Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

【Horus's Blessing - Kebshanaf】【8☆/Land】

[Bird/Beast Race/Effect]

[2500/2000]

【Horus's Blessing - Duamteph】【ATK2400→3600】

"Tsk tsk, could it be a winged earth-attribute creature, but it's actually a bird? Not an invincible earth angel, but a bird-beast. And you're supposed to have 2500 points of protagonist ace attack power?" Hayato teased, completely disregarding the monsters on Ramses II's field.

After all, a simple arithmetic problem reveals that of the four monsters on Hayato's field, the three with the lowest attack power are [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] (2500 points), [Saintess of Guidance - Exeria] (2000 points), and [Shadowdee - Nephilim] (2800 points), totaling 7300 points. Ramses II's three monsters on his field have a combined attack power of 8500 points, only 1200 points higher. In other words, the maximum damage Ramses II can inflict on Hayato is only 1200 points, while he still has a full 2000 life points.

As for the basic points, they are unlimited as long as they are not used up!

"Entering my battle phase, I will attack using [Horus's Vanguard - Happin]!" Ramses II declared, entering the battle phase. He first used his "Green Baboon Head" [Horus's Vanguard - Happin], which had the lowest attack power on the field, to launch an attack. However, the target was not [Saintess of Guidance - Exeria], who had the lowest attack power on the field, but rather [Knight of Guidance - Friedrich], who had the highest attack power on the field.

"The final, third effect of [King's Coffin] is that it can be activated at the start of the Damage Step when one of my [Horus] monsters battles an opponent's monster, sending that opponent's monster to the Graveyard." Having stated the full effect of [King's Coffin], Ramses II added, "Although it's similar to the effect of [Shadowdome Nephilim], this effect of [King's Coffin] can only be used once per turn. Compared to the less threatening [Shadowdome Nephilim], it's more important to destroy [Knight of the Instruction], which also increases its ATK."

"My sun shines brightly, its brilliance boundless! Annihilate those audacious enough to praise other gods before me!" Ramses II commanded the attack of [Happy, the forerunner of Horus], "Breath of the Underworld!"

Although it was [Happy, the Vanguard of Horus] who launched the attack, the one who truly fought against [Flederis, the Knight of Guidance] was the [Coffin of the King] in Ramses II's rear. The slightly ajar coffin released an aura from the underworld, which attached itself to the weapon in [Happy, the Vanguard of Horus]'s hand. The moment it clashed with the sword and shield in [Flederis, the Knight of Guidance]'s hand, the aura from the underworld began to clash with the miraculous power brought by the holy marks on [Flederis, the Knight of Guidance]'s body.

Although she is the strongest knight of the [Teaching Dragon Kingdom], [Teaching Knight - Friedris]'s body is ultimately mortal. Even though the Holy Shield, Holy Sword, and Holy Armor were not affected by the aura of the underworld, [Friedris] herself was still impacted by the power of the [King's Coffin] and was forced to leave the field, unable to continue providing protection for other [Teaching] monsters.

However, because the effect was applied at the beginning of the damage calculation step, Ramses II did not suffer combat damage because [Knight of Guidance - Frideris]'s attack power was higher than [Horus's Vanguard - Happi]. However, [Horus's Vanguard - Happi] was also considered to have already attacked and could not continue to act.

After defeating Hayato's monster with the highest attack power, Ramses II and his [Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph], with an attack power of 3600, turned their attention to the pitiful, weak but gluttonous [Saint of Teaching - Exeria].

Chapter 1158 How awesome is Brother Kun?

"Wow!"

[Hayato: 2000→400LP]

Hayato's base score had plummeted to three digits. He was quite annoyed as he looked at the [Saintess of Guidance - Acrecia], who had only been flicked on the forehead and was now lying on the ground crying and screaming. He felt that the combat damage was not as troublesome as the crying of the [Saintess of Guidance - Acrecia].

Meanwhile, on Ramses II's side, [Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph] helplessly shrugged, indicating that he hadn't used a bow and arrow, but had only lightly flicked [The Guiding Saint - Acyria], and had really gone easy on her. The opponent's performance was purely an attempt to extort money.

"Slander! This is slander! Look at her innocent eyes, untainted by wisdom. Does she look like she's trying to extort money?" Hayato said to Ramses II, pointing at [Saintess of Teaching - Acycia], while trying to appease her. "If anyone's going to extort money, it should be me, whose basic points are almost gone, trying to extort money, right?"

"Heh, with your current performance, do you think I'd believe you? Besides, isn't that what you like to say the most? As long as your fundamentals aren't reduced to zero, they're infinite." Ramses II crossed his arms and looked at Hayato, whose fundamentals were almost gone. "However, after I've reduced your fundamentals to this point, do you still have the guts to say that?"

“Originally, there wasn’t, but you said it was like a candle flickering in the wind, so I’ve already secured my position,” Hayato said calmly. “But you, you still have [Horus’s Blessing - Kebshanav] on your field that hasn’t been attacked yet. Aren’t you going to keep attacking?”

"And then I just let my monster and your [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], which has the lowest attack power but also the same 2500 attack power, perish together?" Ramses II sneered upon hearing Hayato's words.

"That's right, so you don't dare? You don't dare to use the [Horus] monster, which can be revived again next turn, to destroy my monster in order to reduce the power on my field? I see, you're afraid that after the number of your monsters decreases, I'll seize the opportunity to attack [Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph], whose attack power has been reduced, right?"

Hearing Hayato's provocation, Ramses II sneered: "Hmph, are you provoking me? How dare a mere Hayato Kobayashi provoke me, a Pharaoh? Well then, so be it. I will use my monster to annihilate all your hopes of counterattack on the field!"

"【Horus's Blessing - Kebshanaf】, attack 【Summoned Beast - Merkaba】!"

Pointing at Hayato's silver chariot on the field, Ramses II ordered an attack: "Scorpion Shot!"

Upon hearing the command, Horus's Blessing - Kebshanav, wielding the scorpion-tailed scepter, rested the scepter on the bow lent to it by Horus's Blessing - Duamutef, and shot it at Hayato's summoned beast - Merkaba on the field.

Seeing this, the latter simultaneously raised his lance and threw it. As the scorpion-tailed scepter struck [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], the silver lance he threw also struck [Horus's Blessing - Kebshanaf].

Ramses II, who has a fairly clear understanding of Hayato's deck composition, knows that Hayato's deck includes a card called "Inherited Power," which can add the ATK of other monsters on your field to a single monster. With 2750 Life Points remaining, he still needs to be cautious when facing Hayato's "Shadowdome Nephilim," which has 2800 ATK remaining on his field.

However, without the other monster needed to fulfill the activation conditions of [Inherited Power], the threat posed by a single [Shadowdome Nephilim] is much smaller. Moreover, he is not worried at all that Hayato will Special Summon other monsters again, since his [Ascension Horn] is still face down in the back row waiting to be used.

As for whether Hayato can clear all the Horus monsters on his field in one turn? He's not worried at all. Not to mention the resistance granted by King's Coffin that prevents non-targeting effects from being destroyed, with the destruction of the Knight of the Guidance - Friedriss earlier, the Rainbow Kuriboh he equipped to her was also sent to the Graveyard along with the former, and is now waiting in the Graveyard for Hayato to use a direct attack to trigger its shield effect.

The only cost of destroying [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] in battle this turn is that one of his monsters will perish along with it. He can Special Summon it back to the field next turn. The only drawback is that the attack power of [Horus's Blessing - Duamutef] will temporarily decrease by a mere 1200 points due to the reduction in the number of monsters.

Hayato Kobayashi only has 400 points left in his base score. Does he think he can kill himself in one turn?

With this thought in mind, Ramses II, whose hand was empty, said, "Although the effect of [King's Coffin], which sends a card from the hand to the graveyard and then sends a [Horus] monster from the deck to the graveyard, can be used up to four times per turn, unfortunately even I, who am greater than a god, cannot continue to use this effect without a card in my hand. Let's just end my turn like this for now."

"It seems that after such a long entanglement, I will ultimately emerge victorious in the duel and stand at the top. Kobayashi Hayato, in terms of both strategy and strength, you are no match for me. Hehe, hehehahahahahaha!"

Ramses II: 2750 LP, 0 cards in hand

【Horus's Blessing - Duamteph】【ATK3600→2400】

[Horus' Forerunner - Hapi] [ATK2400]

【The King's Coffin】【Gaikka (The Horn of Ascension)】

"You're laughing too loudly." Hayato said casually, picking at his ear impatiently. "You said it yourself before, 'The point of playing games is to win.' It's quite a coincidence that your idea is not much different from mine. I've always thought that it's no fun if you lose."

Hayato paused, then placed his fingers on the deck. "So, I kept winning!"

"My turn, draw a card!"

After drawing a card with a fleeting golden glow along its edge from his deck, Hayato didn't even glance at what card he had drawn. Without hesitation, he inserted the card into the Spell & Trap Zone: "I activate the Spell Card, [Bitter Choice]!"

"He activated the card he drew without even looking!?" Ryo Marufuji saw the projection of the card Hayato had inserted into his Duel Disk appear in his backrow. It really was the Spell Card [Bitter Choice]?! Hayato hadn't even glanced at it, yet he had accurately predicted the card he was going to draw, as if he knew beforehand what card he would get—

"No, it's not that kind of low-class thing. Stop underestimating the world, you little darling." Glancing at Marufuji Ryo, Ramses II, as if reading his mind, accurately guessed his thoughts. "Knowing in advance what card you'll draw? Quite the opposite, it's not about letting fate control you, but about controlling your destiny!"

"That is to say, 'For a true duelist, everything is inevitable, and even the future of card draws can be created by himself.'"

"That line was mine, wasn't it?" Hayato retorted, glancing at the phantom of the card that had appeared beside him. "Even though you also have Nefertari's power transformed into [Rainbow Kuriboh], this card was given to me by Isis. Do you have it?"

"The effect of 【Bitter Choice】 is that I select five cards from my deck and show them to my opponent. Then, my opponent chooses one card from those cards, which is added to my hand. The remaining cards are sent to the graveyard." The Duel Disk automatically dispensed the five cards Hayato needed, which Hayato caught. He showed them to Ramses II and said, "Alright, begin your bitter choice!"

"So the so-called bitterness on that card refers to the opponent, not yourself? Tsk, a punishment that will greatly displease the Pharaoh. After I defeat you next turn, I must have that scene recorded and engraved on a stone tablet." Ramses II said with a frown, not very happy. After seeing the five cards that Hayato showed him, he became even more unhappy.

The reason lies in the fact that the card Hayato chose was—

[Heart Change], [Heavenly Treasure], [Treasure of Destiny], [Treasure of Life-Slaying], [Pot of Greed]

A bitter choice? There was no choice! Although none of the five cards Hayato selected were the kind of cards that Ramses II had expected—cards that could activate when sent to the graveyard or cards that could take effect in the graveyard—it was still not a good thing for any of them to be added to Hayato's hand.

Compared to the unconditional NTR monster's "Heart Change" and the three "Treasure Cards" that can replenish a large number of cards in one go, the unconditional one-for-two exchange "Pot of Greed" seems rather plain. Without much hesitation, Ramses II immediately selected the card in the center: "Do you give me a choice? I will only choose your 'Pot of Greed'."

"Then I must thank the esteemed Pharaoh for the two cards in my hand. However, in return, I will send the remaining four cards to the graveyard." After leaving behind [Pot of Greed], Hayato said with a hint of regret, "Bakura, Yugi, Jonouchi, and Kaiba, I will never forget the sacrifice of the cards that embodied your last wills."

(Bakura, who is memorizing his lines in preparation for a performance: Achoo!)

(A game played with Kyoko and Rebecca at the amusement park: Achoo!)

(Otogi, whose drop list includes the [Treasure of Fate]: Suddenly I feel like I've been impersonated)

(Kaiba, who never disconnected his monitoring of Hayato's Duel Disk: You're talking as if I'm dead, Onoru Hayato!)

"Grandpa Sugoroku, please nod for me! I activate the Spell Card 'Pot of Greed' and draw two cards from my deck." Using the 'Pot of Greed' card he bought from the Game Shop a long time ago, Hayato raised an eyebrow upon seeing the two cards he had drawn, a plan forming in his mind. He immediately played one of the cards he had drawn, saying, "Next, I Normal Summon 'Planet Exploration Vehicle' and Tribute it to activate its effect, adding one Field Spell Card from my deck to my hand. I chose 'Dark World - Shadow Utopia'."

The mechanical vehicle used for exploring alien surfaces extended its external mechanical arm, using a laser to engrave a card onto the ground. After the card was engraved and added to Hayato's hand, it ceased operation due to energy depletion. Upon catching the card, Hayato immediately played the third Field Spell Card used by both sides in this duel: "I activate [Dark World - Shadow Utopia], now, right here!"

The surroundings underwent another transformation, and the scenery changed in an instant. The original golden spaceship deck was replaced with pitch-black mud, and dark green flames surged all around. The duel environment changed from the original ancient spaceship to a claustrophobic and terrifying world.

The flames in the arena even penetrated into the bodies of Hayato and Ramses II's respective monsters, and dark green shadow flames wrapped around their bodies.

【Shadowdee Nephilim】【8☆/Light→8☆/Dark】

【Horus's Blessing - Duamteph】【8☆/Water→8☆/Dark】

[Horus's Forerunner - Happin] [8☆/Wind → 8☆/Dark]

"Tch, these annoying shadows..." Ramses II looked at the black flames that were clinging to him with disgust. "While they are similar to the Black Flame God Horus, they are completely twisted and evil. Can't you use some power that is more in line with your identity, Hayato Kobayashi?"

"So what if it's shadow? You think you're so high and mighty? What's wrong with me using the power of [Dark World - Shadow Utopia]?" Hayato held his last card in his hand. "For me, the means and the process don't matter. Victory and domination are the only things that matter in a duel!"

"During the main phase for both players, I will activate the effect of [Shaddoll's Apocalypse] on my field, banishing monsters from my field and Graveyard as Fusion Material for a [Shaddoll] Fusion Monster, and Fusion Summon that Fusion Monster from my Fusion Deck! The required materials are two [Shaddoll] monsters with different Attributes!"

"The monster I'm going to fuse and summon is the DARK-attribute [Shaddoll-Seven Sages Giant Kunma]. It has the power to negate the effect of a face-up card if it is successfully Special Summoned. It can even use [Dark World-Shadow Detopia] to activate the follow-up effect of [Shaddoll's Pseudo-Scripture] and send any monsters on your field that have been assimilated into the DARK attribute directly to the Graveyard!"

"Isn't your brother Kun amazing?"

Before even playing any monsters or banishing any materials, Hayato began explaining his upcoming combo like a villain about to "death by explanation." Combined with his sinister field spell card and his Shaddoll deck that didn't look like a good guy, he really did have the air of an evil organization leader. In comparison, Ramses II, who was using Horus, seemed like a savior.

However, Ramses II discovered a blind spot: "But, all your Shaddoll monsters are DARK, right? Whether it's Shaddoll Beast or the Shaddoll Lizard that has already been banished, Shaddoll Midrash, which was sent to the Graveyard by Yu last turn, is also DARK. Even Shaddoll Nephilim, which was originally LIGHT, has become the same DARK due to the effect of your Field Spell Card."

"Did you lose your mind and produce such a terrible performance because you wanted to maximize the card's effect?" Ramses II sneered.

"Activating a Field Spell Card prematurely to rewrite a monster's attribute is a mistake? No, you're the one who's lost your mind. I never said I was going to use 'Xiaomi' from the Graveyard or 'Nama' from the field as Fusion Material." Calling his sister card by her nickname, Hayato pulled a purple-bordered card from the Graveyard. "Remember, [Apostle of the Sky]?"

"【Shaddoll - Divine Crystal】?!" Ramses II only remembered the existence of this card when he saw the card Hayato took out. "When I sent it to the graveyard, I searched for the card 【Shaddoll's Apocryphal Tome】, and its attribute is actually Fire!"

"Remove the Fire-attribute [Shaddoll-Dancer] and the Dark-attribute [Shaddollmon] from my Graveyard to satisfy the material requirement of two [Shaddoll] monsters of different attributes!"

"O otherworldly beast, once a cursed slave of evil remnants, now bearing the name of Apkalu, the demigod of Mesopotamia, submit to me and reveal yourself!"

"Level 6☆! Fusion Summon!"

The phantoms of [Shadowdew - Divine Crystal] and [Shadowbeast] appeared together, then transformed into a dark patch on the ground. Although it was a shadow, it seemed to ripple like seawater. Suddenly, a fish-like otherworldly creature leaped out of the shadow. This otherworldly creature, "Kun," which had been transformed into something even more ferocious than in its original form, carried a female mage with a doll-like body and long blue hair under a large mage's hat.

After the blue-haired girl appeared, she looked at Hayato with slight dissatisfaction and didn't say anything. She seemed to be angry because Hayato had called her "Kun-ge" earlier, or perhaps because she noticed that there were many new female monsters in Hayato's graveyard.

【Shadowdew - Seven Sages Giant Kun Demon】【6☆/Dark】

[Mage Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2500/2000]

Chapter 1159 The winds of victory are blowing from behind me

What does the appearance of [Shadowdew - Seven Sages Giant Kun Demon] signify?

This means that Hayato will nullify the effect of [Horus's Blessing - Duamuteph] for the second time, reducing its attack power to zero in attack mode. At the same time, with the power of [Shaddoll's False Canon], [Horus's Vanguard - Hapi], which has been rewritten as a DARK by [Dark World - Shadow Detopia], will be sent to the graveyard by Hayato, ignoring the resistance of [King's Coffin].

Hayato's victory seems imminent, and he will soon be able to advance deep into Ramses II's territory and inflict massive combat damage!

However, perhaps because he thought of this exceptionally perfect path to victory, Hayato relaxed his guard and became careless, to the point that he completely ignored the [Ascension Horn], which had already been used once before, still conspicuously present in Ramses II's backcourt!

"Heh heh, heh heh heh heh heh heh heh!" A noisy laugh came from Ramses II's mouth. Looking at the [Shadowdew-Seven Sages Giant Kun Demon] that appeared on Hayato's field, his eyes were full of contempt and disappointment. "Have you been standing on the mountain for too long that you can't see what's under your feet? Hayato Kobayashi, you are far too disrespectful to me!"

"Remember what this face-down card in my back row is, and then repent for your arrogance in the frustration of defeat!" Without pressing any buttons, Ramses II's only face-down card in his back row was already activated with a wave of his hand. "Trap Card [Ascension Horn] activated again! Can you have a second [Red Reboot] in your hand!?"

The answer is no. Although Hayato does have three copies of "Red Reboot" in hand, there aren't enough slots in his deck to fit all three into it, even though his current deck already has the maximum of 60 cards. This is the price Hayato pays for his deck's "extremely high purity".

Although Hayato has a powerful quick-play spell card in his hand, that card has special activation restrictions. Even if it can be activated, it cannot chain the "Ascension Horn" which is a counter trap with a high spell speed of 3. At this moment, it seems somewhat meaningless.

The dazzling horn resounded once more. Without the interference of [Red Reboot], its power was unmatched. Amidst the majestic horn music, [Shaddoll-Seven Sages Giant Kun Demon], who had only appeared for a second, was quickly purified and "ascended to heaven." Even though the blue-haired mage girl was reluctant to part with Hayato, it was beyond saving. She was pulled away by [Shaddoll-Midrush] in Hayato's graveyard, who was thinking, "If I can't have you, neither can you."

"【Ascension Horn】can only be activated during your opponent's Main Phase when they Special Summon a monster, negating that Special Summon and destroying that monster." Ramses II said, glancing at 【Shaddoll's Apocalypse】 on Hayato's back field. "This means that the ability of 【God Shaddoll - Seven Sages Giant Kunma】 to negate the effect of a face-up card on the field when it is successfully Special Summoned is completely useless. Even your 【Shaddoll's Apocalypse】 cannot send any of my monsters to the Graveyard ignoring their resistances!"

"Not only that, the follow-up effect of [Ascension Horn] is that it forces your opponent to draw a card from their deck, forcing them to end their Main Phase. No matter what other cards you have in hand, you can't use them anymore. And what can you do during the Battle Phase? Attack your remaining monsters with your only [Shaddoll Nephilim]? Don't forget about [Coffin of the King]. Not only will your remaining monsters be protected from the power of [Shaddoll Nephilim], but your [Shaddoll Nephilim] will also be sent to the Graveyard by a similar force the instant damage calculation begins!"

"You can't even cover the cards in your hand before the end stage begins; you can't do anything at all!"

Under the effect of [Ascension Horn], Hayato watched as [Shadowdome - Seven Sages Giant Kun] entered the Graveyard, then drew a card from his deck. Because of [Ascension Horn]'s ability to end the Main Phase, Hayato currently only has two choices: either enter the Battle Phase now, or voluntarily forgo the Battle Phase and enter the End Phase, essentially skipping the entire turn. Hayato chose to enter the Battle Phase.