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Chapter 367: Since Ancient Times, the Left Leg Kicks Always Lose
Manjoume Shouji looked at Hayato and the kid named Jaden Yuki standing on either side, frowning. His brain couldn't quite process why the plot had suddenly shifted to a Duel.
"Mr. Hayato, I'm ready." Securing the Duel Disk provided by Manjoume Shouji onto his wrist, Jaden Yuki placed the 【E・HERO】 Deck Hayato had just given him into the Duel Disk's Deck Zone. This included his Yubel Card.
According to Hayato, this Deck was set to be released soon and wasn't particularly rare. Yet, despite receiving it for the first time, Jaden Yuki felt quite familiar with it. Among the several Fusion Monsters, Jaden Yuki immediately took a liking to one in particular.
Of course, the reality was that Hayato had specifically unlocked the 【E・HERO】 entry from the System and spent all his DP Points to assemble an 【E・HERO】 Deck. The Deck he gave to Jaden Yuki wasn't the one he had perfected, but rather an extra Deck he had pulled.
The best proof was that Hayato had drawn three copies of Elemental HERO Stratos, while Jaden Yuki's Deck only contained the Elemental HERO Four Wastes and not even Elemental HERO Voltic.
Of course, Hayato had no intention of engaging in a HERO mirror match for this Duel. Instead, he brought out the Machine Type Deck he had unlocked recently by building a Deck focused on a specific Type. After all, if his opponent was using 【E・HERO】, this Deck was the most suitable choice.
Machine + Dragon, the answer wasn't the Drytron that Hayato had hoped for, but Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon. The Deck Hayato had unlocked was precisely the Ancient Gear Deck, hailed as the Nemesis of Stall/Burn Decks.
Although he had only unlocked up to Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon, and none of the three Fusion Monsters—Ancient Gear Chaos Giant, Ancient Gear Megaton Golem, or Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem—were unlocked, it should be enough for a Duel against Jaden Yuki.
Iso, who had been temporarily assigned to handle the negative news regarding "Kaiba Land's Virtual Projection System causing children to become unconscious," stood between Hayato and Jaden Yuki, calmly adjusting his sunglasses. He truly hadn't expected to find himself back in his old profession—Referee.
"Then the First Turn is yours, Jaden Yuki."
"Duel!" (Both)
[Jaden Yuki: 4000 LP]
[Hayato: 4000 LP]
Both players activated their Duel Disks, and Jaden Yuki drew a card from his Deck.
"Elemental HERO Clayman? Its Attack is so low, but its DEF is not bad." Glancing at the drawn card, Jaden Yuki looked at the rest of his Hand.
Since the first Turn couldn't involve Battle, Jaden Yuki's goal was simply to build the strongest possible defense to withstand Hayato's potential Attack and wait for a Counter on the Next Turn. In that case, Elemental HERO Clayman, with the highest DEF, was the best choice.
"I Summon Elemental HERO Clayman in Defense Position, then Set two cards. End Turn."
On Jaden Yuki's field, a clay figure nearly three times Jaden Yuki's height, and half a head taller than Hayato, rose from the card. Crossing its thick arms across its chest, it crouched in a defensive posture.
[Elemental HERO Clayman] [Level 4/EARTH]
[Warrior-Type/Normal Monster]
[800/2000]
"Elemental HERO Clayman looks so reassuring!" Seeing Elemental HERO Clayman on the field, Jaden Yuki seemed quite excited. He couldn't help but look down at the other Monsters in his Hand, wondering what heroic forms they would take.
"You seem quite satisfied with this Deck, Jaden Yuki. Alright, it's my turn. Draw!"
Drawing a card, Hayato smiled slightly: "On my backrow, I Set two cards, then I Activate the Spell Card, Heavy Storm!"
"Huh?!"
On Hayato's field, as he activated a Card, a violent hurricane appeared out of nowhere. After destroying the two Set Cards Hayato had just placed on his backrow, it swept towards the two Set Cards on Jaden Yuki's backrow.
Jaden Yuki's two Cards were flipped face-up by Heavy Storm. Clay Charge, used in conjunction with Elemental HERO Clayman, and Bottomless Trap Hole were destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.
"Aw, why like this?" Jaden Yuki felt quite regretful that neither of his two Set Cards on the backrow remained. But when he looked up, he found that somehow, Hayato's field had two extra Monsters.
"Huh? When did those two Monsters appear?"
Answering Jaden Yuki's confusion, Hayato revealed two Cards: "The Trap Card, Statue of the Wicked. It's a Trap Card that cannot be activated manually; its effect is only used when it is destroyed."
"When this Set Card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I Special Summon one Wicked Token on my field."
[Wicked Token] [Level 4/DARK]
[Fiend Type/Token]
[1000/1000]
"There are two Level 4 Monsters on the field, here I come, Jaden Yuki!" Hayato drew a card from his hand. "I Tribute Summon by Tributing the two Wicked Tokens on my field! The ultimate creation of ancient civilization revives here! Descend!"
"Ancient Gear Golem!"
As the two Wicked Tokens dissipated into golden light, accompanied by the sound of gears turning, a mechanical giant whose lower leg alone was taller than Hayato slowly stood up on Hayato's field. Although it seemed old, its exaggerated size destined this monster to be no common monster.
[Ancient Gear Golem] [Level 8/EARTH]
[Machine Type/Effect]
[3000/3000]
A full 3000 ATK, on the same level as Blue-Eyes White Dragon—standard rival Ace Card Combat Power. And unlike Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which is a Vanilla, Ancient Gear Golem has a very practical effect.
"When Ancient Gear Golem attacks, your opponent cannot activate Spell Cards or Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step," Hayato said, raising his arm. "Furthermore, Ancient Gear Golem has the ability to inflict piercing damage."
"When it attacks a monster in Defense Position, the amount by which Ancient Gear Golem's ATK exceeds the Defense Position monster's DEF will be deducted from your opponent's Life Points!"
Hearing this effect, Jaden Yuki seemed quite surprised: "Nani!? That means—"
"That means, even if your Elemental HERO Clayman is in Defense Position, it cannot protect you from taking damage." Hayato waved his raised hand forward. "Enter the Battle Phase! Ancient Gear Golem, attack Elemental HERO Clayman!"
"Mechanical Fist Crush!"
Taking advantage of the fact that Duel Monsters' attack move names have no copyright protection, Hayato once again plagiarized the attack move of Obelisk the Tormentor.
Ancient Gear Golem raised its iron fist, which was slightly larger than the entire Elemental HERO Clayman, and smashed it down heavily. Without any card support, Elemental HERO Clayman was instantly destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, and Jaden Yuki thus took damage.
[Jaden Yuki: 4000 → 3000 LP]
"Set two cards. End my turn." Hayato Set a card from his hand, thus ending his turn.
"Whoa! Ancient Gear Golem is way too strong!" Jaden Yuki took a small step back due to the simulated impact, but his gaze towards Ancient Gear Golem was filled with fighting spirit.
The powerful Duel Monsters instead ignited Jaden Yuki's fighting spirit. He couldn't wait to defeat the powerful enemy before him, no longer remembering what Hayato had told him earlier about "finding the fun in the process of Dueling."
Because of his soaring fighting spirit, in Hayato's sight, even the blurry figure of Yubel beside Jaden Yuki became somewhat clearer. Keeping pace with Jaden Yuki's movements, Yubel and Jaden Yuki together drew a card from the Deck.
"My turn, Draw!" Jaden Yuki was completely unaware of what had just happened. Seeing the card he drew, he showed an excited expression.
"Yosh, I drew the card that can defeat Ancient Gear Golem!" Filled with joy, Jaden Yuki played a card from his hand. "This card is the stage for heroes' battle! I activate the Field Spell Card, Skyscraper!"
As Jaden Yuki activated the Field Spell Card, innumerable buildings rose within the Duel Arena. The towering buildings surrounded the massive Ancient Gear Golem, and Jaden Yuki then played the finishing blow card he had prepared.
"Activate the Spell Card, Fusion! I send Elemental HERO Burst Lady and Elemental HERO Avian from my hand to the Graveyard as Fusion Materials!" Jaden Yuki had a Fusion Monster Card in his hand, which he placed on the Duel Disk. "Come forth, my favorite Elemental HERO!"
"Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"
Looking at Elemental HERO Flame Wingman standing tall on top of the high Skyscraper, Hayato felt a nostalgia hit. The only flaw at this moment was probably that Jaden Yuki's iconic Duel Theme wasn't playing around them.
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman] [Level 6/Wind]
[Warrior-Type/Fusion/Effect]
[2100/1200]
"Elemental HERO Flame Wingman's ATK is 2100, but with the help of the Field Spell Card Skyscraper, when an Elemental HERO monster attacks a monster with higher ATK than itself, it gains 1000 ATK!"
Jaden Yuki waved his hand excitedly and commanded: "Here I go, Mr. Hayato! I use Elemental HERO Flame Wingman to attack your Ancient Gear Golem!"
"Skydive Scorcher!"
"Cha!" Receiving Jaden Yuki's attack command, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman leapt from the top of the Skyscraper. Gliding towards Ancient Gear Golem using a single wing, it adjusted its posture in mid-air, striking a flying kick pose.
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman] [ATK 2100 → 3100]
But after glancing at Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, Hayato quickly shifted his gaze away from it, towards Jaden Yuki, who had an expectant expression.
"Although I am indeed very interested in classic reproductions, unfortunately, I also have no intention of being attacked by you just like that, Yubel."
Hayato was quite sensitive to dark energy. He immediately sensed that a portion of Yubel's power was wrapped around Elemental HERO Flame Wingman. If hit by this power, it would be no different from being injured in a Dark Game.
One should know that although the powered-up Elemental HERO Flame Wingman would only deal 100 Battle Damage to Hayato, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman's effect is to deal damage to the opponent equal to the destroyed monster's ATK after destroying a monster. The subsequent full 3000 damage was the main threat. Its nickname, "3000 ATK Slayer," wasn't given for nothing.
A professional Duelist like Hayato would be fine, but if an ordinary person like Manjoume Jun were hit by this attack, becoming unconscious would be a minor issue.
Since Yubel started playing rough, then it wouldn't be excessive for Hayato to "slightly" retaliate, right? Rather, Hayato dueling Jaden Yuki and teaching him to "enjoy the fun in Dueling" was secondary; "solving Yubel's problem" was his main goal.
"Well done, Jaden Yuki, it seems giving you the Elemental HERO was the right decision." Hayato gave a thumbs-up towards Jaden Yuki, then rotated his wrist, pointing his finger downwards. "But if you want to defeat me, you're still twenty thousand years too early!"
"Let me show you an adult's Duel! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Limiter Removal!"
Under Jaden Yuki's surprised gaze, Ancient Gear Golem's exposed, slowly turning gears suddenly began to spin faster. The movements of the originally heavy and slow Ancient Gear Golem suddenly became like a gymnast, nimble and light. Pushing off the nearby building, it also imitated Elemental HERO Flame Wingman by striking a flying kick pose!
[Ancient Gear Golem] [ATK 3000 → 6000]
As the old saying goes, when kicking against each other, the one on the left always loses. And from Referee Iso's perspective, Jaden Yuki was exactly on his left side.
Yubel, who had attached energy to Elemental HERO Flame Wingman and intended to take revenge on Hayato for harming her beloved Jaden Yuki, saw the situation was bad and wanted to retreat. But just then, the Millennium Puzzle on Hayato's chest shone brightly with light.
"You offended the abbot and still want to leave? At least entertain me with your wail, Person without Light!" Paying the last 500 Duel Points from his guaranteed stock to initiate a Dark Game, Hayato precisely captured Yubel's presence. Because of the Dark Game rules, Yubel was completely unable to escape at this moment!
Meanwhile, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman and Ancient Gear Golem, with a size difference as vast as between Kamen Rider and Ultraman, collided. Even with the boost from Skyscraper, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman was still destroyed immediately. While most of Yubel's energy was shattered, a massive amount of Battle Damage was also returned to Jaden Yuki.
"Eek!" Falling onto his rear, sweat dripped from Jaden Yuki's forehead. "So, so strong! As expected of Mr. Hayato!"
Although he had awakened the ability to see spirit presence, he was completely unaware that Yubel had just suffered a major setback.
[Jaden Yuki: 3000 → 100 LP]
"What's wrong, Jaden Yuki? Are you scared? Because you can't achieve victory?"
Jaden Yuki shook his head: "Not at all. I think I finally understand, Mr. Hayato. You actually wanted to tell me that Duel Monsters isn't ultimately about becoming the victor, but about having a goal that allows you to become stronger by pursuing it."
Hayato raised an eyebrow: "Who told you that?"
"I was clearly trying to tell you that besides victory, there are many other interesting things in a Duel." With a smug smile on his face, Hayato flipped up his Set Card on the backrow. "Activate the Trap Card, Ring of Destruction! Destroy Ancient Gear Golem on my field, and deal 1000 damage to both players!"
"Now's the time! I've reached my limit of patience, I'm going to press it!"
Raising his thumb, Hayato aimed at Ancient Gear Golem, bending his thumb as if pressing a detonator button.
"Click!"
"Boom!"
[Hayato: 4000 → 3000 LP]
[Jaden Yuki: 100 LP → 0]
Manjoume Shouji looked at Hayato and the kid named Jaden Yuki standing on either side, frowning. His brain couldn't quite process why the plot had suddenly shifted to a Duel.
"Mr. Hayato, I'm ready." Securing the Duel Disk provided by Manjoume Shouji onto his wrist, Jaden Yuki placed the 【E・HERO】 Deck Hayato had just given him into the Duel Disk's Deck Zone. This included his Yubel Card.
According to Hayato, this Deck was set to be released soon and wasn't particularly rare. Yet, despite receiving it for the first time, Jaden Yuki felt quite familiar with it. Among the several Fusion Monsters, Jaden Yuki immediately took a liking to one in particular.
Of course, the reality was that Hayato had specifically unlocked the 【E・HERO】 entry from the System and spent all his DP Points to assemble an 【E・HERO】 Deck. The Deck he gave to Jaden Yuki wasn't the one he had perfected, but rather an extra Deck he had pulled.
The best proof was that Hayato had drawn three copies of Elemental HERO Stratos, while Jaden Yuki's Deck only contained the Elemental HERO Four Wastes and not even Elemental HERO Voltic.
Of course, Hayato had no intention of engaging in a HERO mirror match for this Duel. Instead, he brought out the Machine Type Deck he had unlocked recently by building a Deck focused on a specific Type. After all, if his opponent was using 【E・HERO】, this Deck was the most suitable choice.
Machine + Dragon, the answer wasn't the Drytron that Hayato had hoped for, but Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon. The Deck Hayato had unlocked was precisely the Ancient Gear Deck, hailed as the Nemesis of Stall/Burn Decks.
Although he had only unlocked up to Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon, and none of the three Fusion Monsters—Ancient Gear Chaos Giant, Ancient Gear Megaton Golem, or Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem—were unlocked, it should be enough for a Duel against Jaden Yuki.
Iso, who had been temporarily assigned to handle the negative news regarding "Kaiba Land's Virtual Projection System causing children to become unconscious," stood between Hayato and Jaden Yuki, calmly adjusting his sunglasses. He truly hadn't expected to find himself back in his old profession—Referee.
"Then the First Turn is yours, Jaden Yuki."
"Duel!" (Both)
[Jaden Yuki: 4000 LP]
[Hayato: 4000 LP]
Both players activated their Duel Disks, and Jaden Yuki drew a card from his Deck.
"Elemental HERO Clayman? Its Attack is so low, but its DEF is not bad." Glancing at the drawn card, Jaden Yuki looked at the rest of his Hand.
Since the first Turn couldn't involve Battle, Jaden Yuki's goal was simply to build the strongest possible defense to withstand Hayato's potential Attack and wait for a Counter on the Next Turn. In that case, Elemental HERO Clayman, with the highest DEF, was the best choice.
"I Summon Elemental HERO Clayman in Defense Position, then Set two cards. End Turn."
On Jaden Yuki's field, a clay figure nearly three times Jaden Yuki's height, and half a head taller than Hayato, rose from the card. Crossing its thick arms across its chest, it crouched in a defensive posture.
[Elemental HERO Clayman] [Level 4/EARTH]
[Warrior-Type/Normal Monster]
[800/2000]
"Elemental HERO Clayman looks so reassuring!" Seeing Elemental HERO Clayman on the field, Jaden Yuki seemed quite excited. He couldn't help but look down at the other Monsters in his Hand, wondering what heroic forms they would take.
"You seem quite satisfied with this Deck, Jaden Yuki. Alright, it's my turn. Draw!"
Drawing a card, Hayato smiled slightly: "On my backrow, I Set two cards, then I Activate the Spell Card, Heavy Storm!"
"Huh?!"
On Hayato's field, as he activated a Card, a violent hurricane appeared out of nowhere. After destroying the two Set Cards Hayato had just placed on his backrow, it swept towards the two Set Cards on Jaden Yuki's backrow.
Jaden Yuki's two Cards were flipped face-up by Heavy Storm. Clay Charge, used in conjunction with Elemental HERO Clayman, and Bottomless Trap Hole were destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.
"Aw, why like this?" Jaden Yuki felt quite regretful that neither of his two Set Cards on the backrow remained. But when he looked up, he found that somehow, Hayato's field had two extra Monsters.
"Huh? When did those two Monsters appear?"
Answering Jaden Yuki's confusion, Hayato revealed two Cards: "The Trap Card, Statue of the Wicked. It's a Trap Card that cannot be activated manually; its effect is only used when it is destroyed."
"When this Set Card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I Special Summon one Wicked Token on my field."
[Wicked Token] [Level 4/DARK]
[Fiend Type/Token]
[1000/1000]
"There are two Level 4 Monsters on the field, here I come, Jaden Yuki!" Hayato drew a card from his hand. "I Tribute Summon by Tributing the two Wicked Tokens on my field! The ultimate creation of ancient civilization revives here! Descend!"
"Ancient Gear Golem!"
As the two Wicked Tokens dissipated into golden light, accompanied by the sound of gears turning, a mechanical giant whose lower leg alone was taller than Hayato slowly stood up on Hayato's field. Although it seemed old, its exaggerated size destined this monster to be no common monster.
[Ancient Gear Golem] [Level 8/EARTH]
[Machine Type/Effect]
[3000/3000]
A full 3000 ATK, on the same level as Blue-Eyes White Dragon—standard rival Ace Card Combat Power. And unlike Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which is a Vanilla, Ancient Gear Golem has a very practical effect.
"When Ancient Gear Golem attacks, your opponent cannot activate Spell Cards or Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step," Hayato said, raising his arm. "Furthermore, Ancient Gear Golem has the ability to inflict piercing damage."
"When it attacks a monster in Defense Position, the amount by which Ancient Gear Golem's ATK exceeds the Defense Position monster's DEF will be deducted from your opponent's Life Points!"
Hearing this effect, Jaden Yuki seemed quite surprised: "Nani!? That means—"
"That means, even if your Elemental HERO Clayman is in Defense Position, it cannot protect you from taking damage." Hayato waved his raised hand forward. "Enter the Battle Phase! Ancient Gear Golem, attack Elemental HERO Clayman!"
"Mechanical Fist Crush!"
Taking advantage of the fact that Duel Monsters' attack move names have no copyright protection, Hayato once again plagiarized the attack move of Obelisk the Tormentor.
Ancient Gear Golem raised its iron fist, which was slightly larger than the entire Elemental HERO Clayman, and smashed it down heavily. Without any card support, Elemental HERO Clayman was instantly destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, and Jaden Yuki thus took damage.
[Jaden Yuki: 4000 → 3000 LP]
"Set two cards. End my turn." Hayato Set a card from his hand, thus ending his turn.
"Whoa! Ancient Gear Golem is way too strong!" Jaden Yuki took a small step back due to the simulated impact, but his gaze towards Ancient Gear Golem was filled with fighting spirit.
The powerful Duel Monsters instead ignited Jaden Yuki's fighting spirit. He couldn't wait to defeat the powerful enemy before him, no longer remembering what Hayato had told him earlier about "finding the fun in the process of Dueling."
Because of his soaring fighting spirit, in Hayato's sight, even the blurry figure of Yubel beside Jaden Yuki became somewhat clearer. Keeping pace with Jaden Yuki's movements, Yubel and Jaden Yuki together drew a card from the Deck.
"My turn, Draw!" Jaden Yuki was completely unaware of what had just happened. Seeing the card he drew, he showed an excited expression.
"Yosh, I drew the card that can defeat Ancient Gear Golem!" Filled with joy, Jaden Yuki played a card from his hand. "This card is the stage for heroes' battle! I activate the Field Spell Card, Skyscraper!"
As Jaden Yuki activated the Field Spell Card, innumerable buildings rose within the Duel Arena. The towering buildings surrounded the massive Ancient Gear Golem, and Jaden Yuki then played the finishing blow card he had prepared.
"Activate the Spell Card, Fusion! I send Elemental HERO Burst Lady and Elemental HERO Avian from my hand to the Graveyard as Fusion Materials!" Jaden Yuki had a Fusion Monster Card in his hand, which he placed on the Duel Disk. "Come forth, my favorite Elemental HERO!"
"Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"
Looking at Elemental HERO Flame Wingman standing tall on top of the high Skyscraper, Hayato felt a nostalgia hit. The only flaw at this moment was probably that Jaden Yuki's iconic Duel Theme wasn't playing around them.
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman] [Level 6/Wind]
[Warrior-Type/Fusion/Effect]
[2100/1200]
"Elemental HERO Flame Wingman's ATK is 2100, but with the help of the Field Spell Card Skyscraper, when an Elemental HERO monster attacks a monster with higher ATK than itself, it gains 1000 ATK!"
Jaden Yuki waved his hand excitedly and commanded: "Here I go, Mr. Hayato! I use Elemental HERO Flame Wingman to attack your Ancient Gear Golem!"
"Skydive Scorcher!"
"Cha!" Receiving Jaden Yuki's attack command, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman leapt from the top of the Skyscraper. Gliding towards Ancient Gear Golem using a single wing, it adjusted its posture in mid-air, striking a flying kick pose.
[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman] [ATK 2100 → 3100]
But after glancing at Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, Hayato quickly shifted his gaze away from it, towards Jaden Yuki, who had an expectant expression.
"Although I am indeed very interested in classic reproductions, unfortunately, I also have no intention of being attacked by you just like that, Yubel."
Hayato was quite sensitive to dark energy. He immediately sensed that a portion of Yubel's power was wrapped around Elemental HERO Flame Wingman. If hit by this power, it would be no different from being injured in a Dark Game.
One should know that although the powered-up Elemental HERO Flame Wingman would only deal 100 Battle Damage to Hayato, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman's effect is to deal damage to the opponent equal to the destroyed monster's ATK after destroying a monster. The subsequent full 3000 damage was the main threat. Its nickname, "3000 ATK Slayer," wasn't given for nothing.
A professional Duelist like Hayato would be fine, but if an ordinary person like Manjoume Jun were hit by this attack, becoming unconscious would be a minor issue.
Since Yubel started playing rough, then it wouldn't be excessive for Hayato to "slightly" retaliate, right? Rather, Hayato dueling Jaden Yuki and teaching him to "enjoy the fun in Dueling" was secondary; "solving Yubel's problem" was his main goal.
"Well done, Jaden Yuki, it seems giving you the Elemental HERO was the right decision." Hayato gave a thumbs-up towards Jaden Yuki, then rotated his wrist, pointing his finger downwards. "But if you want to defeat me, you're still twenty thousand years too early!"
"Let me show you an adult's Duel! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Limiter Removal!"
Under Jaden Yuki's surprised gaze, Ancient Gear Golem's exposed, slowly turning gears suddenly began to spin faster. The movements of the originally heavy and slow Ancient Gear Golem suddenly became like a gymnast, nimble and light. Pushing off the nearby building, it also imitated Elemental HERO Flame Wingman by striking a flying kick pose!
[Ancient Gear Golem] [ATK 3000 → 6000]
As the old saying goes, when kicking against each other, the one on the left always loses. And from Referee Iso's perspective, Jaden Yuki was exactly on his left side.
Yubel, who had attached energy to Elemental HERO Flame Wingman and intended to take revenge on Hayato for harming her beloved Jaden Yuki, saw the situation was bad and wanted to retreat. But just then, the Millennium Puzzle on Hayato's chest shone brightly with light.
"You offended the abbot and still want to leave? At least entertain me with your wail, Person without Light!" Paying the last 500 Duel Points from his guaranteed stock to initiate a Dark Game, Hayato precisely captured Yubel's presence. Because of the Dark Game rules, Yubel was completely unable to escape at this moment!
Meanwhile, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman and Ancient Gear Golem, with a size difference as vast as between Kamen Rider and Ultraman, collided. Even with the boost from Skyscraper, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman was still destroyed immediately. While most of Yubel's energy was shattered, a massive amount of Battle Damage was also returned to Jaden Yuki.
"Eek!" Falling onto his rear, sweat dripped from Jaden Yuki's forehead. "So, so strong! As expected of Mr. Hayato!"
Although he had awakened the ability to see spirit presence, he was completely unaware that Yubel had just suffered a major setback.
[Jaden Yuki: 3000 → 100 LP]
"What's wrong, Jaden Yuki? Are you scared? Because you can't achieve victory?"
Jaden Yuki shook his head: "Not at all. I think I finally understand, Mr. Hayato. You actually wanted to tell me that Duel Monsters isn't ultimately about becoming the victor, but about having a goal that allows you to become stronger by pursuing it."
Hayato raised an eyebrow: "Who told you that?"
"I was clearly trying to tell you that besides victory, there are many other interesting things in a Duel." With a smug smile on his face, Hayato flipped up his Set Card on the backrow. "Activate the Trap Card, Ring of Destruction! Destroy Ancient Gear Golem on my field, and deal 1000 damage to both players!"
"Now's the time! I've reached my limit of patience, I'm going to press it!"
Raising his thumb, Hayato aimed at Ancient Gear Golem, bending his thumb as if pressing a detonator button.
"Click!"
"Boom!"
[Hayato: 4000 → 3000 LP]
[Jaden Yuki: 100 LP → 0]
