Duels should be played with a smile.

Or rather, it has begun to gradually recover.

Leyou's heart, however, grew somewhat cold.

This... could it be that it's going to make women give birth? Hurry up and take it away, we've already tasted enough.

Judai was unaware of Rakuyu's thoughts; all he knew was that his soul had begun to churn and stir restlessly.

He hasn't had any ordinary duels in a long time. Ever since the dimensional upheaval began, his duels have been forced to be mixed with all sorts of "impurities".

His duels were no longer pure; he fought with the expectations of others and the sense of responsibility of being a tyrant on his shoulders.

As the saying goes, responsibility can make a person mature and become stronger.

Judai was well aware of this.

He did indeed experience that feeling.

When he went into battle carrying these burdens, he never had any way out.

Even the slightest concession would be a betrayal of others.

So, after that, he never lost, not even once.

But... gradually, he felt bored and resistant.

However, he had to suppress this aversion and resistance and continue to fight with expectations on his shoulders.

That was torture.

He had to use his limited free time to adjust his mindset so that he wouldn't be overwhelmed by too many negative emotions.

When something you love is tainted with impurities, the resulting sense of resistance is something that anyone who has experienced it will never forget.

The simplest way to make someone bored with something they like is to make that thing their job, or even a burden.

And now... he is trying to unload all those burdens.

Temporarily unloaded.

At the very least, in this short duel, he wanted to try to become the person he used to be.

The moment he saw Leyou, he had a vague premonition of what was going to happen. His previous posture was not only because he was unsure how to face Leyou, but also because he wanted to make the duel more meaningful.

He was no longer the cheerful young man he once was, and the person standing in front of him was no longer his former teacher.

However, he could try to return to his original aspirations and have an ordinary duel with someone who might be seven or eight parts similar to his former teacher.

Although it may sound harsh, he did indeed treat Leyou as a substitute for his teacher.

"This duel... I'll show you what I went through after that irresponsible guy ran away."

The sudden surge of inexplicable resentment emanating from Judai left Leyou somewhat bewildered.

He had a feeling that even though it was supposed to be a planned duel, something just felt off about the way things were going.

Jaden still had a stern face, while the two heroes in front of him had already flown into the loop.

"The summoning condition is two [Hero] monsters. I've set Solid Warrior and Shadow Mist Lady as arrows!"

The arrows in the lower left and lower right corners were lit up, and Leyou, who had been on tenterhooks, breathed a sigh of relief.

I was terrified! I thought it was going to be Isolde.

"Link Summon! Link 2! Tear the enemy apart with your scythe! [Special Hero Hell Ripper]!"

[Dark Link 2 Demon Attack Power 1700 Arrow ↙↓]

A hero, shrouded in an aura of rage, emerged from the circuit, his sinister appearance making one wonder how he became a hero.

"The effect of Hellfire can only be activated if a Link Summon is successful. Reveal 1 [HE] Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck to your opponent. Add up to 2 Fusion Materials of that monster from your Deck to your hand."

Upon hearing this result, Leyou was immediately surprised again.

Gaining 2 cards upon appearance, and specifically 2 cards, is an incredible windfall. Even Pot of Greed would pale in comparison. However, he hadn't really seen this monster before.

The reason for this is that, in addition to the effects, the material requirements are also a crucial factor in determining the strength of a fusion monster, which determines its difficulty in being summoned.

Monsters with specific materials, regardless of their strength, are at least difficult to obtain – and among the Fusion Monsters of Heroes, those with specific materials seem to be quite few powerful.

The Hell Rift Demon raised its scythe high and slashed it in front of itself, tearing a dimensional rift in its blade.

"What I'm about to showcase is this monster! [Elemental Heroes: Immortal Warrior]!"

"His material requirements are Winged Man, Hot Girl, Nendoroid, and Bubble Man! I searched for Hot Girl and Bubble Man!"

It was as if the figure of an muscular, immortal hero flashed through the crack, and then the former Greedy Man and the Hot Girl who probably wouldn't pass censorship walked out of the crack and went into Jaden's hands.

Leyou fell into deep thought.

He really didn't understand this operation for a while.

Could it be...?

Thinking of a certain possibility, Leyou nodded thoughtfully.

He began to recall the details since he met Judai, and an idea flashed through his mind.

Just as Leyou was about to grasp a key point, Judai interrupted his thoughts.

"I cover a backcourt card, end of round."

The Hell Rift Demon stood alone on Jaden's field, and could be described as utterly vulnerable.

However, Jaden showed no sign of backing down and instead questioned Leyu.

"Now, let me see what the difference is between your duel and his duel!"

"Ugh, ugh..." Leyou sighed, feeling a bit of a headache. "Why do they always compare me to him... I'm not him, no, I should say, he's not me."

"My duel is my duel, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."

"And... this duel is also very special to me."

Judai's preemptive move revealed a lot of information. If he wasn't mistaken, it seemed that his thoughts were the same as Judai's.

"My turn, draw a card!"

"The instant you enter the preparation phase!" Jaden unsurprisingly revealed his face-down card, "I activate my face-down Quick-Play Spell Card, Masked Change!"

"Send the DARK-attribute Hellslayer to the Graveyard, and Special Summon [Masked HERO Darkclaw] to my Extra Monster Zone!"

The renowned Friend Hero makes a dazzling appearance, causing Leyou to frown.

The hero's first-move board is nothing more than Zero, Dark Claw, Blood Demon D, and Phoenix, and all of these cards can be dealt with by a single Lightning Strike.

However, when facing these monsters, the Hero deck itself generally doesn't have any particularly good solutions.

The hero himself doesn't really carry lightning strikes much.

Originally, Leyou wanted to perform a five-for-one trade. Such a heavyweight move, aside from anything else, would definitely evoke memories deep within Jaden's heart. If he didn't care about the upcoming match, it would be a very good move in a sense.

However, the mere presence of Dark Claw on the field negated this five-for-one possibility, leaving Leyou feeling rather disheartened.

We started with a 5-for-1 trade, and although we couldn't win, it was really fun. Now, that fun is gone.

"This time I'm using a pure hero deck, and I don't want your Dark Claw to gain too much of an advantage. After thinking it over, this is the only way I can do it."

The hand cards are actually very good, but now, we have to make a choice.

"Dark Claw is a friend and hero of justice on my side, but I don't like him much on the other side. And when it comes to dealing with evil dark-attribute heroes, the light that represents justice is naturally more suitable!"

"I pay half of my LP to activate the Spell Card 'Hero Arrival'! Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Elemental HERO monster from my Deck!"

"A true hero starts with half health!"

[Leyou LP: 8000 → 4000]

Rakuyu stared intently at Judai; he was gambling.

The gambling tycoon shared the same idea as him.

"I don't have Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, you can continue." Jaden tilted his head slightly, avoiding Leyu's gaze, and answered calmly.

"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony!"

With the arrival of the hero, things became much easier.

"Descend from the nascent universe! [Elemental Heroes: Neo-Cosmic Warrior]!"

[Light · 4★ · Warrior · Dual · Attack Power 1900]

"A dual-type monster? And... it's light-attribute? An elemental hero?"

Judai frowned slightly as he looked at the monster, pondering silently.

"Neocosmos is a Gemini Monster, therefore, I can use up this turn's Normal Summon to Gemini Summon it!"

Leyou habitually explained the effects, but after he finished, he realized that his actions were completely unnecessary.

He glanced at the screen and noticed that Judai wasn't looking at him strangely, so he brazenly continued.

"Come forth, Neocosmic Warriors! Double Summon! Grow into the beacon of hope to protect the nascent universe!"

A beam of light descended from the sky, piercing the darkness forged by the Overlord's will, and landed on the still weak newcomer Yu Xia.

Having received the light of hope, the newly minted Yuxia has also begun to shine with its own unique brilliance.

"The Neosor Nexus, summoned again, has a new effect: while this card is in the Monster Zone, its name is treated as [Elemental HERO Neosor]!"

A tall figure flashed past the new Universe Knight. Jaden seemed to see that figure giving him a thumbs up, smiling, with a familiar yet unfamiliar will and emotion in his eyes.

"Is there any connection between Neo-Universe Hero and this Neo-Universe Hero? Both are Elemental Heroes... You're always so mysterious."

Leyou was unaware of Jaden's unusual behavior, and at that moment, some strange emotions were rising in his heart.

Using Neos in front of Judai, to be honest, is really cool.

"Next, it's time to summon the monster that will defeat your Dark Claws!"

"I activate the Spell Card 'Easy Contact'! Pay 1000 LP to Special Summon 'Elemental HERO Neos Valiant' from my Extra Deck!"

[Leyou LP: 4000 → 3000]

This card can Special Summon Extra Elemental HERO or Neo Space Ranger of 7 stars or lower. Moreover, as long as you have Neo Space Ranger on your field or in your graveyard, the Special Summoned monster will not have the three negative effects of being unable to attack, having its effects negated, or gaining Extra Deck damage at the end of the turn. This card is exceptionally powerful for HERO decks.

"Come on! Let's make our dazzling entrance!"

[Light · 7★ · Warrior · 2500 Attack Power]