"This is... the [Cyber End Dragon]?"
"Hmph, it looks a lot like my [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon]."
Kaiba narrowed his eyes, instantly reminded of his own trump card, [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], with its unmatched 4500 ATK. But this [Cyber End Dragon]—while lower in attack—was faster to summon and far more synergistic in modern duel tactics.
"Each has its edge," Kaiba muttered. "Power versus efficiency."
"It's getting more and more interesting. As expected of a duelist ranked on the Golden List..."
Rex Godwin allowed a rare smirk to surface as he watched from afar.
"You Feng!!"
"Is it over for him now? Bring it on!"
Katsuya Jonouchi (Joey Wheeler) couldn't sit still, gripping his fists in anticipation.
"This Ryo Marufuji (Zane Truesdale) is insanely strong!"
Even Yugi Mutou could feel the tension radiating off the field—the pressure of true, elite-level Duelists.
"You Feng! Even [Cyber End Dragon] is resonating! It will respond with all its power!"
Marufuji Ryo declared boldly, voice echoing across the arena. With a sudden rise of his arm, his tone turned sharp.
"Go—[Cyber End Dragon]! Attack [Erebus the Underworld Monarch] on You Feng's field with Super Strident Blaze!"
Ryo's command was thunderous. Light surged as his three-headed dragon launched a synchronized beam attack toward the dark, towering figure of Erebus.
A king's aura—calm, overwhelming, absolute—poured from Ryo's posture.
The arena quaked under the pressure of the Cyber End's strike. The sky split with the roar.
But...
"It's time to strike back, Caesar!"
You Feng's voice sliced through the noise. Calm, confident, and unyielding.
"Other duelists fear your Cyber monsters. But I'm not like them!"
Suddenly, You Feng snapped a card forward.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell—[De-Fusion]!!"
Ryo's eyes widened as his Cyber End Dragon was instantly unraveled back into its components:
[Cyber Dragon], [Cyber Dragon], and [Cyber Dragon Core] all returned to the field.
The field rumbled—but now, Cyber End was gone.
"You fool! Do you think dissolving your fusion monster will stop my Monarchs?"
"The Emperor's wrath reaches all forms—no matter how you rearrange the pieces, the crown remains unshaken!"
You Feng raised his duel disk.
"I banish an 'Emperor' Trap from my Graveyard to activate the hand effect of [Aether the Heavenly Monarch]!"
"I tribute your [Cyber Dragon] and my own [Erebus the Underworld Monarch]—come forth again!"
[Aether the Heavenly Monarch]
LIGHT / Level 8 / ATK 2800 / DEF 1000
You Feng's emperor emerged in a pillar of radiant white light, cloaked in divine majesty.
"Because of the effect of [The Monarchs Stormforth], when Aether is Tribute Summoned, I can add to my hand a monster with either 2400 ATK / 1000 DEF, or one with 2800 ATK / 1000 DEF but a different name than the one summoned!"
You Feng swiftly added a card to hand and continued the chain without hesitation.
"And now! [Aether]'s on-summon effect activates! I send two 'Monarch' Spell or Trap cards from my deck to the Graveyard, then Special Summon one monster with 2400 or more ATK and exactly 1000 DEF from the deck!"
Two cards shot out of You Feng's deck and into the Graveyard slot.
Grave setup: complete.
Another Aether exploded onto the field—an endless stream of monarchal pressure. Ryo's side had already lost one Cyber Dragon from tribute. The air around the arena turned cold.
Marufuji Ryo's eyes narrowed—he hadn't expected the emperor's will to transcend even fusion nullification.
"I Special Summon... another [Aether the Heavenly Monarch]!"
This time, You Feng deliberately did not target the remaining two Cyber monsters—no reason to give them value, especially with [Time Capsule] still active on Ryo's field. He knew exactly what was inside: [Power Bond].
"It's smarter to stabilize my field than destroy low-value pieces. The countdown to [Power Bond] is already underway—but I'm ready."
From the stands, Marufuji Sho (Syrus) was pale.
"Not good... Nii-san's situation is starting to look grim."
"He dissolved Cyber End Dragon thinking it would dodge the Monarch's reach—but You Feng still countered flawlessly!"
"What kind of duelist is he?!"
The entire stadium buzzed with disbelief.
"This duel... this really is the match of the century in Duel Academy!"
"Just one turn in, and the field is a war zone!"
Tenshin Asuka (Alexis Rhodes) furrowed her brow, uncharacteristically anxious.
"I've never seen Ryo under this much pressure before..."
Fubuki Tenjoin (Atticus) solemnly nodded.
"You Feng's Monarch deck is ruthless. Precise. It adapts like no other."
Even Yugi Mutou rubbed his chin. "This is a duelist who can take on even the Gods..."
"As expected of you, You Feng... but the duel isn't over yet!" Ryo called out, his tone still resolute.
"I set three cards face-down and end my turn!"
He stared down You Feng—his expression unreadable, but his hand still held two cards.
The round concluded.
On the viewer side, the Global Dueling Network announced the rising peak: Over 50 million viewers worldwide.
A record.
The dueling world was watching the clash of kings unfold.
"Because the Aether Special Summoned by its own effect returns to the hand at the End Phase, I recover it."
You Feng casually added it back to his hand.
"My turn! Draw!"
He now had seven cards.
Across the field, three of Ryo's Spell/Trap Zones were occupied. But You Feng's pupils flickered with inner light.
Each card on the field... visible to his mind scan.
"Trying to provoke me, huh? Tch... there it is. [Cybernetic Overflow]. So that's your play?"
Ryo had intentionally baited him—hoping You Feng would summon [Caius the Shadow Monarch] or [Raiza the Storm Monarch] to destroy the traps and waste his offensive momentum. But You Feng didn't bite.
He didn't even need mind scan to notice. Ryo was still far too transparent.
"Is that what you were counting on?"
"Then allow me to respond."
You Feng slapped down a card.
"I activate the Continuous Spell—[Domain of the True Monarchs]!"
A glowing crest shimmered across his field.
"Now, while I control no Extra Deck cards and only Tribute Summon monsters, you cannot Special Summon from the Extra Deck!"
Ryo's expression darkened—this was the heart of the Monarch lockdown.
"And I'm not done."
"I activate the Continuous Spell—[The Monarchs Erupt]!"
"While I control a Tribute Summoned monster and no monsters in my Extra Deck, all effects of monsters on the field are negated—except Tribute Summoned ones!"
A heavy pressure descended over Ryo's monsters—Cyber Dragon Core's passive buff and search ability were now sealed off.
"You see it, don't you, Caesar?"
"Your field is crumbling."
Ryo clenched his fists, but didn't speak.
"I also activate another Continuous Spell—[Dragonic Token Generator]!"
"I pay 1000 Life Points!"
[LP: 4000 → 3000]
"Now, I Special Summon two Dragon Tokens (Machine-Type / EARTH / Level 1 / ATK 300 / DEF 300) to my field in Attack Position!"
Two small mechanical dragons burst into place, flanking You Feng's monarchs like royal guards.
"And that's not all. At the end of the turn, your field will also gain one of these Dragon Tokens!"
A cruel smirk formed on You Feng's lips.
"You dare provoke me with your little trap setup?"
"I'm not falling for it. And you're the one running out of options."
Ryo gritted his teeth. Even without the mind scan, You Feng was dismantling him piece by piece.
A monarch's rule was not something so easily overturned.