Chapter 224: I am Immortal!!!
"You bastard, why do you have a Blue-Eyes!"
Kaiba glared at Epimetheus across from him with murderous eyes, but the other man didn't seem to mind. Instead, the corners of his mouth curled up high. "That's right, there are only four Blue-Eyes White Dragon in the entire world, yet one appeared in my hand. Why? I'm looking for the reason too."
Amidst Kaiba's powerless rage, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack crushed the Minotaurus on his [Field].
[Kaiba: 4000→2700 LP]
Hayato frowned, looking at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He thought of a possibility and said coldly to Pandora, "Then let me guess, that [Card] should also be a [Fake Card] from your [Ghouls], just like the [Duel Monster Cards] on the shelves outside, right?"
"As expected of the King of Games, you easily saw through our [Ghouls]' perfect counterfeiting technique!" Epimetheus spoke faster than Pandora, who had intended to trick Hayato, and blurted out the truth. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon is arguably the strongest [Dragon-Type] in [Duel Monsters]. Only Blue-Eyes can defeat Blue-Eyes!"
"That idiot!" Looking at Epimetheus, who was spilling everything, Pandora glared at him angrily, then turned his head back to Hayato. "So what? As long as I can win the [Duel], whether the [Duel Monsters] are real or fake doesn't matter at all."
"You've completely gone down the wrong path, you know," Hayato shook his head helplessly. "In that case, I'll just defeat you head-on in a [Duel]."
"When Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion is successfully [Special Summoned], I activate its [Effect]. From my [Deck], I add one Spiral Spear Strike to my [Hand]." Thanks to Mokuba's modifications, Hayato's [Duel Disk]'s [Deck] zone automatically ejected a [Card], which Hayato caught. Then the [Deck] automatically shuffled. "Then, I activate Spiral Spear Strike directly!"
"This [Card]'s [Effect] is that when Gaia the Fierce Knight, Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, or Gaia the Dragon Champion declares an [Attack] on a [Defense Position Monster], it can inflict [Piercing Damage]. And Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion can be treated as Gaia the Dragon Champion!"
'This combo... could this guy have a [Card] that can change my [Monster]'s [Monster Position]?' Pandora looked suspiciously at Hayato's [Hand], which seemed barely depleted.
Graceful Charity allowed Hayato to [Send to Graveyard] [Monster]s without cost, and then he used one [Card], Dragon's Mirror, to [Summon] Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, which had higher [ATK] than Dark Magician. Furthermore, he directly searched his [Deck] for a [Card] to add to his [Hand]. After all that, Hayato still had a full five [Cards] in his [Hand]?
Is this the [Strength] of the [King of Games]? Pandora gritted his teeth. Even so, he had a reason he couldn't lose!
"I activate my [Set Card], Safe Zone!"
Pandora's [Set Card] flipped up, and a barrier of light enveloped his Dark Magician on the [Field].
"This [Card]'s [Effect] can only be activated by targeting one [Attack Position] [Monster] on my [Field]. As long as this [Card] remains on the [Field], my Dark Magician cannot be targeted by your [Card Effect]s, nor can it be [Destroyed by Battle] or [Destroyed by Effect]." Pandora revealed a smug smile. "You must have [Cards] like Enemy Controller in your [Hand] that can change a [Monster]'s [Monster Position], right?"
"But because of Safe Zone, Dark Magician cannot be targeted by [Effect]s right now! Even if your Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion attacks, it can only deal a negligible 100 [Damage] to me and cannot [Destroy] Dark Magician!"
"Heh heh, is that so?" Hayato looked at the Dark Magician, which was wrapped in a light barrier and provocatively mocking Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, and showed a look of disdain. "That ugly posture is truly sickening to look at. Your [Monster] is completely disgracing Dark Magician's face."
"What did you say?" Pandora didn't understand Hayato's words and asked in confusion. In his opinion, wasn't his Dark Magician just standing obediently on his [Field], on guard?
Hayato was also a little strange. Could it be that Pandora's Dark Magician... Forget it, he could think about that slowly after winning.
"Enter my [Battle Phase]. Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, [Attack] Dark Magician!"
Receiving Hayato's command, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion squeezed the abdomen of Curse of Dragonfire with his legs, and the orange-red [Flying Dragon] obediently spat out a stream of [Dragonfire] to envelop Dark Magician. To Pandora's surprise, his Dark Magician, despite being protected by Safe Zone, was forced into [Defense Position] by the scorching [Dragonfire]?
[Dark Magician] [ATK 2500 → DEF 2100]
"Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion isn't just for show! In front of him, you don't decide your [Monster]'s [Monster Position], I do!" Hayato pointed forward. "Go, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, [Attack] Dark Magician, [Sky Gallop Slash]!"
Curse of Dragonfire, carrying Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, circled the entire [Basement], then swooped down towards Dark Magician's defensive blind spot. The [Lance] in Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's hand was wrapped in a spiral pattern of [Dragonfire], easily breaking through Safe Zone's light barrier and striking Pandora's Dark Magician!
"Damn it, it's a [Powerful Effect] that is [Non-Targeting]!" Pandora looked unhappily at Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, who had flown away from his [Field] after the hit. "Because of Safe Zone's [Effect], my Dark Magician won't be [Destroyed by Battle]!"
"But the [Piercing Damage] still goes through!"
"Damn it!"
[Pandora: 4000→3500 LP]
Seeing Pandora's [Life Points] decrease, Hayato also [Draw Card] two [Cards] from his [Deck]. "When Gaia the Dragon Champion inflicts [Damage] to you using Spiral Spear Strike's [Effect], I activate Spiral Spear Strike's second [Effect]."
"Draw two [Cards] from the [Deck], then choose one [Card] from your [Hand] to [Discard]."
"I [Set Card] four [Cards] from my [Hand]. My [Turn] ends." With plenty of [Hand] [Cards] to spare, Hayato grandly [Set Card] four [Cards]. As for his opponent thinking he was playing a heavy [Trap Card] strategy? How could that be? Hayato felt he was quite bright about it.
[Hayato: 4000 LP, Hand 2]
[Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion] [ATK 2600]
[Set Card] X4, [Spiral Spear Strike]
"My [Turn], [Draw Card]!" Drawing the [Card] from the top of his [Deck], Pandora already knew what [Card] he had drawn and just smiled coldly. "King of Games, the humiliation you left me and Dark Magician with last [Turn], I will reclaim it all this [Turn]!"
"I activate Pot of Greed! I [Draw Card] two [Cards] from my [Deck]. Then I [Attack Position Summon] Mystic Tomato! I equip it with the [Equip Spell Card], Rocket Pilder!"
A tomato with a ferocious expression appeared on Pandora's [Field]. However, what was rather absurd was that the Rocket Pilder equipped to Mystic Tomato appeared to pierce through the entire tomato, causing tomato juice to splatter everywhere and making Pandora's [Field] messy, just like a kitchen where a complete novice who knew nothing about cooking had just finished making a meal.
[Mystic Tomato] [Level 4 / DARK]
[Plant-Type / Effect]
[1400 / 1100]
"Mystic Tomato equipped with Rocket Pilder has the [Effect] that it is not [Destroyed by Battle] when it attacks, and after attacking, it can decrease the [ATK] of the [Monster] it attacked!" Switching Dark Magician back to [Attack Position], Pandora swung his hand fiercely. "[Battle] begins! Mystic Tomato attacks Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion!"
"Rocket Pilder Attack!"
Boosted by the rocket, the overly dehydrated Mystic Tomato was propelled towards Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion circling in the air, as if specifically proving that "brute force can make a brick fly."
"Boom!"
After colliding with Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, Mystic Tomato fell back onto Pandora's [Field], nearly hitting Pandora's head in the process. Due to the difference in [ATK], Pandora took [Damage].
[Pandora: 3500→2300 LP]
But as the cost of his [Life Points] decreasing, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's [ATK] also decreased by the amount of Mystic Tomato's [ATK] due to Rocket Pilder's [Effect].
[Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion] [ATK 2600→1200]
"With this, Dark Magician's [ATK] now surpasses your Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion's! Go, Dark Magician, present your deadly [Dark Magic Attack] to the [King of Games]!"
Under Pandora's excited gaze, Dark Magician's [Attack] successfully hit Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, [Destroying] it and [Send to Graveyard].
But he strangely found that Hayato's [Life Points] hadn't decreased at all?
"The moment your Dark Magician attacked, I activated this [Card]." Hayato spread his left hand, indicating the [Set Card] he had just flipped up on his [Field]. "Damage Vaccine Ω MAX is a [Card] that can [Recover] [Life Points] equal to the [Damage] I receive after taking [Damage]."
[Hayato: 4000→2700→4000 LP]
"Hmph, you only saved a little bit of [Life Points]. With such a [Powerful] Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion [Destroyed] and [Send to Graveyard] by me, what else can you do?"
Facing Pandora's contemptuous words, Hayato shook his finger and chuckled, "There's a saying, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' But as far as I know, even if killed, my Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion can absorb the power of hell and return to my [Field] in a stronger state!"
"Open [Set Card], Spiral Rebirth!"
Suddenly, a wind picked up in the [Basement]. The air currents roared, converging into a powerful storm, and the starting point of the storm was the [Set Card] Hayato had just flipped up. "This [Card]'s [Effect] is to select one [Dragon-Type Monster] with [Level] 7 or lower in my [Graveyard] and [Special Summon] it back to my [Field]!"
"Come back, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion!"
Within the storm, a red light shone. [Flames] quickly spread along the surging air currents, turning the entire whirlwind into a fire tornado. Just as Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion was about to return to Hayato's [Field], replicating its entrance from earlier, Pandora quickly flipped up his [Set Card]:
"I activate Bottomless Trap Hole! When a [Monster] with 1500 or more [ATK] is [Summoned], [Special Summoned], or [Flip Summoned] successfully, [Destroy] them and [Banished from Play]!"
Below the fire tornado, the ground collapsed, revealing a bottomless pit, as if leading to the underworld. A powerful suction force came from the pit, pulling the fire tornado on Hayato's [Field] into it. Several [Ghost]s floated up from the pit, wrapping around Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion, which hadn't fully revived yet, as if to drag it down as well.
But to Pandora's astonished gaze, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion swung the long [Lance] in his hand fiercely. Holy light spread from him and Curse of Dragonfire, purifying the [Ghost]s directly into nothingness?!
Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion re-entered the duel, full of fighting spirit. Unusually, Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion also spoke on his own initiative, "I am immortal!!!"
"When the [Monster] revived by Spiral Rebirth is Gaia the Dragon Champion, it gains the ability to not be targeted by your [Card Effect]s and cannot be [Destroyed by Effect]." Hayato smiled and tapped his forehead. "You haven't forgotten, have you, that Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion can be treated as Gaia the Dragon Champion?"
"Damn it!" Pandora was out of options. He had finally managed to [Destroy] Sky Galloping Gaia the Dragon Champion at the cost of his [Life Points], but in the blink of an eye, it had revived from the [Graveyard], and with such powerful [Protection] too?
This game is unplayable!
"I [Set Card] one [Card]. My [Turn] ends."
[Pandora: 2300 LP, Hand 0]
[Dark Magician] ([Safe Zone]) [ATK 2500]
[Mystic Tomato] ([Rocket Pilder]) [ATK 1400]
[Set Card]
(End of Chapter)