015 Should I deal with the taunting minion first? I’ll just dive the tower and take them out directly!

Seeing the attacked monster card flip over and reveal itself as “Elemental Hero Clayman,” the Duel Assassin was momentarily stunned.

Judging by the monstrous figure now exposed—a hulking golem made entirely of earth, its massive form even larger than his own—the creature was obviously some sort of high-defense wall monster. He was just preparing to resign himself to a minor setback and a slight loss of life points, when the corner of his eye caught the display on his console. The battle status screen indicated that Clayman’s defense was an astonishing 2800 points!

Duel Assassin: !!

Damn! He’d thought it was just an ordinary wall monster, but this one’s defense rivaled the legendary “Millennium Shield!”

“You didn’t really think this was just another high-defense wall, did you?”

Before the Duel Assassin could fully marvel at this four-star monster boasting a defense on par with the “Millennium Shield,” Yugi’s voice suddenly echoed through the shroud of “City of Shadows.”

“I can’t see your field, but you can see mine. So, do you really think the card I set alongside Clayman is for show?”

Duel Assassin: ?!

His words… Could Yugi’s set card be a trap like “Mirror Force,” which activates in response to an attack?

If so, he wouldn’t just lose his monster—he’d also take about 800 points of damage!

As the Duel Assassin anxiously speculated about Yugi’s set card, Yugi’s voice came again, this time causing the Duel Assassin’s eyes to widen in disbelief, as though struck by thunder.

“‘Elemental Hero Clayman’s’ signature trap, ‘Clay Charge’—activate!”

Of course—with Clayman on the field, Clay Charge was sure to follow. The synergy between these two cards was as notorious as Kaiba’s infamous “three Blue-Eyes plus Polymerization” combo!

“With Clay Charge, both my Clayman and your attacking monster are sent straight to the graveyard! And after that, you’ll take 400 points of direct damage!”

At his master’s command, the normally gentle-hearted Clayman, with only 800 attack points, transformed into a fiendish trickster, charging into the black mist with a wicked grin. As the opposing monster stared in terror, Clayman lunged forward, arms wide, and enveloped it in a crushing embrace—a true “bear hug of doom.”

“Boom!”

The explosion’s flare pierced the darkness for an instant, letting Yugi glimpse his monster’s victim—the five-star Fiend “Dark Chimera.”

“Now, take damage equal to half your monster’s original attack—plus the 400 from Clay Charge!”

Sharp, arrow-like shards of earth shot from the card, tearing through the black shroud and striking the Duel Assassin squarely in the chest.

“Ugh!”

With that muffled cry, his life points plummeted.

(Duel Assassin: 2000 LP → 1195 LP → 795 LP)

Dark Chimera’s original attack was 1610; half that, plus Clay Charge’s 400, reduced the Duel Assassin’s life to a flickering candle in the wind—a mere 795 out of the standard 4000!

“Tch! I’ll set a card facedown and end my turn!”

Now, like Ryuzaki earlier that afternoon, the Duel Assassin, uncertain about the facedown cards, had lost most of his life in one fell swoop to Yugi’s “Clay Combo.”

“My turn—draw!”

Yugi glanced at his hand, barely suppressing a smile.

“Hey, big guy!”

“…?”

Startled by the sudden address, the Duel Assassin responded with confusion—though the black curtain hid his expression from Yugi.

“It seems that fate—or rather, my deck—has tired of this duel and wants to finish you off right now.”

Duel Assassin: ?

Finish me this turn? Is Yugi serious, or just toying with me?

“First, I activate the Spell Card ‘Foolish Burial’ from my hand, sending ‘Elemental Hero Avian’ from my deck to the graveyard.”

As he spoke, Yugi searched his deck, extracting the image of Avian from within.

“Sending your own monster to the graveyard? How fitting for a card called ‘Foolish Burial’!”

Unfamiliar with “Foolish Burial,” the Duel Assassin couldn’t help but sneer as he watched Yugi send a monster from deck to grave.

Ignoring him, Yugi continued his play:

“Next, I activate the Spell Card ‘The Warrior Returning Alive’ from my hand!”

A classic spell, and perfect for Warrior-type monsters.

“This card allows me to retrieve one Warrior-type monster from my graveyard.”

There were three cards in Yugi’s graveyard, two of them Warriors: the self-destructed Clayman from the opening move, and the freshly buried Avian.

“After retrieving Avian from the grave, I activate the Spell Card ‘Polymerization’ from my hand!”

Duel Assassin: ?

What? You don’t even have a monster on your field—how can you use Polymerization?

While the Duel Assassin stared, dumbfounded, Yugi continued:

“I’ll fuse the ‘Elemental Hero Bubbleman’ and ‘Elemental Hero Avian’ from my hand!”

Duel Assassin: ??

Wait—Polymerization lets you use cards from your hand as fusion material?

As the Duel Assassin’s astonishment grew, the green-feathered, bird-like Avian and the blue-clad Bubbleman were both drawn into the swirling vortex of fusion.

When the fusion whirlpool faded, both monsters were gone. In their place stood a flamboyant, sailor-like warrior with a wild hairstyle.

Duel Assassin: ?!!

What the hell, it actually worked?!!!!

As if reading his mind, Yugi explained:

“That’s right—normally, Polymerization requires your fusion materials to be on the field. But that’s only true for the version you know! My Polymerization is a special edition—unique to me! It allows me to use monsters from my hand as well as the field as fusion materials!”

Duel Assassin: “…”

Well, damn. I’m completely lost.

(ΩДΩ)

“Now, attack! Elemental Hero Mariner!”

At Yugi’s command, Mariner unfastened the two anchors strapped to his wrists, spinning them like windmills in a storm.

“You want to attack my monster? Hmph!”

Seeing Mariner’s 1820 attack points, the now-composed Duel Assassin immediately flipped his set card.

Though Mariner’s attack was less than his own “City of Shadows,” which boasted an incredible 2509 defense, if Yugi insisted on attacking, he’d just boost his monster’s defense and launch a fierce counterattack!

“I activate the Trap Card ‘Castle Walls’! Until the end of this turn, my defending monster ‘City of Shadows’ gains 500 defense points!”

As the Duel Assassin activated this classic defensive card, the hovering City of Shadows above him transformed, its castle walls taking on a metallic sheen as its defense rose even higher.

(City of Shadows, Defense: 2509 → 3009)

“Hmph! My monster’s defense is now on par with the Millennium Shield!”

Gazing at his monster’s over-three-thousand defense, the Duel Assassin sneered, awaiting Yugi’s Mariner to “throw itself into the fire” and be destroyed by attacking his City of Shadows.

But Yugi’s voice drifted in from beyond the black curtain.

“Big guy, when did I ever say I was attacking your monster?”

Duel Assassin: ?

If you’re not attacking my monster, what, are you planning to hit me directly through the fortress? There’s a limit to jokes, okay!

“I can more or less guess what you’re thinking. But congratulations, you’re exactly right! I’m going to break through and finish you off directly!”

Duel Assassin: ???

In that moment, his confusion peaked—the greatest bewilderment this Duel Assassin had ever experienced.

His opponent—Yugi—directed Elemental Hero Mariner to launch a direct attack!

“Mariner’s effect! As long as I have a set Spell or Trap card on my field, Mariner can halve its attack and attack the player directly!”

At some point, Yugi’s back row had been set with a card—Bubbleman’s signature Equip Card, “Bubble Blaster.” Yugi hadn’t used it, but set it solely to fulfill Mariner’s effect requirement.

As Mariner swung his anchor, embedding it in the ground before the Duel Assassin, then pulling himself forward with a whoosh, the Duel Assassin shouted desperately:

“Stop! Stop it right now!! …Ahhhhh!”

(Duel Assassin: 795 LP → 0)

In the original, it took the “Black Curtain Strategy” and the King of Games’ psychological manipulation to drag out the Duel Assassin’s defeat over nearly two whole episodes (well, one and a half). But now, facing Yugi, he couldn’t even withstand three moves!

First: Clayman plus Clay Charge. Second: Bubbleman and Avian fuse into Mariner.

Clearly, had he not relied on the “Black Curtain” and his high-defense stalling, he wouldn’t have lasted even half as long against the King of Games.