Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

【“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 a hand trap. As long as he waits for his turn, he can completely turn the card resources in his hand into real combat power to return to "Gana Malden", and also reclaim his own monster, and incidentally 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 size 5→6]

Chapter 1813 Even more noble than a hand trap is a three-speed hand trap.

"Out of the blue? You don't actually think I brought this card because I'm targeting you, John Anderson, do you? Stop trying to make yourself look good!"

Glancing at John, "Ghana Malden" turned his gaze to Judai and said with a smile, "What I'm wary of is just Judai's [Joyful Gathering - Meow Meow Leopard Cat] card."

Whether it's the "Magic God" part or the "Dark Summoning God" related to "Phantom Demon", "Gana Malden" mainly uses cards that are used to scavenge the graveyard and Special Summon monsters from the graveyard. Jaden's "Joyful Companion - Meow Meow Leopard Cat" has the ability to draw cards to counter monsters Special Summoned from the graveyard or banished by the opponent.

Although the effect is ultimately just a nerf to [G-Proliferation], and it also has the negative effects of not having any cards on your field and randomly returning cards from your hand if you draw too many cards in the end phase, it still has a deterrent effect on the "Gana Malden" deck.

Having learned about the card composition of Jaden's deck in advance, she naturally prepared the card "Great Explosion" to deal with Jaden. However, she did not expect John to join the duel and play the powerful card "Multiplying G" to replenish his hand, giving "Gana Malden" an opportunity to use this card in advance and counter John's move.

"Well, the good thing is that I don't have to worry about someone using a card like 'Hand Elimination' and causing me to draw too many cards from my deck and lose." Although he only had two cards left in his hand, John was quite relaxed. "Besides, my cards weren't sent to the graveyard; they just returned to the deck."

"But it would be a lie to say I'm not annoyed at all, so—Judai, let's work hard together, taking my share into account."

“Os!” Jaden nodded, then eagerly played the card in his hand. “Then I’ll activate the Spell Card, [Hero Arrival]! If I have no face-up monsters on my field, I pay half of my Life Points to activate this card and Special Summon one Level 4 or lower [E·hero] monster from my Deck!”

[Yujo Judai: 4000→2000LP, Hand: 6→5]

The biggest difference that the change in dueling style brought to Jaden was this: even when teaming up with John, because the two did not share the field and life points, Jaden could freely use the power of "Hero Arrival" to search for "E·hero" in the deck without worrying about using up too many life points or having to consider the impact of John's cards on the use of this card.

—Even though the venue is shared, it won't have any impact since John's monster has already been destroyed.

Since Jaden used "Hero's Arrival," if it were Edward or another "Hero" user, they might search for "E. Hero Skywalker" from the deck to assist in the search. However, Jaden has a better option that is unique to him:

"I Special Summon this [E·hero Bubble Man] from my Deck and apply its Summon Effect: If I have no other cards on my field, draw two cards from my Deck."

【E·hero Bubble Warrior】【DEF1200】

Using the effect of "Greed Hero," Jaden draws two cards and plays one of them, saying, "Then here's this Quick-Play Spell Card exclusive to 'E-Hero Bubble Hero,' called 'Bubble Illusion.' It can only be activated while 'E-Hero Bubble Hero' is face-up on my field. Under this card's effect, I can only activate one Trap Card directly from my hand once this turn."

Seeing that "Gana Malden" had only used "Great Devastation" at the beginning to reduce John's hand to only two cards, while keeping his remaining two face-down cards untouched, Jaden was somewhat wary as he was preparing to unleash his deck. If he were to be hit by a card like "Torrent Tribute," his "E-Hero" deck would not be able to withstand such a blow.

In terms of resistance, not only John's [Ultimate Jewel God - Rainbow Dragon], but also Jaden's [E·Hero] isn't much better. After spending a lot of time building up a final board, it might not even last as long as a [Lightning Strike]. Only a few [Hero] endgames, such as [E·Hero Shiny Neo Cosmic Wingman] and [M·Hero Atomic Fire], have some resistance to destruction, but that's about it. After all, these days there are more ways to clear the field than just destruction.

However, the situation changes after [Water Bubble Illusion] is activated, because Jaden can now play trap cards directly from his hand, and he has a Spell Speed ​​3 counter trap [Elemental Protection] in his hand.

When a Spell/Trap Card is activated, Jaden can banish one of his [E-Hero] cards until the End Phase to activate this card, negating and destroying the opponent's blocking activation. Because it is a high-speed card, it cannot be chained to other cards. Its only drawback is that it cannot deal with monster effects.

—But the problem is that of the five monster cards on the field for "Gana Malden" at this moment, the first effect of [Phantom King - Rabiel] can only be activated during the opponent's own turn phase, and the second effect is invalidated because the monster zone is full. [Dark Summoning God] is just a vanilla monster that can be ignored.

Needless to say, the three-body monsters that were taken from John are also useless. Not to mention that Jaden is well aware of their effects and knows that they don't have any powerful effects. The [Jade Beast - Blue Pegasus], whose control was transferred, is now even in a state of nullification. There are no monsters that pose a threat, so it doesn't matter if his [Elemental Blessing] can't negate the effects of monsters.

【Elemental Blessing】 should be saved for when necessary. Jaden has five cards left in his hand after being replenished, so he can now confidently begin his deck without worrying about being disturbed. Therefore, the first card he plays is—

"Normal Summon [E·hero Solid Man], then activate its summoning effect. When this card is successfully Summoned, Special Summon one Level 4 or lower [Hero] monster from my hand, and Special Summon [E·hero Flame Man].

Seeing that Jaden was about to Special Summon a monster, "Gana Malden" also played a card from his hand: "In that case, I will also activate this card from my hand, Jaden!"

"Trap Card [Spirit King's Wave]!"

"Just like [Red Reboot], a trap card activated from the hand!?" Jaden's eyes widened, not expecting that "Gana Malden" could play a card from his hand.

"If there is a card on my opponent's field, I can also activate [Spirit King's Wave] from my hand. This card can be activated when an effect of a Spell/Trap/Monster that Special Summons a Monster is activated, negating that effect, and if there is a Trap Card in my Graveyard, I can also destroy that negated card."

Explaining the card's effect, "Gana Malden" had a confident expression on his face. "In other words, Fusion Summoning or Ritual Summoning will become difficult to perform in front of this card. However, just like [Red Reboot] requires paying half of your Life Points as a cost, if this card is activated from the hand, I cannot activate the effects of LIGHT, EARTH, or WIND monsters during this Duel."

Clearly, this "cost" is quite significant for "Gana Malden," who primarily uses LIGHT Attribute Fiend-Type monsters. However, she can switch to the power of "Phantom Demon" at any time, and the DARK-based "Phantom Demon" cards are not restricted by this card's effect.

Trap cards activated from the hand can effectively avoid situations where the back row is full of face-down cards and there are no more counterattack options. "Gana Malden" may seem to have only three face-down cards at the end of the turn, but in practice, it can play a fourth card. However, Jaden also has "Bubble Illusion" to allow him to play a trap card on his first turn!

Jaden immediately handed over his Trap Card: "In that case, I'll also chain-activate my Trap Card—Counter Trap [Elemental Protection]!"

"When a Spell/Trap Card is activated, you can banish one face-up [E-hero] monster on your field until the end of this turn to negate that activation and destroy it!"

"I banished [E·hero Bubble Man] from my field, then negated and destroyed [Soul King's Wave], because [Elemental Blessing] is a Spell Speed ​​3 Counter Trap Card, and it can't be chained to activate if it's not a Counter Trap!"

(Foam cutter!)

【E·hero Bubble Man】voluntarily sacrifices himself, transforming into countless bubbles. The rapidly spinning bubbles, under the protection of the elements, transform into countless slashing blades, shooting towards the 【Spirit King's Wave】 that "Gana Malden" played in the back row after 【Great Explosion】 was activated!

The noble hand trap met an even nobler three-speed hand trap. [Soul King's Wave] was nullified and destroyed by the one that arrived first from behind. [E·Hero Solid Warrior] successfully dealt with its own effect under the protection of [Elemental Protection] and specially summoned another [Hero] from Jaden's hand.

【E·hero Solid State Drive】【DEF1100】

【E·hero Blaze】【DEF1800】

On the other hand, "Gana Malden" only lost one card. The inability to activate the effects of Light, Earth, and Wind monsters is a situation that only occurs after the successful activation of [Spirit King's Wave]. However, he is not affected because the activation of [Spirit King's Wave] has been negated.

Jaden was somewhat puzzled—he had assumed that the two cards in his opponent's hand would be the previously revealed [Demonic Throwing God Realm Staircase] and [Divine Flame Emperor - Uria], but now one of them had become [Spirit King's Wave]. Didn't that mean that his opponent had sent at least one of them to the graveyard using the effect of [Seven Essences Release Gate]?

Although the continued sealing over the past two years has weakened the power of the "Three Phantom Demons," making it impossible to use the full form effect like when Kagemaru was playing, allowing [God Flame Emperor - Uria] to be resurrected directly from the graveyard by discarding a trap card from the hand, Jaden felt that he needed to be prepared for the opponent to revive it from the graveyard by other means—for example, the two face-down cards in the opponent's back row that were still unknown.

Having thought this through, Jaden finished his thought, placed the card on the Duel Disk, and caught a card retrieved from his deck, saying, "Next is the effect of the Special Summoned [E·Hero Flameman], which adds a [Fusion] card from my deck to my hand."

"I'm adding 'Displacement Fusion' to my hand. This card's name is used as 'Fusion' according to the rules, but unlike 'Fusion,' this card can only be Fusion Summoned using monsters on the field as Fusion Materials."

"Next, I'll send my [E·hero Flameman] and [E·hero Solidman] monsters to the Graveyard as Fusion Materials to activate [Displacement Fusion], satisfying the requirement of having two [E·hero] monsters with different attributes as Fusion Materials!"

"The flame of fervor must never be extinguished! Beneath the earth of compassion, a new flame of hope is being nurtured; let it forge the thunderous power to pierce through the darkness!"

"Fusion Summon, Level 6☆!"

"Thunder breaks through the darkness, illuminating the path ahead—[E·hero Thunder Giant - Volt Thunder]!"

Thunder roared within Paradise Lost, but it was no longer the gloomy blue lightning of before; instead, a bright yellow lightning bolt struck Jaden's field. What appeared was a burly yet valiant lightning warrior!

【E·hero Thunder Giant - Volt Thunder】【6☆/Light】

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2400/1500]

"If I Special Summon [E·Hero Thunder Giant - Volt Thunder], and my opponent has more cards on their field than I do, I can activate this effect—sorry, John!" Jaden suddenly turned to John and apologized halfway through the effect.

“No, just do it, Jaden. I believe Sapphire and the others don’t want to continue in this controlled state.” John glanced at his back row cards and nodded to Jaden. “Topaz and the others said they have no objections, so—just do it!”

"Then, under the effect of [E·hero Thunder Giant - Volt Thunder], I will destroy all other cards on the field!"

Not only can the five monsters on the field of "Gana Malden" and Jaden's [E-Hero Thunder Giant - Volt Thunder] destroy even the cards in the opponent's back row!

This is why Jaden apologized to John, because he not only destroyed the cards on "Gana Malden"'s field, but also the cards on John's own back field.

However, it is clear that John and the remaining Jewel Beasts are determined to bring their companions back, even if it means sacrificing themselves, even if it means destroying the Jewel Beasts that have lost control of them. Since John and the others are thinking this way, then Jaden has no reason to hesitate!

However, looking at the lightning gathered in the hand of [E·hero Thunder Giant - Volt Thunder], "Gana Malden" laughed: "As expected of the Jaden I know. This duel is truly ruthless and cold-blooded. Choices and sacrifices that others find difficult to make are commonplace for you. I feel this fierce method... Your unparalleled 'love' for me, Jaden!"

"In return, I'll offer something of equal value, Judai—first, I'll use this card to eliminate all those annoying noises around you!"

As a face-down card was revealed in the backfield by "Gana Malden", her [Phantom Emperor - Rabiel] and the puppet [Thunder Emperor - Hamon] on the field moved at the same time, opening their mouths and roaring loudly at the field of Judai and John!

This wasn't some dark-type move from Pokémon, but a genuine, soul-shaking shock. In this double roar, not only was the lightning of [E·hero Thunder Giant - Volt Thunder] interrupted and dissipated in his hand, but Jaden and John also simultaneously heard the mournful cries of their respective card Pokémon!

"Curry..." "Giri..."

"Aibo?!" "Ruby!?"

On the other hand, the situation was completely the opposite for "Gana Malden". After roaring, the two "phantom demons" began to take deep breaths. The surrounding sand was forcibly decomposed into the energy that constituted them by the breathing of the two giant demon gods. It was then devoured and transformed into pure dueling energy, which was then fed back to "Gana Malden"!?

"Continuous Trap Card [Awakened Three Phantoms]! This card gains different levels of ability depending on the number of 'Three Phantoms' I control. In two or more cases, it not only allows me to recover Life Points equal to the ATK of each monster my opponent successfully Normal or Special Summons, but it can also negate the effects activated by monsters on my opponent's field!"

A golden light emanated from his body, a manifestation of overwhelming dueling energy. "Gana Malden" wore a joyful expression, which also meant that the thing Jaden and his friends least wanted to see had happened—the "Three Phantoms," possessing the absurd ability to "absorb the power of all the Pokémon in the world," began to unleash their power under the drive of this [Awakened Three Phantoms] card, constantly destroying this world of card Pokémon!

Everything that makes up this world will be regarded as part of the "Elves" by the "Phantoms," gradually absorbed and devoured, and supplied to "Gana Malden" as her power. The Elf Realm has a far greater number of Elves than the Human World. With their power supply, no one can imagine how much "Gana Malden's" power will expand!

Even with only two "Phantom Demons" present, their destructive speed in the Spirit World is already evident to Jaden and John, who can already sense the weakening state of Winged Kuriboh and Gemmon. If the speed increases further—that is, if a third "Phantom Demon" descends upon the field—they will likely be unable to hold on and be devoured to death very soon!

But it's not just that. Aside from the duel itself, the mere appearance of the card 【Awakened Three Phantoms】 is a major headache for Jaden and John. With two Phantoms on the field, this card gains a one-way 【Skill Drain】 effect; that's why the attack of 【E·Hero Thunder Giant - Volt Thunder】 was interrupted!

"This is bad." Jaden, who had already used Normal Summon and was forced to use [Blessing of the Elements] earlier, looked at the two opposing giants standing on the earth with a serious expression. He only had three cards left in his hand.

Chapter 1814 So Effective! Except for Miracles, Sir!

"However, the only thing that will be negated by the effect of [Awakened Three Phantoms] is the effect of the monsters on the field, right?" Jaden suddenly said, recalling the specific effect of [Awakened Three Phantoms] in Hayato's duel with Kagemaru.

"In that case, at least I can Special Summon this card back to the field."

Flames flickered on Jaden's field, and [E·hero Blaze], who had just been sent to the graveyard as fusion material, had somehow returned to his field!?

"That card is?" Frowning as he looked at [E·Hero Blaze], "Gana Malden" recalled the cards Jaden had just used and remembered one card, "Is it the effect of [E·Hero Solid State]?"

"If a monster is sent from the Monster Zone to the Graveyard by a Spell Card, the effect of [E-Hero Solid Warrior] can be activated. It Special Summons one [Hero] other than itself from my Graveyard back to the field in Defense Position. This effect is activated simultaneously with the successful Fusion Summon of [E-Hero Thunder Giant - Volt Thunder]." Jaden put down the card of [E-Hero Flame Warrior]. "However, while activating it, I deliberately talked to John, which distracted you so you didn't notice."

Although he didn't know why "Gana Malden" had such a twisted focus on him, it didn't stop Jaden from using the "trash talk in duels" technique he had learned from Hayato's lessons to distract his opponent and prevent him from noticing the cards he had quietly activated. And it had worked to some extent.

"The one I specially summoned is naturally the only one in my graveyard besides [E·hero Solid Man], [E·hero Blaze Man].

"But that monster's two effects have a restriction that only one can be used once per turn, right? Even if it re-enters the battlefield, it can't use the effect again." As she said, "Gana Malden" was indeed very knowledgeable about Jaden's cards, pointing out the restriction of the [E·Hero Flameman] effect, "Although, because of the existence of [Awakened Three Phantoms], it couldn't successfully use its effect in the first place."