Sky Striker was fundamentally an archetype built around Link Monsters working in tandem with powerful Spell Cards.
But even when separated from its Link Monsters, many of its Spells still generated considerable advantage once three or more Spells had accumulated in the Graveyard.
As Arkana was about to discover firsthand.
“Sky Striker Maneuver – Afterburners!
can only be activated while I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zones.
I target one face-up monster on the field and destroy it.” Jamie pointed toward Arkana’s field.
“And if I have at least three Spells in my Graveyard afterward, I can also destroy one Spell or Trap on the field.” He smiled.
“My target is Malice Doll of Demise.” The Spell erupted into roaring flames.
Within the inferno, the translucent outline of a girl in crimson powered armor could be seen rushing forward with a blade in hand.
The wooden doll might have been empowered by murderous resentment, but it stood absolutely no chance against the Sky Striker Ace’s futuristic method of physical exorcism.
One slash reduced it to ashes.
Even the malicious aura around it disappeared into the flames.
“And because my Graveyard meets the requirement, the additional effect activates.
I’ll destroy the leftmost card in your back row.” The armored girl had already started to clock out when an additional order came through her communications system.
Her shoulders practically sagged.
Then flames erupted along her sword again.
She turned, charged, and cut through Arkana’s face-down card in one stroke.
It was Tragedy, a Trap that could occasionally produce a devastating result under the right conditions.
Unfortunately for Arkana, it would accomplish absolutely nothing in this Duel.
Watching both his monster and one of his Traps disappear made Arkana slightly uneasy.
At the same time, he felt fortunate.
Jamie had destroyed the wrong face-down card.
If he had chosen the other one, Arkana might genuinely have had reason to panic.
Then he compared their Life Points.
Arkana: 6000.
Jamie: 1400.
His confidence returned immediately.
Six thousand against fourteen hundred.
This was practically victory with a dragon already sitting on his face.
“I understand now,” Arkana suddenly declared.
“You heard me call myself the greatest master of Dark Magician and decided I was unworthy of that title, so you deliberately chose a Deck filled with Spell Cards to challenge me!” He laughed.
“How absurd!
If I command the ultimate wizard, then naturally I must also be the greatest user of magic!
Meanwhile, you’ve stuffed your Deck with so many Spell Cards that you can’t even summon a single monster!” Arkana pointed dramatically at Jamie.
“Am I wrong?” Clap.
Clap.
Jamie applauded him.
“You are an absolutely gifted child.” Arkana’s expression stiffened.
“You managed to guess three things, and somehow got all three wrong.” Jamie raised one finger.
“First, I didn’t choose this Deck because you’re strong.
I chose it because you’re not strong enough for something better.” A second finger.
“Second, this isn’t simply a Deck that runs a lot of Spell Cards.” Then Jamie’s smile became much more unpleasant.
“And third, about me not having any monsters…” He spread his hands.
“I don’t.” Then he pointed at Arkana.
“But you do.” Arkana’s eyes widened.
“I activate the Quick-Play Spell Sky Striker Mecha – Shark Cannon!” A new projection appeared.
“Since I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zones, I can target one monster in your Graveyard and banish it.
But because I have at least three Spells in my Graveyard, instead of banishing that monster, I can Special Summon it to my field.
A monster summoned this way can’t attack.” Jamie’s finger settled on Arkana’s Graveyard.
“I target the Malice Doll of Demise I just sent there.” The same Sky Striker Ace appeared again, this time in slightly simpler armor.
Instead of wielding a sword, she leveled an enormous cannon toward Arkana’s Graveyard.
The cannon fired.
What emerged was not a shell but an energy grappling line, which plunged into Arkana’s Graveyard and hooked the Malice Doll of Demise that had only just arrived there.
With one violent pull, the doll was dragged across the field and deposited on Jamie’s side.
“Got you!” Arkana suddenly laughed with the delighted malice of a witch’s overdramatic father and slammed a button on his Duel Disk.
“The instant you Special Summoned that monster, my Trap activated!” His remaining face-down card flipped.
“Dark Renewal!
When my opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster, I target that monster and one Spellcaster I control.
Both are sent to the Graveyard, and afterward I can Special Summon one DARK Spellcaster from my Deck or Graveyard!” Arkana spread his arms.
“Appear, my ultimate magician—Dark Magician!” Malice Doll of Demise had barely transferred to its new employer.
It had not even gotten a proper look at its new boss before its former company sued it for violating a non-compete agreement and had it immediately removed from the premises.
Legion the Fiend Jester vanished alongside it.
Then Dark Magician emerged onto Arkana’s field.
Arkana’s joy was obvious.
Jamie had somehow stolen one of his monsters, only for Arkana to turn that very monster into the resource needed to summon his ace.
Looking at Jamie’s now-empty field, victory suddenly felt close enough to touch.
“Malice Doll of Demise isn’t a Spellcaster,” Arkana explained eagerly.
“If you had chosen Legion the Fiend Jester instead, I wouldn’t have been able to activate Dark Renewal like this.” He was so pleased with himself that he could no longer resist narrating his own brilliance.
“Reviving one of my monsters to your field was admittedly outside my expectations—but the moment you summoned any monster, you stepped directly into my calculations!” Arkana thrust a finger toward Dark Magician.
“The monster you summoned became the fuel for my ace!” “And that’s not all.
Because Legion the Fiend Jester was sent from my field to the Graveyard, its effect allows me to add one Spellcaster Normal Monster from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand.” Another Dark Magician entered his hand.
“Next turn, I’ll show you the true meaning of cruelty!” Arkana’s exaggerated gestures and theatrical voice made it painfully obvious that he was waiting for Jamie to react exactly the way he wanted.
Jamie widened his eyes dramatically.
“This was part of your calculations too, DIO?!” Arkana’s smile widened.
Then Jamie’s expression went completely flat.
“…Is what you thought I was going to say?” The transition from exaggerated shock to total indifference struck harder than any insult.
Jamie shrugged.
“All you’re going to do next turn is summon another Dark Magician.
Why exactly am I supposed to be afraid?” “You only have 1400 Life Points!” Arkana roared.
“How can you not be afraid?!” Jamie looked down at his Duel Disk in exaggerated disbelief.
“Fourteen hundred?
Wow.
How do I still have that many?” He maintained the same perfectly indifferent expression while placing another Spell onto his Duel Disk.
“I activate another Sky Striker Maneuver – Afterburners!.
I target the Dark Magician on your field and destroy it.” Arkana froze.
“You don’t have any more Set cards, so there’s nothing for the additional effect to destroy this time.” The Sky Striker Ace was immediately sent back to work.
Armed with technology from several generations in the future, she performed what could only be described as a technologically assisted beatdown of Arkana’s outdated magician.
One blazing slash sent Dark Magician back into two-dimensional cardboard form.
This time, there was no extra assignment.
The Sky Striker Ace clocked out at record speed.
Jamie spread his hands.
“There.
Now your field’s empty too.” He placed two cards face-down.
“I Set two cards and end my turn.” His smile returned.
“Go ahead.
Please continue your performance.” [Jamie St.
James: Hand 7 → 2]