Duels should be played with a smile.

"I haven't used my Normal Summon yet this turn, so I'm Normal Summoning Elemental HERO Liquid Man from my hand!"

"Based on Liquid Man's effect, upon successful activation, Sky Man from the Graveyard will be revived! Return once more!"

As Jaden revived the Sky Warrior he had just sent down, Leyou roughly understood, but he still felt that this was not Jaden's true purpose.

Just as Leyou was still lost in thought, Jaden spoke up: "You know so much about my Elemental Heroes, and you personally guided me to unlock the power of Masked Heroes. So, I wonder if you know as much about the power I'm about to unleash?"

Without waiting for Leyou's reply, Jaden immediately gave instructions to Sky Warrior.

"Sky Knight activates its effect again, searching for [Evil Hero Dark Star Gold Demon]!"

"Since you weren't too surprised by the appearance of this monster, the answer to my question is quite obvious."

When Judai said those words, his thoughts were somewhat complicated.

Some felt relieved, while others harbored a slight but lingering resentment that has gradually faded with time.

Long ago, when he was still learning dueling from his teacher, he had wondered why his teacher knew him so well.

He had asked before, but he had never received a positive answer, or just a perfunctory reply like, "Because you are Yuki Judai, because I watched you grow up."

Later, Jaden himself had some vague suspicions, especially after he received the power of the Conqueror. He recalled his memories of his time with his teacher one by one, peeling back the layers to find some details that he had previously overlooked.

“You know I have the potential to become a tyrant... and after you left, I did indeed become the tyrant who reigns over the merged dimensions, just as you predicted.”

"Judging from your current attitude, you don't really approve of me becoming a tyrant..."

"But!" Judai's tone shifted abruptly, as if a biting cold wind had enveloped him, obscuring his expression and making it impossible for Leyou to see clearly.

"Becoming a tyrant is my own choice, and it has never been related to the will of others!"

"These monsters that represent light look incredibly powerful, but they are somewhat blinding to my eyes."

"So let me use my darkness to shroud them!"

"The effect of [Evil Hero Dark Star Gold Demon] in your hand can be activated by discarding it from your hand to search for [Dark God Summon]!"

The power of the super fusion had barely faded when another power representing the overlord emerged once more.

Feeling that unique power—dark yet pure, without a trace of impurity—Leyou pondered silently.

The course of the duel seems to have changed.

"Activate the effect of the Spell Card [Dark Fusion], banish monsters from my hand and Graveyard as Fusion Material, and Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster that can only be Special Summoned by the effect of [Dark Fusion] as a [Dark Fusion] Fusion Summon from my Extra Deck!"

"The fusion material is a [Evil Hero] monster + a Level 5 or higher monster! I will exclude Dark Star Gold Demon and Dark Claw from my Graveyard!"

Wisps of black smoke flowed down from Jaden's hand like water, landing on the ground and outlining the figures of Dark Claw and Dark Star Gold Demon. Guided by the power of darkness, the two merged into one.

"Gold that shines brightly even in darkness, silently captures the claws of evil in the night. Reflect your true heart with your evil heart, and summon the demon of blades!"

"Fusion Summoning! LV8! Descend, [Evil Hero: Evil Blade Death Demon]!"

Like emerging from a cocoon, a sharp blade pierced through the shell of the giant black egg formed by Dark Claw and Dark Star Golden Demon under the guidance of evil power, revealing its sharpness.

With a roar, the black giant egg cracked and shattered, and an evil hero, no different from a demon from the abyss, descended upon it.

[Dark 8★ Demon Attack Power 3000→3800]

The evil hero is no longer a warrior.

It has long since transformed into a demon.

Then it was discovered that most heroes have no resistance.

"Even the light that illuminates the world must bow its head in the face of absolute power!"

"The effect of the Evil Blade Death Demon can only be activated during your Main Phase: Destroy all monsters on your opponent's field with an ATK equal to or less than this card's ATK! This card gains ATK equal to 200 for each destroyed monster!"

With the help of Sunrise Knight, the Evil Blade Death Demon's attack power is now unmatched.

Even the most powerful attacker on the field, the Brave New Universe Warrior, couldn't withstand it.

"This is my Overlord's Power!"

Having received his orders, the Demon Blade was already gathering its strength. If it weren't for the fact that its master still had something to say, it might have already charged onto the other side and started a massacre.

"Now, I think I understand what you initially thought of me," Judai said slowly, looking at Rakuyou.

Leyou nodded and said, "From your appearance, I can roughly tell that you are not what I thought, being controlled by the power of the Overlord... The power of the Overlord definitely has some side effects, but the will you possess as an invincible person will not be affected at all."

“That’s right.” Jaden nodded slightly. “I became the Overlord not because I was corrupted by my emotions, but because, under Bell’s guidance, I actively awakened this power that had been suppressed by my will and could not stir up any waves.”

“I am strong enough to solve everything, so when I realized that my power was slowly becoming insufficient to solve everything, I listened to Hubert’s advice.”

Judai slightly raised his right hand, and on the claw-like Overlord Gauntlet, he condensed the power of evil and grasped it in his hand.

"So you made this choice yourself... That's a bit unexpected."

It's good news, but it can also be bad news. If it wasn't corrupted, then at least the will is Jaden's own.

However, the decisions made by a person with a strong will are even more difficult to sway, let alone change.

Leyou was unaware that Jaden's reason for accepting the power of the Overlord was actually very simple.

Firstly, after communicating with Huber, he learned that the Overlord's Power was related to his past life and Huber, so he accepted it.

Secondly, the power of the Overlord and the identity of the Overlord are very useful – one is a legendary Overlord who rules over all dimensions, and the other is an ordinary student. The former's deterrent power is undoubtedly overwhelming that of the latter.

When necessary, he needed such an identity, so the identity of the Overlord naturally became a tool that Judai used very conveniently.

"Whatever I choose is none of your business." Judai, who had just spoken up, immediately turned cold after saying that, while the evil blade demon beside him was even more impatient.

"Demon Blade! Charge! Dance of Blades!"

The Demon Blade instantly unleashed all the blades within his body and charged towards the monsters in the amusement park.

"At this very moment! I will activate my face card, Dead Soul Fusion!"

The power of the undead manifested and, under Leyou's control, entered his graveyard.

"Exclude Shadow Mist Lady, Liquid Man, and Blaze Man from my graveyard as fusion materials! Perform a fusion summon!"

Jaden quickly reviewed all the Hero Fusion Monsters he knew in his mind and said coldly, "These three monsters... I know heroes better than anyone! Under the current circumstances, the monster that these monsters can fuse together is no match for the attack of the Evil Blade Death Demon!"

Aside from his own evil blade, Deathbringer, there are hardly any heroes in the entire family who possess resistance.

“That’s right! There really isn’t one!” Le You laughed. “But why did I block this attack?”

"The required fusion materials are 3 Elemental HERO monsters!"

Water and fire, mediated by darkness, collided violently and produced strange changes.

It has a weighty feel, like the earth itself, and is about to break through the soil.

"Water and fire give birth to life, darkness guides light! Among the miracles of life's birth, only the earth's weight can serve as the foundation of life!"

"Fusion Summon! LV9! With your solid body, bear all things! [Elemental Heroes: Core Warrior]!"

[Earth · 9★ · Warrior · Attack Power 2700→3100]

"Watch closely, Judai! Darkness may temporarily eclipse the light, but from all things in this world, hope will be born to bring the light back!"

Chapter Ninety-Six: As expected of you! As expected of you!

"As expected of you..."

Jaden didn't remember how many times he said that phrase during the duel. He only knew that every time he said it, it meant that his opponent had done something unexpected.

"Core Hero... Elemental heroes have all sorts of combinations, and within these combinations, there are indeed all sorts of strange powers."

Jaden himself did not focus all his energy on Elemental Heroes. As the overlord who had to shoulder the entire Fusion Dimension, he did not need a single power, even if that power contained infinite possibilities.

What he needs is the power to make a decisive move, to end a disaster before it even begins or before it even starts.

To this end, he not only skillfully controlled Elemental Heroes, but also frequently pondered Masked Heroes and Evil Heroes. Furthermore, he mastered the power of Phantom Heroes and Destiny Heroes, and extracted the essence from all the heroes, supplementing it with a variety of powerful general-purpose cards to form the deck he used as the Overlord.

Now, as Leyou used the Earth Core Hero in front of him, a skill he had rarely used, he had to admit that he had become somewhat indifferent to the power of elemental heroes.

Before Core Man appeared, he hadn't even thought he had this trick up his sleeve.

Leyou was fairly satisfied with Jaden's reaction; at least, he understood his thoughts instantly after Earth Core Man appeared.

"A gentleman carries the world with virtue..." This saying isn't quite appropriate here, but I just wanted to say that the earth, with its vastness, is enough to support countless lives and nurture countless hopes. Leyou said casually, looking at the Earth Core Warrior who had already fought the Evil Blade Death Demon and was instantly at a disadvantage.

Not long after, even with the blessing of Sunrise Warrior, the defenseless Earth Core Warrior was still pierced through the core of his chest by the claws of the Evil Blade Death Demon.

Leyou's eyelids twitched as she read this.

He himself had an emerald-colored crystal core in his chest, and he didn't want to experience the feeling of having his core pierced by a sharp blade, like the Earth Core Warrior.

The Demon Blade, who had defeated Earth Core Warrior, did not stop. Awakening the demon within himself in the carnage, the Demon Blade rushed into Leyou's arena and began to wreak havoc.

In a short while, all the monsters on the playground perished, and the Evil Blade Death Demon was smearing the blood of these heroes onto its blade.

As if yearning for the nourishment of blood, the blade of the Evil Blade Death Demon became even sharper after absorbing the blood of countless heroes.

[Evil Blade Death Demon Attack Power: 3800 → 4800]

"In the instant the earth shatters, hope will also sprout!" Leyou reached out and beckoned to the already shattered core of the Earth Core Warrior, and the ruby-like Earth Core flew into his hand.

"Now, let hope return!"

The brilliance of the ruby ​​slowly faded, replaced by the light from the newborn universe.

"The effect of Graveyard Core Knight: When this card is destroyed by battle or card effect, you can target 1 Level 8 or lower Elemental HERO Fusion Monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that monster regardless of its Summoning conditions!"

"My goal is to become the Shining New Cosmic Wingman!"

Shining New Universe Winged Warrior boasts incredibly powerful effects, but it also has stringent material requirements and the limitation that it can only appear through Fusion Summoning.

However, the earth's weight is enough to encompass everything. Amidst the crimson light left behind by the Earth Core Warrior, the Shining New Universe Winged Warrior broke free from the shackles of the Underworld and descended a second time!

"Shining Neoswing gains ATK for each monster in its Graveyard x300 and cannot be destroyed by monster effects! I now have 6 monsters in my Graveyard! Therefore, its ATK increases by 1800!"

[Flash New Universe Warrior Attack Power: 3100→4900]

No more, no less, just 100 more attack than the Evil Blade Death Demon—in Yu-Gi-Oh!, let alone 100 more, even 1 more is still a big deal!

"Looks like I'm stronger now!" Leyou shouted fiercely, and the blade in New Universe Wingman's hand also pointed straight out, confronting Judaiba's Evil Blade Death Demon head-on.

"High attack plus resistance... In front of heroes, the difference in attack power is nothing!" Jaden retorted loudly, not giving an inch.

He was already starting to enjoy the duel.

But Leyou's next words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, forcing him to calm down.