Who Let Him Play Yugioh? (Re-Upload)

Seeing that the battle destruction resistance it was so proud of was completely useless against the giant bug, Marshmallow panicked. It swiftly turned its head to Kira, wearing a pleading expression.

Kira did not let it down. ”Then I’ll activate a set card—

Trap Card: ’Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!’”

The trap flipped. A tiny steel scarecrow, shaped like a cross, flew out to the front, blocking in front of Kira like a shield. The Catastor crashed into the scarecrow, sending sparks flying in every direction. It was as if a semi-transparent barrier blossomed in front of the scarecrow.

The Enforcer furrowed his brows. ”What?!”

”Scrap-Iron Scarecrow. It can negate the attack of an opponent’s monster,” Kira smiled lightly and waved his hand. ”And after it’s activated, it doesn’t get sent to the graveyard. Instead, it can be set directly back on the field.”

Right after he finished speaking, the metallic scarecrow that had just blocked the Catastor’s attack got yanked back into the trap card by some rusty wires and was set back face-down on the field.

Scrap-Iron Scarecrow was a soul trap that ran through all of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, and probably one of the signature traps used most by Fudo Yusei. Its ability to negate attacks and reset meant that as long as it remained on the field, it could be used over and over again.

Of course, by the rules, you can’t activate a trap card in the same turn it’s set. Even if it’s set again, you have to wait until the next turn. So, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow’s effect can be seen as ”negate one attack per turn.”

Yusei had been using this card since he first appeared in the ”rookie village,” all the way until the final battle in the anime. It even played a key role in his tactical match with Z-ONE.

”Hmph, just stalling with traps? All you’re doing is delaying your inevitable defeat,” The Enforcer snorted.

”Turn end.”

Kira: ”My turn. Draw!”

First things first, he changed Marshmallow’s position. ”Switch Marshmallow to Defense Position.”

The puffy little white thing squatted down, moving from attack to defense.

[Marshmallow, DEF 500]

At least now, Marshmallow wouldn’t be an easy target.

”Next, I normal summon ’Submarineroid!’”

One of Kira’s soul monsters, but one that hadn’t seen the field for a while. A tiny submarine emerged from underground, sending water splashing. Its humanized eyes spun around animatedly.

[Submarineroid, ATK 800]

”Battle,” Kira commanded. ”Attack with Submarineroid!”

The tiny submarine dove underground, leaving only a splash.

The Enforcer was shocked. ”It’s only got 800 ATK and you want to attack?!”

”Submarineroid’s effect,” Kira chuckled. ”This card can attack directly.”

Submarineroid surfaced in the backline behind the Enforcer and fired several torpedoes, which exploded right in front of the Enforcer. The Enforcer raised his arm to block the blast, but still slid half a step back from the impact.

[Enforcer, LP 4000 → LP 3200]

”And after Submarineroid attacks, it automatically switches to Defense Position.”

Kira waved his hand casually.

[Submarineroid, ATK 800 → DEF 1800]

The submarine quickly retreated, curling up protectively on Kira’s side of the field, its little metallic arms crossed in front.

Hit-and-run tactics. Gutsy.

”Tch, sneaky little sub.” The Enforcer snorted. ”Next turn, I’ll take care of you first.”

”Oh? Is that so?”

Kira just smiled and leisurely inserted another card into his back row.

”Better do your best then.

I set a card in my back row. And then, I activate this card.”

He raised a card high over his head.

”Continuous Spell—’Temple of the Kings!’”

The office scene around them suddenly warped. Floating fragments of magical script refracted a ghostly blue light, pinning the duelists’ shadows to the black obsidian tiles covered in hieroglyphics. The ancient priestly script seemed to squirm, like desert sand eels gliding across the stone; the majestic golden grand hall wrapped an uncanny chill around the whole space.

Yes, it was clearly a Continuous Spell, but its activation resembled a Field Spell’s spectacular background shift.

There are such cards—some Non-Field Spells in the originals also had similar dramatic visual effects, such as Lyman’s famous Macro Cosmos, a Continuous Trap that made the scene fill with a cosmic expanse.

In the DM anime, ”Temple of the Kings” first appeared with Odion, a member of the Tombkeeper’s Clan. At that time, the anime version of ”Temple of the Kings” was a Field Spell. Kira had also originally obtained his ”Temple of the Kings” from a Tombkeeper, but now he’d modified it to use the effect of the old OCG/TCG version.

Before 2015, the actual ”Temple of the Kings” card allowed its controller to activate trap cards during the turn they were set. But this effect was too powerful, hugely disrupting game balance and enabling certain infinite loops, so it was banned for a long time.

After 2015, Konami changed its effect: now it was limited to ”once per turn” for a single trap card set that turn. The Shrine lost much of its might, but was thus freed from the banlist.

Kira: ”Turn end.”

The Enforcer instinctively felt something ominous from the Shrine. ”What is this?”

”Who knows?” Kira smiled and shrugged. ”Why don’t you try?”

The Enforcer said nothing.

He didn’t have evidence, but he instinctively felt an aura of danger emanating from this golden hall. A nagging feeling told him trying it would spell disaster—but he quickly pressed down this premonition.

He was an Enforcer of Iliaster, the highest-ranking officer below the Three Pure Nobles. He’d walked countless timelines, purging myriad traitors and threats to the organization—many of them top-class duelists in their time.

He and his allied forces feared nothing.

”My turn, draw!”

The Enforcer glanced at his drawn card and looked up at Marshmallow, now cowering in defense position.

”That irritating monster that can’t be destroyed in battle. Let’s get rid of it first.

I activate Spell Card: ’Soul Taker!’

Destroy 1 monster the opponent controls, then your opponent gains 1000 LP.”

He pointed at Marshmallow on Kira’s field.

”Destroy Marshmallow!”

As he spoke, a demonic giant claw shot out from the void, grasping for Marshmallow, ready to crush it in an instant.

Marshmallow’s face turned ”white as a sheet,” and it turned to Kira again.

Help, help, help!

Once more, Kira did not disappoint it: ”Activate Set Card—Counter Trap, ’Scrap-Iron Barricade!’

When a monster you control would be destroyed, prevent it from being destroyed by card effects this turn!” (anime effect)

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