When I returned to my group, I apologised to both Kishida and Yamamoto.

"Sorry. I guess I really am not feeling it today..."

"Don't worry about it. You lost by getting sacked, there was nothing you could do about it."

"No... Takanori-san was doomed to lose from the start of his turn."

Yamamoto interjected, disagreeing with Kishida.

"Even if Kirishima-san didn't get lucky with those drive checks, Takanori-san still wouldn't have been able to guard all his remaining attacks."

He really was an observant fellow. Yamamoto had got it right on the mark.

"I don't understand...?"

"It's fine. I'll explain later. Or Takanori-san can explain it to you now while I go deal with the next fight."

"Yeah, sure. Good luck out here Yamamoto-san."

"Thanks."

Yamamoto went downstairs to meet his next opponent, which was Suna. While they fought, I explained to Kishida about my situation, and he understood. Afterwards, we watched Yamamoto's fight, and to no one's surprise, he won.

Next, Kishida went downstairs to fight against Ikesugi, and unfortunately, he lost. This marked our group's first team loss in the tournament, meaning we were no longer undefeated.

While this would make it harder for us to make it through to the finals, it didn't mean we were out of the running just yet.

If all the groups that are currently X-0 drop a round between now and the last round, they'll have the same record as us, meaning we'd have another shot of making it through.

It would all depend on how the school calculates tiebreakers, but having a chance is better than having no chance.

In other words, the easiest way for our group to get back into this competition was by dragging everyone else down to our level or even further below than that. I wondered if we could pull it off...

Our next opponents for the fifth round was one such group that had remained undefeated up until now: Mitsuba's group. Seeing their names on the screen, Yamamoto sighed.

"Looks like we're going back to back against another set of formidable opponents... winning against them here will be crucial if we want a shot at entering the finals. If we beat them, their record will be the same as ours."

"You seem worried... is Mitsuba-san's group really that impressive?" Kishida said.

"Yes, they are. Don't let their bumbling appearances fool you. If anything, I'd argue they're the dark horses in this tournament. Their frontline line of Takenaka-san and John-san are incredibly strong. Both play explosive combo decks that take full advantage of their Fighter's Skills, creating suffocating game states that not even the best players can navigate out of. Besides, their results speak for themselves."

"True... neither of them have lost a game so far, and we're four rounds in. What about Mitsuba-san? Is he any good?"

"We won't have to worry about him. Despite self-proclaiming to be the best in their group, he's clearly their weak point, since he hasn't fought at all aside from the first round, but that was against Shige— sorry, Yamaguchi-san's group. The rest of the time, he's been sitting out as their anchor and watching from the sidelines. As long as Takenaka-san and John-san keep winning their games, there won't ever be any reason for him to come out and risk a loss for their group."

"So it's basically the same strategy we've been doing, huh?"

"Yes, sort of. Speaking of which..."

Yamamoto looked at me over his shoulder.

"...Takanori-san, I'd like you to sit this one out."

As expected, due to the four consecutive losses I've faced so far in this tournament, Yamamoto no longer wanted to risk having me lose again and force us to go into a game 3.

"Please don't take this the wrong way... I know it looks bad, since our upcoming opponents are from your class, but I can assure you this decision has been on my mind for awhile. It's just unfortunate timing, that's all."

From the look on his face, it was clear he wanted to make this change since the end of the fourth round, so I knew this wasn't done because he thought I'd lose on purpose to give my class a better chance at reaching the finals.

"No, it's fine. I understand. I was also ready to take a backseat."

"Thank you for cooperation and understanding."

Yamamoto gave me a nod. Kishida looked between us bewilderedly.

"Eh? Does that mean me and Takanori-san have switched places?"

"Yeah. You'll be our second seat from now on, Kishida-san. Or perhaps you'd rather be the first one up?"

"No thank you, going second works just fine... I'll try my best of course, but please don't expect too much from me."

"As long as you win, that's enough. No pressure."

"That's a lot of pressure, actually..."

Down below, John was at the fight table with his visor on. It seemed he was the first up for Mitsuba's group. Before Yamamoto left to go fight him, he gave some parting advice to us.

"Kishida-san, while you're waiting, please think of potential strategies and countermeasures against Takenaka-san, since he'll be your opponent. He uses a deck built around Flareblast Coyote, so that will be your main concern. Takanori-san, since you know these two personally, any information you can give about their decks or play styles to help him out would be greatly appreciated."

"Roger." Kishida said.

"I'll try my best. You sure you don't want to know anything beforehand?"

Yamamoto shook his head.

"I've seen enough of John-san's matches to understand what fighting him is like. That Phantom Hand of his puts me on a very short timer for opportunity anyways... I'm not even sure I can win this one. I'll see what I can do though."

"Alright... best of luck out there."

"Thanks."

The fifth round commenced. Checking over on the other groups, I saw that Yahagi's group was up against Kirishima's group. Like usual, they started out by sending in Yahagi.

Much like Yamamoto, Yahagi's been consistent in winning all his games so far. His strong opening victories have carried his group into their undefeated status of three wins (without going into the third game) and one bye card earlier in round 2.

However... his next opponent was someone that could change all of that.

Going to face Yahagi this round was the strongest member of the alliance we made to take him and his group down— Kirishima Katsu.

After fighting him for myself last round, I felt confident that Kirishima would be the one to defeat Yahagi and put an end to his group's reign. Not only was he skilled at the game, but his Kaiser deck was also the perfect counter to Yahagi's HYU-GA deck.

Due to HYU-GA's reliance on rear-guards, being able to retire and bind them would remove a lot of potentially problematic cards for Kirishima, such as Meomaru and Hyakki. And as an Accel deck, Yahagi's front row was wider than normal, meaning there were even more targets to proc Kirishima's on hit effects, like Thunder Valet's, or his own Skill, Decimating Crownholder.

Either way, Yahagi would be at a huge disadvantage in this fight. Unless he went out to try and bait and switch Kirishima like we did, he was practically handing them a free win by going first.

"Yo, Yahagi-kun."

Kirishima casually greeted Yahagi, making his way towards the table but stopping just short of entering it's vicinity. It seems he had learnt from last round not to trust whoever was at the table immediately.

"Kirishima-san. You'll be my next opponent, I presume?"

"If you'll so oblige, of course. I'd love to face off against you."

"Then what are you waiting for? Come up here so I can humiliate you in front of all your friends."

A cocky smirk appeared on both their faces. Yahagi put on his visor, materialising it.

"Ha ha ha. I'll make those words meaningless, and embarrass you in front of everyone else while I'm at it."

Kirishima laughed at Yahagi, stepping up to the table and putting on his visor. It seems neither of them had any intentions to run away from this fight.

"Hey now, don't get too ahead of yourself. You'll come to regret saying those words by the end of this fight."

"We'll see about that."

"Stand up, (the!) Vanguard!"

"Chrono Dran!"

"Ambush Dragon Eradicator, Linchu!"

I was caught off guard seeing Yahagi flip over a Gear Chronicle starter. Likewise, Kirishima was also confused by this. He wasn't expecting this at all.

Could it be that Yahagi had blindsided us by switching decks between rounds?

As I asked myself that question, I remembered something that I saw during the beginning of the tournament, back in the first round.

Yahagi was holding three decks, and distributed them out between all the members.

"...the decks that the three of them are using are all Yahagi's decks."

"Huh? Is something wrong, Takanori-san?"

Kishida had overheard me muttering to myself. I shook my head.

"No... there isn't. Sorry, I need to go to the toilet."

"Oh, alright."

In actuality, I needed to confirm something. Kishida waved me goodbye as his eyes refocused on Yamamoto's game against John. In the mean time, I made my way downstairs, going up on the stage where Anjou-sensei was.

"Anjou-sensei."

"Yo, Takanori-san. What's up?"

Anjou-sensei, the easygoing homeroom teacher of 2nd Year D Class. He reminded me of Toujou-sensei in the fact that he was easy to approach, making him easier to talk to than the more stuffy types, like Hiryuu-sensei (and even Chabashira-sensei).

"May I ask you a question?"

"Eh? Go on. Just no personal questions, alright? Oh, but if it's about how to play Tachikaze, I'd be more than happy to lend you one of my decks and-"

"I-it's nothing like that... sorry."

For some reason, Anjou-sensei looked disappointed that I had no interest in learning about dinosaurs.

"I was more referring to about the rules of the tournament."

"Oh? Shoot."

"Alright... uh, are you allowed to change decks between rounds...?"

Hearing that, a small smirk appeared on Anjou-sensei's lips. He gave me a cheeky wink.

"Aha. You're the second kid to notice that, huh?"

Seeing that I was referred to as the "second kid", I assume Yahagi must've been the first to ask about it.

"But yes, you can. Unlike in a regular tournament, where you have to stick with the same deck and list the entire way through... in this tournament, you're free to switch your deck and change things as you like."

"...I see. I suppose that would explain why there was no mention of it during your explanation of rules earlier."

Talk about an unconventional way of doing things... almost everything in this tournament subverted your expectations of a regular tournament.

I suppose these abnormalities was also the school's way of saying you still needed to think outside of the box to gain an advantage in this challenge, especially since everyone played as if the rules of an officially sanctioned tournament was still in place.

This was probably because they assumed the rest of the tournament was the same as usual outside of the stated differences. Yahagi was one of the few people to catch onto this distinction and use it to his advantage.

If anything, in hindsight, the fact there were even differences in the first place should've made it abundantly clear from the very start that this wasn't your usual tournament, and that there was more to consider than just on the surface.

Finishing my conversation with Anjou-sensei, I returned to the stands. Kishida seemed to notice the thoughtful look on my face, so I tossed away my current thoughts so I wouldn't worry him.

There was no point lamenting on it anyways. Now that he's used this trick publicly, it'll only be a matter of time before everyone else does it too. Once that happens, it'll be yet another variable we'll have to consider moving forward in our next matches.

Although... this does open up another possibility that I've just thought of.

However, that can be saved for later. Right now, I want to concentrate on watching this fight between Yahagi and Kirishima play out. Perhaps there'll be a hint on how we can beat him. Or maybe, I'll get to watch Yahagi be put in his place live.

Either way, I was rooting for Kirishima. And so was Akihiro's group and Mitsuba's group too.

"Stand and draw! I ride Chronotooth Tigar. Dran's skill, I draw a card. Turn end."

Yahagi:
Hand: 6
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

Kirishima:
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Stand and draw! I discard to ride Red River Dragoon from the Ride Deck! Linchu's skill, I draw and get a Quick Shield ticket! I call Thunder Valet Dragon! Valet's skill, I scry 5 and add Spark Arrow Dragon to hand! Then, I discard my Quick Shield. Red River is going in! (9000)"

"Digul guards. (23000) No pass."

"Drive check! (Old Dragon Mage) Draw trigger! All effects to Valet, and I draw! (8000 > 18000) Valet attacks! (18000)"

"No guard. (Steam Mechanic, Nabu)"

"Turn end!"

Yahagi:
Hand: 5
Damage: 1
OXO
OOO

Kirishima:
Hand: 8
Damage: 0
XXO
OOO

"Stand and draw! Tigar's skill, at the beginning of my ride phase, I draw one. I ride Steam Maiden, Entarahna, and use her skill. I counterblast to superior call a Gear Cat Travelling with the Storm from my deck in the same column as her. Gear Cat's effect, when he's called, I scry 3, and add a Steam Maiden from among them to hand. I add Ribbul. The rest go to bottom."

After seeing Yahagi ride a Steam Maiden, Kirishima raised an eyebrow, sceptical at what the true nature of his deck was. Seeing that expression on his face, Yahagi smirked slightly.

It was clear Yahagi's Ride Deck was set up to throw off the opponent on purpose, since it used cards associated with the three main decks of Gear Chronicle: Chronojet, Chronofang, and Steam Maiden.

However, even after seeing this, I still didn't think his deck was a Steam Maiden deck. If it was, he would've used Ilul in his Ride Deck instead of Tigar, so the Entarahna and Gear Cat duo was probably used as an advantage package.

"The skill of the Ribbul I discarded for Ride Deck cost. I soulblast to call her back out, and she gets +5k. (8000 > 13000) Then, I botdeck a normal unit to draw 1. Boosted by Gear Cat, Entarahna attacks! (10000 > 18000)"

"No guard!"

"Drive check. (Ring Ring Worker) Critical trigger. Power to Ribbul, critical to vanguard. (13000 > 23000) (18000/1 > 2)"

"Damage checks! (Desert Gunner, Gaiban, Spark Arrow Dragon)"

"Entarahna's skill. At the end of her battle, I soulblast to reveal the top two cards of my deck. (Smokegear Dragon, Steam Guard, Kastilia) I add Kastilia to my hand and bind Smokegear. Ribbul attacks. (23000)"

"Malevolent Djinn guards! (24000)"

"That extra 1k base power saved you by the skin of your teeth there. Turn end."

Yahagi:
Hand: 10
Damage: 1
Bind (Grade): 1 (2)
XXO
OXO

Kirishima:
Hand: 7
Damage: 2
XXO
OOO

"Stand and draw! I discard to ride Desert Gunner, Goudan from the Ride Deck! Goudan attacks! (10000)"

"No guard."

"Drive check! (Blitz Knuckle Dragon) Alright, a heal trigger! All effects to Valet, and I heal a damage! (8000 > 18000)"

"Damage check. (Gear Cat Travelling with the Storm)"

"Valet's skill, since my vanguard hit, he gets +5k! (18000 > 23000) Valet attacks! (23000)"

"Ring Ring guards. (25000)"

"Turn end!"

Yahagi:
Hand: 9
Damage: 2
Bind (Grade): 1 (2)
XXO
OXO

Kirishima:
Hand: 8
Damage: 2
XXO
OOO

"Stand and draw. I ride Chronojet Dragon!"

"Imaginary Gift: Force I, on the vanguard. (13000 > 23000) Gigi's skill, when she's discarded, I call her back out as rest. Now, it's time to go beyond the realm of the present, and break the shackles that confine the future. Chronojet's skill! I discard cards so their sum is grade 3 or greater to superior ride a grade 4 unit from my deck. I stride Interdimensional Dragon, Time Leaper Dragon! (15000 > 25000)"

"I move Ribbul back and call Steam Mechanic, Nabu. Boosted by Ribbul, Nabu attacks. (10000 > 18000) Nabu's effect, I bind a card from my drop zone to prevent you from calling grade 1 or greater cards to guard his attacks."

"Carbuncle guards! (25000)"

"Nabu's skill, end of battle, he goes to soul and I draw a card. Boosted by Gear Cat, Time Leaper attacks! (25000 > 33000) Gear Cat's skill, when he boosts, he gets +1k for every card in my bind zone. (33000 > 35000) Time Leaper's skill, when he attacks, I put Ribbul to the bottom of my deck to superior call a card with grade +1 from my deck. Since she's a grade 1, I'll be calling a grade 2. I call Steam Maiden, Entarahna, and she gets +10k. (10000 > 20000) Entarahna's skill, I counterblast to superior call a Gear Cat to her column. Gear Cat's effect, I scry 3, and add another Entarahna to my hand. The rest go to the bottom."

"Heal Guardian, Blitz Knuckle Dragon! (25000) His skill, I give my vanguard +10k power for the rest of this turn! (25000 > 35000) I add Old Dragon Mage to the guard! (40000) One to pass!"

"I like my odds. Twin Drive! (Chronojet Dragon, Steam Guard, Kastilia) Draw trigger. All effects to vanguard, and I draw. (35000 > 45000)"

"Damn, you barely got that by the skin of your teeth too. Damage check! (Old Dragon Mage) Draw trigger! I draw and give power to vanguard! (20000 > 30000)"

"Boosted by Gear Cat, Entarahna attacks. (20000 > 28000) Gear Cat's skill, he gets +2k. (28000 > 30000)"

"Thunderstorm guards! (35000)"

"Entarahna's skill, at the end of her battle, I soulblast to reveal the top two cards of my deck. (Gear Cat Travelling with the Storm, Time Tracking Dragon) I add Gear Cat to hand and bind Time Tracking. Turn end. Chronojet's skill, I re-ride him from soul as rest, gaining another Imaginary Gift: Force on my vanguard circle."

"At the end of your turn, Goudan's skill activates! Since you have one or less front row rear-guards, I soulblast to draw 1!"

Yahagi:
Hand: 12
Damage: 2
Bind (Grade): 3 (9)
XXO
XXX

Kirishima:
Hand: 6
Damage: 3
XXO
OOO

"Stand and draw! Emperor of the heavens above, appear with a powerful storm of light. Crave the blood of your enemies with the strength of an apocalypse! Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion, DISCHARGE!"

"Imaginary Gift: Accel II! I draw one! Call, Spark Arrow Dragon! Spark Arrow's effect, since I have a Kaiser vanguard, I soulblast and retire him! I search my deck for a Kaiser unit and superior ride it! Encased in crimson and enshrouded in vermillion, this is a warning for the mighty dragon king that seeks blood with the strength of an apocalypse! Pair up and surge on the count of 1, 2, 3! You have been warned! Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD", DISCHARGE!"

"Imaginary Gift: Accel II! Spark Arrow's skill, when your rear-guard would be retired, it gets bound instead! THE BLOOD's skill! I counterblast and put Vermillion from hand into my soul! The BLOOD gets +15k, a crit and a drive check, and he can attack your front row this turn! (12000 > 27000/1 > 2/2d > 3d) I call Gaiban, Thunderstorm, and two Goudan (9000 > 14000) (9000 > 14000)! Since you have one or less front row rear-guards, Thunderstorm gets +5k! (9000 > 14000) Battle! THE BLOOD attacks your entire front row! (27000/2/3d) Crack the heavens, Royal Lancer!"

"Kastilia perfect guards the vanguard. Entarahna gets retired and bound."

"Triple Drive!!! (Blitz Knuckle Dragon) Heal trigger! I heal a damage and give power to Thunderstorm! (14000 > 24000) (Dragonic Deathscythe, Lightning of Triumphant Return, Reseph) Critical trigger! All effects to Thunderstorm! (24000 > 34000/1 > 2) Valet's skill! Since my vanguard's attack hit, he gets +5k! (8000 > 13000) Gaiban's skill! At the end of the battle my vanguard attacks, I give one of my units +3k and sentinel block! I choose Thunderstorm! (34000 > 37000/2) Valet attacks next! (13000)"

"No guard. (Steam Maiden, Ribbul)"

"The Goudan on my right Accel circle attacks! (14000)"

"Smokegear guards. (18000)"

"Goudan's skill! At the end of his battle, since my vanguard hit this turn, I put him into soul to draw a card! The Goudan on my left Accel circle attacks! (14000)"

"Ring Ring guards. (28000)"

"Goudan's skill once more, to soul and draw! Boosted by Gaiban, Thunderstorm attacks! (37000 > 44000/2)"

"No guard. (Gear Cat Travelling with the Storm, Steam Bomber, Digul) Critical trigger. Pointless at this stage of the battle phase."

"Heh, it do be like that sometimes. Turn end!"

Yahagi:
Hand: 8
Damage: 5
Bind (Grade): 4 (11)
OXO
XXX

Kirishima:
Hand: 7
Damage: 2
OXXXO
   OOX

"Stand and draw. I ride another copy of Chronojet Dragon to gain another Imaginary Gift: Force I to put on my rear-guard circle. (13000 > 33000) (10000 > 20000)"

"Once again, I'll go beyond the realm of the present and break the shackles that confine the future. Chronojet's skill! I discard cards so their sum is grade 3 or greater to superior ride a grade 4 unit from my deck. Shooting into the sky like a beacon of hope, the faint blue flare that trails his back shall sever my karma and rewrite our destiny. To the future. I stride Chronodragon Nextage! (15000 > 35000)"

"I call Smokegear and Nabu to rear-guard. Boosted by Gigi, Nabu attacks first. (10000 > 18000) Nabu's skill, I bind a card in my drop zone to give him glory."

"Thunder Valet guards! (22000)"

"End of battle, Nabu goes to soul, and I draw. Boosted by Gear Cat, Chronodragon Nextage attacks! (35000 > 43000) Gear Cat's skill, he gets +5k. (43000 > 48000) Gigi's skill. When my vanguard attacks, I soulblast and retire her to draw one and give Nextage +5k. (48000 > 53000)"

"No guard!"

"Twin Drive! (Steam Maiden, Ribbul, Time Tracking Dragon) Heal trigger. I recover a damage and give all power to Smokegear. (20000 > 30000)"

"Damage check! (Desert Gunner, Gaiban)"

"Nextage's skill! I discard two cards from my hand to superior ride a Chronojet Dragon from my soul with +15k! (13000 > 33000 > 48000) Imaginary Gift: Force I, on the rear-guard circle. (20000 > 30000) Then, the skill of the Ribbul I discarded. I soulblast one to call her back out with +5k. (8000 > 13000) Then, I botdeck a card to draw one. Boosted by Ribbul, Chronojet Dragon attacks! (48000 > 61000) Chronojet Dragon's skill! When he attacks, I counterblast to give him +5k and sentinel block! (61000 > 66000) Rewrite the future— Rasen Dance Overwhelm!"

In that moment, I could see the spirit of HYU-GA overlap with Chronojet Dragon as he took off into the skies to face off against THE BLOOD.

"No, sentinels, huh...? Alright then. No guard!"

All it took was a single glance at his hand for Kirishima to understand the risk he'd have to take here. Without a hint of hesitation in his voice, he puffed his chest out to take the attack head on, firmly standing his ground against Yahagi's strongest attack.

"It'll be over for you if I get two criticals. Are you sure?"

Kirishima laughed. In the reflection of his eyes, I could see the faint traces of blinking red lights. In that moment, where a dark mist seemed to engulf him, and a smile crept across his pale face, Kirishima looked just like the spitting image of his father.

"Don't ask me such useless questions."

Even the stone faced Yahagi looked unnerved by Kirishima's twisted aura.

"...Twin Drive. (Steam Maiden, Entarahna, Steam Bomber, Digul) Critical trigger. Power to Smokegear, critical to vanguard. (40000 > 50000) (61000/1 > 2)"

"There we go. Damage checks! (Spark Arrow Dragon, Dragon Kaiser Vermillion)"

"Boosted by Gear Cat, Smokegear attacks. (50000 > 58000) Gear Cat's skill, he gets +5k. (58000 > 63000) Smokegear's skill, he gets +5k, and I soulblast one to draw one. (63000 > 68000)"

"I use the skill of Dragonic Kaiser Crimson in my drop zone! When you attack my Kaiser vanguard, I counterblast to give all my vanguards +10k until end of battle! (12000 > 22000) Then I add Reseph, Djinn, and Gaiban to guard! (22000 > 52000 > 67000 > 77000)"

"I would say well done for barely surviving, but you're just going to just kill yourself next turn using the effect of THE BLOOD. So really, I don't need to do anything except survive your next turn. Victory is as good as mine. Turn end."

Yahagi:
Hand: 11
Damage: 4
Bind (Grade): 5 (14)
XXO
XXO

Kirishima:
Hand: 3
Damage: 5
OXXXO
   OOX

"Hey now, haven't you ever watched any shounen anime ever? People who say they'll win always end up losing."

"Those two things are incomparable. That is fantasy, and this is reality."

"It's not fantasy if it comes true now, is it?"

"Trying to act tough has led you to becoming delusional. But fine, since you're the edge of self-destruction, I'll pity you and indulge your nonsense for just a brief second. Even supposing that it is true, it's still a trope at the end of the day. And do you know what the purpose of tropes are?"

"What?"

"They exist solely to be broken and thrown away."

"So you're a man who likes to subvert expectations? Ha ha... ha ha ha! Your condescending attitude has me all fired up now! Stand and draw! Encased in crimson, enshrouded in vermillion, and enraptured in warning, feast on the mighty dragon king's crown and become the destiny sworn apocalypse itself! Pair up and surge in 3, 2, 1! Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD", PERSONA DISCHARGE!!!"

"Imaginary Gift: Accel II! I draw one! THE BLOOD's skill, I counterblast and put Vermillion into my soul to give him +15k, a crit, a drive, and the ability to attack the front row! (12000 > 27000/1 > 2/2d > 3d) I move Valet back and call Thunderstorm Dragoon, Thunder Valet Dragon, and Dragonic Deathscythe! (9000 > 14000) THE BLOOD's second skill! I soulblast two Kaiser to give my vanguard two drive checks, but at the end of this turn, I'll be taking two damage! (27000/2/3d > 5d)"

"Oh? And here I thought you were going to go all in and soulblast all four of your Kaisers to get a septuple drive."

"While killing myself would deny you the satisfaction of dealing the finishing blow to me, it wouldn't fit with what I had in mind."

"So you have another strategy? Or another ace up your sleeve?"

"You sure bet."

When Kirishima said this, his gaze briefly turned up towards my group and Mitsuba's group in the stands.

"Boosted by Valet, THE BLOOD attacks! (27000 > 35000/2/5d) Both of my Crimson's skills in drop zone! When my Kaiser vanguard attacks, I counterblast one for each of them to call them back out to my empty Accel circles! (12000 > 17000) (12000 > 17000) Skill, activate!"

Kirishima's visor began glowing blood red.

"Decimating Crownholder! When my vanguard attacks the front row, it attacks the entire field instead! And for each unit hit, my front row gets +2k! Royal Lancer, CRACK THE HEAVENS!!!"

"Kastilia, perfect guard. All my rear-guards are retired."

"Quintuple Drive!!!!! (Dragonic Kaiser Crimson, Spark Arrow Dragon, Wyvern Guard, Guld) Draw trigger! All to Thunderstorm! (9000 > 19000) (Desert Gunner, Goudan, Malevolent Djinn) Critical trigger! All to Thunderstorm! (19000 > 29000/1 > 2) Gaiban's skill! At the end of my vanguard's attack, I give Thunderstorm +3k and sentinel block! (29000 > 32000/2) And now since you have no front row rear-guards, both of my Thunderstorm get +5k! (32000 > 37000/2) (9000 > 14000) Thunder Valet's skill! Since three of your units were hit, he gets +15k! (8000 > 23000) And because of Crownholder, my front row gets +6k! (17000 > 23000) (14000 > 20000/2) (37000 > 43000/2) (14000 > 20000) (17000 > 23000) Crimson attacks! (23000)"

"No guard. (Steam Mechanic, Nabu)"

"My other Crimson attacks! (23000)"

"Digul guards. (28000)"

"Deathscythe attacks! (20000) His skill, he gets +5k! (20000 > 25000)"

"Ring Ring guards. (28000)"

"Boosted by Gaiban, Thunderstorm attacks! (20000 > 27000)"

"Ring Ring guards. (28000)"

"Here comes the last one... boosted by Thunder Valet, Thunderstorm Dragoon attacks! (43000 > 66000/2) You can't call any sentinels to guard!"

"I don't need them. I guard with two Time Tracking, Ribbul, and Gigi. (13000 > 28000 > 43000 > 58000 > 68000)"

Kirishima's jaw dropped.

"Wha... you had that many triggers in hand?!"

"I was hoarding them all in anticipation for a turn like that. I know your true finishing move isn't with THE BLOOD, but rather with checking as many triggers as possible and dumping them onto whichever unit will receive Gaiban's sentinel block. Even though it's an effective strategy, due to it's sheer simplicity, it's very easy to counter with enough preparation. The only thing I didn't expect was for you to not go all in on THE BLOOD, so my next turn may be a little shaky... but I have faith I can still close things out."

"I'll admit, I'm impressed... turn end. THE BLOOD's skill triggers, dealing two damage to me. However, thanks to the skill of Crimson, when a card is put into my trigger zone during the end phase, I can soulblast and retire him to send that card to the drop zone instead! Since I have two of them, I'll be using this effect twice, nullifying THE BLOOD's self suicide!"

Yahagi:
Hand: 2
Damage: 5
Bind (Grade): 5 (14)
OXO
OOO

Kirishima:
Hand: 6
Damage: 5
OXXXXO
      XOX

OST: STAND UNRIVALLED

"Stand and draw. I call Smokegear Dragon and Chronojet Dragon. (13000 > 33000)"

To my surprise, instead of riding Chronojet for another Force marker, Yahagi chose to call it. He must be running thin of attacking options if that's the case.

"Smokegear's effect, since I have a Chronojet vanguard, when I'm discarding a card from my hand, it can be discarded as a grade 3. For the last time, I'll go beyond the realm of the present and break the shackles that confine the future. I discard cards so their sum is grade 3 or greater to superior ride a grade 4 unit from my deck. Shooting into the sky like a beacon of hope, the faint blue flare that trails his back shall sever my karma and rewrite our destiny. To the future. I stride Chronodragon Nextage! (15000 > 35000)"

"Nextage attacks! (35000)"

"Guld, perfect guard!"

Upon seeing that, Yahagi smirked.

"And the only nullify you run is now gone. Perfect."

"Let me guess... Ryouta-kun figured out my decklist too?"

"Indeed, he did. You only run one Guld, just like your old man does."

Kirishima kept on a brave smile, but underneath it was gritting his teeth.

"It's to honour him, obviously. He's the strongest cardfighter I know. One day, I'm going to be just like him!"

Yahagi scoffed.

"So you'd rather choose sentimentality over optimisation... with that soft attitude, you won't even be able to break into the mould of the pro scene. It's no wonder the school determined you weren't worthy for A Class.

"What does that have to do with anything? I'm going to make it into that class one day. And when I do, I hope you'll be ready to accept me as a classmate!"

"If you can get there, sure. But right now, you aren't even worth acknowledging. You're premature trash, born to forever wallow in the shadow of your far more successful predecessor. Now disappear. Twin Drive! (Steam Guard, Kastilia) Draw trigger. Power to Chronojet and I draw. (33000 > 43000) (Steam Bomber, Digul) Critical trigger. All effects to Chronojet. (43000 > 53000/1 > 2) Nextage's skill! I discard two cards to retire him and ride Chronojet Dragon from soul! (13000 > 33000) Imaginary Gift: Force I, to the rear-guard circle. (53000 > 63000/2)"

After that Twin Drive, Yahagi's deck was now down to one card. Seeing that, it now made sense why Yahagi chose to call Chronojet instead of riding him, and why he put all his Force markers on the rear-guard last turn.

He knew he was extremely close to deck out, so instead of banking everything on the vanguard, which wouldn't be able to attack, he decided to bank everything on his rear-guards.

And that line of foresight paid off, because he was able to stack all his markers and triggers onto his rear-guard Chronojet and mirror Kirishima's finishing move of the Gaiban combo, but even better.

"Smokegear attacks. (10000) Skill, he gets +5k. (10000 > 15000)"

"Thunderstorm intercepts! (12000 > 17000)"

"Chronojet Dragon attacks! (63000/2) His skill, I counterblast to give him +5k and sentinel block! (63000 > 68000/2) Finish this— Rasen Dance Overwhelm!"

"Crimson's skill in drop zone! I counterblast to give +10k to vanguard! (12000 > 22000) Thunderstorm and Deathscythe intercept! (22000 > 27000 > 32000) Malevolent Djinn, Dragon Mage, Spark Arrow, and Goudan guard! (32000 > 47000 > 52000 > 57000 > 62000)"

Kirishima, despite expending everything in his arsenal, was 1k short of stopping this attack.

There were no more cards in his hand, no more open counterblast, and no more rear-guards that could help him out here.

He was so close to stopping Yahagi... yet so far at the same time.

"That's not enough."

"Ah well, I tried. Damage checks! (Dragonic Kaiser Crimson, Dragonic Kaiser Vermillion "THE BLOOD") And that's all she wrote... good game, Yahagi-kun!"

Yahagi had won. Not just that, but he won against the person we thought was most likely to beat him. If Kirishima couldn't do it, then what chance did any of us have?

Suddenly, our prospects at stopping him and his group weren't looking so great anymore. Especially since the last two groups left paled in comparison to the firepower Kirishima and Akihiro brought to the table.

Maybe Yamamoto or Mitsuba, assuming he got lucky with triggers, had a chance of beating him... but the more concerning part was the fact it was now impossible to predict what Yahagi would bring into his future fights due to deck switching.

So, even if we can come up with a counter against his decks, Yahagi could render our planning useless by predicting who would go up against him and changing his strategy accordingly... damn it.

What a tricky and puzzling conundrum we've ended up with.