Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Such a smooth play. Although there wasn't a single high-level monster, the foundation was quite solid. And he only used two cards in the process, which shows great control over card advantage." Misawa couldn't help but say, watching Edward's play.

"Not only that, the [D·hero] monsters seem to be quite adept at using the power of the graveyard." Asuka, who had just watched one of Edward's duels, added, "Whether it's [D·hero Demon] or [D·hero Negation] which was just sent to the graveyard, they both have effects that can be activated in the graveyard. In particular, [D·hero Demon] can be 'revived' an unlimited number of times in a single turn as long as there is another [D·hero Demon] in the deck. And [D·hero Negation] also has a unique search ability."

As expected, as soon as Asuka finished speaking, Edward took out the second [D·hero Demon] from the graveyard and said, "I activate the effect of [D·hero Demon] again, banish it, and then I Special Summon the third [D·hero Demon] from my Deck."

【D·hero's Demonic Aura】【DEF800】

After completing his second search, Edward put down the card [D·Hero Demon], glanced at Hayato, then looked down at a card in his hand, drew it out of his hand, and inserted it into the Spell & Trap Zone. Without immediately deploying it, he looked at Jaden and said seriously, "Don't blink, Jaden Yuki. What follows is a scene of unimaginable desolation, a tragic fate of blood!"

"Continuous Spell Card [D-Power] activated! As part of the effect processing when this card is activated, I can search my Deck for one [D·hero Blood Demon-D] and add it to my hand!"

"Was that [D·hero Blood Demon-D] who just tried to take away Hayato-sensei's [Five Divine Dragons]? That's quite a troublesome monster."

Although Jaden arrived late and couldn't see all of Edward's duels, he did see the latter half of Edward's duels when he arrived, and knew part of the effect of [D·Hero Blood Demon-D]. "And I remember you just told Hayato-sensei that if that card is combined with something like Powder, it can do something else, right?"

"It's that [D-Power] on my back row!" Edward pointed out. "With the help of [D-Power], [D-Hero Blood Demon-D] can further gain the power to negate the effects of all face-up monsters on the opponent's field indefinitely!"

“I see… In that case, your [D-Power] won’t be able to take effect smoothly.” Jaden nodded and then showed three cards from his hand. “During the preparation phase of this turn, I drew three of the four cards using [Nightmare Mirage]: [E·Hero Neos], [N·Earth Mole], and [N·Black Panther].

"Last turn, it wasn't that I wanted to waste the entry effect of [E·hero Shining Neo Cosmic Wingman], it's just that relatively speaking, it was better to use the effect of this card."

"With the activation of the chain [D-Power], I activate my face-down card in the back row—my second Trap Card [Beloved Contact]! I place [E-Hero Neos], [N-Earth Mole], and [N-Black Panther] from my hand back into the bottom of the deck as Fusion Materials for a Triple Contact Fusion!"

Although the card art shows [E.Hero Neos] and [E.Hero Flash Flame Wingman] making contact and fusing, just like Jaden could use [E.Hero Flame Wingman - Flame Strike] to participate in the fusion, the materials are not important. As long as the fusion monster has a specified [Hero] monster as the fusion material, that is enough.

"Hazard-On!" Jaden said, raising his palm towards the sky. "When the three forces unite, the dark and earthy nebula that gave birth to life from a distant part of the universe will converge here, and the heroes of the new space will be awakened with new powers under this triple contact!"

"Affectionate contact, fusion of three nebulae! Born from the vortex of evolution! Level 9☆—"

During Edward's turn, Jaden performed a Fusion Summon of a new [E·hero] monster at second speed. Because the materials included [N·Black Panther] which provided aesthetic appeal, Jaden's [E·hero Neos] also manifested first in its most visually appealing form, [E·hero Black Neos], before absorbing the power of [N·Earth Mole].

(Dual Destroyer)

Emerald green earth elements transformed into armor and propulsion wings, adorning various parts of [E·hero Black Neocosm]. Unlike the previous [E·hero Chaos Neocosm], this new [E·hero Neocosm], formed through triple contact fusion, while also displaying unique patterns, glows with a yellow light that blends dark and earth elements. Its right hand is even equipped with a "Dual Destroyer" that can be used for both melee and ranged attacks.

Holding up a card, Judai shouted his name—

"Super-Best-Match! [E·hero Nebula Neocosm]!"

【E·hero Nebula Neocosmos】【9☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[3000/2500]

"Attack power 3000 points, defense power 2500 points? That's the same attack and defense power stats as the legendary [Blue-Eyes White Dragon]!?" Edward's eyes widened. "I've never heard of a [Hero] like that before!"

“Of course! Because [E·hero Neos] and [N] are all cosmic heroes from 'new space',” Jaden said with a smile. “How about it? Aren’t they great, my new friends? Seeing them make their debut is super exciting, isn’t it!”

"It's just that I really want to complain. [E·hero Shining Neo Cosmic Warrior] was actually higher, right?" Kenzan said from the sidelines. "A monster with 3100 attack and 2500 defense was just a passable monster. Why are they so concerned about monsters with 3000 attack and 2500 defense?"

"Because he's just a kid." Marufuji Sho, who was only a year older than Kenzan, said in a mature tone, "That's how duelists are. It's normal for them to be obsessed with certain numbers. Hayato-sensei often gets excited when he hears things like 'there are two monsters with an attack power of 2000 or more' or 'there are two level 2☆ monsters.' But nobody has ever heard of monsters like 'Galaxy Eye' or 'Giant Jet.'"

Seeing [E·hero Nebula Neos] appear on Jaden's field, Edward frowned and waved his hand, saying, "But [E·hero Nebula Neos] appears after my [D-Power] is activated, regardless of whether that monster has any effect that activates when it is successfully Special Summoned. We need to deal with the existing chain first."

"【D·hero Blood Demon-D】was added to my hand under the effect of 【D-Power】."

Ed Phoenix: 4000LP, hand 4→4

However, just as Ed added the card to his hand, the [E·hero Nebula Neos] on the field suddenly moved again, opening its propulsion wings and taking off, its empty left hand outstretched in front of it as if making a grasping motion.

(Speaking of which, those propeller fins look very familiar.)

"【E·hero Nebula Neos】His first effect can only be activated when he is Special Summoned from the Fusion Deck, which is to allow me to draw the same number of cards from my Deck as the number of cards on my opponent's field."

Jaden's first words startled Edward. After counting the cards on Edward's field, Jaden grinned and said, "Well, since you have three [V·hero] monsters, one [D·hero] monster, and one Continuous Spell Card on your field, I can draw five cards from my deck!"

[Yujo Judai: 4000LP, hand cards 4→1→6]

The clay that was being held in the hand of [E·hero Nebula Neos] condensed into a piece of clay, which fell into Jaden's hand and transformed into a total of five cards. If Edward had added a few more cards, such as [D·hero Negator] which could be revived from the graveyard, Jaden could have drawn even more.

This card-drawing efficiency is much higher than [Nightmare Mirage], and unlike [Heavenly Treasure Card], it doesn't have to be shared with your opponent. It's even stronger than [Life-Slashing Treasure Card], which has almost no side effects.

What's more—after drawing the card, Jaden continued, "After that, the follow-up effect of [E·Hero Nebula Neos] is that it can negate the effect of one face-up card on the field until the end of the turn. I choose [D-Power]!"

"Storm Nebula splits!"

【E·hero Nebula Neocosmos】grasped his left hand again, but this time he wasn't creating soil that could nurture life. Instead, he shaped a twisted, dark purple energy ball with his bare hands, as if it were a manifestation of a black hole. As he pushed it toward the field of E, the 【D-Power】 card was pressed into the ground by the distorted gravity and became unable to function!

Ed's only consolation at this moment was that [D·hero Blood Demon-D] had already been added to his hand by [D-Power], and the extra power of [D·hero Blood Demon-D] only required [D-Power] to exist, and did not require [D-Power] to have an effect.

It's a bit of a shame that [D-Power] could have granted [D·hero Blood Demon-D] additional attack power, continuous attack ability, and the ability to protect cards on your field from being targeted by your opponent's effects. However, [D·hero Blood Demon-D] alone is enough; Edward is confident in his abilities!

Chapter 1515 Powerful cards may be risky, but that's only because they're not powerful enough.

"This is actually the same effect? ​​That's powerful!"

Watching Jaden finish dealing with the effect of [E·Hero Nebula Neos], Asuka exclaimed in surprise, "Not only can it replenish a large number of cards in your hand, but it can also negate the effect of a card on the field for one turn without targeting. When did Jaden obtain such a powerful new ability?"

"Just a short while ago, my older brother took a nap and suddenly got a new card."

Aside from Ameruda, who wasn't present, Marufuji Sho was the only one among those present who knew the entire process of Jaden obtaining the card, but even he couldn't describe the part where Jaden "dreamed." "And it wasn't just [E·hero Nebula Neos], my brother also had another card that was a Triple Contact Fusion, which was [E·hero Chaos Neos] summoned using Chaos Contact Fusion."

"Huh?" Manjoume raised an eyebrow, displeased. "My [Dragon King of Light and Darkness] predates his, doesn't it? Mine is the true fusion of chaos!"

"Is it that 'Dragon King of Light and Darkness,' which, like the 'Dragon of Light and Darkness,' will trick Manjoume himself?" Fubuki teased.

"Uh... well, even so, Judai's cards might have negative effects too, considering how powerful his card-drawing and card-negating abilities are." Manjoume looked at Judai's [E·hero Chaos Neos], because he was in a hallucination when Judai dueled with Sera and was just guessing without any basis, but he accidentally guessed it correctly.

"It seems like this is how it is. My brother's [E·Hero Neos] Fusion Monsters, as long as they are fused with [N] monsters from the Neo-Dimensional Space, basically have the drawback of automatically returning to the Deck at the end of the turn." Marufuji Sho paused, unable to help but complain, "Even though [E·Hero Neos] Fusion Monsters are strong individually, whether they are [N] monsters or [N] monsters fighting alone, how come they become a hindrance when fused together?"

"Well, because powerful cards often come with huge risks," Hayato, who was acting as the referee but was actually just a spectator, commented. "While there might be risks, it's only because the card isn't powerful enough. A truly powerful card is one that makes the opponent take the risk."

"However, there's not much to worry about regarding the side effects of the tenth generation's [E·hero Nebula Neos] - although it does mean it loses a powerful effect because of it."

Upon hearing Hayato's words, Jaden said in surprise, "Hayato-sensei, did you notice? That's right. Because I used the power of 'Beloved Contact' for Contact Fusion, if one of the fusion materials is 'E.Hero Neos,' it can trigger an additional effect, which prevents both players from returning the Fusion Monster Special Summoned by the effect of 'Beloved Contact' to the Fusion Deck."

"In other words, the [E·hero Nebula Neocosm] that has now been used is actually a blank slate, but its presence still serves another purpose, which is to provide me with a new attribute."

Jaden paused, then displayed the other four monster cards on his Duel Disk. "Now that the EARTH attribute has been added to my field, [E·Hero Sunrise] gains an additional 200 ATK bonus!"

[Yujo Judai: 4000LP, 6 cards in hand]

【E·hero Sunrise Man】【ATK2700→2900】

【E·hero Brave New Universe】【ATK2700→2900】

【羽翼栗子球LV6】【500/200→700/200】

【E·hero Flash New Universe】【ATK3300→3500】

【E·hero Nebula Neocosmic Knight】【ATK3000→3400】

【Nightmare of the Mirage】【GaiKa】

"Hmph, no matter how high the attack power is, [D·hero] is still the strongest [Hero]. Your flimsy [E·hero] can't possibly stand against it. I'll prove it to you!" Ed didn't care that Jaden's monsters' attack power had collectively increased. He played the card in his hand, "Spread your wings and unleash the terror of fate, 'Bloo-D'!"

As Edward gave the order, his three monsters on the field—V·hero Incremental Man, V·hero Alone Man, and D·hero Demon Man—were all swallowed up by the sea of ​​blood that suddenly spread beneath their feet. A demonic monster rose from the pool of blood; it was Edward's ace monster—D·hero Blood Demon-D!

【D·hero Blood Demon-D】【8☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1900/600]

"【D·hero Blood Demon-D】cannot be Normal Summoned; it can only be Special Summoned by Tributing three monsters on my field." After a pause, Edward pointed to Jaden's field. "Then, while 【D-Power】 is face-up on my field, 【D·hero Blood Demon-D】 gains the additional ability to negate all effects of face-up Effect Monsters on my opponent's field, and to negate and destroy the activations and effects of any Spell & Trap Cards targeting cards on my field!"

"The Demonic Eye of Intimidation! In the name of destiny, I command you to step back!"

【D·hero Blood Demon-D】 plunged his hand into the pool of blood, and in an instant, the pool spread across Jaden's field. Tentacle-like blood vines shot up from the ground and instantly bound the monsters on Jaden's field, stripping them of all their power. The first to be affected was 【E·hero Sunrise Warrior】, which provided attack power boosts to the other monsters.

【E·hero Sunrise Man】【ATK2900→2500】

【E·hero Brave New Universe】【ATK2900→2500】

【羽翼栗子球LV6】【700/200→300/200】

【E·hero Flash New Universe】【ATK3500→3100】

【E·hero Nebula Neocosmic Knight】【ATK3400→3000】

"Tsk, the power of [E·hero Sunrise Warrior] has disappeared..." Jaden looked at Edward's actions and suddenly revealed an arrogant expression. "But even if you keep saying that [D·hero] is the strongest hero—and have already negated all my monster effects, isn't the attack power of [D·hero Blood Demon-D] still no match for any of my [E·hero] monsters on the field?"

Seeing Judai's unusual expression from the sidelines, Manjoume wondered, "What's Judai doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? He's using trash talk to harass his opponent." Asuka said calmly, "You could see it from Hayato-sensei's duel just now. Although he's a professional and has a certain resistance to most trash talk, Ed Phoenix is ​​still easily affected when it comes to certain things."

"Judai probably noticed Ed's inexplicable obsession with [D·hero] too. He's really mastered Hayato's skills when it comes to messing with people's minds." Fubuki whistled, eagerly anticipating what dramatic scene would unfold next.

Marufuji Sho and the others nodded in agreement. After all, they all knew what kind of effect the [Winged Kuriboh LV6] had on Jaden's field. The power of [D·Hero Blood Demon-D] could not restrain that free spirit with only angel wings.

As expected, under Jaden's provocation, Edward, who was there to prove the power of [D·hero] against Jaden, would never allow Jaden to utter such disrespectful words about [D·hero]. He immediately activated the effect of [D·hero Blood Demon -D], pointing at the monster on Jaden's field: "Then you'll see for yourself, Jaden Yuki, witness the true power of [D·hero Blood Demon -D]!"

"Once per turn, [D·hero Blood Demon-D] can equip one of your opponent's monsters as an Equip Card to [D·hero Blood Demon-D], increasing [D·hero Blood Demon-D]'s ATK by half the equipped monster's ATK and gaining the same effect as the equipped monster."

The monster Edward was pointing at was none other than [E·hero Shining Neos], the monster with the highest attack power on the field in Jaden. "Your beloved [E·hero], and that so-called hero from the 'new space' outside Earth? Even so, [D·hero Blood Demon-D] still surpasses them!"

The blood vines binding [E·hero Shining Neos] suddenly grew thicker and stronger, fueled by the power from the blood pool. With increased strength, they were about to drag [E·hero Shining Neos] into the blood pool and sink him. However, seeing this, the arrogant expression that had just appeared on Jaden's face vanished instantly, and he breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Finally fell for it... Ya☆da☆thief!"

On the Jaden field, one of the monsters bound by blood-red tentacles—[Winged Kuriboh LV6]—suddenly burst forth with a burst of light. The holy light not only swept away the tentacles binding the monsters on the Jaden field in an instant, but also flowed back along the blood pool towards the Eddard field, heading straight for [D·hero Blood Demon-D]!?

"What?! What's going on with that monster?!" Edward looked at the suddenly erupting [Winged Kuriboh LV6] with surprise, unable to understand how the monster had done it. In the blink of an eye, the light released by [Winged Kuriboh LV6] had covered [D·hero Blood Demon-D], and the powerful [D·hero Blood Demon-D] was actually vaporized from Edward's field by this burst of light!

"【D·hero Blood Demon-D】should have negated all your monster effects!"

"That monster did negate the effects of all the monsters on my field. However, it only negated the effects of 'monsters on the field'," Jaden nodded, explaining. "But my [Winged Kuriboh LV6] effect isn't actually activated on the field; it's in the Graveyard!"

"When the opponent activates the effect of a monster on the field, or when an opponent's monster declares an attack, you can activate the effect of [Winged Kuriboh LV6] by releasing yourself. Destroy that monster." Jaden paused, then pointed at Edward, "and inflict damage to the opponent equal to that monster's original ATK!"

The monster-shaped Magic Cylinder – Winged Kuriboh LV6 – dispelled the power of D·hero Blood Demon-D and destroyed it in return. Its light subsided, and flames ignited. Like a fireball, it crashed straight into Edward, decimating nearly half of his life points with this suicidal attack!

[Ed Phoenix: 4000→2100LP, 3 cards in hand]

After finally managing to gather a large number of monsters on the field, and having just Special Summoned [D·hero Blood Demon-D], the powerful [D·hero Blood Demon-D] fell down so easily, causing Ed to lose nearly half of his Life Points. With only three cards left in his hand, Ed looked at Jaden's field with considerable frustration.

Because of the departure of [D·hero Blood Demon-D], the effects of monsters such as [E·hero Sunrise Warrior] have been restored, but the attack power of the Jade Generation monsters seems to be even higher than before.

【E·hero Sunrise Man】【ATK2500→2900】

【E·hero】】【ATK2500→2900→3000

【E·hero Flash New Universe】【ATK3100→3500→3800】

【E·hero Nebula Neocosmic Knight】【ATK3000→3400】

"As I mentioned before, the card name of 【Winged Kuriboh LV6】 can be used as a 【E·hero】 and 【Beloved】 card. One of the effects of my 【E·hero Brave Neos】 is that it gains 100 ATK based on the number of 【Hero】 and 【N】 monsters in my Graveyard; another effect is that 【E·hero Shiny Neos】 gains 300 ATK for each monster card in my Graveyard."