REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!Chapter 155: This Is a Real God!
"Finesse Wein, you actually had a HERO monster like that!"
The Soul Binder had done his research on Finesse Wein's deck through the organization's intelligence network before initiating the Dark Game. Destiny HERO - Bloo-D was a card she had never once used in an actual duel. His assessment had placed her as the weakest HERO duelist currently active, and yet here she was, absorbing an Earthbound God in the middle of a Riding Duel.
As Bloo-D absorbed the blue-black giant, the city-burning flame course that Ccapac Apu had created began to fade with it.
Karl, who had been following the duel course from outside its perimeter in his sports car, saw the fire starting to die and floored the accelerator, engine roaring as he pushed through into the course.
"Are you all right, Finesse?!"
"I'm fine, Karl!"
"Karl?"
His little sister, even during the worst stretch after she had first been brought back to the estate, had always called him nii-san. What was with the first-name address today?
But the name question was secondary. Looking up at Bloo-D's wide wingspan against the sky, Karl was genuinely taken aback by what the card had just done.
"So this is Finesse's HERO. It absorbed a god. Its ATK is even higher than Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
Finesse: "Yes! We have the god's power!"
Compared to Finesse's excitement, Amano was notably composed. Or rather, he was quietly concerned.
The Destiny HERO - Bloo-D that Finesse had obtained through the Fusion Academy used the anime-version effect set. The key difference from the real card was that the anime version could acquire the absorbed monster's effects. But without the dedicated support card D - Force, it could not do what the real card did: negate the effects of all opponent's Effect Monsters on the field.
There was also the matter of Bloo-D's other reputation.
The anime version carried what fans had come to call the "undefeated losing streak." Aster Phoenix, a duelist who had been evaluated by Dr. Vellian Crowler as one of the top five duelists in the world, had never won a single duel after adding Bloo-D to his deck.
He genuinely hoped that particular curse did not transfer to this world.
Amano pressed forward regardless.
"Because Bloo-D has absorbed the Earthbound God's effects, as long as a Field Spell is on the field, it cannot be affected by Spell or Trap effects and cannot be chosen as an attack target!"
Full Spell and Trap immunity, plus untargetable. If Finesse's deck had a copy of D - Force to go alongside it, negating all opponent Effect Monster effects would complete the defense profile nicely. Amano would have felt considerably more settled.
"Entering the Battle Phase!"
"Who said you could enter the Battle Phase?"
The Soul Binder cut off the declaration and simultaneously flipped his set card.
"Trap Card: Premature Return!"
PREMATURE RETURN
Trap Card: Target 1 "Earthbound God" monster in your graveyard. Special Summon that target. The monster Special Summoned by this effect cannot declare an attack this turn. Additionally, battle damage the opponent takes from battles involving this monster is reduced to 0.
Not Premature Burial, its famous cousin, but Premature Return, a trap specifically designed to revive Earthbound God monsters from the graveyard.
Finesse: "How? Didn't we absorb the Earthbound God?"
She was correct. Earthbound God Ccapac Apu had been absorbed by Bloo-D. But "absorbed" in this case did not mean sent to the graveyard. It meant equipped, with the Ccapac Apu card placed in the Spell and Trap Zone of Amano's D-Wheel field as an equip card.
The graveyard was empty of Ccapac Apu. But the Soul Binder had a second Earthbound God.
"Did you really think I only had one god to summon, Finesse Wein?"
The window for sending a second Earthbound God to the graveyard had been that one discard for Speed Spell - Rapid Accelerator. Two Speed Counters gained at the cost of one card from hand. The counter boost had been the incidental benefit. The real purpose had been sending the second god to the graveyard from hand.
In that same moment, the flames that had disappeared with Ccapac Apu reignited.
Against the dark night sky of Eden, a whale-shaped Earthbound God, its massive black body traced with pale blue markings, materialized above the burning city and released a shriek that tore across the entire mid-district.
"Sorrowful soul bound to the earth, let the flames of vengeance from a thousand years past burn once more!"
"I Special Summon in Defense Position: Earthbound God Ccarayhua!!"
EARTHBOUND GOD CCARAYHUA
DARK / Level 10
Fish / Effect
ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2400
If there is no face-up Field Spell on the field, this card's effects are negated and it is destroyed during the End Phase.
This card can attack the opponent directly.
The opponent cannot target this card for attacks.
This card is unaffected by the opponent's Spell and Trap effects.
Once per turn, inflict damage to the opponent equal to half this card's DEF. This card cannot attack during the turn this effect is activated.
As long as this card is in face-up Defense Position on the field, the opponent cannot conduct their Battle Phase.
Rin Seiya, still pressed against her windowsill staring at the sky, murmured to herself: "First Kiryu's Earthbound God, now Bommer's? I can't just stand here. I have to go see who is dueling."
Karl looked up at the enormous whale floating in the sky above the city as the Nazca flame lines reignited beneath it.
"A second Earthbound God! Why?! Why do you have to drag innocent people into this?!"
Karl's personal code of priorities centered on the people who mattered most to him. But that had never made him cold enough to watch uninvolved people be swept into darkness without reaction.
"Innocent?" The Soul Binder's voice turned derisive. "Nobody living in Eden qualifies for that word. Every last one of you is complicit in Eva's machinery. You're all just accessories to the mainframe."
He slammed the whale god's card down onto his D-Wheel field, placing it sideways in Defense Position.
Finesse: "Amano, even if the Earthbound God can't be attacked, Bloo-D absorbed the god's effects. That means it can attack the player directly!"
In a battle between two Earthbound Gods, yes, they could bypass each other's monsters and go face-to-face. That was the natural interaction.
But this particular whale god was different.
Amano had already tried to enter the Battle Phase after the Soul Binder's Special Summon. The attempt failed.
"That is Earthbound God Ccarayhua's effect," the Soul Binder announced.
As long as this card is in face-up Defense Position on the field, the opponent cannot conduct their Battle Phase.
The anime version of Bloo-D without D - Force could not negate opponent monster effects. And because this whale sitting in Defense Position was locking out the Battle Phase entirely, Amano's combat options were sealed.
"I end this turn! And at the End Phase, I activate Decider's effect to add one Destiny HERO monster from my graveyard to my hand. I add Destiny HERO - Diamond Dude!"
Amano's front field held Bloo-D carrying the Earthbound God's effects. His back row still had the one face-down that had not been used yet.
There was one tactical note worth holding: Ccarayhua had been Special Summoned by Premature Return, which carried the condition that battle damage the opponent receives from battles involving that monster is reduced to zero. Which meant even if the whale attacked over Bloo-D or went direct, no battle damage would land on Amano. A partial safeguard.
"My turn, draw!"
SOUL BINDER Speed Counters: 5 > 6
AMANO Speed Counters: 3 > 4
Both D-Wheels pushed faster across the burning dark course.
"Ha! You don't actually think that Ccarayhua can't deal damage, so you're safe, do you? Don't be naive, girl of heroes!"
The moment the Soul Binder drew his card, the laugh came from the D-Wheel ahead.
"I'm activating Earthbound God Ccarayhua to swallow your remaining LP whole, Finesse Wein!"
EARTHBOUND GOD CCARAYHUA: Once per turn, inflict damage to the opponent equal to half this card's DEF. This card cannot attack during the turn this effect is activated.
A burn effect traded in exchange for losing its attack for the turn. A perfect fit for a monster Special Summoned by Premature Return, since that restriction already prevented battle damage anyway.
"Ccarayhua's DEF is 2400. The effect deals you 1200 points of damage!"
FINESSE (AMANO REI) LP: 1000
"It's over! Receive the sorrowful cry of a thousand years and fall here!"
The whale's shriek intensified across the dark sky. Blue-green energy laser condensed at the points of its serrated teeth, locked onto the position of Amano's D-Wheel, and fired.
"TERMINUS SHOCKWAVE!!"
Amano's hand was already pulling a card from the graveyard zone.
"Destiny HERO - Decider's effect activates from the graveyard!"
DESTINY HERO - DECIDER, Graveyard Effect: Once per duel. When a Spell, Trap, or monster effect that would deal damage to you activates: Return this card from the graveyard to your hand, and reduce that damage to 0.
"I return Decider from the graveyard to my hand and reduce the damage to zero!"
The hero's spirit burst from the graveyard and threw itself in front of Amano, arms crossed, intercepting the Earthbound God's lethal laser cold.
"You even blocked that burn? You really are resilient, girl of heroes."
Even the Soul Binder couldn't suppress a word of acknowledgment at that. The opponent seemed to know the Earthbound God's effects in advance. He had never faced someone this difficult to close out.
With abilities like this being called the weakest HERO duelist, what kind of monsters were the other HERO players?
"I Special Summon Earthbound Prisoner - Rock Roller from my hand!"
EARTHBOUND PRISONER - ROCK ROLLER
DARK / Level 5
Fiend / Effect
ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1600
If a card is in the Field Zone, this card can be Special Summoned from the hand.
"Next, I Tribute Earthbound Prisoner - Rock Roller to Tribute Summon the Dark Tuner: Dark Spider Cocoon!"
DARK SPIDER COCOON
DARK / Level 5
Insect / Dark Tuner / Effect
ATK: 0 / DEF: 0
The Dark Tuner monster, eight sharp spider limbs clicking against the road, scuttled fast across the burning course.
Finesse: "A Dark Tuner monster?"
Amano: "Dark Signer cards. Just as expected."
Appearing alongside Earthbound Gods, the signature Dark Synchro mechanic of the Dark Signers from the anime. Not adding stars together but subtracting them.
"I activate Speed Spell - Downshift! With 5 or more Speed Counters, I can Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower monster from my deck. I Special Summon Dark Spider!"
DARK SPIDER
DARK / Level 1
Insect / Effect
ATK: 0 / DEF: 0
A second small spider, eight legs working in rapid coordination, joined the first on the burning course.
"Dark Spider's effect raises the Level of one of my monsters by 2. I raise Dark Spider Cocoon from Level 5 to Level 7!"
DARK SPIDER COCOON: Level 5 > 7
"Now, Dark Synchro Summon!"
At the Soul Binder's declaration, the Level 7 Dark Tuner transformed into seven black stars circling around Dark Spider.
"Using Level 1 Dark Spider to subtract from Level 7 Dark Spider Cocoon, reaching negative Level for a Dark Synchro!"
1 - 7 = -6
"When darkness overlaps with darkness, the gates of the underworld open! Reach the world without light!"
"Dark Synchro Summon! Appear! UNDERGROUND ARACHNID!!"
UNDERGROUND ARACHNID
EARTH / Level -6
Insect / Dark Synchro / Effect
ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1200
The Dark Synchro monster broke through the lightless summoning effect and surged onto the burning course: lower body of a massive spider, upper body of a woman, moving at high speed.
Finesse: "A negative Level 6 Synchro monster? I've never even heard of a Synchro with a negative Level!"
The Soul Binder raised his hand and announced the effect.
"Last turn you absorbed my god. This turn the Dark Synchro pays that debt back! Underground Arachnid's effect activates!"
UNDERGROUND ARACHNID: Once per turn, target 1 face-up monster the opponent controls and equip it to this card (max 1). While this card is equipped with a monster by this effect, you can send that equipped monster to the graveyard to negate one destruction of this card.
"Destiny HERO - Bloo-D may have gained the Earthbound God's immunity to Spell and Trap effects. But it can still be affected by monster effects!"
Countless silk threads erupted from Underground Arachnid's form and wrapped tight around Bloo-D's crimson body.
"Underground Arachnid equips Destiny HERO - Bloo-D as an equip card, allowing it to negate one destruction on my behalf!"
Both sides using the same method of absorption. Last turn, Bloo-D had absorbed Ccapac Apu. This turn, the lightless Dark Synchro had absorbed Bloo-D.
The first victim of this exchange was Earthbound God Ccapac Apu, which had been equipped to Bloo-D. With Bloo-D now leaving the field, Ccapac Apu was stripped from the Spell and Trap Zone and sent to the graveyard.
With Bloo-D gone, Amano's field was completely empty.
"Prepare for battle! When Underground Arachnid attacks, the opponent cannot activate Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step!"
The Soul Binder accelerated, ready to enter the Battle Phase.
Amano reached out and flipped his last remaining face-down.
"Then in the instant you enter the Battle Phase, I activate my set Trap Card: Battleguard Howl!"
BATTLEGUARD HOWL
Trap Card: Target 1 monster in your graveyard. Special Summon that target in Defense Position.
"What? You still have a monster in your graveyard?"
By this point in the duel, Diamond Dude and Decider had been returned to hand, Drawhand had been banished by its own effect, and Bloo-D had been equipped as an equip card. Every monster Amano had put on the field this duel should have been accounted for and out of the graveyard.
"There's one left. The monster I discarded when I activated Speed Spell - Angel Baton last turn!"
Amano pulled the face-down card from the graveyard zone and placed it sideways on his D-Wheel field.
"I Special Summon from the graveyard in Defense Position: Destiny HERO - Dasher!"
DESTINY HERO - DASHER
DARK / Level 6
Warrior / Effect
ATK: 2100 / DEF: 1000
The HERO monster built for high-speed aesthetics, exactly the right image for a Riding Duel, materialized on a single wheel and charged into the burning course at full pace, positioning itself between Underground Arachnid and Amano's D-Wheel.
"A last-gasp wall. It doesn't matter. Keep attacking, Underground Arachnid!"
"DARK PIERCE!!"
Countless spikes erupting from underground, barbed and driving upward through the course, shattered the Defense Position Dasher completely.
DESTINY HERO - DASHER: Destroyed
"I set one card face-down. Turn end!"
Both kill attempts this turn had failed. The Soul Binder set a card and ended his turn, not forgetting to add a parting comment.
"Finesse Wein! Keep flailing around with your powerless HEROes in front of a god and the lightless Dark Synchro for as long as you like!"
The turn changed. Amano's draw phase.
In the instant his fingertips touched the top card of the deck, something played in the back of his mind: the Soulswindler's voice, unmistakable and full of personality.
"The ultimate deception is deceiving the entire world."
The corner of Amano's mouth curled before the card was even drawn. He seemed to already know what was sitting at the top.
"Don't lecture me about what a god is, Soul Binder!"
He drew the card and raised it for both players to see.
"Earthbound Gods are nothing but resentful spirits that refused to disperse, clinging to the earth they were bound to. Calling themselves gods while begging for a field spell to survive! Let me show you what a real god's wrath looks like!"
"A real god's wrath?"
Last turn, Amano had Tributed three monsters and made the Soul Binder genuinely afraid for one moment that Finesse had a god card. Then the fear faded when Bloo-D turned out to be a HERO.
When a person stops expecting the god card, that is exactly when you pull the god card. At that point, they have been deceived twice in a row.
"My turn, draw!"
The card that had been waiting at the top of the deck was already roaring with divine malevolence.
Amano scanned the card face. Even he felt a flicker of surprise in his eyes in that instant.
The third deception had fooled even him.
The god card he had specifically retrieved from his side box as insurance for this Dark Game and slipped into Finesse's deck before the jump was supposed to be The Wicked Dreadroot.
But the card in his hand right now was something else entirely.
"You can't trust a single thing you do until the very last moment, can you, Soulswindler."
Amano activated Destiny HERO - Dasher's effect from the graveyard.
DESTINY HERO - DASHER, Graveyard Effect: Once per duel. During your Draw Phase, if you draw a monster card, you can reveal it to both players, then Special Summon it.
On the burning course at full speed, Amano raised the drawn monster card and showed it to both players as the effect required.
"Get a good look at this card, Soul Binder!"
Card Attribute: DIVINE.
"This is the real Tribute Summon!"
"Futile end, obliterate matter with breath, incinerate history with a gaze!"
"Awaken in the darkness, supreme evil that crumbles reality!"
"THE GOD DESCENDS! THE WICKED ERASER!!"
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