Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Hmph, Sorewadoka?" Hayato looked at the Dark Magician, who was enveloped in light and was blatantly provoking and mocking Gaia, and showed a disdainful expression. "That ugly posture is disgusting. The Dark Magician is losing face because of your monster."

"What did you say?" Pandora asked, confused, not understanding Hayato's words. In his mind, hadn't his [Dark Magician] been obediently standing guard on his field the whole time?

Hayato was also a little puzzled. Could it be that Pandora's [Dark Magician]...? Well, he could think about that after they won.

"Entering my battle phase, [Sky Dragon Knight], attack [Dark Magician]!"

Upon receiving Hayato's command, Gaia clamped its legs around the belly of the Infernal Curse Dragon, and the orange-red dragon obediently spewed out a mouthful of dragonfire, enveloping the Dark Magician. To Pandora's astonishment, his Dark Magician, clearly protected by the Safe Zone, was forced into a Defense stance by the scorching dragonfire?!

[Black Magician] [ATK2500→DEF2100]

"【Sky Dragon Knight - Gaia】is more than just a pretty face. In his presence, it's not you who decides your monster's form, it's me!" Hayato pointed forward. "Go, 【Gaia】, attack 【Dark Magician】, Sky Dragon Flash!"

The [Dragon of Hellfire Curse] carried [Gaia] and circled the entire basement before swooping down from a blind spot in the [Dark Magician's] defenses. The lance in [Gaia's] hand, wreathed in spiraling patterns of dragonfire, easily breached the light barrier of the [Safe Zone] and struck Pandora's [Dark Magician]!

"Damn it, it's a powerful effect that doesn't target anything!" Pandora glared at Gaia, who had flown away from his field after hitting him. "Because of the Safe Zone effect, my Dark Magician won't be destroyed in battle!"

"However, the penetrating damage still exists!"

"hateful!"

Pandora: 4000 → 3500 LP

As Pandora's Life Points dropped, Hayato drew two cards from his deck: "If you use the effect of Spiral Shot to cause damage to you by Dragon Knight Gaia, activate the second effect of Spiral Shot."

"Draw two cards from your deck, then choose one card from your hand to discard."

"Four cards face down, my turn ends." With a large hand of cards to spare, Hayato boldly face down four cards. As for his opponent thinking he's a master strategist? Impossible! Hayato thinks he's incredibly optimistic.

[Hayato: 4000LP, 2 cards in hand]

【Sky Dragon Knight - Gaia】【ATK2600】

[Gaika] X4 [Spiral Shot Kill]

"My turn, draw!" Pandora drew the top card, already knowing which card she had drawn. She simply smiled coldly, "Duel King, the humiliation you inflicted on me and [Dark Magician] last turn, I will take it all back this turn!"

"I activate [Pot of Greed], and draw two cards from my deck. Then I summon [Murder Tomato] in attack position and equip it with the Spell Card [Rocket Piercer]!"

A tomato with a ferocious facial expression appeared on Pandora's field. What was rather ridiculous was that the "Rocket Piercer" equipped on the "Killer Tomato" appeared by piercing through the entire tomato. The tomato juice splattered everywhere, making Pandora's field dirty, almost like a kitchen where a complete novice who knew nothing about cooking had just cooked.

[Murder Tomato] [4 stars/Dark]

[Plant Tribe/Effect]

[1400/1100]

"The [Killer Tomato] equipped with [Rocket Piercer] has the effect of not being destroyed in battle when attacking, and it can reduce the ATK of the monster it attacked after attacking!" Pandora switched [Dark Magician] back to Attack Position and waved her hand sharply, "Battle begins! [Killer Tomato] attacks [Sky Dragon Knight - Gaia]!"

"Rocket Piercing the Heart!"

With the rocket's boost, the over-dehydrated "Killer Tomato" was propelled toward the hovering "Sky Dragon Knight - Gaia," as if to prove that "great strength makes bricks fly."

"boom!"

After colliding with Gaia, Killer Tomato fell back onto Pandora's field, nearly hitting Pandora's head. Due to the difference in attack power, Pandora was injured by the counterattack.

Pandora: 3500 → 2300 LP

However, as a price to pay for the decrease in base score, Gaia's attack power also decreased due to the effect of Rocket Piercer, which reduced the attack power of Killer Tomato.

【Sky Dragon Knight - Gaia】【ATK2600→1200】

"In this way, the attack power of [Dark Magician] surpasses that of your [Gaia]! Go, [Dark Magician], and present the Duel King with your deadly magic show!"

Under Pandora's excited gaze, the Dark Magician's attack successfully struck Gaia, destroying it and sending it to the graveyard.

But he was surprised to find that Hayato's base score had not decreased at all.

“The instant your Dark Magician attacked, I activated this card.” Hayato spread his left hand, pointing to the face-down card that had been flipped over on his field. “Damage Vaccine Omega Max is a card that can restore the amount of damage I take as base points.”

[Hayato: 4000→2700→4000LP]

"Hmph, you only managed to preserve a few basic points. What can you do after I destroyed and sent that powerful Gaia to the graveyard?"

Faced with Pandora's disdainful words, Hayato shook his finger and chuckled, "There's a saying, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' But as far as I know, even if I'm killed, my Gaia can draw upon the power of hell and return to my field in an even stronger state!"

"Open the cover, [Spiral Resurrection]!"

A sudden gust of wind picked up in the basement, the air howling and converging into a powerful storm. The origin of this storm was the face-down card Hayato had just activated: "This card's effect is: Special Summon 1 Level 7 or lower Dragon monster from my Graveyard back to my field!"

"Come back, [Sky Dragon Knight - Gaia]!"

Amidst the storm, a red light appeared, and flames spread rapidly along the surging air currents, transforming the entire whirlwind into a fire tornado. Just as [Sky Dragon Knight] was about to replicate his entrance back onto Hayato's field, Pandora quickly activated his face-down card:

"I activate [Bottomless Trap Hole], and if a monster with ATK of 1500 or higher is successfully Summoned, Special Summoned, or Flip Summoned, I will destroy it and banish it from the game!"

Beneath the fire tornado, the ground collapsed, revealing a bottomless pit, seemingly leading to the underworld. A powerful suction force emanated from the pit, drawing the fire tornado from Hayato's field into it. Several ghosts emerged from the pit and coiled around the not-yet-fully-resurrected [Sky Dragon Knight], as if trying to drag him down as well.

But to Pandora's astonishment, Gaia suddenly swung his spear, and holy light emanated from him and the Hellfire Curse Dragon, instantly purifying the ghost into nothingness!

[Sky Dragon Knight - Gaia] has returned to Hayato's field, full of fighting spirit. Surprisingly, [Gaia] also speaks up, declaring, "I am immortal!!!"

"A monster resurrected by [Spiral Resurrection] will gain the ability to not be targeted by your card effects and not be destroyed by card effects if it is [Dragon Knight Gaia]." Hayato smiled and tapped his forehead. "You haven't forgotten that [Sky Dragon Knight] can be used as [Dragon Knight Gaia], have you?"

"Damn it!" Pandora was at her wit's end. She had finally managed to destroy Gaia at the cost of her life points, but in the blink of an eye, it had been resurrected from the graveyard, and with such powerful resistance?

This game is unplayable!

"Face a card down, and my turn is over."

Pandora: 2300LP, 0 cards in hand

[Dark Magician] (Safe Zone) [ATK 2500]

[Killer Tomato] (Rocket Heart Piercer) [ATK1400]

【GaiKa】

Chapter 225 Your Death Star Shines in the Sky

"My turn, draw a card."

Hayato glanced at the card added to his hand and Normal Summoned it: "Attack Position Summon [Entertainment Partner - Mechanical Eye Lizard]".

Beside the dashing Sky Dragon Knight appeared a monster with a completely different style. The pale purple lizardman stood upright, revealing its soft, white belly! Holding an umbrella and wearing mechanical glasses, the Mechanical-Eyed Lizard removed its top hat, bowed, and made an elegant entrance.

[Entertainment Partner - Mechanical Eye Lizard] [4 stars/location]

[Crawler/Effect]

[1600/1200]

The moment it appeared on the field, the [Mechanical Eye Lizard]'s high-tech glasses automatically transformed into a telescope-like device, staring directly at Hayato's deck:

"When [Mechanical Eye Lizard] is successfully Summoned or Special Summoned, I can use its effect once during the Main Phase of this turn."

As Hayato spoke, he reached out to his deck and caught a monster card that popped out of it. Before Pandora could even see it, Hayato tossed it into the graveyard.

"Send one monster with 'Odd Eyes' in its name from my Deck to the Graveyard. Until the end of this turn, 'Mechanical Eye Lizard' can be used as a card with the same name as the monster sent to the Graveyard!"

"The card I sent to the graveyard is [Odd-Eyes Magical Dragon]!"

As Hayato finished speaking, the [Mechanical Eye Lizard]'s glasses began to transform again, turning into a rather miniature printer that "click-click-click" spat out a slip of paper. The [Mechanical Eye Lizard] caught the slip of paper and stuck it to its chest; the slip of paper clearly read, "I am [Heterochromatic Magical Dragon]!"

That's too hasty! Make the disguise look more convincing!

Ignoring Gaia's sarcastic remark, Hayato revealed the card he had previously set face down: "Activate face down, Cry of the Living Dead! I will revive the Odd-Eyes Magical Dragon that was just sent to the Graveyard!"

Pandora frowned: "First, he selects a powerful monster from his deck and sends it directly to the graveyard, then he uses a card to revive the monster to summon it directly. As expected of the Duel King, he's a troublesome guy!"

On Hayato's field, the crater from which Gaia had just emerged emitted a burst of light once more, creating a massive magic circle in the sky above Hayato's field as if laser-carved. As the magic circle swept downwards, a colossal dragon skeleton appeared in the air, as if 3D-printed.

The four elements of earth, water, wind, and fire were drawn together by the magic circle beneath the dragon's feet, forming four different colored magic circles around the dragon's skeleton. Then, the fifth element—ether—was born out of thin air and filled into the dragon's skeleton.

A flash of red and blue light appeared in his pupils. Under Hayato and Pandora's gaze, the dragon, whose body was gradually being constructed, was given a soul and roared to the sky!

[Heterochromatic Magical Dragon] [7☆/Dark]

[Dragon Clan/Effect]

[2500/2500]

"This is the ultimate magical dragon that controls the four elements of creation! Flow! Stagnation! Heat up! Cool down! Creation and destruction! Witness immortality, [Heterochromatic Magical Dragon]!"

Hayato celebrated the summoning of [Odd-Eyes Magical Dragon], clutching his last two cards in his hand. Instead of playing them immediately, he pointed at Pandora opposite him and said, "This turn, I will completely end you!"

"Don't be so arrogant, Duel King!" Pandora said through gritted teeth. Hayato had only summoned a monster with an attack power of 2500. Although it had to be admitted that its summoning phrase was quite cool, it did not change the fact that its attack power did not exceed that of [Dark Magician].

With the protection of the [Safe Zone], Pandora was very confident that her [Dark Magician] was invincible. Under the condition of equal attack power, that [Heterochromatic Magician Dragon] could not even achieve mutual destruction.

Moreover, the face-down card in Pandora's back row is not just for looks.

"Battle phase! [Entertainment Partner - Mechanical Eye Lizard], attack [Killer Tomato]!" Hayato pointed at [Killer Tomato], which was still pierced by the [Rocket Piercer], "Although it won't be destroyed when it attacks, your ability will be disabled if it is attacked!"

With a cheerful "Singin' in the Rain" dance that seemed completely out of place with the tense duel, the Mechanical Eye Lizard approached the Killer Tomato. Its mouth opened wide like in a cartoon, and it swallowed the Killer Tomato whole without any hesitation, spitting out the tomato skin with a "pui".

Pandora: 2300 → 2100 LP

"A mere 200 points of damage is nothing," Pandora scoffed. "At the same time, since you destroyed [Murder Tomato] and sent it to the Graveyard, activate its effect to Special Summon one DARK monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck in Attack Position!"

"Hmph, what kind of powerful monster could have an attack power of less than 1500?" Hayato said dismissively.

Pandora pulled out a card from her deck, selected one, and placed it on the field: "Come forth, [Fusion Killer]!"

"What?!"

Hayato was dumbfounded when he saw the tentacle monster appear on Pandora's field. This is DM, right? How can someone bring a card like this? It's so targeted!

[Fusion Killer] [4☆/Dark]

[Demon Race/Effect]

[1400/1200]

Although it doesn't look fierce and its size is quite ordinary, Hayato knows that this monster summoned by Pandora has a rather disgusting effect—the ATK of any Fusion Monster that battles this card becomes 0 during the Damage Step.

Hayato had initially thought that no matter what kind of weak monsters Pandora summoned, he could use the effect of [Sky Dragon Knight] to change the opponent's form and launch a penetrating attack, reducing Pandora's life points. However, once this [Fusion Killer] was played, it was as if the word "targeted" was tattooed on its face, a hard counter to Hayato's [Sky Dragon Knight].

"Hmph, looks like you know its effects too, Duel King?" Pandora said smugly as Hayato's confident smile vanished. "Didn't you say you were going to finish me off this round? If you can, then come on!"

"I have no idea what you're so smug about?" Hayato frowned. "Then I'll use [Gaia] to attack [Dark Magician]! Go, [Gaia], let's fight with sword and heart, Dog Head Dragon Flash!"

Although it changed to an even more bizarre move name than before, [Sky Dragon Knight - Gaia] still obediently took to the air and circled before launching a sneak attack on [Dark Magician] from behind. Just as he was about to unleash dragon fire to change [Dark Magician]'s attack position, Pandora immediately activated his face-down card in the back row—