Chapter 1291: Berserker

[Fortress Warrior, DEF 1200]

Jack had anticipated it, yet somehow he hadn’t fully anticipated it. The Copy Yusei had indeed covered a defense-position monster with battle destruction resistance, but it also possessed immunity to battle damage. Therefore, even Strong Wind Dragon with its piercing ability couldn’t break through this line of defense.

The whirlwind unleashed by Strong Wind Dragon swept across the field. Countless wind blades slammed into Fortress Warrior’s body. Yet the warrior’s form was like solid bedrock, with a massive rock resembling an entire helipad balanced on its head. It stubbornly withstood Strong Wind Dragon’s storm. The wind blades carved countless cracks across the helipad-like rock, but failed to shake it in the slightest.

Jack, however, let out a cold laugh.

"If you think this will let you keep that monster as setup for a Synchro Summon next turn, you’re gravely mistaken! I activate the Spell Card ’Smashing Ground’ from my hand!

This card destroys the opponent’s monster with the highest DEF!"

Smashing Ground could only destroy face-up monsters. Earlier, when Fortress Warrior was Set face-down, it couldn’t be targeted. But now that Fortress Warrior had been flipped face-up by Strong Wind Dragon’s attack, it naturally became eligible.

A fissure spread forward from Jack’s Duel Runner, extending straight beneath Fortress Warrior. The warrior immediately lost its footing, its body tilting before it plunged into the cracked ground and shattered into pieces within the crevice.

"My turn ends!"

Jack clenched his fist.

"Not just a fake—even if I faced the real Yusei now, I absolutely wouldn’t lose again! A guy like you, I can knock back to your original form in just a few moves!"

Copy Yusei paid no heed to his provocation. Calm and steady like the original, he simply said, "My turn. Draw."

He inserted a card from his hand into his Duel Disk.

"I activate the Spell Card ’Tuning’. Add 1 Tuner monster whose name contains ’Synchron’ from my Deck to my hand."

Copy Yusei drew the card that popped out from his Deck. After he added it to his hand, three more cards popped from the top of his Deck with a click.

"I add ’Junk Synchron’ from my Deck to my hand," Copy Yusei explained. "Then, send a number of cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard equal to the Level of the monster added to the hand. Junk Synchron is Level 3, so I send 3 cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard." (Anime effect)

No matter how many times he saw it, Kira couldn’t help but think that the "activation cost" of the original Tuning was truly powerful—one activation could mill three to five cards.

"Normal Summon ’Junk Synchron’!"

Yusei’s most iconic Tuner: a small warrior with short limbs and orange armor, a tiny head with oversized goggles, and a surprisingly serious gaze.

[Junk Synchron, ATK 1300]

"When Junk Synchron is successfully Summoned, Special Summon 1 monster of Level 2 or lower from your Graveyard."

Copy Yusei waved his hand again.

"Special Summon ’Fortress Warrior’ from the Graveyard in Defense Position."

Junk Synchron extended its right palm. The ground beside it cracked open, and the recently destroyed Fortress Warrior—with the helipad-like rock still on its head—returned to the field. However, its body was now covered in scars and cracks that hadn’t healed, leaving it in poor condition.

[Fortress Warrior, DEF 1200]

Jack snorted. "But monsters Special Summoned by ’Junk Synchron’ have their effects negated. Even if you revive Fortress Warrior, it’s still just a weakling!"

Copy Yusei briefly closed his eyes and said, "You certainly do understand Yusei Fudo’s Deck. But even if you understand it, you can’t change the outcome of your defeat. It’s like the sorrow of knowing the path ahead leads to destruction, yet still having no choice but to walk it."

Jack frowned. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Nothing."

Copy Yusei said no more and returned to the Duel.

"Next, I Special Summon ’Junk Servant’ from my hand!"

What appeared was a warrior clad in scrap armor, with a large asymmetrical shoulder guard on one side and an equally asymmetrical head and eye structure.

[Junk Servant, ATK 1500]

"This card can be Special Summoned from the hand if you control a face-up ’Junk’ monster."

Copy Yusei pressed his left hand on the Duel Runner handle and raised his right arm high.

"Then, Level 3 Tuner monster ’Junk Synchron’ and Level 4 ’Junk Servant’, tuning!"

"The gathered anger shall bestow the soul of a demon god upon the selfless warrior, becoming a shining path! Synchro Summon——Junk Berserker!!!"

Junk Synchron rose into the air and formed the Synchro rings. Scrap iron armor melted within the Synchro light into ferocious plating. Accompanied by a metallic tearing war cry, Junk Berserker shattered the summoning circle and leaped forth. It had a crimson chest plate, exposed hydraulic tubes at the joints spewing steam, a jagged greatsword over two meters long, and—most terrifying of all—a pair of ghostly, eerie green eyes, like a raging soul imprisoned within a steel shell.

[Junk Berserker, ATK 2700]

Copy Yusei: "Junk Berserker’s effect activates. Banish 1 ’Junk’ monster from your Graveyard from play, and decrease the ATK of 1 monster your opponent controls by the banished monster’s ATK!"

Copy Yusei revealed the monster card banished from the Graveyard.

"I banish ’Junk Servant’ from my Graveyard from play, and decrease Strong Wind Dragon’s ATK by Junk Servant’s ATK—that is, 1500 points!"

Junk Servant’s phantom flashed by, as if its energy flowed into Berserker’s body. Junk Berserker swung its great blade, and that energy plunged into Strong Wind Dragon, visibly weakening it by a large margin.

[Strong Wind Dragon, ATK 3400 → ATK 1900]

"Battle," Copy Yusei declared. "Junk Berserker attacks ’Strong Wind Dragon’!"

Junk Berserker’s jagged greatsword suddenly burst with blinding red light. The spark plugs embedded in the blade all overloaded. As it shattered the ground and charged forward, a rusty metallic afterimage trailed behind it. The hurricane raised by Strong Wind Dragon was sliced vertically the instant it touched the blade’s edge. The jagged sword cut precisely along the dragon’s scale patterns, drawing a straight golden crack from jaw to tail.

The dragon’s body was split in two. After a split-second of silence, the entire dragon exploded into swirling cyan crystals. Each fragment continued to burst a second time while falling, ultimately turning into an emerald storm that blanketed half the battlefield.

[Jack, LP 4000 → LP 3200]

"Ugh..."

Jack let out a muffled groan. The Phoenix Whirlwind swayed in the wind and involuntarily slowed down. Several seconds later, he stabilized its direction, re-accelerated, and caught up again.

"This impact..." Jack frowned.

Sure enough, it was the same as when he fought the copy of himself earlier. It might not be fatal, but the impact damage was real and could cause massive harm to the Duelist.

Copy Yusei: "I Set two cards. Turn end."

...