Halved, Then Halved Again / The Difference in Luck ...

Upon hearing this, the Chaos Phantasm proudly raised its head and puffed out its chest, trying its best to appear righteous and awe-inspiring.

Today, I am once again a messenger of justice!

The Mechanical Angel's mental fortitude was clearly stronger than Dartz's; she had no desire to complain at all, but she couldn't help but frown after sensing the aura of the Chaos Phantasm.

At this moment, the Chaos Phantasm possesses powerful resistances: it cannot be destroyed by battle, is unaffected by Trap Card effects, has Spell Card with only one turn of effect, cannot be targeted by card effects, and cannot be destroyed by card effects. Combined with its attack power of up to 10,000, it is virtually invincible.

The Dark-type Heaven-Ravaging Fist and the Fire-type Hyper Blaze are both powerful skills that counter Shell Killer. Therefore, Chaos Phantasm blasted Shell Killer into pieces in mid-air in just one round!

The Mechanical Angel, suffering from the backlash of spiritual energy and the impact of chaotic energy, could no longer maintain its elegant posture and, like the Huan Xing, was sent flying, crashing into the Duel Barrier and being bounced back.

But there was still no fear on his face as he slowly drew out the fourth Pokémon Card:

"I am not Evil God. If you wish to see Evil God, then I will show you the true Evil God —the evil consciousness! Gather! To lead the world into bleak despair, descend now from the darkness! Dark Cubic Evil God, Crimson Nova, the Triune God!"

Chapter 243 Halving and Halving Again

[Dark Cubic Evil God - Crimson Nova - Trinity (10-Star) Dark]

[Lineage: Insect, Evil]

[Level: 70]

[Attack Power: 4500 (5400)]

[Defense Strength: 3000 (3600)]

[Fiend, effect: omitted]

A dense mass of dark spiritual energy coalesced into a blood embryo, which, accompanied by the powerful beating of a heart, gave birth to a bizarre spirit exuding an aura of endless despair. Its body was composed of countless long limbs, each with a sharp scythe-like claw embedded at its end, and an eye was embedded in every joint of its body, making it a terrifying sight.

Huan Xing exclaimed in shock, "Wow, such a strong evil aura! This spirit feels even stronger than the 12-star Meklord God!"

The Mechanical Angel said expressionlessly, "Your feeling is correct. Although the Dark Cubic Evil God itself is only 10 stars, it evolved from a 10-star Crimson Nova the Dark Cubic Lord. The lower star rating gives it stronger combat capabilities. The Dark Cubic Evil God is using Head-on Strike!"

Bug-type moves are effective against Chaos Phantasm of both Dragon and Dark types. The Dark Cubic Evil God unleashed a dense barrage of scythe-like tentacles, piercing towards the Chaos Phantasm, leaving streaks in the air with their fierce force.

Unmoved, the Chaos Phantasm Demon first used Absolute Protection Barrier to block the opponent's attack, then raised its dragon-head arm and unleashed a Hyper Blaze. The surging and fierce Flame Storm engulfed the Dark Cubic Evil God, severely injuring it.

Just as the Chaos Phantasm Demon was about to press its advantage, dense cubes suddenly appeared around it, each cube bearing an eye that stared at it and unleashed a powerful curse.

The Mechanical Angel said, "The Dark Cubic Evil God's special ability has been activated; each attack will reduce the opponent's health by half!"

This effect is not targeted, it is neither a combat destruction nor an effect destruction, and even the Chaos Phantasm could not resist it. The Chaos Phantasm let out a painful howl, and its powerful life force was halved.

In Card Duel, halving one's life force isn't a particularly powerful effect. In fact, many Trap Card require halving life force to activate. After all, no matter how many times life force is halved, it will never reach zero. And some duelists believe that as long as life force doesn't become zero, it doesn't matter whether it's 8000 or 100.

However, in Spirit Duel, this effect is among the most powerful, essentially adding a "Fangs of Fury" to every attack. The effect is close to inflicting true damage, has a forceful effect, and ignores star resistance. Unless the opponent has an effect that is unaffected by Pokémon characteristics, even if they have resistance to effect damage, they cannot withstand it.

By continuously halving the opponent's health, and then using a mutually destructive tactic once it falls below the danger line, you can easily defeat a seemingly powerful and invincible opponent.

The Mechanical Angel's tactics were more conservative. "I activate the perpetual spell 'Cubic Dharma,' all Square Spirits will be immune to combat damage!"

In this way, the Dark Cubic Evil God can launch endless attacks, continuously halving the Chaos Phantasm's life force through its special properties.

"I activated the 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow,' rendering the Dark Cubic Evil God's attack ineffective."

Seeing Huan Xing, Huanxing decisively activated Spell Card to reduce the pressure on You Zhi. A scarecrow resembling a clothes rack appeared in front of the Dark Cubic Evil God, attempting to make him lose his will to fight.

However, the Dark Cubic Evil God remained completely unaffected and continued its attack on the Chaos Phantasm.

"What happened?" Huan Xing asked in astonishment.

You Zhi hurriedly said, "Sorry, I forgot to tell you, the Dark Cubic Evil God possesses resistance to being targeted by effects and to being destroyed by effects."

The effect of the Scrap-Iron Scarecrow requires a target, so it cannot take effect. Fortunately, this card will be overwritten after it fails to activate, so it is not a complete waste.

Huan Xing frowned. "So what should we do next?"

"Let's stall for time and wait for them to change their tactics before responding."

Unable to inflict damage on the opponent in battle, You Zhi could only command the Chaos Phantasm to switch to a defensive stance, using Absolute Protection Barrier to withstand the opponent's attacks.

The Dark Cubic Evil God relentlessly attacked, halving the Chaos Phantasm's health point by halving it again and again until it quickly dropped below 100, meaning it could be killed with a single punch.

However, as mentioned before, even if the halving effect is activated countless times, it cannot be reduced to zero, and the Chaos Phantasm, which has resistance to battle break and effect break, is difficult to defeat even if it stands still.

During this time, Fallen Paradise activated its effect twice more, giving You Zhi four Spell Cards. He was determined to keep drawing cards until the end of time, as long as his opponent didn't change his strategy.

The Mechanical Angel clearly couldn't agree to that and immediately activated its newly forged Spell Card: "I activate 'Ring of Destruction'! Destroy one Spirit on the field, and all Spirits on both players' fields take damage equal to its ATK!"

You Zhi said, "The Chaos Phantasm cannot be the target of an effect, nor can it be destroyed by an effect."

Huan Xing said, "After Shooting Star Dragon activates its ability, it no longer exists on the field, so it cannot be targeted by the effect."

"Of course I know all of this, so the target I'm going to destroy is the Meklord God!"

The Mechanical Angel pointed, and a collar covered in bombs was placed around the neck of the Meklord God. With a deafening explosion, the Meklord God, who had given up resisting, exploded on the spot. A violent surge of spiritual energy swept out, and without its target, the Shooting Star Dragon was forced to reveal itself.

You Zhi was prepared and calmly played a Spell Card, saying, "I'll activate 'Gate of the Seven Spirits' to restore all the life force of a Phantom Spirit."

Seven stone pillars burst forth from the ground, surrounding the Chaos Phantasm at its center and releasing a light that seemed to break a seal. In an instant, the Chaos Phantasm was restored to its full strength and withstood the spiritual explosion impact of the Meklord God.

Huan Xing followed suit by throwing out a Pokémon Card: "I activate the effect of 'Junk Kuriboh'. When the opponent activates an effect that inflicts damage, it can take the damage instead."

A Kuriboh creature with shiny, sharp horns, resembling screws, blocked the way for the Shooting Star Dragon. Notably, it had a yellow stripe on its face identical to that on the Huan Xing's face.

The Junk Kuriboh emitted a silver light, forcefully withstanding all the damage before exploding on the spot.

Huan Xing immediately suffered a backlash from the spiritual energy, but at only 1 star, it was negligible. He looked at his opponent and said, "The Meklord God has been destroyed, and you will have to bear the punishment of the Dark Duel. Not only that, the effect of the Ring of Destruction applies to all spirits on the field, including the Dark Cubic Evil God!"

The Mechanical Angel's body dimmed considerably due to the backlash from the 12 stars' spiritual power, and some parts even showed blurry, mosaic-like illusions. However, instead of being discouraged, it was excited and eager to see what would happen.

"This is exactly what I've been waiting for. Dark Cubic Evil God's trait activates: when I take effect damage, I inflict the same amount of damage on my opponent—Phantom Demon or Dragon of Hope, vanish!"

All the eyes on the Dark Cubic Evil God widened, filled with curses and resentment, and released the same spiritual explosion as before, causing the Chaos Phantasm and the Shooting Star Dragon to explode on the spot!

Chapter 244 Differences in Fortune

As the spirit was destroyed, You Zhi and Huan Xing were immediately and severely punished, as if they were in magma, their entire bodies aching, and the curse power from the Dark Cubic Evil God tormented their souls.

You Zhi was sent flying, but he endured the pain in mid-air and landed steadily, leaving a long trail on the ground. He was panting heavily, his face showing exhaustion, his back soaked with sweat, and a wisp of steam could be seen slowly spreading out.

In contrast, Huan Xing was in a much worse state. He was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, and after crashing to the ground, he rolled around like an oil drum until he hit the Duel Barrier and finally stopped.

He lay motionless on the ground, blood slowly flowing from beneath him, as if he had fallen into a coma. His posture was somewhat strange, with his left hand resting on his waist and his right hand stretched out above his head, his index finger pointing stubbornly at the enemy, as if unwilling to stop there.

"Yusei!"

Outside the barrier, Antinomy saw this scene and couldn't help but shout anxiously.

His distraction allowed Du, who had been firmly suppressed, to seize the opportunity and command the elf "True Dragon Swordsman" to launch a counterattack, instantly defeating the Snowdust Magician.

Lorelei suppressed the backlash of spiritual energy, summoned the Blue-Eyes White Night Dragon to defend herself, and said, "Don't worry about others, focus on your own battle, and trust your comrades!"

"I'm so sorry!"

Antinomy suppressed his worry, apologized, and quickly commanded the elves to fight.

Inside the Duel Barrier.

The Mechanical Angel looked at You Zhi and said, "To be able to stand after enduring the backlash of the Chaos Phantasm's spiritual power and the curse of the Dark Cubic Evil God is truly terrifying. Fortunately, your partner was just a slightly stronger ordinary person, and you're the only one left, so you're not difficult to deal with. I've said it before, the destruction of this world is a predetermined fate, and no matter how much you struggle, it's all in vain."

You Zhi glanced at his hand. He had obtained a bunch of Spell Card from Fallen Paradise, but none of them were of any use. No wonder professional trainers would rather expend spiritual energy for Precision Forging than use Pot of Greed to gamble on luck.

However, he couldn't help but recall the last time he fought Dartz, when he took advantage of his opponent's "Card of Sanctity" effect. It was also a random acquisition, but every Spell Card he got was useful. The difference was just too great!

Is it purely a matter of probability, or was my luck altered after arriving in this other world?

Or is it true, as they say, that the destruction of humanity is the predetermined fate of this world, and that going against this will result in punishment from destiny?

His thoughts raced, You Zhi remained impassive, saying, "It seems you're not only slow-witted, but also have terrible eyesight. You actually think my companion is just an ordinary person? Let me tell you, he's the most determined person in the world. He won't be defeated by this little setback. True strength comes from adversity, and so does the fate of humanity. As long as we keep moving forward, the path will continue to extend!"

As if in response to these words, Huan Xing's right index finger twitched, and then he slowly propped himself up and got up from the ground. His forehead was injured, and blood flowed down his nose and finally dripped down his chin, but he didn't care about it at all.

"The duel is not over yet!"

Although her tone was somewhat weak, Huan Xing's eyes remained as firm as ever, shining like the morning star in the night sky.

The Mechanical Angel said calmly, "With your frail body, what can you possibly accomplish?"

You Zhi said, "The Dark Cubic Evil God on your field also seems to be in a state of near collapse."

The Dark Cubic Evil God was unable to escape the damage from the Ring of Destruction, since escaping it would prevent it from activating its special ability. At this moment, it looked extremely miserable, with its eyeballs bursting one by one at its joints and most of its limbs broken off, leaving only the central cube part intact.

If the Dark Cubic Evil God were at the same level as the Shooting Star Dragon, it would surely perish from the damage dealt by the Meklord God. However, since its level was as high as 70, it barely managed to withstand the attack.

The reason Shooting Star Dragon couldn't hold on was that while the Dark Cubic Evil God was copying the damage effect, he also launched a sneak attack under cover, halving the opponent's health.

Of course, this was not luck; it was all part of the Mechanical Angel's calculations.

"Your indomitable will is commendable, but it's all in vain. The destruction of humanity is something that all great wills agree on, and now I will prove it. I activate 'Pot of Greed,' and randomly gain two Spell Cards."

The Mechanical Angel played its last Spell Card, and a large green jug with a strange smiling face appeared on the field. Immediately, two Spell Cards were spat out of the jug.

"Although it's random, these two Spell Cards are exactly what I need. Everything happening in this world now is pushing towards the destruction of humanity. Those who comply will have their wishes fulfilled, while those who resist will face all misfortunes—I unleash divine judgment upon sinful humanity, I activate 'Malefic Territory'!"

Two Dragon-Type spirits with jet-black wings appeared on the scene, one resembling Cyber End Dragon and the other resembling Rainbow Dragon. The two dragons intertwined and transformed into a neon halo. Then, one after another, electronic virtual skyscrapers rose from the ground, with a dark star at the center.

"The effect of 'Malefic Territory' is processed, automatically creating the Field Spell Card 'Malefic World' and activating it. At the same time, neither player can target Field Spell Card with their effects. The effects of Sin Spirit are negated during battle. Then I summon Malefic Stardust Dragon!"

Upon hearing the familiar name, Huan Xing immediately focused her gaze and saw a Stardust Dragon with jet-black wings appear on the field. Unlike normal Stardust Dragon that emit a warm glow, this Stardust Dragon exuded an evil aura, as if it were formed from sin. Moreover, it was not Synchro Form Pokémon.

"The evil Stardust Dragon..." After the initial shock, Huan Xing quickly regained her composure. "If you think summoning this spirit can sway my will, you're being incredibly naive! Even if all beings want to destroy humanity, even if our struggles suffer endless setbacks, I will never give up!"

The Mechanical Angel said, "This spirit alone is certainly not enough; it is merely a stepping stone—darkness born from the dimensional rift, draw back the curtain of destruction on this stage beyond time and space! Synchro Summon! Malefic Paradox Dragon!"

A unique aura of Synchro Evolution appeared around the Malefic Stardust Dragon's body, and dense dark power gathered around it. In the pitch-black light, it transformed into an evil dragon with black and white colors intertwined and radiating a dark red glow.

[Contradiction Dragon (10-star) Dark]

[Lineage: Dragon, Evil]

[Level: 60]

[Attack Power: 4000 (4400)]

[Defense Strength: 4000 (4400)]

[Dragon-Type, Effect: When this card Synchro Summon, you can Special Summon 1 Synchro Monster from either your or your opponent's Graveyard. Only 1 "Sinful Contradiction Dragon" can be face-up on the field at any time. If there is no face-up "Malefic World" on the field, destroy this card.]

"When Contradiction Dragon Synchro Evolution, its ability activates, reviving a defeated Synchro Monster."

A hint of panic appeared on Huan Xing's face. "Resurrect Synchro Monster? Could it be that you want to revive...?"

"It is indeed your Shooting Star Dragon!"

Chapter 245 The Realization of Counterfeits

"Each player can only use a maximum of two Pokémon on the field in this duel. I will activate 'Chinese Pot' to sacrifice the Dark Cubic Evil God and restore HP equal to its attack power."

As the Mechanical Angel spoke, it played its second Spell Card, obtained from the Pot of Greed. A large cauldron appeared beneath the Dark Cubic Evil God, engulfing him within it, and a raging fire erupted at its bottom.

At the same time, the Contradiction Dragon spread its wings, releasing a dense dark power, as if it had penetrated into the underworld and pulled the already dead Shooting Star Dragon back to life.

In Spirit Duel, a Pokémon that is revived will appear in the same state as before it was defeated. That is, if the Pokémon is sent directly to the Graveyard by an effect, it will be revived at full strength. Conversely, if it is destroyed by an effect or by battle, it will be revived in a near-death state.

At this moment, the Shooting Star Dragon, resurrected by the Contradiction Dragon, is suffering from the impact of the Dark Cubic Evil God's characteristics, leaving it covered in wounds. It could be easily defeated with a single blow.

But this was clearly a factor in the Mechanical Angel's considerations.

The Dark Cubic Evil God, fried in Chinese Pot, transformed into a rich life essence, which surged into the Shooting Star Dragon's body, instantly healing its injuries.

Only destroyed Pokémon will experience a backlash of spiritual energy. The Pokémon that were directly sent to the grave due to the effect of the Shell Killer, and the Dark Cubic Evil God that was sacrificed now, will not trigger the punishment mechanism of the Dark Duel. The "Chinese Pot" not only eliminated the hidden danger of the Dark Cubic Evil God, but also restored the life of Shooting Star Dragon, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

Huan Xing stared blankly at the Shooting Star Dragon, now an enemy, for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and said angrily, "The Shooting Star Dragon is a symbol of humanity's hope. You have no right to command this spirit!"

"No, I am more qualified than you to control this spirit. Open your eyes wide and watch closely, this is the final form of the Stardust Dragon that you've been longing for!"

A powerful surge of spiritual energy erupted from the Mechanical Angel, flowing entirely into the Shooting Star Dragon's body, causing its aura to grow stronger. At the same time, its body surface turned golden, and the irritating evil aura vanished instantly.

Huan Xing exclaimed in astonishment, "Could this feeling be the Clear Mind?"

"Wrong, it is the Limit Clear Mind! The gathered stars connect their wills, and together with the Wish of all beings, they rush towards the universe, becoming a path of shining light! Delta Accel Synchro Evolution, Cosmic Blazar Dragon!"

A halo of Synchro Evolution appeared around the Shooting Star Dragon's body, and jet-black stars poured in. The Shooting Star Dragon roared to the sky, completing its metamorphosis. Accompanied by neon-colored light, a white dragon, seemingly containing the Milky Way universe, emerged from the crystal on its chest.