Nephthys Phoenix God, summon!
Even Yugen could sense that although the summoned Phoenix God had a certain power fluctuation, it was more from the energy Sher recently absorbed from the statue. That card still didn't have a spirit residing in it.
However, in this world, all non-pirated and non-knockoff Duel Monster Cards possess a certain amount of extraordinary attributes even without a spirit inhabiting them.
The monsters summoned by each card, and the spirits can be roughly seen as projections and their true form, which to some extent can be considered as extensions of the spirit.
Sometimes when a duelist invests a lot of emotion into a card, it's possible to naturally attract the true spirit to reside in it.
So, it is possible for an ordinary card to suddenly become an Elf Card.
"As long as the 'Orichalcos Barrier' exists on the field, all my monsters have their attack power increased by 500 points," Sher said, "Therefore, the attack power of the 'Nephthys Phoenix God' increases."
[Nephthys Phoenix God, Attack Power 2400→Attack Power 2900]
Judai stared at the Phoenix God, with a green light mark on its forehead, frowning for a long time before he couldn't help but say, "Can't you feel that your monster is crying in misery?"
"So what if I hear it, so what if I don't?" Sher said coldly, "A duelist only needs to consider victory. The result of trust is nothing but betrayal, in the end, a duelist can only trust themselves."
"That's not right..."
Judai wanted to argue more, but was interrupted by Sher, "Why don't you guys defeat me first before saying anything. Next, I'll activate the Magic Card 'Nephthys' Hope'!
Select a 'Nephthys' card on my field and a card on yours for destruction.
I'll destroy 'Nephthys Phoenix God' and your 'Elemental Hero Mudball'!"
The Phoenix God exploded in flames, transforming into a fiery bird rushing towards Mudball Man, together they turned to ashes in the blazing flames.
The aftermath swept in, Judai raised his arm to shield his face: "Uh, sacrificing your own monster for mutual destruction..."
Sher said, "Set a card face-down, ending my turn."
Yugen: "Then my turn, draw a card.
The effect of 'Thunder Dragon' in my hand, discard this card from my hand to add up to two 'Thunder Dragon' cards from the deck to my hand."
He added two cards to his hand and immediately played another card from his hand.
"Magic Card 'Handwriting Erasure', both players discard all cards in their hand, then draw the same number from the deck."
Hand cards were exchanged, accumulating a massive amount of light and dark resources in the graveyard at once.
"Then I'll remove the Dark Attribute 'Apprentice Magician' and the Light Attribute 'Thunder Dragon' from play! Master of Light and Dark Power, descend now—
—Chaos Wizard, summon!"
Beams of light and dark intersected in mid-air, merging into a vortex. Chaos energy erupted, gradually forming a humanoid figure, the Chaos Wizard spun into the scene.
[Chaos Wizard, Attack Power 2300]
"Such chaotic power, Duel Academy students really have some remarkable cards," Sher said coldly, "Then I'll activate a set card, Trap Card - Torrential Burial!
When a monster is summoned, destroy all monsters on the field!"
The trap card flipped, an azure tide swept across the field. Chaos Wizard, just summoned, was shattered into light particles in the rushing torrent.
Judai: "Ah, Yugen's Chaos Wizard was just..."
"Doesn't matter," Yugen said, "Then I'll use the effect of 'Deceitful Mage' in my hand, by discarding a card, I can Special Summon this card directly."
He sent a card from his hand to the graveyard, and the summoning array opened, revealing a mage with a question mark on its head.
[Deceitful Mage, Attack Power 2000]
"The card just discarded to the graveyard was a Speed Attack Magic 'Silent Magic Burst'."
Yugen retrieved this Magic Card from the graveyard.
"By removing 'Silent Magic Burst' from play, I can add a 'True Silent Magician' from the deck to my hand," Yugen said, "True Silent can be Special Summoned by sacrificing a Mage Race monster on the field.
I'll sacrifice the 'Deceitful Mage' of the Mage Race on the field!
The wings of silence holding hope, Light Magician, appear now—
—True Silent Magician, summon!"
The figure of the Deceitful Mage dissolved within the summoning array, and the white-robed mage rotated, stepping onto the Light Array, with a Magic Staff twirling lightly in hand.
[True Silent Magician, Attack Power 1000]
"The attack power of Silent Magician increases by 500 times the number of cards in my hand," Yugen said, "I have three cards in my hand, so its attack power increases by 1500!"
[True Silent Magician, Attack Power 1000→Attack Power 2500]
"Silent Magician, direct attack! Silent Magic Burst!"
The vortex of light gathers at the tip of the magic staff, transforming into a luminous sphere that explodes in Sher's face. Doma's swordsman staggers, stepping back half a step, but surprisingly remains unfazed under the onslaught of tangible light magic.
[Sher, LP 8000→LP 5500]
Judai punches the air: "Great! Such a substantial damage!"
"Not bad."
Sher flexed his neck joint.
Yugen drew three more cards from his hand.
"I'll set three cards face-down on the field and end my turn."
"It seems you all aren't ordinary students, so I should take this a bit more seriously." Sher squints his eyes, "My turn, draw a card.
As we enter the preparation phase, first activate the effect of the 'Nephthys Phoenix God' destroyed last turn.
This card was destroyed and sent to the graveyard by a card effect, the next preparation phase can special summon from the graveyard."
Sher raises his arm.
"The Phoenix will be reborn and will burn everything with its scorching flames—
—Phoenix God Nephthys, revive!"
A spiraling pillar of fire rises to the sky, golden shining wings unfold. Nephthys Phoenix God, reborn in nirvana!
[Nephthys' Phoenix God, Attack Power 2400→Attack Power 2900]
"Moreover, the moment of rebirth, the follow-up effect of the Phoenix God is also triggered." Sher shouted, "When Phoenix God is special summoned by its own effect, all magic and trap cards on the field are destroyed!"
Phoenix God lets out a shrill cry, it spreads its wings erupting a storm of dancing flames, transforming into a blazing tornado that sweeps across the entire field!
"What a powerful ability," Judai said, "but this also means your own field will be destroyed..."
"The effect of 'Orichalcos Barrier' can't be negated, once activated it can't leave the field in any form." Sher said coldly, "At the end of this battle only one of our souls will become a sacrifice.
So only your cover cards will be destroyed."
He waved his arm, sweeping over the four face-down cards on Yugen and Judai's field.
"So you should destroy all your cover cards for me!"
The phoenix's flames swept across Yugen and Judai's entire field, four cover cards were blown up simultaneously. At a glance, he saw two 'Divine Protective Shield - Reflective Mirror Force' face-down!
"Hmm?" Yugen and Judai exchanged glances.
It was clear one was set by Yugen, one was Judai's.
"Haha, sometimes everyone's card choices are quite similar." Judai scratched his head.
In the original series, Judai also used Divine Shield. Moreover, in the early duel with Titan, we saw Judai drew two Divine Shields among the six cards. Across Yu-Gi-Oh! animation history, he is the only one...
"It's a pity our traps didn't get a chance to come into play..." Judai regretted.
"Not necessarily." Yugen smiled.
Flames swept through, and three of the cover cards spun several times and then returned back covered.
"What?" Sher frowned, "Why weren't they destroyed by Phoenix God's effect?"
"Because one of the cards I set was the trap card 'Fake Trap'."
Yugen pointed to a trap card spinning in mid-air.
"When you activate an effect to destroy all trap cards on your field, you can destroy this card instead and none of the others will be destroyed."
If it was a real card game, the opponent could verify the cards being reset face-down, but in this world, you can't just walk over and flip the opponent's backfield cards. Sher could only glimpse that there were two Divine Shields in the opponent's cover cards from the dramatic animation effect.
"Wow, worthy of being Academy's trap master, Yugen already foresaw the backfield being cleared?" Judai laughed.
"Two Reflective Mirror Forces, truly a fortress-like array." Sher said, "Now during preparation phase, there's another effect to resolve. The card destroyed last turn by 'Nephthys Guardian' was 'Nephthys' Narrator.
Narrator was sent to the graveyard destroyed by effect, the next preparation phase, a 'Nephthys' card can be added back to the hand."
A card pops from the grave, Sher draws it to his hand.
"I return the Magic Card 'Nephthys' Hope' to my hand."
Judai: "Ah, that troublesome magic again..."
"Magic Card 'Nephthys' Hope' activates."
Sher again plays the retrieved magic card, its image appears before him erupting bright flames.
"Destroy a 'Nephthys' card on your field and a card on your opponent's field!"