Chapter 169 - 169

"What a fascinating monster." The shimmering tip of the spear swayed before Tenma Gekko's eyes, causing a bead of cold sweat to trickle down his white hair. "Oh? Could it be that the perfect duelist is scared?" Hoshino teased. Tenma Gekko smiled wryly. "No, it's just that your generation of duelists is growing beyond my imagination..." Hoshino's eyebrows arched slightly. "Your generation of duelists?" "Heh, I guess I said something unnecessary. Please, don't mind me, continue!" As Tenma Gekko said this, he quickly pressed the activation button for the set card on his Duel Disk. Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord extended a giant barrier in front of it. "Zzzt—!" The invisible clash between Li Shuwen and the transparent barrier produced a dazzling array of sparks. While it was impossible to trace the origin, the result was clear. "Ugh, blocked?" Despite the sparks, Li Shuwen could clearly feel the recoil from the spear tip failing to pierce the barrier. "I activate the Continuous Trap Card, [Defense Seal Wall]!" [Defense Seal Wall - Continuous Trap Card Effect: Activate only if you control a face-up [Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord] when an opponent's monster declares an attack. You can negate the attack of an opponent's monster and end the Battle Phase.] "This effect negates attacks, and it's a Continuous Trap Card!" Seeing her attack blocked, Hoshino was slightly stunned. "If it's a Continuous Trap Card, doesn't that mean my attacks will never work?" she muttered. "This card is too unfair!" Mokuba exclaimed. "Even more unfair than Akasha's traps..." The overwhelming effect not only earned Mokuba's angry rebuke but also gained recognition from the trap expert, Akasha. Tenma Gekko glanced at the Continuous Trap Card under his control and smiled slightly. "This card establishes the invincible status of Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord!" "Even you, the Duel King, can't penetrate this unbeatable barrier! And your time is running out..." he warned. "My time is running out?" Hoshino echoed, frowning. "As long as Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord remains on the field and I gather all five pieces of Exodia in the graveyard, I can declare victory in this duel." "A special victory condition?!" Hoshino, her mouth slightly agape, fixed her gaze on the towering Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord. "An attack power that increases each turn, a near-impenetrable Continuous Trap Card, and a special victory condition. No wonder you said this monster surpasses even the gods!" At least in terms of special victory conditions, Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord surpassed all the God cards. It was likely that the hidden signal of the seventh God card that Mokuba detected earlier came from this Exodius. "I set one card and end my turn!" Hoshino announced, with no attack options left thanks to the Defense Seal Wall. Hoshino's Remaining Hand Cards: 2 Set Cards: 2 "How will Hoshino deal with Tenma Gekko's cards?" Mokuba asked aloud. "If we let Akasha substitute, maybe there's still hope," Sёarᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Unlike Hoshino, who used various card effects to aid in attacks during her turn, Akasha believed her strategy of setting traps and waiting for the opponent to fall into them might be more effective against Tenma Gekko. However, Hoshino quickly dismissed Akasha's idea. "You're still too naive, Akasha-chan. Tenma Gekko's deck is truly balanced in both offense and defense; you can't win just by relying on traps." To defeat Tenma Gekko, she wouldn't need him to fall into any traps; she had to disrupt his rhythm before he gathered all five pieces of Exodia. "We need faster and stronger attacks to disrupt his strategy!" Hoshino declared. Though Hoshino's battle experience might not match Tenma Gekko's, her extraordinary instincts always guided her to the best strategy at critical moments. At this moment, a brilliant spark ignited between perfect experience and innate intuition. "My turn, draw!" Tenma Gekko announced. Unlike usual, when Tenma Gekko finished drawing his card, the Heart of the Underdog on his field began to glow. "Heh, seems like I got lucky, drawing a Normal Monster. Now I can draw again!" Tenma Gekko revealed. By showing the drawn Normal Monster to the opponent, Tenma Gekko could use the effect of Heart of the Underdog to draw another card. "I drew this Normal Monster, [Right Arm of the Forbidden One]!" he declared. "A second Right Arm of the Forbidden One? Wait, aren't Exodia's five parts limited cards?!" Hoshino asked, sensing something was off. In return, Mokuba only gave her a confused look, as if to say, "What's a limited card?" "Exodia's cards are so rare; it's hard to collect even a second set in a deck," Mokuba replied, interpreting Hoshino's comment as a reference to rarity. "So you restrict cards based on rarity?!" Hoshino exclaimed, pondering the concept of "limited cards" in this world. Indeed, in this world, powerful cards that qualify as limited cards are extremely rare. Their scarcity alone serves as a limitation for most duelists. Of course, this kind of restriction wouldn't apply to rich people like Kaiba... or those whose adoptive father is in charge of printing cards. While Hoshino was pondering the concept of limited cards, Tenma Gekko had already drawn his second card. This time, however, Heart of the Underdog didn't activate, indicating it wasn't a Normal Monster. "If it's not a Normal Monster, then it must be..." "I summon [Exodia the Forbidden One] in Defense Position!" Tenma Gekko declared. [Exodia the Forbidden One ★★★] [DARK] [Spellcaster/Effect] [ATK 1000/DEF 1000] The head of Exodia, though somewhat comical in its singular form, is still the key piece of the legendary monster, Exodia. "Now, Exodius, attack!" Tenma Gekko commanded. The dark flames gathered in Exodius's hand, ready to unleash their wrath upon Hoshino's field once more. "And according to its effect, I'll send [Left Leg of the Forbidden One] from my deck to the graveyard, increasing Exodius's attack power!" [Exodius ATK 3000 → 4000] "With all the limbs in the graveyard, if the head enters the graveyard, Hoshino will lose!" Mokuba warned. "Fire—God Strike!!" The raging flames engulfed Hoshino's field once again. "If you think I'll just sit here and take this, you're mistaken!" A confident voice echoed from within the black flames engulfing the field. "Li Shuwen, I'll leave this to you!" Hoshino shouted. "Haha, such a petty trick, how could it harm me?" Li Shuwen's voice rang out even more confidently as his spear, surrounded by a whirlwind, carved a path through the roaring flames. "What just happened?" Mokuba instinctively shielded himself, even though it was just a holographic image. His body naturally recoiled from the black flames. "Wow, so cool!" Akasha exclaimed, eyes fixed on the sharp wind dancing within the flames. "No way, the effect of Li Shuwen should only activate when he initiates the attack," Tenma Gekko muttered, his usual smile faltering slightly. "A monster with 2000 attack power actually counterattacks a monster with 4000 attack power?" Tenma Gekko added, still in disbelief. [Li Shuwen ATK: 2000] The rapidly spinning spear carved a path through the storm. Following the only clear trajectory amidst the black flames, the spear tip laced with silver light shot out. "Pierce through the fire with the power of the storm, pierce the body with the power of the steel spear!" Li Shuwen's slightly deep shout merged with the spear, fusing the wielder's soul into it. "Take this, the divine spear amidst the storm and flames—" "—Wu Er Da!" This time, the spear tip, glinting with cold light, accurately pierced through Exodius' massive body. "Tenma Gekko, could it be that you were too confident in your Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord?" With invincible defense and the strongest offense, anyone who wielded such power would unconsciously rely on it, even a perfect duelist like Tenma. "I admit, with the effect of [Defense Seal Wall], Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord is almost an unbreakable existence." However, contrary to Hoshino's words, the sight before them told a different story. The Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord, supposedly unbreakable, was now disintegrating, the spear piercing its body. "When Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord attacks, it cannot deploy the barrier, right? After all, [Defense Seal Wall] only blocks incoming attacks." "Amazing, Hoshino! When direct attacks didn't work, you seized the moment to counterattack!" Mokuba cheered. "But during a counterattack, Li Shuwen cannot activate his own attack-boosting effect. How did you manage to defeat my Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord?" Tenma Gekko asked, still puzzled. Despite his calm demeanor, the disbelief in his voice was clear. His unbreakable Exodius was now in pieces. "Could you tell me how you did it, young Duel King?" he asked, his curiosity piqued. "Stop calling me 'young Duel King,' you're not much older than me, right?" Hoshino quipped, noting Gekko's youthful appearance. He couldn't be more than eighteen or nineteen years old. She smiled, her confidence growing. "You keep focusing on my monster's attack power, but aren't you concerned about your Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord's attack power?" Hoshino pointed out with a grin. "Hmm?" Tenma Gekko's eyebrows twitched slightly in confusion. [Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord ATK 2000] "Because I activated this Trap Card [Necromancy] when Exodius attacked!" Hoshino revealed with a sly smile, pointing to the ground at her feet. There, hidden under the black flames, a red card rose, its effect triggering just in time to turn the tide of the duel. [Necromancy - Trap Card Effect: Select a total of two cards from either player's graveyard, and return them to the owner's deck.] "With the effect of the Trap Card, I return [Left Arm of the Forbidden One] and [Right Arm of the Forbidden One] from your graveyard to your deck!" Hoshino explained confidently. "Not only does this weaken your attack power, but it also breaks your win condition of gathering the five parts of Exodia in the graveyard!" "So instead of directly targeting my Exodius, you aimed at the parts in my graveyard!" Tenma Gekko's eyes flashed with realization. "Impressive! No wonder you were able to defeat Mr. Pegasus!" "Oh? You don't believe the rumors that I used underhanded tactics to defeat Pegasus?" Hoshino asked, curious. "Heh, as if Mr. Pegasus could ever lose to underhanded means…" Contrary to Hoshino's expectations, Gekko's response was surprisingly calm and respectful. "Mr. Pegasus once told me, 'If a duelist appears who can defeat me, that person must be a true Duelist, unafraid of darkness or fear.'" "Who would have thought Pegasus ever said something like that?" Hoshino mused aloud, surprised by the hidden depth in Pegasus's words. She had no idea how many years ago Gekko was referring to when he said "once," but it gave her a new perspective on Pegasus. However, now wasn't the time for reminiscing. Gekko pushed aside his nostalgia and focused back on the duel. "Now's not the time to look back, Duel King. With both of our monsters having 2000 attack points, your monster should also be destroyed in the counterattack!" Gekko warned, trying to regain control of the duel. "Young man, it's not so easy to drag me down with you," Li Shuwen interrupted confidently. As he forcefully withdrew his spear from Exodius' massive body, he passed through the black flames, his crimson coat untouched by the dark fire. "The only one descending into hell is you, Exodius!" Hoshino declared, brimming with confidence. Suddenly, another Trap Card glowed on Hoshino's side of the field. Mokuba, seeing the card activate, shouted in excitement. "It's a Continuous Trap Card!" [Avalon of the Radiance Path - Continuous Trap Card Effect: Can only be activated by selecting a face-up [Heroic Spirit] monster you control. As long as this card is on the field, the selected monster cannot be destroyed.] "With Avalon of the Radiance Path protecting Li Shuwen, your ace monster is finished, Gekko!" Hoshino declared. With the protective effect of the Trap Card, Li Shuwen remained unharmed, and the towering Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord crumbled away, its immense form disappearing from the field. [Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord] destroyed. "Clap clap clap~" Without showing any extreme emotional reaction, Gekko suddenly began clapping. His applause echoed through the corridor, unnerving Hoshino. Although he wasn't a physical being, the sound of his clapping was uncannily realistic. "That was a beautiful counterattack, Duel King…" Gekko said, smiling softly. His tone, though complimentary, had a strange edge to it. "But if you think Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord is the ace of my deck, you're gravely mistaken." The tension in the air thickened as Gekko stopped clapping and drew a card from his hand. "What a beautiful card, so shiny~" Akasha said, wide-eyed, even before he placed it on his Duel Disk. The special card had already captured her attention with its otherworldly glow. "Watch closely, this is the other form of Exodia," Gekko said, his voice smooth and steady. "By offering [Exodia the Forbidden One] on the field as a tribute, I Special Summon!" "[The Legendary Exodia Incarnate]!" As Gekko's Duel Disk activated, the air around them shifted. A massive, golden light burst from the card as the true form of Exodia began to materialize. [The Legendary Exodia Incarnate ★★★★★★★★★★ (10 stars)] [DARK] [Spellcaster/Effect] [ATK: ? DEF: 0] (*****) If you'd like to read 25 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!