Chapter 25: Weevil Underwood is playing four-dimensional chess right here.

"Take this, Hayato Kobayashi! [Skull-Face Ladybug] attacks [Ojama Yellow], Death Strike!"

Having finished devouring [Spike Seeker], [Skull-Face Ladybug] twisted its head toward [Ojama Yellow], whose eyes were wide with terror. Unfurling the wings hidden beneath its shell, it took flight, pouncing directly at the inescapable [Ojama Yellow].

"Help me, Aniki~!"

Hearing [Ojama Yellow]'s desperate plea, Hayato responded: "The moment you declared an attack on my [Ojama Yellow], I activate my face-down card: [Mystical Wok]!"

"Ha! Aniki really does have my back! Now it's my turn to counterattack!" Seeing [Skull-Face Ladybug] halt its assault, [Ojama Yellow] crowed triumphantly, turning to look at the face-down card that had appeared behind it. "Huh? Why does this card look so familiar... Wait! [Mystical Wok]!?"

With a loud clatter, a massive wok materialized nearby, a roaring fire blazing underneath. The wok possessed a seemingly bottomless suction force, and [Ojama Yellow] was swallowed whole without even getting to utter its final words. After a few vigorous tosses in the wok, a dish of somewhat bizarre appearance was successfully prepared.

[Hayato: 4000 LP → 5000 LP]
[Skull-Face Ladybug: ATK 1500 → 500 | DEF 500 → 1500]

"Dodge my attack? A pointless gesture. Don't forget, my [Skull-Face Ladybug] can attack twice. Take this 1000 points of—"

"Before that, I still have a card to activate." Hayato flipped open another face-down card. "Trap Card: [Soul Resurrection]! I can special summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position. Return from the darkness of the graveyard, [Death Stalker]!"

The scorpion warrior crawled back onto the field in a daze, remembering clearly that it had died quite thoroughly just a moment ago—it had even prepared its last words—so how was it revived?

[Death Stalker: DEF 800]

Because [Ojama Yellow] had been sent to the Graveyard, [Ojama Country] ceased to apply, and [Skull-Face Ladybug]'s attack power returned to 500. If Weevil continued his attack on Hayato, his only eligible target would be [Death Stalker]. However, [Death Stalker]'s Defense of 800 was higher than 500, leaving Weevil to disgruntledly set a card from his hand.

"Tch, saved by luck again. I set a card, and end my turn!"

[Weevil: 3600 LP, Hand: 1 → 6 → 2]
[Skull-Face Ladybug: ATK 500]
[Face-down Card] [Face-down Card] [Face-down Card]

"My turn, draw."

[Hayato: 5000 LP, Hand: 6 → 7]

Looking at the Attack Position [Skull-Face Ladybug] on Weevil's side of the field, Hayato made a quick mental calculation and summoned the monster he had just drawn. "I normal summon [Elf Swordsman], and change [Death Stalker] from Defense Position to Attack Position."

The handsome [Elf Swordsman] made an elegant entrance, flourishing his sword with a cool pose, while the crouching [Death Stalker] stood up and cracked its claws, its stinger swaying behind it as it prepared to launch an attack at a moment's notice.

'*An [Elf Swordsman] with 1400 attack power? Tch.*' Weevil curled his lip in annoyance. Among his three face-down cards was [Bottomless Trap Hole], which could be activated when a monster with 1500 or more attack power was summoned, flip-summoned, or special summoned. Those monsters would be instantly destroyed and banished from the game.

Back when Weevil won the National Duel Monsters Tournament and claimed the three-million-yen prize money, he had spent more than half of it purchasing various powerful cards to bolster his deck. Among those powerful acquisitions, [Bottomless Trap Hole] was easily in the highest and most expensive tier.

"Oh my, a monster with 1400 attack power? If that attack goes through, my Life Points are going to drop again." While speaking in this affected, worried tone, Weevil was actually praying that Hayato would immediately order an attack on his [Skull-Face Ladybug].

'*My back row has [Light of Intervention], which can change all monsters on my field to face-up Defense Position. Combined with my other card, [Chain Shield], the [Skull-Face Ladybug]'s defense power will skyrocket all the way to 2500!*'

'*Come on, Hayato Kobayashi, hurry up and attack the monster on my field!*'

Perhaps Weevil's inner prayers were truly taking effect, for under his intensely excited gaze, Hayato genuinely issued the command to attack: "[Death Stalker], attack [Skull-Face Ladybug]!"

"Hah!" [Death Stalker] leaped high into the air. Since a scorpion is an arachnid rather than an insect, it felt zero psychological burden about instantly slaughtering a ladybug.

Weevil suddenly burst into loud laughter: "Ha ha ha! You fell for it, Hayato!"

"You used a small fry to crush [Basic Insect]—that's layer one; I used [Ojama Country] to summon [Skull-Face Ladybug]—that's layer two; you tributed a small fry to recover Life Points, then summoned a monster with higher defense—that's layer three." He flipped open his two face-down cards in succession. "However, I am always one step ahead of your calculations, because I am on layer four!"

"I activate [Light of Intervention]! All monsters on my field are changed to face-up Defense Position, and immediately following that, I activate the Equip Spell [Chain Shield], equipping it to [Skull-Face Ladybug]!"

A sudden gale whipped across Weevil's field, stirring up countless grains of sand and dust within [Ojama Country] that blotted out the sun and obscured vision, momentarily halting [Death Stalker]'s charge. When the dust finally settled and the sunlight illuminated Weevil's field once more, [Skull-Face Ladybug] had shifted into a defensive posture, and a unicorn-crested shield was now equipped to its body.

The shield not only gleamed with a brilliantly sturdy luster, but a sharp spike also protruded from the very center atop the unicorn's head. A long chain extended from the back of the shield, wrapping tightly around [Skull-Face Ladybug] to secure it, instantly transforming the previously fragile insect into a formidable presence.

"[Skull-Face Ladybug]'s attack power increases by 500 due to the effect of [Chain Shield], and when [Skull-Face Ladybug] is attacked while in Defense Position, its defense power increases by an amount equal to its attack power!" Weevil's mouth curved into a triumphant smile.

"A temporary lead in Life Points means nothing! Battle a 900-attack monster with 2500 defense! Accept this 1600 points of differential damage!"

"Hayato Kobayashi!"