Grapha’s voice dropped low, yet every word bored clearly into the ears of everyone present.
“Hast thou not noticed?” “To clear all three of thy monsters…” Grapha’s claw rose slowly and pointed at its own Graveyard slot.
“I used only the destruction effect of Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World itself.
The other cards in my hand…” Its claw traced an arc through the air and came to rest on the few cards remaining in its hand zone.
“Not one of them has been used.” Kujo froze.
The instant those words landed, Grapha’s claw drew a card from its hand and calmly turned it face up.
“Spell Card…
Dark World Dealings.” “The effect.
Each player draws one card from their deck.
After that, each player who drew chooses and discards one card from their own hand.” Grapha’s claw closed over its deck and drew a card.
“Boy, you draw one too.” Kujo blinked, then mechanically drew a card from the top of his deck, glanced down at it, and slid another card into the Graveyard zone of his Duel Disk.
A moment later, Grapha’s voice came again.
“I discard…
Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World.” “The effect of Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World activates!” Grapha’s voice rose sharply.
“When this card is discarded from the hand to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can Special Summon this card!” As the words fell, a pillar of dark violet light shot up from the ground.
In the next instant, a humanoid monster clad in deep gray armor stepped out from within it.
[Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World / Level 4 / DARK / Fiend / Effect / ATK: 1600] Kujo’s throat bobbed once.
He stared hard at the monster and forced himself to stay calm.
Sixteen hundred attack.
A single monster like that isn’t enough to finish me.
Even if it summons more…
“Not finished.” Grapha’s voice cut through his thoughts.
“Now I Normal Summon.” Its claw slapped a card onto the Duel Disk.
“Come forth…
Lan, Knight of Dark World.” A figure in dark violet stepped out of the void, heavy-armored, gripping a shadow lance, two cold points of light glinting beneath a deep blue visor.
[Lan, Knight of Dark World / Level 4 / DARK / Fiend / Effect / ATK: 1600] “Now I activate the effects of the two Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World in my Graveyard.” “When this card is discarded to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can target one card my opponent controls, return it to the hand, and Special Summon this card from the Graveyard.” Its claw swept toward Kujo’s backrow.
“I target the Crimson Lotus Domain in your Spell and Trap Zone, and the card remaining in your hand.
Both return to you.” Two arcs of dark violet light curved across the field and dissolved into Kujo’s hand.
At the same moment, the two black pillars in the Graveyard burst apart, and two colossal forms rose slowly out of the black flame.
Two copies of Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World descended at once.
Their bodies were far more solid than the black flame that had shown during the earlier destruction, every inch covered in dark gold scale-armor, the bone spikes growing backward along their spines like rows of twisted blades.
The instant their wings spread, the shadow they cast all but blotted out the entire vault of the stone chamber.
[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World x2 / Level 8 / DARK / Fiend / Effect / ATK: 2700] “Two Dragon Lords…
5,400 attack!” someone in the crowd cried out, voice cracking.
The two Graphas descended side by side, answering, from across the chamber, the true body still coiled atop the stone dais.
One more to go.
Grapha’s voice was calm, almost indifferent.
Its claw lifted, revealing the last card.
“Quick-Play Spell Card…
Barrier Passage to Dark World.” “The effect.
Target one Dark World monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it.” Its gaze swept to the Graveyard, to the third Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World.
The instant the words landed, black flame surged up for the third time.
The third Grapha rose slowly from the Graveyard and stood in a line beside the other two.
Three pitch-black dragons draped the entire tomb in heavy shadow.
[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World / ATK: 2700] Grapha’s low voice echoed through the chamber, carrying a calm that brooked no doubt.
“Three Graphas.
Combined attack, 8,100 points.” Looking at the three Graphas standing on the field, the blood drained completely from Kujo’s face.
The Battle Phase began.
Grapha made no superfluous declaration.
It simply gave the order to attack.
The three Dragon Lords lowered their heads as one, their breath gathering into rolling black flame, aimed at Kujo’s utterly empty field.
Direct attack.
The moment the words fell, three torrents of black flame poured down.
[Kujo, LP: 8000 → 0] The blue light of his Duel Disk went out in an instant, the numbers crashing to zero.
The shockwave from the attack flung Kujo backward, and he landed hard on the cold stone slabs.
The flattery, the cheers all around, every bit of it vanished.
Dead silence.
“When thou duelest me, there is one more rule.
The loser must offer his deck to the victor!” At that, Kujo, just lifted to his feet by his classmates, his pupils shrank.
“Since when was that a rule?
You never mentioned it at the start.” Hearing this, Grapha let out a hoarse, mocking laugh.
“Thou never asked!” The instant the words landed, Kujo’s Duel Disk shook violently.
From the deck slot, card after card flew up beyond his control, trailing afterimages, all soaring toward Grapha’s claw and settling neatly into its enormous palm.
Kujo stretched out his hand, but caught not a single card.
In that moment, the air in the tomb pressed down like a great boulder, sitting heavy on every chest.
…
It was then that a careless voice drifted out from the crowd.
“All right, my turn now, isn’t it?” Everyone turned toward the sound.
Nate stepped out of the crowd, hands still in his pockets, his expression loose and unbothered.
Grapha lowered its great head, its crimson eyes settling slowly onto him.
“So it was you who set me free.” “I know not how you came to learn my true name, but you woke me from the seal.
In return, I shall grant you a privilege…” “In our duel, you may choose to go first or second.” The words had barely left it when the students around began whispering to one another.
“That’s an incredible offer.
If he picks first…” “With a privilege like that, his odds are way better…” But Nate, hearing this, simply shook his head.
“No need for that.” Grapha gave a slight start.
Nate lifted his head, his gaze falling on the stack of cards in Grapha’s claw, the deck it had just confiscated.
“You only need to hand me that deck.” He paused, the corner of his mouth curving up faintly.
“I want to use that deck to duel you.” The instant he said it, the whole chamber erupted.
“What did he say?” “Duel Grapha with that deck?
That thing just said with its own mouth that it knows the deck inside and out!” “That’s just handing over every card in your hand before the match even starts…” Even Kujo lifted his head in a daze and looked at Nate.
Rio Kastle stood with her arms crossed, watching Nate too.
For the life of her, she couldn’t follow his logic either.
Grapha fell silent as well.
It lowered its head, crimson eyes sweeping Nate from head to toe.
“Boy…” its voice dropped a notch, edged with something thoughtful.
“You mean to help…” It turned its head and shot a glance at Kujo beside it.
“…this one win back his deck?
From what I saw just now, the two of you don’t seem to get along.” At that, the corner of Nate’s mouth curved up slightly.
“I’m not that kind-hearted.” Grapha frowned.
“Then why insist on this deck of all things?
Do you not know that I understand it inside and out?” Nate smiled.
“What of it.” His voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried clear into the ears of everyone present.
“The same deck, in different hands, can play out in completely different ways.” He paused, then went on.
“And besides, if I beat you.
No.
There’s no ‘if’!” “When I beat you, I won’t just bring you to heel.
I’ll walk away with this deck too.” The tomb sank into a brief, dead silence.
Then, all at once, Grapha threw back its head and roared with laughter.
“Hahahaha…
an interesting boy!” The laughter slowly died away, and Grapha’s eyes settled on Nate once more.
For the first time, those crimson eyes held something like appraisal.
“Very well.” It lowered its great head, its voice sinking low.
“I accept your terms.” “But…” Grapha slowly raised a claw, the tip pointing lightly at the empty air.
“You have no deck.” “To duel with no deck of your own, and should you lose…” It paused, looking at Nate.
“You must wager your own soul, and offer it to me.” As the words fell, the chamber erupted again.
“His soul?!” “This…
this has to be a joke…” “Is he really going to agree?” Every eye gathered on Nate, breath held, waiting for his answer.
Nate, hearing this, didn’t so much as blink.
He drew his hand from his pocket, took a step forward, the curve of his mouth perfectly unmoved.
“Deal!”