Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

With the helmet on his head again, a high-tech visual interface appeared in front of Baron's eyes, and a synthesized electronic voice simultaneously began to analyze the data for his duel.

After listening for a few minutes, Baron drew one of his cards: "Hmm, although there's a plan with a 1000% success rate, this 50% success rate plan suits me better, and based on my duelist's intuition—"

"You actually have a card with the effect of destroying monsters in your back row, don't you, Katsuya Jonouchi!"

Upon hearing Baron's sudden remark, Jonouchi's eyebrows twitched, and he said stiffly, "W-what are you talking about? Why would I tell you what cards I have in my back row? Ah, do I have any or not? I'm looking for the answer myself, hmm."

Although he subconsciously tried to cover up the truth by speaking in a vague and ambiguous tone, as he remembered Hayato being the most adept at being sarcastic and cryptic, Jonouchi was too straightforward and his acting was completely inadequate. As a result, Baron knew he had guessed correctly after just a slight probing.

One of the two cards in Jonouchi Katsuya's back row does indeed have the effect of destroying monsters.

Seeing the changes in Baron's eyes and his gaze constantly shifting back and forth in his backfield, Jonouchi realized he hadn't quite pulled off the act. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and said, "How did you even figure that out?"

"Well, if I had to say, it must be because I have too much experience in fighting. I noticed that when I Special Summoned [Psychic Helmet - Armor], you subconsciously looked at your face-down card in the back row as if you wanted to activate it, but after thinking about it, you realized that activating the face-down card would be futile."

"Although I don't know where you got the information about the [Armor] deck I'm using, I can tell that you're on guard against the [Armor] monsters I might summon, to the point that you subconsciously try to identify any [Armor] monster."

"This is the message I read from your eyes, Jonouchi!"

"Whose eyes can convey so much? You've been talking for ages!"

Baron ignored Jonouchi's taunts and pressed the button on his Duel Disk to activate face-down cards, revealing face-down cards in Jonouchi's back row: "You should be glad now, Jonouchi. My deck doesn't contain many cards that target back row destruction, so I'm going to play fair and square, knowing full well that you have cards with destruction effects in your back row!"

"Trap Card [Magnetic Armor]: Special Summon [Trap Burst Armor] from my Graveyard in Attack Position, which was previously sent to the Graveyard by the effect of [Foolish Burial]!"

"Because of the effect of [Survival Treasure Card], I draw three cards from my deck, and then this turn I Normal Summon [Big Bang Fist - Armor], which is also in Attack Position!"

"A steady left hand and a powerful right hand!"

Baron suddenly raised his hands, and two arm armors appeared on his left and right sides, closing together and covering Baron's body, so that Baron was now equipped with three pieces of armor.

[Big Bang Fist - Armor] [ATK0]

[Trap Burst - Armor] [ATK0]

Upon seeing the [Big Bang Fist - Armor] appear, Jonouchi instantly became alert: 'It's here! It's the [Big Bang Fist - Armor] that Ryuzaki specifically mentioned!'

'I remember its effect was something like this: when destroyed in battle, it could detonate all monsters on the field and deal damage to both duelists equal to the combined ATK of all the monsters—it was practically a terrorist card!'

'We absolutely cannot let Baron detonate that card!'

Subconsciously, he wanted to activate the face-down card in his back row.

But suddenly, a cry came from within the city, causing him to momentarily lose his focus and pause, his hand still not pressing the button.

Baron didn't pay attention to Jonouchi's actions, but instead slightly moved the pair of arm armors he had just equipped. Jonouchi, on the other hand, came to his senses and belatedly noticed that Baron had Special Summoned a monster called "Trap Burst Armor" using the effect of "Magnetic Armor".

'Oops, I got distracted by Baron's barrage of words and was so focused on [Big Bang Fist - Armor] that I completely ignored that monster whose name clearly targets Trap Cards!'

Jonouchi couldn't help but feel a little relieved that he had inexplicably lost focus and hadn't successfully activated the face-down card; otherwise, that card would have been wasted. For a moment, he even forgot to look for the sound that had caused his distraction.

Baron glanced at the six cards he had in his hand and drew two more: "It's not over yet. I'll activate this card again, the spell card [Double Summon], which allows me to perform a second Normal Summon this turn, and then Special Summon [Active Protection - Armor] from my hand in Defense Position."

[Active Protection - Armor] [DEF1500]

The armor covering Baron's torso was now fully armored, except for his legs which were still covered in his original clothes. He clenched his fist and said to Jonouchi, "Yosh, now my combo is complete, Jonouchi."

"Enter my battle phase!"

Chapter 596 You were the one who made the wrong move, Jonouchi.

Upon hearing Baron's declaration to enter the battle phase, Jonouchi's [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon] on the field snorted a stream of heat from its nostrils, showing great disdain for it.

Although wearing monsters on your body seems strange, the opponents are just a bunch of weak monsters with zero attack power. Isn't this a piece of cake?

"Only one Armored Monster can attack during a Battle Phase. I've chosen to use my right-hand [Explosive Fist - Armored] to attack Jonouchi's [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon]!"

As he spoke, Baron raised his right arm under the disdainful gaze of [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon], clenching his fist as if he had already won, and charged towards them.

Upon hearing Baron's declaration of attack, Jonouchi finally made up his mind and pressed the button to activate his face-down card: "Then I'll chain your attack declaration and activate my face-down card in the back row, the Trap Card [Lightning Strike]!"

"You can activate this effect by discarding a card from your hand and targeting a card on the field; destroy that card!"

Watching Jonouchi reveal his face-down card in the back row and send what appeared to be a monster card to the graveyard, Baron said rather smugly, "As expected, you do have some knowledge of my 'Armor' deck, Jonouchi!"

“If it were an ordinary duelist, seeing such a suicidal attack declaration from me, they might stop me out of caution and suspicion, but they would definitely have a process of doubt and thought. But you only hesitated for a moment before activating your face-down card!”

A pillar of lightning rose from the card [Lightning Strike] and descended from the sky. Although Baron couldn't determine which card on his field Jonouchi had targeted with [Lightning Strike] since it hadn't landed yet, it shouldn't make a difference to him.

"I'm curious how you found out about my [Armor] deck, but whatever, how foolish of you, Jonouchi!"

Baron lifted his left arm guard, and a layer of red light was released from the [Trap Burst Armor] on his left arm, enveloping his entire body in [armor].

"The effect of 【Trap Burst - Armor】 is that it makes all my Armored Monsters immune to the effects of my opponent's Trap Cards. If you blindly use cards without understanding my abilities, then your abilities are nothing special!"

After a few taunts from Jonouchi, the confident Baron continued charging towards the [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon] he was about to attack. The attack of [Explosive Fist Armor] with 0 ATK against [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon] with 3500 ATK will inevitably result in the self-destruction of [Explosive Fist Armor], thus triggering its effect to detonate all monsters on the field.

Furthermore, at the same time, [Active Protection - Armor] will absorb all the damage for Baron. In other words, with this punch, Jonouchi will suffer a full 3500 points of effect damage. Even if he doesn't lose all his Life Points in one go, he will be knocked down by the damage energy of the [Armor] deck and unable to move. He can only barely survive with a mere 500 Life Points, like a candle flickering in the wind!

[Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon] Only then did Baron realize the terrifying power emanating from the gauntlet on his right arm. He turned back to Jonouchi in a panic, as if to say, 'Jonouchi, quickly use your invincible glove to think of a solution!'

The lightning struck Baron's seemingly indifferent gaze, but to his surprise, the beam of light from [Lightning Strike] landed very close to him, yet it didn't target any of his [Armor] monsters or cards in his back row. Instead, it struck his target, [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon]!

"When did you develop the illusion that my [Lightning Strike] targets the cards on your field, Baron?"

Jonouchi's confident voice reached Baron's ears. As lightning destroyed the bewildered Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon, Baron's [Big Explosion Fist - Armor] missed its target and failed to trigger the field explosion effect.

Looking over at the sound, one could see a man inside the castle grinning smugly, saying, "The name '[Trap Burst - Armor]' practically screams 'resistance to trap cards.' Do you think everyone's as stupid as you, Baron? I knew that card would give you resistance to [Armor] monsters!"

"Ryuzaki already told me about the ability of [Big Bang Fist Armor]. It's a powerful card that can trigger a self-destruct effect when destroyed in battle. Therefore, effect destruction becomes a powerful way to counter it. But before you summoned [Big Bang Fist Armor], you deliberately used [Magnetic Armor] to Special Summon [Trap Burst Armor] from your Graveyard. Do you think I wouldn't notice that?!"

"Aside from disrupting the effect, as long as I can prevent you from actively detonating [Big Bang Fist - Armor], I can still interrupt your combo!"

Baron's face stiffened: "Damn it! How could they know me so thoroughly!"

"Wait, Ryuzaki? That 'dinosaur' Ryuzaki? That guy didn't die in my duel? Tch, these annoying things just keep piling up."

Baron was quite annoyed that he couldn't trigger the effect of [Big Bang Fist - Armor], but at the same time he deliberately provoked him, saying, "But Jonouchi, in order to stop my attack, you actually went so far as to destroy your own monster. Can you still be considered a duelist?"

"Since you know the effect of [Big Bang Fist - Armor], you should also know that even if my attack hits, you won't lose the duel, right? You're just afraid of getting hurt, so you deliberately destroy the monster. What a coward."

Since he couldn't harm Jonouchi in a duel for the time being, Baron didn't mind mocking and belittling him with words. This wasn't some despicable act; after all, Jonouchi was Baron's rival in love, and he would stop at nothing in the battlefield of emotions.

However, Jonouchi wasn't easily angered by a few words. Hearing Baron's words, he said smugly, "Baron, right? You said I deliberately destroyed my own monster, that's true. But this wasn't to avoid damage; on the contrary, it was a necessary sacrifice I made for the victory ahead!"

"If [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon] is sent from the Monster Zone to the Graveyard, target one Normal Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon that Monster!"

Upon hearing this, Baron was taken aback: "A Normal Monster in your Graveyard? How is that possible! Your Graveyard should be empty of Monster Cards because of that 'Pot of Greed'!"

"No, wait a minute! Could it be that...!"

“That’s right. True duelists can even use the negative effects of cards with ease. Rather, there are no useless effects, only useless duelists!” Jonouchi pointed his hand into the air. “The monster I’m going to Special Summon is this one that was just discarded by the effect of [Lightning Smash]!”

Within the remains of the [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon], which was annihilated by lightning, the remaining lightning pulsed and gathered again, and another bolt of azure lightning fell, only to be seized by a pale claw that extended from it!

"Let me witness the powerful monster entrusted to me by the game: Thunderous Descent, [Summoning of the Devil]!"

"Roar!!!"

【The Devil's Call】【DEF1200】

A powerful Fiend-Type monster with attack power comparable to [Dark Magician], [Summoning of the Devil], a gift from the game to Jonouchi, makes a majestic appearance on Jonouchi's field due to the effect of [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon]!

Furthermore, Jonouchi cleverly Special Summoned it in Defense Position, making it like a "Wall of Sighs" between Jonouchi and Baron, leaving Baron, which only had a pair of Armored monsters with 0 ATK on the field, helpless.

[Thunder Strike] destroys [Meteor Dragon - Meteor Black Dragon], and then [Summon Spell] is Special Summoned to the field. This chain can trigger the Battle Reversal rule, allowing Baron to use its [Armor] monster to attack again.

But who should it attack? Don't be fooled by the fact that [Summoning of the Devil] only has 1200 defense points. It's enough to stop the [Armor] monsters with 0 attack power from Baron. The result of charging at it will only be that Baron will suffer damage from the defense points, and it will also be unable to destroy [Big Bang Fist - Armor] to trigger its effect.

"Tch, I underestimated you a little, Katsuya Jonouchi." Baron returned to his original position, clearly choosing not to continue the fight.

Baron draws two cards from his hand and sends them to the graveyard. He then activates a card: "During my Main Phase 2, I discard two cards from my hand and use the Spell Card [Ghost Thunder Trap] to target one Trap Card in my graveyard and activate its effect."

"I set [Magnetic Armor] face-down on my back row, then I set one card face-down from my hand, and end my turn."

"And at the end of the turn, the [Trap Burst Armor] Special Summoned by the effect of [Magnetic Armor] will be sent to the Graveyard again."

As soon as he finished speaking, the castle saw the [Trap Burst Armor] on Baron's left hand shatter along with the red light curtain that had previously spread out and seemed to have the ability to resist trap cards.

[Baron: 3600LP, 0 cards in hand]

[Spirit Helmet/Armor] [ATK0]

[Active Protection - Armor] [DEF1500]

[Big Bang Fist - Armor] [ATK0]

[Survival Treasure Card] [Face Card] x2

"Oh dear, this is really troublesome. All that effort to put together a powerful combo was interrupted by you, you with your weird blond hair, no taste whatsoever, and utterly unworthy of dancing. It's so frustrating." Baron, now with his hand free, pointed at Jonouchi and beckoned provocatively, "So, do you dare attack now?"

"Whose hairstyle is weird? And what right do you, with your spiky hair, have to criticize me!" Jonouchi curled his lip and glanced at the situation on the field.

Although Jonouchi successfully thwarted Baron's efforts in the previous turn, preventing it from dealing any significant damage, Baron's development was truly formidable. The three Armored monsters on the field—or rather, on Baron—despite having only 0 attack power, were not to be underestimated.

However, there are solutions. Neither the [Big Bang Fist Armor] nor the [Active Protection Armor] is suitable for destruction through combat. But we just need to find a way to break through the [Mental Helmet Armor].

Baron currently has two face-down cards in his back row. One of them is the face-up "Magnetic Armor," which can Special Summon "Trap Burst Armor" from Baron's Graveyard again and provide trap resistance to other "Armor" monsters. The other face-down card, Jonouchi, is unknown.

Currently, Baron's base score is 3600 points. This means that Jonouchi only needs to find a way to deal 3600 points of damage to the target of [Mental Helmet - Armor] under the interference of the mysterious face-down card in Baron's back row.

That sounds a bit difficult, so let's take a look at the cards Jonouchi currently has.

There is a Defense Position [Summoning of Demons] on the field with 2500 ATK, and a [Fusion] card in your hand, but you don't have enough Fusion Materials. There is also a face-down card in the back row with no clear purpose.

"Hmph, Jonouchi's Duel City Top 4 deck isn't just for show. This mere [Armor] deck? Watch me crush it!" Jonouchi confidently placed his finger on the deck and drew a card. "My turn, draw!"

The familiar touch was accompanied by a familiar card. With a flip of his hand, the card Jonouchi drew this turn was none other than one of the cards from the hand-closing incident in the first turn—[Red-Eyes Black Dragon]!

The card itself hasn't changed, but the situation in the duel is completely different from when it started. Jonouchi needs this card's help now.

"Watch out, Baron! I'll be putting in the effort to include Ryuzaki, whom you attacked earlier, in the cards I use next. Magic Card: Fusion!"

Revealing the Fusion card from his hand, Jonouchi shouted, "Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Summon the Devil, lend me your power, Fusion Summon!"

"【Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon】!"

Two monsters on the field and in the hand were sent to the graveyard by Jonouchi. Following the previous "Meteor Dragon", "Demon Dragon" appeared on Jonouchi's field due to the power of [Fusion]!

【Demon Dragon - Dark Dragon】【9☆/Dark】

[Dragon/Fusion/Effect]

[3200/2500]

"Entering the battle phase, I will use [Demon Dragon - Dark Demon Dragon] to attack your [Spirit Helmet - Armor] on the field, Baron!"