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In the Spirit World, somewhere.
Night fell like ink, and dim moonlight enveloped the dense forest. A man in a black hooded cloak moved silently, his figure blending with the bushes in the shadows.
He arrived at a cave hidden by dense vines, from which only a faint, gloomy light emanated. The man in black stooped slightly and entered the cave.
A chilling wind came from the depths of the cave, accompanied by a wailing sound. The environment was initially dark and silent, but as he delved deeper, he seemed to vaguely hear noisy commotion, as well as sounds of fighting and quarreling.
It was a group of Insect-Type monsters.
In an open space, Insect-Type monsters of various forms were engaged in fierce combat. Some were enormous, resembling giant beetles, while others, boasting their small size and agility, swiftly darted through the swarm. Roars and crashing sounds rose and fell, making the cave's stone walls tremble slightly. They tore at each other with fangs and claws, each attack accompanied by splattered bodily fluids and shattered carapaces.
This was an Insect-Type monster nest.
Their boss, who had gone around to the back, hadn't returned. Beetle Armored Knight was given away for free. The entire nest was leaderless. The remaining insects were now fiercely battling to decide who would be in charge next.
Then, suddenly, an insect noticed the man in black who appeared at the entrance.
"The scent of humans!"
"Humans? Here?"
"Seeking death!"
The swarm immediately temporarily ceased their ongoing struggle and rushed towards the man in black in a frenzy, brandishing their fangs and claws as if to tear him to shreds.
But the man in black merely looked up calmly, his eyes under the hood radiating a chilling green light. A hexagonal star mark appeared on his forehead, as if a magic wheel was slowly turning.
Boom!
"..."
A few minutes later, the battle in the cave was over.
The swarm of insects lay scattered across the ground. Fragments of carapaces, bodily fluids, and blood mixed together, as if painting some grotesque, bloody pattern.
The man stood in the center of the cave, coldly looking at the fallen insects. The hexagonal star on his forehead glowed, and his black robe moved without a breeze.
Behind him, an incomparably massive black shadow slowly dissipated. Around him, some faint blue flames seemed to linger.
"Stop, stop, we're on the same side," a praying mantis-like insect coughed blood while desperately begging for mercy.
"We didn't know that the messenger of god had arrived..."
The man asked coldly: "An extraterrestrial duelist has come to this dimension, correct?"
Immediately, an insect nodded.
"Yes. I heard that Whitebone King's wife ran off with the other side, and then he also defected."
"That's a rumor, isn't it?" Another insect couldn't help but interject, "That's too absurd."
"Absolutely true! My intelligence network is absolutely reliable."
"..."
The man gestured for them to be silent, then coldly continued: "Where is your leader now?"
The insects looked embarrassed.
"Uh, Boss heard that Whitebone King was defeated, and said he was going to meet those guys."
"And then?"
"...And he hasn't returned since."
The man fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.
The praying mantis-like insect cautiously asked: "Messenger-sama, since our boss is gone, do we need a new proxy? What do you think about me..."
The man glared at it coldly. The mantis immediately recoiled its head, not daring to make another sound.
"One last question."
The man's eyes glinted green as he asked in a deep voice.
"...Is there a Phoenix God's ruin in this dimension?"
Spirit World, campsite.
"Come, come, those who want to practice dueling, line up."
Judai had a broad smile on his face.
"One by one, don't rush. Everyone gets a turn."
"..."
Hearing that You Xuan had actually done something as interesting as teaching spirits how to duel, Judai couldn't resist. He declared that such an interesting activity absolutely couldn't be without him.
So, he began to drag those spirits who were interested in learning dueling from the "dimensional heroes" (You Xuan and himself) into basic training.
"..."
The warriors soon discovered that this hero's style was completely different from the one before.
If dueling with the previous one gave a feeling of powerlessness, where one had strength but couldn't use it, and cards but couldn't play them, then this one was effortless. Whatever cards or moves you played were easily resolved in various unexpected ways.
For example, when a certain "Magician of Black Chaos" dueled with Judai.
Judai: "Activate Spell Card 'Polymerization'! I fuse 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman,' 'Elemental HERO Avian,' and 'Elemental HERO Sparkman'!
Appear, my strongest hero, 'Elemental HERO Tempest'!"
[Elemental HERO Tempest, ATK 2800]
Magician of Black Chaos: "Nani!? A powerful monster with 2800 ATK! But I have 'Magician of Black Chaos' on my field. As long as a Continuous Spell or Continuous Trap exists on the field, I cannot be destroyed by any means!"
[Magician of Black Chaos, DEF 200]
"I currently have the Continuous Spell 'Dark Door' on my field. During the Battle Phase, only one monster can attack. Even Tempest can't break through my defenses."
"Don't rush." Judai was brimming with confidence. "Activate Quick-Play Spell 'De-Fusion' from my field! De-Fusion Tempest, and Special Summon 'Elemental HERO Avian,' 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman,' and 'Elemental HERO Sparkman' to the field!
Then activate Spell Card 'Feather Shot'! By foregoing the attacks of other monsters this turn, 'Elemental HERO Avian' on my field can attack a number of times equal to the number of monsters on my field this turn! I have three monsters on my field, so I can attack three times in one turn!
Next is Spell Card 'H - Heated Heart'! Increase 'Elemental HERO Avian's ATK by 500 points, and it gains piercing battle damage!"
[Elemental HERO Avian, ATK 1500]
[Magician of Black Chaos, DEF 200]
"Nani!?" Magician of Black Chaos was shocked. "Three attacks and piercing damage..."
"That's right! Go, Avian, Feather Shot triple attack!"
Magician of Black Chaos: "Uwaaaah!!!"
[Magician of Black Chaos, LP 0]
"I won!" Judai happily gestured. "What an interesting duel!"
Magician of Black Chaos: "..."
You Xuan couldn't help but ponder as he watched.
How should he put it?
Feather Shot, a card that grants Avian multiple attacks, was one of those inexplicably useless things in the Elemental HERO gift pack.
What was the point of continuous attacks with Avian's measly 1000 ATK?
And it attacked "a number of times equal to the number of monsters on your field," still requiring sacrificing other monsters' attack opportunities for Avian.
Normally, it looked like an inexplicably useless card.
But Judai said,Ā I set up, I OTK'd, do you have any objections?
Judai's basic training continued.
"..."
"Activate Trap Card 'Blade Hammer'! By Tributing 'Elemental HERO Bladedge' on my field, destroy one monster on your opponent's field, and inflict damage equal to that monster's original ATK to your opponent!"
"..."
"Activate Counter Trap 'Feather Wind'! If 'Elemental HERO Avian' is in face-up Attack Position on my field, negate the activation of a Spell/Trap Card and destroy that card!"
You Xuan: "..."
He couldn't deny it. Although his deck looked like it was full of unplayable junk at first glance, when played like this, with negates, card destruction, and disruption, it actually seemed somewhat sophisticated.
As for whether the spirits could learn any secret dueling techniques from this, it was hard to say.
Judai: "Huh? Dueling? Don't you just win by drawing the cards you want?"