Chapter 408: The Will to Inherit
Chapter 408: The Will to Inherit
"Ugh."
Yugi Muto shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the Duel once more. But as the darkness cleared, he looked up and was startled by what he saw.
For a moment, he was bewildered to see the Adjudicator across from him vanish, replaced by a humanoid monster. Heterochromatic eyes, broad bone wings, and a third eye on its forehead gazed at him with an expression that was a mix of resentment and excitement.
Yugi's heart skipped a beat, and he staggered backward. But in the blink of an eye, the figure disappeared, reverting to the Adjudicator's form.
"I haven't conducted my Normal Summon this turn yet. I'll set a monster in face-down defense and end my turn."
The Adjudicator casually waved his hand to set a monster, then regarded Yugi with a thoughtful look.
"What did you see, Yugi Muto?"
".Draw."
Yugi ignored him.
His mind was in turmoil, filled with chaotic memories that didn't seem to belong to him. The fleeting figure that had just appeared also lingered in his thoughts, for reasons unknown.
"Kuriboh!"
Winged Kuriboh's voice echoed.
"Partner," Yugi glanced at it and smiled faintly. "Thanks for cheering me on as well."
He straightened himself and placed another card.
"I'll set a monster in face-down defense and end my turn."
Another face-down monster appeared on his field.
"Hmm, quite the deeply hidden memory," the Adjudicator remarked. "It seems like there's still a bit left. My turn, draw."
He waved his hand and flipped over the face-down card on his field.
"Reverse Summon 'Dark Jester'!"
Dark Jester: ATK 200
"When this card is Reverse Summoned, reveal cards from the top of your Deck until you reveal a Magic or Trap Card. Add that card to your hand, then send the remaining cards to the Graveyard," the Adjudicator explained. He revealed five cards in one go, and the fifth card was a Magic Card.
"Add the Magic Card 'Monster Reborn' to my hand, and send the rest to the Graveyard."
Yugi: "So you've replenished your Dark-Attribute resources in the Graveyard again."
"Then I'll offer 'Dark Jester' as a Tribute for an Advanced Summon."
He revealed another card in his hand.
"Come forth, 'Hell Poet'!"
Hell Poet: ATK 2000
"Then I activate the Magic Card 'Monster Reborn' to revive a monster from the Graveyard." He gestured toward Yugi. "So I'll choose that beloved Elemental HERO of yours...
'Elemental HERO Flame Wingman'!"
In the anime, there was no restriction on reviving Flame Wingman from the Graveyard with Monster Reborn. A massive symbol of revival appeared above the Adjudicator, from which flames erupted and transformed into the figure of the Flame Hero, who took a stance opposite Yugi.
Elemental HERO Flame Wingman: ATK 2100
"Flame Wingman..." Yugi murmured, somewhat dazed.
Kei began to worry for Yugi: "Big brother, this guy has instantly set up such a powerful formation again, and he still has that Dark Armed Dragon..."
Kaiba frowned, remaining silent.
Was this as far as Yugi Muto could go?
"Effect of Dark Armed Dragon: Remove from play a number of Dark-Attribute monsters from your Graveyard equal to the number of cards on your opponent's side of the field, and destroy 1 card on the field."
The Adjudicator casually revealed a Dark-Attribute monster that had been removed from play from his Graveyard.
"'Dark Jester' has supplied ample Dark-Attribute monsters in the Graveyard. I'll remove one of them from play and destroy the face-down monster you set."
A pitch-black energy blast surged forth once more, locking onto the sole barrier on Yugi's field.
A pitch-black explosion tore through Winged Kuriboh, but its small figure briefly flashed on the field.
"Kuriboh!"
"Thanks, partner," Jaden said, raising his arm to block as an invisible barrier appeared in front of him, protecting him like a force field.
"During the turn Winged Kuriboh is destroyed, all battle damage I take becomes 0," Jaden explained.
"Is that so? In that case, I'll set a card and end my turn," the Adjudicator replied.
Jaden took a deep breath.
His vision was starting to blur, and his mind felt dull. He was becoming more and more convinced that his opponent might not be bluffing after all.
What he said was likely true. There was a flaw in his memory, and he harbored secrets he didn't even know about—he had forgotten something important.
But then he lifted his head, and Mr. Yuki Judai's tall figure appeared before his eyes once more.
"From now on, it's up to you, Jaden," he heard.
". . ."
Yes, he had made up his mind to carry on Mr. Yuki's will and fight as a true Duelist.
How could he give up so easily? "My turn! Draw!"
"Oh?" The Adjudicator eyed him.
It seemed like his momentum had returned, and his eyes shone with renewed determination. "I summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman!"
[Elemental HERO Bubbleman, ATK 800]
"Bubbleman's summon is successful. When there are no other cards on my field, draw two cards from the deck!" Jaden explained.
Jaden drew two cards.
"Then I activate the magic card 'Pot of Greed' and draw two more cards!"
It seemed like Jaden had regained his touch as he opened with a Bubbleman-Pot of Greed one-two punch.
He then took a card from his hand and stared at it intently for a moment.
He closed his eyes lightly.
"I won't let you down, Mr. Yuki."
Then he opened his eyes, holding the card high.
"I activate the magic card 'Polymerization'! Fusion Summon by fusing 'Elemental HERO Woodsman' from my hand and the water-attribute 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman' on the field! Descend with the power that freezes everything—
—Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!"
Snowflakes danced, and ice crystals bloomed as the pure white, ice-elemental hero landed with his arms crossed!
[Elemental HERO Absolute Zero, ATK 2500]
"It's here! The Elemental HERO left behind by Mr. Yuki!" Kei exclaimed.
Marufuji Ryo frowned. "It seems a little different."
He could sense that this Absolute Zero in Jaden's hand felt somewhat distinct from the one Mr. Yuki had summoned before.
But it was a subtle difference on a transcendental level, as if the strength of the monster had been enhanced by the Duelist, though it was challenging to pinpoint exactly how.
"Then I activate the magic card 'Fusion Recovery' to return the 'Polymerization' magic card and 'Elemental HERO Woodsman,' which was used as fusion material, from the graveyard to my hand," Jaden continued.
Jaden retrieved the two cards that returned from the graveyard and played them once more.
"I activate 'Polymerization' again! This time, fuse 'Elemental HERO Woodsman' with 'Elemental HERO Ocean' from my hand!"
Everyone was stunned.
A second fusion?
"Fusion Summon, the soul of Mr. Yuki, the planetary series hero—
—Elemental HERO Gaia!"
(End of Chapter)
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