Chapter 4
"I select three Ancient Gear monsters from my hand as Fusion Material and Fusion Summon!"
Crowler fanned out three cards with a flourish, the same deck ace he had used against Jaden not long before.
Three Ancient Gear monsters, including his prized Golem.
A deep, grinding roar filled the arena as three enormous grey-brown mechanical giants materialized on the field, their bodies riddled with gears and the slow rot of ancient machinery.
Then the tri-colored vortex of Polymerization swallowed them whole, pulling three columns of light into its spiral.
What emerged was something else entirely.
A towering figure with four mechanical legs like a warhorse and the upper body of a gear-driven giant, ancient and colossal, its presence filling the field like a storm front.
It let out a decayed, grinding roar.
"Fusion Summon! Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem!"
Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem Level: 10 / Attribute: Earth ATK: 4400 / DEF: 3400
The number hit the arena like a physical blow.
"Ancient Gear... Ultimate Golem? 4400 attack points?!"
Syrus, Jaden, Bastion, and the others stared with open disbelief at the massive machine looming over the field.
Even further back in the arena, in the section reserved for upperclassmen, the reaction was the same.
Zane, the Academy's top-ranked male student, who had only stopped by on the off chance some promising new talent might be worth a look, found his eyes going wide.
"Three Ancient Gear monsters as Fusion Material. And one of them has to be the Golem?"
Alexis Rhodes, the top-ranked female student who had come along with him, spoke with quiet surprise.
"Professor Crowler is actually pulling out that card? For an entrance exam?"
It was a card even Crowler himself rarely used.
She glanced down at Rowan on the field below, a trace of sympathy in her expression.
"Examinee 111's fate might already be sealed."
Crowler had decided to go all in. Every last percent of his ability, no reservations.
"At this point, even the examinee who just beat Crowler, that Jaden Yuki, probably couldn't handle this," Zane said, and Alexis gave a small nod of agreement.
Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem carried two brutal effects. During battle, it prevented the opponent from activating any Spell or Trap cards.
And when it attacked a Defense Position monster, it dealt piercing damage equal to the difference.
That combination, locked behind 4400 attack points, effectively eliminated every realistic option Rowan had.
Summoning a defender to stall was pointless with piercing damage on the table.
And pulling off the kind of comeback Jaden had managed, boosting a 2100 attacker with a field spell to flip the damage race, was simply impossible against a wall that tall.
"Since I went first, I cannot attack this turn. Be grateful for the extra round, Examinee 111. Enjoy it while it lasts, Rowan-boy!"
Crowler was positively beaming. He took one of his remaining two hand cards and placed it face-down in his Spell and Trap zone.
"I set one card face-down. Turn end."
"He even set a trap on top of all that."
Syrus slumped in his seat. "Crowler isn't holding back even a little."
"You know, I think I suddenly understand why Examinee 111 gave up first turn the way he did."
The voice came from a cluster of blue-uniformed Duel Academy students across the arena.
A few of them were already grinning.
"He must have known he had no shot against the professor. Giving up the first turn just bought him one extra round to breathe."
Laughter broke out around them.
Jaden and Bastion both frowned. Neither had a ready response.
They turned back to the field in tense silence, watching Rowan, waiting to see what he would do.