Chapter 1278: One-Turn Kill with the Sacred Beasts

"Yeah, a guy like me doesn't understand."

Kira acted very magnanimously.

"So, why don't you help me understand?"

The fake Trudge sneered. "Heh heh, nice try. But sorry, I'm not telling you anything. You have to beat me first."

"Fine, if you insist."

Kira held a card between his index and middle fingers, waving it in the rushing wind.

"I'm in a hurry, so I'll finish this in this turn."

The fake Trudge's heart skipped a beat.

This was still only his first turn? He wanted to OTK him?

But he looked at Goyo Guardian on his field and glanced at Sakuretsu Armor in his back row, sneering inwardly.

Hmph, killing me won't be that easy.

The fake Trudge actually felt a bit expectant that the opponent, in a rush, would attack recklessly. That would make it easier to fall into his trap and give him a chance.

"Activate Spell Card 'Card Destruction,'" Kira said. "Both players discard all cards in their hands, then draw the same number from their Decks."

All cards in hand were discarded, then each drew replacements.

"Next, activate Equip Spell 'Premature Burial,'" Kira said. "Pay 800 Life Points to Special Summon one monster from the Graveyard to the field in Attack Position."

[Kira, LP 4000 → LP 3200]

"I Special Summon this card from the Graveyard.

Phantom of Chaos!"

Strange purple ripples spread across the ground as energy in the Graveyard began to churn violently. Accompanied by a hair-raising sound of wriggling slime, a mass of black chaotic matter slowly seeped out from a crack in the Graveyard.

It wriggled and expanded on the ground like a living thing, constantly bubbling and bursting on its surface with sticky "gurgling" sounds. Its form seemed to change every second, and even the air grew thick and heavy because of its presence.

[Phantom of Chaos, ATK 0]

"A monster with 0 ATK?"

Trudge frowned.

"At this moment, from my hand, activate Quick-Play Spell 'Inferno Reckless Summon,'" Kira said. "This card can only be activated when a monster with 1500 or less ATK is Special Summoned to my field.

I can Special Summon as many copies of that 1500 or less ATK monster as possible from my hand, Deck, and Graveyard."

He paused, then hooked his finger toward Goyo Guardian on the opponent's field.

"Of course, the opponent can also choose to Special Summon as many copies as possible of face-up monsters on their own field. Well, the only monster on your field right now is Goyo Guardian…"

The fake Trudge snorted unhappily. "I won't summon any. I want to see what trick you're playing."

He only had one copy of Goyo Guardian anyway, and it was a Synchro Monster, so he naturally couldn't Special Summon more copies of the same name.

"Then I won't hold back," Kira snapped his fingers. "Special Summon two more 'Phantom of Chaos'!"

[Phantom of Chaos, ATK 0] ×2

"Then activate Phantom of Chaos's monster effect. Once per turn, select one monster in the Graveyard and gain that monster's card name, ATK, and monster effects!

I will simultaneously activate the effects of all three 'Phantom of Chaos,' copying the card names, ATK, and effects of three monsters in the Graveyard!"

Fake Trudge: "Copy three monsters from the Graveyard all at once!?"

"Correct. And the three cards I'm copying are these!"

Red, gold, and blue energy erupted skyward from Kira's Graveyard.

"Uria, Lord of Searing Flames! Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder! Raviel, Lord of Phantasms!"

The three masses of Phantom of Chaos suddenly churned violently, like black clay being shaped by an invisible hand. The first clump of black mud burst with dazzling red light. Amid an ear-piercing dragon roar, it transformed into Uria, Lord of Searing Flames. Crimson dragon scales flowed with lava-like patterns, and its spread wings covered the highway. Every membrane of the wings burned with never-extinguishing flames.

The second phantom solidified amid roaring thunder and the sound of clashing metal like a thousand swords being drawn. Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder's golden skeletal armor gleamed coldly, blue-white electric light bursting from its joints, and violent thunderstorms danced in its hollow eye sockets.

The final mass of chaotic matter let out a deafening roar and expanded into the giant form of Raviel, Lord of Phantasms. Deep blue muscle fibers twisted like steel cables, and waves of energy that distorted space erupted from its body.

The Three Sacred Beasts descended in an instant!

The fake Trudge was stunned.

"Th-three Sacred Beasts…"

Even as a duplicate, they had all descended in the very first turn. The overwhelming pressure was like the descent of a god, almost suffocating him. Even the Duel Runner beneath him seemed to let out an unbearable groan.

"However, what Phantom of Chaos copies is ultimately only an illusion," Kira said. "Although it can destroy monsters by battle, it cannot inflict actual battle damage."

Only then did the fake Trudge feel slightly relieved. He laughed dryly a couple of times. "Ah ha… ahahaha, so it's just an empty show of strength. I knew it.

And I guess the copy from Phantom of Chaos only lasts for this turn, right? Since it can't inflict damage and only has effect for one turn, next turn those three 0-ATK Phantom of Chaos will instead become weaknesses…"

"That's right," Kira smiled. "Provided there is a next turn."

Fake Trudge: "!"

Wait, didn't you say it can't inflict battle damage? Then are you still trying to finish me this turn?

"From my hand, activate Spell Card 'Dimension Fusion Destruction'!" Kira said. "Banish 'Uria, Lord of Searing Flames,' 'Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder,' and 'Raviel, Lord of Phantasms' from the field, and perform the ultimate fusion on the Sacred Beasts!"

The fake Trudge's pupils shook. "The Three Sacred Beasts fuse further?"

"The flames of the triple altar burn away all falsehoods. The final Sacred Beast that descends at the end——Armityle the Chaos Phantasm, descend!"

The heavens and earth suddenly changed color. The energy vortex of the Three Sacred Beasts formed a black hole that devoured everything at the center of the duel field. Accompanied by a fusion roar that shattered eardrums, Armityle the Chaos Phantasm tore through dimensions and descended. The blue head of the Sacred Beast Emperor revealed a ferocious demon face, with purple-black flames from the abyss dancing in its pupils. The golden skeletal armor of the Thunder Emperor spread across its body like a living thing, with thunderstorms capable of tearing space bursting from every gap between bone plates. Its left arm had completely transformed into the crimson dragon head of the God Flame Emperor. The dragon's jaws expanded into a three-meter-diameter flame cannon, within which surged incandescent hellfire torrents.

Energy pillars of lava and lightning intertwined sprayed from the cracked seams in the ground. Ionized blue light particles floated in the atmosphere. Every pulse of its giant wings caused dimensional tremors, as if even time trembled and submitted before this chaotic embodiment.

[Armityle the Chaos Phantasm, ATK 0]

"I said I'm in a hurry," Kira said. "Armityle the Chaos Phantasm's effect: Once per turn, inflict 10000 battle damage to the opponent."

Thunderstorms across Armityle's body spread along the Thunder Emperor's golden skeleton and flowed into its dragon head. The God Flame Emperor's dragon mouth opened, and hellfire entwined with raging lightning surged forth.

"Wait, wait, wait!" the fake Trudge said. "Activate set card, Trap Card 'Sakuretsu Armor'…"

"It's useless. Sakuretsu Armor can only be activated when the opponent declares an attack," Kira said. "Chaos Sacred Beast's effect is 'inflict battle damage,' not a true attack, so there is no attack declaration timing.

Additionally, Trap Cards are originally ineffective against Sacred Beasts. Sacred Beasts are unaffected by any Trap effects."

The fake Trudge's face turned green.

How is this possible…

How can there be such an unreasonable monster?

"Aaaaah—!"

[Fake Trudge, LP 4000 → LP 0]

....