Chapter 1062 - 1035: Shattered Resolve
The situation Paradox is facing has become extremely severe at this point.
With Great Angel Christina on the field, both sides cannot perform special summons, which is basically a death sentence for his Sin Card Deck. Most of his deck’s monsters have turned into useless pieces, completely immobilized.
The only trump card that could break the deadlock, Skill Extraction, is now sealed by the Royal Palace Notice, rendering all his rear traps unusable too.
However, today this man from the future might be destined to learn a painful lesson: there is no such thing as the worst, only worse.
Whenever you feel the situation has hit rock bottom, you must unwaveringly believe——
——things can always get worse.
"End of the battle phase, entering main phase 2."
Yugen slowly draws two more cards from his hand and lays them down casually.
"Setting two more cards facedown."
Paradox cautiously scrutinized Yugen’s back row.
Another two face-downs in the back row... but with Royal Palace Notice on the field, all traps are negated. This condition should be the same for both parties. No matter how many facedowns Yugen has in his back row, they would still be negated by his own notice, making them unusable.
Is this for after the notice is resolved and the formation is broken?
Upon thinking this, Paradox felt increasingly troubled.
This damn Duel King, the formation on the field looks unsolvable enough, yet he’s still laying groundwork for the next move. Why so cautious?
But he couldn’t think too far ahead with the present formation already giving him a headache.
Yet in the next moment, Yugen revealed a dazzling Red Pit card from his hand, smiling brightly.
"The effect of ’Executioner Demon Asura’ remains active this turn, allowing me to activate a Trap Card from my hand this turn. Therefore, I activate this card, Continuous Trap——
——Royal Decree!"
Upon this card’s activation, the whole field was in an uproar.
Decree! The two great locks of the Royal Palace, accompanying the Notice!
"Royal Decree, similar to the Notice," Yugen said, "when Decree is on the field, all Magic Card effects on the field become nullified!"
One locks traps, one locks magic. When these two cards are assembled, all magic trap methods are completely sealed.
Paradox was also shocked, but immediately shouted, "Are you crazy!?
Royal Decree itself is a Continuous Trap and will be negated by ’Royal Palace Notice’!"
Isn’t this contradictory!
"Not at all." Yugen smiled, "That’s why it’s time for ’Gorgeous Venus’ from the Planet Series to take the stage.
When Gorgeous Venus is on the field, all the magic and trap cards you control, whether activation or effects, cannot be negated!" (Old effect)
Paradox’s pupils contracted as he jerked his head up to look at Venus.
Gorgeous Venus... Is this its ability?
Doesn’t that mean...
"Indeed." Yugen squinted his eyes, "Therefore as long as Gorgeous Venus is present, the Decree cannot nullify my magic, and the Notice cannot nullify my traps.
Thus I can still freely use any magic trap cards, and these two cards will not negate each other."
Pausing slightly, Yugen smiled slyly.
"Of course, Venus only grants the cards she controls immunity resistance, as for you..."
He didn’t continue.
But Paradox’s body already began to tremble slightly.
Not from fear, but purely from anger.
Damn you...
Now he completely understood the layout that Yugen had set.
Great Angel Christina blocks special summons, basically making it impossible for the Sin Card Deck to summon monsters.
Decree seals magic, Notice seals traps, Venus ensures these two cards won’t conflict, and turns all the locks into one-sided locks...
This game is absurd!
Screw this, what kind of duel is this?
He’s really about to lose it.
As a man from a future devastated by endless battles and hardships, who is well-versed in the history of Duel Monsters and knowledgeable in various duel styles, he arrived back through time carrying a sense of superiority, believing that even the Duel King was but a relic of the past, incomparable to his own insights.
But now, he was sure this slice of history was absolutely wrong, ludicrously so.
For in the history he knew, there can’t possibly be a Duel King as dark and twisted as this person exists, unheard of till now.
No, in the entire history of Duel Monsters, even accounting for those dark incarnations and terrifying demon gods, there was never someone as sinister as this!
To manipulate the Angels, symbols of light and hope, into something so insidiously devious, can you believe it?
The people in the research institute were all astounded, except for Keihei, who remained calm, only smiling as he said, "I told you, he really is an unlucky otherworldly person. Who knows what kind of karma led him to crash into Yugen here in our world..."
"My turn is already over." Yugen reminded, "What, not drawing?"
Paradox remained dazed for several seconds, slowly glanced at his Duel Disc.
Draw a card?
Oh right, the duel is still going.
But... is there any point in continuing?
A wave of enormous helplessness washed over him, as if to swallow him whole.
This feeling wasn’t unfamiliar to him.
He once watched as his familiar world crumbled around him, as friends and family, everything he knew was swallowed by the whirlpool of despair.
He watched the apocalypse coming, watched despair engulf everything around him, and he was powerless to act.
Just like this duel.
He’s still alive, still has Life Points remaining. But even though he’s alive, the path ahead is completely blocked. The demon cloaked in the name of Angel blocks all his possibilities.
All he can do is wait helplessly for the end to come, for what remains of the world to vanish completely...
He gently closed his eyes.
Yet in the darkness, familiar faces appeared before him.
"Apollia..."
"Antinomy..."
"...Z-ONE."
Right, he couldn’t give up yet.
He and his allies had promised, to unite forces to rewrite history.
He remembered what Z-ONE said when they survivors gathered, determined to travel through time to change history.
"...If we succeed, history will be rewritten, and perhaps our existence will be erased."
"If we fail, the world will still be destroyed, and we might be remembered as the sinners of humanity forever."
"Even so, would you... still be willing to follow me?"
Everyone answered firmly, without hesitation, "Willing."
"..."
Indeed, the decision had already been made.
The future has yet to be determined.
No matter how dark or despairing it seems, a path must be carved out. This was something they had decided long ago.
This resolution cannot be crushed by this degree of challenge.
Determination reignited in Paradox’s eyes.
"My turn—Draw!"