The Hero's Dark Transformation / Life and Death as One ...

The Cheat Appraisal indicated that the opponent was only Fire-type, but You Zhi noticed that the other sword in the opponent's hand was clearly radiating a chilling aura, which aroused his suspicion.

But now was not the time to delve into the details; he and Yuan Ying exchanged a glance.

"Do it!"

Chapter 195 HERO's Evil Transformation

Normally, the sudden appearance of a group of strangers attacking one would be a shock and cause one to become wary. However, the Swordsoul Strategist - Longyuan, perhaps due to a mental problem, completely disregarded the appearance of You Zhi and the others. He simply laughed wildly and swung his two swords, unleashing a dense barrage of Flame-Ice Sword Aura.

On the contrary, the Ikejade Sprite were startled, but seeing that the other party was helping them fight the big bad dragon Longyuan, and especially since there was a fellow member of their race, they temporarily lowered their guard and trusted him.

At the same time, the Space-Time Vortex that was originally frozen went berserk, expanding outward and eroding the present world. When it came into contact with You Zhi and Yuan Ying, it absorbed the two of them and their Pokémon. However, the Floowandereeze Pokémon, including Empen, were excluded, forming two different spaces.

They were right in front of each other, yet unable to touch, appearing as phantoms in each other's eyes—a situation akin to two dimensions overlapping.

You Zhi and Yuan Ying had no time to worry about anything else; the two of them commanded the spirits to launch an attack.

Neon Stone Sprite fired Ice Beam, Silent Magician used Psychic, Elemental HERO Neos launched Aura Sphere, and Nova Lord unleashed Fire Blast. The combined attacks of the Ikejade Sprite surged toward Longyuan, appearing quite formidable, but were all neutralized by the Flame-Ice Sword Aura.

Even the Psychic launched by the Silent Magician only penetrated a little deeper than others' attacks. When they got within two meters, they were still shattered into pieces by the continuous sword energy.

Some sword energy was directed at You Zhi and Yuan Ying, but it was blocked by Giant Divergent Lizard Yihao was good at close combat, and Clayman, who was good at defense.

Those Ikejade Sprite weren't so lucky. Their abilities weren't particularly strong to begin with, their levels were mostly between 15 and 20, their vitality wasn't high, and their star ratings were all below 4 stars. If they were hit by a single sword aura, they would be severely injured, and if they were hit by two sword auras, they would explode.

In the blink of an eye, a large number of the Ikejade Sprite fell down, thanks to the help of You Zhi and Yuan Ying, who diverted half of Longyuan's attacks.

"His attack power isn't particularly high, but his attack frequency is too fast. We must concentrate our power and attack the same spot to break through his sword energy net," You Zhi immediately mentioned.

"No problem, but first reduce his attack power, Clayman evolves!"

With Yuan Ying's command, the Clayman shone with an evolutionary light, becoming even more robust, and donned jet-black Rock-type armor.

[Elemental Heroes Elemental HERO Gaia (6-star) Earth]

[Genealogy: Rock-type, Ground]

[Level: 27]

[Attack Power: 2200 (2090)]

[Defense: 2600 (2470)]

[Warrior-Type, Effect: When this card Fusion Summon, target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. Until the End Phase of this turn, the targeted monster's ATK is halved, and this card gains ATK equal to that monster.]

Yuan Ying didn't let Clayman appear directly in Elemental HERO Gaia form in order to preserve its ability to activate only during evolution.

A heavy aura surged from Elemental HERO Gaia, rushing along the ground towards the enemy.

Sensing the threat, the Swordsoul Strategist - Longyuan immediately unleashed his sword energy in an attempt to intercept it. However, this energy ignored the sword energy's interference and directly entangled Longyuan, causing him to feel a loss of power.

In an instant, Longyuan's attack power dropped by half, while Elemental HERO Gaia's attack power increased by the same amount.

"It's done! Now's the time!"

Yuan Ying and You Zhi once again commanded the spirits to attack, and all of them attacked the same spot.

After Longyuan's attack power decreased, even the sword energy he unleashed also lost its power, and naturally he could not withstand this wave of attacks. His figure was instantly engulfed by the explosion.

Seeing this, the remaining Ikejade Sprite were greatly encouraged and hurriedly launched an attack, unleashing all sorts of ice spikes and Aurora Beam beams without restraint, causing ice shards to fly everywhere.

"Keep attacking! Kill him in one fell swoop, don't give him a chance to react!"

Real combat isn't turn-based; there's no logic in me hitting you and having to stop and wait for your counterattack.

You Zhi didn't care about the "no harm from smoke" rule. As long as the opponent didn't respond, he would order his Pokémon to keep attacking, and when he ran out of stamina, he would switch to another Pokémon.

Yuan Ying had the same thought, but she also noticed that the Nova Lord's Flame skills were not only weakened by the environment, but also interfered with the performance of other companions. She hesitated whether to recall it and replace it with another Pokémon.

Suddenly, a strong sense of crisis arose in my heart, and I instinctively dodged to the side.

Bang!

Before Yuan Ying could take any action, You Zhi kicked the somewhat abnormal Elemental HERO Gaia away, and the crisis in her heart disappeared.

What happened to Elemental HERO Gaia?

Based on trust, Yuan Ying did not question You Zhi about why he suddenly attacked her spirit, but instead asked what was wrong with Elemental HERO Gaia.

"It must be because he absorbed the enemy's power just now, and his mind was affected."

As soon as You Zhi finished answering, Elemental HERO Gaia unleashed a dense aura of evil energy, clutching his head and emitting a painful howl.

Yuan Ying took out her Pokémon Card to try and take the other party back, but was refused.

She quickly encouraged him, "Hold on, Elemental HERO Gaia! Don't be misled by external forces. As long as you hold firm to your sense of justice, you can maintain your integrity."

You Zhi said, "At this point, forget about relying on willpower; quickly use the 'Order to Retreat' to forcibly take it back."

"Huh? Oh!"

Yuan Ying slapped her forehead, realizing she had been out of her mind. How could she have missed such a simple method? She hurriedly began to refine it.

At this moment, Elemental HERO Gaia could no longer resist the erosion of the evil energy. His body underwent a dramatic change. His jet-black armor turned crimson, and one of his arms transformed into a cannon barrel, exuding a violent aura.

[Evil HERO Infernal Sniper (6-star) Flame]

[Genealogy: Rock-type, Fire]

[Level: 27]

[Attack Power: 2000 (1900)]

[Defense: 2500 (2375)]

[Warrior-Type, Effect: While this card is face-up in Defense Position on the field, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent's Life Points during each of your Standby Phases. This card cannot be destroyed by Spell effects.]

The mutated Hell Sniper Demon raised its cannon and fired a fireball at Yuan Ying.

"Do all elves bewitched by evil power enjoy devouring their masters?"

In the past, You Zhi would either dodge or counter with Pokémon moves when faced with such energy attacks, but having trained at the Azure Gym, he naturally couldn't use such a brutal method anymore.

He gathered his spiritual power in both hands and made a gesture of Grasp Sparrow's Tail in front of him, forming a net-like protective shield. He then gathered, pulled, and pushed the fireball back, causing it to bounce back and hit the Hell Sniper Demon, making it suffer the consequences of its own actions and leaving it stunned by the blast.

The "Order to Retreat" was only a D-rank Spell Card, Yuan Ying quickly mastered and immediately activated, forcibly withdrawing the Hell Sniper Demon back into the Pokémon Card.

However, the delay caused to the two also affected the elves under their command, who relaxed their suppression, giving the Swordsoul Strategist - Longyuan a chance to catch his breath.

Do you think that by resisting like this you can defy fate?

With a loud shout, endless Flame-Ice Sword Aura erupted once more, blasting away all the attacking Ikejade Sprite.

Yuan Ying's expression changed. "Oh no! Elemental HERO Gaia's absorption effect only lasts a short while, and the opponent's attack power has recovered!"

(Zhaizhu: After careful examination, it appears that the one who invaded the Icejade Depths in the card "Icejade Erosion" is still the Swordsoul Strategist - Longyuan. He stole Moye's sword, so he was given an extra 1700 attack power from Moye in the previous chapter.)

Chapter 196 Mutual Death and Union

The group's attack was not in vain. At least the Swordsoul Strategist - Longyuan had many wounds, and even a few ice spikes stuck in his body. However, his momentum did not weaken, but instead rose higher and higher, and a dense evil aura was released wildly.

"My spiritual power is not something anyone can withstand."

Longyuan glanced at You Zhi and Yuan Ying with an arrogant look, a mocking smile on his lips.

"Really? Then how about we try transferring your spiritual energy to me right now?"

You Zhi wouldn't tolerate the other party's behavior; in front of him, no one was allowed to be more pretentious than him.

Longyuan stared intently at You Zhi, sensing a deeper, more chaotic aura emanating from him, a stark contrast to the dignified and upright aura of the girl beside him. He wondered how such incompatible people had come together. Could this young man be as adept at disguise as he had been in the past?

"Hmph, so you two are the reinforcements that the Icejade Emperor summoned after exhausting her spiritual power. To actually place her last hope on outsiders, it seems she knows she's at her wit's end and can only gamble with her luck."

Upon hearing this, the Neon Stone Sprite revealed an agitated and angry expression, repeatedly making "ah-bo ah-bo" noises, while the other Ikejade Sprite looked grief-stricken.

You Zhi wasn't going to back down verbally, and loudly retorted, "This isn't just recklessly gambling on luck; it's a display of courageous daring and a profound wisdom that sees the will of Heaven. Their sincere heart moved the heavens, which is why they were able to summon righteous messengers like us to set things right and punish the wicked!"

Longyuan paused for a moment, then coldly snorted, "Those who are good at empty talk, let me return to my original form and show you what true despair is!"

He overlapped the two swords in his hands, and instantly spiritual energy and death energy surged, forming a Tai Chi-like pattern on his body. The power of the Swordsoul, representing righteousness, and the death energy, representing evil, Polymerization and transformed into a new power, radiating the light of evolution.

"Don't just stand by and watch, attack and interrupt him!"

You Zhi quickly ordered the Pokémon to attack, and Yuan Ying also gave the order as if waking from a dream.

However, the righteous and evil auras surrounding Longyuan's body acted like a protective shield, blocking all attacks that weren't particularly powerful.

Seemingly sensing the external pressure, Longyuan accelerated the Polymerization process and completed the evolution in just a short while. When the light dissipated, his gold-patterned black robe turned into yellow-patterned purple armor. Gone was his previous composure and calmness; he became more aggressive, as if he had transformed from Zhuge Liang into Sima Yi. The Flame and Ice Twin Swords in his hands and the Dragon Tail disappeared together, replaced by a long whip composed of triangular blades.

[Swordsoul Daxie - Seven-Star Longyuan Abyss (10 Stars) Flame]

[Lineage: Inflammation, Poison]

[Level: 65]

[Attack Power: 2900 (3335)]

[Defense: 2300 (2645)]

[Wyrm-Type, effects: ①: Omitted; ②: Can be activated if the opponent successfully Special Summons a monster. Banish 1 of those monsters and inflict 1200 damage to the opponent; ③: Can be activated when the opponent activates the effect of a Spell/ Trap Card. Banish that card and inflict 1200 damage to the opponent.]

Seeing the opponent's effect through the cheat, You Zhi hurriedly reminded Yuan Ying, "Be careful, try not to let your Pokémon evolve, otherwise you will be banished to another dimension by the opponent and will also suffer 1200 true damage. Also, the opponent has a similar effect when you activate Spell Card, so don't use continuous Spell Card."

Other Spell Card can be used depending on their benefit, since the opponent's characteristic is only to banish Spell Card, not to negate their effects. Only continuous Spell Card lose their effects when they are banished.

Yuan Ying didn't ask You Zhi how he knew about the other's characteristics, but simply frowned and said, "These are truly troublesome characteristics."

But she still decided to summon Wingedman and evolve him into Wingedman Great Tornado Hero, because the other party was just an exiled spirit, and she couldn't let the spirit's evolution fail, nor could she let the spirit's characteristics become ineffective.

The moment Great Tornado Hero evolves, its special ability will activate automatically, reducing the opponent's attack and defense stats by half. Even if it is banished to another dimension afterward, it will have no effect, since Great Tornado Hero doesn't obey its commands anyway.

Just as Yuan Ying summoned the Wingedman, Seven-Star Longyuan said, "Interesting. This is the first time I have shown this form to the world, and you were able to Detect my divine power. The outside helper that the Icejade Emperor placed high hopes on is indeed extraordinary. But you seem to have forgotten one thing."

As soon as he finished speaking, a phantom of the previous form appeared on Seven-Star Longyuan's body. He swung his hand and an invisible sword aura spread out in all directions.

You Zhi immediately realized that this was the characteristic of the Swordsoul Strategist - Longyuan; when he underwent Synchro Evolution, he would deal 1200 true damage to his opponent.

Shouldn't this be single-target damage? Why is it becoming area-of-effect damage?

Referee, someone's cheating!

True damage ignores defense; one can only dodge or use cover to block it. This attack came suddenly, and almost all the Pokémon present were unable to dodge it, taking the hit squarely. A large number of Ikejade Sprite fell down instantly, and those that were already injured shattered into ice blocks on the spot.

Thanks to the protection of the elves, You Zhi and Yuan Ying were unharmed, but Neon Stone Sprite and Wingedman, whose health was already low, were on the verge of death after being hit by the sword energy.

The Silent Magician fared no better. Although she could reappear in her eight-star evolved form after being defeated, due to the characteristics of the Seven-Star Longyuan, she would be banished to another dimension the moment she arrived.

"It seems we have no choice but to rely on the elves in direct combat."

Yuan Ying reluctantly abandoned the idea of evolving the Wingedman. Otherwise, if another wave of true damage hit the entire field, even if her Nova Lord and Elemental HERO Neos could withstand it, the remaining Ikejade Sprite would probably be wiped out.

You Zhi decisively said to the Neon Stone Sprite, "Tell your people to leave immediately. You can't rely on numbers against the enemy in front of us."

The Neon Stone Sprite nodded and said to the Ikejade Sprite beside it, "Ah-bo ah-bo..."

However, the Ikejade Sprite did not leave immediately upon hearing this. Some were stubborn, some were unwilling to give up, and some were fearless of death, determined to leave damage to their enemies even at the cost of their lives.

Seeing this, You Zhi immediately shouted, "Be firm! Tell them they're just a burden if they stay, get out of here and don't hinder our performance!"

The Neon Stone Sprite clenched its fists, widened its eyes, and reminded its kin in the same stern tone, "Ah-bo! Ah-bo!"

In situations like this, kind words of pleading are useless, but harsh words of insults are very effective.

The Ikejade Sprite exchanged glances, remembering that the villain Longyuan had said these two were reinforcements sent by His Majesty. Despite their resentment, they chose to leave with their wounded companions.

The once crowded underwater world instantly became empty. Without any worries, You Zhi looked at his enemies again and saw that they were wielding the sword whip that resembled a swimming dragon, fighting fiercely against Elemental HERO Neos, Nova Lord, Giant Divergent Lizard Yihao, and Silent Magician. They were fighting against many opponents and were not at a disadvantage at all.

He clenched his fist and grinned expectantly, "This isn't Spirit Duel; there's no rule against trainers physically assaulting Pokémon."

Chapter 197 The Attacking Trainer

The weapon used by Seven-Star Longyuan at this moment is very peculiar. It can either gather together to slash targets like a swimming dragon, or disperse to attack like a Gundam's funnels. The former is more powerful, while the latter can deal with multiple targets.

Thanks to this characteristic, Seven-Star Longyuan was able to hold its own against multiple powerful spirits.

Of course, his characteristics also made Yuan Ying hesitant to let the spirits undergo special evolution or activate Spell Card, which was an important factor. After all, with 1200 true damage from a group attack, taking two more hits would wipe out the entire army.