Chapter 132: The Unforeseen Path
As the Armed Dragon monsters' physical bodies evolve, the armor they wear is also improved and evolved along with them. Although this grants them incredibly powerful destructive power, at the same time, the burden the armor places on their bodies becomes increasingly heavy. By the stage of Armed Dragon LV7, even a body as sturdy as a small mountain would be crushed to the ground by the armor.
In this situation, the Armed Dragon faces a difficult choice—should it continue to enhance the strength of the armor on its body, or train its physique to bear the armor?
Armed Dragon LV10 is from the faction that chose "training the physique". Its tempered body is finally able to wield the heavy armor, controlling the weapons instead of being controlled by them. However, the strength of the physical body ultimately has its limits—
"Paradox Brothers," Hayato said with a solemn expression, "after countless duels that I myself can't even count, I've come to understand one truth: Duel Monsters have limits. The more I use external power to strengthen my cards, the more I find that the power of individual monsters ultimately has a limit, unless they combine."
"Ojama monsters aren't enough, Armed Dragon isn't enough, and neither is the VWXYZ Series. No single monster can secure victory for me, so I will combine them!"
"I banish Armed Dragon LV7 and VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon from my graveyard from play!"
"Watch closely, Paradox Brothers! This is the struggle I'm making for victory!"
A light burst forth from Hayato's graveyard. The remnants of the VWXYZ Series, which had been destroyed by Sanga of the Thunder, and the heavily damaged Armed Dragon LV7, which had been destroyed by Gate Guardian, reappeared on his field. The Armed Dragon laboriously dragged its broken body, staggering towards the remnants of the VWXYZ Series, reaching out and grabbing the Y-Dragon Head.
With a forceful grip, the Armed Dragon crushed the Y-Dragon Head, pulled out a shining energy core from within, and swallowed it whole. In that instant, lightning began to flicker across the already battered armor on Armed Dragon LV7's body.
Meanwhile, the damaged V to Z seemed to be activated by some power, automatically disassembling and transforming, attaching itself to the nearby Armed Dragon LV7. Just like how the Heavenly fire was combined onto Optimus Prime, the armor on the Armed Dragon's body became increasingly exaggerated, almost larger than the entire Dragon Type itself.
"Dazzling! Like a shooting star! The magnificent strongest dragon! Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon!" Hayato exclaimed excitedly, looking at the giant dragon before him. "Now, I hold the future in my hands!"
Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon [LV10☆/Light Attribute]
[[Machine Type]/[Fusion]/[Effect]]
[3500 ATK/3000 DEF]
"A sublime existence like a phantom, the ultimate giant dragon standing atop the peak! This is the ace card sleeping in my deck, Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon!" Hayato waved his hand forward, pointing at the Gate Guardian standing on the Paradox Brothers' field. "New grudges and old debts will be settlement together now! I'll use this monster to break you!"
Mei furrowed his brow. "I didn't expect Armed Dragon to have other possibilities, and its summoning method is by banishing monsters from the graveyard? What a powerful monster."
Kyuu, however, was unconcerned. "But even with this new possibility, Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon's ATK is only 3500 points. It's no match for our brothers' Gate Guardian."
"Heh heh, the Armed Dragon gave up physical growth, and the armament it carries from V to Z isn't just for show." Hayato played the card from his hand. "Activate magic card, Limiter Removal!"
The machinery carried by the newly combined Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon began to hum. Its internal mechanisms released their safety limits and started heating up rapidly, posing a risk of self-destruction at any moment. In exchange for this, Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon's ATK began to increase again.
Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon [ATK3500→7000]
"ATK, 7000 points?!" Mei was startled. "Are you crazy?! How could you increase a monster's ATK to this level?"
"With such powerful ATK, one attack is enough to wipe out my life points." Kyuu gritted his teeth, glancing at his older brother, Mei. "But with Gate Guardian blocking, Brother won't be defeated that easily. And at the end turn, Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon will self-destruct due to overload."
Hayato, however, was unconcerned, sneering, "You're underestimating me too much. My monster is still far from reaching its limit."
"Equip Spell, Air Cracking Storm!"
On Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon's already incredibly elaborate weapon loadout, another propulsion device appeared.
"Air Cracking Storm is a spell card that can only be equipped to machine type monsters. Its effect is that after battle destruction of a monster, the equip monster can attack one more time!"
"And then this card!" Hayato played a third card. "Spell Card Heavy Slump! The ATK of your Gate Guardian on the field decreases by its DEF value!"
Mei subconsciously glanced at the Gate Guardian on his field. "Gate Guardian's DEF is 3400, meaning its ATK will decrease by 3400 points?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Paradox Brothers saw the tall Gate Guardian suddenly let out a painful howl, its body enveloped by an ominous mist that appeared out of nowhere.
[Gate Guardian] [ATK3750→350]
"Finally, I activate Forbidden Dress! It decreases Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon's ATK by 600 points, but then it will no longer be an effect target. With this, my finishing blow is complete!" Hayato activated the card in his hand. "Gate Guardian inherited the effects of the Three Gate Guardians, but Forbidden Dress can protect my monster, making it ignore the Three Gate Guardians!"
Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon [ATK7000→6400]
"Battle Start!" Hayato ordered coldly. "Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon, strike while it's weak! Attack Gate Guardian!"
The weapons mounted all over Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon's body began to charge. Even before the attack was fired, the intense heat emanating from it had spread all around. Just standing behind it, Hayato felt as if he were standing on lava, and even the air he breathed was scorching hot.
"Heaven and Earth Roar, Armed Strike!"
A blinding white light flashed and vanished. The trajectory of the energy cannon fired from Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon's body was impossible to track with the naked eye. It was so fast that the roar of the explosion only reached Hayato's ears after it had struck the suffering Gate Guardian.
"Boom!"
[Mei: 4000 LP→0]
Smoke completely enveloped Mei's field. The life points display panel on the duel platform instantly dropped to zero, announcing that one participant had been eliminated.
"Brother!" Kyuu looked towards Mei's field with a face full of worry. Due to the obstruction of the smoke, he couldn't see Mei's condition inside. However, he no longer had the chance to worry about Mei.
"Click." A sound of mechanical movement reached his ears. Kyuu felt a dark shadow envelop him. Turning his head, he saw that Armed Dragon Catapult Cannon had quietly approached his duel platform at some point, the energy cannon muzzle from the Y-Dragon Head pointed directly at him.
Hayato said expressionlessly, "This is the final blow."
"Boom!"
[Kyuu: 4000 LP→0]
The Paradox Brothers, collapsed.
(End of this chapter)