Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"My choice is to set the normal trap card [Rabillins Welcome] to my backfield."

When [Arians, the Butler of the Silver Castle] appeared, Jaden and Asuka in the audience didn't react much. But when they heard the card name [Labyrinth Welcome], they both exclaimed in surprise: "That deck... could it be the [Silver Castle] that defeated Kagemaru back then!?"

During Caesar's play, Hayato placed a card face-down from his hand onto the back field as if it were his turn, before Caesar could deal with the effect of his [Electronic Repair Factory].

“【Silver City】...huh? Being able to act with impunity during the opponent's turn as if it were your own, that's quite characteristic of a Duel King. But, there's no point in putting the card face down.” Caesar said, retrieving a card from his graveyard. “I'll return this 【Cyber ​​Dragon】 from my graveyard to my deck, and then add this Machine-Type LIGHT 【Cyber ​​Dragon Next Generation】 to my hand.”

"Next, I discard the [Cyber ​​Dragon Core] from my hand to activate the effect of the [Cyber ​​Dragon: Next Generation] that I just added to my hand, and Special Summon it to my field!"

On Caesar's field, a derivative model of the Cyber ​​Dragon, with a more slender and graceful body than the most basic Cyber ​​Dragon, and equipped with a pair of metal wings on its back, resembling a flying dragon—the Cyber ​​Dragon Sub-Star—was specially summoned.

【Electronic Dragon - Next Generation Star】【1☆/Light】

[Mechanical Race/Effect]

[200/200]

"When 【Cyber ​​Dragon - Next Generation】is Normal or Special Summoned, you can target one Machine-Type monster in my Graveyard with 2100 ATK or DEF to activate this effect and Special Summon it. As a cost, after this effect is activated, you cannot Special Summon non-Machine-Type monsters until the end of this turn."

"And the monster I chose is another Cyber ​​Dragon in the graveyard."

The blue light spots on the body of the [Electronic Dragon - Next Generation Star] shine, purple rays are projected from the hexagonal halo connecting the wings behind it, and a phantom model is constructed around it, seemingly to project another monster.

Caesar's manipulation didn't stop there; he pointed to his own graveyard again: "It's not over yet! The effect of [Cyber ​​Dragon Core], which was sent to the graveyard by the effect of [Cyber ​​Dragon Next Generation], adds all [Cyber ​​Dragons] except this card from my deck and graveyard to my hand."

C1 [Electronic Dragon - Next Generation Star] C2 [Electronic Dragon Core] ... C3! ?

“Chain effect of [Cyber ​​Dragon Core], I activate the effect of this card in my hand, [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle].” Hayato shook the card in his hand and then placed it on the Duel Disk. “Because [Silver Castle Butler - Arianes] has already activated its effect, it can be activated during the turn of both players when other [Rabilins] cards besides [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle] have activated their effects, or when a normal Trap Card has been activated. I can Special Summon it directly from my hand.”

"It won't do if you're the only one on the field constantly summoning monsters!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Caesar regained his composure, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Heh, but Principal Hayato, there shouldn't be any problem with me summoning during my turn, right? But you, recklessly deploying things during someone else's turn, aren't you being a bit too self-aware?"

"Hmph, your turn is my turn, and my turn is still my turn!" Hayato declared with the name Gian, then snapped his fingers. "The butler has already prepared the groundwork for your entrance, so now, make your appearance, [The Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle]!"

"Yeah, Darling~"

Dressed in combat attire, wielding a battle axe in one hand and a rapier in the other, the Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle makes her entrance amidst a flurry of petals that seem to appear out of nowhere, and her defense position appears on Hayato's field.

【The Silver Princess of the Labyrinth】【8☆/Dark】

[Demon Race/Effect]

[3000/2900]

"Is this a monster with attack power on par with the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon? And it was Special Summoned during someone else's turn! Is this the true power of the Duel King?"

Meeting Caesar's gaze, Hayato nodded: "That's right."

“Is that really the case… But anyway, let’s continue processing the other effects in the chain.” Caesar said something that others couldn’t understand, and took a card from his deck. “Because of the effect of [Cyber ​​Dragon Core], I’m adding this [Cyber ​​Dragon] to my hand from my deck.”

"Next is the effect of [Cyber ​​Dragon Next Generation Star]. I select [Cyber ​​Dragon] with 2100 ATK from my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field in Defense Position!"

【丸藤亮：4000LP，手牌6→7→5→6】

【Electronic Eternal Dragon】【DEF4000】

【Electronic Dragon Next Generation Star】【DEF200】

【Electronic Dragon】【DEF1600】

【GaiK (Electronic Network)】

"Special Summoning your monster during your opponent's turn is indeed a powerful move. But doesn't it also give your opponent the opportunity to deal with the monster during their own turn?" Looking at Hayato's [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle] in Defense Position, Kaiser revealed a card in his hand. "Although I can't attack on the first turn, I can use this [Cyber ​​Dragon] exclusive Spell Card [Evolution Shockwave] to destroy one card on my opponent's field!"

"And the penalty of 'the Cyber ​​Dragon cannot attack this turn' becomes irrelevant because it's the first turn!"

Inserting the card into the Duel Disk, Kaiser pointed to Hayato's field, "The target is [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle]. Use 'Evolution Shockwave' to destroy her! [Cyber ​​Dragon]!"

Under Caesar's command, the [Cyber ​​Dragon], in its defensive stance, raised its head, and a photon generator extended from its mouth as it began to build up its power for firing. However, to Caesar's surprise, even though he had already designated [The Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle] as the target, the [Cyber ​​Dragon] seemed not to hear him and continued to wait for him to select a target.

"Don't overthink it. Your [Cyber ​​Dragon] probably doesn't have a functional degeneration problem like 'deafness.' It's just that you chose the wrong target." Hayato explained to Caesar, smiling as he pointed to the [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle] card on his Duel Disk. "To be precise, you can't even select [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle] as your target."

"In addition to its first effect of being Special Summoned, 【Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle】 has a second effect: while a Set card is on my field, it gains the ability to not be targeted by my opponent's card effects or destroyed by them. Therefore, not only 【Evolution Shockwave】, but even 【Lightning Strike】 cannot interfere with my 【Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle】!"

"Hehehe, that's right, I'm quite strong." On the field, [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle] also laughed heartily in agreement. "But to protect me, you even prepared face-down cards in advance so thoughtfully. Darling really cares about me!"

As she spoke, Princess Shirogane of the Labyrinth Castle was about to press herself against Hayato.

"That woman, she's shameless!" The [Temple of the Water], which Hayato hadn't included in his deck, peeked out from the card box at Hayato's waist. It immediately spotted [Labyrinthine Silver Princess], who was trying to cling to Hayato but was being held back by him. Enraged, Hayato gritted his teeth. "Wow!"

Caesar, who shouldn't have been able to see the elves, glanced curiously at Hayato's side. Although he still couldn't see anything, after realizing why [Evolution Shockwave] hadn't worked, he decisively said, "In that case, I'll just choose the right target—besides monster cards, cards in the back row can also be destroyed by [Evolution Shockwave]!"

"Reselect the target as the opponent's face-down card [Rabilins Welcome] in the backcourt, destroy it, and [Cyber ​​Dragon]!"

In Caesar's plan, the resistance of [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle] came from face-down cards in the back row. So, wouldn't destroying those face-down cards in the back row easily remove her resistance? After all, Hayato's face-down card was set this turn, so it couldn't possibly be—

"!!"

At the same time that [Cyber ​​Dragon] launched its attack, Caesar was surprised to find that the card Hayato had just set face-down on in the back row had been activated at that very moment!

"A trap card that was just set up?!"

"A trap card that can only be activated on the next turn? Tsk tsk tsk, the fast-paced dueling environment can't tolerate such a slow development. Come and see what the god-like talent of turning the impossible into possible is, kid!"

Hayato removed his finger from the button to activate the face-down card and arrogantly said, "This face-down card, which was set by the effect of [Silver Castle Butler - Arianes], can be activated the turn it was set. And I'll chain [Evolution Shockwave] to activate the Normal Trap Card [Rabilins Welcome]!"

"This card's effect is to Special Summon one 'Rabilins' monster from my Deck to the field. Similar to the cost of 'Cyber ​​Dragon Next Star,' after this card is activated, I cannot Special Summon non-Fiend monsters from my Deck or Fusion Deck until the end of the next turn."

"—But it's not over yet!"

Hayato activates his backrow face-down card, simultaneously targeting his own "Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle." "At that moment, the third effect of 'Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle' also activates. Self-summoning, self-protection, its third effect represents resource management—"

"This can only be activated when a Normal Trap Card is activated. I select one Normal Trap Card from my deck whose name is different from the activated Normal Trap Card and place it on my back row. And the card I selected is this one—[Rabilins Welcome, Welcome, Big Welcome]!"

Hayato said, setting a card face-down from his deck, "But you can rest assured that only 'Rabilins Welcome' set by the effect of 'Silver Castle Butler - Arianes' can be activated immediately on the turn it's set. 'Rabilins Welcome Welcome Grand Welcome' set by the effect of 'Labyrinth Castle Silver Princess' requires a turn to set before it can be activated—at least for now."

"But next, I need to deal with the effect of [Rabilins' Welcome]. I Special Summon this monster from my Deck. Come forth, Evil Messenger—[Ariana the Messenger of the Silver Castle]!"

Against the backdrop of a missed [Evolutionary Shockwave], the summoner nicknamed "Little Green" appears on Hayato's field carrying a bunch of keys. She slightly lifts her skirt with both hands and bows to Hayato and [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle].

[Ariana the Summoner of the Silver City] [4☆/Dark]

[Demon Race/Effect]

[1600/2100]

Chapter 1415 Before, when we looked at the moon together, I called her "Little Sweetie".

[Kobayashi Hayato: 4000LP, 3 cards in hand]

【The Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle】【DEF2900】

[Ariana the Summoner of the Silver City] [DEF2100]

[Gaika (Rabilins welcome, welcome, big welcome)]

"If [The Summoner of the Silver Castle - Ariana] is successfully Summoned or Special Summoned, activate its first effect." Hayato retrieves a card from his deck. "From my deck, add one [Rabilins] card other than [The Summoner of the Silver Castle - Ariana] to my hand. I choose [The Clockwork of the Silver Castle].

"Alright, continue your turn, Caesar."

Watching Hayato use a face-down card to avoid having his card destroyed, and then use the effects of [Summoner of the Silver Castle - Ariana] and [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle] to search for cards and add them to his hand and set them down, Caesar's expression was quite serious: "In the end, he still left a face-down card in the back row, preserving the resistance of [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle]."

"But Principal Hayato, my strategy isn't over yet! [Cyber ​​Dragon Next Generation] isn't just for show! It also has the effect of having its card name used as [Cyber ​​Dragon] while on the field or in the graveyard. And now I have two more [Cyber ​​Dragons] on my field to use as Fusion Material!"

As he spoke, Caesar played a card from his hand: "Spell Card [Planetary Transformation] activated! I add one Field Spell Card from my Deck to my hand, and the card I choose is—[Fusion Gate]!"

"Then activate the Field Spell Card [Fusion Gate]! Under the effect of this card, both duelists can Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster during their Main Phase by banishing monsters from their hand or field as Fusion Materials!"

Similar to, yet distinct from, the orderly green grid extended from Caesar's feet, rapidly spreading to the surrounding area. As the grid extended, it sometimes rose and sometimes sank, simulating rugged terrain.

“Kaiser has one Cyber ​​Dragon in his hand that’s face up. Counting the two Cyber ​​Dragons he has on the field, could it be—!?” Misawa exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the appearance of the Fusion Gate, “A second Fusion in one turn?!”

"However, it shouldn't be [Cyber ​​Ender Dragon], because Akira's current target is mainly [Silver Princess of the Labyrinth Castle], which cannot be targeted by the opponent's effects or destroyed by the opponent's effects. [Cyber ​​Ender Dragon], which only has an effect when attacking, is just a decoration now even if it appears."

Based on her understanding of Caesar, Fubuki deduced the monster he intended to fuse and summon, "and a monster capable of destroying the opponent's Spell & Trap Cards is probably—"

"I activate the effect of [Fusion Gate], banishing [Cyber ​​Dragon] from my hand and [Cyber ​​Dragon Next Generation], which is considered [Cyber ​​Dragon] on my field, as Fusion Materials." Kaiser picked up a monster card from the field, banished it along with a card from his hand, and raised his hand, saying, "This [Cyber ​​Twin Dragon], which wasn't properly combined to reach Level 8, is about to undergo an overload-driven, rampaging Fusion!"

"Where there are saints, there are thieves; where there are high mountains, there are deep abysses; where there is a vast difference between heaven and earth, there is bloodshed! Gather your power and unleash it in an instant!"

"Fusion Summon, Level 5☆!"

Caesar shouted and threw out the card in his hand, "—【Chimera Berserker Dragon】!"

The two electronic dragons vanished before Caesar, and then ominous and dangerous red currents began to flicker among the silver particles of light that had been emanating from the electronic dragons. With a mechanical hum, the light converged back towards the center and then reversed, and a mechanical dragon with two forked necks coiled around Caesar!

【Chimera Berserker】【5☆/Dark】

[Mechanical Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2100/1600]

Although Caesar's hand size was reduced to only three cards after summoning [Chimera Berserker], Hayato's hand size was also reduced to only three cards...

Caesar glanced at Hayato's hand and felt something was off. Was he supposed to have three cards just now? He should have.

"The Fusion Summon of [Chimera Raging Dragon] requires two or more [Cyber ​​Dragon] monsters. Upon successful Fusion Summon, the first effect of [Chimera Raging Dragon] is activated." Kaiser pointed to Hayato's field, "Target the Spell/Trap Cards on both players' fields that contain at most [Chimera Raging Dragon] Fusion Material Monsters, and destroy all of them!"

"One of the cards I've chosen is the face-down card on your back row, Principal Hayato. Unleash your power, [Chimera Rampaging Dragon] - Overload Charge Shock!"

The Chimera Berserker, which could have transformed into a highly aggressive form like the Cyber ​​Twin Dragon, instead traded that power for a powerful effect. Under Caesar's command, it released its energy and attacked Hayato's face-down card in the back row.

However, as if a scene from the past was repeating itself, at the very moment the effect of [Chimera Raging Dragon] was activated, similar to the situation when [Evolution Shockwave] was activated, Hayato's face-down card in the back row was activated prematurely under these circumstances!?

"How could this be?!" Caesar was somewhat surprised. "Wasn't that card different from [Labyrinth's Welcome], and like a normal trap card, it needed to be set for one turn before it could be activated?"

"I did say that, but didn't you hear me completely?" Hayato said with a smile as he released his finger from the card-activating button. "I did add 'at least for now' after that sentence. That situation changed long ago when I discarded the [Silver Castle's Mad Clock] to activate its effect!"

Behind Hayato, the [Crazy Clock of the Silver Castle], which he had sent to the cemetery at some unknown time, appeared as a phantom. At the moment when the hour, minute, and second hands all pointed to twelve o'clock on the clock face, the small door above the clock opened, and a chibi-style bat flew out from it.

"The effect of [Silver City's Mad Clock], which was added to my hand by [Summoner of the Silver City - Ariana], can be activated by discarding it from my hand. If I control a [Rabillins] monster this turn, I can activate one Normal Trap Card on the turn it is set. This effect can also be activated during my opponent's turn."

"Another card that tramples on the rules of 'Trap Cards' in Duel Monsters? As expected of Yu-Gi-Oh!" Kaiser sneered, but still had unanswered questions. "However, if you activate that card by chaining it to the effect of [Chimera Raging Dragon], it won't be long enough, right? After the effect of [Silver City's Mad Clock] takes effect, it will be my turn for the effect of [Chimera Raging Dragon] to take effect. You shouldn't have had a chance to activate your face-down card."

"That's right, Caesar. You truly deserve to be called an outstanding graduate. Your knowledge of the timing of Duel Monsters is excellent. However, you haven't quite remembered what I taught you in the 'Elf Coexistence Class'—specifically, the knowledge about 'activating cards when your opponent isn't paying attention to your effects'."

"...Why would that kind of content appear in the 'Elf Coexistence Lesson'?" Even Caesar couldn't help but complain, then realized when Hayato activated the effect of [Silver Castle's Mad Clock]. "I see, not at any other time, but at the moment [Gate of Fusion] activated its effect?"

“That’s right. After all, the special effect of [Gate of Fusion] is so great, and Caesar, you just happened to look down at your hand to take [Cyber ​​Dragon]. There couldn’t have been a better time.”

“That wasn’t an illusion after all.” Caesar glanced at Hayato and said, “Then, let me see your Geka!”

“Of course I will! After all, there’s no duelist more hospitable than me, and even the name of this card proves it.” Hayato spread his arms and smiled. “Welcome to Labyrinth’s Labyrinth! Chain to [Chimera Raging Dragon] effect to activate Face Down card—[Labyrinth Welcome, Welcome, Great Welcome]!”

The electromagnetic shockwave struck empty air, instantly transforming Hayato's [Labyrinth Welcome Welcome Grand Welcome] into a flurry of petals that converged towards a certain point in the sky. A full moon rose out of nowhere within the world of the [Gate of Fusion], illuminating itself with its light, and the master of the labyrinth, clad in a magnificent gown, descended in grand style!