Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"The power of the [Orichalcos Barrier] further unearthed the darkness within me, creating even more advanced Dark [Mech] monsters. These monsters are proof of my fighting alongside Miruko, and also my determination to take revenge on you!"

[Mecha Colonel] [ATK3000]

However, even though Ameruda explained the cause and effect of her conflict with the Kaiba Group, Kaiba was somewhat moved and empathetic by Ameruda's experience. However, while understanding the pain of losing her brother was one thing, it was impossible for it to affect Kaiba.

The seahorse's pride and confidence are ingrained in its bones. It's as if the seahorse never dwells on the past; its eyes have always been set on the future, and it doesn't care about the present, which is about to become the past.

Moreover, while Amelda's past was tragic, how much better was Kaiba's childhood? Both lost their parents, but Kaiba relied on his own abilities to cheat and win a bet with Gosaburo Kaiba, getting him and Keihei to be adopted. He also relied on his own abilities to grow step by step and eventually force Gosaburo Kaiba to his death to become the heir to the Kaiba Group.

The risks involved are considerable. Don't forget that after Gosaburo Kaiba adopted Seto Kaiba, he considered using Seto's body to revive Noa Kaiba, who was dead in the electronic world. If Gosaburo had done that, Noa Kaiba, whose body was possessed, would have been killed.

Moreover, Seto Kaiba's rebellion against Gosaburo Kaiba was also a very risky move. These were all practical efforts made by Kaiba to protect Keihei. Therefore, in Kaiba's eyes at this moment, Ameruda, who was stuck in a tragic past and unable to move towards the future, was nothing more than a coward.

"Hmph, even if you say that, don't forget that [Tough! Invincible! Strongest!] grants [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] the resilience to be destroyed in battle, and the ability for monsters it has fought to be destroyed at the end of the damage phase." With a cold wave of his hand, Kaiba said to Amelda, "You're still in your battle phase, so if you want to die, then hurry up and come over."

"Of course I'll attack, Seto Kaiba, but you're wrong. The one who's going to die isn't me, it's you." Amelda waved her hand with a cold laugh, "[Mech Colonel], attack the [Dragon Ruler - Dragon Dictator -] in defense position!"

"Hmph, then the attack target will be transferred to my Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the field again."

Upon hearing the seahorse's command, the [Dragon Ruler - Dragon Dictator -] on guard duty quickly stepped back to create space, allowing [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] to face [Mech Colonel] directly. Seeing the [Mech Colonel] wielding a chainsaw approach, [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] roared with imposing force, preparing to counterattack.

[Blue-Eyes White Dragon] [ATK3000]

"Ameruda knew perfectly well that his brother's [Dragon Ruler - Dragon Dictator -] on the field had the ability to redirect attacks, so why did he still use [Mech Colonel] to launch an attack?" Guiping looked at the two monsters that were already engaged in combat and became suspicious.

Although Amelda always appears frantic and ready to fight to the death when dueling Kaiba, his actual dueling style is undoubtedly full of calculation and rationality, quite similar to Kaiba's. This Amelda is definitely not the kind of person who would recklessly attack knowing that his attacks cannot destroy the monsters on Kaiba's field.

In particular, due to the effect of [Tough! Invincible! Strongest!], [Mech Colonel] is not only unable to destroy [Blue-Eyes White Dragon], but even if its attack power is not equal to that of [Blue-Eyes White Dragon], it will be destroyed by the effect later.

As expected, when the target of [Colonel Mech]'s attack was shifted to [Blue-Eyes White Dragon], Ameluda used the same trick again, playing another card from his hand: "Chain [Colonel Mech]'s attack declaration, I activate this Quick-Play Spell Card [Vagrant Shadow]."

"When a monster declares an attack, it can only target one face-up monster on the field. That monster's ATK increases by 1000 until the end of that Battle Phase. And the monster I'm choosing is, of course, my [Colonel Mech]!"

"Enjoy the pleasures of hell, Seto Kaiba!"

[Mecha Colonel] [ATK3000→4000]

The two enormous monsters, the "Mech Colonel" and the "Blue-Eyes White Dragon," clashed. Fortunately, the corridors in Pegasus's family castle were quite spacious and were not destroyed in the battle between the two monsters.

At first, the two monsters were evenly matched. The high-speed rotating chainsaw failed to cut through the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's tough scales, but the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's breath gradually melted the Armor Colonel's armor.

However, as the [Vagrant Shadow] took effect, the [Mech Colonel]'s attack power suddenly surged, and the chainsaw instantly accelerated, slicing through several of the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon's] scales. This was followed by a long-accumulated, point-blank electromagnetic cannon shot, which sent the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] flying!

"Cough!"

Seto Kaiba: 1200→200LP

The already precarious Seahorse's base score was further damaged in the battle, dropping to a mere 200 points!

"Seto Kaiba, this is the punishment for daring to insult my [Machine] deck. Where did your arrogance go?" Amelda laughed triumphantly as she watched Kaiba's Life Points plummet to a level that could be wiped out by a single punch from [Kuriboo]. "You've repeatedly lost your Life Points to protect [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]. It's truly pathetic."

"Once your fundamental score is completely reduced to zero, let's see what you can still protect!"

Without giving Kaiba a chance to retaliate, Ameruda sent his [Mech Colonel] to the graveyard.

【Resilient! Invincible! Strongest!】Although it is a normal trap card that is sent to the graveyard after its effect takes effect, the effect it grants to 【Blue-Eyes White Dragon】lasts until the end of the turn, and the same applies to the effect that "monsters that battle 【Blue-Eyes White Dragon】are destroyed after damage calculation".

Therefore, even if the [Mech Colonel]'s attack power is increased to 1000 points, it will still be destroyed and sent to the graveyard because it has no resistance to destruction.

Although Amelda no longer has any monsters to attack and damage Kaiba this turn, it doesn't matter. Keeping his meager 200 Life Points is perfectly fine, though it's not that keeping them is the best option.

In this duel, Ameruda was determined to give Seto Kaiba a complete defeat. After completely destroying Kaiba's will and arrogance, Ameruda would use the "Orichalcos Barrier" to have Kaiba's soul devoured by the "Orichalcos God".

If the card in my hand were replaced with [Orichalcos Barrier], it would be a fatal blow, and Seto Kaiba would be dead by now. Unfortunately, I can't change it.

Having finished the battle phase and entered the second main phase, Ameluda watched as the seahorse struggled to its feet and gave him a contemptuous smile.

Almost there, almost there. I'll be able to kill Seto Kaiba soon. In the next turn, I'll first take down Seto Kaiba's important Blue-Eyes White Dragon, then find a way to retrieve the Orichalcos Barrier. Once I clear out Seto's dwindling life points, I can avenge Milco.

As Ameruda was thinking this, she heard the seahorse laughing loudly, despite being the one at a disadvantage, with an arrogant expression on its face.

"Hmph, hehe, hahahahaha!"

"Seto Kaiba, you bastard..." Ameruda frowned and said through gritted teeth, "Do you even know what's going on right now?!"

"I'm about to kill you, you bastard! At least show me some fear or resentment that would satisfy me. What are you laughing at!"

"Hmph, I'm laughing at you, you're just an incompetent fool." Under Ameruda's angry glare, Kaiba said coldly, "A guy who can't even see the path he's going to take deserves to be lost in the past."

“From beginning to end, you’ve just been going with the flow. Because your hometown was destroyed, you listened to others and hated Gosaburo—although that guy was definitely not a good person—and then because Gosaburo died, you lost your purpose and hated me. You have no purpose in life.”

"What is that look? What is that gaze? What is that anger!"

"If you don't even know what path you want to take, who can you save?" the seahorse said coldly. "My future won't stop here, and you, just keep clinging to that past and drowning!"

Chapter 610 is titled, "The Whip of Utter Defeat!"

Upon hearing the seahorse's words, Ameruda merely sneered.

Just as Kaiba wouldn't hold back because of Ameruda's past, Ameruda wouldn't reflect on himself because of the words of Kaiba Seto, the person he's always been obsessed with getting revenge on.

"Before you judge me, take a look at your meager 200 life points, Seto Kaiba." Amelda drew a card from her hand. "Your only hope now is to finish me off in one go during my turn with the powerful attack of [Blue-Eyes White Dragon], but I won't give you that chance."

"During my Main Phase 2, I activate the Spell Card 'Foolish Burial' to send 'Machine Force - Destruction Force' from my Deck to the Graveyard. Then, I activate the effect of 'Destruction Force' to banish two monsters from my Graveyard: 'Machine Destroyer Reserve' (Level 4) and 'Machine Radiation Soldier' ​​(Level 8), bringing their combined Level to 12 or higher."

"Special Summon [Mech Force: Destruction Force] from the Graveyard in Defense Position!"

Dark war machines rose from the ground: sabers, laser cannons, and rocket launchers—weapons that exuded power just by looking at them were aimed at the seahorse.

[Mech Force - Destroying Armed Forces] [10☆/Dark]

[Machine Race/Special Summon/Effect]

[4600/4100]

As a dark monster created by Amelda using the power of "Orichalcos Barrier," and also the strongest force in Amelda's deck, "Mech Force: Destruction Armed Force" boasts an attack power that is exactly 100 points higher than "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon." However, to be on the safe side, Amelda very cautiously chose to Special Summon it in Defense Position.

Originally, after Amelda's strong attack reduced Kaiba's Life Points to only 200, his resources were practically wiped out, leaving his field empty with no cards. If Kaiba could simply change [Dragon Dominator - Dragon Dictator -] to attack position and then attack together with [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] during his turn, he could turn the tide, wipe out Amelda's Life Points, and win.

However, after the appearance of [Mech Force: Destruction Force], Kaiba's [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] simply cannot overcome this barrier, especially since [Mech Force: Destruction Force] has the ability to negate effects during the Battle Phase and to Special Summon banished [Mech] monsters back to the field if it is destroyed.

Then, in Amelda's graveyard, there is also the "Colonel Mech," which can be Special Summoned when an Earth-attribute Machine-type "Machine" monster is destroyed. To break through Amelda's field setup, you would need at least five hits in a row if you were to rely solely on attacks.

"My turn is over."

[Ameruda: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand]

[Mech Force - Destroying Armed Forces] [DEF4100]

After summoning the [Mech Force - Destruction Armed Force], Ameruda declared the end of his turn and confidently looked at Kaiba. He put himself in Kaiba's shoes and concluded that Kaiba had no chance of defeating him.

Even if Kaiba draws a [Ultimate Fusion] card he used before this turn, fuses the three [Blue-Eyes White Dragons] in his field and graveyard into [True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], and then destroys his [Machine Force: Destroyer Force] with the effect of [Ultimate Fusion], he can still summon three monsters in succession as walls after that.

The three-hit effect of [True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon] is strong, but it's only a three-hit combo. After clearing the monsters on your field, it becomes powerless. With only the power of the remaining [Dragon Ruler - Dragon Dictator -], does Seto Kaiba think he can defeat me in one turn?

Although they hold different positions and do not acknowledge each other, strangely enough, Kaiba's thinking is actually quite similar to Ameruda's. The most powerful fighting method he can think of is to draw [Ultimate Fusion] in the next gacha pull, but even this combo cannot deal enough damage to instantly kill Ameruda in one turn.

His back row has a face-down card called "Tyrant Wing," which can be activated as an Equip Card to provide ATK and DEF bonuses to Dragon-Type monsters. However, because the "Unaffected by other card effects" resistance granted to "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" by "Tough! Invincible! Strongest!" in the previous turn also applies to Kaiba's Card Oil, Kaiba did not activate this card in the previous turn.

Besides that, the card in Kaiba's hand with its elusive meaning is actually the "Legendary Dragon" he acquired, which he named "Critia's Fang." However, the somewhat awkward thing is that although he added this card to his deck, Kaiba still hasn't figured out how to use its power.

After Jonouchi obtained the Claw of Hermes, Yugi suggested that before dueling with the people of Doma, Jonouchi should practice using the "Legendary Dragon" card, which is completely different from ordinary Duel Monster cards.

At the time, Kaiba had no interest in practicing with Jonouchi. Instead, he chose to use Kaiba Corporation's supercomputer to calculate and analyze the data of the "Fang of Critia" card, just like he had analyzed "True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon" before.

In the past, Haima even analyzed the "Obelisk the Colossus". Haima Group's science and technology are number one in the world!

Then, Kaiba belatedly remembered something: the biggest difference between the "Legendary Dragon" [Fang of Critia] and ordinary cards, even the God Card [Obelisk the Tormentor].

That is, the card only has pictures and no words at all!

How are we supposed to analyze that?! (Slams head)

However, since he had already said he would refuse Yugi and the others, Kaiba couldn't bring himself to go and practice with them. In addition, he was in a hurry to get to Pegasus's castle, so Kaiba simply put the completely unknown [Critia's Fang] into his deck as if he had already analyzed it.

His deck has 40 cards, so he can't be so unlucky as to draw this card at a crucial moment, right? If he doesn't draw it, it won't affect his deck at all. He can just figure out the card himself later.

Kaiba, thinking this, drew this card in the first round, and was so stuck with it that he couldn't even draw the standard three white dragons plus fusion plus fusion removal.

Otherwise, how could the Seahorse have seized the initiative, given its style?

With the cards Kaiba currently has at his disposal, he can't find any way to win, but that's part of the fun of Duel Monsters. Even in the most hopeless situations, sometimes a single draw can create a glimmer of hope for victory.

"My turn..."

With his fingers resting on the deck, Kaiba made a preparatory motion to draw a card.

Even though Kaiba's base score is only 200 points, Amelda saw a glimmer of hope in Kaiba's eyes at that moment: "Even in this situation, you haven't given up yet, Seto Kaiba?"

"In this trial from the past, fate is on my side!"

"Hmph, fool." The seahorse sneered as he curled his lips. "I absolutely do not believe in fate. People's fate should be decided by their own hands."

"A true duelist is one who can decide his own future!"

"Draw!"

After glancing at the card he had drawn, Kaiba played it and inserted it into his Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card 'Pot of Greed'. I draw two cards from my Deck, and then I Tribute them to Tribute Summon my monsters 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' and 'Dragon Ruler - Dragon Dictator'!"

"A high-level summon of two monsters?" Ameruda thought for a moment and didn't think the seahorse could summon any powerful monsters. After all, among the monsters that can be summoned by offering two monsters as sacrifices, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon can be considered an extremely powerful existence, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it is almost at the top.

Generally speaking, the more powerful a monster is, the more stringent its appearance conditions are. Although the true form of the monster that Kaiba is about to summon is unknown, there is nothing to fear anymore.

“Blue-Eyes, wait in the graveyard for now…” Kaiba murmured, watching the Blue-Eyes White Dragon he had freed and about to send to the graveyard. “New hope is being nurtured; this is a necessary sacrifice for victory…”

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon understood the seahorse's meaning, nodded in a human-like manner, and its body turned into points of light and dissipated.

In the starlight left behind when the two monsters disappeared, the seahorse vaguely saw a white-haired woman dancing.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it was a four-winged white dragon with an appearance quite similar to the [Abyss-Eyed White Dragon] that the seahorse had used several times before, and whose wings were not dragon wings but angelic wings.

A slender body danced with the light, and a monster summoned by offering two monsters as sacrifices appeared on Kaibaba.

"Submit to this magnificent, divine, and dazzling light, you scoundrels! Behold the pure white power of the end of time contained within these trembling wings!"

"Superior Summoning! [Abyssal Blue-Eyes Dragon]!"

[Abyssal Blue-Eyes Dragon] [8☆/Light]

[Dragon Clan/Effect]

[2500/2500]

"【Blue-Eyes Dragon of the Abyss】? That sounds like a woman's name." Looking at the 【Blue-Eyes Dragon of the Abyss】 with an attack power of 2500 points, which is the standard protagonist's ace, Amelda said dismissively, "I never thought that there would be a monster that looks like a female among the 【Blue-Eyes White Dragon】 monsters. You're not so great either, Seto Kaiba."

The seahorse snorted coldly: "Hmph, a woman's name? Is there a problem with [Blue-Eyes Abyss Dragon] being female? If you look down on my [Blue-Eyes], then experience her power!"