Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"My turn, draw a card."

After drawing a card from his deck, Ryo Marufuji paused for a moment after seeing the card he had drawn, then looked up at Sho Marufuji and said, "You've only been in Egypt for a few days, yet your strength has changed drastically from what I knew before, Sho."

'Not only did it fuse twice in one turn to summon a level 10 monster, but it also launched an excellent attack. It's truly impressive. I'm starting to doubt if this is still my little brother.' Marufuji Ryo thought to himself as he spoke.

Raising his Duel Disk, Ryo Marufuji played a card: "At this point in the duel, both of us have almost run out of cards. I'll set one card down and activate the Spell Card 'Heavenly Treasure Card' to replenish both of our hands to six cards."

Although the "Heavenly Treasure Card" has the side effect of allowing the opponent to replenish their hand, especially now that both Marufuji Ryo and Marufuji Sho have 0 cards in hand and can draw six cards each, this does not prevent Marufuji Ryo from adding it to his deck due to its powerful card draw ability and decisively activating it at this moment.

For Ryo Marufuji, who believes in the philosophy of "respecting duels," replenishing his hand is not a big deal. On the contrary, having enough cards in hand allows both sides to showcase the brilliance of their decks as much as possible.

However, seeing the [Heavenly Treasure Card] activated by Marufuji Ryo, Marufuji Sho hesitated, glancing hesitantly at the counter-trap [Red Machine Call] in his back row.

'This card's effect is powerful enough to negate the activation of monster effects, spell cards, and trap cards when I control a Fusion Monster named "Machine," and send all cards with the same name from my opponent's Deck to the Graveyard. If used now, it can negate "Heavenly Treasure Card," leaving Ryo Marufuji with only two cards on his back field and no monsters he can use.'

'In that case, I can easily win next round by simply using the [Super Transport Robot - Mobile Base] attack.'

'That's right, that's it. If we invalidate that card—'

So he pressed the button to activate the face-down card: "Chain with [Heavenly Treasure Card], I activate the face-down card to counter the Trap Card [Red Machine Call]! If there is a [Machine] Fusion Monster on my field, I can activate this card when my opponent activates a monster's effect, Spell Card, or Trap Card, negating that activation and sending all cards of the same name from the activator's Deck and Fusion Deck to the Graveyard!"

It's a shame we couldn't draw cards together, but it doesn't matter if we have to resort to underhanded tactics to block the card draw. As long as I can reliably defeat Marufuji Ryo, that's enough!

Thinking this, Marufuji Sho saw the regretful expression on Marufuji Ryo's face opposite him.

"Although it's a card I've never seen before, I'm using the Cyber ​​Dragon deck, which excels at aggressive attacks. Of course, I was prepared to counter cards like Explosive Armor that would trigger an attack declaration, but I never expected to use it to stop this kind of card."

As he spoke, Ryo Marufuji pressed the button to activate a face-down card, revealing the face-down card from his previous turn: "Counter Trap spells have a speed of three, and only Counter Trap can counter Counter Trap. The face-down card I'm going to reveal is this one, Counter Trap [Counter Check], which negates the activation of a Trap Card and returns it to its owner's deck!"

Corresponding to the "Heavenly Treasure Card", the communication tower on the "Super Transportation Robot - Mobile Base" lit up red, seemingly trying to summon other "Robots" to stop the card's activation. However, as "Counter-Check" was activated by Ryo Marufuji, a large amount of current suddenly surged from its communication tower, causing the communication to fail. The "Red Robot Call" card was also bounced back into Sho Marufuji's deck.

This made Marufuji Sho look very unwilling, because in addition to its first effect, [Red Machine Call] also has this secondary effect in the graveyard, which can be used to recycle a [Machine] monster from the graveyard by banishing itself. Now, however, it was coincidentally bounced back into the deck because of the effect of [Counter-Check].

Moreover, and more importantly, with the successful activation of the [Heavenly Treasure Card], Marufuji Ryo had already drawn a full six cards, and Marufuji Sho felt a strange sense of crisis rising in his heart!

He quickly drew six cards, and when he saw one of the cards he had drawn, his face showed a mixture of surprise and hesitation.

Marufuji Sho's expression was not seen by Marufuji Ryo because he held his cards too high. After seeing the cards he had drawn, Marufuji Ryo drew one of them and said, "Activate the Spell Card [Monster Reborn], Special Summon [Primal Cyber ​​Dragon] from my Graveyard in Attack Position. Then, equip it with the Equip Spell Card [Meteor Bow - Blaze]."

On Ryo Marufuji's field, the Primal Cyber ​​Dragon, which had been unleashed by the Attack Reflector, returned once more. Upon its reappearance, sparks erupted from the Primal Cyber ​​Dragon's body, transforming it into an incongruous bow and arrow.

[Primal Cyber ​​Dragon → Cyber ​​Dragon] (Meteor Bow - Blazing Flame) [ATK1100 → 100]

In fact, Ryo Marufuji had no choice, since his graveyard only contained Cyber ​​Dragon and Cyber ​​Barrier Dragon. However, Cyber ​​Barrier Dragon was restricted to being Special Summoned only by Attack Reflector, so the powerful Monster Reborn only revived a monster with an attack power of only 1100.

The appearance of 【Meteor Bow - Blazing Flame】 puzzled Marufuji Sho. Why would his opponent intentionally lower the attack power of his monster? He recognized the card; it was a card that lowered the attack power of an equipped monster by 1000 points, granting it the ability to attack directly. But now, 【Primal Cyber ​​Dragon】's attack power had been reduced to a mere 100 points. What good was a direct attack? It wouldn't even hurt anyone.

Before Marufuji Sho could figure it out, Marufuji Ryo played a third card: "Then this one, the Spell Card [Machine Copy], which targets one of my monsters with 500 or less ATK—namely [Primal Cyber ​​Dragon]—and Special Summon up to two monsters of the same name from my Deck to the field."

Chapter 862 It's meaningless if you can't hit it.

Use [Mechanical Replication] to summon two [Primal Cyber ​​Dragons] with the same name and 1100 attack power.

Those with an attack power of 1100 points or less, and those with an attack power of less than 1500 points, are just weak monsters.

Marufuji Sho watched indifferently as two afterimages split off from Marufuji Ryo's [Primal Cyber ​​Dragon] and quickly solidified. However, what appeared before him were not the two [Primal Cyber ​​Dragons] with an attack power of 1100 points as he expected, but instead two imposing [Cyber ​​Dragons]!?

[Electronic Dragon] [ATK2100] X2

"Because of the effect of [Primal Cyber ​​Dragon] itself, its name on the field is not [Primal Cyber ​​Dragon] but [Cyber ​​Dragon], so I Special Summon two [Cyber ​​Dragons] from my deck."

Upon hearing Ryo Marufuji's words, Sho Marufuji couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Two Primal Cyber ​​Dragons with an attack power of 1100 were indeed just weaklings, but two Cyber ​​Dragons with an attack power of 2100 were a different story. With the monsters on his field, he might be KO'd in one turn if things went wrong.

The existence of the [Giant Robot City] and the [Super Transportation Robot - Mobile Base] was his last source of confidence. Swallowing hard, Marufuji Sho said, "If it's just this level, we can hold out."

"The ability to exchange attack and defense power in the [Giant Robot City]? That ability truly brings out the power of the [Super Transportation Robot - Mobile Base], whose attack and defense power are extremely unbalanced." Marufuji Ryo took out a card from his hand, and to Marufuji Sho's astonishment, he also opened up the arena area on his Duel Disk.

"However, it is absolutely not acceptable to rely solely on external forces without having one's own true strength."

"I activate the Field Spell Card [Fusion Gate]!"

As Ryo Marufuji placed the Field Spell Card "Fusion Gate" from his hand into the Field Zone, Sho Marufuji's Duel Disk, sensing this action, automatically opened the Field Zone, forcibly ejecting the "Giant Machine City" card that Sho Marufuji had previously activated.

It's important to know that in the current Duel Monsters rules, only one Field Spell Card is allowed at a time. And, except for exceptional cases like "Orichalcos Barrier," the Field Spell Card activated first will be set off by the Field Spell Card activated later, destroyed, and sent to the Graveyard.

This means that Marufuji Sho's ability to reverse the attack and defense of his [Super Transport Robot - Mobile Base] [Giant Robot City] was easily broken, leaving him with only two monsters on the field whose combined attack power is less than 500 points to face Marufuji Ryo's monsters!

Even more critically, the effect of the card activated by Marufuji Ryo—

"The effect of the Field Spell Card [Fusion Gate]: While this card is on the field, the player can banish the Fusion Materials of a Fusion Monster from their hand or field and Special Summon that Fusion Monster from their Fusion Deck as a Fusion Summon."

The ground beneath his feet transformed from the overpass of the [Giant Robot City] into a chaotic mess. Standing atop it, Ryo Marufuji held up three fingers and declared, "And on my field, three [Cyber ​​Dragons] have gathered! At this very moment, I will unleash the brilliance and ultimate secret of 'Cyber ​​Stream'!"

"I banish the Primal Cyber ​​Dragon, which is considered a Cyber ​​Dragon on the field, along with the other two Cyber ​​Dragons, from my field. Don't blink, Fusion Summon!!"

Under the effect of the [Gate of Fusion], the monsters on Marufuji's field became ethereal and transparent, turning into points of light that seemed about to dissipate at any moment, and converged towards one point.

Amidst the gathered radiance, the three-headed mechanical dragon suddenly spread its wings and its eyes shone brightly! It descended with a roar at Marufuji Ryo's call!

"Seba Anddoragon!!!"

【Electronic Terminator Dragon】【10☆/Light】

[Mechanical Race/Fusion/Effect]

[4000/2800]

"It's here! Proof of graduation from 'Electron Flow'—[Electron Terminator Dragon]!" "Its attack power is 1000 points higher than the legendary [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]! So strong!" "I'm ready!"

Seeing Ryo Marufuji summon the [Cyber ​​Dragon Terminator], even Ryo himself wasn't as excited as the group of "Cyber ​​Stream" apprentices watching. After all, most of them who came to participate in the training trip were just apprentices like Sho Marufuji, and even those who had entered the sect and obtained the [Cyber ​​Dragon] were only a tiny minority. The [Cyber ​​Dragon Terminator] was the ultimate technique of "Cyber ​​Stream" that they had longed for.

"Attack power of 4000 points, it's practically a monster!" Marufuji Sho looked at the majestic [Electronic Terminator Dragon] and felt his legs tremble slightly, overwhelmed by the aura of this steel behemoth.

Although the [Super Transport Robot - Mobile Base] can indeed reach an attack power of up to 5000 points under the power of the [Giant Robot City], that is only a temporary existence under the influence of external forces, and it only has the power of a single attack. It is far less powerful than the [Electronic Terminator Dragon], which has an attack power of 4000 points under normal conditions.

The [Super Transport Robot - Mobile Base] with 0 attack power is compared to the [Electronic Terminator Dragon] with 4000 attack power. It's like comparing a talentless person like myself to a genius brother. I can't win; the gap is simply...

A feeling of despair arose in Marufuji Sho's heart, and a card in his hand subtly released an imperceptible dark power, silently.

Looking at Ryo Marufuji opposite him, Sho Marufuji somehow managed to say, "However, no matter how high the attack power is, it's meaningless if you can't hit. Although my [Super Transport Robot - Mobile Base] in Attack Position only has 0 attack power after leaving the Field Spell Card."

"However, the effect of my other monster—[Decoy Machine]—is that as long as this card is face-up on your field, your opponent cannot target any face-up monster other than [Decoy Machine] for an attack. In other words, the only monster you can attack is the Defense Position [Decoy Machine]!"

Hearing Marufuji Sho's words, Marufuji Ryo looked at his younger brother with even more disappointment. Not only had he not practiced diligently, but he hadn't even studied the most basic lessons. Although the ultimate secret of "Electronic Flow" could only be obtained after graduation, it hadn't been kept a secret from the disciples before then.

Moreover, it's not just the disciples of "Electronic Flow" who know that the deepest impression "Electronic Flow" gives to the outside world, that "powerful attack" label, comes from [Electronic Terminator Dragon]. Even people who are not "Electronic Flow" disciples know the effects of [Electronic Terminator Dragon].

"If I remember correctly, the effect of [Cyber ​​End Dragon] is that defense penetration effect that fits very well with aggressive decks." Even Honda, a beginner, could name the effect of [Cyber ​​End Dragon]: "When attacking a defense position monster, inflict battle damage equal to the value of its ATK exceeding that monster's DEF. A whopping 4000 ATK combined with this effect is incredibly powerful."

"【Cyber ​​Dragon】is the fusion of the power of three 【Cyber ​​Dragons】. The fusion of two monsters can already awaken powerful forces, let alone three monsters. How could three powerful monsters fuse into a blank slate with no effect?" Taking advantage of Kaiba's absence, Jonouchi, who was watching, also took the opportunity to diss his blank slate fusion monster 【Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon】.

Upon hearing the other voices, Marufuji Sho's face showed a look of surprise, but Marufuji Ryo didn't give him time to adjust his mindset. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "Then, let's enter the battle phase. Use [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon] to attack!"

"Eternal Evolutionary Flame!"

After Marufuji Ryo declared the start of the battle phase, Marufuji Sho's [Decoy Robot] immediately stood in front of the [Super Transport Robot - Mobile Base], which was at 0 attack power, attempting to defend against the upcoming attack from [Electronic Terminator Dragon].

However, under the triple beam impact, the [Decoy Robot], without any card support, was instantly destroyed by [Cyber ​​Terminator Dragon]. At the same time, damage exceeding the former's defense value also fell on Sho Marufuji!

[Decoy Robot] [DEF500]

"Ugh oh oh oh oh!"

[Marufuji Sho: 4000→500LP]

The powerful impact struck Marufuji Sho, and even though the duel wasn't a dark game, it still caused him immense pain, making the ten-year-old scream involuntarily, his face contorted with agony.

Marufuji Ryo was also puzzled by this. The Duel Disks they were wearing were a reduced version designed for teenagers and shouldn't cause much pain, so why did Marufuji Sho have that expression on his face?

Meanwhile, off the field, Pegasus rubbed his eyes. For a fleeting moment, he seemed to be hallucinating, seeing a trace of dark power in Marufuji Sho?

"Ha..." Panting heavily, Marufuji Sho barely recovered from the attack of [Cyber ​​Ender Dragon]. After sending the [Decoy Robot] card to the graveyard, he looked at Marufuji Ryo and said, "I still have 500 Life Points left. It's not over yet. [Cyber ​​Ender Dragon] shouldn't be able to attack continuously anymore... I made it!"

After glancing at the two cards remaining in his hand, Ryo Marufuji face-down one of them and declared, "Next turn is the last turn, Sho. In Main Phase Two, I will face-down one of my cards. End of turn."

[Ryo Marufuji: 4000LP, 1 card in hand]

【Electronic Terminator】【ATK4000】

[Time Capsule] [Gaicard] X2

Location: [Gate of Fusion]

Jonouchi looked at it strangely and couldn't help but ask Hayato, "Speaking of which, when you used [Fusion Gate] just now, why didn't that kid named Marufuji Ryo use the [Cyber ​​Twin Dragon] that you used in your duel with Hayato before? A monster with 2800 attack power that can attack twice, plus leaving a [Cyber ​​Dragon] behind, wouldn't that have ended the duel in this turn?"

“Well, I think one reason for this is the child’s own thinking. ‘Respecting the duel’ means enjoying the duel. Rather than simply winning or losing, the key is whether you can shine brightly in the duel.” Hayato said casually, and gave an example, “For example, suppose you draw a ‘God Card’ in your hand, there are three monsters on the field, and you can control the God.”

"Who could resist the temptation to send a giant robot down and give their opponent a good time?"

That being said, Hayato frowned deeply when he looked in Marufuji Sho's direction. Even being able to see spirits doesn't mean one is sensitive to the existence of dark magic. Jonouchi didn't notice, but Hayato, Atem, Pegasus, and Malik all noticed something was off about Marufuji Sho.

Even Bakura, having been possessed and controlled by Zouk for a long time, seemed to have seen the dark power gradually emerging from Marufuji Sho.

"Something's been strange from the very beginning. What exactly is on that child...?"

Before Bakura could finish speaking, Marufuji Sho, with his head bowed, placed his fingers on the deck and slowly said, "You were just born a little earlier than me. Why? Why don't I have your talent?"

"Sho?" Marufuji Ryo was taken aback and softly called his younger brother's name. But Marufuji Sho did not respond, instead drawing a card from his deck: "My turn, draw."

"Marufuji Ryo, Marufuji Sho, we're brothers, but you, who are two years older than me, are always the center of attention. You shine just like your name. In every aspect, I'm always overshadowed and can never surpass you..."

While muttering to himself, Marufuji Sho raised his hand and said, "I activate the effect of [Super Transport Robot - Mobile Base], and Special Summon one [Machine] with less than 4000 ATK from my Fusion Deck, targeting [Cyber ​​End Dragon] on my opponent's field. I Special Summon [Super Transport Robot - Stealth Fusion] with 3600 ATK."

A bunch of anthropomorphic "vehicles" appeared next to the [Super Transportation Robot - Mobile Base], from trucks and high-speed trains to drilling vehicles and stealth fighters. The four vehicles were combined together in a way that could lead to a plagiarism lawsuit from the neighboring Brave King at any moment, turning into a giant combined robot.

【Super Transportation Robot - Invisible Combination】【9☆/Location】

[Mechanical Race/Fusion/Effect]

[3600/3000]

"Next is this card, [Monster Reborn]. Special Summon [Decoybot] from my Graveyard, and because it has 300 ATK, Chain Summon it, and then activate [Hellfire Summon] from my hand."

Marufuji Sho played two more cards, and the toy car that had just been destroyed reappeared on his field.

"【Hellish Rampage Summon】can be activated if your opponent has a face-up monster on their field and you have only one monster with 1500 or less ATK that has been Special Summoned. Special Summon as many cards as possible with the same name as 【Decoy】 from your Deck. Your opponent can also Special Summon as many cards as possible with the same name as one face-up monster they control from their Deck."

As he spoke, Marufuji Sho took two cards from his deck and placed them on the Duel Disk. Marufuji Ryo, on the other hand, didn't summon any other monsters since he only had one [Cyber ​​Ender Dragon] on his field.

Chapter 863 The Incarnation of Despair

[Decoy Robot] [DEF500] X3

【Super Transportation Robot - Mobile Base】【ATK0】