Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Hayato placed the unusable [Kyoto-Seaside Area] and [Mega Hammer] into his deck, drew two cards, glanced at them, and then played all the remaining cards in his hand: "Next, I activate the Continuous Spell Card [Spirit Exophysis] and the Continuous Spell Card [Nightmare Mirage], and set one card to end my turn."

"Then, due to the effect of the Continuous Spell Card [Spirit Exophysis], both players can, once during their respective End Phases, Tribute one face-up monster they control and inflict damage to their opponent equal to half the original ATK of that Tributed monster."

Seeing Hayato activate the card, [Multidimensional Kaibun-Radian] was a little confused. Did this mean it was about to be freed?

"The monster I'm releasing is [Multidimensional Kaiju - Radion] on my field, and I'll inflict half of its ATK—1400 points—as effect damage on you." Hayato waved his hand, removing the [Multidimensional Kaiju - Radion] card from his Duel Disk. "This is a necessary sacrifice. Take this sublime blow!"

Although the [Multidimensional Kaibun - Radion] didn't think its liberation was anything noble, under the effect of the [Spiritual Exophysis], its massive body transformed into a beam of light and struck Blue God!

"Ugh!" Blue God, who had just been hit hard, was knocked to the ground again. After losing another 1400 points, his remaining 400 points were practically gone!

[Blue God: 1800→400LP]

Looking at the remaining Life Points of Blue God, Hayato couldn't help but feel a little regretful. If he had drawn other [Kaibaku] cards with higher attack power instead of the turtle, Blue God wouldn't have had these last 400 Life Points left and would have been defeated long ago. He really got lucky.

[Hayato: 4000LP, 0 cards in hand]

[Nightmare of the Mirage Tower] [Spiritual Exophysis] [Gaika]

Panting heavily, Blue God sat up from the ground, his life points reduced to a mere 400. He looked at Hayato and sneered, "As expected of the Duel King, you managed to reduce my life points to this level. That's dangerous. But, without defeating me, you have no chance of winning!"

"I will repay you with equal pain!" Blue God stood up and placed his fingers on the deck. "My turn, draw!"

At this moment, Hayato interrupted, saying, "During your preparation phase, the effect of my [Nightmare Mirage] on the field activates, and I draw cards from my deck until I have four cards in my hand."

[Hayato: Hand 0 → 4]

Having no cards in hand, Hayato drew four cards in one go under Ayami's gaze. Ayami said with some disdain, "But the cards drawn by that effect will be discarded during your turn's preparation phase, and besides, you won't have a chance to play those cards. No matter how powerful a card is, it's meaningless if you can't use it."

"During my Main Phase, I will Dimension Summon [Gluttonous Dragon], and then activate the Spell Card [Purple Flame Interloper] to transfer control of [Gluttonous Dragon] to your field until the end of the turn."

On the Blue God's field, a monster covered in blade-like teeth, more like a worm than a "dragon," appeared and released a blue light that surged toward the Blue God.

[Blue God: 400→1400LP]

"When the 'Gluttonous Dragon' is summoned, it has the ability to restore 1000 Life Points to its owner. However, as a price, when it is destroyed, it will deduct 2000 Life Points from its owner." Blue God's lips curled up as he said smugly. "However, because of the effect of 'Purple Flame Spy,' if the 'Gluttonous Dragon' is destroyed on your field, the one who will lose Life Points will not be me, but you."

Hayato looked dismissively at the [Gluttonous Dragon] that had been sent to his field: "You deliberately sent a monster to my field just for this?"

【Greedy Dragon】【ATK1900】

In Dimensional Realm Duels, when a monster is destroyed, the holder will suffer damage equal to the monster's original attack power. The original attack power of [Gluttonous Dragon] is 1900 points, and with the 2000 points of effect damage it inflicts when destroyed, it can easily deal up to 3900 points of damage, which can barely be considered a powerful combo.

But Blue God smiled coldly: "No, this is just the beginning of the despair I'm about to unleash upon you, Kobayashi Hayato. What I'm going to use to defeat you are these monsters!"

"If my Life Points are more than 2000 lower than my opponent's, I will banish the Trap Card 'Descent of the Cube' from my Graveyard to activate this effect." Blue God explained as he retrieved the 'Descent of the Cube' card from his Graveyard, "I will Special Summon 'Descent of the Cube - Vijam' from my hand, Graveyard, and Deck!"

"Furthermore, if only your opponent controls a monster, you may Special Summon two additional [Fangjieyin-Vicham]!"

The card "[Descent of the Cube]" was banished from Blue God's graveyard, and then "[Descent of the Cube - Vijam]", which had previously been devoured by "[Turtle Kaiju - Gamesiale]", reappeared on Blue God's field, and three of them appeared at once!

【Fang Jieyin - Vijam】【ATK0】

【Fang Jieyin - Vijam】【ATK0】

【Fang Jieyin - Vijam】【ATK0】

Looking at the three monsters on his field with 0 attack and 0 defense, Blue God felt victory was assured and laughed arrogantly: "It's about to begin. The terror of dimensional battles and the power of the [Cube] are about to be truly revealed. Experience the power of a higher dimension, Kobayashi Hayato!"

"I'm going to stack my two [Fangjieyin-Vijam] on the field to construct a dimensional network and perform a dimensional special summon!"

Seeing Blue God stack the two [Fangjie Yin-Vijam] cards on his Duel Disk together, Hayato raised an eyebrow and subconsciously exclaimed, "Two Level 1☆ monsters? Holy crap, oppa!?"

The two [Fangjieyin-Vijam] on the Blue God Field transformed into countless tiny golden cubes, dissipated, and converged towards one point to recombine. Within the golden vortex, a single eye, now much larger, opened, revealing a red monster resembling a deformed bird.

"Show me your form, [Square Beast - Garuda of the Blades]!"

【Square Beast - Garuda of the Blades】【3☆/Flame】

[Beast/Special Summon/Effect]

[0/0]

"I remember there's a saying you made, Kobayashi Hayato, that 'cards with 0 attack and 0 defense are monsters,' right?" Looking at his [Square Beast - Garuda of Blades] on the field, Blue God said confidently, "And my [Square] deck, born from power from a higher dimension, is full of the 'monsters' you mentioned, with 0 attack and 0 defense!"

"But don't underestimate [Square Beast - Garuda of Blades]. Its attack power increases by 1000 points based on the number of monsters stacked under this card, and it can attack twice during a single Battle Phase!"

【Fangjie Beast - Garuda of the Blades】【ATK0→2000】

"Vishnu is followed by Garuda? Your [Square Realm] deck really likes Indian mythology. But it's just a 2000 attack power attack that deals two punches, not like the debuff of Kusha's Wrath."

Hayato, who was almost startled by the long-unheard word "stacked," made a sarcastic remark, completely disregarding [Square Beast - Garuda of the Blades].

"Hmph, you're just being stubborn. When death comes upon you, I'll see if you're still so confident." Blue God sneered and waved his hand, "Enter my battle phase! Use [Square Beast - Garuda of the Blades] to attack [Gluttonous Dragon]!"

The twisted monster, whose name is similar to that of the dragon-eating bird in Hindu mythology, raised what appeared to be its hand. The top-shaped part on its side spun rapidly as it grasped it and then threw it toward Hayato's [Gluttonous Dragon] on the field.

Two saw-like golden blades sliced ​​the [Gluttonous Dragon] in two, then exploded with a deafening roar!

As Hayato's figure was swallowed up by the exploding [Gluttonous Dragon], Blue God revealed an excited smile: "That's it, you've learned your lesson, haven't you, Kobayashi Hayato!"

"You used monsters to devour my cards before, and you negated my effects with that disgusting monster. Now I want to ask you, how did you feel after swallowing that 3900 points of damage?!"

It's clear that Blue God is still holding a grudge against the previous two cards, [Turtle Kaiju - Gamesiale] and [Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring].

Just as Blue God was smugly about to unleash a second attack from [Cube Beast - Garuda of the Blades], he saw the numbers on the panel displaying Hayato's base score—

[Hayato: 7900LP]

"!?!" Rubbing his eyes, Blue God's first reaction was that he was seeing things, but no matter how he looked, Hayato's basic score on the virtual projection panel still showed 7900 points. "This is impossible!"

“【Rainbow Life】, kid.” Hayato pointed to the card that had been quietly opened in his back row and said, “While you’re excitedly letting that ugly bird attack 【Gluttonous Dragon】 and dreaming of a bright future, at least pay attention to whether I have any cards open in my back row.”

"Discard a card from my hand to activate [Rainbow Life], which allows me to recover the same amount of Life Points as a substitute for damage I take from battle or card effects this turn."

Hayato sent a card to the graveyard and shrugged. "If you ask me what I think, 1900 points of combat damage plus 2000 points of effect damage is incredibly satisfying. It's like wearing brand new panties to welcome the first day of the new year."

[Hayato: 4000→5900→7900LP]

What he considered a combo that perfectly utilized the dueling characteristics of the dimensional realm, almost a killing move, instead allowed Hayato to recover so many life points in one go, infuriating Ayaka: "You! Don't think you can get away with this!"

"If [Square Beast - Garuda of the Blade] destroys a monster by battle, return it to the Deck to destroy it, and Special Summon the two [Square Infant - Vijam] stacked beneath it to my field." After returning [Square Beast - Garuda of the Blade] to the Deck, Blue God draws another card, "Then add [Square Super Beast - Gandhar of Destruction] from my Deck to my hand."

Although stacking [Cube Beast] monsters can be done even during the battle phase, knowing that Hayato used [Rainbow Life] which is effective for one turn, Ayane wasn't foolish enough to continue attacking and let Hayato's Life Points continue to increase. So, she kept the [Cube Beast - Gandharva of Destruction] that she had searched in her hand for the time being.

There is a progressively increasing relationship between the monsters in the [Cube World]. The [Cube World Super Beast - Destruction of Gandhar] can be regarded as an advanced form of the [Cube World Beast - Blade of Garuda] mentioned earlier. Not only has its attack power increased to 3000 points, but it can also perform a triple attack, making it invincible!

"Then, my turn is over."

All I need to do is wait. Even if Kobayashi Hayato brings out those annoying [Kaiju], he won't be able to unleash all of my [Hokai-Yin-Vijam]. I've already set up an absolute protective barrier. As long as I wait until the next turn, victory will still be mine!

Looking at the three monsters on his field and the two face-down cards in his back row, Blue God thought with considerable confidence.

Chapter 945 Xia Di

[Blue God: 1400LP, 1 cards in hand]

【Fang Jieyin - Vijam】【ATK0】X3

[GaiK] X2

【Fangjieyin-Pijam】 has 0 attack power, so even if it is released with the effect of 【Spiritual Exosome】, it cannot deal any damage. In addition, the effect of 【Rainbow Life】 will last until the end of Blue God's turn, and the 【Fangjie Super Beast-Destruction Gandhar】 that Blue God just retrieved has special summoning conditions. For these three reasons, Blue God did not release the monster on his field with the effect of 【Spiritual Exosome】.

When it was Hayato's turn, seeing Hayato place his finger on the deck, Blue God sneered, "Draw a card, Kobayashi Hayato, and don't forget that [Nightmare Mirage] in your back row. You drew four cards last turn, so you have to discard four cards during your Standby Phase. That means even if I do nothing, the three cards in your hand and the card you're about to draw will be discarded and sent to the graveyard."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you obviously don't know me. I specifically learned a trick from Kaiba, you know, which is to draw the cards together as if they were glued together. I've already used [Nightmare Mirage], and you still can't guess what card I'm going to use?" Hayato said, drawing a card from the top of his deck and raising an eyebrow.

Adding the drawn card to his hand, Hayato drew one card from his original three cards and inserted it into the Spell Trap Zone, saying, "During my Preparation Phase, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card 'Extraordinary Food' to send my 'Nightmare Mirage' to the Graveyard and recover 1000 Life Points."

[Hayato: 7900→8900LP]

The effect of the Continuous Spell Card [Nightmare Mirage] does not require activation; rather, it is a mandatory effect that exists indefinitely. Whether you draw or discard a card, it must remain on the field. In the case of being sent to the Graveyard by [Extraordinary Food], Hayato's hand, which should have been discarded during the Standby Phase, was successfully preserved.

It was only after much delay that Ayami remembered this classic combo that had been circulating for so long; the most famous user of it was Hayato Kobayashi.

Each renowned duelist's preferred card-drawing method essentially reveals their dueling style. Yugi Muto, who excels at using the "Heavenly Treasure Card" that allows both duelists to draw cards simultaneously, has a very traditional and orthodox style. Seto Kaiba, who uses the "Life-Slashing Treasure Card" that deals damage in one turn with a delayed cost, is good at aggressive attacks. Katsuya Jonouchi, who uses the "Destiny Treasure Card," has exceptionally good luck when rolling dice or coins...

Hayato Kobayashi's dueling style can be summarized in one word: "liberation." He liberates his own monsters, his own cards, and his opponent's cards, embodying the philosophy of "you have to sacrifice something to gain something."

Unfortunately, this was exactly the kind of idea that Blue God hated the most. His admiration for Shadi stemmed not only from the fact that Shadi had adopted and protected him and his companions, who were orphans and had been forced into begging and petty theft by a fraud ring, but also from the fact that Shadi's vision of salvation for all humanity was so beautiful—a higher-dimensional world where sacrifice was eliminated and everyone was equal and understood each other.

To make such a future possible, I will definitely defeat any enemy!

Seeing Hayato's life points recover, Ayane glanced at the cards on his back row. One of those cards was "Square Origin," which had the ability to place Square Counters on the monsters on the opponent's field based on the number of "Square" monsters on his field. Regardless of what high-attack monsters Hayato had in his remaining three hands, their attack power would be forcibly reduced to 0 under this effect.

It's worth mentioning that the ability of the Dimensional Marker to reduce attack power is different from the usual reduction of attack power. A more accurate description would be "the original attack power becomes 0". It is the kind of thing that will not cause harm to the holder even if it is destroyed in a dimensional duel. However, in Blue God's understanding, the act of placing the Dimensional Marker is closer to the concept of descending to a lower dimension.

The Blue God in front of him has a base score of 1400. It seems that a small enemy with an attack power of around 1500 can easily take it down. However, due to the protection of three [Fangjieyin-Vijam], the means of combat destruction are basically useless. However, there is still a [Summoning Exophysis] in Kobayashi Hayato's back row that can directly cause effect damage.

In Blue God's view, the only thing he needed to be wary of was whether Kobayashi Hayato would use the dimensional summoning feature to summon monsters with an attack power of 2800 or more and then release them to cause damage, but this was perfectly guarded against by [Fangjie Yuanqi].

How can someone be considered invincible? Even Blue God doesn't know how he could possibly lose.

"During my Main Phase, I activate the Spell Card 'Dark Burst'. Target one DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK in my Graveyard and add that monster to my hand."

Watching Hayato activate his card, Ayami felt even more certain of his victory. "Look at this Hayato Kobayashi, he's such a loser. He probably doesn't even have any monsters left to summon and has to go to the graveyard to retrieve them. Monsters with less than 1500 attack power... aren't those just weaklings?"

However, has Hayato Kobayashi ever used a Dark attribute monster with an attack power of less than 1500 before? That card called "Ash Blossom" seems to be a Fire attribute card, and it's not "Turtle Kaibun - Gamesiale". "Multidimensional Kaibun - Radion" is a Dark attribute card, but its attack power is much higher.

On the ground in front of Hayato, as he activated [Dark Burst], the surface gradually cracked and the area continued to expand. A blue-purple eerie light shone through the cracks, which was quite creepy.

Hayato held the card he'd retrieved from the graveyard between his fingers and suddenly raised it above his head, declaring, "Liberate yourself from long-standing shackles! Guide the darkness into this changing world! The soul that has slumbered for years, harboring resentment for so long, has been reawakened across five thousand years! Bring ultimate destruction! The strongest [Earthbound God]!"

"Dimensional Summoning! [Earthbound God - Veracocha Raska]!"

The earth, riddled with cracks, burst open instantly. Amidst the flying debris, a colossal vulture spread its wings and soared into the sky. Its massive size surpassed even the [Kaizu] that Hayato had previously used. The aura emanating from the depths of a black hole, capable of devouring all light, made Ayaka's breath catch in his throat.

"This thing has an attack power of less than 1500 points!?"

Upon closer inspection, Ayaka realized that, just as Hayato had said, it was a monster with an attack power of less than 1500 points. Forget 1500 points, the monster's attack power was a mere 1 point?!

[Earthbound God - Veracocha Raska] [10☆/Dark]

[Bird/Beast Race/Effect]

[1/1]

"As the name suggests, the monsters of the 【Earthbound Gods】 are monsters that are sealed in a fixed area and cannot leave freely. In order to exert their power, they originally need to have a Field Spell Card. Without a Field Spell Card, they not only cannot activate their effects, but they can also barely maintain their existence for one turn."

Hayato placed the card "Earthbound God - Veracocha Raska" on the Duel Disk and calmly said, "Although the previous 'Kinta - Seaside Region' card failed to activate, it doesn't matter. Since this Dimensional Domain Duel you initiated can be considered a Field Spell Card, it can still be drained of power by 'Earthbound God - Veracocha Raska'!"

"I'm going to activate his effect once per turn, at the cost of skipping my Battle Phase, to reduce my opponent's Life Points to 1! That's the power of a 'Pure [Kai-Beast] Deck,'"

Pointing at the Blue God, Hayato commanded, "Use Dark Moon Slash on the Blue God for my sake!"

Although he didn't quite understand Hayato's meaning, [Earthbound God - Veracocha Raska] still flapped his wings and took flight. The sky behind him, which was originally covered by the dimensional domain duel and was a chaotic vortex, was covered a second time and turned into a pitch-black night with a crescent moon hanging high in the sky.