"What?"
The moment Called by the Grave appeared, Ghost Belle's expression shifted instantly into one of pure terror.
The handtrap killer, Called by the Grave.
Because the prerequisite for using most handtraps was to discard them into the Graveyard, Called by the Grave which targeted monsters in the Graveyard was devastatingly effective. Furthermore, in the OCG environment, handtraps had become a standard staple for almost every deck. Consequently, Called by the Grave had also become a card that nearly every player ran at maximum capacity.
It wasn't hard to understand why Ghost Belle looked so horrified.
A green hand surged out from the card and plunged into the Graveyard. Under Ghost Belle's shocked gaze, it seized her card. As the green hand vanished, her card slowly dissipated along with it.
"Due to the effect of Called by the Grave, you cannot use that card's effect until the end of the next turn," Jaden Yuki said with a small smile. "And according to the effect of Destiny HERO - Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer, he will reappear on my field next turn."
The crimson lotus flames roared back to life. Without Ghost Belle's interference, the fire seemed even more vigorous this time.
"Ugh, damn it..." Ghost Belle's previously calm demeanor had turned incredibly grim. "A HERO player carrying Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer..."
"A HERO deck with Phoenix Enforcer AND Called by the Grave... Ugh..."
The resentment in her eyes deepened as she muttered under her breath, the black mist surrounding her growing denser.
"Be careful, Jaden. This brat is actually fuming," Yubel said, crossing her arms as she watched the black energy surging around Ghost Belle.
"Yeah, I know," Jaden replied. "But her field is completely empty now; there's no reason to be afraid of her anymore. Besides, I haven't even used my Normal Summon yet."
Jaden waved his hand, and a purple light immediately illuminated the field.
"Come forth, Vision HERO Vyon!"
"Because of Vyon's effect, when this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send one HERO monster from my deck to the Graveyard!"
"I choose..." Jaden paused for a moment. He knew that the monster sent to the Graveyard would essentially be a sacrifice. "Elemental HERO Shadow Mist!"
After sending Shadow Mist to the Graveyard, Jaden clenched his fist. "Then, when Shadow Mist is sent to the Graveyard, I can add one HERO monster from my deck to my hand! I'm adding Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier!"
Jaden drew the card from his deck. "Next, I activate Vyon's second effect. By banishing Elemental HERO Shadow Mist from my Graveyard, I can add one Fusion spell from my deck to my hand!"
Vyon's mechanical, flashlight-like eye emitted a purple beam. Under its glow, Shadow Mist gradually vanished from the Graveyard, and a brand-new card materialized in Jaden's hand.
"Polymerization... the most important card in a HERO deck," Ghost Ogre murmured to herself as she watched.
Even though Jaden seemed to have the upper hand, this duel wouldn't be won easily with just low-level HEROes. To win, Fusion was absolutely essential.
"Because of the limitations of the GX Era, without Link 2 monsters like Xtra HERO Cross Crusader and Xtra HERO Wonder Driver, the HERO deck isn't at its peak yet," Ghost Ogre analyzed seriously, rubbing her chin.
"Its resource management and swarming capabilities aren't truly terrifying yet. Jaden is forced to make these somewhat inefficient resource trades just to compensate for the deck's shortcomings."
"Hey, what do you mean by that? Isn't Jaden doing great?" Kosuke Kunizaki asked nervously. His life was riding on Jaden winning this; he couldn't afford for him to lose.
"Aren't you a duelist? I remember you play HEROes too, right?" Ghost Ogre blinked at Kosuke, studying him. "How can you not understand how HEROes work?"
"Wh-What! My HERO deck isn't nearly this flashy, okay!" Kosuke shouted, his face turning red. Then, he looked at her in surprise. "Wait, how did you know I'm a duelist and that I use a HERO deck?"
"..."
Ghost Ogre didn't answer. She turned her attention back to Jaden. She was a bit worried. Although Fusion Destiny allowed for a Fusion Summon using materials from the deck, it came with a very heavy restriction. Once used, the player could only Special Summon DARK attribute HERO monsters for the rest of the turn.
However, many Elemental HERO Fusion monsters had diverse attributes. Specifically, Elemental HERO Sunrise a powerful card that acted as a bridge by searching Miracle Fusion and granting the deck OTK potential was a LIGHT attribute monster. Because of Fusion Destiny's restriction, it couldn't be summoned.
Therefore, it was impossible to defeat Ghost Belle this turn. Ghost Belle knew this very well, which was why despite her anger, she remained unconcerned.
"I fuse Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier in my hand with Vision HERO Vyon on the field."
Jaden was well aware of the situation, so he wasn't looking for an OTK. He needed to play the long game. He had to drag this out until his next turn.
Vyon and Liquid Soldier leaped into the vortex of Fusion. As the light faded, a hero clad in black scale armor appeared on Jaden's field.
*Vision HERO Adoration*
*Level: 8*
*ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2100*
Adoration? Why is The Supreme King running that card? Ghost Ogre was a little surprised.
"Come to think of it, The Supreme King's HERO deck feels unexpectedly clunky..." she muttered. "He hasn't even looked at the remaining three cards in his hand."
Rubbing her chin, Ghost Ogre cautiously floated behind Jaden. "Let me see what cards you're actually hiding, Supreme King..."
When she saw the three cards in Jaden's hand, her eyes went wide.
"No... no way?"
"He actually put cards like that in his deck?"
"Wh-What kind of HERO are you supposed to be, Supreme King?!"
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