Chapter 267: Evil HERO vs. Elemental HERO - The Clash of Dark and Light
"Appear! Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire!"
[Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire] [ATK: 2100]
Born from the Dark Contact Fusion effect's surging dark energy, the Evil HERO Fusion monster born from Avian's form spread its hellfire wings and descended to the Supreme King's field.
"Evil HEROs?" In that instant, the concept struck Finesse's entire worldview. "That's a type of HERO that actually exists?"
In Finesse's understanding, HEROs were supposed to be champions of justice. Even the Destiny HEROs, an entire archetype of dark-attribute monsters, were still HEROs who executed justice from within the darkness of the night.
But what Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire radiated was something entirely different. A connection to justice of any kind was absent. These were HEROs that had genuinely fallen into evil.
"Can something like this still be called a HERO?"
"Inferno Wing - Backfire, though?" Amano's attention went somewhere quite different from Finesse's.
That Supreme King Jaden would use Evil HEROs was something Amano had known going in.
What he had not anticipated was this specific card: Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire.
The original Evil HERO Inferno Wing had been the dark-aligned counterpart of Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, sharing the same Avian and Burstinatrix base materials, presenting in a feminine dark-warrior form.
But what the Supreme King had Fusion Summoned was the upgraded version.
Inferno Wing's enhanced form, carrying the "Backfire" move-suffix, had acquired more powerful effects and more flexible Fusion requirements than the original.
The Supreme King slammed a card into his Duel Disk and declared the effect: "When Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire is Special Summoned, I activate its effect!"
[When this card is Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Dark Fusion" or 1 card that mentions it from your Deck or GY to your hand, except Fusion Monsters.]
From the black armored Duel Disk, the mechanism automatically cut through the deck and ejected a card. At the same moment, a hidden Field Zone in the Duel Disk slid open.
"From my Deck, I add the Field Spell, Supreme King's Castle, to my hand. And I activate it immediately!"
The instant the Supreme King activated the searched Field Spell, even the flame-engulfed bridge trembled with the force of it.
A second dark, warped Supreme King's Castle rose up behind the Supreme King, expanding the duel space outward.
[Supreme King's Castle]
[Field Spell Card]
[Effect 1: While this card is in the Field Zone, "Evil HERO" Fusion Monsters that must be Special Summoned with "Dark Fusion" can instead be Fusion Summoned by other methods.
Effect 2: Once per turn, when one of your Fiend-type monsters battles an opponent's monster during damage calculation: You can send 1 "Evil HERO" monster from your Deck or Extra Deck to the GY; that monster gains ATK equal to the sent monster's Level x 200, until the end of this turn.]
"Battle! Evil HERO!"
From in front of the Supreme King's Castle, the Supreme King swept his hand forward and declared the Battle Phase.
"Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire attacks Avian! And during battle damage calculation, the effect of the Field Spell, Supreme King's Castle, activates!"
[Once per turn, when your Fiend-type monster battles an opponent's monster during damage calculation: Send 1 "Evil HERO" monster from your Deck or Extra Deck to the GY; that monster gains ATK equal to the sent monster's Level x 200 until the end of this turn.]
"I send the Level 5 Evil HERO Sinister Necrom to the GY, and boost Inferno Wing - Backfire's ATK by 1000!"
[Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire] [ATK: 2100 -> 3100]
Kit: "First attack out and she's already past Blue-Eyes White Dragon's ATK!"
The original Inferno Wing - Backfire's base 2100 would have been sufficient to battle-destroy Avian's 1000-point DEF anyway.
But the Supreme King had specifically activated the Field Spell's effect: the intention was obvious. He wanted to send a monster to the Graveyard from the Deck.
Inferno Wing - Backfire's ATK climbing higher, the dark aura closing around her, she gathered hellfire in her blazing claws and hurled the roiling surge of heat toward Amano's Defense-Position Avian.
"Fall here, Elemental HERO!"
"Final Hellfire Backfire!"
[Elemental HERO Avian: Destroyed]
Consumed in the high-temperature flame, Avian was destroyed without resistance.
The Supreme King followed up: "When a HERO monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire's effect activates!"
[If your "HERO" monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle: Inflict 2100 damage to your opponent.]
"Even in Defense Position, you still take this damage, Amano Rei! Hellfire Burn!"
The Evil HERO, wearing the physique of a formidable dark warrior, charged directly into Amano, pressing in close and releasing the dark heat wave point-blank.
Amano LP: 4000 -> 1900
The effect was an enhancement over the original Flame Wingman-style burn. Against the original version Amano would have taken only 1000 damage. The upgraded Evil HERO had burned through more than half of Amano's Life Points in one pass.
Finesse wrung her hands, tense: "Amano's already in trouble at the very start! That HERO on the other side is terrifying!"
"My counter isn't finished yet, Jaden!"
In the same instant, Amano flipped one of his set cards.
"In the moment Avian was destroyed, I activate the Trap Card, Hero Signal!"
[Hero Signal]
[Trap Card: When one of your monsters is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Elemental HERO" monster from your hand or Deck.]
The giant "H" symbol that represented the HERO signal blazed into the dark sky above the Supreme King's Castle, calling a new HERO to Amano's field.
"I Special Summon Elemental HERO Blazeman in Defense Position!"
[Elemental HERO Blazeman] [Level 4 / FIRE]
[Warrior / Effect]
[ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1800]
Amano slapped the new blazing-fire Elemental HERO onto his Duel Disk, its effect triggering immediately.
"Blazeman's effect: when this card is Special Summoned, I can add 1 Polymerization from my Deck to my hand!"
"It won't help you. Your standard Polymerization Fusion can't match the Dark Fusion I pursue in my quest for ultimate power, Rei."
The Supreme King ended the Battle Phase, moved to Main Phase 2, and ejected a card from the Graveyard to banish it.
"I banish Evil HERO Sinister Necrom from my Graveyard and activate its effect!"
[When this card is banished from the GY: Special Summon 1 "Evil HERO" monster from your hand or Deck, other than "Evil HERO Sinister Necrom."]
That was specifically why the Supreme King had used Supreme King's Castle's effect to send it to the Graveyard during battle. It was building toward exactly this.
The Supreme King continued pulling a monster card from his Deck and driving it onto the Duel Disk.
"Emerge, blade condensed from the malice gathering in the darkness! I Special Summon Evil HERO Malicious Edge in Attack Position!"
[Evil HERO Malicious Edge] [Level 7 / EARTH]
[Fiend / Effect]
[ATK: 2600 / DEF: 1800]
[If your opponent controls a monster, you can Normal Summon this card by Tributing 1 monster.]
The Evil HERO Malicious Edge counterpart to Elemental HERO Bladedge: 2600 ATK with piercing battle damage, pulled directly from the Deck and Special Summoned to the field.
With both Evil HEROs on his field at 2100 and 2600, the Supreme King's side held a commanding advantage. Factor in Supreme King's Castle's passive ATK bonus during damage calculation, and the Evil HEROs reached numbers that would make even Blue-Eyes White Dragon think twice.
"I set two cards face-down. Your turn, Amano Rei. Show me your Fusion."
"My turn. Draw! And I activate Pot of Greed!"
Amano started his turn by smashing the professor-face card and drawing twice more.
"Then, Polymerization! I Fuse Elemental HERO Sparkman from my hand with Elemental HERO Blazeman on my field!"
The Supreme King's brow furrowed slightly. "Another unpredictable Fusion."
That was true. The two HEROs as materials could produce a number of different Fusion forms, and even Jaden could not read Amano's exact intent before the Fusion spiral actually revealed itself.
The unpredictability was compounded further by Finesse's Bond skill active in the background.
[Bond Resonance - Full HERO Extra Deck]
"Rise, evolved HERO of thunder, shatter evil's darkness with your radiant lightning!"
"Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Thunder Giant - Lightning Strike!"
[Elemental HERO Thunder Giant - Lightning Strike] [Level 6 / LIGHT]
[Warrior / Fusion / Effect]
[ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1500]
[2 "Elemental HERO" monsters with different Attributes]
[Effect 1: When this card is Special Summoned, if your opponent has more cards on the field than you do: Destroy all other cards on the field.
Effect 2: If this card was Fusion Summoned using a Normal Monster as material: You can Tribute this card to Special Summon 1 "Elemental HERO" monster from your GY.]
The new Thunder Giant, sharing the enhanced-form suffix pattern with Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire, carried stronger effects and more flexible Fusion conditions.
"Effect of Elemental HERO Thunder Giant - Lightning Strike activates!"
[When this card is Special Summoned, if your opponent has more cards on the field than you do: Destroy all other cards on the field.]
With only Thunder Giant and one unused set card on Amano's side, the Supreme King's side clearly had more. The board-clearing trigger was active.
"Blast everything! Lightning Strike!"
"Hmph. A Fusion I've faced before, when Aster dueled me." The Supreme King's lip curled. "You think I have no counter prepared, Rei? Face-down card, Fiend's Chain!"
The same Continuous Trap Amon had once attempted to bind the Dark Magician with, and failed. It was more than sufficient to lock down a Thunder Giant.
[Fiend's Chain]
[Continuous Trap Card: Target 1 Effect Monster on the field; while this card is in the Spell/Trap Zone, the targeted face-up monster cannot attack and its effects are negated. When the targeted monster is destroyed, destroy this card.]
Black chains erupted from the Trap and coiled tight around Thunder Giant's gleaming, muscular frame, sealing the board-clear and negating the effect.
Finesse stomped: "So close. If that effect had gone through, Amano's field would have completely turned around!"
"My counterattack isn't done, Jaden!"
Behind Amano, a tower of glass and steel rose toward the sky, as if dividing the duel arena from the Supreme King's Castle into two entirely different worlds.
"A Skyscraper?" The Supreme King's eyes narrowed. "No. That's not right."
If Amano had activated the Field Spell Skyscraper, Supreme King's Castle on the Supreme King's side would have been displaced by the rules of Field Spell stacking. The simultaneous coexistence meant something else was happening.
"The card I'm activating is Skyscraper Shot!"
[Skyscraper Shot]
[Spell Card: Target 1 "Elemental HERO" Fusion Monster you control; destroy all face-up monsters your opponent controls with higher ATK than that monster. Then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the original ATK of the destroyed monster with the highest original ATK among them. If you have "Skyscraper" in your Field Zone: Instead inflict damage equal to the combined original ATK of all destroyed monsters.]
"Jaden, you can chain Fiend's Chain to lock down Thunder Giant's effects. But you cannot chain away the fact that Thunder Giant itself is a Fusion Monster!"
Skyscraper Shot required a EHERO Fusion Monster as the target. Fiend's Chain's lock on Thunder Giant applied to its effects only; it could not remove the card's identity as a Fusion Monster. The Spell could still be activated against it.
The Skyscraper Shot visual effect deployed: a towering building rising above Amano's field, with the massive Thunder Giant posed at its peak.
The original card had been modeled on the iconic image from the anime: Flame Wingman standing atop the Skyscraper and kicking off the walls. But with Thunder Giant as the target, the enormous figure looming from the tower's apex had its own kind of presence.
Per the Spell's effect, Skyscraper Shot would destroy all opponent face-up monsters with higher ATK than Thunder Giant.
On the Supreme King's field: Evil HERO Malicious Edge at 2600 was higher than Thunder Giant's 2400. Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire at 2100 was not.
But Amano immediately chained another card.
"Quick-Play Spell, Shrink!"
[Shrink]
[Quick-Play Spell: Target 1 face-up monster on the field; halve that monster's original ATK until the end of this turn.]
The ATK-halving Spell, and the target Amano chose was not one of the Supreme King's monsters.
"I target Thunder Giant on my own field! Halve Thunder Giant's ATK!"
[Elemental HERO Thunder Giant - Lightning Strike] [ATK: 2400 -> 1200]
With the ATK halved, the explosion of lightning from the skyscraper's peak actually grew more brilliant, not less.
"Now that Thunder Giant's ATK is halved, Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire is higher ATK than it, and Skyscraper Shot destroys her too!"
Direct ATK warfare with Evil HEROs would have been the wrong approach. Effect-based destruction was the answer. HEROs were weakest against lightning strikes.
"Go, Thunder Giant!"
From the Skyscraper's peak, Thunder Giant drove downward, both hands carrying crashing electrical force, the enormous body adding mass to the descent, and the impact shook the entire Supreme King's Castle with the blow.
"Skyscraper Thunder Burst!!"
[Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire: Destroyed]
[Evil HERO Malicious Edge: Destroyed]
Both Evil HERO monsters on the Supreme King's field were shattered before the thunder storm. The follow-up came immediately: Skyscraper Shot's bonus damage.
"Per Skyscraper Shot's effect: I inflict damage equal to the highest original ATK of the destroyed monsters!"
Evil HERO Malicious Edge's 2600 ATK became the damage.
Lightning arcs crawled across the surface of the Supreme King's black armor.
Supreme King Jaden LP: 4000 -> 1400
"That's... that was amazing! Amano is as incredible as ever!"
Sho, who had apparently forgotten to run away, was watching the duel unfold and could no longer move his feet.
"He actually pushed the Supreme King into a corner like that!"
Sho had watched Jaden duel Jim Crocodile Cook. He had watched Jaden duel Austin O'Brien. This was the first time he had ever seen the Supreme King's field wiped so completely.
"It's not over yet, Supreme King Jaden!" Amano pressed the advantage and activated another effect.
The board-clear from Skyscraper Shot was an effect-based destruction from a Spell Card. It had been a solid reversal. But Thunder Giant was still under Fiend's Chain, effects negated and unable to attack.
The upgraded Elemental HERO Thunder Giant - Lightning Strike, however, had a second effect.
[If this card was Fusion Summoned using a Normal Monster as material: You can Tribute this card to Special Summon 1 "Elemental HERO" monster from your GY.]
Amano had used Elemental HERO Sparkman, a Normal Monster, as one of Thunder Giant's Fusion Materials. The condition was satisfied.
"I Tribute Elemental HERO Thunder Giant - Lightning Strike!"
In the instant the Tribute was declared, the Thunder Giant released from Fiend's Chain's binding and sent itself to the Graveyard, at which point the chain binding had nothing to latch onto and was no longer relevant.
"From my GY, Special Summon Elemental HERO Blazeman!"
Thunder and flame, two HEROs alternating in flashes of righteous light.
[Elemental HERO Blazeman] [ATK: 1200]
Albaz, from inside the deck: "Why didn't you bring back Sparkman, Amano? Sparkman's ATK is 1600. A direct attack would have been enough to finish off the Supreme King's remaining 1400!"
"Now comes the key moment!" Amano drove the Blazeman card forward into the Duel Disk.
"I activate Elemental HERO Blazeman's second effect!"
[During your Main Phase: Send 1 "Elemental HERO" monster from your Deck to the GY, other than "Elemental HERO Blazeman"; until the end of this turn, this card's Attribute, ATK, and DEF become the same as the sent monster's.]
In a Duel Chronicle where the parallel exclusion rules applied, not just Amano's own Dogmatika Ecclesia, the Virtuous, but even Chiaki's Blue-Eyes White Dragon had vanished from the deck because Kaiba Seto still existed in the GX era.
But there was one card that Amano had confirmed was still present in his deck after checking.
That card's presence proved that the Supreme King Jaden no longer had it in his own deck.
Let fire's body call forth that light.
That light from a new universe.
"From my Deck, I send Elemental HERO Neos to the GY, and Blazeman's Attribute, ATK, and DEF become the same as Elemental HERO Neos!"
[Elemental HERO Neos] [LIGHT] [ATK: 2500]
[Elemental HERO Blazeman] [FIRE -> LIGHT] [ATK: 1200 -> 2500]
In that instant, the flame energy surrounding Blazeman transformed into the light of the cosmos, and the radiant silhouette of Neos materialized behind the HERO's form.
"Neos..." The Supreme King's golden eyes tracked the figure ahead in silence, unreadable.
"That's enough ATK for Blazeman, inheriting Neos's stats!"
Having inherited the spirit of Neos in an unconventional way, Amano declared the Battle Phase.
"Direct attack with Blazeman!"
Blazeman charged toward the Supreme King's empty field, the punch arriving with the combined luminescence of the Neos silhouette blazing behind it.
"Blazing Neos Force!"
"Trap Card, Necro Fusion!"
Facing the "Neos" direct attack, the Supreme King flipped his last set Trap and generated a Fusion spiral that should not have belonged to Dark Fusion.
Evil HERO Fusion monsters carried the restriction of "Must be Special Summoned with Dark Fusion." But Supreme King's Castle had already removed that restriction.
[Supreme King's Castle]
[Field Spell: While this card is in the Field Zone, "Evil HERO" Fusion Monsters that must be Special Summoned with "Dark Fusion" can be Fusion Summoned by other methods.]
That was presumably also the reason the Supreme King in the anime had been able to Fusion Summon Evil HEROs through means other than Dark Fusion: his own duel arena was always Supreme King's Castle.
"I banish Evil HERO Malicious Edge and Evil HERO Inferno Wing - Backfire from my GY as Fusion Materials!"
The black Fusion spiral swept through the Supreme King's Castle field, force-converting into the Dark Fusion effect.
"The echo of the hero has died. What remains is pure malice that cuts down all light!"
"The final executioner, whose blade was forged from hatred! Fusion Summon! Descend, Evil HERO Malicious Bane!"
[Evil HERO Malicious Bane] [Level 8 / FIRE]
[Fiend / Fusion / Effect]
[ATK: 3500 / DEF: 2100]
["Evil HERO Malicious Edge" + 1 Level 6 or higher Fiend-type monster]
[Effect: While this card is in the Monster Zone, during your opponent's Battle Phase, all your opponent's monsters switch to face-up Attack Position and must attack this card if able.]
The dual-bladed Evil HERO Fusion monster, its twin swords glinting with cold killing intent, emerged from the tearing dark Fusion tornado. The combined ATK of the Fusion materials alone already put it past Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Kit's urgent voice: "Quick, call back the attack!"
The Supreme King slammed down the card: "There's no running from this one. This Evil HERO embodies the maximum malice of those who fight to the death and never retreat!"
[While this card is in the Monster Zone, during your opponent's Battle Phase, all face-up monsters your opponent controls switch to Attack Position and must attack this card if able.]
A built-in permanent taunt effect. Even Defense-Position monsters were forced to switch to Attack Position and attack Evil HERO Malicious Bane.
The moment Battle Phase was entered, all retreat was cut off by the blade.
"Cut down the opposing monster!"
The forced attack activated: Blazeman, inheriting Neos's 2500 ATK, was locked into combat with Evil HERO Malicious Bane.
The gap of 3500 versus 2500 looked like only 1000 points of battle damage on paper. But the Supreme King had stacked the final lethal weight onto the exchange during the damage calculation.
"Supreme King's Castle's effect activates! I send the Level 7 Evil HERO Fallen Angel from my Deck to the GY, boosting Malicious Bane by 1400 ATK!"
[Evil HERO Malicious Bane] [ATK: 3500 -> 4900]
This attack was not just aimed at destroying the monster. It was designed to clear Amano's remaining Life Points entirely.
"Strike! 'Tyrannous Blade - Final Curtain Execution'!"
The twin blades, as coldly killing-edged as the Supreme King's own gold eyes and interior state at this moment, severed Blazeman at the waist, and the Neos silhouette behind him along with it.
[Elemental HERO Blazeman: Destroyed]
"I told you. To pursue ultimate power, I will cut away without hesitation everything weak I once was. My old friends, too."
"Whether that's Neos, or you, Amano Rei."
"Is that really true, Jaden?"
Amano spoke, and at the same moment, the last set card at his feet flipped open.
"Hmm?"
"If what you're saying is true, then why are you making an expression like you just breathed out with relief, the moment I flipped that card?"
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