"—Activate the set Trap Card: Magic Cylinder!" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Flipping over the face-down card in his back row, the Pharaoh activated the classic counter trap that absorbs and reflects attack power, intercepting the blade aura of Lancelot, Dark Knight of the Underworld.

"What?! It's Magic Cylinder—how despicable, Okita!"

Just a moment ago, Eve had been secretly admiring Okita's calm composure, thinking she had some hidden trump card. Now, she didn't even want to look at her properly.

"Heh, using everything available—that's my Okita-style strategy!"

["Wasn't the Okita-style strategy just running away?"]

Atem declared his counterattack:

"The effect of Magic Cylinder—negate Lancelot's attack and inflict damage to you equal to his ATK!"

"You still think a trap like that will work? How naive!" Queen Hela sneered, removing one of Lancelot's Xyz Materials to activate his effect.

"The Xyz effect of Lancelot, Dark Knight of the Underworld!"

[Once per turn, when a monster effect, Spell, or Trap Card is activated (except this card): You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate that activation.]

"I send the Despair from the Dark beneath it to the Graveyard to negate your Trap."

With a flash too fast for the eye to follow, Lancelot's white blade sliced cleanly through both Magic Cylinders on the field.

[Magic Cylinder] — Effect negated

"Now take Lancelot's direct attack! — Soul-Severing Slash!"

The icy blade streaked across Hoshino's chest, dealing a direct hit that instantly shaved off 2000 Life Points.

[Hoshino & Atem LP 7000 → 5000]

"…That stings. An attack from the land of the dead," Hoshino muttered, narrowing her left eye. "Good thing his ATK dropped after the Xyz Summon—2000 damage isn't too bad."

"You think that's the end?" Queen Hela smirked, pointing at Okita on Hoshino's field. "Lancelot—follow up with your effect attack!"

[When this card inflicts battle damage: Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; destroy it.]

Before Okita could react, the knight's blade pierced straight through her slender body.

"Ghk—! Using an effect for a sneak attack? How dishonorable for a Knight of the Round Table, Lancelot!"

Spitting blood, the fatally wounded Okita dissolved into drifting particles.

"…Fine. I admit it—you're stronger this time."

Eve deadpanned, "You're not one to talk after trying to use Magic Cylinder."

[Heroic Spirit – Sakura Okita Soji] destroyed

"…A once-per-turn omni-negate, direct attack capability, and destruction effect," Hoshino said with a complicated expression. "Even if it's technically different, Lancelot is a problem no matter where he appears."

After destroying Okita, Lancelot leapt back to Queen Hela's field as she continued her Battle Phase.

"Attack with Eldlich the Golden Lord! Bury that Chaos Magician who destroyed the cursed Golden Land beneath a storm of gold!"

With its ATK boosted to 3500 by its own effect, the Golden Lord far surpassed Chaos Magician in raw power.

"—Sleep forever in this land of the dead! Cursed Golden Burial!"

A massive wave of golden sand surged forth, swallowing the undead world and engulfing the Chaos Magician in a sealed, violent explosion.

[Magician of Chaos] destroyed

[Hoshino & Atem LP 5000 → 4000]

"Our Life Points have been overtaken…" Mokuba muttered regretfully. "They had the advantage against Marik earlier."

"Your turn, Marik," Queen Hela said coldly after finishing her attacks. "I didn't drag you up from the depths of hell just to watch that pathetic display."

"Marik… turn?" Hoshino felt a bad premonition.

"Thank you very much," Marik said, glancing at Queen Hela. "Not for bringing me back—but for giving me the chance to personally erase Hoshino Chiyuki!"

With a manic grin, he flipped his final set card.

"After Magician of Chaos was destroyed, I activate my Trap—High Speed Aria! I send a Normal Spell from my hand to the Graveyard and activate its effect instantly!"

Revealing the card, Marik sneered:

"The card I send is—Monster Reborn!"

Mokuba froze. "Monster Reborn… don't tell me—"

"With High Speed Aria, I activate Monster Reborn to revive Obelisk the Tormentor from the Graveyard! No… now it's an undead Obelisk!"

Due to the restriction from Queen Hela's earlier Spell, only Zombie-type monsters could be Special Summoned this turn. Normally, Obelisk—being a Divine-Beast—would be impossible to summon.

However, under the Field Spell Zombie World, all monsters on the field and in the Graveyard—including Divine-Beasts—are treated as Zombies.

[Obelisk the Tormentor Divine–Beast → Zombie / ATK 4000]

The massive, broken limbs of Obelisk reassembled from the decaying earth of the underworld. Now a revenant, its roar carried a far colder, more terrifying tone than before.

"A 4000 ATK Obelisk, Special Summoned during the Battle Phase… This is bad…" Even Eve could see the danger now.

"A god unaffected by Trap Cards—if it attacks directly, their Life Points will hit zero!"

"Not so fast!" Atem raised his final card high, chaotic energy gathering at his fingertips as he faced the undead giant.

"The effect of Magician of Chaos—when this Ritual Summoned card is destroyed by battle or effect, I can Special Summon a 'Chaos' Ritual Monster from my hand, ignoring its summoning conditions!"

"Useless!" Marik snapped. "The Chaos Magician in your hand has no power to rival a god!"

"…No power to rival a god, you say?" Atem smirked.

Kaiba shouted from the sidelines, "Now's the moment—go, Yugi!"

Atem roared:

"The light and shadow born from Black Magic converge within chaos to give rise to the ultimate dragon! Become the force that rivals a god—Special Summon!— Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!"