[Yumi, LP 2000]
[Koyo, LP 2100]
Koyo remained on one knee for a brief moment, his body shaking slightly from the force of the battle, and for the first time since the duel began, the dull emptiness in his eyes seemed to flicker.
He slowly lifted his head and looked at Yumi, and for that short instant, something almost human appeared in his expression before it quickly sank back into that same vacant darkness again.
Then, with a rough breath, he pushed himself back up to his feet and placed his fingers on top of his Deck.
"My turn. Draw!" He drew a card and glanced at it, his expression sharpening almost immediately as he saw what he had picked up. Without wasting even a second, he slapped the card down onto his Duel Disk.
"Spell Card, Fifth Hope! I return the five Elemental HEROes in my grave back to my deck."
The spell activated, and his Graveyard Zone lit up as five Elemental HERO cards shot out from it one after another. Woodsman, Ocean, Lady Heat, Escuridao, and Terra Firma all rose from the Graveyard, the two Fusion Monsters returning to the Extra Deck while the remaining three cards were shuffled back into the Deck.
"Shuffled, and since this is the only card on my side, I get to draw three cards instead of two."
He pulled three cards into his hand, his gaze lowering as he quickly checked the options before him. Then, almost without pausing, he made his next move.
"Spell Card, Pot of Greed. I get to draw two cards."
The familiar smiling green pot appeared on his field for just a moment before shattering into pieces as he drew again, and the new cards slid neatly into his hand. Koyo's eyes flicked across them, and as soon as one of them caught his attention, he placed it down without hesitation.
"Spell Card, Monster Reborn."
His field flared with light.
"Return to my side... The Grand Jupiter!"
A massive alien warrior appeared on the field, its green exoskeleton gleaming under the Duel Field's glow as golden bio-spikes jutted out from its frame. It stood there like a living weapon, silent and heavy.
[The Grand Jupiter, 2500 ATK]
"By discarding two cards, I can target one of your monsters and equip it to Jupiter. After that, Jupiter gains ATK equal to that monster's original ATK."
He sent two cards from his hand to the Graveyard, and the instant the effect resolved, the large golden orb in Jupiter's chest slowly opened with a heavy mechanical sound. A powerful suction force immediately began pulling toward it, and the air around the monster trembled from the pressure.
Burst Wingman and Koga both moved at once, stepping in front of Yumi as if they could physically shield him from the force.
"I target your Koga!"
Koyo pointed directly at the golden warrior.
The suction intensified almost immediately, and Koga was pulled off his feet, sliding forward despite his resistance as the orb in Jupiter's chest continued drawing him in.
Yumi's eyes narrowed; he raised his hand and made his own counterplay.
"Koga's effect! I banish Burstinatrix from my Graveyard, and target your Jupiter!"
Burstinatrix appeared in a blaze of fire, charging forward toward the alien warrior before transforming into golden chains that wrapped themselves tightly around Jupiter's body, locking the monster in place just long enough for Koga's effect to resolve.
Koga was pulled into Jupiter's massive orb, and the moment he disappeared inside, the orb slammed shut with a deep metallic thud. A golden aura immediately spread across the alien warrior's body, the stolen power surging through it and making the monster visibly stronger.
[The Grand Jupiter, 2500 -> 1300 -> 3800 ATK]
"Grand Jupiter, attack Burst Wingman!"
Koyo shouted, pointing toward Burst Wingman.
The alien warrior lunged forward, its heavy steps shaking the field as it closed in on the flaming HERO. It raised its massive blade-like claw high above its head and brought it down in a single brutal strike.
"Trap Card, open!"
Yumi waved his hand, and one of his face-down cards flipped open at once.
"Hero's Guard!"
The trap lit up the field.
"While this card is active, the HERO monster I control cannot be destroyed by battle. And I can banish one HERO from my Graveyard to halve the battle damage I take from this battle!"
Koyo's eyes widened slightly, but before he could respond, Yumi immediately chained his other set card as well.
"I chain this with my Quick-Play Spell, Spell Textbook!"
The second face-down card flipped open.
"Discard my entire hand, shuffle my Deck, and draw one card. If the card I draw is a Spell, I can activate it immediately if possible."
Before the spell could fully resolve, Yumi continued again, not letting the pressure on Burst Wingman go to waste.
"And I'll chain Burst Wingman's effect too! I target him, and his ATK goes up by 1000."
A fierce flaming aura burst around Burst Wingman's body, his wings blazing brighter as his strength increased.
[Elemental HERO Burst Wingman, 2100 -> 3100 ATK]
Then Yumi's Deck shuffled itself.
A card slid out from the top, and he looked at it for half a second before slamming it onto the Duel Disk.
"Spell Card, Take Over 5. Send the top five cards from my Deck to my Graveyard."
Five more cards were ejected from the Deck in rapid succession, and Yumi sent them into the Graveyard one after another. At the same time, the force of Jupiter's attack finally hit Burst Wingman; the Elemental HERO Avian card popped out from his Graveyard, and the impact pushed Yumi back as heat and pressure washed across him.
[Yumi, 2000 -> 1650 LP]
When the dust settled, Burst Wingman was still standing.
Koyo frowned slightly when he realized his attack had failed to destroy the monster.
He stared at the field for a moment, then lowered his hand and played his final card.
"I set one card face-down."
A single face-down card materialized behind his alien warrior, quietly waiting for the next exchange.
Koyo's turn finally came to an end.
"Turn end."
[The Grand Jupiter, 3800 -> 5000 ATK]
[Elemental HERO Burst Wingman, 3100 -> 2100 ATK]
"My turn. Draw!"
Yumi drew his card, his golden eyes briefly scanning it before a confident smile appeared on his face.
"I banish the two copies of Take Over 5 remaining in my Deck and the one in my Graveyard to draw three more cards."
The images of the three Spell Cards appeared behind him before dissolving into countless golden particles that scattered into the air. At the same time, Yumi drew three fresh cards from the top of his Deck and quickly looked through them.
Without wasting a moment, he pulled one card forward.
"I Normal Summon Elemental HERO Solid Soldier!"
A burst of white light erupted from his field as a warrior clad in heavy white armor appeared. His black undersuit contrasted with the polished metal plates covering his body, while the diamond-shaped gauntlets and helmet gave him the appearance of an elite frontline soldier.
[Elemental HERO Solid Soldier, 1300 ATK]
"Solid Soldier's effect activates! When he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower HERO monster from my hand."
Yumi immediately followed up by placing another monster onto his Duel Disk.
"Come out, Elemental HERO Blazeman!"
Flames burst upward from the Duel Field before gathering together into the familiar fiery HERO. Wearing orange-red armor surrounded by flickering flames, Blazeman stepped onto the field with his blazing helmet shining brightly.
[Elemental HERO Blazeman, 1200 ATK]
"And Blazeman's effect activates. When he's Summoned, I get to add Polymerization from my Deck to my hand."
His Deck automatically shuffled before ejecting a single card. Yumi caught it between two fingers, glanced at it for only a second, and smiled.
"Just what I needed."
He immediately activated it.
"Spell Card, Polymerization! I fuse Solid Soldier and Blazeman on my field!"
A familiar Fusion vortex spiraled open behind him.
Solid Soldier nodded once before charging forward, while Blazeman became a pillar of roaring flames. The two HEROes leaped into the swirling vortex together, their bodies merging into a single beam of light.
"Fusion Summon!"
Dark mirrors suddenly rose one after another from the ground, surrounding the battlefield like towering black pillars.
"Come forth... Vision HERO Adoration!"
The mirrors shattered simultaneously.
Stepping out from the fragments was a tall warrior clad in sleek black armor. His crimson visor glowed ominously beneath his helmet as he silently stared across the field, giving off an intimidating presence completely different from the heroic appearance of the Elemental HEROes.
[Vision HERO Adoration, 2800 ATK]
Yumi didn't stop there.
"Solid Soldier's second effect activates! Since he was sent to the Graveyard by the effect of a Spell while he was on my field, I can Special Summon one HERO monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position."
His Graveyard glowed brightly.
"Come back, Blazeman!"
Flames erupted once again as Blazeman returned to the field. This time, instead of taking an offensive stance, the fiery HERO knelt on one knee and crossed both arms in front of himself.
[Elemental HERO Blazeman, 1800 DEF]
Yumi waved his hand.
"Next, Burst Wingman's effect activates once again!"
The familiar crimson flames spread across Burst Wingman's body, greatly strengthening the HERO as his burning wings flared even brighter than before.
[Elemental HERO Burst Wingman, 2100 -> 3100 ATK]
Then Yumi shifted his attention toward Koyo's strongest monster.
"And now, I activate Vision HERO Adoration's effect!"
One dark mirror floated in front of Burst Wingman while another appeared before The Grand Jupiter.
"I target my Burst Wingman and your Grand Jupiter."
Koyo's expression changed immediately.
"Your monster loses ATK and DEF equal to Burst Wingman's current ATK!"
The image reflected inside Jupiter's mirror slowly distorted before transforming into Burst Wingman's reflection. The reflected HERO suddenly reached out from inside the mirror itself, grabbing onto Jupiter like a ghostly apparition and violently suppressing the alien warrior's power.
"Ambition Sanctions!"
Golden light leaked from Jupiter's body as its strength rapidly diminished.
[The Grand Jupiter, 5000 -> 1900 ATK]
Yumi thrust his hand forward without hesitation.
"Battle!"
"Burst Wingman, attack The Grand Jupiter! Burst Impact!"
Burst Wingman spread his blazing wings and shot across the battlefield like a meteor. Flames wrapped around his entire body as he slammed shoulder-first into the weakened alien warrior.
The collision created a deafening explosion that shook the battlefield.
The Grand Jupiter was blown apart in a shower of light while Burst Wingman flipped backward through the air before landing gracefully back on Yumi's side of the field.
Koyo instinctively raised an arm to shield his face from the blast.
[Koyo, LP 2100 -> 1200]
"...Tch."
Gritting his teeth, Koyo immediately waved his hand.
"Trap Card, Hero Signal!"
His remaining face-down card flipped open, and a beam of light shot high into the sky, forming a gigantic glowing H emblem.
"When a monster I control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Elemental HERO from my hand or Deck."
He quickly searched through his Deck before pulling out a single card.
"Come forth... Elemental HERO Ice Edge!"
A small HERO wearing a blue bodysuit covered with sharp crystalline armor appeared on the field. Although much smaller than the other HEROes, Ice Edge immediately lowered himself into a defensive stance, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
[Elemental HERO Ice Edge, 900 DEF]
Yumi clicked his tongue but continued his assault.
"Adoration, attack Ice Edge!"
A black mirror materialized behind Adoration before instantly shattering into countless razor-sharp fragments. The shards shot forward like bullets, bombarding Ice Edge from every direction.
The smaller HERO clenched his teeth and endured the barrage without moving from his position.
When the dust settled...
Ice Edge was still standing.
Koyo allowed himself a small smile.
"It's useless. Elemental HERO Ice Edge can't be destroyed by battle by a Level 4 or higher monster."
Yumi frowned slightly. "So the manga version."
Koyo: "?"
Honestly, if he had been using his usual Deck instead of intentionally matching Koyo with an Elemental HERO mirror match, this duel would have ended several turns ago.
Still...
That was the price of underestimating an opponent.
Yumi let out a small sigh before shifting his gaze back to his hand, then toward the field.
"Turn end."
Letting out a slow breath, Koyo placed his fingers on top of his Deck once again. Dark, ominous energy seeped from his hand, spreading across the cards like black mist before gathering around the top of the Deck.
"Dark Draw!"
He pulled the top card with enough force that a trail of black energy followed it through the air before slowly dispersing into countless wisps.
Yumi couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
"...Seriously?"
The guy actually went for a Destiny Draw just to stand a chance.
If someone didn't know Koyo Hibiki was currently being possessed by Tragoedia, they would probably think he was the protagonist fighting desperately against some overwhelming final boss.
Without wasting any time, Koyo slammed the newly drawn card onto his Duel Disk.
"Spell Card, Card of Perseverance!"
The spell lit up, and a familiar magic circle spread beneath his feet.
"For every card you have on your field and in your hand, I send the same number of cards from my Deck to the Graveyard, then draw that many cards!"
"...Oh?" Yumi raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "That card again..."
This wasn't a card that existed in any official Duel Monsters database. It had never appeared in the real game or even in the original anime.
It was another one of those printed cheat cards.
The strange part was...
This was already the second time he had seen it.
The first had been used by the final boss of the GX anime while possessing someone.
Now the final boss of the GX manga was using the exact same card while also possessing someone.
Do final bosses all share the same card-printing machine or something?
Why wasn't he notified of this!?
As the spell resolved, Koyo's Deck automatically ejected five cards one after another into the Graveyard before he immediately drew five fresh cards to replace them.
His eyes quickly scanned his new hand.
"I activate Polymerization!"
A familiar vortex opened behind him.
"I fuse Elemental HERO Heat in my hand with Elemental HERO Ice Edge on my field!"
The fiery HERO and the icy HERO appeared side by side. One was surrounded by blazing flames. The other by freezing cold. Without hesitation, both heroes leaped together into the Fusion vortex.
"Fusion Summon!"
A freezing wind suddenly swept across the battlefield.
The white sand beneath their feet rapidly froze over as layers of ice spread across the Duel Field, covering everything in a thin sheet of frost.
"Come forth... Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!"
The Fusion vortex exploded into countless snowflakes.
Stepping out from the freezing mist was a HERO clad in pristine white armor. A long white cape fluttered behind him while cold air continuously radiated from his body, causing the temperature around the battlefield to drop noticeably.
[Elemental HERO Absolute Zero, 2500 ATK]
Koyo didn't even pause.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Past Life!"
Another card slid into his Duel Disk.
"By Tributing Absolute Zero, I can Special Summon a monster from my Extra Deck that has the same Level and original ATK as the Tributed monster."
A pillar of light descended from the sky, swallowing Absolute Zero whole.
The ice HERO silently dissolved into white particles as the beam grew brighter and brighter.
At the same time, the frozen ground began expanding toward Yumi's field.
Koyo smiled. "You should already know what happens when Absolute Zero leaves the field."
The spreading ice instantly reached Yumi's side.
A violent blizzard erupted, burying his entire field beneath layers of solid ice before the frozen prison shattered apart in an explosion of glittering snow.
Every monster Yumi controlled disappeared with it.
Then the pillar of light finally faded.
Standing where Absolute Zero had once been was a familiar towering warrior with a polished white body that looked as though it had been carved from solid stone.
[Elemental HERO Terra Firma, 2500 ATK]
Koyo immediately thrust his hand forward.
"Terra Firma!"
The massive HERO lowered his stance before charging straight toward Yumi, each heavy step shaking the frozen battlefield beneath him.
"Direct attack!"
Terra Firma raised his enormous fist high into the air, the hardened stone-like fist gathering tremendous force before swinging down toward Yumi in one decisive blow, aiming to end the duel then and there.