Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"I activate the Spell Card [Fusion]! I send [Elemental HERO Wingman] and [Elemental HERO Burst Girl] from my hand to the Graveyard to perform a Fusion Summon!"

【Fusion】, 【Elemental Hero Winged Warrior】, 【Elemental Hero Burst Girl】.

Sending the three cards in his hand to the graveyard, Yusei begins a new round of Fusion Summoning after Dark Fusion.

Infinite possibilities gathered before him, eventually transforming into a swirling vortex of light and darkness that absorbed the monster.

"This fusion material... could it be!" The familiar material requirements were displayed before him, and as if guessing Yusei's plan, Jaden Yuki's eyes widened suddenly.

Speaking of the fusion of Winged Warrior and Explosive Girl, isn't that just...

"...Come forth! [Elemental Hero Flame Winged Man] (Attack Power 2100)!"

Just as Jaden Yuki had imagined, the Fusion Monster that appeared in Yusei's hands, accompanied by the light, was none other than his favorite card—Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!

That card... was the key to his many victories!

It was through the efforts of the Flame Winged Man that he was able to pass Professor Chronos's difficult test during the entrance exam and have the opportunity to enter this Duel Academy, where he met Yusei, Asuka, Manjoume, Caesar, and others.

For Jaden Yuki, Flame Wingman has always been a card with extremely special significance.

"Flame Winged Man? Is this the card you placed your hopes on?"

"That's right! If it weren't for the need to blow up the whole scene, I was planning to use Dark Fusion to create [Evil Hero - Winged Demon of Karma] right away."

Looking at the dragon-humanoid fusion hero who appeared before him, arms crossed, Yusei continued with a smile, "Now that we've seen this, I don't need to say what the final piece of the puzzle to complete for victory is... right?"

Mana: "..."

Even an outsider like Mana had already guessed what would happen next and what Yusei was planning.

The Flame Winged Man's attack power is 2100. After receiving the Skyscraper's bonus, his attack power will increase to 3100 points during the battle phase...

"Then, I'm going to do it!"

Without holding back any longer, Yusei, who had also benefited from the "Heavenly Treasure Card" in the previous turn, replenishing his hand to six cards in one go, drew another card this turn and immediately placed the classic Field Spell Card into the side area of ​​the Duel Disk: "...A hero has a hero-only battle field! I activate the Field Spell Card - Skyscraper!"

Illegal construction...

No! It's the metropolitan urban clusters under the moonlight, rising up one by one like bamboo shoots after a spring rain as the magic cards are activated.

The winged fireman, with his arms crossed, naturally ascended into the air along with the rising skyscraper, then stood atop the highest point, overlooking the entire dueling arena below and the monsters in front of Mana.

Standing at the highest point of the dueling arena, the Flame Winged Man's face was filled with confidence.

"According to the effect of [Skyscraper], when an [Elemental HERO] monster attacks a monster with higher attack power, its attack power will increase by 1000 points only during the battle phase!"

Yusei, having completed his unfolding of the familiar Skyscraper card, waved his arm and decisively entered his battle phase: "Battle begins! [Elemental HERO Flame Wingman] attacks the Attack Position [Dark Magician]! Then [Evil HERO Evil Blade Demon] attacks the Defense Position [Dark Magician Girl]!"

Upon hearing Yusei's voice, the Flame Winged Man immediately lowered his arms, leaped into the air, and charged straight at the Black Magician Mahad.

With the added force of the impact from above, a layer of burning, scorching flames began to appear on the surface of the Flame Wingman's body during the descent.

"...Take this! Skyscraper Impact!"

(【Elemental Hero Flame Winged Man】Attack Power: 2100→3100)

With the boost from the Skyscraper Impact, the Flame Wingman's attack power surged to 3100 points in an instant, surpassing the Dark Magician's attack power of 2500!

Facing Mana, Yusei clenched his right fist and swung it fiercely forward. At the same time, the Flame Wing Man, who was diving like a missile, arrived in front of the Dark Magician and extended his right dragon head towards him, slamming his empowered right arm into the Dark Magician's body.

Despite the black magician raising his staff in front of him and erecting a defensive magic circle, he still felt powerless against the empowered winged fireman.

After a brief stalemate, as the defensive magic circle dissipated, the dark magician was pierced through the body by the burning winged man and vanished from the field as a speck of light...

A monster with all resistances, its only weakness is destruction in battle.

And since the monster has overcome even this one weakness, perhaps only the invincible sea turtle can devour him!

Break all laws with one force!

A strong defense can often be broken with a simple move.

"The moment your monster is destroyed, Flame Wingman's effect activates! Inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!"

Floating in front of Mana, the Flame Winged Man pointed the dragon head on his right hand at Mana's location.

Extending his finger, Yusei then returned an increased amount of the damage he had previously suffered to Mana.

Since the effect of [Eternal Soul] has already been used this turn, Mana is no longer able to revive the Dark Magician who was destroyed and sent to the graveyard.

"Well……"

Mana's body was engulfed in flames, and a look of pain appeared on her face.

After enduring the impact of the battle, she instinctively raised her arms to protect herself.

(Mana LP: 4000→3400→900)

"...Ugh! This time...the Dark Magician Girl is going to lose!"

As he watched his beloved dark magician, Mana, about to be defeated, a complex mix of regret and sorrow appeared on Marufuji Sho's face.

However, it is clear that his opinion alone cannot change the current situation.

Even when he yells and shouts, Yusei doesn't stop what he's doing.

So at this moment, all he could do was watch from the sidelines.

"...This is the final moment, charge! Evil Blade Demon! Evil Heart Shockwave!!!"

With a sinister laugh, the Demon Blade, arms crossed, followed Yusei's instructions and launched rows of long needles towards the Dark Magician Girl.

As these needles glided through the air, they gradually converged, then transformed into a massive dark purple wave that pierced through the black magician's body, and then reflected the excess damage back onto Mana.

Mana: "Oh no... this is terrible..."

Since there was no true damage bonus from Dark Duel, these attacks did not cause her much harm.

With a sigh, feeling her life force draining away, Mana covered her chest with her right hand and finally let out a helpless, bitter laugh.

(Mana LP: 900→0)

The evil blade demon, with an attack power of 2600, can only deal 900 damage to the dark magician girl with a defense power of 1700.

Under this second round of attacks, Mana's health points were reduced to 0.

The winner is Yusei!

……

"The outcome is decided."

"Well... it was quite a good duel!"

Witnessing Yusei's victory, Manjoume's face did not show much surprise.

In his view, although Mana's development was exceptionally rapid, she was destined to miss out on victory because she failed to seize the opportunity to reduce Yusei's life points in one fell swoop.

However, even if she ultimately loses, her strength, which forced Yusei to this point, is undeniably formidable!

"Ugh... I lost after all~~~"

Mana, whose health points had dropped to zero, raised her head slightly and looked relieved. This defeat had not been a big blow to her; on the contrary, it had made her appreciate the charm of dueling.

She waved her arms, bidding farewell to those who had cheered her on: "Even though I lost, it was... amazing! I'm so happy! Duels are definitely meaningful!"

"I feel like... I've become a bad guy..." Yusei scratched his head, watching Mana waving and interacting with the crowd, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Although we won, it didn't feel very real.

Judging from the current popularity comparison between the two sides, Mana on the other side seems more like the winner...

"That's not the case!"

"……Um?"

"This was a very enjoyable duel, wasn't it?"

Before anyone knew it, Asuka appeared behind Yusei.

Asuka smiled and shared her thoughts with Yusei, who was troubled by his own thoughts.

Not holding back in a duel is itself a form of respect for one's opponent.

It's clear from Mana's expression that she doesn't see this as a bad thing.

"Although her identity remains a mystery, I think she must be very happy."

With his arms crossed and an aloof expression, Caesar approached Yusei.

Looking at the blonde girl on the other side, his face still showed no particular surprise.

Even when Mana pulled out cards that were only found in Yugi Muto's deck, he wasn't surprised.

"Well! Anyway... this is how it should be at times like this..." With his eyes half-closed, Jaden Yuki, in place of Yusei, pointed his finger in Mana's direction: "We won~ What an interesting duel!"

Youxing: “…”

Mana: "..."

……

After the cosplay duel, Mana disappeared from everyone's sight.

It was as if it were a dream. Or perhaps it was as if a layer of mist had been shrouded in mystery, and Mana, or rather, the monster itself, gradually faded from everyone's memory.

All traces of her previous existence vanished without a trace.

Curious about this unusual situation, Yusei tried asking the fans who had previously supported Mana, but... their expressions were also full of confusion.

They vaguely remembered that they seemed to have done something similar to what Yusei described.

However, they could never imagine the face of the person they admired.

"Uh... who was that... again..."

"Oh yes, yes! That's right... but who was it again?"

"...Idol? What's that?"

This was the reply Yusei received.

"Has Mana... already left?"