Chapter 87 – Decisive Blow
After the last play, Alexander took a quick look at the field.
The last Blue-Eyes White Dragon Kaibaman had summoned had been destroyed, leaving the field temporarily clear of the legendary monster, but Alexander knew better than to celebrate because he was sure it would return sooner or later. Yet, there wasn't much else he could do, so he simply ended his turn.
"My turn!" Kaibaman drew his next card, and a confident smile immediately appeared on his face as he muttered, "Interesting..."
He looked at his hand before throwing a card onto the field while announcing, "I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands in Attack Position!"
As usual, the card shone briefly before it transformed into a creepy statue-like figure whose body was seemingly formed by an amalgamated mass of arms and hands that landed on Kaibaman's side of the field.
[Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands — 1400 ATK / 1000 DEF]
Then Kaibaman declared, "Since Manju was successfully summoned, I activate its effect! This allows me to add one Ritual Monster or one Ritual Spell from my Deck to my hand, and I choose White Dragon Ritual!"
Manju on the field extended one of its many arms toward Kaibaman's Deck and quickly pulled out a Spell Card.
Alexander's eyes narrowed as he thought, 'That Ritual Summon...?'
At the same time, Kaibaman immediately activated the Ritual Spell, "Now I activate White Dragon Ritual and offer Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands on the field as the Tribute to Ritual Summon Paladin of White Dragon in Attack Position!"
The creepy statue was immediately enveloped in a pillar of light and disappeared, and in its place a new monster descended onto the field.
The creature that descended from the pillar of light was a magnificent winged dragon, its sleek metallic blue-grey scales gleaming like polished steel. Its great wings stretched outward in a jagged, imposing silhouette, while its long neck curved gracefully toward a reptilian head crowned by glowing yellow eyes and bared fangs.
Upon its back rode a knight clad in ornate white-and-gold armour, a flowing white cape streaming behind him. His face was hidden beneath a golden-visored helmet, and his sword was held forward in a ready stance.
[Paladin of White Dragon — 1900 ATK / 1200 DEF]
After that, Kaibaman immediately entered the Battle Phase and commanded, "Paladin of White Dragon! Attack Rocket Warrior!"
The Paladin of White Dragon dived and attacked Alexander's Rocket Warrior with its sword, destroying it with a single swift strike, unleashing a small shockwave that hit the nearby Alexander.
The impact sent a wave of pain through Alexander's body, making him grunt, "Urgh!"
At the same time, his Life Points dropped.
[Alexander — 3400 LP]
Alexander clenched his teeth as he felt the feedback from the Duel. The sensation was as unpleasant as ever, yet compared to a Shadow Duel, it was almost nothing.
Kaibaman didn't give him time to recover; he ended his Battle Phase and announced, "Now I activate Paladin of White Dragon's effect!"
The Paladin on top of the dragon raised its weapon while the dragon released a proud roar.
At the same time, Kaibaman declared, "I Tribute Paladin of White Dragon and by doing so, I Special Summon one Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand or Deck!"
The monster shattered into countless motes of light while a card in Kaibaman's hand flew into the field and shone brightly while absorbing those motes of light.
The next moment, the cavern shook and a familiar roar echoed throughout the Spirit World as another Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on Kaibaman's field.
[Blue-Eyes White Dragon — 3000 ATK / 2500 DEF]
Seeing Blue-Eyes White Dragon once more on the field, Kaibaman laughed, "Huahaha!"
At the same time, Alexander looked at the dragon while thinking, 'Here we go... Another Blue-Eyes. I have also lost Rocket Warrior. My defensive options are becoming increasingly limited...'
Shortly after that, Kaibaman ended his turn, and Alexander drew his next card.
He looked at it, but unfortunately, it wasn't a good pull, as nothing in his hand could immediately overcome a 3000-ATK Blue-Eyes White Dragon, or at least couldn't do so decisively.
Alexander considered his options for a moment, then he moved Dark Magician Girl into Defence Position and said, "That's all I can do for now. I end my turn."
Kaibaman laughed as he said with clear disdain, "Once again, you retreat into defence."
Alexander didn't answer, but Kaibaman folded his arms and continued, "It is only natural."
He pointed toward Blue-Eyes White Dragon, "When faced with the overwhelming power of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, some third-rate duelist like you can do nothing but hide."
Alexander simply looked at him and calmly replied, "We'll see..."
Kaibaman's smile widened, and he announced, "My turn."
He drew, looked at his new card, and a confident smile appeared on his face before he entered the Battle Phase and said, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Attack Dark Magician Girl!"
The Dragon spread its wings and opened its maws as it charged its iconic Neutron Blast before unleashing the powerful beam.
Dark Magician Girl tried to defend herself, but the difference in power was overwhelming, and as a result, she was destroyed.
Alexander watched as her body disappeared and reformed into a card before flying toward the Graveyard, but he didn't say anything.
Meanwhile, Kaibaman smiled and commented, "And once again, your field is reduced to nothing."
After saying that, he ended his turn.
Alexander drew, looked at the card, and his expression fell slightly while thinking, 'Giant Rat. Not exactly what I need to turn the situation around... But it can still buy me enough time to pull out something useful.'
Alexander set the monster face-down while announcing, "I set one monster and end my turn."
Kaibaman stared at the face-down card, then he laughed, "Hahaha! Again?"
He shook his head and commented, "I'd have more of a challenge playing solitaire."
Alexander raised an eyebrow and said, "Please don't talk about solitaire..."
Kaibaman looked confused.
Alexander smiled and cryptically said, "It's one of the most dreaded words in modern Yu-Gi-Oh!"
Kaibaman stared at him and asked, "...What are you talking about?"
Alexander merely smiled and said, "Never mind. It's best if you don't learn about such a 'joyful' side of the game..."
Still a bit put off, Kaibaman drew his next card.
He looked at it, and his expression changed as a grin spread across his face before he declared, "It's over."
Alexander's eyes narrowed.
Kaibaman immediately activated the card, "I activate the Spell Card Burst Stream of Destruction!"
A massive wave of energy erupted from the Blue-Eyes White Dragon as it once again charged its deadly attack within its open maw, while Kaibaman explained, "This card can only be activated while Blue-Eyes White Dragon is on the field, and its effect destroys all monsters on my opponent's side of the field!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon fired the deadly laser that swept across Alexander's side of the field, and naturally the face-down Giant Rat was caught in the blast and destroyed, unable to activate its effect since it wasn't destroyed by battle.
As a result, Alexander's field was empty, making Kaibaman smile triumphantly before he looked toward Blue-Eyes White Dragon and added, "But there is one drawback. Blue-Eyes White Dragon cannot attack during the turn this card is activated."
Alexander remained calm as he already knew about that; however, Kaibaman wasn't finished as he picked up another card from his hand and announced, "Now I activate the Spell Card Dragon's Mirror!"
Alexander's eyes widened as he immediately understood what that meant, 'Oh shit...! Here it comes..."
Kaibaman raised his hand, his gaze fixed upon Alexander as he explained, "By banishing Fusion Materials from the field or Graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a Dragon-Type Fusion Monster!"
The three Blue-Eyes cards answered his call.
The dragons on the field and in Kaibaman's Graveyard began to glow, their images shining with an intense blue-white light. One after another, they dissolved into streams of radiant energy, spiralling upward and merging together.
The cavern shook.
A deep rumble rolled through the battlefield as the air itself seemed to twist around Kaibaman. Spirit Energy erupted from the ground, spiralling toward the vortex above him. Loose stones trembled and fell from the cavern walls.
Then the light exploded, and the entire battlefield vanished beneath a blinding radiance.
For several seconds, there was nothing but white.
Then a roar tore through the cavern.
It was not merely loud. The sound seemed to strike the body itself, rattling bones and making the ground tremble beneath Alexander's feet. Dust cascaded from the ceiling as something enormous moved within the light.
A silhouette emerged, then another.
Three long necks rose from the radiance, each carrying a massive dragon's head.
Three pairs of brilliant blue eyes opened.
The creature stepped forward.
Its enormous body emerged from the fading light, covered in layers of gleaming white scales. Its powerful limbs struck the cavern floor with enough force to send cracks racing through the stone. Each head possessed the familiar angular features of a Blue-Eyes, yet the fusion had transformed them into something far more imposing. Horns swept back from their skulls, jaws opened to reveal rows of enormous fangs, and blue light burned within their eyes.
Then its wings unfolded.
They spread with a thunderous beat, vast enough to stretch across the cavern. The sudden displacement of air sent dust and debris swirling through the field, while the creature's long tail dragged across the stone behind it.
For a moment, Alexander could only stare.
The dragon towered over everything around it. Its three heads moved independently, surveying the battlefield before all six glowing eyes settled upon him.
The pressure of its presence was staggering to the point that the cavern seemed to shrink around the colossal creature.
Alexander swallowed and muttered, "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon..."
The monster answered with another thunderous roar, and even the Blue-Eyes White Dragon Duel Spirit that was silently judging everything from behind Kaibaman raised its head and roared in conjunction with it.
[Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon — 4500 ATK / 3800 DEF]
The sound reverberated through the cavern long after the dragons had fallen silent, and Alexander knew that the duel had reached its climax.
Alexander couldn't help but stare. It was magnificent and terrifying. At the same time, he thought, '4500 ATK... Even if it has no effect, those statistics alone make it an extremely dangerous monster.'
Kaibaman stood proudly before it as he declared, "This is the ultimate power of Blue-Eyes!"
Alexander kept his gaze fixed on the dragon even as Kaibaman raised his arm and ordered, "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Deliver the final attack!"
The three-headed Dragon roared before they opened their maws and charged the ultimate deadly beam.
Alexander's eyes widened as he snapped out of his daze; he had nothing on the field, and yet he still had one card that could help him.
He smiled as his hand moved and announced, "I activate the effect of Kuriboh in my hand."
He threw the card forward, which quickly shone and transformed into the tiny furry monster that appeared in front of him to shield him from the deadly attack.
The sight of the tiny creature protecting Alexander from the massive three-headed dragon was almost comical, but Alexander remained calm as he said, "During damage calculation, when an opponent's monster attacks, I can discard Kuriboh to take no Battle Damage from that battle!"
The attack struck Kuriboh with immense force to the point that the whole cavern shook, yet Alexander remained safe behind the barrier Kuriboh generated.
Kaibaman's expression twisted in disbelief as it exclaimed, "That damned puny hairball!"
Alexander couldn't help but grin while thinking, 'Never underestimate the original hand trap. Kuriboh has saved me countless times already.'
The attack ended, and Alexander's Life Points remained unchanged.
Kaibaman stared at him for several seconds before clicking his tongue, "Hmph."
He couldn't attack again, so he ended his turn, but there was no fear in his expression as he was still confident.
After all, Alexander's field was empty and standing between him and victory was Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
Kaibaman was certain there was no way Alexander could overcome it.
Alexander began his turn, but before he drew, he looked at his current hand.
Premature Burial. Gazelle, the King of Mystical Beasts. Elemental HERO Neos. That was all.
Alexander stared at the cards.
His situation was dire. He needed something to turn it around.
He had experienced situations like this before, many times and every time, he had learned the same lesson.
Trust his cards. Trust the Duel Spirits.
His gaze shifted toward Neos and the card trembled slightly in his hand.
Alexander noticed it immediately. He could feel it, the familiar presence, the bond between them. Neos was responding to him.
Alexander smiled and whispered, "I trust you."
The card trembled once more.
Then Alexander drew and looked at the card before his eyes widened slightly and a small smile formed on his face as he muttered, "Graceful Charity..."
He immediately activated it by throwing it toward the field while announcing, "I begin by activating Graceful Charity. This card allows me to draw 3 cards, then I must discard 2 cards."
The floating card glowed brightly before transforming into an angel-like figure that turned to face Alexander and smiled gently before cupping her hands.
Then the top three cards of his deck shone in an almost blinding light before they slowly floated toward the angel figure's cupped hands.
Alexander mentally reached for all three of them that joined his hand shortly after, and he quickly focused on them.
Monster Reborn. Big Shield Gardna. But looking at the third one, Alexander froze before he whispered, "Wrath of Neos?"
Alexander stared at the card that shouldn't have been in his Deck before he slowly looked toward the Neos card still in his hand.
He didn't need an explanation, as he understood, and soon a smile spread across his face as he said, "Thank you."
Neos seemed to glow faintly in response to that.
Then Alexander looked toward Kaibaman and declared, "This Duel ends now."
Kaibaman's expression hardened, "What?"
After that declaration, Alexander discarded two cards following Graceful Charity's effect; they were Elemental Hero Neos and Big Shield Gardna.
He then activated another Spell Card, "I activate Monster Reborn to Special Summon Elemental Hero Neos from my Graveyard!"
A massive column of light appeared that made the whole cave shake.
The column slowly dispersed, and from the fading radiance descended a humanoid warrior clad not in armour but in a body of gleaming white that looked sculpted from living light itself.
Deep cobalt markings flowed across his powerful frame like streams of energy frozen beneath polished ivory, converging upon a brilliant azure core embedded in the centre of his chest.
His smooth, expressionless face bore only piercing green eyes beneath a swept-back crest, giving him the unmistakable appearance of a celestial champion rather than a mortal fighter.
As his feet touched the stone with effortless grace, the lingering brilliance around him slowly receded, leaving behind an overwhelming presence that made the very air inside the Shadow Barrier feel lighter, as though hope itself had answered Alexander's call.
The familiar Elemental HERO emerged.
[Elemental HERO Neos — 2500 ATK / 2000 DEF]
Kaibaman stared for a moment before he concluded, "That won't be enough."
Alexander smiled and said, "I know."
He raised the next card, "Which is why I activate the Spell Card Wrath of Neos!"
Alexander pointed toward Neos and explained, "This card allows me to target Elemental HERO Neos on my field; shuffle it back into the Deck, and if I do, destroy all cards on the field."
Hearing that, Kaibaman exclaimed in disbelief, "What?!"
Neos looked toward Alexander while Alexander nodded and said, "Go!"
Kaibaman immediately realised what was coming and yelled, "No!"
A massive, blinding wave of energy erupted from Neos, who dissolved into light as the entire field began to tremble.
Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon roared in defiance as the destructive force consumed it, but it was useless because the enormous three-headed Dragon disappeared.
Once the energy wave dissipated, the whole field was completely empty.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence, then the Wrath of Neos effect completed, and Neos returned to its card form and flew back into the Deck.
Alexander exhaled.
He had done it. He had overcome Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
Kaibaman stared at the empty field in disbelief while muttering, "You..."
Alexander didn't give him time to recover as he threw another card on the field, "I Normal Summon Gazelle the King of Mystical Beasts in Attack Position!"
A powerful werewolf-like beast appeared on the field, its ferocious gaze trained on the exposed Kaibaman
[Gazelle the King of Mystical Beasts — 1500 ATK / 1200 DEF]
Alexander immediately played another Spell Card, "Now I activate Premature Burial!"
The card appeared on the field and transformed into a dark aura, "I pay 800 Life Points!"
His Life Points decreased.
[Alexander — 2600 LP]
The dark aura surrounded the Graveyard, and Alexander pointed toward it while announcing, "And Special Summon Dark Magician Girl!"
Dark Magician Girl returned to the field.
[Dark Magician Girl — 2600 ATK / 1700 DEF]
Premature Burial aura attached itself to her.
Alexander looked toward Kaibaman.
His field was completely empty; nothing stood between Alexander and victory.
Alexander entered the Battle Phase, "Gazelle! Direct attack!"
The beast charged, and the attack connected, making Kaibaman grunt as his Life Points dropped.
[Kaibaman — 2400 LP]
Alexander then pointed toward Dark Magician Girl and commanded, "Dark Magician Girl! Finish this!"
She playfully winked and raised her wand before a burst of magical energy struck Kaibaman directly, making his Life Points fall to zero.
[Kaibaman — 0 LP]
And with that, the Duel was over.