"My turn!" HellKing shouted. "Draw!"
"At this moment," Luna interrupted, "the effect of Angel of Zera activates in the banished zone! Return to the field, Angel of Zera!"
"A stubborn angel," HellKing remarked, almost laughing. "But he's not the problem here. I activate the Spell card Red Dragon Vase! Since I control 'Red Dragon Archfiend,' I can draw two cards, but I cannot Normal or Special Summon for the rest of this turn. Not that I need to. Next, I activate Scarlet Security! Every Spell and Trap on your field is destroyed!"
"I chain my facedown, Jar of Greed!" Luna countered. "This lets me draw one card before your effect resolves!"
"Now your Sanctuary is gone, and you'll feel every bit of my dragon's power! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Absolute Powerforce! During battle, Red Dragon gains 1000 ATK, you cannot activate effects, and any battle damage is doubled! Go, Red Dragon Archfiend! Attack Master Hyperion! Absolute Powerforce!" (Red Dragon Archfiend: 3000 → 4000 ATK | Luna: 4000 → 1400 LP). "I end my turn."
"My move! Draw!"
Three cards in hand, Luna thought. It's not enough. "I activate the Spell Pot of Greed! I draw two more cards!"
Four! Now I have what I need!
"I Normal Summon The Agent of Mystery - Earth (1000/800)! Its effect lets me add one 'The Agent' monster from my deck to my hand. I choose The Agent of Miracles - Jupiter."
"HellKing!" Luna shouted. "You'll regret only keeping one monster in your Extra Deck! I tune Level 2 The Agent of Mystery - Earth with Level 8 Angel of Zera! Synchro Summon!"
"A Level 10 monster?" HellKing was stunned.
"That's right," Alex said, staring at the masked man. "The story is working, Leo. If Red Dragon Archfiend is the King of Hell, then the Ruler of Heaven is about to arrive!"
"Rise, Ascension Sky Dragon ( ? / 3000)!" Luna cried. "When this card is Synchro Summoned, its original ATK becomes the number of cards in my hand times 1000! I have four cards, so Ascension Sky Dragon has 4000 Attack Points! It's time for you to lose!"
"That still isn't enough to finish me," HellKing growled.
"I know," Luna said. "That's why I brought reinforcements! I activate the Equip Spell Power of the Guardians! Every time the equipped monster battles, it gains a Spell Counter and 500 ATK! Go, Ascension Sky Dragon! Destroy Red Dragon Archfiend and bring me victory!" (Red Dragon Archfiend: 3000 ATK vs Sky Dragon: 4000 ATK | HellKing: 1300 → 0 LP).
HellKing collapsed as his Life Points hit zero. His mask shattered and fell to the ground. Luna and Alex watched in disbelief as an impossible transformation occurred: the duelist's long black hair shortened and turned chestnut, his white coat shifted into a standard Academy uniform, and the dark aura vanished.
There, lying unconscious before them, was Leo.
As Leo opened his eyes, he didn't look defeated. Instead, he let out a cheerful, boyish laugh. "I knew you could do it, Luna!"
"You have a lot of explaining to do!" Luna snapped, though her voice trembled with relief.
"No time," Leo said, quickly grabbing his Duel Disk and snapping it back onto his wrist. He handed Luna her deck. "I have to save my friend."
"Friend?" Luna and Alex asked in unison, completely baffled.
Leo didn't listen. He slotted his Elemental HERO deck into the disk, picked up the shattered mask, and tossed it into the air.
"Mask of Power! Release Red Dragon Archfiend!"
The mask didn't fall. It hovered in mid-air, and a thick, black mist erupted from it, taking the shape of HellKing—but this time, the figure was translucent and terrifyingly dark.
"You truly believe you can defeat me?" the apparition hissed, laughing.
"He's right," Alex whispered. "He's pure darkness, and he still has the power of the Red Dragon."
"And you," Luna added, looking at Leo, "you haven't won a single duel with those HEROes."
"I told you every deck tells a story," Leo said, his eyes locked on the specter. "But I didn't tell you the whole truth. A deck's story is bound to the duelist's heart. It's time for you to see the story of loyalty between me and Red Dragon Archfiend. My Elemental HEROes were chosen for one purpose: to save him. Until now, they had no reason to win. But now... it's time for my heroes to rescue the friend they were meant to protect!"
Luna and Alex were speechless. The spirit of the Mask laughed. "Loyalty? Don't be a fool. Red Dragon Archfiend represents Power and Destruction. He knows nothing of loyalty. He destroys everything—ally or foe alike. But I accept your challenge."
"DUEL!"