Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

However, using the [Orichalcos Barrier] can prevent that situation from occurring.

Should I initiate it myself?

Ameruda made the decision without hesitation.

Rafael is just like me, a puppet guided and manipulated by Dartz. I will win this duel, but not by killing Rafael.

"Enter the battle phase! Use [Mech Colonel] to attack Rafael's [Guardian - Ethos]!" Amelda commanded, pointing towards Rafael on the field. "Rafael, it's time to go!"

"Railgun!"

A burst of blue electricity erupted as the [Mech Colonel] unleashed its long-charged railgun, blasting towards [Guardian-Aetos] on Rafael's field. Seeing this, Rafael quickly exclaimed, "At this very moment, I activate the effect of [Salvation of the Buried Gods] in the graveyard!"

As he spoke, Rafael spat out a card from the graveyard of his Duel Disk. It was the Spell Card "Salvation of the Buried God," a card that Rafael apparently sent to the graveyard when he first used "Guardian Deity's Treasure Card."

Yugi couldn't help but show a regretful expression: "【Salvation of the Buried God】is a card that can be used in the Graveyard. When an opponent's monster declares an attack, it can negate the attack declaration and further end the Battle Phase. The cost is to banish five cards, including 【Salvation of the Buried God】, from Rafael's Graveyard."

"It sounds a lot like the [Super Electromagnetic Turtle]. What a pity, Amelda went through so much trouble to raise the [Mech Colonel]'s attack power to 4700 points, which broke through the [Light Barrier]." Jonouchi's tone was also somewhat regretful.

However, Kaiba smirked: "Hmph, a mediocre person's imagination can only calculate a duel to this extent. Mediocre, if you were to duel Yugi Muto, would you use cards specifically designed to defend against Spellcaster attacks?"

"Huh? Of course, after all, Yugi isn't very good at summoning high-level Spellcaster monsters like 'Dark Magician' and 'Dark Magician Girl' all at once. While I wouldn't go to the lengths like Hayato to include 'Magic Wand' in a deck without Spellcaster monsters, I do use cards like 'Prepare to Counterattack'," Jonouchi said.

【Prepare to Counter】is a Normal Trap Card that changes a face-up Warrior or Spellcaster monster on the field to face-down Defense Position. It can only be used on Warrior and Spellcaster monsters, which limits its applicability. It is slightly inferior to 【Book of the Moon】, which is not limited by type. However, its biggest feature is that it does not target, so it can still be useful for dealing with Yugi's deck.

Finding Kaiba's words somewhat strange, Jonouchi glanced at Kaiba and said, "What do you mean by suddenly asking me if I would use a counter card when I duel Yugi?"

“Kaiba, do you mean…” Compared to Jonouchi, Yugi was much more perceptive and instantly understood Kaiba’s meaning. He looked at Ameruda in the duel again and found that he did not regret Rafael’s activation of [Salvation of the Buried God], but instead smiled as if he had expected it.

“Dueling someone you know well means your opponent is familiar with your deck, and your powerful combos may have already been figured out,” Kaiba paused before saying. “But just like how I always bring [Troy Bomb] to my duel with Hayato Kobayashi, it seems that Amelda has also prepared cards to counter Rafael.”

As the saying goes, the person who knows you best is your opponent, especially Kaiba and Amelda, whose styles are very similar. As soon as Kaiba finished speaking, Amelda unsurprisingly activated the targeted card that was ready in his hand: "You're still using the same old trick, Rafael, always thinking about protecting monsters even if it means sacrificing yourself."

"You're not a little kid anymore, stop burying yourself in the past!"

"When a Spell/Trap/Monster effect is activated in my opponent's Graveyard, send [Skull King] from my hand to the Graveyard to negate that effect!"

Just as the five banished cards that flew out of Rafael's graveyard were about to take effect and halt the attack of [Colonel Mech], [Skeleton King], thrown from Amelda's hand, revealed itself before [Salvation of the Buried God], releasing its magic and dragging several cards back to the underworld.

"What?!"

Rafael's tried-and-true method of hindering attacks was countered by Amelda's [Skeleton King], leaving Rafael with a surprised expression: "Why did you include a Fiend-type [Skeleton King] in your [Mech] deck, Amelda!?"

"I included [Skull King] to counter Seto Kaiba's [Abyssal White Dragon] that caused a field-clearing blunder after being destroyed, but that reason is a bit outdated. So how about this one..." Amelda grinned, "Including [Skull King] in a [Mech] deck is, of course, because this time I'm using a 'pure' [Mech] deck~"

"Where did you come from, Kobayashi Hayato?" Rafael said, somewhat angrily. "But don't think you can destroy my [Guardian - Etos] just like that. After the chain of [Salvation of the Buried God] being negated, I still have this card to activate!"

As Rafael pressed the button to activate the face-down card, Yugi's heart raced the moment he looked at Rafael's back row.

It wasn't that Rafael suddenly pulled out a card with an image unsuitable for children that would make Yugi blush, but rather that the moment Rafael opened his face-down card, a dense array of crystals suddenly appeared on his back row. These were none other than the "Crystal Seal" that Rafael had used to induce Yugi to use "Orichalcos Barrier."

"【Crystal Seal】can put one of your opponent's monsters into a state where it cannot attack, defend, activate effects, change status, or be released. Is this an attempt to seal off 【Colonel Mech】 once again?"

Ameruda played another card, "A wave of enlightenment surges within me, and I will never again be trapped in the stagnation of the past like you, Rafiru!"

Just as the crystals were about to form a wall and seal the [Mech Colonel] and its electromagnetic cannon into a statue, a whirlwind suddenly swept up from the void and swept across all the crystals, shattering them into dazzling dust!

"The quick-play spell card [Cosmic Cyclone] could have been used to destroy [Guardian of Light], but thankfully I saved it for this moment." Amelda inserted the card into the Spell & Trap Zone and said, "At the cost of 1000 of my Life Points, I'll banish one of your Spell & Trap Cards and shatter that [Crystal Seal]!"

[Ameruda: 3900→2900LP]

"Then, the battle continued, and during the damage calculation step, I activated this card for the last time, [Limit Removal]!" With his abundant hand resources, Ameruda activated the card for the third time during this battle phase. [Limit Removal] took effect in an instant, removing the original safety restrictions from his [Mech Colonel] on the field.

"Unbelievable! Unbelievable!" Jonouchi exclaimed, looking at the [Mech Colonel] on the field, which was operating at full power and whose entire body was glowing red from overheating. "This is already the fifth card activated in this attack, and the attack power—"

[Mech Colonel: ATK4700→9400]

"Attack power, 9400 points!" Even Kaiba couldn't help but be amazed. "Although it's not the highest attack power I've ever seen, it's already comparable to the full power of a second-rate duelist."

"At the end of this round, [Mech Colonel] will self-destruct due to this all-out attack, but this ultimate strike, which sacrifices everything, will be the final blow that wipes out your life points!" Amelda clenched his fist and swung it forward, "Explosive☆Kill!"

The electromagnetic railgun, crackling with electricity, finally reached Etos, the Guardian Angel of Rafael, after overcoming numerous obstacles. This guardian angel of Rafael did not wield a powerful holy sword. After glancing back at Rafael, she smiled slightly and stepped forward without hesitation to fire the cannon!

However, the strength of will is far less than the width of caliber. Just like the [Guardian Dragon] with the name of "Guardian" could not protect their elder brother at all. The body of [Guardian-Aetos] was pierced and destroyed by the spiraling, drill-like electromagnetic cannon shell, and then the shell landed on Rafiru Field!

"boom!"

The explosion engulfed Raferu's area, which already only had one monster left. The remnants of the crystal that had not been completely cleared were thrown into the air, scattering and drifting along with the white feathers left behind when [Guardian-Ethos] was destroyed.

Looking at the beautiful scene, Kong Que Wu asked uncertainly, "Did we win?"

"With an attack power of 9400 points, the win rate was originally quite high, but the fact that you said that line means you can't win," Ryuzaki complained. "In the end, if the duel is decided, the feathers manifested by those virtual projection systems won't appear anymore."

"So you haven't won yet?" Jonouchi asked with a look of regret and confusion. "How did Rafael manage to take that hit? There aren't many cards that can be activated during the damage calculation step."

As the firelight slowly dissipated, Rafiru's unharmed figure gradually came into view. A card had appeared in his hand, and he was staring blankly at the white feathers falling from the sky.

In his back row, the true nature of the card protecting him was revealed—the trap card [Guardian Barrier], a rare card that can be activated during the damage calculation step. Its effect is to reduce the damage he takes from himself in that battle to 0 and draw a card from his deck.

"Tsk, it was blocked again. Although Faceless is an important part of Duel Monsters, it's still a bit annoying." Amelda thought that his attack would defeat Rafael and make him see the truth from a different perspective, but as expected, this duel was not so easy to end. Rafael actually held on.

However, at least he had destroyed Raphiel's [Guardian - Ethos], so it wasn't a complete failure. Amelda thought to herself, but something felt off.

Looking up, Ameruda's pupils contracted.

At this moment, Rafael, who was suspended in mid-air, was surrounded by a visible aura. However, it was not the pure white that usually symbolized that he was protected by the card spirits such as [Guardian-Ethos], but a pitch-black color that gave people an extremely dangerous feeling.

“…Even my most important card, [Aetos], has been taken from me…” Rafael’s raised head slowly lowered, his aura instantly turning dangerous and fierce as he spoke through gritted teeth, “Having gone this far, there’s no reason for me to hold back anymore. I won’t let you go!”

"Asia, America, Ru, Da!"

Rafael, speaking in a tone befitting someone who calls out to Swartz by Tokiwa Sougo, to Eizo by Kiryu Sento, or to Emu by Danzo, suddenly raised his head, staring at Amelda with bloodshot eyes, and shouted, "You said you've given up on your darkness, right?"

"If you can so easily let go of the darkness in your heart, then the world you've seen is nothing more than this. You betrayed Dorma, you betrayed Lord Dartz, you betrayed the new world. I'll show you what true darkness really is!"

As he spoke, Rafael took a card from his deck and placed it on the Duel Disk. To Amelda's surprise, the card was different from Rafael's other cards; the wear on the card face was almost nonexistent, as if it had rarely been used.

As Rafael slammed the card onto the Duel Disk, the darkness surrounding him intensified. Then, to Amelda's astonishment, even though no one else on the field activated the [Orichalcos Barrier], the [Orichalcos] mark that only appears when a barrier is activated appeared on Rafael's forehead!?

"【Orichalcos Barrier】can give birth to powerful cards based on the darkness in people's hearts. Baron, who did not want to be affected, dispersed that darkness into every card. Ameruda, you gave birth to 【Mech Force: Destruction Force】 but then abandoned it. And there is Kobayashi Hayato, who can give birth to something like 【Hellfire Machine】. Even the darkness of Doma cannot contain him."

Rafael clenched his right fist and swung it violently in front of him. "Because of the conditions for this card's release, this is only the second time I've used this monster since it was created. Witness the despair and death born from my heart, and become a soul under my scythe!"

"Malice, terror, anger, hatred, despair, struggle, murderous intent, destruction, annihilation, and annihilation!"

"Descend, my nightmare!"

"【Guardian - Desceth】!"

Chapter 640 Ameruda's Last Round

"【Guardian - Desceth】!"

A cursed black aura swirled around Rafiru, transforming into twisted characters that looked malevolent. A river of oil flowed beneath his feet, and from within it, the figure of a monster slowly emerged.

【Guardian - Desceth】【8☆/Dark】

[Demon Race/Effect]

[2500/2000]

The standard main character's stats are almost identical to those of the recently destroyed [Guardian-Aetos], except for attributes and race. However, the aura of [Guardian-Desses] is completely different. From the moment others see it, they can't help but question—is this really a [Guardian] monster?

His entire body was wrapped in tattered bandages, making him look like a mummy. The gray armor covering the bandages was also tattered. His blond hair was extremely dark, and the pale mask on his face, which only revealed his scarlet pupils, made him look terrifying no matter how you looked at him.

"Is this the monster born from the darkness within you, Rafael..." Yugi murmured, looking at the [Guardian - Desceth] who was as calm and silent as a corpse.

"It's really chilling. Do you have so much darkness hidden in your heart? You never seem to know it before." Ameruda couldn't connect the Raferu of the past with the monster that had appeared now. "No, wait a minute, I think I understand."

"Rafael, you don't usually use your other card Pokémon to suppress the darkness in your heart, do you?"

However, Rafael remained silent and refused to answer Ameruda. Instead, he retrieved another card from his deck: "[Guardian-Deseth] If [Guardian-Aetos] on my field is destroyed, I can Special Summon it from my hand or Deck in Defense Position and equip it with one Equip Spell Card [Death's Scythe - Soul Breaker] from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard."

As Rafael inserted the Equip Magic Card into the Magic Trap Zone, a massive, cracked, and decaying scythe appeared in the hands of the eerie [Guardian - Desceth]. It was not a tool for harvesting crops, but a deadly weapon for plundering lives.

Then, just like when the Goddess's Holy Sword - Eagle Spirit was unleashed by the Guardian - Aetos, as the Grim Reaper's Great Scythe - Soul Severing appeared, several beams of white light simultaneously flew out from both graveyards and surged into the scythe!?

"【The Grim Reaper's Scythe - Soul Severance】 can increase the attack power of 【Guardian - Desceth】 by 500 points equal to the number of monsters in both players' graveyards. I have three monsters in my graveyard." Rafael said, holding up three fingers. The figures of 【Guardian - Etos】, 【Guardian - Hill】, and 【Backup Guardian】 appeared behind him and flowed into 【The Grim Reaper's Scythe - Soul Severance】.

Ameruda was startled by what he heard and looked towards his grave, from which phantoms of monsters rushed out one after another!

[Mech Radiation Soldier] [Mech Guard] [Mech Sniper] [Mech Force - Super Transformation] [Mech Soldier] [Mech Iron Hand Soldier] [Skull King]!

Seven monsters, along with Rafael's monsters, surged into the scythe, causing the attack power of [Guardian - Desceth] to surge dramatically!

[Guardian - Desceth] [2500/2000→7500/2000]

"Attack power, 7500 points!" Rafael exclaimed excitedly. "This power will descend upon you, Ameruda, next turn. At the end of this turn, your [Machine Colonel] will be destroyed due to the effect of [Limit Removal], and you will have no monsters left to attack!"

As Rafael said, in this round, Amelda poured all his resources into the monster "Mech Colonel" in order to break through the barrier of the "Guardian of Light". While this forced Rafael to use three consecutive defensive measures and successfully defeated "Guardian-Ethos", when "Guardian-Desses" appeared, his only weapon, "Mech Colonel", had already attacked and could not attack again.

"This is bad. Just as you said, I have no monsters left on my field to attack. Ugh, how infuriating! It only has 2000 DEF, yet I can't destroy it and can only watch helplessly as it attacks me next turn?"

Although what she said sounded like panic and helplessness, judging from Ameruda's expression and tone of voice, it was clearly just a perfunctory response. "...Yeah, right."

"The effect of [Colonel Mech] isn't just limited to other monsters on my field; it can also use this special ability on itself," Amelda said, pointing in Rafael's direction. "In this situation, self-destruction is indeed the only option!"

"End the battle phase and then proceed to my main phase two, activating the effect of [Mech Colonel]!"

With Ameruda's command, the [Mech Colonel], equipped with a chainsaw, swung his right arm toward his torso and plunged it deep into his core. His resolute self-destruction was as if he were sacrificing himself for art.

The shockwave from the explosion instantly engulfed [Guardian - Desceth], who had only been on the field for a few minutes.

"Target [Colonel Mech] and destroy the targeted monster and all monsters on your opponent's field whose ATK is lower than [Colonel Mech]. The ATK boost from [Limit Removal] hasn't worn off yet, so [Colonel Mech]'s ATK is still higher than [Guardian - Desceth]'s!"

Watching [Guardian - Desceth] being engulfed by the explosion, Amelda couldn't help but relax a little, and looked at Rafael and said, "Well, I actually hit the target pretty well. Even if it has extremely high attack power because of the power of the monsters in the graveyard, as long as I destroy it before it attacks, it's fine."

"If you can't hit it, it's pointless!"

However, to Ameruda's surprise, Rafiru only gave a cold laugh after hearing his words: "Heh, Sorewa, Dokana?"

This is rather strange, because just as the explosion was about to engulf [Guardian-Deseth], Ameluda clearly saw the monster being blown to pieces. There is no doubt that the monster should have been destroyed.

Rafael's back row only contains [Guardian's Treasure Card], [Light's Barrier], [Death's Scythe - Soul Severance] equipped on [Guardian - Desceth], and a card that Rafael set face-down last turn but hasn't activated yet. He also has zero cards in his hand...

"Hmm?" Amelda noticed the problem. "Rafael, when exactly did your hand become zero cards?!"

As he finished speaking, a scythe blade emerged from the dust that swept across Raferu's arena. With a swift sweep, the scythe's swirling air cleaved through the dust, revealing the unharmed [Guardian - Desceths]!

No, not only was it unharmed, the monster's attack power actually increased again!

[Guardian - Desceth] [7500/2000→8500/2000]

"【Guardian-Deseth】is the embodiment of my inner darkness, an indestructible dark monster." Under the green light emanating from the 【Orichalcos Barrier】 emblem on his forehead, Rafael's expression was gloomy and eerie. "If she is destroyed, I must discard a card from my hand as a substitute, and the card I discard is the monster card 【Guardian-Elma】."

"Because the number of monsters in both graveyards has increased, the power of [Guardian - Desceth] has been enhanced!"