Yugioh [838-840] (Patreon)

Chapter 838: What Kind of Hero Is This?

"My turn. Draw." The Bishop muttered gloomily.

"At the moment of this Standby Phase," Aster snapped his fingers.

"Effect of Destiny HERO – Dogma!

 During the opponent’s Standby Phase, halve their LP!"

Dogma’s eyes glowed red, and a surge of energy erupted. The Bishop let out a low roar as his LP plummeted again.

[Bishop, LP 1500 → LP 750]

"You little brat..."

The Bishop steadied himself, glaring coldly.

Who the hell taught you to play HERO like this?

 Is this the legendary power unique to rookie pros with Destiny HERO?

"Time is passing, and so is your life." Aster chuckled, his gaze momentarily sharp and sinister. "And... your fate."

The surrounding black-robed onlookers looked at each other, none daring to speak.

But they were all thinking the same thing:

Will the Bishop really be burned to death like this?

That would be such an embarrassing way to go...

"Enough nonsense, kid." The Bishop barked. "The duel isn't over yet!

 I Flip Summon 'Des Lacooda' again!"

[Des Lacooda, ATK 500]

"When Des Lacooda is Flip Summoned, I draw a card!"

The Bishop drew another card, then picked up the monster card from his Duel Disk.

"I tribute 'Des Lacooda' for a Tribute Summon!

 I summon the knight who wields the power of shattered dimensions—

—Divine Knight Ishzark!"

A dazzling white light burst forth, and the holy white knight, sword in hand, descended. Countless particles of white light danced around him like sprites.

[Divine Knight Ishzark, ATK 2300]

"Battle!" shouted the Bishop. "First, Divine Knight Ishzark attacks 'Destiny HERO – Dogma'!"

The holy knight raised his sword, charging forward, the blade wrapped in white light, as if part of the sacred radiance itself, slashing down at Dogma.

"Suiciding with a weak monster?" Aster frowned, but then smiled. "Interesting. I'll accept that challenge.

'Destiny HERO – Dogma', fight back!"

Dogma roared, his eyes flashing red in anger at being challenged by a weaker knight, and he punched back in retaliation.

But just before the clash, the Bishop quickly pulled a card from his hand.

"Quick-Play Spell 'Blind Spot Strike'!

 Select one face-up Defense Position monster on your opponent’s field and one Attack Position monster on your field.

 Until the end of the turn, your monster gains ATK equal to that monster’s DEF!"

Aster: "My Defense Position monsters are Captain Tenacious and Dunker..."

"Correct. I choose 'Destiny HERO – Dunker'," said the Bishop. "Dunker has 1700 DEF, so Divine Knight gains 1700 ATK!"

[Divine Knight Ishzark, ATK 2300 → ATK 4000]

Empowered, the Knight surged ahead, slashing Dogma straight through the chest with a single blow, exploding Dogma into fragments!

[Aster, LP 4000 → LP 3400]

"Divine Knight Ishzark's effect: any monster destroyed by this card in battle is banished. So 'Destiny HERO – Dogma' is banished again!"

The Bishop spoke solemnly.

"Disappear into another dimension again, blood-draining dark HERO!"

He then raised his Duel Disk as a golden light shone from his Graveyard.

"Then, the effect of Zeta Reticulant in the Graveyard!

 When an opponent’s monster is banished, I Special Summon an 'Eva Token'!"

[Eva Token, DEF 500]

"Burn me, will you? Let's see you burn again." The Bishop’s eyes were bloodshot. "And that Dunker should die too!

Zeta Reticulant, attack 'Destiny HERO – Dunker'!"

Zeta’s claws tore the air, leaving three transparent slashes that pierced right through Dunker, who then exploded.

The Bishop let out a long breath.

He still hadn’t dealt with the indestructible Captain Tenacious protected by D-Shield, but at least those two annoying burn monsters were gone. That gave him a breather.

"Aster Phoenix, I don’t know why you’re against my Church, but this is the biggest mistake of your life." The Bishop said gravely.

"Why?"

Aster closed his eyes and smiled.

"Yeah, if it was me last year, I’d never have imagined doing all this now, in this place. But if I have to give a reason... I suppose it’s to repay a debt."

"What?" The Bishop frowned.

Aster continued, almost to himself:

"Now that I think about it, my whole earlier life was stuck on that one day as a child. The day my father died, my time stopped too. After that, my life was all about revenge—nothing more.

If I lost that, I probably wouldn’t even know why I exist anymore."

"Oh?"

The Bishop’s eyes lit up.

Genius duelist Aster Phoenix—was this his inner darkness?

 A duelist with darkness in his heart—the Church’s favorite.

"Is that so?" The Bishop smiled. "Revenge? That’s understandable. There’s so much injustice and evil in this world. Within my Church, countless brothers and sisters have suffered as you did..."

Aster looked at him for a moment, then laughed.

"If you’re trying to recruit me to your cause, sorry, you’re too late."

"What?" The Bishop frowned.

"Because I’ve already boarded someone else’s ship, and I’m afraid I’ll never get off it in this life."

Aster glanced at his Duel Disk and deck.

"If it weren’t for that person, I’d never have learned that part of my father still survives in this world, nor found a new purpose in life and moved forward."

"From now on, my time finally moves forward again. My life can continue."

Aster shook his head, a smile returning to his face.

"Sorry, but I doubt trash like you would understand, even if I explained. Doesn’t matter, it’ll be over soon anyway."

He smiled coldly.

"Don’t worry, it’ll be quick. You won’t feel pain for long.

My turn—draw!"

Aster declared.

"During this Standby Phase, the effect of 'Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious' activates!

 If it’s on the field during your Standby Phase, you can Special Summon a 'Destiny HERO' destroyed by battle last turn from the Graveyard."

Bishop: "!"

So this damn thing is not just indestructible with absolute defense, but it can revive allies too?

With D-Shield, Captain Tenacious is immortal, and as long as it’s on the field, it can revive an ally every turn.

And what Aster wants to revive is, of course—

Come on! Destiny HERO – Dunker!"

[Destiny HERO – Dunker, DEF 1700]

The Bishop twitched.

Damn it, do your Destiny HEROes ever stay in the Graveyard?

"Then I activate the Spell Card 'Doctor D'.

 By banishing one 'Destiny HERO' from the Graveyard, I can revive another 'Destiny HERO' from the Graveyard."

Aster called out.

"I banish 'Destiny HERO - Doom Lord' from the Graveyard and revive the card that Dunker sent to the Graveyard last turn—

—Come forth, Destiny HERO - Disk Commander!"

[Destiny HERO - Disk Commander, DEF 300]

"Disk Commander’s effect: when Special Summoned from the Graveyard, draw two cards from the deck."

Aster drew two cards, then looked up, calm.

"The final blow—this ends it.

'Destiny HERO – Dunker’s effect: discard a Destiny HERO from my hand to inflict 500 damage to you.'"

The Bishop’s heart skipped, but he tried to stay calm: "What? My LP is still 750, that’s more than enough..."

But Aster cut him off: "I discard these two cards from my hand in succession:

'Destiny HERO - Defender', 'Destiny HERO - Dasher'. Each one inflicts 500 damage.

 That’s a total of 1000 damage."

The Bishop: "!"

So Dunker’s effect isn’t even once per turn!?

With two Destiny HEROes discarded, Dunker powered up.

The Bishop’s face twitched uncontrollably, contorting in a comical grimace.

What kind of HERO are you!?

Dunker slammed down his fist, sending two spheres of light flying at the Bishop’s face, exploding with a thunderous blast.

[Bishop, LP 750 → LP 0]

Chapter 839: Counting on You

Ten minutes later, Aster Phoenix was already sitting in a car heading for the airport.

He dialed Kira’s number.

After just a few seconds, the call connected and Kira’s voice came through.

"Aster? How’s it going? Was your trip smooth?"

"Heh, not bad. Would’ve been better if I had more time," Aster smiled.

"It’s done. I’m on my way to the airport. As for that spirit you asked about, I made some progress, but don’t get your hopes up."

On the other end, Kira shrugged: "My expectations are always rock bottom. No worries, go ahead."

"Alright. First, the thing you most wanted to know—I still have no clue what that spirit is. I caught a Bishop here, but even he didn’t know who they’re after.

According to them, it’s 'God’s will.'"

"Evil god, huh?" said Kira. "So they really call their faith that."

"It’s weird, yeah. But they did say why they want that spirit," Aster said. "It’s about a certain place in the spirit world."

"The spirit world?" Kira was surprised.

"Yeah, a place that seems to be hidden," Aster said. "They’re searching for it, and it’s related to unsealing their god.

But either they can’t find the place and need information on its location, or the spirit holds the key to the seal.

So now, catching that spirit is the church’s top priority, no matter the cost."

"Oh?"

Kira glanced at the big, floating eye beside him. Sensing danger, the eye widened in fright and floated back.

"What do you want from me? I’ll say this first, you can’t have any improper thoughts about my body—"

"That would require you to have a body first, right?"

Kira chuckled.

"You’re sure you don’t remember anything about that hidden place?"

The big eye shook like a rattle drum.

"As you can see, I don’t even remember who I am..."

"I see, so you’re basically useless," Kira said, rubbing his chin.

The eye nervously shrank back.

"You—what are you planning now?" The eye blinked. "By the way, everyone calls you the supreme Duel King, but you never look or act like a good guy..."

Kira smirked: "Nothing. I was just thinking, since you’re useless but there’s a group desperate to find you... If I sold you, how much would you fetch? Or how many rare cards?"

The big eye jumped in fright.

Kira ignored it, turning back to Aster: "Thanks for your hard work, Aster. Someone will talk to you about payment."

"No, no, let’s call it a favor. It was on my way, and besides, it was a nice bit of entertainment between tournaments."

Aster paused.

"But more than payment, what I really want to know is... how’s my father?"

"He’s doing well—stable now, over at KaibaCorp. You should be able to visit him next week, but be prepared.

He’s out of danger, but returning to normal... might not be possible."

"I know." Aster smiled. "But just being able to see him, to talk to my father again—it feels like a dream.

It’s the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me. I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you in person, Mr. Kira."

In fact, even the doctors and scientists at KaibaCorp called it a miracle—after ten years trapped in a monster, Aster’s father’s soul was freed from the card and revived. Even with the world’s top black technology, it should have been impossible.

Well, without a miraculous cat’s help, it would have been.

When Kira asked Lyman for help, even he was stumped.

As a genius alchemist, Lyman was as close to the Human Transmutation problem as anyone had ever been.

But this was even tough for him.

"His body’s been dead for ten years, and his soul’s been out of it for a decade. You want me to pull it back? Why not ask your professor to go to heaven?"

Kira replied with a smile, "But professor, didn’t you yourself escape your body and survive? You even live inside a cat now..."

Lyman snorted: "Do you think Pharaoh was just a stray cat I picked up? You think I could live in any cat’s belly? You know how hard I worked to become this?"

But Kira didn’t push; he just asked his professor to give it a try.

Lyman sighed and agreed—after all, what could he do with such a troublesome student?

And so, with the combined efforts of the world’s top alchemist, the world’s top tech corporation, and the world’s top card-printing company, the impossible became possible.

Though he didn’t have a body, they managed to separate Aster’s father’s soul from the Destiny HERO - Plasma card and housed it in a temporary mechanical vessel built by KaibaCorp.

Next week, Aster would be able to talk to his father again using KaibaCorp’s tech.

"No need for thanks—we’re colleagues, friends now," Kira smiled.

"If you really want to thank me, just finish the development soon. By the way, I saw your recent matches—you’ve been trying out new ideas?"

"Yeah, you told me my father’s Destiny HERO deck had more potential than I realized. Lately, I’m finding you might be right."

Aster sounded excited.

"I always thought I understood my Destiny HEROes, but that was just what I thought. I never really knew them.

Ultimate D shouldn't be their limit—I can feel it. There’s more power waiting to be discovered."

"That’s right. Keep it up," Kira encouraged.

Once Aster’s father was awake and they could discuss these new ideas, Destiny HERO would reach a new level.

After hanging up, Kira smiled at his terminal.

Go for it, Aster boy, I’m rooting for you.

Chapter 840: Viper’s Resolve

Destiny HERO has a lot of untapped potential, and Kira wasn’t just making empty promises to Aster. He took it very seriously.

Because of the famous "Big Daddy Phoenix."

Destiny HERO - Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer is arguably one of the brightest stars among HERO decks in Yu-Gi-Oh! history. At its peak, it dominated the meta.

Like Masked HERO – Dark Law, these cards weren’t just popular in HERO decks; they could be found everywhere. Back then, any deck would splash a HERO boss as its finisher.

Looking at the HERO family, only Dark Law and Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer had such high versatility in the meta.

Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer’s fusion requirement is a Destiny HERO and a Level 6 or higher HERO monster. ATK 2500—a standard main character stat.

When on the field, all opponent’s monsters lose ATK equal to 200 times the number of HERO cards in your graveyard. But that’s not the key part. The crucial second and third effects:

Second effect: You can destroy both one card you control and any card on the field. This can be activated at Quick-Play speed—during either player’s turn and even the Battle Phase. Great for breaking boards or interrupting plays.

Third effect: If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect, during the next Standby Phase, you can Special Summon a Destiny HERO from your Graveyard.

Of course, he himself is a Destiny HERO.

This is one reason Phoenix is so strong. You can target himself for his own destruction effect.

That way, after using his effect, he escapes to the graveyard and comes back next turn via his third effect.

This means, unless your opponent has grave-hate, Phoenix is basically immortal. He destroys and disappears, then returns next turn. No matter what kind of removal your opponent uses, he’s never on the field to be affected.

In a way, this is even more troublesome than absolute immunity.

Of course, Kira didn’t expect such an overpowered boss to be easy to create. A monster this strong would be tough to design.

But if anyone in the world could make this card, it would be Aster and his father.

Especially Aster’s father. Kira had to admit, that was one reason he spent so much to bring him back.

Aster’s father is a gifted card designer; the unique Destiny HERO deck is his life’s masterpiece. Without Mr. Phoenix, the deck wouldn’t reach its next stage.

Besides Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer, there are other interesting Destiny HERO cards that haven’t appeared yet.

Like the Destiny HEROes Aster uses in the parallel world of Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, which don’t exist in GX’s main world yet.

Arc-V’s Fusion Dimension has Destiny HERO’s boss, "Dystopia," and the upgraded "Dusktopia." In the current version, they’d be very strong.

Currently, there’s only one Destiny HERO deck in the world, in Aster’s hands. But if his father comes back, maybe it won’t stay unique for long.

Kira himself isn’t that interested in the deck, since Destiny HERO is a bit underwhelming. But if he could get a few specific cards as tech, there’s plenty of room for creativity.

Next month, the new school year begins—Kira’s last at Duel Academy. Starting this year, Kira, Jaden, and the others will officially be seniors of Duel Academy.

Well, he’s already been the boss for a while...

But this year, Professor Viper and exchange students from other academies will arrive, as well as Yubel, who should have returned to Earth by now.

Thinking of this, Kira smiled slightly.

Looks like he’d better prepare—the new school year’s going to be interesting.

…

In a dark laboratory...

"Even Masumi Momono failed?"

Professor Viper stood with hands behind his back, facing a huge monitor on the wall, his expression grave.

The monitor emitted a faint blue glow, the only light in the sealed room. The cold light deepened the shadows on his face, making his stern expression even harsher.

"Duel King Fujiki Kira... He’s more vigilant about his domain than expected."

Professor Viper muttered.

"Reports say he didn’t even get close to the target. As soon as he landed on the island, Duel King intercepted him."

He propped his chin, thinking aloud.

"In that case, the plan might need adjustment. With Duel King’s vigilance, if he detects our operation before we act..."

But as he spoke, behind him, a previously invisible black vessel lit up in the darkness.

A pale golden light, like fireflies, gathered and churned in the vessel, turning into countless bubbles.

The bubbles formed themselves into the shape of an eye. The eye suddenly opened, looking at Professor Viper, blinking twice.

Viper turned, frowning at the eye.

"You say the plan doesn’t change? But the Duel King—"

The eye flashed gold, and light burst forth.

For a moment, Viper was mesmerized, his stern face breaking into a smile.

He saw a boy’s silhouette.

A boy radiating golden light, whispering in a mesmerizing voice:

"Don’t you want to see me again?"

"We’re so close, just a little more, and we can... be together forever."

Viper stepped forward in a trance, unconsciously reaching out.

"Pierce..."

"Yes, then we can be together forever."

He remembered again why he was doing all this.

His child, who died in an accident, was supposed to be lost to him forever. But with the spirit’s power, if he could give it enough energy...

The light faded, and the vision vanished—an illusion.

The giant eye in the glass vessel silently watched Viper.

Viper closed his eyes.

"Of course, you’re right. My resolve is unshaken. No matter the cost, I will bring my child back. No one will stand in our way...

"...Not even the Duel King."