Kei was in a pinch. Sure, his monster could take out the Proto-Cyber on Shinrei’s field, but all that would do is leave himself open to a counter attack from Cyber Dragon itself. He needed some other kind of plan, but luckily, his friends were there to support him. He shot a glance to the monster on his field.

[color=9C5F25]”Gemini Scorpion… please lend me your power!"[/color] he asked of his monster. The warrior looked back at Kei and, while keeping the same stoic expression as most monsters did, gave him a nod. Kei smiled. [color=9C5F25]”Thank you!"[/color] he said to the monster, then shifted his gaze back to Shinrei. [color=9C5F25]”I’m tributing my monster to summon a new warrior to my field!"[/color] he said, determined.

[color=CBCDCF]”Friends, huh? Of course you’d call them that... you’re the same as them,"[/color] Shinrei growled in a low enough voice to not let Kei notice. His scowl deepened.

Kei didn’t let Shinrei’s musings stop him. [color=9C5F25]”I got no idea what you’re saying, but here I go! Gemini Scorpion, let’s have you evolve into Divine Knight Ishzark!"[/color] he declared. Gemini Soldier sank into the floor and, from the same spot, a new monster rose in his place. A warrior clad in a blue body-suit mostly obscured by his oversized, feather-like shoulderpads and long kilt. The eyes were obscured beneath the helmet and the warrior swung around his buster-sized sword with one hand like it was a mere paperweight.

[b]Divine Knight Ishzark:[/b] 2300 ATK

Keeping the momentum going, Shinrei’s opponent declared his battle phase. [color=9C5F25]”Cleave that Proto-Cyber in two!"[/color] he shouted. Shinrei quickly tapped a button in his duel disk and stretched his arm out to the side. Before Ishzark even got close, Proto Cyber was surrounded by light and faded away into it, starting from the bottom.

[color=CBCDCF]”Trap card: Attack Reflector Unit. With this, one Cyber Dragon on my field is tributed to summon Cyber Barrier Dragon in its stead,"[/color] Shinrei explained. Wind kicked up as behind him a slightly larger and bulkier Cyber Dragon rose up. It had a shield built into the “neck” of the beast. Barrier Dragon reached forward and said shield unfolded itself, projecting an electromagnetic barrier in front of Shinrei and his other monster. Shinrei explained: [color=CBCDCF]”Barrier Dragon will negate one of your attacks each turn, as long as it remains in attack position.”[/color]

[b]Cyber Barrier Dragon:[/b] 800 ATK

Kei recoiled as his attack got interrupted. [color=9C5F25]”That’s a champ for you…! You seem to have a trick for everything…"[/color] he bemoaned the current situation, then picked up a card from his hand and set it face-down. Kei declared the end of his turn, but internally his plans were far from over. He looked down at the card on his field, mentally projecting its image in his mind.

[color=9C5F25][i]”Even if he summons a monster with attack points higher than Ishzark next turn, my set Intrigue Shield can protect it… further, Barrier Dragon only has 800 ATK. As long as I can get through its first attack negation, I can counter-attack!”[/i][/color] was more or less how Kei thought his plan through.

Shinrei wasted no time in taking his turn, drawing a card and playing another from his hand. [color=CBCDCF]”From my hand I activate the spell card Downbeat. I can tribute my Barrier Dragon to summon a second Cyber Dragon from my deck!”[/color] he declared. Cyber Barrier Dragon roared and overloaded its systems, the extra armor padded around it flying off after a few localized explosions. The Cyber Dragon underneath was revealed and Shinrei now controlled two of the same monster.

Kei, as has become a pattern, was taken aback once more. [color=9C5F25]”No way! You only just summoned it, and now you got rid of it for another Cyber Dragon?!"[/color] he commented. Shinrei stared him dead in the eyes.

[color=CBCDCF]”That was my plan from the start. But before I show you why, I’m drawing two cards from my deck!”[/color] he replied back, activating an Iron Draw card from his hand. As long as he controlled exactly two machine monsters, Shinrei could draw from his deck. The trade-off was that he was allowed to summon only once more that turn, but as he put it himself: [color=CBCDCF]”That’s more than enough. I activate Fusion Substitute, combining my two monsters!”[/color]

And, at that moment, everything clicked for Kei. Why Shinrei assembled his monsters the way he did, why he kept trying to summons more Cyber Dragons. [color=9C5F25]”Shoot, I let my guard down…! As long as you have a fusion card and the required materials for its summon, you can summon a new monster from your extra deck!"[/color] Kei said. It was far too late for him to realise that, as far as Shinrei was concerned. The white-haired boy raised up one finger skywards.

[color=CBCDCF][i]”An iron shell does nothing to contain your fury! Shackled to each-other, rage against all that oppose your twin wrath![/i] I fusion summon Cyber Twin Dragon!”[/color]

A whirlpool of bright colours appeared behind Shinrei as he chanted, his two dragons letting out their mechanical roar while being sucked into it. Their very essence pooled together and combined in the raging swirl, combining themselves into a new form. Twin head suddenly forced themselves out of the whirlpool, roaring and trying to snap at Kei. Once their fusion had completed, the dragon slithered over on Shinrei’s field and wrapped its body around him. The twin heads stared down coldly at Kei.

[color=CBCDCF]”Cyber Twin Dragon, tear him apart with Evolution Twin Burst!”[/color] Shinrei yelled to declare his attack with. Kei was quick to react, springing the trap card on his field as the first head rained down its laser.

 [color=9C5F25]”With Intrigue shield, Ishzark is protected and I take no damage!"[/color] he explained as planned, a pegasus-crested shield appearing in front of Kei’s monster to block the blast. Kei didn’t ease up though, looking as nervous as when the attack had been declared. Shinrei took note of that, saying:

[color=CBCDCF]”It seems you’ve realised my monster’s attack is far from done! Cyber Twin Dragon’s effect allows it to attack twice per turn!”[/color]

Another blast was aimed Kei’s way, this time out of the second head and with no more tricks up his sleeve. The beam melted straight through the shield and Ishzark both, the monster letting out a cry of pain. The Evolution Burst landed in front of Kei’s feet and caused an explosion. [color=9C5F25]”Guoaaah!”[/color] the boy screamed as he flew back from the blast, landing roughly on his spine. Apathetic to the plight of his opponent, Shinrei merely said to him:

[color=CBCDCF]”Get up. This duel isn’t over yet.”[/color] and then picked up some cards from his hand. [color=CBCDCF]”I’ll set two cards and end my turn.”[/color]