Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"They even destroyed [Thunder Demon God]?!" Miya reluctantly opened his face-down card. "In that case, I'll activate the Trap Card, [Soul's Bane]!"

"Because [Thunder Demon] was destroyed by the effect of [Hound Rush], I can pay 1000 LP to Special Summon a Level 4 monster from my Deck."

As he spoke, Gong glanced at his brother "Mi" standing to his right. After receiving a nod from his brother, he retrieved a monster from his deck and summoned it to his field. "I've decided on this one, [Landmine Spider]!"

A gigantic spider monster crawled out from the wreckage of the Thunder God. Originally, the Landmine Spider was supposed to be a monster that hid in the labyrinth, waiting for an opportunity to attack unsuspecting enemies, but due to the terrain, it can now only fight enemies head-on.

However, despite not being particularly adept at direct attacks, as a Level 4 monster, the Landmine Spider boasts a respectable 2200 attack power. Among Hayato's 4-star monsters, only the Goblin Assault Force has a higher attack power.

“Although I’m still in the Battle Phase and the effect of ‘Beast Charge’ hasn’t worn off yet, ‘Armed Dragon LV7’ has already fought ‘Thunder Demon’ and can’t attack again.” Hayato said, opening a face-down card in his back row. “In that case, I’ll end the Battle Phase and then activate this card.”

The face-down card reveals the spell card "Nightmare Mirage," a spell card that allows Hayato to draw 4 cards from his hand during the Standby Phase of the Labyrinth Brothers' turn, but he must discard the cards on his next turn.

"Face the cards in my hand, and my turn ends." The last card in his hand was "Rough Man's Foresight," which Hayato had recycled using "Magic Stone Mining." It was temporarily useless, so Hayato set it face down. This way, when "Nightmare Mirage" activated its effect next turn, he could draw an extra card.

[Hayato: 8000LP, 0 cards in hand]

[Armed Dragon LV7] [ATK0]

【Nightmare of the Mirage Tower】【Giveaway】【Giveaway】

"What a troublesome fellow. He actually managed to break through the second demon god summoned by the two of us brothers. However, the [Armed Dragon] you left behind has become your biggest weakness on the field because its attack power has dropped to 0."

"My turn, draw!" He drew a card and smiled with satisfaction. The card he drew was [Dimensional Resurrection], which allows him to return a banished monster to the field by discarding a card from his hand. He had been worrying about how to recall [Water Demon God], but now he could do it right away.

Just as he was about to begin his main phase, Hayato interrupted Mi.

“During your Standby Phase, my [Nightmare Mirage] can activate its effect.” Hayato drew four cards from his deck and added them to his hand. “During your opponent’s Standby Phase, I can draw up to four cards from my hand, and then discard the number of cards I drew during my Standby Phase.”

"Hmph, a mirage? In that case, I'll become your nightmare." Because of Hayato's [Heavenly Treasure Card] effect, his hand was replenished to 6 cards, and he drew another card this turn, so Mi's hand size has reached 7 cards. He can spend them recklessly and is not too envious of Hayato's "illusory" hand.

“I activate the Spell Card from my hand, [Dimensional Resurrection]. After discarding one card from my hand, I can choose one of my banished monsters and summon it to my field in Attack Position, then equip it with this card.” The player returned the [Water Demon God], which had been banished by the effect of [VtoZ], to the field, grinning smugly. “I only banished this one monster. Come back, [Water Demon God - Ska]!”

The blue demon god revived from the sidelines, passed through a spacetime portal resembling ripples, and returned to the field from the excluded area.

【Water Demon God - Saga】【ATK2500→2700】

“It’s not over yet!” Mi played another card, “Spell Card, [Sacrifice Doll], by sacrificing a monster, I can Special Summon a Level 7 High-Rank Monster from my hand.”

He glanced at the palace on the other side: "Sorry, little brother, I'm going to have to use your monster as a sacrifice."

"It's alright, brother. You can use it however you like if it's yours." Gong replied to Mi with a smile, sending his [Landmine Spider] to the Graveyard. In exchange, a spherical, emerald-green monster appeared on Mi's field.

"This is our brothers' last trump card monster, the third entity's demon god, [Wind Demon God - Shuga]!"

【Wind Demon God - Shuga】【7☆/Wind】

[Mage Race/Effect]

[2400/2200]

"Finally, this card, [Monster Resurrection]! Target the [Thunder Demon - Sanga] in my brother's graveyard and revive it on my field!"

Lightning flashed, water rushed, and winds howled. After each of them had experienced banishment and being sent to the graveyard, the three monsters finally gathered on the field of the Enigma. There were three Level 7 monsters, which made Hayato really want to stack the three monsters and pull out a Lucky Striped Man on the spot for some fun.

The Labyrinth Brothers' ideas are somewhat similar to Hayato's—

"Finally, finally they're all here!" Looking at the three Prime Evils gathered together, Mi was moved to tears. After a great deal of effort, combining the power of his two brothers, the three Prime Evils were finally all summoned to his field. Now, there was only one thing left to do...

"Hayato Kobayashi, to have fought alongside us brothers this far, I must admit you're a truly remarkable duelist. No wonder Lord Pegasus values ​​you so highly." As he spoke, Miku raised the last card in his hand. "Well then, let me show you our Labyrinth Brothers' ultimate ace, the ultimate monster!"

Gong: "When [Water Demon God - Siga], [Wind Demon God - Shuga], and [Thunder Demon God - Sangga] are all gathered on the field!"

Fan: "Use three monsters as sacrifices to stack them up!"

Gong: "The strongest warrior guarding the final point of the labyrinth will appear!"

Labyrinth & Dungeon: "Come forth, our proud monster, the Guardian of the Gate!"

The classic Jenga-style summoning is back on the field, with the head composed of [Thunder Demon], the waist of [Wind Demon], and the lower body of [Water Demon]. Even among later Warrior-type Duel Monsters, the noble 11-star monster with top-tier attack power—[Gatekeeper]—has officially arrived!

[Guardian of the Gate] [11☆/Dark]

[Warrior/Special Summon]

[3750/3400]

Chapter 131 The Noble 11 ☆ Monster

'Good move, classic three-for-one trade, exchanging three decent-looking cards for a blank one.' Hayato thought to himself, but in reality, he was quite wary of the arrival of the [Guardian of the Gate].

In the early days of Duel Monsters, because there weren't many cards, most of the cards that appeared in the anime were made into real cards, and "Guardian of the Gate" was one of them. However, considering its excessively high summoning cost—three 7-star monsters that require two tributes to Tribute Summon—the real-world version of "Guardian of the Gate" was simply not up to par.

Admittedly, its attack and defense are unparalleled, but ultimately, it's something that can be solved with just one [Force]. Furthermore, the same effect it had during the independent periods of the three Prime Evils—"the monster attacking this card loses its ATK to 0"—has been removed, turning it into a vanilla monster with no effect other than its Special Summoning condition.

In fact, "Guardian of the Gate" is even worse than a vanilla monster. At least a Normal Monster can equip some support cards to play a unique role, but "Guardian of the Gate" has no effect and isn't even a Normal Monster, making it quite useless. Therefore, even if someone wants to build a Labyrinth Brothers deck and summons the three Demon Gods, there's no need to summon "Guardian of the Gate." Simply put, it's too useless.

However, Hayato remembered that the effect of the "Guardian of the Gate" in the anime was much stronger than the physical card version.

"By combining the full power of the three Prime Evils, the [Gatekeeper] boasts an attack power of 3750, making it one of the top Duel Monsters." Mi proudly introduced his summoned "ultimate monster" to Hayato. "Not only that, the [Gatekeeper] also retains the effects of the three Prime Evils, making it difficult for any monster to damage it in the slightest!"

Gong: "Now is the time for ravaging!"

Labyrinth: "Battle Phase! [Gate Guardian], attack the [Armed Dragon LV7] and destroy it to send it to the graveyard!"

"Demon God Shockwave!"

With the brothers giving the order in unison, the Water Demon God began to spew forth a torrent of water. The torrent, under the breath of the Wind Demon God, transformed into a vortex and rushed towards Hayato's Armed Dragon LV7 on the field. If you looked closely, you could also see a wisp of violent electricity from the Thunder Demon God flashing through the vortex from time to time.

Previously, due to the effect of [Thunder God], [Armed Dragon LV7] successfully destroyed it, but its own attack power was reduced to 0. Facing the oncoming electrified vortex, [Armed Dragon LV7] tried to counterattack, but as soon as it moved, sparks of electricity flashed on its body, paralyzing it and rendering it unable to move. It could only take the attack of [Guardian of the Gate] head-on and was destroyed without any suspense.

[Hayato: 8000LP → 4250LP]

"Cough! The impact is much greater than I expected." Hayato's Life Points dropped due to the destruction of [Armed Dragon], and he himself was also affected by the impact simulated by the virtual projection system. However, the pain was much greater than he had anticipated, and he couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"Did Pegasus tamper with this dueling arena? The impact was greater than I expected." Seeing the tide recede and the seabed return to calm, Hayato opened his face-down card. "It was really dangerous to have so many Life Points taken away by you guys in one go. I can't let it go without replenishing them."

"I activate the Spell Card [Extraordinary Food], and send my [Nightmare Mirage] and the [Rough Man's Foresight] that I set to the Graveyard, and recover 2000 LP."

[Hayato: 4250LP → 6250LP]

"Hmph, Mudda, restoring health is just a temporary reprieve. Unless you defeat my [Gatekeeper], we can easily reduce all the life points you recover," Mi said smugly. "Then, my turn is over."

[Fantasy: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand]

【Guardian of the Gate】【ATK3750】

Venue: [Legendary City - Atlantis]

"My turn, draw a card." He drew a card. Since [Nightmare Mirage] was sent to the graveyard by the classic combo of [Extraordinary Food], Hayato no longer needed to discard cards from his hand, and the four cards he had drawn earlier were saved.

Looking at the [Guardian of the Gate] opposite him, Hayato hesitated. Although his field was empty and he only had a few red and green cards in his hand, he actually had the opportunity to summon a very powerful monster, which could be considered the ace of his deck.

However, he was somewhat unsure whether he should summon the card, because even if he did summon the monster, he would have to wait until the next turn to deal with the Labyrinth Brothers' "Guardian of the Gate," and there was nothing he could do for the time being.

That monster's effect is quite powerful, but its summoning conditions are almost as demanding as [Gatekeeper], and even more difficult to summon. Although it has a powerful effect that can turn the tide of battle, it has no resistance whatsoever, and can be easily dealt with with just one Lightning Slash.

Hayato's biggest concern right now is that if the monster he summons is dealt with by Miyagami using a card like "Lightning Strike" next turn, then he will have completely exhausted his resources and will be utterly powerless against the Labyrinth Brothers.

Is it better to gamble everything and try to turn the tide with all available resources, or to play it safe and try to weather this round before going all out when you're fully prepared?

Hayato pondered deeply.

He has never been an impulsive person. Although he may occasionally do some reckless things, he has never gambled everything or cut off his future. He always leaves himself a way out.

In that case, let's play it safe...

Thinking this, Hayato spoke up: "My brothers from the labyrinth, as a reward for your wholehearted and highly dedicated duel,"

"I will summon the ultimate ace monster in my deck, the pinnacle of [Armed Dragon]'s evolution, as my response to you!"

"What! Could it be that you're going to summon that [Armed Dragon LV10]?" Mi asked uncertainly. "But even if you summon an [Armed Dragon LV10] with its physical body evolved to the extreme, the difference in attack power between it and [LV7] is only 200 points, which is nothing compared to the [Gate Guardian] with its 3750 attack power!"

"Who told you that the only possibility above [Armed Dragon LV7] is [LV10], where the physical body has evolved to its limit?" Hayato said with a laugh. "I'll say it again, my evolution is faster than light, and no one in the entire universe can match my speed!"

What kind of duelist is one who hesitates, avoids battle, and is passive?

I'll show you how to defeat that mere "Guardian of the Gate"!

Chapter 132 An Unforeseen Path

As the physical bodies of the [Armed Dragon] monsters evolve, the armor they wear also undergoes improvements and evolution. While this grants them immense destructive power, the burden the armor places on their bodies also becomes increasingly heavy. By the time they reach the [Armed Dragon LV7] stage, even a body as massive as a small mountain can be crushed to the ground by the weight of the armor.

In this situation, [Armed Dragon] will face a difficult choice—whether to continue to increase the strength of its armor or to train its physique to support the armor.

[Armed Dragon LV10] is the type that focuses on "physical training." The honed body finally gains the ability to wield heavy armor, controlling the weapon rather than being controlled by it. However, the strength of the human body ultimately has its limits—

"Brothers of the Labyrinth, after countless duels, I've come to understand one thing: Duel Monsters have their limits." Hayato said solemnly. "The more I use external power to strengthen the cards, the more I realize that the power of individual monsters is ultimately limited, unless they unite."

"Disruptive monsters won't work, Armed Dragon won't work, VWXYZ won't work either. No single monster can bring me victory, so I'll combine them!"

"Remove the [Armed Dragon LV7] and [VWXYZ-Divine Dragon Power Cannon] from my graveyard from the game!"

"Watch closely, labyrinth brothers! This is my struggle for victory!"

Light shone from Hayato's graveyard, and the remains of VWXYZ, destroyed by Raiden, and the heavily damaged Armed Dragon LV7, ravaged by the Gate Guardian, reappeared on his field. Armed Dragon, dragging its broken body with difficulty, staggered to the remains of VWXYZ, reached out, and grabbed the Y-Dragon Head.

With a powerful grip, [Armed Dragon] crushed [Y-Dragon Head], pulled out a gleaming energy core, and swallowed it whole. In an instant, lightning began to crackle across the already tattered armor of [Armed Dragon LV7].

The already damaged [VtoZ] seemed to be activated by some force, automatically disintegrating and transforming, and absorbing into the nearby [Armed Dragon LV7], just like Skyfire being combined into Optimus Prime's body. The armor on the [Armed Dragon] became more and more exaggerated, even becoming larger than the entire dragon itself.

"Dazzling! Like a shooting star! The most magnificent dragon! [Armed Dragon Strike Cannon]!" Hayato exclaimed excitedly, looking at the enormous dragon before him. "Now, I hold the future in my hands!"

[Armed Dragon Barrage] [10☆/Light]

[Mechanical Race/Fusion/Effect]

[3500/3000]

"A sublime existence is like an illusion, the ultimate dragon standing atop the peak, this is the strongest ace sleeping in my deck, [Armed Dragon Cannon]!" Hayato waved his hand forward, pointing at [Guardian of the Gate] standing on the Labyrinth Brothers' field, "Let's settle old scores and new grudges at this moment, I'll use this monster to interrupt you!"

Mi frowned: "I didn't expect that [Armed Dragon] would have other possibilities, and the way it's summoned is by banishing monsters from the graveyard? What a powerful monster!"

Gong dismissed it, saying, "But even with the new possibilities, the [Armed Dragon Strike Cannon] only has an attack power of 3500 points, which is no match for our brothers' [Guardian of the Gate]."

"Heh, [Armed Dragon] has given up physical growth, and the weaponry it carries, originating from [VtoZ], is not just for show." Hayato played a card in his hand, "Activate Spell Card, [Limit Removal]!"

The newly assembled [Armed Dragon Strike Cannon] began to hum, its internal mechanisms releasing safety restrictions and rapidly heating up, threatening to self-destruct at any moment. In return, however, the [Armed Dragon Strike Cannon]'s attack power began to increase once again.

[Armed Dragon Assault Cannon] [ATK3500→7000]

"Attack power, 7000 points?!" Mi was startled. "Are you out of your mind? You actually increased the monster's attack power to this level?"

“Such powerful attacks could wipe out my health in just one hit.” Gong gritted his teeth and glanced at his brother, “Mi,” beside him. “However, with the Gate Guardian blocking the way, my brother won’t be taken down so easily. And at the end of the turn, the Armed Dragon Strike Cannon will self-destruct due to overload.”