Is this the poker world?Ada thief!

Chapter 1762 Returning Like Lightning

"It looks like it, very much like it." Hayato lowered his hand, showing no intention of responding to Kusanagi's action of playing a card, since he didn't even know the specific effect of that card.

Although he often acts as if he has "opened up" his knowledge, his "intelligence network" has its limits. It is clear that the "Ame no Habakiri" that Kusanagi played at this moment is in his blind spot. Moreover, the system shop can only include the opponent's card after the opponent has played it.

But—it's another eight-headed serpent, another name "Kusanagi," and then there's that "Ame-no-Habakiri" that looks almost exactly like the "Cyber ​​Dragon Infinite." Could the opponent's deck be based on the "Three Spirit Swords" from the Far East?
At this moment, Kusanagi continued to process the effect of the card he activated: "The effect of [Ama-no-Habakiri no Mi-no-Tsurugi] can only be used once per duel. Reveal it from my hand to my opponent, then Special Summon a single [Mi-no-Tsurugi] monster directly from my Deck, and then Tribute one monster I control."

A card emerges from a cloud of mist on the giant sword that serves as the deck area and is placed on the checkered pattern of the giant sword by Kusanagi: "I Special Summon this [Sword of the Ninja - Coo-sei] from my deck in Defense Position."

【Sword Master of the Snake - Coarse and Righteous】【4☆/Dark】

[Crawler Category/Effect]

[1200/900]

"Not only a ritual deck, but also a reptile? Two negative attributes stacked up, is this going to be a double negative?" Hayato glanced at the white-clad male monster that appeared in the Kusanagi Arena, but his attention was mainly focused on the weapon in its hand—Hayato had just noticed that when [Ame no Habakiri no Mitsuki] released its power, there was an identical sword behind the giant dragon.

"And if I remember correctly, Coo-sama. Serpent Coo-sama? Isn't that one of the names of Ten-Fist Sword, also known as 'Ten-Habakiri'?"

Meanwhile, Kusanagi had already dealt with the aftermath of the effect of [Ame no Habakiri no Mitsuki] and released the only monster on his field. As he sent [Mitsuki no Sovereign - Kou Masashi] into a cloud representing the Graveyard, Kusanagi said smugly, "It seems there are legends about us circulating in the human world? Hmph, that's right. The humanoid figure that just appeared before you wasn't actually [Mitsuki no Sovereign - Kou Masashi]. His true form has always been the spirit sword in his hand—[Ame no Habakiri], and [Ame no Habakiri no Mitsuki] is his true form after unleashing his power!"

“My name is ‘Kusanagi.’ You humans might call me ‘Kusanagi’s Greatsword,’ ‘Tsugumo-kari’s Greatsword,’ or ‘Kusanagi-tsurugi,’ but my true name is ‘Ame no Kusanagi-tsurugi.’ The one standing before you—【Kusanagi-tsurugi, the Supreme of the Mi-no-Tsurugi】—and the 【Ame no Kusanagi-tsurugi】 beneath my feet are one!”

"Experience my authority, witness the power of the [Sword of the Snake], and then tremble and perish!"

Although he had previously displayed rationality that allowed for normal communication, Kusanagi's true form was, from beginning to end, the eight-headed serpent that attacked the Osiris-Red dormitory—the prototype of the famous mythical beast "Yamata Orochi," also known as "Yamata no Orochi," wielded the [Ama-no-Kami no Tsurugi]. Now that the duel has officially begun, he has unleashed an aura that is no different from, and even more ferocious than, that he displayed during the previous real sword duel!
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, or Tributed, I activate its first effect: I add one 'Si Sword' monster other than 'Si Sword' to my hand. I chose the second 'Si Sword' – this 'Si Sword's Fate - Sasuke'."

Retrieving a card, Kusanagi played it, saying, "Next is my Normal Summon for this turn. I Normal Summon 'Sakuro no Miko - Sasuke' to my field in Defense Position."

【Destiny of the Snake Sword - Sasuke】【4☆/Dark】

[Crawler Category/Effect]

[1000/1700]

Both monsters that appeared before and after were Level 4 DARK Reptile-Type monsters. Hayato felt that if there were Xyz Summoning, the [Sword of the Minotaur] deck might be quite suitable to play with [Thunderfire], or it might also be quite suitable to pair with his own [Netherworld].

With the groundwork laid by the previous [Mitsu no Tsuki no Sugo - Kou Masa], Hayato naturally guessed the prototype of the [Mitsu no Tsuki no Miko - Sasuke] before him. After all, the "Three Spirit Swords" are "Ame no Habakiri", "Ame no Kusanagi", and "Futsu no Mitama". Kusanagi corresponds to "Ame no Kusanagi", and [Mitsu no Tsuki no Sugo - Kou Masa] corresponds to [Ame no Habakiri no Mitsu]. So, the [Mitsu no Tsuki no Miko - Sasuke] before him must correspond to Takemikazuchi's sword, also known as "Sasuke Futsu no Kami's" "Futsu no Mitama".

Just now, [Sword of the Ninja - Coo-sei] was released as soon as it appeared, and Hayato only had time to look at the opponent's stats. Now, Hayato can finally see the appearance of [Sword of the Ninja - Sasuke]. It can only be said that although it appears in human form, the red snakes that dance wildly like flames and coil around the longsword are constantly proclaiming that it is a reptilian monster.

"Similar to [Sword of the Hour - Coarse], [Sword of the Hour - Sasuke] can activate its effect when it is Summoned/Special Summoned or Tributed. The effect of [Sword of the Hour - Sasuke] is to add one [Sword of the Hour] Spell/Trap Card from my Deck to my hand."

"Dream on! I only allowed you to use your effect after your monster was released, but now that you've got me on the field, you're in for a beating!" Just then, Hayato played a card from his hand and said, "Chain this card with the effect of [Mitsu no Miko - Sasuke]—guess why I thought of [Cyber ​​Dragon Infinite] just now?"

"Trap Card [Infinite Impermanence]! This card can be activated directly from my hand even if I have no cards on my field—its effect is to target one face-up monster your opponent controls and negate its effects until the end of this turn!"

"All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows!"

A force was released from the trap card played by Hayato, but when it landed on the [Mitsu no Miko - Sasuke] in the Kusana Gyoza, instead of weakening its power, it continuously strengthened and enhanced it?

But this precisely represents the essence of "Infinite Bubble"—the ever-increasing "infinite" power eventually spirals out of control and collapses, turning everything into a dreamlike bubble that vanishes!
Not wanting to stand by and watch Hayato negate his monster's effect, Kusanagi played another card from his hand: "In that case, I'll chain-activate my Quick-Play Spell Card—[Mitsu no Kishou]!"

C1 [Mitsu no Miko - Sasuke] C2 [Infinite Bubble] C3 [Mitsu no Kami] Before [Infinite Bubble] can infinitely increase the power of [Mitsu no Miko - Sasuke] to an uncontrollable level, Kusanagi's chain attack [Mitsu no Kami] takes effect first!
"【Invocation of the Snake Sword】is a Quick-Play Spell Card that can be activated not only through normal use but also by Tributing one Reptile-Type monster from my hand or field. I'm Tributing 【Saga of the Snake Sword】!" Kusanagi said, waving his hand. "Normally, I can only choose one of the two effects of 【Invocation of the Snake Sword】, but since I've Tributed a monster, I can choose to apply both of them at the same time!"

"The first is to add one 'Sword of the Snake' monster from my deck to my hand. The second is to inflict 800 damage on me, and then I can Special Summon one 'Sword of the Snake' monster from my hand or Graveyard. However, the 'Sword of the Snake' monster Special Summoned by this effect cannot attack directly."

Having finished explaining, Kusanagi began to process the effect of [Mitsu no Tsurugi]: "Under the effect of [Mitsu no Tsurugi], I add [Mitsu no Tsurugi] from my deck to my hand, and after taking 800 points of effect damage, I Special Summon [Mitsu no Tsurugi - Kusanagi] from my hand, which is myself!"

【草那艺：4000→3200LP，手牌5→6→5→6→5→4→5→4】

With the help of the quick-play spell card "Mitsu no Kishou", Kusanagi freed his "Mitsu no Miko - Sasuke" before the power of "Infinite Bubble" took effect, allowing him to take the field himself!

(The pattern on the sword really looks like the monster area on the Duel Disk.)

【Sword Master of the Snake - Kusanagi Art】【4☆/Dark】 【Reptile Race/Effect】

[1600/400]

At this moment, it was finally the turn of [Infinite Bubble] to take effect, but the monster it was meant to negate had already disappeared from the field. As a result, [Sakusa no Miko - Sasuke], which had been released, was not negated and continued to search for cards!
Take out a card and Kusanagi said, "The card I searched under the effect of [Mitsu no Miki - Sasuke] is this one—the Ritual Spell Card [Mitsu no Miki Descent]!"

"Then I started another chain and began to deal with the effect of the [Sword of the Snake - Kusanagi] that I had Special Summoned to the field - I would target one [Sword of the Snake] card that was banished from my Graveyard, other than [Sword of the Snake - Kusanagi], and add it to my hand. I chose [Sword of the Snake - Kusanagi] from my Graveyard."

【Cao Na Yi: 3200LP, hand 4→5→6】

Hayato had already used up two cards in his hand, but Kusanagi somehow managed to grow his hand back to six cards?
"Next, I will activate the Ritual Spell Card I just retrieved, 'Sword of the Snake.' This card is a Ritual Spell Card exclusive to Reptile-type Ritual Monsters."

Upon hearing this, Hayato retorted, "Aren't the only reptilian ritual monsters your [Mitsu Sword]? You could just say it's exclusive to [Mitsu Sword], wouldn't that be fine?"

After the [Sword of the Snake] was activated, a scroll appeared on Kusanagi's field with a blurry sword pattern on it. However, Kusanagi did not offer a sacrifice immediately, but instead began to explain to Hayato.

"【The Descent of the Sword】has two effects, each of which can be chosen once per turn: either Tribute a Reptile-Type monster from my hand or field to Ritual Summon a Reptile-Type Ritual Monster from my Deck with the same total Level; or Tribute up to two Reptile-Type monsters from my hand, field, or Deck to Ritual Summon one Reptile-Type Ritual Monster from my hand with the same total Level."

"Isn't that just a combination of 'Advanced Ritual' which releases tributes from the deck and 'Noble Ritual' which Ritual Summons Ritual Monsters from the deck, meow?" Daitokuji, sitting off the field, said subconsciously.

Standing on the field himself, Kusanagi—【King of the Snake Sword-Kusanagi】—raised a card in his hand and said, "Here, I release the Level 8☆ Reptile Monster 【Futsu-no-Mitama no Snake Sword】 from my Deck as a Ritual Summoning tribute!"

"The total level is 8☆—Heavenly Tail Feather Haru! Kagutsuchi perished here, his blood transformed into the Eight Gods, his corpse turned into the Eight Mountains, and he slaughtered the Ten-Grip Divine Sword of Feather Feather!"

"The Serpent's Coarseness - [Heavenly Feather Blade of the Fourth Sword]!"

【Ame no Habakiri no Mitsuki】【8☆/Dark】

[Reptile family/ritual/effect]

[2400/1800]

The [Heavenly Feather Blade], which had previously activated its effect in Kusanagi's hand, now makes its official appearance. Behind its serpentine body, a divine sword floats in the air, releasing an imposing aura!
If Hayato remembers correctly, its attack and defense are exactly twice the values ​​of its "sword spirit" - [Sword of the Hour - Kojima], and its level is also doubled to 8☆.

Kusanagi explained: "【Ama-no-Habakiri no Mi-no-Tsurugi】As long as it is on the field, it can continuously reduce the attack power of the opponent's monster by 800 points. This means that even a powerful monster with an attack power of 3000 points can only suffer defeat and be cut down by the sword under its power."

At the same time, it must be said that Ritual Summoning is indeed a very card-inefficient summoning method, even more so than Fusion – even when using a new era Ritual Summoning like Deck Ritual, summoning a [Heavenly Feather Blade] or a Kusanagi Art still consumes two cards from your hand.

However, after summoning the [Ame no Habakiri no Mitsuki], Kusanagi felt in good condition—even though, according to mythology, the famous sword "Ame no Habakiri" was the very weapon that killed Yamata no Orochi.

“Next, I activate this card—the Ritual Spell Card [Mirror of the Sword of the Snake]—to perform a second Ritual Summon.” The scroll above his head, already depicting a winding feathered serpent, retracted, and a shattered jade mirror appeared on the Sosuna Geisha Field as the new Ritual Spell Card was activated. “Although it doesn’t have the ability to perform a Ritual Summon from the Deck like [Descent of the Snake Sword], [Mirror of the Sword of the Snake] represents the connection to the power of the underworld!”

"I Tribute Reptile Monsters from my hand and field until their combined Levels exceed the Level of the Ritual Summoned Monster. I then Ritual Summon a Reptile Ritual Monster from my hand and Graveyard. I choose to Tribute [Mitsu no Tsuki no Mitsuki] from my hand and [Ame no Habakiri no Mitsuki] from my field. Their combined Levels are 12, which is greater than the Level of my Ritual Monster [Futsu no Mitsuki] from my Graveyard, which is 8!"

Unexpectedly, Kusanagi immediately released the [Ame-no-Habakiri no Mi-no-Tsurugi] that he had just summoned through ritual, but Hayato looked as if he had expected it. Seeing this, Kusanagi smiled with satisfaction: "I can tell you guessed it, right? That's right, like other [Mitsuki], [Ame-no-Habakiri no Mi-no-Tsurugi] also has an effect that activates when released. But before that, prepare to welcome the arrival of [Futsu-no-Mitama no Mi-no-Tsurugi]!"

"Holded by the god Takemikazuchi, it severs past karma and annihilates calamities, descending upon dreams in the name of 'Kiri-rei'!"

"Ritual Summoning, Level 8☆!"

"Sashifutsu-no-Kami - [Futsu-no-Mitama no Mitsu-no-Tsurugi]!"

【Futsu-no-Mitama no Mitsu no Tsurugi】【8☆/Dark】

[Reptile family/ritual/effect]

[2000/3400]

The long, fiery serpent that had previously coiled around the [Sword of the Snake - Sasuke] finally revealed its true form. It turned out to be just a long tail. The true form of the "Futsu-no-Mitama Sword" that carried the fiery red flames was actually a giant beast that resembled both a dragon and a tortoise, bearing some resemblance to the dragon son "Bixi" and the four mythical creatures "Xuanwu".

But even more eye-catching than the [Futsu-no-Mitama no Mitsu-no-Tsurugi] is the [Ama-no-Habakiri no Mitsu-no-Tsurugi], which was just released by the [Mitsu-no-Tsurugi no-Kami-Mirror], which has actually returned from the graveyard of Kusanagi amidst the clouds and mist!
Just like the seemingly indestructible and rapidly regenerating [Ama-no-Kurakumo no Mi-no-Tsurugi] before, [Ama-no-Habakiri no Mi-no-Tsurugi] has returned like lightning!
Randomly selected card game trivia: What is the relationship between the fields 【Star Saint】, 【Star Inheritor】, 【Star Radiance Master】, and 【Star Knight】? If you get it wrong, you're not allowed to eat Crazy Star Knight this week (laughs).