Chapter 238: Do You Even Shuffle?

Hero's Visit!

"When the opponent declares an attack, randomly select one card from your hand. If it's a monster card, special summon it directly to the field. If not, send it to the graveyard."

Jiu Dai currently holds four cards, all drawn this turn via the effect of "Nightmare's Mirage." This couldn't have been a pre-planned setup from his previous turn, since whether he draws a monster card—or which one—is theoretically random.

Of course, to a true duelist, everything is inevitable.

"So you still have great confidence in luck?" Fujiki You Xuan smiled.

"Haha, indeed. But just to be safe," Jiu Dai said, "I activate the quick-play spell 'Very Food,' sending all my spell and trap cards on the field to the graveyard, restoring 1000 LP for each one."

"I send 'Nightmare's Mirage' and 'Hero's Visit'—currently activating—to the graveyard, restoring 2000 LP."

【Jiu Dai, LP 3300 → LP 5300】

A second layer of insurance. Even if Fujiki You Xuan doesn't pick a monster card and takes the full blast of this spell, he won't lose outright.

"Of course, since the effect of 'Hero's Visit' has already activated, removing the card from the field won't affect its resolution."

Jiu Dai chuckled and picked up his four hand cards.

"Pick one."

Fujiki You Xuan casually pointed: "The second one from the left."

"Perfect—it's a monster card!" Jiu Dai said, "Therefore, I special summon 'Card Defender' in defense position!"

【Card Defender, DEF 400】

He grinned confidently: "I'm pretty good at this—I've never lost a draw-and-chance game so far."

"Then 'Silent Magician LV8,' attack 'Card Defender,'" Fujiki You Xuan said.

"Card Defender's effect: when targeted for attack, send up to three cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard, increasing its DEF by 500 for each one."

Jiu Dai drew three cards from the top of his deck in one motion.

"I send three cards to the graveyard—Card Defender's DEF rises by 1500!"

【Card Defender, DEF 400 → DEF 1900】

Of course, this DEF is meaningless against Silence. His goal isn't to raise DEF—it's to blindly pile three resources into the graveyard.

BOOM!

A blast of magical energy struck down, shattering the small shield instantly; Card Defender exploded into fragments.

"I'll set two more cards face-down. End of my turn," Fujiki You Xuan said.

"Alright, my turn—draw!"

Jiu Dai glanced at the drawn card and immediately played it.

"Spell card 'Hope of the Fifth Act'! Shuffle five 'Elemental Hero' cards from my graveyard back into my deck, then draw two cards."

Gold light flickered as cards from the graveyard popped out one by one.

"I shuffle back 'Wingman,' 'Blazing Lady,' 'Clayman,' 'Bubbleman,' and 'Goldman' from my graveyard."

The five cards returned to his deck in sequence; Jiu Dai shuffled rapidly and reinserted them into his dueling field.

"Then, draw two cards!"

"Chain effect," Fujiki You Xuan said, "When the opponent draws outside their draw phase, I draw two cards."

"Activate 'Pot of Greed'!" Jiu Dai immediately revealed another card from his hand after drawing, "Draw two cards from your deck."

Fujiki You Xuan chuckled: "Then I'll draw two cards too."

Fujiki You Xuan grew more convinced his judgment was correct—this obscure continuous trap card from the physical game was devastating in the anime world. In this slower environment with fewer special summons, it was even more effective than the most brutal hand-trap of the future, "Prohibition of G."

Moreover, the opponent's situation with this card now mirrored the classic "Should I top G?" dilemma in competitive play.

He had no combo to break the current stalemate. If he did nothing, he'd likely be knocked out next turn. Accelerating his draw might create an opening—but at the risk of feeding cards to his opponent.

In a way, this chain effect was essentially an anime-exclusive version of "Prohibition of G."

Jiu Dai scanned his newly drawn hand and smiled again: "Ha, my deck says it's really enjoying this duel."

"You're incredibly strong, Fujiki You Xuan. Strong beyond reason. And the stronger you are, the more it ignites me."

"You're strong too," Fujiki You Xuan smiled.

Not empty flattery—he genuinely meant it.

To wield so many absurd combos with such ease—only someone with a terrifyingly powerful innate card body could do it.

"That's a given. And to honor this long-awaited duel, I must become stronger, do better."

"Watch closely, Fujiki You Xuan—I'm going to use this duel to try… breaking through myself!"

He waved his hand and played another card from his hand.

"I activate this card once more—"

"—Spell card 'Fusion Birth'!" (Original card)

Fujiki You Xuan frowned.

Again?

The spectators outside the field were stunned.

Now? In this situation?

"Fusion Birth: send the top five cards of your deck to the graveyard. If they include exactly the required fusion materials, you may perform a fusion summon using those materials!"

Hayato blinked: "But last time you used 'Fusion Birth,' the fusion materials were returned to the top of your deck via the spell 'Soul Return.'"

But this time…"

"It's just pure luck now," San Ze murmured, squinting, then smiling faintly. "Interesting. Can you really pull this off, Yu Cheng Jiu Dai?"

The combo of using "Soul Return" to return graveyard monsters to the top of the deck, then using "Fusion Birth" to fuse them—though difficult—was still within the realm of conventional strategies in this world.

After all, duelists here commonly chain two specific cards together like glue—it's normal play, nothing strange.

But blindly stacking five cards to gather fusion materials…

Only the invincible divine right hand could accomplish this.

"No problem," Wan Teng Xiang said with strange confidence, "because my brother's draws are the strongest."

"."

"According to 'Fusion Birth,' send the top five cards of your deck to the graveyard!"

Jiu Dai drew five cards in one motion, glancing at them with the corner of his eye.

Then his eyes blazed with even fiercer fire.

"Success!"

Jiu Dai revealed all five drawn cards at once.

"I drew 'Wingman,' 'Blazing Lady,' 'Clayman,' and 'Bubbleman'—the very four I just shuffled back into my deck!"

"Therefore, I perform a quadruple fusion of the Elemental Heroes of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind! Appear now—"

"—Elemental Hero Eternity!"

The entire arena erupted.

"What?!"

Even the teachers and students who had grown accustomed to Jiu Dai's godly draws were left speechless.

Blindly stacking five cards—and hitting exactly the four materials for a quadruple fusion?

And they were precisely the four he'd just returned from the graveyard?

Do you even shuffle?!

Unexpected early update this weekend!



(End of Chapter)