This was the first time Judai Yuki had used this move, so even his friends were unfamiliar with the combo. Even Sho Marufuji could not help asking, "You Summoned all five Heros at once, but even so, their ATK still can't break through Yugen's line at all."
"Hero Flash has another effect," Judai Yuki explained with a grin. "This turn, all normal Monsters on my field with 'Elemental HERO' in their names can attack directly!"
Another wave of excitement swept through the Duel Arena. All of them could attack directly.
That meant that aside from Elemental HERO Bubbleman, who was not a normal Monster, the other four basic Elemental HEROs could all ignore the Front Row and strike directly. If all their attacks landed, they would deal 4600 direct damage in a single burst.
A one-turn kill with Elemental HERO.
"Go, my Heros!" Judai Yuki thrust out his fist. "This is the soul strike of the Heros I love most. Feel my burning heart, Yugen!"
The four Heros charged together, storms of earth, light, fire, and wind trailing behind them as they rushed straight at Yugen. Silent Magician tried her best to step in and protect her master, but each of those Monsters had its own way through. Elemental HERO Burstinatrix feinted in front of her and slipped past, Elemental HERO Avian flew over her head, Elemental HERO Clayman burrowed beneath her feet, and Elemental HERO Sparkman simply turned into a streak of electricity and shot by.
Silent Magician could only turn back toward her master with a worried face, looking as though she were saying she had really tried, but could not stop them.
"I activate the Trap, Defense Draw," Yugen said. "I make one instance of battle damage become 0, and I draw one card from my Deck. I make Elemental HERO Sparkman's battle damage become 0."
Elemental HERO Sparkman's current slammed into a transparent barrier in front of him and vanished. Yugen drew one card.
"Heh, so you blocked one. But there are still three more hits coming!" Judai Yuki said.
Elemental HERO Burstinatrix gave a light shout and crossed her palms, sending flames bursting from her hands.
"Then the effect of Swift Scarecrow in the Graveyard," Yugen said. "While this card is in the Graveyard, once only, battle damage from a direct attack becomes 0." (ANIME EFFECT)
The phantom of Swift Scarecrow appeared, and Elemental HERO Burstinatrix's flames washed over the transparent barrier before fading into nothing.
"So that was one of the five cards sent there by Charge of the Light Brigade," Judai Yuki said in realization.
"Correct." Yugen smiled.
Judai Yuki tried hard to remember. Of the five cards sent there so far, he had already seen three: one Magician of Faith, one Blade Knight, and now one Swift Scarecrow, leaving two still unknown.
Forget it. Thinking things through had never really been his strength anyway.
"Then there are still two more shots!" Judai Yuki said. "Elemental HERO Avian and Elemental HERO Clayman, direct attack!"
Even though they were the weakest two among the four, together they still added up to 1800 damage. That was exactly enough to finish it.
"Then the effect of Necro Gardna in the Graveyard," Yugen said. "During the opponent's turn, I can banish this card from my Graveyard to negate one attack. I negate the attack of Elemental HERO Avian."
The feathers Elemental HERO Avian fired also struck a wall and scattered under Necro Gardna's protection.
"You blocked that too. Then Elemental HERO Clayman attacks directly!"
Elemental HERO Clayman charged forward and threw a punch. This time the attack finally went through, and Yugen raised his Duel Disk to block it, his body swaying as he stepped back half a pace.
Yugen, LP 1800 -> LP 1000
"So it finally landed once."
Judai Yuki was not discouraged at all, even after missing the finishing blow.
"As expected of Yugen, your defense is airtight. But now your lifesaving cards are almost all used up, right?"
"That's true," Yugen said with an open smile.
"Then I set three more cards and end my turn."
Judai Yuki placed three more cards in his Back Row. After finishing his actions, he paused for a moment as if thinking for two seconds, then looked up.
"By the way, Yugen, up to this point in this Duel, have you been having fun?"
After hearing Judai Yuki's words, Yugen froze for a moment. Then he asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Ah, it is not really a big thing. It is just..." Judai Yuki hesitated, frowning as he searched for the right words. "I kind of felt this way even before. How should I put it? Your Duel is incredible and full of imagination, and you might be the strongest person I have ever met."
"But I still always feel like it is a little regrettable." He scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.
Yugen repeated, "Regrettable?"
"I guess that is not exactly the right word." Judai Yuki let his smile fade and spoke seriously. "You were the one who told me that Duel is not only about having fun, and I understand that now, especially after meeting Shell."
"I learned that there are Duels in this world fought to take lives, or even things more important than that. Sometimes Duel is heavy, and sometimes we really do have things we have to carry during a Duel." He paused, then looked at Yugen with complete sincerity. "But even so, I still think Duel itself is something people should enjoy."
"Not every Duel has to be tense and heavy. I think Duel was meant to bring joy from the very beginning, not just serve as a tool for winning." He stumbled again for a second, then rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I do not really know how to explain it, but sometimes I feel like you have not completely enjoyed the fun of Duel, Yugen."
"I am not saying there is anything wrong with that. I just feel it is a shame sometimes." His eyes remained fixed on Yugen as he spoke. "Look, I already gave it everything I had and performed better than ever before, but even then you still handled it calmly."
"Your Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, your Silent Magician, and all my Heros are fighting this hard. Every turn, I keep wondering what kind of move you will use next and how you will stop my counterattack, and just thinking about that makes me excited." He grinned brightly. "If this Duel is this fun, then it would be too much of a shame if I were the only one enjoying it."
Yugen fell silent. Was this the secret behind Jellyfish Hair's God Draw?
To put it simply, he really could not match Judai Yuki's passion for Duel, but that was not strange. In this world, there were probably very few people who could match the abnormal heat burning inside Jellyfish Hair. At the same time, Judai Yuki also possessed an unbelievable gift.
He could make everyone who came into contact with him feel that passion and be affected by it. It was as if the heat inside him could spread to the people around him. Those influenced by him would not only reignite their passion for Duel, but under that strange buff, even their performance in Duel would mysteriously improve.
Yugen slowly closed his eyes. At this moment, on this Duel field, surrounded by gazes, cheers, and shouts, something about this Duel against Judai Yuki seemed to brush against a corner of his heart that had been buried under dust for a very long time.