154. Five-Chain Link! A Brand-New Destiny HERO!

"Targeting 'Malefic Armed Dragon Catapult', I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card 'Forbidden Chalice' from my hand!"

A golden chalice suddenly materialized in front of the charging Malefic Armed Dragon Catapult. Seeing this large cup, the Malefic monster slammed on the brakes, hovering to an emergency halt in mid-air.

"At the cost of increasing the Catapult's ATK by 400, its effects are negated until the end of the turn!"

The effect of the original Armed Dragon Catapult reads: "Once per turn, during your opponent's turn, you can banish 1 card from your Deck or Extra Deck; banish all cards on your opponent's field and in their GY." Combined with the common theme that "Malefic" monsters have effects slightly adapted from their original counterparts, one could easily deduce what the Malefic Catapult's effect truly was.

With this in mind, as long as one had a card like Forbidden Chalice in hand to negate monster effects, they could execute their plays without fear of the Catapult's banishing effect.

On the field, the golden chalice slowly tilted, and its rich, divine nectar began to flow out. Just as the bio-mechanical body of the Catapult was about to be drenched by these heavenly waters, a greyish, seven-colored shockwave swept outward. Before the sacred liquid could touch the Catapult, the wave destroyed it and sent it to the graveyard.

"The effect of 'Malefic Rainbow Dragon'! I send all other monsters I control to the graveyard, and for each 'Malefic' monster sent to the graveyard this way, Malefic Rainbow Dragon's ATK increases by 1000! This effect can be activated even during the opponent's turn."

The activation of the Malefic Catapult's effect required a cost: sending a "Malefic" monster and its corresponding original monster from the hand or deck to the graveyard—specifically, "Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon" and "Blue-Eyes White Dragon".

Since the cost had been paid, and the activation of the effect had not been negated by any "Counter" traps, even though it was sent to the graveyard by Malefic Rainbow Dragon's effect, it did not prevent the Catapult from attempting to banish all cards on Yugi's field and in his graveyard.

"In response to Malefic Rainbow Dragon's effect, I have a counter too!"

"Nani?"

With the chain already stretched this far, he still had a responsive card in his hand?

"Chaining to the effect of 'Malefic Rainbow Dragon', I activate the second Quick-Play Spell Card from my hand: 'Forbidden Droplet'!"

The key to breaking the deadlock was the second Quick-Play Spell in his hand bearing the word "Forbidden" in its name.

"By sending the face-up Quick-Play Spell 'Forbidden Chalice' on my field to the graveyard, until the end of the turn, the ATK of Paradox's 'Malefic Rainbow Dragon' is halved! At the same time, its effects are also negated!"

As mentioned earlier, whether a cost was paid or not, as long as the card's activation was not negated, even if it was sent to the graveyard prematurely during the resolution of a chain, it did not affect the application of its effect on the field.

Facing a Chain 5 situation, Paradox glanced at his two backrow cards and chose not to continue building the chain. Thus, resolving the chain backward, the state of the field became as follows:

Malefic Rainbow Dragon's physique instantly shrank by half, and the halo surrounding its body grew dim—a clear sign that its effect had been negated.

Malefic Armed Dragon Catapult was not sent to the graveyard by Malefic Rainbow Dragon's effect, meaning Forbidden Chalice did not fizzle out due to a missing target. Consequently, the Catapult's effect was successfully negated, preventing it from banishing the cards on Yugi's field and in his graveyard. In exchange, its ATK increased by 400.

Unfortunately, after the four chains resolved, it was finally time for the "culprit" that originally triggered this "Chain 5"—Locomotion R-Genex. Since it was still on the field and its cost had already been paid, the Malefic Catapult had to say goodbye, rendering the ATK boost from Forbidden Chalice utterly pointless.

"Because 'Malefic Armed Dragon Catapult' was destroyed by the effect of Locomotion R-Genex, the Trap Card 'Malefic Tune-Up' activates! I draw two cards from my deck."

Watching Paradox's hand replenish to three cards, Yugi did not rush into the Battle Phase to have Locomotion R-Genex destroy Malefic Rainbow Dragon. Instead, he inserted the final card from his hand into the Spell & Trap Zone of his Duel Disk and activated it immediately:

"Spell Card: 'Card of Demise'! I draw cards from my deck until I have five cards in my hand, but during the End Phase of the fifth turn after this card's activation, I must discard my entire hand."

Instantly replenishing his hand by five cards, and with Paradox's two Malefic monsters already dealt with, Yugi was now free to launch an all-out offensive.

"Spell Card: 'Polymerization'! I fuse 'Elemental HERO Liquidman' and 'Destiny HERO Disk Commander' from my hand!"

A brand-new HERO—Destiny HERO. With a grey body and blue stripes, bearing six discs of varying sizes located at the joints of his hands, shoulders, thighs, and waist.

The fusion of this disc-laden HERO with Liquidman, a being formed entirely of crystal-clear water, produced a new HERO whose appearance bore no resemblance to either material component:

"An 'Elemental HERO' monster plus a DARK monster. Fusion Summon—'Elemental HERO Goka'!"

The DARK-attribute fusion monster among the six elemental HEROes, Goka was entirely enshrouded in a black, mist-like energy. Were it not for her slender figure and the impressive curves of her chest, one might never have guessed this HERO was a lady.

"The effect of Goka: her power increases by 100 for each 'Elemental HERO' monster present in my graveyard."

Currently, in Yugi's graveyard, there were a decent number of Elemental HERO monsters: "Bladeedge" and "Sparkman," which had been sent to the graveyard for the Fusion Summon of Locomotion R-Genex earlier, and now "Liquidman," which entered the graveyard for the summoning of Goka. That made a total of three Elemental HERO monsters in the graveyard.

"Next, the effect of Liquidman, who was sent to the graveyard as fusion material: I draw two cards from my deck and then discard one."

Glancing at the two cards he had drawn, Yugi chose to discard the second Destiny HERO from his hand into the graveyard.

"I set one card face-down, and enter the Battle Phase! Goka! Attack 'Malefic Rainbow Dragon'! Dark Eaves!"

At the command, the branch-like wings on Goka's back emitted a dark ink-colored glow, and the inward-curving hem of her skirt at her waist radiated the same dark hue.

Four dark energy ripples, guided by her claw-like right hand and slender left hand, gathered energy to gradually form a massive, pitch-black sphere of energy.

Her clawed right hand grabbed the energy sphere, while her left hand steadied her right arm, and with a sharp "whoosh," she fired the energy sphere from her claws like a cannonball straight toward the weakened Malefic Rainbow Dragon.

"Boom-crash!"

Malefic Rainbow Dragon, whose ATK had been reduced to 2000, was directly obliterated by Goka. The remaining face-down card on Paradox's field turned out not to be an ATK-boosting card as Yugi had guessed.

"Next is the attack of Locomotion R-Genex!"

As long as this bolt of golden lightning struck Paradox squarely, Yugi would be able to swing the duel heavily in his favor by the second turn.

"Trap Card, activate: 'Defense Draw'! The battle damage inflicted by Locomotion R-Genex becomes 0! At the same time, I can draw one card from my deck!"

Though not a card to boost a monster's power, it was a trap that preserved his life points, allowing him to take no damage while drawing a card.

"End of turn."

Watching his opponent draw a card, Yugi concluded his turn.