Playing Cards, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Kane glanced at his hand, then secretly looked at Cosmo's expression. This guy's life points were down to a mere 100, like a candle flickering in the wind. He had no monsters or face-down cards on the field, and his hand was empty.

Although I only have 500 life points left, the field is full of high-attack monsters. Even if that guy revives the monster with the highest attack in the graveyard, he won't be able to do any damage to me. When his turn ends, it will be my victory!

Cosmo looked at his right hand, gloved in black, and slowly placed it on top of the deck. "I can feel the scorching flames burning my fingers..."

A glint flashed in Cosmo's orange eyes as he forcefully pulled out the crucial card. As its image came into view, a smile appeared on the boy's lips, "Indeed, my My Servant has answered my call."

(Please forgive this Silly Loli for not being very good at writing chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) statements.)

Just as Kane was feeling ashamed that his opponent's chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) was on par with his own, Cosmo suddenly slammed the card on the table, "I activate the Spell Card [Fireball], dealing 500 damage to you!"

"Damn, what kind of hero would you be if you put cards like this in your deck?!"

In a way, wouldn't you say that Cosmo beat Kevin once?

PS: These two kids are in Elemental HERO deck mirror match. I haven't bought them other HERO Deck yet, I'll Luming for their release.

Luming Lady, who was making a decision nearby, glanced at the two kids with severe chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) and continued her duel.

"I activate the Spell Card [Polymerization], come forth! Strong! Invincible! The strongest! This is the most magnificent ultimate monster in history—"

Luming Lady yawned boredly, "I activate the face-down Trap Card [Ring of Destruction], which deals damage equal to the ATK of both [Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon], and then chain-activates the face-down Quick-Play Spell Card [Defense Wheel], which reduces the damage I take to zero."

"No!!!"

Um, wouldn't you say the club president is contradicting himself?

The students watching all felt an indescribable power. As expected of Luming, she is so powerful even as a duelist!

"So, who's next challenger?" Luming raised an eyebrow. "If you win, you can go shopping with me~"

A generous reward will surely bring forth brave men, but the problem is that you have defeated all the previous "brave men".

"Hmph, not a single one of them can fight. Hey, you over there, let's go home." Luming dragged Kane away, who was drawing circles in the corner. Cosmo picked up two backpacks, and Stardust and Haiyi also obediently picked up their backpacks and went home together.

Oh right, and there's Wendy who lost the duel. Seriously, why didn't you just talk to her about it? Why play cards?

Yes, I'm glad I got them all into school. Sharing happiness is worse than keeping it to myself!

Thankfully, Stardust has finally learned to speak normally recently, but she still hasn't changed her "LaLaLa" verbal tic. Let her be.

After Cosmo retrieves Griseo and Arin Sisters from elementary school via the wormhole, the group can teleport directly back to the manor for dinner. But before that—

Holding the purple Zombie Buckle and the blue Dragon Fullbottle, the two touched hands, exchanged fist bumps, and then headed straight for two different wormholes.

"A true hero must walk through the darkness..."

"Brother, can you be a little more reasonable when we're patrolling to see if there are any monsters? Luming will think we're going to fight a BOSS."

"...never mind."

Even though he lost his previous memories, the boy who admired heroes still followed the same path. The young vigilante who roamed the night 50,000 years ago still walks through the night 50,000 years later, becoming a "Night Hero" who protects the citizens (homework not yet finished).

Seeing Amo's expectant look, Xing awkwardly turned her head away. "Sorry, this Knight System is a new version. The Doctor hasn't finished making the enhancement items yet. Here, the Doctor sent me a propeller weapon clip the day before yesterday. It can fly and clear out mobs. Do you want to play with it?"

Cosmo stared at the gray propeller-shaped weapon belt buckle for a moment, then shook his head firmly.

For some reason, he felt this thing was very unlucky.

"Then, I wish you both great success in your martial arts endeavors!"

Xing waved goodbye and watched the two figures disappear into the wormhole, then glanced at the Star of Eden watch on her left wrist. "Hmm, it's six o'clock."

Liliya gave a helpless look, put on the Dual Rider Driver and shared her consciousness with her sister, then obediently followed Stardust and Haiyi into the wormhole to go home.

There's no way around it; these two immature kids aren't the only "Night Hero"—there's also the Magical Girl Luming, who needs to max out her transformation time every day. And Sachi also wants to see how powerful the Arin Sisters are after their transformations.

Stardust and Haiyi watched the Magical Girl Lady's figure disappear into the wormhole, and suddenly became a little curious about how many girls like them Luming had brought back. Maybe there were more than just girls?

"Liliya, does Luming often encounter homeless girls outside?" Stardust, who was asked to call her Luming after she could speak Chinese, asked curiously.

"Hmm, a lot, which number are you? Let me think... never mind, there are too many to count."

The Starry Star Sea Group, Ten Thousand Years Ago. jpg

—I'll make you Luming ~—

(Forced to work, Koichi's staff smashed the Silly Loli's head.)

On a flat area in the suburbs, the Magical Girl Lady floated in the air, striking a comfortable pose, and waved to Rosalia in the distance. "Come on, let me see how good you are at fighting. This city is a bit dangerous, and I can't completely guarantee your safety. If you don't meet my expectations... I might send you back."

Rosalia was brimming with confidence, holding the pink Child of Dawn Memory in her hand. "Here we go, Liliya!"

Lying in her room, Liliya glanced at the clock on the wall, yawned, and took out the blue Child of Night Memory. "Yes, I understand."

Imagine this scene: a pink and blue dividing line splits the screen in two, with the twins each occupying one side, their hands holding the memory chips reaching out in two different directions, forming a W shape.

Darkness!

The blue memory was inserted into the slot on the right side of the drive ( from Liliya's perspective), then disappeared as a data stream. Liliya's eyes darkened, she closed them, and collapsed onto the bed. At that moment, the clock on the wall was pointing to seven o'clock.

On the other hand, the memory, along with Liliya's will, was transferred into Rosalia's body, making up for her lack of intelligence due to her carelessness.

Light! (Dawn!)

After inserting the two crucial USB-shaped memory modules into her belt, Rosalia forcefully pushed open the two ports of the drive, forming a W shape.

"Darkness! Light!"

As the sound effects rang out, countless fragments appeared around Rosalia, quickly assembling onto her body. After a burst of bright light, a knight of different colors, the height of an adult, appeared where she had been standing.

Inheriting Ashvatta's basic characteristics, the knight has pink and blue arm blades on each arm, which, unlike the original weakness, are actually weapons that can be used for combat.

Meanwhile, the knight has two long mechanical arms on his back. Perhaps Tesla Polymerization Ashvatta's two small hands and the twin tails? It seems this knight has the potential to become a four-armed Supreme King.

Pink, blue, black, and white are the main colors on Vodka's body. The compound eyes are not the pink and blue color that Xing had expected, but an unexpected yet reasonable blue—after all, both Geminis have blue eyes.

"Cough cough!"

The twins coughed a few times in a pretentious manner, and the memory inside the driver lit up, with pink and blue light particles forming two large sword-shaped weapons in front of them.

Sleeping Beauty & Swan Lake Modified: After Dr. Tesla's relentless modifications, its strength has been greatly enhanced. It can unleash a finishing move by inserting a memory module, and it also gains the ability to switch forms and combine weapons.

"Now, it's time for the performance!"

The twins uttered lines they had learned from Sachi, which they then modified themselves, and gripped their weapons, assuming an attack stance.

In contrast to the Gemini's serious preparations, Luming Lady was quite calm. She beckoned to them with her small hand, which was covered in silk gloves, "Come on, I'll just float here and let you hit me. If you move even a little, I'll admit defeat."

Rosalia & Liliya: "..."

That's outrageous! Even if we can't beat you, you shouldn't be so disrespectful!

The two furious kids pulled out memory modules, inserted them into their respective weapons, and then joined the two swords together to form a heavy greatsword.

The different-colored knight raised his greatsword high, and the pink and blue light blade instantly lengthened. When the Magical Girl Lady saw the huge light blade, her mouth opened unconsciously. No way, I'm going to be hit by someone with a forty-meter-long cleaver one day?

Wendy, who was watching from a distance, felt that the scene looked familiar. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that this was a skill that her Brother Xing often used. How satisfying it would be to clear the map with one sword strike!

After a loud bang, the dust gradually dissipated, and the giant blade came to a stop a short distance above the Magical Girl Lady's head. No matter how hard the knight tried, he could not advance it even an inch further.

While the Geminis were putting up a fierce fight, Luming leisurely raised her magic wand, chanted a spell, and the wand grew larger and larger in her hand...

Note: Magical Girl Luming First Form has stronger stats than Bubble Rabbit Tank, and her second form... can arm wrestle with Danger Trigger?

A shadow loomed over the bewildered Gemini. "This is huge!"

"Then just bear with it~" The giant staff fell with the girl's lighthearted words. Wendy, unable to bear to look, raised the video camera. After a loud bang, Kamen Rider Vodka was smashed into the ground.

What about our new player protection period?!

Enraged, the twins dug through the soil, pulled out the fallen weapon, separated it back into two greatswords, pressed down on the hilts, and the blades turned into particles of light and disappeared, switching to ranged mode.

The two guns combined to form a Heavy Cannon. The memory was inserted again, and powerful energy continuously condensed in the muzzle. It was aimed at the Magical Girl Lady who was leisurely crossing her legs and fired... cough cough, but it didn't hit her at all.

Ten minutes later—

"I'm not fighting anymore!" Rosalia angrily took off her belt, threw herself into Sachi's arms with a mournful face, and cursed her shamelessness. The embarrassed Sachi could only comfort her and stuff lollipops into her mouth to stop her crying.

"Alright, it's getting late, Wendy, take her back. I want to wander around the city a little longer."

Watching the two figures disappear into the wormhole, Luming turned around. Xing Chen, who had been watching the drama unfold for a while, snapped his fingers, and the wormhole leading to the city opened.

What? You're asking if Stardust went back? Please, it's just a matter of a single thought for him, okay?

After giving Stardust Baby a head pat, who wanted a reward, Idol Lady flew away humming a cheerful tune. With Stardust, traveling has become much more convenient; it's even more useful than Smoke Gun!

—On how much stuff from other Branch World is crammed into this worldline—

In the quiet night, the green-haired boy walked alone in the darkness, like a lone wolf.

"... I understand, um, I'll go back for dinner in a bit. Homework? Ah, I'll do it when I get back... Hey, you're not allowing me to stay up late?" Cosmo hung up the call with Griseo headache. He was the one taking care of her, so why did it feel like the roles were reversed?

His fingers stroked the Wolf ID embedded in the center of the driver. The cold shell gave him a sense of security, because justice without power is more ridiculous than any joke.

"No, don't come any closer! Please, please don't... Ah!!!"

Suddenly, a terrified cry for help reached Cosmo's keen ears. His leg muscles tensed immediately, and he shot out like an arrow, rushing straight into the dim alley where the streetlights couldn't reach.

But what he saw before him made him pause for a moment.

A boy who looked to be about his age picked up the cards scattered on the ground and looked at the uninvited guest with interest. "Hey, good evening, wanna have a duel?"

Cosmo's hand instinctively rested on the deck in his pocket, then he immediately withdrew it. "I just heard someone calling for help here. Have you seen anyone else?"

The boy tilted his head, as if trying to remember for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I'm the only one here, and then it's you."

What are you doing here instead of going home?

"What's it to you what I do? You haven't gone home either, have you?" The boy frowned, then immediately relaxed, grinning as he showed him his card deck. "Want to have a duel? It'll be exciting!"

Cosmo ignored him, patted the bracelet Xing had given him, activated the life signal scanning function, and turned to leave after confirming that there was no one else there. Perhaps he had misheard, or maybe he had been under too much pressure lately.

After all, staying up all night to finish homework every day is not a good habit...

The boy watched Cosmo's departing figure and shook his head regretfully. He smiled as he played with the card in his hand. A terrified figure appeared on the card, as if imprisoned within it.

"Sigh, what a pity, that guy tastes so much better than these. Oh well, anyway, I've added another item to my collection."

The boy casually tossed the card into the card box, closed it, and a few faint wails could be heard.

Author's Note—

Sorry, I had something to do yesterday and missed one update. As compensation, I'm releasing an Ultraman Xing.

An ordinary boy unexpectedly travels to an ancient ruin. To his surprise and fear, the ruin is filled with giant stone statues that look like Ultraman.

"I... am not qualified to become light, but I want to live! Please give me the power of light!"

He frantically pounded on every stone statue he could see, but received no response until—

Tell me, if we gave you power, would you use it for justice?

"Probably not. Once a person has power, they can't control their sense of good and evil. I... don't think I have that much self-control."

Even with his life hanging by a thread, the boy still spoke his mind, because in the presence of these beings, even if he lied, he would be seen through.

It's not unusual for any living being to have both light and darkness within you, but what's truly valuable is your ability to face yourself honestly—that alone is enough.

[So, you, the First One human to enter this place in millions of years, are you ready to inherit our power?]

"What, what do you mean? I can become Ultraman?! But why? I'm not qualified at all. I'm lazy, I have poor self-control, my mind is filthy, I won't risk my life to save others, and I'll back down when faced with a strong enemy... What makes me think I can inherit your power?"

[...]

You call us "Ultraman," a nice name. Okay, now I'll ask you a question: who says becoming Ultraman necessarily requires all of those things you mentioned?

"..."

[Our consciousness has been sealed within the stone statue for millions of years, and we can no longer bear this torment worse than death. We give you our power only to seek liberation. Promise us one thing: after we forge you into a body of light, the first thing we ask of you must do, whatever it may be.]

Now, visualize in your mind... your Ultraman form.

Tiga's shoulder armor

Nexus's Arm Blade

Zero's Ice Axe

Mebius's lightsaber

Ginga LED lights

The ability to switch forms

Your own weapon

I want my Ultraman Warrior to become the strongest!

Its name is—

Regalia Ultraman

(Taking one character from each of the names of the four mysterious Ultra Warriors —Noah, Legend, Saga, and King of Ultra —this is Ultraman Warrior concept the author conceived during junior high school.)

P. S.: I didn't know that King Oo was called Pete back then. His original name was Regaya. Recently, I thought of Ultraman Xing and brought up this idea. For some embarrassing reason, I added "Te" to his name.

Red, purple, silver, and black—four colors interwoven in a pattern that extends across the towering body. Golden shoulder armor gleams with dazzling light, and a blue crystal on the chest reflects the diamond-shaped timer in the center. Crystals adorn all four limbs, and sharp arm blades exude a chilling aura.

The soft, oval compound eyes glowed white, and the newborn Ultraman Warrior slowly stood up from the pile of stones. He was not yet used to his new body, but that did not diminish his excitement.

He looked at his palm, watching it open and close freely, and felt his powerful body. He couldn't wait to fly out of this ruin and soar through the sky.

But before that, he had to help the seniors who gave him strength to accomplish one thing.

[Very well, now, destroy all the statues within your sight, and let us... be free.]

"Okay, I'll go right now... Wait, how can I do this?!"

[Hurry up! Didn't you promise us you'd do anything?]

"This..."

Do not feel guilty, child. We are merely remnants of the past, destined to die millions of years ago. Now... let the new warriors who have inherited our power send us on our way.

"...I see."

With arms crossed in front of the chest, the crystals on the arms lit up, gathering energy.

This was the first time he had released light. Since he had no idea how to use it, he simply gathered the energy in his hand and then emitted it.

"Rega - Temuas Ray!"

A surge of energy roared from his arm, destroying all the giant statues in sight. In the scorched earth, the newly born warrior collapsed to his knees, exhausted, surrounded by countless voices of relief.

White specks of light fell like raindrops from Regalia Ultraman's eyes.