"Only the one true hero who seizes victory… can leave, huh?"
Feeling the power flowing through the barrier beneath his feet—engraved with the shapes of seven swords—Jaden gritted his teeth.
"I already made up my mind before this duel… but this just makes things even more exciting!"
"Well, great. Now even you've lost it too, Jaden," Akasha sighed, narrowing her eyes.
"A duel like this is obviously a Shadow Game. If Hoshino-nee finds out, you're definitely getting chewed out."
Through the golden glow at the edge of the barrier, Okita glanced at Jaden, then at Frodi.
"Don't you think… that King feels kind of similar to Jaden?"
"No, no, not at all," Nobunaga waved it off.
"Frodi—he's clearly someone like me, a great leader who can command the world. His kingly presence is completely different from Jaden's."
Okita crossed her arms, thinking hard.
"Then maybe it's just my imagination… Maybe using HERO decks makes them feel similar."
"I set two cards. Your turn, Jaden!"
[Frodi: 2 Hand Card | 2 Set Cards]
[Elemental HERO Neos ATK 5000 → 2500]
"Even though Jaden barely gained the upper hand in that battle… the opponent's HERO plays are clearly on a completely different level," Minazuki commented.
Even while being handcuffed and thrown near the window by the Obelisk Blue girls, he still watched closely.
Syrus, also restrained, looked despairing.
"There's no combo worse than that five-for-one play… And now he has to discard everything because of Mirage of Nightmare. This is really bad…"
"My turn—draw!"
As Jaden drew his card, the mirage surrounding his field began to fade with the start of the turn.
"Last turn, you drew four cards with Mirage of Nightmare," Frodi said.
"So during this Standby Phase, you must discard four cards. That means you'll have no hand left this turn."
"Sorry—but this time, I'm going to cheat a little! I activate the Quick-Play Spell—Artifact Ignition!"
[Target 1 Spell/Trap on the field; destroy it, then Set 1 'Artifact' monster from your Deck as a Spell/Trap.]
"If I destroy my own Mirage of Nightmare during the Draw Phase, I won't have to discard cards during the Standby Phase! And thanks to Artifact Ignition, I can also Set an 'Artifact'!"
A radiant light shaped like a massive weapon shone across Jaden's back row, dispelling the illusion of the nightmare mirage.
"Using destruction to avoid its drawback… not bad. Luck," Frodi remarked.
He called it "luck" because if Jaden hadn't drawn a Quick-Play Spell that could destroy his own back row, this combo would've forced him into a dead end.
"Luck and skill, unpredictability and inevitability—that's what makes a HERO's battle!"
With three cards safely retained, Jaden slammed a monster card onto his Duel Disk.
"And now—this is where the power of Neo Space truly erupts! I Normal Summon in Defense Position—Cross Porter!"
[Cross Porter ★★ (Level 2)][DARK][Warrior/Effect][ATK 400/DEF 400]
"Cross Porter's effect lets me send 1 monster on the field to the Graveyard to Special Summon a 'Neo-Spacian' monster from my hand!"
"Neo-Spacian? What kind of monster is that? Even I've never heard of it!" Professor Banner exclaimed.
"I send Cross Porter to the Graveyard and call forth a hero that protects Neo Space—Special Summon Neo-Spacian Dark Panther!"
[Neo-Spacian Dark Panther ★★★ (Level 3)][DARK][Beast/Effect][ATK 1000/DEF 500]
A black-furred panther clad in a cloak materialized on Jaden's field in Attack Position.
"And when Cross Porter is sent to the Graveyard, I can add another 'Neo-Spacian' monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose Neo-Spacian Grand Mole!"
"So this is your new power, Jaden? It's… kind of cute," Akasha muttered thoughtfully.
"What, are you finally switching to a cute character theme?"
"Cute? These are cool, okay?!" Jaden shot back as he played his final Spell Card.
"—Spell Card Double Summon! This lets me Normal Summon one more time this turn! I summon Neo-Spacian Grand Mole in Attack Position!"
[Neo-Spacian Grand Mole ★★★ (Level 3)][EARTH][Rock/Effect][ATK 900/DEF 300]
"They are pretty cute," Okita admitted objectively.
"But their ATK is really low… I thought pre-Fusion Elemental HEROes were weak enough—this is even worse."
"Okita, which is cuter—Mini Nobu or the Neo-Spacians?" Nobunaga asked curiously.
"Mini Nobu!"
"Nobu?! ⁄(⁄⁄•⁄⁄•⁄⁄)⁄"
Caught off guard by the instant answer, Nobunaga awkwardly lowered her hat to hide her blushing face.
"Th-thank you…"
"Jaden, pay attention—you don't have any cards left in your hand," Akasha warned.
"And that Masked HERO Divine Wind can't be destroyed by battle—and it still has higher ATK than your five-for-one Neos."
"Can you stop bringing up the five-for-one already…?" Jaden sighed.
"But don't worry—my counterattack is just getting started! Just like Elemental HEROes, Neo-Spacians reveal their true potential through Fusion!"
"(ﾟДﾟ*)ﾉ Are you serious? You still don't get it?!" Akasha shouted.
"You don't even have a Fusion Spell! How are you supposed to fuse?!"
"I don't need a Fusion Spell! Watch this—Neo Space's Contact Fusion! I return Dark Panther, Grand Mole, and Neos on the field to the Deck!"
Centered on Elemental HERO Neos, the three Neo-Spacians fused through direct contact into a brand-new form.
"Nebula, galaxy, universe! This is Neo Space's coolest and strongest hero—Contact Fusion Summon!"
"—Elemental HERO Nebula Neos!"
[Elemental HERO Nebula Neos ★★★★★★★★★ (Level 9)][EARTH][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 3000/DEF 2500]
["Elemental HERO Neos" + "Neo-Spacian Grand Mole" + "Neo-Spacian Dark Panther"]
[Must first be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by shuffling the above cards you control into the Deck. (You do not use "Polymerization".)]
Combining the drill of Grand Mole and the darkness of Dark Panther, a hero from Neo Space descends in a nebula form—Elemental HERO Nebula Neos!
Okita nodded. "3000 ATK, huh? It's not that strong, but it does barely surpass Masked HERO. Though it still can't be destroyed by battle…"
Nobunaga kicked the back of Okita's heel and muttered, "You, with your 2500 ATK, have no right to complain about 3000!"
"Activating the effect of Nebula Neos—!"
[①: When this card is Special Summoned from the Extra Deck: Draw cards equal to the number of cards your opponent controls.]
"Since you have 3 monsters and 2 Set Cards on your field, I get to draw 5 cards from my Deck!"
Without hesitation, Jaden used Nebula Neos's effect to refill his hand from 0 to 5 cards in one go.
"Drawing five cards at once?!" Minazuki exclaimed. "That draw power is practically as broken as Card of Sanctity!"
"And after drawing, with Nebula Neos's effect, I can also target 1 face-up card on the field and negate its effects until the end of the turn!"
Pointing at Masked HERO Divine Wind, Nebula Neos hurled a dark sealing force from its left hand, binding Kamikaze in place.
"If I negate its effect, I can destroy it by battle—Battle!"
Entering the Battle Phase, Jaden immediately ordered his 3000 ATK Nebula Neos to attack Masked HERO Divine Wind.
"This is the drill that pierces through the nebula—through the universe! —Nebula Break Drill!"
The drill inherited from Grand Mole spun at high speed, tearing through space as it rushed toward the immobilized Kamikaze.
"A Fusion HERO from Neo Space—Nebula Neos!"
Even behind his mask, Frodi's excitement was unmistakable.
"—Quick-Play Spell, Mask Change! I transform my Masked HERO Divine Wind once again!"
Flipping his Set Card, Divine Wind broke free from the dark seal, its transformation belt shining brilliantly.
"I send Masked HERO Divine Wind to the Graveyard and Special Summon another WIND Attribute—Masked HERO Blast!"
[Masked HERO Blast ★★★★★★ (Level 6)][WIND][Warrior/Fusion/Effect][ATK 2200/DEF 1800]
Unlike the white-cloaked Divine Wind, Masked HERO Blast—with its red scarf fluttering in anti-gravity—instantly circled behind Nebula Neos upon being summoned.
"Effect of Masked HERO Blast! When this card is Special Summoned, halve the ATK of one monster your opponent controls—Gale Rider Kick!"
A sudden Rider Kick from an unexpected angle snapped Nebula Neos's drill clean in half.
[Nebula Neos ATK 3000 → 1500]
"Its ATK got cut in half… then it can't beat a Masked HERO anymore," Akasha said regretfully.
Fortunately, Shadow Mist and Blazeman on the opponent's field both had less than 1500 ATK.
"Nebula Neos, switch targets—destroy Blazeman!"
Without retracting the attack, Jaden continued his assault.
"Jaden, a hero never backs down! —Trap Card, Rivalry of the Warlords—no, wait—Staunch Defender!"
[Effect: When your opponent declares an attack: Choose 1 face-up monster you control. This turn, your opponent can only target that monster for attacks, and all their face-up Attack Position monsters must attack it.]
Standing at the center like an absolute hero, Masked HERO Blast became the "unyielding rival," directly confronting Nebula Neos.
"This is what a hero's battle looks like, Jaden!"
Like a repeat of the previous clash, nebula power and gale force collided violently, shaking the entire barrier.
But this time, the result was reversed.
The counterattacking Masked HERO shattered Nebula Neos with a storm-powered kick.
[Elemental HERO Nebula Neos destroyed]
[Jaden LP → 7300]
"This turn, the Masked HERO wins!" declared the Sword King.
"No—the battle isn't over yet! —Quick-Play Spell, Reverse of Neos!"
[Activate only when a face-up "Neos" Fusion Monster you control is destroyed. Special Summon 1 "Elemental HERO Neos" from your Deck in Attack Position. It gains 1000 ATK and is destroyed during the End Phase of this turn.]
"A true hero turns the tide in desperate situations! —Special Summon Elemental HERO Neos!"
Shedding its Fusion form, Neos returned to its Ultraman-like appearance, its ATK surging under the reversal effect.
[Elemental HERO Neos ATK 2500 → 3500]
"Destroy Masked HERO Blast! —Reversal Neos Rage!"
With a cross counterattack, the follow-up strike from Neos pierced straight through Blast.
[Masked HERO Blast destroyed]
[Frodi LP 5700 → 4400]