Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Well then, this is how you should greet someone, even though there are still a few annoying guys who shouldn't be here... Anyway, it's been a long time, Judai~"

"Is this the true face of the mastermind behind everything?" John didn't react to the other person's words. After all, the other person had been acting as if they knew Jaden very well from the beginning, but Jaden had said that they didn't remember the other person at all. John thought this was just another piece of nonsense from the other person. "An elf I've never seen before. No, that neither-male-nor-female, neither-human-nor-dragon appearance, is it an elf?"

He didn't notice that Judai's eyes widened suddenly after seeing the other person's plastic surgery. A sharp pain suddenly shot through his head, accompanied by indescribable complex emotions and a flood of memories that had been sealed away at some point. This caused Judai to stagger back a step, clutching his head in pain.

"Judai!?" Asuka, who was being pulled away from the dueling area by Rei, saw this and hurriedly went to help Judai, but saw that Judai waved his hand to refuse and made a gesture for them not to come near him.

With one hand covering his head, Jaden stared at the other person with an incredulous expression. Amidst the astonished gazes of the others, he suddenly spoke: "...Yubel?"

“Yuber? That sounds like a man’s name. Is it a woman?” Rei said subconsciously, then suddenly realized, “Wait, Judai-sama, do you know her?”

John and Asuka also showed surprised expressions, but neither Judai nor Yubel were paying attention to anything else while looking at each other. Yubel, the true form of the golden energy life form, showed a rather happy expression when he heard Judai's words: "Yes, it is me, Judai, the one you love deeply, the one who loves you deeply, the one you abandoned, and the one who still loves you!"

“That’s right, that’s it. Just keep looking at me like this. There’s nothing more important to us than this, isn’t there? It’s really gratifying that you recognized me at a glance, didn’t you?”

"You acted like you didn't recognize me before, which was so heartbreaking... Although I didn't appear in front of you in my current form before, if it were you, Judai, who is like an inseparable part of my soul, it would be impossible for you not to recognize me. That would be too much!"

"But it's okay, as long as you give me your love, I will forgive you for everything you did wrong before, because only your love is something that must belong to me."

Looking at Yubel, who was holding her cheeks in her hands and blushing, Jaden lowered his hands and said, "Although I don't know why I only remembered you now, Yubel, what was it that made you hurt so many people!"

"Tsk, why bring up people other than the two of us at a time like this? Judai, your rating in my heart is going to drop, probably from 10,000 to 9,999, right? But it's okay, because it'll be back to 10,000 in the next millisecond." Even though Judai looked a little angry, Yubel could only see Judai's cuteness and the side that she loved. "If you really want to ask me... is this a necessary sacrifice?"

"Don't use Hayato-sensei's words to answer such serious questions!" Jaden said angrily. "Shouldn't you be my important partner? Why, why did you do such a terrible thing? Do you know how much pain your recent actions have caused? And Professor Cobra and the others, some people have already died because of you!"

"That's why I told you! Don't mention anyone else!" Yubel was getting a little angry too. "We finally got back together, why make me unhappy at a time like this!"

"As for hurting others? Inflicting pain on others? Judai, do you even remember how many slices of bread you've eaten? Besides, 'pain is love,' isn't that exactly what you taught me?"

"Alright, Jaden, hurry up and continue your turn, because I can't wait to kill John Anderson. Then, it'll be the duel I've been waiting for, just the two of us."

Hearing the other party's urging, Jaden glanced at the card in his hand. Although he had dealt with the troublesome [Awakened Three Phantom Demons] and [Paradise Lost] one after another, now that he knew his opponent's true identity was actually the "Yubel" he knew, his mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't find his previous state.

【"Ghana Malden" → Ubel: 15400LP, Hand: 1】

【Thunder Emperor - Hamon】【DEF4000】

[Fantasy Emperor-Rabiel][ATK3000]

【Leviathan】【ATK3000】

Backcourt: [The Resurrection of the Demonic Realm]

[Yujo Judai: 1500LP, Hand: 4→3]

【M·hero Kamikaze】【DEF1900】

【E·hero Sky Warrior】【DEF300】

【Winged Kuriboh LV6】【DEF200】

John Anderson: 4000LP, Hand: 2

Back row: [Sapphire Beast - Topaz Tiger] [Ultimate Sapphire Beast - Rainbow Dragon] [Sapphire Beast - Emerald Turtle]

Chapter 1817 The Tram Choice

"My turn, let's continue..." Judai glanced at Yubel, forcibly bringing his thoughts back to the duel. "Although there are too many things I don't understand right now, there is at least one thing I am sure of—that is, for everyone's safety, I must defeat you here, Yubel!"

"I activate the Spell Card [Angel's Charity]. I draw three cards from my deck and discard two cards from my hand." After looking at the cards, Jaden realized that despite saying that, his mind was still in turmoil, so much so that his usually lucky draws had become quite bad, and he hadn't drawn any cards that could change the situation.

"Don't talk like you can actually do it just because you say so, Jaden." Yubel sneered and said confidently, "Although you destroyed [Paradise Lost] and [Seven Essences Release Gate], you still haven't solved the most crucial problem, which is the existence of the monsters on my field."

"The fact that the two 'Phantom Demons' have lost their resistance is secondary, but don't forget that [Demon God - Leviathan] is a monster that absolutely cannot be destroyed by effects, otherwise it will bring about an even more fatal death!"

"Of the three cards you have left in your hand, besides [Miracle Exorcist], are the other two cards enough to take out all three of my high-level monsters, including 'Phantom Demon'? Judging from your expression, it seems you haven't drawn any usable cards at all."

“Yuber…”

"Don't be fooled by his words, Judai!" Suddenly, John spoke up, intervening between Judai and Yubel, causing Judai to instinctively look to his side.

Although Jaden's current efforts are to protect himself, John said without hesitation, "Although I don't know what kind of past you have with that guy named 'Yubel,' I still say the same thing—Jaden, you don't need to care about me."

"That somber look isn't the Jaden I know. I understand your desire to protect me, but you also need to understand that sometimes wanting everything means getting nothing, like the trolley problem."

"Winning the duel, saving more people, and protecting me—these two things are now like being tied to the tracks, and the speeding train will eventually run over one of them. But right now, the more important and obvious thing is to defeat 'Yubel' in front of you. You've already realized that, haven't you? So let's focus all our efforts on that."

Upon hearing the "trolley problem," Jaden recalled a similar dilemma he and Johan had encountered during a demonstration duel at the start of the school year. "But if it's just about defeating Yubel, Johan, you—"

"Judai, you don't need to worry about me." Judai repeated this for the third time. In John's eyes, there was no fear or anxiety, only pure trust and expectation. "Compared to my safety, everyone else is more important. I truly believe you can protect everyone, so I'm willing to give myself for you—"

"That's not true at all!"

This time, it was Judai who interrupted John: "Having to make a choice is so annoying, isn't it? I hate those kinds of multiple-choice questions, like the trolley problem. Why doesn't anyone choose to stop the trolley?"

John's expression turned serious as he tried to dissuade Judai: "Don't be so childish!"

Jaden replied earnestly, "But how will you know you can't do it if you don't try!"

"To see me as a 'train'? That really hurts me, Judai!" Yubel looked sorrowful. "But, I have to admit, I did have the idea of ​​using the train to cleanse everything on the 'rails'—that is, everything you care about, Judai. If I didn't do that, you would never come back to me, right?"

"Stop joking, Yubel!" After John's "talking therapy," Judai regained some of his previous momentum. "If it weren't for your radical actions, how could we have gotten into this dangerous situation!"

“I’ve figured it out. I want to protect John and then bring everyone back to their original world, so I’m going to stop the ‘trolley’—which means defeating Yubel!”

After taking another look at the cards in his hand, Jaden took a deep breath and took out two of them: "I don't have any cards in my hand that can do that right now, but I do have cards in my graveyard that can bring that hope!"

"First, I discard two cards from my hand under the effect of [Angel's Charity]. Then, I activate the second effect of [EN Switch], which I activated earlier. I can only activate this effect by banishing this card from my graveyard. I can select one [E·hero] monster and one [N] monster from my graveyard, or one [E·hero Neos] monster, and return them to my deck. After that, I draw one card from my deck."

"Return [N-Earth Mole] and [E-Hero Liquid Man] from my graveyard to the deck, then draw a card!"

Jaden's eyes lit up when he looked at the card he had drawn, because he had finally found a card that could deal with the [Demon God - Leviathan] on Yubel's field.

"Continuous Spell Card [Future Fusion] activated!"

The card Jaden played was the same one John had played in the previous turn – [Future Fusion], which sends Fusion Materials from the Deck to the Graveyard this turn and performs a Fusion Summon in his next turn.

It would have been quite possible to activate this card during John's turn and have its effect take effect smoothly, but for Jaden to activate it now, which is a bit too late.

"【Future Fusion】 would allow me to send the Fusion Materials needed for a Fusion Monster from my Deck to the Graveyard and perform a Fusion Summon on my next turn, but I agree with John's point of view—instead of hoping for future possibilities, let's end it all now!" Jaden took four cards from his Deck. "I want to perform a Future Fusion Summon for 【E-Hero Neos】, so I'll send the Fusion Materials needed for it—【E-Hero Neos】—and three 【N】 monsters with different attributes from my Deck to the Graveyard!"

Yubel understood Judai's meaning: "Masaka—Judai, your goal is the same as John Anderson's, you just need to use that card to build up graveyard materials!"

“That’s it!” Jaden sent the cards in his hand to the graveyard. “The cards I sent to the graveyard are [E·Hero Neos], [N·Earth Mole] which just returned to the deck, [N·Radiant Moss], and [N·Water Wave Dolphin].

“Is heir to ‘light’? It seems there’s no more suitable opponent than us.” Behind Judai, [N·Water Wave Dolphin] crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"It's just a remnant of the 'Light of Destruction,' watch me push it back!" [N·Earth Mole] looked eager to try.

However, [N·Radiant Moss] remained quite calm and said in a cool female voice, "Now is a time of life and death for the Elf world. Although it requires risking one's life, it is worth a try."

"We can't just leave Neos with fond memories." Even the sleeping [N·Dark Panther] in the Tenth Generation Graveyard stepped forward.

Behind Jaden, the monsters of [N] gathered. These spirits of "Darkness of Justice" came to fight against "Light of Destruction" and were prepared to fight to the death with Yubel, the "successor of Light of Destruction".

Meanwhile, Judai inserted a spell card into the Spell Trap Zone: "Because I have [E·Hero Neos] in my Graveyard, the power of this card will be fully unleashed—Spell Card [Easy Contact] activated!"

A warm pink aura emanated from Jaden's deck, causing Yubel to widen her eyes: "This aura...it's so warm, but why is it that such a gentle heart has been transferred to another being, Jaden!"

"I never intended to love any one being exclusively, and Yubel could never belong to you alone!" Jaden said, taking out a card. "Under the effect of [Easy Contact], I can Special Summon a Level 7 or lower [E·hero] monster or [N] monster from my Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions. Only if [E·hero Neos] is on my field or in my Graveyard can the monster Special Summoned by this effect attack; otherwise, its effect will be negated, and it will return to its owner's Extra Deck during the End Phase."

I Special Summon this card!

[N·Earth Mole] behind Jaden stepped forward, transforming into a ball of light and rushing towards the earth. The next moment, a giant drill spun and broke through the sand platform. [E·Hero Neos], clad in armor formed from the earth-attribute power provided by [N·Earth Mole], arrived on Jaden's field—or more accurately, he is now called [E·Hero Neos]!

【E·hero Earth Neo-Universe】【7☆/Land】

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2500/2000]

"We've directly Special Summoned [E·Hero Earth Neos], which previously required contact fusion to summon!" Rei Saotome exclaimed excitedly. "Amazing, Judai-sama!"

“But, using that kind of power comes at a price, doesn’t it?” Asuka noticed that Jaden’s condition was getting worse and worse—not his spirit, which had finally managed to pull itself together, but his body, which was already under a great burden.

"Yes, because this card requires me to pay 1000 Life Points to activate." Jaden paid out his few remaining Life Points again. Because the remaining amount was too low, Jaden was already feeling extremely tired. In particular, the fact that "Phantom Demon" was still on the opponent's field increased Jaden's burden.

【游城十代：1500→500LP，手牌：3→3→4→3→2】

"But that's not all, because I have a Fusion Monster called [E·hero] Special Summoned to my field. In this case, [Cross Guardian] in my Graveyard can activate its effect by banishing itself!"

When Judai pulled a card from the graveyard, Yubel was also stunned: "When was that card... the one from earlier, 'Angel's Charity'?"

“That time I discarded cards, I sent [Miracle Excluder] and [Cross Watchman] to the graveyard. Now is the time for him to unleash his remaining power!” Jaden said, drawing cards from his deck. “I draw two cards from my deck, and then choose one card from my hand to return to the bottom of the deck.”

With three cards left in his hand, Jaden wasn't in a hurry to unleash more. Instead, he pointed towards Yubel's field: "Although [E-Hero Neo-Earth] won't return to the Extra Deck at the end of the turn due to the effect of [Easy Contact] because I already have [E-Hero Neo-Earth] in my Graveyard, it does have the effect of returning to the Extra Deck during the End Phase. So before that, I'll use its effect!"

"Let's use our drills to break through the sky!"

Despite being unable to enter the battle phase, Jaden's [E·hero Earth Neos] activated the giant drill attached to his right arm, causing it to spin rapidly before plunging into the ground. The spiraling drill disappeared into a hole that appeared on the field, only to reappear shortly after a large hole suddenly appeared beneath the feet of [Magical God - Leviathan] on Yubel's field!?

“Once per turn, the effect of [E·hero Earth Neos] allows you to return one monster your opponent controls to their hand. This is not an effect destruction, so it won't trigger the effect of [Magical God - Leviathan]!” Jaden continued, “Then my [M·hero Kamikaze] has a continuous effect that allows your opponent to attack with only one monster during the Battle Phase. Even if [Awakened Egyptian God Cards] returns to your field, it cannot be negated.”

"【Winged Kuriboh LV6】can destroy the monster that launches your attack, and instead deal you a large amount of damage equal to its original attack power—in other words, I have eliminated the danger you posed to John, Yubel!"

Looking at the three cards remaining in his hand, Jaden placed two face-down and said, "I'll face-down two more cards in my hand last, end of turn."

"Then at the very end of the turn, [E·hero Earth Neos] will return to my Extra Deck, and [E·hero Bubble Man], which was previously banished by [Blessing of the Elements], will return to my field."

[Yujo Judai: 500LP, Hand: 2→3→1]

【M·hero Kamikaze】【DEF1900】

【E·hero Sky Warrior】【DEF300】

【Winged Kuriboh LV6】【DEF200】

【E·hero Bubble Warrior】【DEF1200】

Backcourt: [Future Fusion] [Face Card] x2

"Damn it, Neo-Hero!" Yubel gritted her teeth angrily as she watched Jaden find a way to break the threat she posed to John Anderson. However, her anger stemmed more from the fact that Jaden had used the Neo-Hero, which was not hers, again in order to protect John Anderson, who was not hers.

If Jaden were using her own cards or working so hard to protect herself, she wouldn't be angry at all. But now, she can only watch helplessly as others receive Jaden's care and protection, while she gets nothing in return...

I just managed to defeat John Anderson's monster, so why do I feel like I've been defeated by him again? It's infuriating and infuriating!

"You're too smug, Jaden! You should know the common sense that 'gacha pulls can create miracles,' so how can you guarantee that I won't create an even bigger threat this turn that you can't stop and kill John Anderson?"

With his fingers resting on the deck, Yubel grinned maliciously. "Trust in the deck can create miracles, bonds with friends can evoke hope, and feelings for elves can bring possibilities. But no one has ever said that emotions like hatred, anger, jealousy, or sadness can't prevent someone from drawing the card they want—in fact, such emotions are more suited to carrying out destruction and annihilation!"

"Behold, this gacha pull leads to ruin! My turn, Draw!"

As Yubel drew the card, a powerful resentment rose from her, even overpowering the aura of the "Phantom Demons"!