A deep, thunderous roar shook the air, like some primordial behemoth roaring and making space itself tremble. Darkness surged up as if it were erupting from the deepest pits of Hell, and a jagged Demon armor slowly surfaced. That armor was not forged of mortal iron, but condensed from pure Darkness and Evil, the hulking body from afar like a pitch-black mountain range.
Evil Heart Hero: Evil Blade Demon, Summon!
[Evil Heart Hero: Evil Blade Demon, Attack Power 3000]
"Evil Blade Demon's effect!" Judai said. "Once per turn, destroy all Monsters on your opponent's field whose Attack Power is less than or equal to this card's!
Evil Blade Annihilation!"
Evil Blade Demon let out a heavy, furious roar as boundless Darkness surged forth again. A tsunami of darkness crashed down like a collapsing mountain, surging to swallow Yubel's half of the field. That high-level Demon Zoya, under this Nine Nether Hell-like momentum, was nothing but a helpless piece of trash, utterly incapable of resisting.
"Evil Blade Demon... I see, so this Monster is the very embodiment of Overlord Power." Yubel said.
The Overlord's Power that had once stood shoulder to shoulder with her in a past life, sweeping away armies without number, now stood on the opposite side.
"But even if the Overlord wants me to give up, heh, I'm afraid it won't be that easy."
Yubel's pitch rose sharply as she raised her hand and activated another backrow.
"I activate my Cover Card, Continuous Trap - Restricted Revival, and Revive a Monster with Attack Power 1000 or less from the Graveyard!"
Judai was startled. "At this timing?"
He was instinctively surprised. Because at this moment, Evil Blade Demon had already activated its board-wipe effect, and Restricted Revival can only Revive Monsters with Attack Power 1000 or less, so anything Revived would definitely have Attack Power below Evil Blade Demon's.
Restricted Revival's activation is chained after Evil Blade Demon, so it will resolve first. The Monster that is Revived will appear on the field first, and only then will Evil Blade Demon's effect resolve. So no matter what is Revived, it should be destroyed by Evil Blade Demon.
"Could it be the Evil God Eraser?" Judai said gravely.
If it were the Eraser, then Evil Blade Demon's destruction effect might indeed be ineffective against a God.
"No, the Eraser's Attack Power is '?'." the Overlord said coldly. "It does not meet Restricted Revival's Revival condition."
Judai suddenly understood. "O-oh... I see!"
K-language is vast and profound, with no end to its advanced paths. And this kind of theoretical knowledge just happened not to be Judai's strong suit, so he was never quite sure when it came to many detailed rulings.
Of course, that didn't stop him from playing like a god. Judai had always been a Duelist who relied more on instinct than his brain, and in the end it was often proven that his intuition was more reliable than overthinking.
And since it wasn't the Eraser, then at this timing, the only Monster the opponent could Revive was...
"Even if scarred all over, I will always return anew from the deepest pits of Hell!
I Revive 'Yubel' from the Graveyard!"
A dark vortex opened beneath the soil, and the pitch-black maelstrom recondensed into the form of a Demon. A body with two faces, heterochromatic eyes that seemed stripped of all emotion, and thorn-covered vines slithered around her body like serpents.
[Yubel, Attack Power 0]
"Next we resolve Evil Heart Hero: Evil Blade Demon's effect, destroying all the Monsters on my field." Yubel said. "On my field are Demon Zoya and Yubel.
Come then, Overlord. Use your absolute power to trample me without mercy."
Only then did Evil Blade Demon's onslaught crash down like a tidal wave. The instant the two Demons were caught within it, they were corroded and broken down by the Darkness, swallowed as if erased from existence.
Demon Zoya let out a scream before quickly dissipating completely. Yubel, too, was swallowed by the Darkness, but instead of vanishing, an even greater force rebounded outward. Her power shot upward at an astonishing rate, growing into a solid dragon-like body the size of a small mountain, with two ferocious dragon heads and a blood-red single eye in the center of her chest.
[Yubel the Despised Knight, Attack Power 0]
Yubel said, "When 'Yubel' is destroyed by a card effect, Special Summon the second stage from your hand, Card Deck, or Graveyard...
The knight who sought power and became a twisted, ugly form, only to be hated for it—this sorrowful knight, this is my second form, the Despised Knight."
[Yubel the Despised Knight, Attack Power 0]
"Yubel..." Judai's gaze went a bit vacant.
The Overlord, however, was unmoved, still speaking coldly: "By increasing the number of Monsters on the field in the instant before Evil Blade Demon's effect resolved, all of them became Evil Blade Demon's power.
When Evil Heart Hero: Evil Blade Demon uses its own effect to destroy Monsters on the field, this card's Attack Power increases by the number of destroyed Monsters x 200.
It just destroyed two Monsters, so its Attack Power increases by 400!"
[Evil Heart Hero: Evil Blade Demon, Attack Power 3000 → Attack Power 3400]
The Overlord then glanced at Judai and said coldly, "The Duel field is a battlefield. Is this really the time for you to be spacing out?"
Judai jolted.
"Once you step onto a Duel field, the only thing you need to think about is victory, nothing else. It doesn't matter who your opponent is or what bonds you share." the Overlord said flatly. "Even if your opponent is Yubel.
If you lose here, what will Yubel and that Evil God do next to this school and to the others you care about? Do you plan to hide behind that Duel King for your entire life and let him stand up for you in everything?"
Judai: "......"
He lowered his head and stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then he smiled freely.
"Honestly, getting lectured by a guy like you... that's the last thing I wanted." He chuckled and said, "I was just catching my breath just now. Of course I understand what you're saying.
Even if you didn't say it, I've always been the type with no warmup, no buildup—so long as it's a Duel, I'm always going all out!"
But now that the opponent had once again summoned the Despised Knight, it meant they had another invincible Shield. If he attacked head-on with high Attack Power, he'd only end up taking the reflected damage himself.
Evil Blade Demon's power could indeed blow up the field, but only once per turn.
The Overlord said, "For now, we watch and see."
Judai nodded. "Got it... I set two cards from my hand to the backrow and end my turn."
Yubel said loudly, "At this point, no matter what you do, it's already meaningless!
My turn, draw!"
Yubel stepped forward and shouted in that hoarse voice.
"Yubel the Despised Knight, attack Evil Heart Hero: Evil Blade Demon!"
The twin-headed Demon Dragon roared in furious rage, and the single eye in its chest released a soul-piercing light, immediately locking onto Evil Blade Demon. The Death Demon seemed to lose control, stepping forward one heavy step at a time.
The Overlord said, "Trap!"
Judai: "I know! I activate my Cover Card, Trap Card 'Entry Forbidden - No Entry!'
All Monsters on the field in Attack Position are changed to Defense Position!"
[Yubel the Despised Knight, Attack Power 0 → Defense Power 0]
[Evil Heart Hero: Evil Blade Demon, Attack Power 3400 → Defense Power 3000]