107 A Marriage in Vain: In the End, You Still Have to Rely on Me! ╭(╯^╰)╮

"My turn, draw!"

"At this moment, I activate the trap card 'Trap Dustshoot'!"

Watching the duel turn shift back to Ishizu, Kaiba could not wait to activate the second trap card in his deck, which possessed the effect of destroying the opponent's deck.

"I will send the top five cards of my deck to the graveyard. In return, Ishizu, you must send up to ten magic cards from your deck to the graveyard!"

"..."

Listening to Kaiba's explanation of the card's effect and watching him send the top five cards of his deck to the graveyard, Ishizu frowned, staring intently at the 'Trap Dustshoot' trap card remaining on Kaiba's field as she placed six magic cards into her own graveyard.

Something was wrong! This card was clearly a magic card, so why had it become a trap card? Furthermore, it originally required no cost to discard ten magic cards from an opponent's deck, so why did it now require her to mill five cards from her own deck to deplete his?

Everything was different from the "future" she had seen through the Millennium Necklace!

*'Purple border of an OCG trap card... the ten-card mill effect from the anime... an original activation cost... How interesting!'*

To Youyi, there were only two versions of Trap Dustshoot: the heavily nerfed OCG version and the anime version that destroyed ten magic cards without cost.

But the card before him not only combined the features of both versions but also featured an original "activation cost"—sending five cards from the top of one's own deck to the graveyard.

Was it because of the changes in Ishizu that Kaiba’s cards had also shifted?

While Youyi pondered, Ishizu, despite not understanding why Kaiba's card differed from the "future" she had foreseen, activated the core card of her deck at this very moment!

"Ishizu! Your deck has been completely destroyed! Whether they are monsters or magic cards, there isn't a single card left that allows you to duel properly! Under these circumstances, do you still believe in your so-called 'destiny'!"

Looking at the thin, remaining stack of Ishizu's deck, Kaiba couldn't help but laugh and mock her previous claims of "predetermined destiny." With only this meager deck remaining, what could "destiny" do to help you win from a disadvantageous position? It was utterly useless!

Unless you could conjure a card right now that swaps cards from the graveyard with those remaining in the deck, I, Seto Kaiba, will pluck every one of your feathers! I will crush you completely! Let's see you talk about the supernatural in front of me again!

"The one who has fallen into the trap is you, Seto! You have walked right into the trap of my graveyard!"

Ishizu, with a calm expression, waved her hand to activate the set card on her field that had almost been banished by the effect of White Spirit Dragon.

"Now, let me show you my 'resurrection' technique! I activate the trap card 'Exchange of the Spirit'!"

Under the effect of the trap card—depicting a red skeletal soldier and a blue skeletal soldier in opposite positions—Kaiba’s Duel Disk issued a warning beep.

"What... is this?"

Seeing the red English text appear on the counter, Kaiba was stunned after reading its meaning.

Swapping the cards in the graveyard with the cards in the deck? Why?

"By sacrificing 1000 of my own life points, both players swap the positions of the cards in their decks with the cards in their graveyards! That is, the deck cards become graveyard cards, and the graveyard cards become deck cards."

The spectators: !!!

Was this Ishizu’s strategy all along?

Facing Kaiba's two consecutive deck-destruction attempts, she had maintained a flat expression, unhesitatingly sending cards to the graveyard, all because she had such a card—worthy of being called a "resurrection"—on her field!

*'As expected! That face-down card in the middle was the forbidden card, Exchange of the Spirit!'*

Seeing the card Ishizu activated, Youyi's eyes lit up. Although he was the world's greatest card printer, this was one card he could not replicate!

He didn't know the reason, but he was certain that apart from Ishizu, no one else in the world possessed it!

Though Youyi's DL system could generate a version of Exchange of the Spirit, it was the nerfed OCG version, which couldn't compare to the one in Ishizu’s hand!

*'I wonder, if I traded her the subsequent Gravekeeper series cards, would she agree?'*

Up until now, Ishizu had been following the original anime plot. Even though she was using a Gravekeeper deck, she hadn't summoned the powerful monsters from that archetype, choosing instead to wait for the timing to activate Exchange of the Spirit.

Therefore, Youyi guessed that perhaps Ishizu was using an incomplete Gravekeeper deck. That would explain why she was sticking to the plot by waiting for the trap rather than summoning stronger monsters to defeat Kaiba head-on!

If that were the case, he might be able to trade for that invincible card.

An anime-version "Exchange of the Spirit" combined with "Lightsworn" or "Shiranui" decks that rely on graveyard setups... Heh, just thinking about it made him uncontrollably excited! ￣﹃￣

Coming back to reality, Youyi watched Kaiba and Ishizu swap their decks and graveyards. Upon closer inspection, he noticed something strange.

*'In the anime, there were only six cards in the graveyard, but because of the unknown version of Trap Dustshoot, the number of cards in Kaiba's graveyard isn't as vastly different as in the show! The ratio is essentially that Kaiba's graveyard has half the cards of Ishizu's.'*

Youyi crossed his arms and pondered. Soon, based on these discrepancies, he developed a new hypothesis.

*'Since the situation has deviated from the anime, could there be cards like Hand Destruction or Card of Sanctity among the magic cards Ishizu sent to the graveyard, cards that allow players to swap or draw hands?'*

*Hiss!* The more he thought about it, the more Youyi worried for Kaiba. If his hunch was correct, the difficulty of this comeback would be no less than in the anime.

"Seto, my turn isn't over yet."

As soon as these words were uttered, Kaiba's heart skipped a beat. What he feared most now were cards that replenished hands! With the flip of Exchange of the Spirit, the deck advantage had been reversed! His deck was now only half the size of hers!

"Card of Sanctity! Both players draw until they have six cards in their hands!"

Indeed, his worst fear had come true!

Under the effect of Card of Sanctity, Kaiba drew five cards, and his deck instantly dropped to nine, while Ishizu filled her hand to six, and her deck reached twenty-two.

"Next, I summon 'Gravekeeper's Cannonholder' in attack position."

A Gravekeeper carrying a wooden barrel-shaped cannon appeared on Ishizu's field.

"Then I set one card and use the magic card 'Hand Destruction'!"

Youyi had guessed it again! Ishizu had put a friendly Hand Destruction in her deck!

As the card was played, Kaiba could only grit his teeth and discard all six of his cards into the graveyard, then, with a trembling hand, drew six new cards from his nine-card deck.

"Next, I activate the previously set card, 'Royal Tribute'! When 'Necrovalley' is on the field, both players discard all monsters from their hands!"

Besides strengthening her Gravekeeper monsters, as long as the Priestess was on the field, the terrain automatically became "Necrovalley," allowing "Royal Tribute" to be activated.

Ishizu discarded the two monsters in her hand without a second thought, while Kaiba stared at his hand, unable to move.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon, White Spirit Dragon, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!

Three white dragons, and now he had to bury them into the graveyard with his own hands! This was a profound humiliation! But he was dueling, and as a duelist, he had to follow the rules!

*'Forgive me! Blue-Eyes!'*

Just as Kaiba apologized in his heart, two "Bang! Bang!" cannon sounds erupted from Ishizu's side.

"Cannonholder's effect! Tribute 'Gravekeeper' monsters other than Cannonholder; for every card, inflict 700 points of damage to the opponent!"

Two shots hit him, immediately bringing Kaiba's life points to a dangerously low level.

*'I can do this! I can do this!'*

Seeing Kaiba's life points flickering like a candle in the wind, and looking at his empty monster zone and the only three cards left in his deck, Ishizu's breathing and heartbeat quickened.

Perhaps, just perhaps, she really could change that "future"!

"Battle! Cannonholder! Attack Seto directly!"

With 1400 attack points, if this attack landed, she, Ishizu, would change the "future" she had seen!

"Counter-trap 'Negate Attack'!"

Without any monsters, Kaiba naturally kept a defensive measure in his spell/trap zone.

"..."

"I equip the magic cards 'Book of Secret Arts' and 'Wand of Wonder' to Cannonholder."

The two equip spells were suited for Spellcaster-type monsters. She hadn't used them earlier because 1400 attack was enough, but she hadn't expected Kaiba to have "Negate Attack"!

Now, with only two cards left in her hand, Ishizu had no choice but to equip them all to Cannonholder, boosting its defensive power for the next turn.

With a 2500-attack Cannonholder, even if Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared, it would only inflict 500 damage. Even without back-row counters or cards in hand, as long as her life points remained, she would surely be able to change the "future"!

Not to mention, were there any monsters left in Kaiba's three-card deck with attack power exceeding Cannonholder?

"My turn... draw."

Glancing at the card he had drawn, the despair in Kaiba's eyes deepened.

Pot of Greed, Card of Demise, The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Clone.

Four cards in hand, and not one could reverse the nearly fatal situation!

No! There was one! The Pot of Greed he just drew! If he drew the last two cards!

But... if those remaining two cards couldn't bring about a miracle, then by his next turn, he would be declaring his defeat!

*'Should I... should I activate this magic card?'*

His inner question reflected on his face; Kaiba's eyes gradually lost their luster, becoming dull and lifeless.

"Kaiba!"

Yugi's voice suddenly rang out, reaching the ears of the despairing Kaiba.

"I can see it! The path of battle that stretches to the end, belonging to both of us!"

Yugi's encouragement instantly brought him back to his senses, and Youyi's subsequent statement helped Kaiba regain his fighting spirit.

"Kaiba! Didn't you say that one's future must be forged with one's own cards? If you are still a duelist, keep fighting! As long as there are cards in the deck, there is hope for victory!"

"Yugi... Youyi..."

To increase the persuasiveness, Youyi took the three Egyptian God cards from his deck.

"The three God cards are in my hands! Yugi has also advanced to the next round! Don't you want to duel us? Don't you want to prove that your Blue-Eyes White Dragon is still a top-tier monster?!"

Staring blankly at the God cards in Youyi's hand, and at Yugi, who had pulled out Dark Magician, the despair in Kaiba's heart gradually dissipated, replaced by his usual arrogance! And a dueling spirit that grew more excited the harder the fight!

"You're right, as long as there are cards in the deck, I still have a chance to win!"

"Magic card 'Pot of Greed' activate! Draw the rest of my deck!"

His index and middle fingers pressed against the back of the card, his thumb firmly on the edge, and in that moment, Kaiba's mind became clear.

*'Blue-Eyes! I want to fight Yugi and Youyi! I will prove you are still the strongest monster in the world! Our end is not here!'*

*'So, respond to my heart! Give me the possibility to reach the gates of victory!'*

"DRAW——!!!!"

A blue flash illuminated the final two cards, leaving a shining trail in the air as Kaiba drew them.

"Magic card 'Dragon's Mirror'! Banish the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in my graveyard, Fusion Summon!"

Under the BGM of the Gods' wrath, Kaiba played this magic card, a gift from Youyi, banishing the three Blue-Eyes from his graveyard for a fusion.

"Transcend the limits of time and space, descend! The destructive white light of annihilation!! Perfect, invincible, strongest!! Crush, break, grand applause!!"

"Come forth! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!!!"

A heaven-shaking golden pillar of light instantly covered everyone's field of vision. A pair of massive silver-white dragon wings stretched out from the light that pierced the sky.

As the golden pillar dissipated, Kaiba’s strongest monster, "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon," appeared in people's sight for the second time since his battle with Youyi in the Kingdom.

"ROAR!!!"

The final possibility of Kaiba's duel, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, let out a dragon roar no less imposing than a God card the moment it arrived.

"Lastly, magic card 'Ultimate Burst'! During this turn's battle phase, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon can make three attacks, and the opponent cannot activate magic, trap, or monster effects until the end of the damage step."

Pointing at Ishizu, Kaiba calmly stated his final turn declaration:

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, crush them—Ultimate Burst Stream!"

...

PS: Starting tomorrow, the protagonist will play the "HERO" deck again!