Chapter 58: The Strongest Duelist (4)

The Harpy swept its massive wings, instantly whipping up a violent gale. Feathers danced through the air like sharp blades, and the storm swept across the entire field, shattering the traps with a resounding crash.

"As I thought!" Li Guanqi's pupils suddenly contracted.

Since this black-robed woman had held back on hand traps the entire time and remained so calm, she undoubtedly had a game-breaking counter in her hand.

However, his backrow didn't hold many disruptions, just a single [Symphonic Guidance]. This [Harpie's Feather Duster] could only be considered a one-for-one trade, so there was no need to expend the omni-negate of his [Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess].

The crucial part was the front line.

Barring any accidents, [Raigeki] and [Lightning Storm] were about to follow.

Yet, a bizarre scene unfolded.

The black-robed woman selected a card, placed it into her duel disk, and said, "Quick-Play Spell Card—[Crossout Designator]."

"[Crossout Designator]."

"Declare 1 card name; banish that 1 card from your Deck. Until the turn ends, the effects of cards with that original name, as well as the effects of cards banished by this effect, are negated."

"I declare [Yubel, Spirit of the Nightmare]."

"???" Li Guanqi's brow knitted tightly together.

Wait, what was the meaning of this Crossout?

He felt his brain spin into chaos, an indescribable sense of uncanniness washing over his entire body.

Thousands of miles away, the brightly lit girl's room was completely empty.

At the desk, an exquisite fountain pen moved across a sheet of white paper, once again writing a clear line of script.

"The King has chanted the name of the demon."

The rustling sound of writing echoed in the dead silence of the room.

Li Guanqi furrowed his brows, a strange dissonance filling him. He didn't even have [Yubel, Spirit of the Nightmare] in his hand, so naturally, he wouldn't use his [Goddess] to manage this effect.

Was the black-robed woman blindly declaring? It was purely a waste of a card in hand. Besides, why would her deck even run that spirit?

Strange, far too strange.

Priority returned to the black-robed woman. She slapped down another card and softly said, "Chaining to resolve, Quick-Play Spell—[Forbidden Droplet]."

"Send the [Crossout Designator] on the field to the graveyard."

"Select one monster the opponent controls without targeting; its attack is halved, its effects are negated, and the opponent cannot activate Spell Card effects in response to this effect."

Li Guanqi's pupils tightened. The bad news was that the opponent had [Droplet]; the good news was that her resources seemed rather scarce, possessing no monster cards, so Droplet only cost a single [Crossout Designator].

He pondered for a moment and chose not to use the effect of [Apollousa].

Droplet was most likely aimed at [Unchained Soul of Rage] or [Apollousa], so whether he negated it or not made little difference.

Refraining from activating monster effects could also disrupt [Triple Tactics]. A high-end deck build like this was very likely running the eighteen-tactics configuration.

High above, a colossal holy cup materialized, into which a single drop of water fell, striking [Apollousa]. The great beast let out a low growl as its body gradually weakened.

[Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess] ATK: 3000 → 1500

Golden sword-lights rose all around the high altitude, resembling the Treasury of the King.

"As expected, she dropped [Apollousa]." Li Guanqi furrowed his brow, eyeing the last three cards in the black-robed woman's hand.

The Yubel end-board was weak to spells and traps, and its only three-color negate was [Apollousa].

Her remaining three cards likely did not include [Raigeki] or [Lightning Storm]. If she had them, she could have played them first, let the Super Beast negate them, and then followed up with Droplet.

Furthermore, she had been reluctant to discard other cards, otherwise Droplet wouldn't have only cost a single [Crossout].

If it wasn't a monster card, he guessed she probably had [Triple Tactics] in hand. What could the other two cards possibly be?

The black-robed woman quickly provided the answer. She picked out a card, slammed it down, and whispered, "Activate Spell Card, [Sky Striker Mecha - Engage!]."

"Add one 'Sky Striker' card from your Deck to your hand, except itself. If you have three or more Spells in your Graveyard, draw 1 card."

"What the hell, Striker?!" Li Guanqi's face twisted into an irregular contortion.

So it was the eighteen-tactics Striker build! Stack three spells, activate Engage, and use Engage to search into another Engage.

"I add [Sky Striker Mecha Modules - Multirole]... no, [Sky Striker Maneuver - Shark Cannon] to my hand."

The black-robed woman's fingertips brushed across the void, pulling forth a wisp of subtle electricity: "Draw a card!"

Shortly after, she gently flipped over the card she had drawn, her voice devoid of fluctuation, as if she had anticipated it all along: "Activate Spell Card, [Sky Striker Mecha - Engage!], add [Shark Cannon], and draw a card."

Her fingertips brushed the night sky once more, sparking a bright flash of lightning.

"You're playing for real, huh." Li Guanqi's expression turned grave. Spell-heavy decks truly carried an innate supernatural luck.

The strange thing was that she hadn't searched Raye with Engage. Normally speaking, she should have grabbed a monster, transitioned into Kagari, and then chained her plays.

Then came the most terrifying moment of all.

The black-robed woman expressionlessly flipped over the drawn card and coldly stated, "Activate Spell Card, [Raigeki]."

"Destroy all monsters your opponent controls."

A raging storm of thunder roared into existence, transforming into countless blade-like flashes of lightning that plummeted like divine punishment, hurtling straight toward Li Guanqi's side of the field.

Li Guanqi's face instantly turned pale. He could only watch as his five monsters were instantly swallowed by the violent current, shattering into drifting fragments.

He clenched his teeth tightly, a roar tinged with suppressed fury bursting from his chest: "Activate the effect of [Unchained Soul of Rage]!"

"Add [Fiendish Rhino Warrior]... no, [Sacred Tamamo-no-Mae]... [Samsara D Lotus] from the Graveyard to my hand!"

The black-robed woman remained expressionless, her voice as biting as ice: "Chain activation of [Shark Cannon], banish [Samsara D Lotus] from your Graveyard."

With a single blast, the cannon shot precisely shattered the phantom of [Samsara D Lotus] just as it began to rise from the ground.

Li Guanqi's hope was shattered once again.

He felt as though his heart had been gripped tightly by an invisible, giant hand, pushing him to the brink of suffocation.

"Quick-Play Spell [Shark Cannon]," the black-robed woman continued, "banish [Yubel] from your opponent's Graveyard."

[Yubel] had no disruption effect in the Graveyard.

She was simply overflowing with resources, so it didn't really matter. During the search, this [Shark Cannon] could easily have been swapped for [Widow Anchor].

It was just that Li Guanqi's field was already empty, leaving nothing to capture.

"Activate Spell Card." From her two remaining cards, the black-robed woman selected one and slammed it down. "[Triple Tactics Talent]."

"Look at your opponent's hand, and choose 1 card to shuffle into the Deck."

She chose to look at the hand instead of drawing cards?!

This could only mean one thing: her final card in hand was enough to secure a one-turn kill!

Li Guanqi's pupils constricted fiercely as he hurriedly hurled the last card from his hand: "Chain activation, [Maxx "C"]!"

"This turn, each time your opponent Special Summons, draw 1 card."

The effect of [Maxx "C"] resolved successfully, causing [Triple Tactics Talent] to whiff.

After a massive wave of resource exchanges, the dueling field lay completely empty.

Li Guanqi and the black-robed woman stood quietly in place, resembling two silent statues.

The black-robed woman had only a single card left in her hand.

Although Li Guanqi's hand was empty, [Maxx "C"] had resolved; as long as the opponent performed a Special Summon, he would get to draw.

If he drew [Infinite Impermanence], there might still be a chance to talk.

Yet, for some reason, even though he hadn't drawn yet, he felt an overriding sense of defeat already.

An illusion of a predetermined destiny hung in the air.

A gentle breeze swept by, carrying a hint of chill. The water's surface rippled, mirroring the figures of the two combatants.

The black-robed woman lightly stroked the edge of her card, slowly raising her final card high into the air.

"BOOM——"

A blinding golden halo burst forth from the card, resembling a rising sun that instantly illuminated the surrounding night.

A powerful wave of energy centered around the card surged wildly outward in all directions. Under the impact of this energy, the waters churned violently, whipping up monstrous waves.