"Stratos attacks!"
Stratos soared forward, turbines blazing, flying like a rocket. His right fist shot out, striking the covered card.
The card flipped, revealing a frog with a halo above its head. The frog flapped its white wings, gave a pitiful cry, and exploded with a pop.
[Treeborn Frog, DEF 100]
"Treeborn Frog?"
Jaden was surprised. He was familiar with this monster, as Kira used it often.
"But this isn't Kira's..."
The Wicked God sneered: "My deck draws power from more than one world—possibilities beyond your imagination."
Jaden frowned: "Yubel, what does he mean?"
"Who knows. Bluffing, probably," Yubel replied.
Jaden pondered. It wasn't impossible—Treeborn Frog wasn't exactly rare. It showing up elsewhere wasn't strange.
"But now your field is empty," Jaden said. "Absolute Zero, direct attack!"
At Jaden's command, Absolute Zero's cape fluttered. Invisible cold froze the air, forming icy daggers.
Absolute Zero swept his arm, sending a barrage of ice blades across the field.
At that moment, the Wicked God smirked.
"Even with special powers, you're predictable," the Wicked God said. "This straightforward attack was exactly what I expected.
Activate set card!
Trap Card—Call of the Haunted!"
Jaden: "!"
That trap again. He'd seen it before, when Yubel was possessed by the Wicked God. Considering the opponent's identity, the monster to be revived was likely...
"Call of the Haunted lets me Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position," the Wicked God explained. "Last turn, I sent five cards to the Graveyard with 'Take Over 5.'"
Jaden said gravely: "The Wicked God...?"
"Correct." The Wicked God shouted, "I summon myself from the Graveyard!
The god who devours the world, erases all, and reduces everything to nothing—
—The Wicked Eraser, descends!!"
Boundless darkness gathered on the field like a black ocean. The space cracked, fissures spreading like wounds, devouring all life. The aura of erasure arrived, carrying a will to destroy.
[The Wicked Eraser, DEF ?]
"Eraser is summoned in Defense Position." The Wicked God said. "Its DEF and ATK are both equal to the number of cards on your field times 1000."
Jaden said, "I have three cards on my field…"
Absolute Zero, Stratos, and Liquid Soldier.
"Right, so my DEF is 3000."
[The Wicked Eraser, DEF ? → DEF 3000]
Three thousand DEF, which matched Absolute Zero's current ATK. If a monster attacks and has the same ATK as the DEF of the defending monster, neither side takes damage and neither is destroyed.
But Jaden knew the real problem was next.
"The The Wicked Eraser, can erase everything," Yubel said solemnly. "Gods summoned this way return to the Graveyard at the end of the turn.
And when Eraser is sent to the Graveyard, every other card on the field is sent to the Graveyard, too."
Jaden nodded. "I know."
And since it was still his turn, this became extremely unfavorable. Whatever Jaden did this turn, Eraser would wipe the board clean. Any monsters or set cards would be sent to the Graveyard.
Meaning he'd have to face the next enemy turn with an empty field—a near-certain defeat in a duel of experts.
Yubel said, "Things don't look good, Jaden."
Jaden nodded. "I know. So I'll do nothing else and end my turn."
"End Phase: Since 'The Wicked Eraser' was Special Summoned, it returns to the Graveyard," said the Wicked God. "And when it goes, every other card on the field is sent to the Graveyard!"
The Wicked God roared, sending shockwaves across the field. His form disintegrated into a pool of darkness, dragging all of Jaden's HEROes into it until nothing remained.
Among them, Absolute Zero let out a final roar, unleashing a frigid cyclone. The field froze into a realm of ice, but it too quickly vanished into the darkness.
The Wicked God's gaze flickered: "So it's a HERO with a similar power to mine."
But he paused, then laughed: "Still, it's nothing compared to me."
Absolute Zero could destroy all monsters on the opponent's field when leaving, similar to Eraser's power. But Eraser was even more domineering—it wiped out all cards, not just monsters, and sent them to the Graveyard directly, not destroying them, regardless of side.
The Wicked God said: "Now your field is empty. This duel may end next turn."
Jaden said: "But my turn isn't quite over.
During the End Phase, I can activate a Quick-Play Spell."
Jaden played a card from his hand.
"Quick-Play Spell—Quick Summon! This lets me Normal Summon a monster from my hand, in addition to my regular summon." (Anime card)
Jaden summoned another card.
"I Normal Summon 'Elemental HERO Clayman' in Defense Position!"
A sturdy, solid HERO appeared in Defense Position, arms crossed protectively.
[Elemental HERO Clayman, DEF 2000]
"So you summoned a wall after Eraser finished clearing the field?" the Wicked God said. "A decent way to buy yourself a bit more time, I suppose. Hmph.
My turn. Draw."
From the Graveyard, Jaden saw golden light shine from the Wicked God's Duel Disk.
"Now, two effects to resolve in my Standby Phase," the Wicked God said. "First, 'Take Over 5.' If this card is in my Graveyard during the Standby Phase, I banish it and another copy from my deck, then draw a card."
The Wicked God drew.
"And second, the effect of 'Treeborn Frog.'
If my back row has no Spells or Traps during my Standby Phase, I can revive 'Treeborn Frog' from the Graveyard!"
…