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Demise, King of Armageddon, destroyed!
The gigantic apocalypse demon god turned into ashes and left the field. The oppressive feeling throughout the entire arena seemed to sharply decrease. The strange blue flames on Shel's body also dissipated somewhat, but he was still panting incessantly.
"You actually defeated Demise, King of Armageddon..." Shel let out a long breath. "I underestimated you. You really aren't ordinary kids."
"It's not over yet."
Jaden revealed two more hand cards.
"Spell Card 'Double Attack'! Discard one monster card from your hand to the Graveyard, then target one monster on your field whose Level is lower than the discarded monster. That monster can attack twice this turn.
I discard 'Elemental HERO Necroshade,' a Level 5 monster, from my hand, and target 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman,' a Level 4 monster on the field. Bubbleman can attack twice this turn!
Now, enter the Battle Phase!"
Jaden swung his arm, signaling the heroes to attack.
"First, 'Elemental HERO Plasma Vice', attack the Set monster!" Jaden declared. "When Plasma Vice attacks a Defense Position monster, if its ATK exceeds that monster's DEF, it inflicts piercing battle damage equal to the difference!"
"Then activate my Set card!" Shel's backrow also activated. "Trap Card 'Absorb Shield'!
When an opponent's monster declares an attack, negate that attack, and I gain Life Points equal to that monster's ATK!"
A transparent absorption barrier unfolded, shimmering with rainbow-like streaks of light. Plasma Vice's electrical blast crashed fully onto the transparent barrier, turning into surging energy that was absorbed into Shel's body.
[Shel, LP 4800 â LP 7600]
"Ah, my LP actually increased the more I attacked⊠Then, 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman,' attack the Set monster! Bubble Shot!"
Bubbleman crouched down, carrying his foam cannon, and a series of bubbles engulfed in water shot out, sweeping away the Set monster on the field.
A one-eyed, pot-shaped monster with a cunning, eerie grin.
Morphing Jar!
Yuxuan frowned slightly.
Good heavens, he secretly played another amazing card without a sound.
[Morphing Jar, DEF 600]
"Morphing Jar's effect! If this card is flipped, both players discard all cards in their hands," Shel explained. "Then each player draws five cards from their Deck."
Hands were replaced again, and Morphing Jar was instantly pulverized by the impact of the bubbles.
Jaden: "Because of 'Double Attack's' effect, Bubbleman can attack twice this turn!
Go, Bubbleman's direct attack! Bubble Shot!"
Bubbleman's shoulder-mounted foam cannon fired again, a barrage of bubbles bursting forth and exploding directly in Shel's face. Shel's body swayed again, and he stumbled back a few steps.
[Shel, LP 7600 â LP 6000]
"This level is far from enough." Shel stubbornly stood up.
Jaden: "I Set two cards on the field. My turn ends."
He then looked at Yuxuan with a hint of apology: "Sorry, his Life Points actually increased."
"It's fine, you shattered his formation," Yuxuan said.
Jaden gave him another thumbs-up: "I had a premonition all along, our cooperation is invincible!"
Shel watched in silence, his face twitching, seemingly even more displeased.
"Companions, companions are weak because of such things."
Jaden: "What did you say?"
"Heroes are solitary, and must be so. This is the destiny of one who wields the sword."
Jaden pondered for a moment, then said: "You keep saying that you abandoned your companions and spirits... but I don't think you've truly let go, have you?"
"What?"
"Nephthys, the Phoenix God, you said it betrayed you, but you still carry it, still carry this Deck, don't you?" Jaden said. "If, as you say, your family has preserved this card for generations, and you've viewed it as a friend since childhood, perhaps it's not so easy to let go, right?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Shel said coldly. "I just said that duels are simply about winning. Whether it's Phoenix God or Demise, King of Armageddon, they are merely swords in the duelist's hand, and they only need to fulfill the role of a sword.
All weapons that can be used must be utilized to their utmost, nothing more."
"Is that so? Then why did you specifically come to this place, this dimension, to seek out this hidden ruin?" Jaden said. "I imagine this isn't your first exploration, is it?
You've been traveling around, searching for the whereabouts of the Phoenix God, because you want to see its spirit, don't you?"
"Nonsense. I do this merely to capture the power of spirits, to use them for myself," Shel said unmoved. "Or perhaps I'm seeking revenge for its indifference towards us back then, when it turned a blind eye?"
"At first, I thought so too, but through dueling, I understood that it's not like that." Jaden shook his head. "Dueling is a clash of souls; only through dueling can we understand each other.
You are strong, perhaps the strongest duelist I have dueled so far. Although you say monsters are merely for utility, from our duel just now, I can feel that you have a heart that trusts your cards, trusts your monsters. You are a true duelist."
"Nonsense, utter nonsense."
"You can deny it, of course," Jaden continued. "It doesn't matter how you deny it. But with such rhetoric, can you truly convince yourself?"
Shel: "."
Although Yuxuan remained silent, he was inwardly beginning to admire Jaden's "talk-no-jutsu" power, passed down through generations of Yu-Gi-Oh protagonists.
You know what, after this speech, Yuxuan could subtly feel that the opponent's aura seemed to have weakened.
In the terms of the Academy's Card Drawing lessons, it was probably Jaden's "momentum" as a duelist suppressing the opponent.
"So noisy."
Shel shook his head, saying coldly.
"All utter nonsense. It's just a duel. What do you know? How can you understand my thoughts?
My turn, draw!"
He drew a card forcefully, the card pulled from his Deck cutting a large arc.
"The moment the Standby Phase begins, 'Nephthys, the Sacred Phoenix of Nefariousness''s effect in the Graveyard has already reactivated!" Shel raised his voice. "Because 'Nephthys, the Sacred Phoenix of Nefariousness' was destroyed by 'Demise, King of Armageddon''s effect last turn, its effect activates!
During this turn's Standby Phase, Nephthys, the Sacred Phoenix of Nefariousness will be reborn from the ashes!"
A pillar of phoenix flames shot skyward. A golden phoenix spread its wings within the green light barrier. The phoenix's flames condensed, gradually transforming back into the form of the golden divine bird.
"Then the subsequent effect of Phoenix God activates! When it's Special Summoned by its own effect, all Spell and Trap Cards on the field are destroyed!" Shel laughed loudly. "The combination of Demise, King of Armageddon and Phoenix God means that after Demise, King of Armageddon clears the field every turn, Phoenix God will be reborn from the ashes in the next turn, sweeping away all backrow cards!
Any set card defense line is meaningless in front of this combination. You have no choice but destruction."
"Activate face-down card!" Jaden interrupted his chant. "Trap Card 'Lost'!
Banish one card from your opponent's Graveyard!"
Shel: "!"
What? He wants to dig up my grave?!
You just printed this card on the spot, didn't you?
"Therefore, I banish 'Nephthys, the Sacred Phoenix of Nefariousness' from your Graveyard!" Jaden declared. "'Nephthys, the Sacred Phoenix of Nefariousness' is no longer in the Graveyard during effect resolution, so it naturally cannot be Special Summoned, and will instead be banished from this game!"
The swirling flames in mid-air transformed into the form of the Phoenix God, but immediately turned into a transparent phantom.
But by doing so, it actually broke free from the binds of Orichalcos.
The binding mark on the Phoenix God's forehead shattered. Its translucent body silently burned in the air, lowering its head to meet Shel's gaze.
Shel unconsciously tilted his head up to look at it.
"Phoenix God."
In a daze, he seemed to hear a voice from a very distant place, like a faint sound breaking through layers of barriers, transmitted from another dimension.
"Sorry."
Then the image of the Phoenix completely burned out, disappearing from the field.
Shel: "."
He remained silent for several seconds.
"Indeed, your bond with the spirit was never broken," Jaden continued. "It was just obscured by evil power, wasn't it?
There must have been some hidden truth to what happened back then..."
"My turn continues, entering the Main Phase." Shel interrupted coldly.
"Shel?" Jaden frowned.
"Regardless, there's no meaning in saying any of this now. My identity is no longer the successor of the Phoenix God. I am one of the three swordsmen of Doma. And that is the only way."
Shel raised his head, saying grimly.
"I will defeat you here⊠then continue forward."