"Damn, turns out you really can duel in ruins!?"
At the ancient dueling arena, seeing Kira and the chief take their places, Jaden was frustrated.
Why does Kira always beat me to the duels?
"But Kiran actually managed to bargain with them just now..." Syrus couldn't help but say.
Chumley nodded, "Yeah, he always seems so calm, no matter the situation. I was scared out of my mind just now..."
Lyman hugged his cat and silently watched Kira.
He felt more than ever that this student was not just a genius, but seemed to have everything under control.
This was supposed to be his secret plan—he'd deliberately led everyone here.
But now it felt like everything was going according to Kira's script.
[Gravekeeper Chief, LP 4000]
"I'll go first. Draw." The chief said seriously, drawing two cards, setting a monster face-down in defense, and a card in the back row. "Turn end."
Kira immediately revealed the card he'd drawn.
"Spell Card 'Graceful Charity'—draw three cards, discard two."
He drew, then discarded two cards.
"One discarded card is 'Card of Compensation.' When this is sent from hand to grave, I draw two more."
"Hmph, building up graveyard resources already?" The chief sneered. "In this valley, any attempt to disturb the dead won't be tolerated."
Kira could guess his thoughts—basically, "my deck is all about graveyard play."
The Gravekeeper deck gives him that confidence.
But Kira just smiled, "Next, I summon 'Abyss Soldier'."
[Abyss Soldier, ATK 1800]
"Abyss Soldier's effect, once per turn, discard a Water monster to return a card on the field to the hand."
Kira discarded a Water monster.
"I send 'Sinister Serpent' to the graveyard, and return your back row card to your hand."
Abyss Soldier's trident unleashed a torrent, sweeping away the set card.
"I chain and activate my set card, 'Needlebug Nest'—send the top five cards of my deck to the graveyard," said the chief.
Five cards went to the graveyard; Kira squinted at him.
Who was it that said sending cards to the graveyard was defiling the dead?
So, tomb raiders must die, but it's fine if the gravekeepers do it?
"Abyss Soldier, attack the set monster," Kira said.
Abyss Soldier lunged and struck.
[Gravekeeper's Recruiter, DEF 1500]
The trident pierced the Recruiter, who exploded.
Chief: "When Recruiter goes to the graveyard, I can add a Gravekeeper monster with 1500 or less DEF from my deck to hand."
A golden light flickered in the chief's deck as he prepared to search.
"Not so fast," Kira revealed another card. "I discard 'Skull Meister.'
When a spell, trap, or monster effect activates in the opponent's graveyard, I discard this from my hand to negate it."
The Recruiter's ghost appeared, ready to chant, but Skull Meister's shadow locked him down.
"This is the sacred valley," Kira said sternly. "Disturbing the dead, defiling the sacred gravekeepers, will not be tolerated."
That kind of makes sense, but isn't that my line?
"As a gravekeeper with a sacred duty, betraying your own rules should be punished even more harshly." Kira set three cards face-down. "Turn end."
Why does it feel like he just seized the moral high ground?
"Hmph, my turn, draw."
The chief drew his card.
As if to say, "Fine, I can't outtalk you—let's settle this with cards."
"I activate 'Pot of Greed'—draw two."
He drew, then continued, "Next, Spell Card 'Fissure!' Destroy your monster with the lowest attack!"
The ground split under Abyss Soldier, swallowing him.
"Since he's the only monster, Abyss Soldier is destroyed. Now, I normal summon 'Gravekeeper's Descendant.'"
[Gravekeeper's Headman, ATK 500]
"Upon summon, I can special summon a Level 4 Gravekeeper from my grave. Revive—Gravekeeper's Heretic!"
[Gravekeeper's Heretic, ATK 1800]
"Then I activate 'Double Summon.' I can normal summon twice this turn. I tribute Headman—
By sacred power, I summon:
—Gravekeeper's Chief!" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fire·net
[Gravekeeper's Visionary, ATK 2000]
"Eh?" Chumley gasped. "Only one tribute for an 8-star monster?"
"Visionary only needs one tribute if it's a Gravekeeper monster," the chief explained. "Plus, Visionary gains 200 ATK for every Gravekeeper in the graveyard!
Including Heretic, the two from Needlebug Nest, Headman, and Recruiter, that's four in total.
So, Visionary gains 800 ATK!"
[Gravekeeper's Visionary: ATK 2000 → 2800]
The chief solemnly drew and held up a card.
"The valley we have guarded for generations, the forbidden resting place of kings—
—Field Spell: Necrovalley, activate!"
As the card hit the field, time seemed to stop.
The surroundings froze like an eternal painting, the valley wreathed in the ancient forest, mist among the treetops as if a transparent veil covered the sacred ground.
"So it appears at last—the resting place of kings," Kira smiled, eyes gleaming.
This was what he'd come for—the must-have artifact.