It was Weevil’s turn again.
Swords of Revealing Light had finally expired, but the continued existence of Winged Kuriboh meant Jamie still had a reliable way to avoid battle damage for another turn.
Weevil glanced through the cards in his hand, then looked at the Cocoon of Evolution that had already been sitting on the field for five full turns.
For the first time in a while, some confidence returned to his face.
“Pinch Hopper, destroy that annoying little weakling!” The familiar scene played out yet again.
Winged Kuriboh was finally released from its endless overtime shift and sent back to the comfortable home it had come to know so well—the Graveyard.
Then, the instant Weevil ended his turn, the Cocoon of Evolution that had remained dormant on his field for so long began to tremble.
Something inside was finally preparing to break free.
“My turn!
Draw!” Jamie reached toward his Deck, then stopped himself.
“Oh, right.
I don’t get to draw.” Because he had activated Reckless Greed earlier, his Draw Phase was currently being skipped.
At this point, though, one extra card made absolutely no difference.
Jamie simply wanted to see what the giant fluttering moth Weevil had spent six turns incubating actually looked like before sending him on his way.
Or rather, before sending Weevil back to school so he could study properly and become a functional member of society.
Jamie made no plays at all.
He simply ended his turn and glanced at the face-down cards on his field, already imagining exactly how entertaining the next few moments were going to be.
Weevil did not even bother taunting him this time.
He was terrified that if he wasted too much time talking, Jamie would somehow produce yet another card that revived that disgusting Winged Kuriboh and stall him for another turn.
At this point, Weevil wanted only one thing.
Victory.
“The time has finally come!
Appear, Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth!
Show him your magnificent form!” The Cocoon of Evolution, now several times larger than when it had first appeared, began to writhe violently.
A sharp horn punched through its outer shell before tearing the entire cocoon apart, allowing an enormous moth to emerge from within.
[Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth] ATK: 3500 DEF: 3000 Its raw stats alone surpassed even Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the monster widely regarded as standing at the summit of Duel Monsters.
Jamie stared at the gigantic moth flapping its wings in front of him and silently reconsidered a few things about Duelists.
A Duelist’s taste could be incredibly broad.
Some people’s preferences were especially adventurous, and Jamie generally believed everyone was free to appreciate whatever card art they liked.
Still, if anyone sincerely looked at a giant moth like this and thought it was attractive, Jamie would probably recommend a medical consultation.
“Your time is up!” Weevil declared triumphantly.
“I’ve got Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, two Pinch Hoppers, and Flying Kamakiri #1 equipped with an Equip Spell, giving it 2100 ATK!
Forget your measly 4000 Life Points—even 7000 wouldn’t save you!” Having his giant ace on the field gave Weevil an almost ridiculous sense of security, and with his mighty big brother—if one could call it that—watching over him, his smugness returned in full force.
“You don’t even have a monster left on your field!
This time, there’s no annoying shield monster to protect you.
Your pathetic 4000 Life Points are nothing more than a candle flickering in the wind!” Weevil thrust out one hand.
“Go, my Insect army!
Crush him!” Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth beat its enormous wings and unleashed a violent gale.
Its wingspan was broad enough to cast the other Insects beneath it into shadow, and under its lead, every monster on Weevil’s field launched an attack at Jamie at once.
Jamie calmly flipped one of the cards on his Duel Disk while casually rubbing the Kuribohrn spirit that Weevil could not see.
“You just said my Life Points were like a candle in the wind, didn’t you?” “What?” “The moment you attack, I activate the Quick-Play Spell The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!
I Special Summon one Winged Kuriboh from my Deck!” A tiny flute appeared in front of Kuribohrn.
The fluffy spirit gave it a soft blow, and somewhere in the Graveyard, the Winged Kuriboh spirit that had finally been lying peacefully was promptly thrown back into the Deck.
A second copy of Winged Kuriboh was then pulled from Jamie’s Deck, bringing the poor spirit right back onto the field.
This time, Winged Kuriboh did not react at all.
The halo above its head had become remarkably clear.
It looked completely at peace.
“Winged Kuriboh again?!
Again?!” Weevil practically screamed.
“Do you know how to do anything except hide behind that monster?!
My Insect army, tear it apart!” He never, ever, ever wanted to see Winged Kuriboh again.
“Actually, I’m not planning to use it for defense this time.” Jamie smiled and flipped over another Set card, interrupting Weevil’s attack for a second time.
“I activate the Quick-Play Spell Transcendent Wings!
I send one Winged Kuriboh from my field and two cards from my hand to the Graveyard, then Special Summon Winged Kuriboh LV10 from my hand or Deck!” Jamie sent the two copies of Lava Golem in his hand to the Graveyard along with Winged Kuriboh as the cost.
At last, the true ace of his Deck was ready to appear.
The Winged Kuriboh that had looked moments away from peacefully ascending to the afterlife suddenly snapped back to life.
Its tiny wings began swelling under the influence of a strange power, growing with the wind until they were several times larger than its body.
Dragonlike armor formed around its small frame, transforming the exhausted little creature into something far more imposing than before.
[Winged Kuriboh LV10] ATK: 300 DEF: 200 Its appearance might have changed dramatically, but its ATK and DEF had not increased in the slightest.
Still, calling it Kuriboh’s own little divine dragon no longer seemed entirely inappropriate.
“Hmph!
So what if it looks fancier?” Weevil sneered.
“Winged Kuriboh isn’t protecting you anymore!
I can end this Duel right now!
I’ve won!” “That’s right!” Jamie actually applauded.
“This Duel is about to end.
You only got one thing wrong.” His smile widened.
“You aren’t the winner.” Weevil’s expression froze.
“I am.” Jamie raised his hand toward Winged Kuriboh LV10.
“I activate Winged Kuriboh LV10’s effect!
I Tribute this face-up card to destroy every Attack Position monster you control!
Go on—dump all the resentment from your years of unpaid overtime onto him!” Winged Kuriboh LV10 erupted in brilliant golden light and dissolved into nothingness, leaving only its enormous pair of wings behind.
The wings beat once.
A tremendous hurricane ripped across the field and shattered every monster Weevil controlled.
Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, which only moments ago had boasted higher ATK than Blue-Eyes White Dragon, was swept away with everything else and returned straight to the Graveyard.
Whether Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth considered the Graveyard a happy place was unknown.
Winged Kuriboh certainly did.
“My Great Moth!” Weevil could barely process the sight of his overwhelming field disappearing in an instant.
He hurriedly looked through the cards in his hand, then forced himself to calm down.
“It doesn’t matter!
I still have the invincible Insect Queen!
You spent all those cards just to clear my field.
The advantage will still be mine next turn!” “There won’t be a next turn.” Weevil stared at him.
“I already told you, didn’t I?
This Duel is over, and I’m the winner.
After Winged Kuriboh LV10 destroys your monsters with its effect, you take damage equal to the combined original ATK of all the monsters it destroyed.” Jamie gave him an easy smile.
“You were kind enough to add up your field’s attack power for me a minute ago, so I don’t think I need to do the math again.” He pointed straight at Weevil.
“Weevil Underwood, you lose.” [Weevil Underwood LP: 4000 → 0] [Winner: Jamie St.
James] The Duel Disk produced a simulated impact representing damage well beyond Weevil’s remaining 4000 Life Points, leaving the boy’s entire body numb from the shock.
Jamie actually still had an unrevealed card in his back row that could have made the experience even more exciting for Weevil.
Unfortunately, Weevil had not left three Monster Zones open, so in a sense, he had escaped something worse through sheer good fortune.
Jamie strolled over to the stunned Weevil and removed both his Deck and Duel Disk, collecting the spoils of victory exactly as they had agreed.
After thinking for a moment, Jamie struck what he considered an appropriately stylish pose.
“I won.
Now that was a fun Duel!” At that exact moment, a young boy with jellyfish-shaped hair happened to walk past.
He stopped.
Then his eyes lit up as he stared at Jamie, who currently looked far cooler than he had any right to.