Chapter Twenty-Three: Flipping the Table Is Both an Art and a Skill

"Even though it's just a puny monster with a mere 900 attack points, you're trying to use it as a tribute to summon a high-level monster, aren't you? Not on my watch!" Activating his face-down card, Weevil said triumphantly, "Cunning Fall! While it carries the restriction that it cannot be activated if there are traps in the graveyard, I can destroy two monsters on the field at once!"

"Go to the graveyard together with my face-down card!"

The lightning dancing across the scorpion warrior Death Stalker had not yet fully dissipated. The exact moment its foot stepped onto its own card, a massive pit suddenly opened up in the ground, swallowing both Death Stalker and the card Weevil had set. Weevil's monster also revealed its true form at that moment—a green locust.

[Basic Insect] [4★/Earth] [Insect/Effect] [1000/1200]

"I'm not finished yet. The card sent to my graveyard is Basic Insect. When it is sent from my field to the graveyard, I can Special Summon an Insect-type monster directly from my hand," Weevil flashed a smug grin. "Witness my invincible combo! Come forth, Pinch Hopper!"

With sharp, dazzling lightning crackling across its horns, a gigantic beetle emerged from the spot where Basic Insect had been swallowed, glaring fiercely at Hayato's empty field.

[Pinch Hopper] [6★/Earth] [Insect/Effect] [2400/600]

"My insect army is infinite! Let my lovely bugs devour you piece by piece, Hayato!" Weevil wore a ferocious expression, though limited by his age. The founding master of facial distortion, Marik, would score this a 0. It held zero intimidation factor for Hayato, only making him look even more hideous.

The duel spectators were also deeply impressed by the combo Weevil had displayed:

"He used a single card to deal with the opponent's summoned monster while upgrading the monster on his own field? Is this the strength of a national champion?"

"I've seen that Pinch Hopper before. Not only does it boast an ultra-high attack power of 2400, but it also has a piercing defense effect. Even summoning a monster in defense position won't buy any time."

Hayato paid no attention to the audience's thoughts. Watching Weevil blow up his cannon fodder (Death Stalker: Didn't you say I was your soul?) and still Special Summon a 6-star monster, he raised an eyebrow: "You've adapted to the new rules and figured out a combo this quickly? Scum though you are, you certainly know a thing or two."

"However, my combo surpasses yours! Activate the Magic Card, Last Will!"

As Hayato played a card from his hand, a small mound of earth pushed upward from beneath the ground where Death Stalker had been swallowed by Cunning Fall. Death Stalker's arm extended from the ground, tightly clutching a slip of paper that read "Last Will."

"This can only be activated when a monster on my field is destroyed and sent to my graveyard this turn. Once again, I Special Summon a monster from my deck, but its attack power must be 1,500 or less."

"Hahaha, futile, futile! What good is a pitiful monster with 1,500 or less attack power? In the face of my invincible Pinch Hopper, no matter how many small fry you bring out, it's useless. They don't even qualify to block my path!"

Hayato smiled contemptuously: "Not only that, but I can tell you that the attack power of the monster I'm about to summon isn't even 100—it's 0."

"Yet, this monster with 0 attack power will smash your Pinch Hopper to pieces!"

Drawing the desired card from his deck and shuffling, Hayato slammed the card onto the duel disk along with the monster depicted on it, which was hugging its own palm: "The prankster with the most disgusting power in the world, come forth, Ojama Yellow!"

"Yipee! Here I come, nya~"

The yellow monster wriggled its rear end as it appeared on Hayato's field, remaining in attack position despite having an attack power of just 0.

[Ojama Yellow] [2★/Light] [Beast/Normal] [0/1000]

"Hehehe, I knew Big Bro would think of me first when he hit a snag. There's really no helping you, nya~" Ojama Yellow's eyes bobbed up and down as it nodded, looking quite pleased with being summoned second.

Yet, the moment it caught sight of the Pinch Hopper on Weevil's field, it immediately exposed its cowardly nature, sitting flat on the ground in fright and shrinking backward continuously. Pinch Hopper's gaze remained locked onto the retreating Ojama Yellow, eager to plunge its massive, siege-engine-like sharp deformed horn straight into its body.

"You really summoned a piece of trash like that? Are you already too terrified to move by my powerful Pinch Hopper?" Weevil laughed wildly. "What can a piece of trash like that possibly accomplish?"

"Ojama monsters certainly are trash, but trash is still far better than a despicable villain like you. Ojama Yellow's attack is 0, but a guy like you is basically in the negatives." Pausing, Hayato selected a card from his hand. "According to Duelist Kingdom's special rules, monsters have terrains that suit them best."

"The Forest terrain on your field increases the attack and defense of Insect, Beast, Plant, and Beast-Warrior monsters by 200 points."

[Pinch Hopper] [ATK 2400 → 2600]

"The environment on my field is Wasteland, which boosts Warrior and Beast-Warrior monsters."

Weevil had already learned about Duelist Kingdom's terrain rules from Pegasus and was not surprised by the change in the monsters' attack power. He only felt a surge of unease: "Your monster, Ojama Yellow, is a Beast-type monster and won't be boosted by the terrain. What are you trying to achieve by emphasizing the terrain rules now?!"

"Terrain rules can widen or narrow the gap between monsters, but since the current terrain does me no favors, I'll just remodel it! Activate the Magic Card, Terraforming!" A card from his hand was played by Hayato, and a hemispherical barrier instantly appeared at the very center of the field, beginning to expand and spread outward in all directions.

As the barrier expanded, the Forest and Wasteland that had previously occupied halves of the field dissolved into nothingness, and the attack power of Weevil's Pinch Hopper returned to its original 2400 points.

"The effect of Terraforming is to add a Field Spell from my deck to my hand, and I will activate the Field Spell that was just added to my hand." Retrieving another card from his deck, Hayato directly slammed this Field Spell onto a newly added special zone on the duel disk.

"Heroes have a stage where heroes fight, and small fry have the streets where small fry feel at home. Field Spell, Ojama Country!"