Under the shadow of the giant dragon, the cloaked man slammed down the card in his hand.
“I activate the Spell Card, Ghost Fusion!
I Fusion Summon using Uni-Zombie on the field and Changshi the Spiridao from my Deck as materials!”
“Break through the gates of the Netherworld and appear!”
An overlapping chant rang out loudly from beneath the cloak.
The pitch-black shadow of Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon suddenly swung its claws, tearing a massive crack into the space before it.
With a low roar, Dragonecro violently burst forth from the dimensional rift.
The surrounding space shattered like glass, torn apart by its charging body as cracking sounds echoed through the air.
“Ugh!”
Dragonecro stretched out its body, releasing a high-pitched dragon roar from its mouth.
Violent shockwaves surged outward as though the sound had shaken the entire world.
Fusion Summon!
[Dragonecro Nethersoul Dragon] Level 8│DARK│Dragon│3000 ATK
Kazumo felt an indescribable pressure suddenly descend upon his body.
He was forced to lower himself, struggling with all his might just to avoid being crushed to the ground.
“This spiritual power really is a double-edged sword.”
Without spiritual power, he would probably have only been watching a flashy hologram show and would never have been affected so directly by such overwhelming power.
Simply put, it was like “spiritual perception” in a Cthulhu world.
This was the price of knowing too much.
Massive amounts of black mist poured out from the torn spatial crack like a burst dam, instantly swallowing the two Duelists on the field.
Fatigue and drowsiness overtook him.
For a brief instant, Kazumo nearly lost consciousness.
The aura of the ‘Netherworld’ brought by Dragonecro was lethal to a living person like Kazumo.
“Tch…”
Kazumo bit through the tip of his tongue and forcibly regained his focus.
At this moment, he had truly experienced the terror of a Shadow Duel.
His skin began drying and shriveling.
Feeling his legs tremble uncontrollably, Kazumo could not help lamenting that these underhanded gimmicks really were the signature feature of Shadow Duels.
Merely the leaking aura was already this horrifying… if he were directly attacked by a monster like this, the result definitely would not be pleasant.
“I activate the effect of Changshi the Spiridao, which was Banished as Fusion Material!
I Banish Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill from my Graveyard and Special Summon Changshi the Spiridao to the field!”
The overlapping voices were now gone.
From beneath the cloak came a rough, heavy male voice entirely different from before, faintly accompanied by clattering sounds.
Dragging his heavy body, Kazumo painfully pressed a button on his Duel Disk.
“I…
I activate Magikey Fiend’s effect as Chain!
Destroy…
As long as he could destroy this “source of contamination” and return the Duel to normal conditions, he would still have a chance.
But things did not go as he wished.
The cloaked man’s voice rang out.
“That won’t do.
I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Forbidden Chalice, targeting your Magikey Fiend.”
A golden goblet poured out rose-colored wine.
Drawn in by the exquisite drink, Magikey Fiend involuntarily picked up the goblet that floated before it and downed it in one gulp.
Magikey Fiend belched drunkenly before collapsing onto the ground, its body fading into dull gray and black.
“Damn it!”
Looking at the effectless Magikey Fiend once again, Kazumo could only grit his teeth helplessly.
[Changshi the Spiridao] Level 6│DARK│Zombie│0 DEF
A zombie girl wearing a cheongsam and black stockings bounced happily onto the field, drifting through Dragonecro’s black mist with an expression that seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.
“I activate Changshi the Spiridao’s effect!
I send 1 Zombie monster from my Deck to the Graveyard.
I send Plaguespreader Zombie!”
“As the effect resolves, I activate Plaguespreader Zombie’s effect!
I return 1 card from my hand to the top of the Deck, and it Special Summons itself to the field!”
As the cloaked man’s words fell, a grotesque purple stitched-together zombie appeared on the field.
[Plaguespreader Zombie] Level 2│DARK│Zombie│Tuner│200 DEF
“I tune Plaguespreader Zombie with Changshi the Spiridao!”
Synchro Summon!
[Skeletal Dragon Felgrand] Level 8│LIGHT│Zombie│2800 ATK
A dragon with a golden body but pitch-black, grotesque limbs spread its wings and emerged from the spatial void shattered open by Dragonecro.
“Shogunsaga’s effect activates.
When it is Synchro Summoned, I can Banish 1 monster on your field.
I don’t think I need to say which target I’m choosing.”
The mocking voice reached Kazumo’s ears as Shogunsaga immediately lunged toward Magikey Fiend.
Kazumo truly felt miserable right now.
This was like personally experiencing a hero being trapped in the starting village by the Demon King.
The moment the Duel Dragon known as Dragonecro appeared, the cloaked man before him had transformed from an elite enemy into a final boss.
“Duel Dragon” was the title given to powerful dragon spirits subordinate to the Crimson Dragon, so naturally their users were held to incredibly high standards.
Therefore, the fact that Dragonecro could be summoned here meant only one possibility…
Roman Goodwin himself was personally using it.
Kazumo shook his head, driving away some of his drowsiness. Get faster updates on g.com.
“I activate my Set Trap Card, Magikey Duo.”
“I add Mafteal from my Graveyard to my hand, then after that I perform a Ritual Summon using monsters from my hand or field as materials.”
After a brief pause, Kazumo revealed the final card in his hand.
“I use Magikey Fiend on my field as material to Ritual Summon Magikey Mechmusket – Batosbuster from my hand!”
The drunkenly swaying Magikey Fiend transformed into four azure flames that ignited the Ritual Circle appearing in the sky, while Shogunsaga’s attack struck only empty air.
As the ignited Ritual Circle descended, Clavkiys wielding a Gatling-gun-shaped Magikey appeared before Kazumo.
Clavkiys’s appearance dispersed some of the black mist around Kazumo, making him feel noticeably better.
[Magikey Mechmusket – Batosbuster] Level 4│DARK│Machine│Tuner│2200 DEF
“I activate Batosbuster’s effect!
When it is Summoned, I can add 1 ‘Magikey’ card from my Deck to my hand.
I choose the Field Spell Card, Magikey World.”
After saying all that in one breath, Kazumo had no choice but to stop and gasp heavily.
He had to end this Duel quickly, otherwise he might die before it was over.
“Not bad dodging.
So how exactly are you planning to stop my attack now?”
A light chuckle clearly rang out.
Now that he had somewhat recovered, Kazumo could finally recognize the altered voice.
It belonged to Roman.
Kazumo looked deep beneath the cloak and discovered that the original man was already gone.
Only a skeleton remained, opening and closing its jaw as it spoke to him.
Each movement of the jaw produced clattering sounds.
And just as Roman said, Kazumo’s field truly had no remaining resources.
Only by surviving this turn would he have a chance to counterattack.
Kazumo roared inwardly:
“You have to hold on!
My body!”
A savage grin actually appeared on the skeleton’s face as its bony arm waved toward the two monstrous dragons.
“Attack!”
“At this moment, I activate Batosbuster’s effect!
I return Magikey World from my hand to the Deck to negate Shogunsaga’s effect, and during the End Phase I can draw 1 card!”
Unfortunately, that only resulted in an even trade and could not stop the incoming attacks.
Once the final effect resolved, the Magikey Mechmusket before him was torn apart by Shogunsaga, while Dragonecro dived down from the sky and bit directly into him.
Soul Absorption!
Unable to dodge in time, Kazumo’s entire left side was bitten by the undead dragon.
“AAAGH!”
The dual agony inflicted upon both his body and soul forced a miserable scream from his mouth.
[Kazumo, LP: 8000 → 5000]