10 Time Thief VS Time Ruler

"Let's move to the action. Battle! Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon, let's teach them who rules around these lands!" Maybe he was getting too much into it, but he couldn't care less. He was enjoying the feeling, and his Monster seemed all too happy to respond.

"At this moment, his ability activates! By discarding one Overlay Unit at the start of the Battle Phase, all monsters on the field have their effect negated! Tachyon Transmigration!" The black dragon bit one of the yellow orbs hovering around him at the same time Joachim removed one copy of BEWD and sent it to the graveyard. However, there was no way Ren was going to make things that easy.

"Tough luck, but I activate Redoer's Quick Effect, and I will chain it to my Trap Card, Time Thief Flyback! Let's go by parts, as Jack the Ripper said. Flyback allows me to target an Xyz "Time Thief" Monster and add a card from either my hand or my deck to it as material, and I will be adding my third copy of Flyback from my Deck!" Despite not going all out, he wasn't pulling any punches either, and they wouldn't have it any other way, evidenced by how much they were putting into this Duel despite having just started.

For Joachim, it was his first time experiencing any of this, and for Ren, it has been so long since he had a Duel where his life or that of his comrades wasn't at stake.

Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon ATK: 3000 —> 4000.

"After Tachyon Dragon activates his effect, and as long as he remains face-up on the field, he gains 1000 ATK each time a card resolves on the Battle Phase until the end of this turn." Thankfully, he had his anime effects. In fact, there was a certain pattern regarding that among his Extra Deck Monsters. 'Totally not favoritism.' He rolled his eyes at the thought.

"I wouldn't be that happy if I were you. Now it's time for Redoer to steal your monster's shine. With Redoer's ability, I can detach up to 3 materials of each Card Type to gain a different effect. I will send your Raigeki I stole to draw one card, Time Thief Winder to banish Redoer until the End Phase, and Time Thief Flyback which I added through its own effect to place 1 face-up card on the top of the Deck! Naturally, my target is clear. I will be sending your little dragon back where he belongs!" A portal appeared above Tachyon Dragon which absorbed it while the monster let out an unwilling roar for having his time on the field cut short while Redoer literally jumped out of existence.

Joachim felt his eyebrows twitch. He got rekted, all right. He would at least admit that his impatience got the better of him. It was something to work on for the future. Fortunately, the situation could still be salvaged. It was a shame that since Redoer left the field before Tachyon's effect went through, he would still be able to activate his annoying ability.

'Speaking of which, he stole Raigeki? Holy cow. That monster might be the counter to that silly destiny draw. As weird as it sounds, I hope I am not about to topdeck or I will be pretty much screwed.' He definitely did not need to have his best cards stolen away. A plan was in order to get rid of that stupid card, but knowing how these games usually went, he doubted it would be as easy as it sounded.

His eyes fell on the last face-down card on Ren's field. 'I am taking risks with this, but at this point, I don't have much of a choice.'

As his opponent drew his card through Redoer's effect, Joachim placed one on the field. "I set a card and end my turn. Now, thanks to The White Stone Of Ancients, I can Special Summon a Blue-Eyes Monster from my Deck since it was sent to the Graveyard this turn. The one I choose is Dragon Spirit of White (Light/Dragon/Effect/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000/Level: 8) which is always treated as a Blue-Eyes card."

Joachim received the monster in question from his Duel Disk and immediately placed it on the Monster Zone. In a flash, a phantom version of Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on the field. "When he is Normal or Special Summoned, I can target one Spell or Trap on the field and banish it, so say goodbye to your face-down." His new addition shot a white beam to Ren's backrow, eliminating a potential threat.

Joachim — LP: 4000 x3.

"Damn lizards, no matter how you hit them, they refuse to stay down." The brown-haired Duelist rolled his eyes in fake annoyance. "Anyway, now Time Thief Redoer will be returning to my field."

Just as he said so, space literally twisted before him and his monster quickly made his appearance once more.

"Draw!" Seemingly enjoying the look Joachim was giving him going by the faint smile on his face, Ren didn't waste time to get on with his play.

"Since it is the Standby Phase now, my monster will happily take the top card of your Deck as an Overley Unit." Much to his frustration, Redoer didn't take long to steal his top card, which he hoped wasn't something that would be really useful to him.

"I will start by activating Time Thief Startup I got on my last turn. This card allows me to Special Summon a Time Thief monster from my hand. Say hello to Winder again!"

Another copy of the warrior clad in dark clothing appeared on the field, and Joachim knew he would bring his friends along. "You already know his effect from first-hand experience, so I will skip the explanation. The card I am adding to my hand is the Spell Card Time Thief Hack!"

Ren showed him the card he got, and if he didn't know better, he would think he was going to keep it in his hand. "Next, I normal summon Time Thief Bezel Ship (Dark/Machine/Effect/ATK: 1000/DEF: 2000/Level: 4)!" A decently sized futuristic space ship resembling the tip of a spear with two cogs surrounding it manifested itself next to Winder.

"Now, my monster will do a magic trick and disappear." Joachim was pretty sure Ren did all of these theatrics just to get under his skin; maybe he was enjoying the duel; or both.

The ship immediately burst into particles of light, but to his surprise, it didn't leave empty-handed. Redoer once again did one of his shenanigans and stole a card from him, but this time it was not from the top of his Deck, but from his Graveyard.

"Since I suspect you might have some annoying cards to bring them back, I will at least get one of your lizards. I hope you don't mind, o' student of mine." As he said this, and for a brief moment, the stolen card was enveloped by the figure of Blue-Eyes White Dragon before disappearing as quickly as it came.

"You bastard... Are you into netorare or something?" The blonde-haired man asked with twitching lips. 'Although... is this netorare if I was the one who did it before? A strange question that will never have an answer...'

"I don't know what that is, but what I do know is that the act ain't over yet. Bezel Ship's second effect activates. I can detach a material from an Xyz Monster to bring him back from the Graveyard, but he will be banished when he leaves the field. However, don't think I am giving you back your monster." True to his words, the card that was returned to him wasn't Blue-Eyes, but Effect Veiler, which he had stolen during his Standby Phase.

'Another useful card down the drain...' Joachim was feeling like a Duel against Ren was a free ticket to lamentation land. Redoer was climbing like a rocket through the ranks of the most annoying monsters in his mind.

Soon enough, Bezel Ship returned to the field once more, but the dark-skinned youth knew it wasn't — again — to stay. Ren's next words only affirmed that. "I now Overlay the Level 4 Winder with the Level 4 Bezel Ship." The two monsters quickly turned into orbs that flew into the galaxy-like spiral before a pillar of light once again shot from it.

"Genius maiden. Let your creations be the tools that will lead us to steal from time itself! Xyz Summon! Appear now, Rank 4. Time Thief Perpetua (Dark/Psychic/Xyz/Effect/ATK: 1900/DEF: 2500/Rank: 4)!" A brown-haired girl wearing a white and black dress coupled with the same technologically-looking gloves Redoer was using appeared on the field next to the said monster, giving each other a smile and nod before focusing their attention on the front.

"I will be activating Perpetua's effect. Once per turn, I can target another Xyz Monster I control and attach a Time Thief Card from my Deck to it. I will attach Time Thief Retrograde, and naturally to Redoer." That made Joachim frown for real this time. It wasn't looking good. With a Trap as material, he could rebound any monster he brings out and basically attack for game. It was a compromising position, but not one he couldn't get out of.

'Looking at my options...' His hand currently had three cards, one "Assault Wyvern", one "Monster Reborn", and "Galactic Spiral Dragon". 'I can bring my second copy of Blue-Eyes from the Graveyard, and depending on what I get, Overlay into Tachyon Dragon once more, but he would get easily overcome by Redoer's effect no matter what I do.'

The blonde hummed internally. There was another option to get past his effect, but that would require luck in his draws—something he didn't know if he would be able to have.

'It's gonna be what it's gonna be, I suppose.' One thing was for certain, Tachyon Dragon was itching to come back again, and he felt that if he denied his wishes, he would lose his help, as strange as it sounded. 'Who would have thought that I would end up dealing with monsters' tantrums one day. Hah, life sure has its way with things.'

"I activate the card I drew: Time Thief Hack. With this, during the turn they are summoned, my Xyz Monsters can't be destroyed or targeted with cards effects. Also, I can target one I control and it gains 300 ATK for each material attached to it. Since Perpetua just entered the stage, I will be generous and give her the bonus."

Time Thief Perpetua ATK: 1900 —> 2500.

"But I am not done yet. From my hand, I play the Spell Card Xyz Treasure. Now I can draw one card for every Xyz Monster on the field, and since there are two, I get to draw the same amount." He must have gotten something good if his face was anything to go by.

"I activate Lightning Vortex. By discarding one card, I can destroy all face-up monsters you control, so say bye-bye to your Spirit of White." Dark clouds formed over the dragon's head before a thunderbolt suddenly struck him right in his head, making him disappear from the field, and causing the dark-skinned youth to wince.

"Battle! Redoer make sure to teach him who is the only one that can use Time at their whim!" Multiple cogs formed behind the white-haired monster's back, eventually shaping clocks that overlapped against each other to create a huge singular one.

Joachim didn't have to wait long to know what that thing would even do as the numbers in the clock shined before shooting laser beams at him. His eyes widened instantly. 'Holy sh—"

He didn't even bother finishing his thinking; immediately putting his arms in an 'x' shape to cover his body.

"Gh...!" His ears started ringing for a moment as mini-explosions went on beside him, until one beam finally hit him in his upper limbs, causing him to skid backward and release a hiss of pain. 'Mother of God it fucking burns!'

Joachim — LP: 1600.

In truth, it was a bit of an exaggeration, but if he had to describe the feeling, it would be like touching a cup of hot coffee with bare hands and instantly retracting them. It only lasted for a few seconds, but the impression left by it lasted more than that. He was also sure that if it was his old body, forget about a burning feeling, he would have a hole in both his arms AND his torso. That line of thinking caused a chill to run down his spine. The golden-haired youth was still not used to this transmigration thing, but that didn't mean it didn't have his benefits.

'Note to self, make sure to do some resistance training on the side.' He thought as he brought his arms back down, once again observing the battlefield and coming to the realization that there was still one more attack to go.

"Good game, buddy. Perpetua, do the honors." With a faint smile on his face, Ren ordered his last monster to attack and give the final blow to his Life Points.

The girl nodded and, contrary to Joachim's expectations, went for a more... physical approach. Meaning, she just sent a flying kick his way. He definitely, under any circumstance, saw something black flash beneath her skirt while she did so.

"Not so fast, 'teacher'. Trap Card Open, Defense Draw! I reduce the damage from this battle to 0 and draw one card!" Perpetua slowed down and came to a stop with her boots centimeters away from Joachim's face, who had a small bead of sweat rolling down on it thanks to that close call.

Then, to his surprise, and also Ren's, Perpetua returned to ground level and proceeded to slap his cheek. "Ouch! What was that for?! Scratch that, I am supposed not to take damage, but why does it hurt?"

"Technically your Life Points didn't drop!" The brown-haired man's unhelpful retort was pointedly ignored as he was seeking an explanation from the monster herself, who just did a 'Bleh' gesture with her face and went back next to Redoer's side.

His face must have been a poem as Ren was trying hard to hold back his laughter and purposely failing. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his clothes as he entered a sort of 'zen mode' to avoid getting his mind transformed into a jumbled mess.

Drawing the card thanks to his Trap's effect, Joachim waited for Ren to be done with his turn. Much to his annoyance, though, that had to wait for over a minute as he tried to regain his bearings from the situation. "Oh, dear... It's been so long since I laughed this hard. Have you considered running a Clown Deck? Anyway, I will be setting one card and end my turn."

Time Thief Perpetua ATK: 2500 —> 1900.

Ren — LP: 4000 x2.

"My turn. Draw!" Seeing the card, he internally nodded to himself. This would work, although it would depend on luck in the end.

"Since it is the Standby Phase now, you know the drill. I will thankfully take the top card of your Deck" At this point, he didn't care and even brought his Duel Disk up so that Redoer could get it more easily.

"I activate the effect from The White Stone of Ancients in my Graveyard. By banishing this card, I can return a Blue-Eyes monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I choose my second copy of Blue-Eyes." He grabbed the card, took a deep breath, and faced his opponent. He felt many paths opening up to him, but as for the one that would lead him to victory? That he couldn't tell. 'Here it goes...'

"From my hand, the effect of Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon activates. By revealing Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand I can Special Summon him into the field." The improved version of BEWD appeared on the field in a flash, roaring at his two opponents, yet more focused on Redoer for obvious reasons. "And I activate the second effect! I can target a monster my opponent controls and destroy it, and you know who I will be choosing."

"What I know is that you are going nowhere. I activate my Trap Card, Lost Wind! I can negate a Special Summoned Monster's effects and half its attack!" Ren was relentless in defending Redoer, yet this was good for Joachim since it was one less thing to worry about.

Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon ATK: 3000 —> 1500.

"I activate Graceful Charity. I can draw three cards at the cost of discarding two." It was a good thing that banlists weren't a thing here since this card worked perfectly for him.

He quickly received the cards from his Deck, and as he saw them, his eyes widened. 'These cards weren't in my Deck before... I see... so your wish to fight is that strong. Very well, I will grant it to you since you decided to help me.' There was a chance to turn things around. The Blue-Eyes user didn't waste time in sending Assault Wyvern and Blue-Eyes to the Graveyard.

"Following up, when my opponent has a monster with 2000 or more ATK, I can Special Summon Schwarzschild Limit Dragon (Dark/Dragon/Effect/ATK: 2000/DEF: 0/Level: 8)!" A dragon with brown, spiked scales on his back manifested next to Alternative while taking the shape of the infinity symbol.

'It's coming again...' Contrary to Ren's thoughts, Joachim wasn't done yet. "When I control a Level 8 Monster, I can Normal Summon Parsec, The Interstellar Dragon (Light/Dragon/Effect/ATK: 800/DEF: 800/Level: 8) without tributing!" An insect-looking black dragon made its presence known with a hiss that creeped out Ren a bit.

"With the Level 8 Schwarzschild and Level 8 Parse, I Overlay! Return to the field once more, Numbers 107 Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon!" With less flashiness, but not less grandeur, the black dragon took the field once more after the recent summons got into the collapsing galaxy-like spiral.

"Lost Wind's effect! When a monster is Special Summoned from my opponent's Extra Deck while it is in the Graveyard, I can set it again, but it will be banished once it leaves the field." Tachyon Dragon roared with incredible might, and a touch of anger for the last time, yet Redoer, as well as Perpetua, stood unflinching at his display. They already had him by the horns.

Or so they thought.

"Battle! I will now use one of Tachyon Dragon's Overlay Units to negate the effect of all face-up monsters on the field!" Once again, the black dragon bit one of the yellow orbs floating around him and extended his wings to bath Redoer and Perpetua in light. Since BEAWD already had his effects negated by Lost Wind, the light didn't reach him.

"Are you an idiot? I really hope your amnesia is not acting up again, but don't worry since I will be reminding you. I activate Redoer's effect to discard one monster and one trap to banish itself and return your sad dragon where it belongs!" Although Time Thief Redoer had three Overlay Units, two of them were monsters, so he couldn't activate the last effect to draw one card.

"You are the idiot one if you think that's going to work on me twice! From my hand, I activate my Trap Card, Tachyon Transmigration!" Joachim slotted the card without hesitation while Ren's eyes were widening in surprise "A Trap from the hand?!"

Tachyon Dragon's entire body began retracting on itself until it formed a strange black rhombus with three crystals; one blue, one white, and one red on its front. Its new form didn't take long in shining its radiance upon Redoer, whose time jump got interrupted, causing confusion not only on the monster but also the wielder.

"You wanted to return Tachyon Dragon to my Extra Deck? How about I do that with Redoer? Tachyon Transmigration's negates the activation of your Spell and Trap Cards and monster effects activated before this card in this Chain, and then I can shuffle all the negated cards into the Deck!" Without being able to do anything, Redoer helplessly disappeared from the field, but this time not because of his own effect.

"However, since your cards didn't resolve, Tachyon Dragon doesn't gain attack." Joachim's words didn't make Ren any happier, especially after noting how the black dragon was reversing to its original form and baring its fangs at him. 'Oh boy...'

"Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon..." He looked at Perpetua, who gave him a pleading look, at which he simply smiled and nodded before that smile turned outright smug. "Blow her to pieces."

If the monster could speak, Joachim was sure he would have said "With pleasure."

Energy formed in his mouth—energy that Tachyon Dragon didn't wait to release as he shot a beam of light that completely engulfed Perpetua and headed straight for Ren. The Xyz Duelist was quick to cover his eyes from the approaching attack, and while Joachim got suddenly worried that his monster would really hurt him, his concerns proved to be unfounded when the brown-haired youth only suffered some minor scratches here and there. If it was for his resilience or just because the dragon held back, he didn't know.

Ren — LP: 2900.

Still, he couldn't stop.

"Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon, attack him directly!" The monster accepted his command obediently; charging energy in her mouth as Tachyon had done before shooting it at Ren without remorse.

Ren — LP: 1400.

The Time Thief user fell down after the attack, but he was quick to get up and dust himself. Not without wincing every now and then, though.

"Well... I guess I deserved that." Ren commented offhandedly as he patiently waited for Joachim to end his turn, something he soon did.

"Since I have nothing more to do, I place a card face-down and end my turn." He had placed Monster Reborn. A risky move since he couldn't activate it, but it was there to act as a deterrent more than anything.

Joachim — LP: 1600 x1

"Draw!" Ren drew his card enthusiastically since he was having fun in this Duel despite it being more of practice than anything. "I play Pot Of Avarice. By targeting five monsters in the graveyard and returning them to the Deck, I draw two cards."

However, that enthusiasm died down once he saw the cards he drew. It seemed as if all emotions were taken from him, leaving only a melancholic carcass.

Ultimately, he sighed in a mix of exasperation and resignation. 'Honestly, do you always have to be this reckless to jump into danger?'

Ren then faced Joachim, who had been oddly silent, and gave him a nod. "Let's continue. I activate Teleport, which allows me to Special Summon a Psychic Monster at the cost of paying 800 Life Points."

Ren — LP: 600.

"I Special Summon Risebell the Star Adjuster (Wind/Psychic/Effect/ATK: 800/DEF: 800/Level: 3)." He was an elf-like boy with dark hair and clothes of the same color. All kinds of eldrich things seemed to surround him.

The new monster caused Joachim to be confused and surprised at the same time. 'Star Adjuster, not Time Thief? Moreover, that reaction from Ren just now. Don't tell me...'

"When he is Special Summoned, Risebell can target a monster on the field and increase its Level from 1 to 3. I choose himself for his effect and make his level go up to 6."

Risebell The Star Adjuster Lv 3 —> Lv 6

"Since I control a Psychic-type Monster, I can Normal Summon Armored Axon Kicker without Tributing (Earth/Psychic/Effect/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1800/Level: 6)." A guy covered in green armor with metal plates and numerous tubes manifested next to Risebell. They both silently stared at each other for a few moments before facing forward.

'Two level 6s? Is another Time Thief is coming?'

"I set a card and end my turn."

"Huh?" A noise of dumbfoundedness escaped his mouth. "What? That's it?" He asked for confirmation in case he misheard.

"Yes." Ren's answer did nothing but puzzle him more. Yet, amidst that confusion, there was some understanding on his part.

"I see... In that case, it's my turn." He drew his next card, though not as excitedly as before. "Once again, I activate Trade-In. By discarding Galaxy Spiral Dragon, I can draw two more cards."

He had been lucky so far with his draws, so he hoped for the trend to continue. And yet, when he observed the cards he drew, he smiled wryly. 'Is this some kind of sick joke from fate?'

He focused his gaze back on Ren, and despite the youth looking like a flame on the verge of being extinguished, it still retained its radiance.

'But then again, what is fate if not a sick joke?'

"From my hand, I am going to use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Lost Wind."

'He should know that I can chain it anyway... which means he doesn't care if the effect goes on, and probably is hoping for it to happen.' Ren thought with level-headedness. That was why, in the end, he didn't activate the card.

A water tornado appeared below the set card destroying it without mercy.

"Then I reveal my face-down; Monster Reborn! I will bring back Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the field." The three dragons roared without restrain, seemingly sensing the end of the Duel.

"I..." He doubted for a few moments before sighing and showing the last card in his hand. "Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force, activate! I target a face-up Xyz Monster I control and summon another that is one Rank higher by using it as a material!"

"Rank-Up you said?!" Even the now melancholy Ren couldn't help but voice out his surprise. He knew very few people that could manage something like that, so his surprise was understandable. That didn't mean Joachim would wait until he got his bearings back, though.

"Naturally the one I target is Tachyon Dragon." A dark portal appeared above their heads as the Xyz Monster transformed into a red light that shot up erratically into it.

Then, behind the dark-skinned youth, the illusion of a desolated world in crimson manifested. The mirage showed Ren numerous paths on fearsome cliffs, yet this particular one concentrated on only one, following the trail until it finally got to a chained door with an identical symbol to the one on the card.

Eventually, when it got right before the door, the chains broke, and unimaginable power surged within. "Pierce through the raging torrent of galaxies, and revive from the time before they ever existed! The draconic star from beyond eternity! Manifest before us, Chaos Numbers 107: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon!"

A yellow behemoth burst out from the door's restraints and roared into existence. Ren got the feeling that he had been picking up on a kid all this time, acting complacent about it, and now that the parent had come, all of those feelings disappeared into dust. 'Heh. I admit it. This is the true owner and lord of Time itself.'

"So this is your strongest card?" Ren calmly asked as he observed the three-headed, yellow metallic monster looming over him.

"Who knows? He is one of the few that is willing to listen to me at the very least." Joachim shrugged before getting to work. "I activate Neo-Tachyon's effect. By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can negate the effect of all face-up cards currently on the field until the End Phase. Furthermore, I can return the game state of the Duel to what it was at the start of this turn!" The world became an amalgamation of dark colors, and suddenly, before Ren's widened eyes, time itself began to revert.

First, Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force returned to Joachim's field before appearing in his hand. After that, Blue-Eyes White Dragon got dragged down into the earth and swallowed by it, being replaced by a standing Monster Rebord, which quickly became a face-down. Lastly, the water tornado actually brought back Lost Wind only for it to return to the dark-skinned youth's hand in the next moment.

Everything except for Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon was exactly the same it was when the turn began. Though it did make sense. Expecting Time to affect itself sounded strange already by saying it.

'Then what was the point of doing all that? The only reasonable explanation I can find, and the most likely, is that he was trying to bait me.' Ren knew only his opponent would know the truth.

'Now Lost Wind can't be activated, and there is no need to use MST to destroy the other face-down since I can choose now which cards can activate their effects this turn.' Despite thinking this, there was a nagging feeling inside of him. Not the type that told him he was in danger of losing, but one that screamed at him not to do something, but what that something was, he had no idea.

'I guess I can utilize Tachyon Dragon to his full potential for now as a sign of respect.' Joachim looked at the impressed Ren for a few moments before getting on with his last play.

"Once again, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Just as it had happened the previous time, the creature of destruction reappeared once more on the field.

"Trap Card Open, Lost—" Ren tried to activate his Trap, but for some reason, he couldn't do so, and he was then interrupted by Joachim.

"Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon final effect. I can Tribute two monsters that did not declare an attack this turn, giving him two additional attacks during each Battle Phase this turn." The Chaos Number roared and absorbed in his maws the motes of light that the two Blue-Eyes had become, empowering him in a reddish-yellow aura.

"Battle! Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon; attack Risebell The Star Adjuster and Armored Axon Kicker. Ultimate Tachyon Spiral!" The three heads of the yellow dragon gathered energy in their mouths and were ready to shoot it, when, at that time, Ren activated his final face-down.

"If Lost Wind isn't going to work, then I reveal my final card, Ring Of Destruction! I target one card on the field, destroy it, and we both take damage equal to its attack!" Joachim was surprised, evidenced by the shock in his eyes.

'If I take into consideration this is an anime, we are both going to take damage at the same time.' He then looked at both monsters on the opposite side of the field. There was no joy to be seen in them, no relief. However, that didn't mean they were unfeeling. If he had to describe how they felt... then he would say they were assured. Assured that Ren would protect them no matter what, even at the cost of his life.

'I can negate Ring of Destruction with Tachyon's effect, but I have the sensation I would feel like shit if I do so. If you are willing to go that far to prevent their destruction, then even a dead thing like me can't help but want to see your wish realized.' He then turned to Neo Galaxy, who even though was facing the two monsters, the eyes of his three heads were looking at him for instructions.

'I know this is selfish of me, but can you let this one go? My promises are worth nothing, but I will do my best to make it up to you.' Yellow eyes bore into his unflinching ones, seemingly searching for something.

Eventually, they closed them, allowing the rings to encircle around their necks. Not a second after, they started ticking and quickly exploded, destroying him and ending the duel.

Ren — LP: 0.

Joachim — LP: 0.

DRAW!

'Sorry and... thank you.' Joachim covered himself from the explosion shockwaves but was ultimately flown back, unable to resist.

Ren suffered the same fate, yet his face didn't show sadness or frustration. Instead, he showed a faint smile of relief to the two monsters on his field who helped him withstand the aftermath of his Trap Card.

It was a good Duel.