Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"But John, you haven't forgotten my [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] on the field, have you? Just now, because of my hand limitations, its effect could only be negated and monsters banished. Your [Heavenly Treasure] certainly allowed you to draw a full six cards, but in return, I also replenished my hand with three types of cards: Spell, Trap, and Monster!"

Looking at the [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] on the field, holding a lance and ready to attack at any moment, Hayato seemed to be threatening, but he was actually intentionally reminding John:

"The Earth Spider alone is no match for me. What kind of moves will you make next? Monsters or magic? Whatever it is, it won't even take a second to crush your resistance against Merkaba!"

John nodded: "Ah, I see. But Mr. Hayato, the effect of [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] can only be used once per turn, right? Although it is an all-around and serious negation and banishment ability, as long as you bait it out with a card that must be negated before you can make a crucial play!"

As he spoke, he threw out a card, and lightning flashed and thunder roared above Hayato's head.

"The Spell Card [Lightning Strike] destroys all monsters on your opponent's field. Now, let your [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] negate and banish [Lightning Strike], Mr. Hayato!"

Looking at John, who was convinced that he would do as he wanted, Hayato curled his lip: "Although he seems to have become more confident, he has also become a bit annoying."

"Then, [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], as he needs, I send the Spell Card [Super Polymerization] from my hand to the Graveyard, tear apart [Lightning Strike]!"

Hayato casually sent the [Super Fusion], which he knew would never hear again in this duel, to the graveyard. The tip of [Summon - Merkaba] on the field glowed and shot into the sky, tearing apart the thunderclouds that had not yet fully gathered.

Although Kang was tricked, the [Lightning Strike] skill still requires the [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] effect, because if it gets destroyed, then this effect will be wasted.

Looking at the summoned beast Merkaba that had lowered its hand, John smiled and said, "Nice. Now I can use the effect of [Mega Throw] without worry."

"Hmm?" Hayato raised an eyebrow, recalling that John had indeed played a Continuous Spell Card on the field before activating [Heavenly Treasure Card]. So it wasn't to draw an extra card to clear his hand?

Looking at the prominent Insect-Type monsters like Insect Man, Spider Man, and Cockroach Ball on John's back field card, it was almost clear that this card was meant to support Insect-Type monsters. However, Hayato hadn't played Insect-Type decks much, and the only Insect-Type user he knew was the long-deceased Yuga, so he didn't know the effect of this card.

John has already begun his formal introduction: "The first effect of [Mega Throw] is that it can be activated during my Main Phase of the turn this card is activated, allowing me to Special Summon one Insect-Type monster with a Level of 6 or lower from my Graveyard. However, since I can only use one of its two effects per turn, I chose to Special Summon [Earth Spider] with [Monster Reborn]."

As he spoke, John drew a card from his hand and showed it to Hayato. It was an Insect-Type monster card: "The second effect of [Giant Pitch]: I can show you this Insect-Type monster [Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Fighter] from my hand, Mr. Hayato. You can also target 1 face-up monster on your opponent's field and 1 Insect-Type monster on my field with less ATK than the monster shown to you."

John's [Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Warrior], which had a high level of 8☆ and looked very impressive, actually had a rather low attack power, only 1500 points, which was half the level of a [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]. It was basically at the level of a "minor monster with an attack power of less than 1500".

Even so, the attack power of his [Earth Spider] was even lower, at 0, so John successfully chose the target of the effect: [Earth Spider] and Hayato's [Primal Life Form - Nibiru].

This gave Hayato a sudden, ominous feeling.

John suddenly picked up the card "Earth Spider": "Now, because of the effect of 'Giant Pitch,' control of the target's two monsters is switched! Take good care of 'Earth Spider' for me, Mr. Hayato, and I'll also make good use of your 'Primal Life Form - Nibiru'!"

"What?!"

To Hayato's utter bewilderment, a blurry phantom appeared on both his and John's fields, each grabbing one of the monsters: [Earth Spider] and [Primal Lifeform - Nibiru]. Then, as if a forced communication exchange had been executed, the two phantoms tossed the two monsters to the opposite side like baseballs!

As the "Meteorite" [Primal Life Form - Nibiru] landed on his field, John held up two fingers and said triumphantly, "I got [Primal Life Form - Nibiru]!"

Hayato, on the other hand, was furious as he watched his massive meteorite transform into a cowering Earth Spider: "Damn it! I'm the one who NTRs other people's monsters, and you actually stole mine! Unforgivable, Belial! What have you been teaching this kid?!"

"That's really a double standard, typical of a brother-in-law," Malik remarked.

Atum, standing to the side, shrugged: "Exchange cards and such is nothing unexpected for me to end up in the hands of John, whom Rafael taught."

After the Doma incident began, in Atem's second duel with Rafaelna since the KC Cup, Rafaelna used [Hand Exchange] to forcibly exchange cards with Atem, giving him [Orichalcos Barrier], which is almost exactly the same situation as now.

However, there seemed to be some changes in the [Primal Life Form - Nibiru] that appeared on John's field.

[Primitive Life Form - Nibiru] [Rock Race → Insect Race]

"The monster I gain control of due to the effect of [Giant Pitch] will become an Insect-Type monster. Then, since I have an Insect-Type monster on my field in Attack Position, I Special Summon [Dream Cicada - Sleep] from my hand!"

Chapter 848 Change Beetle!

Having transformed into the insect race's [Primitive Life Form - Nibiru], John summoned an insect whose body reflected a metallic sheen.

However, although its name is "Cicada", this [Dream Cicada - Sleeping] looks much closer to its nymph stage, which can be seen from its attack and defense stats.

【Dream Cicada - Sleep】【3☆/Wind】

[Insect Clan/Effect]

[300/1300]

“Although I still haven’t been able to hear a voice from the card, I believe that one day I will find friends and partners who understand me and work together to achieve our dreams.” John said, holding a card in his hand. “Even if we remain silent like a cicada and cannot respond, the power of our bonds will eventually blossom!”

"Because of the Special Summon of [Dream Cicada - Sleep], the strongest monster in my deck has met its own Special Summoning conditions. I Special Summon this card from my hand in Attack Position!"

With that, John placed the [Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Fighter] card from his hand, which he had just shown to Hayato in order to use the effect of [Giant Power Pitch], onto the Duel Disk, and shouted with great momentum: "Let the cries resound through the sky, let the pulse flow endlessly, let the power converge into one under the guidance of the heart! Eternal Heavy Armor!"

"Change-Beetle! [Beetle Fusion - Six-Bug Stag Beetle Warrior]!"

On John's field, a total of six insects appeared one after another, their size being much larger than that of ordinary insect monsters, including butterflies, stag beetles, wasps and other varieties.

After all six insects appeared, they gathered together, just like on the set of Super O team, and began to combine and merge into a huge, upright combined warrior, just like their name suggests, a fighter standing on the earth!

【Beetle Fusion - Six-Bug Stag Beetle Warrior】【8☆/Wind】

[Insect Clan/Effect]

[1500/2600]

"Wow, so cool! This is completely different from any insectoid monster I know!" Jonouchi's eyes widened, his pupils shining. He was even more excited than John about the appearance of [Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Warrior].

"It's a creature that completely overturns the conventional image of the insect race. Although its attack and defense capabilities are just so-so, its strength is temporary, but its coolness is forever," Honda said excitedly.

Even Malik nodded vigorously, saying, "That's right, that's right, and fusion is indeed a man's romance!"

"Tch, Hayato said long ago that men can be romantic about anything if they want to." Compared to the boys who hadn't even graduated from their chuunibyou phase, Kyoko's reaction wasn't as intense, but looking at the [Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Warrior] leaning on a giant sword made of carapace, she frankly said, "But, it really is the most handsome insect race I've ever seen."

Most of the insect-type monsters that leave a deep impression are abstract cards like [Parasitic Parasite] and [Perforator]. Although there have been some decent monsters like [Insect Princess] before, compared to them, [Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Warrior] is not only not cool, but it's a complete rip-off.

Moreover, although its base stats may seem like those of a low-level monster, it is, after all, a Level 8☆ monster and the strongest card in John's deck, so it naturally has more than just a Special Summon effect.

"【Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Warrior】Can combine the power of other allies. The presence of each other Insect-Type monster on the field increases its attack power by 300 points. This effect does not distinguish between friend and foe."

Lend me your power!

As John finished speaking, light emanated from beneath the feet of his three Insect-Type monsters: [Primal Life Form - Nibiru], [Dream Cicada - Sleepy Sleep], and Hayato's [Earth Spider]. Three streams of light flowed into the body of [Beetle Fusion - Six Insect Stag Beetle Fighter].

[Beetle Fusion - Six-Bug Stag Beetle Warrior] [ATK1500→2400]

"It's not over yet. I haven't made a normal summon this turn. Finally, I'll summon [Blade Fly] from my hand in attack position to give [Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Fighter] another 300 attack points."

John summoned a monster from his hand and waved his hand, saying, "And because of the effect of [Blade Fly], all WIND monsters on the field gain 500 ATK and EARTH monsters lose 400 ATK."

"Face the storm!"

【Blade Fly】【2☆/Wind】

[Insect Clan/Effect]

【600/700→1100/700】

【Dream Cicada - Sleep Mode】【ATK300→800】

【Earth Spider】【ATK0→0】

[Beetle Fusion - Six-Bug Stag Beetle Warrior] [ATK 2400→2700→3200]

Suddenly, John's monsters on the field had a combined ATK of 8100, while Hayato only had two monsters on the field: [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] with 2500 ATK and [Earth Spider] with 0 ATK. Was Hayato about to have his Life Points wiped out by John?

In particular, John still had two cards in his hand, while Hayato had a full hand of cards but no cards in his back row. Even his most frequently used Rainbow Kuriboh, which could block attacks, was banished earlier to summon Merkaba and couldn't help Hayato!

"Enter my battle phase!"

Hearing John's declaration, Hayato, who was clearly at a disadvantage even beginners like Honda and Kyoko could see, showed no panic and remained calm: "Heh heh, you can actually summon such a lineup? But instead of choosing defense to indicate a defensive stance, you're attacking me, Kobayashi Hayato?"

"Because if I don't attack first, there's no way I can defeat you, Mr. Hayato."

John's face showed a determined expression, and Hayato nodded and said, "Then let's get closer and begin the attack."

John glanced at Hayato's field and ordered, "First, I'll use [Primal Life Form - Nibiru] to attack Mr. Hayato's [Summoned Beast - Merkaba]—uh, what's its attack move called again?"

After a pause, John couldn't recall the name Hayato had shouted during his attack, and decisively chose to give up. "Anyway, John, charge!"

Although the name is not very imposing, the [Primal Life Form - Nibiru] with an attack power of 3000 points is still quite shocking when it moves. After the huge meteorite was transformed into an insect, the blades that grew from the split humanoid hands were also shaped like mantis blades, and they were swung at Hayato's original companion on the field - [Summon - Merkaba]!

Unlike before when Hayato attacked Giga due to the effect of "Blazing Duelists," this time "Primal Life Form - Nibiru" completely transformed the attack power of the massive "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" into its full potential! Even the "Chariot," which could bring victory, could not withstand it!

If Hayato does not use any cards from his hand.

"You actually used a meteor that stole from me to destroy my [Merkaba]? John, you're really despicable." Hayato looked panicked. "It's over. [Merkaba] was tricked. It's just a blank card, but the meteor has a whopping 3000 attack power."

"We can't beat them! How are we supposed to fight this?"

As Hayato finished speaking, the humanoid figure that split off from [Primal Life Form - Nibiru] arrived in front of [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], swung down the mantis blade in its hand, and clashed with the latter's lance.

A battle between a monster with an attack power of 3000 and one with an attack power of 2500 is such a classic stat combination that even seasoned veterans like Joey and Yugi have seen such battles on TV more than once. The most famous example is Yugi's Dark Magician and Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Without a doubt, given such a significant numerical difference, it was Hayato's [Summon - Merkaba] that would be destroyed in the battle. In fact, at the instant it made contact with the Mantis Blade, the lance in the humanoid upper body of [Summon - Merkaba] was indeed broken.

However, just as [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] was about to be decapitated and destroyed, the beast riding on the lower half of [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], which had been ignored, suddenly raised its head and used its sharp horn to pierce through the unsuspecting body of [Primal Life Form - Nibiru], destroying it in the opposite direction!

John's base score was even reduced by 500 points, almost making people think that John was the one fighting with a monster with an attack power of 2500!

John: 4000 → 3500 LP

"What happened?" John looked at the [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], which could conjure up a lance at any moment, only to find that the monster's attack power had somehow increased to 3500 points!

Upon closer inspection, a humanoid figure dressed in a mage's robe appeared on the body of the [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], which was a combination of human, beast, and chariot. It was none other than one of the fusion materials used by Hayato to fuse and summon [Summoned Beast - Merkaba]—[Summoner - Aleister]?

"Oh dear, this is a powerful monster that I summoned with great difficulty. Wouldn't it be a shame to just destroy it like this?" Standing on the chariot, [Summoner-Aleister] said with a smile.

At the same time, Hayato also showed the [Summoner - Aleister] card in his hand and explained, "It was Aleister. Just now, at the moment when [Primal Life Form - Nibiru] was fighting [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], I activated the effect of [Summoner - Aleister] in my hand."

"You can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard, then target one Fusion Monster I control; that monster gains 1000 ATK and DEF until the end of this turn. This effect can also be activated during your opponent's turn."

Hayato said, sending the card in his hand to the graveyard, "The Summoner Aleister that was recovered from the banished zone by using the effect of Summoning Magic was the only card in my hand at the end of my turn. Because of him, I also drew one less card in the Treasure from Heaven. In exchange, what I got in return was the increased power of Summoned Beast Merkaba on my field right now!"

[Summoned Beast - Merkaba] [2500/2100→3500/3100]

With the effect of [Summoner - Ares], the attack power of [Summoned Beast - Merkaba] suddenly increased to the highest level in the entire field. Not only that, because [Primal Life Form - Nibiru], whose race changed to Insect, was destroyed in battle and returned to Hayato's graveyard, the attack power of John's [Beetle Fusion - Six Insect Stag Beetle Fighter] also decreased.

[Beetle Fusion - Six-Bug Stag Beetle Warrior] [ATK3200→2900]

"To think he could still launch a counterattack under these circumstances..." John was somewhat surprised and impressed by Hayato's tenacity. He truly deserved to be called the strongest duelist. At the same time, he was also surprised that Hayato didn't use the card effect openly. Instead, he kept it hidden until his monster was destroyed before revealing that he had used the card. It was too cunning.

Seeing the increased attack power of [Merkaba], John decisively played a card and said, "However, even so, I still won't give up. [Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Warrior] is not just for show. This mere [Summoned Beast - Merkaba], watch me push it back!"

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card in my hand, [Shōki Shitō]!"

As John inserted the card into the Duel Disk, his Life Points jumped dramatically, plummeting from 3500 to a mere 600!

At the same time, just as other insectoid monsters provided power to [Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Warrior], John's lost essence also turned into light and surged into his body, causing [Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Warrior]'s attack to surge!

[Beetle Fusion - Six-Bug Stag Beetle Warrior] [ATK2900→5800]

"During the Battle Phase, you can activate [Crazy Smash] by targeting one of my face-up monsters. This causes me to lose Life Points equal to that monster's ATK, and doubles the targeted monster's ATK until the end of the turn. Also, the targeted monster cannot attack directly during this turn."

Because he was confident of victory, John didn't use this card on the "Primal Life Form - Nibiru" that attacked "Summoned Beast - Merkaba". In addition, Hayato secretly used Alai's effect, which means that he can only use this card on the "Beetle Fusion - Six-Insect Stag Beetle Fighter" which has the highest attack power among the remaining monsters.