Yu-Gi-Oh!: Starting with an Underworld Deck, Depressing the World
[Attribute: Water]
[ATK: 2800]
[DEF: 2600]
"Water Dragon, with 2800 attack points, is known as the bane of all FIRE Attribute monsters!"
In the surrounding spectator areas, many Duel Academy students who saw this erupted in an uproar!
"Bastion Misawa certainly lives up to his reputation as the most famous first-year in Ra Yellow. He really is quite skilled," Alexis Rhodes remarked, slightly surprised.
"Bastion really is pretty amazing!" Jaden Yuki couldn't help saying excitedly.
"Ooh-hoo-hoo! In just two turns, he successfully summoned a powerful monster like Water Dragon, with 2800 attack points, extremely demanding summoning conditions, and the ability to special summon its three materials from the graveyard when destroyed."
At the edge of the field, Crowler watched from afar, grinning so hard he nearly danced for joy.
"Just like that, defeat the poor student boy in one fell swoop!"
"Jiang He, this is the strategy I painstakingly prepared especially for our duel! Activate Trap Card, [Raigeki Break]!"
Bastion Misawa raised his hand with a confident smile and activated one of the two traps set on his field.
The Trap Card depicting lightning striking a target flipped over!
"[Raigeki Break]'s effect lets me discard one card from my hand to select and destroy one card on the field!"
"I choose to destroy the monster you set face-down in Defense Position!" Bastion Misawa pointed at the image of the face-down monster card lying horizontally on Jiang He's field!
"Crack!!"
A golden arc of lightning flashed out of the [Raigeki Break] Trap Card and struck the image of the set monster card on Jiang He's field.
It shattered the card into particles that scattered and vanished in an instant!
Alexis Rhodes and the others could faintly make out that it seemed to be the [Celtic Guardian of Noble Arms] they had seen the night before!
"Here I come, Jiang He! [Water Dragon], attack directly!" Bastion Misawa declared with a smile.
The enormous blue Water Dragon reared up at once!
"The three cards I set in my back row weren't just for show."
Jiang He calmly raised a hand toward one of the three set cards on his field.
"Activate the set card, Continuous Trap [Torture Wheel]!"
As a familiar Trap Card flipped over, a skeletal torture machine was about to emerge from it in a flash of light.
"This is the chance I've been waiting for! Activate the other set card, Counter Trap [Solemn Judgment]!"
"By paying half my Life Points, I negate the activation of a Spell or Trap Card and destroy it!" Bastion Misawa said, looking as though his plan had succeeded!
Ripples immediately spread from the [Solemn Judgment] Trap Card that had flipped over before him!
They struck the skeletal torture wheel machine that had just begun to emerge before Jiang He, along with the Continuous Trap,
Destroying them both and shattering them into particles that vanished!
"He destroyed both the Celtic Guardian and Torture Wheel Jiang He had set up on the field!"
Alexis Rhodes looked somewhat shocked as she spoke.
"Bastion is so strong!" Jaden Yuki, Syrus Truesdale, Jasmine, and the others were just as surprised.
The night before, those two cards could be considered two of the mainstays Jiang He had used to restrict Alexis and win.
Yet now, both had been destroyed right off the bat!
"Nicely done, Bastion!" Crowler clenched both fists, secretly overjoyed.
Although poor student boy Jiang He still had two set traps on his field, so he wasn't at too much of a disadvantage, Crowler thought it would still be difficult for him to deal with Bastion Misawa's assault!
Even if he could use a trap to destroy Water Dragon outright,
Once [Water Dragon] was destroyed and sent to the graveyard, it could immediately special summon two Hydrogeddons with 1600 attack and one Oxygeddon with 1800 attack, bringing a second round of attacks.
That would leave poor student boy Jiang He powerless to resist!
But his excitement didn't last long. As the enormous blue Water Dragon reared up to attack, he saw Jiang He's lips curl upward as he activated another set card.
"Activate my second set card, Continuous Trap [Torture Wheel]!"
As he spoke, another identical, familiar skeletal torture machine appeared out of thin air in a flash of light!
In the blink of an eye, it bound the enormous blue Water Dragon monster on Bastion Misawa's field inside the torture machine!
It roared in frustration!
There's another one. Surprised?
Jiang He smiled.
"Mamma mia!" Professor Crowler exclaimed in shock.
"H-how is that possible?! You have another [Torture Wheel]?!" Bastion Misawa was stunned too, and couldn't help crying out!
He had considered the possibility that Jiang He might have a Trap Card like [Holy Barrier - Mirror Force], which could destroy all the monsters in Attack Position on his field when he attacked.
That was why he had used a troublesome monster like [Water Dragon], with its powerful attack and an effect that was extremely difficult to deal with after it was destroyed.
But he had never expected Jiang He to use a second [Torture Wheel], that kind of underworld trap that restrained monsters...!
Even if it isn't the Exodia the Forbidden One deck I expected at first, normally nobody would put two copies of [Torture Wheel] in their deck, would they?!
Bastion Misawa cried out speechlessly in his heart.
Chapter 42: Again?! Bastion Misawa Was Dumbfounded
[Ding! Bastion Misawa's Emotion Points +300!]
Hearing the pleasant system notification, Jiang He's smile grew even more "sunny."
Meanwhile, Alexis Rhodes, Syrus Truesdale, and the others watching the duel all froze for a moment, their expressions growing increasingly strange.
Of the three cards Jiang He had set on his field, two were [Torture Wheel].
Alexis, Syrus Truesdale, and the others had never expected that either!
When Jiang He drew his card on the first turn and the corner of his mouth had curled up at the result,
It was probably because of that second [Torture Wheel]...
"Still, the situation seems more even now," Alexis said with a faint smile as she watched Jiang He.
Bastion Misawa had just paid half his Life Points to activate the Counter Trap [Solemn Judgment] and negate and destroy the first [Torture Wheel] Jiang He activated.
He now had only [2000 LP] left.
And his hand was completely empty.
On his entire field, there was only the troublesome monster [Water Dragon], which might break free from the torture machine at any moment.
That could be counted as a considerable advantage.
By comparison, Jiang He had no monsters on his field and only one set card besides the Continuous Trap [Torture Wheel] restraining [Water Dragon].
But Jiang He still had his full [4000 LP].
He also had two cards in his hand.
Combined with the Continuous Trap [Torture Wheel]'s effect of dealing the opponent 500 LP of damage during his own Standby Phase each turn,
Jiang He had advantages of his own.
If Bastion Misawa couldn't destroy this second [Torture Wheel] Trap Card within four turns,
Or destroy [Water Dragon] himself to end [Torture Wheel]'s effect of continually dealing 500 LP of damage,
Then Jiang He would surely be the winner!
But if Bastion Misawa could quickly destroy [Torture Wheel] in the coming turns, Jiang He would have to face that troublesome monster, which still posed a threat.
Alexis Rhodes thought this to herself.
"My turn is over!"
Meanwhile, with no cards in his hand and nothing on his otherwise empty field but a [Water Dragon] being tortured,
Bastion Misawa could only look helplessly at Jiang He and end his turn.
"My turn, draw! At this moment, I activate [Torture Wheel]'s second effect!"
As Jiang He drew from his deck, he looked across at Bastion Misawa with a sunny smile.
"Ah!"
As soon as he spoke,
Arcs of torturous electricity lit up the skeletal torture machine restraining [Water Dragon]!
They spread to Bastion Misawa, causing him a faint, tingling pain!
Bastion Misawa's Life Points beeped down by 500 LP to [1500 LP].
His expression grew slightly more urgent.
At this rate, he only had three more chances to draw!
Fortunately, his deck contained several cards that could solve his current problem!
"I set another monster face-down in Defense Position, then set a card. Turn over!"
Jiang He set another monster card on his Duel Disk, then set another card.
Another horizontal monster card appeared on the field before him, along with a total of two set cards.
"Another monster summoned face-down in Defense Position?"
Bastion Misawa frowned.
"Still, I have to admit, a strategy like this really can have a considerable effect on an opponent's judgment. I've learned something!"
"But victory in this duel will still be mine! My turn, draw!"
Bastion Misawa solemnly drew the top card.
After looking at it, he immediately regained his confidence and smiled.
"The key card that will lead me to victory is in my hand, Jiang He!"
"Could he have drawn a card to destroy [Torture Wheel]?!"
His words brought curious expressions to the faces of many Duel Academy students in the spectator area, as well as Professor Crowler!
As the duel between Jiang He and Bastion Misawa continued, other people were still holding practical-class duels on the nearby fields.
But the eyes of nearly everyone had been drawn over here!
Hearing Bastion Misawa's words, Alexis Rhodes, Syrus Truesdale, Jaden Yuki, and the others couldn't help guessing as they stared at the card he had just drawn.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell [Mystical Space Typhoon] from my hand!"
Bastion Misawa immediately revealed the card he had drawn!