Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

【E·hero Dark Neos】 nodded, and reminded Judai, "Not only that, I don't think it was a good idea for you to summon me, Judai. Otherwise, you can see what my final effect is."

Upon hearing this, Jaden looked at the card and discovered that the effect of [E·hero Black Neos] clearly stated, "Activate during the End Phase. Return this card to its owner's Fusion Deck." This meant that during the End Phase of his turn, this effect of [E·hero Black Neos] would be forcibly activated and then disappear from his field.

Not only [E.Hero Dark Neos], but Jaden also discovered that [E.Hero Earth Neos], which had been destroyed before, had this effect. However, it was destroyed by Keith before it could take effect. This effect seems to be a common effect of the [Neo] Fusion Monsters.

"Hmm... Luckily, I originally planned to familiarize myself with the new cards in this duel. It seems there are still many details to pay attention to." Looking at the [Star Trek - Dark Scimitar] which cannot be targeted, and then at the [E·hero Dark Neos] on his field, Jaden said, "Then now, let's just use the effect of [E·hero Dark Neos] on itself."

"I activate the effect of [E·hero Dark Neos] on the field, negating its effect." After a pause, Jaden played another card. "Next, this is [Angel's Charity]. I draw three cards from my deck and then discard two cards from my hand."

"Then activate the effect of [Winged Kuriboh LV6] in my Graveyard, banish this [E·hero Flamewing Man - Flame Strike] from my Graveyard, and Special Summon it from my Graveyard to the field in Defense Position."

"Finally, I place two cards face down, and the turn ends."

[Yujo Judai: 4000LP, hand cards 2→2→0]

【E·hero Black Neo Universe】【ATK2500】

【E·hero Absolute Zero】【ATK2500】

【N·Flame Beetle】【DEF500】

【N·Sky Hummingbird】【DEF600】

【Winged Kuriboh LV6】【6☆/Light】

[Angel Race/Special Summon/Effect]

[300/200]

[GaiK] X2

Over the course of the round, Jaden played a lot of cards, but the quality of the final round was lower than when he usually won the first turn. This was mainly because he focused some of his energy on reducing Keith's hand and dealing with the monsters on the opponent's field, but overall he still maintained an average level.

This is normal. Almost everyone does this when drastically changing their deck composition and adding new cards. It's already quite good that Jaden didn't pull off the combo of "Fusion Summon [Sailor], Fusion Deactivation Special Summon [Wingman] and [Foamman], then Tribute Summon [E. Hero Neos]".

On the other hand, Keith's cards don't synergize well with Jaden's deck. Not to mention that the [Hero] deck generally lacks destruction resistance, and the [Hero] deck's removal methods are mostly based on effect destruction. However, Keith's [Starry Night] is a card that can take advantage of the opponent's destruction, which makes Jaden feel somewhat constrained.

However, upon closer inspection, Jaden's final move actually has some merit. Leaving aside the "Neospace" trio whose effects are all negated—[N Flame Beetle], [N Sky Hummingbird], and [E Hero Black Neos]—[E Hero Absolute Zero], although lacking the support of [Transformation] series cards, can still trigger its effect to destroy all of Jaden's monsters if Keith attempts to attack him on his field and he is sent to the Graveyard or banished by any means.

While [Winged Kuriboh LV6] has the lowest stats, it is the most dangerous because it can destroy the opponent's monsters and inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK when the monster's effect is activated by Keith or when a monster is attacked.

In other words, after Jaden reduced his Life Points by 500 in the previous round and then paid out 1000 Life Points himself, Keith, who now has 2500 Life Points left, has unknowingly stepped into danger. If he summons a monster with an attack power of 2500 or more to the field and uses its effect, Jaden will immediately wipe out his Life Points!

Not to mention the two unknown face-down cards on the back field after being replaced by "Angel's Charity".

As Jaden announced the end of the turn, the dark power on his [E·hero Black Neos] flickered as if it were about to dissipate, but then stabilized. Noticing the confusion of Keith and the others, Jaden said helplessly, "This is a common effect of [Neuro] Fusion Monsters. It will be forcibly activated at the end of the turn and return to my Fusion Deck. It seems to be based on the setting that Ultraman can only fight on Earth for three minutes?"

"Stayed on the field by negating its own effect? ​​Ha, what's there to fear about a mere monster with no effect?" Keith drew a card from his deck. "My turn, draw! Then prepare for my attack!"

"Spell Card [Planet Transformation] activated! Search my Deck for one Field Spell Card and add it to my hand. The card I choose is this one—[Starry Sky - Emerald City]. Now I activate this card immediately!"

Skyscrapers rose up the moment Keith played the card, somewhat similar to the "skyscrapers" often used by Jaden. However, the skyscrapers Keith built were clearly more futuristic and exaggerated. There were even airways for cars to travel on, and a huge palace-like building rose up at the horizon.

Considering the setting of the [Star Trek] deck, this so-called [Star Trek - Emerald City] is probably modeled after Coruscant, the "Shining City" in the center of the galaxy in Star Wars, which is an entire planet that is a city, and Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz, which is the "Odyssey" goal of the protagonists because it is home to the "Archmage" Oz who can help the protagonists return to their homeland. These two cities have a very important place in their respective stories.

Therefore, [StarCraft - Emerald City] has become quite important in the [StarCraft] deck.

“The first effect of [Oz the Celestial - Emerald City] is to target one of my banished [Oz the Celestial] monsters, return that card to my hand, and then I lose 100 Life Points equal to that monster’s original Level.” Keith retrieved a card. “I chose this [Oz the Celestial - Dark Evaba], her Level is 5☆, so I lost 500 Life Points.”

Keith Howard: 2500→2000LP, Hand 3→4

"Then I normally summon [StarCraft - Scarecrow] from my hand and use its effect."

【Starry Night - Scarecrow】【2☆/Light】

[Psychic Clan/Effect]

[500/1800]

A gaunt robot modeled after "C-3PO" and Scarecrow appeared on the field. After absorbing the 500 base points he handed over, [StarCraft - Scarecrow] immediately released an invisible signal, calling for allies waiting outside the planet.

“Once per turn, pay 500 Life Points, target one of my banished [Starry Sky] monsters. Special Summon the target to the field. Although the cost is that its effects are negated and it will be destroyed at the end of the turn, it suits me perfectly!” Keith took out another card he had previously banished. “I Special Summon [Starry Sky - Land Walker]!”

"Who is calling for the fleet?!"

The giant spider-shaped walker that was destroyed by [N·Ocean Dolphin] in the last turn and then removed by its own effect is about to reappear on the field.

At that very moment, Jaden suddenly pressed the button to activate a face-down card, saying, "Then at this very moment, the chain effect of [Starry Sky - Scarecrow] activates, and I'll also activate my backrow face-down card—the Continuous Trap Card [Mirror of Inhaling Light]! As long as this card is on the field, all effects of LIGHT monsters activated on the field or in the Graveyard are negated!"

—Jūdai has never forgotten Hayato's teachings. Since the power of [Hero] alone is not enough to deal with the opponent, why not just use trap cards to support him?

New Universe Heroes? Re-entering the Heroic Pit!

Chapter 1489

"Eh?"

Even Keith was stunned for a moment when he saw the face-down card that Judai had opened in the backcourt.

Even though Keith was wearing sunglasses, Jaden could read the expression on his face that clearly said, "How could anyone carry such a strange card?" Jaden chuckled and explained, "Although the card 'Inhaling the Flash' is specifically designed to target LIGHT monsters, it's not very useful against decks that use specific attribute monsters."

"But there's nothing I can do. At least among the duelists I've encountered, there are just too many who use LIGHT monsters, and not much more DARK monsters. Even the Dark Duelists mostly use decks dominated by stereotypical DARK monsters. So, having a 'Mirror of Light' like this will always come in handy, just like now. By the way, I also have a 'Mirror of Darkness' with me."

Even Amelda found it hard to refute what Jaden said, because he discovered that it was indeed true, as Jaden had said, that there were quite a few duelists who used decks that primarily used Light attribute monsters, and there were also quite a few users of the same Dark attribute monsters. The number of users of the two attributes combined far exceeded the number of users of the other four attributes.

As for the bias of the Dark Duelists, he couldn't refute it, because even he himself, although most of the [Mech] decks were EARTH monsters, the dark symbols of his heart awakened by "Orichalcos"—the "Dark" [Mech] monsters led by [Mech Force - Destruction Force]—were indeed all DARK monsters.

Rafael, his former colleague, was the same. Although his Soul Card was [Guardian Ethos], he also awakened the Dark attribute [Guardian Desceth] under the power of the "Orichalcos".

It seems that only that hot-blooded idiot Baron used EARTH-attribute [Armor] monsters from beginning to end. Although it was a dangerous deck that could cause substantial damage, at least it wasn't DARK-attribute.

As for Marufuji Sho and Tenjouin Fubuki, it goes without saying that the dark duelists they knew, whether it was the vampire Camilla from the "Seven Stars", the mercenary "Titan", or the mastermind Kagemaru, all used decks that were mainly based on the dark attribute. Just as Jaden said, they could all be countered by this other card, "The Mirror That Absorbs Darkness".

Needless to say, those who primarily use LIGHT monsters in their decks are also vulnerable. Among the people they both know, there are many who are countered by Kaiser's Cyber ​​Stream, Asuka's "Solemn Voice" and "Cyber ​​Angel." Manjoume, who uses both LIGHT and DARK attributes, is also countered by the two cards Jaden uses.

While it might not be as useful in duels against regular duelists as it was in Jaden's fight against Keith, who knows if you might encounter a Dark Duelist and be dragged into a Dark Game again in the future? Having one on hand is always a good idea, and it's always a good idea to switch it out when the time comes.

However, this idea was limited to Marufuji Sho; Tenjouin Fubuki didn't share it. It wasn't for any other reason than that he had considered it, but his decks, whether the Winged Beast-based [Smurf] deck or the Dragon-based [Red-Eyes] deck, were heavily composed of DARK monsters. Including such a card would easily trap him, and he might end up getting himself into trouble before even countering his opponent.

The cards "Mirror of Darkness" and "Mirror of Light" are only used by duelists who primarily use non-Light/DARK monsters or decks like Jaden's that combine various attributes.

"Because of the effect of [Mirror of Inhalation of Flash], Mr. Keith, the effects of your LIGHT [Oz the Great and Powerful - Scarecrow] on the field will be negated, thus preventing you from Special Summoning the banished [Oz the Great and Powerful - Land Walker] back to the field!"

As the [Starry Sky - Land Walker] was about to land on the field, Jaden waved his hand and ordered the [Magic Mirror That Absorbs Flash] to prevent the [Starry Sky - Scarecrow] from taking effect.

Seeing this, Keith raised an eyebrow: "You've got some skills, kid, but a trap like this can't stop me. In my career, I've seen far more people than you who can set up deep traps in the backfield. You're still far inferior to Kobayashi Hayato and Muto Yugi!"

"Originally, because I didn't draw a card with a wide-area clearing effect like [Great Storm], I was a bit conflicted about which of your face-down cards this card should target. But now that [Mirror of Light] has appeared, I don't seem to have to worry about it anymore."

Looking at the cards in his hand, Keith played a card and said, "Chain: [Mirror of Inhalation]! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card [Double Whirlwind] from my hand! Target one Spell/Trap Card on my field and one Spell/Trap Card on your opponent's field; destroy those cards!"

"What I'm going to destroy is, of course, my only spell card on the field—the field spell card [Starry Sky - Emerald City], and my opponent's continuous trap card [Mirror of Light]!"

Against common trap cards, [Double Whirlwind] isn't always effective, because some cards can be chained to activate [Double Whirlwind] before being destroyed, and then be destroyed by [Double Whirlwind] after their effect has finished. In that case, Keith would waste his only quick-play spell card that can deal with backrow cards. However, continuous traps like [Mirror of Light] are special because their effect takes effect while on the field and becomes meaningless after being destroyed.

[Whirlwind] destroying the activated [Explosive Armor] is meaningless, but destroying [Silver Screen Mirror Wall] has a surprising effect. This is why Keith didn't rush to play the cards in his hand before activating it. And Jaden did indeed let Keith wait for the right moment to activate [Double Whirlwind], which is now.

As the twin tornadoes approached, attempting to destroy the field [Starry Sky - Emerald City] and the [Mirror of Absorbing Flash] that had just been lifted but hadn't yet taken effect in his backfield, although it seemed like Keith was making a counterattack in response to the appearance of the [Mirror of Absorbing Flash], Jaden's extraordinary intuition told him that Keith must have another purpose.

—For example, why is it 【Double Cyclone】 instead of 【Cyclone】 which can achieve the same effect of destroying one Spell/Trap Card on the opponent's field without destroying any cards on your own field? A professional duelist like Keith doesn't seem like someone like Marufuji Sho who can't afford expensive cards.

In other words, [Double Cyclone] must have another purpose; perhaps destroying the field spell cards on his own field is Keith's real goal!

Having already guessed, Jaden said without hesitation, "Then, Mr. Chainkey, for your [Double Whirlwind], I will also activate another card in my back row—[Elemental Protection]!"

"When a Spell/Trap Card is activated, you can banish one face-up [E-hero] monster I control until the End Phase, negate that activation, and destroy it!"

When Keith launched the [Planetary Transformation] and [Star Trek - Emerald City] before, Jaden thought it wasn't the right time, but now that this [Double Cyclone] has appeared, perhaps it is!

"Neglect and destroy my [Double Cyclone]? Since I can't destroy [Mirror of Inhalation], then I'll chain-activate the other effect of my [Oz the Great - Scarecrow]. The effects of Psychic-Type [Oz the Great] monsters that I Special Summon from my hand are universal; they can all be activated during my opponent's turn. I'm going to Special Summon—"

Keith sneered and was about to play a card, but when he saw the mark in the upper right corner of the [Elemental Blessing] card that Jaden had played, he couldn't help but show a surprised expression. "Huh!? It's a counter trap?!"

“That’s right, a counter-trap with a speed of three. It can’t chain unless it’s another counter-trap with a speed of three. Mr. Keith, you don’t have Hayato-sensei’s [Red Reboot] in your hand, do you?” Looking at Keith’s remaining hand and his darkening face, Jaden grinned and said, “It really is a long chain, but it’s time to end it!”

C1 [Starry Night - Scarecrow] C2 [Magic Mirror Inhaling Flash] C3 [Double Cyclone] C4 [Elemental Blessing], the chain begins to reverse.

On the field of Jaden, [E·hero Absolute Zero] disappeared from the field and was temporarily banished. Before disappearing, it released a cold wave that turned into ice marks that spread rapidly on the ground. In the blink of an eye, it froze the two tornadoes that were about to wreak havoc on the field into huge ice sculptures. The strong wind could not sweep away the two frozen ice blocks, thus ending the act of destroying the card.

Meanwhile, while [StarCraft - Emerald City] was saved from being actively destroyed by Keith, [Mirror of Flash Absorption] also took effect successfully, immediately stopping [StarCraft - Scarecrow]'s actions and preventing it from successfully summoning the excluded Spider Walker, causing Keith to pay out basic points for nothing.

Keith Howard: 2000LP, hand 4→3→2

【Star Trek - Dark Scimitar】【ATK3000】

【Starry Night - Scarecrow】【ATK500】

Venue: [Interstellar Wonderland - Emerald City]

The moment the chain reaction ended, before Keith even had a chance to activate any other cards, Jaden declared, "It's not over yet! Although [Elemental Protection] only temporarily banishes my [E·Hero Absolute Zero], it can still trigger the effect of [E·Hero Absolute Zero] when it leaves the field!"

"When this card leaves the field, is sent to the Graveyard, or is banished, destroy all monsters on your opponent's field!"

Although the effect of [E·hero Absolute Zero] will trigger the effect that activates when [Oz the Greatsword] is destroyed, there are not only one but two monsters on the field at this time. Only the Machine-type [Oz the Greatsword] will activate its effect when destroyed. The Psychic-type [Oz the Greatsword] does not have a Last Word effect.

On the other hand, while the Machine-type [Starry Sky]'s Last Word Special Summon can Special Summon monsters from the deck, it is limited to monsters with a lower level. Just like a pilot jumping off a warship, destroying [Starry Sky - Dark Scimitar] and [Starry Sky - Scarecrow] in exchange for a lower-level [Starry Sky] is quite a good deal.

The ice pillars that had frozen the [Double Cyclone] suddenly exploded when Jaden snapped his fingers, sending flying shards of ice flying in all directions, intending to destroy both [Starry Sky - Scarecrow] and [Starry Sky - Dark Scimitar].

If [Elemental Protection] hadn't been a counter-trap, preventing Keith from chaining [Oz the Great and Powerful - Scarecrow]'s effect and playing [Oz the Great and Powerful - Dark Evaba] from his hand, he would have already chained [E-Hero Absolute Zero]'s effect and used [Oz the Great and Powerful - Dark Evaba]'s power to counter it. However, there are no "ifs."

Seeing his monsters being destroyed in unison, Keith frowned and said, "You little brat who's pushing your luck, but that's precisely why the [Star Trek - Dark Scimitar] that you destroyed has activated its effect!"

"If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the Graveyard, you can banish this card from your Graveyard to activate this effect. Special Summon one Level 7 or lower 'Starry Night' monster from my Deck!"

Because of the presence of the "Mirror of Light" on Jaden's field, Keith, who was using the "Starry Night" deck which had both Light and Dark attributes, had to carefully choose the monster he wanted to Special Summon. He retrieved a card and placed it on his Duel Disk, saying, "The monster I want to Special Summon is this one—a Level 5☆ DARK monster, 'Starry Night Delta Shuttle'!"

【Starry Night - Delta Shuttle】【5☆/Dark】

[Mechanical Race/Effect]

[2000/2000]

Modeled after the flock of crows controlled by the witch in *The Wizard of Oz* and the barely noticeable "Lambda-class shuttle" from *Star Wars*, a strangely shaped transport plane descends from the sky, filling the void on Keith Field. However, it appears to be unarmed, raising questions about its combat capabilities; rather, its 2000 attack points might be provided by the escorting fighters surrounding it as depicted on the card.

(The DOG fighter next to the Delta Shuttle has an attack power of exactly 2000 points.)

The weakened lineup on the field further weakened Keith, who muttered, "What an unexpectedly troublesome brat..."

Keith glanced at the two cards in his hand and revealed one of them: "Since you won't let me destroy [Oz the Celestial - Emerald City], I'll use its second effect first—once per turn during my Main Phase, I can reveal any number of [Oz the Celestial] monsters in my hand to my opponent, then shuffle those cards back into the deck and let me draw the number of cards that were returned to the deck."

“I reveal [Oz the Stars - Dark Evaba] from my hand, then return it to my deck, shuffle it, and draw a card.”

After exchanging his hand, Keith pointed at Jaden's field and declared, "I was blocked by your [Elemental Protection] before, but now you don't have a second [Elemental Protection] to stop me, right?"

"I activate my second [Double Cyclone]! Destroy my opponent's [Mirror of Light] in the back row, as well as my Field Spell Card [Starry Sky - Emerald City]!"