"Tribute Summon—Heroic Spirit – Jack the Ripper!!"
[Heroic Spirit – Jack the Ripper ★★★★★★ (Level 6)] [DARK] [Zombie/Effect] [ATK 800 → 1100 / DEF 1000 → 1300]
[This card is also treated as a 'Lily']
"Jack the Ripper's effect—Once per turn, target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. That monster is flipped to face-down Defense Position!"
So that was the mystery behind the mist when Jack appeared—it concealed the opponent's monsters by flipping them face-down, disabling their effects, and setting them up for silent assassination.
"Additionally, when Jack attacks a Defense Position monster, it can destroy it without calculating battle damage!"
Despite having only 800 ATK, Jack could still slice through even a Blue-Eyes White Dragon by effect. This was Jack's unique trait as the sharpest blade among the Lily monsters.
"This is bad… If Jack's effect activates, my Rampart Blaster will be destroyed instantly…"
Shrouded in mist and sensing the danger, Jaden hurriedly flipped one of his set cards in the Spell & Trap Zone.
"In that case, I'll chain to Jack's effect and activate the Quick-Play Spell—De-Fusion! I'll return Rampart Blaster to the Extra Deck and Special Summon the original Fusion Materials—Clayman and Burstinatrix—back to the field!"
[Clayman DEF 2000] [Burstinatrix ATK 1200]
Hoshino nodded silently. "Nice, Jaden. Better to lose some than let your whole field get wiped out. Still… against Akasha with a Field Spell active, it feels like a losing game."
"Cut him down, Jack!"
The battle continued even after the Fusion was undone. Jack's eyes locked onto Clayman, now in Defense Position, and Akasha gave the order.
"Leave it to me—Maria the Ripper!!!"
Jack's small, nimble figure spun through the mist, twin blades gleaming. With one fluid strike, she cleaved the hulking Clayman into three parts.
[Elemental HERO Clayman Destroyed]
Jaden muttered to himself, trying to stay calm:
"It's okay… at least Burstinatrix is still safe…"
Akasha replied with a cruel smile:
"Says who? None of you are escaping today! I activate the effect of the Field Spell—Adventures in the Children's Kingdom!"
[②: When a "Lily" monster you control is sent to the Graveyard, you can activate this effect. Special Summon 1 "Lily" monster from your Deck.]
"Since I tributed Santa Lily earlier, I can now Special Summon—Heroic Spirit – Medea Lily!"
[Heroic Spirit – Medea Lily ★★★★ (Level 4)] [LIGHT] [Spellcaster/Effect] [ATK 1000 → 1300 / DEF 1500 → 1800]
[When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 Spell/Trap that mentions "Heroic Spirit - Medea" in its text from your Deck to your hand.]
Summoned by the Field Spell, Medea Lily floated gently in the air on her bare feet. With the 300-point ATK boost, her strength now surpassed Burstinatrix's 1200.
"Target Burstinatrix—attack, Medea Lily!"
A reddish-purple magic circle flared to life behind Medea, launching a barrage of projectiles that engulfed Burstinatrix.
[Elemental HERO Burstinatrix Destroyed]
[Jaden LP 3000 → 2900]
"I still have a backup plan! When Blazing Lady is destroyed by battle, I activate the Trap I set last turn—Hero Signal!"
[Hero Signal – Trap Effect: When a monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Elemental HERO" monster from your hand or Deck.]
"Thanks to Hero Signal's effect, I can—"
"Too naïve!" Akasha cut him off, revealing a card she had just searched with Medea's effect. "I activate the Counter Trap—Rule Breaker!"
[Rule Breaker – Counter Trap Effect: When your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card: If you control a "Heroic Spirit" monster, negate the activation, and if you do, shuffle that card into the Deck. If you control "Heroic Spirit - Medea," you can activate this card from your hand.]
Medea Lily rose into the air, pulling out a twisted, serpentine dagger. She slashed through the sky, and the projection of the Hero Signal shattered instantly.
"——Rule Breaker!!"
With a dramatic anti-magic backlash, Jaden's last hope—Hero Signal—was completely negated.
Hoshino sighed. "Man, Akasha really doesn't know the meaning of mercy…"
From start to finish, Jaden was completely overwhelmed. Every move he made seemed to trigger one of Akasha's traps.
"Ugh…" Jaden lowered his head, his trembling hands clutching his cards tightly.
Hoshino Alter commented, "If it were us at Jaden's age, getting smacked around like this, we'd probably be crying on the spot."
But Jaden suddenly raised his head, eyes still burning with spirit.
"Ugh... Akasha, you're amazing! I was completely powerless against you… But dueling you was so much fun!"
Hoshino's eye twitched slightly. "Okay… yeah, this is definitely that classic hot-blooded shonen protagonist mindset. This guy's built different."
Even Akasha was caught off guard. This was the first time someone had taken such a brutal beating from her and still smiled about it. Back when she was with the Rare Hunters, most weaklings avoided her like the plague.
"Well, as long as you're happy. My turn ends."
[Akasha's Hand: 1 | Set Cards: 2]
"My turn—draw! I Set a monster in face-down Defense Position, and Set another card. Turn end."
He simply placed two cards and ended his turn. It seemed that even with all his hot-blooded spirit, Jaden couldn't overcome the gap in strength.
"Is this the end of the line~?"
Akasha showed a gentle, charming smile and tapped her fingertip on the monster card she had drawn this turn, sliding it onto her Duel Disk.
"Since there's a 'Lily' monster on my field, I can Special Summon Heroic Spirit – Nursery Rhyme from my hand in Attack Position!"
[Heroic Spirit – Nursery Rhyme ★★★★ (Level 4)] [DARK] [Spellcaster/Effect] [ATK 800 → 1100 / DEF 800 → 1100]
[If you control a 'Lily' monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand.]
"Nursery Rhyme's effect activates upon Special Summon! I can add a Spell Card that mentions 'Lily' from my Deck to my hand. I choose the Continuous Spell—Dinner Time with the Lilies!"
As random toys and snacks rained down from the sky, the chatty Nursery Rhyme directed them to land in the middle of a chaotic pile.
"Puhaha~ I get to play again today! I'm so happy, Akasha! When I was with Master before, I barely got any chances to appear."
Hoshino, arms crossed and frowning, muttered, "Oh, so sorry you didn't get enough spotlight. Maybe you should take a page from Okita's book~"
Nursery Rhyme quickly shook her head. "No way! Okita always dumps a bunch of plain rice crackers into the Graveyard. She doesn't get that a proper tea party for kids is all about black tea and sweets!"
Hmm… so this was the divide between Japanese and Western styles?
Waving her hand to signal the Battle Phase, Akasha declared, "Let's go, everyone! Launch a full-on assault! Jack will start by destroying the face-down Defense Position monster. Then Nursery Rhyme and Medea will attack directly!"
"Hehe~ That's the second one I get to slice today!"
Licking her lips, Jack darted across the field to Jaden's side and instantly slashed the face-down monster card to pieces.
"No matter what you tried to hide, Jaden, as long as it's in Defense Position, it can't withstand Jack-chan's blade!"
After Jack's attack, Medea and Nursery Rhyme followed up with coordinated magical strikes. A storm of ice and fire crashed mercilessly into Jaden.
[Jaden LP 2900 → 500]
"Ahh—ow ow ow… You're really not holding back at all, huh, Akasha?"
Even if it was just a virtual simulation, the hyper-realistic effects still managed to stir a subconscious sense of pain.
"If you're afraid of getting hurt, you might as well surrender. You're not going to beat me anyway. Finally, I activate Medea Lily's effect to recover 1000 Life Points!"
[Akasha LP 4000 → 5000]
With her LP restored and enjoying the cushion, Akasha lowered her Duel Disk, ending her assault for the turn.
[Akasha's Hand: 2 | Set Cards: 2]
"No... My counterattack is just getting started, Akasha! The monster you destroyed just now—Wroughtweiler!"
[If this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: Target 1 "Elemental HERO" card and 1 "Polymerization" in your GY; add them to your hand.]
Two cards ejected from Jaden's Graveyard and flew into his hand.
"I recover Elemental HERO Burstinatrix and the Spell Card Polymerization from my Graveyard!"
Hoshino raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? He got back Fusion and Burstinatrix. Even after being pressured this hard by Akasha, he still hasn't given up."
"My turn! Draw! I activate Pot of Greed from my hand to draw two more cards! Then, I Normal Summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman in Defense Position!"
[Elemental HERO Bubbleman ★★★★ (Level 4)] [WATER] [Warrior/Effect] [ATK 800 / DEF 1200]
[If this card is Summoned while you control no other cards, draw 2 cards.](Anime Effect)