AbsoluteCode

Yugioh [793-795]

Added 2025-10-31 16:07:06 +0000 UTC

Chapter 793: Next One?

Industrial Illusions Tower, Headquarters.

Ear-piercing alarms rang throughout the building as red warning lights flashed in the corridors. The tower instantly entered a state of alert; personnel of all kinds hurried through the hallways.

From the outside, it looked like just an entertainment company that sold cards. But in reality, the interior of the building was practically a fortress bristling with live weaponry, equipped with various defensive arms, even anti-air guns and missile interception systems.

But now, most of the building's functions had quietly fallen into the hands of invaders from space. The Light of Destruction had exerted its talent for mental manipulation and seized control of most of the staff here.

Usually, there were only one or two elite Professors of Dueling stationed here, while the Tenma brothers were based at their own foundations. Pegasus, the semi-retired president, spent most of his time on his own island—though not long ago, he too had been ambushed.

So for the moment, no one had realized that the building was now under the control of the forces of Light.

Mello stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor, looking out with an expressionless face. Just then a man in a white uniform hurried into the room and reported urgently.

"Sir, air raid warning."

The man in white said, "We are under attack."

"They came faster than I expected," Mello murmured, as if to himself. "Well, no matter. Sooner or later, it was bound to happen."

He glanced at the deck loaded in the duel disk on his arm.

"A pity—it's still a little short of perfection. But it should be enough to sweep this world."

He raised his head and spoke out loud.

"Send them all," Mello said. "Prepare to engage."

"Yes."

"…"

As the jet approached the Industrial Illusions Tower, a majestic scene quickly came into view.

Duel Monsters. A dense swarm of Duel Monsters. They filled the sky like an army, hovering midair, encircling the company building like an ironclad barrel.

The intent was obvious: to get in here, they would have to go through them first.

"Looks like they don't plan to make way."

In the cabin, Joey frowned slightly.

"Do we have to go the hard way?"

"Seems like it."

Jaden had already opened his duel disk. Facing the army ahead, he even looked a little excited.

"This should be fun."

As he spoke, his card slapped onto the duel disk.

"Elemental HERO Neos!"

A pillar of light pierced the atmosphere as if from the depths of space and descended with overwhelming force. The white-suited Neos charged into the monster army with unstoppable momentum, striking left and right; as his figure flashed past, his fists and feet had already felled several foes in succession.

To manifest Duel Monsters in reality—that was a power Jaden only unlocked in the final season of the anime, but now, having fused with the Supreme King's power early, he had gained that ability.

Even before fusing with the Supreme King, a powerful spirit like Neos possessed the ability to manifest independently. Back in the Society of Light arc, Neos had fought Sartorius head-on and even flown into space to smash a satellite.

Now that Jaden's power had evolved, the spirits' combat prowess in reality naturally rose with it.

At this moment, Neos looked like a war god, rampaging through the enemy's materialized monster army. At times, a laser lanced from his forehead, slicing through several monsters like a blade. At others, he formed a cross with his hands and unleashed a torrent of energy; boom, boom, boom—a chain of dazzling fireworks blossomed in midair.

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Joey also summoned his soul monster, Red-Eyes. He was just a mortal, not stacked with cheats like Jaden. But Red-Eyes, too, was a spirit, and Kira had specially lent him Kaiba's military-grade materialization duel disk for this battle, granting him the power to manifest Red-Eyes in reality.

Neos wreaked havoc in the enemy ranks, drawing most of the fire. Seizing the chance, Jaden and Joey jumped out of the cabin and mounted Red-Eyes' back. The legendary black dragon spread its wings and charged at full speed, black flames erupting from its maw to clear a path straight toward the building's outer shell.

Jaden followed up by summoning his beloved HERO, Flame Wingman—also the spirit he most loved to materialize in the Other Dimension arc.

Flame Wingman took flight as well, guarding Red-Eyes on either side. Any foe attempting to intercept was stopped cold—either booted away by a flaming flying kick or blasted apart by the dragon-head on his right arm spewing scorching fire.

Clang!

The thick bulletproof glass on the building's exterior dissolved under a single Black Flame Shot from Red-Eyes. The two leapt through the shattered window, rolled to disperse the impact, and came up steady.

"Sick!" Joey couldn't put down the KaibaCorp-exclusive duel disk on his arm. "We should do this more often."

They'd successfully broken through the encirclement, but both knew this was only the beginning.

Barely seconds after they stood, a man in a white uniform and sunglasses blocked their way ahead, unfolding his duel disk.

"You will advance no further," the man said gravely. "Your opponent is me."

Joey and Jaden exchanged a glance.

They weren't surprised. Kira had already warned them: during the assault, they might encounter missiles, anti-air guns, and other interception weapons, or a line of defense formed by materialized monsters. But overall, these were more for intimidation than practical effect.

Especially now that Jaden had acquired the Supreme King's power—already top-tier beyond the superhuman scale—this level of interference couldn't possibly stop him.

Once inside, there would definitely be a duel line of defense.

"Perfect. I've been itching for a fight—leave this one to me."

Joey rolled his shoulders.

"You sure?" Jaden glanced at him.

Joey flashed an OK sign.

"Alright, I'm going on ahead. Watch yourself."

They high-fived, and Jaden moved forward first.

The sunglasses man didn't stop him, letting Jaden pass. Others would handle him down the line anyway.

His job was the opponent before him.

"Duel!"

[Joey, LP 4000]

[Sunglasses Man, LP 4000]

"I'll go first. Draw!" Joey said. "Heh, I've had some new ideas lately—perfect to test on you.

I summon 'The Black Stone of Legend'!"

[The Black Stone of Legend, ATK 0]

"The Black Stone of Legend's effect: tribute this card to Special Summon a Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from the Deck.

Come forth! Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

A high-pitched dragon's roar. A pillar of magma erupted and transformed into the domineering form of the black dragon.

[Red-Eyes Black Dragon, ATK 2400]

"The legendary Red-Eyes," the man sneered. "No matter how famous, it's just a 7-star vanilla."

"Not necessarily," Joey smiled mysteriously.

"Oh?"

"I activate the Spell Card 'Inferno Fire Blast'! When you control Red-Eyes Black Dragon, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK!"

[Red-Eyes Black Dragon, ATK 2400]

The man frowned. "Opening with a massive hit for Red-Eyes' ATK…"

"It's not over. I chain the Quick-Play Spell 'Serial Spell'—discard my entire hand to copy the effect of the last activated Spell; this card's effect becomes the same as that Spell!"

"?"

Becomes the same as the previous Spell… Inferno Fire Blast?

"In other words, you're taking two Inferno Fire Blasts," Joey grinned. "Twice Red-Eyes' ATK in damage!"

"…"

N-n-n-nani!?

His eyes bulged so hard his sunglasses slid down his nose.

Wait—

It's not even my turn yet. I haven't even played a card!

"Uwaaaaa—!"

[Sunglasses Man, LP 4000 → LP 0]

With a casual one-turn kill, Joey dusted off his hands.

"Next?"

Chapter 794: Duels of the Gladiators

"Hold it, kid."

Jaden took a few steps further in, and as expected, someone appeared to block his path, flashing a duel disk.

"It won't be so easy to see Lord Mello."

"I figured."

Jaden showed not a hint of discouragement—he looked impatient, even. He snapped his duel disk open.

"Come on! Let's talk with a duel!"

"Heh, a straightforward guy," the Society member chuckled.

"Duel!" x2

"I'll go first. Draw!" the member said. "I summon 'Berserk Gorilla'!"

[Berserk Gorilla, ATK 2000]

"Oh, starting with a 2000-ATK beater? Not bad," Jaden said cheerfully. "My turn.

I summon 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman'!"

[Elemental HERO Bubbleman, ATK 800]

"When Bubbleman is successfully summoned and you control no other cards, draw 2 cards from your Deck."

"Then I activate Polymerization! I fuse 'Elemental HERO Avian' in my hand with 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman' on the field!

Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Mariner!"

[Elemental HERO Mariner, ATK 1400]

The opponent immediately laid on the taunt: "After all that for a fusion with only 1400 ATK… trash."

"My HEROes aren't trash," Jaden smiled confidently. "I activate the Equip Spell 'Mage Power' and equip it to Mariner.

For each Spell/Trap on my field, the equipped monster gains 500 ATK."

"Then I set one card to my back row.

Next I activate the Equip Spell 'Assault Armor'!"

A new equip appeared, like a burning energy cuirass overlaying Mariner. It's a GX-era Spell; though not specifically tied to HERO or Neo-Spacian, its art depicts a powering-up Neos.

"When you control exactly 1 Warrior-Type monster, equip to that monster; it gains 300 ATK.

I now have three Spell/Trap cards total in my back row, so Mage Power gives another 1500 ATK."

[Elemental HERO Mariner, ATK 3200]

"ATK jumps to 3200?" The Society member's face finally changed.

"And Mariner's effect—when there's at least one face-down card in my back row, it can attack directly!"

"NANI!?" His face went pale.

A 3200 direct attack…

"But even so, the Light in my heart can endure—"

"No, it can't," Jaden cut in mercilessly. "Before that, I'll activate Assault Armor's other effect.

Send the equipped card to the GY; this turn, the equipped monster can attack twice during one Battle Phase."

"!?"

Two attacks? Then that means…

[Elemental HERO Mariner, ATK 3200 → ATK 2400]

"Mariner, direct attack!" Jaden swept his hand. "Double strike!"

The anchor-like weapon on Mariner's forearm shot out on its chain, piercing straight through the man's chest.

"Guwaaah!"

[Society Member, LP 4000 → LP 0]

The man in white collapsed to his knees, feeling as though an enormous, distorted shadow of darkness loomed behind the red-clad youth—an insurmountable mountain.

OTK.

Too much. I didn't even get to play a card…

Jaden cheerfully stepped over the fallen, unconscious man, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

"Alright, who's next? I can't wait."

…

Top floor. In the office, Mello narrowed his eyes slightly, took a sip of red wine, then slowly stood, speaking as if to himself.

"Have your friends make a feint to draw attention so you can slip straight in here yourself?"

He spoke toward an empty patch of air.

"Is that really wise? You've thrown your friends into the thick of the siege."

"It's fine. They'll have fun."

From some shadow in the room, Kira stepped out at a leisurely pace, smiling.

"Your underlings aren't much, but there sure are a lot of them. Cutting my way through would take time—especially since I didn't know if you'd try to run. So…"

"Ha!"

Mello gave a dry laugh.

"No need to worry—I'm not running anymore."

He stood, his eyes turning dangerous.

"At least not until I rid myself of the nuisance that is you."

"Good. I was counting on you saying that." Kira stepped forward. "You kidnapped President Pegasus and borrowed his power—the deck you've built must be quite refined, right?"

"Well, you can see for yourself," Mello said with a faint smile. "I promise you won't be disappointed."

"We'll see. I'm looking forward to it."

They took their positions on opposite sides of the room.

"Duel!" x2

[Kira, LP 4000]

[Mello, LP 4000]

"I'll go first. Draw," Mello said. "I summon 'Gladiator Beast Samnite' in Attack Position!"

A white, upright tiger, a Gladiator Beast warrior bearing a heavy shield, appeared on the field and let out a deep roar.

[Gladiator Beast Samnite, ATK 1600]

"Then I set two cards and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Kira said. "The power of Roman gladiators—just what I wanted to experience.

I activate the Continuous Spell 'Volcanic Wall'!"

The ground split under roaring flames; a wall of fire shot skyward, forming a rampart like a great wall guarding Kira.

Though it never got a physical print, it appears in the classic Power of Chaos PC games and in Duel Links.

"Volcanic Wall: once per turn, send the top three cards of your Deck to the GY. For each Pyro monster among them, inflict 500 damage to your opponent."

In the single-player games, its effect matches the anime; in Duel Links, with 4000 LP format, burn values were often halved as a balance measure.

Kira milled three cards, then fanned them to show.

"Two Pyros—deal 1000 damage."

The wall of fire roared in approval; two flames shot out one after the other and exploded in Mello's face.

[Mello, LP 4000 → LP 3000]

"Volcanics," Mello frowned slightly.

Yet another deck not in the Duel King's prior records—but he knew this one liked to switch decks anyway.

Was he underestimating me—using me to test a new build?

Or… is this chosen specifically to counter me?

Chapter 795: No Head-On Fights

"Then I activate the Spell 'Soul of Fire'!" Kira said. "Your opponent draws 1 card to activate it.

Banish 1 Pyro monster from your Deck; inflict damage equal to half that monster's ATK."

An original card Axel used against Jaden—choose a high-ATK Pyro and you can chunk the opponent's LP. It also got an early physical print.

"More burn?"

Mello frowned.

There hadn't even been any battle yet. If he let this through, in a single turn his LP could be burned down to the danger zone.

Volcanics—planning to win by direct burn?

A spark flashed in Mello's mind. He suddenly realized why the opponent had picked this deck for their showdown.

Gladiator Beasts all share a defining trait: "After battling, return to the Deck to summon a comrade from the Deck," and when those comrades are Special Summoned this way, they trigger all sorts of effects.

The prerequisite for everything is "after battle."

As long as monsters battle, the Gladiator Beast engine spins up, pulling whatever resources are needed to handle any situation and seize total control of the field.

And since their effects trigger "when returned to the Deck," they go back to the Deck rather than the GY, giving good resistance even to macro-banish effects like Dimensional Fissure/Macro Cosmos.

They can even slot in the classic floodgate packages and have done so in top builds. With top-tier engine flow, resource efficiency, strong offense and sustain, excellent synergy with heavy backrow, and resilience against mainstream floodgates, "Dimensional Gladiator" variants leveraging banish/fissure systems have been meta contenders.

Their native strength plus compatibility with stun is a big part of why they took a world championship.

But what if your opponent simply refuses to battle you?

"Trying to neuter Gladiator Beasts by avoiding combat. Interesting," Mello chuckled. "Clever idea, but Gladiators aren't so easily handled.

I activate my set card, the Counter Trap 'Disarm'!

Return a 'Gladiator Beast' card from my hand to the Deck; negate the activation of a Spell and destroy it!"

The set card flipped up. A beam of counter energy lanced out and struck Kira's Spell.

"Your Spell's activation is negated!"

"Fair enough," Kira didn't mind. "Then I'll activate this Spell—

—Continuous Spell 'Blaze Accelerator'!"

A massive steel cannon crashed onto Kira's field, its menacing barrel aimed straight at Mello.

"Blaze Accelerator: send a Pyro monster with 500 or less ATK from your hand to the GY to destroy one monster your opponent controls."

Kira revealed a card from his hand, then sent it to the GY.

"I send the 100-ATK Pyro 'Volcanic Shell' from my hand to the GY.

Ammo loaded—fire!"

The tiny Pyro shell, wreathed in flames, became a round fed into the cannon's chamber. The cannon charged; flames roared; the shell blasted forth as a fireball, punching straight through the Gladiator Beast's heavy shield and incinerating the tiger warrior entirely.

Mello clicked his tongue.

He'd prepared ways to prevent battle destruction—but only that. And even if a trap could negate effect destruction, it still wouldn't trigger Gladiator Beast effects—those only trigger after battling.

Volcanics are a deck built around popping monsters and burning LP. And cards like Blaze Accelerator—and the earlier burn Spell—often include a clause like "monsters you control cannot attack this turn."

Clearly, the entire deck has almost no plan to fight head-on.

"Volcanic Shell's effect," Kira continued. "While in the GY, once per turn, pay 500 LP to add another 'Volcanic Shell' from your Deck to your hand."

[Kira, LP 4000 → LP 3500]

The ghost of Volcanic Shell flickered in the GY, turned into a flame, and flew into Kira's Deck. The Deck inside the duel disk seemed to ignite, and a card popped up for Kira to draw.

A second Volcanic Shell.

Mello's expression cooled further.

Blaze Accelerator's effect is: discard a Pyro with 500 or less ATK from hand to pop an opponent's monster. Volcanic Shell fits perfectly, and it can fetch another copy from the Deck. In other words, endless ammunition.

No wonder it's called "Volcanic Shell"—it's literally the deck's shell.

Moreover, Blaze Accelerator's effect is not "once per turn." As long as you have ammo in hand, you can fire as many times as you like in a turn.

Meaning next turn, Kira can discard that Shell to pop a monster. Then use the Shell in the GY to search another Shell, discard the new Shell to pop again. Next turn the cannon can pop at least two monsters.

Destroy the monster line entirely with effects, then burn the duelist directly…

Mello bared his teeth. This was getting tricky.

Is this guy really planning to go the entire duel without engaging in battle?

"I set one card and end my turn," Kira said.

Mello's eyes narrowed further.

As expected—he hadn't even summoned a monster.

Mello took a deep breath.

Fine. Let's see how long you can run.

"My turn. Draw!"

He glanced at his hand and slapped down a card.

"Spell Card 'Spellbook from the Pot'—we both draw three cards." (Manga card)

Mello drew, then slammed a Normal Summon.