Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

The answer is, in the cemetery of the tenth generation.

"Trap Card activated, [Hero Rule 1 - Five Freedoms], banish a total of five cards from both players' graveyards." Jaden opens his back row face-down card and banishes five cards from his own graveyard.

If this second-speed version of "Soul Release" had been activated before Manjoume used "Dragon's Mirror," it could have prevented the arrival of "Five Divine Dragons" by banishing even one Dragon-type monster from Manjoume's graveyard. However, when "Ruins of the Giant Dragon" was activated earlier, Jaden Karma did not anticipate that Manjoume's goal would be to summon "Five Divine Dragons."

When the moment [Dragon's Mirror] was successfully activated, the four Dragon-type monsters in Manjoume's graveyard were already banished. Even if Jaden activated a face-down card at that time, it would be of no use. At this moment, all the cards banished by his [Hero Rule 1 - Five Freedoms] were his own cards.

"【E·hero Sky Warrior】, 【E·hero Liquid Warrior】, and three other cards have been banished from my Graveyard. And because there are two of my 【E·hero】 monsters banished from the game, 【E·hero Shining Warrior】's ATK increases by 600!"

"Let's charge! [E·hero Shining Warrior]! Dazzling Light Storm!"

In Jaden's voice, the five dragon heads of the [Five Divine Dragons] with the eye of ten thousand feet, each wielding a different elemental power, spewed five-colored dragon breaths that struck Jaden's [E·hero Shining Knight] on the field.

As the number of excluded [E·hero] monsters increased, the power of [E·hero Shining Man] began to empower me, and my whole body was enveloped in golden light, as if my indomitable spirit had materialized into flames.

【E·hero Shining Warrior】【ATK2600→3200】

However, even if you shout about friendship, bonds, and youth, in the end, all you can affect is your momentum. Even if the attack power is increased by 600 points, making the attack power of [E·hero Shining] reach 3200 points, surpassing [Blue-Eyes White Dragon], the attack power of [Five Divine Dragons] is a despairing 5000 points.

"boom!"

E-Hero Shining Man, who transformed into light, failed to create a miracle and was swallowed up by the attack of the Five Dragons. The torrent formed by the five elements, whose power was greatly reduced due to his efforts to resist, also crashed into Jaden behind him.

"Well!"

[Tenth Generation: 3000 → 1200 LP]

The 600 attack power boost from 【E·hero Shining Hero】 may seem useless, but it actually helps Jaden retain an extra 600 base points, preventing him from having only a meager 600 base points.

Moreover, when the smoke and dust that had enveloped Jaden's field dissipated, Manjoume saw that another monster had appeared on Jaden's field.

"A hero is never alone. When they unite, even if one is defeated, there will always be someone to carry on the fight against the enemy," Judai said, looking at Manjoume.

"The other face-down card on my back field is the Trap Card [Hero Mark]. It can be activated when a monster on my field is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard. It Special Summons one Level 4 or lower [E-hero] monster from my hand or Deck. The one I Special Summoned is [E-hero Bubble Man]."

"The effect of [E·hero Shining Man] when it is sent to the graveyard can add the two banished [E·hero] monsters to your hand. I chose [E·hero Liquid Man] and [E·hero Sky Man].

"And the effect of [E·hero Bubble Man]: When I have no other cards on the field besides him, and this card is successfully Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned, draw two cards from my Deck."

Thanks to the synergy of the cards, although Jaden's Life Points plummeted due to the destruction of [E·hero Shining Hero] by [Five Divine Dragons], his hand was restored to a full four cards, which is a considerable resource for [E·hero] as a Fusion deck.

When Manjoume saw the increased hand size of Judai and the [E·hero Bubble Man] appearing on the field in defense position, his lips twitched, and he said unhappily, "Tsk, that monster again? You managed to replenish my hand again."

"But, those weak monsters can't do anything except give you more cards in your hand, right? I remember that among your [E·hero] decks that used him as fusion material, only [E·hero Sailor] has the ability to attack directly, bypassing my [Five Dragons] on the field to attack me directly. It can be of some use now. However, his attack power is just a tickle to me, it doesn't change anything."

"My battle phase is over, but during your turn, you can probably only look on helplessly at my invincible [Five Divine Dragons], and do nothing about it, right?"

【Manjoume: 3000LP, 0 cards in hand】

【Five Dragons】【ATK5000】

The Ruins of the Giant Dragon

Jaden glanced at the cards in his hand. The other material needed for the Fusion Monster [E. Hero Sailor] that Manjoume had mentioned earlier—[E. Hero Winged Man]—was in his hand. Moreover, the other card he drew with the effect of [E. Hero Bubble Man] happened to be [Fusion]. It was indeed possible to fuse [E. Hero Sailor] as Manjoume had said.

However, the direct attack ability of 【E·hero Sailor】 requires a face-down card in its back row, and even if it attacks directly, its 1400 attack power cannot even take away half of Manjoume's life points, so it is meaningless.

The other two cards in hand, [E·hero Liquid Man] and [E·hero Sky Man], were also unable to form a combo strong enough to defeat [Five Divine Dragons].

"In other words, the outcome hinges on this gacha pull." Far from feeling pressured, Jaden laughed easily. "How exciting, Manjoume!"

“It’s Mr. Manjoume!” Manjoume said, smiling as he looked at Judai. “Even under these circumstances, do you really think this is an interesting duel?”

"Isn't that obvious? One-sided duels are the most boring in my opinion. On the contrary, the most interesting duels are those with the situation constantly changing and captivating, like this duel between me and you, Manjoume. I don't have any cards in my hand that can defeat you, Manjoume, but no one knows what my next card draw will bring, what new combinations it will bring, or what interesting combos it will create."

“Well then, I’ll go, Manjoume.” With his finger hovering over the deck, Jaden drew a card. “My turn, draw!”

"Next is the spell card [Pot of Greed]. I draw two cards from my deck. Draw!"

Having used the invincible "Pot of Chronos" to exchange one for two, replenishing his hand to a full six cards—as if he had used "Heavenly Treasure"—the two newly drawn cards caught Jaden's eye. Both were magic cards with green borders, and one of them immediately attracted Jaden's attention. Even though it was the first time he had used this card, he was momentarily stunned, then smiled and said, "Oh! I drew a pretty good card!"

"So, during my main phase, I summon [E·Hero Skywalker] in attack position. If you had three [E·Hero Skywalker] cards, who wouldn't want to be a hero?"

[E·Hero Skyman], which was excluded by [Hero Rule 1 - Five Freedoms] and then returned to the hand by the effect of [E·Hero Shining Hero], reappeared on Jaden's field. This time, without the obstruction of [Dragon of Light and Darkness], Jaden successfully activated his effect.

"When 【E·Hero Sky Warrior】 is successfully Summoned or Special Summoned, I choose one of its two effects to activate. I choose to add one 【Hero】 monster from my Deck to my hand." Jaden drew a card from his Deck and showed it to Manjoume. "The card I added to my hand is this one, 【E·Hero Electric Warrior】."

"At a time like this, they actually retrieved a Normal Monster?" Asuka frowned in the corner, puzzled. "And the Normal Summoned [E·Hero Sky Warrior] is in Attack Position. Does this mean he feels he can't defeat Manjoume and has started to give up on himself?"

"On the contrary, Jaden not only did not give up dueling, but he has always faced challenges head-on. And don't underestimate ordinary monsters. There are no useless cards, only useless duelists, right?"

Hayato, standing next to Asuka, casually remarked. Asuka, of course, had no intention of discriminating against Normal Monsters; one of the ace monsters in her deck, and a Normal Monster as the designated fusion material for a Fusion Monster, was naturally aware of the immense power of [Fusion].

However, she discovered that even if she summoned her own fusion monster and used its effect to increase its attack power to the maximum, she still wouldn't be a match for Manjoume's "Five Divine Dragons" on the field. So, could Jaden's "E-Hero" monsters do the same?

Adding the monster card to his hand, Jaden looked up at Manjoume and said, "The outcome of this duel is decided, Manjoume. I have gathered all the cards I need to defeat you."

"Huh? It's just a search for a mortal monster. What can that kind of monster do?"

Hearing that Manjoume seemed to look down on the [E·hero Electro] he had found, Jaden rubbed his nose with his finger and said with a smile, "That's why I've said it many times, don't underestimate the power of heroes combined, Manjoume. Besides merging in pairs, heroes can also merge into a stronger combination of three."

"I activate the Spell Card [Fusion], sending the three monsters [E-Hero Electroman] and [E-Hero Winged Man] from my hand and the [E-Hero Bubble Man] on the field as Fusion Materials to the Graveyard,"

Holding a purple-bordered card above his head, Jaden shouted, "When the three powers unite, summon the strongest warrior from a distant land! Triple Fusion! Be born from the vortex of evolution! You are the approaching storm!"

"Fusion Summoning! [E·Hero Skywing]!"

The power of ocean tides, thunder, and storms burst forth from the body of the Trisolaran fusion material monster. The most powerful force existing in nature was awakened by the power of [fusion] and manifested as a tangible existence on Jaden's field—a tough body that resists and controls lightning, a high-pressure water jet launcher that spews out and drives vortices, and broad wings that break free from the constraints of gravity and stir up storms.

This is the highest-ranking Fusion Hero in the [E·hero] deck used by Jaden—[E·hero Skywing]!

【E·hero Skywing Knight】【8☆/Wind】

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2800/2800]

"【E·Hero Skywing Knight】, is that really the monster?" Manjoume, who had dueled with Jaden many times since childhood, recognized this Fusion Monster, which was arguably the coolest among all 【E·Hero】 monsters. He even remembered what its effect was. "But, despite all that fancy talk, this monster can only protect a monster from being destroyed by battle by sending other cards to the Graveyard. It's even worse than my 【Five Divine Dragons】, which at least doesn't need to be activated and exists indefinitely without any cost to maintain."

Upon hearing Manjoume's words, Marufuji Sho and Maeda Hayato, who had just relaxed because Jaden had summoned a powerful monster, tensed up again.

Although [E·hero Skywing] is indeed very cool and "cool", being cool is one thing and strength is another. With an attack power of only 2800 points, [E·hero Skywing] can no longer defeat [Five Divine Dragons], whose attack power is a despairing 5000 points.

Jaden can't possibly have [E·hero Skywing] add defense to attack before going into battle... huh?

Suddenly, Marufuji Sho remembered that Judai had received an equipment magic card from Tenjōin on the ship before, and he remembered that the card's effect was something like—

"【E·hero Skywing】is indeed not as powerful as 【Five Divine Dragons】, but what if we add this card, Manjoume?" Jaden inserted a card into the Spell & Trap Zone. "Equip the Spell Card 【Beloved Hero】. This card can only be equipped to 【Hero】 monsters of Level 5 or higher. I'm equipping it to 【E·hero Skywing】."

The Equip Spell Card took effect on [E·hero Skywing], but his attack power did not change immediately after the Equip Spell Card was activated. Manjoume also had some recollection of the Equip Spell Card activated by Judai, since he was present when Tenjouin Asuka asked Judai to exchange cards, although he didn't quite remember the specific effects of that card.

"An Equip Spell Card that can only equip to Hero monsters of level 5 or higher, but doesn't increase their attack power? Ha, nothing special."

"Don't rush, Manjoume, let the hero fly a little longer." Hearing Manjoume's words, Jaden smiled and waved his hand, declaring, "I enter the battle phase, and at this very moment, the effect of [Beloved Hero] activates!"

"This effect can only be activated at the start of the battle phase for both players. I select 1 Field Spell Card from my hand or Deck to activate. Even heroes have their own stage to fight on. Activate [Skyscraper]!"

The Field Spell Card used by Jaden in his duel against Chronos reappeared, with skyscrapers rising out of thin air and surrounding the Five Dragons. However, the skyscrapers that even the Ancient Gear Giant could restrain seemed too fragile and insignificant to the Five Dragons. Its towering body easily destroyed many of the skyscrapers simply by moving its body.

"A Field Spell Card that increases attack power by 1000 when battling a monster with higher attack power. While it's much stronger than cards like 'Mountain' or 'Grassland,' it's still just so-so. Even if you add 1000 points to the attack power of your 'E.Hero Skywing,' what difference would it make?" Manjoume was unimpressed by the Field Spell Card activated by Jaden. "Anyway, your 'E.Hero Skywing' only has 5600 attack power right now... Hmm!?"

"5600 points?!"

Manjoume glanced at Jaden's [E·hero Skywing] on the field again and noticed that after [Skyscraper] appeared, his attack power inexplicably doubled, becoming a full 5600 points, which was even 600 points higher than his own [Five Divine Dragons]!?

"Heroes fight against evil not only to uphold the justice they uphold, but also to protect those around them. And when there is someone they must protect, the power they can unleash will surge, increase dramatically, and surge with power!" Jaden explained. "If there is a card in my field zone, a monster equipped with [Beloved Hero] gains its ATK equal to its original DEF and gains resistance to being targeted by your opponent's card effects!"

【E·hero Skywing Knight】(Beloved Hero)【ATK2800/2800→5600/2800】

At the same time, Jaden revealed his last card besides [E·Hero Liquid Man]: "This is the last card, a Quick-Play Spell Card [Forbidden Grail], which increases the ATK of one monster on the field by 400 and negates its effects!"

"You want to increase its attack power? But even if you increase [E·hero Skywing]'s attack power to a round number of 6000, what then? In the end, it can only deal me 1000 damage. [Five Divine Dragons] cannot be destroyed by wind-attribute monsters!"

Just as Manjoume was about to reveal a smug smile, his smile suddenly froze, because he remembered that Jaden had only said that he wanted to increase the attack power of one monster, without specifying which monster's attack power he wanted to increase.

"Wait a minute, the monster whose attack power you want to boost is your own [E·hero Skywing], right?"

But what Manjoume saw on Judai's face was still the same unchanging smile.

"What are you talking about, Manjoume? Of course, I need to boost the attack power of your 'Five Divine Dragons'! It can't just be my hero getting an attack boost, your dragons need to get stronger too." Jaden, grinning innocently, inserted the card into the Spell & Trap Zone. "Boost 'Five Divine Dragons' attack power by 400 and negate its effects!"

"Roar!" A golden wine cup appeared out of thin air above the head of the Five Divine Dragons, and red wine poured out like blood, drenching the dragon's head. The seemingly ordinary wine immediately weakened the dragon upon contact, and its five dragon heads, each corresponding to a different attribute, simultaneously lost their elemental power, causing it to let out a resentful roar.

【Five Divine Dragons】【ATK5000→5400】

"Alright, let's enter the battle phase. I'm going to defeat you, Manjoume!" Judai waved his hand and gave the order, "[E·hero Skywing], attack [Five Divine Dragons], and use the power of the storm to defeat that arrogant evil dragon!"

"Chaotic Storm!"

A sudden storm and thunderstorm descended, engulfing the Five Divine Dragons amidst the skyscrapers. The enormous dragons, stripped of their special abilities, were utterly powerless against this natural disaster, bound and immobilized by the lightning-infused tornadoes. E-Hero, now airborne, stood atop the sky, aiming his right arm's launcher at the unavoidable Five Divine Dragons.

"You Shall Die!"

The water jet, compressed to its limit, pierced through everything like a laser, easily destroying the body of the Five Divine Dragons. However, its tough body was not without its uses; it at least reduced most of the power of the E-hero Skywing's attack, making the high-pressure water jet that pierced through the Five Divine Dragons have about the same power as a toy water gun when it landed on Manjoume.

[Manjoume: 3000 → 2800 LP]

"Ugh, you bastard!"

Although the damage wasn't significant, Manjoume felt extremely insulted. The Five Divine Dragons he had painstakingly summoned were destroyed in a single turn. Even if they had little resistance, this was no excuse. He could have accepted it if they had been destroyed by lightning, but it was destroyed in battle.

However, his advantage was still significant. Glancing at the other monster on Jaden's field that wasn't attacking, Manjoume said disdainfully, "Hmph, it's just a mere 200 points of damage. Even if your other monster attacks, I'll still have a full 1000 Life Points left. What you just said about the outcome of the duel being decided is just empty talk."

Then, Manjoume saw that after completing the attack, [E·hero Skywing] showed no intention of returning to the Jaden arena and was standing right in front of him, which puzzled him.

"Actually, [Beloved Hero] has a third effect. When an equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster, you can send [Beloved Hero] to the Graveyard to activate it, allowing [E.Hero Skywing] to attack again." Jaden chuckled and winked at Manjoume. "Although [E.Hero Skywing]'s attack power will drop back to 2800 after being removed from [Beloved Hero], it's enough to wipe out your remaining 2800 Life Points, Manjoume."

"What?!" Manjoume glanced at [E·hero Skywing] who was raising his hand and panicked instantly. Something's not right! He clearly had the advantage at the start of the round, so how did he lose in the blink of an eye? Even though Yuki Jaden's base score was lower, how come his 1200 base score was as solid as a rock, while his own 3000 base score was practically a candle in the wind?!

E·hero Skywing didn't care about Manjoume's thoughts at all. He simply made a chop gesture with his left hand and tapped Manjoume on the head: "Now, you meet your end!"

【E·hero Skywing】】【ATK5600→2800】

[Manjoume: 2800LP → 0]

"I won! What an interesting duel!" As Manjoume was knocked to the ground by [E·hero Skywing]'s hand chop and his buttocks were sticking up, Jaden also declared his victory.

Chapter 1071 Entrance Gift

"That [Beloved Hero] card... I actually drew the most suitable card at just the right time."

As she watched as Jaden used [E·hero Skywing] to wipe out Banjou's basic attack in a double attack, Asuka was amazed by Jaden's accurate gacha pull. "That kid, no, Yuki-kun, his luck is just too good."

“Luck is also part of strength. Rather, a true duelist is one who can create his own future, even the future he draws.” Hayato looked at Jaden, who was cheering on the stage, and Manjoume, who was still lying on the ground. He took the initiative to walk out and clapped as he walked. “As the first battle after many years of separation, it was indeed a good duel. Jaden, Jun.”

"Huh? Principal!?" Because of the duel between Judai and Manjoume, neither the two on the field, who were immersed in the duel, nor Maeda and Marufuji Sho, who were watching the duel, noticed Hayato and Asuka's presence. When they saw Hayato appear clapping his hands, they were startled.