"It's here." Nero inserted the card she had drawn into her Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card Trade-In, sending Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard to draw two cards."
"Then, I Normal Summon Hand of the Six Samurai and activate its effect. I add 1 Ritual Monster or 1 Ritual Spell Card from my Deck to my hand," Nero said.
"I add Ritual of Descension to my hand."
"Does she still have another Soul Bird God - Hiko Peacock in her hand?" Mina could not help asking as she watched Nero add that Spell Card to her hand again.
"Maybe she's just putting on a show?" Aoshi consoled her. If Nero summoned Hiko Peacock again under these circumstances, Yukikaze would be in serious trouble.
"Next, I activate the effect of Chaos Magician Illusion in my hand. I reveal this card in my hand to activate it. I add 1 'Dark Magician' or monster that mentions that card's name, except a Ritual Monster, from my Deck to my hand. After that, I return 1 card from my hand to the top of my Deck."
"I add Magician's Souls to my hand, then return 1 card from my hand to my Deck."
"Next, I activate the Ritual Spell Card Ritual of Descension. I banish Soul Bird God - Hiko Peacock from my Graveyard and Ritual Summon from my hand—Soul Bird God - Hime Peacock."
"This is... another Soul Bird?" Yukikaze frowned slightly as she looked at the stunning woman who had appeared on the field.
"I activate Hime Peacock's effect. This card: You can activate this effect when this card is Ritual Summoned. Return up to 3 Spell/Trap Cards on your opponent's field to their owner's Deck. Then, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Spirit Monster from your Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions."
"I return your Marincess World to the Deck, then Special Summon Amanogawa from my Deck in Defense Position."
Without Marincess World's boost, Yukikaze's monsters' ATK returned to their original values.
"But Hime Peacock only has 2500 ATK, while Iron Chopsticks has 2600!" Yukikaze looked at the Amanogawa on her opponent's field and immediately understood. "And the two cards in your hand have already been exposed to me. They're Magician's Souls and Chaos Magician Illusion, right?"
"You're right. It seems your basic dueling knowledge is quite solid." Nero casually showed the two cards in her hand: Magician's Souls and Chaos Magician Illusion.
"She really guessed right? How did Yukikaze know what cards Nero had in her hand?!" Mina cried in surprise.
"So that's how it is. I understand now too." Aoshi's mouth had gone dry. "I never expected this... it looks like this duel has only just begun!"
"What exactly is going on? Hurry up and tell us!"
"..."
"I enter the Battle Phase. Hime Peacock, attack her Snowdrop of the Six Flowers," Nero commanded.
Yukikaze: 4000 LP → 2700 LP
"Next, I end my turn." As she spoke, Nero returned Hime Peacock from her Duel Disk to her hand. "During the End Phase of the turn this card was Special Summoned: Return this card to its owner's hand, then Special Summon 2 'Soul Bird Tokens' (Winged Beast/WIND/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500) to your field."
As soon as she finished speaking, two Tokens appeared on the field.
"What was that supposed to be? She acted so arrogant, but now she just ran away?" Mina said indignantly. She could see it clearly: despite Nero's calm exterior, she was actually at a disadvantage. Iron Chopsticks' 100-point advantage in ATK over Hime Peacock was an obstacle Nero could not overcome.
"It's just a stalling tactic," Aoshi explained. "Nero definitely has cards in her Deck that can resolve this situation. Right now, she's merely reinforcing her defenses to keep herself from being finished off. It all depends on Yukikaze now. If Yukikaze can defeat Nero quickly before Nero draws her key card, this duel will belong to Yukikaze. But if Nero successfully stalls Yukikaze, then Nero's plan will have succeeded."
"Tch, how cheap. If she has the guts, she should face her head-on."
"That's how back-and-forth battles work."
"My turn, draw!" Yukikaze had a feeling that she could win this duel...
"I enter the Main Phase and Normal Summon Lone Fire Blossom!" Yukikaze slammed the card she had just drawn onto the Duel Field. "I activate Lone Fire Blossom's effect... Huh? I can't activate it?"
"Amanogawa's effect. As long as this card is in the Monster Zone, neither player can activate the effects of monsters other than Spirit Monsters." Nero's cool voice rang out.
"In that case, I banish Breakthrough Skill from my Graveyard to negate your Amanogawa." Yukikaze sent Breakthrough Skill to the Banish Zone. "Then I Tribute Lone Fire Blossom to Special Summon 1 Plant-Type monster from my Deck. Come forth, my second Iron Chopsticks!"
As another Iron Chopsticks appeared on the field, the atmosphere of the duel reached its peak.
"Two monsters with 2600 ATK! Is Yukikaze really that strong?!"
"This time, she's definitely going to win, right?"
"Unless the other side topdecks Preparation of the Rites again, there's no way out."
"I enter the Battle Phase. My two Iron Chopsticks each attack one of your Hand of the Six Samurai and Tokens!" Yukikaze declared.
Nero: 4000 LP → 2800 LP
"She isn't destroying Amanogawa?" Mina could not help asking when she saw that.
"Amanogawa doesn't just lock down Yukikaze's monster effects, it also locks down Nero's monster effects. If Nero's next draw is another Hand of the Six Samurai, she won't be able to activate it because of her own Amanogawa's effect!" Aoshi looked excited. "The three cards in her hand pose no threat to Yukikaze. She's at an absolute disadvantage!"
"I end my turn like this. It's your turn."
Nero looked at the Amanogawa remaining on the field. Her little expressionless face finally broke into a smile.
"I take back what I said before, Shiraha Yukikaze. You are not a coward. You are an excellent duelist, so I will defeat you with everything I have."
"My turn, draw!"
The True Trump Card
"I activate the Spell Card—Ritual of Descension! I send Thunderclap Emperor Zaborg from my hand to the Graveyard and Ritual Summon—Soul Bird God - Hime Peacock!" A childish voice came from Nero's young body. The moment she finished speaking, a woman dressed in peacock attire appeared on the Duel Field and smiled at Nero.
Nero excitedly shouted at the middle-aged man across from her, "Dad! I did it!"
"Mhm, very well done. What reward do you want? How about some new cards?" The middle-aged man nodded slightly, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"I want to go to school!"
The warmth vanished from the man's face at once. His thick brows seemed to rise as he asked, "Why do you want to go to school?"
"Because... A-Xing and Little Shichi go to school too." Seemingly noticing that something was wrong with her father's expression, Nero's voice immediately grew quieter.
"A-Xing? Little Shichi? Who are they?"
"They're friends I met at the park."
"You don't need that, Nero." The man's voice was flat. "You don't need to go to school. The education there would only waste your talent."
"But A-Xing said you can make lots of friends at school. I want to play with my friends..." Nero clutched the hem of her clothes in her small hands and looked up pleadingly.
"Play?!" The man's dark eyes looked coldly down at Nero. "Do you know how many resources the family has invested in you? Do you know how many people are waiting for you to grow? Who do you think you are?!"
"You are Nero Arisa! The youngest daughter of the Arisa Family! Your future must lead you to the pinnacle of the Duel World, to become the Duel King!"
"And now you're telling me you want to play with your friends?!" The man pressed his hand against Nero's slender, frail shoulder. "Can't you feel it? The family's expectations and sacrifices for you, the responsibilities and burdens you carry?"
"But... but..." Nero looked at her father's imposing face, her teeth trembling as tears spilled helplessly down her cheeks. "If it's duel practice... I can duel with my friends too..."
"Meaningless!" the man interrupted. "Dueling weak duelists will not help you in any way! The family will arrange Professional Duelists for you to practice against. Starting today, you don't need to go to that park anymore. Stay home, understand?"
Nero's throat felt as though something were stuck in it. Something seemed to want to burst out, but in the end, she lowered her head and said quietly, "Yes, I understand... Father."
"Good. That is what a child of the Arisa Family should be."
"..."
Weak duelists are meaningless.
Then strong duelists are fine, right?
Nero looked at Yukikaze, a trace of hope appearing in her eyes. I'll give it everything I have next, so... please, make sure you defeat me.
"I Tribute the Amanogawa and Token on my field to Tribute Summon—Thunderclap Emperor Zaborg!"
"A Tribute Summon? And it has 3000 ATK!" Nero, who had been Ritual Summoning all this time, suddenly switched to a normal Tribute Summon. Many people were stunned, yet they could not say what was wrong with it.
A Tribute Summon was one of the most basic Summoning methods to begin with.
"2800 ATK?" Yukikaze murmured as she looked at the enormous monster on Nero's field. She had not expected Nero to casually break through the advantage she had worked so hard to create. Now, it was Yukikaze who had to think of a way to deal with her opponent's monster.
"Next, I activate Thunder Emperor's effect. When this card is Tribute Summoned: Target 1 monster on the field; destroy that monster."
"Oh no, Yukikaze's monsters will all be destroyed like this!" Mina shouted anxiously.
Yet Nero's next move left everyone dumbfounded. Without hesitation, she sent the Thunder Emperor on her own field to the Graveyard. "I choose to destroy the Thunder Emperor on my field."
"Huh? Is this... a misplay? That has to be a misplay, right?"
"What kind of play is that? Did she get hit so hard she lost her mind?"
"How boring. I finally got fired up, and this is what we get?"
"No... that's not it." Yukikaze, standing on the Duel Field, shook her head as she watched Nero's petite figure. Only by standing here could she feel it—that dangerous pressure radiating from her, that absolute confidence and calmness that would not waver no matter what happened.
Nero Arisa was strong, even stronger than Yukikaze was now. There was no way she would make such a low-level mistake!
"Because the destroyed monster was LIGHT-Attribute, both players send cards from their Extra Decks to the Graveyard equal to that monster's original Level or Rank."
There it was. As expected, it was for the effect!
"But... I don't have an Extra Deck?" Although Yukikaze had won an Xyz Monster in a Dark Duel, she could not use it because it did not fit her Deck, so she had given it to Hara Shichi.
"But I do." Nero sent three cards from her Extra Deck to the Graveyard. "I send two Heralds of the Rainbow Light and one Old God Nuit to the Graveyard, then activate their effects."
"By Herald of the Rainbow Light's effect, when this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can add 1 Ritual Monster or 1 Ritual Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. Since I sent two Heralds of the Rainbow Light to the Graveyard, I add Chaos MAX Dragon and Advanced Ritual Art from my Deck to my hand."
"Then, because of Old God Nuit's effect, I can choose 1 card on your field and destroy it. I choose 1 Iron Chopsticks on your field."
"Extra Deck monsters can activate their effects when sent to the Graveyard too?!" Mina said in shock.
"So this was Nero's goal? If Yukikaze also had monsters in her Extra Deck that could activate their effects when sent to the Graveyard..." Aoshi immediately saw the drawback of Thunder Emperor Zaborg. While it helped fill your own Graveyard, it also armed your opponent.
But there were no what-ifs. Most of the students here had no Extra Deck monsters at all, and even if they did, they could not possibly have Extra Deck monsters that could activate effects when sent to the Graveyard.
"You can't learn anything from a duel like this..." one of the watching students suddenly said in a low voice. "Ritual Summoning? Extra Deck monsters that activate effects in the Graveyard? Give me a break! I don't even have Extra Deck monsters!"
"But your opponent does." The instructor, who had been watching the duel all along, had somehow appeared beside the student. Patting him on the shoulder, he said, "You must accept that reality and make the appropriate strategy."
"That is how cruel dueling is."
As he spoke, the instructor pointed at Yukikaze on the Duel Field. "Only those who accept that and dare to face it can become excellent duelists."
"Yukikaze has not complained even once since the duel began."
Of course Yukikaze would not complain. She merely understood what Teacher Nafili had meant back then.
"'No matter who my opponent is or what Deck they use, I'll win'? Of course! I will win! As a duelist, that is the kind of arrogance you should have. Someone has to win, so why can't that person be me?!"
That's right. I will win. No matter who my opponent is or what Deck they use, I will win this duel!
"I said I would give it everything I have," Nero said flatly. "So let me show you... my true trump card!"
"I activate the Spell Card—Advanced Ritual Art! I send 1 Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard and Ritual Summon..."
"Chaos MAX Dragon!"
My Turn, Draw
How could one describe the monster on the field?
Wouldn't even the most gorgeous pile of words seem superfluous when used upon it?
Then it only needed to be described like this.
Perfect, invincible, supreme!!!
"I enter the Battle Phase. Chaos MAX Dragon, attack her Flower Princess Iron Chopsticks!" Nero declared.
A massive energy blast shot toward Yukikaze's Iron Chopsticks. In the next instant, Iron Chopsticks vanished from the Duel Field.
"Urgh!" Yukikaze was sent flying to the ground by the powerful impact, but she quickly gritted her teeth and rose again.
Yukikaze: 2700 LP → 1300 LP
"I end my turn like this. It's your turn," Nero said.
Chaos MAX Dragon's strength was not limited to its staggering 4000 ATK. More importantly, it could not be targeted or destroyed by effects. Many duelists could empty their entire Decks and still fail to break through that barrier!
Come, Yukikaze. Knock down my Chaos MAX Dragon!
"How can she possibly keep fighting? Yukikaze has no cards in her hand, and there are no monsters, Spells, or Traps on her field. Meanwhile, her opponent has a monster with 4000 ATK." Mina looked worriedly at the empty Duel Field before Yukikaze.
"Believe in Yukikaze. She hasn't given up yet."
"Huh? Weren't you..."
"..."
"During the End Phase, activate the effect of Rosemary of the Six Flowers in the Graveyard."
At that moment, an ethereal female voice sounded beside Yukikaze's ear.
Yukikaze froze for a moment, then suddenly understood. "During your End Phase, I activate Rosemary of the Six Flowers in my Graveyard!"
"If this card is in the Graveyard, and there are no monsters on my field, or all monsters on my field are Plant-Type monsters, I can activate this effect during my opponent's End Phase. Special Summon this card!"
The cute blue-haired little girl once again appeared on the Duel Field, grinning as she held up her crystalline little umbrella.
Before you continue