"My turn, draw a card."
The Supreme King drew a card, glanced at it, and temporarily added it to his hand, then drew another card from his hand.
"Summon 'Keeper of Dragon Magic'. "
[Keeper of Dragon Magic, ATK 0 → ATK 1800]
"The effect of 'Keeper of Dragon Magic'. When summoned successfully, discard a card from your hand to add one 'Fusion' Normal Magic Card from the deck to your hand."
A card from the Supreme King's hand was swallowed by the Duel Disc, promptly followed by another card being ejected from the deck.
"Add the Magic Card 'Dark Fusion' to my hand."
Aigami caught a glimpse of the Magic Card during its brief exposure and secretly took note of it.
Dark Fusion?
A Fusion Card that's never been heard of before...
"Set a card facedown on the field." It was obvious that the Supreme King set the recently retrieved 'Dark Fusion' on the field. "Then activate the Magic Card 'Pot of Greed' from my hand. Both players draw cards from their decks until they have six cards in hand."
The Supreme King drew six cards at once and fanned them out in his hand. His golden eyes quickly scanned the new hand, and then he raised his gaze again, pointing at his monster on the field.
"The follow-up effect of 'Keeper of Dragon Magic'." he said, "Once per turn, reveal a Fusion Monster Card to the opponent, and you can Special Summon a Fusion Material Monster of that monster from the graveyard in facedown Defense Position."
The Supreme King revealed a Fusion Monster Card.
"I'm revealing 'Evil Hero Inferno Wing'. According to 'Keeper of Dragon Magic's' effect, I'll Special Summon the Fusion Material 'Elemental Hero Featherman' from the graveyard in facedown Defense Position."
Evil Hero Inferno Wing essentially corresponds to the classic "Flame Wingman" among the Elemental Heroes, with everything from its stats to monster effect and fusion conditions identical.
Though strangely enough, while Flame Wingman was clearly a guy, somehow, upon turning evil, it became a girl...
Keeper of Dragon Magic swung the spear in its hand, opening a dark vortex at its side. The winged hero soared out, briefly making an appearance before reverting to a card in facedown mode on the field.
The outermost part of the Supreme King's Duel Disc popped up an additional slot.
"Field Magic 'Supreme King Castle', activate!"
In a tone that brooked no argument, the Field Magic was inserted into that slot and absorbed into the Duel Disc. A powerful dark force erupted centered on the Supreme King, rapidly transforming the terrain from the other dimension.
Serpentine roads stretched out like snakes, and a massive castle rose abruptly toward the sky. Ominous dark clouds shrouded the towering castle, and hellish karmic fires burned below its suspended bridges.
Supreme King Castle, a domain ruled by the Otherworldly King.
"Flip over the set card." The Supreme King flipped open the card he had just set, "Magic Card - Dark Fusion. Send Fusion Material Monsters from your hand or the field to the graveyard to Fusion Summon a Fiend-Type Monster.
I'll fuse 'Elemental Hero Featherman' set on the field and 'Elemental Hero Burstinatrix' from my hand.
The fusion materials are 'Elemental Hero Featherman' and 'Elemental Hero Burstinatrix'. Dark Fusion!
Ignite the entire world with hellfire—
——Summon Evil Hero Inferno Wing!"
It's still the quintessential fusion of the hardworking couple, Featherman and Burstinatrix, but the aura is completely different from before. What emerged from the elemental vortex was no longer a vibrant hero of hope, but rather a dark and evil body steeped in gloom and despair.
The hero took to the air, spreading devilish wings as if stained by ink. Her dark goggles covered most of her face, and even the fiery whirlwind she stirred upon soaring was cold and bleak.
[Evil Hero Inferno Wing, ATK 0 → ATK 2100]
"The power of the Elemental Heroes combined into an evil heart?" Aigami frowned, "I've never heard of such a hero before..."
"Battle." The Supreme King declared, "Evil Hero Inferno Wing, attack 'Buster Gundil the Cubic Behemoth'.
"Attacking with a weaker monster?" Aigami wondered.
Could this Evil Hero be hiding a special ability?
This wicked female hero gave him a very uneasy feeling, a kind of instinctual urge driving him to seize this opportunity to counterattack.
"...Quick-Play Magic 'Shrink'!" Aigami opted to flip the set card at this moment, "Choose one monster on the field, its attack becomes half its current ATK until the end of the turn!
I'll halve the Attack of 'Evil Hero Inferno Wing'!"
The real card's "Dark Fusion" monsters cannot be targeted by effects for the turn they are summoned, but in the anime, it says, "The summoned monster won't be destroyed by effects this turn," so the Shrink effect works here.
[Evil Hero Inferno Wing, ATK 2100 → ATK 1050]
"The effect of the Field Magic 'Supreme King Castle'." The Supreme King seemed completely unfazed by this change, continuing as if nothing had happened, "During a battle involving a Fiend-Type Monster, send an 'Evil Hero' Monster from the deck to the graveyard, and until the end of the turn, that monster's attack increases by the sent monster's level times 200 points."
Another card popped out from the Supreme King's deck.
"I'll send the Level 5 'Evil Hero Sinister Necrom' from the deck to the graveyard," said the Supreme King, "Increasing Inferno Wing's attack by 1000 points."
Aigami understood.
The Quick-Play Magic 'Shrink' can only be used prior to the start of damage calculation when monsters on both sides battle, and the effect of 'Supreme King Castle' activates during damage calculation.
So had he hesitated earlier, ignoring his instincts and failing to promptly use 'Shrink,' the attack of Inferno Wing boosted by Supreme King Castle's effect would have reached 3100.
If that happened, Buster Gundil the Cubic Behemoth wouldn't stand a chance against Inferno Wing.
But right now...
[Evil Hero Inferno Wing, ATK 1050 → ATK 2050]
"Heh, it appears I am one skill ahead after all." Aigami chuckled faintly, "Your attack declaration can no longer be stopped, and the power of the Cubic Beast will crush your hero.
According to the rules of Dimension Duel, you will take damage equal to the attack of the destroyed monster—2050 points.
This battle is over!"
But the Supreme King...still showed no reaction.
He only quietly drew another card from his hand.
"Quick-Play Magic - Forbidden Scripture."
The Magic Card appeared, and a forbidden tome hovered in the air. The pages turned slowly, and a torrent of magic energy erupted like a storm, wielding supreme authority and power, negating all other card effects like countless unseen, untouchable magic chains—the existence of everything in the world could not escape its binding.
"Forbidden Scripture nullifies all card effects other than itself during the damage calculation step of the battle between monsters," said the Supreme King coldly, "And during this battle, both monsters must utilize their original ATK and DEF values!"
"What!?" Aigami was stunned, "N-no, the Cubic monster's original attack power... "
[Evil Hero Inferno Wing, ATK 2050 → ATK 2100]
[Buster Gundil the Cubic Behemoth, ATK 3000 → ATK 0]
At that moment, Aigami realized with a start.
The effect of 'Supreme King Castle' just now wasn't to raise the attack of Inferno Wing.
He just wanted to send 'Sinister Necrom' from the deck to the graveyard to gain more resources.
Indeed. With Evil Hero Sinister Necrom in the graveyard, by removing this card from the game, any Evil Hero except for Sinister Necrom can be Special Summoned from the hand or deck.
"Continue the battle," said the Supreme King, "Evil Hero Inferno Wing, unleash the Inferno Blast!"
The hero's talons sliced the air, casting a cold flame as hellfire burst from that claw with imposing might, tearing through the body of the Cubic monster.
The imposing colossal Cubic monster was entirely powerless under the tome's seal. The claw cut through its body as if through tofu, and the cold flames turned it to ash.
Aigami crossed his arms in defense, shielding himself from the storm and vortex, feeling his body weight vanish and sensing the air's oppressive force almost sweeping him off his feet.
"In 'Dimension Duel,' players take damage equal to the attack power of the destroyed monster, but as 'Cubic Beast' was destroyed with 0 attack, the damage is 0."
The Supreme King calmly gazed at Aigami, his tone as cold and empty as if stating an insignificant fact.
"Inferno Wing's effect can cause damage equivalent to the higher of the opposing destroyed monster's ATK or DEF. But again, since both its attack and defense were zero when 'Cubic Beast' was destroyed, no damage applies either."
He paused, then slowly said, "Looks like you just barely saved your skin."