152. OCG, Theatrical, and Original "Sin" Decks

Having activated the core card of his deck, Paradox was finally able to properly showcase his "Malefic" deck, constructed through a journey of plundering monsters.

"I send the Fusion Monster 'Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon' from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard, and Special Summon 'Malefic Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon' from my hand!"

As the phantom of the regular version of the Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon flashed across the field, a Malefic Catapult Cannon appeared, identical in shape to the original version but with a slightly different body color.

Stained with the power of "Malefic," the mechanical edges of the Catapult Cannon became pitch black, and its colors were no longer as vibrant as the original, instead turning somewhat dull and giving off a deep, oppressive feel.

As an armed dragon integrated with biology, its face was directly covered by a black and white metal mask, and the original gray armored skin of its body turned directly into the color of black coal!

"High-level monsters with 'Malefic' in their name can never be Normal Summoned! You can only send the corresponding monster without the word 'Malefic' from your Main Deck or Extra Deck to the Graveyard, and then Special Summon the 'Malefic' monster corresponding to the sent monster from your hand!"

"Therefore, by discarding the 'Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon' from my Extra Deck, I have successfully Special Summoned 'Malefic Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon' from my hand!"

Paradox curled the corners of his mouth, explaining with a hint of complacency on his face. The "Malefic" series was a brand-new set of cards born from the residual power of that ruined land in the future! Unprecedented and entirely unique!

Yusei: "By discarding one card, not only does it thin the deck and send a card to the graveyard, but it also Special Summons 'Malefic Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon' with an identical stat line of 3500 ATK..."

Jaden: "Originally, summoning 'Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon' required banishing one 'VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon' and one 'Armed Dragon LV7' from your side of the field or Graveyard—provided they had been successfully Special Summoned during the duel—to Special Summon it from the Extra Deck..."

Yugi: "A 'Malefic' monster born by offering the corresponding monster as a living sacrifice... 'Light' and 'Dark'... Is this the power of darkness?"

Kaiba: "3500 ATK... A high-attack crushing deck just like my 'Blue-Eyes' series."

The four of them chimed in one after another, expressing their inner shock toward this deck born from the "World of Sin."

Sending a monster from the deck or Extra Deck to the Graveyard and then Special Summoning a "Malefic" monster from the hand could practically be called a card-advantage-neutral Special Summon! It even thinned the thickness of the deck!

Moreover, the moment the Special Summon succeeded, it immediately yielded a high-level monster whose attack power was just below "Obelisk the Tormentor" and well above "Blue-Eyes White Dragon"!

If this were any ordinary duelist, they probably would have surrendered on the spot!

The praise and analysis from the four instantly put our dear Paradox in a wonderful mood, making him feel as though he were floating on air. Therefore, he decided to offer a return gift—

"Since you're all praising it so much, allow me to present a return gift!"

"I send one 'Rainbow Dragon, the Zenith Crystal Beast' from my deck to the Graveyard, in order to Special Summon the second 'Malefic' monster from my hand! Come forth! 'Malefic Rainbow Dragon'!"

The very instant Rainbow Dragon, the Zenith Crystal Beast was sent from the Main Deck to the Graveyard, the entire space seemed as though time had been frozen.

The next second, large swathes of auroras suddenly emerged, blanketing the sky of the entire area in the blink of an eye. While everyone remained completely frozen in place, a gigantic rainbow-colored dragon wrapped in pitch-black misty energy appeared before Paradox.

"Damn it! How dare he turn Yubel's—no, Johan's card into such a monstrosity!"

The sky-blue feathers on its wings were stained entirely black, and its face was covered by a black-and-white mask, stripping away the rainbow brilliance of the "Ultimate Crystal God" entirely, leaving only a lifeless, dull rainbow.

Looking at Rainbow Dragon in this state, Jaden felt his heart fill with rage.

It was bad enough that he had stolen his close friend Johan's Ultimate Crystal God Rainbow Dragon, but now he had actually turned it into such a hideous ghost of a thing!

Had he not previously agreed to let his mentor fight this battle alone, he, Jaden Yuki, would have definitely made him witness what a "Pseudo Speed 4" was—"Super Polymerization," which could fuse "twelve universes" together!

'To Special Summon two high-level monsters with a combined ATK of 7500 in a single encounter?! Furthermore, because they are tainted by the dark power of the World of Sin, their effects have also become completely unpredictable!'

Professor Banner's spirit form stood on the rooftop behind the five of them, watching the battle from a condescending vantage point. Seeing Paradox Special Summon two monsters with such high attack stats in an instant, he was utterly terrified.

"Hehe! This deck of mine not only contains the dark power of the 'World of Sin,' but the monsters within it are also the strongest cards from every era! It is completely a different dimension from you all!"

Black-Feather Dragon, Red Dragon Archfiend, Stardust Dragon, Cyber End Dragon, Ultimate Crystal God Rainbow Dragon, Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon, True Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon...

A "Malefic" deck composed of the strongest dragon-type monsters from three different eras like this was simply incomparable to an ordinary person's deck! It was truly an existence from "another dimension!"

"President Yugi! Even if you are the strongest duelist in the history of Duel Monsters, before these 'Malefic' monsters of mine, you have only the single fate of losing the duel! And then you can watch helplessly as I rewrite history! Hahahaha!"

Yugi: "..."

I will just quietly watch you flex. After all, you are the bravest boss in cinematic history, fighting a 1-v-3 against three generations of Duel Kings! Once this duel is over, I will never again have the chance to meet a boss whose level of courage rivals yours.

'Hmph! Faced with this unknown deck that transcends the current dimension, even the strongest duelist is terrified!'

Yugi's silence was interpreted by Paradox as an outward display of absolute composure while internally struggling desperately to figure out how to break the deadlock.

"I set two cards face-down. Turn ended."

As the projections of two face-down cards materialized, Paradox's first turn finally came to an end.

"My turn, draw!"

'Malefic Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon... A monster that never appeared in the theatrical film, nor was it ever originally printed in the OCG...'

Looking at the Malefic Catapult Cannon hovering to the left of Paradox's hand, Yugi couldn't help but narrow his eyes and analyze it mentally. The appearance of this monster was most likely related to the impact he himself had caused in the future eras.

'Since even the Catapult Cannon of that boy Chazz is possessed, would it be safe to boldly guess that Paradox also plundered Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon from the future timeline?'

The President of this timeline was right here with him, while Joey was traveling the world with his sister Serenity, thanks to private sponsorship from Yugi.

'I am familiar with the effects of Malefic Rainbow Dragon, but as for the effects of Malefic Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon... Wait!'

Just as he was reviewing the OCG and theatrical effects of the "Malefic" series in his mind, Yugi suddenly discovered a common trait among them:

The original genuine monsters were tainted by the dark power of the "World of Sin," thus forming entirely DARK-attribute monsters. While their stat lines remained unchanged, their own effects were slightly adjusted based on their original effects and the need to synergize with their "Malefic" companions.

Analyzed this way, it seemed possible to deduce the nature and specific functional aspects of "Malefic Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon" based on the effects of the genuine "Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon."

'Thinking about it this way, it still seems entirely within my control.'

Having finished his analysis, Yugi finally looked down at his hand, and upon spotting a monster belonging to the "True Divine Kuriboh" family among them, he felt absolute certainty that victory in this duel was already secured.

'I'm sorry, Paradox-uncle, hero of my childhood! Before you are defeated, serve as the test dummy for my brand-new Hero deck!'