Yugioh [702-705] (Patreon)

Chapter 702: The World's Power

"Due to the 'Negate Attack' effect, this Battle Phase ends. But of course, you haven't forgotten The World's effect, have you?"

Kira smiled.

Sartorius gritted his teeth. "The World can send two monsters to the Graveyard to skip the opponent's next turn."

"Correct." Kira swept his hand. "I send Arcana Force XII - The Hangman and the on-field Samsara Lotus to the Graveyard to activate The World's effect—

—ZA WARUDO!

 Time Stop!"

The two monsters were offered as tribute, dissolving into golden motes. A translucent clock face flickered into existence above the duel arena, its hands spinning madly to the ticking of a clock. Turn order twisted—instantly it became Sartorius's turn, but that turn's time was completely frozen.

Sartorius's entire field was locked as if in ice. His Deck was sealed; he couldn't draw, couldn't act. He could only watch as the phases ticked by, his entire turn flashing past in an instant—until it reached Kira's Draw Phase once again.

"Then it's still my turn. Draw."

Kira's lips curled.

"Next, in my Standby Phase, the effect of Treeborn Frog in my Graveyard activates. If this card is in your GY during your Standby Phase and your Spell/Trap Zone is empty, you can Special Summon it.

I Special Summon Treeborn Frog in Defense Position."

[Treeborn Frog, DEF 100]

"So long as the backrow is empty, it can Special Summon itself every turn."

Sartorius's eyelid twitched.

Ma… masaka (could it be)!?

 "That Samsara Lotus you just tributed!?" Sartorius suddenly remembered—he'd seen that monster before. Vaguely, he knew it was similar to Treeborn Frog.

"Oh? You noticed already?"

Kira smiled.

"Right. Samsara Lotus's effect: during your End Phase, if this card is in your GY, you can Special Summon it to your field in face-up Attack Position. However, if it's on your field during your next Standby Phase, you take 1000 damage." (anime effect)

It's the card Yubel used in the anime, popping out each End Phase to be tributed for Yubel to prevent Yubel's self-destruct drawback. The modern Yubel support even gave it a new variant.

When it was first printed, the card was nerfed: like Treeborn Frog, it can only jump out if your backrow is empty. But the original anime version had no such restriction—otherwise if you couldn't have backrow every End Phase, Yubel would've been blown up by Jaden ten thousand times over.

Sarina's heart skipped a beat. She seemed to grasp this lineup—and what Kira meant by "The World's true power."

Every Standby Phase: Treeborn Frog Special Summons itself. Every End Phase: Samsara Lotus Special Summons itself.

Each turn, The World only needs to tribute two monsters to skip the opponent's next turn.

"This is… this is—"

An infinite LOOP!

And not just any infinite LOOP. In the TCG era, World-centric loops like this had a term: "World Lock."

In simple terms: my turn, my turn, still my turn.

You never reach your own turn—reality itself.

"Battle Phase again."

Kira's mouth quirked with playful amusement.

"If your destiny is absolute—if I'm fated to fall to it—then in your own World, can your time still flow?"

Sartorius's over-the-top expression twitched harder.

Infuriating. Absolutely infuriating.

How can this guy be this insufferably smug!?

"Arcana Force XXI - The World, attack Arcana Force 0 - The Fool!"

Another world-ending barrage. The World's pressure was apocalyptic.

Sarina stared blankly at The World—and at Kira commanding it.

This man…

 He really might be even more adept at wielding The World than her brother—or rather, than the Light of Destruction persona.

When he said he'd show the true power of the World, he wasn't exaggerating.

It's like this: in Sartorius's hands, The World wielded time stop—but only for a mere five seconds.

In this man's hands, the time The World can suspend is forever!

Sarina's heart leapt into her throat.

Will the evil, ruinous persona be defeated just like this? Will the time stolen from her brother be restored by the King's aid?

"Don't get cocky, you bastard!"

Sartorius's hammy expression escalated as he roared.

"I activate my face-down—Trap Card, 'Memory of an Adversary!'"

His backrow flipped. An invisible ripple burst forth. An unseen pressure surged with his shout; even the light dwelling within him spun up to its peak, his long hair whipping in the turbulence.

"This Trap can only be activated when an opponent's monster declares an attack," Sartorius said. "I take damage equal to that monster's ATK directly!"

The World's all-encompassing might, that tidal, mountainous blow, suddenly seemed to plunge into a vortex like a portal. The surging energy bypassed the front-line Fool and blasted straight into Sartorius's face, the force threatening to level the ground he stood on.

"GRAAAAH!" Sartorius howled impotently.

[Sartorius, LP 4000 → 900]

"You took the damage in your monster's stead?" Sarina frowned.

But what's the point? The Fool can't be destroyed by battle anyway…

 Sartorius, scorched and crouching, panting hard, continued: "But afterwards, that attacking monster is banished!"

A shimmering gold light wrapped The World, as if an unseen force caged it. That hulking metal body turned hazy—then faded out of existence.

"I see." Sarina nodded.

Though he paid a heavy LP price, he broke The World's infinite loop—escaping the curse of perpetual time-stop. He at least had a chance now.

But Kira knew there was more.

"Memory of an Adversary has a follow-up effect, doesn't it?" Kira said calmly.

"Heh, that's right."

Sartorius, breath catching, slowly stood, voice turning grim.

"During the next End Phase of your opponent's turn, the monster banished by this effect is Special Summoned to my field!"

Sarina: "!"

So that's his aim—

 "Hahaha, not bad! You stole my World and got quite smug. Unfortunately for you, on the next turn, I take back control of The World!"

Chapter 703: Barrier

"You actually broke the World Lock. Not bad. Looks like your destiny isn't entirely a paper tiger."

Kira said.

"Then having you attack me next turn would be troublesome.

So, I'll use the Spell Card 'Tribute to The Doomed.' By discarding a card, I can destroy any monster on the field."

Kira discarded a card to the GY, then revealed the Spell in hand. Golden light burst from the card; white bandages lashed out like tentacles, binding Sartorius's demon tightly.

"I destroy Arcana Force XV - The Fiend."

The Fiend was mummified, let out a shriek, then detonated into a fireball—gone.

Sartorius muttered something under his breath at the fragments, indistinct but clearly not polite.

"Although during my End Phase I could Special Summon Samsara Lotus from the GY, it can only Special Summon itself in Attack Position. That'd be stupid.

So I won't activate Samsara Lotus's effect. I'll keep Treeborn Frog in Defense Position and set one card. Turn end."

"My turn. Draw."

Sartorius drew, eyed the Fool on his field, and bared his teeth—more and more annoyed by the sight.

This cursed thing: 0 ATK, can't be destroyed by battle, can't switch to Defense. And though he'd cracked the World Lock, he'd paid with LP left like a candle in the wind.

In other words, if the opponent summons anything with 900+ ATK and swings at the Fool, ignoring everything else, his destiny is toast.

Dying like that would be far too stupid.

Sartorius grit his teeth.

But it's his Arcana Force—his monster. Even crawling, he'd swallow it.

"I activate the Spell Card 'Card of Sanctity.' Both players draw until they have six cards in hand." (anime effect)

Sartorius refilled to six cards.

May these draws bring an escape.

At this level, a warrior of destiny always has a path so long as he can draw. His draw didn't disappoint; his lips curled.

"Heh… hahahaha, the goddess of fate is still on my side."

He raised his arm. A slot on his Duel Disk popped.

"Now, I activate the Field of Light, unleashing its full power—

—Field Spell: 'Light Barrier'!"

A white beam shot skyward, expanding until it covered the entire arena. The endless white formed a transparent barrier; even the background and sky were dyed pure white—only dazzling light remained, without a speck of blemish.

"In the field of Light Barrier, when any monster with 'Arcana Force' in its name is Summoned, you don't rotate the card—you can freely choose Head or Tail!"

At first glance this looks redundant—Sartorius seemed to choose Head/Tail at will anyway—but this Field is precisely proof that he isn't as confident in his destiny as he claims.

And indeed, in the anime, while Sartorius freely chose every rotation against Chazz, Aster, and in the first half versus Jaden, in the end, at a critical rotation, he choked.

That proves Sartorius's so-called destiny can misfire. Even if picking Head/Tail is his "superpower," against someone with sufficiently strong destiny—like Jaden—there's a non-zero chance of error.

At a high level, a single misstep can cost the match. Light Barrier exists to completely seal that possibility.

"Next, I activate the Spell 'Monster Reborn' to revive a monster from my GY."

The giant ankh symbol appeared above Sartorius's field, then seemed assimilated by the overwhelming light—turning pure white.

From it emerged a grotesque demon, with scythe-tipped tentacles, twisted form, three eyes brimming with malice.

"Arcana Force XV - The Fiend, revived from the GY!"

[Arcana Force XV - The Fiend, ATK 2500]

"Normally Arcana Forces rotate when Summoned, but thanks to Light Barrier, I don't need to. I can freely choose the Head effect.

Naturally, I choose the Fiend's Head!"

The card remained Head.

"Though The Fool is on my field, The Fool's effect is: 'When your opponent activates a coin-flip effect, they can choose the result.'

In other words, you can only decide my flips when you are flipping coins; you can't interfere with my Arcana effects."

Sartorius said.

Kira nodded. "I know."

"Battle! Arcana Force XV - The Fiend, attack Treeborn Frog!"

The Fiend's tentacles swung, scythes gleaming as they closed in.

"The Fiend's Head effect: when it attacks, it can target one monster on the field and destroy it," Sartorius said. "Destroy your Treeborn Frog!"

A boom; Treeborn Frog exploded into pieces.

"With your defenses gone, Fiend, direct attack!"

The scythe slashed. Kira raised his hand—his set card flipped.

"I activate my Trap—'Security Orb.' When an opponent's monster declares an attack, change that monster's battle position.

Arcana Force XV - The Fiend switches to Defense Position."

[Arcana Force XV - The Fiend, ATK 2500 → DEF 2500]

The Fiend's scythe halted mid-swing. The attack ceased; the monster crouched into a defensive stance.

"Tch, using cheap tricks again, huh."

Sartorius snorted.

"No matter. I'll let you live one more turn."

He slid out three cards.

"I set three cards to my backrow. Turn end."

"Three sets…"

Sarina glanced at the triple backrow and Sartorius's unshaken confidence. Her mind raced.

LP only 900, with a Fool that can't switch to Defense. One poke could kill him—so delaying should be worse for him. Yet he's so confident.

So his setup must include answers.

She looked at Kira, kept silent, and prayed inwardly, pinning her hopes on him.

Chapter 704: The Realm of Light

"My turn. Draw."

Kira drew, then gestured to his Duel Disk.

"Standby Phase—my GY monster's effect triggers again. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Sartorius snorted.

"Treeborn Frog, right? If your Spell/Trap Zone is empty, it can Special Summon itself from the GY."

"Correct."

Kira revealed the GY card.

"Special Summon Treeborn Frog in Defense again."

The little angel-winged toad hopped out, halo shining, even landing with a holy sparkle.

But as soon as it landed, the glow dimmed. The toad groaned, crackled with dark red current, barely staying Head.

"What's that?" Sarina sensed something wrong.

"Heh… hahaha! You haven't realized it yet, but your monsters are deep in the realm of Light. In this realm, excess power is unnecessary. Only Light—purifying, simplifying Light—shall remain!"

Sartorius flung an arm, his expression contorting.

"Light Barrier's other effect! All monsters on the field that are not 'Arcana Force' have their effects negated!" (anime effect)

Sarina: "!"

From the name alone, Light Barrier is clearly a card born of the Light of Destruction possessing her brother—something the original Arcana Force deck didn't have.

But the effect is absurdly strong: if you're pure Arcana Force, it becomes a one-sided Skill Drain.

No wonder Sartorius says the Light makes everything simple and pure—everyone becomes a mortal under it. That is "purity," isn't it?

Even so, this anime-strength effect has a flaw: during its controller's Standby Phase, you must rotate the card. If it lands Tail, the Field becomes a blank, and all its effects stop.

It's just that with Sartorius's power, the failure chance is low.

"I activate the Spell 'Graceful Charity.'"

Kira said.

"Draw three, then discard two."

Sartorius kept chuckling.

"Struggle. Struggle all you like. With Light's power fully unleashed, nothing you do matters!"

Kira ignored him. "Normal Summon 'Chiron the Mage.'"

Before the monster appeared, hoofbeats sounded. A silver-armored centaur stepped out, a staff with a gem-like red tip in hand.

[Chiron the Mage, ATK 1800]

"First, we battle."

Kira waved straight at the Fool.

"Chiron the Mage, attack Arcana Force 0 - The Fool!"

Sarina held her breath.

Sure enough—regardless of defenses, you have to probe the Fool. With Sartorius at 900 LP, that un-switchable 0 ATK Fool is the biggest hole.

If Chiron lands the hit, the match ends immediately.

"Too weak!"

Sartorius barked.

"As expected! I activate my set—Continuous Trap 'Spirit Barrier'!"

A transparent barrier unfolded before the Fool like a glass screen. Chiron's strike burst against it without a crack; the Fool was unharmed.

"So long as I control a monster, all battle damage I take becomes 0!"

Sarina jolted. "As long as he has a monster—this is bad! The Fool…"

Sartorius laughed.

"That's right! Thanks to the Fool you gifted me, it's become the strongest shield—can't be destroyed, unaffected by your effects, and now I take no battle damage. Basically invincible!"

Thus the biggest hole was plugged—and turned into Sartorius's ultimate wall. Unless you take down The Fool, you can't deal battle damage.

"I see. That's a bit troublesome."

Kira said lightly.

"Then Battle Phase ends. Chiron the Mage's effect—once per turn, discard one Spell from hand."

Kira pitched a Spell to the GY.

"Destroy one Spell/Trap on your field."

Sartorius laughed.

"Are you brain-dead? I told you—so long as Light Barrier is on the field, all effects of non-Arcana monsters are negated!"

"I know. Negated doesn't mean 'can't be activated.'"

Kira smiled.

"Next, I chain to Chiron's effect with the Quick-Play Spell 'Mystik Wok.' I tribute Chiron and gain LP equal to its ATK."

A giant black wok appeared, flames roaring beneath. Chiron had barely cast his dispel when he fell into the wok, turned to golden motes, and flowed into Kira.

[Kira, LP 2300 → 4100]

"You healed yourself?"

Sartorius's mind raced—then he realized.

No, that's not the point. This is…

 "Light Barrier negates all non-Arcana monster effects," Kira said. "Chiron was on the field when I activated his effect, but by resolution he'd been tributed by Mystik Wok and was in the GY—outside the Light's realm. Thus, he's no longer under the Barrier and his effect resolves normally."

Sartorius's eyes bulged theatrically—pupils quaking.

"Bastard—!"

"Destroy the Field Spell 'Light Barrier,'" Kira said.

Chiron's dying spell struck the Barrier.

Light Barrier can bind everything on the field—but not the dead. The blast shattered the Barrier like glass, raining fragments across the arena.

You could feel that more than a duel-field broke. In that instant, even Sartorius's aura and strength dipped.

It seemed the Field was bolstering his Light as well.

"Good… good, Duel King."

Sartorius's contorted grin widened.

"Now you've really made me angry."

Chapter 705: The Ultimate Arcana Descends

"I set two cards and end my turn," Kira said.

"But you haven't forgotten, have you?"

Sartorius bellowed.

"End Phase—resolve 'Memory of an Adversary'! During the next opponent's End Phase, the monster banished by its effect is Special Summoned—to my field—now!"

He thrust an arm skyward.

"Return to me once more—

—Arcana Force XXI - The World!!!"

A colossal storm—an iron titan descended.

[Arcana Force XXI - The World, ATK 3100]

"My turn. Draw!"

Sartorius drew, lifted his head, and spoke in a feral tone. Not just his face—his voice warped, as if some other being overlapped with him.

"Those who defy fate will be punished most severely. Light is destiny! Now you'll understand—"

He pressed a button.

"I activate my set—Trap Card 'The Material Lord!'"

The Trap flipped—no visible effect. Its artwork showed the sea, drowning creatures—then the card became a pillar of light, shooting into the sky.

He didn't explain; he flipped the other set.

"Next, I activate my set—Trap Card 'The Spiritual Lord!'"

The card's art was a desert. Again, it had no immediate effect—just a beam into the sky, echoing the first.

Spiritual and Material—both anime-only cards (later given effects in video games). In the anime, they're effectless—merely prerequisites for the ultimate Arcana.

"Lastly, from my hand I activate the Spell—

—'The Sky Lord!'"

The Spell appeared between the two Traps. Three pillars of light soared upward, then merged into one.

"Offer these three pillars to the heavens. O ultimate Light, shine with boundless power, purify this filthy world—

—Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler, descend!!!"

A vast body took form in the radiance. Though named Light's Ruler, its body was jet-black. Two mechanical dragon heads, a cold, unyielding shell, eyes brimming with contempt for all.

[Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler, ATK 4000]

"The… Light Ruler."

Sarina stared, stunned.

This thing—this is the embodiment of the evil force possessing her brother. With her senses, she could feel the power roiling beneath that steel shell—power that made her heart quake, even fear.

Something that should not exist in this world.

Of course, as the ultimate Arcana, it too required rotation on Summon.

"Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler, Head!"

His word was law. He said Head—and Head it was.

"Head effect: when Light Ruler destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the GY, I can add any card from my GY to my hand. That card just can't be used this turn."

That's weaker than the printed card—the TCG/OCG Light Ruler removes that restriction, letting you use it immediately.

Also, the printed summoning condition is arguably easier: just tribute three monsters from your field to Special Summon it.

While that's only one more Normal Summon than a God card, it's far simpler than the anime's clunky three-piece setup. Frankly, ignoring its plot armor and destiny boosts, the anime Light Ruler's card power doesn't justify how hard it is to bring out.

Sartorius chuckled.

"Battle. First, Arcana Force XXI - The World, crush Treeborn Frog!"

The little defender bore a weight far beyond its tier and shattered.

"Now it's over!"

Sartorius shouted.

"Feel the power of Light—the baptism of Light! Be purified and become part of us!

 Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler, direct attack!"

At his word, a blinding pillar surged from the ultimate Arcana, swelling outward like a field expanding to swallow all.

"I activate the Trap 'Back to the Front.'"

Kira's backrow flipped.

"Back to the Front Special Summons a monster from my GY in Defense Position."

Sartorius sneered. "Reviving a small fry to chump block?"

"A small fry? Not necessarily."

Kira chuckled.

"I revive from the GY the card I pitched with 'Graceful Charity'—'Chaos Core.'"

Sartorius's brow furrowed.

Chaos Core?

He saw a strange fiend appear on Kira's field. Compared to the ultimate Arcana, it was tiny—an ant before a titan.

[Chaos Core, DEF 0]

"Pointless monster," Sartorius said. "Let it be crushed by Light Ruler!"

"When Chaos Core becomes the target of an attack, I can send 'Uria, Lord of Searing Flames,' 'Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder,' and 'Raviel, Lord of Phantasms'—up to one of each—from my hand/Deck to the GY."

Kira calmly revealed three cards and sent them.

Sartorius: "!"

Those are…

 The Three Sacred Beasts!?

As the Light of Destruction, he'd dwelt on this planet long enough to hear its legends—Gods, Wicked Gods, Sacred Beasts.

He, an outsider, hardly revered local myths—but names that famous warranted caution.

He quickly recovered.

"So what if you sent the Sacred Beasts now?"

Sartorius said.

"It's over regardless. Damage steps resumes—continue the attack. Light Ruler, destroy 'Chaos Core'!"

But the world-ending beam passed through the DEF 0 fiend—and it endured.

"What?" Sartorius's dread deepened. "Why?"

"After sending the Sacred Beasts with its effect, Chaos Core places a number of 'Sacred Beast Counter' on itself equal to the number of cards sent."

Kira said.

"For the rest of this turn, all battle damage to Chaos Core becomes 0. And each time it would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can remove one Sacred Beast Counter instead."