Chapter 21: Who the hell are you, anyway?

“My turn, draw!”

With a powerful flourish, Hayato drew a card and played two consecutive cards from his hand onto the duel field, just as he had done during his duel with Yugi yesterday.

“I summon 【Hand of Judgment】! Then, I activate 【Soul-Eating Magic Blade】 targeting it!”

【Guardian Wyvern】 watched the card emerging on the field beside it with curiosity, wanting to see the form of its new combat partner. However, only a burst of light erupted from the card's artwork. Amidst the blinding glare, 【Guardian Wyvern】 instinctively turned its head away, only to be suddenly pierced through the back by a long blade.

Wearing an expression reminiscent of Tokiomi Tohsaka, 【Guardian Wyvern】 turned its head in disbelief, only to find an arm emerging from the artwork behind it. The arm held a sinister-looking long blade, which had just impaled 【Guardian Wyvern】 through its chest.

【Hand of Judgment】 【3☆/Earth】【Warrior/Normal】【1400/700】

With a lingering sense of resentment, 【Guardian Wyvern】 was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, its grudge flowing into the long blade held by the arm.

“He actually destroyed his own monster? What kind of nonsensical card is this?” Shoji didn't quite understand the effect of 【Soul-Eating Magic Blade】. In truth, aside from Yugi, who frequently dealt with Duel Monsters, even Joey would have needed someone to explain the effect of Hayato's card.

Consequently, he was quite perplexed by Hayato's decision to send the 【Guardian Wyvern】—which he had worked so hard to save—back to the Graveyard.

“Go in peace, 【Guardian Wyvern】. We will avenge you.” With a face full of "grief" (which he was faking), Hayato set another card in his backrow and addressed Shoji. “I activate 【Hand of Judgment】 to attack your 【Twin Spirits】—”

“Idiot, are you a moron?” A mocking smile spread across Shoji's face. “【Hand of Judgment】 is just a monster with 1400 ATK. My 【Twin Spirits】 has 500 more ATK than yours. Are you looking for a quick death?”

Hayato didn't answer. Instead, he thought seriously for a moment. “Let me think... I've got the move name! Go, 【Hand of Judgment】, the light still shines!”

Using a move name reminiscent of a certain "supreme" Light-attribute holy sword, the 【Hand of Judgment】 wielding the 【Soul-Eating Magic Blade】 instead radiated an aura of evil darkness. 【Twin Spirits】 released a magical energy counterattack, but 【Hand of Judgment】 swung its magic blade, slicing through both the energy sphere and 【Twin Spirits】 in a single stroke.

“How is this possible!” Shoji's eyes widened in disbelief. “That was clearly just a 1400 ATK small fry!”

【Shoji: 2000LP → 1500LP】

“On its own, 【Hand of Judgment】 does indeed have 1400 ATK.” Hayato, who was essentially the one summoning himself, pointed a finger at the 【Soul-Eating Magic Blade】 held by the monster on the field. “But you forgot about the 【Soul-Eating Magic Blade】 I just activated!”

“Its effect is to tribute all Normal Monsters on my field except for the equipped monster. For every tribute absorbed, the equipped monster gains 1000 ATK.”

“In other words, 【Hand of Judgment】 currently has 2400 ATK!”

【Hand of Judgment ATK 1400 → 2400】

“Such a powerful Spell card!” Shoji was utterly shocked.

“Save your shock for when you're talking to yourself after you lose. I end my turn. Hurry up and start yours.” Hayato shuffled his hand and rubbed his stomach. He had only eaten a few pieces of bread at home this morning, and he was starting to feel hungry.

【Hayato: 1500LP, Hand: 4 → 5 → 2】【Hand of Judgment ATK 2400】

“Damn it, my turn!”

Shoji drew a card. He looked down, froze for a moment, and then burst into laughter. “Hahaha! It seems heaven also believes the winner should be me! I'm going to wipe out that annoying monster of yours immediately, Hayato Kobayashi!”

“I summon this monster, and then I activate a Spell card!”

A pitch-black giant sword suddenly appeared in the sky above the duel field, its contained malice nearly equal to that of the 【Soul-Eating Magic Blade】. The giant sword plummeted toward the field, landing precisely in front of the monster Shoji had summoned.

The monster climbed out from its card and grabbed the giant sword. In an instant, the monster's body was covered in a dark purple evil aura, with two eyes faintly visible within the darkness.

“【Sword of Obsession】 can simultaneously increase my monster's ATK and DEF by 500 points, and once sent to the Graveyard, it returns to the top of my deck. My obsession is immortal!” Shoji glared fiercely at 【Hand of Judgment】, as if the hand were Hayato's own hand inappropriately resting on Miho Nosaka's shoulder. “My 【Necromancer Count】 originally has 2000 ATK, and with its dual-wielding weapons...”

“Its ATK is 2500!”

【Necromancer Count】 【5☆/Dark】【Fiend/Normal】【2000 → 2500/700】

“Chop that annoying hand to pieces and burn it to ash! Dark Sword Slash!”

The silent undead let out a hideous grin. It threw the swift sword it was already holding in its left hand to pin 【Hand of Judgment】 in place, then lunged forward with a jumping slash using the 【Sword of Obsession】 in its right hand. After a flurry of brilliant swordsmanship, 【Hand of Judgment】 was hacked to shreds and then incinerated by demonic flames.

【Hayato: 1500LP → 1400LP】

Despite the damage to his Life Points, Hayato wasn't nervous. Instead, he looked at 【Necromancer Count】 with interest. “I didn't expect you to have a 'power monster' like that. Though it is a bit ugly.”

At least by current standards, 2000 ATK was quite decent.

However, Shoji, who had defeated 【Hand of Judgment】 with 【Necromancer Count】, was extremely dissatisfied with his "hero"—he wanted to collect "elegant" or "noble" monsters. Which idiot had put such an aesthetic-less card in his deck?

*Damn it, once I deal with Hayato Kobayashi, I'll find out who did this!*

“My turn is over!” Shoji declared the end of his turn, making sure to wait a moment for Hayato, fearing he might activate a set card.

【Shoji: 1500LP, Hand: 5 → 6 → 4】

“Then, my turn.”

Hayato drew a card. He didn't summon a monster, but instead activated his set card. “I didn't think you had much to them. In that case, I activate this card to summon my Tamashii!”

“Eh? Is Hayato going to summon 【Death Stalker】?” Joey, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but comment. “But 【Death Stalker】 only has 900 ATK. Even with 【Soul-Eating Magic Blade】, it's no match for 【Necromancer Count】.”

“I think Hayato-kun has his own plan.”

Since Hayato had mentioned during his duel with Yugi that his Tamashii was 【Death Stalker】, they all assumed he was about to summon it.

But when Hayato's set card flipped over, it revealed three ugly monsters dancing.

“I activate 【The Disturbance Trio】! I grant these three powerful monsters to you!”

Three monsters flew out from the artwork—they were none other than the 【Disturbance: Yellow/Black/Green】 that Hayato had bought from Kamegi Game Shop a few days ago. However, they didn't appear on Hayato's field; instead, they flew straight onto Shoji's field, picked a random spot to lie down, and—as if by magic—pulled out beach chairs, parasols, and sunscreen, looking like they were on a relaxing vacation.

“What kind of disgusting monsters are these?! Why are they on my field?!”

Responding to Shoji's roar, Joey couldn't help but shout, “Hayato, who exactly is your Tamashii?!”

“Fool, who says a person can only have one Tamashii? A Tamashii is not such a limited thing.”