Chapter 196: The Strongest Virus Post-Evolution
Chapter 196: The Strongest Virus Post-Evolution
Beta hesitated for a moment, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. "Is that all?" he asked.
"Huh?" Jaden was taken aback.
"Don't you have any monsters with an attack strength of 1500 or higher in your deck?" Beta questioned.
Jaden scratched his chin in thought. "Now that you mention it, I think Captain Yellow has an attack strength of over 1500 as well. But I didn't bring that card today."
Beta: "..."
The joy Death Toxin had felt earlier instantly vanished. What was supposed to be a devastating move against most decks now felt like a punch to a cotton ball when used against Jaden's jellyfish-themed deck.
"Tch, how careless of me. An Elemental Hero deck focused on fusion offense, huh? Your main deck is full of weaklings." Beta scoffed.
"I remember now!" Hayato exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "I've seen this tactic before! It was in the Duel City tournament footage—this is a tactic often used by the legendary Kaiba Seto!"
"Eh?" Sho Marufuji couldn't help but feel a sense of respect upon hearing that name. "The legendary Kaiba Corporation president?"
"Oh, so I get to duel with such a legendary duo? This is getting more exciting!" Jaden's excitement grew. "Then I'll overlay two cards in my hand onto the back row and end my turn."
"You still have the leisure to be excited? Well, I'll fix that soon enough. My turn, draw!"
It was Beta's turn again.
"I activate the magic card 'Angel's Charity,'" Beta declared. "I draw three cards from my deck and then discard two cards from my hand." With that, he summoned "Ax Dragonut."
[Ax Dragonut: ATK 2000]
"Although Death Toxin's effect didn't turn out as expected, at least your field is now empty." Beta waved his hand. "Ax Dragonut, direct attack!"
Ax Dragonut leaped over Jaden's empty field and brought its axe down on Jaden's head.
"Not so fast!" Jaden countered. "I activate my face-down card, the quick-play spell—'Marble Call'! I special summon 'Winged Kuriboh' from my deck to the field!"
A tiny golden ocarina appeared, and guided by its melody, a Winged Kuriboh with snow-white wings flew out to block the attack.
"In that case, I'll just attack 'Winged Kuriboh'! That weakling will be taken out with one hit!" Beta declared.
"I activate another face-down card!" Jaden said. "The quick-play spell 'Evolution Wing'! I discard two cards from my hand to evolve 'Winged Kuriboh' on my field to Level 10!"
Jaden discarded two cards, and Winged Kuriboh's pristine feathers began to glow with a dazzling golden light as it evolved. Angelic white feathers fluttered everywhere, and the tiny Kuriboh transformed in the surrounding holy light.
[Winged Kuriboh LV10: ATK 300]
"It evolved all the way to Level 10?" Beta's heart sank as he began to feel uneasy. "But even at Level 10, its attack is only 300."
"I activate the special effect of LV10!" Jaden declared. "During the opponent's battle phase, I can tribute this card to destroy all attack position monsters my opponent controls!"
Jaden clenched his fist.
"And inflict damage to my opponent equal to the original attack strength of the destroyed monsters!"
"What?!?" Beta exclaimed in shock. The sacred angelic wings erupted with an even brighter golden light, like a scorching sun engulfing his field. Ax Dragonut was powerless against the divine force and was instantly melted into slag, obliterated by the radiant light.
"Waaah!"
A violent energy explosion engulfed Beta, sending him flying backward. The aftermath of the blast extended beyond the field, knocking Jaden's two roommates off their feet as well.
[Beta: LP 3150 → LP 1150]
The two roommates who had been knocked over exchanged bewildered glances.
"Am I imagining things, or did that impact feel stronger than the usual holograms?" Sho Marufuji asked.
"I thought so too!
Indeed, the duel employed military-grade holographic technology, creating an effect similar to that of a Shadow Game. The projections during the duel could inflict genuine harm.
However, the comical aspect was that Beta had been taking hits continuously, and despite appearing close to defeat, his opponent's life points remained untouched.
"If I end up dying here and my opponent still hasn't realized that these attacks are dealing real damage, that would be too ridiculous," Beta thought to himself. But he quickly calmed down and took another look at his hand.
"You can only be slightly arrogant right now," Beta said coldly. "I set two cards. End turn."
"Go for it, big bro!" Sho Marufuji cheered.
Hayato scratched his chin. "I thought he was pretty strong with his flashy entrance, but maybe he's actually weak?"
Beta: "..."
"Anyway, it's my turn to make a comeback! My turn, draw!" Jaden said excitedly.
He glanced at his hand, nodding in satisfaction at his consistently good draw. Then, he revealed his hand, "Magic Card: 'Legacy of a Hero'! When there are two or more Level 4 or higher 'Elemental Hero' monsters in your graveyard, draw 3 cards from your deck!" (Original Card)
In the manga, this was a powerful draw engine for the Hero deck, allowing a simple condition to draw three cards. Although it was eventually made into an actual card, its effect was weakened. To draw three cards, two Fusion Monsters from the graveyard had to be returned to the deck, reducing its practicality while attempting to replicate the original effect.
"Since I have the Elemental Heroes you helped send to the graveyard, I draw three cards!" Jaden drew from his deck.
Beta: "..."
"What's with this implication that I'm an inside man?" Beta thought to himself.
With three new cards in hand, Jaden's eyes lit up.
"Winged Kuriboh and Avian, the hardworking couple from the early days of GX, and a Fusion card that goes with them like glue!" Jaden exclaimed.
"Excellent! Now I can launch a counter-attack in one go!"
Jaden excitedly pulled out a "Polymerization" card.
"Now I can summon my beloved monster..."
Before he could finish, Beta interrupted him. "I activate a Continuous Trap: 'Call of the Undead'! It allows me to Special Summon a monster from the graveyard in Attack Position!"
Beta drew out a card that had been discarded from the field during the previous turn.
"I Special Summon 'Ax Dragonut' in Attack Position!"
[Ax Dragonut: ATK 2000]
"Ax Dragonut has been resurrected," Jaden thought to himself.
However, with only 2000 ATK, it couldn't compete with his Flame Wingman. Additionally, Flame Wingman could inflict damage to his opponent equal to the ATK of any monster it destroyed in battle. Jaden continued his actions, undeterred, "I activate the Magic Card 'Polymerization'! I fuse the 'Winged Kuriboh' and 'Avian' in my hand..."
"Hmph, I see you plan to use Polymerization to turn your remaining lower-level monsters into higher-level Heroes. I've seen through your strategy," Beta said.
Indeed, such a tactic would perfectly counter the 'Death Deck Virus' effect.
Beta slowly raised his arm. "But! My strategy has evolved from Seto Kaiba's original idea. I now use a complete form of the virus, surpassing the original! Witness the power of our upgraded virus from the new era!"
He raised his hand and revealed another face-down card.
"Chaining to the activation of Polymerization, I activate my face-down Trap Card: 'Magic Deck Destruction Virus'! Sacrifice an Attack Position Dark-Attribute monster with 2000 or more ATK! All monsters with 1500 or less ATK in your hand, field, and the next three cards you draw are destroyed!"
(End of Chapter)
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