Chapter 826: Chapter 799: An Unexpected Bonus

"My turn, draw!"

It was Merlot’s turn again.

The attack lock still hadn’t been lifted. Most of the Sword Fighting power was sealed away, and even Caesar, the big brother of the Sword Fighting Beasts, had been taken down. Even though Rainbow Life had just restored a huge chunk of his Life Points, overall the situation was still pretty unfavorable for him.

But there was still a way.

"I Normal Summon ’Sword Fighting Beast - One-Eyed Fighting’!"

With a deep, powerful roar, a black bear in heavy armor appeared on the field amid bursting golden light, its two paws pounding its chest like a crazed gorilla.

[Sword Fighting Beast - One-Eyed Fighting, Attack Power 1900]

The only Mortal Bone in the Sword Fighting Beast family, but when it was released it was still treated as a key reinforcement. 1900 Attack Power was stronger than Rope Fighting, the main low-level beater in Sword Fighting back then, and because it was a Four-Star Mortal Bone it could be easily Special Summoned from the Card Deck by using the effect of the Magic Card "Unexpected Dai" (Rough Man’s Expectation), which actually turned into an advantage.

"Then I use the effect of another ’Sword Fighting Beast - Slave Tiger’ in my hand." Merlot said. "If I control a Sword Fighting Beast Monster, I can Special Summon Slave Tiger.

Once again, I Special Summon ’Sword Fighting Beast - Slave Tiger’ from my hand!"

[Sword Fighting Beast - Slave Tiger, Attack Power 600]

"The Duel hasn’t gone exactly as I expected, but as I thought, against you I really do have to get serious." Merlot said. "You’re a Duelist blessed by talent, Fujiki Yugen. Your ability alone is enough to put you above most people in this world.

But it’s exactly because of that that I absolutely can’t lose..."

He paused, narrowed his eyes slightly, and spoke slowly.

"The Sword Fighting Card completed with the help of President Beckas—now is the perfect time to unleash its power.

I activate the effect of Slave Tiger, tribute this card, return one ’Sword Fighting Beast’ I control to the Card Deck, then I can Special Summon any ’Sword Fighting Beast’ from my Card Deck!"

The just-summoned Slave Tiger had only just managed to lick its little paw with its tongue when it was immediately scattered into countless golden motes of light and vanished from the field.

"I return ’Sword Fighting Beast - One-Eyed Fighting’ from the field to the Card Deck and Special Summon a new Sword Fighting Beast from the Card Deck. Reveal yourself—

—Sword Fighting Beast - Augustus!"

A pitch-black Tornado rose up, feathers filling the sky. A Sword Fighting Great Sword tore the black storm into countless fragments, and the bird-beast Sword Fighting King, clad in heavy armor, descended amid the howling wind.

[Sword Fighting Beast - Augustus, Attack Power 2600]

"Then I activate the effect of Sword Fighting Beast - Augustus!" Merlot said. "Augustus’s effect can only activate when it’s Special Summoned by a ’Sword Fighting Beast’ effect!

I can Special Summon one ’Sword Fighting Beast’ Monster from my hand in Defense Position!"

"Slave Tiger isn’t a Sword Fighting Beast, but it can be treated as being Special Summoned by a Sword Fighting Beast effect, right?" Yugen said.

"Exactly." Merlot said. "However, a Monster Special Summoned by Augustus’s effect must be returned to its owner’s Card Deck during the End Phase of this turn...

...but one turn is more than enough!"

Merlot revealed another Sword Fighting Beast card.

"I Special Summon ’Sword Fighting Beast - Madox’!"

With a shrill whinny, the Beast Race Sword Fighting Beast with a horse’s face returned to the field once more.

[Sword Fighting Beast - Madox, Attack Power 1700]

"Then there’s Madox’s effect," Merlot continued. "When Sword Fighting Beast - Madox is Special Summoned by a Sword Fighting Beast effect, it negates the effects of a Sword Fighting Beast in the Graveyard and Special Summons it to the field!"

"Your Gun Fight from last turn has already returned to the Card Deck." Yugen reminded him.

"I know." Merlot said coolly. "But in the Graveyard there still slumbers the Sword Fighting King that was destroyed by your Flame Cannon!

Return to the field and show your might once more—

—Sword Fighting Beast Caesar!!!"

A green Tornado surged up, and the Sword Fighting King descended onto the Field once again. Only unlike before, this time the colors on his body seemed a bit dimmer, and his presence was slightly weaker than earlier.

"Any Sword Fighting Beast summoned back by ’Sword Fighting Beast - Madox’ has its effects negated." Yugen reminded him. "Even if you bring Caesar back to the field, you still can’t use its effect to destroy Super Gravity Net."

"Of course I know that."

Merlot snorted angrily, seemingly annoyed that Yugen would actually suspect him of trying to rules-lawyer it.

"Now I’ll show you my strongest Sword Fighting Power!

I return ’Sword Fighting Beast - Augustus’, ’Sword Fighting Beast Caesar’, and ’Sword Fighting Beast - Madox’ from the field to the Card Deck—Triple Fusion!"

Yugen lifted an eyebrow.

Wait, that Fusion condition... Triple Fusion?

In his memory, the undisputed big brother of the early Sword Fighting Beasts should have been Caesar; back then Caesar was practically the very symbol of Sword Fighting. If there was any ace that surpassed Caesar...

"Fusion materials: ’Sword Fighting Beast - Augustus’ plus any two Sword Fighting Monsters, Fusion Summon!"

Merlot raised his arm high.

"O wandering spirits of the Ancient Sword Fighters, gather under the name of the Emperor and offer up your strength!

Fusion Summon! Descend—

—Sword Fighting Beast - Blind Fighting!!!"

The three Sword Fighting Beasts vanished into a vortex. With this triple Fusion, it was as though the boundaries of time and space were torn apart; roars and shouts from an ancient coliseum almost drowned out everything.

A Sword Fighting Warrior wearing an ancient gladiator’s helm, a green body encased in dazzling blue armor, a sharp blade in hand, and at the end of the long tail behind him, a lethal edge that looked like it could tear through anything.

[Sword Fighting Beast - Blind Fighting, Attack Power 1000]

"This is..."

This time even Yugen was a little surprised.

"I see, so this is the Sword Fighting power completed with the help of President Beckas... a power that shouldn’t exist in this era." Yugen muttered.

Of course, saying it shouldn’t exist in this era was based on his own knowledge. In reality, when this card was born, the golden age of Sword Fighting Beasts was already long past; by then Sword Fighting Beasts were already just nostalgia for veteran players, and this was a reinforcement card added many years later.

But unlike most other Card Deck reinforcements, this one came with the blessing of the anime. "Sword Fighting Beast - Blind Fighting" made its debut in "Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V."

Arc-V is a peculiar entry in Yu-Gi-Oh!. Because of its extremely low ratings, exploded reputation, and abstract plot, card geeks generally treat it as an official doujin work, yet its existence really did contribute quite a lot.

For example, its most prominent worldbuilding concept: for the first time it integrated the Fusion Dimension, Synchro Dimension, and Xyz Dimension from earlier Yu-Gi-Oh! generations, introducing a sort of Multiverse setting based on Summoning Techniques.

Among them, the Fusion Dimension is a parallel world similar to GX. In that Dimension, old GX characters like Ed Phoenix and Asuka Tenjouin appear, though they’re parallel-world counterparts.

That world also has a Duel Academy, but it’s a military Academy that invades other worlds through Duels.

And deep within that Duel Academy, sealed away as a taboo weapon and feared even by the Academy’s rulers, the strongest Duelist, "War Beast," is the user of the Sword Fighting Beast Card Deck.

The "Sword Fighting Beast - Blind Fighting" that Yugen was now facing had appeared in the anime as that man’s ace Monster. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Now this is getting interesting."

Yugen narrowed his eyes, sizing up his opponent... mainly the "Sword Fighting Beast - Blind Fighting" on his opponent’s field.

This guy’s Card Deck really had a lot of good stuff; he hadn’t expected to find such a bonus prize.