NOVEL WEB Chapter 379: 379
The skies over Critical Nexus began to drizzle.
Jaden and the Dragon Lord stared each other down. Gritting his teeth, Jaden stood firm, his school uniform flaring in the storm like a cape.
"My turn. Draw."
Jaden drew his first card.
"I Normal Summon in Defense Position: Elemental HERO Bubbleman."
The classic big-chinned HERO laughed heartily as he appeared before Jaden.
Only with Bubbleman could you know who the true star of this Duel was.
"Bubbleman's effect: if he's Summoned while I control no other cards, I draw 2 cards."
Jaden swiftly drew two.
"Spell Card: Polymerization!
I fuse Bubbleman on the field with the Elemental HERO Neospacian Aqua Dolphin in my hand!"
Ting—
A blast of white mist filled the air. Raindrops froze before hitting the ground, transforming into tiny icicles that clinked against the earth.
A pure-white HERO, swirling his cape in the signature HERO landing pose, took the stage.
[Elemental HERO Absolute Zero] Level 8│WATER│Warrior│2500 ATK
"I Set one card. End my turn."
"Hmph, not a bad opening," Axel observed from the vehicle, pistol in hand, monitoring the surrounding demons and the Duel. "He replenished his hand, Fusion Summoned Absolute Zero—who can destroy all opposing monsters when he leaves the field—and even has a Set card. Balanced offense and defense. Very solid."
A mercenary by trade, Axel thought only in terms of battle conditions.
"Heh, the worst opening possible," Brron sneered, "You don't understand Lord Grapha's power."
"So this is the Supreme King's Duel? What a joke," Grapha laughed and shook his head.
"What?" Several students gasped.
From their perspective, it was a perfect start. Monsters that could interfere on the opponent's turn were rare. Absolute Zero, which destroys all opposing monsters when it leaves the field, was a near-perfect safeguard. And yet they called it weak?
"My turn," Grapha said, extending a massive claw to draw. He glanced at the card, slid it into place. "I activate the Spell: Dark World Dealings."
He raised a clawed finger: "Both players draw 1 card, then each discards 1 card."
"Mm..." Jaden wasn't surprised. He'd heard from Hikaru about the Dark World archetype and had Duels against its demons before.
The students, however, looked puzzled.
What was the point of this card?
Both drew 1 card and discarded 1. Jaden discarded a dead card.
Grapha grinned: "I discard Broww, Huntsman of Dark World. When discarded by a card effect, I draw 1 card."
A perfect exchange. No card loss.
The real goal: triggering discard effects!
Watching Grapha finish his draw, Jaden's breath grew heavier.
He wasn't afraid of death.
He feared something else entirely.
Even before coming to this dimension, Jaden had asked himself what he would do if disaster struck.
He'd seen Professor Banner vanish during the Seven Stars incident. He saw Hikaru interrogated by KaibaCorp over the Fusion Army. He'd always worried.
What would he do if something happened again?
Would he just stand helpless like he had when Bastion was injured?
If something happened to this world, to the principals and teachers who organized this tournament, then what?
Even though he risked himself every day, the thought never left his mind.
Especially after the Legendary Flame Lord nearly burned him alive.
That fear carved itself deep.
So now, when disaster came again, he pushed himself harder than ever to protect everyone.
He didn't want to see another life fade before his eyes.
So far, it was within his tolerance. Painful, exhausting—but he and his new and old allies had defended a whole base together.
But now—
"Heheheh, here it comes," Grapha sneered, glancing at his drawn card. "I activate the Field Spell: The Gates of Dark World!"
BOOM—!!
In the distance, a massive door creaked open. Reign's expression darkened.
"Careful, Supreme King. That's the core of our Dark World."
A towering illusion of the gate opened behind Grapha. Beneath an eerie white glow, he spoke hatefully:
"While The Gates of Dark World is on the field, all Fiend monsters gain 300 ATK/DEF.
Once per turn, I can banish 1 Fiend from my Graveyard, then discard 1 Fiend from my hand to draw 1 card."
"And the card I'll discard is... hahahaha... myself!
Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World!"
What!?
Discarding himself?
Grapha sent his own card to the Graveyard, drew a card, and laughed.
"Then my effect activates! If I'm discarded by a card effect: target 1 card on the field; destroy it!"
"Crap!" Jim shouted. "Even Absolute Zero can only trigger once! If he gets popped now, that's a waste!"
"Vanish, so-called 'HERO'! Disappear before my absolute might!"
Grapha raised a claw, slicing through Absolute Zero. In the moment of its destruction, a wave of cold froze the entire battlefield. Even the rain stopped.
Yet, it changed nothing.
"Now Jaden's field is empty! This is bad!" Tyranno clutched the railing in panic.
Meanwhile, Brron maliciously clawed a fleeing student, causing them to faint in terror.
"Normal Summon: Brron."
Hearing his master's call, Brron chuckled and approached.
[Brron, Mad King of Dark World] Level 4│DARK│Fiend│ATK: 1800 → 2100
"2100 ATK! Not bad!"
"But if that hits, those demons might kill the students!"
"No! Please, no!"
Hearing that, the captive students screamed.
Jaden froze for a moment, visibly tenser.
"It won't be that easy, Supreme King. From the Graveyard—my effect activates!"
"I return 1 Dark World monster I control to my hand and Special Summon myself from the Graveyard!"
'What!?'
Jaden jolted.
That was... immortality!
A smaller Grapha flapped its wings and emerged from the darkness.
[Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World] DARK│Level 8│Fiend│ATK: 2700 → 3000
"3000 ATK!"
"Same as Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"And with a Dark World monster on field, he can revive infinitely!"
"Go, my avatar! Show this foolish Supreme King my strength!"
Grapha soared like a bat, sweeping over the field.
The students' screams pierced the sky.
BOOM!
The blast scattered ice shards. Flames from Grapha's attack vaporized them into mist, engulfing the battlefield.
"Hahaha! How about that, Supreme King!?"
Grapha laughed wildly, joined by his demons and Brron.
However, when the smoke cleared, his grin froze.
[Jaden Yuki, LP: 4000]
"Whaaatt!?"
No Set cards had been played!
"Supreme King, Supreme King... Who are you talking about? I'm Jaden Yuki. From Duel Academy!"
...
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