"I choose to banish Elemental HERO Burstinatrix!"
Chazz pointed directly at the crimson figure on Jaden's field.
Hummm!!
Arcs of electricity crackled around Burstinatrix. Before she could react, the hero vanished into thin air, leaving Jaden looking stunned.
"Burstinatrix is gone...!" Jaden gasped.
"This is the end, Jaden! Feel the despair of the loser! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon, attack him directly!"
As Chazz gave the command, arcs of laser energy began to gather in the giant's cannons. Jaden quickly reacted, reaching for his backrow.
"I activate my facedown trap: A Hero Emerges!"
"This card can only be used when an opponent's monster declares an attack! You must randomly choose one card from my hand. If the card you pick is a monster, I can Special Summon it to the field!"
The trap card flipped up, revealing the silhouette of a caped figure that looked anything but "heroic."
"A card that relies entirely on gambling... only a 'Luck-Sacker' chosen by the world would dare rely on something like that," Jiang He thought to himself.
From his vantage point, he could see that the hot-blooded idiot Jaden still had four cards in his hand. At best, there was a fifty-fifty chance Chazz would pick a monster card to block the incoming mechanical titan's attack.
"Hmph, a futile struggle! I pick the card on the far right!" Chazz shouted.
"You picked it! I Special Summon Elemental HERO Avian in Defense Position!" Jaden cheered, slamming the rightmost card onto his Duel Disk.
A green-clad figure with massive feathered wings on its back appeared, crouching in a defensive stance.
Elemental HERO Avian
Level: 3
Attribute: WIND
ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000
As expected, nothing's changed from my memories, Jiang He noted internally.
Though his own presence had caused minor ripples in which monsters were summoned, the overall trajectory of the duel remained remarkably consistent.
However, Jaden was playing with fire. His "health lock" line seemed even more precarious than in the original timeline.
True to form, Chazz wasn't finished.
"You think summoning a monster in Defense Position will save you? Think again!" Chazz sneered.
"The special effect of VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon allows it to change the battle position of the attack target when it declares an attack!"
"I change Elemental HERO Avian to Attack Position! The attack continues!"
A surge of electricity forced the crouching green hero to stand up helplessly. Avian could only stare as the laser beams tore through the air toward him.
Boom!
The hero exploded into a mass of fire and smoke. Jaden groaned as the feedback hit him, his Life Points beeping frantically as they plunged from 2800 LP down to 800 LP.
"Big Bro...!" Syrus cried out from the sidelines, his heart sinking.
Alexis Rhodes frowned. From what she had seen over the last two turns, Chazz had completely suppressed Jaden with overwhelming power.
She glanced sideways at Jiang He, who had leaned back and closed his eyes lazily, looking as though the outcome was already decided.
She was confused. Why is he so calm? It was as if he already knew Jaden was going to turn it around.
And what did he mean by 'health-locking' earlier?
"That hot-blooded idiot probably has a Quick-Play Spell called Transcendent Wings in his deck," Jiang He said, opening one eye as if sensing her gaze.
In truth, the translucent spirit of a small, spherical monster standing on his shoulder was chirping at him, alerting him to Alexis's stare.
"By discarding two cards from his hand, he can evolve Winged Kuriboh into Winged Kuriboh LV10. That monster can destroy all Attack Position monsters on the opponent's field and deal damage equal to their total Attack Points."
"Wait, really...?" Alexis blushed slightly, embarrassed that her staring had been caught. She cleared her throat and nodded, turning her attention back to the field.
A second later, it was Jaden's turn to draw. An excited grin broke across his face.
Did he really draw it...?! Alexis thought, glancing back at Jiang He in shock.
The reality of the duel immediately validated Jiang He's prediction.
Jaden summoned Winged Kuriboh in Defense Position, set one card facedown, and ended his turn.
Combined with the two remaining cards in his hand, he had fulfilled every single requirement Jiang He had just mentioned.
"Could that facedown card be... the Quick-Play Spell Transcendent Wings?" Mindy, Alexis's friend, whispered in surprise.
"Winged Kuriboh is a rare monster that prevents you from taking battle damage for a turn if it's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard," Chazz said confidently. "But as long as I use VWXYZ's effect to banish it, I can attack you directly and end this!"
As Chazz spoke, he stole a glance toward Jiang He.
In his mind, he was already imagining the look on that arrogant jerk's face once he crushed Jaden. He was looking forward to getting his revenge for that previous stroke of bad luck.
But when he looked over, Jiang He remained perfectly composed. Even worse, Alexis Rhodes, the "Queen of Obelisk Blue," was standing beside him.
And all of them were looking at Chazz with expressions of pity.
"..." Chazz was stunned.
What's going on?
"I activate my Quick-Play Spell: Transcendent Wings! By discarding two cards from my hand, I can evolve the Winged Kuriboh on my field into Winged Kuriboh LV10!"
Jaden chose that exact moment of crisis to reveal his trump card.
"What?!" Chazz, Dr. Crowler, and the rest of the onlookers stared in amazement.
Amidst the blinding light of the spell, the Winged Kuriboh on Jaden's field transformed. Its wings grew exponentially, and a small, golden bird-shaped helmet appeared on its head.
It bore a slight resemblance to the head of The Winged Dragon of Ra.
It was now Winged Kuriboh LV10.
Jiang He liked to think of it as the younger brother of the Sun Godthe "Kuriboh God of Ra."
"Winged Kuriboh LV10's special effect!" Jaden shouted with a grin. "By tributing it, I destroy all monsters in Attack Position on your side of the field, and you take damage equal to the total ATK of the destroyed monsters!"
"VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon has 3000 Attack Points," Jaden pointed out. "And Chazz, looking at your draw this turn, you probably don't have any monsters left that you can summon."
"If my next draw is a Level 4 or lower monster with at least 1000 Attack Points..."
"This duel is about to get very interesting!"
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