Water gathered and flowed, and the light-blue Hero leapt out from the surge.
[Elemental HERO Bubbleman] 1200 DEF
"Elemental HERO Bubbleman's effect activates. When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned, if you control no other cards, draw 2 cards."
Two new cards slid into Yuui's hand. Alicia glanced at them and her eyes immediately lit up. She looked toward Bubbleman on the field and thought: "As expected, choosing Bubbleman earlier was the right move. This card is really just too useful."
While Alicia was thinking this, Yuui had already played one of the newly drawn cards.
"Spell Card, Pot of Greed. I draw 2 cards."
Drawing two more cards, Yuui raised an eyebrow slightly. Then he revealed three cards from his hand and declared: "Next, I activate the Spell Card Polymerization. I fuse the Sparkman and Clayman in my hand.
The Summoning condition is two HERO Normal Monsters! Gather the power of the Heroes and become the light that cleaves through darkness! Fusion Summon—break through everything! Elemental HERO Grandmerge!!"
The brilliant Hero flew out from within the fusion vortex and landed slowly onto Yuui's field.
[Elemental HERO Grandmerge] 0 ATK
"Elemental HERO Grandmerge's Attack and Defense increase by the combined original Levels of the Fusion Materials × 300. Sparkman and Clayman's combined Levels are eight, so its Attack and Defense become 2400 points!!"
[Elemental HERO Grandmerge, Attack: 0 → 2400]
"Then I activate the Spell Card Legacy of a HERO. If there are at least two Level 4 or higher HERO monsters in my Graveyard, I draw three cards!"
Scanning the three newly drawn cards, Yuui looked toward Roland's field. After calculating briefly in his mind, he swung his hand forward and shouted: "Battle Phase! Grandmerge, attack Gladiator Beast Gistel—Thunderlight Burst!!"
As his words fell, Grandmerge raised its right arm and fired a golden sphere of lightning.
Seeing this, Roland raised his voice: "Field Spell Flavian - Colosseum of the Gladiator Beasts' second effect activates! Once per turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack, I can Special Summon 1 Gladiator Beast monster from my Deck, and the monster Special Summoned by this effect cannot be destroyed by battle.
"I choose to Special Summon Gladiator Beast Hoplomus!!"
[Gladiator Beast Hoplomus] 2100 DEF
Yuui didn't mind the newly arrived rhino-like Gladiator Beast. He simply continued, "Then the battle rewinds! Grandmerge continues its attack on Gladiator Beast Gistel—Thunderlight Burst!!"
Another blast of lightning fired. At the same moment, Roland flipped his face-down card.
"Trap Card Defensive Tactics activates! This card can be activated when you control a monster with 'Gladiator Beast' in its name. This turn, your monsters cannot be destroyed by battle, and all battle damage you take becomes 0."
Alicia gasped: "That's bad!"
Yuui's brows lifted slightly. As the card resolved, every Gladiator Beast on Roland's field was immediately covered in interlocking hexagonal stone plates—forming a protective barrier around them.
Seeing this, Yuui quickly played another card.
"Quick-Play Spell, De-Fusion! Target 1 Fusion Monster on the field; return it to the Extra Deck. Then, if all the monsters that were used for its Fusion Summon are in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon them."
Seeing this card—the inverse of Polymerization—Roland frowned slightly and murmured: "A lucky man."
Yuui pointed at Grandmerge. "I choose to return Elemental HERO Grandmerge on my field to the Extra Deck, and then Special Summon Elemental HERO Sparkman and Elemental HERO Clayman from my Graveyard!"
As his words fell, the charging Grandmerge was forced to halt its attack and dissolved into one streak of light and one of ash-gray, both reforming onto Yuui's field.
[Elemental HERO Sparkman] 1400 DEF
[Elemental HERO Clayman] 2000 DEF
Seeing this, Alicia let out a small breath of relief. "Good… that was close to triggering the Gladiator Beasts' effects."
Thanks to Yuui's explanations, the young girl already knew that—aside from very few exceptions—most Gladiator Beasts share the same effect: at the end of the Battle Phase in which they battled, they can return to the Deck and Special Summon another Gladiator Beast from the Deck.
And this Battle Phase requirement applies to both players' turns—so long as the monster battles and survives, the effect can trigger, bringing out a new Gladiator Beast.
And often, those Gladiator Beasts Special Summoned from the Deck only unleash their full power when Special Summoned by the effect of another Gladiator Beast.
To avoid that, Yuui had immediately decided to return Grandmerge to the Extra Deck, abandoning any idea of Summoning Shining Flare Wingman.
After all, neither Grandmerge nor Shining Flare Wingman had any effect resistance whatsoever.
So rather than let Roland's plans succeed, it was far wiser to withdraw and rebuild his defenses.
"Battle Phase ends. Main Phase 2. I Set two cards, then activate the Continuous Spell Mirage of Nightmare. Turn end! And at this moment, Bubbleman—Special Summoned by Fake HERO—returns to my hand!"
"Then now… the Field Spell Flavian - Colosseum of the Gladiator Beasts' final effect activates!!" Roland declared. "Once per turn, if a Gladiator Beast monster was Special Summoned from your Deck this turn, then during the End Phase, you can Set 1 Gladiator Beast Trap Card directly from your Deck.
"I choose to Set the Trap Card Gladiator Beast Charge from my Deck!!"
Alicia: "Eh!? (°Д°) This Field Spell still has another effect!?"
Yuui raised an eyebrow as well. Flavian - Colosseum of the Gladiator Beasts was released only a few months before he transmigrated, so he still remembered it clearly.
It was indeed a very powerful Field Spell. All three of its effects greatly accelerated the Gladiator Beasts' development.
As for Gladiator Beast Charge, its effect was as straightforward as it was brutal: destroy face-up cards equal to the number of differently named Gladiator Beasts on your field.
In other words, if the user controlled five different Gladiator Beasts, they could destroy up to five cards.
Moments later, a card automatically popped out of Roland's Deck. He revealed it—it was indeed Gladiator Beast Charge.
"My turn. Draw!"
"Then at this moment, Mirage of Nightmare activates. During your opponent's Standby Phase, draw until you have 4 cards in your hand. Then during your Standby Phase, discard random cards from your hand equal to the number you drew by this effect. My hand currently has 2 cards, so I draw 2 cards."
Yuui drew two more cards.
"My turn. Draw!"
"Then at this moment, Mirage of Nightmare activates again. My hand has 1 card, so I draw 3 cards."
Yuui drew three cards.
Seeing this, Roland glanced at the cards Yuui drew, then—at once—declared: "I activate my Set Trap Card, Gladiator Beast Charge! I target up to the number of differently named Gladiator Beasts I control, and destroy that many face-up cards.
"I control three different Gladiator Beasts right now, so I can destroy three face-up cards. I choose to destroy your Sparkman and your Clayman!"
As his words fell, the three monsters on Roland's field simultaneously launched their attacks toward Sparkman and Clayman.
Seeing this, Yuui swiftly swept his hand and flipped open the card before him. "Then I activate the Continuous Trap Scrum Force. When I control two or more face-up Defense Position monsters, my Defense Position monsters cannot be targeted by your card effects, nor can they be destroyed by your card effects."
Right then, Sparkman and Clayman each grabbed the other's hand, and a burst of seven-colored light enveloped them.
The three incoming attacks suddenly veered aside, as though they had lost their targets entirely.
Roland's attacks being stopped once again caused a vein to twitch at his temple, but then he caught sight of the card in Alicia (Yuui)'s back row and coldly spoke: "I didn't expect you to possess that card."
Scrum Force—despite its artwork featuring what most would call 'fodder' monsters—had, after being fully explored by a certain leader of the Axel Republic, risen to become one of the world's top-tier rare cards.
When you control two or more face-up Defense Position monsters, your Defense Position monsters cannot be targeted by your opponent's effects, nor can they be destroyed by your opponent's effects.
Just one card to make all your Defense Position monsters immune to targeting and destruction effects. And when paired with monsters capable of attacking while in Defense Position, its value increased exponentially.
And that leader of the Axel Republic used a Deck known as Superheavy Samurai—monsters with precisely that ability.
Because of that, and his influence, Scrum Force became a card most duelists would have no practical use for, yet it remained incredibly rare.
Such cards had long vanished from the market and were instead kept as prized collection pieces by powerful factions and families.
But now Alicia (Yuui) had played such a card—meaning…
"I see. So you've already accepted the Grand Princess Faction's invitation."
Roland's sudden claim left Yuui momentarily stunned, and Alicia likewise confused.
Roland continued, his tone as if he had already seen through everything: "This Continuous Trap, Scrum Force—Alice Tutt gave it to you, didn't she? With your original connections and abilities, it would be impossible for you to obtain that card otherwise.
"Thinking back, it makes sense. I've heard you were already friends with her. And Alice Tutt is the daughter of the Tutt family—a core member of the Grand Princess's faction.
"And since you managed to stop my attacks repeatedly, your talent and skill are indeed impressive. It makes perfect sense they would choose to recruit you.
"However, since you've joined the Grand Princess Faction, it seems we have no reason to cooperate anymore.
"So I will defeat you with everything I have, and then take Neos from you!!!"
Yuui: ???
Alicia: ???
At that moment, both Yuui and Alicia were filled with question marks. They were both wondering how Roland had concluded that they belonged to the Grand Princess Faction.
Based on one card? But what connection did that card even have to the Grand Princess Faction?
The reason Yuui and Alicia possessed this card—Scrum Force, a card practically meaningless to most duelists yet extremely rare—was entirely due to their cooperation with Kexi Arce.
Earlier, Kexi Arce had come to them, stating that Alicia should refuse the Prince's Faction's intention to claim… well, to claim Neos.
Yuui then negotiated with him, saying they could refuse the Prince's Faction, even openly break relations and duel them if needed to protect Neos—but the King's Faction, backing Kexi Arce, needed to compensate them.
Kexi agreed, even offering an upfront partial payment.
So Yuui wrote up a list of cards and card-crafting materials that he and Alicia needed and handed it to Kexi Arce.
Yuui still remembered the expression on Kexi's face when he saw that list—but three days later, he delivered everything Yuui and Alicia had asked for.
Among those cards were Burstinatrix's exclusive Spell, Burst Impact; the Continuous Trap Scrum Force; and the Continuous Spell Mirage of Nightmare.
Regardless, Roland, knowing nothing about the transaction between Yuui and Kexi, saw Scrum Force and—because of the information gap—assumed it came from Alice Tutt, and therefore from the Grand Princess Faction.
Therefore, it led to his totally off-base declaration, leaving Yuui and Alicia dumbfounded.
Nonetheless, Roland now believed he had uncovered the truth.
And when facing an enemy of his faction, one who was holding the Spirit their faction desired, he chose to unleash his full power.
In the next instant, an overwhelming wave of magic burst from his body. It was magic far surpassing Alicia's current level—a magic power at the rank of Magus!
...
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