Chapter 57: The Revolver’s Assault

"Now that Orichalcos is activated, you no longer have any chance. Let this duel become a ritual of sacrifice for the resurrection of the wicked god, using both you and your beloved spirits!"

Bandit Keith waved his arm broadly, slamming a Magic Card onto his Duel Disk.

"First, the Magic Card: Land Destruction! This card can destroy the monster with the lowest ATK on the opponent's side of the field!"

The green Magic Card unfolded with a flourish on Keith's field. Yuxuan's side of the field immediately began to shake, the earth trembling violently like an earthquake, splitting open an abyss-like ravine along the ground.

"Your side of the field only has 'Silent Magician'," Keith sneered. "What a tragic fate for such a fair magician girl."

"True Silent Magician, effect activation," Yuxuan said. "Once per turn, I can negate the activation of a Magic Card. I negate the destruction of 'Land Destruction'!"

A burst of white radiance erupted centered around the Silent Magician. The Land Destruction card was blown into the air by a transparent magical storm, shattering into dust with a snap. The fractured ground on the field restored itself to normal.

"Tch, you actually have that kind of ability."

Bandit Keith let out a displeased snort.

"Then I will next activate the effect of 'Snipe Hunter'!" Bandit Keith declared. "Discard one card from my hand and roll a die. If the result is anything other than 1 or 6, I can destroy one card on the field!"

A die...

Yuxuan remembered; this guy also seemed to be fond of playing with dice. Including his specialty of "sleeving cards," this person was a born gambler.

Clearly, though, he had never gambled against Joey Wheeler back in the day.

Snipe Hunter was also a powerful, low-level monster with a decent usage rate in early Yu-Gi-Oh! As long as the die didn't land on 1 or 6, it could blow up a card—a two-thirds probability. Unless your luck was abysmal, the success rate was quite high.

"Although the 'Silent Magician' in the front row is quite an eyesore as well..."

Bandit Keith narrowed his eyes, his gaze shifting back and forth between the magician and the set card in Yuxuan's backrow.

"Silent Magician has the effect of increasing her ATK based on the number of cards in hand. And you went so far as to lower her ATK just to set that card, which means that's a trap you deem worthy of that cost. Let me think, it's very likely a powerful trap capable of reversing the situation in one fell swoop, similar to 'Mirror Force'..."

Yuxuan: "..."

"But useless!" Bandit Keith shouted. "I'll make you understand that such crude traps are useless before me! Snipe Hunter's effect, Wheel of Destiny!"

Although the effect description mentioned a die, based on "Snipe Hunter's" monster design, the die was clearly replaced by the revolving cylinder on his handgun. The dark-clad gunman raised his pistol, the rear of the weapon featuring a rotating dial. The pointer spun wildly several times before gradually slowing down, finally settling on the number "4."

"The number on the wheel is 4!" Keith laughed heartily. "Therefore, your set card in the backrow is destroyed!"

Hand over your trap!

The sniper's bullet was loaded, firing with a sharp bang. The set card in the backrow was pierced, shattering with a snap.

However, when a card was destroyed, the special effect lasted only for an instant. Keith caught a glimpse of the card art image; it wasn't Mirror Force, nor did it seem to be any generic trap—at least, not one he had ever seen before.

"That leaves your backrow completely empty," Bandit Keith said. "Next, I activate the Magic Card 'Devil's Sanctuary', Special Summoning one 'Metal Demon Token' to my side of the field!"

[Metal Demon Token, ATK 0]

"I also activate the Continuous Magic 'Card of Safe Return'. This way, whenever I successfully perform a Tribute Summon using two or more monsters, I can draw two cards from my deck!"

"Next, I offer the 'Metal Demon Token' and 'Snipe Hunter' as Tributes for a Tribute Summon! Let the roar of metal bring eternal nightmares to the enemy! Level Seven—Barrel Dragon, summon!"

The two monsters disintegrated and were sacrificed, the energy released condensing within the summoning storm. The flying particles assembled into a dark, heavy steel physique, featuring three heavy artillery-like dark gun barrels, sharp fangs, and the sound of interlocking gears and grinding metal as the steel giant stepped onto the field.

[Barrel Dragon, ATK 2600]

This was also Bandit Keith's trump card that had appeared in the anime.

"According to the effect of 'Card of Safe Return', I draw cards from the deck!"

Bandit Keith drew two cards.

"The effect of 'The Seal of Orichalcos'! The ATK of all monsters on my side of the field increases by 500, so 'Barrel Dragon's' ATK goes up!"

[Barrel Dragon, ATK 2600 -> ATK 3100]

"That surpasses your magician now," Keith chuckled. "Battle! 'Barrel Dragon', attack 'Silent Magician'!"

The three barrel cannons on Barrel Dragon's shoulders shifted together, emitting the heavy mechanical sounds of internal structures operating and grinding. All three barrels locked onto the Silent Magician on Yuxuan's field.

"At this moment, Barrel Dragon's effect activates!" Keith shouted. "When 'Barrel Dragon' attacks, I can toss three coins. This card can attack a number of times equal to the number of heads tossed!" (Anime effect)

The three gun barrels locked on simultaneously, followed by the sound of bullets being loaded and the cylinder of the revolver spinning. Similarly, although described as coin tosses, their representation within the holographic projection system was the spinning of the revolver's cylinder.

Once loaded, two of the gun barrels lit up with a golden glow.

"Heh, looks like I hit two. This turn, 'Barrel Dragon' can attack twice," Keith laughed loudly. "And your Life Points are only 2500, and your set card has already been cleared away, so this should be the end of it! This is the absolute power of Orichalcos—tremble before this power! Barrel Dragon's attack! Deadly Revolver!"

First came the initial shot, as the gun barrel on the left side of the handgun dragon poured out a tongue of deadly fire.

"Then at this very moment, I activate a Trap Card from my hand!" Yuxuan waved his arm broadly, the Trap Card materializing before him amidst a stream of data. "Magic Cylinder!"

"Nani?!" Keith cried out in shock. "Activating a trap from the hand?!"

On what grounds?

"You seem not to recognize the very trap you just destroyed."

Yuxuan's Duel Disk graveyard slot ejected the set card that had just been blown up.

"This card is the Trap Card 'Cross Counter Trap'. The turn this card is sent to the GY by an opponent's effect, at most once, I can activate a Trap Card from my hand." (Anime card)

"Such a thing exists?!" Keith's expression turned ugly.

"Therefore, based on this effect, I activate 'Magic Cylinder' from my hand, negating your attack and inflicting damage to you equal to that monster's ATK!"

Ornate magic double cylinders materialized on Yuxuan's field. Barrel Dragon's artillery shell roared directly into one side of the magic cylinder, and just half a second later, the magic cylinder on the other side flipped over, reflecting that dazzling tongue of flame right back at the attacker without loss.

"Ugh, ah!"

Taking the Orichalcos-enhanced blast of his own monster directly, Keith's face instantly twisted into an abstract expression, and his entire body was knocked flat onto the ground by the single blast, black smoke rising from his chest and abdomen.

[Bandit Keith, LP 4000 -> LP 900]

"Bast... ard..." Keith gritted his teeth.

He realized he had still underestimated his opponent.

Going so far as to lower Silent's ATK just to set a card in the backrow was in itself a psychological prompt making him think "this trap is very important." He had thought he saw through the opponent's intentions, but in reality, the opponent had seen through his seeing through them.

Intentionally guiding him to destroy the backrow, but in truth, it was a double trap—the real trap was actually concealed in his hand...

What a cunning little brat.

Keith took a deep breath, sat up, and glared coldly at him.

"I underestimated you," Bandit Keith said in a deep voice. "Cunning kid, but that changes nothing. And because you consumed a 'Magic Cylinder' from your hand, Silent Magician's ATK must drop once more!"

[Silent Magician, ATK 3000 -> ATK 2500]

"The battle isn't over yet! My 'Barrel Dragon' still has its second attack remaining. Aiming at Silent Magician once more—Deadly Revolver!"

The dark gun barrels rose again, and the artillery fire roared out of the chambers. This time, nothing stood in the way; Silent Magician took the brunt of the impact head-on, transforming into golden light to temporarily leave the field.

[Yuxuan, LP 2500 -> LP 1900]

"However, at this moment, Silent Magician's effect also activates," Yuxuan said. "When Silent Magician is destroyed by battle or by an opponent's effect, I can Special Summon another 'Silent Magician' monster from my hand or deck, ignoring its summoning conditions. Blinking with silent brilliance at the intersection of chaos and order, the Magician of Light descends here—Silent Magician LV8!"

The energy released after Silent Magician was destroyed did not dissipate, but instead reorganized into a white magical circle. An even more surging vortex of magic burst forth from within, white light shooting straight into the sky as Silent Magician, sporting a new attire and a frosty expression, spun through the air and returned to the field once more.

[Silent Magician LV8, ATK 3500]

"Tch, she actually evolved and upgraded instead? What a troublesome kid."

Keith muttered under his breath, then waved his hand to slam down another card.

"Then I activate the Magic Card 'Card of Demise'!" Keith declared. "On the turn I perform a Tribute Summon, I draw two cards from my deck. However, the cards drawn by this effect cannot be used this turn, and if they can be set, at least one card must be set on the field." (Original manga card)

Keith drew two cards: "Since I performed a Tribute Summon for 'Barrel Dragon' this turn, I draw from the deck!"

He then pulled out one of them.

"Next, I set one card on the field, and end my turn."