Elemental HERO Thunder Giant, summon!
[Elemental HERO Thunder Giant, ATK 2400]
"Thunder Giant's effect!" Jaden said. "When this card is Fusion Summoned: choose 1 face-up monster on your opponent's field whose original ATK is lower than this card's. Destroy that monster!"
"Evil HERO Inferno Wing's original ATK is 2100," the Supreme King said coolly.
"Right. And Vicious Claw can only substitute destruction when the equipped monster is destroyed by battle—monster effects don't care," Jaden said. "Evil may look stronger for a moment, but in the end, the hero always wins! Thunder Giant—Voltic Thunder!"
Lightning gathered at the Thunder Giant's chest, flowed into both palms, and with a blaze like thousands of golden javelins, it pierced through Evil HERO Inferno Wing.
"Evil HERO Inferno Wing is destroyed, and the equipped Vicious Claw goes with it!" Jaden said. "Then Thunder Giant attacks directly! Let thunder pierce the darkness!
Voltic Thunder!"
Thunder Giant raised both hands; endless lightning roiled into his palms, then turned into a surging thunder-dragon that roared as it blasted out. The bolt crashed straight into the Supreme King like a falling thunderstrike, black smoke billowing and a massive crater torn in the ground. Yet the Supreme King's stance remained upright, unshaken like a stump; his expression didn't change at all, as if he felt none of the real damage behind Thunder Giant's full-force strike.
[Supreme King, LP 3200 → 800]
"How about it? Can you feel it a little now—the power of my heroes?" Jaden said. "That's the true power! A Duel should never be a tool to dominate or hurt others!"
The Supreme King slowly opened his eyes. The light from his golden pupils pierced the smoke; meeting his gaze sent a chill through the heart.
"Is that so? What I feel is… still weak," the Supreme King said flatly. "Power of that level has no 'right' to it."
"What did you say?" Jaden frowned.
"Activate set card," the Supreme King declared, flipping a back row. "Trap Card: Damage Gate.
You can only activate this card when you take battle damage. Special Summon 1 monster from your GY with ATK less than or equal to the damage you took."
He pulled a monster from his GY.
"I Special Summon Elemental HERO Clayman."
The stout-bodied Clayman returned to the field—this time on Jaden's opposite side, with a thuggish, dangerous glint in his eyes.
[Elemental HERO Clayman, DEF 2000]
Jaden grit his teeth.
This guy took that attack and didn't even flinch. Is he really a feelingless dueling machine? A monster?
"I set 1 card and end my turn," Jaden said.
"My turn. Draw."
The Supreme King drew, then casually revealed a Spell.
"I activate the Spell E — Emergency Call to add 1 Elemental HERO from my Deck to my hand.
I add Elemental HERO Sparkman."
A searched card flew from the Deck, twirled, and landed in the Supreme King's hand.
"Sparkman too, huh," Jaden murmured.
"Your heroes' feeble forms are almost unwatchable," the Supreme King said icily. "Let darkness liberate their true power! I activate the Spell Dark Fusion! I fuse the Sparkman in my hand with the Clayman on the field!"
A second Dark Fusion. Dark energy pulsed, then twisted into a horrific vortex—as if linked to all the gloom and despair across the twelve dimensions, devouring every light and hope.
The two heroes were dragged into the black void, and the resulting shockwave surged like a raging tide. The inky cyclone sketched the outline of a massive torso, then iron limbs, a head encased in a menacing helm; black lightning wove into a towering body, descending like a monstrous colossus.
"Fusion Summon—
—Evil HERO Lightning Golem!"
[Evil HERO Lightning Golem, ATK 2400]
"Lightning… Golem?"
Jaden was momentarily dazed.
This was the evil version of Thunder Giant.
He was more and more certain: the one facing him was undoubtedly the embodiment of his own inner darkness.
Like his opposite self, the beloved heroes he took pride in had fallen into darkness and become these grim visages. Evil—yet stronger, unrestrained, casting off every shackle. Just like…
Just like the "himself" in his nightmares sometimes.
Supreme King: "Then I play the Spell Legacy of a HERO. If there are 3 or more Level 4 or higher HERO monsters in my GY, I draw 3 cards." (Anime effect)
"Evil HERO Lightning Golem, effect activate!" the Supreme King barked. "Once per turn: destroy any 1 monster on the field.
Begone, you feeble trash! Destroy Elemental HERO Thunder Giant!"
The corrupted evil was an upgrade across the board—stronger and more oppressive than Thunder Giant. With a contemptuous glance at its mirror, Lightning Golem raised a single finger; a hook of jet-black lightning pierced Thunder Giant's body and exploded from within, blowing him to pieces.
"Gh—"
Jaden threw an arm up to shield himself from the blast and shrapnel.
"But my heroes won't go down that easily.
I activate my face-down—Trap Card, Elemental Mirage!"
The set card flipped, projecting a mirror-like structure on Jaden's field.
"Elemental Mirage can be activated when an Elemental HERO you control would be destroyed by a card effect," Jaden said. "Special Summon that destroyed Elemental HERO back to the field!" (Anime card)
In the real TCG this wouldn't work, since HERO Fusions like Thunder Giant say "Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways."
But per the anime—given Jaden trying to revive Flame Wingman with Monster Reborn, etc.—HEROes there don't have that restriction. Once properly summoned, they can be revived by traps.
"Return, Thunder Giant!"
The mirror shattered in a burst of electricity, and Thunder Giant roared back through the broken reflection.
[Elemental HERO Thunder Giant, ATK 2400]
"I told you—heroes don't give up so easily!" Jaden said.
"More like refuse to let go," the Supreme King replied coolly. "Then I activate my set Trap—Slime Ball.
When a monster is Special Summoned: I gain LP equal to that monster's ATK, then destroy that monster."
...
2 Bonus chapters at 500 PS