Yugioh [820-822] (Patreon)

Chapter 820: The Final Draw

"Uwah!"

Jesse raised his arm to shield himself, gritting his teeth as the Mammoth on his field exploded into fragments.

"Mammoth! Damn it, he actually destroyed my most important family—"

"I'm fine, Jesse."

The Mammoth replied. But as it spoke, it had already turned into amber and returned to Jesse's back row.

"It's okay," Sapphire Pegasus comforted his teammate. "I now possess the power of Crystal Release. Even that higher Arcana ritual power isn't my match."

As if to slap that claim down, the next moment they heard Kira say with a smile: "The effect of Arcana Force XII - The Hanged Man in reversed position is, during each of my End Phases, destroy one monster on your field.

"Then you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK."

All the Crystal Beasts, Pegasus included, instantly petrified.

"Eh?"

"But before that, I activate the Continuous Spell 'Level Limit - Area B.'"

Kira naturally revealed again the Continuous Spell that Jesse had bounced the previous turn. All monsters on the field were once more unwillingly forced into Defense.

"In Level Limit - Area B, all Level 4 or higher monsters must be in Defense Position," Kira smiled. "Sorry, but it looks like you still can't attack."

Jesse: "..."

"I set one card and end my turn," Kira said casually. "End Phase, The Hanged Man's effect activates.

"I destroy 'Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus' on your field, and deal damage equal to its current ATK—2600!"

Pegasus let out a resentful whinny, yet still burst under the merciless power of The Hanged Man.

Jesse: "Ugh—ah!"

[Jesse, LP 3500 → LP 900]

"Damn..."

Jesse ground his teeth.

"Then the Equip Spell 'Crystal Release' that was equipped to Pegasus.

"When this card is sent from the field to the GY, place 1 'Crystal Beast' from your Deck into your Spell/Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell.

"Come forth, Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat!"

A lovely amethyst appeared in Jesse's back row—the final Crystal Beast that had yet to show itself.

Of course, the exploded Pegasus didn't leave either, becoming a sapphire gemstone crystallized in Jesse's back row, and continued speaking.

"This is bad, Jesse," Sapphire Pegasus said in gem form. "With that Hanged Man present, at the end of each of his turns one of us will be destroyed, and you will be forced to take damage equal to our ATK."

Emerald Tortoise: "Jesse only has 900 Life Points."

No one spoke.

The whole family looked at each other, eyes helpless and despairing.

This was likely Jesse's last turn.

This turn he was sealed from attacking. Next turn, as long as Kira's Hanged Man blows up any one of them, Jesse's done.

So this is a Duel King's duel?

This is a bit too much.

From start to finish they hadn't even laid a finger on the opponent—not even meaning LP, but the opponent's monsters. A duel where you can't even touch the opponent's monsters, can you believe it?

 Oh right, they did touch The Fool. But now The Fool looked like it had switched sides... at least on the field, so that probably didn't count.

"How about it," Kira smiled, eyeing Jesse. "Can your obsession with Rainbow Dragon, and your blazing passion with the Crystal Beasts, burn through these heavy barricades?"

Jesse took a deep breath.

And another.

And another.

As if steadying himself.

Then he looked up and said firmly:

"I don't know."

"Oh?"

"I don't know, because Mr. Kira's... strength is truly beyond my expectations. But..." Jesse thumped his chest, "my Crystal Beasts and I will fight until the very last moment. We will never give up."

"Is that so?"

Kira smiled faintly, saying nothing more.

"We may lose. But win or lose, as long as we're together as a family..."

Jesse looked down at his Deck, then at the Crystal Beasts before him who were sharing this despair. The Crystal Beasts all nodded to him, signaling they would fight to the end with him.

"My turn, draw!"

But before Jesse could do anything, Kira lazily waved his hand.

"Good momentum. Keep it up.

"I activate the set Continuous Trap 'Tour of Doom.'

"During your Standby Phase, spin the card to obtain Upright or Reversed effects.

"If Upright, you cannot Normal Summon, Special Summon, or Flip Summon this turn.

"If Reversed, I cannot Normal Summon, Special Summon, or Flip Summon next turn."

Everyone sucked in a breath.

Both the positive and negative are lethal. At first glance it seems like either side could be hit with equal probability. But at this moment, every gaze on Jesse's field fell on one monster.

[Arcana Force 0 - The Fool, DEF 0]

Jesse's expression twitched.

Wait, no way—

"Naturally," Kira said with a squinting smile, "because The Fool is on the field, Upright or Reversed—I can freely choose.

"So of course I choose..."

He snapped his fingers. The floating Trap didn't even pretend to spin; it simply stopped on Upright.

"Upright effect," Kira chuckled. "Now, not only must all your monsters remain in Defense and cannot switch to Attack, but this turn you also cannot Normal, Special, or Flip Summon.

"Then during my next End Phase, The Hanged Man will trigger again, destroy any monster on your field and deal damage... and that's game."

Kira narrowed his eyes, observing the boy.

"Well? Even so, do you still have the passion to summon that Rainbow Dragon you obsess over?"

Jesse: "..."

The Crystal Beasts were speechless.

The hot-headed Mammoth was already signaling Jesse with his eyes.

As in—maybe forget this dumb card game and just go deck this guy?

It claimed it had never met a more punchable human in its life...

 Even Pegasus's lips twitched.

Could it be that Kira Boy came here specifically to crash the party?

 Could a situation like this really awaken the Crystal Beast God?

 Jesse took another deep breath.

Then clenched his fist.

"I said I will always believe in my Deck and my Crystal Beasts. Even if we lose, we lose together."

Jesse shouted:

"I activate the Spell Card 'Card of Variation'!

 "Draw two cards from the Deck, then during the End Phase you must send one card to the GY. If you don't, you take 3000 damage!" (Anime Card)

 He placed his hand on the Deck.

The last draw.

Chapter 821: Waking Up to This Board State

Everything would be bet on this draw.

But like Jaden, Jesse is a duelist who believes in his Deck's potential. He believes that as long as you can still draw, there is hope.

His Deck had never let him down.

No matter whether the future this draw leads to is victory or defeat, he's unafraid. Whatever future comes, he will face it with his family.

"Draw!"

At that final draw, it was as if even the silent stone tablet behind them flashed with a momentary rainbow, like light spilled onto the card he pulled.

Kira hummed.

For an instant, he almost heard the GX execution BGM—an auditory hallucination.

"I activate the Spell Card—

—Crystal Abundance!"

Kira: "Oh?"

To top-deck Abundance in such a pinch—worthy of a man with a protagonist's fate.

"Crystal Abundance sends four 'Crystal Beast' cards from your Spell/Trap Zone to the GY to send all cards on the field... to the GY!"

"NANI?" Onlooker Mokuba was shocked.

The eye spirit behind Kira couldn't help but shout, "Hey! Can't win so you flip the table? That's cheating!"

Jesse yanked out the four Crystals slotted in his back row in one go.

"Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise!

 "Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat!

 "Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus!

 "Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!

"The power of four Crystals united—sweep away everything!"

Cracks ran across the four back-row gems, then they burst in turn. Blinding, endless light erupted, like a rainbow storm sweeping the entire field!

In an instant, Kira's Level Limit - Area B that locked attacks, Tour of Doom that locked summons, and the Arcana Force Hanged Man that would have pronounced defeat next turn were all vaporized by Crystal power—gone in a shot!

Of course, Jesse's own Crystal Beasts also burned out completely, leaving nothing behind.

"Amazing," Mokuba couldn't help but sigh. "So this is the powerful bond between Jesse and his Crystals..."

Er... or maybe, a cornered man will do anything.

Even as a spectator, he could imagine how stifling it felt to be repeatedly locked down by Kira like this.

Maybe it was precisely that extreme suffocation, built up and then released in one breath, that produced such an astonishing power.

 "This completely rewrites the board!" Jesse declared. "All your set-ups are gone, Mr. Kira!"

"Is that so?"

Kira smiled and pointed at Jesse's field.

Jesse frowned, followed the gesture, and froze.

[Arcana Force 0 - The Fool, DEF 0]

"Eh?"

Jesse blinked twice.

Wait, didn't we flip the whole table? Why is this turd still here—

"Ah, right..." Jesse suddenly remembered.

"Seems it came back to you," Kira smiled. "Correct. Reversed Fool is unaffected by its controller's card effects."

Jesse: "..."

He was truly beyond snark now.

So not only is this thing crap, it's absurdly hard. You flip the whole table and it's still glued to it.

But that didn't matter now!

Because—

As if resonating with this duel and all the Crystal Beasts' pent-up frustration and fury, the silent stone tablet began to rumble, then burst into seven-colored radiance!

 Seven dazzling gems seemed to rise from Jesse's GY, drawn together by an unseen gravity, weaving a rainbow across the sky like silk ribbons in a fairy's hands.

A rainbow!

 Pegasus stared, eyes blazing: "Oooh—Masaka (could it be)!?"

The heart of the rainbow stirred, as if life were forming. A sacred, dreamlike figure emerged from within.

A majestic and awe-inspiring dragon, its body at first a seven-colored energy form—like the purest energy in the cosmos—until the seven hues fused into a sacred, pure white body.

"When the seven Crystals unite, the form of the Ultimate Gem God descends! Appear—"

Jesse raised the card in his hand.

It was originally a blank card.

A card Pegasus had given him, designed specifically for the ultimate Crystal—yet blank until today.

Seven-colored light surfaced on the card; artwork glittered into being, gilded letters forming.

Rainbow Dragon, Summon!

 [Rainbow Dragon, ATK 4000]

"It really worked!"

President Pegasus lost all composure in his excitement.

"Unbelievable!"

"It actually worked, Jesse-boy! Kira-boy!"

Mokuba stared dumbly at the godly dragon radiating divine pressure, then at Kira, a stuck expletive lodged in his throat.

How is this even possible?

Jesse felt indescribably elated, as if a huge stone long lodged in his chest—no, not just one, a growing pile of stones nearing his limit—were suddenly swept away by seven-colored light, revealing a broad avenue.

An almost indescribable ultimate ecstasy.

He even thought that, as a duelist, this might be the pinnacle of life.

Only one thing remained.

Use the Ultimate Crystal God to write the final punctuation mark on this infuriating duel!

"Thank you very much, Mr. Kira. Without your help, my Crystal Beasts and I might never have reached the resonance to awaken Rainbow Dragon."

Jesse smiled.

"But the duel isn't over. A duelist must go all out to the very end!"

Mokuba finally snapped out of the trance of Rainbow Dragon's descent.

"Ah!"

Right—Crystal Abundance swept the field; every card was gone, which meant Kira had no cards left to defend.

If he took a direct attack from the ATK 4000 Ultimate Crystal God—

 Mokuba looked sharply at Kira.

Was Kira going to lose here to help awaken the Rainbow Dragon?

 Clap, clap, clap—

But just as he worriedly looked over, at the final moment Kira was... applauding?

"Splendid, Jesse. I have witnessed the indomitable bond you share with your Crystals, and your determination to break through any barrier."

"Hehe."

Jesse scratched his nose, a little embarrassed.

"Well then, with Rainbow Dragon awakened, my errand is complete," Kira smiled lightly. "Let this duel end this turn."

With those words, everyone understood.

So that's it—everything Kira did was to stimulate Rainbow Dragon's awakening. Now his mission was complete, and it seemed he no longer cared about victory.

But just as they all thought so—

"From my hand, I discard the Spell 'Intervention of Fate' and activate its effect," Kira said. "This card can only be discarded from your hand to activate when a monster is summoned. When discarded, I can Quick-Play a Normal Spell from my hand." (Anime Card)

 It was the same GX original magic used by Sartorius in that infamous zero-turn kill against Prince Ojin.

"Huh?" Jesse froze.

Then Kira revealed another Spell in his hand.

Another gift from Sartorius's Light of Destruction persona.

"The Spell 'Ace of Sword'," Kira smiled. "Choose a monster on the field, then spin this card to gain an Upright or Reversed effect.

"Upright: inflict damage to your opponent equal to the chosen monster's ATK.

"Reversed: I take damage equal to the chosen monster's ATK."

Everyone's pupils shrank; more sharp intakes of breath.

They all knew what he would choose.

[Rainbow Dragon, ATK 4000]

A 4000-ATK Crystal God!

 Which meant that this spin would decide the duel. As if the whole match came down to a coin toss: heads Jesse loses, tails Kira loses—each with a fifty-fifty shot.

No—wait—

 Everyone's gaze swung back to another monster on Jesse's field.

That stinky, rock-hard Fool that refused to leave.

[Arcana Force 0 - The Fool, DEF 0]

"Indeed, with The Fool on your field, I don't need to spin. I can freely choose Upright or Reversed and activate."

Kira explained with a smile.

Jesse: "..."

Even Rainbow Dragon on Jesse's field opened its mouth... then closed it... then opened it again, failing to manage a single roar.

But its reaction clearly said—

—Are you messing with me?

I've slept for millennia, and this is what I wake up to in my first duel?

Where's my newbie protection?

"Then I choose the Upright effect of Ace of Sword. Jesse, you'll take damage equal to Rainbow Dragon's ATK—4000."

Kira paused, then gave him an encouraging smile.

"Well played. Keep it up."

As his words fell, seven-colored light blasted from Rainbow Dragon and crashed over Jesse.

[Jesse, LP 900 → LP 0]

PS: Kira is fucking disgusting xD

Chapter 822: The Term's End

Everyone: "..."

That development truly blindsided everyone.

Even Mokuba, who had the most faith in Kira, thought by the end that Kira had given up on winning. His actions indeed looked like the duel was merely to stimulate the opponent and awaken Rainbow Dragon, with no desire to win.

Who knew he'd pull some inexplicable cards on the opponent's turn, and with a rigged coin under the table, carry Jesse and Rainbow Dragon straight off the stage...

 Jesse himself was dumbfounded.

He hadn't even thought about winning beforehand, nor did he think he had much chance to beat the Duel King. But in that last turn, he truly believed he would win.

He'd even awakened Rainbow Dragon, the mood built to a peak, only for a sudden twist to throw out his back...

 He couldn't help looking at the card on his Dueling Disk.

From Kira—the Arcana Force 0 - The Fool that he hadn't been able to get rid of to the very end.

Looking back now, there was nothing foolish about it—this was the MVP of the duel.

 He even started to worry, could that last bit have pissed Rainbow Dragon back into the tablet?

Didn't seem impossible. After all, Rainbow Dragon is a god-tier monster. It slept for ages, only to wake to this scene. Maybe it would despair at the dark modern dueling environment and go back to sleep...

 "Jesse?"

The lost-in-thought Jesse was called back by Kira's voice.

"Ah, sorry... ahaha."

Jesse smiled awkwardly, picked up The Fool from his Disk, and handed it to Kira.

"Mr. Kira's dueling is really... as distinctive as the rumors say, hahaha."

Kira smiled. He knew Jesse was being polite, and the prestigious title of Duel King was doing some work here. If it had been someone else across from him, this might have turned into a fistfight.

"Your dueling was excellent as well," Kira returned the courtesy. "I witnessed the extraordinary bond between you and your Crystals.

"Keep that passion, and your future achievements will be limitless."

"Thank you."

Jesse shook his hand.

Meanwhile, the big eye had reappeared at some point, muttering quietly from the back: "To keep one's passion even after being tormented by such an evil existence... a real talent..."

But as soon as it spoke, the big eye shivered, sensing some killing intent.

It instinctively turned and saw a silver-haired, white-robed, fairy-like, cool enchantress looking at it coldly, twirling her wand with practiced ease.

The eye jolted and ducked its head.

"My mistake. I'll never badmouth my master again."

Only then did Silent Magician smile.

Strangely, she hadn't said a single word the whole time, and her smile was as sweet and beautiful as ever. Yet somehow, the eye instinctively sensed a danger behind that sweetness, like a thousand blades hidden behind the smile.

It suddenly thought, maybe that's how duelists across from Kira feel when they see him smile.

Familiars do resemble their masters...

 In any case, the Rainbow Dragon excavation was a success.

Kira himself had little interest in the Crystal Beast deck; in his impression, no matter the version or environment, Crystals were kind of a perennial tier-low.

Of course, there's development potential, and he remembered many future Crystal support cards. But even with buffs, they couldn't keep pace with an environment accelerating into madness, never really escaping low-tier status.

Still, he agreed to cooperate with Pegasus and Industrial Illusions, and would establish a Crystal-specialty research group in his lab.

"Wonderful, thank you Mr. Kira!"

Jesse was delighted.

"Oh right, the Academy told me there'll be an exchange with the main campus next term," Jesse said excitedly. "I'll definitely visit your lab then.

"I look forward to your guidance!"

"Sure."

They shook hands again.

He remembered this, too—Jesse was originally slated to appear next term.

Not just Jesse. Led by visiting teacher Professor Viper, there'd be Volcanic user Axel Brodie, Fossil deck user Jim Crocodile Cook, Crystal Beast user Jesse, and the Gecko Family heir Adrian Gecko—heavy hitters introduced this season.

As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that these transfers, whether allies or enemies, are no pushovers. Each is highly skilled, most could trounce all of the main-campus protagonist crew except Jaden, their power level a whole tier higher.

Some even surpassed Jaden at the time.

This term was nearing its end, and the exchange wasn't far off.

Kira knew many among them had their own agendas. While there were pure students like Jesse, there were also those willing to sacrifice all students for demonic power to revive a loved one (the professor), undercover agents like Axel, and the scion Gecko investigating dark forces...

 At the center of it all was Professor Viper, bewitched by Yubel, holding a duel event that siphoned students' life force—the root of it all.

…

…

This term had reached its finale.

A few days ago, the term's big event, the GX Tournament, concluded. Only finals remained.

Jaden was shocked to hear it.

"Huh? The tournament's over?" Jaden blinked. "When was the finals? How did I not know?"

"Right when we went to deal with Mello..." Kira said, not looking up as he flipped through a newly acquired batch of cards.

"I thought you knew."

"I didn't! Damn, I missed the finals—so many duels I didn't fight... Does that mean you didn't place either, Kira?"

Kira chuckled: "I didn't even enter."

"Huh?" Jaden blinked twice. "Wasn't entry mandatory for all students?"

"I told the Chancellor I was busy... Besides, a tournament at that level would feel like bullying elementary schoolers." Kira shrugged.

"Well... for you, yeah, probably."

Jaden propped his chin, listless.

"Damn, I missed so many duels—what a million-LP loss."

Kira smiled.

"Is that so? Then I can introduce a duelist for you to spar with—one I'm sure you'll enjoy."

Jaden's eyes lit up and he rushed over: "Who? A legendary duelist?"

"Not exactly. But... call it a legendary deck," Kira said with a mysterious smile. "Jaden, have you heard of 'Crystal Beasts'?"