Is this the poker world?Ada thief!

Chapter 1842 A Pure Mage Deck with Every Race Except Mage

[Summoned Beast - Light Body] [8☆/Light]

[Angel Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2000/2800]

"If [Summoned Beast - Light] is successfully Special Summoned, or if your opponent has a monster Special Summoned, you can target one of your opponent's monsters and activate its effect to destroy that monster." Hayato looked at the cards on Vera's field and said, "Here, I'm going to destroy [Witchcraft Substitute Master]!"

The effect of [Summoned Beast - Light Body] can only destroy monster cards. Since Hayato couldn't remove [Witchcraft Alley], he had to settle for removing the monsters on Vera's field. Of the three monsters, [Witchcraft Craftsman - Tailor Heine] was no longer a threat. Compared to [Endymion's Handmaid - Jenny], Hayato felt it was more important to destroy [Witchcraft Substitute Master], which still had one last effect left.

Seeing that Hayato was about to destroy their [Witchcraft Substitute Master], Vera clicked her tongue in annoyance: "Crowley's power is as disgusting as ever, relentlessly pursuing this... In that case, I have no choice but to do it in advance too—Jenny!"

"I'm ready, Lady Vera!"

【Endymion's Handmaid - Jenny】lifted the hem of her maid outfit and pulled out a portable magic wand from somewhere beneath it, waving it at 【Witch Magic Substitute Master】to begin casting a spell.

"The effect of 【Endymion's Handmaid - Jenny】 can be activated during the Main Phase of both players' turns by targeting one Spellcaster monster on my field, banishing it, and Special Summoning one 【Witchcraft】 monster from my Deck other than 【Endymion's Handmaid - Jenny】."

"The one I'm banishing is naturally my [Substitute Witchcraft Master], but before that—" She paused, then pointed to Hayato's [Summoned Beast - Light], "The activation of a Spellcaster monster's effect will also trigger the last effect of [Substitute Witchcraft Master], destroying one card on the field, and I choose to destroy my opponent's [Summoned Beast - Light]!"

Using the magic released by [Endymion's Handmaid - Jenny], [Substitute Witch Master] also activated her last and strongest spell - just like the three [Witch Spells] printed on her card art, [Substitute Witch Master]'s three abilities actually correspond to the three [Witch Spells], and the final destructive effect corresponds to Heine herself.

The magic cannon fired instantly, piercing through the massive body of the giant god—[Summoned Beast - Light Body]. However, its counterattack, a final, fatal blow, missed completely, because before that, [Substitute Witch Master] had already concealed herself under the effect of [Endymion's Handmaiden - Jenny], effectively eliminating herself.

At the spot where the [Witchcraft Substitute Master] disappeared, Vera leaped into the arena and arrogantly declared, "What I specially summoned with Jenny's effect is myself—the invincible [Witchcraft Master Craftsman, Headmaster Vera]!"

[Master Witchcraft Artist - Sect Leader Vera] [8☆/Light]

[Mage Race/Effect]

[1000/2800]

The effect of [Endymion's Handmaid - Jenny] removes [Witchcraft Substitute Master] who has already used up her last effect, and summons Vera herself to the field. Because [Witchcraft Alley] itself has not disappeared, [Witchcraft Master - Vera] still enjoys one resistance that will not be destroyed by battle or effect.

Moreover, its effect is quite powerful. One effect is to reveal any number of different spell cards in your hand to your opponent, increasing their attack and defense when calculating damage in a battle between your Spellcaster monster and your opponent's monster. For example, now that Vera has two cards in her hand, no matter which monster on Vera's field Hayato attacks, she can increase its attack and defense by 2000 points. Even though the attack of "Five Magician" is as high as 4500 points, it is possible to lose to these monsters if you are not careful.

However, what's even more important is Vera's second effect, which is the ability to discard a Spell Card as cost during both players' turns to activate at second speed and negate the effects of all face-up monsters on the opponent's field until the end of the turn. Because [Demonstration of Witchcraft] is still in effect, Hayato can't even chain this effect to activate any other cards, making it a second-speed version of [Pluto Barrier Wave].

Hayato remembers these effects, and the system can also access them, but in reality, Hayato would know them even without these aids, because—

"Hmph, that's all my effects are. Scared yet? This is the power of me, 'Crystallization of the Wise,' 'Eternally Youthful Beauty,' and 'The Pinnacle of Alchemy'!" Laughing arrogantly, Vera had already explained all her effects upon entering the field, taunting Hayato, "And all you have left on the field is [Five-Element Magician], and only two cards in your hand. You can't possibly do anything to the invincible me!"

[Vell: 4000LP, Hand: 3→2]

[Witchcraft Craftsman - Tailor Heine] [DEF1000]

【Jenny, Handmaid of Endymion】【DEF500】

[Master Witchcraft Artist - Sect Leader Vera] [DEF2800]

Back row: [Witch's Alley] [Face Card] x2
Hayato glanced at the two cards in his hand and smiled, "I can replenish my hand whenever I want."

"First, the effect of [Summoning Magic] in my graveyard: target this banished [Summoner - Aleister] and activate its second effect to return [Summoning Magic] to my deck and then add [Summoner - Aleister] to my hand."

"And the second effect of [Displacement Fusion] in my Graveyard: By banishing this card from my Graveyard and targeting the Fusion Monster [Summoned Beast - Light] in my Graveyard, [Summoned Beast - Light] returns to my Extra Deck, and I draw one card from my Deck."

By activating the power of two cards in the graveyard, Hayato retrieved the card of [Summoner - Aleister] and drew a card from his deck, instantly doubling his hand from two to four cards.

Vera raised an eyebrow and said sourly, "When summoning, you can retrieve [Summoning Magic], and the excluded self can be recovered using [Summoning Magic]. Has Crowley already completed his magic cycle? Even I have to admit, that guy is indeed a genius."

After drawing the card, Hayato also took out a card he had used before from the graveyard: "The effect of the [Level Thief Bug] in my graveyard is activated again. It lowers the Level of [Five-Star Magician] by 1 star and Special Summons it back to my field."

【小林隼人：4000LP，手牌：5→4→3→2→3→4】

[Five-Element Magician] [11☆/Dark→10☆/Dark] [ATK4500]

[Level Thief Bug] [DEF0]

Seeing the [Level Stealing Bug] reappear on Hayato's field, Vera was somewhat surprised: "A bug that can almost regenerate indefinitely as long as there is a high-level monster? Although it is not weak, that monster cannot break through my perfect defense."

"While the [Level Thief Bug] has strong regeneration capabilities, it also has a self-limiting limitation that it cannot be used for any purpose other than Tribute Summoning. It's still too weak and needs to be strengthened." Hayato said, though he had a suppressed laugh on his face. "However, although it can't be released by cards like [Monster Gate], I can still use a card like this [Level Up Transform] to send it back to the Graveyard."

"Send one face-up monster on my field—a Level 1☆ DARK Insect-Type monster called Level Thief Bug—to the Graveyard to activate Level Up Transform! Under this card's effect, I can Special Summon a monster from my Deck that is also a DARK Insect-Type monster but whose Level is raised to 2☆."

"I Special Summon [Infernal Beetle], and then use the effect of [Level Thief Beetle] again to steal Level 1 of [Five Magician] and Special Summon it again from my Graveyard!"

[Five-Element Magician] [10☆/Dark→9☆/Dark] [ATK4500]

[Level Thief Bug] [DEF0]

【Eternal Flame Beetle】【2☆/Dark】

[Insectoid/Adjustment/Effect] [1200/0]

As the level of the [Five-Array Magician] continued to decline, like those incompetent heroes in a succubus-themed doujinshi, and was constantly resurrected from the grave by the [Level Stealing Bugs], Vera wanted to do something but had no way to do it.

After all, although her own effect is very strong, the resurrection logic of [Level Thief Bug] is activated entirely in the graveyard, so she can't wipe it even if she wants to. The effect of [Endymion's Handmaid - Jenny] has been used, and [Witchcraft Craftsman - Tailor Heine] is in a state of effect negation. Moreover, the two face-down cards on her back row are useless at this moment.

She looked at the newly appeared jet-black beetle on Hayato's field, wondering what kind of effect it would have.

However, Hayato directly revealed the answer: "【Infernal Beetle】 has the 【Infernal】 field, which is an extreme deck that relies on the harsh condition of '0 cards in hand' to activate most of its cards. Although it is easy for 【Infernal】 players to cheat by setting monsters face down and then having to investigate the situation on the field, it is really fun to get lucky with that deck, such as the Infernal Trident combo. How do you say it satisfies the conditions?"

Hayato paused, then spread his hands, gesturing for Vera to look at her hand: "But as you can see, with three cards remaining, I can't activate its effect unless—"

"I first set two cards face-down on my back row, then use another effect of [Summoner - Aleister] in my hand to send this card from my hand to the Graveyard, and then target any Fusion Monster I control to activate its effect, increasing its ATK and DEF by 1000 until the end of this turn!"

“Not only you can steal Endymion’s magic, Sandrion, I also know a little about your magic~” Before running back to the graveyard from Hayato’s hand, Alai didn’t forget to pop out of the card to taunt his old friend, and then threw his wand “Aivas” out, which was caught by [Five-Array Magician].

Although its level has dropped continuously, the combat power of [Five-Element Magician] is not tied to its level, and its attack and defense values ​​remain at a fairly high level. As the only Fusion Monster on Hayato's field, [Summoner-Aleister]'s effect will naturally only be applied to him. When Aleister's magic power flows from the wand into [Five-Element Magician]'s body, its attack and defense values ​​increase dramatically!
[Five-Array Magician] [ATK4500→5500]

If the Five Elements Magician had attacked the Witchcraft Master, Vera, earlier, she might have been able to retaliate by using "Crystallization Spells" to enhance her defenses. However, the Five Elements Magician has now increased her attack power to a level that Vera cannot defend against no matter how much magic she uses. Vera can also see that the magical attributes used to enhance the Five Elements Magician are highly similar to her own spells!
"Crowley, you bastard!" Aleister gritted her teeth at Aleister for stealing her magical secrets, but what bothered her even more was that Hayato, who had placed two cards and sent the [Summoner - Aleister] card to the graveyard, now had zero cards in his hand—thus fulfilling the condition he had mentioned earlier for activating the [Infernal Flame] card's effect!

"The effect of [Infernal Beetle] activates the instant I have 0 cards in my hand! I Tribute this card on the field and Special Summon two more [Infernal Beetles] from my Deck!"

【Eternal Flame Beetle】【DEF0】

【Eternal Flame Beetle】【DEF0】

One monster multiplied into two. Hayato put down two cards and then picked up one of them, along with the card "Level Thief Bug," saying, "And another important ability hidden in 'Infernal Beetle' is that it's a Tuner monster!"

"Send my Level 2 Tuner monster [Infernal Beetle] and Level 1 non-Tuner monster [Level Thief Bug] from my field to the Graveyard as Synchro Materials. The material requirement is to have at least one Tuner monster plus one non-Tuner monster!"

"A verdant breeze arises, and riding upon its magnificent wings and sword claws is the Great Bird of the Clouds—Synchron Summon, Level 2☆+1☆=3☆!"

"Show your claws—[Shining Swordbird]!"

【Kasumigami - Shining Swordbird】【3☆/Wind】

[Bird/Beast Race/Synchro/Effect]

[0/2300]

Watching the giant bird that flew out of Synchro Light and landed on Hayato's field—a bird that looked incredibly aggressive but actually had zero attack power but maxed out defense—Vell couldn't help but say, "Dragon, Angel, Insect, and then Winged Beast—aside from [Five-Element Magician] and Crowley's part, your deck is hardly a 'pure Spellcaster' deck!"

To everyone's surprise, Hayato was not ashamed at all; instead, he had a rather satisfied expression: "Hmm, this is a long-awaited retort. As expected, we have to come to another world to duel."

"So, in your original world, the other people are already used to your 'high-purity' duels?" Vera retorted, looking at the giant bird. "But a monster with 0 attack power can't even beat Jenny."

"I'm just disguising myself as a maid, not some weakling who can't even kill a chicken, Lady Vera." Hearing herself being used as a comparison of combat strength, [Endymion's Maid - Jenny] pushed up her glasses and protested.

Hayato then said after putting down the card, "Don't underestimate [Kasumi Bird - Shining Sword Bird]. It is a ferocious monster that lives in [Valley of Kasumi] and is good at ambushing and toying with enemies from the sky. Its effect is to target one face-up monster on the field once per turn, reduce the target monster's ATK to 0 and negate its effects."

"I want to apply this effect only to the [Master Witchcraft Craftsman - Master Vera] on the opponent's field!"

With a wave of Hayato's hand, the [Kasumigami-Kasumigami] immediately took flight and swooped down towards Vera. Even though its attack power was 0, its ferocious claws didn't seem incapable of causing any damage. Vera felt that if she didn't do something, her face would definitely be scratched!

Even though this body is a "puppet" that was temporarily created, she, who loves beauty more than anything, cannot accept the fact that she is disfigured!

"Instead of letting you negate my effect, I might as well use it now!" Vera said, discarding a card from her hand. "My own effect: During both players' turns, I discard one Spell Card from my hand to activate this effect, negating the effects of all monsters on the opponent's field until the end of the turn!"

"Including this big bird that tried to attack me!"

"Crystallization Magic - Sigh of the Dawn Goddess!"

As Vera discarded the magic card in her hand, the magic power contained within it was extracted and transformed into a crystal. Vera held the crystal with both hands and threw it high into the air. Once it reached a certain height, she immediately detonated the magic power contained within it!
In an instant, the crystalline magic crystals shattered into a shower of dust, like falling stardust. But the moment they touched any living creature, the crystal dust began to recombine, forming huge clusters of crystals on the monsters in Hayato's arena, hindering their movements—including the [Kasumigami-Kasumigami], which was forced to land halfway down due to the crystal clusters that appeared on its body!
[Vell: 4000LP, Hand: 2→1]

After a series of interactions, Vera's hand was reduced to only one card. Hayato, who had seen what cards Vera had discarded earlier, naturally knew that the remaining card was "Demonstration of Witchcraft," which was recycled by the effect of "Witchcraft Substitute Master." This meant that although Vera had avoided the negation effect of "Shining Bird - Shining Sword Bird," the combat power bonus that the effect of "Witchcraft Master - Master Vera" could provide to her Spellcaster monsters had been reduced to only 1000 points.

More importantly, Hayato also forced out Vera's troublesome negation effect. Although the opponent still has two unknown face-down cards ready to be used in the back row, at least in the short term, his development is now unimpeded!

"I will activate the effect of [Level Thief Bug] in my graveyard once again to lower the Level of [Five-Element Magician] and Special Summon it."

Retrieving the card, Hayato picked it up along with another [Infernal Beetle]. "After that, I sent my other Level 2 Tuner monster [Infernal Beetle] and this Level 1 non-Tuner monster [Level Thief Bug] that I just summoned to the Graveyard as Synchro Material. The material requirement is one or more Tuner monsters plus one non-Tuner monster!"

"Roaring music, surging steam, let's form a band for life!"

"Summoning Synchro, Level 2☆ + 1☆ = 3☆!"

"Heavy metal band - [Army Band]!"

The Hyperdimension Neptunia DLC, in my opinion, is only so-so. It could have been better, but the actual experience wasn't great.