Chapter 960: Chapter 933: The Turn That Never Comes
At this moment, the Evil God’s effect had already been negated, and even if it weren’t, it still had to endure one turn of Magic’s influence.
But the Eraser just shrugged indifferently.
"Even if it’s turned face-down, it doesn’t make any difference. Once I send it to the Graveyard, the End of All Things will still activate."
Its Defense Power was 0 anyway, so face-down or face-up made no difference.
"True. But there is still a difference." Yugen reminded him with a smile. "If it were in face-up state, then at the end of this turn, the Divine being that was Special Summoned by a card effect would have to be sent to the Graveyard.
But a face-down card can’t be judged as anything specific, so before it’s flipped, that effect won’t trigger."
The Eraser was taken aback for a moment.
"That’s true."
But he still didn’t see how this changed anything.
"Next, I activate this card..."
Yugen raised his hand.
"Magic Card ’Countdown to the End’!"
The Eraser: "!?"
What the hell is that?
"Countdown to the End can only be activated by paying 2000 Life Points."
[Yugen, LP 2700 → LP 700]
At the moment of activation, a burning countdown appeared on the Field. It was just a tiny wisp of flame, so insignificant within this Field, yet it exuded a chillingly eerie aura, like ghostly will-o’-wisps.
"Once Countdown to the End is activated, the count begins. After twenty turns pass," Yugen said, "the player who activated it wins the Game outright."
The Eraser froze, then burst out laughing.
Twenty turns?
Twenty turns is enough for a Duel to end several times over.
"You don’t actually think you can survive twenty turns in front of the Evil God, do you?" he said with a mocking grin.
Yugen smiled and pointed at the World on his own Field.
"Normally, when a Secret Ceremony Power Monster is summoned, you have to spin the card to determine whether it gets its upright or reversed effect," Yugen said. "But while ’Light Barrier’ is on the Field, Secret Ceremony Power Monsters don’t need to be spun—I can freely choose whether the upright or reversed effect applies.
Naturally, what I chose was the World’s upright effect."
He paused and clapped his hands lightly.
"Alright, with that, preparations are complete. My turn is over."
"That’s it?" the Eraser kept sneering. "At this level, you don’t seriously expect to live through twenty turns, right?"
"It seems Lord Evil God has misunderstood something."
Yugen laughed.
The Eraser: "Hm?"
"You don’t actually think that, after this Countdown to the End begins..." Yugen said calmly, "you’ll still get to wait for your own turn, do you?"
The Eraser: "?"
Huh?
He actually felt like he didn’t quite understand that sentence.
But not understanding didn’t matter; Yugen immediately demonstrated with his actions.
"End Phase of the turn—’Sacrificial Lotus’, which was sent to the Graveyard by the very first turn’s ’Handwriting Erasure’, activates its effect: in the End Phase, it is Special Summoned to my Field."
[Sacrificial Lotus, Attack Power 0]
"Next, in the End Phase, ’Secret Ceremony Power 21 - World’, upright effect," Yugen said. "I tribute the two Monsters on my Field to skip my opponent’s next turn!"
The Eraser: "!!!"
Nani?
He finally widened his eyes and focused on this Secret Ceremony Monster he’d previously looked down on.
Did this Monster of the Power of Light really possess the ability to manipulate time?
"I tribute ’Divine Flame Emperor Uriah’ and ’Sacrificial Lotus’. Secret Ceremony Power’s effect activates—
—Zawaludo (World)!"
Time itself, halt!
The Field froze. Even one as mighty as the Evil God was pinned down on the Field, as if crushed beneath the Five Finger Mountain, unable to move.
It reached the Eraser’s turn, but his time was frozen. He couldn’t draw, couldn’t take any actions. He could only watch as the indicators on his Duel Disc cycled from Draw Phase to Standby, to Main Phase, Battle Phase, and finally to End Phase.
Oh, time was stopped on his side—but not on Yugen’s.
The countdown for the End lit up with another flame, a second tiny Fireball.
Because another turn had passed forward, the countdown gained another Fireball. Once twenty Fireballs were gathered, the moment of death sentence would arrive.
"Then it’s my turn again. Draw," Yugen said. "At this moment, Countdown to the End reaches the third turn."
He paused and pointed at the Field.
"Field Spell ’Light Barrier’ must be spun on my turn; depending on upright or reversed position, its effect changes.
If it lands upright, all current Barrier effects are maintained.
If it lands reversed, this card’s effect becomes negated until the next Standby Phase."
The Light Barrier card spun and stopped on reversed.
"So it landed reversed, huh." Yugen shrugged. "Looks like my luck isn’t that great... but it doesn’t matter.
This turn, the Field Spell Light Barrier’s effect is negated. If I summon a new Secret Ceremony Power Monster, I’ll have to spin the card to determine whether it gets the upright or reversed effect.
But ’World’ was already summoned last turn and already obtained its upright effect, so it’s unaffected."
The Eraser curled his lip.
Light Barrier spins once every one of your Standby Phases to randomly give you either the upright or reversed effect. But in the turn that card is first activated, you don’t have to spin it; the Field effect just comes online directly.
Yugen had exploited exactly that point to freely choose for World to get its upright effect.
"Next, I Normal Summon this card..."
Yugen leisurely placed the Monster Card from his hand.
The instant this card took the Field—
The Eraser immediately realized what he was up against.
"I summon ’Assassin Snake’."
[Assassin Snake, Attack Power 300]
Assassin Snake?
The Eraser was stunned.
He remembered its effect: if it’s in the Graveyard during your Standby Phase, it can voluntarily return to its owner’s hand. A Monster that can salvage itself infinitely...
Wait.
This guy still had that Sacrificial Lotus in the Graveyard that could infinitely crawl back out at the end of each turn.
Doesn’t that mean...
"End Phase—Sacrificial Lotus in the Graveyard revives to the Field."
[Sacrificial Lotus, Attack Power 0]
"Effect of ’Secret Ceremony Power 21 - World’ activates. In my End Phase, I send ’Sacrificial Lotus’ and ’Assassin Snake’ on the Field to the Graveyard to skip your next turn!
Zawaludo!"
Time froze once more, and the Eraser’s turn was halted again. He could only watch helplessly as the turn count advanced, as if his consciousness were preserved inside frozen time—unable to move, yet forced to witness death creeping closer step by step.
"It’s my turn again. Draw."
Yugen spoke.
"Standby Phase: effect of ’Assassin Snake’ in the Graveyard—this card returns to my hand."
"Next I Normal Summon ’Assassin Snake’."
"End Phase, I Special Summon ’Sacrificial Lotus’ from the Graveyard."
"Effect of Secret Ceremony Power 21 - World—Zawaludo!"
"I skip your turn once again, and then Countdown to the End’s turn count increases by another 2."
"..."
The Eraser’s face twitched, his expression turning ugly.
He never imagined the other side hadn’t been joking at all.
From the very moment Countdown to the End began ticking—
He truly... would never see his own turn again.
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