Chapter 596: The One Who Made the Wrong Move Is You, Joey Wheeler
Hearing Valon declare entering the Battle Phase, Joey Wheeler's Meteor Black Dragon on his Field snorted a hot breath from its nostrils, looking very disdainful towards him.
Although the way of wearing monsters on himself looked very strange, no matter how Joey Wheeler looked at the opponent, they were just a bunch of weak monsters with 0 ATK. Isn't this just an easy fight?
"Armor Monsters can only attack with one during a Battle Phase," Valon said. "I choose to attack Joey Wheeler's Meteor Black Dragon on your Field with my right arm's Big Bang Knuckle Armor!"
While speaking, Valon raised his right arm under Meteor Black Dragon's disdainful gaze, clenching his fist as if he had already won, and rushed towards Joey Wheeler.
And Joey Wheeler, hearing Valon make the attack declaration, finally made up his mind and pressed the button to activate his Set card: "Then, chain to your attack declaration, I activate the Set card on my Spell/Trap Zone, the Trap Card Raigeki Break!"
"Discard a card from hand, activate by targeting one card on the Field! Destroy that card!"
Looking at the Set card Joey Wheeler flipped in his Spell/Trap Zone, and him sending a card that seemed to be a Monster Card to the Graveyard, Valon said with considerable pride: "As expected, you have some knowledge of my Armor Deck, Joey Wheeler!"
"As for normal Duelist, seeing an attack declaration like mine, which is like self-destructing, although they might stop it due to caution and doubt, they would definitely have a process of doubt and consideration! But you just hesitated for a moment and then activated your Set card!"
A lightning pillar rose from the Raigeki Break card and descended from the sky. Although it hadn't fallen yet, Valon couldn't determine which card on Joey Wheeler's Field Raigeki Break was activated as a target for, but for him, it shouldn't make a difference.
"I'm very curious where you learned about my Armor Deck, but it doesn't matter. You're truly stupid, Joey Wheeler!"
The left armguard was raised by Valon, and a red barrier was released from the Trap Burst Armor on his left arm, enveloping his armor.
"The effect of Trap Burst Armor is the ability to make all Armor Monsters on my Field unaffected by the opponent's Trap Card effects! Blindly using cards without mastering the ability of my cards, your ability is nothing more than this!"
After the confident Valon taunted Joey Wheeler a few times, he continued to rush towards the direction of Meteor Black Dragon he was about to attack. The result of Big Bang Knuckle Armor with 0 ATK attacking Meteor Black Dragon with 3500 ATK will inevitably be the self-destruct of Big Bang Knuckle Armor, which can trigger its effect to detonate all monsters on the Field.
And at the same time, Active Guard Armor will absorb all the damage for Valon himself, meaning that with this one punch, Joey Wheeler will receive a full 3500 points of effect damage in one go. Even if he doesn't lose all his Life Points in one go, he will be knocked to the ground and unable to move by the Armor Deck's ability to inflict vitality damage, only able to barely survive with a mere 500 points of Life Points, like a flickering candle!
Meteor Black Dragon only realized the terrifying power on the gauntlet of Valon's right arm at this moment, turning its head back in panic to look at Joey Wheeler, as if saying: "Joey Wheeler, quickly use your invincible Set card to think of something!"
The lightning fell under Valon's indifferent gaze, but what made him puzzled was, the location where Raigeki Break's light pillar finally fell seemed very close to him, but it wasn't targeting any Armor Monster on him, nor the cards on his Spell/Trap Zone. Instead, it fell upon his attack target, Meteor Black Dragon!?
"When did you get the idea that my Raigeki Break was targeting a card on your field, Valon?" Joey Wheeler asked.
Joey Wheeler's confident voice entered Valon's ears. As the lightning destroyed the bewildered Meteor Black Dragon, Valon's swung Big Bang Knuckle Armor hit nothing, failing to trigger the field-clearing effect.
Looking over upon hearing the voice, only to see Joey Wheeler reveal an exaggerated grin and said proudly, "A name like Trap Burst Armor basically screams resistance to Trap Cards! Do you think everyone is as stupid as you, Valon? I already knew that card would give your Armor Monsters resistance!"
"The ability of Big Bang Knuckle Armor, Rex told me about it long ago," Joey Wheeler explained. "It's a powerful card that can trigger a self-destruct effect when destroyed by battle, therefore effect destruction became a powerful means against it. But before you summoned Big Bang Knuckle Armor, you specifically used Magnetic Armor to Special Summon Trap Burst Armor from the Graveyard! Do you think I wouldn't notice that?!"
"Besides effect destruction, as long as I can avoid you actively detonating Big Bang Knuckle Armor, I can still interrupt your combo!" Joey Wheeler declared.
Valon's expression stiffened: "Damn, damn! To be understood so thoroughly!"
"Wait, Rex?" Valon muttered. "That 'Dinosaur' Rex? That guy actually didn't die in his Duel with me? Tsk, annoying things just keep happening one after another."
Failing to trigger the effect of Big Bang Knuckle Armor made Valon very annoyed, but at the same time, he deliberately provoked: "But Joey Wheeler, to stop my attack, you would actually actively destroy your own monster! Are you still a Duelist like this?"
"Since you know the effect of Big Bang Knuckle Armor, you should also know that even if my attack hit, you wouldn't lose the Duel, right?" Valon continued. "Just because you were fearful of taking damage, you actively destroyed your monster. What a coward."
Since there was temporarily no way to damage Joey Wheeler in the Duel, Valon didn't mind using words to taunt and belittle Joey Wheeler. This wasn't some despicable action; one must know that Joey Wheeler was Valon's love rival, and on the battlefield of feelings, anything goes.
However, Joey Wheeler wasn't easily enraged by a couple of his words. Listening to Valon's words, he instead said proudly: "Valon, right? You said I actively destroyed my own monster, that is indeed a fact. But, this wasn't to avoid damage; on the contrary, this is a necessary sacrifice I created for the upcoming victory!"
"When Meteor Black Dragon is sent to the Graveyard from the Monster Zone," Joey Wheeler declared, "I activate its effect by targeting one Normal Monster in my Graveyard! Special Summon that monster!"
Hearing this, Valon was startled: "A Normal Monster in your Graveyard? No way! Your Graveyard should have no Monster Cards left because of that Pot of Avarice before!"
"No, wait a minute! Could it be!" Valon exclaimed.
"That's right," Joey Wheeler declared. "True Duelist can even use the negative effects of cards freely! Rather, there are no useless effects, only useless Duelist!" Joey Wheeler's hand pointed towards the sky, "What I am about to Special Summon is this monster that was just discarded by the effect of Raigeki Break!"
Among the wreckage of Meteor Black Dragon annihilated by the lightning, the lightning that hadn't completely dissipated pulsed and gathered again. Another beam of pale lightning fell and was grasped by a pair of pale claws reaching out from within!
"Witness the powerful monster Yugi entrusted to me," Joey Wheeler roared. "Birth of Roaring Thunder, Summoned Skull!"
"ROAR!!!"
Summoned Skull [DEF1200]
A powerful Fiend-Type monster with ATK equivalent to Dark Magician, Summoned Skull, given to Joey Wheeler by Yugi, appeared majestically on Joey Wheeler's Field because of Meteor Black Dragon's effect!
Furthermore, Joey Wheeler slyly Special Summoned it in Defense Position, now standing like a "Wall of Lamentation" between Joey Wheeler and Valon, leaving Valon, who only had three Armor Monsters with 0 ATK on the Field, only able to stare blankly.
Raigeki Break destroyed Meteor Black Dragon, and then Summoned Skull was Special Summoned onto the Field. This chain of actions triggered the rules of Battle Replay, allowing Valon to attack with his Armor Monsters again.
But, attack who? Don't look at Summoned Skull's DEF of only 1200 points, but it's enough to block Valon's Armor Monsters with 0 ATK. The result of crashing into it would only be Valon taking damage equal to its DEF, and also unable to prevent Big Bang Knuckle Armor from being destroyed to trigger its effect.
"Tsk, I slightly underestimated you, Katsuya Jounouchi." Valon stood back in his original position, annoyed, clearly choosing not to continue the Battle Phase.
Drawing two cards from his Hand and sending them to the Graveyard, Valon activated one card: "In my Main Phase 2, discard two cards from hand to use the Spell Card Ghost Lightning String Trap! Activate its effect by targeting one Trap Card in my Graveyard."
"Set Magnetic Armor on my Spell/Trap Zone again," Valon declared. "Then I Set one more card from my Hand. End Turn."
"And at the End Phase," Valon added, "Trap Burst Armor Special Summoned by the effect of Magnetic Armor will be sent to the Graveyard again."
Finished speaking, Joey Wheeler saw the Trap Burst Armor on Valon's left arm shatter along with the red barrier that seemed to have the ability to resist Trap Cards, which was spread out before.
[Valon: 3600 LP, Hand 0]
Mental Helmet Armor [ATK 0]
Active Guard Armor [DEF 1500]
Big Bang Knuckle Armor [ATK 0]
Survive Treasure [Set Card] X2
"Oh dear, oh dear, this is troublesome," Valon sighed. "The powerful combo I finally put together was just interrupted by you, this guy with strange yellow hair, no taste at all, and completely unworthy of Mai! How annoying!" Valon, with his hand free, pointed towards Joey Wheeler and beckoned with his finger, provoking: "So, do you dare to attack now?"
"Who has strange hair?!" Joey Wheeler retorted. "And what right does a hedgehog-head like you have to say that about me!" Joey Wheeler pouted and glanced at the situation on the Field.
Although Joey Wheeler successfully made Valon stumble last turn and couldn't deal any damage, Valon's field setup was genuine. The three Armor Monsters on the Field—or rather, on Valon himself—even though their ATK was only 0 points, were not to be underestimated.
But as for ways to solve it, it's not that there aren't any. Neither Big Bang Knuckle Armor nor Active Guard Armor are suitable to be destroyed by battle, but as long as he finds a way to break through from Mental Helmet Armor, it will be fine.
Valon currently has two Set cards in his Spell/Trap Zone, one of which is the revealed card Magnetic Armor, which can Special Summon Trap Burst Armor from Valon's Graveyard onto the Field again, providing Trap Resistance to other Armor Monsters. As for the other Set card, Joey Wheeler doesn't know.
Currently Valon's Life Points are 3600 points, meaning Joey Wheeler just needs to find a way to deal 3600 points of damage to Mental Helmet Armor as the target, under the interference of that mysterious Set card in Valon's Spell/Trap Zone.
Sounds a bit difficult. Let's take another look at the cards Joey Wheeler currently has.
On the Field, there is a Summoned Skull in Defense Position with 2500 ATK, then there is a Polymerization in his Hand, but he doesn't have enough Fusion Material, and there is also a Set card of unknown meaning in his Spell/Trap Zone.
"Heh heh, Grandpa Joey Wheeler's Battle City Top 4 isn't just for show," Joey Wheeler chuckled. "A mere Armor Deck or whatever, watch me flatten it!" Joey Wheeler placed his finger on his Deck with full confidence, drew a card: "My Turn, Draw!"
Accompanied by the familiar touch was a familiar card. Flipping his palm, the card Joey Wheeler drew this turn was surprisingly a member of the bricked hand from the first turn—Red-Eyes Black Dragon!
The card itself hadn't changed at all, but the situation of the Duel was already different from when it first started. The current Joey Wheeler truly needed the help of this card.
"Watch closely, Valon," Joey Wheeler declared. "I will make an effort with the cards I use next, even for Rex who was attacked by you before! Spell Card Polymerization!"
Showing the Polymerization card in his Hand, Joey Wheeler shouted loudly, "Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Summoned Skull, lend me your power, Fusion Summon!"
"Fiend Dragon - Dark Black Dragon!"
The two monsters on the Field and in his Hand were sent to the Graveyard by Joey Wheeler. Following the "Meteor Dragon" from before, the "Demon Dragon" manifested on Joey Wheeler's Field due to the power of Polymerization!
Fiend Dragon - Dark Black Dragon [Level 9/Dark]
[Dragon Type/Fusion/Effect]
[3200/2500]
"Enter Battle Phase!" Joey Wheeler declared. "I will use Fiend Dragon - Dark Black Dragon to attack Valon's Mental Helmet Armor on your Field!"
*'Then you will take 3200 points of battle damage, and at the end of the Battle Phase that Fiend Dragon - Dark Black Dragon battled, it can deal additional effect damage! Victory is mine, Valon!'*
Joey Wheeler confidently envisioned the upcoming development and waved his hand, giving the order to attack.
Obviously, Joey Wheeler accidentally committed a major taboo in Duels: explaining his sure-win strategy in his head.
Seeing Joey Wheeler summon the powerful Fiend Dragon - Dark Black Dragon, Valon, under Joey Wheeler's confused gaze, suddenly started laughing: "Hmph hahaha, you fell for it, Joey Wheeler! You just said you would attack Mental Helmet Armor, right?!"
"After all that calculation, it seems the one who made the wrong move is you!" Valon declared.
Chapter 597
Facing the Dark Armed Dragon, Valon laughed confidently, which Katsuya Jounouchi found quite perplexing.
'When Dark Armed Dragon battles, Valon shouldn't be able to activate Spell/Trap or Monster Effects until the end of the Damage Step.'
'This point should have spread along with the replays from Battle City and the existence of Dark Armed Dragon. There's no way he doesn't know.'
'What other trump card does he have? And where does this ominous feeling come from?'
The demon-like black dragon raised its demon claw, wreathed in black flames, and slammed it down heavily on the Mental Headgear, which was much smaller in comparison. Naturally, Valon wouldn't sit back and take the attack; he also raised his right fist to meet it!
It was only then that Joey Wheeler finally understood why Valon said he was "one move behind".
For the sake of victory, he had just been desperately thinking about how to achieve victory, like a student who hadn't finished writing an answer when the exam bell rang. But in that panic, he had completely forgotten one thing—
Unlike ordinary Duel Monsters, all Armor Monsters are equipped to Valon's body. Because of this characteristic, only one can attack at a time, as the human body, while miraculous, cannot simultaneously punch with full power and kick with full power.
But at the same time, unlike other Duel Monsters that are inevitably drawn into battle once selected as an attack target, Armor Monsters are armor on Valon's body. He can completely choose which part of his body will bear the attack!
And just as Joey Wheeler belatedly realized, the attack of Dark Armed Dragon, which had originally locked onto Mental Headgear and could have reduced most of Valon's Life Points in one go, ended up only hitting the Big Bang Blow, which was easily crushed and exploded!
"When two or more Armor Monsters exist, if any Armor Monster becomes an attack target, I will choose the target of the attack. This is a continuous effect common to all Armor Monsters and does not need to be activated. Even the power of Dark Armed Dragon has no right to interfere!"
"When Big Bang Blow is destroyed, all monsters on the field are destroyed, and the combined ATK value is dealt to you as damage. And I will be completely unharmed under the protection of Ego Boost!"
"Now! It's time to detonate!"
The demon dragon swung its claw from above, and Valon on the ground responded with an iron fist, showing no fear. It should have been a crushing result, but the ending was that Dark Armed Dragon and Big Bang Blow only stalemated for a few seconds before being directly blown away and destroyed by the impact of the explosion!
"Ugh!!" The shockwave even hit Joey Wheeler directly, reducing his Life Points, which were originally full, to the state of a flickering candle in one go!
[Joey Wheeler: 4000 → 800 LP]
The smoke caused by the explosion dissipated, revealing Valon still maintaining the pose of punching towards the sky. The position of his right arm was blank, and the Ego Boost on his chest, after completely absorbing the impact, also shattered into pieces. His helmet, needless to say, was also destroyed in the previous explosion.
The Armor Monsters he had gathered were all destroyed in this attack, in exchange for Valon successfully reversing the gap in Life Points between him and Joey Wheeler.
"What a pity. If you had continued to keep Summoned Skull in Defense Position on the field, I wouldn't have had any way to deal with you. But for the sake of victory, you walked down this path of defeat yourself."
After all monsters on both players' fields were destroyed simultaneously, Valon looked at Joey Wheeler, who had been knocked down by the direct damage of 3200 points, and said confidently, "The vitality damage ability of the Armor Deck, even if it couldn't defeat your body in one go, you're probably like a donkey with a carrot dangling in front of it now. No matter how hard your will tries, it can't force your body to act."
Valon had crushed the body and will of his opponents countless times in the past with his Armor Deck. The "vitality damage" ability was practically like cheating. And when he learned from Joey Wheeler that Rex, whom he had thought was dead, was still alive, Valon put his full power into the damage from this Big Bang Blow.
Even if he didn't finish Joey Wheeler off directly, at least he wouldn't be able to move a muscle from now on. That's what Valon thought.
And Joey Wheeler did indeed remain lying down for a long time, just as he had thought.
Seeing this, Valon directly forced the end of Joey Wheeler's turn, placing his finger on his Deck: "Although there were some twists and turns in the process, in this World, only the result matters. Only the result will be preserved. And the result is, I will deliver the final blow to you on my turn, Katsuya Jounouchi!"
"My turn, draw a card!"
"First is the effect of Mental Headgear. Special Summon it from the Graveyard in Attack Position. Then, because of the effect of Card of Sanctity, I draw three cards."
"And I activate this Spell Card, Armor Gravity! I can Special Summon up to four Armor Monsters from my Deck!"
"Accel Charge!" "High Defender!" "Ego Boost!" "Burning Knuckle!"
"Now, gather on me!"
Valon gathered a total of five Armor Monsters on his field in one go, and after a combination, he wore them all, like a Saint Seiya who had wandered onto the wrong set.
"Monsters Special Summoned by the power of Armor Gravity are destroyed at the End Phase, but the result will be revealed before then. Although the original ATK of Burning Knuckle is 0, this number will increase by the value of Armor Monsters on the field X200 points."
[Burning Knuckle] [ATK 0 → 1000]
Flames ignited on the armguard of his right hand. After the ATK of Burning Knuckle increased, just one attack would be enough to clear Joey Wheeler's remaining meager 800 Life Points.
"Enter my Battle Phase. And this is the final direct attack."
"One move behind, causing your king and rook to separate. You lose, Katsuya Jounouchi! The one who stands until the end in this Duel, the stronger one, is me!"
Shouting his victory declaration at Joey Wheeler, Valon leaped several meters high with the power of the leg armor Accel Charge, and swung his fist at the fallen Joey Wheeler, who had no monster protection!
This scene was coincidentally noticed by Kujaku Mai, who had followed Joey Wheeler and spent a long time finding the vicinity, attracted by the huge commotion during Valon and Joey Wheeler's Duel.
[Burning Knuckle] [ATK 1000]
[Katsuya Jounouchi: 800 LP]
She shouted, "Joey Wheeler!!!"
----Next Chapter, Joey Wheeler's Death----
Where am I...?
Joey Wheeler remembered that he had taken damage from the effect of Big Bang Blow. He had taken 3200 points of damage before, but the damage dealt by Valon made Joey Wheeler feel like he had been violently hit by a fully loaded semi-truck traveling at one hundred kilometers per hour. The connection between his spirit and body was severed the instant he was hit, leaving him in a predicament where he couldn't move.
Just moments ago, he had confidently declared to Valon that he would achieve victory, but in the blink of an eye, he had suffered such a humiliating setback. It was too lame, not cool at all!
Therefore, he couldn't just let this slide.
Joey Wheeler tried to open his eyes, but all he could see was darkness.
He could hear Valon's confident voice with absolute clarity, feel his own still strong heartbeat, but no matter how hard Joey Wheeler tried at this moment, he could never escape this darkness.
This was natural.
The Seal of Orichalcos cultivates powerful cards from the user's inner darkness. Among the Doma Three Swordsmen, Rafael and Alister had already achieved this. Hayato, in the eyes of those who didn't know, had also achieved this. Only Valon seemed somewhat different, having not achieved much.
However, this did not mean that Valon's inner darkness was not enough for the Seal of Orichalcos to cultivate powerful monsters. In fact, his inner darkness was comparable to the other two of the Doma Three Swordsmen.
But even if such a monster was cultivated, what good would it do? Valon's darkness was completely injected into his Armor Deck. This was also the origin of the "vitality damage" ability.
In this pitch-black lock, Joey Wheeler struggled desperately but could not break free. Listening to Valon complete his preparations for the finishing blow, Joey Wheeler could do nothing.
"Joey Wheeler!!!"
Was that... Mai's voice?
Just as Joey Wheeler, whose efforts had brought no change, was about to give up, he heard Kujaku Mai's voice. He turned in the direction of the voice, but saw that in the midst of the darkness, there seemed to be a crack-like opening.
Kujaku Mai's voice just now had come from within that.
Mai!
Joey Wheeler wanted to shout out a response, but he still couldn't regain control of his body's action.
Damn it!
He swung his fist and slammed it heavily against the crack, but the crack didn't change at all, remaining the same size as before.
Damn it!
Another punch landed, still useless. The size of the crack didn't change at all. However, punching the crack in front of him was the sole thing Joey Wheeler could do.
Damn it!
He desperately wanted to shout out, but it was useless, so Joey Wheeler could only swing his fist again.
Losing to Valon so miserably, he was completely unwilling!
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
Punching again and again, at some point, a sound came from the crack, and it expanded slightly, but Joey Wheeler was completely unaware, just punching again and again.
I haven't defeated Kaiba yet to make that arrogant guy look at me properly!
I haven't defeated Hayato yet to bring the old Hayato back!
I haven't defeated Yugi yet to let him see my growth!
I haven't become a powerful Duelist yet, to let Shizuka know how amazing her Brother is!
I haven't become a powerful Duelist yet, to let Tristan know how amazing I am!
I haven't become a powerful Duelist yet, to let Mai...
"Crack!"
Unconsciously, the crack had already expanded to several times its original size. His obsession burned fiercely in his heart. Joey Wheeler shouted as he punched: "I haven't surrendered yet!"
"Boom!"
The crack shattered with a roar. The dazzling light dispelled the darkness, causing Joey Wheeler to close his eyes involuntarily.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed that the shape of the darkness he was in before was like an eggshell.
Opening his eyes again, Joey Wheeler saw Valon's fist, stopped in front of him, unable to get any closer.
"You bastard, you woke up!" Valon was astonished by Joey Wheeler's sudden awakening, even forgetting to turn his head to look at Kujaku Mai, who had just shouted Joey Wheeler's name. But he was even more astonished that his decisive blow had been stopped?
A powerful resistance came, pushing Valon back to his field.
Watching Joey Wheeler struggle to stand up, Valon finally noticed that Joey Wheeler had pressed the activate set card button, activating a card in his Spell/Trap Zone.
"Trap Card, Doki Doki Armor . It can only be activated when the opponent's monster declares a direct attack and my Life Points are 2000 or less." Joey Wheeler moved his finger away from the button and looked up at the surprised Valon, "It negates that attack and Special Summons one Player Token to my field."
In front of Joey Wheeler, a bright red armor manifested. Its design was exactly the same as the Armor on Valon, and it similarly moved backward and was worn by Joey Wheeler!
For a moment, two people wearing full armor stood opposite each other, looking even more like they were on a Saint Seiya set.
[Player Token] [4☆/EARTH]
[Warrior Type/Token]
[?/?]
"When Player Token is successfully Special Summoned, my Life Points are halved. Also, the ATK/DEF of Player Token will be equal to my Life Points." Joey Wheeler pointed at Valon, "It's too early to say the Duel is over. Now is when the real victory or defeat begins between us, Valon!"
[Joey Wheeler: 800 → 400 LP]
[Player Token] [ATK 400]
His decisive blow was negated. Valon looked at Joey Wheeler, who was standing with difficulty but refused to fall: "You bastard!"
He was knocked down, why didn't he just lie there and accept the result? Why did he stand up again, this guy who refused to give up!
He only summoned a monster with 400 ATK. What could he possibly do with Life Points like a flickering candle and an empty hand?
This useless struggle wouldn't change anything. He knew that better than anyone. Back then, to stop the demolition of the Church, the Valon of that time chased away the thugs who came to his door again and again, but only got the result of the Church being burned to the ground.
No matter how hard you try to change the "process", the most important thing is still the "result". A "process" without a "result" is simply useless effort!
What is this Katsuya Jounouchi fighting for?
For the first time, Valon looked at Joey Wheeler not from the perspective of "the person Kujaku Mai likes" or "the enemy Dartz wants me to eliminate", but from the perspective of "my opponent".
He suddenly had a premonition that there might be something very important about Joey Wheeler, something he absolutely had to know.
Inadvertently, the corner of Valon's mouth curved up, revealing a smile: "Bliss..."
Chapter 598: Forgot to Come Up with a Title and Accidentally Left It Blank
Fully armored, Valon drew two cards from his Hand. "Only one Armor Monster can attack per turn, even if its attack was Negated. So you got lucky there, Joey Wheeler."
"But the outcome still won't change," Valon said firmly, glancing at Kujaku Mai who was running over from a distance. "I will defeat you under Mai's witness."
"I Set two cards. My turn ends. And at the End Phase, the Armor Monsters Special Summoned by [Armor Gravitation] will be destroyed and sent to Graveyard."
As Valon finished speaking, the Armor on his body instantly disassembled, leaving only a [Mental Helmet Armor] remaining on Valon's head in Attack Position.
[Valon: 3600 LP, Hand 1]
[Mental Helmet Armor] [ATK 0]
[Card of Safe Return] [Set Card] X3
A long time ago, after Battle City ended, Industrial Illusions and KaibaCorp planned the Forbidden & Limited List. At that time, many cards were nominated for the Forbidden List, such as [Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End], [Yata-Garasu], and so on.
Although the final result was that besides the "and so on", only [Yata-Garasu] and [Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End] were put onto the banlist, at that time, the currently Limited Card Graceful Charity was also almost added alongside them. The [Card of Safe Return] used by Marik in conjunction with [Revival Jam] was also similar, nearly becoming unusable.
Now, after several turns, Joey Wheeler could truly feel how powerful the [Card of Safe Return], which was almost Forbidden, was. With the constantly Resurrecting Armor, Valon continuously gained a large Hand to squander, while Joey Wheeler was practically out of resources.
His Hand and Spell/Trap Zone were empty, and there was only a [Player Token] on the Field with an ATK of only 400 Points, equivalent to his own Life Points. His effort just now, not just to Valon, probably seemed like nothing but futile struggle to anyone.
However, Joey Wheeler didn't think that was the case.
"Is only the result important? No, that's not it." Raising his head, Joey Wheeler looked at Valon through the helmet's lens, meeting his gaze, and said firmly, "Valon, in my opinion, my effort wasn't wasted at all."
"If you only pursue the 'result' and ignore the 'process', it's easy for people to take a shortcut. And when people step onto a shortcut, they might lose the truth, and even lose the full passion for why they were moving forward in the first place."
Placing his finger on his Deck, Joey Wheeler made the preparatory motion for a draw. "More important than the 'result' is the 'process', the will to seek the truth within the 'process'! As long as I have this will to move towards the truth, even repeated failures cannot defeat me, and I will eventually arrive at my goal, because I am always moving forward, that is certain!"
"My turn! A True Duelist can even create the future of their draw!"
"Draw!"
The drawn card was smoothly flicked into the Duel Disk by Joey Wheeler. "I activate the Spell Card, [Card of Fate]! If you think the result 'you have achieved victory' is locked by destiny, then I will now surpass that destiny!"
A spinning dice flew out from the opened [Card of Fate] and rolled onto the Field. Joey Wheeler said, "This card's effect is, roll a die, I draw a card from the Top of Deck equal to the number of points rolled, then banish the same number of cards from the Top of Deck!"
The dice stopped rolling, revealing the largest number of points: Six!
"Yosh! Then I can draw six cards, and then banish 6 cards from the Top of Deck! Draw!"
Drawing six cards to replenish his Hand to its maximum value, and then banishing six cards from the Top of Deck, significantly decreasing the thickness of his Deck, Joey Wheeler lowered his head to check his Hand and saw a familiar card.
Turning his head to look at Kujaku Mai, who had already arrived not far away, Joey Wheeler showed a smile and drew that card to activate it. "Although this is a one-on-one fight, it seems I'm not fighting alone."
"Activate the Spell Card, [Harpie's Feather Duster]! Destroy all Spell/Trap Cards on the Opponent's Field! Lend me your power, Mai!"
"Nani?!"
Seeing that Joey Wheeler's Divine Draw had actually drawn a powerful card like [Harpie's Feather Duster], even Valon couldn't help but show a surprised expression.
The [Harpie's Feather Duster] waved, stirring up a strong wind that swept through all four cards in Valon's Spell/Trap Zone, destroying them one by one. However, after the storm dissipated, Joey Wheeler saw Valon putting on a piece of armor.
[Active Guard Armor] [DEF 1500]
Joey Wheeler understood what was happening. Wasn't it the Magnetic Armor from before? It chained to [Harpie's Feather Duster's] activation to Special Summon [Active Guard Armor] from the Graveyard, and also utilized the effect of [Card of Safe Return] one last time to draw a card before being destroyed.
Even though his Spell/Trap Zone cards were destroyed, Valon, now wearing the [Active Guard Armor], showed no sign of being annoyed. In fact, when he looked at Joey Wheeler, he couldn't help but show an expectant expression.
Not pursuing the "result" but pursuing the "process";
Preferring constant "change" and "forward movement" over a "calm" life without waves;
No matter how you looked at it, Joey Wheeler seemed to be a different existence from Valon, but at this moment, Valon only felt a strange similarity with Joey Wheeler, and at the same time, a peculiar passion was being awakened from within Valon.
He looked forward to what kind of card Joey Wheeler would bring out next, and how Joey Wheeler would change destiny with Life Points that were less than a fraction of his own.
In the dissipating storm, Joey Wheeler played a card from his Hand. "Here I go! I activate the Ritual Spell Card, [Red-Eyes Transmigration]!"
"From my Hand or Field, I tribute monsters until their Levels total 8☆ or more, or I can banish a [Red-Eyes] monster from the Graveyard as an alternative to tributing!"
Raising his Duel Disk and taking out a [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] from his Graveyard, Joey Wheeler then pointed his thumb at himself and declared loudly, "I banish the Level 7 [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] from my Graveyard, and I tribute myself, the [Player Token]!"
"From my Hand, I Ritual Summon this card!"
The existence of [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] transformed into blazing flames and descended onto Joey Wheeler's body. Fire shot up into the sky, and from within this scorching fire, Joey Wheeler's firm voice was heard:
"Tear through the Pitch Black Darkness, burn the heavens and earth to ashes, the solitary and absolute king!! Look down upon all things as they tremble before your might!!"
"Ritual Summon! [Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon]!!"
Thank you for the 500 Points from "Jie Qing" for the Tip. Thank you very much.
It's a new week again, how about some Recommendation Tickets, please?
(End of Chapter)
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Chapter 599: RiderRed Kick!
"Ritual Summon! Red King!"
The Black Dragon transformed into flames that wrapped around the Fighting Spirit Armor. Illuminated by the firelight, Joey Wheeler appeared, his gaze resolute, wearing a sharp-edged, pitch-black armor.
Because his appearance was simply too cool, coupled with the fact that he currently only had Mental Helmet Armor and Active Protection Armor on, Valon almost couldn't tell who between him and Joey Wheeler was the user of the Armor Deck.
Joey Wheeler raised his arm, looking at the armor on his body.
The power of Red-Eyes Black Dragon flowed on the armor, protecting Joey Wheeler inside the armor. At this moment, Joey Wheeler felt as if he and Red-Eyes Black Dragon had merged into one.
Is that so? That darkness he was in just now, was that originally Red-Eyes Black Dragon?
For some reason, Joey Wheeler felt this kind of knowledge appear in his mind. He quickly understood that the card spirit he had awakened was Red-Eyes Black Dragon. It was just that it had always refused to show itself before, which was why he only knew now that Red-Eyes Black Dragon was his card spirit.
Since a long time ago, Red-Eyes seemed to have awakened its own consciousness, but it had always stayed inside his card, observing Joey Wheeler . After all, Joey Wheeler at that time simply didn't have the ability to see spirits.
Compared to the radiant and proud White Dragon, Red-Eyes was more silent and practical. It had always just watched Joey Wheeler constantly battle and grow, and whenever Joey Wheeler needed to cooperate, it would offer its power. However, after Joey Wheeler awakened his spirit power, it instead actively shrank its power and returned inside the card, even stopping showing itself, turning into the "Black Stone".
It was like a shy little girl refusing to see Joey Wheeler , but when he was damaged by Valon, Red-Eyes Black Dragon instead actively took action and forcefully protected Joey Wheeler within its power, which was the darkness Joey Wheeler was in before.
At that time, it actually wanted to use this method to transfer the target of Valon's damage and substitute for Joey Wheeler to bear the damage.
It's just that Red-Eyes completely didn't expect that its Master, Joey Wheeler , whom it had protected, would actually forcefully rely on his own will to break through its protection and return into his body.
Truly reckless, but Red-Eyes also couldn't bear to watch Joey Wheeler continue to be damaged by Valon. Fortunately, it directly appeared among the six cards Joey Wheeler drew using Card of Fate, and used the power of Red-Eyes Rebirth to infuse itself into the Fighting Spirit Armor to provide more direct protection.
What was "reborn" by Red-Eyes Rebirth was precisely Red-Eyes Black Dragon. But besides this power, a part of Red-Eyes Black Dragon's memory also entered the Red King, and was touched and understood by Joey Wheeler .
"This power, I accept it, Red-Eyes!"
Clenching his fist, Joey Wheeler felt the power of Red-Eyes, no, the Red King, on his body. He raised one hand, pointing towards the sky.
Time had just arrived at noon. The sun hung high, and sunlight shone brightly.
"Heaven is calling, earth is calling, people are calling! Calling for me to defeat evil!"
"I am the warrior of justice, Red King Katsuya Jounouchi!"
[Red King] [8☆/FIRE]
[Dragon Type/Ritual/Effect]
[2400/2100]
"Enter my Battle Phase! Then Red King attacks Mental Helmet Armor! Here I come, Valon!" Joey Wheeler stomped the ground fiercely. Amidst the splashing gravel, he spread the metallic dragon wings on his back and leapt into the air, assuming a flying kick posture. The target he chose was naturally Valon's Mental Helmet Armor in Attack Position.
"I feel like... I can do it!"
"Tsk, don't look down on me! The target of the attack begins to transfer!" Seeing Joey Wheeler activate an attack, Valon also didn't dodge or evade. He spread his arms, revealing his chest and the sturdy Active Protection Armor. "What will bear your attack is my Active Protection Armor in Defense Position!"
"Red Kick!"
"Shield of Resolute Uprising!"
Amidst the spirited shouts of Joey Wheeler and Valon, Red King Joey Wheeler 's flying kick hit the Active Protection Armor on Valon's body. Valon only felt an impact force like a nuclear explosion applied to his body, actually forcefully kicking him away and sending him colliding with the wall!
"Ugh!"
Even though it had the power to absorb all damage, the Active Protection Armor suddenly shattered after taking a hit from the Red King. Although his Life Points did not decrease at all, intense pain was transmitted into Valon's body.
Using the recoil to perform a backflip and return to his original spot, Joey Wheeler , wearing the armor, landed gracefully. Looking at Valon who had been kicked away, he said confidently, "How is it, Valon? Have you seen the performance of the Red King?"
"Even if the Active Protection Armor absorbs all damage you receive the turn it's destroyed, now that you've felt this pain, can you still say things like 'the process isn't important, only the result is important'?"
"Not only that, the effect of Active Protection Armor that is activated when it's destroyed will also activate the power of the Red King!"
As Joey Wheeler finished speaking, a dragon head mark manifested on the spot where Valon was kicked before. After moving to the position of the Mental Helmet Armor on Valon's head, it suddenly burst!
"What is this!?"
The answer to the surprised Kujaku Mai and the confused Valon was Joey Wheeler : "Once per Turn, when you or your opponent activate a Spell/Trap or Monster Effect other than Red King's, you can activate by targeting one monster on the Field and destroy that monster."
Listening to Joey Wheeler 's explanation, Valon, without a single piece of armor on his body, stood up leaning against the wall. He couldn't help but glance at his hands: "My hands... are trembling!?"
"I've become weaker... is it because of fear?"
Valon could feel that Joey Wheeler 's flying kick was absolutely not an ordinary attack. There was absolutely something else that attacked together with Joey Wheeler , something he didn't target. It was that kind of power that sent him flying.
"Well done, Joey Wheeler !" Off-field, although Kujaku Mai wasn't sure what kind of effect Valon's Armor Deck exactly had, that attack just now was clearly an advantage for Joey Wheeler . She couldn't help but become a little happy, cheering for Joey Wheeler .
And looking at Kujaku Mai cheering for Joey Wheeler , Valon's trembling finger paused, then suddenly clenched tightly.
'I see, I understand. Katsuya Jounouchi, I understand where the gap between you and me truly lies.'
'You are fighting me with the friendship and bonds that I considered a burden. How could I, who am alone, resist?'
"I finally understand, Joey Wheeler , why Mai is devoted to you. After dueling with you, I finally understood this point," Valon said firmly, looking at Joey Wheeler . "You possess a certain quality that I don't have, and Mai doesn't have either. It is this point that distinguishes the two of us."
"Fear? No, I, who have realized the truth, am excited after a long time! This kind of feeling is the first time since I started playing Duel Monsters! You've made me find enjoyment, Joey Wheeler !"
"I feel the fervor in your inner thoughts! This kind of tension nearing the limit! Give me more, Joey Wheeler !"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 600: If you get crushed in a Duel, a Duelist's career is over.
"Valon, you bastard!" Kujaku Mai looked at Valon with a terrified gaze.
Should he record what he just said and listen to it again? He seemed like a normal person, even though he usually dressed like he was from Anime/Manga and had tried to get close to her more than once. She thought he was at least straight. But now he was saying things like "I feel your heat" and "Give me more" to Joey Wheeler. No matter how you look at it, he's gay! Mai thought, annoyed.
"I don't really get it, but in short, I won't surrender." Joey Wheeler didn't quite understand why Valon suddenly seemed "fired up" or what Kujaku Mai's wary expression was about, but he knew he wasn't very smart and wouldn't force himself to understand things he didn't get. "My Battle Phase ends."
"Then, during Main Phase 2, I Activate the Spell Card Foolish Burial, and Send one Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard. Next, I Set two cards from my Hand, and End Turn."
[Joey Wheeler: 400 LP, Hand 0]
[Red-Eyes King] [ATK 2400]
[Set Card] X2
It was Valon's Turn. After Drawing a Card from his Deck, he gestured forward: "My Turn, Draw a Card! Then, I Special Summon Mental Helmet Armor from the Graveyard!"
Mental Helmet Armor, which seemed impossible to Destroy, Revived from the Graveyard once again and was Equipped onto Valon's head. However, this time without the highly compatible Support Card, Treasure Card, Valon couldn't Draw extra cards.
In reality, Valon's Deck was also close to its limit. The continuous replenishment of his Hand over the past few Turns hadn't been without cost. Furthermore, Valon had previously used cards like Armor Gravitation, which Special Summoned a large number of monsters from the Deck. Now, Valon's Deck only had about ten cards left.
Holding five cards in his Hand, Valon, who was enjoying his last abundant resources, looked at Joey Wheeler, smiling happily, and said: "Just like a person can't stop their fingernails from growing, a person can't suppress their own instincts."
"I once thought I was someone who yearned for a peaceful life, because long ago, after I lost the things I needed to protect, I decided to live for myself. Even Duels that others saw as passionate and exciting were just obstructions to my peaceful life in my eyes."
"But I was wrong. Just like Pavlov's dog starts drooling when it hears its owner's footsteps returning, my Duel with you has awakened the dormant passion within me, Joey Wheeler!"
Valon smiled exceptionally happily: "It's hard for me not to admit it, I seem to be starting to like you."
"Valon!"
Hearing this increasingly strange conversation, Kujaku Mai couldn't hold back and was about to step forward, even if it meant obstructing the Duel, just to make this pervert shut up. But as Kujaku Mai approached, Valon suddenly Drew a Card from his Hand and placed it in the Field Zone expanded on his Duel Disk.
Before, Valon had felt love for Kujaku Mai because her aura and eyes were very similar to a nun he had known before, and he could even obstruct Doma's actions for her. But during the Duel with Joey Wheeler, Valon realized that nun was ultimately dead, and Kujaku Mai was not that nun.
"Get back, Kujaku Mai! I won't let you obstruct my Duel with Joey Wheeler!"
"Full Heart! Full Power! A Battle to the Death! This is the final festival!"
"Let's Duel to our Heart's content, Joey Wheeler! Activate the Field Spell Card, The Seal of Orichalcos!"
Starting from the emerald stone on Valon's finger, the green aura domain suddenly expanded, perfectly enclosing Joey Wheeler and Valon within it, while Kujaku Mai was a step too slow and was knocked back onto the ground by the expanding domain.
"Joey Wheeler!"
"Mai!"
Seeing that Kujaku Mai was alright through the expanded domain, Joey Wheeler let out a breath of relief, and then observed the domain beneath his feet.
This was Joey Wheeler's first time not watching from outside but entering the domain to battle, and thus it was the first time he felt the power of the The Seal of Orichalcos with his body.
The Duel had been transformed into a Dark Game. Even the Vitality Damage Ability of Valon's Armor Deck, which was enough to kill ordinary people, was merely child's play in the face of such power. A dangerous aura began to fill the air, as if some deadly existence was staring at him.
"Come on, let's continue, Joey Wheeler!" Valon said with a smile, "As an acknowledgement of you, I will Go All Out. Within this The Seal of Orichalcos, we will decide both victory and life and death!"
"But don't worry, no matter the outcome, even if you are killed by me here, your will shall be inherited by me. It doesn't matter if I help you defeat Dartz."
Hearing this, Joey Wheeler looked at the serious Valon and suddenly also showed a smile: "Heh, don't underestimate me, Valon. I won't be defeated by you here. There are still many important people waiting for me."
"This stubbornness... I really do like you very much, Joey Wheeler." Valon smiled and Drew a Card, "Alright then, here I come! Go All Out!"
"Activate the Spell Card, Complete Armor Gravitation! Flip over the top ten cards from my Deck. Special Summon as many Armor Monsters from among them as possible, then Send the remaining cards to the Graveyard."
As he spoke, Valon Drew the top ten cards from his Deck, leaving only a few cards remaining in his Deck. It was clear he was truly going to Go All Out as he said.
Joey Wheeler couldn't help but nervously watch as Valon revealed the cards in his Hand.
Only to see Valon Flip over the cards in his Hand, revealing a Hand full of Monster Cards.
They were all Armor Monsters?!
"The Seal of Orichalcos has the ability to use the Spell & Trap Zone as Monster Zones to place Monster Cards. Therefore, the maximum number of monsters I can Summon on my Field is not four, but nine. Furthermore, all ten cards from the Top of my Deck are Armor Monsters!"
Valon placed the nine cards from his Hand into his Duel Disk, Sent one card to the Graveyard, and said with a loud laugh: "Then, by the Effect of Complete Armor Gravitation, I will Special Summon monsters up to the limit all at once!"
"Armor Time!"
Following Valon's actions, a total of nine Armor Monster pieces manifested around him!
"Beyond the Speed Armor!" "Black Hole Shield Armor!" "Jet Gauntlet Armor!"
"Burst Heart Piercer Armor!" "Destruction Hook Fist Armor!" "Double Cross Gauntlet Armor!"
"High-Level Shield Armor!" "Burning Fierce Fist Armor!" "Trap Burst Armor!"
"Armor Combine!"
"Clang!"
All the armor pieces suddenly gathered and fitted onto Valon's body, causing him to also regain his fully armored stance.
At the same time, the power of the Seal of Orichalcos was engraved on Valon's forehead.
"The Effect of Burst Heart Piercer Armor is, when this card attacks, the Battle Damage I receive becomes 0, and after Damage Calculation, it Destroys the Opponent's Monster, and inflicts 500 effect damage to the opponent."
"And you Know the Effect of Trap Burst Armor, Joey Wheeler." Raising the gauntlet on his right hand, Valon looked at Joey Wheeler with a smile, "So, let me see if your stubbornness can surpass despair, Joey Wheeler!"
"Enter Battle Phase!"
"Attack Red-Eyes King! Attack you, Joey Wheeler!"
"Withered Heart Piercing Attack!"
(End of Chapter)