"Break the Destiny... D - Force..."
"Could it be that from the very beginning, he was just waiting for me to send this card to the Graveyard?"
Looking at the card in Jaden Yuki's hand, the Gravekeeper's Chief's eyes flickered with a trace of disbelief.
This meant that since the activation of Painful Choice, Jaden had already predicted every move of the duel that followed.
"From the moment he agreed to duel you, the Supreme King never even considered the possibility of losing, okay?"
Ash Blossom sighed, feeling a sense of helplessness for this old native of the spirit world.
"When D - Force is activated," Jaden began, "it allows me to add one Destiny HERO - Plasma from my deck or Graveyard to my hand."
Jaden retrieved Destiny HERO - Plasma from his Graveyard. Looking at the card in his hand, a sharp arc curved at the corner of his mouth.
"Destiny HERO - Plasma requires three monsters on my field as tributes to be Special Summoned."
"And because of the effect of Destiny HERO - Denier, the first Malicious was returned from the banished zone to the top of my deck. This means the Malicious currently in my Graveyard can activate its effect once more."
"I banish Destiny HERO - Malicious from my Graveyard to Special Summon another copy of Destiny HERO - Malicious from my deck!"
"Roar!"
A pitch-black light effect rose again. Within the dark radiance, the demonic hero spread its obsidian wings and let out a crazed, piercing howl.
*Destiny HERO - Malicious*
*Level: 6*
*ATK: 800 / DEF: 800*
"Without even tributing Destiny HERO - Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer, Jaden Yuki has managed to assemble three lower-level HEROes again..." Ash Blossom murmured with a click of her tongue.
Malicious, Vyon, and Solid Soldier.
HEROes always seemed to gather together at the most critical moments.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Three beams of sacrificial light condensed around the three HEROes on Jaden's field. Columns of light shot into the sky, forming a dazzling halo above the ancient Egyptian palace.
A black aura began to spread. Jaden's body was soon enveloped in a dark mist, and the dim gold light in his eyes grew even more brilliant.
The darkness swirling around him felt like a suit of black armor. Through the boy's physical frame, his terrifying soul seemed on the verge of erupting outward.
"Eek! W-What is that, meow!" Professor Lyman Banner's hair stood on end from the fright.
"Is that the Supreme King's true form? This pressure..." Ash Blossom muttered under her breath, staring blankly at the phantom image of Jaden's soul.
Boom!
The sky turned pitch black. Rolling thunder crashed around the sanctuary.
"I tribute Vision HERO Vyon, Destiny HERO - Malicious, and Elemental HERO Solid Soldier!" Jaden's eyes flashed with a cold light. "Come forth, Destiny HERO - Plasma!"
The black clouds surged. A hero wreathed in pitch-black lightning descended from the storm clouds behind Jaden. He looked like a hero returned from the depths of hell, eyes flashing with a crimson glint.
Hot white mist billowed from his mouth, and the dragon head on his right arm flickered with scorching flames.
"Aaaaaah!"
The D - Force card on the field emitted a powerful aura. Under the influence of this power surge, Plasma's eyes turned even bloodier, and the power radiating from his body became increasingly horrific.
"This... this monster..." The Gravekeeper's Chief's eyes bulged. Even he could feel this extraordinary aura. Meanwhile, the white-haired youth on his field turned pale, dropping to one knee as his body curled inward.
*Destiny HERO - Plasma*
*Level: 8*
*ATK: 1900 / DEF: 600*
"The attack power isn't actually that high, but the pressure this monster gives off is a bit terrifying, meow..." Professor Banner squinted, watching Jaden's field nervously. With such an intense presence, this monster had to be bad news.
"Destiny HERO - Plasma," Jaden explained, "As long as this card remains face-up on the field, the effects of all monsters on your field are negated."
Jaden then gestured to the face-up D - Force beside him. "And as long as D - Force is on the field, cards on my side cannot be targeted by effects. Furthermore, Destiny HERO - Plasma gains 100 ATK for every HERO in my Graveyard!"
"Additionally, Plasma cannot be destroyed by your card effects and can make two attacks during the same Battle Phase!"
The spirits of Denier, Malicious, Vyon, and Solid Soldier transformed into beams of light, surging into Plasma's body.
*Destiny HERO - Plasma*
*ATK: 1900 -> 2300*
"He can't be destroyed by effects, can't be targeted, negates the opponent's monster effects, and can attack twice in one battle?" Professor Banner's scalp felt numb. Looking at the HERO on Jaden's field, he couldn't even imagine a way to break this board.
"Wait." Suddenly, Banner noticed something. "But even so, such a powerful monster only has 2300 attack points... Is its low attack power the weakness of this Plasma?"
"Maybe it is a weakness, but it won't be for long," Ash Blossom said, propping her face up with one hand while lazily sipping a drink through a straw she had found somewhere.
"Eh? Where did you get that drink, meow!"
"I took it from your bag just now," Ash Blossom pointed to the backpack Banner had discarded in the coffin.
"Eh? When did... and wait, weren't you tied up head to toe?!" Banner was more confused than ever.
"I'm a Duel Spirit, hello?" Ash Blossom rolled her eyes at him.
Banner didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "This is exactly why I don't really like dogs..."
He turned back to the duel. Does this Plasma have another way to increase its attack power? Such overwhelming power is at your command... Jaden Yuki, where exactly is your limit?
"Destiny HERO - Plasma! Once per turn, I can select one monster on the opponent's field and equip it to this card!" Jaden looked at the white-haired youth on the Chief's field, his lips curling into a smirk. "And Plasma gains ATK equal to half of that monster's original ATK!"
"What?! Oh no!" The Gravekeeper's Chief turned pale with horror. He turned just in time to see Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist being swallowed by a massive wave of black sludge.
The white-haired youth didn't even have a chance to struggle. Amidst a shrill scream, the boy's body gradually reappeared, pinned upon the massive black wings behind Plasma.
"Since the original ATK of Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist is 2000, Plasma gains another 1000 attack points!"
*Destiny HERO - Plasma*
*ATK: 2300 -> 3300*
Jaden looked at the Gravekeeper's Chief. "The game is over."
"Ugh..." Cold sweat poured down the Chief's forehead. Looking at the Plasma floating right in front of him and feeling that suffocating pressure, the Chief collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with despair.
Do it now... quickly, open the Trap Card!
Rite of Spirit a Trap Card that could Special Summon a Gravekeeper monster from the Graveyard. If he could just use this card... if only he could activate it.
But looking at his uncontrollably trembling hands, the Chief swallowed hard, yet found himself physically unable to press the button.
Is this... absolute power?
*JADEN YUKI WINS*
The smoke of battle gradually dissipated. Jaden Yuki deactivated his Duel Disk and looked down at the Gravekeeper's Chief, who sat slumped on the ground in a daze.
The field projections faded away. If it weren't for the figures disappearing one by one, no one would have believed the duel had been anything other than reality.
"This... what was that..." As Jaden walked past him, the Chief suddenly snapped out of his trance and spun around. "That power... I couldn't have been mistaken. That was the power of darkness—absolute darkness."
That level of terrifying darkness was no less than that of the Pharaoh sleeping within the tomb. In fact, it might even be greater. What was most alarming was that such a horrific power now resided within this boy.
Seeing that Jaden did not respond, the Chief hurriedly stepped forward, wanting to ask more. However, before he could take a second step, a white figure blocked his path.
"Hey, hey, hey! Stop pestering the Supreme King, you old native!" Ash Blossom barked, tearing the remaining ropes off her body and glaring at the Chief with an angry face.
"The Supreme King..." The Gravekeeper's Chief's expression changed instantly.
The Supreme King... That name. Could it be the legendary Supreme King? The one who had vanished from the Duel Monster Spirit World for thousands of years?
And now, he had appeared in the Spirit World once again.
Watching the boy's receding back, the Gravekeeper's Chief knew. The future of the Spirit World was likely about to face another great catastrophe.
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