Yugioh [769-771] (Patreon)

Chapter 769: Shining Upon the Darkness

Supreme King: "!"

What is this kid saying?

He's trying to make me—the ruler who dominates the Twelve Dimensions, the embodiment of darkness—see a future of light?

Did that last impact scramble his brains?

But Jaden's voice cut through his thoughts.

"My turn. I draw!"

Jaden said, "I activate the Spell Card, Contact Gate! I banish two 'Neo-Spacian' monsters of different names from my Graveyard, and Special Summon two 'Neo-Spacian' monsters from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard."

Jaden slid out two cards from the Graveyard.

"I banish 'Neo-Spacian Dark Panther' and 'Neo-Spacian Glow Moss' from my Graveyard, and Special Summon 'Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab' from my Deck!
And also the 'Neo-Spacian Grand Mole' that was returned to the Deck by Fusion last turn!"

[Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab, ATK 500]

[Neo-Spacian Grand Mole, ATK 900]

The Supreme King narrowed his eyes.

The mole.

Again.
But it's not a big problem.

He still had a massive 5400 Life Points. Even if Malicious Bane… gets bounced…

"I return Elemental HERO Neos, Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab, and Neo-Spacian Grand Mole to the Deck—Triple Contact Fusion!"

Supreme King: "Triple contact?"

"The power of fire and earth unite—blazing might, burn!

—Elemental HERO Magma Neos!!!"

One of late-anime Jaden's signature finishers, the artifact of overwhelming lethality: the triple-fusion Magma Neos!

Magma Neos has a base ATK of 3000, and gains 400 ATK for each card on both players' fields.

With "Neo Space" on the field, he gains 500 from the Field, and his effect reads the field card itself for +400. Counting himself as a card on the field, that's a guaranteed +1300 baseline.

Add in the rest of the cards on both fields, and it's easy to hit six or seven thousand ATK.

The Supreme King didn't know Magma Neos's exact effect, but triple fusion plus that thunderous entrance made it clear this was no ordinary monster.

So he didn't hesitate: "Counter Trap, Grand Horn of Heaven!

When the opponent Special Summons a monster during the Main Phase, negate that Special Summon and destroy those monsters.

After that, your opponent can draw one card, however… their Main Phase ends immediately!"

Jaden: "!"

Not only did Magma Neos get blown away before it even landed, his Main Phase was forcibly ended. Jaden watched his Duel Disk force-skip straight into the Battle Phase while his field was completely empty. His options this turn had suddenly narrowed to almost nothing.

Meaning he either had to find a way to summon a monster during the Battle Phase, or end the Battle Phase and proceed to Main Phase 2 to operate—at the cost of forfeiting his right to attack this turn.

"...Then I'll draw one card, and move to Main Phase 2," Jaden said.

"Now do you understand? Your struggle is futile," the Supreme King said. "You can't even battle…"

"I'll win," Jaden said.

The Supreme King stiffened.

"What?"

"I said, I'll win," Jaden looked up and flashed a brilliant smile. "This turn."

Supreme King: "!"

This guy's already been stripped of his Battle Phase and he's still bluffing that he'll win this turn?
What a joke.

"You don't have to win a duel by attacking. That's something I learned from an irreplaceable friend."

Jaden smiled even brighter—so bright even the ruler of twelve dimensions felt a twinge of foreboding.

"Let me show you.

I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Burial from a Different Dimension, returning up to three banished monsters to the Graveyard.

I return the Elemental HERO Avian and Elemental HERO Burstinatrix that were banished by Fusion Gate."

"Next I activate the Spell Card, Spider Web, to take a card that was sent to the opponent's Graveyard one turn ago," Jaden said. "From your Graveyard, I'll take the Quick-Play Spell, Trap Booster!"

"Then I activate Trap Booster! I discard a card to activate a Trap from my hand."

"I activate the Trap Card, Chain Material!
This turn, when I conduct a Fusion Summon, I can banish monsters from my hand, field, Graveyard, or Deck as Fusion Materials."

"Use any fusion materials you like," the Supreme King said coldly. "But the turn Chain Material is activated, you can't attack, and the Fusion Monster is destroyed at the end of the turn.

And your Battle Phase is already gone—what good is Fusion now?"

"You'll see soon enough," Jaden said. "I activate the Field Spell, Terraforming, to add a Field Spell from my Deck to my hand.

I add a second Fusion Gate."

"Then I activate Fusion Gate again! I can Fusion Summon by banishing monsters."

"And I activate the Continuous Spell, Dimensional Fissure! While this card is face-up, any monster that would be sent to the Graveyard is banished instead for both players."

The Supreme King kept frowning, still unable to read what this was building toward.

"With that, the setup is complete."

Jaden gently closed his eyes.

Before him, as if reflected on a screen, appeared the sunny lawn of Duel Academy some time ago—he and Kira swapping Decks, testing and studying under warm sunlight.

That was when Kira showed him an unimagined path.

"Amazing!"

Jaden had practically jumped with excitement.

"Elemental HERO can do that too?"

"Yeah."

Kira put away a few demo cards, returned them to Jaden's Deck, shuffled, and handed it back with a smile.

"I'm just showing you that even Elemental HERO can break its own limits."

He spoke, then patted Jaden's shoulder with earnest weight.

"Your HEROes have infinite possibilities, Jaden."

"And you have infinite possibilities."

"You just need to discover them."

"…"

Jaden opened his eyes again.

Right—his future held infinite possibilities. Even the Duel King told him that.

How could he possibly stop here?

"I activate Fusion Gate to Fusion Summon!" Jaden said. "At this moment, thanks to Chain Material, I can choose materials from my Deck and Graveyard.

So I banish Elemental HERO Avian, Elemental HERO Burstinatrix, Elemental HERO Clayman, and Elemental HERO Bubbleman—four monsters—for a fourfold fusion! Appear—

—Elemental HERO Electrum!"

Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind unite. Empowered by four attributes, Jaden's early-era ace, the HERO who defeated the Sacred Beasts when equipped with the Philosopher's Stone!

[Elemental HERO Electrum, ATK 2900]

"When Electrum is Fusion Summoned, all banished cards are returned to their owners' Decks," Jaden said. "So the four HEROes I banished as Fusion Materials are all returned to my Deck!"

Avian, Burstinatrix, Sparkman, and Bubbleman appeared overhead, then became four beams of light flying back into Jaden's Deck.

"Then I tribute Elemental HERO Electrum for an Advance Summon!"

Jaden paused, glanced at the card in his hand, and murmured softly.

"Kira, lend me your strength too…"

Then he raised his head.

"I Tribute Summon, Catapult Turtle!"

Supreme King: "?"

What the hell?

At the climactic peak of a clash between righteous and wicked HEROes, the tone suddenly swerved: a green-shelled turtle lugging an electromagnetic cannon clattered onto Jaden's field.

[Catapult Turtle, ATK 1000]

Elemental HERO—Catapult Turtle, summoned!

"Due to Dimensional Fissure, the tributed Electrum is not sent to the Graveyard—it's banished," Jaden said. "Next I activate Fusion Gate again!
And using Chain Material, I banish the freshly returned Avian, Burstinatrix, Clayman, and Bubbleman from the Deck for a Fusion Summon—

—Elemental HERO Electrum, number 2!"

[Elemental HERO Electrum B, ATK 2900]

"Upon Fusion Summon, Electrum shuffles the four HERO materials banished by Fusion Gate and the Electrum A that was tributed and banished back into my Deck!"

Jaden swept his arm.

"Then Catapult Turtle's effect: Tribute a monster on my field to inflict damage to the opponent equal to half that monster's ATK.

I tribute Elemental HERO Electrum number 2 to deal damage equal to half its ATK!"

[Supreme King, LP 5400 → LP 3950]

With his Life that high, he could still take it. Even so, the Supreme King's expression had begun to change.

"This is…"

"The Electrum tributed by Catapult Turtle is banished due to Dimensional Fissure!"

"Then I activate Fusion Gate once more. With Chain Material, I fuse the four HERO attributes from the Deck! Fusion Summon—

—Elemental HERO Electrum number 1!"

"Upon Electrum number 1's summon, the four banished HEROes and Electrum 2 are shuffled back into the Deck."

"Then Catapult Turtle's effect—tribute Electrum A, fire!"

[Supreme King, LP 3950 → LP 2500]

The Supreme King dropped to one knee, breathing hard.

An infinite loop!

And this is the famed real-card-era HERO-exclusive loop, known as the "Electrum Cannon." Two Electrum copies alternate, each one returning the other and all needed Fusion materials to the Deck in an endless cycle. Once it's set, the opponent is condemned to a hell of infinite Electrum artillery.

This is Elemental HERO: infinite possibilities.

Literally "infinite."

"Impossible…"

For the first time, a hint of fear flickered in the Supreme King's golden pupils.

He is the Supreme King.

He is the invincible Supreme King, master of absolute darkness, embodiment of power. With such power, he would never lose again, never suffer loss again, never feel pain again.

That's how it should have been.

How could he be defeated by this feeble shadow of himself…

He jerked his head up to find Jaden looking back at him.

Still that sunny smile, warm as spring sunlight.

"It's over," Jaden said softly. "All the pain you sealed away, all the darkness—starting now, we'll shoulder it together."

Supreme King: "…"

[Supreme King, LP 1050]

One last shot.

"Catapult Turtle, activate your effect," Jaden said. "Tribute Elemental HERO Electrum to inflict damage equal to half its ATK to the Supreme King."

[Supreme King, LP 1050 → LP 0]

Chapter 770: Two Hearts as One

"Impossible. Just a mirror image."

"It was only…"

The Supreme King's golden pupils contracted.

He looked up and saw the abyssal darkness swirling around him begin to dissolve.

As if a small flame had ignited in that icy abyss—so tiny, so seemingly insignificant against all that darkness—yet stubbornly burning, blooming within the night.

The boy in red walked forward from within that flame.

"...Why?"

The Supreme King asked, incredulous.

He was genuinely confused.

His Evil HEROes were a complete upgrade—just like the symbol of himself compared to that boy. He was the one with power, stripped of needless feelings, existing solely to win, never to lose again.

So why did he still lose to this person?

"Maybe you really are stronger than me," Jaden said with a smile. "Through our duel, I felt your strength—honestly, it's a power I can't compare to."

"But even so, I still won. Because I have something you don't."

The Supreme King looked at him, blank.

"Like I said," Jaden chuckled, gesturing at his Deck, "irreplaceable partners."

"In the past year, I've seen possibilities in dueling I'd never imagined. I realized that even the HEROes I thought I knew inside out still had avenues I'd never discovered."

"He taught me all that."

"He also taught me, first of all, that dueling isn't always joy—it can be heavy. As duelists, we must bear the cruelty of victory and defeat."

"Our losses might affect the destinies of those we aim to protect."

"Our victories might harm those we have to defeat."

Jaden spoke softly.

"I only vaguely understood that before. After facing you today—after our duel—I truly understand. All this time, you carried the darkest burden for me. Thank you."

"But just like I said, from now on—the pain, the guilt of battle—we'll bear it together."

"…"

Jaden thought he'd delivered a pretty good speech.

He hadn't planned it out, but every word came from the heart. He understood now that this shadow of darkness really was part of himself—the darkness within that he'd lacked.

Everyone has inner darkness—especially powerful duelists. Even the Pharaoh back then had his own giant shadow.

Light and shadow have always coexisted; without that darkness, one is incomplete.

So Jaden had decided to face his inner darkness head-on. From now on, the darkness and sins the Supreme King bore, he would shoulder them too, and keep moving forward.

He felt it should have been a moving scene.

Until the Supreme King, as if reminded of something, suddenly glared at him with those murderous golden eyes.

In a flash, the Supreme King remembered the duel in the other dimension.

That egg that suddenly gobbled up his three strongest Evil HEROes, and that Kuriboh that slapped him to death like an insult.

He could still savor the humiliation of that slap.

And now the dignified Elemental HEROes were being looped into a miserable lockdown by his sunny mirror image. A four-attribute fusion Electrum—such a heroic big brother—had been twisted into an infinite Catapult Turtle battery…
The style clicked into place all at once.

"The friend you mentioned," the Supreme King said stiffly, "was that guy from last time?"

"Eh?"

Jaden's mood jarred to a halt.

He scratched his head, a bit sheepish.

"You mean Kira? How did you know?"

Supreme King: "…"

So it really was him.

He's the culprit!

…

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Standing in the conquered Supreme King's castle, the three regrouped, and Joey couldn't help asking.

The great hall was littered with the Supreme King's officers and soldiers, sprawled in heaps. While Jaden was inside settling the main event, the other two hadn't been idle either; they'd mowed down squad after squad of guards outside.

Most were sent packing by straight-up brawling, with just a few elite handled over a couple of turns of card play. But for both Kira and Joey, it was warm-up difficulty at best—easy wins all around.

"Yeah, I'm good."

Jaden nodded.

He glanced back at the room behind him. The Supreme King's chamber door had been shut tight, like a demon sealed in the deepest vault of the castle.

"It's over," Jaden said. "Though the process was a bit winding… I won."

He paused, then turned to Kira. "I used 'that move.'"

"Oh? You used 'that move,' huh."

Kira nodded slightly.

As if to say: not bad—promising kid.

He couldn't help but imagine the Supreme King's reaction as he was slowly shredded by the Electrum Cannon's infinite lockdown. Though that iceberg poker face might not show much, the murderous glare would be priceless…
Huh?

In his daydream, Kira suddenly felt something and glanced oddly at Jaden.

"What's up?" Jaden looked back at him.
"Nothing…"

Kira looked away, puzzled.

Was I imagining things?

I could've sworn I just felt the Supreme King's murderous stare…

"As long as you're fine," Joey stretched. "Well, it's finally over. One more thing off my mind. What a slog this was…"

He'd only ended up in the Twelve Dimensions by chance after being ambushed by that little crayfish. But seeing the people suffer here, the hot-blooded youth with power couldn't just walk away.

It took a long time, but they'd done it.

"By the way, you seem… different somehow?"

Joey studied Jaden for a moment.

"You're really okay, right?"

"I'm fine," Jaden nodded. "I just fused with the Supreme King. He's… sort of inside me now."

"Oh, that's how it is."

Joey nodded, satisfied.

Half a minute after turning away, his head slowly swivelled back.

"Hold up, you said what!?"

His eyes bulged, incredulous, staring at Jaden.

"You're telling me that lunatic dictator we came all this way to find—the dueling machine with ultimate dark power…

"Is now inside you."

"Uh, it's not that serious…" Jaden scratched his head. "But yeah, more or less."

Joey: "…"

He suddenly wanted to say: your definition of "fine" might be different from ours…

Chapter 771: The Doll

Jaden began to change.

Not only did Kira and Joey—who accompanied him to the Supreme King's castle—notice, but even those around Jaden sensed it faintly.

The change was subtle, more in his aura. Even his roommate Syrus only vaguely felt that the big bro seemed different, but if pressed, he couldn't say how.

"How to put it…"

Chatting with friends, Syrus scratched his head.

"It's like… on the surface he's the same—always happy, thinks of nothing but eating, sleeping, and dueling. But something inside feels different…"

He slapped his forehead.

"Oh, right. Sometimes I see big bro talking to himself when no one's around. He didn't used to do that."

Just then, Kira passed by, patted Syrus's shoulder, and smiled.

"Don't worry, he's fine. If anything… he's grown."

Syrus, Chazz, and the others looked at him, puzzled, nodded as if half-understanding, and didn't press further.

Yes, the most accurate description was probably that: growth.

Although at a glance his behavior looked unchanged, Jaden now radiated an intangible air of maturity.

Like the max-level "Season 4 Jaden" making an early appearance.

But Kira knew: although Jaden had soared several levels as if epiphanied, approaching his peak, he wasn't fully complete yet.

Now he had the Supreme King. He had Spacian. All Jaden lacked was "Yubel."

But that was fine. Kira felt Jaden had already crossed his toughest threshold. Yubel was a yandere madly in love with him. From here on, he just needed to lie still—Yubel would fall from the sky on her own.

In the anime, early on Jaden had amnesia about his childhood and didn't realize the arc boss was Yubel when the other-dimension saga began.

Now Jaden had powered up massively, and Kira could help him prepare in advance.

Just Yubel shouldn't be as troublesome as in the show.

The semester was drawing to a close. Barring major incidents, Yubel should appear early next term.

…

One morning, Kira woke up, yawned through his wash, and left the dorm. As he went down the stairs, he noticed something was different.

From the corridor to the stairs to the lobby, the Yellow Dorm was spotless. The marble floor shone like a mirror; the entire hall was so clean it seemed to sparkle with starry effects on the lights and walls.

The Yellow Dorm had always been decent, but this level of brand-new shine—this was a first since he'd arrived.

What's going on? New cleaning staff?

He headed to the cafeteria and found it even more unusual.

It looked like practically the entire dorm had gathered there, forming a long line, buzzing with excitement. Some faces were flushed, eyes twinkling with cartoon heart effects.

Kira was even more confused.

What is this? An idol meet-and-greet?
He snagged a familiar student to ask. The kid turned and, seeing the Lord of Yellow, stood at attention.

"What's going on here? Is there an event?"

"Event? No, you might not have heard," the student said, eyes lighting up. "A super amazing transfer student arrived today!"

"A transfer student?"

Kira was intrigued. In anime, transfer students often played extraordinary roles—and why would one transfer student excite everyone this much?

"You don't get it—she's a dream transfer student, a heaven-sent gift to our Yellow Dorm!" the student said. "To greet the upperclassmen, she got up before dawn on her first day and cleaned everything. The whole dorm is like new, even the cleaning auntie was stunned."

Kira blinked. "So the cleaning was the transfer student?"

He glanced at the cafeteria line.

"And this line?"

"Oh, she came early to help the cafeteria too—food made by her own hands. You don't know, it's super delicious—just one bite and… words fail me."

The student was in bliss.

"Alice-chan is an angel. She's impossibly pretty, so capable, and so capable, and also so capable…"
Kira pondered.

Either he was too excited to talk straight, or at least a couple of those "capable"s weren't PG-rated…

Kira was curious now. From the description, even he wanted to see how peerlessly beautiful this transfer student was, to stir the entire dorm like this. But the crowd was too thick; getting in would take time, so he dropped it.

Whatever. Just a new girl—not worth wasting dueling time. At the Academy, he'd see her eventually anyway.

So Kira went to the usual counter, got a simple meal, and sat in a corner to eat alone.

While eating, he opened his student terminal, checked the Academy's new card inventory as usual, and looked for anything eye-catching.

As he scrolled, a notice on the news board caught his eye—a lost-and-found.

Posted by Ms. Dorothy at the campus shop.

["The doll is missing. If anyone has seen it, please contact the shop. Thank you!"]

Kira tapped it. It said a doll that had been displayed in the glass case at the shop—some kind of "dueling doll," though who knew why—had disappeared two days ago, leaving an empty case.

Ms. Dorothy wrote that the doll seemed quite valuable and asked any student who saw it or knew of its whereabouts to contact her ASAP.

Kira frowned, as if some distant memory had been stirred.

Wait, he vaguely remembered this plot from the anime…

Just then, a clear, pleasant girl's voice sounded by his ear.

"Senpai."

Kira looked up.

A petite girl in a black lolita dress stood before him, her face so perfectly beautiful it was almost inhuman. She held a bowl in both hands, eyes blinking like stars, and asked softly:

"May I… sit next to you, Senpai?"

Kira's eyes narrowed.

He remembered now.

This should be the legendary transfer student, Alice.

Also known as the missing "dueling doll" from the campus shop.