Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

[Bird/Beast Race/Adjustment/Effect]

[0/0]

Backcourt: [The Wandering Bird and the Unknown Wind] [Face Card] x2

Location: [The Migratory Bird and the Mysterious Map]

Despite being unable to Special Summon, Hayato managed to field three monsters, one green zone monster, and two face-down cards thanks to the continuous additional summons granted by [Wind-Traveling Bird]. He only had [Wind-Traveling Bird x Bald Eagle] in his hand, which he had just recovered.

"I see, so it's a type that focuses on continuous summoning? But this level is far from being 'the absolute king'." The "mysterious girl," who didn't understand anything from Hayato's finale, only glanced at the [Wind-Traveling Bird × Emperor Penguin] with the highest attack power a couple more times before turning her gaze to [Gale Barrier Statue] and [Face Bat]. "Especially since there are also those weak monsters to make up the numbers."

"It seems you really don't understand the value of '0% attack, 0% defense.' And, is the [Gale Barrier Statue] being underestimated too?" Hayato didn't explain much, just smiled mysteriously. "Considering that my current situation is only half-finished, it's understandable that you think that way, but how about we try to break this situation first?"

"Hmph, don't try to boss me around! I can break through this level of lineup in an instant." The "mysterious girl" said confidently, "Let's use the power of [Nephthys]... let the flames purify everything!"

"My turn, draw a card!"

"Mysterious Girl"—no, "Guide of Nephthys"—draws a card and begins her turn!

"I activate the Spell Card 'Preparation for the Ritual,' selecting one Ritual Spell Card from my Deck and one Ritual Monster from my Deck or Graveyard whose name is written on that Ritual Spell Card. I add both cards to my hand." Having achieved a two-for-one trade by playing a card first, 'Nephthys's Guide' proudly declares, "I add 'Nephthys's Reincarnation' and 'Nephthys's Azure Phoenix God,' whose name is written on 'Nephthys's Reincarnation,' to my hand!"

[Nephthys' Guide: 4000 LP, Hand size 5→6→7]

"Next, I'm going to activate the Ritual Spell Card [Nephthys' Reincarnation] to summon [Nephthys the Azure Phoenix God]!" He triumphantly played the card, ready to bring his god down, but [Nephthys the Guide] never received the offering of a sacrifice; [Nephthys' Reincarnation] failed to activate at all.

"Move, [Nephthys's Cycle], why aren't you moving?"

Chapter 1730 The Imperial Enterprise of Onore!

"Move, [Nephthys's Cycle], why aren't you moving?"

Watching [Nephthys' Guide] repeatedly pick up and put down the cards, as if superstitiously believing that "plugging and unplugging solves minor problems, restarting solves most problems, and reinstalling solves all problems," I assumed that there was something wrong with the cards I was using, and they could not be recognized, thus preventing me from starting the ritual.

Hayato, being kind-hearted and unable to bear seeing others waste their time and suffer, reminded the other person, "That's right, that's it. Try it a few more times and it will work."

Well, he had no intention of reminding the other person; he just wanted to have some fun.

However, Hayato's words made the Guide of Nephthys realize something, and she suddenly looked up at Hayato and said, "Could it be that you did this?!"

"Did I do it? I'm not sure either." Hayato smiled and stroked the card [Gale Barrier Statue]. "But if the monster you want to Special Summon is a non-WIND monster, then it might be because of [Gale Barrier Statue].

"As long as it's present, neither side can Special Summon monsters other than those with the WIND attribute. However, I think this restriction shouldn't have much impact on the vast majority of those present, since the Winged Beast type has the most WIND monsters, right?"

Behind Hayato, the dark-attribute [Black Feather], belonging to [Black Feather - Shadow of Karma], remained silent, while [Nephthys' Guide] opposite Hayato remembered that the [Nephthys' Azure Phoenix God] he originally wanted to ritual summon was a fire-attribute monster.

"It's just that I can't Special Summon monsters other than the WIND attribute, so I'll Ritual Summon a different card!" [Nephthys' Guide] recalled the card [Nephthys' Azure Phoenix God] and revealed another card instead, "WIND attribute, [Nephthys' Priestess]! To Ritual Summon her Level 2☆, I Tribute my Level 8☆ [Nephthys' Azure Phoenix God] from my hand!"

"Respond to the call and descend, [Priestess of Nephthys]!"

Using the [Nephthys the Azure Phoenix Goddess] she had just Special Summoned as a tribute, [Nephthys the Guide] placed the cards in her hand face down on the field. This time, however, because she wasn't Special Summoning the FIRE [Nephthys the Azure Phoenix Goddess] but rather the WIND [Nephthys the Priestess], the Ritual Spell Card was successfully activated and passed. At the cost of three cards from her hand, [Nephthys the Priestess] appeared, seemingly just changing the golden robes of [Nephthys the Guide] into blue.

—And indeed, it was Nephthys herself who walked directly onto the field from where the duelists were standing, and her clothes changed to blue in the blink of an eye.

【Nephthys' Priestess】【2☆/Wind】

[Mage Race/Ritual/Effect]

[1200/1200]

Seeing the Guide of Nephthys enter the field as the Priestess of Nephthys, and even in a defensive stance, Hayato didn't say anything.

Now, after Special Summoning itself, [Nephthys Priest] says, "Next is the effect of [Nephthys Priest], which is myself. It can only be activated if it is successfully Ritual Summoned. Special Summon one [Nephthys] monster from my Deck. During the End Phase of the turn this effect is activated, I will destroy myself or be destroyed and sent to the Graveyard."

"Don't forget about [Gale Barrier Statue]," Hayato reminded him. "Special Summons from the Deck can only Special Summon WIND [Nephthys] monsters."

"Hmph, that's not necessarily true!" [Nephthys Priestess] said smugly, "The power of the Ritual Spell Card [Nephthys' Reincarnation] is the power of reincarnation. When using [Nephthys Priestess] or [Nephthys Azure Phoenix God] as Tributes to perform a Ritual Summon, you can destroy one card on the field in addition to the Special Summoned monster!"

"I will destroy the [Gale Barrier Statue] to unlock my Special Summon of monsters other than those of the Wind attribute!"

From the grave of the Priestess of Nephthys, a blue phoenix phantom flew out and crashed straight into the Statue of Gale on Hayato's field, instantly destroying the inconspicuous stone statue and sending it to Hayato's grave.

All of this occurs before the effect of [Nephthys Priestess] is activated upon successful Ritual Summoning, and is a follow-up to [Nephthys's Reincarnation]. Therefore, when [Nephthys Priestess] uses its effect, the restriction that it can only Special Summon WIND monsters has naturally been lifted!

However, she wouldn't be happy to Special Summon a FIRE monster named "Nephthys" with "Nephthys Priestess" right now, because the monsters in her deck that have value for Special Summoning are still mainly WIND monsters. Theoretically, the biggest benefit of destroying "Gale Barrier Statue" is that it allows her to Ritual Summon "Nephthys Phoenix God" without any obstacles.

However, to destroy the [Gale Barrier Statue], I would have to release the [Nephthys Azure Phoenix God] just now; once the [Nephthys Azure Phoenix God] is released, the significance of destroying the [Gale Barrier Statue] would be greatly diminished.

Annoyed, she was about to select a card for a Special Summon when she saw Hayato putting cards onto the Duel Disk.

"I usually summon [Wind-Traveling Bird × Bald Eagle]".

【Migratory bird on the wind × Bald eagle】【DEF1000】

"No, what's wrong with you starting to Normal Summon during my turn?" Just as [Nephthys Priest] was about to say something, she saw Hayato, who had foreseen that she would object, pointing to a card that had somehow been opened on the field behind her and saying, "The effect of the Trap Card [Wind-Walking Bird and Dream Town] is like this: it allows me to Summon a Level 4 or lower Winged Beast Monster during both players' Main Phases, so your protest is useless."

"The question is, when was that card activated?" [The Priestess of Nephthys] glared at Hayato, but because of her helmet, Hayato couldn't feel her gaze at all. "Did it link to my [The Priestess of Nephthys] entrance effect?"

"Then when did you get the illusion that I didn't trigger the chain effect at the same time as you activated your effect?" Hayato shrugged, indicating that he had already completed his normal summon and it was time for [Nephthys' Priest] to deal with the effect.

"Hmph, then I'll Special Summon [Guardian of Nephthys] from my deck." After a quick selection, [Priest of Nephthys] placed the card face down on the Duel Disk again.

【Guardian of Nephthys】【2☆/Wind】

[Mage Race/Effect]

[1400/200]

However, before [Nephthys Priestess] could activate the effect of [Nephthys Guardian], which she had just Special Summoned, Hayato took action once again.

"I don't need to repeat the same effect, right? C1 is the effect that activates when [Wind-Traveling Bird x Bald Eagle] is successfully summoned. C2 is the effect of [Wind-Traveling Bird x Robin] that I banished but haven't been recycled. Then there's C3, the effect of [Face Bat] on my field."

On Hayato's field, the "Face Bat," which looked completely different from the cute "Windwalker" and had 0 attack and 0 defense, making "Nephthys Priestess" feel like a useless trash monster, suddenly approached "Nephthys Guardian" that she had just Special Summoned and started to provoke it.

Being looked down upon by a powerful monster is one thing, but how dare a lowly monster mock her? [Guardian of Nephthys] suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed, and the girl blushed more than a thousand words could express her feelings—she turned bright red from just a little provocation.

"The first effect of [Face Bat] is that it can be activated up to three times per turn if the opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster, targeting one of those monsters." Hayato pulled out a coin from somewhere, flicked it with his thumb, and sent it spinning high in the air. "Flip a coin, and then change the battle position of the targeted monster depending on whether it lands heads or tails."

"In face-up situations, the target monster changes to face-up Attack Position, while in face-down situations, that monster changes to face-down Defense Position."

"Equivalent to the effect of the [Book of the Moon]? Hmph, it's only a 50/50 chance." [The Priestess of Nephthys] didn't even give [The Face-Conscious Bat] a second glance, looking at the falling coin in the air, and said, "My dynamic vision is excellent. Although I can't change the outcome of the coin's descent after it's tossed, I can at least predict it in advance. From what I see, the coin will fall as—"

"Front view!"

Hayato's coin landed without any interference, stopping with the side bearing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's image facing up—heads. This means that the effect of Face Bat simply turns Nephthys's Guardian from face-up Defense position to face-up Attack position.

If a monster is changed to face-down defense position, then the monster that was Special Summoned this turn cannot have its position changed by "Nephthys Priest" without additional card assistance, and therefore cannot actively activate its fastest monster effect. However, the effect of "Face Bat" failed and only changed it to attack position. As long as it is still face-up, it has no impact.

Feeling increasingly confused about the meaning of the [Face Bat] effect, [Nephthys Priest] watched as Hayato recycled the previously banished [Windwalker x Robin] and then retrieved a card from his deck.

"I added the Level 7 ☆ Giant Bird of the Valley of Mist from my deck to my hand using the effect of [Wind-Walking Bird x Bald Eagle], and then additionally summoned [Wind-Walking Bird x Robin]."

【Migratory Bird on the Wind × Robin】【DEF1200】

As we all know, decks that can't move around during the opponent's turn are practically useless in modern Duel Monsters. While [Windwalker] doesn't have a Special Summon, a sufficient number of Normal Summons can still create a chain of moves that are almost like "hyperactivity".

【小林隼人：4000LP，手牌1→0→2→1】

Holding the newly acquired "Giant Bird of the Valley of Mist" in his hand, Hayato played "Windwalker x Robin" and said, "And because of the effect of 'Windwalker x Robin,' I searched for a Level 4 or lower 'Windwalker' monster in my deck—I chose 'Windwalker x Ostrich,' and then performed another Summon."

"Here I will release my [Windwalker x Bald Eagle] and the opponent's [Nephthys Priestess]—"

"Wait a minute!" [Nephthys Priestess] hurriedly interrupted Hayato, who was about to place the card on the Duel Disk. "What do you mean, 'Tribute [Nephthys Priestess] on my field as well'?"

"Heh heh, this is the effect of [Wandering Bird and Unknown Wind]. As long as this card is in my Spell & Trap Zone, when I want to perform a Tribute Summon that requires the Tribute of two monsters, I can send one monster I control and one card my opponent controls to the Graveyard instead of Tributing two monsters!"

"I am summoning the Rank 7☆ [Giant Bird of the Valley of Mist] in its advanced form!"

【The Giant Bird of the Valley of Mist】【7☆/Wind】

[Bird/Beast Race/Effect]

[2700/2000]

The newly added [Wind-Traveling Bird x Bald Eagle], activated by [Wind-Traveling Bird and Dream Town], is once again released as a tribute. Naturally, it is banished from the duel when it leaves the field. In its place, a giant bird appears on Hayato's field, somewhat resembling the legendary "Thunderbird"—and there was a card based on the "Thunderbird" in [Uncharted Territories], so it can be considered a kind of inheritance.

Its attack power was comparable to that of the [Windwalker x Emperor Penguin], both at 2700 points. Although it couldn't defeat the "legendary [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]", it was still enough to make many bird and beast elves present take notice. However, most of their attention was drawn to the elves from the [Valley of Mist] tribe, who were also present.

(The card is too erotic)

"I always thought only people like us from [Black Feather] would do something like this." [Black Feather - Great Banner's Fayu] pointed at [The Prayer of the Valley of Mist] with a pained expression. "I never expected that someone as handsome and stern as you from [The Valley of Mist] would also side with Kobayashi Hayato!"

"No, I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"

Just as the other elves suspected that the Valley of Mist had already sided with Hayato, otherwise how could Hayato have produced the Giant Bird of the Valley of Mist? Hayato's side was also coming to an end.

"If I summon a Winged Beast monster on my field, I will recycle the banished [Windwalker x Bald Eagle]." Hayato smiled and said, "Alright, now you can continue your strategy." [Windwalker x Bald Eagle], which repeatedly jumps between its hand, field, and banished states, is being recycled and prepared for the next turn.

"Hmph, after all that, all you did was summon another monster with 2700 attack power." [Priestess of Nephthys] looked at [Giant Bird of the Valley of Mist] with disdain. "But now that I've removed the Special Summon restrictions, that kind of monster poses no threat whatsoever!"

"I activate the effect of [Guardian of Nephthys] on my field. This effect can only be activated during my Main Phase. I destroy one card in my hand and then Special Summon one Level 4 or lower [Nephthys] monster from my hand, excluding [Guardian of Nephthys]."

However, it was as if the scene of [Nephthys' Reincarnation] was being replayed. Although [Nephthys' Priest] was commanding its monster to activate its effect, [Nephthys' Guardian] did not move at all.

Even as he struggled to raise the phoenix feather-like sword in his hand, intending to do something, Hayato's [Wind-Traveling Bird x Emperor Penguin] suddenly struck and slapped him hard across the face, interrupting him!

"Unfortunately~ As long as the Triple Summoned [Windwalker x Emperor Penguin] is on my field, your opponent's Special Summoned Attack Position monsters cannot activate their effects."

Hearing Hayato's explanation, the Priestess of Nephthys no longer looked down on the seemingly cute but actually livestock-like Wanderer Bird, after all, she had already been disgusted by it three times in a row.

One instance was the Special Summoning Lock of [Gale Barrier Statue], another was the Graveyard Sending Effect of [Wind-Traveling Bird and Unknown Wind], and yet another was the Activation and Seal of the Effect of [Wind-Traveling Bird x Emperor Penguin].

The [Priestess of Nephthys], who in a way can be described as having been "betrayed three times," pointed at the [Wind-Walking Bird x Emperor Penguin] with an angry expression and shouted, "Oh, Onore Emperor Penguin!"

Chapter 1731 The Flame King's Bells Ring Out

Despite the criticism, the story of "The Priestess of Nephthys" will still unfold as normal.

However, since the [Priestess of Nephthys] had been freed from her previous state by [The Wandering Bird and the Unknown Wind] and returned to the back row, she should theoretically be called [Guide of Nephthys] again. But seeing that she didn't intend to change her clothes, Hayato continued to call her [Priestess of Nephthys].

The effect of [Nephthys' Guardian] cannot be activated. Similarly, no matter how many monsters [Nephthys' Priest] Special Summons afterward, as long as they are in Attack Position, they will be restricted by the effect of [Windwalker x Emperor Penguin], unless [Nephthys' Priest] Special Summons a monster in Defense Position.

However, this raises another issue: the seemingly unremarkable but actually terrifying [Face Bat] can change the battle position of [Nephthys Priest] monsters by flipping a coin, whether it's a Summon or Special Summon.

If it's the kind of effect that activates upon entering the field, it's fine. Even if it's switched to face-down Defense or Attack position, it won't be affected by the effect of [Windwalker x Emperor Penguin] and can still activate smoothly. However, if it's something like [Guardian of Nephthys] that requires active activation, then it's a disaster. Whether it's face-up Attack or face-down Defense, it's as if it's been rendered useless!

In other words, in the end, the only way to break the deadlock is through normal summons?

【Nephthys Priestess】has not performed a Normal Summon this turn. If she had summoned the monster via Normal Summon, then the effect of 【Windwalker x Emperor Penguin】would have no effect on her monster. This is the only way she can think of.

She finally understood. First, the non-WIND attribute Special Summon of [Wind Barrier Statue] was blocked, and then the Special Summon monster effect of [Wind-Traveling Bird x Emperor Penguin] was prohibited. It turned out that the ability of this [Wind-Traveling Bird] deck was to restrict the Special Summon of all other decks, allowing others to use Normal Summon.

After limiting everyone's performance to the "Normal Summon" range, he used his extensive experience in this area to outmaneuver and kill his opponents!

What kind of "absolute king of birds and beasts" are you? You're clearly the "king of disgusting people"!