Chapter 79: Isn’t the Back Row’s Yin Energy a Bit Too Heavy?

"When I'm dueling you, I have to go all out from the start!"

Jaden grinned with the confidence of someone who meant every word, and played three more cards from his hand in quick succession.

"I activate the Spell Card Polymerization! I fuse Avian and Burstinatrix, two of the cards I just drew with Bubbleman's effect, to Fusion Summon Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"

The familiar three-colored vortex of the fusion spell blazed to life.

Avian and Burstinatrix launched themselves into the swirling light above, the vortex twisting and compressing around them, until with a burst of radiance a new figure emerged: a humanoid monster draped in red, green, and black, its right arm culminating in a crimson dragon's head.

[Elemental HERO Flame Wingman] Stars: 6 / WIND ATK: 2100 / DEF: 1200

"And I'll set three cards face-down. Turn end!"

Jaden placed three cards from his remaining hand into his back row.

In the spectator stands, Alexis's brow furrowed slightly.

She had to admit, Jaden had set up a remarkably complete first turn. Flame Wingman as the offensive threat.

Bubbleman holding defense. Three face-down cards ready to counter whatever Rowan tried.

It was a solid position by any measure.

"And it's not just that," Zane said from a row not far away.

Bastion was seated nearby and nodded in agreement as he continued.

"Those three set cards are almost certainly prepared specifically to deal with Rowan's trap-heavy disruption style."

Both of them kept their eyes fixed on Rowan, waiting to see what his so-called HERO deck would actually do.

...

"My turn. Draw."

Rowan looked at the field Jaden had assembled in a single turn, two monsters and three face-downs, and raised an eyebrow.

His expression didn't waver. He drew his card without any visible reluctance.

Then the corner of his mouth curved.

The card to have a fun little reunion with that hot-blooded idiot had arrived right on schedule.

"I Summon Elemental HERO Shadow Mist in Defense Position!"

A dim, dark light pulsed from Rowan's side of the field.

From it emerged a black-armored, blue-faced female monster with dark hair, landing in a low defensive crouch over the facedown card image materialized beneath her, arms crossed in front of her chest.

[Elemental HERO Shadow Mist] Stars: 4 / DARK ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1500

"Elemental HERO... Shadow Mist?!"

Jaden across the field.

Alexis, Bastion, and Chumley in the stands. Crowler. Virtually every spectator present, all of them wearing some variation of the same stunned expression.

There was a HERO monster like that?

And beyond the monster itself, the real shock: Rowan was genuinely playing a HERO deck.

"A Hero I've never seen before! This is incredible, Rowan!"

Jaden's face lit up with pure, uncomplicated delight as he stared at Shadow Mist.

Rowan's internal response was simple: glad you're enjoying yourself.

Then he placed his remaining five cards face-down on the field.

"I set five cards. Turn end."

Five heavy card images slammed into existence across his back row, each one landing with a deep, resonant thud.

"He set five?!"

Bastion, Alexis, Crowler, and the rest of the crowd fell into sudden silence, eyes wide.

They'd been thrown off by the appearance of Shadow Mist, a genuine Elemental HERO.

But staring at the sheer volume of his back row now, every one of them felt the same doubt creep back in.

Was this actually a HERO deck?

Because that back row was radiating a deeply ominous energy.

No deck built around justice and camaraderie had any business running this many set cards.

The "heroic" atmosphere had evaporated entirely.

"That's... something else." Even across the field, Jaden felt a prickling sensation at the back of his neck as he stared at Rowan's five face-downs.

He'd thought setting three himself was thorough preparation. He'd been proud of it.

He had not anticipated that Rowan's HERO deck would put out this kind of suffocating, foreboding presence.

It was worse than the Lava Golem lockdown. Worse, in terms of sheer dread, than the Stealth Bird strategy.

And somehow Rowan had set even more cards than either of those decks had ever managed.

"But that's exactly what makes this interesting! There's nothing better than the unknown."

Jaden drew his next card with full energy, and the grin that spread across his face when he saw it told the whole story before he said a word.

He raised his duel disk.

"Heroes need a stage worthy of them. I activate the Field Spell Skyscraper!"

A thunderous rumble.

The card slid into the Field Spell zone, and the arena transformed.

Day became night in an instant, the sky overhead going dark, as a towering cityscape erupted in every direction, massive skyscrapers studded with warm orange and yellow lights shaking up from the ground and looming over the field.

"The detail on that is impressive." Rowan glanced around at the transformation and nodded.

"Of course it is! Now, I switch Bubbleman to Attack Position and move to the Battle Phase! Bubbleman, attack Elemental HERO Shadow Mist! Bubble Blast!"

At Jaden's command, Bubbleman rose from his defensive crouch and snapped to full attention, raising the high-pressure water cannon on his wrist and leveling it directly at Shadow Mist.