[Eva: Duel Recognized]
[Duelist - Amano Rei]
[Duelist - Akira Totas]
[Data Network Connected, Duel Field Generated]
[Arbitration Content - Judgnt Duel]
[Proud duelists, let the duel's outco serve as the scale weighing your souls!]
[Duel—!]
Eva's familiar synthetic voice had just announced the duel's start when Amano's ankles were suddenly locked by chains erging from the duel field ground.
Akira's police-issue Duel Disk deployed.
Before Amano understood what "Judgnt Duel" ant, he was forcibly dragged into the duel with his Duel Disk activating.
"Illegal immigrant? Impossible!" Finesse imdiately ran back to security demanding answers. "I personally processed Amano's transit permit! How could he be an immigrant?"
"Miss, you're asking , but I don't know either." The female officer looked troubled.
Those handling Transit Tower security were lowest-level auxiliary officers—they simply followed regulations.
"Inspector Akira gave orders saying if anyone today had identity information problems, bring them to him for inspection."
"Damn it!" Finesse angrily clenched her silver teeth. "We've been set up!"
Amano's current situation was undoubtedly a targeted trap.
If they'd anticipated it beforehand, fine—but now with Judgnt Duel already started, Finesse couldn't stop it even if she wanted.
"That kid actually got caught by Inspector Akira. His luck's truly terrible."
"Seems like so far, no immigrant has passed judgnt under Inspector Akira, right?"
Within Transit Tower, immigrants appearing wasn't rare—rather, quite a few showed up daily.
Forged docunts, forged decks, forged identity information—immigration thods were varied.
But almost all were people unwilling to languish in lower districts, yearning for higher-level lives, risking this dangerous line.
And Transit Tower inspectors were the profession established specifically to counter immigrants.
After all, this was a world where card gas did the talking.
Even as a lower district resident, even without a transit permit—as long as you possessed your own deck and defeated an inspector in Judgnt Duel, Eva's system recognized your qualification to proceed to mid-level.
Conversely, immigrants faced imprisonnt.
However, inspectors also varied in strength.
With good luck, encountering a weaker inspector, plus the opponent bricking while you god-drew—with lower district duel power, passing wasn't entirely impossible.
But Inspector Akira seed an exception.
Transit Tower's strongest inspector—beneath his seemingly slovenly middle-aged exterior lay a cruel 0% pass rate judgnt record. Not a single immigrant had escaped from this uncle's clutches.
"My turn, draw." Taking first turn, Akira placed a monster card horizontally on his Duel Disk.
"I Normal Summon Assault Dog in Defense Position and end my turn."
[Assault Dog] [4✪ EARTH]
[Beast/Effect] [ATK: 1200] [DEF: 800]
The police dog with an assault rifle mounted on its body crouched on the ground in Defense Position.
Ending his turn, Akira took another deep drag on his cigarette.
Normally his deanor seed utterly slovenly, as if excessively rewarded. But once dueling truly began, this uncle's slovenly eyes gained several hints of subtle sharpness.
"Specifically targeted by soone important above—let see your strength, kid."
"My turn, draw."
Amano began his turn, surveying his hand.
"Get ready, Eve!"
"(ง•̀_•́)ง Roger!"
"I activate the Spell Card Polyrization!"
Starting with Fusion Summon—even in Transit Tower's Judgnt Duels, this was relatively rare.
After all, most lower district duelists hadn't even unlocked Extra Decks.
Akira's slovenly eyes opened slightly wider: "Kid, you can actually use Fusion?"
Shio also exclaid again: "As expected, Brother's draw luck is amazing."
Only one Polyrization in the deck, yet he could draw it starting hand nearly every ga.
"I Fuse Elental HERO Burstinatrix and Ib the World Chalice Justiciar from my hand!"
Within the fusion spiral effects, the Elental HERO originally burning with flas underwent extre temperature reversal upon contacting Water-Attribute Eve.
"Ascend to freezing's pinnacle, return to eternal silence!"
"Fusion Summon!"
"Elental HERO Absolute Zero!"
[Elental HERO Absolute Zero] [8✪ WATER]
[Warrior/Fusion/Effect]
[ATK: 2500] [DEF: 2000]
["HERO" monster WATER Attribute monster]
The duel field's ground was instantly covered in ice. The HERO with pure white cape billowing in cold air descended in a cool half-kneeling ground-punch pose.
"Battle, Absolute Zero!"
"—'Zero Domain Burial'!"
Absolute zero's -273.15°C punch froze Assault Dog into ice the instant it made contact, shattering it into pure white fragnts with one strike.
[Assault Dog] destroyed
"Oh, no no no~"
Frigid winds blew toward Akira, causing him to hastily raise his hand to shield the fla, avoiding having his cigarette blown out.
"Not bad, kid. But at the mont of destruction, Assault Dog's effect activates!"
[When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: You can Special Summon any number of "Assault Dog" from your Deck.]
"I Special Summon the remaining two Assault Dogs from my Deck in Defense Position!"
[Assault Dog] [DEF: 800] ×2
One strike actually doubled the opponent's monster count.
This demonstrated another drawback of Eden Tower's ani-style dueling.
Even if the opponent Normal Summoned in face-up Defense Position, duelists on opposite sides of the field couldn't see each other's card effects.
Like in the ani, sotis you'd get caught by obvious traps.
"I Set two cards and end my turn."
"My turn, draw."
Turn passed to Akira's side. The uncle's slovenly eyes glanced at Absolute Zero.
"Summoning such a troubleso monster right away—better deal with it quickly. I activate the Spell Card Ground Collapse!"
[Ground Collapse] [Spell Card: Destroy the monster with the highest DEF on your opponent's field.]
Amano's field had only Absolute Zero. The frozen ground shattered into a void, causing Absolute Zero to fall into it.
[Elental HERO Absolute Zero] destroyed
Amano picked up the card from his Duel Disk and sent it to the Graveyard while simultaneously declaring:
"At the mont it leaves the field, Elental HERO Absolute Zero's effect also activates!"
[When this card leaves the field: Destroy all monsters your opponent controls.]
"—'Final Freeze'!!"
AOE-level wide-range destruction effect.
[Assault Dog] destroyed
[Assault Dog] destroyed
The HERO's frozen legacy seed to lower Transit Tower's entire temperature.
Even successfully freezing the cigarette Akira had protected last turn into an ice stick dangling from his mouth.
"Ahhh, what a waste."
Regretfully tossing the half-smoked cigarette, Akira pulled out his pack and flicked out a new one.
"You know, because of work, I process quite a few immigrants daily."
However, while pulling out and lighting his cigarette, Akira ignored the duel's progression and began chatting casually with Amano as if making small talk.
"Without exception, they're all people refusing to accept fate, wanting to escape the lower districts."
"Amano Rei, though you have a legitimate transit permit, in my view you're essentially no different from those desperately trying to escape the lower levels for better lives."
"Uncle, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying—people are born unequal."
Finally managing to light his cigarette amid the cold winds, Akira's weathered fingertips drew a Spell Card from his hand.
"Upper district births an wealth, lower districts struggle at subsistence lines. People are born unequal—this cannot change. But humanity's most exhausting way of living is refusing to accept fate."
"Unable to escape lower districts? Bla your own bad luck, kid."
"I activate the Spell Card Painful Choice!"
Amano: "???"
Uncle, chatting's fine—I'll keep you company.
But don't just casually drop banned cards mid-conversation!
This really is unequal!
***
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