Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

[3000/2500]

Malik, who had been out for a while and was holding a small cake, sat in the monitoring room. The moment he saw the Lava Demon being filmed by Jaden, he suddenly stood up, extremely excited.

"This is it! Yes, this is exactly what I wanted to see! Hahahaha, Duel Monsters is really fun!"

Jaden summoned a Lava Demon, and Malik's Soul Card is also a Lava Demon. In effect, it's as if Malik summoned a Lava Demon and devoured the arrogant little devil Ed's prized monster. Could there be a better performance than that?

No, absolutely no more!

"It's... [Lava Demon]!?" Upon seeing the [Lava Demon] appear on his field, his expression twisted.

Of course he knew about [Lava Demon]. Not to mention that this card is an extremely classic monster, it had a very high appearance rate in Kobayashi Hayato's hands. Its ability to release two of the opponent's monsters and Special Summon them to the opponent's field can easily deal with most powerful monsters. As a single-player pusher, Edward was quite familiar with its effect.

But knowing doesn't mean understanding, especially since the person who used it wasn't Hayato Kobayashi, but Jaden Yuki?

"Let me see what you mean by 'transformation,' Jaden Yuki?" Edward said with dissatisfaction, pointing to the cage surrounding his [Lava Demon God]. "Is this your hero too!?"

Because the release of [Lava Demon] is a rule-based release rather than an effect release, and there is no activation process, Edward couldn't even keep up with the chain. By the time Jaden played [Lava Demon], [D. Hero Phoenix Destroyer] and [D. Hero Fear Man] had already been sacrificed and sent to the graveyard. As a result, Edward didn't even have a chance to activate the effect of [D. Hero Phoenix Destroyer], or at least deal with [Nightmare Mirage] in the back row.

"I've said it before, anyone can be a hero as long as they have a heroic heart. This is my 'Elemental HERO - Lava Demon Knight'!" Although Jaden spoke with confidence, his tone was still somewhat hesitant. He continued, "However, powerful cards often come with great risks. I cannot perform a Normal Summon on the turn I Special Summon [Lava Demon Knight]... I mean, the turn I Special Summon 'Elemental HERO - Lava Demon Knight'."

"However, special effects are not restricted. For example, the third effect of my [E·hero Neos Elf] is that I can put it back into my deck during my Main Phase and then Special Summon a [E·hero] Normal Monster from my deck."

As Jaden spoke, he picked up the card of [E·hero Neos], put it back into the deck, shuffled it, and took out another card. "The monster I'm going to Special Summon is this one, [E·hero Neos]!"

【E·hero New Universe】【ATK2500】

Finally making its official debut in this duel, [E·hero Neos] had just struck a cool entrance pose when, in the next instant, Jaden revealed another card, saying, "And with the special summon of [E·hero Neos], I activate this Quick-Play Spell Card [Next Generation] from my hand!"

"This can only be activated when my Life Points are lower than my opponent's. Select any one of the following monsters from my Deck or Graveyard with an Attack equal to or less than the difference in Life Points between us: [E-hero], [Kuriboo], or [N-mon].

"Add it to my hand or Special Summon it, but in exchange, I cannot activate the effects of that card or any other card with the same name during this turn."

As he spoke, Jaden took a card from his deck and showed it to Edward, "But, as long as you choose a Normal Monster, this card's restriction will not apply."

"The monster I Special Summoned is—the second one in my deck, [E·Hero Neos]!"

【E·hero New Universe】【ATK2500】

"Huh? Two? Big Brother actually has two [E·Hero Neos]?" Kenzan said in surprise. "I thought that kind of ace monster should only have one?"

"So, according to you, Mr. Seto Kaiba will never be able to fuse with the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in his lifetime," Sho Marufuji retorted, glancing at Kenzan. "Anyway, the E-Hero Neos was originally drawn by my older brother, right? What's wrong with him drawing a few more?"

In fact, before Jaden Special Summoned two [E·Hero Neos] at once, Manjoume and the others already knew that Jaden's deck probably contained two or even three [E·Hero Neos]. After all, he had used [Beloved Contact] in the first turn to put one [E·Hero Neos] back to the bottom of the deck, and then used [Nightmare Mirage] to draw a second [E·Hero Neos] without activating any deck-shuffling effects.

“Although there is only one spirit, the cards that can reside there are not limited to just one.” Manjoume, who is also a spirit user, glanced at the two [E·hero Neos] on Jaden’s field and said, “I don’t really want [Dragon of Light and Darkness] yet.”

"If you really don't want it, you can bury the card in the ground."

"What a joke! Who would do such a thing!" Manjoume was just saying it jokingly, being arrogant, but when he heard Fubuki's teasing, he immediately got angry. He wasn't as ignorant as he was when he was a child, who had even done something like giving away the [Dragon of Light and Darkness]—although it came back on its own the next day and he couldn't shake it off.

(Manga character Manjoume: Yes, kids, I did that kind of thing.)

“There are two monsters with 2500 attack power…” Edward frowned as he looked at the two [E·Hero Neos] cards Jaden played, and then said, “But so what! Those two monsters can’t even break through the [Lava Demon] you put on my field!”

"Don't rush, Edward. I didn't Special Summon [E·Hero Neos] from the Deck to the Field just to let them fight like this. [Hero] really needs to be Fusion."

Jaden played a card from his hand and said, "I used the effect of [E·hero Neos] to search my deck, and now I'm activating this [Fusion] Spell Card that I added to my hand! I'll use the two [E·hero Neos] on my field as Fusion Material!"

"Two normal monsters of the [Hero] type are required. The light between stars records the history of the universe, and a new chapter in this magnificent epic begins!"

"Fusion Summon, Level 6☆!"

"Unify your gun draw! [E·hero Grandmaster]!"

【E·hero Grand Hero】【6☆/Light】

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[0/0]

The shield of Nendoroid, the claws and wings of Wingman, the boots of Burst Girl, the bodysuit of Electroman, the armor of Golden Blademan, the guns of Bubble Man... All the elements of the various E-Hero monsters from the Tenth Generations are present in [E-Hero Magnificent]. Just like its other name, "Unifying Hero," [E-Hero Magnificent] is a new [Hero] created by unifying the power of [E-Hero]!

Even his material is quite clear. Although it is said that any normal monster with the [Hero] field will do, who doesn't know that only [E·hero] has normal monsters?

However, compared to card design, Edward didn't have his father's talent; he focused more on card performance as a duelist: "Attack and defense are both 0?"

"Although it's a bit arbitrary, there's a saying that goes, 'Anything with 0 attack and 0 defense is a monster.' 【E·Hero Grandmaster】 can be considered a close match, right?" Jaden said with a smile. "Because its effect is that it increases the attack and defense of monsters used as fusion materials for this card by 300 points for each of their original levels."

"The fusion materials for [E·hero Magnificent] are two level 7 [E·hero Neos] cards, therefore [E·hero Magnificent]'s ATK and DEF will each increase by 4200 points!"

【E·hero Magnificent Warrior】【0/0→4200/4200】

"It's not over yet! I'm going to activate this [Miracle Contact] card in my hand again!"

After summoning [E·Hero Magnificent], Jaden continued, "Just like [Miracle Fusion], [Miracle Contact] is also a card that can use monsters in my graveyard as fusion materials. I will use [N·Sky Hummingbird] and [N·Water Wave Dolphin] from my hand, and [E·Hero Neos] from my graveyard as fusion materials!"

Jaden placed the three cards together, then put them back into his deck. "Unlike Miracle Fusion, Miracle Contact puts the E. Hero Neos, which are used as Fusion Materials, back into my deck. Then, I Special Summon a single E. Hero Fusion Monster, which uses E. Hero Neos as one of its Fusion Materials, from my Fusion Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions!"

"When the three forces unite, summon the strongest warrior from a distant land, and let him be born from the vortex of evolution!"

"Triple contact fusion! Level 9☆!" After a pause, Jaden looked at Edward and said, "Edward, you said my fate is to be defeated by you? But that's not right! My fate is to command the winds and rains!"

"My destiny is in my own hands! [E·hero Storm Neo-Universe]!"

Chapter 1519 Luckily, I was one step ahead.

"My destiny is about to be unleashed! [E·hero Storm Neo-Universe]!"

【E·hero Storm Neo-Universe】【9☆/Wind】

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[3000/2500]

Although both are "triple contact fusion", compared to [E·hero Chaos Neocosm] and [E·hero Nebula Neocosm], the appearance of [E·hero Storm Neocosm] is obviously much lower. The main reason is that the main appearance-contributing [N·Black Cheetah] is not involved in the fusion.

However, without its good looks, [E·hero Storm Neos]'s strength is also just average. Just like its name suggests, compared to [Chaos], which can destroy the field or wipe out all the monsters on the opponent's field, and [Nebula], which can draw a bunch of cards and negate the effect of a designated card, [E·hero Storm Neos]'s effect is just a pure "storm".

"The effect of 【E·hero Storm Neos】 is that it can be activated once per turn during my Main Phase to destroy all Spell/Trap Cards on both players' fields!" Jaden said with a smile, looking at Edward's back row. "I'll also take care of 【Nightmare Mirage】 for you, Edward. No need to thank me."

"Of course I thank you, Jaden Yuki, because when you destroyed my [D-Tactics], you also triggered its other effect, helping me retrieve a [D-Hero] monster card from my deck and add it to my hand," Edward said coldly. "But you activated [E-Hero Storm Neos]'s effect at the same time, before my face-down card in the back row was destroyed!"

"Chain summoning of [E·hero Storm Neos], revealing face-down cards in my back row—Trap Card [Dead Soul Fusion] activated!"

As Edgeka was revealed, a blue-black fusion vortex unfolded within the trap card he activated, summoning phantoms of two monsters from Edgeka's graveyard.

“This card can be used to Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster from the Fusion Deck by banishing the Fusion Material Monsters specified by a Fusion Monster Card from my Graveyard, face down.” After a pause, Edward glanced at his Graveyard. “Originally, I wanted to use this card to banish [D·hero Blood Demon-D] and [D·hero Doctrine] from my Graveyard, face down, to Fusion Summon [Dragon Knight·D-END].

"Still on [Blood Demon-D], still on [Blood Demon-D]." Hayato, who was off the field, complained to the card sprites in his hand when he heard Edward's plan. "Why are you always thinking about [Blood Demon-D]? Are you playing Destiny Heroes?"

While not hearing Hayato's complaint, Fubuki on the other side also looked slightly serious: "That [Dragon Knight D-END]? It is indeed a rather troublesome monster."

"It sounds like you saw that monster, brother, during the duel with Edward?" Asuka turned her head to look at Fubuki, who was unusually serious. "Was it the duel before school started?"

"Yeah, it was that time, Asuka-chan, your handsome older brother easily forced out that ultimate trump card of Ed that even Caesar couldn't." Fubuki nodded, "It has resistance to being destroyed by any effect, infinite self-regeneration, and the most troublesome ability to destroy the opponent's monster an unlimited number of times and inflict effect damage equal to the opponent's ATK. If Ed were to summon that monster during his turn, Jaden would be in danger."

"But on the other hand, in the current turn of the older brother, which is not the turn of Ed Phoenix, it wouldn't matter if the opponent summoned that monster, right?" Marufuji Sho heard another meaning in Fubuki's words.

Kenzan nodded in agreement: "That's right. After all, there's no need for Big Brother to fight to the death with a monster specially summoned by [Dead Soul Fusion], right? As long as we use [Lava Demon] and that [D·Hero Dashman] as our breakthrough point, we can still win the duel."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, is it? Didn't you hear what Edward said? His original plan was to fuse and summon [Dragon Knight D-END], but now his plan has changed because of Jaden's actions." Misawa tried to prove that he still had a presence, temporarily putting down his pen to stop taking notes, and pointed to Edward's field as he spoke, "Even the materials used for the fusion have become [D-hero Phoenix Man of Destruction] and [D-hero Dagger Man], haven't they?"

Edward took two cards from the graveyard and showed them to Jaden, saying, "The fusion materials I used are [D.hero Daggerman] as a [D.hero] monster and [D.hero Phoenix Destruction] as a [D.hero] fusion monster. Since [D.hero Phoenix Destruction] was released to the graveyard, it no longer has the ability to revive itself, so I might as well make full use of its last remaining value!"

"To meet the fusion material requirements, add a [D·hero] monster to the [D·hero] Fusion Monster!"

"Heroes who thrust the hidden sword of freedom against order, heroes of the phoenix with an undying will, now unite as one and reign supreme in the twilight paradise!"

"Fusion Summon, Level 10☆!"

The card was placed on the Duel Disk, and at the same time, a warrior clad in golden armor that seemed to represent "perfection" descended onto Edward's field under the power of [Dead Soul Fusion], and Edward shouted his name loudly.

"Perfect conclusion! Come on—[D·hero Twilight]!"

【D·hero Twilight Throne】】【10☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[3000/3000]

As [Dead Soul Fusion] fused and summoned [D·Hero Twilight Utopia], Jaden's [E·Hero Storm Neos] effect also took effect. A huge storm was generated as it flapped its wings, and the rain and lightning intertwined to trigger "conduction". In just an instant, the three cards on Edward's back field were all destroyed by the power of [E·Hero Storm Neos]!

Following his duel with Kajiki Ryota, Edward once again used [D·hero Twilight Trojan]. He looked deeply at Jaden and exclaimed, "Is this 'destiny'? I hear the voice of 'destiny,' Jaden Yuki—'destiny' shines above your head, the destiny called defeat!"

"I have already seen the end of your destiny, which is 'despair'! The despair of seeing the hope of victory within reach, only to be shut out by it! As for the reason, the answer is the [D·hero Twilight Utopia] that I have fused and summoned!"

"Just as the light of hope transforms a wasteland into an ideal place, [D·hero Twilight Utopia] possesses the power to unify and redistribute all forces, a power derived from 'Utopia.' This means that when [D·hero Twilight Utopia] is successfully Fusion Summoned, the Fusion Material Monsters specified on the Fusion Monster Card are sent to the Graveyard from my hand and field, and the Fusion Monster is Fusion Summoned from the Fusion Deck!"

After a pause, Edward waved his hand again, pointing to the [D-Tactics] on his back row that had just been destroyed but remained on the field in a damaged state, awaiting its final effect. "And, if [D-Tactics] is destroyed by an effect in the Spell & Trap Zone, its third effect will activate!"

Because [Dead Soul Fusion] wasn't activated at the same time that [E·Hero Storm Neos] was Special Summoned by Jaden, but rather after [E·Hero Storm Neos]'s effect activated, and Edward didn't have time to use the effect of [D-Tactics]. However, that's not important. What he needs now is the effect that activates when [D-Tactics] is destroyed!

"Self-chain C1 [D-hero Twistedian] C2 [D-Tactics], so that even if you have any cards that can hinder me, they will only be able to be used in chain [D-Tactics]."

That being said, Jaden didn't seem to intend to activate any cards by chaining [D-Tactics]. Seeing this, Edward took a card from his deck and continued, "Then let's start processing the chain effect. Under the effect of [D-Tactics], I'm adding a [D-hero] monster from my deck—this [D-hero Dynamite]—to my hand."

"Next is the effect of [D. Hero Twilight Islander]. I send [D. Hero Dreamer] and [D. Hero Decision-Maker] from my hand to the Graveyard as Fusion Material, satisfying the requirement of two [D. Hero] monsters."

"The Founding Utopia!"

[Ed Phoenix: 2100LP, hand 4→5→3]

Discarding the two cards, Edward clasped his hands together in front of him and shouted, "Heroes of the Dream World, heroes of the Aquatic Mutant World, now we are one, reigning over the dark future!"

"Fusion Summon, Level 8☆!"

"Come on! [D·hero Dystopian]!"

【D·hero Anti-Utopian】【8☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[2800/2400]

Although not explicitly stated, there is an "evolutionary" relationship between [D·hero Anti-Utopia] and [D·hero Twilight Utopia], which can be seen from their somewhat similar golden armor. However, in terms of their effects, it is actually closer to "reversal" than "evolution".

The effect of [D·hero Tsutopia] is to fuse with this ability that is similar to "creation", while the second effect is "protection". In contrast, the power of [D·hero Anti-Tsutopia] is "damage" and "destruction". Now Edward is going to use the effect of [D·hero Anti-Tsutopia] to end Jaden Yuki's hopes!

"The effect of [D·hero Antitopia], 'Fist of Oppression'!" Edward declared, extending his palm towards Jaden. "If [D·hero Antitopia] is successfully Special Summoned, this effect can be activated by targeting one Level 4 or lower [D·hero] monster in my Graveyard. My chosen target is—[D·hero Decision-Maker]!"

"Inflict effect damage to the opponent's duelist equal to the target monster's ATK!"

Using the same action as Edward, [D·hero Dystopian] also opened his palms, and white energy gathered from the triangular area in his palm to form a white sphere, which was about to attack Jaden!

"Oh no!" Kenzan suddenly exclaimed nervously, "That [D·Hero Decision Man] card is a monster with 1600 attack power!"