
Before you continue