The Clock Tower shattered.
Dust and rubble blotted out the sky; even the air reeked of metallic grit. Great stone beams and broken arches collapsed together. A massive iron hand swept down among the falling debris with a clanging thud as it bent out of shape.
A feral roar bellowed from the dust—a furious scream. A burly silhouette burst through the smoke, body like a mountain.
Bare-chested and muscle-bound, he wore a rusted yet unyielding iron mask. Heavy shackles bound his wrists and ankles, broken chains still trailing. Moonlight from the dark city of sin traced the contours of his physique, making him look colossal.
[Destiny HERO – Dreadmaster, ATK ?]
"So he's here," Kira said coolly. "The Destiny HERO bound within the Clock Tower. This is your ace—your soul made manifest, right?
Is that how you see yourself, and your Destiny HEROes? That the meaning of 'Destiny HERO' is to be a prisoner to fate?"
Aster grit his teeth and shook his head.
"Shut it—Dreadmaster's effect activates!"
Dreadmaster roared, slamming his palms down. A transparent shockwave erupted across Aster's field.
"When Dreadmaster is Summoned or Special Summoned, all monsters you control other than 'Destiny HERO' are destroyed!"
Aster paused.
"Of course, I currently control nothing but Destiny HEROes, so nothing is destroyed.
Then Dreadmaster can Special Summon up to two 'Destiny HERO' monsters from my Graveyard."
He raised his Duel Disk; golden light flared from the Graveyard. Two cards slid out.
"Come on!
Destiny HERO – Diamond Dude!
Destiny HERO – Dasher!
Revive!"
Dreadmaster roared and swung both shackled arms. Chains whipped out to either side, rending open two underworld vortices that his chains dove into.
From within, pairs of hands seized the chains, and two HEROes hauled themselves out—one studded with dazzling diamonds, one rolling in on wheels like a returning whirlwind.
[Destiny HERO – Diamond Dude, ATK 1400]
[Destiny HERO – Dasher, ATK 2100]
Dreadmaster differs a bit between anime and print. The core effect is similar, but the trigger changed. In the anime, the full suite of effects triggers whether it appears via Clock Tower or by a Tribute Summon using two tributes.
The printed card doesn't. IRL, Dreadmaster only triggers when Special Summoned by Clock Tower Prison; a regular Tribute Summon won't do.
"And Dreadmaster's follow-up effect," Aster continued. "This card's ATK and DEF become the combined original ATK of all other 'Destiny HERO' monsters I control!"
Kira nodded. "You've got Doom Lord, Diamond Dude, and Dasher."
"Right—their ATK totals all flow into Dreadmaster!"
Aster raised his arm high.
"Witness the true power of Destiny HERO—the union of heroes!"
[Destiny HERO – Dreadmaster, ATK ? → ATK 4100]
In one leap, 4100 ATK.
"And the turn Dreadmaster is Summoned, for the rest of that turn all Destiny HEROes I control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and any battle damage to me becomes 0!"
Dreadmaster roared again, wreathed in violet light. The surge spread to his HERO comrades beside him, layering protective auras around them.
The aura felt decidedly eerie.
Kira narrowed his eyes, studying Dreadmaster. He sensed a peculiar pulse from this HERO that none of the others had possessed—not even the fellow ace, Dogma.
Looking closer, he seemed to see faint white light radiating from that hulking form, congealing into ghastly faces—eerily reminiscent of Sartorius.
"I see," Kira murmured. "So this is the card imbued with the power Sartorius used to influence you?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Aster snapped.
"Sartorius is my friend and always will be.
I activate 'Destiny HERO – Diamond Dude' again! Reveal the top card of my Deck; if it's a Spell, send it to the Graveyard to be activated during my next Standby Phase without cost."
Aster drew the top card.
"Draw!"
He glanced at it, then revealed it.
"Spell Card: Lightning Vortex! By discarding a card, destroy all face-up monsters your opponent controls!"
He paused, sent it to the Grave, and smiled lightly.
"Of course, since Diamond Dude will activate it in the future, there's no discard cost. Whatever monsters you Summon next turn, they'll all be wiped in my following Standby Phase."
"Another Spell, and an outrageous one at that," Kira shrugged. "As expected."
"Assuming you even get another turn!"
Aster stepped forward and shouted.
"I control four Destiny HEROes, all protected by Dreadmaster's resistances! Try and weather this next onslaught.
Go! Destiny HERO – Diamond Dude, attack 'Synthesize Sphere'!"
Diamond Dude's jeweled fist crashed down. The Sphere shattered and the little bird went skittering away with a shriek.
Of course, Synthesize Sphere had already shifted to Defense, so no damage.
"Next, 'Destiny HERO – Dasher,' attack the face-down Defense monster!"
Dasher blitzed forward, wheels screeching into a spin, leg lashing like a whip.
The face-down flipped: a plump jug with a creepy single eye and an even creepier jagged grin beneath.
[Morphing Jar, DEF 600]
"You attacked 'Morphing Jar,'" Kira said.
"When it's flipped, both players discard their hands, then draw five."
Morphing Jar exploded into a roiling darkness, swallowing every card from their hands. Both drew fresh hands of five.
"But now your field has no more walls. It's over!"
Aster roared.
"Destiny HERO – Dreadmaster, direct attack!"