Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

"Sky Warrior? A 4-star monster with an attack power of 1800?" Observing the basic attributes displayed by Sky Warrior, Iwamaru frowned in confusion: "You want to use this monster... to defeat my Emperor, is that it?"

"Well, to put it simply, that's it... Just keep your eyes peeled and watch!"

Nodding, Jaden Yuki waved his hand and activated the monster's effect: "At this moment, the effect of [Elemental HERO Sky Warrior] activates! When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one [HERO] monster from my Deck to my hand! I choose [Phantom HERO Solitary Man]!"

Above the card is the figure of a pink hero floating in mid-air, leaping.

That was the same Phantom Heroes monster card that Yusei had used in his previous battle against the Seven Star King.

This card also appeared as a stepping stone in the duel between Jaden Yuki and Ed Phoenix.

"Next, I activate the effect of [Phantom Hero - The Solitary One], discard one [Hero] monster from my hand other than this one, and Special Summon it from my hand!"

Jaden Yuki casually sends one of his Hero monsters to the Graveyard and then places Phantom Hero: The Genius on the Duel Disk deck.

As he moved, the one-eyed hero, whose body was covered in spikes, appeared in front of him, accompanied by a beam of light.

"...[Phantom Hero: The Solitary One] can only be activated if it is successfully Summoned or Special Summoned. Choose 1 'Phantom Hero' monster from your Deck other than [Phantom Hero: The Solitary One] and place it face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Trap Card. After this effect is activated, you cannot Special Summon non-'Hero' monsters from your Extra Deck until the end of this turn... I choose to place [Phantom Hero: The Incremental One]!"

Reaching for his deck, Jaden Yuki then drew a card and placed it face up in his Spell & Trap Zone.

That is precisely the ultimate example of a classic hero and monster who takes the spirit of "discarding the bridge after crossing the river" to its extreme!

"...I activate the effect of [Phantom Hero: Incremental], which is currently in the Spell & Trap Zone, to release my [Phantom Hero: Alone] in Attack Position, thereby Special Summoning myself from the Spell & Trap Zone!"

Standing on the corpses of his comrades, the unicorn hero, clad in white and purple armor, opened his right hand, revealing his body in a very pretentious pose.

As he appeared, a faint glow, as if summoning a monster, appeared before everyone's eyes.

"If 【Phantom Heroes: Incremental】is Special Summoned from the Spell & Trap Zone, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 【Phantom Heroes】 monster from my Deck!"

"...Come on! [Phantom Hero - Android]!"

Jaden Yuki picked up his deck from the Duel Disk, selected a monster card from it, and slammed it onto the Duel Disk.

After doing all this, he put the shuffled deck back into the Duel Disk.

As Jaden Yuki moved, the hero whose body was embedded with multiple searchlights appeared in the darkness in the next instant, and came to stand beside [Phantom Hero - Incremental Man], standing side by side with him.

"If 【Phantom Hero - Bionic】 is successfully Summoned or Special Summoned, I will send 1 【Hero】 monster from my Deck to the Graveyard. I choose 【Evil Hero - Wraith Corpse Demon】!"

Jaden Yuki, wielding the Evil Hero, had his eyes turn into the golden color of a Conqueror.

Unlike his counterpart in another timeline, Jaden Yuki was not controlled by the negative emotions of the Overlord.

Although there is no "hyperfusion" in existence, Jaden Yuki, who has entered this state, has begun to exude an invisible aura of dominance on his body.

"The effect of 【Evil Hero - Demonic Corpse】 activates, banishing this card from the Graveyard, and Special Summon 1 【Evil Hero】 monster from your hand or Deck, other than this card... Come forth! 【Evil Hero - Demonic Blade】 (ATK: 2600)!!!"

With his arms crossed over his chest and a wicked smile on his lips, the dark hero brandished his claws and approached Jaden Yuki.

As Blade's corrupted form, Evil Blade Demon naturally inherits his ability to penetrate defenses, enabling him to inflict combat damage on monsters in defense position!

Iwamaru: "...Attack power 2600?!"

"It's not over yet! Then... the second effect of [Phantom Hero: Android] activates, and I search my deck for a [Fusion] Spell Card from my Graveyard!"

Having realized the ultimate value of his life, the virtuous man, who was excluded from his companions, then handed over the core card of his hero deck—[Fusion]—to Jaden Yuki.

As Jaden Yuki grasped the card, a strong determination erupted from his seemingly eternally burning golden eyes.

Transform all the sadness and sorrow of the past into the driving force for continuous progress.

The trinity of heroes is about to arrive!

"...This is the final one! I will send the three monsters currently on my field—[Phantom Hero Incremental], [Phantom Hero Android], and [Elemental Hero Skyman]—to the Graveyard as materials for a Fusion Summon!"

"...Come forth! And bring me victory! [Phantom Hero - Trinity One] (Attack Power: 2500)!!!"

Iwamaru: "...[Phantom Hero - Trinity]?! But this monster's attack power is only 2500 points! Only 100 points higher than the Emperor... A monster with an attack power of 2600, and another monster with an attack power of 2500... Is this the last resort you mentioned?"

Narrowing his eyes, Iwamaru uttered a questioning sound.

While Jaden Yuki has demonstrated considerable strength, he is not invincible.

Next round, it will be his turn to perform again...

"Heh...! Is that really the case? Judging from your expression, you seem to be looking forward to the next round?"

"...What?!"

Having his true thoughts seen through by the domineering Jaden Yuki, Iwamaru looked embarrassed and subconsciously took a step back, a bead of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"【Phantom Heroes: Trinity】If Fusion Summoned successfully, its ATK will be doubled... Furthermore, this Fusion Summoned card can attack three times during the Battle Phase of the same battle!"

"Varied……?!"

"Attack! Iwamaru... Take this, from [Phantom Hero: Sannin]... the Farmer's Three Punches!!!"

With its attack power surging to twice its original level, the three-man being, formed by the fusion of three [Hero] monsters, exuded a powerful, godlike aura.

Wielding fists the size of sandbags, the three of them charged towards the two emperors, unleashing divine punishment upon them!

Both emperors have an attack power of 2400 points.

After enduring damage from two consecutive battles, Iwamaru lost 2600 points each time, totaling 5200 points of health, and was defeated in the duel!

Emperors are powerful, but in the end, heroes always prevail!

546 I love watching women fight 2.0

The crown of victory was ultimately won without any suspense by Yuki Judai, who had more sophisticated dog-catching techniques.

Under the powerful blows of Farmer's three punches, clad in giant red armor and resembling Getter incarnate, the previously invincible Flame Emperor and Earth Emperor were shattered into golden dust and vanished from the battlefield.

In contrast, Iwamaru, who was stunned in place, also had his health points drop to zero in an instant, and thus met his fate of defeat.

After a brief moment of shock, realizing his defeat, Iwamaru finally came to his senses and lowered his head with a look of despair.

His knees buckled, and he knelt down on the cold ground in front of him under everyone's gaze.

Next, as the loser, he will undoubtedly face a punishment similar to that his companions suffered: being sealed inside the divine mirror possessed by Saiou Mijuchi...

"Hey! Iwamaru, don't be discouraged... Even I've had times when I lost terribly!"

Seeing his opponent's dejected expression, Jaden Yuki, whose eyes had returned to normal, uttered words of comfort.

"...Isn't it?"

With his hands on the ground, Iwamaru listened to Yuki Judai's confession with a look of shock in his eyes.

what?

How could anyone actually beat you, you scoundrel?

What kind of deity is that?

This skill level is already better than many professional players!

Yusei & Edward: "..."

"It's true!"

At this point, Jaden Yuki glanced at Edward, who had appeared behind him at some point, and Yusei, who was standing with his arms crossed, seemingly lost in thought. He then walked up to Iwamaru and knelt down. "...But even after experiencing defeat, I've always believed that no matter how strong someone is, as long as I keep trying, I will eventually beat them!"

Iwamaru: "Heh... It's really nice to have someone who believes in their own strength!"

Even after hearing Jaden Yuki's confession, Iwamaru's face still showed little sign of relief.

Unlike talented fighters like Yusei, Jaden Yuki, and Ed Phoenix, ordinary people like Iwamaru only managed to stand on the grand stage of duels by relying on the power of the emperors.

He could never have achieved what he has today if he had relied solely on himself.

"...Hmm, I don't understand complicated things, but Iwamaru... if you yourself think you are weak, then no matter how much time passes, you will always be weak."

Seeing that Iwamaru still seemed conflicted, Jaden Yuki continued to express his thoughts.

Only when you believe in your ability to become stronger will the deck respond to your call, using the power of bonds to help you open the door to victory.

This is what Jaden Yuki has always firmly believed in.

"...!!!"

"Ha! Judai Yuki...you're quite an interesting fellow!"

After a moment of silence, Iwamaru let out a helpless sigh.

After being reminded by Yuki Judai, he seemed to feel somewhat relieved. He raised his head and looked at where Yuki Judai was, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

At this moment, the clear distinction between friend and foe does not seem so obvious.

"Hehehe~~~Is that interesting? I often get told that~" With a bright smile on his face, Yuki Judai scratched the back of his head and laughed like an idiot, oblivious to everyone around him.

"Hahaha……"

Seeing the smile on his face, Iwamaru, infected by the emotion, also let out a similar laugh.

"As expected... Jaden Yuki has many similarities to Yugi! No wonder he gave that card to this boy..."

Having watched Jaden Yuki's entire performance, Sugoroku Mutou, gazing at the two of them, stroked his beard and uttered this thought deep within his heart.

His gaze toward Yuki Judai couldn't help but carry a hint of the tenderness one feels when seeing a grandson.

"You won! Let's have another fun duel next time!"

With his eyes half-closed, Jaden Yuki extended his index and middle fingers towards Iwamaru, striking that victory pose he hadn't done in a long time.

However, to others, this action and expression always seemed to carry an invisible hint of mockery...

"tour……"

Iwamaru's lips twitched, and just as he was about to say something, a purple divine light suddenly shone behind him.

That was the mysterious power that Saiou Misuzuchi had previously used to seal Enmaru.

"Beautiful...Mishouji-sama...!!!"

Enveloped by the light that appeared out of nowhere, Iwamaru, unable to react in time, joined his companions in their final moments and was sucked into the divine mirror held by Misutomo.

The promise he and Jaden Yuki had just made to fight again suddenly seemed to be a long way off.

"It seems the main character is about to make his appearance."

After lowering his arms, Yusei finally made a move.