Chapter 138: The Three-Card Hero Combo
Elemental HERO Sparkman. Level 4 LIGHT Warrior Normal Monster. 1600 ATK / 1400 DEF.
The gleaming Elemental HERO arrived on the field guided by Hero Signal's light.
Among the four vanilla Elemental HEROes that made up the backbone of the classic lineup, Sparkman had the highest ATK of the group, which still made him mediocre by almost any other standard. A modest axe-king at best. But 1600 ATK was exactly enough to wall out Doom Lord's 1200 and stop the direct attack that would have ended the duel on the spot.
Aster frowned and held his attack.
From his perspective, all Amano had done was buy a little more time before losing. One extra Elemental HERO on the field was not a reversal.
"I'll set one card face-down. You said you were going to prove something to me, Amano Rei. Do you actually have Destiny HEROes in that deck? Tell me."
The cold edge in that question was unmistakable. In this era, every Destiny HERO card in existence had been designed and created by Aster's father, a card designer whose entire body of work had been taken from him by the person responsible for his death. When Amano mentioned having Destiny HEROes, the connection Aster's mind made in that fraction of a second was not a rational one. Grief and anger had been running that particular association for years.
Amano could not actually produce a Destiny HERO. If Finesse had been here that would have been a different conversation. As it stood, the more pressing problem was a 3400 ATK monster sitting across the field with a halving effect that was about to fire.
"My turn, draw!"
The moment Amano drew, Dogma raised one hand toward him.
"Destiny HERO - Dogma's effect activates!"
Every turn the opponent takes while this card is on the field, at the start of their Standby Phase, the opponent's Life Points are halved. Anime version.
"Destined Judgment!"
Nothing touched him physically, but the pain landed in his chest anyway, and the numbers on his side of the field confirmed the rest.
Amano Rei LP: 1100 to 550
"What a horrible card," Alexis said, unable to stop herself. "Not only does it have more ATK than Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it cuts the opponent's Life Points in half every turn."
Chiaki made a sound that was not quite a word.
Sakuya, standing to the side with her Eva Terminal held steady, did not visibly react to any of this. She had not flinched once since the duel began, the camera arm of a person who had apparently been born for this specific task. Her composure was remarkable.
She had not yet realized she had accidentally started a live broadcast rather than a local recording.
"I already feel like I've lost," Finesse said quietly, watching the stream. The gap between herself and the Destiny HERO duelist on the other side of the field was becoming clearer the longer she watched. "But it's me that's losing, not Amano."
Amano pushed through the real physical feedback of the damage and looked at the card he had just drawn.
The pain eased slightly. The card told him what came next.
"Heroes fight like heroes! Spell Card: Polymerization, activate!"
The Fusion spiral opened above the field.
Sparkman was the first to move, stepping into the vortex from the field. The second Fusion material came from Amano's hand, the card he had drawn this turn.
"I fuse Sparkman from the field with Elemental HERO Burstinatrix from my hand!"
That accounted for all three of the vanilla Elemental HEROes in his deck. Every single one of them had now been on the field at some point in this duel. Three cards total. All of them Normal Monsters.
Aster said flatly: "It's useless, Amano. Jaden Yuki already tried fighting with Elemental HEROes and Fusion. It didn't beat my Destiny HEROes then and it won't now."
Napoleon could not resist either. "Heh heh heh. The dunce brigade's three-card combo Fusion, is it? Utterly predictable. Not a shred of suspense."
"Wait." Alexis was the only one who had caught the problem. "Something's wrong here."
She knew Jaden's deck. She had watched his duels more times than she could count. The Elemental HERO Fusion combinations were common knowledge at this point. Avian plus Burstinatrix made Flame Wingman. Sparkman plus Clayman made Thunder Giant. Those were the established equations that everyone knew.
Sparkman plus Burstinatrix was not one of them.
The Extra Deck zone on Amano's Duel Disk had already lit up with a card being printed into existence.
[Bond Resonance - Full Extra Deck "HERO" unlocked]
"Let me show you what Elemental HEROes are actually capable of, Aster!"
Amano raised the Fusion Monster card that had materialized at his fingertips. A crack of thunder rolled across the field, lightning sweeping over every monster present in a single instant.
"The evolved thunder of Elemental HEROes will shatter the darkness with brilliant light!"
"This is the new power that Elemental HEROes have achieved!"
"Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Thunder Giant - Cumulonimbus!"
Elemental HERO Thunder Giant - Cumulonimbus. Level 6 LIGHT Warrior Fusion Effect. 2400 ATK / 1500 DEF. Fusion Materials: two Elemental HEROes with different Attributes.
An evolved form of the classic Thunder Giant with broader Fusion conditions, requiring only two Elemental HEROes of different Attributes rather than the original's specific requirement of Sparkman and Clayman. The massive hero descended from the Fusion spiral with both fists crackling, erupting lightning across the entire field in a single sustained burst.
"This is the effect of Elemental HERO Thunder Giant - Cumulonimbus!"
When this card is Special Summoned, if the opponent controls more cards than you do, you can activate this effect. Destroy all other cards on the field.
Aster's side held two Destiny HERO monsters, one set card, and one remaining Scapegoat token. Amano's side held only Thunder Giant - Cumulonimbus. The trigger condition was satisfied without question.
"Evolved Lightning - Thunder Burst!"
The light hit the field before the morning mist had fully cleared. Even in full sunlight the lightning was unmistakable, and when it faded, every card on Aster's field was gone.
Scapegoat token: destroyed.
Destiny HERO - Doom Lord: destroyed.
Subspace Transporter: destroyed.
Amano registered the discrepancy immediately. Dogma had not been destroyed. And one of the cards that had been destroyed was something he had not set.
"I chained Trap Card Subspace Transporter to Thunder Giant's effect!" Aster called out.
Subspace Transporter. Trap Card. Target one face-up monster you control. Banish that monster until the End Phase of this turn.
"I sent Destiny HERO - Dogma to another dimension before it could be destroyed by your effect!"
"But that means your field is completely empty!"
Amano raised one arm and moved into the Battle Phase. Thunder Giant's massive hands drew together in front of its chest, gathering the remaining lightning between its palms like concentrating a focused beam.
"Direct attack with Thunder Giant! Thunder Shockwave!"
The physical impact converted cleanly. Aster was launched backward and skidded to a stop.
Aster Phoenix LP: 4000 to 1600
Napoleon had completely lost his composure.
"A failing student from Slifer Red is matching a famous professional duelist blow for blow? How is this possible!"
"That's what I'm talking about, big bro!"
"Give it to him!"
Syrus and Chumley were on their feet. Alexis had not relaxed at all. She was right not to.
The direct attack had felt satisfying, but the situation was still dangerous.
Amano slotted two cards into the GX-style Duel Disk.
"I set two cards face-down. Turn end."
He had held those cards back deliberately. If he had set them before activating Thunder Giant, the board-clear effect would have destroyed his own face-down cards along with everything else.
"Then at the End Phase, Destiny HERO - Dogma, temporarily banished by Subspace Transporter, returns to my field!"
Destiny HERO Dogma. 3400 ATK. Back on the field.
That was why Alexis had not relaxed. Thunder Giant was sitting at 2400 ATK. With Amano's remaining Life Points, a single attack from Dogma ended the duel.
"My turn, draw!"
Aster scanned his hand and moved without hesitation.
"Spell Card: Pot of Greed. I draw two cards."
In the GX era this kind of draw power was standard operating procedure. Running Pot of Greed in a deck that could use it was not a question anyone debated. Jaden himself had drawn through it in desperate moments more than once.
The difference was that Amano was the desperate one right now, not Aster.
"Next, I activate the effect of Destiny HERO - Departed in my Graveyard. By banishing this card, I Special Summon the third copy of Departed from my deck!"
Aster was running three copies of Departed. That was one more than Finesse.
Destiny HERO Departed. Level 6 DARK Warrior. 800 ATK / 800 DEF.
"And this turn I Normal Summon Destiny HERO - Diamond Dude!"
Destiny HERO Diamond Dude. Level 4 DARK Warrior Effect. 1400 ATK / 1600 DEF.
"Finally, Spell Card: Monster Gate!"
Monster Gate. Spell Card. Release one monster you control. Excavate cards from the top of your deck until you reveal a monster that can be Normal Summoned or Set. Special Summon that monster. Send all other revealed cards to the Graveyard.
"I release Departed from the field. Excavate from the top of the deck until I hit a Normal-Summonable monster!"
Monster Gate's best use in most situations was loading the Graveyard for combo setups. In GX-era dueling the application was more direct: sacrifice a weak monster on the field and gamble on pulling something large.
Aster flipped one card. That was all it took.
Level 8. A Destiny HERO.
He turned the card around to show everyone.
"Roar from the abyss of fate! Special Summon: Destiny HERO - Bloo-D!"
Destiny HERO Bloo-D. Level 8 DARK Warrior Effect. ATK: ? / DEF: ?
A massive figure broke free from steel chains and materialized on the field with a sound like something caged finally getting loose.
"When Destiny HERO - Bloo-D is Special Summoned this turn, all Destiny HERO monsters I control cannot be destroyed, and all battle damage involving them becomes zero!"
"Destiny Domain!"
Bloo-D roared and swung the chains still attached to its wrists, generating a barrier of whipping steel across Aster's side of the field, a wall that looked like fury that had been locked up for a very long time.
"And Destiny HERO - Bloo-D's ATK is equal to the combined ATK of every other Destiny HERO monster on my field!"
Aster's field: Dogma at 3400 ATK, Diamond Dude at 1400 ATK.
Destiny HERO Bloo-D ATK: 3400 + 1400 = 4800.
"Four thousand eight hundred attack points!" Alexis's voice had gone up. "That's higher than Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, the strongest Fusion in existence!"
Chiaki made another sound that was not a word.
Napoleon was practically crowing.
"As expected of a renowned professional duelist. Even in a position of certain victory he expands the field to this level of dominance!"
From a purely numerical standpoint, Aster only needed Dogma to attack Thunder Giant once to clear Amano's remaining Life Points. But a professional duelist with a professional's habits did not settle for a win that left room for error. He had doubled his field presence and granted his entire lineup destruction immunity and damage reduction in the same turn, meaning even if Amano had Mirror Force or a Negate Attack sitting face-down, this attack wave was going through.
"Can those face-down cards of yours carry you through this turn, Amano Rei?"
Aster led all three Destiny HEROes into the Battle Phase.
Bloo-D moved first. It crouched low, pushed off the ground hard, and came down from above with one enormous fist aimed directly at Thunder Giant.
"Skybound Crushing Palm!"
The name was exactly as theatrical as it sounded, and it landed exactly as hard as it should have at 4800 ATK. Thunder Giant shattered.
Elemental HERO Thunder Giant - Cumulonimbus: destroyed.
Amano flipped his first face-down card.
"Trap Card: Beckoning Light! Reduce all battle damage from this attack to zero, then draw one card from my deck!"
"You had a defensive trap. But can you stop what comes next?"
The remaining Destiny HEROes pressed forward.
"My face-down card cannot stop them. So I'll borrow yours instead, Aster."
Amano's second face-down flipped.
"Trap Card: Graverobber! I can select one Spell or Trap Card from your Graveyard and activate it!"
The illustrated thief dove into Aster's Graveyard zone, surfaced with a card clutched to its chest, and held it up for display.
Quick-Play Spell: Scapegoat.
"I Special Summon four Scapegoat tokens to my field in Defense Position!"
The four small woolly shapes materialized again in their familiar colors, pink, red, orange, blue, planting themselves between Amano and the incoming attacks.
"You survived using my own card!" Aster's expression broke through for a moment, irritation visible.
Dogma and Diamond Dude's attacks came through anyway, destroying the pink token and the red one.
"Ending the Battle Phase. In Main Phase 2, I activate the effect of Destiny HERO - Diamond Dude! Excavate the top card of my deck. If it's a Normal Spell, send it to the Graveyard. I can then activate it during my next turn!"
The top card of Aster's deck turned face-up.
It was a Normal Spell called Bad Luck Blast.
Bad Luck Blast. Spell Card. Target one face-up monster your opponent controls. Deal damage equal to half that monster's original ATK. The turn you use this effect, your monsters cannot attack.
A direct burn card. Against Amano's current Life Points, it was not a lucky draw. It was the countdown. Whatever monster Amano Normal Summoned next turn, Bad Luck Blast could burn him for half its ATK without Aster needing to attack.
"I set one card face-down. Turn end! This is the Destiny you cannot surpass, Amano Rei. And this is the misfortune of having only Elemental HEROes."
"Is that actually true?"
Amano smiled, and rested his fingers on the deck.
"All it takes to surpass Destiny is one draw. My turn, draw!"
He looked at the card.
Right on time.
His most reliable monster. Priestess Who Receives the Star Chalice. This next part was on her.
Eve's voice came through clearly.
"Ciallo!"
"At the start of your Standby Phase, Destiny HERO - Dogma's effect activates! Your Life Points are halved!"
Amano Rei LP: 550 to 275.
The three Wein siblings watching the stream had all gone quiet at the same time.
How was he supposed to win from here?
Including this turn's draw, Amano had three cards. 275 Life Points remaining. If he Normal Summoned a monster, Bad Luck Blast would finish him next turn without Aster needing to attack. If he did not summon a monster, he had no path to a win condition at all.
Latir shook her head quietly.
"Destiny HEROes apply this much pressure? I had no idea."
Finesse felt something close to embarrassment. Same archetype. Completely different result. What was wrong with her lineup.
"I set one card face-down!"
Everyone watching braced themselves for what came after.
But his first move surprised every one of them.
He set a card face-down.
That was it. He was not summoning a monster?
Was he planning to stall another turn with a trap? Survive the burn with defense and try again?
The next move made even less sense.
"After setting, I activate Spell Card: Exchange from my hand!"
Exchange. Spell Card. Both players reveal their hands. Each player takes one card from the other's hand.
Aster still had one card in hand. Amano also had one card remaining.
Both players revealed their hands simultaneously. Aster's expression shifted for exactly one moment, an unguarded flash of distaste he did not fully conceal in time.
What kind of useless monster is that?
The only card Aster could take from Amano's hand was Priestess Who Receives the Star Chalice. Zero ATK. Zero relevant stats for anything he was trying to do.
There was a saying that had made the rounds among duelists at some point. A legendary duelist had once noted that if your entire hand is cards with no combat value whatsoever, then activating Exchange will never put you at a disadvantage. The worst case is breaking even.
The card Amano took from Aster's hand in return was Destiny HERO - Malicious.
Priestess Who Receives the Star Chalice exchanged for Destiny HERO - Malicious.
The cold priestess left his hand. A warm hero took her place.
Eve's voice came through again, rather less charmed than before.
"You said this next part was on me. That's how you use your own ace monster?"
Amano looked across the field at Aster Phoenix.
Heroes don't need to be enemies.
He had said that last turn, and at the time his hand and deck had contained exactly zero Destiny HERO cards.
But now.
"Right now, I'm holding Destiny in my hands."