A bluish light curtain rained down from high above.
The serpent swarm activated, lunging at <Terror Incarnate>, infecting it and luring it over to Qing Ji’s field.
“Your monster’s pretty good.” Qing Ji said with a smug smile, revealing a card from her hand and continuing her play.
“I activate the effect of <Coatl> in my hand!”
“If I control a DARK Reptile-Type monster, I can Special Summon this card.
If my opponent controls monsters with 0 ATK, I can Special Summon up to that many <Reptilianne> monsters from my hand!”
“Show yourselves!”
Two pillars of light shot up behind her.
With a boom, two snake-women appeared.
“<Coatl>!
<Lamia>!”
“Five monsters!” Hong Mi’s eyes lit up.
“Player Qing Ji has filled her field with five monsters, Player 0748 is in major trouble!”
“She’s got a Tuner and non-Tuners, here it comes.”
Qing Ji sharply swung her hand forward.
“I tune my Level 2 <Nyami> with Level 4 <Coatl>!”
The two monsters turned into starlight, spiraling around each other before a silver-white path of light burst forth.
“Sharp fangs, tear them apart!”
“Synchro Summon!”
A massive, ferocious serpent-woman emerged.
“Level 6, <Reptilianne Hydra>!”
Dead leaves and rotting branches creaked with a spine-chilling groan.
A putrid stench burst forth.
Several massive brown serpent heads snaked out, their blood-red eyes gleaming.
“Synchro Summon…” Li Guanqi’s expression turned grim.
This confirmed this wasn’t just an anime world.
Anyone using Synchro Summons…
had to be in a real duel.
“I activate <Hydra>’s effect!” Qing Ji shouted excitedly, her expression full of intensity.
“All of your monsters with 0 ATK are destroyed!”
“I also draw cards equal to the number of destroyed monsters!”
“Go———!”
“Strangle them!”
At Qing Ji’s command, <Hydra> let out a sky-piercing hiss with her many heads.
Toxic mist spewed violently, crimson eyes swirling within, and an overwhelming pressure surged across the field.
BOOM BOOM————
Amid the sounds of countless strangling constrictions, <Terror Incarnate> and the <Reptilianne Token> exploded in succession.
Qing Ji smiled and drew two cards.
“I activate <Terror Incarnate>’s departure effect!” Li Guanqi shouted coldly.
“Special Summon from the deck, <Yubel – The Ultimate Nightmare>!”
A wild surge of energy swept the arena.
The two-headed demonic dragon loomed in the glow, its immense body dozens of meters tall, casting a giant shadow over the entire dueling ground.
The audience collectively swallowed hard.
“That’s…”
Her smile was slightly manic.
“Ah————”
“It can still evolve…”
“A twelve-star monster with 0 ATK…”
“Hahahaha…”
“I really love you!”
As she confessed, she slapped down the card she just drew: “Quick-Play Spell, <Mystical Space Typhoon>!”
“Destroy your set card!”
“Chain activate———-” Li Guanqi quickly waved his hand and flipped his set card.
“<Eternal Favorite>!”
“Special Summon <Spirit of Yubel> from the graveyard!”
<Mystical Space Typhoon> shattered <Eternal Favorite>, and <Spirit of Yubel> spread her wings, taking a defensive stance before him.
“<Spirit of Yubel>’s effect.”
“Set <Eternal Favorite> from the Deck!”
If <Eternal Favorite> is activated as Chain Link 2 or higher to summon <Spirit of Yubel>, its appearance effect can be triggered.
“Another 0 ATK monster.” Qing Ji’s eyes gleamed brighter, her smile growing wider.
“I really love you, hahaha.”
She clutched her chest, face flushed, as if she’d reached some kind of ecstasy.
“I activate the other effect of the Field Spell <Reptilianne Recoil>.”
“Destroy <Terror Incarnate> on the field and Special Summon <Coatl> from the graveyard!”
A bolt of blue lightning struck down from the sky, shattering <Terror Incarnate> and summoning <Coatl>’s soul once again.
Li Guanqi chose not to activate <Terror Incarnate>’s graveyard effect.
The opponent had already set up another 4+2.
Summoning another <The Ultimate Nightmare> would just let her draw again.
“Once more!” Qing Ji cried out.
“I tune my Level 2 <Reptilianne Serpent> with Level 4 <Coatl>!”
“Synchro Summon!”
The fierce giant serpent-woman appeared once again.
“Descend———-!”
“Level 6, <Reptilianne Hydra>!”
“<Hydra>’s effect!”
“All monsters with 0 ATK on your field are destroyed, and I draw cards equal to the number of destroyed monsters!”
The toxic mist engulfed the battlefield.
Serpent swarms slithered up <The Ultimate Nightmare> and <Spirit of Yubel>, their fangs sinking in as forked tongues hissed through the air.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Two explosive blasts rang out, Qing Ji drew two more cards.
“I activate <Spirit of Yubel>’s effect!” Li Guanqi shouted, waving his hand.
“Special Summon, <Yubel>!”
<Yubel> descended once more.
“What a tenacious guy.” Zi Cai remarked in awe.
“Two waves of monster grabs, two board wipes, and Player 0748 still has a monster on the field!”
“Even while so heavily countered, not a single word of complaint.”
With that, even the fans of Qianquegong were visibly moved.
A true duelist knows nothing of counters or being countered.
Only a pure will to win.
“Hold the line!” someone in the audience shouted.
“Hang in there!”
Voices echoed in unison, if he could just survive this turn, then next turn <Pain> could reflect damage for a comeback.
“A man worthy of respect.” Qing Ji smiled faintly.
“But sadly, Lady Luck is on my side!”
She gently flipped the card she’d just drawn.
Golden halos appeared beneath the feet of <Yubel> and <Hydra>, the unmistakable signal of being tributed outside the chain.
“Become a part of me!”
“Tribute <Yubel> and <Hydra>!”
“Special Summon———–”
“<Reptilianne Vaskii>!”
A flash of white light, and <Vaskii> made her graceful appearance.
Her upper half was that of a pale-skinned woman with four slender arms spreading wide.
Her lower half was a thick serpent’s tail that slithered across the field with eerie grace.
“We’re done for———!” Tang Xin screamed in despair, clutching her head.
Qianquegong’s fans leapt up, shouting wildly; Bianyuelong’s supporters let out a collective sigh.
“That topdeck…” Zi Cai shook his head, sighing.
“You just can’t do anything about it.”
“A tribute that doesn’t enter the chain, not even <Grave Squirmer> can stop it.”
“Finish it!” Hong Mi cried excitedly.
“With three monsters on the field, the total ATK exceeds 4000!”
“Hmph———-” Qing Ji’s lips curled into a smirk.
“If you weren’t fighting me, you really would’ve gotten through that.”
“Battle Phase!”
“You’ve done well, numbered citizen.”
“But now, step aside!”
The two <Hydras> and <Vaskii> entered battle stance, their presence overwhelming.
“<Hydra>, direct attack!”
Qing Ji slashed her arm downward like a general commanding a charge.
The <Hydras> let out a chorus of furious hisses, their many heads rushing toward Li Guanqi.
Li Guanqi’s head drooped, his whole body trembling slightly, for some reason.
“Scared now?” Qing Ji sneered, mistaking his shaking for fear.
“Hahahaha…” Li Guanqi suddenly looked up, laughter low and guttural.
“Got you, got you!”
“Hahahahaha———!”
“And I love you too!” At last, both sides confessed their love.
He flipped the only set card in his hand and burst into laughter: “Activate effect of <Spirit of Yubel> from my hand!”
“This card, I Special Summon!”
“What?!” Qing Ji’s eyes flew wide in disbelief.