Yugioh [802-804] (Patreon)

Chapter 802: The Working Tiger

The farthest distance in the world is when we're clearly in the same duel, yet I'm inside the cage and he's outside of it.

Mm. That was the truest picture of Mello's heart at this moment.

He looked at the red-hot iron cage in front of him, then up at the big lug overhead whose whole body seemed to be dripping magma and who looked like he was giving him a goofy grin. Mello was speechless.

All he could do was take deep breaths. Deep breath, deep breath, and a deeper breath.

Then he cursed in his heart.

Damn it, Lava Golem. How could I forget about that?

He should have known. Lava Golem was the monster that the Duel King himself called his ace, and it had played key roles more than once in critical battles, including the fight with the Arbiter.

He ought to have remembered that thing still existed.

It's just that the intel said Kira hadn't used it much lately, and in this duel he'd been busy the whole time dealing with Volcanic lockouts—burns, life-point scorch, and card-bombing—so overwhelmed he had no time to think that far ahead.

Thinking back now, Mello felt he'd been ridiculously naive for even a moment to carefully guard against the opponent bringing out a big boss for a straight-up clash.

Would this guy really summon an ace monster properly to face you head-on?

Though Lava Golem has nothing to do with Volcanics as a theme, it's a FIRE monster with art that fits the Volcanic vibe, and its antisocial effect eats the opponent's monsters and burns their LP—so it's naturally associated with Volcanics as a distant cousin.

Not to mention it was once paired with "Volcanic Queen," which has a similar ability, and together they were dubbed the "Volcanic Couple," a duo that lived off devouring enemy monsters and burning LP—their notoriety once stank up the meta.

"What a shame. That means your Andabata next turn is gone too. Gladiator Beast's 'Gladiator Beast's Medallion' only prevents destruction; it can't stop Lava Golem."

Kira smiled with squinted eyes.

"It's such a pity your Gladiator engine just got going and now it's cut off again."

Mello: …

The worst part was, when Kira said "what a pity," Mello could swear he saw the abstract face of Lava Golem above him open its mouth to suck in a breath, then shake its head, as if it genuinely felt sympathy and regret for his plight.

Mello laughed angrily.

You two doing a comedy double act here?

"However, on the turn I summon Lava Golem, I can't Normal Summon," Kira said. "So I'll set one card to the back row and end my turn."

Mello calmed down.

Fine—though his side got interrupted again, the opponent's Volcanic core hadn't been rebuilt. Take this turn to regroup—

"My turn. Draw!"

Kira reminded him: "At this moment, Lava Golem's effect. During your Standby Phase, inflict 1000 damage to its controller."

Magma poured down, dousing Mello. He snorted coldly and took it on the chin.

[Mello, LP 2300 → LP 1300]

"I activate the Spell 'Advance Draw,'" Mello said. "Tribute a Level 8 or higher monster on the field to draw two cards.

Begone, Lava Golem."

Lava Golem whimpered pitiably and melted into a pool of magma, vanishing.

"To treat the Level 8 beater I gave you like that." Kira shook his head. "All my kindness, wasted…"

"Shut up!"

Mello cut him off mercilessly.

"Someone like you needs the baptism of the great Cosmic Light the most!

I activate the Spell 'Akashic Record'—draw two cards from the deck. But if I draw a card that's been used in this duel, it must be banished."

He drew two more, then immediately revealed one.

"I activate the Spell 'Gladiator Proving Ground'—add a Level 4 or lower 'Gladiator Beast' from deck to hand. I add 'Gladiator Beast Darius'!"

"Then I activate the Spell 'Unexpected Dai'!

If I control no monsters, Special Summon a Level 4 Normal Monster from the Deck.

I Special Summon 'Gladiator Beast Andal'!"

[Gladiator Beast Andal, ATK 1900]

"And again, from hand—'Test Tiger'! If I control a Gladiator Beast, I can Special Summon it!"

[Test Tiger, ATK 600]

There's that little blockhead tiger again.

Kira propped his chin and mused.

Seems Mello's GB build has sealed off battle-based tags and relies on topdecking this tiger to keep going... To be fair, it's handy.

But the repeatedly overworked little tiger looked a bit drained compared to before, head drooping, low on energy.

Working isn't easy. It doesn't even have the "Gladiator Beast" name, at best an outsourced contractor, yet it does several times more work than the main family…

"Test Tiger's effect—Tribute this card, then return 'Gladiator Beast Andal' on the field to the Deck. Then Special Summon a 'Gladiator Beast' from the Deck!"

The two newly arrived monsters vanished together.

"Come forth again! Gladiator Beast Augustus!"

[Gladiator Beast Augustus, ATK 2600]

"Augustus's effect—if this card is Special Summoned by a Gladiator Beast's effect, I can Special Summon a Gladiator Beast from my hand in Defense Position.

I Special Summon the 'Gladiator Beast Darius' I just searched!"

[Gladiator Beast Darius, DEF 300]

"Then Darius's effect—if it's Special Summoned by a Gladiator Beast's effect, Special Summon a Gladiator Beast from the GY with its effects negated!

Revive the 'Gladiator Beast Bestiari' destroyed in the first turn by your Blaze Accelerator!"

[Gladiator Beast Samnite, DEF 1200]

"Then I activate my set card," Kira said. "Trap Card 'A Rival Appears!'!"

"Choose one face-up monster your opponent controls, then Special Summon a monster from your hand with the same Level.

I choose your 'Gladiator Beast Samnite,' and from my hand, a Level 3 monster—"

He slapped a card onto the Duel Disk.

"'Doomdog Octhros,' Special Summon."

[Doomdog Octhros, DEF 800]

"I don't care what it is!" Mello shouted. "Preparation is complete!

Return 'Gladiator Beast Augustus,' 'Gladiator Beast Darius,' and 'Gladiator Beast Samnite' to the Deck—Contact Fusion, triple!"

The three Gladiators vanished into a swirling fusion vortex that pierced the sky, and the king of the arena descended in that maelstrom!

Gladiator Beast Andabata, summon again!

[Gladiator Beast Andabata, ATK 1000]

"Andabata's effect—when summoned, Special Summon a 'Gladiator Beast' Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions—

—Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, come forth!"

Within a green whirlwind, the monarch Gyzarus appeared again!

[Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, ATK 2400]

"When Gladiator Beast Gyzarus is Special Summoned, destroy up to two cards on the field!" Mello said. "The only two you have left—'Volcanic Rocket' and 'Doomdog Octhros'—destroy them!"

Gyzarus's cyclones rose again; countless steel feathers turned Kira's two monsters into beehives. Rocket and Mad Dog exploded together, vanishing in twin fireballs.

Chapter 803: The Final Accelerator

"Now, 'Doomdog Octhros''s effect," Kira said unhurriedly. "If this card is sent from the field to the GY, add one Level 8 Fiend from your Deck to your hand."

Mello blinked.

A Level 8 Fiend? But your Volcanics are all Pyro…

Then Kira casually revealed the card in his hand.

He added "Lava Golem" from the Deck to his hand.

Mello: …

Are you kidding me…

You've got a second copy of that thing?

Faced with Mello's man-eating glare, Kira was perfectly frank.

"What? It's not some limited-edition rare. I like it, so I run a second. Problem?"

Mello: …

He had nothing to say.

So Kira openly added Lava Golem to his hand—basically telling him face-up that no matter what fancy plays you make, next turn I'm eating you alive.

Mello let out a long breath.

It's fine. Still manageable.

He glared.

"You'll need to have a next turn first—battle!

Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, direct attack—"

Gyzarus's wings spread in a roar that shook the sky. A violent whirlwind formed; countless tiny steel feathers flashed with razor light, like ten thousand arrows unleashed.

But that furious strike never got through. The green tempest, a force that could rend steel, smashed into an electromagnetic barrier that seemed to split the world in two. Every steel feather rebounded the instant it touched the field, unable to budge it.

Mello: "Why!?"

The guy's field was clean—nothing left at all…

"In my GY—'Electromagnetic Turtle,'" Kira chuckled. "Banish it to forcibly end the Battle Phase once."

Mello was about to lose it.

No battle. Again no battle.

If it were a trap that negated attacks, he could have blown it up beforehand—but this damned turtle hides in the afterlife. You can't even defuse this pitfall…

Mello bared his teeth.

Damn it—why is it so hard to even initiate battle against this guy?

The Battle Phase was forcibly ended, so his Andabata and Gyzarus follow-up effects naturally couldn't trigger.

And the opponent still had Lava Golem in hand.

"No. I won't let you run wild," Mello growled. "Continuous Spell—'Prohibition'!

Declare a card that cannot be used for the rest of this duel!

I declare… Lava Golem!"

This time Kira almost burst out laughing.

Seriously, man? You hate my big boy that much?

Prohibition has seen meta play as a generic tech, a side-deck surprise against certain decks by naming key pieces.

But to target my big boy with that is just…

He didn't even know what to say.

"I set one card. Turn end," Mello said.

"My turn. Draw."

Kira narrowed his eyes at his hand, then smiled slightly.

"Using Prohibition to lock my Lava Golem—now that's fresh. In that case, I'll use this…"

He swept his hand.

"Spell Card—'Harpie's Feather Duster.' Destroy all Spell/Trap Cards your opponent controls!"

Mello: "!"

To flip the ultimate backrow nuke at a time like this—

If Prohibition gets blown away, then without a doubt the next thing is the big boy eating his two Gladiator aces. Take the burn, and his LP would be a candle-in-the-wind 300. Against Volcanics, 300 LP is basically already dead.

And if the aces he finally summoned get eaten by Lava Golem again, turning the tide afterward would be tough. The opponent hardly let him attack all duel; rebuilding would be no easy task.

I can't let him succeed!

"Counter Trap—'Disarm'!" Mello shouted. "Return a Gladiator Beast from hand to Deck to negate the activation of a Spell and destroy it!"

Feather Duster fell in battle before it began—rarely seeing daylight, it dissipated before it could sweep a thing.

"Stop thinking about your Lava Golem," Mello said darkly. "I won't let you have your way."

"Fine—if I can't use it, I won't. But if you've spent your counter trap here…"

Kira's face seemed shaded, half-smiling.

"Then what will you do about this?"

He revealed a card.

"Continuous Spell—'Blaze Accelerator'—Unit Two."

Mello: "!"

Flames surged. A massive metal cannon frame rose from the boiling magma, gleaming with the red-hot glow of molten rock.

Mello instinctively held his breath.

Damn—it's still there. He had no more counters…

"Blaze Accelerator's effect—discard a Pyro-Type monster with 500 or less ATK from your hand to destroy one monster your opponent controls."

Kira spoke evenly.

"But this time, the Pyro-Type monster I'm discarding is this one."

He slowly revealed the monster in his hand—

The Volcanic finisher, the strongest shell for the Blaze Accelerator.

"Volcanic Scattershot," Kira said. "When this card is sent to the GY, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

And, if it's sent to the GY by the effect of a 'Blaze Accelerator' card, then on top of that…"

His Duel Disk auto-searched the Deck; two more cards slapped out. He drew them leisurely and displayed them.

"Send the other two 'Volcanic Scattershot' from hand and Deck to the GY.

Each Scattershot inflicts 500 damage, and all monsters your opponent controls…"

He sent all three shells to the GY, then looked up, speaking slowly with weight.

"…are destroyed."

Mello's pupils shrank.

Destroy all monsters, and each Scattershot does 500—that means…

[Mello, LP 1300]

"Good duel," Kira smiled faintly. "Unfortunately, fun times are short. Looks like it's time to say goodbye."

Three Volcanic Scattershots queued into the Accelerator. Flames loaded; Blaze Accelerator charged to the max. The roaring inferno erupted like dancing fire dragons!

Boom—

Chain explosions, like the hottest heart of an erupting volcano. Andabata and Gyzarus were swallowed together, the flames surging on to engulf Mello, his unwilling roar consumed as well.

[Mello, LP 1300 → LP 0]

Chapter 804: A Second Chance

"Wrrrrrrrry!"

Mello roared in unwilling fury, barely sounding human. The Accelerator's bombardment pulverized his entire field—towering blasts, as if his very soul were blasted out of his body.

Not an exaggeration—literally. The barrage blew a white mass out of Mello's body, like an out-of-body spirit.

That white thing howled even more violently once expelled, swelling to several times its size. At first it was only about half a man tall; in mere seconds of manic bellowing it had grown to twice a person's height.

A face like blank paper now showed abstract features: eyes brimming with savagery, a mouth roaring hurricanes.

The Light of Destruction.

Kira knew that the thing confronting him from the start was essentially this. It attaches to humans like a parasite, using the host as a medium to exert power.

From its depiction in the anime, the Light of Destruction might be a symbiote-like existence. It possessed The D, the thief of Plasma; it possessed Plasma's card; it possessed Sartorius; it even attached to Yubel and evolved her into two new forms she didn't originally have.

The Light can attach to spirits and humans, control the host, and greatly amplify or even develop new abilities. But it likely can't act alone; without a host, it loses most of its power.

Like right now.

The light howled and raged, baring fangs in ferocity. But Kira could tell that beneath the bluff exterior, it was already spent.

As it tried to pounce, an iron cage slammed down from above.

The Light of Destruction froze.

Its lunge stalled for two seconds, then it slowly looked up.

A steaming, red-hot cage descended out of nowhere to trap it. Over the cage was Kira's ace—Lava Golem. The blazing giant lowered his head and cocked it to the side, locking eyes with the Light inside.

They stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds.

Then the big lunk slowly reached out, pressing its open palm atop the cage.

Endless magma oozed and hissed, pouring down in rolling sheets, drenching the Light of Destruction in the cage as if a bucket of filth upended over its head.

The Light shrieked miserably, struggling desperately in the cage. It tried to push out, but the instant it touched the bars, the cage seemed to ignite, glowing as red as fire. It screamed even more shrilly and recoiled, its huge body rapidly shrinking under the deluge, like a guttering flame ready to go out.

"No!"

Mello, who had been limp on the ground, suddenly leaped up and rushed the cage, heedless of the heat.

But the moment his hands grasped the bars, he let out an equally sharp scream and tumbled, writhing on the ground. In that instant of contact, his hands were seared into mangled flesh.

The Light of Destruction wailed in the cage, straining toward the outside as if calling to Mello.

Mello lay prone, painfully stretching out his mangled hand toward the Light inside.

One inside the cage, one outside—arms reaching for each other, just an arm's length apart, yet separated by an impassable cage of magma like a chasm.

Kira: …

Do you have to make it look like tragic star-crossed lovers? How am I suddenly the villain tearing you apart forever…

Well, since he'd finally blasted the Light out of its host, Kira certainly wasn't going to let them reunite.

He stepped forward and casually planted his foot on Mello's outstretched hand.

Mello screamed a hundred times worse, trying to yank his arm back but failing, his body convulsing helplessly.

"You weren't controlled by the Light of Destruction, were you?"

Kira looked down and asked coolly.

"Or at least—not completely."

This wasn't his first time dealing with this cosmic force. He'd already seen many people infected by the evil light regain freedom and reason under his righteous guidance. Once freed, they quickly returned to their original selves, showing marked changes from before.

But Mello didn't.

Kira was sure Mello had been freed—the Light was clearly ejected from his body. Yet he still clung to this evil cosmic parasite, desperate to rejoin it.

Mello glared up at him in fury.

"What do you know!?"

He roared.

"So what if I'm being controlled?"

"I know it brainwashes me, uses me—so what? Before I met it, I was a failure. I was nothing!"

"Is that so?"

Kira looked down at him.

"Even if its goal is to destroy this world?"

"This world never cared about me anyway. Let it burn," Mello said coldly. "At least before that, I won't be meaningless."

He gritted his teeth at Kira.

"How would someone like you understand?"

"You, with your extraordinary talent—born to be a king—destined for a life others look up to. How could you understand the pain of a loser?"

Kira watched him, expressionless.

"Believe it or not, I do," Kira said lightly. "And I've never thought I was anything special."

He meant it.

In his previous life, he was painfully ordinary—no waves, nothing outstanding. Like the most nameless NPC around you, with no particular skill.

Even in Yu-Gi-Oh!, the only thing he was decent at, he was just a casual enthusiast. He liked studying meta history, old decks, offbeat combos; sometimes he made videos to eke out a few clicks online. But he thought his play was average—he'd never achieved convincing tournament results.

But he considered himself very lucky.

Because he'd gotten a second chance, in a world where his strengths could finally be useful.

Still, he didn't think he was special—he was standing on the shoulders of predecessors, using their experience to achieve all this. He believed many duelists in his shoes could do even better.

Kira took Mello's Deck, turned toward the door, and gestured without looking back.

"Finish it."

Lava Golem received the order. Its flames surged, and a lava poured into the entire cage.

"Yamero—!"

Mello screamed in despair, but the bursting flames surged out of the bars. The struggling Light of Destruction was finally obliterated in the blaze, scattered to smoke on the wind.