Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"As part of the effect resolution when [Rampage Magic Circle] is activated, I add one [Summoner - Aleister] from my deck to my hand." As Hayato retrieved a card from his deck, he watched as the stone wall behind Ramses II slowly collapsed and sank back into the ground.

【The Stone Wall of the Royal Tomb】, as a Field Spell Card, has the advantage of being searchable and drawn by 【Planet Modification】, but under the current rules, it also has a flaw. Because only one Field Spell Card can exist at a time, the opponent doesn't even need to activate a card like 【Whirlwind】 to destroy it; they can simply use a Field Spell Card to break it almost without any cost.

In ordinary decks like [E·hero], if their own field spell cards are destroyed, they're gone. But for the [Horus] deck, [King's Tomb Wall], which acts as [King's Coffin], is the core of the deck. Once destroyed, many subsequent actions become impossible.

—But is that really the case? Is the Horus deck, which relies on the King's Coffin for Special Summoning from the Graveyard, really afraid of having its cards removed and removed from the field?

No, quite the opposite, the Horus deck only unleashes its strongest power as guardians of the underworld when the cards are removed from the field by the opponent!

"You just activated a Field Spell Card, didn't you? You used a Field Spell Card to force my Field Spell Card out of the field, didn't you!" Ramses II pointed at Hayato, who had just added "Summoner Aleister" to his hand after activating "Rampage Magic Circle," and said, "Then at that moment, I also had a monster effect that I could activate!"

"Oh no, Mr. Hayato has stepped into that 'Ramses II' trap!" Having just fought Ramses II once, Ryo Marufuji was well aware of the effects of the Horus monsters and knew exactly how troublesome they were.

Meanwhile, in Hayato's hand, the newly appeared [Summoner - Aleister] adjusted his glasses and delivered a standard villainous speech with great interest: "Hehehe, things are getting interesting, Master~"

With a wave of his hand, Ramses II's card and the two monsters on the field all glowed with golden light—

Chapter 1152 Normal Summon Aleister ~Effect Search Summoning Magic ~Merkaba~

"If a card on the field leaves the field due to an opponent's card effect, the effects of [Horus's Glory - Imset], [Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph] on the field and this [Horus the Black Flame God] in your hand can all be activated!"

If it were under the OCG rules that Hayato was in before, activating a Field Spell Card would not give the monsters of Horus a chance to trigger their effects, because the rules at that time allowed both duelists to place a Field Spell Card on their respective fields, allowing Field Spell Cards to coexist.

However, the current rules of Duel Monsters clearly stipulate that each player can only have one Field Spell Card. When the opponent activates a Field Spell Card, it will have the default ability to "send the opponent's Field Spell Card to the Graveyard".

Aside from Field Spell Cards like "Orichalcos Barrier" that cannot leave the field, other Field Spell Cards can be easily pushed away by subsequent Field Spell Cards. Hayato used this to remove "Royal Tomb Wall" which Ramses II used as "Royal Coffin" on the field. However, it was precisely because of this that Ramses II took the opportunity to trigger the effects of his monsters.

The order of the three card effects activated simultaneously was freely arranged by Ramses II. He waved his hand and said, "Self-chain C1 [Blessing of Horus - Duamteph] C2 [Glory of Horus - Imset] C3 [Horus the Black Flame God], chain reverse processing."

"The first card is [Horus the Black Flame God] in my hand. If any other [Horus] monster or [King's Coffin] on my field leaves the field due to an opponent's card effect, this card is Special Summoned from my hand!"

"Be the other side of the sun, symbolizing destruction and annihilation, that which breathes forth pitch-black radiance and spreads its wings to create all things, the incarnation of the morning sun god!"

Ramses II placed the card in his hand onto the duel disk and shouted, "Bowing before the King of Kings, annihilating everything!"

"【Horus the Black Flame God】!"

As a new alias for [Horus the Black Flame Dragon], [Horus the Black Flame God] has completely unchanged attack power, defense power, level, attributes and race, but is much more unrestrained than the reserved [Horus the Black Flame Dragon] and [Horus the Black Flame God].

Beyond its silver-white body, which symbolizes "bone" in ancient Egypt, it is clad in golden armor, the same as other Horus monsters, symbolizing "flesh." It is also adorned with rubies, which symbolize "life" in ancient Egyptian culture. However, the black flames that Horus Black Flame Dragon originally regarded as a means of attack are now overflowing from its body and wrapping around its limbs, neck, wings, and long tail, thanks to the full absorption of Horus Black Flame God.

Despite having the name of a "god", he clearly looks like a "demon god" in charge of destruction!

【Horus, the Black Flame God】【8☆/Flame】

[Dragon Clan/Effect]

[3000/1800]

"Unfortunately, [Royal Tomb Stone Wall] has already left my field, otherwise, every time I activated the effect of [Horus the Black Flame God], I could draw a card from my deck." Ramses II paused. "While [Horus the Black Flame God] possesses immense destructive power upon entering the field, it only affects the monsters on my own field if you have no monsters on your field. I choose not to activate its subsequent effects after its Special Summon."

"Next, let's look at the effect of [Horus's Glory - Imset] on the field." Looking at [Horus's Glory - Imset], which has the same attack and defense as [Horus the Black Flame God], Ramses II said, "Its effect can be activated when it is in the Monster Zone or when other cards on the field leave the field due to the opponent's effect."

Send one card from the field to the Graveyard without targeting it!

"By the sun's radiance, I will burn you to ashes! Right now, at this very moment!"

Ramses II pointed forward, choosing not any other card, but Hayato's only field spell card, [Rampage Magic Circle]!

Suddenly, golden light burst forth from the deck of the "Dark Night Sun Ship" beneath their feet, enveloping the entire ground covered by Hayato's [Berserk Magic Circle]. With a deafening roar like a volcanic eruption, the [Berserk Magic Circle] covering the ground was completely stripped away and blasted away!

After that, Ramses II drew three cards from his deck and said, "Next, there is the effect of [Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph] on the rest of the field. It can be activated when it is in the Monster Zone, or when other cards on the rest of the field leave the field due to the opponent's effects. It can be activated based on the number of different types of monsters in the rest of the Monster Zone and the number of cards I draw from the deck."

"【Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph】, 【Horus's Glory - Imset】, and 【Horus the Black Flame God】—I have three types of monsters on my field, so I can draw three cards." After replenishing his hand with three cards in one go, Ramses II pointed to 【Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph】 on his field and said, "Finally, the 【Horus the Black Flame God】 that just appeared on my field is also a 【Horus】 monster."

"Because of the increased number of Horus monsters, the attack and defense of Horus's Blessing - Duamutef have increased by another 1200 points!"

[Horus's Blessing - Duamteph] [DEF2400→3600]

Hayato only activated one Field Spell Card from beginning to end, but Ramses II messed around during Hayato's turn, sending the Field Spell Card he just activated to the Graveyard, Special Summoning a new monster, boosting the power of existing monsters, and even drawing three cards at once!

Ramses II was annoyed to see Hayato use [G of Multiplication] to gain a card advantage, and Hayato was equally annoyed to see Ramses II draw three cards. He said somewhat irritably, "Aren't you afraid that I'll draw [Treasure from Heaven]? If you love drawing cards so much, why haven't you drained your deck yet?"

"Hmph, so do you have the [Heavenly Treasure] in your hand, Hayato Kobayashi?" Ramses II knew Hayato very well. He knew that if Hayato really had the [Heavenly Treasure], he wouldn't have said what he just said. Instead, he would have shouted like a little devil, "Ozymandias is just a piece of trash~ trash, trash~".

"Tch~"

As Ramses II said, Hayato did not have the "Heavenly Treasure Card" in his hand, but he still had a lot of cards in his hand, enough for him to quickly build a lineup that could defeat Ramses II's three monsters with an attack power of 3000+.

"During my main phase, I usually summon [Summoner Aleister], and then use the effect of [Summoner Aleister]'s successful summoning to search for [Summoning Spells] in my deck."

"Come out, Wagatsumashi!" With a faint singing voice accompanying his actions, Hayato summoned [Summoner - Aleister] from his hand and retrieved a [Summoning Magic] card into his hand.

[Summoner - Aleister] [4☆/Dark]

[Mage Race/Effect]

[1000/1800]

Although it's a pity that he can't continue with the next step of "Link Summoning Saint Demon Girl", it doesn't matter. There's a card in his hand that he's been hoping to bring back for a long time!

"Although your monster is strong, I still have a lot of confidence in my 'scumbag' Alai on the field. With just one spell card, I can show you Alai's power!"

Hearing Hayato's voice from behind, [Summoner-Aleister] said with a sullen face, "Could you please not act so confident in me, Master? I have a bad feeling about this..."

"What are you worried about, Alai? You're my dearest friend, my brother. Watch closely, I'm going to use a powerful equipment magic card to boost your attack power!" With that, Hayato inserted a card into the magic trap area.

"It's not a card like [Monster Gate]... Wait, an Equip Spell Card? Master, you wouldn't be—" [Summoner-Aleister] turned around and saw the card that appeared behind him, with an expression that said, "I knew it."

"Equipping the Magic Card [Magic Wand] can be placed on a Spellcaster-Type monster, increasing its ATK by 500 points!" Hayato nodded, looking at the wand that appeared out of thin air in [Summoner-Aleister]'s hand. "That increases Aleister's ATK by a full 500 points! That's incredibly powerful!"

"What? You're saying this isn't enough, so you're going to sacrifice yourself to create more hope for me? You're so brave, Alai! You're so touching, I could cry!"

"...I never said anything like that, and Master, your laughter was too blatant..."

"Is that so? Then I'll be more restrained next time." Though he said this, Hayato couldn't suppress the urge to smirk, revealing an expression of extreme excitement that didn't seem like he was acting at all. "The second effect of [Magic Wand]: Send my Equipped Monster and this card to the Graveyard, and I draw two cards from my Deck!"

"Detonate yourself, Allai! This is a necessary sacrifice!"

Amidst the grumbling of [Summoner-Aleister], "I don't see the need for this, you just like sending monsters to the graveyard, don't you?", he entered Hayato's graveyard wielding the [Magic Wand]. Hayato's hand grew to seven cards after drawing two more, and it kept increasing.

However, after drawing the card, Hayato placed another card face down on the field: "[Cotton Ball]'s effect is: If this card is added to my hand from the Deck by a card effect, Special Summon her to my field. Come forth, Wagatsumashi!"

"The speed at which you switched to Tamasa is a bit too fast!" In the graveyard, [Summoner-Aleister] complained, while the white fur ball that Hayato brought onto the field tilted its head in confusion.

【Cotton Ball】【1☆/Light】

[Angel Race/Effect]

[200/300]

"Spell Card, [Summoning Magic] activated!" With Hayato's movement, a summoning spell unfolded in front of him, engulfing the [Cotton Ball] that he had just affectionately called "Tamashi." The [Summoner - Aleister], who had just been sent to the graveyard, also reached out from the graveyard and touched a corner of the spell circle.

"【Summoning Magic】can select Fusion Materials from my hand and send them to the Graveyard for Fusion. However, when Fusion Summoning a 【Summoning Beast】 Fusion Monster, I can also banish monsters from my field and both players' Graveyards as Fusion Materials." Hayato declared, banishing two cards from his field and Graveyard and putting them in his pocket, "Materials required are 【Summoner - Aleister】 and a LIGHT monster!"

"Chariot of Light, named after the hexagram of God, dispel all and bring me victory!" With one hand half-covering his face and the other outstretched towards the sky, Hayato shouted, "I am the approaching storm!"

A monster card with a purple border appeared out of thin air in Hayato's outstretched hand, which he placed on the Duel Disk. Then, the monster's name was announced.

Fusion Summon—

"[Summoned Beast - Merkaba]!"

The fusion monster, also known as "Light Chariot," came to Hayato's field from that summoning spell. Whether as a rider or a pack animal, it is integrated with the chariot, combining offense and defense, and can exert powerful strength in any situation!

[Summoned Beast - Merkaba] [9☆/Light]

[Mechanical Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2500/2100]

Upon seeing the appearance of [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], Ramses II raised an eyebrow and said, "It's that monster again. It appears far too often, and its effects are quite troublesome."

Because the core of [Summoner-Aleister] and [Summoning Magic] is so simple that it can be used in most Fusion decks with enough free space, Hayato often adds it to various decks. And because the LIGHT attribute is quite common, [Summoned Beast-Merkaba] has also become one of the monsters Hayato creates most often. At least Ramses II saw this monster quite often when dueling with Hayato, and was very familiar with its effect.

“Once per turn, it can negate and banish the effects of Spell/Trap/Monsters by discarding the corresponding card. Hmph, but can your monsters keep up with the speed of my cards?” As he spoke, without even pressing the button to activate a face-down card, Ramses II flipped open a face-down card in his back row, revealing a red border. “In response to the Special Summon of [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], I activate this Trap Card, a Counter Trap Card with a Spell Speed ​​of 3, [Ascension Horn]!”

A huge golden horn appeared beside Ramses II, adorned with countless precious gems. The moment the summoned beast Merkaba appeared, the huge horn sounded, as if trying to drive the summoned beast Merkaba off the field with its loud noise.

"This can only be activated during your opponent's Main Phase, when they successfully Special Summon a monster. It negates that Special Summon and destroys those monsters. After that, your opponent gains a card from their hand as compensation—that is, draws a card from their deck—but you must end your Main Phase as before," Ramses II explained, looking at the monsters on Hayato's field. "For someone as skilled at Special Summoning as you, the activation of this card is almost a certainty. And once this card is activated, counter trap cards that aren't also three-speed cards simply cannot chain it to prevent its activation!"

"The monster you Special Summon will be destroyed, and you will end this turn without being able to set any cards before entering your Main Phase. Then, on the rest of your turn, you will face a full-scale attack from the Horus monsters with an empty field!"

Although it has a three-color counter that can be used once per turn, as Ramses II said, its effect is only a speed 2 monster effect and cannot be chained to a speed 3 counter trap card to negate it. Moreover, most counter trap cards need to be set for the next turn to take effect, which seems to mean that Hayato will soon have to helplessly end his turn as Ramses II said.

However, not all counter trap cards require being set for a turn to activate. There is one counter trap card that can be activated directly from the hand, and Hayato happens to have that card, which he has even drawn into his hand.

"Weak, weak, weak! How could the common sense that 'counter traps need to be set to be used' possibly bind me? Let me show you my god-like talent that transcends the times!" The card with the red border was inserted into the Duel Disk by Hayato and processed like a Quick-Play Spell Card, and Hayato's Life Points were also reduced to half of their original value with this action.

[Hayato Kobayashi: 4000→2000LP]

"Paying half of the base value is the price. Chaining [Ascension Horn] from my hand, I directly activate this counter-trap card, and in the name of God, I command you to step down!" Hayato shouted the card's name, "[Red Reboot], activated!"

Chapter 1153 Assimilation of the Sound of Heaven

A burst of red light suddenly appeared, and electric light, like the patterns on a circuit board, instantly spread from the card activated by Hayato and swept across the entire field.

With a "squeak" electronic sound, Ramses II saw that the [Ascension Horn Flute] he had activated on the field suddenly slowed down and kept stuttering, as if an electronic product had crashed, and finally stopped playing altogether.

Even when [Horus's Glory - Imset] attempted to repair it using the universally accepted mechanical repair secret method—tapping it a couple of times—at the behest of Ramses II, it was to no avail.

Not only did the [Ascension Horn] retract into the card and be face down again, but he also felt a sense in his Duel Disk deck area that the Trap Cards in his deck wanted to jump onto his Duel Disk.

"【Red Reboot】is a counter trap against trap cards. It can only be activated when the opponent activates a trap card, negating the activation and setting it face-down. The opponent can also choose one trap card from their deck and set it face-down to their back row." Since he was rich enough to give Misawa a 【Red Reboot】, Hayato's deck naturally included this useful trap card.

After a pause, as if in response to Ramses II's previous "compensation" effect of "drawing a card" when he activated the "Ascension Horn," Hayato added, "Accept this gift with a clear conscience. The only price for helping you remove a Trap Card from your deck is that you can't activate any Trap Cards this turn."

"There's clearly more than one card in the back row, but you can only watch me unfold it while you remain completely still. Isn't that a strange feeling? Hehehehehehe..."

Hearing Hayato's sneer, Ramses II took a card from his deck, set it face down with an annoyed expression, and said, "It only restricts my use of trap cards within one turn, but your [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] on the field can't break through the defenses of the monsters on my field, can it? Besides, you only have 2000 Life Points left, right?"

"Hmph, basic points are like that. As long as they don't drop to zero, they can be treated as infinite." Hayato said, taking a card from the lit-up graveyard area. "I activate the second effect of [Summoning Magic] in my graveyard. I return this card from my graveyard to my deck and shuffle it. I also add one of my banished [Summoner - Aleister] cards to my hand."

Summoning, searching, fusing, and recycling—a cycle belonging to the [Summoning Beast] system—completed its loop after the [Summoner-Aleister] card returned to Hayato's hand. In the next turn, Hayato can still perform this cycle by normally summoning [Summoner-Aleister] from his hand.

Hayato still has five cards in his hand. His play didn't end with the appearance of [Summoned Beast - Merkaba]. Instead, he played another card: "Send [Swamp Demon King] from my hand to the graveyard. From my deck, I add one [Fusion] to my hand."

"And I'll activate this Fusion Summon immediately! The required materials are a Shaddoll monster and a LIGHT monster. I'll send these two monster cards from my hand to the Graveyard as Fusion Materials for Fusion Summoning." Hayato said, showing the two cards he was about to send to the Graveyard: the Shaddoll monster Shaddollmon and the LIGHT monster AD Changer.

"Struggling between the boundaries of restriction and prohibition, majestic Special Summoning Killer, stand tall on the earth, Wagatsumashi!"

Hayato played the card onto the Duel Disk and shouted, "Fusion Summon! Level 8!"

"【Shadowd - Nephilim】!"