Elf Dimension, somewhere.
The night was like ink, with the dim moonlight shrouding the dense forest. The man in black hood silently moved through, his figure blending into the shadows as if merging with the shrubs.
He arrived at the entrance of a cave covered in thick vines, with just a dim light shimmering from within. The man in black slightly bowed his head and entered the cave.
A cold wind blew from deep within the cave, accompanied by a sound like wailing. The environment was initially dark and silent, but as he ventured deeper, he seemed to faintly hear a noisy uproar, as well as the sounds of fighting and arguing.
It was a swarm of insects.
In an open space, insects of various forms were engaged in a chaotic brawl. Some were as large as gigantic beetles, while others flew swiftly among the swarm, relying on their small and agile bodies. Roars and crashes echoed, causing the cave walls to tremble slightly. They tore at each other with fangs and claws, each attack accompanied by splashes of bodily fluids and shattered shells.
This was the insect nest.
The boss had been gone for a while, and the Beetle Armored Knight was defeated, leaving the entire nest leaderless. Now the remaining insects were fiercely battling over who would have the final say.
Then suddenly an insect noticed the man in black appearing at the entrance.
"The scent of the Human Race!"
"Human Race? Here?"
"Seeking death!"
The swarm immediately paused their internal conflict and rush towards the man in black, baring their teeth and claws as if they intended to tear him to shreds.
But the man in black merely raised his head calmly, his eyes under the hood emitting a cold green light. The mark of the Hexagram appeared on his forehead, as if a magical wheel was slowly turning...
Boom!
...
A few minutes later, the fighting in the cave had ended.
The insects lay sprawled all over the ground. Broken shells, bodily fluids, and blood mixed together, forming an eerie and bloody pattern.
The man stood in the center of the cave, coldly looking at the fallen insects, the light of the Hexagram glowing on his forehead, his black robe moving with an invisible wind.
Behind him, an enormously dark shadow was slowly dissipating, leaving behind traces of some kind of ghostly blue flames.
"Stop... stop, we're on the same side..." a mantis-like insect spoke, coughing up blood as it hurriedly begged for mercy.
"We didn't know it was the God's envoy who had arrived..."
The man in black coldly asked: "Is there a duelist from the Otherworld who has come to this dimension?"
Instantly, an insect nodded.
"Yes. I heard even the White Bone King's wife ran off with the opposing side, and then he himself defected as well..."
"That sounds like a rumor." Another insect couldn't help but interject, "That's too far-fetched."
"Absolutely true! My intelligence network is totally reliable."
...
The man in black gestured for them to be quiet, then continued coldly, "Where has your leader gone?"
The insects looked embarrassed.
"Uh, the boss heard the White Bone King was overthrown by someone and said he was going to check them out..."
"And then?"
"...then he still hasn't returned."
The man was silent, as if in thought.
The mantis insect cautiously asked, "Honored envoy, do you think... since the boss is gone, do we maybe need a new deputy? Maybe I could..."
The man glared coldly at it, and the mantis immediately recoiled, not daring to speak further.
"One last question."
The man's eyes glinted with green as he asked in a deep voice.
"...Is there a Phoenix God Ruins in this dimension?"
...
...
Elf Dimension, camp.
"Come, come, line up if you want to practice dueling."
Judai smiled brightly.
"One at a time, no need to rush. There's something for everyone..."
...
The moment Yugen heard that Judai actually guided elves in card games, he couldn't hold back anymore, expressing that such an interesting matter couldn't happen without him.
So he began to gather elves interested in learning dueling from the Otherworld hero for some training...
...
The warriors quickly discovered that the style of this hero was completely different from the one before.
If dueling with the previous one made people feel incapable and frustrated, unable to play the cards they wanted, this hero seemed to handle everything with ease, defusing any card or move with unexpected tactics.
For example, when a "Magic-guided Dark Merchant" monster spirit dueled with Judai.
Judai: "Activate Magic Card 'Fusion'! Triple fusion 'Bubble Hero', 'Wingman', and 'Lightning Hero'!
Appear, my strongest hero, 'Elemental Hero Storm'!"
[Elemental Hero Storm, Attack Power 2800]
Magic-guided Dark Merchant: "What!? Such a powerful monster with 2800 Attack Power... but as long as I have the 'Magic-guided Dark Merchant' on my field along with a Continuous Magic or Continuous Trap, I can't be destroyed by any method!"
[Magic-guided Dark Merchant, Defense Power 200]
"Now there's a Continuous Magic 'Dark Gate' on my field. During both battle phases, only one monster can attack. Even Storm won't break my defenses..."
"Don't be hasty." Judai confidently said, "Activate the Speed Attack Magic 'Fusion Dispel' set on the field! Dispel Storm's fusion, Special Summon 'Wingman', 'Bubble Hero', and 'Lightning Hero'!
Then activate the Magic Card 'Feather Scatter'! By forgoing other monster attacks this turn, Wingman can attack a number of times equal to the number of monsters on my field. Since I have three monsters, it can attack three times this turn!
Next, the Magic Card 'H-Heart of Fire'! Increase 'Elemental Hero Wingman' Attack Power by 500 points and gain the defense-piercing effect!"
[Elemental Hero Wingman, Attack Power 1500]
[Magic-guided Dark Merchant, Defense Power 200]
"What!?" Magic-guided Dark Merchant was shocked, "Three times attack with defense piercing..."
"Exactly! Go Wingman, Wing Scattering Triple Attack!"
Magic-guided Dark Merchant: "Aaaahhhh!!!"
[Magic-guided Dark Merchant, LP 0]
"Won!" Judai gestured happily, "What an interesting duel!"
Magic-guided Dark Merchant: ...
Yugen couldn't help but ponder watching it.
What to say...
Wing Shooting, a card that gives Wingman multiple attack capability, was one inexplicable part of the Elemental Hero package.
With Wingman's Attack Power only 1000, what use is consecutive attack?
Also, it allows a number of attacks equal to the number of monsters on his field, but sacrifices other monsters' attacking chances to Wingman...
Normally, it looks like an inexplicably useless card.
But as Judai put it, I activated it, you lost, do you have any objections?
Judai's training continued.
...
"Activate the Trap Card 'Golden Blade Hammer Strike'! Sacrifice 'Elemental Hero Golden Blade Hero' on my field, destroy one opponent's monster, and deal damage equal to its original Attack Power!"
...
"Activate the Counterattack Trap 'Wind of Wings'! With 'Elemental Hero Wingman' in face-up attack position on my field, negate and destroy the activation of Magic Trap Cards!"
Yugen: ...
Undeniably, although his Card Deck might seem full of hands-blocking useless cards, when truly dueled, with negations, explosive cards, and resistances, it actually seems quite thoughtful...
As to whether elves can learn any dueling secrets from this is uncertain.
Judai: Huh? Dueling? Isn't it just drawing the card you want to win?