Chapter 145: Rowan: Redefining “Not Giving You a Chance”

"What?!"

The Gravekeeper elder froze in astonishment at the sight of his Gravekeeper's Assailant's attack being blocked outright by the trap Jaden had activated, leaving it without effect.

"The effect of the trap Draining Shield negates an opponent monster's attack, and restores Life Points equal to that monster's attack value!"

As Jaden explained with a grin, his Life Points, which had dropped to a mere 500, ticked upward by 2000, climbing back to 2500 LP.

"Hmph, nothing but a cheap trick! Even restoring 2000 Life Points only buys you a little more time. I haven't even attacked in person yet!"

The Gravekeeper elder said, clearly irritated, as a ball of dark red energy flared to life in his hand.

His own attack, originally 1900, had likewise risen to 2400 thanks to Necrovalley.

He unleashed the dark red energy blast in his palm, sending it straight at Jaden.

"Aaah!!"

The dark red energy blast slammed into Jaden, tearing several fresh gashes into his clothes and wringing a pained shout from him.

He very nearly collapsed onto the stone pillar beneath him.

His Life Points, which had just climbed back to 2500, were slashed down again to a pitiful 100 LP.

It's here...? In that instant, Rowan sensed a faint power stirring somewhere within that hotblooded fool Jaden, shielding him just slightly, keeping him from being knocked unconscious outright by the blow.

If Rowan's guess was right, that had to be the power from Jaden's past life, still hidden away inside him.

Though squinty-eyed Professor Banner definitely couldn't have seen any of this.

By now the three stone coffins below had almost completely sealed shut, leaving only the faintest sliver of a gap.

"Oh, still able to stand, are you? Well, to be safe, let me add a little extra insurance to secure this victory, in the End Phase after my attack."

Seeing Jaden grit his teeth through the pain and immediately haul himself back to his feet, the Gravekeeper elder looked mildly surprised, then promptly played his last remaining card.

"I activate the Spell Card from my hand, Royal Tribute!"

"This card can only be activated while Necrovalley is on my field. Its effect sends every monster in both players' hands to the Graveyard!"

"What?!" Jaden's eyes went wide. In an instant, the four cards remaining in his hand flickered with a faint light and vanished entirely under the spell's effect, sent straight into his Duel Disk's Graveyard.

"He's sending every monster in Jaden's hand to the Graveyard, right at the very end of his turn!"

Alexis exclaimed, watching in shock.

By dumping every monster in Jaden's hand into the Graveyard first, and combining that with Necrovalley's Graveyard-sealing effect already on the field, the elder had effectively cut off any chance of Jaden reclaiming those cards from the Graveyard to use again, or reviving them back onto the field through Special Summons.

This insurance measure from the Gravekeeper elder had all but eliminated any possibility of Jaden pulling off a comeback next turn by summoning some powerful monster.

It was nowhere near as brutally Underworld as Rowan's own Shadow HERO Deck had once been, sealing off even the ability to draw cards, but the situation Jaden now found himself in was still far from friendly.

"Heh heh. Turn end. Everything's in place now. I won't give you the slightest chance."

At the elder's smug pronouncement, Rowan's expression twisted into something faintly odd.

He wondered if he ought to help the man redefine what "not giving the slightest chance" actually meant.

Because unless Rowan's eyes had deceived him just now, among the four cards dumped from Jaden's hand into the Graveyard by Royal Tribute, there had been one that could only activate its effect after being sent to the Graveyard: allowing Jaden, the next time he Tribute Summoned a HERO monster, to skip the tribute requirement entirely.

Elemental HERO Necroshade, if Rowan remembered right.

Rowan had to say, the elder had basically just done Jaden a massive favor there.

Especially for someone with Jaden's notoriously lucky draws.

Glancing at the Gravekeeper elder's own Life Points, sitting at 1300, and noting that among the three monsters on his side of the field, including himself, the weakest was Gravekeeper's Curse, whose attack, even boosted by Necrovalley, still sat at only 1300, Rowan figured this duel was pretty much already decided.

"My turn, draw!"

Just as Rowan had predicted, Jaden drew his card with full focus and determination, and within moments a confident, victorious grin spread across his face.

The smile of a certified lucky draw fiend.

"Your deck's got a bit of a dark edge to it too, old man, but honestly, compared to the 'trial' I went through with Rowan before, this is still well within what I can handle!"

"I Normal Summon Elemental HERO Bladedge in Attack Position!"

Jaden slapped the drawn card down onto his Duel Disk, and a faint glow rose up on his field.

A HERO monster took shape, its entire body gleaming gold metal, sharp golden blades extending from both wrists, before descending gracefully onto the field before him.

[Elemental HERO Bladedge] [Level: 7] [Attribute: EARTH] [ATK: 2600] [DEF: 1800]

"Impossible! A high-level monster with 2600 attack, summoned without a tribute?!"

The Gravekeeper elder's brow furrowed in shock.

"You've got the effect of Elemental HERO Necroshade to thank for that, old man, the one you so kindly dumped into my Graveyard just now."

Jaden said with a grin, pumping his fist. "As long as that card's in my Graveyard, I get one chance to Summon a high-level Elemental HERO without a tribute! And an effect that activates from the Graveyard isn't restricted by Necrovalley's Graveyard-sealing effect at all! Someone already showed me that trick before!"

It was, of course, the very same method Rowan had once demonstrated himself, using his Shadow HERO Deck to legitimately sidestep Necrovalley's negative effects, though back then he certainly hadn't been using anything as tame as Elemental HERO Necroshade for it.

"This win is mine! Elemental HERO Bladedge, attack Gravekeeper's Curse! Scimitar Slash!"

At Jaden's command, Bladedge raised its golden-bladed arm and surged forward, slicing straight through Gravekeeper's Curse, shattering it into a burst of flame and smoke that vanished into nothing.

The shockwave from that explosion of fire and smoke rolled outward, washing over the Gravekeeper elder standing nearby, drawing a pained cry from him.

And his Life Points, already down to a mere 1300, ticked down in an instant, all the way to zero.