It was about 5pm when I returned to the dorms. However, instead of taking a shower and relaxing in bed, I had to prepare to go out again. I couldn't rest for a second, as in about an hour, I was meeting with Zyriot in Zoa Green.

Earlier today, when me, Zyriot, and Shimizu were walking back to class from the newspaper club's interviews, I asked Zyriot if he'd help me become stronger. I thought he'd be a good choice, since his style of fighting was passive and ended things gracefully in one strike, as seen in his fight against Takemoto.

Zyriot agreed and we decided to meet up in the Zoa Green gym, as it would be less inconspicuous. As such, he would be waiting for me at the train station, and I would hide my identity until we reach the gym.

I changed clothes from my school uniform to my PE uniform and put on my sports shoes. I threw a black hoodie over my jersey and lifted the hood to cast a shadow over my face. I obscured my face more by flattening my long bangs to cover my eyes.

Stuffing a towel, a few bottles of water, and a change of clothes in my bag, I left the dorms. I noticed that the Takanori group were hanging out in the garden with Tadokoro on my way out. Then, I took the train to Zoa Green.

By the time I arrived, Zyriot was already there to greet me. Standing behind him was Albert. It was about 5:40pm, so we both came earlier than the scheduled time of 6pm. I decided to talk to them in English.

"Hey, Zyriot, Albert."

"Yo, Yuuto. Glad you could make it."

Albert simply nodded to acknowledge my presence. He was a man of few words, so this was expected.

"Albert's gonna be your training partner. That okay?"

"...will I be fine?"

I looked up, staggering back a bit because of Albert's muscular body. He was nearly 7 feet tall... the difference in our heights was like day and night.

"Albert will be gentle. Plus, you took a punch from him before. Not many people survive the Bodyguard's Special."

"Albert, have you ever killed a man before?"

Obviously, he shook his head no, but underneath those sunglasses were definitely the eyes of a killer. I was almost sure of it. If today is my last day on this Earth, then I leave everything I have in my possession to you, mom.

As we walked to the gym, the three of us (or rather, me and Zyriot), made light conversation.

"Don't look so scared. It's a compliment, if you take Albert's punch."

"I was flung into the wall because of it. There's no way my strength could equal his."

"I don't know. You really did a number on that Ritaka dude. That's the main reason I brought Albert in."

"He was caught off-guard and fell to the floor. I'm honestly not that strong."

"You sure? Ritaka didn't come into school today because of the bruise you left on his face."

Zyriot pulled out his phone and showed me a picture of Ritaka. I was horrified by what I saw. Bulging on his left cheek was a bruise so purple, it was on the verge of turning black. Surrounding the lump of flesh was a patch of pink skin that reached all the way to under his eye.

"I... I did that?"

"Who else could have it been? Machida?"

Zyriot laughed lightly. I gulped, looking down at my curled hand. It twitched guiltily.

"Ritaka went to the doctors and got some treatment, he'll be fine. It must hurt like hell to talk with such a large bruise though."

"Yeah... probably."

"From that, I know I wouldn't be able to take your punch without risking serious injury, so I brought Albert in. I know that he can take a punch of that magnitude."

"He must be a tough fighter."

"Albert's a very sturdy man."

Zyriot tapped on Albert's chest. A puff of smoke exited Albert's nose.

"That tickles."

When I heard Albert's voice, a shiver of fear flashed down my spine. Not only was it deep, but it sounded like the embodiment of testosterone. His balls probably dropped further down than mine and Zyriot's combined.

"See? Very sturdy."

"Please treat me well..."

I bowed repeatedly at Albert so he'd go easy on me.

We reached the gym and entered inside. Since no one else was here, we had the whole building to ourselves. The section Zyriot was training me in was the boxing area.

"Boxing, huh?"

"You'll be boxing Albert for your training. Kit up, Yuuto."

Zyriot took out a pair of red boxing gloves, matching headgear, and a mouthguard for me to put on. I left my stuff on the bench, took off my hoodie, and strapped on the gear.

Meanwhile, Albert was setting up on the other side of the ring. He took off his professional looking suit, going bare-chested, and put on boxing shorts with the design of the American flag on it. Strapping on blue coloured variants of my headgear and mouthguard, Albert was also ready to fight.

"Uh... is it safe for him to still be wearing sunglasses in the boxing ring?"

As I asked that to Zyriot, Albert replied in his steed.

"The sunglasses stay on during sex."

"U-understood."

Albert was so confident in his own skills, he didn't even care for the dangers of wearing his sunglasses in the ring. Amazing...

"Albert, wear these for me."

Zyriot handed him some boxing pads to wear rather than gloves. I felt a bit of relief when he did that.

"So you guys aren't throwing me in the deep end after all... thank god."

"It'd be pointless to get you boxing immediately. You don't even know the rules. Before we can move onto any of that, we've gotta gauge your strength first. All you gotta do is strike at the pads Albert's wearing with all you have. We'll determine your power level that way."

"Seems simple enough..."

I rolled my shoulders and flexed my arms to loosen up. Doing a few stretches to prevent cramping, I stepped inside the ring.

"Oh yeah, drink this first. Hydration is key."

Zyriot tossed me a bottle of water. I squirted some of it into my mouth before chucking it back to him.

In the centre of the ring was Albert, who got into a stance to take my punch using the pads. Once again, the size difference between us threw me off. It was a David vs Goliath situation. A behemoth against a runt. If Albert was an elephant, then I was an ant.

"Is it really okay to go all out...?"

I asked Zyriot for permission to strike with all my power before slamming my fist into Albert.

"It's presumptuous of you to think that you'll hurt him. Either you're being overconfident or you know that you're powerful enough to hurt him, both of which I doubt considering your humble personality. Don't forget the reason I brought Albert here in the first place."

That's right. Zyriot brought Albert here because he knew Albert could take my punch. In that case, I'll cast away my reservations and go for it with all the strength I could muster up. I wanted to make a good impression on Zyriot and Albert since they're both seasoned fighters.

I took a deep breath and emptied my cluttered mind.

One punch with all my might. That's all I had to do.

I swung my fist—

And punched Albert Obama.

The moment passed instantly. I could feel a wave of power ripple from my right fist. My chest felt breathless.

In front of my eyes, my target had disappeared. I looked side to side to see if Albert had left the ring. Instead, I was met with the wide eyed gaze of Zyriot.

"Albert! Are you okay?!"

Zyriot instantly called out, entering the ring. Turning my attention back to where I was standing, I slowly looked down, and leapt back in shock.

Albert was on the floor, his sunglasses crooked on his face. I could clearly see his eyes for the first time. His pupils were constricted, shaking from fear. His mouth was left gaping open in shock. Meanwhile, his arm that wore the pad had gone completely limp.

"I'm okay."

Calmly, Albert answered Zyriot who was by his side. With a medical kit in his hands, Zyriot took off the pads and applied an ice pack on Albert's floppy wrist, which took the brunt of the damage.

"A-Albert... I..."

I leaned against the ropes of the ring, stunned that I was able to knock down someone so large. I took off my gloves and buried my face into my hands, paranoid of what Albert would do to me in retaliation.

"Save your breath."

Albert adjusted his sunglasses, telling me to forget spitting out an apology in my current state. Zyriot nodded in agreement.

"He's right. Freaking out won't help anyone. Take deep breaths to calm down, Yuuto. The adrenaline's still pumping through your body."

They were right. My body was shaking, jittering from the impact I caused. I slumped bottom first onto the ring's mattress, controlling my breathing to try and think straight.

"Honestly... I knew you were strong, but this is ridiculous..."

Zyriot muttered, looking at me in surprise. He helped Albert sit up and got him some water to drink. Then, he approached me with a bottle of water as well.

"You feeling a bit better?"

I nodded, chugging the bottle. My nerves had calmed down and I could process things more clearly.

"Albert, sorry for knocking you down..."

The first thing I did once I gained my composure was apologise for injuring his wrist.

"I acknowledge you."

"Huh...?"

Instead, I got an unexpected response from Albert. His stoic face broke a little as he smiled.

"I respect you, dawg. You're the only man to ever knock me down."

"I feel kind of bad..."

"Are you kidding me? We asked you to not hold back. No one knew you were gonna be that strong. Honestly, I'm kinda terrified now."

Zyriot laughed as he said that, patting my back. Albert nodded silently in agreement.

"You don't need training from us. You're plenty strong enough with that sort of strength."

"Strength doesn't mean technique, though. In a fight, being stronger is pointless if I can't hit the enemy."

"Trust me, with a punch like yours, as long as you get one hit in, you've won. There's no way someone's going to recover from a punch of that caliber. You just need to find an opening to hit them with."

"I guess that's true... I can't believe it still. That I had all this strength... it feels like a dream."

"Sounds like you were underestimating yourself. Let's see."

Zyriot started to feel up my arm, more specifically my muscles.

"You don't work out, so it's just your raw strength doing the work... that's even scarier. You overexerted yourself during that punch though, so I'd estimate your normal power to be slightly below what you dealt to Albert. Still though, that probably means you have the baseline power equal to a professional fighter, in my opinion."

"That's too generous."

"It's true, though. We all saw what you did to Albert. You could probably fight the strongest 3rd Year and still come out on top."

"Maybe. I just... honestly didn't know I was this strong. I wanted to become stronger to protect myself and others, but I guess I had that power hidden in me all along."

"If you build your muscles, you'd probably become stronger. But as it stands, you're plenty strong enough to not even bother with that in my opinion. Whatever training me and Albert planned will be useless for you, so let's just wrap it up here today, okay?"

"Okay... uh, thanks for the help, both of you. And I'm still sorry, Albert."

"No problem."

Albert gave me a thumbs up. He started changing back into his suit. I looked over to Zyriot, who had zoned out a bit.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I was just wondering... if you had all that strength in you, then couldn't you have easily stopped Mikitaka and the others back then?"

"That was way too many people for me to handle. Besides, I didn't believe in my own strength back then. I had no idea I was capable of fighting back. I thought I was weak... so I accepted their beating."

"I see. In some ways, I'm kind of glad. If you did retaliate..."

The creases under Zyriot's eyes increased, making him look distressed.

"...I can't imagine how badly you'd hurt my classmates. And if that happened, then I... I might've also raised my fist in anger too."

Zyriot imagined a parallel universe where I fought back and demolished his classmates into a bloody pulp. That image must be harrowing to him. To know a man could've decimated his close friends singlehandedly.

There was no "might" in this situation. Zyriot would have raised his fist against me and faced the same consequences as them. However, this farfetched scenario was also under the assumption I was a ruthless monster, which simply wasn't the case.

"Do you want to fight?"

"What? God no. You'd beat me to a pulp."

I took off my headgear and mouthguard.

"I meant a cardfight. I don't want to physically fight you either. If you flipped me, you'd probably break my spine."

"Oh, a cardfight, huh? Sure thing. We wrapped up way too early anyways, I've got time to kill. Albert, wanna stick around and watch?"

Albert nodded while fixing his tie. Zyriot grinned, getting out of the ring and taking out his deck from his bag. I also got out the ring and dug up my deck from my bag.

Zyriot led me to the resting room, where there was a vending machine filled with sports drinks, a row of lockers, and a large table in the centre where we could play on. While we were setting up our decks, Albert kindly bought drinks for the three of us.

"Heads or tails?"

"Heads."

Zyriot flipped a cent he carried in his back pocket and caught it.

"It landed heads, you're up first."

"Alright."

While it seemed pointless to have a cardfight with him, as it would give away information to the enemy, Zyriot would also be doing the same. As I wasn't going to participate, because I wanted to be commander, it was fine if my deck was leaked to their class.

What was more important was gaining information on what was in Zyriot's deck, as it would allow me to build a replica for everyone else to test into. If the Takanori group get a feel for how the leader of D Class played, then they could develop strategies and counters to defeat him in the war.

That was the most important thing to do in the war if we wanted to win. Defeating Zyriot would be our number one priority because he was the glue of D Class. Removing him from the equation would crumble everything else into pieces.

And the person key to eliminating the heart of D Class's unity was Akihiro. He was going to become E Class's trump card in this war. If there was someone capable of beating Zyriot in our dysfunctional class, it was him.

"Stand up, Vanguard!"

"Machining Worker Ant!"

"Eradicator, Spring Light Dracokid!"

"Oh, you've changed your starter since the first war. Does this mean you've upgraded your deck?"

"Perhaps. You'll just have to wait and see."

Zyriot had the same idea as me. He wanted to glean information from this fight. That's why he accepted it so easily.

"Stand and draw! I ride, Isolation Eradicator, Nusku! His skill, I check top five for an Eradicator and add it to my hand. I add, Lightning Whip Eradicator, Suheil, then discard a card."

I discarded Rising Phoenix to set up for a later turn.

"Then, my starter's skill to draw. Turn end."

Yuuto:
Hand: 6
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

Zyriot:
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Stand and draw! I ride, Machining Hornet! Draw, and get a Quick Shield! Hornet attacks! (8000)"

Since letting this attack hit would give him more advantage by searching for a grade 3, which Megacolony had an abundance of good ones, I decided it was better to stop this.

"Spark Edge Dracokid, guard! (23000) No pass."

"Drive check! (Scissor-shot Mutant, Bombscissor) Unlucky, a crit. All to vanguard (8000 > 18000/1 > 2), and turn end."

Seeing Bombscissor this early on was good for me as it told me extra information about his deck. In particular, that he ran twelve critical and his gift of choice was Protect I.

There was no reason to run critical sentinels unless you were using more than eight critical, and since he was a Protect deck, he could generate regular nullifiers through riding, meaning the 30k shield was just another flexible option in his defence.

Yuuto:
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

Zyriot:
Hand: 8
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Stand and draw! I ride, Eradicator, Plasmacatapult Dragon! He attacks! (9000)"

Since the other grade 2 in my hand, Suheil, would have more value later on as a 19k beater, I decided it was better to ride Plasmacatapult instead. However, because I didn't take damage last turn, I couldn't use his skill to draw a card, which would've given me some tempo back from guarding early.

There wasn't much else in my hand I could've played, and I didn't want Zyriot to damage deny me, so I just swung in straightaway.

"So you've gone full Eradicator, huh? Nice. No guard!"

"Yeah, it just fits Gauntlet Buster better. Drive check! (Ceremonial Bonfire Eradicator, Castor)"

"I can imagine, ha ha. Damage check! (Machining Ornamental)"

"That's all. Turn end."

Yuuto:
Hand: 6
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

Zyriot:
Hand: 8
Damage: 1
OXO
OOO

"Stand and draw! I ride, Machining Scatter Horn! His skill, I look at the top six cards of my deck and add a non-grade 2 Machining to hand. I add Machining Stag Beetle to my hand and put a card from my hand into soul."

The card put to soul was Machining Meteorbullet. This would pay off later when he calls Stag Beetle, as he could call Meteorbullet and Hornet for a free column.

"I call Machining Cybister and use Scatter Horn's skill to soulblast and rest him to paralyse one of your rear-guards, which you don't have, so I'll skip that. However, since Cybister was rested, I get to use his skill to look at the top three cards of my deck and call a Machining Hornet to rear-guard. The rest go to bottom of my deck. Boosted by Hornet, Scatter Horn attacks! (9000 > 17000)"

Hornet's skill also worked when he boosted, but since it was on rear-guard, if Zyriot searched he'd put Hornet into soul. Unfortunately, this wasn't a detriment since he had Stag Beetle, and I needed the damage, so I had no choice but to take it.

"No guard!"

"Drive check! (Mutant Gentleman, High Class Moth)"

This was the first time I saw a non-Machining normal unit in his deck. I assume he uses it for the CONT skill, as High Class Moth counted as a grade 3 in soul, giving him access to turn 4 skills early on turn 3. Luckily for me, he didn't ride it on his turn 1, so unless he could cheat it into soul with Scatter Horn, I was safe from an early soulblast grade 3 skill.

"Damage check! (Fiendish Sword Eradicator, Cho-Ou)"

"Hornet's skill, since the attack it boosted hit, I check top six cards of my deck for a grade 3 and add it to hand. I add, Machining Black Saturn! Since I did, Hornet goes to soul. Turn end."

Yuuto:
Hand: 6
Damage: 1
OXO
OOO

Zyriot:
Hand: 9
Damage: 1
OXO
XOO

"Stand and draw. The thunderclap that rocks the world from the bottom to the top, explode with the rage of a thousand stars, and erase everything in my path! Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon ride!"

I had one chance to capitalise on going first by blitzing Zyriot with an onslaught of powerful attacks while he was still on a 9k base.

"Imaginary Gift: Accel II! I draw a card! Gauntlet Buster's skill, he gets +5k and a critical for each of your open front row rear-guard circles! (12000 > 22000/1 > 3) I call, Lightning Whip Eradicator, Suheil! (9000 > 14000) Since he's on an additional rear-guard circle, he gets +5k! (14000 > 19000) I call, Fiendish Sword Eradicator, Cho-Ou and Isolation Eradicator, Nusku! Nusku's skill, check top five for an Eradicator and add it to hand. I add, Supreme Army Eradicator, Zuitan, discard a card, and then call him!"

With this, I'd have filled out my front row ranks completely. Since I didn't want to risk Zyriot shutting down two of my attacks with a damage trigger, I decided to play it safe and swing with my 9k bodies first.

"Cho-Ou attacks! (9000)"

"I use my Quick Shield! (14000)"

"Zuitan attacks! (9000)"

"High Class Moth guards! (19000)"

"At the end of the battle, since you have no front row rear-guards, Zuitan goes into soul, and I draw a card! Gauntlet Buster Dragon attacks! (22000/3) Big Bang Knuckle Buster!"

"No guard!"

It seems Zyriot guarded the smaller attacks earlier in order to eat this single big attack without any troubles. That way, he'd also increase his chance of hitting a damage trigger, and prevent my other attacks from hitting.

"Twin Drive!! (Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon, Wyvern Guard, Guld) Draw trigger! I draw and give power to Suheil! (19000 > 29000)"

I decided to pass it to Suheil because if Zyriot hit a damage trigger, I wouldn't restand Cho-Ou.

"Triple damage checks! First! (Shelter Beetle) Critical, all to vanguard! (9000 > 19000)"

Straightaway, on the first check, he hit a damage trigger. Cho-Ou's column reached 17k only, so there was no point standing him.

"Second! (Machining Cybister) Third! (Machining Meteorbullet) No triggers."

At the very least, Suheil would force a 15k shield or make him take another damage.

"Suheil attacks! (29000)"

"Jewel Flasher guards! (34000)"

"Turn end."

While I wasn't satisfied with my turn, it had done enough to push him into killing range for next turn.

Yuuto:
Hand: 8
Damage: 1
XXXO
   XOO

Zyriot:
Hand: 6
Damage: 4
OXO
XOO

"Stand and draw! A raging storm of gas gathers in the centre of the dusty planet, kicking up sand and ice to form seven rings of mass destruction! I ride, Machining Black Saturn!"

So out of all the Machining grade 3s, this was the one Zyriot chose to ride. With such a cool name, would it live up to the hype?

"Get, Imaginary Gift: Protect I! I call, Machining Stag Beetle! His skill, I call Meteorbullet and Hornet from my soul as rest! Meteorbullet's skill, I rest Cybister to give him +10k! (12000 > 22000) Cybister's skill, since it was rested, I look at the top three cards of my deck and call Machining Ornamental to rear-guard! Ornamental's skill, when she's called, I rest all other rear-guards to activate one of her two effects: I choose the first one, which gives all rested rear-guards +5k! (12000 > 17000) (8000 > 13000) (22000 > 27000) (8000 > 13000)"

Through a series of chaining effects, Zyriot had built his board in a flash and powered it up in a blink of an eye. While Ornamental had given power to my rear-guards, it didn't power up my vanguard, which was Zyriot's real target, meaning there was no detriment for him to use the skill.

"Black Saturn's skill! I counterblast and soulblast to stand all of my rear-guards and give them +5k! (17000 > 22000) (13000 > 18000) (12000 > 17000) (27000 > 32000) (13000 > 18000) That's not all. My vanguard gets drive +1 (2d > 3d), while your vanguard loses drive -1! (2d > 1d)"

This meant the only way I could regain twin drive was by re-riding, which is fine. What was more concerning however was the growing power of all his units. Thanks to Meteorbullet's skill, since he had five rear-guards, all his Machinings gained boost, so he could position his field in a way where I'd bind his least important cards first.

"Boosted by Ornamental, Black Saturn attacks! (12000 > 29000) Red Ring of Death!"

Black Saturn charged a hyper energy beam between his two jet black pincers, aiming it straight at Gauntlet Buster. Launching it with full force, the blood red bolt of energy came flying at Gauntlet, who braced himself with the back of his forearms. Swooping down from the sky to protect him was Guld, forming a perfect hexagonal shield from his mouth to stop the deadly laser.

"Guld, perfect guard!"

"Triple Drive!!! (Scissor-shot Mutant, Bombscissor) Critical! All to Hornet! (18000 > 28000/1 > 2) (Machining Scatter Horn, Medical Battler, Ranpli) Heal! Healing a damage and all to Stag Beetle! (22000 > 32000)"

Hitting that heal trigger wasn't good for me. Zyriot was now out of the lethal zone. On my next turn, he could now afford to take one extra attack as a cushion if need be.

Since the total critical of his next attacks was three, and I was at one damage, I figured it would be okay to just take the damage, especially because the numbers on these columns were absurd. The extra counterblast would help me perform a double Cho-Ou if need be.

"Boosted by Cybister, Stag Beetle attacks! (32000 > 50000)"

"No guard! (Rising Phoenix)"

"Boosted by Meteorbullet, Hornet attacks! (28000/2 > 60000/2)"

"No guard! (Lightning Whip Eradicator, Suheil, Malevolent Djinn)"

A wasted damage trigger. Oh well.

"Since the attack hit, Hornet's skill activates! I add a High Class Moth to my hand and put him into soul. Turn end!"

It seems Zyriot chose to get the grade 1 for the shield value. That meant there was a high chance he doesn't have enough to stop my next turn. Alright, it's time to go all in.

Yuuto:
Hand: 6
Damage: 4
XXXO
   XOO

Zyriot:
Hand: 10
Damage: 3
XXO
XXX

"Stand and draw. Raise the flag of the apocalypse, herald of the thunderstorm! Eradicate everything in my way, Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant ride!"

This was my new trump card for this deck. Descendant paired extremely well with Gauntlet, as it could use the best parts of Gauntlet, the pressure of it's power and critical, and combine it with his own ability to restand. It was a harmonious synergy that bridged together the deck's old support with the new support perfectly in sync.

"Imaginary Gift: Accel II! Descendant's skill, he gains all of the abilities of Gauntlet Buster! I call Zuitan and Cho-Ou (9000 > 14000)! Then, I counterblast and discard a card to bind your front row! Vanish before my eyes, Giga Sparkle Buster!"

Since he used Hornet's skill last turn, Zyriot only bound Stag Beetle. However, my target wasn't that - it was the rear-guards hiding in his back-row, Meteorbullet and Cybister. These two in tandem would pump his lanes and refill his board, neither of which I want him to do.

"For every rear-guard bound, Zuitan gets +5k! (9000 > 14000) Then, I'll drag your back row rear-guards to the front! Both of my Phoenix's skill in the drop zone, I call them to rear-guard with +3k! (8000 > 11000) (8000 > 11000) Descendant's skill, I soulblast to bind Meteorbullet! This procs Zuitan's skill! (14000 > 19000) Then, choose one of your back row rear-guards and move it to the front!"

"Since Ornamental's the only back row rear-guard I have, I have no choice but to move her to the front."

"Gauntlet's skill once more! I counterblast and discard a card to bind your front row! Vanish before my eyes, Giga Sparkle Buster!"

By chaining my skills in this order, I was able to wipe out Zyriot's entire board and give 20k to Zuitan, all for counterblast two and soulblast one. The discard two cost was off-set by reviving two Rising Phoenix.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the counterblast remaining to do a double Cho-Ou. I needed to save one of my two face-up damage for Descendant's restand, as I know Zyriot had no choice but to guard it since he was on three damage.

"Finally, Gauntlet's skill. My vanguard gets +5k and a critical for each of your open front row rear-guard circles! (12000 > 22000/1 > 3) Now, Cho-Ou attacks! (14000)"

"Scatter Horn guards! (17000)"

"Dragonic Descendant attacks! (22000/3) Omen of Apocrypha!"

"Shelter Beetle and Ranpli guards! (47000) No pass!"

"Twin Drive!! (Supreme Army Eradicator, Zuitan, Malevolent Djinn) Critical trigger! Power to Cho-Ou (14000 > 24000), critical to Zuitan! (29000/1 > 2) Cho-Ou's skill, at the end of my vanguard's attack, since your front row is empty, I counterblast to stand him! Now, Descendant's skill! Since the attack didn't hit, I counterblast one and discard a card to restand the vanguard!"

As Dragonic Descendant, who wore the gauntlets of Gauntlet Buster Dragon, pulled the Sword of Apocalypse out of the ground, the sound of rumbling thunder drew nearer as the clouds became black and murky.

Raising the sword high into the air, waving it like a flag, Descendant caught a flash of lightning inside the blade. The sword crackled and popped as the lightning swirled around it, similar to a coil of electricity.

"Boosted by Phoenix, Dragonic Descendant attacks! (22000 > 33000/3) Breakthrough, Stigma of Apocrypha!!"

"Imaginary Gift: Protect I! Perfect guard!"

Like a violent whirlwind, Descendant hurled himself at Black Saturn, swinging down simultaneously with both his sword and fist. In response, Black Saturn positioned his hands in front of him, opening a hexagonal shield from his palms to deflect the attack.

"Drive check! (Isolation Eradicator, Nusku)"

Descendant hacked, slashed, and carved into the shield with all his strength, but it wouldn't break, no matter how hard he punched or stabbed it. Falling back, he pointed his sword at Black Saturn and ordered everyone else to attack.

"Boosted by Nusku, Cho-Ou attacks! (9000 > 17000)"

"High Class Moth guards! (22000)"

"Suheil attacks! (19000)"

"Hornet guards! (22000)"

"Cho-Ou attacks! (24000)"

"No guard! (Machining Spark Hercules)"

"Boosted by Phoenix, Zuitan attacks! (29000 > 40000/2)"

"Bombscissor guards! (42000)"

"Tch..."

For some reason, frustration welled up in my chest. Once again, I was so close to victory, yet... I fell short, like always.

"Zuitan's skill, I put him into soul and draw a card. Turn end."

Quietly to himself, Zyriot breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuuto:
Hand: 6
Damage: 4
XXXOX
XXX

Zyriot:
Hand: 2
Damage: 4
Bind: 4
OXO
OOO

OST: Mutual Situation

"You've really put me in a pinch here."

Even with his back against the wall, Zyriot laughed. Looking at me in the eyes, the corner of his lips turned into a smirk.

"Since you gave it your all last turn, I thought I should do the same. You ready, Yuuto? Final Turn!"

What a bold statement. Though, at the same time, he wouldn't say that so brazenly as a joke. For all intents and purposes, Zyriot was seriously going to try and kill me, right here, right now.

"Stand and draw! I call Meteorbullet and Stag Beetle! Stag Beetle's skill, I call a Hornet from my soul as rest! Meteorbullet's skill, I rest Stag Beetle and he gets +10k! (12000 > 22000) Finally, the queen spins a web of silk that will ensnare you in her trap! I call, Machining Ornamental!"

Underneath my closed lips, I gritted my teeth. This was the exact same set-up as last turn. Stag Beetle filled his board, Meteorbullet gave everything boost, and Ornamental rested everything in exchange for power. Then, Black Saturn would stand everything and power them up again.

"Her skill, I rest all other rear-guards and activate the first effect: all rested rear-guards get +5k! (12000 > 17000) (8000 > 13000) (22000 > 27000) Black Saturn's skill! I counterblast and soulblast to stand all of my rear-guards and give them +5k! (17000 > 22000) (13000 > 18000) (12000 > 17000) (27000 > 32000) My vanguard gets drive +1 (2d > 3d), while your vanguard loses drive -1! (2d > 1d)"

Right now, each of his columns broke the 22k threshold. Black Saturn boosted by Ornamental would attack for 29k with triple drive, Meteorbullet would attack solo for 32k, and Stag Beetle boosted by Hornet would attack for 40k.

I could survive by guarding two attacks and taking one. However, if Zyriot hit a single critical in his three drive checks, it was game over for me. In my hand was 55k worth of shield. On my field was 15k worth of shield.

I needed to use 50k to no pass the vanguard, but if I did that I'd only have 20k remaining to stop Meteorbullet, which wasn't enough. So instead, I'd have to bet on a three to pass, guarding with 45k, and use the remaining 25k shield on Meteorbullet. Stag Beetle was the only attack I couldn't stop. If Zyriot drove check a critical and gave it there, I would lose.

"Boosted by Ornamental, Black Saturn attacks! (12000 > 29000/3d) Red Ring of Death!"

"I guard with Seiobo, Djinn, and Nusku! (12000 > 32000 > 47000 > 57000) Three to pass!"

I had to sacrifice half my hand just to have a chance at stopping this. Everything was now riding on Zyriot's triple drive.

"Triple Drive!!! (Machining Stag Beetle, Machining Spark Hercules, Jewel Flasher) Critical trigger!"

With that single trigger earned from Black Saturn's extra drive, there was no way for me to survive anymore. I couldn't stop Stag Beetle's attack with the shield I had remaining.

"All effects to Stag Beetle! (22000 > 32000/1 > 2) Meteorbullet attacks! (32000)"

"I guard with Zuitan and Suheil! Then, I intercept with another Suheil and two Cho-Ou! (37000)"

I was left with one card in my hand. It was another copy of Dragonic Descendant. A card with zero shield.

"Boosted by Hornet, Stag Beetle attacks! (32000 > 50000/2) Insect Railgun, Full Burst!!"

With two Hornets loaded onto his shoulder-mounted railgun, Stag Beetle clenched tightly onto the the triggers, pulling it back at full force and launching the red bombs at a limping Descendant.

"No guard... damage checks! (Eradicator, Dragonic Descendant, Eradicator, Gauntlet Buster Dragon)"

The Hornet shells exploded on impact, blowing up Descendant into chunks of armour and mangled flesh.

"Good game, Zyriot."

I stretched out my hand, accepting the defeat. Zyriot shook my hand firmly.

"Good game. Man, that was stressful... it would've been really embarrassing if I didn't win after saying final turn, so I'm glad it worked out."

"That was fun. I'm surprised at how good you are at the game."

"Same with you, I don't think I've ever faced such a strong opponent before. I'm getting kind of worried about the war now."

Albert nodded in agreement. Zyriot got up, packing away his cards. I did the same.

"Me and Albert were gonna hit up the ramen shack after this, wanna come with us?"

While it was tempting to eat ramen, it was probably a bad idea to stay in Zoa Green any longer than necessary.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to decline."

"That's cool. At the very least, let us escort you back to the train station."

"Thanks, that would be a great help."

We left the gym and went back to the train station. Before I boarded the train, I requested something from Zyriot and Albert.

"By the way... could you two keep my strength a secret? I don't want to attract anymore unnecessary attention."

"Sure thing. I'm guessing you're not a big fan of violence, huh?"

"Fighting someone is the last thing I want to do. Just because I can punch hard doesn't mean I can take a punch."

In that sense, I was a glass cannon. I suppose I should focus on training my body's toughness from now on.

"We should hang out again like this sometime. How does this weekend sound? Me, you, and Albert."

"Let's bring John along too."

"That's a great idea, Albert!"

Like us, John could also speak English, which made him a good fit to join us. While it sounded fun to play with them again, I couldn't because I already made plans this weekend already with Yogen.

"Sorry, but I'm not free this weekend. Next weekend should be fine though."

"Awesome, I can't wait until then."

Albert nodded in agreement.

"See you tomorrow, Yuuto."

"Bye."

Zyriot and Albert waved goodbye, walking away.

"See you guys. Thanks for today."

With those parting words, I boarded the train back to Drachma Red.