Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Ugh!" Because of the sudden drop in fundamental points, the impact simulated by the virtual projection system made Edward feel a very real pain, and he looked at his remaining fundamental points in disbelief.

[Ed Phoenix: 4000→600LP]

I was attacked by a [Seeking Dolphins] with an attack power of 1700, and my base score dropped by 3400 points in one go!? That's outrageous!

"This is another effect of [Legendary Fisherman III]. Remember the effect that sent all your banished monsters back to the graveyard? It was the last effect I activated before entering the Battle Phase," Kajiki Ryota reminded him. "Sending all of your opponent's banished cards back to the graveyard—you don't actually think this effect, which sends [D. Hero Demon] and [D. Hero Phoenix Destroyer] banished by [Legendary Fisherman III] back to the graveyard, is helping you, do you?"

"His real purpose is to double the combat/effect damage the opponent receives this turn, so that it can only happen once!"

If Edward hadn't used [D·hero Dynamite] to block the first attack from [Spiral Dragon], he wouldn't have had a chance to make any further moves. The 6200 combat damage that could be dealt after doubling his 3100 attack power would have wiped out his basic points long ago!

The monsters he used weren't as imposing as the Red-Eyes Black Dragon or the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, nor as versatile as the Dark Magician, and their form variations weren't as numerous as the Dark Knight Gaia. However, Kajiki Ryota was, after all, a legendary duelist, and he immediately explained to Edward why he was ranked above Edward!

Chapter 1468 As long as the invincible Blood Demon D is summoned, everything will be alright.

Ed Phoenix: 600LP

Looking at his remaining life points, Edward took a deep breath to calm himself down and said, "Although the damage really startled me, it's enough that I can keep fighting."

"Furthermore, because I suffered combat damage, I activated the effects of [V·hero Incremental] and [V·hero Poisonous] in my graveyard!"

Retrieve from the graveyard the [V·hero Incremental Man], which was previously released for the appearance of [D·hero Blood Demon-D], and the [V·hero Poisonous Man], which was sent to the graveyard by the effect of [V·hero Bionic Man]. Place both cards in the Spell Trap Zone: "I can only activate this effect if I take damage from battle or card effects. I can treat [V·hero Incremental Man] in the graveyard as a Continuous Trap Card and place it face-up in my Spell Trap Zone."

"This pain will be remembered as a phantom! The Phantom Pain!"

As if the battle damage Ed had suffered had materialized, phantom-like [V·hero Incremental Man] and [V·hero Venomous Man] emerged from a crimson light and appeared in Ed's back field.

"So, this is what an illusion is..." Kajiki Ryota remarked casually as he watched Edward place the card in the magic trap area. "However, the shadows of the past should not, and cannot, entangle or influence the present. Next up is the direct attack from [Dream Shark]!"

"Shark's Fang Spike!"

Although [Dream Shark] was originally a monster with only 0 ATK, thanks to the boost from the Field Spell Card, it now has 200 ATK. While not high, it can still reduce Edward's Life Points.

[Ed Phoenix: 600→400LP]

"Well, my battle phase is over." Seeing that Edward's Life Points were now 3600 points higher than his own, Kajiki Yuta nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at [V·hero Incremental], "But if I remember correctly, that card has the effect of Tributing [Hero] monsters to Special Summon, and then Special Summoning another [V·hero] from the Deck?"

"The name Kobayashi Hayato gave it is 'Spinning Top,' right? Although no one seems to know why he chose that name, it's always good to nullify it. As for the other card, we'll talk about it later."

With a wave of his hand, Kajiki Ryota said, "During my Main Phase Two, I will activate the second effect of my [Dolphin Seeker]!"

"Except for one face-up Fish-Type, Seadra-Type, or Aqua-Type monster on my field, I can target one face-up card on the field and negate its effect until the end of my opponent's turn. I will Tribute the Fish-Type 'Dream Shark' and then negate the effect of my opponent's 'V-Hero Incremental' card in their back field!"

For Kajiki Ryota, the main purpose of [Dream Shark] was to prevent effect damage. It was worth it to be able to use it even once, not to mention that he had used it to attack once, which can be considered as maximizing its value. Now, [Dream Shark] was released to activate the effect of [Seeking Dolphins]. Although it would be banished due to its own effect when leaving the field, it could be considered to make the most of its last bit of use.

Guided by [Seeking Dolphins], [Dream Shark] pounced on [V·hero Incremental Man], who had just appeared in Edward's backcourt, and bit down on his phantom, rendering him unable to move.

"It's not over yet! I'll activate this 'Dimensional Resurrection' next. It can be activated by discarding a card and targeting one of my banished monsters. Special Summon the targeted monster in Attack Position and equip this card. When 'Dimensional Resurrection' leaves the field, the targeted monster is destroyed."

The monster 【Dream Shark】 that had just been banished was retrieved by Kajiki Ryota, who placed it in the same monster zone as 【Dimensional Revival】 and said, “Needless to say, the only monster I banished was this 【Dream Shark】, so it’s naturally the one I need to Special Summon.”

“However, it seems a bit inappropriate to have such a low-attack monster like [Dream Shark] in Attack Position on the field. What if you summon a powerful monster and wipe out all my Life Points in one hit?” Muttering to himself, Kajiki Ryota took a card from his Graveyard. “So—I’ll activate the effect of [Fortress Whale] in my Graveyard!”

"This card is the second card that 'Forbidden Drop' sent to my Graveyard. Its effect requires me to Tribute two WATER monsters on my field. The monsters I'm Tributing are the WATER 'Dolphin Seeker' and the WATER 'Dream Shark'." Removing three cards from his Duel Disk, Kajiki Ryota took cards from his Graveyard. "Special Summon 'Fortress Whale' to my field!"

The [Searching Dolphins] and the [Dream Shark] that had just been brought back to the field were swallowed by a giant mouth that suddenly opened underwater. Then, a bunker suddenly rose from the sea surface. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it was actually a fully armed fortress carried on the back of a giant whale!

[Fortress Whale] [7☆/Water] → [6☆/Water]

[Fish/Effect]

【2350/2150】→【2550/2350】

Although Kajiki Ryota could Special Summon Castle Whale from the Graveyard by releasing monsters on the field before the battle phase, he didn't do so because at that time he only had three monsters on the field: Dolphin Seeker, Legendary Fisherman III, and Spiral Dragon.

The Legendary Fisherman III is a card of special significance to him. Since he cannot release it, the only monsters he can choose are Spiral Dragon and Seeking Dolphin. Although theoretically, it can still wipe out Edward's life points in one hit even with doubled damage, it would be a loss if Edward could deal invalid battle damage with monsters like D. Hero Dynamite.

But now that we've reached the second main phase, things are different. Releasing [Dream Shark] and [Seeking Dolphins] to summon the stronger [Fortress Whale] is a win-win situation, and you can also send [Dream Shark] back to the graveyard to activate its effect again later.

Or perhaps—

“If [Fortress Whale] is successfully Special Summoned, I activate its second effect.” Kajiki Ryota retrieved a card from his Duel Disk and showed it to Edward. “From my Deck, I select [Dive of the Sea] and set it to my field.”

"Then, because [Dolphin Seeker] and [Dream Shark] entered my Graveyard, I now have three Fish-Type monsters in my Graveyard: [Dolphin Seeker], [Dream Shark], and [Rush Shark], which I just added to my hand using [Fish Swarm Detector] and sent to the Graveyard to activate [Dimensional Resurrection]. This fulfills the activation condition for the third monster card I sent to the Graveyard earlier using [Forbidden Drop]—this [Sea-Shaking Fish - Dead Leaf Sea Dragon]!"

Banish one card from your graveyard, and Kajiki Ryota retrieves the three cards from his graveyard, saying, "Ban [Sea-Shaking Fish - Dead Leaf Sea Dragon] from my graveyard, target three Fish-Type monsters in my graveyard, and return all targeted monsters to the deck. After that, I draw one card from my deck!"

"Then, I place a card face down, and the turn ends."

【Kajiki Ryota: 4000LP, hand 1→2→1】

【City Fortress Whale】【ATK2550】

[Spiral Dragon] [ATK3100]

[The Legendary Fisherman III] [ATK2500]

【Gaikka (Underwater Surprise Attack)】【Gaikka】

Venue: [Legendary City - Atlantis]

Despite his seemingly wild demeanor, Kajiki Ryota's duel was actually quite sophisticated. His relentless and fierce attacks, like a tsunami, constantly pressured Edward. However, once he realized that he could not win this round, he decisively began to set up a defense to deal with Edward's counterattack, just like a seasoned hunter.

No, perhaps "experienced fisherman" would be a more fitting description? No wonder viewers who watched his duels nicknamed him "fisherman" because of his deck and dueling style.

Now it's Edward's turn again. At this moment, not only are his monsters empty, but his Life Points are also only 400, which is only one-tenth of Kajiki Ryota's. Furthermore, due to the side effects of [Nightmare Mirage], he has to discard four random cards from his hand to the Graveyard during the Preparation Phase.

The only saving grace is that, because of the departure of [D·hero Blood Demon-D], the power of [D-Power] is no longer applicable. So, just as Kajiki Ryota can use the effect of [Searching for Dolphins] to target cards on Edward's field, Edward can also regain the ability to draw cards during his Standby Phase.

"My turn..." Looking at his deck, Edward took a deep breath, then drew a card. "Draw!"

Although he is young, Edward, as a professional player, already has a certain ability to withstand pressure. Even though Kajiki Ryota is indeed very intimidating, he is not intimidated by it.

Even though he had suffered consecutive defeats in recent duels, first against Ryo Marufuji and then against Fubuki Tenjōin, and even been thwarted by monsters like [Regenerated Slime], he was not about to be defeated by such setbacks—because he was using the [Hero] deck!

Whether it's elements, fate, or illusion, a hero is a hero, and how can a hero desert his post?

So just trust the deck, and the deck will naturally respond!

The card in his hand clearly bore the lightning bolt symbol unique to Quick-Play Spell Cards, indicating it could be activated during his Preparation Phase. And the card's name was—

"During my preparation phase, I activate this Quick-Play Spell Card, [Called Nameless]!"

Shortly after arriving on the island, Edward opened the special supplement pack that every new student received, which Hayato had given him. Like most people, Edward opened some cards that weren't suitable for him and were meant to be traded with others, but he also opened some powerful cards that he could use. Among them was the [Called One of Annihilation] card that he was currently activating, also known as the powerful card "Sword Pointing"!

"I can only activate [Called Name of Annihilation] by declaring a card name. The card name I declared is [Mirage of Nightmare]." As he spoke, Edward retrieved a card from his Duel Disk. "I banish the declared card from my Deck. This turn, the effects of the banished card and any cards with the same original name as that card are negated!"

Although the Nightmare of the Mirage has long been banned in another world, in this world it is still only considered a "quasi-restricted card" by the Kaiba Corporation and the International Illusion Society. After all, there are even more outrageous cards above it, such as the Treasure from Heaven, the Pot of Greed, and the Angel's Charity.

In fact, if Hayato hadn't overused [Nightmare Mirage] so much during a card game last year with Kaiba, Yugi, and Jonouchi, this card wouldn't even be considered a semi-limited card now. However, since not everyone can play [Nightmare Mirage] and [Extraordinary Food] together, not many people fill their decks with [Nightmare Mirage], and its effect doesn't stack like [Pot of Greed].

However, coincidentally, Edward was that rare exception. The second copy of "Nightmare of the Mirage" in his deck allowed him to successfully activate "Sword Pointing"!

[Called by Annihilation] cleaved the second [Nightmare of the Mirage] card that Edward had retrieved with a single strike. At the same time, a faint light flickered on the [Nightmare of the Mirage] card in Edward's back row before finally going out. It may not recover until the next turn, when it is free from the influence of [Called by Annihilation].

And that's exactly what Edward wants, since [Nightmare Mirage] is the kind of card that's advantageous during the opponent's turn but detrimental during your own.

“Because of the effect of ‘Called by Annihilation’, the effect of ‘Nightmare Mirage’ is negated, so I don’t need to discard any cards in my hand during this Preparation Phase.” Looking at the six cards in his hand and the three powerful monsters on Kajiki Ryota’s field, Edward took a deep breath and said, “Then, during my Main Phase, I activate this card in my hand.”

"Magic Card: [Hero Arrives]!"

"If I have no face-up monsters on my field, I can activate this card by paying half of my Life Points. Special Summon one Level 4 or lower [E·hero] monster from my Deck."

With 4000 Life Points, "Hero's Arrival" is a card that requires a whopping 2000 Life Points to activate, a huge cost. But now that Edward has only 400 Life Points left, the cost of a mere 200 Life Points is negligible.

"The monster I'm going to Special Summon is this one, [E·Hero Skyman]!" Edward said, retrieving the card from his deck and placing it on the Duel Disk. "Then, when [E·Hero Skyman] is Special Summoned, I activate its effect to add a [Hero] monster from my deck to my hand. I choose this one, [D·Hero Drillman].

【E·hero Sky Warrior】【4☆/Wind】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1800/300]

[Ed Phoenix: 400→200LP, Hand 5→6]

"Next, it's my Normal Summon for this turn. I will Normal Summon this [D·hero Drillman] that I just retrieved from my hand, and activate its effect—Special Summon one [D·hero] monster from my hand with an ATK lower than [D·hero Drillman]. I choose this [D·hero Determined]!"

"Furthermore, [D·hero Determined Man] also has an effect that can be activated!"

【D·hero Drill Man】【4☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1600/1200]

【D·hero】】【4☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1600/1000]

Although Kajiki Ryota had quickly cleared out his monsters, Edward quickly regrouped at the start of his turn and instantly gathered three monsters back on his field!

If he could find a way to retrieve the [D·hero Blood Demon-D] from the graveyard, then perhaps he wouldn't be without a chance to fight against Kajiki Ryota, or even to suppress him. As long as he can summon the invincible [D·hero Blood Demon-D], everything will be alright!

However, just as Edward had gathered three monsters on the field, Kajiki Ryota suddenly spoke up: "One, two, three? Very good, you've gathered three monsters on the field so quickly. Are you trying to summon your [D·hero Blood Demon-D] again? Tsk tsk tsk, even I have witnessed too many of your past duels."

"Being fixated on a card just because it's useful, and indulging in the past, will only prevent a duelist from improving. A shark that can't swim will suffocate, and so will a duelist!" Kajiki Ryota shouted as he pressed the button to activate the face-down card. "So—let me use this card to extinguish your hope of summoning [D·hero Blood Demon-D] again!"

"Quick-Play Spell Card [Wrath of the Sea Dragon God] activated!"

Chapter 1469 Left eye twitching means wealth (traditional culture), right eye twitching means disaster (feudal superstition)

"Chain with the effect of your [D·Hero], activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Wrath of the Sea Dragon]!"

The once relatively calm sea suddenly surged with waves, and the unexpected surge instantly surrounded the three monsters on the field, seemingly about to swallow them all!

"【Wrath of the Sea Dragon God】is a powerful card that can only be activated once per turn, and can only be activated if I have a 【Sea】 on my field." Kajiki Ryota then began to explain the card's effect, "You can target monsters on your opponent's field that are at most the same level as the number of WATER monsters I originally controlled that were 5☆ or higher."

"Destroy those monsters, and the areas where those monsters were will be unusable until the end of the next turn!"

The moment when Edward had three monsters on his field, it did fulfill the requirement for [D·hero Blood Demon-D] to be summoned, but it also allowed Kajiki Ryota to maximize the effect of his [Sea Dragon God's Wrath] card in his back row.

The most terrifying aspect of this card isn't its ability to destroy three monster cards at once, but rather that after destroying a monster, it also seals off the area where that monster was, preventing Edward from using it. This means that even if Edward later has the ability to Special Summon three more monsters, he still can't bring [D·hero Blood Demon-D] back to the field, because he only has two empty slots left, and [D·hero Blood Demon-D] requires three tributes!

Unfortunately, although Edward still had four cards in his hand, none of them could chain with [Wrath of the Sea Dragon God] to negate it. However, Edward was unwilling to just watch his monster be destroyed. Seeing this, he immediately drew a card from his back row and said, "Then I'll chain with the effect of [Wrath of the Sea Dragon God] and activate the second effect of [V·Hero Poison Man] on my back row!"

"During the main phase for both sides, you can activate this effect by Tributing one of my [Hero] monsters. This will Special Summon [V·Hero Poison Man] to my field!"

"I release [E·hero Skywalker] on my field to Special Summon [V·hero Poisoner] in Defense Position!"

As Edward gave the order, his E-hero Skywalker, surrounded by waves, used his flight pack at maximum power under the cover of his two companions, sending a burst of energy out of the vortex and landing in Edward's backfield.

“It’s not over yet! I’ll activate the effect of [V·hero Incremental Man] as well.” Taking the cards off the Duel Disk again, Edward held the cards of [E·hero Skywalker] and [D·hero Determined Man], “I’ll Tribute [D·hero Determined Man] on my field to activate its effect.”