Want to play cards? I'll use my King's Deck!

He heard Satomi Sho say that Izumi Yuuki was a worthless, low-level duelist with only a lot of luck. Even if there was an element of deliberate belittling in that, considering that Yuuki didn't feel anything, and excluding any exaggeration in the words, Kno felt that he could easily defeat her.

When he actually tried it, he realized he was completely wrong.

Satomi Sho's words are not just half water, they are all water!

The five monsters before him stood side by side, none of them far inferior to the "Thermonuclear Dragon." However, in the eyes of a duelist of his caliber, this army of monsters, mixed with mortal bones, was far more terrifying than a single "Thermonuclear Dragon."

That symbolizes infinite possibilities.

"Hmm, there are four Level 4 monsters on the field... Yuki, you don't actually know how to Xyz Summon, do you?"

Since fusion summoning can be performed without Feel, perhaps Xyz summoning won't be difficult for this strange, baby-faced boy either.

"No, I did not intend to Xyz Summon."

Yu Xi's answer was ambiguous, and Keno could interpret it however he wanted.

He continued with his initial battle strategy: "I activate 'Fusion,' fusing the three monsters on the field: 'Queen Knight,' 'King Knight,' and 'Guard Knight'!"

The three swords clashed together, a faint light exploded, and the Trisolaran Poker Knight was enveloped in light, merging into one within it. Based on the "Guardian Knight," the power of the other two knights was superimposed, creating a supreme knight whose realm reached the highest level in the heavens.

"—Fusion Summon, descend! Celestial Knight!!"

"Celestial Knight, Level 9/Light/Warrior/Fusion" "ATK: 3800/DEF: 2500"

"Queen's Knight + King's Knight + Guard Knight"

With an attack power of 3800, this is the strongest monster to appear in the duel so far, even surpassing the short-lived "Ancient Mechanical Giant".

Kno could sense the power emanating from this monster.

Despite having no sense of feeling, he could control such a monster with perfect ease, as if common sense simply didn't apply to Yuki. It must be said, no matter how many times I watched it, this situation still astonished Keno.

It's as if these monsters are actively cooperating with their master's will...

"Now open it, the circuit that leads to miracles!"

The appearance of the "Celestial Knight" naturally drew gasps of surprise, but Yuki had no time to pay attention to the noise of these uninvited guests.

"Set a connection marker using 'Phantom Beast King Gazel' and 'Elf Swordsman Who Tricks the Enemy,' and the circuits will combine!"

He removed the other two monster cards from the Duel Disk, excluding "Celestial Knight".

The door that had previously appeared on Kno's side unfolded above his head. An arrow lit up, and a brown-haired girl with glasses descended from it.

"Link Summon, L-ink2, 'Os, the Spirit Master of the Towering Land'!"

"Oss, the Spirit Envoy of the Towering Land, Earth/Mage/Connector" "L-ink2/ATK: 1850"

"↙↘, 2 monsters, including Earth-type monsters."

It is also provided by two girls' feelings, and it is the highest value Link Monster that can be summoned without involving Feel. It looks good and its ability is quite practical.

For example, like it is now.

"Oss's effect activates! Once per turn, Special Summon 1 EARTH monster from your opponent's Graveyard to its Link Point. I'm reviving—'Ancient Gear Titan'!"

The spirit of the towering land whispered an incantation, then gestured towards Kno's direction. Steel parts and gears instantly flew out of his grave, assembling behind Yuxi into a four-legged, six-armed giant.

The enemy's ace, who had recently become Yu Xi's adversary, has now become his number two henchman.

While controlling high-level, powerful monsters requires a certain level of skill, that generally refers to the pre-summoning phase. Aside from a few specific cards, most monsters can be used freely during the duel once summoned.

"Fight!"

Without elaborating further, Yu Xi declared loudly, "I will use the 'Celestial Knight' to attack the 'Ancient Mechanical Thermonuclear Dragon'."

The "Celestial Knight" raised his holy sword, and a powerful fighting spirit condensed and shimmered on the blade, further amplifying and enhancing the power of the magic card.

"At this moment, the 'Severed Darkness' effect activates! The 'Celestial Knight's' attack power increases by the 'Thermonu Dragon's' attack power. Celestial Cross Slash!"

"Celestial Knight, ATK: 3800→6800"

Intersecting sword energies streaked through the air, their slashes, capable of severing even dimensions, hurtling straight toward the "Thermonuclear Dragon's" head.

If this attack succeeds, it will be tantamount to a direct assault. Coupled with the pursuit of the two monsters that follow, it will be enough to force Kno into a deadly situation, giving Yuki a huge advantage.

but--

"Boom!"

A short, sharp whistle suddenly sounded, and a crimson train emerged from the dimensional tunnel, intercepting the "Celestial Knight's" attack halfway through its journey.

"This is!"

"When 'Celestial Knight' launched its attack, I also activated the effect of this monster in my hand: 'Work Train Red Signal'."

Kno removed his finger from the Duel Disk, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Special Summon this card, transfer your attack to it to deal damage. And 'Red Signal' won't be destroyed by that battle."

Is it a hand trap?

"But I have other monsters on my field. 'Ancient Mechanical Giant' attacks 'Thermonuclear Dragon'!"

This time, Kno stopped him.

The "Super Titan's" fist landed squarely on the "Thermonuclear Dragon's" body, and the blow from its own kind caused the latter to explode into a pile of scrap metal on the spot.

— Destroyed by the "Ancient Mechanical Thermonuclear Dragon".

[Knoll LP: 8000→7700]

"Then, 'Oss, the Spirit Envoy of the Towering Land' attacked 'The Ancient Mechanical Crossbowman.'"

—Destroyed by the "Ancient Mechanical Crossbowman".

[Knoll LP: 7700→7350]

"Finally place 2 card face down, end the turn."

The attack of the "Celestial Knight" was stopped, and the offensive launched by Yuki ultimately failed to inflict significant damage on Kno as expected.

This opponent is indeed different from the likes of Satomi Sho; he's not someone who can be defeated in a few moves.

“However, as long as we can maintain our dominance on the field, the advantage still lies with You Xijun,” Xing Yewu judged.

"But the problem is that it can't be that simple."

Izayoi Yuki said solemnly, "The key is what comes next. Judging from that Mr. Konno's expression, he doesn't intend to let Izumi off so easily."

"My turn."

Just as Izayoi Yuki had predicted, Kno casually drew a card from his deck and said to Yuuki, "I've witnessed Yuuki's abilities, but unfortunately, I must tell you that this level is insufficient for you to pass this practical test. The reason is this—I'm activating a Continuous Spell: 'Ancient Mechanical Fortress'!"

Chapter 45 The Chaos Giant! Summon!

As Kno inserted the card into the Duel Disk's slot, a massive steel fortress rose up behind him with awe.

Kno, standing in front of the fortress, is the fortress's supreme commander.

"As long as 'Fortress' is on the field, 'Ancient Gear' monsters cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects or destroyed by their effects during the turn they are Normal or Special Summoned. You also cannot activate card effects in response to 'Ancient Gear' card effects."

Providing all ancient giants with a powerful layer of resistance and breaking the chain, the name "Fortress" is truly fitting.

With this card, Kno can play without any worries.

"Next, activate the Spell Card: 'Ancient Maintenance Ground'. Based on this card's effect, add 'Ancient Machine Box' from your Graveyard to your hand, then search your Deck for 'Ancient Machine Knight'. Then summon 'Ancient Machine Hound'."

"Ancient Mechanical Hound, Level 3/Earth/Mechanical" "ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000"

Using the effect of a magic card, two Ancient Giants were recycled, and a large hound with exposed fangs appeared in Kno's front row.

The hound opened and closed its mouth, spitting out a fireball that slammed into Youxi.

"what……"

"If the 'Hound' effect activates and is successfully summoned, deal 600 damage to the opponent."

[Yu Xi's LP: 5000 → 4400]

"I'll activate the effect of the 'Ancient Mechanical Repair Machine' in the graveyard again."

Kno said, "Ban this card, destroy 'Work Train Red Signal' on the field, and Special Summon 1 'Ancient Gear Token'. Then activate the effect of 'Ancient Mechanical Hound'."

"During my Main Phase, I send the Fusion Materials determined by the 'Ancient Gear' Fusion Monster from my hand or field to the Graveyard, and Fusion Summon that monster. I Fusion Summon 'Machine Box' and 'Knight' from my hand, and 'Hound' and 'Gear Token' from my field!"

The "ancient mechanical hound" barked and used its internal device to open the fusion channel.

The four ancient giants joined in, using their own materials and parts to create an absolute weapon of destruction.

A bolt of black lightning exploded, and a massive, dark-colored robot stood behind Kno, casting a suffocating shadow of war upon the crowd.

"Ancient demonic weapon awakened from chaos, annihilate all rebels in the world! Fusion Summon! 'Ancient Mechanical Chaos Giant'!!"

"Ancient Mechanical Chaos Giant, Level 10/Dark/Mechanical/Fusion" "ATK: 4500/DEF: 3000"

"[Ancient Mechanics] Monsters x4"

"The Chaos Giant..."

Looking up at the terrifying robot summoned by Kno, the absolute ace of the "Ancient Machines" series, Yuki couldn't help but tense up, feeling an unprecedented pressure.

"Didn't you say you couldn't control this monster yet?"

"I mean I can't control it very well, but I don't mean I can't control it at all."

Kno corrected Yuuki's slip of the tongue, chuckling, "But precisely because of that, the Chaos Giant's attack will hurt a little, Yuuki. The Chaos Giant is unaffected by Spell/Trap Card effects, so your Light-Protecting Spirit Sword won't be able to stop its attack."

"But I still possess the 'Severed Darkness,' and even the 'Chaos Giant' cannot escape the sword array of the 'Celestial Knight.'"

"That's hard to say."

Kno smiled knowingly, placed one of his remaining cards into the Duel Disk, and said, "I activate the Equip Spell: Destroy Draw."