[Duel Start!]

"I'll take the first move, Bastion! My turn—Draw!!"

Hoshino blinked in surprise. "Whoa, since when did Minazuki get this fired up? He's acting like a completely different person! Don't tell me he's possessed by some spirit or something?"

It was only the first turn, yet he shouted his draw phase with the intensity of a championship match. Hoshino even worried he might collapse from exhaustion before the duel was over.

However, the moment Minazuki looked at his newly drawn card, his bold expression faltered.

Crap… I forgot to take out that useless 'Leo Wizard' I threw in for fun…

Bastion raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Did you brick already? It's only turn one, and you're hesitating like that."

"Ahem! Let's start things off steady. I'll set one monster in face-down Defense Position and one card face-down. Turn end."

[Minazuki's: 4 Hand Cards | 1 Set Card]

"Heh, my turn—Draw!"

Unlike Minazuki, Bastion didn't hesitate for even a moment as he smoothly began his turn.

"I'll Normal Summon in Attack Position—Oxygeddon!"

[Oxygeddon ★★★★ (Level 4)][WIND][Dinosaur/Effect][ATK 1800/DEF 800]

A dinosaur composed of swirling oxygen currents materialized on Bastion's field, embodying the very essence of elemental chemistry.

Minazuki whistled. "Even his monsters are based on the periodic table? So this is how a top student duels?"

Hoshino added, "I'm a top student too, but I don't use the periodic table in my deck…"

"My Battle Phase! Oxygeddon—attack the face-down monster!"

At Bastion's command, the air twisted into razor-sharp oxygen blades that slashed toward Minazuki's hidden monster.

"A true duelist can even use chemistry knowledge! Since you're attacking with oxygen, I'll flip my Defense monster—Charcoal Inpachi!"

The charred remains of a massive coal golem burst into flame as the oxygen fed the fire.

[Charcoal Inpachi ★ (Level 1)][FIRE][Pyro/Normal][ATK 100/DEF 2100]

The oxygen ignited violently, backfiring and blasting Bastion with the excess energy.

[Bastion Misawa LP 4000 → 3700]

"No way! He actually dealt the first damage to Bastion!"

"Yeah, but so what? The last Red who struck first still got crushed in the end." "And look at that monster—Level 1, 100 ATK! It's basically a punching bag!"

Seeing Minazuki's monster jogged Bastion's memory of their first day of class—Crowler's question and Minazuki's ridiculous answer.

"So this is the deck you use, huh, Red?"

Minazuki grinned proudly, hands on his hips. "That's right! I'm running an all–low-level monster deck this time!"

"What an… interesting strategy. I'll set two cards and end my turn."

[Bastion's: 3 Hand Cards | 2 Set Cards]

"My turn! Please, please, let me draw what I need!"

After a quick prayer, Minazuki drew his next card—and his eyes immediately lit up.

"Yadaze! I Normal Summon Bunilla in Attack Position! Then I activate my face-down Trap—The League of Uniform Nomenclature!"

[Bunilla ★ (Level 1)][EARTH][Beast/Normal][ATK 150/DEF 2050]

[The League of Uniform Nomenclature – Trap Card Effect: Select 1 face-up Level 2 or lower Normal Monster you control to activate this card. Special Summon as many cards as possible from your Deck with the same name as the selected monster.]

"Thanks to The League of Uniform Nomenclature, I can Special Summon two more Bunilla from my Deck!"

[Bunilla ATK 150 ×3]

Three snow-white, adorably plump bunnies bounced happily across Minazuki's field, creating a surprisingly wholesome scene.

Akasha's eyes sparkled as she hugged Hoshino's arm. "So cute! Hoshino-nee, can we keep one of those at home?"

Hoshino nodded absently. "Sure, sure—wait, what do you mean our home? Don't try to distract me with cuteness."

"(｀3′) Tch, busted! Fine, I'll just add some extra spice then~"

Meanwhile, Minazuki switched his Charcoal Inpachi into Attack Position.

[Charcoal Inpachi ATK 100]

"And now, with all my pieces in place, the puzzle of victory is complete! Get ready, Bastion!!"

With a roar, he slammed the card he had drawn onto his Duel Disk, as if a triumphant battle theme were playing in the background.

"A true duelist draws by destiny! I activate my Spell Card—Shield & Sword!"

[Shield & Sword – Spell Effect: Switch the original ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters currently on the field until the end of this turn.]

[Bunilla ATK: 150 → 2050] ×3

[Charcoal Inpachi ATK: 100 → 2100]

[Oxygeddon ATK: 1800 → 800]

The once-cuddly rabbits suddenly bulged with muscle, eyes glowing crimson as they turned feral.

Jaden pumped his fist. "Awesome, Minazuki! You've completely turned it around—go for it!"

With his ultimate army of low-level monsters assembled, Minazuki faced Bastion with fiery determination.

For some reason, Hoshino suddenly felt uneasy. "Wait—hold on, what are you about to do?"

Minazuki smirked. "What, you think he's got some trap that'll blow up all my monsters?"

Hoshino's eyes widened. "Why the hell would you say that out loud?!"

Waving his hand with supreme confidence, Minazuki declared, "That's part of my strategy! If I deliberately raise a death flag, I'll disrupt its activation conditions! That way I won't get hit by it myself! Go, Bunilla—attack Oxygeddon!"

"—Trap Card, Radiant Mirror Force!"

[Radiant Mirror Force – Trap Effect: When your opponent declares an attack while they control 3 or more Attack Position monsters: Destroy all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls.]

"Na!!! Ni!!!"

As Bastion's Trap activated, Minazuki's 'anti-flag' logic backfired spectacularly—every monster he controlled was engulfed in radiant light and obliterated.

[Bunilla ×3 — Destroyed]

[Charcoal Inpachi — Destroyed]

"Radiant Mirror Force?! Who the hell still runs that card?! I'm shattered—literally!!"