Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

However, when faced with the [Secret Ritual Power XXI-World] that was charging up to launch an attack, Manjoume smirked and said, "Yes, Mr. Manjoume!"

Pressing the button to activate the face-down card, Manjoume's only card in the back row is flipped up, revealing a giant dragon roaring amidst a crystal mine. He shouts, "Chain your monster's attack declaration, I activate the Trap Card 'Stone Roar'!"

"You can activate this effect by declaring the name of a Normal Monster. This turn, battle damage to me from battles involving your declared Normal Monsters and [Gemstone] Monsters becomes 0. If I control no monsters, I also gain the effect of Special Summoning the declared Normal Monster from my Deck or Graveyard to the field!"

As Manjoume finished speaking, a light shone in the graveyard area—but the light did not come from the graveyard area of ​​Manjoume's own Duel Disk, but from Jaden's Duel Disk.

"What's this?" Jaden looked at Manjoume in confusion, only to hear Manjoume arrogantly raise his head and say, "Stop thinking nonsense. I just want to use your monster as a shield again. Yes, that's right, so the name of my declared Normal Monster is—【E·Hero Neos】!"

"Although it was indeed a case of jumping in to take the fall, thank you anyway, Manjoume, for allowing [E·hero Neos] to make an appearance again." Jaden smiled and took a card from the graveyard. "Then let's grant Manjoume's request, Neos!"

"Who asked you for a favor?!"

Amidst Manjoume's protests, Jaden's [E·hero Neos] returned from the graveyard and bravely met Saiou's [Secret Ritual Power XXI-World] attack, even displaying it as an attack.

Although the momentum was impressive and the atmosphere was built up as if a hero was making a dramatic entrance to turn the tide, the attack power of [Arcane Power XXI-World] was ultimately higher. [E·Hero Neos] was predictably destroyed and sent back to the graveyard. Fortunately, thanks to the effect of [Original Stone Roar], neither Jaden nor Manjoume suffered any battle damage from the destruction of [E·Hero Neos].

However, because of this, Judai and Manjoume finally had only one Continuous Spell Card left on the field, "Original Stone of the Emperor," and no other cards remained. Saiou also exhausted all his resources, leaving him with no cards in his hand.

"My battle phase is over. You actually managed to survive using those methods, you've escaped with your lives, Jaden Yuki and Jun Manjoume." Saiou also put his knowledge to good use, verbatim repeating the lines that Manjoume had used to mock his older brother Nagasaku, "I have no more cards to activate, so this turn ends here."

"But even so, what can Jaden Yuki do in just one turn with only two cards in his hand?" Looking at Jaden's hand, Saiou made a judgment. "With [E·hero Bubble Man], which cannot activate its draw effect because of cards on the field, and [Swamp Demon King], which can search for [Fusion] but has no other Fusion materials, what can you do with those two cards?"

"Your future cannot break through my [Arcane Power XXI - World] and [Arcane Power EX - Lord of Light] to harm me. This is the future I see for sure, your destiny!" Saiou said, pressing his hands on the table. "And now, I end my turn."

[Zaiwang Takuma: 2000LP, 0 card in hand]

【Arcane Power XXI-World】【ATK3100】

【Arcane Power EX - Ruler of Light】【ATK2500】

【Valhalla, the Dwelling City of the Gods】【Mirage of Nightmares】

"Well then, it's my turn, draw!" The duel had finally reached its first turn, and Jaden excitedly drew a card from his deck. But just as he drew the card, Jaden was surprised to find that his [E·Hero Neos] in his graveyard was jumping back and forth and back into his hand again.

“Tsk, fate is actually defying me…” Saiou clicked his tongue in displeasure and explained, “This is the effect of [Secret Power XXI - World] when it is reversed. During the opponent’s draw phase, the top card of the opponent’s graveyard is added to the opponent’s hand. As for Jaden Yuki, the top card of your graveyard is naturally [E·Hero Neos], which was just destroyed.”

"I see." Jaden looked like he understood, but not quite. "So, it seems I've gathered another set of fusion materials needed for [Fusion]?"

"Hmph, but after your draw phase comes the standby phase, right? Well, at the very moment you enter your standby phase, because of the effect of [Nightmare Mirage] on my back row," Saiou said, drawing four cards from the top of his deck in one go, "I have no cards in my hand, so I can draw a full four cards from here!"

[Zaiwang Takuma: 2000LP, hand 0 → 4]

"It's not the first time I've seen it, but every time I see it, I think it's incredibly cheating. Every time you get to draw four cards or something." Jaden paused, then looked at Manjoume Chosaku beside him. "But is this okay? Just because you left [Nightmare Mirage] to allow yourself to draw cards, your teammates won't have any cards in their hand next turn, right?"

“It doesn’t matter, because I see his future. The card at the top of his deck is the Quick-Play Spell Card [Extraordinary Food]. If he draws it during the Draw Phase and uses it immediately, he can avoid the negative effect of [Nightmare Mirage].” Saiou explained calmly, looking at the card in Jaden’s hand. “And you, you can play with confidence.”

'Then, I can chain your monster's Normal Summon to activate "Fate's Presence" in my hand. When my opponent controls a monster, I can send it from my hand to the Graveyard to activate one Normal Spell Card in my hand.'

"In my hand, besides [The Presence of Fate], I also have [Ace of Swords] (which I foresaw beforehand), a second [Secret Power XIV - Temperance], and the Trap Card [The High Priestess's Staff]. The power of [Ace of Swords] can instantly wipe out the Life Points of either Jaden Yuki or Jun Manjoume. [Secret Power XIV - Temperance] can block one battle attack, and [The High Priestess's Staff] can be activated from my hand to negate a monster's attack or even end the Battle Phase if I don't control any monsters!"

'So, what can you possibly do with just those four cards you have? You can't do anything, Jaden Yuki!'

Jaden, on the other hand, only just had time to pay attention to what cards he had drawn from his deck during the gacha phase.

"First, I activate the spell card 'Angel's Charity,' drawing three cards from my deck and then discarding two cards from my hand." He played a card to refresh his hand, but then paused, stunned, when he saw one of the three cards he had drawn. "This card..."

"I remember now, it was Hayato-sensei who asked me to add it to the deck, saying it was especially suitable for dealing with opponents who already have a full understanding of the situation." After recalling for a moment, Jaden turned to Manjoume and asked, "So, Manjoume, do you have that card that Hayato-sensei gave you with you?"

"Which one? Oh, that one?" Manjoume thought for a moment and nodded. "Of course, after all, that card is quite suitable for my deck, which is mainly composed of Light and Dark attributes, and there are quite a few Dark attribute monsters."

"That's perfect, lend me your card."

"Ok?"

Manjoume was taken aback, then saw Judai discard two cards from his hand and activate a card, saying, "Then I'll pay 2000 Life Points to activate this card—the Normal Spell Card [Obedience of Heaven]!"

"Pay 2000 Life Points and declare the name of a monster card to activate this effect. Your opponent can reveal their Deck. If they hold the declared monster, reveal one of those monsters to both players. Then, apply one of two effects: add the revealed card to the hand of the duelist who activated this card, or Special Summon the revealed card to the field of the duelist who activated this card in Attack Position, ignoring the Summoning conditions."

As Jaden spoke, he pointed at Manjoume and declared, "My card name is—[Dark Armed Dragon]!"

Within the Duel Disk of the Ten Thousand Heads, a dragon's roar resounded, and a jet-black armed dragon appeared behind him!

Chapter 1541 Armed New Life!

"【Dark Armed Dragon】?"

Manjoume glanced at his Duel Disk, which had automatically retrieved the card "Dark Armed Dragon" and popped it out, waiting for Manjoume to choose whether to Special Summon it to Jaden's field or add it to Jaden's hand.

"Although I don't know what you're planning to do, I'll grant your request to Mr. Manjoume for now." Manjoume pulled out the card he had retrieved and tossed it to Judai. "Use it with respect and gratitude!"

"I choose to Special Summon Jaden to the field!"

"Thank you, Manjoume Lightning!" Jaden smiled as he accepted the card and placed it on the Duel Disk. "Then come out, [Dark Armed Dragon], lend me your power!"

【Dark Armed Dragon】【7☆/Dark】

[Dragon/Special Summon/Effect]

[2800/1000]

A jet-black dragon appeared on the Jaden stage. Its appearance was almost identical to the Armed Dragon LV7, which was quite famous worldwide because of Hayato's use of it. However, its skin color made it easy to trigger the unique iaido technique of the Colombian police.

"The dark form of [Armed Dragon LV7]? Tch, what a repulsive form." Saiou frowned. "But the power of darkness cannot fundamentally change [Armed Dragon], and its effects should not be much different from the original [Armed Dragon]."

"That's right. The original effect of Hayato-sensei's [Armed Dragon LV7] is to discard a monster from your hand to destroy all monsters on your opponent's field whose ATK is lower than the ATK of the monster sent to the Graveyard," Ten explained on behalf of Manjoume. "As for [Dark Armed Dragon], although it only requires three DARK monsters in the Graveyard to be Special Summoned, its effect has also changed to target and destroy one card on the field by banishing one DARK monster from the Graveyard."

"From destroying monsters without targeting to destroying any card with targeting, it's hard to say whether it's an improvement or a weakening." Manjoume paused, "But at least the [Darkness and Destruction Dragon] in my graveyard can serve as 'ammunition' for one effect activation, destroying one of my opponent's cards!"

"Muda! That's just wishful thinking on your part." Saiou said smugly. "In my future, I didn't foresee you using [Dark Armed Dragon] to destroy my cards, but conversely, I did see your monsters leaving the field. At first, I wondered why, but because of Edward's resistance towards me, I know the answer!"

"The effect of 【Arcane Power EX - Light Dominator】 when in reverse position! When an effect targeting this card is activated, I can activate the effect of 【Arcane Power EX - Light Dominator】 by losing 1000 Life Points and forcing my opponent to draw a card, negating that activation and destroying it!"

Saiou pointed at the Dark Armed Dragon and said, "A monster shrouded in the power of darkness cannot harm me, the [Mystic Power EX - Ruler of Light] who controls light! As expected, the fate I foresaw is still absolute!"

"It's actually targeting Kang!?" Wan Zhangmei looked at [Secret Ritual Power EX - Light Dominator] with displeasure. "In that case, wouldn't both the upright and reversed positions have beneficial effects? That's even more cheating!"

"Judai, you chose the wrong card. If you had chosen [Dragon of Light and Darkness], maybe you could have—"

Hearing Manjoume's words, Judai blinked: "Huh? But I never intended to use the effect of [Dark Armed Dragon] to destroy the opponent's [Secret Ritual Power EX - Light Dominator]."

"Huh?" Manjoume didn't quite understand what Judai meant.

"Because, Manjoume, you see, what destroyed your [Dragon of Light and Ascension] before was [Arcane Power EX - Ruler of Light], right? So I thought that if I wanted to destroy it, I would at most destroy [Arcane Power XXI - World]. But as for [Arcane Power EX - Ruler of Light], I really can't let your [Dragon of Light and Ascension]'s effect go to waste. I have to destroy it through battle."

As Jaden spoke, he showed two cards in his hand, “【Dark Armed Dragon】, I actually planned to have him fuse with 【E·hero Neos】.”

"Idiot, I've never heard of [Dark Armed Dragon] being able to participate in fusion. Hayato-sensei's original [Armed Dragon] has only ever fused with [VtoZ], which can be interconnected." Manjoume said excitedly, looking at the card that Jaden showed him. "And your [E·Hero Neos] has never fused with a monster other than a 'Hero' before, has it?"

"How do you know [E·Hero Neos] can't do it if you don't even try? The power of fusion is limitless!" Jaden said, waving his hand. "Then I'll discard [Swamp Demon King] from my hand to the graveyard to activate its effect, and add one [Fusion] to my hand from my deck!"

"Next, I activate the spell card [Fusion], using [Dark Armed Dragon] on my field and [E·Hero Neos] in my hand as Fusion Material!"

With only one card left in his hand, the gigantic figure of [E·hero Neos] appeared behind Jaden.

"How about that, Manjoume?" Judai suddenly suggested to Manjoume, turning his head to the side.

But before Judai could even open his mouth, Manjoume refused without hesitation: "Huh? I don't want to! That's too stupid!"

Jaden was a little confused: "But I haven't even said what it is yet?"

"I know exactly what you, you idiot, would think when you see this situation on the field!"

"Hahaha, doesn't that just prove we're thinking the same thing?" Jaden said, suddenly striking a pose similar to a Showa-era fake O-Rider transformation, shouting, "One soul guides the light!"

"Gulp, shouting so loudly..." Manjoume gritted his teeth, and subconsciously made the opposite gesture from Judai, "One, one soul guides the darkness!"

"A cosmic superhero from a new dimension!"

"A dark dragon awakened, standing proudly atop the planet!"

"Under this supreme technique that transcends limits, we are united as one!"

"Let fully armed heroes of the stars be born!"

While shouting, Judai and Manjoume moved closer to each other in unison, changing their hand gestures. Seeing this, Asuka, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but remark, "Even though they say no..."

"But Manjoume-chan's actions are actually quite honest. It was worth helping him design his lines." Fubuki looked at the two on the field, appearing quite satisfied.

"Not only that, but his shouts are even louder than Big Brother's," Kenzan remarked, and Marufuji Sho immediately chimed in, "No wonder he's called Manjoume Lightning."

Judai and Banjou paused for a moment, then exclaimed in unison, "Bond Fusion Summon, Level 10☆!" x2

As Judai and Manjoume shouted, they each raised two fingers above their heads, bent at the side, and their fingers met each other's.

In sync with their movements, [Dark Armed Dragon] and [E·hero Neo-Universe] repeated the same set of calisthenics-like movements, touching their fingers together.

At the point where the two monsters' fingers touched, the power of fusion erupted, truly fusing the two monsters together?!

The gigantic body of [E·hero Neocosm] first absorbed the dark attribute power of [Dark Armed Dragon], becoming somewhat like [E·hero Black Neocosm]. On this base body, the dragon bloodline from [Dark Armed Dragon] was quickly fused, and the violent aura turned into red stripes that adorned various parts of [E·hero Neocosm].

As for the Dark Armed Dragon, its power was partially absorbed by the E·hero Neocosmos, causing its body to fade slightly and revert to its original Armed Dragon LV7 form. However, it then deliberately removed the armor from its body and flew towards the E·hero Neocosmos!

Fist blades, arm armor, shoulder armor, chest armor, leg armor, and massive blade-like wings on his back, culminating in the helmet shaped like an Armored Dragon, were all fitted with the full armor of the Dark Armored Dragon, instantly boosting E·hero Neo-Universe's power to an explosive, overwhelming, and powerful increase!

Incredibly powerful! 【E·hero Neo-Universe】is fifty times stronger than ever before; incomparably majestic and powerful! With such power, what in the world can withstand 【E·hero】? *Heroic profanity*, what in the world can possibly stand against him?

No, he should be called—

"Armor Evolution - [Armed Neocosm Warrior]!!" x2

Jaden and Manjoume simultaneously called out the monster's name, and in response to their call, Armed Neos appeared, raising one arm high above its head in a dazzling display!

【Armed Neo-Cosmonaut】【10☆/Wind】

[Warrior Race/Fusion/Effect]

[3500/3000]

"Attack power, 3500 points!?" Seeing that his card and Manjoume's card had actually fused successfully, Jaden looked excitedly at the giant hero before him. "So beautiful, Neos! Is this the new form you gained after obtaining the power of the Dark Armed Dragon?"

“It’s beautiful… Hmm, wait a minute, Jellyfish Head, are you sure you’re not mistaken?” Manjoume was about to nod in agreement when he suddenly glared at Judai beside him and said, “This [Armed Neos] doesn’t have your [Hero] field, does it? It should be dominated by my [Dark Armed Dragon].”

"Then call out to Manjoume and see if he responds? The main body is clearly my [E·hero Neo-Universe Knight], right? The race is also Warrior."

"Your [Hero] can't even raise your attack power to this level. Appearance isn't important; what's important is that the main provider of power is my dragon race!"

"He should be called a hero!"

"A hero without the 'Hero' field? I think he's a dragon!"

"Hero!" "Dragon!"

"Enough!" Unable to bear the kindergarten-level "internal strife" between Manjoume and Judai, Saiou said impatiently, "Is that the trump card you want to use to defeat me, Judai Yuki?"

"Huh? How did you tell that this is him—"