The duel stage was perched at the very peak of an ancient, crumbling structure. Beneath it lay an endless, yawning abyss, where several coffins drifted through the empty air as if suspended by invisible threads.
"Jaden! Go for it! You absolutely can't lose, meow!"
As Jaden Yuki stepped onto the stage, Professor Lyman Banner's frantic cries drifted up from below.
"Professor Banner is certainly playing the part well," Jaden muttered, suppressing a smirk at the man's howling.
"Perhaps he is actually afraid this time," Yubel remarked, floating by Jaden's side with arms crossed as they surveyed the scene below. "He may not be an ordinary human, but in the end, he has placed his life in someone else's hands."
"True enough," Jaden agreed.
This wasn't the first time Professor Banner had lured someone he scouted here to participate in a Shadow Duel. Atticus Rhodes, for instance, had been guided here by the Professor to complete his "instruction" in the dark arts of dueling. However, on those previous occasions, Professor Banner hadn't been stuffed into a coffin by these Gravekeepers.
"Regardless, I have no intention of losing this match."
Jaden snapped his Duel Disk open and looked toward the Gravekeeper's Chief. "Are we ready to begin?"
"Whenever you are," the Gravekeeper's Chief replied, activating his own Duel Disk and sliding his deck into the slot.
"I didn't expect the spirits of the Spirit World to possess such modern technology," Jaden couldn't help but criticize.
"You are not the first to enter this place; people from your world have been coming here for a very long time," the Gravekeeper's Chief said calmly. "However, most have ended up as sacrifices to the spirits."
"I see..." Jaden prepared himself, a dark gold light shimmering in his eyes. "Then let's begin. Duel!"
"Duel!"
[Jaden Yuki LP: 4000]
[Gravekeeper's Chief LP: 4000]
"It's starting," Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring murmured from within her coffin, her eyes wide with tension as she watched the field. "I acknowledge Jaden's raw power, but a duel requires more than just strength. To put it simply, a card duel is a clash of deck archetypes."
"The Gravekeeper monsters aren't particularly strong on their own, but their Magic and Trap support is terrifying," Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring whispered to herself, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. "Jaden's HEROes are going to have a massive headache."
Meanwhile, Professor Banner watched in silence. I originally intended this duel to test Jaden's adaptability to a Shadow Duel... but his strength seems to far exceed my expectations. Perhaps he truly is the one who can stop that event from occurring.
Looking at the lid of the coffin before him, Professor Banner fell silent for a moment before swallowing hard. "In any case! Jaden! You must win!"
"The first move is mine," the Gravekeeper's Chief announced. He glanced over his hand, a slight, involuntary smirk tugging at his lips. "Unfortunately for you, you shall witness the true power of the Gravekeepers from the very first turn."
"Oh?" Jaden watched with interest. "Then show me. Let's see how formidable this Gravekeeper deck really is."
"Hmph, enjoy your arrogance while you can," the Chief sneered. "You may possess power that transcends the ordinary, but once a Shadow Duel begins, we stand on equal footing."
The Chief slammed a card into his Field Zone. "I activate the Field Spell, Necrovalley!"
The world around them shifted violently. Mountains erupted from the ground, and the ancient buildings were swallowed by a vast, sacred mountain range.
"This is the sacred land our tribe has protected for generations," the Chief said, a hint of fanaticism in his eyes. He flipped another card. "And to complement this sacred land, we have the Gravekeepers' ultimate lockdown capability. I activate the Continuous Spell: Hidden Temples of Necrovalley!"
Behind the Chief, a towering Ancient Egyptian temple rose from the earth. Two massive sphinxes stood guard at the entrance, radiating a solemn, oppressive aura.
"While Hidden Temples of Necrovalley is on the field, and as long as there is a Gravekeeper monster and Necrovalley active, neither player can Special Summon any monsters, except for Gravekeeper monsters!"
"A Special Summon lock?"
The three spirits in the coffins and Professor Banner all gasped in shock.
"That's totally unfair!" Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring shouted, thrashing about in her coffin. "A HERO deck relies entirely on Special Summons to make plays! You've locked him down while you're free to do whatever you want! Have you no shame?!"
"Hmph. Dueling is not a game for children. There is only one winner," the Chief declared.
"Ugh, listen to this guy quoting duelist proverbs like he's someone important," Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring grumbled, gnashing her teeth. "He's just some tribal old man."
"Next, I Normal Summon Gravekeeper's Spiritualist!"
A woman in ornate black robes appeared on the field, wielding a golden scepter.
[Gravekeeper's Spiritualist]
[Level 4]
[ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1500]
"I activate the effect of Gravekeeper's Spiritualist! While Necrovalley is on the field, I can Fusion Summon a Spellcaster Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck using materials from my hand or field!"
The Spiritualist raised her scepter, chanting a low incantation.
"Fusion Summon!"
A multicolored vortex swirled behind the Chief. He smiled as he sent two cards to the Graveyard. "I fuse Gravekeeper's Spiritualist on my field with Gravekeeper's Visionary in my hand! Appear now, the genius of our tribe! Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist!"
In a burst of prismatic light, a white haired youth wielding a scepter emerged from the vortex. He opened his eyes, his pale blue pupils staring coldly at Jaden.
[Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist]
[Level 7]
[ATK: 2000 / DEF: 2000]
"Supernaturalist's ATK and DEF increase by 100 for every Level its Fusion Materials had! My Gravekeeper's Visionary was Level 8, and my Gravekeeper's Spiritualist was Level 4. Therefore, Supernaturalist gains 1200 points!"
[Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist ATK: 2000 -> 3200 / DEF: 2000 -> 3200]
An orange aura of power flared around the youth, and his gaze toward Jaden grew sharper.
"Furthermore, I activate the effect of Supernaturalist! During the End Phase, I can add one Gravekeeper monster or one Necrovalley from my Deck to my hand! Finally, I set one card and end my turn. During my End Phase, I add Gravekeeper's Watcher to my hand."
The Chief added the card to his hand, his turn complete.
Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring stared at the field, her expression vacant. "This... this old man... why is he so good at dueling?"
"Necrovalley locks down the Graveyard, negating any effect that involves it. Hidden Temples of Necrovalley ruthlessly locks down Special Summons. And now he has Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist, which protects Necrovalley from being destroyed while sitting on a massive 3200 ATK."
"He even searched Gravekeeper's Watcher to use as a hand trap, which can negate effects that involve discarding cards..."
Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring felt a cold sweat break out. If this continued, Jaden's HEROes wouldn't even be able to make a single move. This lockdown was enough to make almost any duelist despair.
Jaden Yuki, facing such a terrifying wall... what are you going to do? Can you really win?
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