Chapter 19: The Card Gunner

Trap Card – Judgment of Enma: The resurrection of the Mecha Fortress is negated!

“Player Ryuzaki actually had such a trick up his sleeve!”

Commentator Odo was spitting with excitement.

“It seems that even the fortress’s revival was accounted for in his strategy. And because it’s a counter trap, Player Yugen has almost no room left to recover. The momentum must be broken here.

“In that case, continuing the counterattack looks very difficult. So, can he still declare that he will end the duel this turn?”

Yet, faced with this situation, Yugen’s only thought was...

Good grief, Sword Mountain was one thing, but how do you even have a card from Misawa?

Indeed, the “Judgment of Enma” is a trap card famously used by the well-known duelist Daichi Misawa in the GX series. Originally, it’s a trap exclusive to the Zombie-type monsters. By banishing five Zombie monsters from your graveyard, you can special summon a Zombie monster from your deck.

But Ryuzaki, who plays Dinosaurs, obviously doesn’t have any Zombies. Still, even in the anime environment, using it as a rough equivalent to a trap hole can be quite handy.

After all, duelists in this world don’t have complete freedom in deck-building; they often just use whatever cards they happen to have. If they happen to pull this card from a pack, even non-Zombie users might consider adding it.

The fortress returned to the graveyard, but Yugen remained unfazed. Another card in the graveyard glowed with golden light and resurfaced.

“The effect of ‘Mecha Unit – Super Transformation’ in the graveyard.”

Yugen revealed the card that had reappeared from the graveyard.

“This card, while in the graveyard, if your ‘Mecha Unit – Fortress’ on the field is sent to the graveyard, you can banish that ‘Mecha Unit – Fortress’ from the graveyard to special summon this card.”

The destroyed Mecha Fortress returned to the field in a semi-transparent, phantom-like state, its form shimmering with a fleeting golden light.

“Therefore, I banish the Mecha Fortress in the graveyard and special summon ‘Mecha Unit – Super Transformation’!”

The glowing specks of the fortress condensed back into a solid form. The ethereal heavy armor began to transform: massive metallic feet thudded heavily onto the ground, tank treads shifted to the sides, and the main cannon lifted onto its shoulder. The alloy fortress slowly morphed into a heavy armored robot.

Autobots, transform!

[Mecha Unit – Super Transformation, ATK 2600]

“Unbelievable! Player Yugen actually had another surprise waiting!”

Commentator Odo’s face flushed red with excitement, his enthusiasm seemingly surpassing even that of the duelists themselves.

“This was the COST discarded from the hand when the Mecha Fortress was special summoned in the previous turn. Since then, Yugen has been calculating several moves ahead!

“Could today truly be the day we witness the rise of a new star!?”

Commentator Sasaki silently wiped the spit off his face with a handkerchief and subtly shifted his seat away from his overly enthusiastic colleague.

But just as the fortress was about to complete its transformation, the huge mecha suddenly staggered. With a heavy thud, it dropped to one knee, its body flickering in and out of visibility before gradually fading away like a wisp of smoke.

Commentator Odo: “!”

“What… what’s happening now?” the commentator gasped. “Where’s the Super Transformation?”

“Hahaha!” Ryuzaki laughed triumphantly. “I anticipated your backup in the graveyard long ago. Perhaps you calculated two or three moves ahead of others, but my duel has gone even further!

“The moment you activated ‘Mecha Unit – Super Transformation,’ I chained this card!”

All eyes shifted to the face-down trap card in his back row.

Trap Card – Banished.

“Banished allows you to select one card from your opponent’s graveyard and remove it from play. So, before your mecha could revive to the field, I banished your ‘Mecha Unit – Super Transformation’ directly from the game!”

Ryuzaki’s smile grew more triumphant.

“How’s that? Still want to claim this is your last turn? Your mechas have all been destroyed, your strategies and setups thoroughly dismantled, while I still have my invincible Dark Terror Beast on the field!”

Commentator Sasaki nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Although Player Yugen had reserves, Ryuzaki’s Dinosaurs are not to be underestimated.

“Unfortunately, no matter what plans Yugen had, under this setup, he’s powerless...”

Ryuzaki clearly thought the same.

Two traps in a row — can you still beat me instantly?

Can you still face Dark Terror Beast’s onslaught?

“Go ahead, try to finish me off now. If you’re capable, just GKD. I’m waiting right here...”

Yugen pondered.

Hmm... that’s a strange challenge.

Well, since the opponent is daring me to...

“Flip the card.”

He gestured to the back row at his feet, revealing a trap card.

“Continuous Trap – Resurrection Restriction. It allows you to special summon one monster with 1000 or less attack from your graveyard in attack position.

“When that monster changes to defense position, both that monster and this card are destroyed.”

“Huh?” Ryuzaki raised an eyebrow.

Only monsters with 1000 or less attack can be revived, and they can’t change to defense, so those must be just weaklings...

“I’m reviving this card.”

Yugen took the card that popped out of the graveyard.

“Card Gunner!”

[Card Gunner, ATK 400]

Card Gunner was one of the monsters frequently used by Judai Yuki in the later part of the GX series. By sending the top three cards of the deck to the graveyard during this turn, it can gain a total of 1900 attack points in one go, and when destroyed, allows the player to draw a card.

With capabilities for graveyard setup, attack boost, and card draw, it was a staple in higher-tier decks of its time, even restricted due to its high tournament appearance rate.

Ryuzaki clearly saw no threat: “Heh, just a weakling after all...”

“Whether it’s a weakling, you’ll find out soon. Next, I activate a spell card from my hand...”

Yugen waved his hand, and a green spell card appeared before him.

“Spell Card – Mechanical Duplication.

“You can select one Machine-type monster you control with 500 or less attack, and special summon up to two copies of it from your deck.

“My choice, of course, is the 400-attack ‘Card Gunner’!”

He drew the two searched cards from his deck.

“Special summon two more ‘Card Gunners’!”

[Card Gunner, ATK 400] x3

“Three monsters at once?”

Ryuzaki suppressed his unease.

“But weaklings are still weaklings. No matter how many come...”

“Card Gunner’s effect.”

Yugen continued his play. “Once per turn, Card Gunner can send the top three cards of its owner’s deck to the graveyard.

“For each card sent this way, it gains 500 attack until the end phase.

“So, I activate the effect of all three ‘Card Gunners’ consecutively, sending nine cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard!”

With a loud rustle, a pile of cards cascaded from the deck into the duel disk’s graveyard.

“Each Card Gunner’s attack rises by 1500!”

[Card Gunner, ATK 400 → ATK 1900] x3

“Next, the final card I’ll play is this...”

Yugen played the final card to seal the duel.

“Quick-Play Spell – Limit Release! All Machine-type monsters I control double their attack until the end of the turn!”

“N-nani!?”

Ryuzaki and the commentators were stunned. The crowd’s roar surged like a tidal wave, almost shaking the entire arena.

All Machines on the field doubled their attack, meaning these three Card Gunners...

[Card Gunner, ATK 1900 → ATK 3800] x3

“Attack power... 3800 each, all three at once!?”

Commentator Odo was nearly dumbfounded.

Is this even a legal move??

Sasaki gasped, feeling an internal storm of shock.

With the limit lifted, the three gunners crackled with electric energy, rapidly inflating from tiny figures into towering mechas like Gundams.

The once menacing Dark Terror Beast now had to look up to see these colossal machines looming over it. It broke into a cold sweat, shrinking back in fear...

“First, the lead Card Gunner destroys the Dark Terror Beast!”

Bang! Bang! Gunfire echoed as the black dinosaur was pierced in half and exploded.

Ryuzaki: “Ugh!”

[Ryuzaki, LP 2800 → LP 1600]

With all his back row resources exhausted, Ryuzaki had no means left to defend.

“Next, the remaining Card Gunners attack Ryuzaki directly!”

Cannon barrels locked on, electric sparks flying. The Card Gunners fired twin blasts, the spiraling bullets trailing smoking black trails as they sped towards Ryuzaki.

Beneath the barrage, Ryuzaki’s vision blurred, and in a fleeting moment, the figure opposite him seemed to merge with a memory from the past.

The voice of the original Duel King, Yugi Muto, echoed in his mind.

“No matter what kind of card, it has its value.”

“Even the weakest monster has its meaning. To casually dismiss a card as a ‘weakling’ shows you do not deserve the title of duelist.”

“...”

After enduring a double trap barrier and still assembling such a formation in one go — such power, such overwhelming offense — this was the feeling of strength he sought.

Card Gunner, a mere 400-attack weakling, yet capable of delivering such a decisive chain.

For a moment, he almost saw the former Yugi Muto standing across from him...

But the illusion vanished in an instant.

In its place, the overwhelming firepower engulfed him completely.

[Ryuzaki, LP 1600 → LP 0]