Once again, we've arrived at the much-loved gambling segment, eagerly anticipated by all.
【Game: 1400LP, Hand: 3, Monster Zone: 0, Spell/Trap Zone: 0】
The simultaneous demise of Dragon Knight Gaia and Clayman allowed both Yugi and Yuya to draw a card from their decks.
“My turn, draw!”
At this moment, Yugi’s field was empty, and since the Kingdom’s rules prevented monsters from attacking directly under normal circumstances, the only actions Yuya could take were to strengthen his offensive or reinforce his defense.
“I activate the Spell Card ‘Warrior’s Return’ from my hand! I return ‘Elemental Hero Clayman’ from the graveyard to my hand. Next, I use the Spell Card ‘Fusion’ to fuse ‘Elemental Hero Bubbleman’ and ‘Elemental Hero Clayman’ from my hand!”
Once again, Yuya activated Fusion from his hand. This time, no one uttered a word; everyone tacitly accepted that Yuya’s Fusion Spell Card wasn’t the same version as the one they knew.
Furthermore, curiosity filled the crowd—after all, the Bubbleman who had saved the day in Yuya’s duel against Mai, and the core monster of the dominant Clay Combo, Clayman, were now being fused together. What kind of monster would emerge?
“Fusion Summon! Elemental Hero Mudballman!”
True to its name, the monster’s entire body was round and smooth, without a single sharp edge. Save for its small face and joints tinged with Bubbleman’s blue, everything else was a deeper khaki hue reminiscent of Clayman. (Obtained after defeating Mai.)
(Elemental Hero Mudballman, Level 6, Defense: 3000)
A defense of 3000—to match it, you’d have to look at the five-star vanilla monster Millennium Shield. In this era, monsters whose original attack or defense exceeds 3000, without boosts from spells or traps, are exceedingly rare!
As far as Yuya knew, only Kaiba’s ultimate fusion dragon, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, surpassed this threshold.
Also, among Yugi’s trump cards was Summoned Skull, and the friendship fusion monster Dark Demon Dragon, which belonged to Joey and Yugi’s Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
It could be said that, with only Summoned Skull on Yugi’s side, Yuya’s summoning of a Mudballman boasting 3000 defense virtually guaranteed his victory!
And Yugi’s next move would prove Yuya’s Mudballman, with its 3000 defense, was indeed “invincible!”
【Yuya: 1300LP, Hand: 1, Monster Zone: Elemental Hero Mudballman, Spell/Trap Zone: Set ×1】
“My turn, draw!”
‘My trump card—Dark Magician...’
Yugi hadn’t expected to draw his ace magician at this moment, but in terms of stats, he still couldn’t break through Yuya’s Clayman. Here, he needed to combine another card to create an impenetrable wall.
“First, I attack summon Dark Magician, then activate the Spell Card ‘Magical Hats.’”
Yugi’s classic magical combo made its appearance! Four enormous magician’s hats materialized on the field. The revealed Dark Magician dropped into one of the hats. Once he was hidden, the four hats spun rapidly, switching places until no one could tell where Dark Magician was. Finally, they occupied four monster zones.
“Now, Yuya! Try to guess which magical hat houses my Dark Magician!”
While Yuya attacked the hats, Yugi could draw cards from his deck, piecing together the path to victory!
【Game: 1400LP, Hand: 1, Monster Zone: Dark Magician, Spell/Trap Zone: Magical Hats, Set ×1】
“My turn, draw!”
Was he gambling on luck, on fate? Even an Ultra Rare like ‘Extraordinary Hero’ had landed in his hands (albeit as a trial card), so Yuya refused to believe he couldn’t guess the location of Dark Magician in one try!
“Attack summon Elemental Hero Wildheart!”
‘Engage the motor!’
Seeing Yuya summon the bare-chested, muscular Wildheart, Yugi silently cursed—his trap card, Hexagram Curse, set inside a magical hat before the turn’s end, was doomed to become useless!
Hexagram Curse was a trap card that not only reduced the attack of an enemy monster by 700 points but also locked its battle and position.
Such a powerful trap, yet in this duel, it would become worthless! Because Wildheart was immune to trap card effects!
“Wildheart! Attack the leftmost hat!”
Unaffected by trap cards, Wildheart leapt onto the field, drew his enormous blade from his back, and, with a mighty swing, split the magician’s hat before him in two.
“Ha~! So you hid Hexagram Curse in there? Too bad, it’s useless against my Wildheart!”
Was it luck or misfortune? On his first choice, Yuya encountered the trap Yugi had placed inside the hat. Had he chosen any other monster, it would have been rendered powerless!
But it met our muscular, righteous Wildheart, so all it could do was head to the graveyard, unused.
【Yuya: 1300LP, Hand: 1, Monster Zone: Elemental Hero Wildheart, Elemental Hero Mudballman, Spell/Trap Zone: Set ×1】
“My turn, draw!”
‘Summoned Skull, huh?... Though it still can’t match Yuya’s Mudballman, it can defeat Wildheart and protect the hats for another round!’
With that thought, Yugi immediately played the monster he’d just drawn:
“Attack summon Summoned Skull! Then, attack Yuya’s Wildheart directly! Lightning Strike!”
As golden lightning shot from Summoned Skull’s body and arced through the air, Yuya activated his set card:
“Second ‘Hero Barrier’ activated! Your Summoned Skull’s attack is negated!”
“Not so fast! The shield created by Hero Barrier is metallic, but Summoned Skull’s attack, Lightning Strike, is electrical. Conducting through metal, it pierces the shield and strikes your monster!”
Yugi spoke with confidence. He’d anticipated Hero Barrier, which was why he summoned Summoned Skull and attacked without hesitation.
Damn! Another bluff! But I won’t back down!
“In that case, Wildheart! Aim your blade at the center of the shield and stab it into the ground!”
“What?!”
Under Yugi’s astonished gaze, Wildheart hurriedly drew his sword, targeted the floating shield above his head, thrust the blade into the earth beneath his feet, and, before the lightning could strike, leapt backward, escaping the attack range.
The lightning arrived, but as if drawn by some force, it didn’t strike Wildheart—instead, it shot straight into the blade embedded in the ground, and then... simply dissipated.
“You have metallic conductivity; I have a lightning rod sword (needle)!”
“Tch!”
Watching Yuya laugh heartily, Yugi clicked his tongue and ended his turn.
The calculated lightning strike was redirected harmlessly into the earth!
“My turn, draw!”
After setting the trap card from his hand, Yuya directed Wildheart to attack the rightmost of the remaining three hats.
This swing met nothing; it struck only air, only emptiness!
“Haha! Yuya! Looks like your luck isn’t so great!”
“Tch!”
Facing Yugi’s ridicule, Yuya scowled and ended his turn.
“My turn, draw!”
Upon seeing the monster card he’d drawn, Yugi’s lips curled into a secret smile. He cast a covert glance at Joey on the spectator platform, then slapped the card into his monster zone.
“Go! Red-Eyes Black Dragon!”
Yuya & everyone except Joey: ???