Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Heroes

A suit of armor interwoven with sky blue and gray, a trident-shaped helmet covering the face, and a yellow asterisk-like symbol etched on the forehead. The same pattern was also engraved on the front part of his belt.

This newly transformed humanoid HERO waved his right hand to the side, and the moisture in the air around the beach condensed. In his clenched fist, a double-tipped silver-gray spear formed.

(Masked HERO Mist, Level 6, ATK: 2400, DEF: 2000)

As this new HERO monster appeared on You Ye's field, his opponent Kagurazaka—as well as the fellow students gathered around the beach—collectively formed a big "?" in their minds.

The Dark Magician Girl, paired with her exclusive magic card Dark Burning Attack, could unleash a devastating field wipe! Of course, that only applied to the front row—meaning the Monster Zone.

As for You Ye's Water-attribute HERO named Elemental HERO Absolute Zero, even though most weren't clear on its exact effect, one thing was certain: when it's destroyed by a card effect, it drags all the opponent's monsters down with it!

Everyone had assumed that after both monsters were dealt with, both sides would be left with an empty field—but then, somehow, there was a new HERO standing on You Ye's field!?

Spill it! Did you cheat or something!?

Noticing everyone's confusion, You Ye calmly began to explain the sequence of events:

"Do you all remember when Masked HERO Rock Solid was destroyed by the second effect of Dimension Magic? That's when I activated a trap card called Emergency Frontline."

"When a 'Masked HERO' on my field is destroyed by battle or card effect, I can activate this card to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'HERO' monster in Attack Position from my Deck or Graveyard."

Right after Rock Solid was destroyed by Dimension Magic, You Ye used this effect to Special Summon the Water Attribute Masked HERO Spring. Considering Dark Magician Girl has 2000 attack points, among all the HERO cards You Ye had, the only one capable of surviving her attack was Spring, whose effect was similar to the monster D.D. Warrior Lady, capable of manipulating combat flow.

Once everyone got a clear look at the watery silhouette of Spring, You Ye continued:

"After I summoned Spring, Kagurazaka activated Dark Magician Girl's exclusive spell card Dark Burning Attack! You all know what that does, right?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

"It instantly destroys all face-up monsters on the opponent's field! And just at that moment, I activated the Quick-Play Spell I had set during the previous turn—Mask Change! I used it on Spring, upgrading him into the HERO you see before you now—Masked HERO Mist."

"Ohh~."

The crowd nodded in understanding, though Kagurazaka wasn't ready to let go of the crucial detail:

"Yeah, yeah, but what I want to know is—why wasn't that 'Mist' guy destroyed along with the rest?"

You Ye waved his hand casually, telling him not to rush. Then he reached into his Duel Disk's Graveyard zone and pulled out the previously destroyed Absolute Zero.

"One of Mist's effects is that he can't be destroyed by any card effects."

(Among the Level 6 Masked HEROes, the other two—Dark Law and Storm Wind—each have two effects. Only Mist and Brute Blaze originally had just one, which is continuous. To better suit a protagonist-exclusive deck, I've given them each an additional effect—not too overpowered.)

"As for why Absolute Zero was able to take Dark Magician Girl down with him—that's because whenever he leaves the field, he destroys all of the opponent's monsters, whether face-down or face-up! And by the way, this is a mandatory effect that must trigger!"

Everyone: "..."

One can't be destroyed by effects, and the other wipes out all opponent monsters when they leave the field—and it's a mandatory effect at that!

Damn! That's freaking broken!

"…In that case, I'll use the Spell Card Monster Reborn to bring Dark Magician Girl back from the Graveyard!"

With the power of the ultimate revival card, the adorable Dark Magician Girl returned to the field once more. The moment she appeared, she cheerfully greeted her crowd of student fans for the second time.

"Next, I activate another Spell from my hand—Sage's Stone! Come forth, the ace of my Deck, my most powerful and loyal servant——Dark Magician!"

Summoned through the magic-infused gem that carried the aura of Dark Magician Girl, her master—one of the strongest sorcerers in the magical world—broke through dimensions and descended onto the battlefield!

He wore a purple conical magician's hat with light lavender stripes and a matching purple cloak whose upper half was petal-shaped. In his hand was a nearly man-sized green staff tipped with a dark emerald sphere.

One of King of Games Yugi Mutou's most trusted monsters——Dark Magician!

"Battle Phase! Dark Magician and his apprentice, launch a joint attack on Kamishiro Youye's HERO! Dark Burning Magic!!"

A master and apprentice combo attack—the kind that could destroy even "gods" (as seen in the manga storyline)!

And Mist, a mere lesser HERO, obviously didn't stand a chance.

Watching Mist vaporize under the combined strike of the two top-tier spellcasters, You Ye quickly reached into his Graveyard and shouted:

"Clear Kuriboh's effect! When I'm targeted by a direct attack, I can banish this card from the Graveyard, and then draw the top card of my deck. If it's a monster, I Special Summon it and redirect the attack to that monster instead!"

Earlier, thanks to Liquid Soldier's effect—akin to Graceful Charity—You Ye had discarded his partner card, Clear Kuriboh, into the Graveyard. And now, to his surprise, he had the perfect chance to use it.

'I'm counting on you, Kuriboh!'

'Kuriboh~!'

Understanding the determination in You Ye's gaze, the phantom image of Clear Kuriboh reached out its tiny green paw, resting it on the back of You Ye's hand to help him draw the card together.

"Falling——"

YA☆DA★ZE!

"Defense Position Special Summon——Elemental HERO Bubbleman!"

That's right—the card You Ye drew was none other than Bubbleman, a HERO Jaden Yuki often relied on, whether it was to clutch a draw in a pinch or refill his hand.

"Bubbleman's effect! If I have no other cards on my field when he's summoned, I can draw two cards from my Deck!"

Bubbleman, yyds! Not only did he help replenish two cards to You Ye's hand, but he also used his modest 1200 DEF to block the direct attack from Dark Magician Girl's 2000 ATK—saving You Ye from a devastating blow!

Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.

(End of Chapter)