Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

[900/1100]

"If [V·hero Incremental] is Special Summoned from the Spell & Trap Zone, this effect can be activated. Special Summon one Level 4 or lower [V·hero] monster from my Deck, and I Special Summon one Level 4 [V·hero Bionic] from my Deck." Edward searched again, drew a card, and placed it face down on the field. "If [V·hero Bionic] is Special Summoned, its effect is activated. Send one [Hero] monster from my Deck to the Graveyard."

【V·hero Android】【4☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[100/1200]

"The card I chose is [D·hero Disc Man]."

With both Special Summoning and Graveyard Dumping, Edward's hand size rapidly decreased, leaving him with only two cards. However, he only managed to summon two [V·hero] cards on the field, whose combined attack power was lower than that of Hayato's lowest-attack [Half-Dragon Maid Dressing Table Dragon Girl].

However, both [V·hero] and [D·hero] are heroes who are extremely good at using the graveyard in battle. Ed, who has accumulated enough resources in the graveyard, is now about to begin his true development.

"I banish 'V·hero Alone' from my Graveyard to activate the effect of 'V·hero Bionic' on my field. Add one 'Fusion' card from my Deck to my hand." After retrieving a card from his Deck, Edward played another card from his hand. "Then, I Tribute 'V·hero Bionic' and 'V·hero Increment' on my field as Tribute cards for a Tribute Summon!"

"The lonely man in the iron mask, imprisoned beneath the clock tower, break free from the heavy chains that bind you and cry out from your heart to fate!"

"Superior Summoning, Level 8☆!"

"All bindings broken—[D·hero Fear Man]!"

The two monsters on the field of Aid vanished, replaced by the phantom of a clock tower rising. This was not a Field Spell Card, because in the next moment, the clock tower, whose hands pointed to twelve o'clock, suddenly began to collapse from the inside, and a "monster" with muscles as rugged as mountains, limbs dragging broken chains and wearing an iron mask, leaped down from the clock tower and onto the field of Aid!

(Note: Animated version)

【D·hero Fear Man】【8☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

【？ /？】

Chapter 1506 Rather than let you take my strange ox, I'd rather let me have it—

“My father referenced games and folk legends when designing D·hero, which is why most of the D·heroes have their own prototypes.”

"For example, the prototype of [D·hero Defender] is a giant rock-shaped Mega Man wearing a rugby helmet from Mega Man Online; the prototype of [D·hero Dashman] is 'Spring-Heeled Jack' from British folklore; and the prototype of [Blood Demon-D] is Dracula from Castlevania, who gains the abilities of his opponents by stealing their souls."

After giving three examples, Edward pointed to his own card, 【D·hero Fear Man】, “Although the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Quasimodo might come to mind, his prototype is actually the ‘Man in the Iron Mask’ from the last book of Alexandre Dumas’s Three Musketeers trilogy, The Viscount de Bragelonne, namely Philippe, the twin brother of King Louis XIV!”

(PS: This movie, "The Man in the Iron Mask," has been remade multiple times, including one starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the Man in the Iron Mask, so it's not unreasonable to imagine that DiCaprio's face is under the mask.)

"In 'The Viscount of Bragelonne,' the Man in the Iron Mask, imprisoned, eventually reclaimed the throne from his tyrannical brother and brought hope to the people. My [D·hero Fear Man] also possesses the power to summon hope!"

With a wave of his hand, Edward retrieved two cards from his graveyard, saying, "When [D. Hero Fearman] is successfully summoned, destroy all monsters on my field except those with [D. Hero] in their names, and then Special Summon up to two [D. Hero] monsters from my Graveyard. The monsters I Special Summoned are these two—[D. Hero Discman] and [D. Hero Drillman]!"

(Note: Previous version of source code)

【D·hero Disc Man】【1☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[300/300]

【D·hero Drill Man】【4☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1600/1200]

As Edward Special Summons two monsters from the graveyard, the two chains on his Iron Mask—[D·hero Fearman]—suddenly shatter, and the power of [D·hero Fearman], freed from the heavy shackles, suddenly begins to rise.

The newly appeared [D·hero Disc Man] and [D·hero Drill Man] were suddenly surrounded by a transparent barrier, seemingly protecting them.

"The second effect of [D·hero Fearman] is that during the turn this card is Summoned or Special Summoned in Attack Position, it protects all [D·hero] monsters on my field from destruction, and reduces battle damage dealt to their controllers to 0," Edward explained. "The third effect is that [D·hero Fearman]'s ATK becomes the sum of the ATKs of all other [D·hero] monsters on my field, excluding itself!"

【D·hero Fear Man】【? /? →1900/1900】

"It's not the effect of the physical card, which is not expected. It's just a pity about the effect of my [Armed Dragon - Thunder - LV10]." Hayato muttered to himself helplessly.

His 【Armed Dragon - Lightning - LV10】is Special Summoned by the effect of 【Armed Dragon - Lightning - LV7】. With an ATK of 3300, it has the following effects: its card name is treated as 【Armed Dragon LV10】, control is not changed, it cannot be destroyed by battle, and it can be used once during the opponent's turn to send one card from the hand to the Graveyard and target another card on the field to destroy the targeted card and increase its own ATK by 1000.

However, now that [D·hero Fear Man] has been successfully summoned and its effect has been activated, all of Edward's [D·hero] monsters have gained resistance to being destroyed by battle or card effects. The effect of [Armed Dragon Raiden-LV10] can only affect Edward's Spell & Trap Cards—or, destroy Hayato's own cards?

While [D·hero Fearman] may seem weak at the moment, it's only the beginning of Edward's plan, not yet complete. For one thing, the two monsters he Special Summoned haven't even had a chance to activate their effects yet.

"When I Special Summon a card from the Graveyard, the effect of [D·hero Discman] is activated, and I can draw two cards from my Deck."

Although Edward only has the commercially available version of "E·hero Bubble Man" among his "E·hero" cards, he also has his own "Greed Man" in "D·hero". Before drawing a card using the effect of "D·hero Disc Man" that is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, Edward reveals another card and says, "And, if 'D·hero Drill Man' is successfully Special Summoned, I will activate its effect and Special Summon one 'D·hero' monster from my hand with an ATK lower than or equal to its own ATK."

"I Special Summon [D·hero Gunner] with 1600 ATK. Also, due to the appearance of a new [D·hero] monster, [D·hero Fearman]'s ATK and DEF have increased again!"

【D·hero Gunner】【4☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1600/800]

【D·hero Fear Man】【1900/1900→3500/3500】

First, he drew two cards using the effect of [D·hero Discman]. Then Edward said, "Next is the effect of [D·hero Gunner]. This card can only be activated if it is Special Summoned by the effect of a [Hero] monster. Both duelists draw one card from their decks."

"Is there really such a good thing?" Upon hearing this, Hayato immediately drew a card from his deck, while Edward also added another card to his hand.

[Hayato Kobayashi: 4000LP, hand 4→5]

【爱德·菲尼克斯：4000LP，手牌2→1→3→4】

Starting with a normal summon, Edward not only gradually replenished his hand, but also steadily increased the strength of the monsters on the field, especially since he had many cards in his graveyard that could activate their effects.

"Ban [D·hero Demon] from my Graveyard to activate its effect. I Special Summon a second [D·hero Demon] from my Deck." Retrieving a card from his Deck and placing it down, Ed looked at the [D·hero Demon] on the field wearing warm woolen pants and thought to himself that it was getting cold and he needed to wear more clothes.

However, before the attack power of [D·hero Demon] is incorporated into the power of [D·hero Fear], he first plays a card from his hand and says: "Using [D·hero Demon] and [D·hero Disc] on my field as Fusion Materials, I activate the Spell Card [Fusion]!"

Because of the previous effect of [Ice Dragon - Trident Dragon], unfortunately, Edward lost the invincible [D. Hero Phoenix of Destruction]. At least until it returns to Edward's Fusion Deck, he can't Fusion Summon it. But it's okay, Edward's Fusion Deck doesn't only have one card like it. The Fusion Material requirement is two [D. Hero] monsters, and the monster he wants to Fusion Summon is—

"Heroes burdened by the sins of the disc-shaped creatures, heroes of this wicked world, now unite as one and reign supreme over the dark future!"

Edward clasped his hands together in front of him and shouted, "Fusion Summon, Level 8!"

"Come on! [D·hero Dystopian]!"

【D·hero Anti-Utopian】【8☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2800/2400]

Although he lost the power provided by [D·hero Disc Man] and [D·hero Demon Man], the fusion of the two into [D·hero Detopia Man] unleashed even greater power, and Edward's [D·hero Fear Man]'s attack and defense power also surged!

【D·hero Fear Man】【ATK3500→4300→3200→6000】

At the same time, by combining three non-minor monsters with an attack power of over 1500 points, [D·hero Fear Man] soared to a full 6000 points, surpassing [Five Divine Dragons]!

"It's not over yet! My power hasn't reached its limit!" Edward raised his Duel Disk, revealing his glowing Graveyard area. "If [D·hero Dystopian] is Special Summoned, I will activate this effect by targeting one [D·hero] monster in my Graveyard that is Level 4 or lower!"

"My target is the last card that was sent to the graveyard by [Future Fusion] - [D·Hero Negator]. I will inflict effect damage equal to [D·Hero Negator]'s ATK on you, Mr. Hayato!"

"The Fist of Oppression!"

Edelman extended his palm toward Caesar and declared, while D·hero Dystopian also opened his palm and made the same gesture as Edelman. Unlike the previous black hole, white energy gathered from the triangular area in his palm, forming a white sphere that rushed toward Hayato!

[Hayato Kobayashi: 4000→2900LP, 5 card in hand]

"Hoo hoo, instead of cowering in fear and defending yourself because of my monsters, you're maintaining your fighting spirit? Hmph, then I'll grant you the chance to hurt me. This is something countless people desperately want but can never achieve." Without activating any cards, Hayato allowed the attack from [D·hero Dystopian] to deduct his insignificant 1100 life points.

"Because retreating only keeps you at the current 'one,' while moving forward leads to 'two,' which is the so-called 'one step back, two steps forward,'" Edward said firmly. "My [Heroes], burdened with a tragic fate, will not be so easily intimidated by difficulties!"

“I also want to use the effect of [D·hero Negator] in my Graveyard. It can be activated if there is another [D·hero] monster on my field or in my Graveyard. I can Special Summon it from my Graveyard.” Edward put down the card and said, “And another effect of [D·hero Negator]: If this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can activate it and select one [D·hero] monster from my Deck, Graveyard, or banished monsters. I can then place it on top of my Deck.”

"The card I've chosen is this one—[D·hero Blood Demon-D]!"

【D·hero Denier】【3☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1100/600]

【D·hero Fear Man】【ATK6000→7100】

"Attack power... 7100!?" Asuka, watching from the sidelines, stared wide-eyed at the [D·hero Fearman] on Edward's field. By commanding the power of other [D·hero] monsters, the [D·hero Fearman]'s attack and defense power had risen to this terrifying number, truly living up to its name and inspiring considerable fear.

"It feels... not as good as... [Red-Eyes Dark Steel Dragon]'s 12700." Hayato raised an eyebrow as he watched Edward's [D. Hero Fearman]'s attack power increase again. "But putting [Blood Demon - D] at the top of the deck means..."

“That’s right. I’ve kept this card all this time so that I could combine it with the effect of [D·hero Negator] to search for [D·hero Blood Demon-D].” Edward showed a card in his hand and said, “The magic card [Fate Draw]! It can only be activated by discarding one of my [D·hero] cards. I discarded this [D·hero Decision Maker].

"Then, I drew two cards from my deck, one of which was this [D·hero Blood Demon-D]!"

Ed Phoenix: 4000LP, hand 3→3

"Still thinking about your [Blood Demon-D]? But I remember that although its appearance doesn't require a Normal Summon, it does require the Tribute of a Three-Body Monster," Hayato reminded him. "So, are you going to Tribute your monsters to lower the ATK of [D·Hero Fearman] just to Special Summon [D·Hero Blood Demon-D]?"

“Isn’t the answer yes, Hayato-sensei…” Edward held the card in his hand and without hesitation removed the three cards from the Duel Disk: [D. Hero Negator], [D. Hero Drill Man], and [D. Hero Gunner]. “I can see it! I can see it too! The path to victory is already clear before my eyes!”

"The path to transcending fate lies within!" Edward declared, holding up the card in his hand. "Tribute these three cards on my field and Special Summon this ultimate 'D' from my hand!"

"Awaken! [D·Hero Blood Demon-D]!"

(Still the same animation effects as the Edward version)

【D·hero Blood Demon-D】【8☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1900/600]

【D·hero Fear Man】【ATK7100→4700】

Because of the sudden loss of three [D·hero] monsters, the attack power of [D·hero Fearman] on Edward's field plummeted. Even with the addition of [D·hero Blood Demon-D], it still only had 4700 points, which was lower than the attack power of [Five Divine Dragons] on Hayato's field.

However, the appearance of [D·hero Blood Demon-D] signifies considerable power, because while Edward's [D·hero Blood Demon-D] doesn't possess the power to negate the effects of all monsters on the opponent's field on its own, unlike Hayato's [D·hero Blood Demon-D] which requires [D-Power] to work, his [D·hero Blood Demon-D] is significantly enhanced in another aspect.

“In previous duels, even though I summoned [D·hero Blood Demon-D], I didn’t have a chance to use this effect because I went first. Now that I’m going second, I can use it to my heart’s content!” Edward said, pointing to Hayato’s field. “Once per turn, I can activate the effect of [D·hero Blood Demon-D] by targeting one monster on my opponent’s field!”

"Equip the target monster as an Equip Card to [D·hero Blood Demon-D]. This effect can only equip one monster, and [D·hero Blood Demon-D] gains half the ATK of the equipped monster and the same effect as it!"

On Hayato's field, the effects of the three [Half-Dragon Maids] are all deeply tied to Hayato's other [Half-Dragon Maids], and he also knows about the effect of [Armed Dragon Raiden-LV10]. Even if he manages to steal it, he will only be able to steal a vanilla monster because [D Hero Blood Demon-D] was not Special Summoned by the effect of an [Armed Dragon] monster.

Since either way, you're just getting a blank monster as equipment, why doesn't Edward just get the one with the highest attack power?

Looking in the direction he was pointing, the monster that Edward had chosen as the target of [D·hero Blood Demon-D] was none other than Hayato's highest-ATK monster on the field, [Five Divine Dragons]!

"Let this bloody terror under the moonlight take effect!" Edward commanded with a wave of his hand. "Bloody-Fears!"

The name of this move seems to come from a piece of music in Castlevania. After all, Edward's [D·hero Blood Demon-D] is based on Dracula from Castlevania, and his Duel Disk does indeed play this music after Edward gives the order and certain conditions are met.