Yugioh [751-753] (Patreon)

Chapter 751: The Moment of Settlement

“You summoned it? Did it work!?”

On the terminal’s screen, the man on the other side was so excited he practically pressed his whole face against the camera. Kira instinctively tilted his head to avoid the giant head filling the view.

That was Franz, the Industrial Illusions’s top card designer, and the specialist in charge of researching and developing the Winged Dragon of Ra among the three God Cards.

The “The Winged Dragon of Ra – Sphere Mode” that Kira used was co-developed with him.

There had been summons before, but only in the lab as test summons. Testing was done with dedicated safety measures—mandatory for a high-risk subject like God Card R&D.

As everyone knows, the God Cards are among the most dangerous cards in the world. Back then, even the earliest designers to take on the project at the Industrial Illusions either died or went mad. It took Pegasus himself, with the power of the Millennium Eye, to complete the development. Cards like these carry the risk of divine punishment whether in design or in use.

Ten years on, the Industrial Illusions has long perfected safety protocols for this kind of high-risk research. Even divine punishment can be averted in the lab, provided the safeguards are fully in place.

Previously, they could only rely on technological protection and pre-arranged defenses in specific locations, allowing testers to attempt God Card-related use only for brief windows—and only during those windows.

The first person to successfully devise a way to bypass divine punishment in real combat—circumventing the usage restrictions of God Cards—was this genius designer, Franz. His Field Spell “Mound of the Bound Creator” can do just that, though because it works by crudely shackling a God Card, it was ultimately deemed a dangerously unorthodox method and never officially adopted by the company.

“How do you feel right now? Any discomfort?”

Franz was thrilled.

He’d been excited the first time he heard Kira had summoned Ra, and when Kira proposed the “bird egg” idea, he was so worked up he couldn’t sleep at night.

Devouring the opponent’s monsters to gift them a divine-grade egg—this was a path even he, a ten-year veteran expert, had never envisioned. He truly hadn’t expected the mightiest God Card, Ra, to hide such an opening.

Just imagining the opponent’s reaction as the egg eats their entire field was enough to exhilarate him as a designer.

Kira: “No, I feel great.”

“What about the other side? Any adverse reactions?”

Franz kept pressing, excited.

“Did they rush up and beat you?”

“Did they have an immediate cerebral hemorrhage?”

Kira: “…”

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Franz didn’t used to be like this.

At some point, the man’s philosophy of card design seemed to have quietly shifted.

 But Kira could understand.

Take this Ra’s egg, for instance—watching your own creation devour the opponent’s field, seeing them break down hysterically, even look like they want to kill you—that joy is something others won’t get.

It seemed Franz had finally found the fun in card design.

“How about coming over? I’ll run some tests,” Franz said. “Oh, and I’ve got a few new cards in development inspired by you. They’re going to be a blast! When you get here we can talk properly.”

“Next time.” Kira cut him off quickly. “I’ve got urgent business right now. I only called to report on the Sphere Mode trial I just ran.

I’ve sent over the duel data I just collected. Take a look first. Once I’m done here, we can discuss it in person.”

Before Franz could reply, he hung up.

He sorted his deck, grabbed a quick bite, then geared up.

Today was the day to settle things with Jaden.

Supreme King City.

“Lord Supreme King?”

The Supreme King upon the throne slowly opened his eyes.

Crouched before him was one of his most trusted subordinates, the head of the “Five,” Guardian Baou.

Guardian Baou. Level 4, Fiend, ATK 800. Can only be summoned while you control “Wicked-Breaking Flamberge - Baou.” When it destroys an opponent’s monster by battle and sends it to the GY, this card gains 1000 ATK. Monsters destroyed by this card by battle have their effects negated.

This card belongs to the “Guardian” archetype, used by Rafael, one of the Doma trio in Yu-Gi-Oh! DM—the duelist said to have once defeated Pharaoh Atem head-on.

Baou was one of those Guardians. By the time of GX, he’d joined the re-employment army, serving in the Spirit World under the Supreme King’s banner, and was one of the Supreme King’s most frequently seen confidants in the anime.

“Lord Supreme King has returned.”

Baou immediately began to flatter.

“I’m sure those fools brazen enough to challenge your authority have been ground to dust, cast into an abyss of endless regret and darkness. Hahaha—”

He stopped mid-laugh. Meeting the Supreme King’s murderously cold glare, the laughter died in his throat.

Baou dropped to his knees, head bowed, not daring to speak, unsure which part of his flattery had backfired. The killing intent made him feel like the Supreme King might lop off his head at any moment.

Of course, the Supreme King wouldn’t tell his subordinate that he himself had nearly fallen into darkness just now.

He’d been careless. He hadn’t expected an otherworld to harbor such shameless duelists—or that such a shameless god as a “bird egg” could exist.

That Kuriboh’s finishing slap still made his face throb faintly.

 An insult like this cannot go unavenged. If he swallowed this, what kind of Supreme King would he be?

“Alert the entire army,” the Supreme King rose from the throne. “Prepare for battle.”

He didn’t know how many had invaded his domain. But he knew one of them had to be the duelist he’d just encountered. The man’s strength needed no elaboration, and his treachery demanded utmost caution.

That one alone was a rare, lifelong nemesis requiring his full power.

Let alone the other presence—someone he could sense was inextricably connected to him, a personality opposite to his own—who should already be on the way.

The Supreme King had fought countless battles, but the one to come would be the most perilous of his life.

“Battle?”

Guardian Baou looked bewildered, daring to peek up and ask carefully.

“What battle? Are we attacking somewhere?”

“Right here.”

The Supreme King’s voice was icy.

“They’re coming.”

Chapter 752: The Industrial Illusions Is Targeted

At the same time, in Domino City.

In a forgotten corner of the city stood a former steel mill, like a silent elder, still in the dust of time.

Moonlight fell wordlessly over the ruins, giving the cold steel frames a silver edge. The rusted furnaces and chimneys had become monuments of a bygone era, giants eroded by years.

This was an abandoned corner. The steel mill’s owner had gone bankrupt. It was slated for demolition next month. Rumor had it KaibaCorp would buy the land to build a new Kaiba Land.

But that was for later. For now, like docks and derelict plants everywhere, it was a favored haunt for those working in the shadows and for criminals.

Today was one such day.

“We’ve got visual on thirty-plus members of the Hammer Gang on-site.”

In a truck parked by a corner outside, a headset-wearing liaison sat before multiple screens. Around him were feeds from hidden cameras placed around the steel mill.

“Deal expected on the second floor.”

“Good. Assault team, position on the second floor. Backup team, lock down the exits—nobody in, nobody out.”

Standing tall in the center of the truck, commanding the operation, was none other than Kirk Dixon, an Industrial Illusions Card Professor under Yako Tenma, known in the original as the Mecha Guy.

The man who’d faced not one but two Duel Kings—Kirk Dixon had been doing well. Promotions had come in quick succession; his status among the Card Professors was now top tier, one of the leadership cadre.

Hence he was leading today’s op.

Today was an illegal deal between card thieves and a local gang called the Hammer Gang. Normally, smuggling and such wouldn’t require elite Industrial Illusions operatives. But if it involved cards illicitly leaked from the Industrial Illusions, that was different.

And that was the exact situation now. Someone had stolen a batch of experimental cards not approved for the market and sought to pump them into underground illegal dueling.

Sometimes law enforcement handled such cases; other times, when the threat level was high, the company dispatched its own people.

Kirk Dixon, now among the top of the Card Professors, outclassed most ordinary duelists. This wasn’t his first rodeo. It should have been easy.

It should have been.

At nine sharp, a car pulled up outside the mill. Three men got out side by side.

“Card thieves spotted.”

Voices chimed in over the Industrial Illusions action team’s comms.

“Ready to take them anytime.”

“No rush,” Kirk said. “Wait until both sides are in position. Confirm our target cards are present, then move.”

He was confident everything was under control.

Until now.

The next moment, every screen in the truck went dark. Snow and static replaced the feeds.

“What’s going on?” Kirk frowned. “Where’s the feed?”

He pressed his earpiece—no response.

Comms seemed to be cut as well.

Only then did Kirk sense something was wrong.

He immediately disembarked, strapped on his Duel Disk, and headed for the mill. Circling to the back door, he found the backup team who was supposed to be positioned there had vanished—no sign of anyone nearby.

His anxiety grew. The op was likely blown. The enemy probably knew their deployment. He tried the door—it was locked from the inside. He stepped back two paces and activated his Duel Disk.

“Machina Soldier!”

As the words fell, the card slapped onto the Disk. The Disk flared, a projection blooming on the field before him: a steel warrior whose silver blade flashed coldly in the moonlight.

Kirk Dixon wasn’t a duelist with dark powers; in fact, few Card Professors had them. They relied on tech.

The Industrial Illusions cooperated closely with KaibaCorp. Their Duel Disks were self-developed but incorporated KaibaCorp’s latest military tech, capable of semi-solidifying holograms, drawing out a measure of a duel monster’s real power through technology.

That’s why Card Professors served as Pegasus’s elite operatives.

The steel warrior’s blade sliced down, shearing the lock like butter. Kirk kicked the door and entered at a run.

Still no one in sight.

The comms remained dead, no matter how he tuned them. The assigned positions for his team were empty. Not a sign of life anywhere.

Kirk swallowed.

Some primal instinct told him he shouldn’t go any further. This was a terrible idea; the operation had likely failed. He should retreat immediately and call for backup.

But he didn’t.

Partly because he couldn’t abandon subordinates already deployed. Partly because of his confidence.

He was a top-tier duelist who had faced the absolute pinnacle—twice.

And now he was equipped with the strongest tool to manifest card power in reality. What was there to fear?

Even so, when he reached the second floor and saw the scene, his heart seemed to stop.

There were his missing teammates, the thieves they were after, and the buyers.

Everyone was there, bathed in a serene yet eerie light.

They stood in formation, three opposing groups now oddly like one family, eyes vacant, all staring straight at him. It set his skin crawling.

“You guys… what—?”

He caught something in their eyes and shouted without thinking, “Machina Soldier!”

Already summoned, the Mecha Soldier moved with his thought, blinking behind Kirk and swinging its blade down in a vicious arc.

A ringing clang. A black cane intercepted the steel blade. A man in a white suit rotated the cane along the blade’s edge, then casually tapped the Mecha’s wrist.

It barely looked like an effort, yet the iron gauntlet on the Mecha Soldier’s hand shattered with a bang.

The man flipped the cane and flicked the tip against the soldier’s steel chest. An invisible force punched through it; the chest erupted with a boom.

Kirk Dixon’s eyes bulged in disbelief.

What did he just see?

 A man—barehanded—took out his Mecha monster?

Chapter 753: Machina vs. Gladiator Beasts

“You—?”

Kirk Dixon’s face darkened.

He knew about the ancient stone tablet’s power being stolen from the Industrial Illusions; as a Card Professor leader, he was in the loop.

The investigation had already zeroed in on one suspect.

The very man before him now.

“Mello, right?” Kirk said. “Bold for a thief to show yourself to us. What do you want?”

“Nothing much. I did a bit of prep, and now it’s about time to start the fight.”

“A fight?”

“With the Industrial Illusions?”

“Today’s just to say hello and, incidentally—”

Mello smiled. His cane unfolded into a Duel Disk. His deck slid into the slot.

“I’ve tweaked this deck and haven’t had a proper chance to test it. Before I face anyone truly troublesome, I need a punching bag with a little weight to warm up on.”

“A punching bag, huh.” Kirk pushed up his glasses. “I don’t know who you think you are, but nobody talks like that to the Mecha Professor.”

He paused, then smiled instead.

“Well, fine. Since you came to me, I’ll take the credit. Maybe Lord Pegasus will promote me to Chief Professor on the spot.”

“Duel!” x2

 [Kirk LP 4000]

 [Mello LP 4000]

“I’ll go first. Draw.”

Mello said, “I summon ‘Gladiator Beast Sagittarii’ in attack position!”

A winged-beast-type Gladiator Beast appeared, though it looked like a centaur, like the fabled Sagittarius. A golden-haired warrior in armor raised his bow, human torso over a horse’s body, arrow trained ahead.

[Gladiator Beast Sagittarii ATK 1400]

“I set one card. Turn end.”

Kirk sneered, “So you’re using the stolen deck right away. You’re just another card thief. We’ve caught plenty like you.”

“My turn. Draw!”

He played a monster.

“I summon ‘Machina Gearframe’!”

Orange-red mechanical parts assembled from the card into a humanoid frame.

[Machina Gearframe ATK 1800]

“When Gearframe is Normal Summoned, I add 1 ‘Machina’ monster from my Deck to my hand except Gearframe.”

The Duel Disk searched; he plucked out the target.

“I add ‘Machina Fortress’ to my hand.”

“Then Fortress’s effect! By discarding Machine-Type monsters whose total Levels equal 8 or more, I can Special Summon it from my hand without Tributes.”

He pitched a card.

“I discard Level 8 ‘Machina Megaform’ to Special Summon ‘Machina Fortress’!”

A heavy rumble. The machine assembled into a fully armed fortress, bristling head to toe.

[Machina Fortress ATK 2500]

“A stolen deck can only do so much. Let’s see how much of its power you can use.” Kirk barked, “Machina Fortress, attack ‘Gladiator Beast Sagittarii’!”

The fortress unleashed everything: cannon fire and a storm of missiles forming a sky-darkening barrage at the little fish—er, target.

“Then I activate my set card,” Mello said. “Trap Card, ‘Impenetrable Attack’!

 This can be activated in the Battle Phase with one of two effects: either choose 1 monster on the field; it can’t be destroyed by any means this Battle Phase; or make all battle damage I take this battle become 0.”

“A defensive trap,” Kirk said. “Going to null the damage?”

“No.”

Mello smiled and pointed at his monster.

“I’ll protect ‘Gladiator Beast Sagittarii’ from being destroyed by battle.”

A transparent barrier formed before Sagittarii; the barrage smashed into it. Explosions and flames washed over Mello.

[Mello LP 4000 → 2900]

Kirk frowned slightly.

He could have nullified the damage, yet he chose to take it and keep the monster.

Saving it to Tribute next turn?

Either way, his plan didn’t change.

“Battle continues. I still have Gearframe’s attack. ‘Machina Gearframe,’ attack ‘Gladiator Beast Sagittarii’!”

Gearframe charged and slammed a metal fist into the Gladiator Beast. The centaur staggered, but the trap kept it alive.

[Mello LP 2900 → 2500]

“Then at the end of your Battle Phase,” Mello said evenly, “the effect of ‘Gladiator Beast Sagittarii’ activates.

At the end of the Battle Phase in which it battled, return it to the Deck, then Special Summon 1 ‘Gladiator Beast’ from your Deck other than Sagittarii.”

Kirk’s eyelid twitched. “So that was the goal?”

Sagittarii turned into a ray of light and flew back into Mello’s Deck; another Gladiator Beast appeared in a column of water.

“I Special Summon ‘Gladiator Beast Murmillo’!”

[Gladiator Beast Murmillo ATK 800]

“Murmillo’s effect: If Special Summoned by a ‘Gladiator Beast’ effect, target 1 face-up monster on the field; destroy it.

Destroy ‘Machina Fortress.’”

The turbines behind Murmillo spun up, blasting a high-pressure water cannon into the Fortress. Soaked, the steel giant crackled and then exploded into scrap.

“So that was your angle…” Kirk snorted. “But at this moment, my ‘Machina Megaform’ in the GY activates.

If a ‘Machina Fortress’ you control is sent to the GY, banish that Fortress from your GY; Special Summon this card.

Come forth, Machina Megaform!”

The Fortress’s debris drew together, reassembling and transforming—as if the steel bastion grew limbs, tracks folding into joints, a heavy cannon slinging over its shoulder as it stood upright in humanoid form.

[Machina Megaform ATK 2600]

“Then ‘Machina Gearframe’s effect’—once per turn, it can equip itself to a Machine you control, or unequip to Special Summon itself.

I equip Gearframe to ‘Machina Megaform’!”

The orange bot folded into an exoskeleton, locking onto the iron giant.

“If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can destroy Gearframe instead!” Kirk said. “Then I set three cards and end my turn!”