125 Kaiba vs. Obelisk the Tormentor!

"Activate Trap Card: Attack Immunity!"

In an instant, the two small sheep were destroyed. As the piercing damage from the Bloody Ogre's effect was about to strike Youyi, a massive shield suddenly materialized, intercepting the 3,600 points of battle damage.

"Attack Immunity has two effects: one prevents a monster from being destroyed by battle or card effects, and the other reduces all battle damage I take this turn to zero."

"Hmph! I set two cards and end my turn."

Understanding why Youyi took no damage, Kaiba set his two remaining cards and concluded his turn.

"My turn, draw!"

Obelisk the Tormentor, this is the turn you make your entrance!

"Activate Quick-Play Spell: Kuriboh Call! I special summon 'Kuriboh' from my deck!"

"Kuri-kuri!"

Kuriboh—the eternal god—was summoned from the deck by the call of the flute.

"Next, I activate the Spell Card 'Multiply' on the Kuriboh on the field, special summoning four 'Kuriboh Tokens'."

Four tokens, each half the size of a Kuriboh, hatched onto Youyi’s field under the effect of the "Gengar" card.

"Kaiba! Since you are using your full strength against me, I shall respond with my own cards!"

"Open your eyes and witness! The supreme existence that reigns at the pinnacle of Duel Monsters—now is the moment of His descent!"

As the three Kuriboh tokens vanished, a massive pressure descended from the heavens, permeating the entire arena!

As his opponent, Kaiba felt the immense pressure immediately. It was as if a mountain were crushing down upon his shoulders, forcing him to hunch over in the face of the god's arrival.

"Impossible!"

"Roar—!"

With a proud roar in his heart and the shared pressure of his "White Bride," Kaiba straightened his back, facing the descending Egyptian God head-on!

While Kaiba stood firm, the spectators—save for Joey and his group, who were protected by an invisible barrier formed by the dark power of the Millennium Puzzle—were trembling in their boots!

"Appear! The God of Destruction of the Earth—Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Accompanied by the god's theme music, Obelisk descended in a crouched stance behind Youyi. Perhaps because the entire world was watching, Obelisk chose this grand entrance, unleashing his divine aura to sweep across the surroundings.

Kaiba and Yugi were unaffected, but the ordinary reporters looked as though they were encountering real ghosts in a haunted house—filled with pure terror!

"Is this... the supreme existence that reigns over the Duel Monsters world?"

"The Three Egyptian Gods... besides Obelisk, there are two others!"

"How mighty! How imposing! I want one so badly!"

These were the voices of those watching the live stream. While those behind screens couldn't feel the mountain-like weight of the god, they could clearly see the power that transcended all other creatures!

"Obelisk... the most destructive of the three Egyptian Gods!"

Gazing up at Obelisk’s massive, mountain-like figure, Kaiba felt no fear, only excitement and thrill. The entity he was about to face and defeat was this very giant!

"I activate Obelisk's effect! I tribute two monsters on my field!"

When Youyi summoned the real Obelisk before, he used the effect that deals 4,000 damage to the opponent and all their monsters. This time, however, he was using the god's second effect.

"Absorb the soul power of the Kuriboh and the tokens, and recharge! Obelisk!"

Obelisk reached out his massive hands, gently grabbing the cute creatures to absorb their soul power, fueling his divine body. As the soul energy surged, Obelisk’s body began to shift from blue to red—the visual manifestation of the soul recharge effect.

But just as the shift reached halfway, the recharge stopped! The skin color faded back to its normal blue!

"What is this?"

Noticing the change, Youyi quickly looked toward Kaiba, seeing a Spell Card with a lightning icon in the corner standing upright on his field.

"Trap cards have no effect on gods, but Spell Cards and the effects of Level-equal high-level monsters are valid for one turn... Am I right, Youyi?"

Looking at Kaiba’s smug smile, Youyi gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words:

"Quick-Play Spell! 'Forbidden Chalice'!"

Every Yu-Gi-Oh! player knew the "Forbidden" series of Quick-Play Spells; they were as popular as the "God-type" Counter Traps! These were cards that could be activated during the opponent's turn to disrupt their plays!

"Until the end of the turn, Obelisk's effect is negated! However, in exchange, he gains 400 ATK."

A 400-point boost compared to the infinite attack power of the soul recharge was like comparing a spark to the sun! But there was nothing to be done; Youyi didn't have a Counter Trap to negate a Spell Card, or he wouldn't have just watched Obelisk’s recharge get interrupted.

"A 400-point boost... pitiful, but better than nothing."

After comforting himself, Youyi waved his hand forward and declared an attack on Kaiba’s Bloody Ogre.

"Obelisk! Destroy Kaiba's Bloody Ogre! God Hand Crusher!"

With 4,400 ATK, Obelisk attacking the 2,400 ATK Bloody Ogre would deal 2,000 damage if the attack went through, instantly cutting Kaiba's Life Points in half!

But would Kaiba let his Life Points drop that low? The answer was:

"At this moment, I activate the Trap Card 'Half Counter'! My Bloody Ogre will not be destroyed by battle, and the battle damage I take is halved!"

"Half Counter"—a trap card often used by Yuma Tsukumo, the protagonist of the fourth generation of Yu-Gi-Oh!. By using it here, Kaiba preserved his monster and halved the damage.

"I didn't expect this card..."

Youyi also had "Half Counter" in his own deck; he had often included it in his past life as it was a useful card for preserving resources and mitigating damage.

"When Bloody Ogre is destroyed by battle, it lowers the attacking monster's ATK by 500... but this effect shouldn't work on a god, right?"

If it were any other monster, it would have its power permanently reduced by 500. But—

"Exactly! If it were a power-boosting effect, a god would accept it, but for a debuff like the Bloody Ogre's, unless the monster's level is equal to or higher than the god's, it is impossible to affect an Egyptian God!"

Buffs are effective on Egyptian Gods regardless of the monster's level! But negative effects? Sorry! Unless you are on the same level as the god, they are all negated! Even for monsters of equal stature, negative effects only last for one turn.

"I set one last card and end my turn."

Youyi set his final card. Though Obelisk's first official appearance had been interrupted by Kaiba, he had still revealed a glimpse of his divine power, conquering the hearts of those watching.