Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

[Rock/Soul/Effect]

[1900/1200]

"After returning my card to the deck, it still has the ability to Special Summon monsters from the deck? And it even summoned [Ama-Iwato], which was originally not supposed to be Special Summoned, ignoring the Summoning conditions..."

Among the many Duel Monsters, compared to Union and Gemini monsters, the presence of Soul Monsters is even lower than Pegasus's unique Toon monsters. They are almost at the bottom and in the corner of all Duel Monsters. The only one that can be feared is Yata-u, which still occupies the only forbidden slot on the Forbidden/Limited Card List with Chaos Emperor Dragon - Messenger of the End.

Daitokuji was quite knowledgeable; he could at least describe some common characteristics of Soul Monsters. If a newbie to Duel Monsters were to come along, they might not even know what the [Heavenly Rock] effect was. However, even Daitokuji suddenly remembered something while they were talking.

"Wait a minute, [Ama-Iwato] was Special Summoned!?" He stared wide-eyed at Hayato's [Ama-Iwato] in Defense Position on the field. "I remember [Ama-Iwato]'s effect is—"

"As long as [Ama-Iwato] exists in the Monster Zone, neither duelist can activate the effects of monsters other than Soul Monsters. However, as a restriction, [Ama-Iwato] will be forced to activate its effect of returning to the hand during the End Phase of the turn it is Summoned or Flipped." Hayato snapped his fingers. "However, since [Ama-Iwato] was Special Summoned by the effect of [Soul Bird God - Hime-Kujaku], it will remain indefinitely without needing to return to my hand!"

“From now on, your monster effects won’t be able to activate anymore, Daitokuji!” Hayato declared arrogantly. “My turn ends, and then the second effect of [Soul Bird God - Himekojaku] is forcibly activated. During the End Phase of the turn it was Special Summoned, this card returns to my hand, and I Special Summon two [Soul Bird Tokens] to my field.”

[Hayato: 2000LP, 0 cards in hand]

【Dragon Knight - Gaia】【ATK5200】

【Ten-Iwato】【DEF1200】

【Soul Bird Derivative】【4☆/Wind】

[Bird Beast Race/Derivative]

[1500/1500]

[Soul Bird Derivative] [DEF1500]

[Spiral Gun Kill]

Venue: [Chaos Field]

Chapter 1037 An Explosion Once Happened

"It went back to the hand?" Daitokuji said with some surprise as he watched [Soul Bird God - Princess Peacock] return to Hayato's hand at the end of the turn it was Ritual Summoned. "It's a Ritual Monster and also a Soul Monster. It's a card with two attributes at the same time. That's really strange. This is the first time I've ever seen one like it."

"Don't worry, you'll see more in the future, probably." That's what Hayato said, but he wasn't really sure if the Pendulum Monsters unique to the Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction A5 would actually appear in this world.

"As expected of Mr. Hayato, you always come up with some unusual new targets." Daitokuji smiled, placed his fingers on the duel disk, looked at Hayato, and said seriously, his scarlet eyes fixed on Hayato. "However, although my Life Points are almost gone, my field is empty, and I only have one card left in my hand, I can still continue to fight."

"Let the outcome of this duel rest on this card draw. With the honor of an alchemist and the will of a duelist..." Daitokuji said, drawing a card. "My turn, draw!"

"Then, after placing one card face down, activate the Spell Card 'Heavenly Treasure Card', causing both duelists to draw cards until they have six cards in their hands!"

Although it has the negative effect of allowing the opponent to also enjoy the card draw, this does not change the fact that [Heavenly Treasure Card] is a powerful card that can quickly replenish a large number of cards in the simplest way. When Hayato had the advantage, Daitokuji drew and activated this card, seemingly intending to turn the tide of the offensive!

"Drawing six cards in one go, huh? Tsk, I get really annoyed when I see others get more cards than me." Hayato scoffed, holding a [Soul Bird God - Princess Peacock] card that had returned to his hand earlier. Because he already had one card in hand, he could only enjoy the resources of five cards from [Heavenly Treasure Card]. "And it's your fault for making me annoyed!"

If Hayato had a hand trap like Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring to block Daitokuji's card draw, it would have been a fatal blow. Unfortunately, he couldn't exchange it. His only hand was Soul Bird God - Princess Peacock. Even after drawing five cards, he still couldn't get Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring into his hand.

After drawing six cards, Daitokuji activated the card he had just placed in the back row: "I activate the card I placed face down in the back row, the Continuous Spell Card [Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining]. With the effect of this card, all the cards I send to the Graveyard next will be banished."

"You actually played two of those meaningless cards, and it seems you drew two [Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining] last turn?" Hayato glanced at the distillation cauldron that had reappeared in the back row of Daitokuji Temple. "It's clear you really like this card."

“Because this card is the answer that Duel Monsters can give to the end of alchemy that I have been seeking all along, Mr. Hayato.” Daitokuji glanced at the distillation cauldron behind him and said with a smile, “But it’s not enough. The end of alchemy that I am seeking is far more than this. That powerful limit has not yet been reached.”

"And in order to witness the ultimate power, I am willing to abandon my old friend [Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining]!"

"I can activate the Spell Card [Chaos Greed] if I have four or more banished cards and no cards in my Graveyard. Draw two cards from my Deck." After activating a more demanding version of [Pot of Greed] and drawing two cards from his Deck, Daitokuji sent one card to the Graveyard, but it was banished due to the effect of [Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining].

"Discard one card from my hand to activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Trap Booster]. This card's effect allows me to activate a Trap Card from my hand." Daitokuji revealed a card from his hand. "I'm activating this Continuous Trap Card, [Universe]!"

As Daitokuji placed the Perpetual Trap [Mass Universe] in his backfield, at that very moment, his newly activated [Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining] suddenly exploded!

A massive explosion erupted from the destroyed distillation cauldron, shattering the void of this chaotic field, much like the Big Bang that gave birth to the universe. Countless twinkling stars lit up from the chaos, revealing that a universe had been born from the explosion of the Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining!

"Once upon a time, there was an explosion, and time and space were born at the moment of the explosion; once upon a time, there was an explosion, and a planet was born after the explosion and began to rotate; once upon a time, there was an explosion, and life flourished after the explosion; once upon a time, there was an explosion..."

While reciting incomprehensible yet impressive lines, Daitokuji, who had just activated [Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining], destroyed it again in the blink of an eye to activate [Cosmos]. "[Cosmos]'s effect is to banish one [Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining] from my field and Special Summon one [Primal Sun - Helios] from my hand or Deck."

As Daitokuji said, the explosion of the Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining gave birth to the Great Universe, and in front of Daitokuji, free-floating energy from the universe was converging, expanding and exploding into a star burning like a fireball.

Below the simulated sun, as if using the star as its head, a woman with an ethereal, transparent body appears, and through the bandages wrapped around her body, it can be seen that she has a rather good figure.

"In the name of Triple Hermes, and bestowed upon this creation of the stars the name of the primordial sun god, descend with power beyond dimensions, the profound mysteries of alchemy I have studied!"

"【Primordial Sun - Helios】!"

When Daitokuji uttered the name "Great Universe," Hayato had to admit that even he was momentarily startled. It wasn't because he was afraid of Daitokuji's power, but simply because the "Great Universe" Daitokuji was using at that moment triggered his PTSD.

Anyone who has ever tried using a massive graveyard dumping card like "Neighbor's Grass Mowing" and then had someone chain it to activate a "Cosmos" would feel the same fear as Hayato regarding "Cosmos," which can easily turn "Neighbor's Grass Mowing" into "Neighbor's Head Cut," and even a series of cards named "Cosmos" that modify graveyard dumping to banishment, such as the "Cosmos Man" or "Friend Hero" [M·Hero-Dark Claw].

Family, does anyone understand? One [Famous Deduction] banishes so many cards that the deck is reduced to only a dozen or so. [Great Universe] is too overwhelming.

However, Hayato soon realized that Daitokuji's "Great Universe" seemed different from the "Great Universe" he remembered.

"Similar to the effect of [Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining], [Cosmos] also has the ability to banish cards that I send to the Graveyard," Daitokuji said. "The [Primordial Sun - Helios] Special Summoned by [Cosmos] has the power to increase its ATK and DEF by 100 times the number of monsters banished in the Duel!"

[Primordial Sun - Helios] [4 stars/Light]

[Flame Clan/Effect]

【？ /？ →800/800】

The six types of [Alchemy Beasts] monsters, plus the [Golden Artificial Lifeform], are based on base metals—at least relative to gold—common in the alchemical transformation and refining process, as well as animals. They are based on the seven main stages of the four metamorphic processes of black, white, yellow, and red: falling, calcining, dissolving, separating, fermenting, distilling, and coagulating, resulting in a total of seven monsters.

Under the influence of the Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining, Daitokuji eliminated all seven monsters, which were then transformed into the power of the Primordial Sun - Helios summoned by the Great Universe.

"Is this what alchemy calls 'killing matter and then regenerating it'? I heard about this from someone who had a crush on his senior sister and even wrote her into a novel and fantasized about her. He killed six metals in succession to obtain the power of 'gold,' and then killed the gold, transforming the microcosm of the precious metal into the 'macrocosm.'"

Looking at the [Primordial Sun - Helios], Hayato casually remarked, "But why is the [Primordial Sun - Helios]'s attack power 800 points instead of 700?"

"Because of this card, I previously sent it to the graveyard as a card needed to activate [Trap Booster], and it was banished by the effect of [Alchemy Cauldron - Chaos Refining]." Daitokuji took out a monster card from the stack of banished cards on his body and showed it to Hayato. It was the Flip Monster [Chaos Pot]. "Including [Chaos Pot], I have a total of eight banished monsters."

“I see. In addition to the seven metals, it was filled with the Chaos Pot to serve as ether, or rather, ‘spirit’?” Hayato nodded in understanding.

Daitokuji looked at Hayato curiously and asked, "Hayato, you who created and possess the Philosopher's Stone, you certainly have a deep understanding of alchemy. But why do you seem completely indifferent to the Primordial Sun, Helios?"

"Tsk tsk, you're too arrogant, Ukitake... cough, I mean, Daitokuji." Hayato shook his head and held up three fingers at Daitokuji. "There are three reasons why I don't take that monster seriously. First, of course, it's because a monster with a mere 800 attack power, or even less than 1500, is just a weak monster. Why should I be nervous?"

"Secondly, the reason I was wary of the appearance of [Great Universe] was mainly because I was worried that its effect of sending people to the grave would affect me, but it would only be effective on yourself. Wouldn't that mean I could just attack at will?"

"Finally, the third one." After a pause, Hayato lowered two fingers and pointed to [the Primordial Sun - Helios], saying, "That kind of sun is merely a simulated existence in this universe you've created. How can it compete with the real sun?"

Upon hearing Hayato's words, Daitokuji remained noncommittal: "I cannot deny that. I am still struggling to find the path to the ultimate secret of alchemy—the Philosopher's Stone. The [Primordial Sun - Helios] is merely the limit of the brilliance of a star in the universe that I can simulate with my own abilities. However, if the mass is insufficient, then quantity will make up for it. If the light of one sun is not dazzling enough, and gravity cannot change matter, then let's use two suns, or three suns, to work together!"

"I activate the Spell Card [Yellow Process - Kitolenics], and by Tributing [Primal Sun God - Helios] on my field, I Special Summon [Twin Suns - Helios] from my Deck and hand!"

Under the pull of gravity, cosmic dust was sucked into the sun and turned into part of the fuel for combustion. A small sun, like the moon to Earth, appeared and revolved around the fiery sun. Compared to the sun above, the appearance of Helios, who was wrapped in bandages, changed dramatically. His entire body became bloated and fat in an instant, and his limbs became short and thick.

Putting aside the changes in intensity, the visual impact of a beautiful woman turning into a fat woman in the blink of an eye is more terrifying than 100,000 murderers!

(A French swordsman with a broom-like hairstyle who wishes to remain anonymous: To be fair, it's true.)

【Gemini Suns - Helios】【6☆/Light】

[Flame Clan/Effect]

【？ /？ →1800/1800】

Compared to [Primal Sun-Helios], [Twin Sun-Helios] has an increased base attack and defense because [Primal Sun-Helios] is one of the monsters that is banished. Furthermore, since its value is not x100 but x200, it is equivalent to a 1000-point increase in attack power.

—Although, it's still embarrassing that a level 6☆ monster only has a paltry 1800 attack power, which is even less than some level 4☆ monsters. It feels... inferior to the Lion Wizard, at least the latter is a noble god.

After playing a "Yellow Process - Kitolenics", Daitokuji didn't stop there. He immediately played another spell card: "Madama Madama, now is my limit. I'm going to activate this spell card "Red Process - Rubedo" and Tribute "Twin Suns - Helios" to Special Summon "Triple Suns - Helios" from my Deck and hand!"

The simulated sun, which had split into two stars of different sizes, split again, this time into three suns of equal size, making one wonder if they had run off from the set of the sci-fi movie "Body O". The humanoid figure below it also split into three people at once, and their size shrank even further. From the beginning, the body of the [Primordial Sun - Helios] was ten or even nine times the size of the sun, to now the human body is exactly the same size as the sun.

With the expulsion of [Twin Suns - Helios], Daitokuji Temple now boasts a total of ten expelled monsters, and the stats of [Triple Suns - Helios] have changed to X300. The result is—

【Triple Sun - Helios】【8☆/Light】

[Flame Clan/Effect]

【？ /？ →3000/3000】

"It's actually an attack power on par with the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Hayato, like a dutiful straight man, exclaimed in surprise immediately. However, for Daitokuji, such a surprise from any other ordinary duelist might have some credibility, but the problem was that it was Hayato speaking. Who didn't know that Seto Kaiba, wielding the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, had never won against him even once?

"Finally, there's this Equip Spell Card, [Meteor Strike]. It can grant the equipped monster the ability to pierce through defense. When attacking a defense position monster, if its ATK exceeds that monster's DEF, it inflicts battle damage to the opponent equal to that amount of Life Points."

After equipping the equipment card to [Triple Sun - Helios], Daitokuji took a deep breath and declared, "Entering the battle phase, it looks like this duel is about to end, Mr. Hayato! I use [Triple Sun - Helios] to attack [Ama-Iwato] in defense position!"

"Ultimate Move: Firebird Star!"

Chapter 1038 Rainbow Kuriboh: I Saved It Twice

"Ultimate Move: Firebird Star!"

As Daitokuji gave the attack command, his [Triple Sun - Helios] on the field immediately began to dance like an ancient priest, circling together and spinning on their own, while the three sun-like objects on their heads also spun, and the flames gathered at the center, forming an energy ball.

With wings spread like a bird in flight, the surging heat and flames within the energy sphere crashed towards Hayato's [Ama-Iwato]!

This isn't because the Equip Spell Card [Meteor Strike] changed [Triple Sun - Helios]'s attack move. In fact, even without this Equip Card, her attack move would still be the giant firebird-shaped meteor in front of us.

"【Triple Sun - Helios】 has an attack power of 3000 points and an attack defense of 1200 points. 【Ama-Iwato】 can deal a maximum of 1800 points of damage." Hayato raised an eyebrow. "However, I still have 2000 points of life points. This is just a fatal blow. Isn't it a bit too early to say that this duel is over?"

"boom!"

The enormous firebird crashed into the Sky Rock Cave. The Sky Rock Cave, which was famous in the legends of the Far East as the hiding place of the sun god, could not withstand even the power of the simulated sun for long and was shattered and destroyed by the flames.

Because of the effect of the equipped magic card [Meteor Strike], Hayato's life points also suffered 1800 points of piercing damage.

[Hayato: 2000→200LP]

However, even though his Life Points were reduced by one digit to three digits, Hayato's face remained completely calm: "Muda muda muda! Life Points are infinite as long as they're not used up, and right now my Life Points are locked at a relatively low level. Is this the kind of 'ending the duel' you're talking about, which isn't even a massage? I'm almost asleep, Daitokuji!"

Although Daitokuji's health was locked at 1000 points, how could he compare to me with my health locked at 200 points? I've already won, okay?

As he watched the destruction of Ama-Iwato, Daitokuji revealed a mysterious smile: "No, Mr. Hayato, as an alchemist, I personally don't like to talk about non-existent futures; I prefer to state the facts. The destruction of Ama-Iwato is my true finishing blow!"

"Because of the departure of [Ama-Iwato], the restriction that 'cannot activate the effects of monsters other than Soul Monsters' has been lifted for both sides. I will use the effect of [Triple Sun Helios] on my field to release it!" With that, Daitokuji pointed to [Soul Bird Token] on Hayato's field. "If there is a monster on the opponent's field, [Triple Sun Helios] that has already attacked can attack again!"

"While under normal circumstances this effect can only be used to continuously destroy monsters without directly attacking the duelist, after equipping [Meteor Strike], this effect can actually be used to take advantage of the defense position monsters on your field, Mr. Hayato!"

Unlike the physical card 【Triple Sun - Helios】, which can only add one attack, as long as there are monsters on Hayato's field, Daitokuji's 【Triple Sun - Helios】 can continuously add attacks to break through Hayato's defense and directly deduct Hayato's Life Points, especially when Hayato has two 【Soul Bird Tokens】Special Summoned by the effect of 【Soul Bird God - Himekojaku】.

[Soul Bird Derivative] [DEF1500]

The [Soul Bird Derivative], which should have been part of the barrier, became the perfect target in front of [Meteor Strike]. Daitokuji didn't need to face [Dragon Magic Knight - Gaia], which had an attack power of 5200. He only needed to destroy [Ama-Iwato] to remove the restriction on its use effect, and then he could freely attack the weak points and wipe out Hayato's basic points!

Even though Hayato's [Dragon Magic Knight - Gaia] on the field has had its effect unrestricted, its effect of reducing ATK by 2600 and destroying cards is limited to activation during both players' Main Phases and cannot interfere with Daitokuji's [Triple Sun - Helios] on the field!