Is this the poker world?Ada thief!

Chapter 1812 How could someone be carrying such a strange card?
"Now, all the [Jewel Beasts] have come to my field, so you can just focus on me now, Jaden~"

Upon hearing "Gana Malden's" words, Jaden clenched his fists and glared at the other person, saying, "You actually went to steal John's monster just for this reason?"

"The reason you considered John Anderson a friend, Jaden, was because he understood you and, like you, could see the Card Spirits—these [Sparkling Beasts], right?" Spreading his hands, "Gana Malden" said with a smile, "Well, haven't I become the same now?"

"No one understands your past, your inner thoughts and desires better than me, Jaden. I am absolutely able to understand you. I know the existence of Card Spirits very well. I can not only share Card Spirits with you, but I can even become the Spirit of the cards in your hand. Even the [Crystal Beast] has come to my side."

"No matter how you look at it, it's quite interesting, isn't it? Because I've now integrated all the elements that you're interested in, Jaden, and I'm using the power you want to suit your preferences. In that case, Jaden, why don't you consider joining my side?"

Looking at the grinning "Gana Malden," Jaden's expression darkened: "What's so funny about you? What's so interesting about it? What do you take the bond between other people and cards for?!"

"Huh? After I obtained the [Jewel Beast] card as you expected, are you going to change your mind again, Jaden!?" His expression twisted in an instant, and "Gana Malden" suddenly sneered, "Heh, I knew it, because you are such a fickle person. Just like the 'love' that was supposed to belong only to me, you have now shared it with far too many people."

"Time and time again, I've had enough of your indifference and rejection. As expected, since we live in such a cruel world, we should uphold the supremacy of strength and the absolute right of the strong—once I knock you to the ground, you won't be able to resist me, Judai!"

"Gana Malden" activated the card in his hand: "Now that I have obtained [Thunder Emperor - Hamon], I will begin to use the power of the 'Three Phantom Demons'!"

"Spell Card [Planet Terraforming]! Search my deck for a Field Spell Card. I searched for the Field Spell Card [Paradise Lost], and then the field is toggled to the [Paradise Lost] card I searched for!"

The profound [Stairway to the God Realm of Demonic Strike] collapsed, and withered trees resembling skeletons grew from the ground, swallowing life and embracing death, bearing an overly bright and plump, juicy red apple on the tree.

"Although the monsters usurped by the effect of [Demon God - Leviside Demon] are all in a state of effect negation, the very existence of [Thunder Emperor - Hamon] allows me to utilize its power!" As he spoke, "Gana Malden" placed his finger on the deck, "As long as the Field Spell Card [Paradise Lost] exists, it will grant my 'Phantom Demons' on the field resistance to be destroyed by the opponent's effects and to becoming targets of the opponent's effects!"

"Also, once per turn, if any number of 'Phantoms' are in my Monster Zone, I can draw two cards from my Deck!"

【“加纳·马尔登”：4000LP，手牌：1→1→0→2】

【Thunder Emperor - Hamon】【DEF4000】

【Jade Beast - Jade Pegasus】【DEF1200】

【Jade Beast - Red Jade Beast】【DEF300】

【Jade Beast - Amber Mammoth】【DEF1600】

Backcourt: [Resurrection of the Divine Realm] [Face Card] x2
Location: Paradise Lost

Gana Malden glanced at the drawn card and activated it immediately: "Then comes this [Pot of Greed], which returns five monster cards from my graveyard to the deck, shuffles them, and then draws two cards from the deck. I recycle three [Magic God - Legion] and two [Magic God - Kashi], and then—Draw!"

"Next is the second effect of [Demon God - Leviside Demon] in the graveyard - If this card is in the graveyard, you can target one other [Demon God] card in my graveyard to activate this effect. Return it to the Extra Deck, add the targeted card to your hand, and I will recycle [Demon God Realm Stairway]."

Just now, "Gana Malden" used the characteristic that only one Field Spell Card can exist at a time to deal with John's "Rainbow Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins". However, not only can she use this, but Jaden and John can also use this to activate other Field Spell Cards to replace "Paradise Lost". Therefore, "Gana Malden" retrieved "Magic World Staircase" from the Graveyard.

This is not only so that he can use the effect of the "Magical God" monster again when activating it in the next turn, but also so that if Jaden plays any troublesome field spell card in the next turn, he can use this "Magical God Realm Rank" to replace it.

"Next, it's my normal summon for this turn. I normal summon [Dark Summoning God] from my hand and trigger its summoning effect."

[Darkness Summons the God] [2☆/Dark]

[Demon Race/Effect]

[0/0]

A strangely shaped monster with red, yellow, and blue colors appeared on "Gana Malden's" field. It began searching for cards from its deck. "When this card is Summoned, I can activate this effect. I can add one card from my deck other than 'Dark Summoning God' whose card name is listed as one of the 'Three Phantoms' or any of those cards. I choose 'Seven Spirits Unlocking Gate'."

"Next, the Continuous Spell Card [Seven Spirits Unlock] is activated! As part of the effect processing when this card is activated, I add one of the 'Three Phantom Demons' or any monster whose name is written on it from my Deck to my hand. I choose [Dark Summoning God]."

The massive seven obelisks were transferred from outside the field into the field spell card [Paradise Lost]. [Thunder Emperor Hamon], controlled by "Gana Malden", struggled to resist the invading power, but the next moment its eyes were completely covered by darkness, and it transformed back into the dangerous "Phantom Demon" that brought death and terror.

Although John always jokingly referred to "[Thunder Emperor - Hamon]" as a "distant relative," he actually regarded "[Thunder Emperor - Hamon]" as an equal, as well as a companion, friend, and family member. The time they spent together had successfully cultivated a considerable bond between them. Seeing the other party now reduced to a puppet in the hands of the enemy, John couldn't help but feel bitter.

“I’m not done yet!” Picking up the card [Dark Summoning God] from his Duel Disk, “Gana Malden” said, “As long as [Dark Summoning God] is in my Monster Zone, I can summon one Fiend-Type monster with 0 ATK and 0 DEF once during my Main Phase, in addition to my Normal Summon—I will Tribute [Dark Summoning God] to Tribute Summon [Dark Summoning God]!”

Dark purple mist swirled around the [Dark Summoning God], completely covering it. Occasionally, a few electric currents would flash through it. When the mist dissipated, what appeared was a completely different [Dark Summoning God], a level above, which had evolved from a flying dragon into a standing humanoid form. What remained unchanged was that it still had multiple colors on its body.

[Dark Summoner God] [5☆/Dark]

[Demon Race/Effect]

[0/0]

Since both monsters were summoned, John didn't draw a card at that moment.

"The effect of [Dark Summoning God] can only be activated by Tributing this card!" The card he had just played was immediately picked up, and "Gana Malden" sent it to the Graveyard. Then, he caught the card automatically retrieved from the Duel Disk on his left arm. "Special Summon 'Three Phantoms' from my hand and Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions. As a price, my monsters cannot attack this turn, but that doesn't really matter!"

"I hereby Special Summon the strongest 'Phantom Demon'—[Phantom Demon Emperor - Rabiel]!"

The figure of the [Dark Summoning God] disappeared, followed by the earth trembling, the sky tearing apart, and the air seemingly freezing. Wings that blotted out the sky came into view first, and then a strong body wrapped in blue bone armor was revealed—the "Phantom Demon" who commands the "Phantom Demons" has descended!

[Illusion Demon Emperor-Rabiel] [10☆/Dark]

[Fire/Special Summon/Effect] [4000/4000]

As "Gana Malden" truly began to fight using the power of the "Three Phantoms," the aura of the "Phantoms" began to cover the area, causing John and Jaden to feel a tightness in their chests and difficulty breathing.

"Is this the true oppressive feeling of the 'Phantom Demons'?" Jaden, who had not fought Kagemaru but had a final showdown with Daitokuji, had only experienced the power of the "Three Phantom Demons" from an observer's perspective when Hayato fought Kagemaru. He did not know the specific oppressive power of the Phantom Demons. Although he had some expectations, he never expected it to be so exaggerated.

“After all, according to some rumors, they are beings capable of contending with the ‘Three Egyptian Gods.’ I’ve even heard that the ‘Three Egyptian Gods’ and the ‘Three Egyptian Gods’ are products of the same ancient alchemy.” John forced a smile, trying to ease the oppressive atmosphere. “Can you hold on, Judai?”

"Well, after all, not all the 'Phantom Demons' have descended yet. It's just that the pressure is a bit high, but it's not too bad." Jaden nodded. "However, if the power of the true 'Three Phantom Demons' were to gather..."

“It’s going to be quite tough.” John paused, looking at the giant blue demon. “【Phantom Emperor - Rabiel】. Unlike 【Demon God】, whose prototype is a demon but is given the name of 'god', this is a monster that has the name of the angel 'Raphael' placed on a demon. In that case, even for the sake of that person I know, I have to destroy this monster!”

"As for [Thunder Emperor - Hamon], I'll do my best to help you get it back, John!" Judai gave himself a thumbs-up. For some reason, he had a feeling that after saying that, he would have many more opportunities to help others retrieve cards like this in the future.

【Phantom Emperor - Rabiel】is an unconventional appearance that ignores summoning conditions, and 【Thunder Emperor - Hamon】is a state of altered control with nullified effects. These factors more or less reduce the oppressive aura that the "Phantoms" originally possessed, roughly reducing it from two "level 10" to two "level 5". However, their combined aura is still almost the same as that of the "Phantoms" in their normal, full-fledged state.

The factors for winning in Duel Monsters are never just about the Life Points. Sometimes, a powerful monster can cause an opponent's heart to stop and win without a fight simply by appearing on the field. Or the damage to the soul that comes with an attack can continue to torment the opponent even after the monster is destroyed, and can even cause the opponent to faint and lose the ability to continue the duel.

This event is also recorded in the stories of Grandpa Sugoroku playing cards in the sea and the duel between Jonouchi and Malik.

Under the oppressive aura of the "Phantom Demon," it becomes quite difficult for ordinary duelists to maintain normal rational thinking, not to mention the impact on other key factors such as the fighting spirit and confidence in their decks. The fact that Jaden and John can still joke around like this is largely thanks to the assistance, protection, and pressure-sharing of their respective card spirits.

"Although I managed to acquire a sufficient number of [Sapphire Beasts] at once, these cards are now getting in the way." Gana Malden glanced disapprovingly at the [Sapphire Beasts] occupying three monster zones and said, "Activate the effect of [Phantom King - Rabiel] to release [Sapphire Beast - Ruby Beast], thereby increasing its ATK to the original value of [Sapphire Beast - Ruby Beast]!"

"Ruby!" Seeing that the other party was returning one of the cards that had been taken away, John hurriedly caught the [Jade Beast - Ruby Beast], who was also eager to return to his side. He hugged her and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Ruby, I made you suffer over there."

"I'll have to leave you in the graveyard for a while. Don't worry, I'll try my best to bring the others back." Looking at the cards [Jade Beast - Jade Pegasus], [Jade Beast - Amber Mammoth], and [Thunder King - Hamon] on the opponent's field, John solemnly promised to put the [Jade Beast - Ruby Beast] card back into his own graveyard.

[Illusionary Demon Emperor-Rabiel] [ATK4000→4300]

"Tsk, what a pitifully weak power. I thought your Pokémon could provide me with some assistance." After feeling the power absorbed by [Phantom King - Rabiel] and transferred into its own body, the power squeezed out by [Jewel Beast - Ruby Beast]'s card Pokémon all slumped down, but "Gana Malden" felt as if it had nothing. "But it doesn't matter, I just want to free up the monster area anyway."

"The second effect of the [Dark Summoning God] in the graveyard can be used to banish it and add one 'Phantom Demon' from my deck to my hand. The 'Phantom Demon' I chose is the last one—[Divine Flame Emperor - Uria]." Similar to [Phantom Demon Emperor - Rabiel], this being, which demonizes and applies the name of one of the Four Archangels, 'Uriel,' to a demon, is the counterpart to [Sky Dragon of Osiris] and also corresponds to the "Red Dormitory" of the Duel Academy, [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria].

However, "Gana Malden," who added it to his hand, didn't seem to intend to Special Summon it directly. Instead, he sent it to the Graveyard under the watchful eyes of John and Jaden.
"The second effect of the Continuous Spell Card [Seven Essences of Resolve] can be activated once per turn by discarding one card from your hand. Special Summon a Fiend-Type monster from my Graveyard that has 0 ATK and 0 DEF. The one I Special Summon is [Dark Summoning God]."

"Finally, I'll place one more card face down, and the round ends here."

【约翰·安德森：4000LP，手牌15→16→17→18】

【“加纳·马尔登”：4000LP，手牌：2→3→4→4→4→3→2】

【Thunder Emperor - Hamon】【DEF4000】

[Illusionary Demon Emperor-Rabiel] [ATK4300→4000]

【Jade Beast - Jade Pegasus】【DEF1200】

[Darkness Summons the God] [DEF0]

【Jade Beast - Amber Mammoth】【DEF1600】

Backcourt: [Resurrection of the Divine Realm] [Seven Essences Unlock] [Face Card] x3
Location: Paradise Lost

After "Gana Malden" finally ended his long turn, John's hand size had reached an excessive eighteen cards, which can only be described as "excessive." This means that his deck didn't have many hand traps. Otherwise, if it were Hayato, he would have already turned the tables and unleashed a burst of cards during the opponent's turn, and could have used interrupts such as [Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring], [Ghost Rabbit], and [Primal Lifeform - Nibiru].

It's fair to say that something like "G-Spell Multiplier" isn't very threatening to decks that aren't good at bursting out with cards and can only Special Summon three or four times in a turn before running out of options. It does pose a threat to decks that excel at bursting out with cards, but only at the beginning. Once the number of times you can unleash your combo increases, it feels like "the more you have, the more trouble you get." In fact, if John didn't have a 60-card deck, he might have already lost because his deck was being drawn.

But it doesn't matter that John doesn't have any hand traps. As long as he waits for his turn, he can turn the card resources in his hand into real combat power to return to "Gana Malden", and also reclaim his own monsters and defeat "Phantom Emperor - Rabiel".
Just as John was thinking this, Jaden had just finished announcing the end of his turn, and had just placed his hand on the deck to draw a card. Before he could even finish shouting "My turn, draw!", a card in the back row of "Gana Malden" was suddenly revealed.

A tremendous force struck John's hand—or rather, the eighteen cards in his hand. The thick stack of cards was forcibly snatched away and stuffed back into John's deck, and then the duel disk popped out only the top two cards of the deck, waiting for John to pick them up!
"Trap Card [Big Drop], can only be activated when the opponent has eight or more cards in their hand. Return all of the opponent's cards to the deck, shuffle, and then draw two cards." Ghana Malden looked at John with a cold smile, pretending to be generous, "Go ahead and draw cards, John Anderson. Don't you like drawing cards? Now I'm giving you two more cards."

But in reality? With eighteen cards in hand and two cards, anyone can tell which side has more and which side has less! The cards John drew last turn using [G of Multiplication] are now completely useless, all gone!

Picking up the two cards from the top of the deck, John couldn't help but complain, "How could anyone bring such random cards!"

John Anderson: 4000LP, hand 18→2

[Yujo Judai: 4000LP, Hand 5→6]

　The last card in X-Sword was cleverly hidden.

　　The first effect requires ten or more X-Swords on the field, in the graveyard, or excluded; the third effect requires the opponent to declare an attack and then card summon from your hand. You're lucky if you can use it even once.

　　After reading through this long essay, the only useful thing is the two-effect Special Summon, but it's not a Special Summon that ignores summoning conditions, so it can't summon the most useful Futral of the main faction.

　　If the hidden No. 5 cards this time are as secure as those from X-Sword and last week's Star Knight, then Shaddoll's reinforcement this time is truly invincible, and it's like paying off Xiaomi's debt.

　　(End of this chapter)