"My turn. Draw."
The Supreme King drew and immediately revealed a card.
"Spell Card 'Card of Sanctity.' Both players draw until they have six cards in hand."
Jaden drew alongside him.
"Then I activate the Spell Card 'Foolish Burial'!" the Supreme King said. "I send one monster from my Deck to the Graveyard.
I send 'Evil HERO Sinister Necrom' from my Deck to the Grave."
He revealed the searched card and sent it to the Grave.
"Sinister Necrom…" Jaden caught the brief glimpse and quickly understood. "The evil counterpart of Necroshade?"
"A stronger, superior version!" the Supreme King said. "Just as I am stronger than you!
Sinister Necrom's effect: banish this card from the Graveyard to Special Summon an 'Evil HERO' other than 'Sinister Necrom' from the hand or Deck!
I Special Summon 'Evil HERO Infernal Rider'!"
[Evil HERO Infernal Rider, ATK 2100]
"Infernal Rider's effect: when this card is Summoned, add one 'Dark Fusion' from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand."
The Supreme King retrieved a spell from the Grave.
"I return the Spell Card 'Dark Fusion' from the Graveyard to my hand."
"Next, I activate 'Dark Fusion' again!" the Supreme King declared. "I send 'Evil HERO Infernal Rider' on the field and 'Evil HERO Malicious Bane' in my hand to the Graveyard for a Dark Fusion!
Descend once more—
—Evil HERO Malicious Bane!!!"
Once again, fusion. Infernal Rider and Malicious Bane were shredded in the vortex; the vast darkness took form anew, and the strongest fiend HERO returned!
[Evil HERO Malicious Bane, ATK 3000]
"Back again, huh," Jaden murmured.
"Yes. Just like the darkness in your heart," the Supreme King said. "Not only strong, but no matter how many times it's struck down, it returns—impossible to erase forever!"
But this time, Jaden didn't refute him; he only looked at him.
Even his gaze wasn't as sharp as before; instead, it held a hint of… pity.
"It must've been hard for you for so long, hasn't it?" he said softly.
"What?" The Supreme King froze.
"In the instant I took your Malicious Bane's attack, I think I remembered a little," Jaden said. "Our past lives—so much pain and betrayal, so much torment…
Yet before now, I remembered none of it. You were the one who bore it all, weren't you?
I can't imagine how much you carried to become what you are now."
The Supreme King hesitated.
But quickly regained himself. "I don't understand your nonsense. I never show mercy in a duel!
Evil HERO Malicious Bane's effect!
Destroy all monsters your opponent controls with lower ATK than this card!"
The dark wave from Malicious Bane swept out again. Even Grand Neos couldn't withstand it and was swallowed by the darkness.
"But the Equip Spell 'Instant Neo Space'!" Jaden said. "When Grand Neos leaves the field, I Special Summon 'Elemental HERO Neos' from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard!"
A beam descended from beyond the stars once more, manifesting the form of the Neo hero!
[Elemental HERO Neos, DEF 2000]
"Pointless struggle," the Supreme King said coldly. "Evil HERO Malicious Bane—attack 'Elemental HERO Neos'!"
As Malicious Bane lunged, the Supreme King played another card from his hand.
"Quick-Play Spell 'Trap Booster'!" He discarded one card and revealed another.
"By discarding a card, Trap Booster lets me activate a Trap from my hand.
I activate the Trap Card 'Meteorain'! This turn, when my monsters attack Defense Position monsters, inflict piercing damage equal to the difference between ATK and DEF!"
[Evil HERO Malicious Bane, ATK 3200]
[Elemental HERO Neos, DEF 2000]
"I activate my set card, the Trap Card 'Hero's Guard'!" Jaden said. "When an opponent's monster attacks, one 'HERO' monster I control cannot be destroyed by that battle!"
"But battle damage is still calculated," the Supreme King said.
"Right, but I also have the Continuous Spell 'Damage Off Zone,'" Jaden said. "While this card is on the field, all battle damage both players take is halved!
Also, 'Hero's Guard' has another effect—during the damage calculation of this battle, I can banish a 'HERO' monster from my Graveyard to halve the damage I take again, then draw a card!"
Jaden revealed a card in his Graveyard.
"I banish 'Elemental HERO Thunder Giant' from my Graveyard! Halve the damage again, and draw one card!"
The Continuous Spell and Trap defense formed two buffers before Jaden. Halved, then halved again—by the time the impact reached him, it was much weaker.
[Jaden, LP 700 → LP 400]
"Clinging to life," the Supreme King said. "I set one card and end my turn."
"Whew—too close."
Jaden exhaled, patting his chest.
"Almost died there."
"Even so, your LP is a candle in the wind," the Supreme King said icily. "I have 5400 LP and the unbeatable supreme evil, 'Malicious Bane.'
Even if you drag this out another turn, what can you do?"
Jaden pondered for a moment.
Then he looked up at the Supreme King.
"Before I came here, before facing you, I was afraid. I was afraid to face you, and I was angry at what you'd done.
But now, those feelings aren't so strong anymore.
Right now, I feel lucky."
"What?" The Supreme King frowned.
"Lucky that in this life I met such a reliable partner," Jaden said softly. "I've run into huge troubles, thorny enemies, more than once. Every time, he was there, stepping forward at the right moment.
He's the most reliable person I've met. He can resolve anything, turn even the trickiest situations around.
Sometimes it even makes me feel like I'm a bit unnecessary, ahaha…"
Jaden scratched his head sheepishly.
The Supreme King's face darkened; he said nothing.
So you're humblebragging now?
Does a teammate like that even exist?
The Supreme King refused to believe it.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm thinking… maybe you just didn't have the luck I did. Or maybe you took on all the darkness for me.
Maybe because you were there, I could grow into who I am today."
The Supreme King's ever-placid golden eyes seemed to flicker slightly.
But only slightly.
"Say whatever you want," he said coldly. "Soon you'll disappear, and I will become stronger than ever, truly complete!"
Jaden shook his head with a smile.
"No, I won't fall. Because like I said, your power is hollow—power that isn't needed," he said. "And I've already found what I want to protect, my reason to fight. More importantly, the partner waiting for me to return.
But I promise you this: even if I can't do it today, one day—sooner or later—I will show you that future full of light, a future worth fighting for."