Who Let Him Play Yu-Gi-Oh!

Armed Dragon LV7, destroyed!

"With that, my Battle Phase is over. But my turn isn't finished yet."

Kira gave a slight smile and played another card from his hand.

"Next, I activate this card—

—Spell Card, 'Metamorphosis'!"

Chazz held his breath. "That card is…?"

"By tributing a monster on my field, I can Special Summon a Fusion Monster with the same Level," Kira explained. "I tribute my Level 6 Ojama King to Special Summon a Level 6 Fusion Monster!"

Chazz still didn't quite get it, but Alexis and the others were already drawing in cold breaths.

In the deck Kira was using, a Level 6 Fusion monster could only mean…

"Come forth!"

Under the radiance that enveloped Kira's field, the Ojama King vanished, a storm brewing as a graceful figure glided out on ice blades.

"Level 6, Cyber Blader, Special Summon in Defense Position!"

[Cyber Blader, DEF 800]

(The real card is Level 7, but in the anime it's Level 6, same as Ojama King.)

Just as expected!

Those who'd seen this combo before, like Alexis and Misawa, were already casting sympathetic glances at Chazz.

To be hit by this move from Kira in a nationally televised duel…

Misawa said nothing, merely shaking his head.

He looked at Chazz as if he were already dead.

"Cyber Blader? Isn't that Alexis Rhodes' card? And in Defense Position?"

Chazz clearly hadn't seen this combo before and just frowned.

"Are you serious?"

As a Level 6 monster, Cyber Blader has 2100 ATK, but only 800 DEF. It was hard not to think Kira had slipped up…

"Activating my set card," Kira announced with a snap of his fingers, revealing the card he had set at the start of the duel. "Trap Card: 'Ojama Trio'!

It Special Summons three 'Ojama Tokens' to your opponent's field in Defense Position."

[Ojama Token, DEF 0] x3

The green, yellow, and black trio promptly jumped onto Chazz's field, each getting comfy—sipping tea, snoring, reading the paper.

Then Ojama Yellow Spirit popped out excitedly: "Hey, dropping by for a visit?"

"Whoa, a fellow countryman!" Ojama Yellow exclaimed, eyes lighting up.

Ojama Green grinned. "Come, sit down, let's have a chat."

"Yeah, yeah! Let me tell you, my Boss is so stingy—he says I'm too weak to get any screen time," Ojama Yellow Spirit whispered, sighing. "You guys are lucky, following the right boss. You get so many scenes…"

Ojama Black: "Zzz… zzz…"

Chazz took a deep breath.

Stay calm. Don't get mad. Tear up a card as a Duelist? Never. No matter how angry, you can't rip up this damned Ojama Yellow…

"Cyber Blader's effect: when your opponent controls exactly three monsters, all the effects of their Spells, Traps, and monsters are negated," Kira said, smiling.

Chazz's eyelid twitched.

All Spell, Trap, and monster effects negated? This Blader had such a broken lockdown effect?

Never saw that when Alexis Rhodes used it before…

(In the anime, Alexis used this effect only once; most people only know the first two effects, so those unfamiliar with Cyber Blader never realize it has a hidden ability.)

"Stay calm," Chazz muttered, suppressing his anxiety. "But the lock only works if I have exactly three monsters. It's strong, but I can break it just by summoning another monster…"

"Field Spell: 'Ojama Country'—effect activates," Kira continued. "Once per turn, I can send one 'Ojama' card from my hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon an 'Ojama' monster from my Graveyard."

He briefly showed a card from his hand before sending it to the Graveyard.

"I send the Trap Card 'Ojama Delta Wear!!' from my hand to the Graveyard."

Kira then picked up a card from his Graveyard.

"And I Special Summon this 'Ojama' monster from the Graveyard—

—Ojama King, revive!"

Ojama King hopped back onto the field, flexed his muscles, and let out a gruff cheer.

"Ojama, Ojama!"

The three tokens and the Ojama Yellow Spirit all applauded: "Awesome! So cool!"

But Chazz couldn't care less about the annoying losers. He'd just realized something terrifying: "That effect…"

"When Ojama King is on the field, select up to three of your opponent's Monster Zones—they can't be used," Kira declared. "So I choose your last two remaining Monster Zones to seal!

Ojama Lock!"

Ojama King roared: "Ojama, Ojama!"

As he spoke, two more Ojama tokens leaped out, sitting to the left and right on Chazz's last two Monster Zones.

Total lockdown!

Chazz was dumbstruck.

Th-th-th-this…

Three tokens clog up three zones, and the other two are sealed by Ojama King. In other words, he can't summon any more monsters at all.

And if he can't change the number of monsters on his field, Blader keeps its "negate all effects your opponent controls" lock.

How is he supposed to play?! He can't do anything!

Why does a strategy this disgusting even exist in the world???

Chazz's brothers couldn't sit still either; they shot up, staring dumbfounded at the chilling field.

"Dueling… can it really be like this?" Jagger asked his brother blankly.

His brother Slade shook his head, face saying, "Don't ask me, I'm just a political science major—I barely know more about cards than you do."

But even outsiders could see—

—he's already dead, isn't he?

"Next, I activate the Spell Card 'Card of Burial Magic'—I banish 'Pot of Greed,' 'Reasoning,' and 'Graceful Charity' from my Graveyard to draw two cards from my Deck."

Kira drew two more cards, glanced at them, and set them both.

"I set two cards, and end my turn."

Kira was quite polite.

"Your turn, Chazz."

Chazz: "…"

The whole place fell silent.

Chazz didn't draw, but no one found it strange—they even felt a twinge of sympathy.

Chazz had never been well-liked at the academy—always looking down on others, demanding people make way for him, gathering lackeys. But most people just disliked him; he'd never actually harmed anyone's interests. Now, looking at him, he seemed not so bad—maybe he didn't deserve this…

"Actually, Chazz still has a chance," model student Misawa analyzed. "With 'Ojama King' on the field, thanks to 'Ojama Country,' all monsters' ATK and DEF on both sides swap.

Ojama Tokens usually have 0 ATK, 1000 DEF, but swapped, their ATK becomes 1000."

"Is 1000 ATK any use?" Syrus asked, confused.

"Normally, not really. But look, Ojama King's ATK is 0, DEF is 3000, so swapped…"

"Its DEF becomes 0, so a token could destroy it! That would free up the two sealed zones!" Syrus realized.

"Exactly. So, look at the state of Kira's Ojama King," Misawa said.

[Ojama King, ATK 3000]

"Ah, it's in Attack Position…" Syrus frowned. "So the tokens can't beat it. This is useless."

"Haha, not entirely," Misawa explained patiently. "If a low-ATK monster attacks a high-DEF monster in Defense, you just lose LP—attacking monsters don't self-destruct.

But if you attack an Attack Position monster…"

"I see!" Syrus finally got it. "So Chazz just needs to switch a token to Attack Position and ram it into Ojama King—he'll take damage, but reduce his monster count to two.

Then Blader's lock will be broken, and he can use card effects again!"

"Yes, though he'll lose 2000 LP. It's a big price, but it's his only way out," Misawa nodded.

But then Alexis spoke up again: "Is it really that easy?"

"Eh?" Syrus blinked.

"You know Kira's dueling style. Do you really think he wouldn't have prepared for this weakness?"

Syrus hesitated: "Rhodes, you mean…"

They all glanced at the two set cards in Kira's back row.

"Exactly," Misawa nodded. "That's what I was thinking. Chazz can't use any effects, summon monsters, or activate cards. He literally can't play anything.

All he can do is switch a token to Attack and ram it in—that's his only move.

But Kira has plenty of options."

"Maybe a trap that could kill Chazz instantly during the attack," Alexis said. "Whatever it is, Chazz won't be able to counter, since all his effects are negated."

"Or even just a trap that blocks attacks. If Chazz can't attack, he can't break the lock at all," Misawa shook his head. "If I were in Chazz's place, I can't imagine a way to win."

Syrus: "…"

Listening to the model student's analysis, Syrus looked at Kira on the field—calm, radiant, smiling as always, but somehow more terrifying than ever.

Kira really is scary…