Chapter 18: Declaration of Victory

"Then, I proceed to my Main Phase."

Rex Raptor lightly brushed his fingertips across his newly replenished hand and sneered.

"You were pretty arrogant in your last turn, kid. But that ends here. I’m ending this duel right now!"

He revealed three cards from his hand in one motion: "I activate the Spell card 'Polymerization'! I fuse 'Swift Raptor' and 'Brutal Pteranodon' from my hand!"

The spell card manifested, and the figures of the dinosaurs were released from his hand onto the field, pulled into a dark, swirling vortex of fusion. Black lightning crackled from within, striking the field with a spectacular display of force, kicking up clouds of black smoke.

"Master of the abyss and hell, awaken from the endless dark void. Fusion Summon—Level 6, Hell Horned Dragon!" (Anime card)

[Hell Horned Dragon, ATK 2000]

This unreleased anime card was one of the new trump cards for Rex Raptor in DM, following the loss of his Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Serpent Night Dragon.

"It’s not over yet!" Rex continued. "Next, I activate the Spell card 'Monster Reborn'! With this, I resurrect the powerful dinosaur sleeping in my graveyard!"

The sacred mark of Monster Reborn appeared in mid-air, and a card popped out from his duel disk’s graveyard zone amidst a golden light.

"I resurrect this card from my graveyard, the absolute king of dinosaurs—Dark Driceratops!"

The pitch-black dinosaur emerged from the vortex of the underworld with a roar, its massive tail lashing the ground and kicking up a towering wall of dust.

[Dark Driceratops, ATK 2600]

"Huh? Dark Driceratops?" commentator Wataru asked in surprise. "When did he..."

"Probably when he used 'Graceful Charity' at the start," commentator Sasaki noted. "So he had this play prepared from the very beginning. To be able to mount such a powerful counter-offensive immediately after his previous board was broken... he truly lives up to his reputation as a legendary duelist."

"I see, that is indeed impressive... but why didn't he revive 'Tri-Horned Dragon'?" Wataru asked curiously. "Shouldn't Tri-Horned Dragon have higher attack power?"

Sasaki smiled mysteriously. "Heh, because Rex already has a way to finish this. Well, just watch."

With two more heavy hitters on the field, Rex laughed triumphantly again: "What do you think of the power of my dinosaurs? Utterly overwhelming force, crushing the opponent with absolute strength—that is my dueling style now! I am not the same as I was; I am stronger than ever!"

However, as Yugen looked at that dark, hulking Driceratops, only one thought crossed his mind.

*Rex, why are you using cards belonging to Tyranno Hassleberry, Jaden’s underling?*

His only impression of this dinosaur was that it was Hassleberry’s ace when he first appeared in the anime, which had once pushed Jaden into a tough spot. Of course, in the end, Jaden relied on his "god-tier draws" to turn the tide, and Hassleberry ended up becoming his follower.

"Next, I activate the Spell card 'Attack Guidance Barrier' from my hand! This card forces one of the opponent’s Attack Position monsters into Defense Position!"

Rex gestured toward the Machina Fortress on Yugen’s field. "I change 'Machina Fortress' to Defense Position!"

[Machina Fortress, ATK 2500 → DEF 1600]

"I see," Yugen realized. "Dark Driceratops has an effect that allows it to inflict piercing damage to the player if the opponent only has Defense Position monsters. So that’s the plan."

"Ho, you’re quite knowledgeable, rookie," Rex smirked, wiping his nose. "That’s right, that’s my tactic. Furthermore, my 'Hell Horned Dragon' can attack the opponent directly, but only during the turn it is Fusion Summoned!"

The audience erupted in an uproar.

"Direct attacks from a 2600 and a 2000 ATK monster! And it even ignores the opponent's monsters!" Wataru exclaimed. "Isn't this an OTK (One Turn Kill)!?"

"Indeed, that is Rex’s tactic," Sasaki said. "It is truly an absolute suppression of power; this strength is quite astonishing."

With a direct attack on the way—a double strike at that—how could he lose?

"Go! First, 'Dark Driceratops'! According to its effect, bypass Machina Fortress and attack the player directly!"

Dark Driceratops roared and charged forward, its tail kicking up thick clouds of dust as it bypassed the Fortress to tear into Yugen.

"Then I activate my face-down card, the Trap 'Spirit’s Invitation'!" Yugen raised his hand. "This is activated when the opponent declares an attack. I can re-select the attack target for that attack."

He pointed to the machine on his field. "I designate 'Machina Fortress' as the attack target for 'Dark Driceratops'."

"Tch," Rex curled his lip in annoyance. "Using petty tricks to avoid an OTK? But my Dark Driceratops still has higher attack power! Then, Dark Driceratops, wipe out that eyesore of a machine first!"

[Machina Fortress, DEF 1600]

The Fortress, now in defense, could not withstand the savage dark dinosaur. The behemoth roared as it crashed into the machine, tearing the massive Fortress to pieces in a few strikes. Parts flew everywhere, black smoke billowed out, and within moments, it was reduced to scrap metal amidst a series of explosions.

"Huh?" Wataru blinked. "That's strange, why didn't the effect of 'Machina Gearframe' activate?"

Logically, Yugen’s Machina Fortress was equipped with "Machina Gearframe," which should have allowed it to substitute itself to take the destruction once. Why didn't it trigger?

Rex also felt a hint of unease, and that premonition was immediately fulfilled.

"At this moment, the other effect of 'Machina Fortress' activates."

Yugen revealed the card before sending it to the graveyard. "When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, I can select one card on the opponent's field and destroy it. The card I’m choosing is, of course..."

He pointed to the dragon that hadn't attacked yet.

"Hell Horned Dragon!"

Before it was destroyed, the Fortress fired its main cannons one last time. The final blast, a desperate shot from the dying machine, struck Hell Horned Dragon square in the head. The dragon let out a mournful wail and shattered into fragments under the power of modern artillery.

"Damn it..." Rex gritted his teeth.

"Be-be-beautiful!" Wataru stood up from his seat, finding himself cheering for Yugen despite himself. "In just one exchange, he not only defended against Rex’s double attack but also destroyed his Fusion trump card! Rex’s sure-fire killing blow has been effortlessly neutralized by Yugen. Yugen’s Life Points remain at 4000, completely unscathed! The legendary duelist’s ferocious barrage hasn't even scratched his defenses!"

"That was completely unexpected," Sasaki added. "Fujiki Yugen... what an incredible rookie. If someone told me this was a pro-circuit player wearing a mask, I’d believe them..."

To be able to hold his own against the legendary Rex Raptor was hard to believe for a rookie.

"Then, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

His attack having failed, Rex felt a bit frustrated. But at least he had regained the advantage on the field. Dark Driceratops had a formidable 2600 ATK, and although the opponent had defended, his own side of the field was clear. Plus, he had a very strong backrow this turn, so he should be safe.

"Draw."

After drawing, he squinted slightly. "Hmm... what a pity. It seems you might not have a next turn."

Rex: "!"

Not just him, but the entire audience and the commentators were stunned by this startling declaration. What had they just heard? A victory declaration?

"W-w-what an astonishing development!" Wataru’s entire upper body was almost hanging off the desk. "Yugen has issued a victory declaration to Rex, the legendary Rex Raptor!"

If he had said that at the start of the duel, the audience would have been shocked and some might have mocked the rookie for not knowing his place. But after witnessing his overwhelming control on the field over the last few turns, very few people felt that way.

There was no arrogance in his tone, and even as he made the statement, there was no sense of ego or triumph. And that was the scariest part.

When he said it, his emotions barely fluctuated. It was as if he were simply stating an impending fact, devoid of provocation or mockery, as if he were just mentioning a result he already knew was inevitable.

Rex’s heart also pounded. He had thought his past experiences had forged an iron mindset, but to his horror, his legs trembled uncontrollably at those words, and he nearly collapsed.

It wasn't just because he realized that if he lost here, his journey of returning as a king after years of seclusion would end in a minor tournament, losing to a rookie with a blank slate...

It was more than that. It was because the moment he heard those words, he felt as if he had been convinced by his opponent. A part of him couldn't help but believe that declaration. He believed he was going to lose this turn.

"You... what did you say?" Rex struggled to shake off those thoughts.

Impossible. He had a big monster on the field and defensive backrow; the opponent couldn't possibly break through. Yes, it had to be a bluff.

"The effect of 'Machina Fortress' in the graveyard." Yugen calmly took the monster card from the graveyard zone of his duel disk. "This card can be Special Summoned from the graveyard by discarding Machine-type monsters from my hand with a combined Level of 8 or higher."

He drew two cards. "I send the Level 3 'Card Trooper' and another Level 7 'Machina Fortress' from my hand to the graveyard to revive the 'Machina Fortress' from my graveyard."

As the two cards hit the graveyard, a metal storm swirled on Yugen’s field. The Fortress ascended again with a roar of its engines, its cannons and guns aimed once more.

[Machina Fortress, ATK 2500]

"Self-revival... is that the source of his confidence?" Rex narrowed his eyes, thinking rapidly. "It seems he has cards to support his plays."

The Fortress’s ATK was only 100 lower than his Dark Driceratops; any equipment card could easily break through. And because of the effect of the "Reckless Greed" he had activated, he had to skip his next two draw phases. In other words, if he survived this turn but failed to protect his "Dark Driceratops," he was finished.

However...

"Open face-down!" Rex’s trap card flipped over. "Trap card—Judgment of the Yama! I can destroy one of the opponent’s Special Summoned monsters!"

A black vortex opened at his feet. Before the returning Machina Fortress could even stabilize, it was blown to smithereens with a loud boom.

Rex laughed, "Hahaha! Using traps isn't just your specialty! What now? Can you still claim you’ll finish me this turn!?"