Yu-Gi-Oh!: Starting with an Underworld Deck, Depressing the World, Part 40
[DEF: 800]
"2100 ATK? That's even higher than Doomking Balerdroch's original 2000 ATK."
Jaden Yuki couldn't help sounding a little surprised.
"If Pandemonium - Archfiend's Lair isn't on the field, this card is immediately destroyed. But Pandemonium is still on my field, so it isn't affected by that drawback." Titan waved a hand as he spoke, his expression no less grim despite Jaden Yuki's surprise.
"Next, I activate Shadowknight Archfiend's special effect, targeting Archfiend General! It gains 1000 ATK until my next turn!"
As he spoke, a surge of dark purple energy flowed from the fearsome demon monster in purple robes into Archfiend General.
The newly summoned Archfiend General's ATK immediately ticked up to 3100!
Meanwhile, the Doomking Balerdroch that had been hit by Jiang He's Wall of Disruption and now looked extremely weak lost the ATK boost from Shadowknight Archfiend's effect.
Its ATK, which had already fallen to 1400, ticked down to a pitiful 400.
"Does this count as NTR right in front of him...?" Jiang He watched the scene with a strange expression and pondered the question. The demon queen abandons the old and feeble demon king and elopes with the demon general.jpg. Still, it wasn't hard for Jiang He to understand why Titan had made that choice.
Clearly, he had considered the possibility that one of the two cards Jiang He had set was another trap like Wall of Disruption.
In that case, Doomking Balerdroch's 1400 ATK would definitely be reduced to 0.
Then attacking Stealth Bird would cost him more damage than not attacking.
By comparison, it was better to give all the extra ATK to the newly summoned Archfiend General.
Even if its ATK was reduced, he wouldn't take more damage than he would from Stealth Bird's Flip Summon effect.
That would reduce the risk a little, too.
Unfortunately, as Jiang He saw it, his opponent still hadn't thought things through quite enough!
Chapter 59: Three Monsters Can't Even Muster 1 ATK! [Please subscribe]
"Battle! Archfiend General, attack the newly set Stealth Bird on the right! Demonic fury!"
Titan immediately pointed at the huge card lying face-down on the right side of Jiang He's field and gave Archfiend General its order.
That was the hateful Stealth Bird the brat had just summoned in Attack Position to taunt him!
At Titan's command, the fearsome Archfiend General raised its bone sword, which burst into orange-yellow demonic flames, and leaped into the air!
It was about to slash at the huge face-down card on the right side of Jiang He's field!
"I can't let you destroy the Spirit Monster of my deck. Reveal my face-down card, the trap Half Shut!"
Jiang He immediately waved a hand toward one of the two face-down cards on his field.
The Trap Card flipped over, revealing a picture of a bearded man wearing glasses.
"This card's effect halves the ATK of every face-up monster on the field until the end of your turn!"
"Damn it, so you really did have a trap that lowers ATK!" Titan said, his expression darkening.
A dizzying spiral of light shot from Half Shut and struck Archfiend General just as it leaped into the air.
The monster roared in confusion as its 3100 ATK immediately ticked down by half, leaving it with only 1550!
"Hmph, but the ATK reduction from Half Shut only lasts this turn!"
Titan seemed to think of something and spoke with a snort.
"Archfiend General will recover next turn. As long as I draw another powerful demon monster from my deck, that's when I'll turn this around!"
"That's true!" Alexis Rhodes, Jaden Yuki, Chumley and the fourth member of the group were all startled.
Half Shut's effect lasted only one turn. On the next turn, his opponent's Archfiend General would return to 2100 ATK.
If he summoned another monster with that much ATK, he could destroy both of Jiang He's Stealth Birds next turn without taking any damage.
Jiang He had used up almost all the traps on his field, and he had only two cards left in his hand.
He might not be able to defeat his opponent before then.
Soon, however, Alexis and the others noticed that Jiang He's expression hadn't changed in the slightest at Titan's words.
"That's why I prepared a second surprise for you. Reveal my other face-down card, the trap Wall of Disruption!"
Jiang He smiled brightly as he spoke.
At his gesture, the remaining face-down card flipped over!
It revealed the familiar purple-and-black partition design!
"When an opponent's monster attacks, all Attack Position monsters on their field lose 800 ATK for each monster they control."
"Now that you've summoned the Archfiend General who cuckolded that king, you have three monsters on your field, so they all lose 2400 ATK!" Jiang He said with a faint smile.
"Nani?! Impossible! How can you have another one?!" Titan went pale with shock!
The remaining face-down card was another underworld trap that drastically lowered ATK!
Even Alexis Rhodes and the others stared in a daze. "Buzz!"
A purple beam and a black beam once again flew from Wall of Disruption. One struck Archfiend General, which was still airborne with its orange-yellow flaming bone sword and had yet to land.
The other struck Doomking Balerdroch on Titan's field behind it.
The two fearsome demons' ATK immediately ticked down again, both dropping straight to zero.
They now had 0 ATK, just like Shadowknight Archfiend!
[Ding! Titan's Emotion Points +600!]
"Let me see the fury of a 0-ATK demon for free again. The battle continues!" Hearing the pleasant notification, Jiang He smiled with delight. "Archfiend General attacks my face-down Stealth Bird!" "No...!"
Across from him, Titan's face turned green as he watched his Archfiend General in the air swing its bone sword without hesitation at the huge face-down card on the right side of Jiang He's field.
"Screech!!"
The familiar scene played out again!
After being attacked, Stealth Bird flipped face-up in a faint glow. Its batlike, beaked head let out a sinister chuckle, and its blue wings passively whipped up a freezing whirlwind that sent Archfiend General flying back, bone sword and all!
It crashed heavily into Titan behind it, knocking him to the ground!
At the same time, the knife-sharp wind once again lashed his black-coated body, which was already covered in wounds. "Aah!!"
Titan screamed again under the assault of the knife-like wind!
His Life Points ticked down another 1700 from [2300 LP], leaving him with a pitiful [600 LP].
Then he fell unconscious.
"Th-that's brutal." Jaden Yuki, Syrus Truesdale and the third boy huddled together as they watched, a drop of cold sweat running down each of their faces.
Not only were Titan's injuries terrible,
the state of his field was painful to look at too. He had three whole monsters, yet they couldn't muster even 1 ATK between them.
They were starting to feel sorry for him.
He had only one card left in his hand now and clearly couldn't do much.
He also had only [600 LP] left, and he had passed out.
On Jiang He's turn, all he had to do was Flip Summon the remaining Stealth Bird and activate its effect to deal his opponent 1000 LP of damage.
The outcome of the duel was already obvious!
For some reason, though, Alexis Rhodes, Jaden Yuki, Syrus Truesdale and the fourth member of the group all felt that this Shadow Duel seemed to have done more damage to the Shadow Duelist Titan's psyche than to his body.
Chapter 60: Alexis Gets Shy, Playing Cards All Night [Please subscribe]
[Ding! Titan's Emotion Points +600!]
Hearing the system notification, Jiang He glanced in surprise at Titan, the black-coated figure in the distance who was clearly still unconscious.
Good grief, he was still giving Jiang He Emotion Points even while unconscious?!
Jiang He nodded in profound satisfaction.
Mm! It looks like the laughter and warmth I spread have successfully reached deep into the heart of this Shadow Duelist, Titan!
Then he saw that the Shadow Duel ritual space had yet to be dispelled.
To be safe, Jiang He continued by drawing a card and activating Stealth Bird's Flip Summon effect.
He reduced the remaining [600 LP] of Titan, who had long since passed out, to zero.
Stealth Bird whipped up another gust of knife-sharp, freezing wind, delivering a finishing blow.
"Rumble!!"
Almost the instant Titan's Life Points hit zero, the Shadow Duel ritual space began to tremble!
Pandemonium - Archfiend's Lair, which Titan had activated earlier, also began to cave in and collapse amid the violent shaking.
Then, large numbers of familiar pitch-black token spheres emerged from all around and began to engulf the unconscious Titan, pouring into his mouth!
"Oh my god!" Jaden Yuki, Syrus Truesdale and the others felt their scalps tingle as they saw Titan's plight!
Is this what happens when you lose a Shadow Duel?!
Whether or not his life was in danger, being swallowed up by all those pitch-black token spheres was creepy enough.
Jiang He watched with a look of disgust too.
If he were being engulfed by a group of beautiful Duel Monsters spirits like Dark Magician Girl, he could have accepted that.
But being engulfed by a mass of mudlike, pitch-black token spheres was a little too much for his tastes...
"We don't have time to stay here any longer! Jiang He, this place is about to collapse!"
Seeing this, Alexis Rhodes hurriedly warned him in a serious tone.
"We have to get out of here, quickly!"
"Kuri, kuri!"
Sphere Kuriboh appeared on Jiang He's shoulder and cried out a warning too.
Only then did Jaden Yuki, Chumley and the third boy notice that something was wrong around them, and they hurriedly looked for a way out in a panic.
"No need to look. That crack with a little light over there should be the exit." Jiang He wasn't worried in the least. After glancing in the direction Sphere Kuriboh had indicated, he told the others.
Then he snapped his fingers, signaling the two blue Stealth Birds, whose physical forms hadn't completely vanished yet. One carried him and Alexis, while the other carried Jaden Yuki, Syrus Truesdale and the third boy, and they quickly flew toward the crack of light.
"These two Stealth Birds actually still have physical forms for now...!" Alexis Rhodes murmured in surprise. But the strange bird was so unattractive that, unlike with the little Sphere Kuriboh on Jiang He's shoulder earlier, she had no desire to try touching it.
Even Jiang He, its owner, had no desire whatsoever to touch it...
"This is the first time I've ever touched a spirit's physical form!"
On the other Stealth Bird, however, the hot-blooded idiot Jaden Yuki, Syrus Truesdale and the third boy were an entirely different sight!
Jaden Yuki was interestedly stroking the blue feathers on Stealth Bird's head and nearly got scratched. "But isn't this Stealth Bird a little too small? It feels like it can barely carry us!" the simple-minded fatty Chumley said in some alarm.