"It really is an Earthbound Immortal... In that Shadow Game back then, Edigo fought an Earthbound Immortal."
From Ren's tone, it was clear the fear rekindled by the Earth's god's descent was all too real.
"Was it this Earthbound Immortal?"
Miles remembered that Earthbound Immortals, unlike the Egyptian Gods or the Wicked Gods, came in many different forms.
After all, they weren't true deities—they didn't even have the DIVINE Attribute.
The Earthbound Immortals were closer to vengeful spirits that dwelled within the earth itself.
"No, the one we saw looked like a giant."
"An Earthbound Immortal of giants, huh... Your brother was incredible, Ren."
As the third son of the Austin family, when Ren and Aisha experienced that childhood Shadow Game, Edigo Austin couldn't have been that old either.
At such a young age, he actually managed to fight an Earthbound Immortal to a draw.
Perhaps it was the resolve to protect his little sister that gave the boy the strength to challenge a god.
Once the Earthbound Immortal upon the hummingbird geoglyph fully descended, the Shadow Duelist declared an effect.
"When an Earthbound Immortal is successfully Summoned, an additional effect of [Earthbound Greater Linewalker] triggers!"
[While this card is already on the Monster Zone, when an "Earthbound Immortal" monster is Summoned: Your opponent's Life Points become 3000.]
"In the name of the Earthbound Immortal, I cast down the curse of annihilation—Divine Eradication Hex!"
The oppressive curse accompanying the Earthbound Immortal's massive Summon weighed down upon Miles riding the D-Wheel; even Ren's once-light body felt heavy, and their speed dipped.
[Miles, LP: 4000 → 3000]
Ren hurriedly asked, "Are you okay, Miles?"
"It's only 1000 damage. That's nowhere near enough to slow me down."
"You mustn't get hurt, Miles—absolutely mustn't. Please."
If this were any other time, Ren would never have overreacted to a mere 1000 damage.
Albeit the trauma from childhood ran deep, the girl's voice echoed fragile and frantic in Miles's mind.
"Even if it's a Turbo Duel, even if the opponent is an Earthbound Immortal, I have my ways to win. Watch me, Ren!"
"Come—Battle!"
With a speed advantage, the Shadow Duelist at the front roared his battle declaration, his voice echoing across the burning Nazca Lines.
"Behold the Earthbound Immortal's power to annihilate all! While a Field Spell exists, [Earthbound Immortal Aslla piscu] can attack the player directly!"
Purely to flaunt the direct attack effect, the Earthbound Immortal ignored [Elemental HERO Blazeman] racing along Miles's lane as a keen laser gathered in its beak and swept toward Miles's D-Wheel.
[Miles, LP: 3000 → 500]
A lethal strike from the Earthbound Immortal blasted Miles's Life Points to the brink in a single sweep of the Turbo Duel.
The raw shock of the Shadow Game felt like it would flip the speeding D-Wheel outright.
Had it been an ordinary D-Wheel, one blow from an Earthbound Immortal in a Shadow Game would have torn it apart on the spot.
The fact that it held together proved those 150 SP Points hadn't been wasted—Viel might look like a little gremlin of a loli, but she's truly a master artisan.
"Oh? You withstood a strike from an Earthbound Immortal. You're no ordinary one—different from the Turbo Duelists I've faced before!"
"So there were other Turbo Duelists who fell to Earthbound Immortals..."
Learning that Earthbound Immortals hunted Turbo Duelists specifically, Miles, who had thought Axet a paradise for Duelists, suddenly felt that the grass wasn't greener abroad after all.
"You'll soon join their ranks. Vanish into the Shadow Game! Attack, [Earthbound Greater Linewalker]!"
With 2900 Attack, the hulking Greater Linewalker formed a black Gaia energy shell in its palm—a symbol of destruction—and hurled it at the Blazeman tearing down the lane.
If he took that hit head-on, Miles's Turbo Duel debut would end as a curtain call.
"This is the strike I've been waiting for!"
To the Shadow Duelist's surprise, Miles gunned the D-Wheel harder into the oncoming blow.
"I'll be taking that power—from both the God and the Priest! I activate my set card!"
Accelerating, Miles swept up his face-down beside the D-Wheel.
"Trap Card—[Rainbow Life]!"
[Discard 1 card. All damage you took this turn prior to this card's activation is negated. Increase your Life Points by the amount of damage negated by this card's effect.]
"I discard [Elemental HERO Shadow Mist] to activate [Rainbow Life], and I recover all the damage I'd take this turn!"
A rainbow light—the color of life—poured into the burning track. Taking an Earthbound Immortal's blow head-on was exactly how Miles planned to bank Life Points and strike back.
The 2500 damage from the Earthbound Immortal's direct attack and the 1700 from the Priest destroying Blazeman in battle would both be negated and converted into bonus recovery for Miles this turn.
The only pity was that the Priest's effect that set Life Points directly didn't count as damage.
[Miles, LP: 500 → 3000 → 5500 → 7200]
"That's plenty for me. Next—it's Fusion time!"
With over 7000 Life Points, even activating Normal Spells in a Turbo Duel wouldn't make Miles flinch now.
Ren was confounded: "You turned the Turbo Duel's rule disadvantage around just like that—you're amazing, Miles!"
"At the same time, since [Rainbow Life] sent a card to the Graveyard—the effect of [Elemental HERO Shadow Mist] in the Graveyard activates!"
[If this card is sent to the Graveyard: Add 1 'HERO' monster from your Deck to your hand, except 'Elemental HERO Shadow Mist'.]
"I add [Elemental HERO Sparkman] from my Deck to my hand!"
With the necessary Fusion material secured, the high-speed duel within [Speed World] would see the HEROes counterattack next turn.
"Using [Rainbow Life] to stockpile Life Points—you're a tough little girl."
Seeing the Earthbound Immortal's fiercest assault absorbed, the Shadow Duelist did not panic; instead, he hurled two more cards into his back row.
"I set two and end my turn! Let's see what kind of waves a little girl like you can make before a god!"
"First, I'm not a little girl. Second, that's not a proper god!"
Miles had already smashed plenty of real gods. Even in a Turbo Duel, there was no reason to be cowed by Earthbound Immortals, who were but resentful spirits bound to the land.
"My turn, draw!"
Miles drew to start his turn; as the Standby Phase passed, both D-Wheels picked up speed again.
[Miles, SPC: 2 → 3]
[Shadow Duelist, SPC: 2 → 3]
Glancing at the card he'd drawn and confirming his remaining Life Points, Miles slammed down a Spell.
"I activate the Spell Card [Pot of Greed] to draw 2 cards from my Deck!"
The instant the Spell resolved, [Speed World] kicked back 2000 damage.
[Miles, LP: 7200 → 5200]
Even with the extra 2000 Life Point price tag, there should be no hesitation in playing a brainless plus-one like [Pot of Greed].
Even if [Pot of Greed] weren't Forbidden but cost 2000 damage to activate, who wouldn't run it?
Dokoro! Dokoro—!
Two cards deeper, another key Spell appeared—[Double Fusion].
"Blood to burn—I keep casting! I activate [Double Fusion]!"
Back-to-back Spells in a Turbo Duel would normally be suicidal.
Even the Shadow Duelist in front was stunned by such a near-death, berserker line.
Was this girl truly unafraid of the Shadow Game? She was nothing like the Turbo Duelists he'd crushed before.
[Pay 500 Life Points. Send, from your hand or your side of the field to the Graveyard, Fusion Material Monsters that are listed on a Fusion Monster Card, and Special Summon that monster from your Fusion Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.) You can use this effect up to 2 times this turn.]
[Miles, LP: 5200 → 4700 → 2700]
Altogether, Miles had wagered 4500 Life Points on this turn's plays—a true life-or-death counterattack.
With [Double Fusion] allowing two Fusion Summons, twin spiral Fusion effects unfurled to either side of Miles's speeding D-Wheel.
"I fuse [Elemental HERO Avian] with [Elemental HERO Burstinatrix] in my hand to Fusion Summon [Elemental HERO Flame Wingman]!"
From the right spiral, the fused Flame Wingman struck a pose and spread his wings in a stylish ascent.
On the left, already poised to power up further, the Sparkman searched earlier by Shadow Mist collided with Flame Wingman at a single blazing point.
"The ultimate Double Fusion! Let the flame evolve into radiance—let shining wings light the burning road through the dark! I Fusion Summon—[Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman]!"
[Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman] Level 8│LIGHT│Warrior│2500 ATK / 2100 DEF
["Elemental HERO Flame Wingman" + "Elemental HERO Sparkman"]
Ren had never imagined that under the brutally strict conditions of a Turbo Duel, Miles could still successfully Fusion Summon the strongest Shining HERO.
Ren murmured, "Miles, just how far can you push HERO?"
"At least far enough for Shining Flare Wingman to surpass a god!"
Bathed in the light of twin radiant wings, Miles raised a hand to the heavens and declared an effect as he charged ahead.
"[Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman]'s effect lets it inherit the spirits of HEROes in the Graveyard to increase its Attack!"
[This card gains 300 Attack for each 'Elemental HERO' card in your Graveyard.]
Shadows of six HEROes appeared behind Shining Flare Wingman, their combined will passing on the belief to surpass the divine.
"Blazeman, Shadow Mist, Avian, Burstinatrix, Sparkman, Flame Wingman! Six Elemental HEROes total—Shining Flare Wingman gains 300 × 6 = 1800 Attack!"
[Shining Flare Wingman, ATK: 2500 → 4300]
In that moment, the HERO's light flared to the limit, outshining even the Nazca flames along the track.
"Pierce them with HERO radiance! Battle—Shining Flare Wingman!"
Together with Shining Flare Wingman, Miles surged forward, bursting into the Battle Phase in a blaze of light.
While a Field Spell existed, the Earthbound Immortal could not be chosen as an attack target.
Despite that, the other monster on the Shadow Duelist's field, [Earthbound Greater Linewalker], enjoyed no such protection.
With a final Attack of 4300, and backed by his other effect—
[When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's original Attack.]
—taking down [Earthbound Greater Linewalker] would deal a total of 4300 damage, sealing an OTK from HERO in a Turbo Duel.
"Shatter the darkness within Speed World! Attack, Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman!"
At Miles's command, the mech-winged hero spread his radiant pinions and sprinted through the burning track, carving a dazzling arc beneath the black night sky.
"—Shining Shoot!!"
"Wagering 4500 Life Points—what a breathtaking counterattack! I admit it: among all the Turbo Duelists I've met, you're the strongest!"
Even the Shadow Duelist couldn't help but acknowledge Miles's death-defying HERO comeback.
"Still, an attack like that cannot reach a god! I activate the Trap Card [Wild Tornado]!"
[Target 1 face-up card in the Spell & Trap Zone; destroy that target, then the controller of that destroyed card can Set 1 Spell/Trap from their hand.]
In a Turbo Duel where Quick-Play [Mystical Space Typhoon] is difficult to use, [Wild Tornado] is an excellent backrow-breaker.
Only, there was nothing in Miles's Spell/Trap Zone for [Wild Tornado] to destroy.
The Shadow Duelist pointed to his own field—to the face-up Continuous Trap.
"I target the Continuous Trap [Call of the Haunted] for destruction!"
[Call of the Haunted] had revived [Earthbound Greater Linewalker] from the Graveyard.
And it held another caveat—if [Call of the Haunted] left the field, the monster it revived would be destroyed along with it.
As the Trap got destroyed, the Greater Linewalker was destroyed too.
The Shadow Duelist had deliberately destroyed [Earthbound Greater Linewalker], leaving only [Earthbound Immortal Aslla piscu] on his field.
[Your opponent's monsters cannot select this card as an attack target.]
By rule, if the opponent controls a monster but you cannot select it as an attack target, you can't continue the battle.
Miles said, "Can I rules-lawyer a direct attack?"
Shadow Duelist retorted, "No."
"Huh. That doesn't play out quite like it does in the anime..."
...
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